:):
Thank you for all of the reviews!
It makes me happy to know that you are enjoying my story.
Just one more filler chapter, then we'll dive deeper into the plot!
I promise!
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Backtracking
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After taking a picture of the second magic star and marking the area with more sticks, Papyrus and the child continued on their way down the snowy path. The air had gotten a little colder and it looked like it was threatening to snow sometime soon. Even so, the tiny human still had yet to complain about the cold. The new outfit she wore that had been handmade by snow rabbits was keeping her nice and toasty. For now at least.
"What is that?" Fearia asked pointing to a pole with a blue flag sticking out of a hole in the ground. She had seen it before but she didn't know what it was at the time.
"This Is The Famous Snowdin Snowball Game." Papyrus explained with pride. "Faster Completion Gives Different Prizes."
"What kind of prizes?" The little girl asked excitedly. This sounded like a ton of fun!
"Normally, The Prize Is Money." The tall skeleton grinned as he crossed his bony arms. "The Amount You Receive Depends Entirely On How Well You Play The Game. I Once Found 5G In The Hole After Completing A Rather Impressive Round. To This Day, Sans Still Has Not Even Come Close To Defeating My Record. In Fact, He Hasn't Even Tried. He Must Realize The Futility In Such An Attempt."
Or maybe he's just lazy... Fearia kept those thoughts to herself, however. Instead she was more curious about something else. "Who puts the money in the hole? I mean, where does it come from?"
"Where Does The Money Come From?" Papyrus repeated, tilting his skull in mock thought. "Why, The Snowball Tax, Of Course!"
"Is that real?" Fearia asked skeptically. She was getting wise to her friend's eccentricity. He couldn't be telling the truth all the time... Even so, she was still vaguely concerned that her biceps weren't yet large enough for her to make any friends. Should she start lifting things?
"What? You've Never Heard Of The Snowball Tax?"
"Mh hm." The little girl shook her head.
"The Surface World Must Be Paradise..." Papyrus replied wistfully.
The tiny human was notably silent for a moment as she stared up at the strange glowing stones embedded high up in the rocky ceiling. "I don't know... I think the Underground is more like a paradise."
"Why Would You Say That?" Her tall skeletal friend asked. He'd never heard of anyone describing the Underground as a paradise before. How bizarre. "Most Monsters Don't Really Like Living In These Caves. But Because Of The Barrier, None Of Us Can Leave, We're Basically Trapped Down Here."
A small frown fell into place as Fearia tried to understand this from his point of view. It wasn't fun to be trapped in a place you didn't like, especially if you didn't know when or even if you were going to get out. But... "But you're safe down here. Nobody can get you! If I had it my way, I'd never leave!"
Startled, Papyrus tilted his skull to peer sidelong at the small child. "You Wouldn't?"
"Mh Mm!"
As he carried the tiny human through the snow and past the snowball game, Papyrus was uncharacteristically quiet as he thought about what she had said. She really didn't seem too keen on leaving. Why was that? She must have a family that was missing her right now. Even so, a deeper part of himself secretly wished she could stay. At least for a little while longer! The more time he spent with this human child, the more he was growing attached to her. If she really didn't want to go, then he didn't want to be the one to make her.
"Are those dog houses?"
The question brought the skeleton out of his thoughts. He hadn't even been paying attention to where he was going. Looking around, Papyrus spotted the two guard stations that stood side by side with one another. "This Is The Station Of The Married Dogs." He answered.
"The married dogs?" Fearia tilted her head as she tried to remember their names. "You mean Dogaressa and Dogami? They're married, right?"
"They Are." Papyrus nodded as he crossed his bony arms. "Do You Ever Think About Doing That Someday?"
"Getting married?" Truthfully, the little girl was more interested in breaking up a would be wedding than getting married herself. She'd never even thought about it. "Not re-
"I Mean, Marrying A Dog." Papyrus elaborated.
"Wait. What?!"
"Nah... That's Weird." Papyrus continued, answering his own question. "There Are Way Better Animals To Marry. Like Skeletons!"
"What about humans?" Fearia asked. She was deliberately ignoring the part of about skeletons being animals. She could correct him but... why even bother?
"Humans?!" Papyrus exclaimed, momentarily taken aback by the suggestion. Squinting, he looked away. "I Mean, You Could... If You're Into That Kind Of Thing..."
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Fearia hissed, clearly offended. "I am a human, remember?"
"But Wouldn't You Rather Marry A Skeleton?" Papyrus urged, not quite realizing his own unintended implications. Good thing they flew right over the child's head.
"I'd much rather marry a dog!"
Fearia sulked as her skeletal humanoid steed marched merrily into the next area. He was so unbelievable sometimes! Her heated temper fizzled out slightly as powdery snow began to flutter down from ...wherever it was coming from. How did it snow in the Underground?
Papyrus was relatively unaffected by the normal arrival of the late afternoon flurries. He was far more interested in the completely indiscernible state of his latest puzzle. Without the powering unit, it just looked like a patch of harmless looking snow. "Miss Fearia, Do You Remember The Electric Maze? It Sure Was Fun! ...Except For The Part Where I Got Shocked..."
Fearia looked down at the unassuming ground dubiously. "I didn't think it was very fun..."
"You Didn't?"
"No!" The little girl snapped. "I could have gotten shocked!"
"Obviously." Papyrus nodded with a smile. "That Was The Whole Point Of The Trap." A look of disappointment came over the skeleton as he stared down at his marvelous invention. "I Had To Turn Off The Electricity, So Its Effectiveness Has Been Reduced To Near Unlethal Levels..."
"Does that mean it's safe? ...or not?" Fearia looked unsure as she eyed the pristine looking snow that hid the supposedly harmless trap. "Are you sure you turned it off all the way?"
"Positive!"
Fearia released an audible sigh of relief once they made it to the other side safe and sound and most importantly, unelectrocuted. "Can you put me down now?" She whined childishly, her upper body practically melting in boredom on top of the skeleton's skull. "I promise I won't do anything dangerous, okay?" The little girl draped her short arms over her friend's face in obnoxious encouragement. Maybe if she pestered him enough, she'd get her way.
Papyrus gave the child's request some consideration before finally relenting. Even though he'd much rather carry her through the Snowdin wilderness to ensure her safety, he didn't want her to be unhappy about it. Besides! He was having a difficult time seeing where he was going... "Alright, Human." Papyrus sighed. "Against My Better Judgment, I'll Put You Down. Just... Try Not To Get Hurt, Okay?" He pleaded worriedly as he reached up to unstick the slime monster disguised as a small human disguised as a cute snow bunny kit.
Perking up instantly, Fearia eagerly let herself be lifted by the skeleton's large gloved hands. Yes! "I'm not gonna get hurt!" She vowed adamantly as her tiny snow boots touched the ground. She was free! Giggling excitedly, she scampered off down the snowy trail.
Instantly regretting his decision, Papyrus followed after the small child as the foreign feeling of worry arose inside his bones. Spotting the frozen ground up ahead, alarm bells went off inside his skull. "Careful!" He called out in warning. "The Ice Is Slippery!"
"Wha-?!"
*Splat!*
Without a shred of grace, the tiny human's boot slipped on the ice and she flipped head over heels. Her velocity propelled her small body across the ice before hitting a pile of snow in the center and colliding with the wooden sign post. What the heck had just happened?! It hadn't even been a minute and everything had gone horribly wrong! Fearia groaned as she dizzily watched stars floating around her blurry vision. At least they were pretty...
"You Said You Wouldn't Get Hurt!" Papyrus screeched as he rushed over to the danger prone child. He let his guard down for One moment and THIS happens! Checking the small child over, the skeleton sighed. At least she wasn't hurt too badly, just a few bumps and scrapes.
Back in her spot, specifically designated for tiny helpless humans, Fearia quietly leaned against her friend's skull without complaint. She was so disappointed in herself right now. Papyrus was never going to see her as a capable person at this rate!
"Hello." Came an unknown voice.
Fearia's amber eyes searched curiously, her former concerns temporarily forgotten. Who or what was this?
"Greetings." Papyrus smiled as he cordially greeted the snowman.
"What are you?" The small child asked bluntly. "Are you a monster, too?"
"No, small rabbit kit. I am a snowman." The snowman corrected, his face, made up of stones and a single carrot, unchanging as he spoke.
"I'm not a rabbit." Fearia replied, correcting the snowman in return. "I'm a human."
"A human, you say?" The snowman looked unconvinced but played along. "You must be from the surface then, yes?"
"Mh hm!" The little girl nodded.
"How fortunate you are to be able to move. If I could, I would like to see the world." The snowman confided sadly. "I wonder, how does the sun feel?"
"I don't think you would like it." A small knowing frown formed on her face. "You'd melt into a puddle."
"That doesn't sound very pleasant..." The snowman replied depressively, like the only dream he had had just turned to dust right before his stony eyes.
"Miss Fearia, It Must Be Tough Being A Snowman." Papyrus reasoned. "Try To Be Nice To People Made Of Strange Materials."
"He's made of snow!" Fearia huffed. Why was she getting scolded? How unfair! She was telling the truth. "He really would melt in the sun..."
Pouting, the child gave the tall skeleton the silent treatment as they made their way through the snowy pine forest. It was actually snowing now, not hard, but not light either. Admittedly, she was beginning to feel a bit cold now.
"This Is The Station Of Doggo." Papyrus announced without being prompted this time. "He Has The Amazing Power To See Things When They Move."
"So can everyone else." Fearia sassed back.
"Okay..." Papyrus replied dejectedly. "Maybe It's Not An Amazing Power..."
"He does have amazingly soft fur though." The little girl added, a bit of mirth filling her words.
"Seriously?" Papyrus squinted in disbelief. "You've Even Pet Doggo?"
"Uh huh!" Fearia smiled. "He was a little scary at first, but I can tell he's a good boy. I hope I get to see him again!"
Leaving Doggo's well built station, they came upon Papyrus' very own guard station. It stood there in all of its cardboard glory, slowly being covered in snow.
"Nyeh Heh Heh!" Papyrus grinned. "Impressed!?"
"Am I ever..." Fearia blatantly lied.
"Not Only Am I GREAT At Puzzles, But I'm Also An Esteemed Architect!" He shamelessly boasted. "My Brother Helped Me Find The Box!"
"That was nice of him." The little girl smiled.
"Indeed!" Papyrus nodded. "Sans Can Be Lazy At Times, But He Has A Big Heart."
A bright healing star floated calmly in the small area where the path intersected. Pointing to it, the child told her friend. Even though the skeleton couldn't see it himself, he believed her emphatically. After all, this was the third one they'd come across.
Standing inside the magical healing star, Fearia felt all of her brand new injuries from her escapades on the ice begin to tingle as they mended themselves. Thank goodness for small miracles. Now it was like it never happened. If only the star could take away the embarrassing memories of the event as well.
Her attempts to dodge the skeleton's grabby hands had been met with utter failure as she was scooped back up. Papyrus was somehow quicker than Sans! Well... That wasn't really that surprising. Fearia gave a quiet huff as she was carried down the fork in the path. Her amber eyes widened when she saw the rapidly flowing river up ahead. The water was dark and frigid looking.
"Wow, I didn't know there was a river here!" Fearia exclaimed as she took in the view. How did she miss this?
"It's A Neat River, Isn't It?" Papyrus grinned as he stood at the river's edge. "But Don't Think About Going Swimming. The Water's Too Cold! Plus, The Current Is Really Strong. ...It's Not That Safe, Actually..." The skeleton's expression suddenly turned worried as he watched the dark water. "We Should Probably Leave Before Something Bad Happens..."
Was he developing a complex? The more time he spent around this small child, the more he noticed how very dangerous everything could potentially be. It was beginning to make him very nervous!
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I can somehow see Papyrus turning into a helicopter mom, lol.
In the next chapter, Fearia explains to Papyrus why she came to the Underground and what she is looking for.
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Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~
