Alice in Undertale
By Lolitafreak88
Chapter 14 Lucid Dreemurr and Dreams
Alice found that the trail seemed to create an entirely different atmosphere. Something ethereal and rather mystical, like an ancient forest. Trails of water split off in different directions, lilypads and similar plant-life were over by the water, the grass itself seemed to reflect the glow of the water, and it was definitely so much more lush and fertile than the Ruins or Snowdin had been. After crossing a small bridge, she quickly stumbled upon a pair of Echo Flowers. Knowing it'd be wisest to start with the closest one first before the further one, Alice quickly listened into what appeared to be a passing conversation.
"So? Don't you have any wishes you to make?" Repeated the first.
"...hmm, just one, but… It's kind of stupid."
Already having her curiousity peaked, Alice detected there being two different paths to take. Normally she'd be thrilled but Alice had a sinking feeling that taking the wrong path in Waterfall would lead somewhere she didn't want to be. Not to mention Undyne was still out there somewhere and should she come across her earlier than later...
"Hmm… it certainly has been made to be too precarious to explore deeply in Waterfall… but I suppose it is best if I see everything there is to see so I don't feel I've missed anything." Alice reasoned to herself, something that was common for the little girl to do on her own.
So she decided to go left first and she soon stumbled upon a pair of very familiar Moldsmal. Oh so it appears they also exist outside of the Ruins, Alice realized as she began dealing with them the same way she had done so before. After some meaningful conversation and pacifying them, Alice found the very end of the left path. A thicket of grass and four glowing mushrooms. Alice couldn't help but find it amusing that Waterfall had mushrooms that were so different yet felt so similar to the mushrooms Alice had in her idealized Wonderland. In Wonderland, depending on which side of the shroom you ate, you could grow and shrink whereas these mushrooms glowed brightly and could turn off and on. Within the thicket of grass was a most intriguing surprise.
"Ballet shoes…? I wonder if these shoes go with the tutu I came across earlier." Alice thought.
There was still something a little depressing about finding these random, decidedly human articles scattered randomly across the Underground. Alice's current theory is that these things belonged to the children who had been here before and unfortunately didn't survive. If it was true, Alice knew it would be disrespectful and wrong to take these mementos for herself. She also highly doubted that the tutu or the shoes would fit her size as there was no telling what the children of the past looked like. So Alice left the shoes as they were and returned back to the original crossroads between left and forward. Going forward, Alice didn't get much farther as her phone quickly began to ring again. Alice was a little concerned that this had been a bit too perfect of timing and so she answered at once.
"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS! REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES? WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW… HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY… MURDERY." Papyrus said after a brief hesitation.
"Hehe… I suppose that must certainly be a strong opinion." Alice chuckled cheerfully.
Granted if it had been anyone other than Papyrus telling her, she'd be terrified to hear this but there was always something refreshing about his sweet honesty. It was in a way, the nicest way to hear that he was indeed working with Undyne and that Undyne was still intent on hunting her down.
"I KNOW RIGHT?! IT'S A BIT MUCH BUT I DO UNDERSTAND WHY SHE HAS SUCH A STRONG OPINION OF YOU… AND I HAVE A HUNCH YOU UNDERSTAND AS WELL. WHICH IS WHY I TOLD HER WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE WEARING! A LOVELY DOLL DRESS AND A BONAFIDE SANS CAPE. AT LEAST… I THINK THAT'S YOUR ENSEMBLE… BECAUSE I KNEW AFTER A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION… YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! YOU'RE-"
"But I haven't changed at all… it's not like there would even be a place to change where I'm at. I'm certainly not going to disgrace myself by changing in public for instance." Alice clarified as politely as she could.
"... OH. WELL… I GUESS THIS MEANS I WAS BEING HONEST BUT THEN THAT MIGHT MEAN YOUR FATE'S BEEN SEALED… AH WELL, NO BETRAYAL AT LEAST! I GOT TO SAY BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY! BUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD AT LEAST CHANGE UP SOMETHING… JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE." Papyrus seemed a bit worried at first but his unbridled optimism prevailed and he ended the conversation abruptly.
"Goodness… maybe there is some merit to changing my appearance down here. Still I highly doubt I'd find anything in my size…" Alice spoke to herself as she concluded her thoughts on the matter and kept her dainty pace.
If anything it had been proven Papyrus was working with Undyne but was also trying to keep Alice safe in his own, unique way. It seemed Undyne was only going on appearances to aid her in her hunt which was valuable information Alice could use to her advantage. However, Alice was a slightly vain person in terms of appearance and was also quite correct in her mind about the unlikely chances of finding something else that'd fit her in the Underground. Granted while Sans's cape fit her fairly perfectly, the only other clothes she had been able to come across were lying on the ground and were presumably that of smaller children than Alice. Even if she was able to miraculously find some fitting clothes, Alice felt it wouldn't significantly change her situation as a target. So deciding to not follow Papyrus's advice, Alice made forth on the twists and turns of the Waterfall path. She eventually came across another Echo Flower. Hoping it was connected to the previous one, Alice found great delight in being proven right,
"Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh."
"Seems like a very reassuring fellow." Alice commented as she figured this was a response to the last Echo Flower.
Continuing along the path, Alice didn't find anymore Echo Flowers to her disappointment. It made her a bit curious how common they were in the Underground compared to say a dandelion or a daisy in the human world. Fortunately, she soon discovered another sign hanging upon the walls of a new path. 'The power to take their SOULS. This is the power that the humans feared.' Alice looked despondent at the sign's grim perspective. It just didn't seem fair that humans were being judged based on events Alice had no idea about and that as a result, the Underground slandered their name and turned them into targets rather than living beings. Granted it seemed the humans had imprisoned them down here and it was clear they were desperate to be free but it was just depressing how Alice had absolutely no say in that. Her only hope was to be a Pacifist like Toriel had told her and get through to everyone not to kill her. Folding her arms, Alice entered the next area.
"This is quite a bit of water…" Alice observed calmly as she found a lone path that continued onward over a lake.
At first Alice didn't find anything too remarkable about the location and kept going along the path until she heard an unusual sound. It sounded like something emerging from the water. A glance to the left and Alice saw what was perhaps one of the strangest things yet in the Underground. It appeared to be some sort of long, pale yellow appendage. It was probably a tentacle upon closer inspection and had a slimy, maneuverable texture much like a tentacle to confirm this. Alice wasn't sure whether to be scared or excited at this discovery and so she decided to keep walking to see if it would notice her. As she did so, another tentacle emerged before both submerged into the water. Alice suddenly got slightly worried and looked around anxiously before a giant shadow in the water caught her attention. It was clear that the monster was present at the shadow's location and it began to emerge in a dramatic fashion befitting of a theater performance. What Alice saw turned out to be… completely unexpected. It had a very strange head shape, similar to perhaps an onion if Alice had to be honest, with extremely expressive eyes that seemed to sparkle in a dazzling fashion. It also appeared to be blushing prominently with a pink tongue.
"Hey… there… Noticed you were… Here…" It spoke rather shyly with a particularly feminine voice.
"W-why yes… I'm just a traveling maiden if anything. Who might you be?" Alice asked hesitantly, trying to make herself seem innocent.
"I'm Onionsan! Onionsan, y'hear!" The monster's eyes appeared to go cross-eyed as it gave a surprisingly bold response towards Alice.
For the most part it seems friendly, Alice thought to herself, surely it's not aligned with Undyne either. Alice began to proceed down the path as she spoke again to Onionsan,
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Onionsan. My name is Alice."
"Alice, huh! I like that name! You're visiting Waterfall, huh! It's great here, huh! You love it, huh!"
"Well I would say it definitely has a lot of positive attributes and it's very beautiful. There's not really a place where I come from that could compare to this place's aura and serenity." Alice's reply actually gave her a bit more confidence in herself.
"Yeah! Me too! It's my Big Favorite!" Onionsan said jubilantly.
"So you mean to say you've been to the other parts of the Underground as well?" Alice inquired curiously as she suspected they were a water-bound monster.
"Well a bit… maybe… I have to admit though that the water's getting so shallow here… I have to sit down all the time, but… He-hey! That's OK! It beats moving to the city! And living in a crowded aquarium! Like all my friends did!" Onionsan, who had slumped into the water when discussing the downsides to where they were living, quickly rebounded with a spurt of optimism.
"I think that's a wise choice. Aquarium's are very beautiful though I can't imagine how it must be for the fish to swim around in the same location over and over again. But how is the water getting more shallow? There seems to be a plentiful supply of water." Alice asked curiously.
At least if I am to believe that those blocks of ice the wolf was throwing earlier in Snowdin supply the water here, Alice recalled.
"Not all the water in Waterfall comes over to this area… kind of a shame. But I suppose it's better that it doesn't flood everything… And the aquarium's full, a-anyway, so, even if I wanted to, I…"
"Onionsan…" Alice couldn't help but feel a bit bad for this monster trapped in a dwindling lake.
"That's okay though, y'hear! Undyne's gonna fix everything, y'hear! I'm gonna get out of here and live in the ocean! Y'hear!" Onionsan spoke up once more with an excited expression.
"Ugh..." Alice was relieved that Onionsan was feeling better but couldn't help but groan that another monster was looking forward to Undyne hunting her down.
There was a lot of parallels between Onionsan and Papyrus in fact, both of them supporting Undyne and being free while having a lot of optimism. It made the monster's situation more understandable for Alice but she had to think selfishly at this point about her own situation. Everyone, besides those she truly befriended at this point, did genuinely want her to die. Her death would be the best thing that could happen to these monsters yet the idea of dying at such a young age and in a world that was not her own seemed far too cruel a fate for Alice. She was resolved to fight for her survival and trying to find another way beyond using a human soul to break the barrier. Come to think of it, I've hardly found any new information regarding the barrier itself… Alice thought. Soon she had reached the other end of the room and Onionsan was quick to point it out to her, with help from their tentacle.
"Hey… there… That's the end of this room. I'll see you around! Have a good time! In Waterfallllllllllllllllllllllllllllll…" Onionsan bid farewell as they sank into the waters.
"Farewell Onionsan. And thank you." Alice assured with a curtsy and left the room.
The next area seemed to be straightforward enough with a waterfall, a decent amount of space, and similarly dim lighting. Alice was wondering what was special about this next area so she thought to call Papyrus. Regardless of him helping Undyne or not he was still a source of conversation on the go.
"I'VE HEARD A SHY MONSTER LIVES AROUND HERE." He said.
"A shy monster you say…? Hmm… do you know anything else about them?" Alice inquired.
"WELL, IF YOU WANT TO GET SOMEONE TO OPEN UP… YOU SHOULD ENGAGE THEM IN COMBAT!" Papyrus remarked.
"But that seems… hello?" Alice doubtfully tried to throw in her opinion and yet Papyrus had already hung up.
That was when Alice noticed something very curious. A shape hidden within the corners of the room. Alice wasn't sure what to make of it from her position in the room so she approached closer and somehow she encountered the monster. It was a unusual monster in that it looked quite pretty actually with a graceful lizard-like form, two spikes from it's chest, a sapling on it's mane of long, flowing locks, two big arms, and a fish-like mouth. Alice identified the creature as Shyren which was actually a fairly normal name by human standards and also quickly proved this was the shy monster Papyrus had talked about. It seemed she was tone deaf and too ashamed to sing her deadly song.
"Oh… so you can sing Shyren?" Alice asked, eager to listen to some pleasant music.
"... … hum hum" Shyren hummed in a gentle voice befitting of a dainty damsel.
Two musical notes emitted from it's mouth, but they were rather slow and didn't even reach Alice before they disappeared. Alice had a feeling there was something special about this encounter though and Shyren was thinking about doing some karaoke by herself… What's karaoke? Alice thought as this was the first time her identifications of monsters used a term she was unfamiliar with. It must be something music or singing related surely… Alice was further interested in Shyren's musical potential and so she hummed to a jazz ballad she remember listening to before with her sister. To her surprise, Shyren turned to face her, revealing that the fish-like mouth was not a mouth and instead she appeared rather like a straw doll with a gnarled mouth but tender eyes and bangs over her right eye. Shyren seemed a lot more confident as she followed Alice's melody.
"Si re, si re, si mi, si mi" Shyren warmed up her vocals before belting a rather beautiful sounding if slightly indescribable performance.
A flurry of musical notes flew at Alice but Alice wasn't too scared of them and she was able to gracefully avoid each and every note. Alice, feeling positively delighted, continued to hum some more to encourage Shyren's vibrant vocals. To her surprise, monsters out of nowhere appeared, interested in Shyren's performances just as much as the English girl was. In fact… it became a concert.
"Oof… h-hey… excuse me sir but you stepped on my foot… please make some distance…eep! Please keep your hands to yourself..." Alice grumbled, trying to deal with the sudden surge in space taken up.
"Si Fa Si Fa So Fa So Mi Re Re" Shyren belted out more beautiful ballads that did make more than up for this discomfort.
Granted this time Alice had to create a construct of DETERMINATION to block the musical notes as with the increased crowd, it'd be far too difficult to dodge. Taking the form of a flock of mysterious umbrella vultures, they repelled the notes long enough to protect Alice from the onslaught. That was when Alice noticed something even more alarming…
"SANS?!" She exclaimed in a half-exasperated, half-impressed way.
"hey alice! welcome to the show. shyren sure knows how to sing jazz but i prefer the 'blues' more. get it? because of the blue attacks." Sans threw a good-natured pun as he sold tickets to the crowd of monsters that appeared to be made of toilet paper.
"T-those aren't legitimate tickets Sans… a-and… oh will you please move over?! Sorry… I mean Sans, what are you doing here?" Alice's attempt at being right was interrupted by someone pushing against her roughly and thus she had to get them off her to finish the question.
He really is everywhere at once… she thought with a slight groan. Then again I suppose I do call Papyrus often so maybe this is his way of catching up with me… There was definitely something strange though that he was appearing and reappearing so often throughout the Underground. It was too orchestrated, like a spy chosen to watch over her. Given that he also seemed to possess an intense presence and that theory seemed not too far-fetched. Although it was a rather pointless theory that served to only cast discord between her and Sans and did nothing to help the situation. Alice decided to table the thoughts about Sans's timing for now and decided to help conduct Shyren's performance. She waved her arms in a calculating, precise way much like she had seen real conductors do and it appeared to stir Shyren's true talent to the surface and the crowd's excitement.
"Si Fa Si Fa So Fa So Mi Re Re" Shyren reached heights no opera singer could hope to match.
After the musical notes were blocked by more umbrella vultures, Alice grinned and came up to hug Shyren, indicating both the end of the concert and that she had spared Shyren. The crowd roared with applause and cheered at the fabulous finale. Flowers were hurled from the monsters as gifts for Shyren's success and even a few toilet paper tickets. Alice, a bit overcome in the moment, let go of Shyren and began to gush.
"Oh that was simply lovely! I have never heard a more gratifying, pleasant, and exquisite sound in my entire life! Aww… if only I had something to give you... " Alice sighed bittersweetly.
As Shyren coiled into a blush and even seemed to be tearing up tears of happiness, Alice felt a familiar bony finger tapping on her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw Sans holding a flower in front of her winking.
"santa came early. this should suffice for shyren. a healthy dose of flower power" Sans said teasingly.
"Aww Sans… thank you so much. I certainly owe you more than I ever owed you at one time." Alice said thankfully and took the flower from his hand.
Granted flowers had a lot of different meanings in the Underground, Flowey coming to mind, but Alice wasn't going to be scared every time she heard or saw a flower. Like the Echo Flowers for instance restored Alice's faith in the local flora by a significant amount. Alice then handed the flower to Shyren who sniffed it happily and hugged Alice back. It seemed to be her way of thanking Alice for giving her the courage to give such a heartfelt performance. Alice freed herself and curtsied once more to show her appreciation for the entertainment. It was at that moment that Shyren wandered off and when Alice realized all the monsters, including Sans, had dispersed as quickly as they came in.
"Imagine that… hmm, what does this sign say?" Alice asked as she observed a sign she hadn't spotted before.
'The northern room hides a great treasure.'
"Hmm… that does sound quite enticing… but I wonder if it's some sort of a trap. Still there's no harm in taking a peek inside." Alice concluded and went to see the northern room.
Inside the room, to Alice's surprise and astonishment was a grand piano lying by the wall, markings resembling arrows and a circle etched on the wall over it along with a 'X - Quit', and another sign to the right. It was very bizarre and rather strange to see though the piano did look very tempting to play. Alice observed the sign to see what it might say about the treasure. 'A haunting song echoes down the corridor… Won't you play along? Only the first 8 are fine.' This definitely sounds like some sort of riddle, I'll need to find this song and listen closely. Alice felt her mind racing with excitement and she left the room and went down the right path. Along the hallways were several more signs that seemed to be detailing more monster facts. 'This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster.' 'There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a "Boss Monster." A Boss Monster's SOUL is strong enough to persist after death… If only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will.'
"It never will…? Did someone try to do this before?" Alice inquired as the final statement of the second sign caught her eye.
Strictly going by the sign, it seemed that this power to take souls was one of great controversy in the Underground. Should a Boss Monster die, Alice had a hunch she knew several of them, then they could have their SOUL taken and used for unimaginable power as some of the earlier signs recounted. Though that was not something to be desired as Alice recalled the nightmarish illustration she had seen previously of a monster with a human soul. What if it was the other way around? Would the human resemble a monster or still remain themselves? It was a disturbing topic that Alice didn't want to delve into but she felt she had to or she wouldn't get anywhere. It also made her think of what Chara had told her regarding King Asgore's goal of using the human souls to break the barrier. Supposedly they had six already so if fusing wasn't permitted and that even using six human souls was still not enough, it meant this barrier was extremely powerful. So they had really no other way but to hope to use enough souls without the use of absorbing them.
"Oh! A-a statue…?" Alice gasped after she wandered into the next area and spotted something.
Illuminated by a strange natural light source, there stood a stone statue that appeared to be of a horned creature in a sitting pose with it's arms draped over it's knees. It seemed very Nordic in style and droplets of water fell onto its head at a fast rate. Alice noticed that the structures at its feet seemed dry and also that there seemed to be enough space to hold onto something as part of the statue. Alice figured this must've been the area with the 'haunting song' but the sound of droplets seemed too vague to be that song.
"I wonder…" Alice muttered to herself as she wondered if this was also another puzzle of sorts.
Entering the next area for reference, Alice found something so out of place she wondered if Papyrus was responsible for this. It was a steel can filled with what appeared to be umbrellas. There was also an old-fashioned sign on the floor of the room as opposed to the signs placed within the walls. 'Please take one' was what it said. Considering this was Waterfall and was bound to be a damp and rainy environment, Alice understood that this was very thoughtful advice for whoever set this room. It also made Alice remember how the statue had droplets that continued to plummet onto its head...
"Perhaps I need to use one of the umbrellas on the statue to keep it full dry… but then how does that create a haunting song? Hmm… still I definitely want to find that treasure and it would be unwise not to try every single nook and cranny." Alice debated over the logic of using an umbrella on a statue but in the end her curiosity and childish desire to succeed prevailed.
She took two umbrellas with her, one a pretty pale pink color and the other a pale orange. One for herself and one for the statue respectively. Returning to the room with the statue, Alice placed the pale orange umbrella onto the statue, making sure it was held firm. That's when something simply magical happened. From within the statue itself, the familiar sound of a music box began to play. It wasn't exactly haunting if Alice had to be perfectly honest but rather sweet and calming, like a lullaby.
"Ooooohhh… this is a beautiful song. I wonder what the name of it is?" She asked as she suddenly felt a great desire to sit down and listen.
Sitting down next to the statue, laying her skirts out elegant and leaning against the wall, Alice finally got a chance to rest. She had been consistently on the move since leaving Sans and Papyrus's house and finally got a chance to look back and reflect on all she had done so far. She had managed to outwit a scheming child with ulterior motives and an aggressive flower, proving her own DETERMINATION. She had spared many lives including the caretaker Toriel who had baked her such a lovely butterscotch cinnamon pie. She met two skeleton brothers who could've easily been among her best friends on the surface had they been there and yet were so different from one another. She had read, ate, drank, explored, done much more adventurous things that she never had saw herself do. She experienced growth in equality and acceptance by the monsters themselves. She gave great ideas and in a way… matured into a lovely young woman all on her own. Still she did deeply miss Dinah and her sister and was anxious about all this strange lore and circumstances regarding the powers and rules of this world. As much joy and fun she had experienced here, there simply was no place like home. She did intend to keep her promises and knowing that if she would be able to go home, she would also be helping the monsters go home to the surface as well. After about 15 minutes of relaxing, reflecting, and listening to the terrific tune that rivaled Shyren's concert earlier, Alice got back up and decided to go back to the piano room. Knowing that the music of the musicbox was the 'haunting song' described in the puzzle, the keys to that song would be the keys to play on the piano.
"Very well… I must admit my sister would probably be proud to see me play the piano. It's a very respected instrument that shows a lot of class and elegance to the player." Alice spoke to herself optimistically.
After playing each key and making sure to gauge what each key's sound was in correspondence to the music box, Alice began to play in a set order that she believed was right. This piano only had five keys which made it a lot easier that if it had as many keys as a traditional piano. There was also the fact she only had to play 8 times to provide the solution for the puzzle. So she played first, fifth, fourth, first, third, first, third, fourth from left to right. 8 keys and… voila! Alice thought happily as she saw that a door opened up spontaneously on the furthest wall. Clapping happily to herself at the success at completing the puzzle, she went inside. Inside the secret room was a fairly simple stone pedestal with a mysterious red orb upon it and yet another sign on the wall above it. It was a legendary artifact of unimaginable value yet Alice was hesitant to take it. After all, it could be cursed or perhaps not worth anything at all.
"If only there was some sort of note, like a 'Drink Me' or something…" Alice sighed as she looked at the artifact from every angle.
Deciding that if anything she could possibly use her DETERMINATION in the event something was to go astray, Alice clutched the artifact but as she did, something crazy happened. A white dog that looked very familiar popped out of the pockets of her apron (By now seeming to have magically limitless space) and landed on the ground. Alice took several steps back and released her grip on the artifact.
"Wait a moment... you are that dog who took Papyrus's bone earlier!" Alice exclaimed.
Apparently it was called Annoying Dog, about as obvious a name as the Mad Hatter for instance. To Alice's surprise, it floated over to the Artifact and seemed to envelop it like a sponge with water. Annoying Dog had entirely absorbed the artifact to Alice's dismay. Then it proceeded to fly off and out of the room, majestically like a bird. The whole affair happened so quickly Alice could only just stand and stare bamboozled at the direction where the Annoying Dog had flown off.
"..." After frowning a bit that the puzzle had been for naught, she decided to leave the room and continue on the path.
Alice carried her umbrella properly and soon found herself in the room beyond the umbrella room. There was indeed a shower of water, much like one Alice had encountered in the spring, with long puddles on the ground and waterfalls. Alice did her best not to step into the puddles as she didn't like getting her clothes wet and did find comfort she was able to have this umbrella on her. There was also something strangely comforting about seeing her reflection along the water…
"Yo, you got an umbrella? Awesome!" A familiar cheery voice interrupted Alice's slight daydream.
Turning towards the excitable sound of the voice and Alice found Monster Kid running towards her and soon resting next to her under the umbrella's protection.
"Oh Monster Kid! I was hoping you had returned home already… your parents surely must be worried sick." Alice slightly reprimanded Monster Kid for once again putting himself in the warpath.
She did care about him greatly as a child like she was and a friend. It was precisely why she was trying to dissuade him from not only associating himself with her, but also from joining her on this quest of sorts. Still, it seemed his passion for Undyne had gotten him this far and there weren't as many wild monsters as there had been in previous areas. Plus perhaps monsters had a similar pack mentality where they weren't just about to simply harm another monster on sight. Either way, she wasn't sure how ruthless Undyne was in her hunt and if Monster Kid tried to defend her…
"Nonsense! Well… actually maybe a little bit… but they'll understand when I tell them Undyne was with me. She keeps everyone safe! So let's go Alice!" Monster Kid declared.
"... Well alright… I suppose some company is always appreciated as well." Alice felt a bit silly having to admit defeat so easily but decided it wouldn't be fair to deprive Monster Kid of an opportunity he clearly was hoping for.
So the duo continued along the rather long hallway before Monster Kid stopped again.
"Man Undyne is soooooooo cool. She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night… knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha." He stated.
"What is her preferred fighting style?" Alice asked after resisting the urge to gulp nervously.
"SPEARS! Lots of em'. Also muscles in case she has to get up close with the enemy or is disarmed. She could lift forty-two me's with just one hand. It's awesome!"
After a turn to the right, Alice and Monster Kid found themselves heading downwards, past some more Waterfall flora. The conversation continued to proceed smoothly,
"So, one time. We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king- we had to call him "Mr. Dreemurr"- volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking... YO! How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school!? She could beat up ALL the teachers!" Until an unexpected statement from Monster Kid changed the scale of the conversation.
"Hmm…? You mean the king's last name is Dreemurr? Hmm… and he's a florist on top of all this." Alice replied more to herself than to Monster Kid.
King Asgore Dreemurr, Alice went over the name in her head, certainly one of the more unique names for a monarch I've ever heard. Now Alice truly knew the identity of the ruler of the Underground which she felt was a very valuable piece of information to have. Yet there was something more important she felt about the idea of Mr. Dreemurr being a florist. It'd explain a lot about the many flowers that populated the Underground as well as Papyrus's statement about the Golden Flower Tea being the king's favorite. Yet… it also made Alice wonder about Flowey. He was a flower, a very special flower, and it would seem that he did desire to be a ruler of the Underground and was a being of powerful magic. If he had connections to Chara, what if he also had connections to Asgore? It was definitely a worthy theory that there was a connection to all of this but for now Alice had to play slightly dumb with Monster Kid. After all, there was no way he needed to know about the complex and possibly offensive ideas she was coming up with about people he knew.
"Yeah, he grows LOTS of flowers in his throne room. I saw it one time on a field trip and it was so pretty! You know though… maybe Undyne wouldn't beat up all the teachers. She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!" Monster Kid chuckled shyly.
That's doubtful, Alice thought with a slight eye roll knowing of her innocence.
"Granted teachers can sometimes be so droll and boring. Whenever I would get tired of a lesson I would often create fantastical worlds and characters in my head. But I agree that it doesn't warrant the right for them to be beat up, it's their life's work. Plus it's vital for society's progress to be well-educated." Alice elaborated on the reasoning behind teachers.
"Golly… I never thought of it that way. COOL! I wonder if Undyne ever went to school… then that'd mean I'm on the right track!" Monster Kid cheered gleefully.
"I'm sure of it."
Passing through what appeared to be a exit to a cave, Alice soon realizing they had indeed been in caverns, Alice was treated to an extraordinary sight. The lighting was very dark outside, clearly the Underground's version of nighttime, and over the horizon was a giant castle with blue spires and a sky full of magical stars. The castle looked very much like one you might find in England and even from afar was worthy of inspiring ballads and art with it's glory. Alice couldn't help but stop and stare at it wordlessly along with Monster Kid. She didn't even need to ask about what castle it was because there was no doubts in her mind that it was the King's Castle. Granted it did make Alice feel a little nervous about how far away it was from her and that it indicated she still had a very long ways to go in the Underground. But by that logic, it also greatly excited her. There was FAR more to the Underground and Alice had only scratched the surface of what amazing things there could be found here. It was definitely a blessing for Alice to have laid witness to this incredible sight. Without saying anything else, the two of them entered another cavern entrance. This time there was a similar steel can with umbrellas in it like the previous one, and a rather big ledge that Alice couldn't hope to climb onto by herself. Nor Monster Kid for that matter.
"Yo, this ledge is way too steep… hmm… hmm… Yo, you wanna see Undyne right..?" Monster Kid talked to Alice after observing the ledge for several moments.
"... Yes?" Alice couldn't say no as she wanted to keep going so she lied.
"Climb on my shoulders."
"Eh? Really… b-but won't that hurt you?" Alice asked, surprised at Monster Kid's idea.
"C'mon! I've been bodybuilding like Undyne. If I can't handle someone climbing onto my shoulders… I need to double time my routine." Monster Kid reassured happily.
"Well alright, if you say so." Alice said as she carefully climbed onto his shoulders.
With the increased height, Alice was able to easily get onto the ledge, still holding her umbrella in the case it would be useful and because it was still drizzling. She turned to Monster Kid, ready to help him up as well but,
"Yo, you go on ahead. Don't worry about me. I always find a way to get through!" Monster Kid reassured her that she didn't need to help him up.
"I understand… but please be careful!" Alice warned as she got to her feet and equipped the umbrella again.
"No pro-whoa! Oof!" Monster Kid had started off in a sprint that ended in yet another faceplant.
Like with all the previous faceplants, Monster Kid simply got back up onto his feet and kept going. With no other direction to go but forward, Alice waved good-bye to him and then turned on her heels and kept going. She found several more signs and also could hear the serene sound of a distant music box. It made Alice feel very determined and she deciphered the signs once again. 'The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy.' 'In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust…'
"Well I can see why monsters would make humans uneasy were they ever to exist alongside one another but… that's still far too cruel…" Alice observed with a feeling of dread.
She was actually becoming more relieved that she hadn't been there to witness or experience any of what supposedly had happened in this world. It was all too terrible, shamed humanity and overall had a lot of sadness. Chara was beginning to be proven right with why he saw no redeeming qualities in either side. Humans had made the first blow and monsters would never let it go. The worst part of this idea was that even if Alice freed the monsters… how would they handle the new freedom? Would they go off on the humans in revenge? Try to start a new society and live side-by-side? Or be unforgiven by the humans and forced back into the Underground for sanctuary? I see why optimism and DETERMINATION is so valued down here, Alice thought as she had come up with several negative thoughts in a row. Accepting all the worst-case scenarios would definitely harm one's mental stability, even if they held some ground. Plus Alice didn't know what humanity was like in this time period and perhaps they had settled down. Not to mention the war appeared to have occurred so long ago, there was no proof that the humans still held a grudge. If anything, it would still be the right thing to do to free the monsters.
"Yes… I've made up my mind… I still need to free them once and for-"
A strange sound interrupted her thoughts and Alice instinctively stopped walking forward and looked around. She noticed she was now on what appeared to be a strange bridge with a lower bridge a good distance below where she was standing. Furthermore, there was a mysterious blue glowing circle on the bridge in front of Alice's location. It was all too familiar to her yet Alice couldn't pin-point what it was until another circle appeared. Then a third… then a flurry of them in quick succession that left Alice no room to count them all. Massive pointed spears then surged from the circles before disappearing and Alice gulped and looked down to the lower bridge. Sure enough, she saw the familiar red ponytail and suit of armor that belonged to Undyne. Alice was once again a target of her hunt and it was clearly on. While the spears weren't being hurled at her this time, there was something a lot more dangerous about them appearing from circles on the bridge that Alice could easily run into if she wasn't careful.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKK!" Alice shrieked in fear and began to dash along the bridge as quickly as she could.
The circles appeared in varying numbers and in different places depending on the shape of the bridge. The bridge had several zigs and zags making it even more of a challenge for Alice to safely navigate without walking into one of the emerging spears. Worse, Undyne continued to follow her from the lower bridge with no signs of stopping the onslaught of magical spears. Alice soon discovered there were a number of different paths to the bridge, creating a complicated network that didn't seem all that practical if a normal monster was using it. Many of them Alice could tell were dead ends from a distance which helped her a bit but she noticed that the frequency of the circles seemed to quicken depending on what direction Alice was heading. The fact that it did quicken instead of slowed down made it seem as though Undyne was trying to dissuade her from going in that direction and thus that Alice was on the right track.
"Huff… huff…!" Alice panted as she lifted her skirts and continued to dash along the complex bridges with her umbrella in hand.
Eventually she came across a giant square with a singular path forward which Alice deduced had to be the right path. At this point though the spears were appearing with the frequency of a hummingbird flapping its wings and so she had to be very careful yet quick about her movements. So managing to make it to this path, to Alice's relief, the spears slowed down their appearances before eventually stopping altogether. But then she also noticed… it was a dead end too.
"... Ah…! Ahhh…! No… this can't be happening!" Alice quickly felt panic overcoming her as she slammed her fists on the wall, hoping it would open something.
But the walls didn't budge in the slightest. Alice knew she had gotten herself trapped and wondered if Undyne was aware of this. Perhaps she had designed the bridge herself to create this complicated network that would only lead to a dead end and thus was a trap. The only possible choice left for the little girl to do was to head back the way she came and try again. But…
"S-she's probably going to be standing there waiting for me and kill me!" Alice shrieked to herself.
However, it was not like standing pinned up against the wall would do her any better. At least if she had more space to move around, she could potentially fight Undyne and pacify her like she did with the others. Monster Kid seemed to believe in Undyne being a person who didn't aggress against the innocent after all. Alice tensed herself and turned around before heading back the way she came. She couldn't help but feel as though she was walking the plank to her doom. As though to confirm her dead end situation, Undyne approached with the same clunky steps of the armor echoing in the area. Alice looked as though she was about to cry upon seeing Undyne but then decided to try to be brave as the first tear fell.
"I-if… you are going to kill me… at least let me pray or something along those lines… to those I will never see again... uu…" Alice pleaded sorrowfully.
Undyne said nothing which Alice took as agreeing to her plea. Alice set down her umbrella, got onto one knee, and clasped her hands together. She was about to say her first words of prayer when she heard several spears being summoned at once. Closing her eyes tightly, she suddenly heard them crash and break through something close by. She opened her eyes in confusion and before she could investigate, she suddenly felt the bridge shake.
"W-what…" Alice gasped as she felt herself wobble and then suddenly it happened.
Undyne had broke off the part of the bridge Alice was on and gravity dragged it down. Alice soon found herself falling… falling… and falling as the face of Undyne watched her go down.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Alice found herself laying down on a patch of golden flowers, dazed and confused. She sat up and looked around to find herself… in the very first part of the Underground she had fallen in. The same spot in the Ruins after falling down the Rabbit Hole. Even the lighting and time of day appeared to be exactly the same. Alice was completely puzzled… why would she end up here? She had been so far away in Waterfall after all. Even if the bridge in Waterfall had been above the Ruins there was no sign of a crash or debris around. Not to mention Toriel would never allow someone to carry Alice all the way over here or enter the Ruins in the first place.
"Curiouser and curiouser…" Alice sighed, getting up and dusting herself off.
She looked around and at first nothing caught her eye from the last time she had saw this place until she noticed something startling lying against a pillar. It was… a suit of armor? A very familiar suit of armor with ivy having grown and wrapped itself around the armor. It was Undyne's armor… complete with the ponytail and yet there was something unnerving about the sight beyond it being Undyne's. There was a Vorpal Blade imbedded into it's chest violently and while there seemed to be no blood, it was clear that Undyne had been killed. The only person Alice could think of to have that Vorpal Blade was the 'Alice' she had seen before in her nightmares and this quickly proved that Alice was in a dream.
"... I hope she's not around… nor Sans." Alice mumbled to herself in a reserved way.
Dream or not, she was not in the mood to hearing 'Alice' speak to her creepily again, bearing witness to something tragic, or being killed violently by Sans because of seemingly harming someone close to him. Granted this sight of Undyne's corpse was probably tragic to Papyrus and Monster Kid as well as many others but for now Alice only felt slight pity. There was also something unusual about this whole situation. She heard a very vague melody coming from somewhere, akin to the music box. It was a powerful, intense ballad like one you might here when battling a true hero. It was subtle and quiet, almost like a bird's call in a forest. Beyond this strange music, she also realized that this was the first dream she had where the murder had happened and wasn't happening. Granted in the dream with Papyrus and Sans, Papyrus had already been killed but Alice herself had become part of Sans murder. So in a sense, she was witnessing the aftermath of presumably 'Alice' at it again. I wonder if it's a sign Chara's influence isn't as strong anymore, Alice pondered as she knew that 'Alice' was somewhat connected to him.
"It sounds like it came from over here…"
"...?!" Alice flinched and looked around instinctively when she heard a new voice she had never heard before calling out towards her.
It sounded very young and innocent, also rather boyish. It wasn't quite like Monster Kid's voice and in fact it had a strange gentleness and almost soft-spoken quality that seemed to remind Alice of someone…
"H-hello…?" Alice called out worried.
At that moment she saw someone approaching her and she was struck speechless. It was a small goat boy wearing a green long-sleeved shirt with yellow stripes and black pants. The shirt looked almost exactly like the one Chara wore but yet his species made Alice feel infinitely more comfortable. If Alice hadn't been able to tell it had been a boy from the voice, she would've theorized this was Toriel as a little girl. This revelation quickly made Alice wonder who he was and what he was doing.
"Oh! You've fallen down haven't you.." The goat said.
"Well yes… though it wasn't quite by my own will." Alice explained as best she could without seeming naive.
"Are you ok? Here, get up.."
"... Huh? But I'm already up…" Alice pointed out.
The goat said something very strange just now, because Alice had indeed gotten up as soon as she had gotten her bearings. Dream or not it didn't seem reasonable for the goat to say that. Furthermore, she noticed that the goat seemed to be looking right through her and hadn't noticed Undyne's corpse at all. He did look really adorable up close… in fact Alice was so girlishly captivated by the cuteness of the goat that she didn't notice he walked right through her like Napstablook might've done. So Alice turned around very confused, just in time to hear the goat say,
"... Chara, huh? That's a nice name."
"Chara?!" Alice exclaimed suddenly.
When she looked, she could indeed see the form of Chara cradled in the goat's arms. Though there was something more innocent about his appearance despite Alice being unable to see his face. Alice began worrying about her status in the dream and then suddenly the dream began to fade from existence as the goat's next words became distorted.
"My name is-"
Alice found herself laying down on a patch of golden flowers, dazed and confused. She sat up and looked around to find herself… in another area of Waterfall. She had survived the fall but was left with more questions than ever.
"What was all that about…?" She asked herself.
To Be Continued...
