Alice in Undertale

By Lolitafreak88

Chapter 8 Town Cascaded in Snow

"yep SNOWDIN. home to the most awesome skeleton's you'll ever meet and a great place to get some grub." Sans winked at her as he described the new place.

"O-oh…! Oh thank you Sans! If it wasn't for you I might've not ever made it here as soon!" Alice, overcome with joy and excitement, began to cry as she hugged Sans tightly.

While Snowdin Forest had been very solemn with many curious and unique things like the Snowman, it did seem awfully barren. So the idea of going to a town where there was bound to be a number of different monsters to speak to or faculties to go to was a dream come true. It would be her first true glimpse into the Underground's way of life and define if it really was a world of Alice's own. I'm also hoping they'll have something like tea or hot chocolate to drink, Alice thought as she realized Sans was surprisingly warm for a skeleton. She decided it was probably due to his rather wisely chosen attire for the cold. Sans himself didn't seem to surprised by Alice's display of emotion and happily hugged back. It seemed as though he understood that what he was doing would make Alice very happy so he was not embarrassed in the slightest and instead very proud.

"it's no problem pal. you're gonna have a good time here. if you have any puzzles to complete or need help present-ing yourself, just come find me." Sans advised warmly.

"I don't believe I want to see another puzzle for quite some time. Those were very enjoyable but right now I'm simply n the mood for unwinding and exploring." Alice giggled a bit reticently as she didn't want to hurt his feelings.

"understandable. there's a wide 'radius' so… have fun alice." Sans said as he parted from the hug and went down the path.

Alice watched Sans go with admiration and also realized that his house was somewhere in this Snowdin. I definitely must find it, Alice thought, I wonder what kind of house it would be. Sans did not seem like the castle or manor type… and he was living with Papyrus so probably something along the lines of a rustic house. Either way, Alice took one last look behind her at the bridge, the exquisite horizon, and the ever still trees of the forest. Recalling how she felt like Little Red Riding Hood when she entered the woods, now she was about to reach grandmother's house. Chuckling at her fanciful metaphor, Alice entered Snowdin. The first thing she saw was a long white banner that said 'WELCOME TO SNOWDIN'. The first two words were in a red font while 'Snowdin' itself had a very appropriate blue font. There were two delicate flowers by the banner as well as a series of colorful lights wrapped around the stumps that were holding the banner up. They looked quite festive and made Alice feel even more excited.

She then noticed a rather large building that could be considered as having two different offerings within the entire building. It had two doors and five windows, with a window on either side of the door and an interlocking window. Snow covered the rooftops of the simply opulent building and Alice noticed two different signs hanging above the doors. One said 'SHOP' and the other said 'INN'. Now when Alice thought of a shop, she thought of a nice boutique where you could buy specific products like gifts or toys or clothes. There's no telling what a monster might offer to sell to me, Alice realized. As for the Inn, the Inn sounded extremely inviting and would probably have warmth and maybe even drinks. Alice decided it was only fair to investigate both and so she began by entering the store.

"Hello, traveler. How can I help you?" Said a rather mindful and caring female voice.

At the counter of the store appeared to be a bunny but unlike the White Rabbit, she was tall and had a curvy shape to her and was wearing more casual clothes. She had a very pretty hat, subtle make-up, a tank-top over a more luxurious black top, and a very beautiful necklace. In the warm orange glow of the entire shop she appeared with a purple complexion and it was very magical.

"Ah, hello there miss. My name is Alice and I was just seeing what was in this shop." Alice introduced herself in her usual, curtsy-filled way.

"Well here you can find some equipment to brave the elements and just some fun treats. The most popular is my hand-baked Cinnamon Bun." The rabbit said smiling.

Alice had acquired quite a bit of G from her adventures and she saw that it wasn't at all that expensive. Keeping in mind what else she had in her inventory, she noticed that she had the Snowman Piece, a cloth towel she had taken to the park, and the crossword puzzle that she was still intent on solving soon. Deciding to take the shopkeeper up on her offer, Alice announced,

"Well then, I believe I shall take one of your Cinnamon Buns please."

After exchanging money for purchase, Alice found it was a cinnamon roll in the shape of a bunny. Considering her fondness for rabbits, Alice felt this was a delightful treat to have and she placed it in her apron pockets for later. It seemed as though her pockets had a lot more available room to place things in it lately...

"Thanks for your purchase." The shopkeeper said happily.

"You are very welcome. So this really is Snowdin?" Alice asked, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"Yeah and I got to say I can't remember the last time I saw a fresh face around here. Where did you come from? The capital?" The bunny asked.

"Oh, well you see. I actually came from England and I fell down here through a rabbit hole. I know it sounds too fictional to have actually occurred but I'm being truthful." Alice insisted gently.

"England? Oh yeah… that's a human place. Whoa… then that means you came down here from up above. Well you must be really lonely then, sorry about that. Snowdin's a fairly welcoming town so you'll be at home here."

"That's very kind of you to try to make me feel more comfortable but I'm already quite fond of the Underground. So what do monsters do down here?" Alice asked feeling touched by the shopkeeper's sensitivity.

"You want to know what we do down here in Snowdin? Grillby's has food, and the library has information… if you're tired you can take a nap at the inn. It's right next door- my sister runs it. And if you're bored, you can sit outside and watch those wacky skeletons do their thing." The Shopkeeper explained.

Alice instantly was given a lot of wonderful new information to work with. Grillby's sounded a lot like a bar or a place for more casual fare. She was a little worried she would be underage for it but if it was the only restaurant then chances are she would be allowed to eat there. There was also a library where all sorts of possibilities for Alice awaited. Lore about the Underground, stories that the Monsters had written, history and religious texts, even their own version of fairy tales were all things Alice was hoping to see. Furthermore it was clear that Sans and Papyrus had a very big but positive reputation in the town as the shopkeeper considered watching them 'something to do.' Something about that seemed quite amusing to Alice as they were rather eccentric people.

"Sans and Papyrus right? They are very delightful skeletons." Alice said.

"Yeah that's them alright. One day they just came to town… and asserted themselves… The town has gotten a lot more interesting ever since." The Shopkeeper said.

"Hmm? So they weren't originally from around here? Where did they come from?" Alice asked curious.

"No one really knows or at least no one has bothered asking them. I mean most monsters down here kind of know each other seeing we can't really… get out." The Shopkeeper gave an insecure smile as she replied.

"... Well what is the history of this town then if I may ask?" Alice asked as she held her arm in a nervous way.

"A long time ago, monsters lived in the RUINS back in the forest. Long story short, we all decided to leave the ruins and head for the end of the caverns. Along the way, some fuzzy folk decided they liked the cold and set up camp in Snowdin. Oh, and don't think about trying to explore the RUINS… The door's been locked for ages. So unless you're a ghost or can burrow under the door, forget about it." The Shopkeeper said teasingly.

Sounds a lot like how other countries have expanded, Alice thought when the Shopkeeper described how monsters had been exploring and some chose to stay at places along the way. Furthermore Alice suddenly realized that nobody knew about Toriel living in the ruins which also explained why Toriel had not wanted anyone to know about her. Though that also seemed strange as it appeared that Sans had knew her from the similar taste in puns and the subject matter of the pun in Toriel's diary. Perhaps Sans was also sworn to secrecy by her then, Alice considered. Alice was glad to hear the history of Snowdin wasn't anything violent or full of complexity compared to the histories of other societies Alice knew about. It was a sign that these monsters were very united and looked out for one another. Alice decided to ask the Shopkeeper one more question.

"So how is your life then ma'am?"

"Life is the same as usual. A little claustrophobic… But… we all know deep down that freedom is coming, don't we? As long as we got that hope, we can grit our teeth and face the same struggles, day after day… That's life ain't it?" The bunny showed real vulnerability in her answer.

"I… I'd like to imagine so yes. I mean they say good things come to those who wait and I'd like to believe that things like 'freedom' can be attained if you strive for it and actively attempt to make change." Alice spoke with an air of wisdom about her.

After all, many events and places in human history had been shaped by those ideals. Independence, freedom, human rights… all earned and gained by those who believed. Alice suddenly felt a bit embarrassed thinking so hard about the human world in this fantasy world. Still her words made the Shopkeeper smile at her.

"You definitely have a point there Alice. You're also real optimistic too. I hope you come again sometime! You are fun conversation." The Shopkeeper said.

"I'll do my best." Alice remarked and she left the shop with a friendly wave good-bye.

Eager to meet the Shopkeeper's sister after that pleasant encounter, Alice went over to the inn next. Inside was a pretty pink rabbit in a yellow and blue dress smiling pleasantly behind the counter and a small little rabbit, their face just peeking slightly above the counter. Alice was definitely happy to see so many rabbits around here as they all reminded her of the beloved White Rabbit. So she went over to speak to both of them.

"Mom says that sleeping can recover your health over your maximum HP… what's maximum HP?" The small little rabbit asked Alice.

"I don't know myself. Very curious… and oh, so you are his mother ma'am?" Alice replied before turning to who appeared to be the Innkeeper and asking.

"Yes dearie. I am. Welcome to Snowed Inn! Snowdin's premier hotel! One night is 80G." The Innkeeper replied.

"I believe I shall stay a night then. Are warm drinks included?" Alice asked kindly.

"Sure dearie, I can make you some and bring it up to you. Sleep tight ok?"

"Certainly." Alice then proceeded to climb up the stairs to find a quaint empty room.

There was a very cute rug with hearts on it which reminded Alice of a character she had envisioned in her Wonderland. But she was too tired to take in any more decor and she slumped rather inelegantly into bed. No sooner had she closed her eyelids when she heard a disturbingly loud snore from the room next door. There was something rhythmic about it and sure enough, a chorus of at least two more snores joined in. It made for interesting entertainment but also made for terrible disruption. Alice tried to ignore it but it simply was too loud and she even tried blocking her eardrums with the pillow but this only served to bother her further. After only two minutes of being inside the room, Alice huffed and realized she was not going to ever get sleep here. Banking on something else, she left the room and returned to the Innkeeper who had a cup of hot chocolate for her.

"Hiya! You look like you had a great sleep. Which is incredible, because you were only up there for two minutes…" The Innkeeper shared.

"... Please consider looking into the behavior of other guests ma'am." Alice replied rather coldly as she wasn't pleased at having her attempt at rest ruined like that.

"Sorry about that. We'll try to improve the quality of the rooms for guests to sleep. Feel free to come back at any time." The Innkeeper said.

Alice took the hot chocolate and drink it calmly before leaving the inn. It was rich and creamy with perfect texture and warmth. So if she was to give a review, she would rate this at about 3 stars since the service and decor was nice as well as the offerings, but being able to hear the most obnoxious snoring through the walls was a clear detriment. After finishing the hot chocolate and returning the cup, Alice left the Inn and carried on in into the center of Snowdin. As she carried further into the town she started noticing a few residents as well as a curious igloo with a sign next to it. Alice read the sign to find 'Don't want to walk to the other side of town? Try the undersnow tunnels! They're efficiently laid out!'

"Oh! Like a rabbit hole!" Alice exclaimed cheerfully.

With this interesting shortcut in mind, Alice continued her walk down into the town. Passing by a rabbit who seemed to be standing in front of a door to a house and a female rabbit walking a much smaller rabbit… Ok that's a tad bit disturbing, Alice thought thinking of how a rabbit was walking another rabbit as a pet. Suddenly, Alice spotted something that took her breath away. There was no mistaking it, it was a genuine Christmas Tree. The star shining brightly on top of it, lavish red and orange ornaments hanging from it's branches, and beautifully wrapped presents lying underneath the tree. Alice was very surprised and even delighted to see such a familiar and charming sight laid out in front of her. A bear in a cozy-looking orange and yellow sweater was laying a new present box underneath the tree. Alice approached the bear and asked him.

"Sir, do you mean to say that you celebrate Christmas down here?"

The bear explained,

"Awful teens tormented a local monster by decorating its tree-like horns. So we started giving that monster presents to make it feel better. Now it's a tradition to put presents underneath a decorated tree."

"Oh… so it's not a named holiday? Well that's very interesting for I know of a holiday quite similar to that." Alice explained as she realized the monster he was talking about was Gyftrot.

"Really? What's it like?" The bear asked.

"Well it is a time of virtue and spending time with family and friends. There are presents, caroling, and it's also rather religious. As for it's name, it's called Christmas." Alice spoke eloquently.

"Sounds like a wonderful holiday" The bear spoke as they set down another present that looked strange in shape.

Upon closer inspection it appeared to resemble a bone. Alice wasn't sure why anyone would gift someone a bone. Though it more than likely was for a dog, like one of the Dog Patrol. Alice nodded towards the bear, thanked him, and noticed how some of the other presents were addressed from 'Santa' to various locals. It's beginning to look even more and more like Christmas, Alice thought. As she walked by, she noticed a small yellow monster that reminded her of a dinosaur. It had no arms, a tail, was wearing a yellow shirt with brown stripes, spines on the back of its head, and seemingly black eyes. Alice thought it looked very much like a kid and was surprised when it said,

"Yo! You don't seem to be a kid… you're not wearing a striped shirt. Who are ya then?"

"Oh… well… I'm very much a young lady then in that case. My name is Alice," Alice curtsied and replied, slightly taken aback by the upfront statement.

They had a young, outgoing voice and seemed very perky if a bit goofy. Alice realized this monster's name really was Monster Kid and that he was a big fan of Undyne. Though that made Alice a bit puzzled. Whenever she unconsciously identified a monster they had been monsters who were facing her and that she needed to pacify. For example, she hadn't identified the Shopkeeper or the bear she had just spoken to but yet somehow she was identifying Monster Kid. Such a thought was very curious and even a bit unnerving to her as if it was a premonition. Still the kid's innocence relieved Alice and he replied.

"Alice huh? Pretty name! I hope we can see each other soon! There's a lot I want to see! Like Undyne!" The Monster Kid yelled cheerfully.

"Really! Well that's wonderful to hear you have goals in mind at such a young age. Bye bye." Alice excused herself politely as she continued to investigate Snowdin.

She found another bear who told her that the town had no mayor of any kind but rather if there was a problem, a skeleton would tell a fish lady about it. 'Thaaaaaat's politics!' He had said. Alice mentally disagreed as leadership for any town was important though realized monsters had a much different situation than humans did. After smiling to herself about the differences, she came across Grillby's. On the outside, Grillby's fortunately looked a lot more sophisticated than the name implied and she could even see a steaming cup of something to drink through the window. A vase of pretty morning glories was outside and snow was covering the perches above the windows and door. I'm not necessarily hungry right now, Alice thought, but it'd be nice to see more of the locals. So inside Alice went… and she was immediately surprised.

"Oh!" She gasped melodramatically, unable to help herself.

First off, the Dog Guard members that Alice had previously encountered were gathered around two tables out of three. Dogamy, Dogaressa, Doggo, and Greater Dog were at the big rectangular table with cups and cards sprawled out on it. Lesser Dog was at it's own smaller table, sitting on a stool with a bowl of kibble and playing cards. The last table went abandoned with a bottle of drink on it. There were also two booths with a unique character in each booth. One was an almost indescribable monster with giant teeth and the other appeared to be an orange, very dizzy looking bunny. There was also a red bird and an ugly fish sitting at the stools towards what appeared to be the main counter of Grillby's and a punk-dressing hamster hanging by what appeared to a music-playing machine with a very stylized and futuristic design. There was a rather glitzy sign that seemed to flash a bright pink and blue behind the machine that said 'Grillbys' with an exaggerated 'S' and a glass. As for the main counter, Alice was most amazed to see there was what appeared to be a living flame dressed in a very elegant suit with a bowtie and wore glasses. They were cleaning a glass with a towel without any signs of the towel being lit aflame by his touch. I wonder if that's Grillby himself, Alice pondered as she had to admit this was a very inviting interior. Judging by the cabinet of what was no doubt craft beers and wines, there was an element of it being more of a bar than a restaurant but it seemed to fit the theme of Snowdin thus far.

"A newcomer? Oh my, we rarely get any of those." The red bird, who seemed to be female, said as she took note of Alice.

"Oh… well… I'm sorry. I was just curious to see what was inside. Is this one of those exclusive places?" Alice asked as she was flabbergasted about the Dog Guard being here.

"..." The flame said nothing at all but the red bird seemed to be listening intently to them.

"Grillbz says anyone is welcome and to make yourself at home." The red bird translated.

"Ah, thank you… my name is Alice." Alice curtsied once again as she introduced herself.

Some of the Dog Guard did turn to face her but most of them had warm smiles towards her, as though they now considered her friendly and not anyone worth killing. They quickly turned their attentions to their normal business. Alice wasn't really sure who to talk to first but she did notice that the bunny seemed to groaning and clearly looked dazed so she wondered if they needed help.

"Excuse me sir, but is everything alright?" Alice slipped into the booth as she felt she needed a seat.

"No matter where I go, it's the same menu, the same people… Help! I want new drinks an' h-h-h-hot guys!" The bunny cried out.

Alice was suddenly rather puzzled. From the voice she figured the bunny to be a male but yet… he was saying 'hot guys' much like how say ideally, Alice would ask if she was pursuing love. For him that's the same gender, Alice thought, so what does that mean? Alice looked uncomfortable as she knew from society's standards, it was traditional for a male and a female to get together. It was not traditional to get together the other way around, no matter what the gender was. So she asked him,

"D-do… monsters… not discriminate same gender relationships?" Alice asked as she was genuinely intrigued by such an ideal.

"..." Grillby was looking straight at Alice as was practically every other monster in the bar.

"Grillbz asks why do you ask?" The red bird translated.

"A-ah… well you see… where I come from it is… frowned upon and I believe illegal. The only relationship I've ever known about is between a man and a woman." Alice explained.

She was by no means a professor on this subject and really her only experience of it never being accepted was that she had never heard or seen of such activity. After all, the fairytales her sister would read to her had romance between a prince and a princess, never between two of the same. She was too young to really understand why but her more curious side was interested in seeing what the monsters had to say about it. Personally, if Alice was to choose, she would simply choose for people to be with who they want to be with. But like she mentioned to Sans, England had many rules and ideas of proper behavior and etiquette. So something like this was highly prone to questioning and outrage if it happened there…

"(That's a prime difference between humans and monsters. For example, dogs can get married.)" Dogaressa said, petting Dogamy tenderly as she spoke.

"It's always been part of our culture. Humans have had to fight long and hard for those rights I hear but monsters have never really judged like that." The punk hamster spoke.

"Huh… so… I come from England and it has been brought to my attention I come from an entirely different time. When did it happen for England then to be so accepting?" Alice asked curiously.

This whole time the bunny had not spoken again. Alice was worried she had offended him but on the contrary they seemed oddly happy. As though pleased to meet someone so interested in that subject. It was also possible they were still too dizzy, Alice had a hunch it was due to drinking, to reply properly.

"As I recall it was somewhere around the mid to late 20th century. The reason we know that is from some newspapers and stuff that we find lying around the garbage dump." Said the fish man.

"... Wow. So… they accepted it then?" Alice seemed pleasantly surprised by that knowledge.

"Monsters did it first… and come to think of it, human food is a lot different from monster food. Human food supposedly can spoil and passes all the way through your body. It's disgusting… I have to try it someday!" The big mouthed monster said almost contradictory.

For the first time, Alice felt as though that there was some positive to being here in the future. She learned that humans had become more accepting of different relationships and people's rights than in her time. She also learned that monsters were truthfully very honest and good-hearted in their needs and wants. They seemed very accepting and weren't prejudiced against other monsters for petty things or things that would be significant in Alice's time. There was… a definite sense of freedom of beliefs in the Underground. Perhaps it was due to their shared fate that they became so understanding of one another and developed a true camaraderie. Alice felt incredibly touched by this revelation and put a hand to her heart gracefully as she closed her eyes in thought. This all happens in the future...

"I-I mean hot guys are just… my preference… but yeah! T-there's no problem with that at all!" The bunny finally spoke up again.

"I think that's very sweet of you to be honest with your feelings. My society is very strict so I have to say this is very new to me. This open-mindedness… I'll treasure these experiences greatly." Alice said.

"..." Grillby seemed to be indicating something to the bird again.

"Grillbz says that he finds your willingness to learn admirable. He'd also offer a cup of water but he can't really touch those…" The bird said with a small giggle.

"Oh! No thank you… I had hot chocolate earlier… oh dear. I'm terribly sorry if I made things more serious than they needed to be here," Alice apologized, wondering if she had gotten a bit too intellectual in her conversation.

"You don't need to overthink it that much. Though I would be careful where I sit around here because that big guy WILL jump into your lap and give you lots of love and attention." Dogamy said to Alice as he eyed Greater Dog.

"I'll keep that in mind. Um… so you two seem to be quite happy," Alice replied, feeling glad she had chosen a booth seat.

"(We are happy together ever since you helped us. Although we never get any respect as sentries from anyone else. I wish those skeletons would throw us a bone. We love bones.)" Dogaressa said.

"Well perhaps if I find a bone I'll give it to you then and I did see a present under the tree that looked like one." Alice pointed out.

"You'd share with me wouldn't you my hot dog?" Dogamy asked Dogaressa.

"(Absolutely.)" Dogaressa replied and the two kissed gently.

"Hey! Human!" Doggo's voice demanded Alice's attention.

"Yes?" Alice asked meekly.

"I wanted to let you know I was thinking of getting a spiked collar to show off my personality. It makes a statement like… "Attach a leash to me and take me for a walk please." Doggo shared some personal information with Alice.

That seems very ironic, Alice thought. It made it seem as though Doggo wanted to be dependent on someone or simply wanted someone who loved and treated it like a dog. Still it was very reassuring to Alice that the Dog Guard was being so nice to her and not trying to confront her like before. With that in mind Alice nodded and let Doggo know that she appreciated his determination. Alice then conversed and saw what everyone else in Grillby's was doing. Greater Dog made a strange sound, Lesser Dog was playing poker against itself and facing an uphill battle, and the red bird mentioned how the Dog Guard was a division of the Royal Guard and how kids wanted to be like Undyne. Similar to Monster Kid then, Alice thought. Furthermore, the ugly fish mentioned they had let out a fishing rod in the hopes of attracting one of the many fish in the sea to call his number. Alice knew it was best not to invite trouble or let him know that she had seen that fishing rod with the number so she said nothing. Finally the hamster appeared to be afraid of city-slickers moving into Snowdin and ruining the local culture. Alice hadn't expected getting to know this many people so fondly and she felt at home and in her element. So with grace and poise, Alice made her exit with a friendly,

"Goodbye!"

Alice noticed two more citizens, a mouse wrapped thoroughly by a green scarf and a rather intimidating monster wearing a devilish cape. The mouse had a very realistic view of the Underground and the troubles they were facing.

"Dreariness, Crowding. Lack of sunlight." Those words stood out to Alice's mind.

Crowding or overpopulation was a definite problem that could arise in some societies and sunlight was vital for plants and good health. So Alice had to admit that was very hard to hear and she wished there was more she could do for them. The devilish monster was more optimistic about it though felt they couldn't do anything about their problems. With this somewhat grim encounter, Alice noticed a path that went to the left and seized the opportunity. Following the path led her to an open space with a small cozy looking cottage and… three strange things on the snow. They appeared to be… jelly? One had a moustache, one was teal with a red cap, and the other was teal.

"Let's play Monsters and Humans!" The capped one said.

"You aren't gonna make me be the human again, are you?" The plain teal one said.

"Ah, to be young again. The world sure felt boundless." The moustached one said.

"..." Alice decided to ignore these three as she was absolutely baffled on what they were and how they were talking.

Turning to the cottage, she knocked on it daintily. She wasn't sure what was inside and it might've been rude to do so, but Alice wanted to gather as much information as she could about Snowdin.

"Ahh, what a beautiful knock…! Maybe if I don't answer, I'll hear it again." Said whoever was inside.

"Err… well… I suppose it wouldn't hurt…" Alice conceded hesitantly and knocked again.

"Ahh, my patience rewards me." They said.

"I suppose they'll just have me keep knocking on the door forever should I keep this up." Alice told herself and noticed a strange hut that had some sort of moving part laid out in front of it.

Giant blocks of ice were sliding on the moving part, perhaps one of those conveyer belts she heard about, and being picked up by perhaps the most muscular monster she had seen yet. It was a wolf and looked cunning and strong. It wasn't wearing anything but was covered in fur and seemed to be lifting these ice cubes to…

"Throw them into the river? Hmm… perhaps it's to have plentiful drinking water?" Alice inquired curiously as she saw the wolf hurl the heavy block into the river like it was a baseball.

"Excuse me sir! Can you please tell me why you are throwing those ice blocks?!" Alice called out to the wolf to get his attention.

However the wolf seemed too occupied with their duty at the moment, and the ice blocks were heading towards him rather quickly, so Alice let it go. She retraced her steps and soon found herself between Grillby's and the path she had yet to go down. When she looked over she saw a magnificent, big, brick building with a sign that said… 'Librarby' above the door.

"T-that's not how you spell library at all! Hmm… that doesn't seem like a very reassuring sign does it? As though whoever is in charge of this library doesn't care much for it..." Alice told herself as though giving herself good advice.

Alice took no time in walking inside the misnamed library to see what was in it. She was especially hoping for books that had nothing but pictures in it. Inside she noticed four monsters, three of which were gathered around a table with a doily placed neatly on the center. There were six particularly large bookshelves of two rows with books in red, blue, yellow, orange, mint green, and forest green colors. A ladder was placed perfectly for anyone to reach the top shelves and there was also a potted cactus and decorative rug for fashionable taste. The three monsters at the table were a strange monster consisting of a large eyeball with legs and horns, a rather pretty blonde-haired rhino with a pink dress, and a stylish looking green monster with make-up and a brown bun. The librarian himself appeared to be a green lizard dressed studiously with glasses.

"Welcome to the library. Yes, we know. The sign is misspelled." Said the librarian.

"Are you going to correct it soon?" Alice asked.

"I don't think that's possible since we built this library a long time ago. Not to mention there's a strange novelty to a misspelled sign don't you think?" He asked.

"I suppose there is a whimsy to a misspelled sign… but for a place of higher learning and education it seems more important to stay true to what is right. Still if you say so and seeing as I am a visitor, I have no objections." Alice spoke as she tapped into more of her wisdom.

"Then enjoy yourself and read, read, read!"

Alice nodded at the librarians words and walked over to the red shelf of books first. She found a student report that looked interesting and began to read it. 'Monster funerals, technically speaking, are cool as heck. When monsters get old and kick the bucket, they turn into dust. At funerals, we take that dust and spread it on that person's favorite thing. Then their essence will love on in that thing… Uhhh, am I at the page minimum yet? I'm kinda sick of writing this.'

"...!" Alice was visibly disturbed.

This information made something that Alice had experienced very clear now. That nightmare she had in the Ruins about the strange other Alice being covered in dust and then Toriel herself turning into dust upon death was now explained. Monsters by nature, dissolved into dust when they died. While this report was fairly innocent despite the writer clearly not being invested, it had much darker implications if a monster were to not die of getting old. It also was important information in case she found dust in an unusual area which could potentially serve as a warning sign of something dangerous. Moving onto the blue shelf she pulled out a book and read. 'While monsters are mostly made of magic, human beings are mostly made of water. Humans, with their physical forms, are far stronger than us. But they will never know the joy of expressing themselves through magic. They'll never get a bullet-pattern birthday card…'

"Not even an unbirthday card?" Alice chuckled to herself as she was reminded of a silly thought of hers she had once.

A birthday comes once in a year on the day you were born. 1 out of 365. But that left 364 unbirthdays to celebrate and enjoy oneself. On a more serious note, Alice found it very interesting that monsters themselves thought humans were much stronger than humans. In the real world, Alice felt that humans would be powerless against the strange, arcane powers than the monsters have. Perhaps they did have more sheer fortitude and gunfire than monsters but she felt magic always had a deep versatility to it. You could simply make things disappear with magic while humans didn't have that luxury. Furthermore the whole concept of DETERMINATION clearly didn't apply to the real world as Alice did not have the sort of powers she displayed with Toriel that she did when she was hanging around with Dinah. All in all, Alice thought, very curious philosophies these monsters have.

"I wonder what these gold books have to say…" Alice said as she moved onto the next shelf.

'(Here I am… Writing this book. A person comes in and picks up the book… They start reading it…!) Oh, sorry. I'm still writing that one.' What nonsense, Alice critiqued in her head and put it away. Still curious for more knowledge, she dug into the orange shelf next and pulled out another monster-related text. 'Because they are made of magic, monsters' bodies are attuned to their SOUL. If a monster doesn't want to fight, its defenses will weaken. And the crueller the intentions of our enemies, the more their attacks will hurt us. Therefore, if a being with a powerful SOUL struck with the desire to kill… Um, let's end the chapter here...'

"... How awful." Alice said as she looked quite shocked by the profound message of this text.

Thinking along the lines of what Flowey and Chara had said in the past, and wondering what they were up to at this moment, Alice realized that they potentially could inflict devastating harm since it was clear they were willing to kill. She remembered how Flowey had sweet-talked her into near vulnerability until Alice herself stood up for herself and was rescued by Toriel. Who knows what the end result could've been if Flowey tried doing that to someone else. It also meant that the SOUL was definitely a double-edged sword that could be used for good and evil. Alice felt fortunate her heart was in the right place and understood that might be why the monsters she had met in Snowdin were so welcoming. Sans and Papyrus even seemed to understand that although she was still a bit nervous about Papyrus trying to capture her… Reaching into the mint green shelf, Alice found a book that was the fourth part to a monster history. 'Fearing the humans no longer, we moved out of our old city, HOME. We braved harsh cold, damp swampland, and searing heat… Until we reached what is now called our capital. "NEW HOME." Again, our King is really bad at names…?'

"I suppose they really aren't fond of the king's creativity then." Alice murmured feeling a bit embarrassed for the king.

She realized that the harsh cold was probably this area and from the sounds of it, damp swampland must've been the WATERFALL that Napstablook had told her. The searing heat sounded uncomfortable but also exciting so Alice was impressed with the variety of geographical types in the Underground. Taking a look into the final shelf, Alice pulled out one last text and began to read. 'Love, hope, compassion… This is what people say monster SOULS are made of. But the absolute nature of "SOUL" is unknown. After all, humans have proven their SOULS don't need these things to exist.' Alice winced at the severe insult to her species. It seemed that there were monsters in the underground who felt humans lacked love, hope, and compassion. Given their history I find that to be fairly justified, Alice concluded. Alice herself did have love, hope, and compassion she felt and she hoped maybe she could set a more positive example of humans… from the past. That is very awkward isn't it? She thought to herself. Putting the book away, she decided to converse with the three monsters at the table.

"When I was younger, my teachers gave me word searches when they ran out of assignments. I thought they were a waste of time. But look at me now… I'm the number-one word-search creator in the underground!" The stylish monster coughed.

"I love working on the newspaper! There's so little to report that we just fill it with comics and games." Said the rhino.

"Oh, well I suppose if you don't have any news to report then you have to do something to keep your newspaper appealing. Hmm… do you know any recent news that may be of interest to me?" Alice inquired from the two monsters.

"Oh! Well there is a famous cold case around here. Pun not intended. Some monsters in Snowdin as well as across the Underground disappeared after volunteering for an experiment. No one knows what happened to them and at this point most of the monsters have moved on from it. At least that's what we said when we last reported it." The rhino explained.

"Disappearances…? Hmm… well that's not very positive but it does sound quite important. I hope those monsters are found someday." Alice said sympathetically.

She wondered if Flowey may have been responsible but the use of 'experiment' suggested it had been a volunteer effort that clearly went wrong somewhere. Alice didn't really know of anyone yet who could be behind experiments. There was that Alphys character Sans and Papyrus mentioned but without having met her, Alice had no room to throw theories about her around. After all, the royal scientist could mean they did different types of science beyond things related to monsters. Either way it was important to know as it alerted Alice to be careful and could be something to look into for a way to get out of here.

"Me too… it was crazy and hard on all of us when it happened." The stylish monster said.

As for the eyeball… they seemed able to tell that Alice had difficulty with Junior Jumble which was rather creepy. Alice felt she was done with the library at this point so she took her leave and continued forward deeper into the town. It was at this point she noticed a magnificent house that was at least two floors, with a gorgeous balcony hanging over it, and christmas lights on the windows with a wreath on the door. There were also two mailboxes with one mailbox being positively stuffed to the brim with what appeared to be unread junk mail and the other being closed. The house was locked but it definitely made Alice curious as to who lived here. She had a hunch it might've been Sans and Papyrus, especially given the two mailboxes, but at this point it was rather difficult to confirm. She also noticed another igloo which probably was the one that connected to the other igloo on the left end of town. Finally, Alice noticed a strange wooden shed that was also locked, this time from the inside.

"Perhaps it's keeping tools meant for clearing snow?" Alice theorized given all the snow.

Either way, Alice suddenly had a worrying feeling in her heart as she noticed the path led out of Snowdin and further into what appeared to be a small forest trail. She hadn't seen Sans or Papyrus again since she departed into the town and she wondered if they were awaiting her from further down. That would mean that Papyrus would make his last stand towards capturing her and bringing her to Asgore which would surely mean her end. Or would he spare her after all the bonding and things they went through? Alice was petrified about finding out what his decision would be but knew if she wanted to see Waterfall or anything else, she'd have to move forward. With a deep breath, she went into the forest trail.

"Oh… where'd this mist come from?" Alice asked nervously as a chilling, thick, frosty mist swirled around the trailer.

She could make out the shadows of certain things but visibility was heavily reduced otherwise. The temperature also felt as cold as when Alice first arrived to the Snowdin Forest without her cape. So shivering, Alice kept moving forward… but then had to stop in a panic. A shadowy, tall silhouette was standing there down the path as though waiting for her. Alice tried not to assume anything but the shape, the cape, everything was just like him. There was no denying what was going to come next. She was about to face off against the Great Papyrus.

To Be Continued...