:):

You are right again, undershield. Fearia's soul is not one of the seven known souls. That being said, the former children souls might be slightly different as well since this story is part of an alternate universe. Little changes have been made here and there but nothing too big. Yet.

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A New Pal

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The final door leaving the Ruins seemed like the heaviest. Straining her muscles, Fearia finally managed to push the large stone door open and just on the other side to greet her, a gust of cold wind washed over the small child. A chill ran down her spine as she stepped out into the snow covered forest. Where was she now?

A loud slam caused the jumpy child to flinch. Turning around, she discovered that the stone door to the Ruins had shut all by itself. Frowning, Fearia tugged at the handle but found that it was somehow locked now. She wouldn't be able to return to the Ruins even if she wanted to. It was probably for the best, she figured.

"That's fine." Fearia reassured herself. "It's not like I could have gone back anyway..."

Refusing to dwell on past events, the little girl put on a brave smile and checked out her new surroundings. A thick layer of snow crunched under her feet as she walked around the small clearing outside the Ruins doors. A dense forest rose overhead making it feel somehow colder than it really was. Though, it was very cold regardless. The icy breeze seemed to find every single hole in her beat up sweater and this caused the little girl to shiver even more.

From the nearby bush covered in snow, a glint of light caught the girl's attention. Walking over, she peered into the frozen shrubbery. A mechanical object seemed to stare back from its hidden location, its round glassy eye reflecting her image back to her.

"Ooo..." The little girl uttered curiously as she reached into the bush to collect her new find. "What's this thing?" Tugging it free from whatever was ensnaring it, the child stepped back and inspected the object. Turning it over and sideways, she still didn't know what exactly it was. But she liked it. "I'm gonna keep you." Smiling, Fearia tucked the strange and awkward mechanical device under her arm and proceeded on her way.

Walking down the snow covered path through the trees, Fearia came upon a tough-looking branch. It was innocently laying across the path but it wasn't causing any problems. Not like she just couldn't step over it. So that's exactly what she did. She was on a schedule after all. No time to waste.

Leaving the fallen limb behind her, she continued on her way. Well, that was her plan at least. But plans change. Hearing a loud snap, Fearia spun around, startled. What was that? She scanned her surroundings carefully but found nothing noteworthy. Nothing except for the branch... It had been smashed like it was nothing! That branch was too heavy to even move and something or someone had crushed it easily. And stealthily it would seem...

Walking back to the broken branch, Fearia scanned the ground around it and quickly spotted footprints. They were too big to be her own and they held no discernible shape. So they were most likely made by someone wearing flat bottomed shoes that had no track marks.

Temporarily forgetting her mission, Fearia went into her tracker mode and followed the footprints. It was slightly confusing, she could see where the tracks had come from but she couldn't tell where they had gone once they came in contact with the heavy branch. It was like the person had just disappeared. Following the footprints into the woods, Fearia discovered that the tracks had once again mysteriously vanished behind a tree. Frowning, the little girl was forced to give up and return to the path.

Holding her new mechanical treasure closer to her chest, Fearia quickened her pace. She could have sworn she just heard someone walking behind her. Turning around to check revealed no one, but she knew better. She was being stalked and she didn't like it.

The atmosphere that had seemed so exciting a moment ago had turned downright ominous. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end and her heartbeat had changed to a frantic tempo. Heavy footsteps crunched in the snow behind her now; no mistaking it this time. Whoever it was, they weren't hiding anymore.

Up ahead, Fearia spotted a small bridge spanning what was probably a deep drop off. For some reason, a strange wooden structure had been built over it. A wall perhaps? Maybe a gate or some kind of makeshift barricade? Whatever it was, its purpose was unclear since whoever had built it had failed to make the gaps between the wood small enough to keep anything out. That wasn't important right now.

Deciding to finally made a break for it, Fearia tightened her grip on the large mechanical piece of junk and dashed towards the small wooden bridge. Whoever was stalking her would have to catch her first, and she was fast! ...Unfortunately, it would seem she was even faster on frozen wood. The moment her foot hit the first plank, it slid forward and her body quickly followed. The world spun violently for a moment, before everything went black.

Had she fallen?! It had happened so fast, the small child didn't even have time to scream. Recovering from her initial shock, Fearia released a loud gasp. The mechanical piece of garbage fell from her arms as she began to involuntarily flail about, reaching for something, anything, to grab a hold of.

Suddenly, time seemed to stop entirely for just a moment, before the wind that had been blowing into the child's face changed directions. Her short hair flowed lazily in front of her as the rocky walls of the deep chasm became illuminated by a soft blue glow. She was no longer falling. Instead, it felt like she was being pulled upward by some kind of incorporeal force.

Rising out of the deep dark pitfall, Fearia's body was dropped unceremoniously into the snow on the other side of the wooden bridge. She sat there, shell-shocked for a moment before her whole body began to tremble. There were simply no words she could use to process what had just happened. What could have happened. ...What should have happened.

"this is why I don't like making promises."

Flinching, Fearia nearly toppled over as she tried to twist her whole body around. Amber hued eyes widened almost comically when she spotted the newcomer. A wide toothy grin was the first thing she noticed before the rest of him came into focus. At least she thought he was a he. How could she be sure when he had no skin! All she could see of his face was a skull! How was he even smiling? Was he alive? How could a skeleton be alive? Was he a monster? A skeleton monster?

Seconds ticked by as Sans stared down at the kid and the kid just stared right back at him. Okay... this was getting awkward. If they weren't gonna do anything, then he might as well. His original plan on spooking the kid hadn't played out the way he had expected and now he'd totally lost his element of surprise.

Figures...

With a logic-defying sigh, Sans gave a lazy shrug and continued smiling. Might as well... "human." He began, making the child jump at the sound of his voice. "don't you know how to greet a new pal?" Taking his bony hand out of his jacket pocket, he held it out in greeting. "stand up and shake my hand."

Fearia stared at the skeletal hand then back up to its owner's smiling face. He didn't look scary... Well, sure he was a skeleton but it wasn't like she hadn't talked to weirder things. Like a magical talking flower with more than a few screws loose. After the Flowey incident a little while ago she had been fairly dubious about what new horrors she might find once she left the Ruins. A smiling face was not what she had expected. It was a pleasant surprise and one that she would definitely not be complaining about.

Getting back to her feet, Fearia didn't even bother to brush the snow off as she smiled and took the offered hand.

*PPPHHHTTTFFFFFFFFFFFfffqqQqqQqquuuAaah...*

Sans grinned a little wider as he watched the human's face turn an embarrassing shade of pink. "heheh... the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick." He laughed in satisfaction of a prank well played. "it's ALWAYS funny."

Fearia snatched her hand back after the shock had worn off. This guy! Glaring, the little girl puffed out her cheeks. "It's NOT funny!" She pouted. "It was just a dumb trick."

"and you FELL right for it." Sans retorted quickly, still grinning as he stuffed his hand back into his pocket. "anyways, you're human, right? that's hilarious." He said, the glowing lights in his eye sockets casually looking off to the side for a moment before returning to the small child. "i'm sans." He introduced. "sans the skeleton."

"Sans?" Fearia repeated the name, mostly to herself.

"in the bones, kid." The skeleton replied easily.

"i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now." Sans revealed, taking note of the small frown that appeared on the child's face. "but... y'know... i don't really care about capturing anybody." A small hopeful smile replaced the frown almost instantly. This kid was like a light switch. Amused, Sans continued. "now my brother, papyrus... he's a human-hunting FANATIC." It wasn't really a lie but the look of abject horror that befell the kid's face was priceless.

"What does he do with the humans he catches?" Fearia asked meekly. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. But at the same time, she Needed to know! What would happen if this so called Papyrus managed to capture her?

"uh..." Sans' grin faltered slightly as he looked away. As it turns out, his brother had never actually caught even a single human, much less ever seen one. This kid didn't need to know that though. Come to think of it, where was his brother? He'd get a real kick out of this. Turning, Sans glanced down the path towards his own guard station. Of course, nobody was there. Looking past it, however, the skeleton caught sight of a flash of red.

Smile in place once again, Sans turned back to the child. "hey, actually, i think that's him over there." Taking his hand from his jacket pocket, he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb bone. "i have an idea. let's go to the guard station up ahead. it's empty so maybe you can hide there."

"You're helping me?" Fearia asked, astonished. This skeleton was really nice. Who would have thought?

"sure, kid." Sans shrugged, and defied logic once again by closing one eye socket, making him look super shady.

Following the skeleton in the bulky blue winter jacket, the little girl nervously kept a lookout for this so called human-hunting FANATIC. As far as she was concerned, he could pop out at anytime and grab her! This place was so much more scary than the Ruins!

Nearing the station, Sans came to a stop a few feet away. "quick, go hide, kid."

Fearia didn't need to be told twice as she bolted towards the open-air structure. Careful not to knock over the strange object leaning precariously against the station, she dove under the counter amongst the various half empty bottles all containing brightly colored substances. Covering her mouth, she tried to muffle her own breathing. Quiet as a mouse, she listened as heavy footsteps came closer then stopped abruptly.

"sup, bro?" Sans greeted casually.

"YOU KNOW WHAT "SUP," BROTHER!" A new, slightly higher pitched, voice replied, annoyance evident. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T... RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!

The little girl tensed up in alarm. This 'Papyrus' sounded really ticked off!

"YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION!" Papyrus chastised. "WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"staring at that lamp." Sans replied gesturing to the strangely shaped lamp innocently placed right outside the guard station. Its base was damaged causing it to maintain a permanent tilt; in other words, garbage. Why he had bothered keeping it was anyone's guess. "it's really cool. do you wanna go look at it?"

Fearia froze. Did he mean that strange object she had past by just a moment ago? It was the only other thing out here so that must be what he was talking about. What was he doing? Was he trying to get her caught?

"NO!" Papyrus rejected loudly. "I DON"T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY!" Stepping forward, he clenched his red gloved fist. "I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

The small child was practically shaking by this point. He really WAS a human-hunting fanatic! This was bad!

The so called human-hunting fanatic's voice suddenly became lighter as he continued. "THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT... RECOGNITION... I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY, "FRIEND?" I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING."

Fearia's trembling had come to a stop sometime during that rant, now she was just confused. This guy was starting to sound like her step-uncle, Callum. He always wanted everyone to acknowledge the fact that he was next in line but nobody really seemed to care.

"hmm..." Sans feigned contemplation as he looked over to the guard station once more. "maybe that lamp will help you."

Why does he keep talking about the dumb lamp thing?! Stop! The tiny human fretted as she tried to make herself even smaller.

"SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!" Papyrus screeched. "YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!"

"hey, take it easy." Sans defended apathetically. "i've gotten a ton of work done today." shrugging, he closed an eye socket. "a skele-ton."

Fearia stifled a snort. What was that? Some kind of play on words?

"SANS!" Papyrus screeched again, obviously not appreciating the humor.

"come on. you're smiling." Sans observed with amusement.

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" Papyrus snapped back before releasing a sigh. "Why Does Someone As Great As Me... Have To Do So Much Just To Get Some Recognition..."

Unable to resist, Sans quickly replied. "wow, sounds like you're really working yourself..." He grinned, closing an eye socket again. "down to the bone."

This time the human in hiding failed to suppress a quiet giggle. She couldn't help herself! That was such a dumb joke, so then, why was it so funny?

"UGH!" Papyrus groaned. He was SO done. "I Will Attend To My Puzzles... AS FOR YOUR WORK?" He gave his brother a sly look as he readied his well worded retort. "PUT A LITTLE MORE, "BACKBONE" INTO IT!" Feeling like his brother had gotten his just deserts, Papyrus strutted away, cackling, or... more like "NYEH HEH HEHing".

"ok, you can come out now." Sans said once he was sure his brother wasn't going to drop back to gloat some more.

Emerging from the small sentry station, Fearia stomped over to the 'helpful' skeleton and glowered up at him. "Were you trying to get me captured?" She demanded hotly.

"what gave ya that idea, kid?" Sans grinned before looking away. "you oughta get going. he might come back. and if he does..." The skeleton paused for dramatic effect, as his eyelights swiveled back to watch the human squirm. "you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes."

"You're not that funny." Fearia replied as she crossed her arms over her chest sulkily.

"says the little mouse who couldn't stay quiet." Sans teased. This caused the child to huff moodily and stalk away from him. The skeleton's ever-present smile widened a fraction as he watched her go. If anything, this human was at least amusing. He could see now why the lonely lady behind the Ruins door had been so insistent. She had come close to begging him to make that promise. A promise to watch out for any human child that came out from the Ruins.

It had been years since a human had been last seen in the Underground. So, hearing this sudden request of protection had caused him to become instantly suspicious. Humans were nothing but trouble. They were either greedy, shallow, or violent as far as he was concerned and ever since the last kid that had strolled in here, he'd been wary of them. A lot of good monsters had lost their lives that day. So, how could anyone blame him for having a certain bias against humans in general?

Sans had agreed to the promise but with great reluctance. Even now he still wasn't sure about it. Still, looking at this new human, it could have been a lot worse. This kid was tiny, smallest he'd ever seen actually. What could they possibly do? Not only that, but from the burns, bumps, and bruises covering the small child, he could only assume that they had run into a bit of trouble getting here. Despite that, the kid seemed as lively as ever.

He could see now why this pipsqueak of a human needed protection. And with their spunky attitude, he'd be willing to bet that Papyrus would be thrilled to meet them. That is, if he didn't scare them off first. Either way, it'd be entertaining.

"actually, hey..." Sans said, catching the attention of the departing human. "hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?"

Curious, Fearia looked back to the skeleton. What could he possibly want? "What kind of a favor?"

"i was thinking..." Sans hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "my brother's been kind of down lately... he's never seen a human before. and seeing you might just make his day."

"You said he was a human-hunting Fanatic!" Fearia exclaimed in disbelief.

"i wasn't lying." Sans shrugged, closing an eye socket. "don't worry, he's not dangerous. even if he tries to be."

"So, he won't try to capture me?" Hope filled the little girl's amber eyes.

"i didn't say that." Sans replied simply, watching as the kid's hope flipped to despair in an instant. He couldn't resist. This kid was just too much fun to mess with. "thanks a million." He grinned. "i'll be up ahead." That said, the comical skeleton walked off in the wrong direction.

Fearia lingered a little bit longer before continuing on her way, curiosity and unease swirling around inside of her.

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This chapter was a tiny bit longer than normal but I love Snowdin, so it's hard to stop!

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In the next chapter, Papyrus gets to see his very first human! ...or is it just a rock?

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Thank you for reading!

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Sheii Bae~