A.N.: Before we begin, here's a response to TimeBlade's most recent review concerning the title image, since I can't directly reply to it.

Yeah, I sort of did that on purpose, because of what the character used to be.

Also yes, I illustrated the picture myself(just not the border.)

Okay, ready? Here we go!

"Catty! CATTY, GET OVER HERE, WHERE ARE YOU EVEN AT?!"

"In the other alleyway, Bratty!" another voice sounded, and its owner peered out from behind the corner; it was a feline monster, with a purple pelt and overalls. "Someone's gotta write out all these flyers!"

"Forget the flyers, girl! We've got company!"

"What's up?"

The cat ran over and skidded to a halt beside her fellow salesmonster, and only had to look at the human on the other side of the table for a single second to instantly recognize her.

"Oh. My gosh."

"Catty, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"That depends on what you're seeing. What are you seeing?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm seeing the Huntress right now. You?"

"Same."

It went almost dead quiet for a moment; Ginger could barely even hear them breathe. They slowly turned their heads to face each other, and then back down to the human across from them, eyes wide.

And then, the hugest grins formed on their faces as they each drew in a thrilled gasp.

"Like...What are you doing HERE?!" the alligator blurted.

Catty was holding back a high-pitched squeal of excitement.

"Catty, Catty, stay cool! Get the stuff up here!"

"On it!"

She stooped down and plopped a cardboard box full of wares on the table. Once that was taken care on, she folded her hand paws and rested her head on them, looking intently at the Huntress.

"So, like...Can we get you anything?"

Ginger finally started to recover from her confusion.

"Wait wait wait, hold on," she interrupted. "What'd you two say your names were?"

"Oh, gosh, sorry about that," the gator apologized.

"Like, how rude of us," the cat chimed in.

"I'm Bratty, and this is my best friend, Catty."

"I'm Catty, and this is my best friend, Bratty."

They both responded to the human's question in perfect sync, and once they realized it, they burst into a fit of giggles.

"Sorry, sorry sorry..." Catty chirped. "Uh, did you get that?"

"You two are Bratty and Catty?"

"Um, yeah."

"Who wants to know?" Bratty asked.

"From Undernet?"

"Oh, you know us in there?"

"Oh my god. She knows us on UNDERNET, BRATTY!"

"What's you're account name!?"

"Well, it's...Not human, unlike myself."

"Not human?"

"Definitely."

"Def-...Wait. YOU'RE DefinitelyNotAHuman!?"

"You're the noob we were talking to!?"

Catty threw her paws over her mouth again, regretting what she'd said.

"Uh...Not that we think that anymore."

"Chill, you two. Uh, now as for why I'm here...What've you got? Anything?"

"Oh, yeah," Bratty replied. "Like, check it out!"

She carefully poured the contents of their ware box onto the tabletop to display it. Ginger's eyes scanned over everything from left to right. There was a small metal key, a pile of miscellaneous, half-eaten food, a hat, and...

"...Wh..." she stammered at the sight of the cylindrical metal weapon laying among the rest of the junk. "...W-where'd you get that thing?"

"Like, where does anyone find guns, or food, or-"

"We found it in the garbage!" Catty exclaimed, earning her a look from both of the other girls present.

"Oh."

"...But, like, it's GOOD garbage, at least," Bratty added. "You'd be amazed at some of the things humans throw away."

"...Yeah..."

She actually found herself leaning back away from the pistol.

"Is it...does it have-"

"No," Catty answered, picking it up...and pointing the barrel at herself to look inside it. "It's empty."

The human cringed at the sight of it.

"...Are you a hundred percent positive about that?"

"We tried firing it," Bratty explained. "Nothing happened. Actually, we don't really know how they work; if fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this is, like, the only gun in the entire Underground. At least one in this good shape."

"Let's hope that number stays stagnant. Uh...How much is the hat?"

"It's, like, 350, right Catty?"

"350, yeah."

Ginger whistled.

"...No can do; don't have that kinda gold. Eh...Besides, I've already got this thing," she told them, pointing up at the hood covering her head.

"Oh my gosh. I'd trade in TEN cool hats for something like your wicked cool cloak."

"Tell me about it, Bratty. Where'd you get it? Looks, like, super fashionable."

"Um...I'm not entirely sure where you could get this. Someone I knew back in Snowdin gave it to me as a, uh...Gyftmas present? It's not exactly in mint condition anymore, but this thing's served me pretty darn well through...well, just about the entire Underground outside of the Ruins. And it's multipurpose, too; it works as a disguise, good for surprising your enemy in battle, keeps you warm..."

She suddenly remembered that she was still in Hotland, and the moment she did, she could feel the heat buildup from within the teal garment.

"Speaking of which..."

That was when she flung the hood off her head, revealing her tawny, staticized locks, as well as a much lighter-looking complexion without the shadows the hood cast.

"I forgot I was still in Hotland for a sec...Man, good thing this hotel has air conditioning, am I right?"

Bratty and Catty's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the hoodless Huntress; something they'd never expected to see in person, and not anywhere near this close up.

"Oh my God..." the both uttered simultaneously.

"What?"

"YOU'RE ADORABLE!"

Now they were both on the verge of squealing.

"I, like, never would've guessed!"

"Ueeeee~, Bratty, she has cute baby human cheeks!"

Ginger scowled, trying to cover up the embarrassed pink hue that'd formed on her face.

"Hey...Th-this ain't cute!" she pouted. "This is a warface!"

"Then you humans must have ADORABLE soldiers~!" Catty squeaked. "Like, is this as big as you get?"

"No; Undyne was this tall when she was my age, so she says...I guess that means I have something to look forward to."

If I end up stuck being like this...

"Whoa, really? Bratty, is she serious?"

"Was Undyne that squeezable-looking?"

"I doubt something like HER would be in a million years."

"Like, how old are you, even?"

"Yeah, like, fourteen? Fifteen?"

"Twelve."

"Whoa..." the both gasped. "That, like...makes you're capable of even more impressive."

"Eh...Guess that's a plus," the human replied nonchalantly. "Uh, how much for the food?"

"It's, like, totally wicked cheap compared to what you'll get inside," Bratty informed her. "...But you know what? Forget the prices, this is on the house."

"Uh...Are you sure about that?"

"Chill," Bratty chimed in. "The food's cheap compared to our other stuff. Besides, you make up for it with your awesomeness."

"Well...Alright, then," she accepted. "...What kinda grub you got?"

"We took a daytrip to Snowdin the other day to look for some cool junk lying around, and we found this behind one of the buildings."

"Wasn't it just sitting on one of the air generators back there, Bratty?"

"That's where it was. Guess someone forgot it back there."

The cat monster dug out something from the pile and placed it before the customer.

"Hey...I think I know where this is from."

No mistake, she was looking down at a burger. And even though it had long since lost its heat, AND had a large bite taken out of it, it still looked plenty appetizing.

"I'll take it," she announced, taking it up off the table.

The two monsters turned around, and Ginger heard them whisper to one another excitedly.

"Oh my gosh!"

"The Huntress, like, totally digs us!"

"Best. Day. Ever~!"

When they turned back to face the human, she was already working on the abandoned burger. Since monster food didn't rot, she had no concern with how long it'd been sitting out; it tasted just as good as her first one.

"This is good stuff, I tell ya...Was the building you found this behind a joint called 'Grillby's?"

"Um..." the alligator tried to recall. "I think?"

"Thought so."

"Have you, like, been there?"

"Friend of mine swung me on over there and we chowed down. Nice place..." She took another eager bite out of it. "...His brother hates it, though."

"Dang...You've been all over the place, haven't you?"

"About every place I can think of. But I'll be honest; Hotland's my least favorite so far. Too much heat for my liking. I prefer the tundra. You?"

"I DO sorta like Snowdin, too," Catty agreed.

"Eesh! Not me, nu-uh," Bratty cringed. "Too cold. And I don't have fur or anything like that. Makes me all sluggish, and it just feels super gross..."

"Reptiles and snow don't mix well, I don't think," Ginger chimed in with full mouth. "Cold-bloodedness, am I right?"

"Totally...Waterfall's a bit better."

"Oh, we LOVE Waterfall," Catty gushed. "It's, like, SO calm, and the sound of the water is SO nice."

"Plus, that's where the garbage dump is! Uh...Did we tell you that Alphys used to take us there?"

She swallowed.

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah. But, like, we enjoyed it."

"We still do go there a whole lot; he got us hooked."

"She doesn't usually sell the stuff she finds, though," Catty continued. "And she's usually looking for these weird cartoons, or something like that."

"Actually, ever since she became the Royal Scientist, and started doing a bunch of sciency stuff for Asgore, we, like...haven't seen her at all."

"How long ago was that, Bratty? Pushing a year since we last saw her in person?"

"She has Undernet, though, so, like, at least we know she's alive and all that."

"Something's bothering her, I think," Ginger told them, finishing off what was left of the abandoned burger.

"Oh, man...Never thought I'd have Grillby's again for a while...Where was I? Oh, right...So, anyways, I've been wanting to get to the bottom of it, but she keeps telling me I can't know anything about it...No one can."

"Dang...Catty, you don't think something went wrong with her sciency stuff, did it?"

"I mean, she made Mettaton in order to BECOME the Royal Scientist. If she's smart enough to do that, I don't see how she couldn't find a way to pull herself out of whatever jam she's in...Weird. Like, how embarrassing could it possibly be?"

"Or bad? Like, she's a softie. She wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose; it'd make her feel like the worst person in the world."

And she seems to think that regardless...

"I wish Metta-turd would give her the credit she's due," the human continued. "She's the one who built him in the first place, right?"

"That's right," Bratty confirmed. "But Mettaton acts like being built was, like, his idea somehow."

"Like, how?"

"I wouldn't know," Ginger admitted.

"They actually used to be pretty close friends, I know that much," Catty added. "But, like, not anymore."

"Honestly, I always loved Mettaton, since he's, like, the only star down here," Bratty stated.

"Yeah; he's, like, totally my robot husband. He just doesn't know it yet."

"That's cool and all, Catty, but, like, don't you think he's been kinda...over the top since she showed up?" the gator monster asked, addressing the Huntress.

"It might just be his nerves. He's been the only celeb down here for so long that he might be afraid of getting, like, pushed out of the limelight."

"Um...You guys said that I was all over Undernet and the television, right?"

"Uh, yeah," the both answered.

"So then...The king must know about me by now, right?"

The two monsters exchanged looks with each other, then both stifled a laugh.

"I actually kinda doubt that, Bratty."

"Yeah, he's like, a total goober."

"And even before the whole quiz show thing, we knew that Alphys TOTALLY had the hots for him! Do you think he even have a phone? Or a television?"

"I dunno...If he found out about you by now, he probably would've come to scope things out, don't you think?"

"Well...You two do have a point. But he's the king. You would think at least someone's tipped him off by now."

"Even if they did, I dunno if he'd have the heart to just, like, kill you in cold blood."

"That's why he gets the Royal Guard to do that, right Bratty?"

"And Undyne's been staying out of my business, thankfully...Maybe she spread word NOT to tip him off? Who knows...Isn't she second in command around here?"

"Yeah, maybe she did do that!" Bratty agreed.

"But, like, doesn't she mega hate humans?"

"She does...But I convinced her not to kill me. I mean, we're by no means on friendly terms, but...She understands my relationship with the rest of the Underground, at least. One life touches a hundred others, right?"

"Wow..."

"That's super deep."

"But even if he doesn't know, I've still gotta meet up with him. I thought, 'Hey, maybe I can convince him to call the whole thing off if I tell him I could try to find another human myself once I cross over to the surface again.' That meeting's not much further away."

"Well...Should we, like, let you go ahead and do that?"

"Yeah, Bratty and I don't wanna take up too much of your time if you're going to New Home."

"I guess I should be getting back on the road...Hey. Nice seein' you guys, though. Wish me luck!"

She turned to leave and head back out of the alley.

"Oh, and thanks for the burger. I REALLY needed that, after everything."

"Like, I know you're leaving and all," Bratty acknowledged. "But, like, we'll see you again some day, right?"

"...If you decide to look for me once you get to the surface," Ginger told them. "...Just look to the skies."

"Wow..."

"That's, like, MEGA deep, Bratty."

"Well...I'm off. I'll see you two beneath the stars."

She pulled her hood back over her head and trekked back the way she came.

"Like, we'll miss you when your gone!"

"Don't forget us!"

"Oh, I definitely won't forget you two!" she called back with a wave and a smile.

And then she turned the corner and disappeared, making her way back to the hotel door.

She passed through the glass doors and scanned the interior. It was admittedly very classy-looking, with well-kept yellow tiled flooring, potted plants on either side of the entrance, a nice red area rug lining the floor, a fountain in the center of the lobby...

Actually, the fountain appeared to be malfunctioning; the water spurting out of the Mettaton statue's, um...mouth, which she was sure he didn't have, was sending it not back into the fountain pool, but rather out onto the rug, forming a rather large wet spot on it.

Someone should fix that... she mentally remarked.

There was a Save Point right in front of the fountain, and she swept her foot across it.

*Hotland-Hotel Lobby

*File Saved

She nodded, then scanned over the area some more.

There were hallways leading to several different locations; the one to the far left of the lobby lead into that restaurant that she and Sans sat down in, and to the right, there were what appeared to be a row of doors. Those were likely the hotel rooms for rent. And there was one more door, on the wall she was facing, with a sign over it.

"MTT-BRAND Burger Emporium"

This was the place she'd been told about.

"Let's see if I can stock up for the road..."

She went through the doors and looked around. It was a surprisingly small joint; maybe it was a to-go only place? No, there WERE a few bar stools along the counter she sit down at, as well as four booth seats along the wall.

There was a monster manning the counter; a cat monster, like Catty, but male, thinner, and his short pelt was more of a...natural color, being a lighter brown. He seemed oblivious to her, busy wiping off the countertop halfheartedly, the blank gaze in his eyes making him look...drained.

She approached the counter and cleared her throat to alert him to her presence.

The cat's ears perked, and he looked up at whoever made the noise.

"Oh," he exclaimed, quickly straightening himself up, trying to hide his exhaustion. It seemed to disappear with what he said next.

"Welcome to MTT-Brand Burger Emporium, home of the Glamburger. Sparkle up your day!" he greeted. But his tone was flat and hollow, as though he'd said those words a million times before. "How can I help you, O customer?"

"Hmm..."

She peered at the menu displayed on the wall behind him.

"Starfait-60G"
"Glamburger-120G"
"Legendary Hero-300G"
"Steak in the Shape of Mettaton's Face-500G"

She checked her bag again; only 67G. She only had one option.

"Would you recommend the Starfait?"

"Well, I've never eaten one...But I guess they're pretty good, because people buy 'em, and what goes in 'em is plenty edible."

One of his ears began to twitch some...And his eye along with it.

"Um...You okay, man?"

"Fine, fine!" he fibbed. "Perfectly fine!"

"Um...Okay...Just get me a Starfait, then," she told him, placing the dur amount of gold before him.

"Thanksy! Have a fabu-ful day!" he blurted upon the purchase.

Something was obviously amiss with him, but he plastered a more sane smile on his face and turned to the kitchen behind him to prepare the order.

Ginger noticed that now, not only were his ears and eyes twitching, but also the very tip of his tail. Didn't cats typically twitch their tail tips when they were agitated?

"Are you sure there's not a problem?"

"No, no! Everything's fine!" he assured, holding back a growl as he worked. "Just...Maybe take your cloak off! If my boss sees someone not presenting proper dining etiquette in his joint, well then, ha! He'll...take it out on me for not enforcing it."

"Wait, is he here now?" she asked him, tensing up.

"Uh...I think he went to go do something show-related...But who knows when he might be back. He could come right through the door in two seconds, you know?"

He still had that fake smile pasted across his face.

"Why do you ask? Need him for something?"

Ginger leaned over the countertop, glancing behind her to make sure nobody was listening in. But she and the cat were the only two occupying the emporium.

"...You're talkin' about Mettaton, right?"

The monster turned his head to face her again.

"Why are you tryin' to talk to me?" he asked her. "Don't you know I'll get in trouble if I get chummy with the customers? Heh heh...Heh...

He looked down, obviously very miserable, as the prepared Starfait.

"...Sorry."

Ginger looked around again.

"There any security cameras in here?"

"No, ma'am. My boss never thought to have any installed, but he keeps tabs on things well enough by himself...micromanagement, if I ever saw it."

The human scoffed.

"You don't need to 'ma'am' me," she assured him, looking around just one more time before flinging the hood back off her head to reveal herself.

"...Wait," the feline creature realized. "You...You're the-"

"Huntress. Yeah, I know. Stopped by here to fill up for the road," she said to him, her voice hushed.

"Oh, God...If he finds out I went ahead and gave you-"

"He's NOT going to find out about this. Not on my watch..."

The monster said nothing, but did give the Starfait he'd finished making her a doubtful look.

"You know what I'm gonna do if he bursts in here?" the human whispered.

"...What?"

"I'm..." She looked around again. "...I'm gonna kick my foot out at his wheel and make him fall over onto his square-"

The cat actually stifled a genuine laugh.

"You'd actually do that to the Underground's biggest celebrity?"

"All I need to do is attack his weakest point; his pride," she explained to him. "Hey, did you catch his last live performance? It was a drag."

"Heh heh, yeah...Heh...Heh heh heh heh...I get it, 'cause of the whole dress thing, huh...?"

The monster put the Starfait in front of her.

"Hope you like it," he commented. "I mean, it's made of real food, at least."

"What's everything else made of?"

"Well, let's not even get started on the Glamburgers," the cat cringed. "Apparently Mettaton thinks sequins and glue are edible."

"Ew, gross!"

"Tell me about it...I don't know why everybody loves 'em."

"Sounds like a twisted bandwagon of some sorts to me...I can't afford anything but this Starfait, but what's the Legendary Hero like?"

"Well, it's made of food, at least. I guess it looks kinda cool...Not the highest quality stuff, though."

"What about the...um...Steak in the-"

"Don't ask. Please."

"Oh. Okay."

She peered down at the Starfait; not exactly the humble Nice Cream she was more geared toward, but it did look appetizing with all of the layers of fruit and dairy stacked over each other. Not to mention the whole thing was topped with a generous amount of sugar sprinkles and garnished on the side with a huge star-shaped hunk of pineapple.

Hey, and fruit was technically healthy, right? So she knew she wasn't consuming 100% junk.

She took a curious bite out of it; sure enough, it was just as good as it looked. But she decided to save it for later, when she would more likely need it, so she removed the pineapple chunk and snapped the plastic cap provided to her over the top, then stashed it away among her arrows for easy access.

"So..." Ginger said to the worker. "...Can't help but notice you seem kinda frazzled."

"You have no idea...Um, so...I wanted to be an actor when I was younger. Thought that movin' to Hotland would be my big break; it was my dream to work with Mettaton... Heh...The naïve teenager I was. All I can say is to be careful what you wish for, buddy, 'cause you just might get it."

"I take it things didn't go as you anticipated?" she asked, skeptically twirling the pineapple piece.

"...No. He stuck me here, instead of givin' me a chance on the screen. Doesn't want anyone takin' up room in his special spot of stardom," he told her in a mocking voice.

"That's probably a secondary reason he wants me dead; I've been gaining a lot of attention since my debut down here, and to be honest..."

She leaned in closer to whisper into his ear.

"...Sure, the positive attention's great, but it just gives him another reason to want me terminated."

"Well, take it from me, little buddy, you're lucky. You've still got a life to live, friends to look up to, places to go...I'm 19 and I've already wasted my entire life."

"Can't you just...quit the job you have here?"

"That sounds like an easy way out, don't it? But there's one thing that keeps me goin'...Maybe, just maybe if I keep giving this pathetic excuse for a job all I have, the square will finally wise up about some things and cast me in a show of some sort. I can't stop now; not when I've gotten this far, so until then, I'll just have to survive...At least the pay's not horrible. 40G an hour at nine hours a day at least gives me something to work for. And payday's just the day after tomorrow...Let's just hope I don't have to remind him like last time."

"He forgot. To pay you." she clarified, popping the pineapple chunk into her mouth.

...Tangy. Maybe a bit too much so for her liking, so she didn't bother savoring it.

"I mean, I did get the paycheck...But people had to remind him. But every time someone says something of the sort, he has SOMETHING to complain about. The last time he went on a tangent about how attractive people are the most pressured and that he should be the one being paid more. As though he didn't have enough dough stashed away already, the stuck-up peacock..." He scoffed. "...Why do people find him so attractive anyway?"

"I know, right?" Ginger agreed. "He's just a rectangle with noodle arms on a wheel. End of story."

"Yeah...So, um...Funny story; one time, I bought one of those kits online that were supposed to make you more, uh...rectangular. So he'd maybe reconsider his decision to stick me in here...Um...They don't work. Don't waste your money on those things."

"Doesn't sound like a pleasant experience."

"Steer clear of attractive people, kid. Unless you're 'one of them,' they'll just take advantage of you."

"I just hope Mettaton got bored enough the last time that he won't try to jump me with anything anymore. Besides, I'm almost out of his precious 'limelight,' so pretty soon he won't have to worry about me...I just hope Dr. Alphys gets the chance to remove those anti-human combat features one of these days."

"Let's hope for that. It makes him even more nuts, don't it?"

"You're tellin' me...Well, uh...I barely have enough gold left to buy a Spider Donut from the Ruins. How 'bout you go ahead and take it."

"Oh, no, no, I couldn't. Especially from-"

"Just take it; this stuff isn't that useful where I'm from anyway," she said to him, putting the measly 7G she had remaining before him. "Consider it a tip."

"...Heh...Thanks for that, kid. You know, they really were right about you liftin' people up when they're down."

"Ah, don't mention it...Say, once I find a way to get you guys out of here, maybe you'll find some more acting opportunities on the surface."

"That's one more thing that keeps me goin'...If I get up there before square-head gives me a break. I'll REALLY make it big."

"Wish you luck, man...I gotta head on out so I can get to New Home, though. Thanks for the chat," she told him as she slid off the stool and headed back for the door.

"Same. Any time, little buddy."

She gave the cat monster one last nod before exiting through the doors. He seemed a lot better off than before.

Before fully stepping out of the Burger Emporium, she scanned the vicinity for Mettaton, just to make sure he hadn't come back, as the restaurant employee had feared. But to her liking, he was nowhere in sight, which meant she could safely venture forth.

She noticed an elevator beside the restaurant she'd just come out of; outside of it stood a manticore, a black slime monster and...

A dragon.

An ACTUAL green-scaled dragon, wings, horns and all.

Sure, the revelation that monsters were real was a shocker, but DRAGONS? Even if they did technically classify as monsters, this was still pretty incredible.

As was the manticore, but this was a bit more so.

But contrary to the myths of them terrorizing villages and scorching everything in sight with a spew of their fore breath, this dragon seemed quite civil. He was just standing around with his monster brethren, hanging impatiently outside the elevator doors. She decided to approach him.

"Um...Sir?"

"Hm?" He turned to face her. "Oh, hey, there. Need somethin'?"

"Just wondering; where's the elevator lead to? Sorry, I'm fairly new here."

"Oh, well it lead-"

His phone rang, and he pulled it out, motioning for her to speak to the manticore to his side instead as he answered the call.

"Hello?...Yeah, about that, it's not workin'...Out of order, yes..."

The manticore, his fur as white as a Boss Monster's, answered her question instead.

"Elevator leads right up to New Home from here," he informed her. "But it stopped working right about a day ago...Don't know why. For the time being, the hotel's doing its best to accommodate everybody stuck here."

"Oh...How inconvenient," she remarked. If not for this occurrence, she might have been able to skip over the CORE. What luck...

"Say..." the manticore remarked. "...Aren't you-"

She rose a finger to her lips, then tugged the hood back over her head.

"...Oh, I get it. In incognito mode, eh?"

Ginger nodded.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna be able to get home tonight, then," the dragon continued over the phone. "...Well, I think there's still some pizza left over in my treasure horde that you can heat up...The CORE? I, uh, I don't know. The layout of that place is confusing, I hear, and I don't wanna end up getting lost...Besides, with all the heat, I don't think I'd last that long..."

"Cold-bloodedness," the manticore commented. "It it's burning out, he burns up, and it's the same with the freezing cold. Such is the downside of being a dragon."

"At least when it gets cold, you have fire breath you can rely on," the Huntress shrugged.

"Guess you have a point."

"So, about the CORE. How do I get there from here?"

"It's just out the back exit. The path leads you right into it. I might as well head on through there to get back home myself...Or not. I dunno. I'm sorta considering bookin' a hotel room; never stayed in a place as fancy as this."

"Well, if you do decide on the former, then we'd have to call the place the..." She glanced cheekily to the side. "...Manti-CORE."

The creature hiccuped, then snorted, then burst out in a laugh, raising his gloved paw over his muzzle to stifle it.

"Man, if only the comedian here told jokes like that...But he doesn't like puns. Prefers the one-liners and funny story-type things...I mean that's funny too, but you should see this one guy that comes every month and streams out a whole string of puns. Hilarious guy; short, chill, always smilin'. I, uh...forget his name."

"He wouldn't happen to be a skeleton, would he?"

"How'd you guess?"

"Just a hunch."

"Oh, hey, shush. Here comes the resort comedian now. He just finished a performance, I think."

They looked away from each other, pretending that they hadn't been gossiping and whatnot, but Ginger decided she'd like to see the resort comedian for herself, so she left the manticore and his companions and went over to the fountain closer to the restaurant, where he was coming out from. He turned to the front, revealing himself to be...

A Snowdrake.

...Wait a minute...

What'd the one in Snowdin said?

"My old man's a comedian at the resort in the CORE, and I'm gonna make it big like him, no matter how terrible he thinks my brand of humor is."

This was his...

"Hey...! Hey!"

She waved at him, getting his attention. The bird monster looked to see who was calling for him, then met her the rest of the way himself.

"Sorry you missed the show," he apologized. "But the next one's just tomarrah-"

"Are you Snowdrake's dad?"

The question had been the last thing he'd expected out of the stranger's mouth, and he froze.

"Snowy..." he finally said, his spectacled eyes growing wide. "You...You know my boy?"

"Yeah, yeah! Told me you were the comedian here! Heck, he gave me this thing!" she answered him, giving her cloak a bit of a fling.

"He gave you that?"

She nodded.

"H-he tell you lotsa ice puns?"

Another nod.

The Snowdrake's eyes continued to widen. They conveyed several emotions at once; shock, disbelief, joy...

"...He's alright, then?" he asked, a wide grin across his beak.

"Well, yeah, he is. Why wouldn't he be?"

The smile fell, and he looked off the side for a moment.

"...I'll tell ya why."

They hung around the fountain as he gave her the details. Ginger could tell by the look on his face that the situation was grim.

"Snowy wanted to make it big like his fathah here, but his jokes...All he told were these bad ice puns. And the only one of us who actually liked them was his mothah. She was his best audience. Ha ha ha...Until...It hasn't even been a year since she, uh...passed on. After we lost her, Snowy couldn't stand livin' at home anymore...So one night, about two months after our...loss, I discovah his bed's empty. And the window was open...He ran away. I haven't seen him since."

"...That's horrible."

"But now I'd pay anything to hear his ice puns all day. See anothah thing; there's this othah guy that's been comin' to entertain at the resort lately, and he tells nothing but puns for the whole show. And the more I listened to them, the bettah I realized they are. I shouldn't have put them down. I shouldn't have ridiculed him for it...But you saw him, right? He's alive and well, right? That's...a big relief, to say the least. Friend, where is he? Where'd you meet him?"

"He's in Snowdin? Hangs around the forest with his friends, he says. Last we met, I gave him some advice about his puns...Said it worked really well."

"Snowdin...I shoulda thought," he scolded himself, slapping a wing over his face. "Oh, oh boy. I gotta get down there. I gotta congratulate him. Uh...Tell me, strangah. What did you think of his ice puns?"

"I think they were very icely executed."

The resort comedian stiffened for a moment, then another, even wider grin began to spread over his beak.

"Ha...Ha ha...! Y-you told him you liked 'em!"

"It'd have been cold of me if I hadn't."

"HA! I, uh, I gotta run...Or fly, I can do that, too. But I gotta get down there!"

The bird monster ran for the front door.

"Thanks for everything!" he called back to her.

"See you later!"

He rushed out the glass doors, and Ginger saw his spread his icy blue wings for a takeoff before he disappeared.

She turned around, Saved at the fountain one more time just for good measure, then made her way to the back of the hotel lobby. There was a narrow hallway that lead to the back, and a flashing neon sign was positioned just above the doorway.

"CORE"

This was it. The last stretch before New Home.

She went through the doors, and the heat washed over her once again. But she was barely bothered by it anymore. She had other things on her mind.

Particularly, the calls she realized she had to make.

She pulled her cellphone out and dialed the first number. The monster on the other end picked up quickly.

"YOU'VE REACHED THE GREAT PAPYRUS! MAY I ASK WHO IS CALLING?"

"Hey, Papyrus."

"OH! HELLO, HUMAN! IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE LAST WE SPOKE! HOW GO YOUR TRAVELS?"

"Just passed through the MTT Resort Hotel, and I'm about to head on into the CORE."

"...TH-THE CORE? ALREADY?"

"I know...Time flies, doesn't it? I'll give you another ring before I step into New Home, how's that sound?"

"UM...ABOUT THAT, HUMAN."

"What's the matter?"

"I HAPPEN TO KNOW THIS FROM THE TIMES MY BROTHER WENT TO NEW HOME. THE ENERGY EMANATING FROM THE CORE...GREATLY INTERFERES WITH PHONE SERVICE FROM SNOWDIN AND WATERFALL. I'M AFRAID YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET AHOLD OF US FROM THERE."

"...Oh..."

"SO, THEN...THIS IS GOODBYE, I SUPPOSE?"

"I...It looks that way."

"W-WELL, I...I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK, HUMAN. AND DON'T FORGET ALL THE FUN WE HAD! AND...OH MY GOD! YOU LEFT THAT MOVIE HERE BY MISTAKE! SANS... SANS, WHERE ARE YOU!? I NEED YOU TO DO ONE OF YOUR WEIRD SHORTCUT TRICKS SO YOU CAN RETURN-"

"Papyrus?"

"...YES, HUMAN?"

"Go ahead and keep that thing."

"WHAT!? KEEP IT!? HERE!? IN SNOWDIN!? B-BUT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO FOUND IT IN THE FIRST PLACE! IT'S YOURS!"

"Ah, I'll find another copy of it on the surface somewhere; that can't be the only one. Keep it as a memento, or something like that. Like the stuff you got from Gerson."

"Y-YOU'RE POSITIVE YOU DON'T WANT IT?"

"It won't kill me. Promise."

"WELL...THAT'S GOOD NEWS FOR UNDYNE AT LEAST."

"Why's that?"

"I SHOWED IT TO HER, AND...OH, HERE SHE IS NOW! UNDYNE, WOULD YOU MIND TELLING THE HUMAN YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE MOVIE SHE FOUND IN THE DUMP?"

"Huh, what? Oh...Wait, is that her?...Oh, God..."

The fish monster now directed her speech at the human on the opposite end.

"...Well, I gotta admit, punk. Your taste in movies ain't half bad...That was pretty awesome. I didn't think you humans would be into that sort of thing, watching your own kind get eaten, and stepped on, and decapitated and stuff like that...It's actually kinda disturbing, the more I think about it."

"Well, don't think about it too much, or your head might run out of space."

"Are you implying that my brain is small!?"

"What? Me? Noooo, never."

"Oh, shut up."

"UNDYNE...THE HUMAN IS LEAVING FOR THE CORE, YOU KNOW. WE WON'T BE ABLE TO TALK TO HER ANYMORE AFTER THIS."

"Really? She's finally on her way out? That rules!"

"YEAH..."

"Uh...For me, that is. Not for you...Sorry, man."

"I KNOW YOU DON'T THINK VERY HIGHLY OF THE HUMAN, BUT...DO YOU THINK YOU COULD AT LEAST HELP ME GIVE HER A NICE SEND OFF?"

"...Fine. Uh...So, kid. What are you gonna do once you get to the surface? If Asgore lets you, at least."

"Probably find some other human to bring down here that you can use instead."

"OH...SO THEN, EVEN IF YOU DO LEAVE, FREEDOM COULD STILL VERY WELL BE CLOSE?"

"That's my plan."

"SO, THEN, THE NEXT TIME WE MEET ISN'T SO FAR OFF AFTER ALL!"

"I'd...Well...That's one way to think about it!"

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH! WELL, THEN, HUMAN! WE BEST LET YOU GET A MOVE ON! WE'LL SEE YOU IN...ERM...HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT WILL BE?"

"Can't say for sure...But soon, I hope."

"THAT WORKS FOR ME! SEE YOU SOON, THEN, HUMAN! WE'LL BE WITH YOU IN SPIRIT!"

"YOU'LL be with her in spirit. But, like...See you on the surface, I guess, ya nerd."

"OH, UNDYNE, LIGHTEN UP A BIT...OH! WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, HUMAN! BEFORE YOU LEAVE, THERE'S ONE MOE THING I HAVE TO SAY!"

"What's that?"

"IT'S SOMETHING YOU...ALREADY KNOW. AN OLD SAYING FROM YOUR SNOWDIN DAYS."

"...Ohhhhhh, that!"

"ALRIGHT! LET'S SAY IT, THEN WE HANG UP! SO WE LEAVE EACH OTHER ON A HIGH NOTE!"

"Three..."

"TWO..."

"One..."

And, for the last time...

"ALAN."

From each end, the laughter that followed could be head from all the way to the Ruins and New Home respectively.

"Hey...At least I get the joke now," Undyne remarked before the telltale clicking sound of the call being ended made itself known.

...That was it.

"...See you again someday, Papyrus."

Ginger sighed deeply, reminiscing for a moment about all of the good times they had...But she didn't stand there daydreaming for long; she realized, upon speaking to the skeleton one last time, that she should try one more time to contact...her, while she still had the chance.

She rang Toriel, with the tiny strand of hope she had left that she would answer. One ring...Two...Three...Four...Five...Six...

*Nobody picked up.

No use. Still nothing. She began to wonder why she even bothered trying in the first place.

Ginger let out a solemn sigh, shaking her head. If Toriel could only know just how far she'd come, it would put her worries at ease...But it was not destined to be.

"Forget it..." she mumbled to herself, rolling her eyes. If she couldn't get ahold of the Boss Monster, then she should move on to the third call.

She dialed it, and the next caller actually answered, much to her liking.

"H-hello?"

"Alphys. I just finished up at the resort, and I'm heading into the CORE. Where are you at?"

"I'm just about to get to the tile puzzle you did. K-keep going. I should be caught up all the way b-by the time you get to the end of the CORE."

"Excellent."

"Uh, keep me on, though! The CORE's tricky to navigate, s-so you might need some extra assistance!"

"Got it. And thanks again for the help."

"Uh...N-no problem."

"One more question; the CORE won't interfere with our connection, will it? We're both in Hotland, but I just gave Papyrus one last ring, and he said that the phone service for Snowdin and Waterfall is cut off by the energy radiating from it."

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Well, s-since I'm in Hotland, it shouldn't be a problem. Just keep at it!"

"Will do. Alright...Let's do this."

She left the resort hotel behind her, and approached the entrance to the CORE. Now that she was staring it face-to-face, it was even more imposing. The enormous, looming, steaming metal labyrinth of a building that was the source of all electricity for the Underground seemed to look the human right in the eye and say to her:

"Go forth...If you so dare."

Ginger was so astonished by the massive, buzzing structure itself, she failed to catch the dark figures entering into it before her.

A.N: Let me share something with you guys.

Before I actually published this story, I had a few of the chapters to it prewritten in my docs. I was sort of experimenting with the story's concept just for the fun of it, and actually didn't plan on publishing anything until...Well, the day I published it. When the time came to submit them, I ended up editing some of the prewritten chapters a bit so they would fit the story's flow some more, but plotwise, they remained pretty much the same as how I first wrote them. In fact, there are STILL some prewritten chapters that have yet to come; it's a good way to stay dedicated to a story, you know?

Have I said something like this before? I feel like I've said something like this before, I just can't remember when...Whatever.

Hey, thanks to everyone who's been following this, still! I appreciate it bunches! See you guys next time! :D