"So... It sure is weird that there's snow outside the Ruins." Peter noted upon stepping outside. "Aren't we underground?"

"Don't question it." Chara replied. "Magic can do weird stuff"

"Don't I know it." Peter said, trudging on.

The area looked like a dark, wooded area. In fact, despite the fact that his spider-sense had yet to go off, he felt as though something was gonna happen. So when he heard someone behind him, he froze and spun around.

"Did you hear that?" He asked Chara.

"Yeah. Be wary." She warned.

Peter walked on.

"So... what happened back there?"

"What do you mean?"

He could have sworn he heard her shrug. "You didn't kill mo- Toriel. You seemed ready to rip that flower in half at the suggestion you would have. Why?"

Peter felt himself lost in memory. "I lost my Uncle Ben due to my pride, and when I went to get revenge on the person who killed him... I couldn't. That's not the type of person I want to be." He stepped over a large stick and continued. "That's why I try to win with my wits and my webs. I don't want to have that kind of thing on my conscious. Or be the reason someone loses their Uncle Ben."

Chara was silent, so Peter kept walking. There was a loud snapping sound, and looking back, Peter realized the stick was broken in two. "That's not good."

"Whatever broke that thing must be very strong..." Chara was sounding slightly concerned.

They came to a short bridge, blocked by a wooden barrier. Not that the barrier seemed like it would do anything, as it was too wide.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure came from behind Peter.

"...human. dont you know how to greet a new friend? shake. my. hand."

Peter was concerned, but his spider-sense hadn't gone off, so he turned around and took the hand of the shadowy figure. As soon as he did, a loud tooting sound burst out and continued for a few minutes. A light breaking through the trees illuminated the figure, revealing a goofily grinning skeleton in a jacket and shorts.

"heh, the woopee coushin in the hand trick." The skeleton chuckled. "classic."

Peter looked the skeleton up and down. "Uh... no bones about that."

The skeleton seemed to grin wider, if that was possible. "lol. good one. you're a human, right?"

Peter nodded. "And you're a skeleton."

"perceptive, aren'tcha." He replied. "i'm sans. sans the skeleton. funny thing is. i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but... y'know... i dont really care about capturing anybody."

Peter blinked. "That's... swell? Am I good to go?"

"heh, not so fast. my brother, papyrus, he's a human-hunting FANATIC."

"Not good."

"idk, he's pretty harmless." Sans shrugged. "i think that's him over there. in fact, i have an idea. go through the gate thingy."

"Not much of a gate" Peter noted, stepping through. "It's a bit... wide."

"my brother made it." Sans replied, showing him into an open area. "now quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp."

Peter looked, and sure enough, there was a lamp nearby that looked exactly like him from the side. "How... convenient?"

"what did i say?" Sans motioned with his hand. "now go!"

Peter went, and just as he got behind the lamp, another goofy-looking skeleton appeared, this one tall and in armor that would have been impressive had it not been so... unimpressive.

"sup, bro?" Sans asked.

"YOU KNOW WHAT "SUP," BROTHER!" Yelled the other, obviously Papyrus. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T... RE-CALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"staring at this lamp." Sans replied. Peter was about to bolt, until he realized that Papyrus wasn't taking Sans seriously at all. "it's really cool. do you wanna look?"

"NO!" Papyrus replied, stomping his foot. "I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

He adopted a heroic pose, and his tattered cape began to billow in the wind. "THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... WILL GET ALL THE 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."

Sans looked amused, but from what Peter could tell, he always looked amused. "hmm... maybe this lamp will help you."

Papyrus stomped his foot again, agrily. "SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!"

"hey," Sans said, slightly offended. "i've gotten a ton of work done today." He paused for effect. "a skele-ton." He turns and winks towards you. Peter would have burst out either sighing or laughing had he not been hiding. Chara was under no such restraints, and she was cracking up.

"SANS!" Papyrus yelled, incensed.

"come on." Sans grinned at him. "you're smiling."

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" Papyrus sighed. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME... HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION..."

"wow," Sans replied, "sounds like you're really working yourself..." He paused again. "down to the bone." He shrugs in your general direction, grinning wider. Peter was starting to wheeze, and since Chara was disembodied, she was still laughing her head off. Not that she had a head to laugh off.

"UGH!" Papyrus was fuming. "I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES... AS FOR YOUR WORK?" He paused. "PUT A LITTLE MORE, "BACKBONE" INTO IT! NYEHEHEHEHEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" He walked away laughing. Sans waited. Soon, Papyrus came back, let out one more "HEH!", then walked away.

Sans chuckled. "ok, you can come out now."

Peter walked out from behind the lamp. "Dude! Were you trying to give away my position!?" Chara was still laughing, and this kept him from concentrating. "Do you mind?" He asked in a general direction he supposed her to be. She stopped, with some dificulty.

"hey kid, dont sweat it." Sans replied. "paps wouldn't have noticed you if you were standing right in front of him. in fact, me drawing more attention to the lamp probably increased the chances he wouldn't notice you."

Peter tilted his head. "That... that makes sense. The jokes would have given me away though. I have a bad... funny bone."

Sans chuckled. "kid, youre a natural. and i dont say that often." He looked at Peter quizzically. Well, as quizzically as an ever-grinning skeleton could look. "you really are new round here, huh?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I've been around just...not here."

Sans nodded. "good to know a fellow pun-lover." Suddenly, he seemed to get an idea. "actually, hey... hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?"

Peter shrugged. "Sure, I guess. So long as it doesn't involve me dying."

"nah, nothing like that." Sans replied. "i was thinking-"

"Dangerous to do so without practice." Said Peter on impulse. "Wait, sorry that just sprung out."

Sans winked his right eye. "im liking you more and more, kid. anyway, my brother's been kinda down lately... he's never seen a human before. and seeing you might just make his day. and like i said, he's not dangerous." He thought for a moment. "even if he tries to be."

Peter thought too. "You know what, sure. I'm all about helping other people, and if I bring a smile to their face with a witty quip or just the gift of my presence, I'm all for it. So long as, you know, I won't actually... die."

"no problem kid." Sans replied. "and thanks a million. i'll be up ahead." Curiously, he walked towards the Ruins instead of towards Papyrus, but that was the least weird thing Peter had seen all day.

"... So. You're gonna risk your life on the possibility that it makes a human hunting skeleton happy?" Chara seemed confused. "What do you even hope to gain from this?"

"Other than a few good laughs and an ally?" Peter shrugged. "Nothing. I really just wanna help. Besides, if it means two less monsters trying to kill me, that's a win in my book."

"Well that may be true...

But what about the hundred or so others?"