LOUDERTALE
Arc 1 : Ruins
Part 2 : Tu-Toriel (Get it ? GET IT ?)
A new Chapter attacks ! Will you have the MERCY to read it through ?
Loud House and Undertale, not mine, got it ? Enjoy the show !
The siblings entered the next room, immediately noticing six stone squares on the ground, a closed doorway, a lever, some writing on the wall, and one Goat Lady patiently waiting for them.
"Ah, there you are children. Found something interesting along the way ?"
"There was... something interesting, alright." mumbled Lynn uncertainly. She was glad that Toriel didn't pry for more answers, because the mere fact of thinking about what happened a minute ago still rattled her brain to no end.
"Welcome to your new home, innocent ones. Please adjust yourselves to the sight of the puzzles laying around, as there are many more. Puzzles are ancient fusions between enigmas and doorkeys, and they need to be solved in order to proceed." lectured Toriel with a big smile.
Before the Louds could question her about the meaning of her first sentence, she stepped on four of the stone switches and pulled down the lonely lever. The twin locked doors instantly slid open.
"See ? I'm sure you will all learn in no time. Now let us continue." said Toriel, passing the door as soon as she was done talking.
"Puzzles ? Darn it, this really is a world thought out by Lisa !" said Lana in dismay, earning herself a glare from the genius.
"Hey, check this out." called Lincoln towards the inscription on the wall. Curious, the sisters approached, and read it.
"Only the fearless may proceed. Brave ones, foolish ones. Both walk not the middle road."
Lucy nodded at the omnious message, indicating that it had obtained the 'Lucy seal of poetic quality'. Something to be proud about, for sure.
"Looks like they do a better job in poetry than in room decoring around here." quipped Lola, frowning at the room's ever purple pattern. Was the guy who made this place really that unoriginal ?
"Actually, this is not a mere warning or sonnet, but a clue to solve the puzzle of this room." pointed out Lisa. "'Both walk not the middle road'. Knowing this, our furry guide stepped on the marble locking system while avoiding the central tiles. The 'middle road' was not walked upon, thus she could proceed." Lisa gained a small exciting grin. "A pinch of logic needed in order to progress. I may have rushed my judgement of this place."
"Well, my logic says that in a world of pure unknown, when your sole guide passes a door, you don't let yourself fall behind. So let's bounce." ordered Lori. The siblings nodded, and followed after Toriel.
The next room held more purple, as well as streams of water, small bridges to join the gaps' sides, more writing on a wall, a wooden sign, multiple levers, and a row of spikes at the room's far right that blocked the only way out.
"To further proceed, you must activate the right levers. I left clues to help you in this endavour. I'm sure you can easily find the solution from this point." encouraged Toriel.
As she crossed the bridge, the siblings caught a glimpse of the wooden sign's words.
"Oh boy, you can read ! Aren't you a smart cookie ?"
"Cookie." cooed Lily, acknowledging the reference of the delicious sugary treat with a bit of drool.
"You're telling me, lil' sis. I could really go for one right now." said Luna as she patted her breakfastless stomach.
The Loud children made a small detour to see what was marked on the wall.
"Stay on the path."
They compelled to it, not sure why this particular written order would be standing out of the path it was mentionning them to stay on. Must have been placed there by someone looking for a cheap laugh.
Crossing the bridge, they found their first choice of levers. Or rather, lever. They observed it throughly, and they felt as if they needed to press it for some reason.
Hmm, may had something to do with Toriel's bright writing that told them to press say lever. Maybe...
"O-kay, this one's pretty easy." commented Lincoln as he brought the lever down.
"Aww, I wanted to do it." chimmed Leni with a pout.
"Uh, you can do the next one ?"
"Okay !"
They crossed the second bridge, arriving in front of Toriel. "Only one left to press, children." said the motherly monster. Sisters and brother turned to look at the two levers in front of them.
That's right, not one. Two ! The humanity !
Now, this would've been a thought to be laughed at by the Loud children, if not for the fact that it was Leni that was supposed to resolve this puzzle, the one who still could mess basic algebra. Last time she had been trusted to make pancakes, her putting 20 times more sugar than necessaryin the batter had resulted into a Sugar-pocalypse that had blown away the Royal Woods' Family Sports Day.
Details needn't to be given, but let's just say Lily hadn't been the only one that had ended up running 'au naturel' that day...
Anyway, the happy blonde pratically skipped to join the levers, but her face lost its joy when she found herself in front of them. Important questions began echoing through her head. Which one to press ? And what of the consequences of a wrong choice ? Leni Loud knew there was no place for dumb luck here, as she observed the two metal sticks with the eyes of a hawk, trying to decipher a measly clue left by the ancients...
"Oh come on, Leni !" hollered Lori, frustrated by her sister's idiocy. She couldn't be that swallow.
She felt a large paw on her shoulder, and Toriel looking at her with a neutral glance. "Now Lori, every child must go at their own pace. There is no need for shouting." Toriel lightly reprimanded.
"But you litteraly wrote the answer on the wall !" insisted Lori, pointing at the bright arrow indicating the left lever, with a clear notice to pull it down. "Leni, there are words on the wall ! Use your brain, and read them !"
"I'm not blind you know, I see the words !" rebutted Leni with a small whine. "But I'm not sure I can trust a sign again, not after last time. I never found the kitchen, and I ended up in the city's sewers ! The smell lasted for two days !"
The siblings glared at Luan, making the guilty jokester wince in guilt. "Oh come on you guys, I said I was sorry at least a thousand times !"
"Tell it to the pair of sandals we had to incinerate !" accused Lola with a frown.
"Children, children, let us be calm. There is no need to start fighting over such triviality." said Toriel, efficiently defusing the situation, something that greatly impressed both Lincoln and Lori. Toriel then adressed the latter with a patient tone. "Lori, as the eldest, you must remain helpful in your younger siblings' steps. When they stumble, you mustn't shout at them for it, but help them realize a better way, so they can learn to walk by themselves. And for that, you must have patience. Do you understand, my child ?"
Lori timidly nodded. Toriel gave her a smile and a pat on the head, and turned to the struggling fashion expert. "Leni, trust in yourself. Do not be afraid, for you have no reason to feel so. Because deep inside, you know the right choice to make."
Toriel's soothing words added a great deal of safety upon Leni's heart. Suddenly, she managed to get her mind to actually focus on the task at hand, and she found herself understanding the solution. Armed with newfound confidence and a steeled gaze, she reached for a lever and cranked it down...
And it seemed that pressing the left one was the right solution (*Rimshot*), as the spikes retracted in the ground, opening the way. Leni could barely believe it. She had done it, and it was somewhat easy once she had put her mind into it. For once, Leni felt as if she could be... proud about herself, and in a non-fashion-related way.
Toriel warmly clapped her hands at the Leni's accomplishement, kinda like a mother seeing her child riding their bike for the first time. "Splendid ! You did very good, Leni. We all knew you could do it. Now, let us continue." And she proceeded out of the room.
Before following her, the siblings went to Leni's side, and some gave her a bit of praising they felt she deserved. Their compliments made the happy-go-lucky girl beam with pride.
"Nice one, Leni." complimented Lincoln.
"Good on ya, sis." said Lana as she patted her back.
Only one didn't join the sibbling huddle, in the person of Lori. The eldest of the Louds looked at her little sister, who was smiling as though she had aced a math test, and couldn't help but compare this result ensuing from Toriel's attitude to what resulted of hers.
Pushing her siblings had always been her way to make them move, to show that there was a way right in front of them. It had risen tension, but it usually got the work done, and it's not like she couldn't offer praise when praise was due.
But looking back on Toriel's attitude, she saw a compassion and patience that made all the memories of her snarkily berating her siblings come back to her, and not making her feel so proud about them. Of course the goat woman had no idea what it was like to live with her ten siblings every day, but... there were times, she now realized, that could have had a much better resolution if she had adopted Toriel's supportive attitude, instead of constantly calling them out on their mistakes, even mocking them for it.
Lori looked at her feet and rubbed her arm with a bit of shame. She still had much more things to learn about being the one in charge, things that may prove vital down here...
Unaware of her oldest sister's turmoil, Lisa watched her opposite in terms of intelligence being praised for such a simple task with a quiet 'tssk' and a roll of her eyes. But she nontheless let it be so. After all, a dog needed a pat on the head to understand that he had done a trick right. A basic but efficient way to teach, she reckoned.
She still had something to point out though. "You know, I now realize that the engraving on the walls was indeed a clue for this puzzle. The 'path' points out the ground parts painted in a lighter shade of purple, that go from where we came in to where we must go. As one can observe, they also reach the correct levers, and leave the erroneous one alone, concluding that in order to solve this puzzle, one must indeed 'stay on the path'."
The siblings verified Lisa's theory, and 'oohed' when they found it to be exact. "Huh. Right as always, Lisa." said Lincoln, always in awe at her four-year-old sister's quick thinking.
"Elementary, my dear Lincoln." quoted Lisa, adjusting her glasses.
"So, what do you think this one does ?" Lynn induced, pointing at the only lever pointing upwards.
"I'm gonna guess, something we don't wanna know." honestly said Lincoln.
"Yeah, Linky's right. The way's open, no need to tempt fate, whoever he is." chirped Leni, still feeling giddy about her recent success.
The siblings nodded, Lori joining them, and began to walk out of the room. Meanwhile, Lynn made sure they all had her back turned on her, and chuckled quietly as she reached for the unmoved lever. But about millimetres from touching it, Lucy appeared and slapped her sister's hand away, waving her finger in a 'tut tut' fashion, while Lynn pouted and grumbled in disappointement. She nontheless departed with her roommate, forever cursed to wonder what this lever was meant to do...
Which was nothing by the way. The thing didn't even work. Really, someone should tell her...
In the next room, the Loud kids joined Toriel for their next lesson.
"Down here in the Underground, there are many monsters that may wish to harm you, and drag you into a Fight. Perhaps not with the vehemence or malice of the flower you've first met, but still."
"B-But why ?" dared to ask Lola, who despite not being above violence, questioned it when it didn't have any clear reason to be used.
Toriel shook her head and sighed. "It is better if you do not know this detail, simply that it is a foolish, rash, and sometime unintentionnal action from their part." She regained her smile soon enough. "But do not worry, as there is an efficient way to prevent this."
She stepped a bit on the right, and let the siblings see the path turning on the left towards another room, and in the middle stood a pale training dummy on a small wooden pole. The mannequin seemed to have known better days, with multiple makeshift repairs and a bit of stuffing escaping the back of its head.
The sight of the dummy ignited Lynn's logic, and brought a smirk to her face. "Oh, I get it. You're gonna train us to kick them in the shin and punch them in the snout if they get too close ! Man, finally some action !" said Lynn as she made a little 'one-two one-two' motion with her fists. The others, so used to the concept of fighting amongst themselves, didn't mind the idea of shaking loose.
Toriel, on the other hand, seemed appalled at the idea. "Oh goodness, no ! There is no need for any violence, my child. The right way to resolve a Fight is simply by amicably conversing !" grinned Mother Goat.
The Louds fell silent, and looked at Toriel as though she had declared not knowing what chocolate or comic books were. "Please tell me you're joking." said Lynn in a deadpan tone.
Toriel shook her head, still with a smile. "Oh no, I am very serious. To get through a Fight, all you have to do is to strike up a friendly conversation, and let me handle the rest." she said confidently. She then stepped closer to the dummy, patiently standing before the next entrance. "Go ahead, practice on this Dummy, and I will stop the fight once you're done."
The siblings looked at eachother, mulling the rather weird idea over. Not only the idea of practicing conversation to a dummy seemed to be a very silly thing to do, but Toriel's explanation about nicely talking their way out of a fight seemed... not idiotic per say, but a very naive ideal. Back on the surface, there were few fights the Loud children had been involved in that had required 'Talking' as a way to end them.
But then again, Toriel had this voice that seemed to say that she knew best. And she did, in a way. They knew next to nothing about this place, other than the fact that the Ruins' painters had only one big can of paint for the whole thing, and that the flora was not friendly, kind of a jerk even. So if Toriel said this was how things were done down here, complying seemed to be the safer option. After all, while in Rome, do as the Romans do.
"Well, I guess we can give it a shot." shrugged Lori. The others nodded, Lynn doing so in a grumpy manner, and approached the motionless dummy. Once they were close, however, a microscopic glint passed through the dummy's button eye, and the Louds felt the startling sensation of their SOULs being pulled out of their chests. A second later, the hearts were back.
A Fight had been engaged !
*You encounter the Dummy !
Lincoln was a bit startled, but not as much as he had been before. He was starting to get used to this voice in his head... Maybe not the best way to say it.
"Yo bro, you okay ? Whispers in your noggin again ?" asked Luna.
"Yeah, but it just stated the obvious this time." answered Lincoln, scratching his chin.
"Did it say anything about those weird boxes ?" said Lana.
"Weird boxes ?" Lincoln followed his sisters' general eyesight, and saw what they were talking about.
In front of them, more particularly Lincoln, floated four orange panels, each one with something written in it. From left to right, were [FIGHT], [ACT], [ITEM], and [MERCY]. Lincoln's confusion and excitement only grew along this new information. This whole ordeal was getting stranger by the second, yet so familiar at the same time. Dare he say... he kinda liked it !
"'Mercy' ? Seems to be a bit of a wuss option." commented Lola.
"This whole thing is wuss material." grumbled Lynn. Lucy gave her a sympathetic pat on the back, knowing her pain and pain itself. Lynn appreciated it nontheless.
As the others stayed speechless on the matter, Luan decided to do the bright thing, and ask what she felt was the expert, in her own way of course. "Lincoln, any advice out of the box ?" she giggled at her own pun. The others groaned and facepalmed. "Oh c'mon, at least give me some points for crate-ivity ! Hahaha, get it ?"
"Well, to answer your 'pun' – if we can even call it that – I think these boxes represent what we can choose to do to get through this Fight. This may be kind of a 'turn-based' system, but I can't be sure." analyzed the boy with a thoughtful expression.
"I can't lie, this sounds weirdly familiar..." quipped Lori. Options to progress through fights, she knew she had seen that sort of thing before, but where ?
"That's great and all, but what do we do with it ?" Lana said as she scratched the back of her cap. "Which one do we choose ?"
Lincoln knew it was time to get strategic, and initiated a mini sibling counsil. "Well, let's weigh our options. Toriel told us violence is not the option, so FIGHT's out the window." Lynn's mood soured a little bit more at this, but remained silent. "We don't really need or have ITEMs here, and I have no idea what MERCY is here for."
"Quite. Begging for our lives to a dummy does seem, for a lack of a better expression, a very silly idea." acknowledged Lisa.
"Yeah, let's talk to it instead, that's the smart thing to do." mumbled Lynn, as she eyed with ire the mannequin itself, feeling as if it was taunting her to attack. She also couldn't help noticing that Lucy was giving him an odd look too. What was little Miss Ghoul and Gloom seeing in the pale ragged thing, Lynn could only wonder.
Lola counted the choices, and the choice became clear to the little princess. "So... that leaves only ACT, right ?" she said, her face gaining a grin. "Well, let's man up and do this thing !"
Lincoln nodded, and reached a hand to the second-to-the-right panel. Upon doing so, another black rectangle appeared, similar to the one of the SAVE File, only smaller. In it, no informations about the place they were in or the time they've been in the Underground, but a name, 'Dummy'.
He selected the name, and saw options appearing. The first one, on the left, was there immediately, but the other one seemed a little blurry for an instant, as though loading, before appearing clearly. The left option read 'Check', and the right one read 'Talk'. The choice should've been easy, but Lincoln once again felt curiosity coming from his little red SOUL getting the better of him. As such, he chose 'Check', and the voice took over again.
*Dummy. ATK 0, DEF 0. Cotton heart, and a button eye. You are the apple of my eye. Lunas will know, and Mother knows best.
While Lincoln was getting used to it, he couldn't help but notice that the voice, despite its very neutral tone, had taken a bit of humourous tone. Was it warming up to him ? Was the voice a real person, or was he finally going coocoo for coco puffs ?
His train of thought was interrupted by Lily patting his shoulder and Lori's voice. "Earth to Lincoln, sisters waiting for you to come back on it." She crossed her arms as he shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Well, what did it say ?"
"And why did you choose Check ? I thought we were supposed to talk to him, not give him money." misinterpreted Leni, causing Lori to sigh.
Lincoln twiddled his thumbs a bit akwardly. He had acted on impulse again, this was getting a bit worrisome. Things were going smooth for now, but was he to do something reckless and get them all in danger, the boy would never forgive himself. "Sorry, it felt like the right thing to do. But anyway, what they said was..." And he parroted what he had just heard.
Luna blinked at the mention of her name, but grinned at the familiar lyrics. "Smooth stuff. Dunno who's this dude or dudette talking to ya, but I'm starting to like them."
"Yeah, but what were those stats at the beginning ? I mean, they make zero sense, haha !" cracked Luan.
The Louds then felt their SOULs shining a little bit more and a strange lightness overtaking their bodies, as if they were expected to move around. But a reason never really came, as after a moment of the Dummy just standing there, gazing at them (maybe ?), the feeling subsided and the boxes shone a bit brighter again.
The more Lori thought about all of this, the more potent the itching in her brain became. Then it finally dawned on her, as she snapped her fingers in realization. "A video game ! The stats, the options, checking your enemy, this whole thing is one big game mechanic from... that kind of games you like so much, Lincoln. Um, what's it called again ?"
"RPGs. 'Role Playing Games' for the curious." said Lincoln.
"Hmm, I think I heard about those." Luan scratched her chin. "Aren't those the games with that mute green elf guy ? Or that big barbarian that screams all the time ? Ooh, or that blonde guy with the really big sword, and who has never seen a comb in his life ?"
"Ah, crickets ! The only games I know how to play are with a guitar or a pair of drumsticks." said Luna, doing some air guitar as she reminisced her games of Guitar Shredder.
"And we only know how to play goofy racing games !" quipped Lola, her thoughts shared by her twin as well.
"Psh, I totes know how to play video games. I've got Sweets Breaker on my phone !" chirped Leni.
At the last comment, Lincoln's face scrunched into one of impending wrath, but took a full minute to calm himself by repeating to himself that it was only Leni who had said that, she didn't know any better.
Lisa cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "If we are finished with those random bouts over trivial matter, perhaps we can focus back on the task at hand ?" said the small genius, small talk not quite being her forte.
The siblings blushed at this, and Lincoln obliged her sister's request. He pressed the ACT button again, and chose Talk to engage in, what else, more small talk !
"Uh, hi !" Lincoln went first. "How's it, uh, going down here ?"
Silence.
"Um... do you like mud ? Or pets ?" tried Lana, not really sure what else to talk about.
More silence.
"What about some tunes ? Got any preferences ?" grinned Luna amicably.
Nothing.
"Do you have a name, good sir ?" curtly said Lola. "Can I call you Lewis ? You've got the face of a Lewis."
Lewis stayed silent still.
"Have you, like, been a clothing model for stars before ?" indulged with starry eyes.
"Leni, I'm afraid your assumption of the job this fellow could have exerced in the past falls into the Offensive Cliché category." Lisa chatised.
Zilch.
"Um, te habla español ?" attempted Lori as she remembered a few words Bobby had taught her.
Nada.
"Hey, what do you call a dummy's favourite treat ?" asked Luan, trying to ease the mood and break the ice. "Cotton candy ! Hahaha, get it ?"
Not a word.
Luan's wide grin fell into a pout. "Man, usually they at least frown or groan at it."
"You are amongst friends, spirit. Tell me, what are your secrets ?" chanted Lucy as if in the middle of one of her séances.
No communicating agent was joined at this end of the line.
"Say, do you also think we look absolutely ridiculous trying to talk to you ?" delivered Lynn with a very bored expression, accompanied with a bit of snark.
No answer.
"Thanks, your silence is saying enough."
Lily took the final turn. "Poo-poo ?" asked the baby, indulging the ever-silent dummy into perhaps revealing his choices in litterature or in his likings in cuisine. She personally fancied carrot purée sided with delicalitely fried chicken morsels, accompanied with its rich tomato sauce.
But alas, silence still weighed the Louds' words. But it was broken when the mysterious voice spoke out, their words repeated by Lincoln the moment they were done.
*Looks like this Dummy isn't ripe for conversation. Toriel seems happy with your actions. YOU'VE WON... absolutely nothing.
"Well, someone's a bit on the sarcastic side." commented Lori, her eyebrow raised.
"Sarcasm, main humour trait of those who have seen the darkness." added Lucy, startling her big sister in how quietly she had appeared at her side.
Fight over !
As their SOULs retreated inside them once again, the siblings' attention was directed towards Toriel, who simply looked delighted by what she had seen. "Ah, you did very good, children ! Lynn, your attempt lacked a bit of warmth, but I am sure you will get the hang of it very soon !"
Lynn snorted, but said nothing, strangely not wanting to disappoint the woman, even if, in Lynn's opinion, she was teaching them cowardly methods to defend themselves.
"And Lisa, you... didn't really try. Why is that ?" said Toriel with a bit of worry as she bent to Lisa's level.
The aforementionned genius blinked at the woman's attention pinned on her. She had no idea why, but she couldn't bring herself to refute her like she would normally have wor asking such 'aimless questions unworthy of her fine time'. She instead felt somewhat... ashamed to have disappointed her. "I-I just don't really like small talk. It's not my cup of tea, you see ?" she answered, with a shyness that shocked her siblings, and herself even more.
Toriel on the other hand, chuckled lightly and gently patted the toddler's head, who emitted a little squeak at the gesture. "Oh, it's quite alright, it's okay to feel shy. But you have such a fine and extended vocabulary, it would be a shame not to share it with others. Try it, you just might be surprised of what others could answer you. I heard you are yearning for discoveries, so you could treat all of this as a fun new experiment ! What do you say ?" she proposed with a smile that only got warmer as she spoke.
"That... does seem quite the interesting experiment to make, thank you." said Lisa, still in a little voice and with a shy demanour. She blushed as she felt Toriel's fuzzy paw ruffling her hair, not annoying her in the slightest, quite the contrary even.
Lori was the most jaw-slacked of all. In the four years she had known Lisa, she herself had never managed to pierce through Lisa's stoic façade like that. Heck, she was pretty sure her own mother had rarely been able to do so, and never with those results. How was that monster doing it ?
"I am glad to hear that. Now, follow me, children."
The kids and teens obeyed, and passed the doorway, though Lucy gave one last glance at the Dummy before doing so.
"Some are just shy, I guess." she mysteriously said, and carried on.
The next room was another large one going to the right. Nothing in front of them, except a strange pattern visible through the lighter purple tiles in the middle of the room. Some observed it intently, feeling they were doing the right thing as Toriel gave them a cheeky smile. "Ah, it looks like you might be able to solve the puzzle of this room by yourselves. Follow me."
"Y'know guys, I think we're really getting the hang of this." perked up Lincoln, following his siblings as they walked Toriel's trail through a tighter corridor.
"Lincoln's right. Those puzzles are actually beginning to be fun." said Lori, feeling a bit peckish despite everything.
"Yeah ! Flower jerk aside, this whole Underground gig is going pretty swell !" added Luna, also feeling in a good mood.
The others began to chat excitedly, feeling their general mood alleviating. It felt good that way, just talking and laughing like they usually would on the surface. Even Lynn felt her sour attitude go away, and smiled as she gave her bro a small punch in the shoulder. For the first time since they had encountered Flowey, they had the feeling that things were going to be just fine.
But while chatting, they did not notice something hopping on the path they were trekking on. As such, the siblings ended bumping into the passing form, and it made their SOULs jump into action.
Fight Engaged !
Startled at first, they pulled themselves together and looked at their new opponent. It was a big white frog, only a little shorter than the twins, harbouring a slightly sleepy expression. The frog's true strange feature however, had to be what looked like a pair of eyes peeking through the shadow of its- their shadow.
*Froggit attacks ! spoke the voice, which Lincoln repeated.
While the others felt a bit wary of the new creature eyeing them, Lana immediately melted for him. "Aww, he's like Hops' monster cousin ! Can we keep him ?" asked the tomboy excitedly.
"Your request might find difficulty to be accomplished, as monsters have proven through the exemples of our motherly guide and our treacherous foe to be creatures very capable of sentience, and thus would hardly be considered adequate for domestic adoption." tediously ranted Lisa.
Lana was silent for a moment. "So... yes or no ?"
"Never gonna happen." sternly said Lori.
"Dang it." sighed Lana.
Lincoln gave her a sympathetic pat on the back, then went for the [ACT] button. He once again thought of checking the monster first, and mouthed his internal voice's words after it spoke them.
*Froggit. ATK 5, DEF 2. He only enjoys his attacks once. Life is hard that way for this enemy. Though not nearly as hard as the look Toriel is giving him.
"Wait, what was that last part ?" said Lola.
The Louds looked to their right, and saw that Toriel had indeed came back, and was currently glaring sternly at the smaller monster, the kind of glare that a mother would give if she was nearing 'Mama Bear' mode. The Froggit caught it soon enough, and shrunk under the woman's hardening gaze, bowing his head like a child being scowled. He wisely chose to show a clean pair of heels afterwards, the Louds eyeing his exit.
*YOU WON ! But you've still obtained zilch in terms of EXP or GOLD.
'EXP ? GOLD ?' thought the boy questioningly.
Fight over.
The monster gone, Toriel's frown morphed into her warm smile again. "Are you alright ? He hasn't harmed you, has he ?"
"Nah, you scared him before he could do anything." shrugged Lynn. She then grinned with renewed interest. "But man, that was one awesome death stare you gave him !"
"Yeah ! One glance at you, and little thing ran away like no tomorrow !" laughed Luna.
"You didn't even need any flaming effect or background, you kept all in the peepers. That glare was so good, I feel out of my league here." generously praised Lola, and it certainly held meaning when you knew her experience in the deadly glare domain.
Toriel could only chuckle at the children's excited compliments. They sure were a lively bunch. "Well, when you're the old lady that I am, you've picked up a few things along the way. Now, let's go back to that puzzle, shall we ?"
The siblings happily complied, but on their way, also caught sight of another inscription on the wall. No doubt being a clue, they read it through.
"The west room contains the east room's blueprints. (Warning, scales not throughly respected. Blame it on Jerry)."
"Blueprints ? But, like, there's only purple here ! Poor guy must colourdeaf or something." said the pretty, but confused blonde.
Lisa slapped her forehead. Hard. "Firstly, it's colourblind. Secondly, blueprints are a graphical representation of a project in construction." Seeing her lost gaze, Lisa decided to use an exemple, she felt, would ring close to home. "They are, in a way, similar to the drafts you design for your dresses."
The lone lightbulb inside Leni's brain was switched on. "Oooh, I get it ! Thanks Lisa !" she chirped in gratitude.
"Pleased to oblige. As for this clue, I don't think I need to enter into much details. This is simply a task of memory, and we've got plenty of that. This will be like a walk in the park. Thus, let us now catch up with Toriel."
They did so, and found Toriel waiting for them a little further ahead, staring at a much wider path surrounded with water. But a single, yet important detail made the Loud siblings stop dead in their tracks. The path was covered with spikes. Very sharp spikes.
"It seems I may have spoken a little too soon." gulped Lisa with wide eyes.
"Welp, we better stay sharp on this one. Otherwise, we'll be on more than pins and needles soon, hahahaha !" guffawed the buck-toothed comedian.
"Well, a puzzle always has a solution, right ?" quipped Lincoln. "So let's man and woman up, and get through it !"
"Now you're talking !" cheered Lynn, ready for some brash action.
Lori frowned a little. Now Lincoln was becoming a better source of inspiration than her.
While the children looked more or less ready to cross the pointy path, Toriel seemed more adamant about it. She knew that the human children had been smart enough to find the solution in the clue by themselves, and that pleased her. In a few rooms, they had proven to be very resourceful kids, which was a good thing. But for this puzzle, her thoughts turned to the age of some, the rash attitude of others, and the lack of focus of one in particular. The fact that there was a baby among them didn't help either.
With an hesitant smile, she turned to face the kids' expectant faces. "Say, would you mind if I lead you through it ? It seems to be a tad dangerous for so many young ones."
They blinked owlishly at her demand. Lola crooked an eyebrow. "I thought you trusted us to get through it ourselves."
"Oh, I know that you've already found the answer to this puzzle. But..." Toriel fumbled a bit with her words, not desiring to wound their young pride. "But I'd feel safer if you let me lead us this time. If you were to cross this puzzle disorganized, and... bump into eachother too hard..." She did not finish that sentence, letting it sink in the siblings' minds.
"She's got a point there, dudes." nodded Luna worriedly. "I don't think I want to know what my spiked boots would feel like if the spikes were inside the sole instead of under it."
Lucy raised her hand. "I also vote for not getting impaled. Not even my vampire aspirations will save me if one gets through my heart." Her gruesome description made the other siblings take a safe step away from her.
"That would be one disturbing last performance. Get it ?"
Lana frowned heavily at her loony big sister. "Wow. Just... just wow."
Lori looked at Lily in her arms, who fidgeted uneasily as she watched the row of very pointy spikes. The eldest sighed, they were all raising good points. And remembering her close altercation with a cactus during one of Luan's Prankapocalypses, she wasn't feeling too hot about the possibility of tripping, and...
She shuddered. "All in agreement with Toriel's plan ?" she asked, getting a very expected unanimous 'Aye !' in return. "Okay people, then let's form an ordered row, youngest to oldest." She could feel her 'Sgt. Lori' spirit coming back to her, and she liked it.
"Lisa and Lola, upfront behind Toriel. Behind them, Lana and Lucy, then Lincoln and Lynn, followed by Luan and Luna, and finally Leni and me, with Lily holding onto me." Lily obeyed, and moved herself around her big sis' shoulders, firmly gripping her back like a baby koala. "Each of you use one hand to hold your partner, and use the other one to grip the shoulder of the sibling before you. As for Lisa and Lola, you hold onto Toriel's hands. Nobody let go of anyone until we are through. Am I understood ?!"
"MA'AM, YES MA'AM !" saluted the siblings with puffed chests, even Lily in her own babbling way. Toriel blinked at the display, but chuckled all the same. A very lively bunch indeed.
In a matter of seconds, the pairs were formed, making a straight chain of human wagons, with Toriel being the locomotive. The amused Goat Woman took the first step, and there was a bit of baited breath. But it all went away when the spikes retracted once her big fluffy foot was close enough. She proceeded slowly, carefully conducting the children through the spiky platform. The siblings followed obediently, making sure to turn each time Toriel did at the exact spot she was turning, making their formation resemble a slithering animal from a certain old Louds stayed silent through the whole thing, afraid of breaking the focus of others if they peeped a word.
Finally, they reached the other end of the platform, but the little safe point being too small for 12 persons, they hurried to the next room.
Once there, the siblings let go of eachother, and let out a sigh of relief, followed by a joyful cheer.
"We did it !"
"Awesome !"
"A succesful endavour, I must admit."
"Yeah-ya !"
"Ga-buh !"
"Good job everyone." nodded Lori proudly. Not only did she feel more confident, but it warmed her heart a bit each time her siblings worked together to solve a problem. Cheesy thought, she knew, but what could you do ?
"Very well done, children." congratulated Toriel with her warm smile. "What you've displayed showed a very strong bond between you, something you can all be very proud of." The siblings found themsleves blushing and chuckling bashfully. But the mood turned a little tense when Toriel's smile grandly diminished. "You've all done excellent thus far, but I now must ask you to do something for me, something that may seem quite harsh." She paused and took a deep breath. "I want you all to walk to the end of the hall... without me." She bowed her head, and turned around. "Forgive me for this."
And before the Loud kids could call her back, she dashed down the corridor, disappearing in its darkness, which suddenly became more proeminent. The children huddled a little closer.
"Well... you heard Toriel." gulped Lori. "Down the hall we go."
As they walked uneasily and in silence at first, Lincoln couldn't help but smile wistfully. "Huh. Exploring a dark place together. Brings back memories, doesn't it ?" he said, referring to their most memorable black-out, earlier this year.
The others caught on, and chuckled a bit. Lori even began to act. "Ah ! What's that moaning ?"
Still walking, the others played along and gave false gasps. Lincoln was on cue, "Don't freak out, it's just the pipe settling."
Leni : "What's that scratching ?"
Lincoln : "Don't be scared, it's just Cliff the cat."
Lana even added a fake meow.
Lynn : "What is that smell ?"
Lincoln : "It's just Lily... with a full diaper."
Lily : "*Giggle* Poo-poo."
The siblings laughed at their little act of one of their funniest family recordings. Not one of their best nights, but one of the funniest to remember.
With their morale high again, the Louds were already halfway there, still happily chatting. Lincoln felt just as happy. He couldn't even remember why they had been so stressed in the first place. But as he looked at his sisters, a reminder was quick to make itself known. Or rather, himself known.
When Lincoln looked back for a moment, he saw a shape tailing them. But in a flash, it disappeared in the ground. Lincoln let out a sharp gasp, alerting and stopping the others in their trek.
"What's wrong, bro ?" asked Lana.
Lincoln sweated a bit. "Uh, nothing !"
But the sisters weren't dupe. Most of them weren't, anyway. "Are you sure about that, Lincoln ?" said Lynn with a suspicious look.
Lincoln's eyes shifted from sister to sister, before relenting with a sigh. "Alright, I may have seen... something. But if I say what, you might panic."
"Dude, we can't keep secrets to one another." said Luna, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, tell us !" demanded Lola. She, along with Lana, began to chant. "Tell us ! Tell us ! Tell us !"
"Okay, okay ! But don't say I didn't warn you." said Lincoln, sighing. "Okay, so I might have seen something following us. I didn't quite catch who it was, but I noticed that it escaped through the ground, and it was kinda... yellow." he finished with a tight smile.
The girls froze, wicked laughter echoing through their minds. Before they could argue to themselves that it might just be their brother's imagination, all siblings glanced behind them.
Just in time to see a yellow shape burrowing himself in the ground again.
The Loud Pack turned forward again, eyes wide as can be. There was a moment of silence, until Lori spoke up.
"Hey, who feels like going faster ? I feel like going faster."
"Yep." "Uh-huh." "Totes works for me." were some of her younger siblings' quick and unanimous approvals.
The Louds picked up the pace, keeping their eyes in front of them, as none dared to look back and catch another peek of what could be their Devil in a flower costume. Surprisingly, they were managing to do so without pushing or falling on one another.
Soon, salvation was in view. "Guys, I see the exit !" pointed Lincoln. The end of the long purple hall was indeed near, with a large grey column on its left.
In their last effort, the Louds pratically sprinted to it, seeing the column as a safe point. Once they had attained it, they stopped to get their breath back, some panting more than the others.
"I feel the world weighing even more on my shoulders." panted Lucy, still in her Lucy tone, as she flopped to the ground like a mop.
"Good, *wheeze*, good one sis." said Luan, clenching her squirt flower with all she had.
Lynn was of course the less affected of all, and puffed her chest with bravery, in order to avoid her sisters and brother to see the slight nervosity drawn on her face. "Ha, we gave that sucker the slip. I'd like to see him try to get the jump on me." she gloated.
Something clapsed her shoulder. "Are you alright my child ?"
"EEEK !" Lynn yelped in a high-pitched tone. Her instincts then kicked in, as she hollered a "HIYA !", and tried to give the person behind her a spinning ninja kick. She was however stopped in her action by Luna and Lincoln. "Hey, what gives ?!"
"Chill, dudette. It's just Toriel." explained Luna.
Lynn took a better look, and indeed recognized the tall and furry monster, who looked a bit startled. "Oh." Lynn uttered, blushing scarlet as she felt very stupid. "S-Sorry Toriel."
Toriel chuckled, and patted the bashful teen on the head. "It's alright, no harm was done. Besides," she winked, "it'll take a bit more to get this old lady on a stretcher."
Lynn sniggered at Toriel's remark. The lady had a bit of spunk in her, something the jock could respect.
"Wait, how did you get here ?" asked Leni. "Did you teleport like Lucy ?"
"For the last time, I don't teleport." said Lucy, still muffled by the ground.
"Riiiiight." smirked Leni, patting her gloomy little sis' skull, much to the girl's annoyance.
"Oh none of that. See, I was simply hiding behind this pillar the whole time." explained Toriel. She then smiled warmly at all of the children's questioning gazes. "I never left the room, I was merely observing how would you handle this test. And it seems you've been doing just fine." The girls and boy cheered, apparently happy to have contented Toriel.
"Why did we do it though ?" asked Lori, balancing Lily who was squirming a bit.
"Ah, a very good question. See, I have taught you how to handle other monsters, and I have seen your teamwork. This, however, was a test for your independence."
"Like with Washington ?" chirped Leni naively.
Toriel blinked, but simply shook her head with a chuckle. "Yes, I suppose so. But your independence was important to verify, as for what I must ask you to do now. And that task is: to stay here without me."
"WHAT ?!" cried out the eleven siblings in unison. "But why ?!" further asked Lori, not quite feeling confortable with Toriel leaving them by themselves. Avoiding this situation was exactly why they had followed her in the first place !
Toriel sighed. "I'm afraid there are things I must take care of at once. Boring things, that certainly would bore you more than anything."
"B-but can't we still come ?" asked Lana with a little fearful whine in her voice. "N-not that I'm scared, but..."
"What if that mean Flowey comes back ?!" cried Lola, hugging her twin for support.
Toriel's face fell into sadness when she saw the trembling six year-olds, and immediately kneeled down to their level to hug them close. "Shh... you have nothing to fear. I'll come back soon, and in the meantime, your siblings will be with you. You know of his little game now, and as long as you help eachother, I'm positive that this flower will not get the best of you a second time." The goat woman smiled at their little hopeful eyes, and used her sleeve to dry their tears. "Be brave and believe, will you children ?"
Toriel's gentle demand renewed a fire inside the mud-glitter duo's hearts. They firmly nodded to the woman, then nuzzled the soft fur of her arms, much to the woman's amusement, as well as their siblings'.
As she brought herself back up, Toriel got an idea. "But if you still are scared, then I've got something to ease all your hearts. Here, take this." she gently said, as she produced a burly yellow device from her robes, and handed it to a very confused Lori.
"What's that ? Some kind of magic device ?" inquired Lori, looking at the device from every angle possible.
"Hmm, I remember having seen a resembling device in one of my documentaries." Lisa pursed her lips. She turned to Toriel. "This wouldn't happen to be a phone, would it ?"
"Absolutely !" Toriel perked up. "With this phone, you can contact me at any time. If you are in any kind of trouble, simply call me, and I'll immediately come to help you."
While still registering Toriel's instructions, Lori still looked befuddled at the item in her hand. "This is a phone ? But, where is the screen ? The apps ? How do you even text on this ?"
Toriel held a neutral smile, trying to find the words to break it to her. "Um, it... doesn't. This phone just... make calls."
"It was after all its primary function back when Antonio Mucci made the first prototype, and later when the first cellphones were made." added Lisa, then allowing herself a knowing grin. "I suppose they incidentally served as muscular improving tools as well."
"I thought it was Graham Bell who made the first phone ?" induced Lincoln, remembering the basics of his history lessons.
Lisa stiffened, her teeth clenched. "Mucci was robbed. Robbed, I tell you !" the mini-genius hollered, shaking her little fists to the ceiling.
"Such is a primal instinct of us, miserable creatures." recited Lucy.
"Cellphones were made to only call ?" exclaimed Lola in genuine confusion. "What a weird word we used to live in."
"But, I've already got a phone. Why don't you just give me your phone number ?" proposed Lori, reaching for her own device, but stopped when Toriel shook her head.
"It would not work. Human phones are not made with the same components that Monster phones have. Because of that, their signals cannot reach eachother." explained Toriel.
"Oh." simply said Lori. She shrugged, "Well, who am I to say no to another phone ?"
"Yeah, but you have to use it wisely, or else you'll be a big phony ! Hahaha !" cracked Luan, as her siblings groaned.
"Great, now you're attacking Toriel with your lame puns !" accused Lynn rather harshly.
Luan gave a fake wince. "Oh come on you guys, I'm sure I've got her goat. Get it ?" she attempted.
But before they could refute the comedian-in-training, they heard a snorting sound, followed by quiet giggling. Looking at eachother and seeing that they were not the ones laughing, they turned back to Toriel. And to the horror of Luan's siblings, they saw Toriel shaking with the laughter she was trying to muffle.
"Pfft... Got your goat, hehe. A phony, *snort*. Oh my, I'm sorry." Toriel giggled with repressed mirth.
Lincoln put on a comical betrayed expression. "Et tu, lady goat ?" he whispered solemnly.
While the others were agape with horror, Luan's irised had tripled in size, pratically shining with hope, while her mouth was stuck into a little 'o' shape. "You... you like puns ?" she breathed with the tiniest of voices.
Toriel managed to get her laughter under control. "Oh, it's just a guilty pleasure of mine." She then gained a cheeky smile. "Say Luan, why did the skeleton want a friend ?"
Luan's pupils grew a little more. "I don't know. Why ?"
"Because... (Pause for comedic effect) … he was feeling BONE-ly !" she answered with a giggle.
If Luan's smile could stretch to the ceiling, it would have even gone right through it. The happy comedian was pratically tearing up, squishing her cheeks with unbridled joy. She couldn't believe that she had just found a Pun Buddy in Toriel. There were monsters that liked bad puns, oh glorious day ! Drying up a tear, she chuckled at the pun. "G-Good one."
"Glad to hear it." nodded Toriel. She then turned to Lori, her face getting a bit more serious. "Lori, I trust in you the responsibility of your siblings. Do you accept it ?" Lori hesitated, then nodded firmly. "Good. I won't be too long, so all of you stay here please."
But before she could depart, Toriel heard a demanding coo, and turned to Lily in Lori's arms. The toddler was fidgeting in her elder sister's arms, babbling and making grabbing motions in Toriel's direction, as if she was trying to beckon Toriel to come closer.
With a chuckle, Toriel complied to the infant's demand. "Yes sweetie. Is there something you want to tell me ?"
But Lily didn't want to converse. Her target was now in reach, so like a little cheetah, Lily's pudgy claws grasped their prey. Toriel's fluffy ear.
Toriel, startled by the sudden motion, forcibly took a step forward. Lily, oblivious to the gasps thrown by her siblings, clutched the fuzzy apendage, giggling as she nuzzled its fur. She even began to suck on it.
"Lily ! You can't do that !" chatised Lincoln, though unable to take a truly angry tone against his baby sister.
"Yeah, you might get an earful !" joked Luan.
"How does it taste ?" asked Leni. The others stared at her. "What ? Aren't you curious ?"
"I know I am." quipped Lana with interest.
"Omigosh, I am so sorry !" profusely apologized Lori. It wasn't the first time that Lily had sucked on things she shouldn't. She had herself found the toddler sucking on her phone multiple times.
But Toriel didn't seem mad at all. If anything, she was chuckling along Lily's giggling. "Oh, it's quite alright. I suppose my ears do look like cuddly toys." she admitted with a grin.
Toriel tenderly looked at the toddler playfully tugging her ear, as nostalgia invaded her. The last time she had done it was with her own little As-
"Mommy... it hurts..."
She felt her blood freeze at the mere mention of the name, which was bringing some unfortunate memories. She tried very hard to push them back, but she still could feel them stinging the back of their mind with renewed vehemence.
"Toriel... Toriel... TORIEL !"
The woman snapped back to reality, finding herself looking at eleven very concerned young faces. Even Lily had stopped playing with her ear.
"Toriel, are you alright ?" asked Lincoln.
"Yeah, you totally phased out on us, girl." voiced Luna. "You even looked like you were about to cry."
Toriel blinked, and rubbed her eyes. She indeed felt a bit of moisture, but she knew she couldn't talk of what she had lived through to such innocent minds. They needn't to worry about her own scars.
Resolved to do so, Toriel merely smiled. "I am fine children. I simply... lost track of things for an instant." she explained. The siblings weren't sure of her answer, but still decided to return her smile. Toriel gently reached for her ear back, tickled Lily's face with it, making the baby giggle, and brought herself back up straight. "Well, I am now going. Be good, alright ?"
"Yes Toriel !" said the siblings in unison. Toriel smiled at them once more, then departed, this time not to be followed.
"Welp, I guess we wait now." shrugged Lincoln. The others nodded, and took their seats, beginning to plan, chat, and find ways to pass the time in this empty hall.
Toriel passed through room to room, trying to forget what had just happened. She instead tried to focus of all the things she would get for them. That certainly was a lot of groceries to get, but nothing she couldn't afford.
Still, other than the ear incident, Toriel thought of all the SOUL colours she had witnessed. Each of them, reminding her of the others, and their attitudes too. Then, she thought about the SOUL of the sole boy. It certainly resembled...
And during the battle, she could've sworn she had seen something floating at his side.
Maybe someone...
She shook her head. The only ghost she knew of certainly wasn't into pranks, it must've been her silly imagination. Now, to focus on the real question.
Would they better fancy Cinammon, or Butterscotch ?
Author's Note : GOAT MOM ! So motherly adorable ! And huggable !
Hope that was worth the wait everyone ! Even if this one is kinda shorter. Man, I got some great reviews. You guys are awesome ! Though I also got a lot of questions asking me which Route I was going to take, due to the introduction of a rather... ambiguous character of the UT universe. Will the Louds' quest be showered with friendship and kisses ? Or will we enter a world of dust and blood, where no Lenis are to be spared ?!
Well, I can already reassure you, no MEGALOVANIA or Battle Against a True Hero. This will indeed be a Pacifist Route, but with one difference from many fanfics I've seen. It will follow the WHOLE Pacifist Route. What does that mean ? That's for you to guess...
Anyway, next time, more exploring ! Tell me what you think with a good Review ! In the meantime, this is Superdimentio77, up and ready for more laughs and feels in the near future !