LOUDERTALE

by Superdimentio77

When Lincoln wins a free reservation at a resort, he of course invites all of his family to join him. But when said resort is standing next to a certain mountain, their visit up the mount might extend the Loud Siblings' trek by a little bit. What friendship and trials await them? Look out Underground, here come the Louds.

11. Snowdin, Part 2

LOUDERTALE

Arc 2 : Snowdin

Part 2 : To bark or not to bark ? A puzzling question...

Author's Note : (Take the next part with a grain of salt)

*At the center of a blue and white village, an angry mob of villagers with weird names has assembled around a stake, with pitchforks, torches, burning pitchforks, pointy torches, and the usual 'Marry me, Sans-Senpaï' sign poking out. Near the stake, a hooded figure raises a really big torch*

[Rightfully ticked-off fan]: Comrades, my friends ! We are gathered here today to bring shame to an author who brought thirst to our mouths for too long !

*Tied up on the stake, a blue-white-red jester hastily types. With his teeth.*

[Superdimentio77, in-mind] : (C'mon teeth, faster dang it ! Did those 3AM writing sessions teach you nothing ?!)

[Rightfully ticked-off fan] : Through the months, he would always give us a part of the story we know and love, to quench our thirst for cute siblings and quirky monsters. When the time came this September, we found no such thing at our doorstep. But we accepted it. We all know the effects of the dangerous Writer's Block plague that swooped over the best of stories.

*He clasped his hands prayer-like for an instant* May we one day know the end of the Requiem... *Back to business* So we waited, hoping that the next month would provide us what our hearts so rightfully desired. But alas... it's been two months... and the reason for that ? Not Writer's Block, but the dastardliest crime of all... LATENESS !

*The Mob explodes in hisses and booing* "Unacceptable !" "Y U NO UPD8 FASTAH ?!" "Give the story to Weavillain !" "WHERE ARE MY HUSBONEDOS ?!" "Is this the Raffle line ?"

[Rightfully ticked-off fan] : Yes, yes, I understand your anger. That is why today, our minds shall be satisfied with rightful revenge ! *The crowd cheers, and the torch approaches the stack of highly-inflamable MTT Plushies underneath the stake* May the spirits of the Followers be satisfied at last. MAY THEY BE-

[SD77] : DJOME !

*Complete silence*

[Rightfully ticked-off fan] : What ?

[SD77, spitting out his computer] : I said, I'm done ! The chapter's finally ready !

*The crowd erupts in wild cheers, and the hooded figure falls on his knees*

[Rightfully ticked-off fan]: The prayers were answered ! May the Mighty Xing Li be praised ! *Turns to the dapper jester* Wherever can we find the story, O jester ?

[SD77] : It's printing, just a sec... There you go !

[Rightfully ticked-off fan, picks up a couple of pages] : Is... Is that it ?

[SD77] : Oh no, that's just the Author's Note. The rest should be coming in about... right now.

*A rumbling noise is heard, and behind the stake, a white tsunami arises. Pages upon pages about to flow the place, and all the fanfictioners can do is scream in very high-pitched screams for the papercuts to come.*

[SD77, with a tiny umbrella above his head] : Hope you're all really thirsty.

HELLO EVERYBODY ! And welcome back for this new chapter of LOUDERTALE. Yes, you are not dreaming ! Or if you are, don't wake up just yet !

So, it's been a while. Like, longer than the other times. And you've been kind enough to remind me that. About every day. Heck, some of you even believed I was dead !

Nope, just in school and with a job. So, just a little dead on the inside.

But seriously, I could go with excuses like studies consuming my time, which has a shade of truth to it, but I've also been doing a little less than usual. Still, I tried to keep a routine when it came to writing : One page every day. Sometimes I'd do more, and other times, when time consumed me, I'd do less. But more than that, I also kept my usual tendency to really stretch out encounters and dialogues to give everybody their moment in the limelight.

How bad, you say ? Well, let's just say I roughly transformed about 10 minutes of Rapid Gameplay, 20 minutes if you want to get lengthy, into a 111-page thesis. And we're far to be done with Snowdin, you'll see.

So yeah, this is my biggest chapter ever, almost twice the size of my other Loud House fic. But you know what, I'm still proud of it. I will try to be a teensy bit less complex with my writing, so it can come out a little bit faster... yeah, like that'll ever happen ! But still, I hope you'll bear with me.

Also, we've gone over 80 Faves and Followers, and over two hundred Reviews ! I read them all, and I love you guys for your support ! Though, for the last time, I'm not doing any AU's. Again, if you want them to happen, simply do what I wanted when I saw the cruel emptiness of LH/UT crossovers : try it yourself !

See ? Even my Author's Notes are too long ! Let's just get to the meat of it already !

Undertale is owned by Toby Fox, and the Loud House is owned by Nickelodeon.

---

The snowy straight path led the Louds to another station, this one made out of wood like the first they'd seen. Only this one was a tad different, having a back wall instead of being opened, its roof being a little more curved, and right in front of that roof... a small smiley dog face was carved into the wood. Said face oddly ressembled the one of a little impish dog the Louds had seen multiple times in the Ruins, who'd sometimes dash by to steal a piece of Toriel's prized pie. The kids would give chase to him, but he'd somehow disappear at the turn of the corner, without any paw prints to indicate how he had even pulled such a feat.

The station was a mere couple of steps away from the kids, but they were first intrigued by the small wooden on their left. "NO MOVEMENT ALLOWED !" read Lincoln, surprised by how bold the cyan-coloured letters were.

"Geez, someone's got it really bad against moving." huffed Lynn, almost taking it as an insult.

"Even for this place, that order does not make a lick of a sense." lisped Lisa with a deadpan tone. "You are clearly forced to go through some form of motion to get here, and are forced to do some more to move out of here. Unless this inscribed rectangular piece of wood suggests that whomever reads it must stand here, unmoving until hypothermia takes its lethal toll."

"Neat." said Lucy, tugging on her dark grey hooded cape. "But it does sounds odd for the monsters we've seen thus far. Way too grim to be their style."

Lincoln kept his gaze on the sign, scratching his chin thoughtfully. A motion that didn't go unnoticed. "Found something, Lincs ?" asked Lana, snapping her brother out of his little trance.

"Um, kinda. I'm just thinking about the colour of those words. Every time we saw a sign, whoever wrote on them did it in black, even the one near the Box from earlier. Why would they suddenly change it ?"

"Maybe it's a rare sign. One that only appears once a blue moon !" cracked Luan.

"The moon doesn't reach out down here. Your joke is invalid." retorted Lola with a smirk.

"Humour knows no bounds." harumphed Luan with a pout.

"Hmm, seems more of a clue to me." suggested Lori with a keen eye. The eldest Loud couldn't help but notice the similiarity with this sign, and the SOUL colour both she and Lily shared...

"Puzzles in games have that kind of shift sometimes, throwing in new types of clues. Helps the gameplay feel more smooth." analysed Lincoln, making Lynn bite her cheeks to contain the "NEEEEEERD !" coming up her throat. Lincoln felt the need to add, "But the thing is, the Ruins puzzles had the clues being right next to the puzzles. So the question is : where is the puzzle ?"

The siblings took a moment to figure this mystery out... before waving it off, as they either considered it another strange mechanic this world was throwing at them, a waste of time keeping them from discovering the rest of the Underground, plus the exit, or a roadblock slowing their next encounter with the handsomest skeleton of the entire Galaxy ! Well, one did at least...

"I say we put a pin on it, put it in the back of our minds, and keep moving, dudes. The day ain't getting any younger, and a roof above our heads for the night would be kinda neat." Luna pointed to the rocky sky, which had been decreasing in natural light peeking through it ever so slightly.

"Agreed ! I for one will not sleep on the ground !" snootily chimed in Lola. She had not left Toriel's comfy child bed so the coldest hard ground could become her mattress, seeing as, compared to their hiking up Mt. Ebott, or their annual visits to Scratchy Bottom Campgrounds, there was no sleeping bag shielding her from the hard filthy soil, or rampant bugs crawling all over her. And those Migosps had certainly taught her how big insects could be down here !

But it was only when Lily produced a small yawn that all the siblings realised the urgency of finding a proper place to sleep. Having a sleep-deprived, cranky Lily would not make their adventure any easier. It never made anything easier. Understanding this new problem, the kids finally strutted past the sign. As they approached the small guard station, they noticed the lack of any guard behind the counter, meaning that the sentry who was supposed to be sitting there was probably enjoying a break off their empty human-spotting day.

"Geez, that must be one sad job, when you know humans come here every twenty years or so." Lana frowned, feeling a bit of pity for those poor sentries. "I mean, can you even imagine ? Standing behind a counter, wasting hours waiting for someone to pass, and knowing you'll have to do it tomorrow and the day after that ? I'd go nuts on day two !"

Unpleasant memories of grease and pieces of gum stuck under tables came back to Lori. More precisely, tediously empty and boring night shifts, where the only one that didn't sleep was the Manager, who would slip in the room to check that his employees weren't dozing on the job. There were few things that Lori could complain about as a boss, but if he caught you not being on the go to welcome customers, you were in for some earful.

In the end, Lori answered Lana's question with a layback sigh. "You learn to swallow it up as you grow up. Nothing you need to worry about for about a decade." Lori patted Lana's head, who shrugged, content of the answer.

"Well, that equals one less confrontation for us to be dragged into." noted Lisa. "I see no need to complain of this streak of luck, so let us proceed."

The Louds approved. There was no need for them to wait for him or her to come back, or to do anything that would-

Ding-ding !

None of the kids even got to finish their resuming step, their minds fully fixed on the little bell sound they'd just heard, and was still ringing inside their minds. Nobody made a single sound, or dared to move a muscle. Only three things counted now. What, from where, and why ?

The two first answers quickly came to them, upon remembering the small solo desk bell they had found resting on the hotel counter. But unless this was an automatic bell the monsters had created for Gosh knew what reason, the small metal gizmo could not have done the sound alone. Ever so slowly, ten heads turned around to find the culprit.

And yes, you read it right. Ten heads. As it was without any real surprise that the siblings were met with the sight of their sixteen-year-old sis, who was looking back at them with wide eyes, pearls of sweat going down her forehead, and, writing her name on the murder weapon, her gloved finger still hanging inches over the desk bell.

Leni's siblings kept looking at her with stiff but expectant eyes, waiting for an explanation. The blonde delivered, with a bashful blush and her two indexes awkwardly connecting. "I like the sound when I press bells." she shyly murmured.

Right hands met faces, and their lightning-fast encounter echoed around the forest. They all loved their ditzy sis, but there was something as being too ditzy, and she was known to meet those standards at least once a day. The sibs took it calmly however. After all, it's not like it compromised anything, right ?

WRONG !

A scratching sound broke the silence that was ensuing the clapping echo. The kicker ? That sound was coming from inside the station. The Louds' hearts stopped for the second time in under a minute, and watched as two small pointy black ears slowly emerged from behind the counter, twitching as if trying to catch a noise. Then, the ears went higher, bringing the rest of the body with them, fully revealing the new monster to the humans.

Lana's eyes gained a gleam when she saw his fur and snout, and she had to fight a small squeal of joy.

Standing up from behind his station and swiftly looking from left to right and right to left, was an antropomorphic dog. If Lisa had to guess, she'd say he looked close to a Pinscher, either German or Doberman, but he did not share the breed's usual colours. From ears to nose, his fur was black, but the rest of it, to the waist at least, was as white as the snow around them. The monster sported a bright pink muscle shirt with a smiling dog face on it, a black belt, and leopart-patterned stretch pants. The combo almost made the fashion-loving trio, in the person of Lori, Leni, and Lola, shiver under the wave of nausea assaulting them. The canine monster kept sniffing the air for a moment, his eyes curiously not focusing on the band of unmoving humans litteraly standing before him. Strange, but the Louds didn't dare to voice their opinions, for they knew his ears worked.

"Who's there ?" he spoke in a gruff voice, almost like a low bark. "Big guy, is that you ? Come on, you know I can't see you if you don't move."

"That's a weird thing to have." whispered Lynn, hitching her breath as the monster's ear twitched.

"It actually isn't. This pathology is something that has already been reported. Quite fascinating lesions in the occipital lobe." wisely pointed out Lisa from the corner of her mouth.

"What was that ?" yipped the bipedal canine, zipping the Louds' lips shut. He squinted his shifty eyes. "It better not be that skeleton again. He thinks he's so smart just because he can come and go without moving."

Lincoln arched an eyebrow, and mulled about it while keeping his voice in check. "Skeleton ? Can't be Papyrus, he moves more than Lynn when she first tried Dad's coffee."

"You guys still haven't told me how I got all the way to Winsconsin, and why I was dressed in a duck costume."

"Sans then ?" resumed the brother. "But what does he mean by that ?"

"I think this question can litteraly wait." stressed Lori, not liking how the monster's ears were intensifying their twitching one bit. All she could do was to keep Lily's small hand secured in her own, somehow making her understand that now was the time to play the Statue Game. Only this time, losing was something you wanted to avoid even more.

The monster's confusion only grew by the lack of response. "Was it my imagination ? Did I just imagine that sound ? Or is there someone..." He approached his face closer to Leni's, so close that it was a miracle none of the droplets of nervous sweat cascading down Leni's head managed to touch his black nose. He exhaled a whiff of air, which collided with the human's face, giving her itchy eyes and nose. But Leni fought the urges to blink and sneeze with all she had. The poor girl wasn't even allowed to twitch, so she focused it all in her wildly flailing fists, knowing that the monster wouldn't see or hear them.

Thankfully, a few seconds later, the dog monster finally moved back. "I've been staring at this road for way too long, I need a break. Maybe a dog treat or two will do the trick." he sighed, disappearing behind the counter again.

The Louds exhaled in relieved, inaudible unison. With the coast now clear, Lori signed to her siblings to quietly move out. They moved on the tip of their toes, but had to stop when they heard a whimper, one that carried pain. Following their instincts, the kids turned to see who could be suffering, and noiselessly gasped when they saw Leni on the verge of breaking down. Her hands were twitching like mad, she was taking small but quick intakes of air, and her eyes were tearing up and starting to go red.

In other words, they were seconds away from a disaster. But may their grouchy old neighbour be their witness, they had dealt with worse cases.

Gaining a strong gaze, the blonde leader gave her orders through finger signals. The concerned immediately understood, and were by Leni's side in the blink of an eye. Luna reached out to rub Leni's eyes, Luan put her finger under her sister's nose, leaving Lincoln and Lucy to slowly rub the tension off her arms and hands. As her younger sis worked their magic, Leni's breathing gradually slowed down, until the desire to sneeze finally subsided.

All sighed in sweet relief, and the grip on the platinium blonde was released...

"AAAA-CHOO !"

… about a couple of seconds too early.

Leni kept frenzically sneezing, each one feeling like a liberation to the teen. She wasn't holding anything back, giveng every sneeze the power and clamour of a thundering orchestra. When she at last put down her baton, Leni let out a loud sigh of relief, stretching her limbs as though she had just woken up from a great dream. But when she opened her eyes to look at her sisters and brother, great wasn't the word their faces were communicating, as half of them looked at her with heavily displeased expressions, while the other half had their bulging eyes set over her shoulder.

"What ?" Leni asked innocently. She looked back to see what this was all about.

And met with the furred monster's now dead focused eyes.

"Ooooh..." drawled Leni, nervously blushing. Turning back to her big sister's stern expression, she knew she was in for some lecturing later.

"Looks like ol' Doggo ain't losing it yet." said the freshly introduced Doggo, not losing the retreating group's sight for a single second. "You guys are humans, right ? Well, if you are..."

The bipedal dog jumped out of his station with a remarkable salto, landing on his two black paws. He readied himself, and from behind his back, unseathed two short but sharp gladius swords. He expertly waved them around for a moment, successfully intimidating the kids, and ended the performance in an aggressive stance, swords behind his back, and the familiar SOUL call from his eye reflecting against their steel.

"I'll make sure you never move again."

*"Doggo jumps into action !"

Fight engaged !

"Looks like we're in for a Dogfight. Let's hope it won't be plane barking." Luan opened the fight with some puns of her cru. "But joke aside, I'm having a really bad feeling about those swords..."

Her siblings understood what she meant. This was the first time they were confronting a monster with a physical weapon. While it was obvious that it was their SOULs the monster was after, there was no telling how he was going to use his sharp blades. Would it be a magic attack, using a pattern that they would have to dodge like with the other monsters ? Or would the canine go for the kill, and gut them right open ? Even Lucy didn't dare to smile at the morbid thought. Lola though, had a moment of clarity.

"Guys, I don't think we've got much to worry about. If that big guy wanted to slice us, he wouldn't have begun one of those fight sequences, with turns and options." eagerly pointed out the little princess. Acknowledging this detail brought immediate relief to the Loud group.

"Alright, I think it's time I work up my magic. Maybe litteraly." boasted Lincoln, stretching his palms even though what he was about to do was anything but physical. He reached the ACT Button, chose the Check option, and gained red irises once again.

*"Doggo. ATK 13, DEF 7. Easily excited by movement, since it's the only thing he can see. Favourite hobbies include squirrels and shaky games of poker."

"He's got that right ! Squirrels are awesome to run after !"Lana spoke through her animal-loving mind. Then, she got a little too into it. "Always taunting me and Charles down from their high branches, thinking they're so smart with their little paws and fluffy tail..."

"Easy girl, easy." calmed Lola, soothingly scratching behind her twin's ear, which effectively cooled her instincts down.

The kids took on their marks, the small feeling of levity signaling them that the enemy was about to take his turn. Looking at him, they guessed that the attack would either be some bones flying from the sides, little knives raining on them, or even Doggo cutting the air to throw in some slashing waves, like in Lincoln's mangas.

What really happened though, none of them could have come close to predict it.

"Don't move an inch..." mysteriously advised Doggo, his peepers trying to catch on any sign of the human's disappearing and reappearing forms. The canine guard extended his right arm to the side, firmly grasping his sword. A cyan aura then proceeded to reflect against the weapon's blunt part. Lori's eyebrow raised significantly. Again with that cyan colour so close to the one of her and Lily's SOULs. And why did this energy dancing around a sword feel so... compelling.

The young woman had no time to go all philosophical on this however, as her eyebrow quickly raised further, followed by its twin, when Doggo's small Glavius sword suddenly gained a blue blade of incredible proportions; almost 10 feet of pure blunt-looking magical energy ! With a reach that long, there was no way they could even consider dodging it, unless they pulled a very impressively done but just as impressively rehashed knee-bending evasion from the movies.

"This... is going to hurt." summarised Lisa, not even trying to hide her worry.

A glint shone near Doggo's eye, and the monster unleashed his assault in a flash. In this heartbeat of a moment, the kids' primal instinct ordered them to do something to evade the attack, and their bodies reacted as such, trying to bend or jump out of the blade's path. Unfortunately, to no avail. The kids felt a sharp sensation where the attack had struck, which ranged from stomach to the back of their heads. As always the wounds weren't serious, and certainly allowed no human blood to stain the snow below, but each of their health bars gained that little bit of red, and their HP plumetting of 3.

"And now there is a nick in my cape. I'm never allowed to have nice things." brooded Lucy. Her comment held extra gloom for it being one of Goat Mom's presents, one of the very rare persons whose feel-good vibes she actually allowed herself to enjoy.

"Wow, check it out ! I was hit from behind, but my bag's okay !" noticed Luan. Indeed, the bag had no scratch whatsoever, while Luan's coat had a sizeable one. "My coat wasn't so lucky though. What the heck bag, I thought you had my back ! Hahaha, get it ?"

"Prodigious !" exclaimed the bespectacled genius. "If I'd have to guess, I'd say the fibers that make those backpacks all possess some sort of molecular reduction that, upon the detection of any offensive magic, confers total intangibility on it, in the same way that its inner space expands into a hammerspace. How could monsters even think of accomplishing such-"

"Magic." answered Lincoln. Adding a wiggle of his fingers for effect. Oooo...

There was no doubt that Lisa's glare would have set the tree she was focusing her look onto in a blaze of fire had it possessed the power. She swallowed the word, hard, and as always, grunted a frustrated "Sure, why not ?".

"Lana, please tell me this didn't mess up my hair ! Tell me my hair is just as radiant as it always is !" freaked out Lola, running panicked hands through her long blonde bangs to check if they were all accounted for.

The little tomboy took a long look at the ugly gash in the back of her twin's prized hair, and knew she had to choose her next words very carefully. Because while Lola's hair was still as swayingly long as before, the bald patch stuck out as a very sore thumb. More so than any of the times she had hit her own with a whack of her hammer.

In the end, Lana chose the best option for her survival. "Yep, nothing to report. Every golden curl is A-okay sis, don't even think about checking it for yourself." adressed Lana with a big toothy smile and a shaking thumbs up.

"...I'm better off taking your word for it, aren't I ?" Lola resigned herself, to which her messy twin replied with a mechanical nod. "Well, at least I'm not bald this time, so that's something."

"Is everyone alright ?" asked Lincoln, rubbing some snow on his sore shoulder. "Looks like the monsters have new mechanics too. But how are we supposed to dodge an attack like that ?"

"Um, actually..." Lori raised her hand. When the sibs spun their heads around, annoyance and slight pain let place to shock. There was something wrong in the picture that both the oldest and youngest members of their group offered.

"YOU DODGED IT ?!" hollered Lynn in disbelief. But looking at their HP bars, as well as Lily's adorable smile still being there, she had to face the facts. "I-I whack four balls out of five from the pitcher on Professional settings, and yet I didn't see that one coming ! How come you, with about twenty pounds in your arms, managed to avoid it ?!"

*Splat !*

"I can't tell if it you got figuratively or litteraly insulted by that weight comment, but I apologise." said Lynn, rubbing away the snowball that had nicked her in the eye. "On another note, I was so right about you being a base-ball nautral." she complimented, but only received a big raspberry from her baby sister as a response.

"Hold on, I was next to you, and I didn't even see you move." Luna recalled thoughtfully. "Have you been hidin' some ninja moves on us this whole time or something ? You can't tell me you just stood there, and that huge attack basically missed the both of you ?"

"That explanation's gonna be pretty hard then. Because that's litteraly what just happened." answered Lori, a bit uneasily, as she herself couldn't quite believe it. "When he attacked, a weird sensation came over me. I know it's gonna sound weird, but I think my SOUL was talking to me."

The thought indeed came as weird to her siblings... for about a second, before they simply shrugged it off. "Honestly, at this point, there is little that can be labeled as unbelievable." truthfully stated Lucy.

"Point taken."

"But what did it tell you ?" poked Lana.

"No moo' ! No moo' !" answered Lily with a flapping of her pudgy arms, wanting to be included.

"Yeah, that's the jist of it. Don't move." nodded Lori. "So, out of instinct, we stood still. And, as you can see, zero damage. Hey, now that I think about it, only me and Lily got that. Maybe it's got to do with the fact that this guy's attack was the colour of our SOULs ? Like a flame against flame protection of some kind ?"

"You two got spared because your SOULs are a particular colour ? I call discrimination !" raged the small glitterholic. If someone was to be unfairly advantaged with something, it was her, and no one else. "And besides, my SOUL is blue too !"

"Well, mine too, but you don't see me being blue about it. Whatcha gonna do about it ? It's cyance !" cracked Luan. Both the pun and the teasing elbow jabs proved to be a mistake however, when Lola, with a shrill battle cry, went for the throat, starting one of the Loud Family's infamous battle clouds.

As Lana and Luna volunteered to get their respective roommates out of their little brawl while the other girls watched with ranging expressions, Lincoln felt a pinch in the back of his mind. Thoughts and recent memories began to swirl, almost before his very eyes, and even more incredible, felt as if someone was fitting those pieces together. Only one being came to Lincoln's mind here, but he could hardly believe it. This was the first time they were directly helping him. Or perhaps the second, as it reminded Lincoln of his little burst of genius, in the middle of their fight with Goat Mom.

And at last, the picture in Lincoln's mind gained colour.

This is the Snowdin Arc, those puns ain't stopping any time soon.

"EUREKA !" excitedly yelped Lincoln, turning the attention to him, and giving the momentum for Lana to get Lola's clamped teeth off Luan's ponytail.

"He moved !" freaked out Doggo, barking left and right. "Movement, movement !"

"Who's Ricka ? I thought his name was Doggo. Nobody ever tells me anything." pouted the candid blonde. Lily offered one of her dummies, which she accepted without a second thought, and made her only big sister sigh in slight aggravation.

"It's all adding up you guys ! The sign, that guy's shifting eyes, the unavoidable attack of a different colour. Those were all telling us what Lori and Lily were told !"

Luna's eyes widened a little, starting to catch up. "Hold on brah, are you saying..."

"Blue attacks mean Stand still ! And the fact that it was the same colour as their SOULs must be why they were the only ones who got it clear !" concluded the albino-haired boy.

"Does that mean there's going to be an attack for each colour ? Do the colours even mean something ?" brainstormed Lana with pursed lips, her own little orange heart floating above her open palm.

"We saw it before actually." cut in Lucy, putting a very startling hand on her little sister's shoulder. "Our Goat Mother, as well as that Vegetoid we met, both had a green kind of attack. One that heals the SOUL instead of damaging it. Not like mine ever should if I want to reach my dreams..." Lucy adressed a positively freezing look at the concerned party of one, and she swore it got shinier and purer every time she looked at it, JUST to annoy her even further. "Can you dye SOULs ?"

"Well, replace the 'y' with an 'I', and you're pretty much sold." chaffed Luan with an exagerated wink. However, her face fell when she felt an uneasy chill go down her back. "I went a little too much into the dark side, haven't I ?"

"It ain't so bad. We've got cookies." answered Lucy with a small, but oh so rare levity in her voice, as well as a little grin, that paled in comparison to the cheek-splitting one her clown of a sister was sporting, laughing to her heart's content.

"We've already got our hands full with all those white attacks, but if they start throwing every colour of the rainbow at us, things are going to be crazy...er." Luna voiced her concern, before starting to serenly hum. "We believe, we'd catch a rainbow..."

"Welp, we've got his pattern down. That's good, but not enough to get past him." professed Lynn. "I mean, do we just stop moving, hope he looks away, and then either make a dash for it, or bop him in the head to- Right ! Right, sorry, I forgot, no FIGHT ever again." the athlete caught herself, shrinking under Lori's death stare, something that all of her siblings, minus Lily, had learned to dread.

"Getting his attention elsewhere would be a fine first step." approved Lisa. "Brother, if you would be so kind ?"

Lincoln nodded, and went for the MERCY button, followed by a bland Spare. Their turn now skipped, the sibs stood straight, and only allowed as movement the slight rising and lowering of their chests.

"You stop moving now, but you can't fool me, humans !" loudly taunted Doggo. It had been a couple of seconds, but the canine already wasn't even sure where they stood. But humans were known to always be on the go. Fighting wars, throwing sticks as distractions, giving treats to brainwash loyal dogs. Always sneakily moving around, that's what the Captain told them ! But with his attack, they didn't stand a chance.

It was Doggo's left blade that grew this time. As he reared up his furry arm, some of the kids couldn't hide their nervosity, and their legs itched for a quick getaway. But as the faint red outline around their SOULs glowed a little brighter, their will somehow steeled itself, and they kept still as statues and their gazes bravely locked on their opponent, ignoring the faint cyan hue that the Faded Ribbon and Blankie 2.0. gave.

Doggo slashed, the kids closed their eyes... and nothing.

"It worked ! It really worked !" whisper-celebrated Leni, her voice furtherly muffled by the dummy she was still happily sucking on. She knew that it didn't make her seem very smart, but it was quite relaxing. Not too relaxing though, she hoped.

Doggo wasn't quite as ecstatic as the peppy blonde. His attack hadn't hit anything, solely leaving him with confusion; something he did not like. "Where did they go ? They can't be too far away, I can still feel the Fight going on." he mumbled to himself. The monster gave a couple of whiffs in the air, taking a step in the inert siblings' direction, but, instead of pursuing his advance, whipped his head around in full alert. "Maybe they're trying to sneak up on ol' Doggo from behind ! Clever humans, but not clever enough."

Somehow, Doggo's canine ears didn't pick up the snorts of amusement produced by the humans, who were getting a hoot out of his paranoia that reminded them of Charles every time he'd hear a noise close to a squirrel's. Which in dog sound lexicon meant about half of the sounds hearable on this planet.

"I know it's bad to laugh of the disabled, but I think you get a pass if it's that hilarious, and if they're a dog." snickered Lynn.

"I think nobody will mind, just this once." chuckled Lori, then got back to the business at hand/paw. "Alright, we've got him distracted. What now ?"

"Run very fast ?"

"Tie him up with our scarves so he'll listen ?"

"Poo-poo ?"

"Talk about *dreamy sigh* Papyrus ?"

"Hold on, ladies ! And gent." halted Lola, smirking in her twin's direction. "I think we should let the 'expert' have the floor."

Lana's eyes were transfixed in Doggo's wagging tail. Frogs were of course the tomboy's favourite animal by far, but dogs came to a comfortable second. The little tomboy had been at the pound several times – one of those times being herself getting captured, a long story that had the keywords jelly beans, ferris wheel, and old lady scooter – and loved to surround herself with all those dogs who yearned for a companion. For hours, it would be nothing but running after tennis balls, rolling in the grass, eating dog biscuits, and taking naps as if she was part of the ever-changing herd. The guardians were happy for the help, and felt they needed to pay her with some sweets after every visit, but Lana really saw it as a nice bonus. The sight of all those panting smiles and wagging tails was really all she needed to have a fun time.

And in her eyes, the tail before her was certainly begging for some affection.

A minute earlier, the swords in the monster's paws could have stopped her reasonning. But now, she could feel her whole being warm up with a feeling of assurance and boldness. Indeed, she felt herself filled with bravery. She rised her arms, and snapped her fingers. "I've got this." she boldly stated. She pressed the ACT button, and chose the option she had just summoned.

Putting herself on her tiptoes and advancing with the quietness and dexterity that came with three years of night cookie jar snatching, she made her way to the wooden booth, and scaled to the top of the counter, where she patiently waited for the right moment to strike. Then, when Doggo took a step back...

Doggo was a good guard. He was the most experienced member of the Canine Unit of Snowdin for a reason; his mastering of the blue magic was something to be reckoned with, as was his dedication to work. No stick, big or small, could distract Doggo when he was on the job, no sir ! Those humans had been in his sights, he had even landed a hit ! But now, they were gone. And that report would not fly well with the Captain. Doggo would not be a good guard anymore. But this was no time for brooding ! Now was the time to-

His internal rant fell short when he felt something squishy touching the top of his head, like a big bug. Not only that, but it felt as if the insect was scratching its legs-

Wait.

Those weren't legs. Those were fingers, scratching his hair in the right way, and even behind his ears. Straight on, in circular motion, or just going wild, the fingers kept dragging along his fur. And that euphoric feeling it provided him. So familiar...

Great Scottish Terrier.

"I'M BEING PET !" wildly barked Doggo, all common sense leaving him. But it did nothing to stop the furious scratching, quite the contrary. The canine monster's foot began to slam on the floor, and his tail flailed around giddier than ever.

Meanwhile, Lana was having a furious amout of fun rubbing her digits along the dog's short but soft fur. She could feel the excitement electrising every hair of his body, and his euphoria was punctuated in the "PET ?" he would constantly yell, which would sometimes change into "PAT ?" or "POT ?".

There was a brief instant of panic when Doggo's right sword sparked to life. But all she had to do was to stop petting for a couple of seconds to let the attack pass through her immobile form, and then carrying on her ACTion with the same fervour. Doggo could only collapse against the assault of affection.

"THE MADNESS ! IT NEVER STOPS ! UNSEEN AND UNMOVING, IT KEEPS STRIKING !" bellowed Doggo like a mad-petted dog. His mind fought to stay focused, but the pets were too strong, and he ultimately tumbled down on his back, rendering him helpless as a puppy. Seeing him like that only increased the girl's need to stroke his fur, as she bounced down from her platform to ongo her showering of affection.

"Aww, aren't you the cutest Doggo there is ? Who's a good monster guard ? Who's a good monster guard ? It's you, yes it's you !" cooed Lana, fervishly scratching his belly. Doggo's answer came in garbled whimpers of joy, his tongue sticking out of his mouth, and his right lower paw quivering then and again.

"If cuteness could be a radiation, we would be all mortally irradiated right now." summarised Lisa, cracking a grin.

"It's too precious..." tearfully murmured Leni, taking her phone out. "Totes a picture opportunity. But I can't really see, my eyes are all b-blurry..."

"There there, love. There's only so many times you can ruin a mascara in one day." Luna patted her back, offering her a tissue.

"I guess we could say that guy was all bark and no bite !" Luan obliged with the obligatory pun, but winced when the hands she threw around her sides reached her fresh wound in the back. "Oh, right."

"Doggy !" cooed Lily, flabbing her limbs in an effort to get to where the petting fun was at, but Lori held a strong grip.

"Sorry Lily, but you had the dancing Moldsmals. It's your sister's turn to have fun." tutted the eldest sister. The infant pouted, but protested no further.

*"Doggo has been pet. Very pet."

After a couple more minutes for extra insurance, Lana finally had her fill with this guy. As she retreated to her siblings' side, she gave one last glance at the thoroughly content canine. The vision reminded her even more of all those happy animals that awaited her return back home. Charles, Hops, Geo, Walt, Cliff, El Diablo, and many more friends, may they be scaly, furry, with many legs, or no legs at all.

From that, Lana's determination to go home only grew.

The tomboy slapped a couple of high-fives as she arrived, and gave Lincoln the go. "Bro, you know what to do." With a chuckle and a little hat ruffle for her, Lincoln went for a now golden Spare option.

*YOU WON ! You've gained 0 EXP and 20 Gold.

Fight over

The moment he felt the end of the Fight deep in his SOUL, Doggo's eyes snapped open, and his tongue scurried back in his mouth. In an impressive flip, the monster landed back behind his booth, and only allowed his eyes and ears to be seen from behind it, looking nervous-ier than ever before.

"H-Humans can pet without m-moving. The Captain didn't tell us anything about that !" sweated Doggo. "I need a break, a couple of dog treats before resuming my shift. Might as well send a message to the guys..." And he was gone.

"So much drama for a couple of pets. Some guard this is." snickered Lynn. "Should have guessed it though. They accepted that lazy bag of bones in for Pete's sake."

"Never judge a book by its cover." wisely reminded Lucy.

"No offense Luce, but I think you're the last person to which this advice applies."

"Sigh."

After collecting the loot, the Louds could proceed once more, but before leaving the area, stopped to look at a couple of weird-looking dog treats.

"...Why do those dog biscuits have a burned end ?" innocently asked Lola, her confusion shared by all siblings of age that ranged from Lincoln to Lily, surprisingly including Lisa.

The oldest ones however, did an immediate reality grasp. And once they spared a look at the wooden booth and the wisp of smoke coming from behind the counter, they were quick to push their siblings forward, despite their cries of surprise and protest.

"Who cares about old biscuits ? Adventure litteraly calling to us, let's go !" hastily blabbered Lori, slightly wrinkling her nose. The dangers of tobacco truly were unavoidable, even in a world that breathed of magic.

---

Moving to the next area, our heroes noticed a big clearing ahead. Two paths were traced, again to the left and straight ahead. And in the center of the clearing, was a big patch of glass, that seemed to hold no water under it. And in the center of that, stood a lonely wooden sign.

But before they could decipher all those trivial enigmas, the sibs met with a familiar skinless face.

"Sansy !" called Luan, having already found a nickname for him as well.

"eyy, kiddos. nice to see you again." greeted Sans with a small wave of his hand.

"But, it's been like, five minutes since we've seen eachother." quipped a confused Leni, then gasped in sheer horror. "OMGosh, has it been more than five minutes ? What year are we in ?! DO I HAVE WRINKLES YOU GUYS ?!"

"Leni, you've not aged super fast. Your skin is still as smooth as a peach, everything's alright." eased Lincoln, passing his hand against her cheek to prove his point to the big puppy-eyed teen.

"But she's got a point. In fact, I don't think it's even been five minutes !" Lola said, checking the time on her own phone, that had miraculously not ran out of battery after eight days down in the Underground. Thank goodness for Lisa and her durable, non-exploding batteries; a product that had taken many tries, and had costed the pageant princess her fair share of blonde hair.

"really ? feels like it's been a month or two already." Sans winked in a direction that he probably shouldn't if he doesn't want his script to be rewritten with extreme prejudice. "sheesh, not much of a jester that guy..."

Lana arched an eyebrow. "Uh, because it's a tree you're talking to ?"

Sans cracked a side grin. "doesn't mean it can't be a pine in the butt."

(*Rimshot*)

Boy and girls groaned and facepalmed, save of course for one guffawing comedienne. "Hahaha, I'm certainly rooting for this act ! In fact-"

"Get her !" Luna yelled in ralliment, making her siblings, minus Lori, Lily and Lisa, tackle the budding clownette, and apply Plan NP-WV #6 (No Pun-Winter Variant), which consisted of binding her with their scarves. Luan defended her humour with all she had, but the Red Nose Moon of April Fools wasn't in the sky yet, and seven proved mightier than one.

"Nicely done. The heat has been binded, and the Pun Storm has been thoroughly avoided. We are in the green once again." congratulated Lisa, prompting her siblings to exchange high-fives, and Luan to grumble muffled profanities. "Y'know, if you'd just let me try-"

"You are not touching anyone's vocal chords. That's final, forever and even after that." Lori firmly closed the case. Lisa tried to reply, but, "I don't care if this sentence was gramatically incorrect, the point still stands."

"Are you still bitter about the utter violation of your bathroom privacy I've made 145 days ago for the success of my human transit studies ?"

"Actually no, but thanks for reminding me." eerily smirked Lori, sliding another snowball down the back of the young genius, who began hopping mad once again, to the great amusement of her sole little sister.

A small chuckle brought the humans' attention back to their monster friend. "heh, you kids are a riot, y'know that ?" said Sans, making them blush a little. "anyway, looks like you've made a couple of encounters along the way. I'm gonna say... snowy and doggo ?"

Lana giggled, rubbing the sore spot that Doggo had left on her. "Yeah, they did a bit of a number on us. But it ended alright ! The bird is flying his way to stardom, and I've made that tough dog melt into the puppy at heart he is."

"heh, i knew that kid had it in him. Gonna guess you gave him a little help ?" asked Sans to Luan, who could only answer with a hidden grin and a furious nod. "as for doggo, yeah, that old pup's fun to mess with sometimes. all in good fun, just canine around."

(*Rimshot*)

"We've still got some scarves left, you know." said Lola, as she threateningly whipped her scarf.

"hey, no need to get violent. I'll keep my lips sealed, I swear."

"But you don't have any..." slowly said the princess, before letting out a long and pained sigh.

Sans grinned a little more. "you said it, not me."

"Alright, alright, let's chill you guys." pacified Luna, patting her little sister's back. "We're wastin' some sunlight here."

"yea, pixey cut's right. you don't want to make my bro wait too much." suggested the lazybones.

"Is he that impatient to see us again ?" asked Lynn, with Leni behind her, watching with very hopeful eyes.

"heh, are you kiddin' ? you're all he's been ravin' about since you've accepted his challenge. oh, and leni, right ? paps says that he finds your hair pretty."

A shrill squeal of pure elation echoed through the forest, then stopped with a small plopping sound, coming from Leni's decision to rest in the snow with a huge goofy smile hammered on her face.

"Is Leni's scream classifiable as a weapon ?" groaned Lincoln, the small headache feeling twice as worse for him. It seemed that his mindmate hadn't enjoyed the deafening sound wave any more than he had.

"I'll study the subject the moment we return to our parental domicile." said Lisa with a finger fervishly trying to scratch the ringing out of her ear.

"Alright, one, two, three !" counted Lana, as she and Lynn tasked themselves with bringing their sister back to her feet. There was success, but a short-lived one, as the still grinning fashionista fell forward instead. Both tomboys rubbed their eyelids tiredly.

Lori sighed just as tiredly, and turned to their new monster guide. "Anyway, if it's not too much asking, is there anything you can litteraly tell us about this place, or what danger could be waiting for us ahead ?"

Sans scratched his bare jaw with one hand, as he had given the other to the curious toddler for a closer examination. It of course ended with her lightly nibling on it, but the skeleton didn't mind. "hmm, maybe a couple tips. Wouldn't want to make the trip too easy, eh boss ?" he winked.

'That's going to be my name from now on, isn't it ?' mumbled Lori to herself, but chose not to utter it out loud. "Alright, what do you have ?"

"well first, you gotta know that doggo isn't the only guard around here. he's part of the canine unit that defends snowdin, and i've gotta tell ya, they've been on the tip of their paws since they heard you were comin'."

"But how do we beat them ?" asked Lincoln.

"Pssh, we don't need any tip here." dismissively stated Lana, pushing Leni back up for the third time now. "All those dogs need are some good belly rubs, and scratches behind the ears. They'll mellow down just like that."

"A bit simplistic, don't you think ?" stated Lucy, making Lana and Lynn lose their grip out of fright, prompting Leni's head to meet snow for the fourth time.

"actually, she ain't far from the truth." quipped Sans. "but just petting won't work every time. you'll have to master the art of dog beyond what you probably know. not everybody makes it to the royal guard, y'know ?" A moment of silence. "hey, what are those looks supposed to mean ?"

"Never mind that. Anything else ?" said Lori.

"well, i can tell you something about my bro."

"What's his favourite colour ?!" ravenously asked Leni, as she stood back up as if pushed by a spring, sending two girls of action down into the powder.

Sans blinked, ever-amused by the kids' antics. "more like a tip about how my bro fights." This made the Louds adopt confused expressions. "see, paps doesn't like harming others just for the sake of it, but that doesn't mean he's never been in a fight. it's kind of a requirement to get in the guard."

"Makes sense." nodded Luan.

"so, my bro's got a special attack. it's his wild card, and he only uses it when the fight gets real tough. do you kids know about blue attacks ?"

"That we do, brah. It's all that Doggo guy dished on us, and it was one mean dish to digest." chuckled Luna, earning herself a pat on the shoulder and a wise nod from her comic of a roommate.

"Basically, you don't move when a blue attack passes by." resumed Lynn. "Not a fan of it to be honest, it kinda freezes up the action."

"that's good, you do know. but in the heat of the battle, you might forget." theorised Sans, which the siblings considered. There was truth in their grinning chum's words. But they didn't neeed to doubt or fear for too long. "don't worry though, i have an easy way for you to remember that rule. Y'know those stop signs ?"

"White shoe after labour day !" instinctively yelled Leni.

"Yep." confirmed Lincoln.

"Yay !" proudly celebrated the teen.

"...okay ? anyway, you know how those stop signs are always red ? well instead, try to imagine a blue stop sign. get it ? in battle, simply think about blue stop signs."

The light breeze managed to make itself known by the total absence of a peep from the bewildered sibs. Minus one.

"Oh, guess that makes sense." grinned Leni.

"What ?!" shouted Lynn, hands in the air.

"Sans, I must concede that I do not know you personally, and as such, I cannot evaluate with accuracy your Intellectual Quotient or ways of reasoning. But I must say, this was one of the most unhelpful allegories I have ever heard in my short existence." dryly quipped Lisa, though Sans didn't look insulted in the least.

"well, what did i just say ?"

"When in battle, think about blue stop signs ?" Lisa repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"see ? you remember it. mission accomplished."

Realisation hit Lisa like a train jumping off its tracks. Her widened eyes were twitching, and gargling noises were the only thing that were coming out of her falling jaw. This apathetic jester had NOT just intellectually foxed her. Her snickering siblings weren't making her bruised ego feel any better.

"Dang, Lis'. You gotta admit, he got you pretty good." Luna laughed good-naturedly, ruffling the top of her green beret.

"And here I thought that logic was your speciality." giggled Lola with a teasing elbow jab.

"Hardy. Har. Har." punctuated the brooding scientist while harbouring a heavy frown.

"heh, sorry pointdexter. didn't mean to make sparks fly between us." half-apologised Sans, which Lisa gruffily accepted. "alright, you kids should be going. i'll join you in a moment. And remember, what colour are the stop signs ?"

"BLUE !" chanted the kids with varying tones, going from slightly amused to high jolliness, with a pinch of dryness and indifference in the mix. Sans gave one last chuckle, and sent them on their merry way. Once they were far enough, Luan was allowed to remove the scarves from her mouth, and she didn't look pleased at all.

"That was not cool you guys ! Besides, you can't bind comedy, as it knows snowbound." Luan quickly brought back her game, then sighed in relief. "Woo, I needed that."

"We just needed a little break, alright ?" said Lori a tad apologetically. She had to admit, they had been a tad harsh here. "Besides, there's litteraly no doubt we'll see him again, multiple times even."

Luan eagerly smiled, thinking of all the strings of jokes she could work out with her new buddy. She pushed it a bit to the side when the group reached the mini ice rink. "Now, what do we have here ?"

"Ice. As cold and devoid of life as my sweet Edwin's skin." recited Lucy with a tiny grin.

"Oooh, and it looks perfect for some ice skating !" happily noted Lola, noticing the lack of water that had ended her last performance rather prematurely.

"But you don't have any skates." Lincoln felt the need to point out.

Lola hautingly chuckled, and pinched her brother's cheek. "Ah, young naive Lincoln. A true artist doesn't need the greatest paint palette to make the prettiest of paintings. Watch, and be amazed."

The young girl rushed forward, and the moment her boots came in contact of the ice, she swiftly slid along its surface, making easy eights, gracefully twirling, executing triple saltos with ease, and even somehow managed to write up her own name with her sliding marks. Once she reached the other side, she bowed to her siblings' cheerful applause. In the background, she swore she was seeing Sans lifting a sign, but instead of an actual note, read 'Out for Lunch'. The moment she looked again though, he was gone.

"Sweet moves, sis !" praised Luna. "But while you're on the stage, you mind looking at that sign for us ?"

"Consider it done." said Lola, pride sailing high in her tone. And sailed she did, moving across the rink, but didn't find any ground to stop herself by the sign. So, she did the next best practical thing that came to her mind : Reading it one line at a time.

"It says, 'North : Ice'..."

Slide...

"'South : Ice'..."

Slide...

"'West : Ice'..."

Slide...

"And 'East :-'"

"Lemme guess. Ice ?" sarcastically threw in Lynn.

"Actually no, 'East : Snowdin Town !... and more ice.'" chuckled Lola. When she returned near her siblings, she made extra care to slide her shoes to the side when stopping to cover her sportive sister's head with ice dust. "THAT, is for interrupting me."

Lisa sorted a compass of her own invention, and read it. "According to this, the rectangle of information standing over there acts in the way of an exact compass rose to whomever reads it from a perfectly 180° angle." She quickly noticed her siblings giving her weird looks, and sighed. "East is straight ahead."

"Wait, can we go see what's up there first ? I've got a good feeling about this one !" excitedly proposed Lana.

"Everyone agrees ?" polled Lori, meeting an unanimously positive answer. "Alright, let's do it. But I swear, if there's another fishing rod..."

"That would be pretty rodundant, hehehe. Get it ?"

The sibs answered with their usual groans, and proceeded forward, being careful to go around the ice area. None of them had Lola's skills to do it without ice skates, and Lana had demonstrated to be especially bad at it in the past.

To her credit though, chances were she had been the first to ever score a strike, of her own family, on ice.

---

The sign's directions turned out to be true, as all that waited the siblings in taking the northern direction was a bank of snow that ended with a cliff. And beyond it, nothing. Well, they assumed there was nothing, as anything that could be there was shrouded in a veil of obscurity. A collective shudder passed through the siblings' backs looking at it, reminding them of the hole that had started their adventure. It was the same darkness they were gazing into.

And this time, it was Lily who swore she saw it looking back at her...

But hey, no time to worry about that, snowman ahead !

Indeed, standing just by the cliff, was a snowman, an oddly-crafted one at that. It had some of the standard snowman stuff, such as the smiling face with the carrot nose, and the three buttons on his chest. But the form of his body was more hourglass-shaped instead of the usual snowball-on-top-of-another appearance, and no twig arms had been added. But apart from that, nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the snowy figure.

"Huh. Who knew monsters also make snowmen ?" said Lori, wondering how much more monsters had in common with humans. Malls, perhaps ?

"It's looking a bit chunky, though. Think Papyrus made it ?" snickered Lynn, not noticing Leni, not pleased with the skeleton of her dreams being badmouthed, throwing a nasty glare at her.

"Nobody made me, but mother snow herself."

The Louds jumped at the sudden unknown voice, and slowly turned towards the only figure that could've spoken out. And it looked back, blinking.

"Hello there !" cheerfully greeted the snowman.

"Um, hi." Lincoln waved back. To think that a couple of weeks before, this would've spooked the socks out of him, worst than Lucy's sudden appearing. Now though, it felt like finding a dollar on the floor. Surprising, but not life-changing. Heck, not even day-changing !

"Even snow can possess consciousness down here. The more you know, they said..." huffed Lisa, jolting down fresh new notes in her trusty notebook.

"Um, are you okay there Lana ?" asked Lola, a bit weirded out at her twin's wide and glimmering eyes, bigger than the ones she had deployed when seeing Doggo for the first time.

"T-Twig Arms. Is that really you ?" whispered the tomboy, extending a shaky hand in front of her.

"Um, my name is indeed Mister Twig Arms. Mister Twig Arms the Third in fact." answered the snowman. His grin wavered a bit when he felt the little human grip his body into a hug. "Are you alright ? And... are you crying ?"

"N-No ! Okay, maybe a little. But I'm just so happy !" Lana pressed her head against the surprisingly steady body of snow. "You're named just like two snowmen I used to know. I made them with love, and they were awesome winter buddies. But they met their end too soon, all because of an evil winter-hating sister and her big dumb brain !" she hissed, venom lacing her tone.

Lisa could feel reproachful stares boring into her skull, and put on an annoyed look. "Have I not been notified that today had been made 'Lisa's shaming Day' ? Perhaps I would've painted a target on my face, making it easier for you to aim where the most pain could be dealt."

Luna shook her head, disapprovment clear in her features. "You're smart enough to know what consequences are, Lis'. You reap what you sow, and you've sowed some nasty seeds that day."

"And you've never said sorry." added Luan, completely serious this time around.

Instead of guilt though, Lisa only flared up. "You must be jesting. I do not see why I should apologise for the mere destruction of two inanimate figures, unable to muster consciousness, that would've melted as soon as the temperature would have risen for the coming of Spring !"

Leni sharply gasped, and put her hands against the side of the slightly confused monster's head. "Lisa ! Not in front of the snowman !" she berated with a light scowl.

"C'mon Lisa, it's the right thing to do." gently proposed Lincoln.

"The ridiculous thing, you mean. I refuse !" rebuked Lisa, certainly NOT acting childish. However, her prideful mask crumbled when she heard the sound of Lynn's knuckles cracking. "Now hold on, you were prohibited to-"

"YOU, are not a monster." cooed the athlete with a predatory grin, eagerly flexing her gloved hand.

Lisa's gaze turned to Lori, and when she caught the blonde's lack of reaction at the jock's threat, the young prodigy did something she was not accustomed to : She admited defeat. "The things a woman of science like me must put up with... Alright, fine !" She approached her messy sister, who now had her back turned on her, and kept her arms crossed with her nose in the air. "Lana, I... apologise, for accelerating what the nature would have done anyway."

The comment earned her a rough punch in the shoulder. "Hilarious, wise gal. Try again." scowled Lynn.

Lisa grumbled some more, but obeyed. "I apologise for destroying your friend. Twice. And just to prove that I was the smartest." Her siblings made a 'Go on' motion. "While in fact, I only showed off how... dumb... my big brain is." she almost choked on the word. To associate Ignorance and herself was like a division by zero !

Lana didn't seem very convinced, but still said, "I accept your apology... partially."

"Oh come on !" groaned Lisa. "Whatever more do you want me to do ?! To put on a little jig in the snow ?!"

"I'll think about it. It could be now, or when we get back to the Surface. Maybe for once, it'll teach you something." coldly huffed the handygirl. A sharp contrast to her little sister, who was sizzling with annoyance and anger. Before another conflit could spark on, Leni gave her bespectacled sister a comforting pat on the head, leaving her grumpy, but appeased enough not to test how far Lana's pigtails could be stretched before breaking.

"Um, excuse me ?" the Snowman reminded the kids of his presence. "Sorry to interrupt, but did you say you were going to the Surface ?"

"It's in our agenda, yes. What's it to ya ?" answered Lola with high suspicion.

"Lola, don't be rude." scolded Lori, then calmly smiled to the monster. "Yes, we are trying to get back to the Surface."

"Back ? Oh, you're the humans everyone's been talking about !"

"We're getting a little too famous for our own good, and for my taste." dryly quipped Lucy. The last thing she wanted was to be in the center of a darn shiny spotlight !

"Oh that's wonderful !" exclaimed the snowman with a radiant smile. "Would you mind helping a poor snowman out ? See, I can't move from here. This cliff and forest are all I've ever seen of the world, but I know there is so much more to discover ! Rivers, caves, towns, and other wonders ! Oh, how I yearn to see them all ! "

"That's so sad..." teared up Leni, seizing Lisa in an eye-popping hug.

"How can we help though ? Not sure we can take your whole bod' with us." reflected Luna. "Or we would have to separate you into pieces, and I have no clue if that's actually gruesome stuff for snowmen."

"No need for all that. All you have to do is to take a small part of me, and it'll feel like I'm with you all the way."

Lana approached the snowman, but seemed a bit reclutant to execute. "Um, won't that hurt ?"

"As long as you only take a small piece, I won't feel a thing." answered Twig Arms III with a twinge of excitement. "And don't worry about melting it either, it would take a dip in lava to make it happen. Which wouldn't feel very nice, so please don't try."

Passing her glove against the Snowman's side, Lana managed to collect snow and make a small snowball, that seemed a bit sparklier than the ones she had seen before. She admired it for a moment, before handing it to Lisa. "Here, you take it."

"I beg your pardon ?" dryly answered Lisa.

"You are going to transport Twig Arms' piece all the way to the Surface. If you can do that, I'll completely forgive you."

Lisa felt the need to protest at first, but that desire was pushed aside once she took a good look at the lightly gleaming snow. "This piece... it basically equals to a small portion of skin from a monster. This is, pun unintended, the freshest DNA I could hope for !"

From afar, Lincoln's eyes lit up with a familiar red light.

*"Snowman Piece, heals 45 HP; 10 HP each when divided. Too precious and full of dreams to be eaten."

Luan agreed, but with a snicker. "How cold that would be. We'd be on thin ice with ourselves. That would simply be not cool-"

*Splat !*

Lisa let her hand fall to her sides, and shamefully bowed her head. "I'm afraid I failed the task, and on a humiliatingly low time too."

"Nah, you did the right thing. No one in their right minds wouldn't have shot her with a snowball in their hand." Lana shook her head, then sheepishly turned to the monster. "Um, sorry about that."

"It's alright, it was used for a noble cause."

"Hey !" exclaimed the comedienne, snow still splattered all over her face.

"Just take another one." allowed Twig Arms III. Lana quickly scooped another snowball, and put it in Lisa's backpack before Luan could joke again. "Simply take it out of the bag from time to time, so I can admire the surroundings. Thank you so much, humans."

"The pleasure's all us, cool guy." cracked Lynn. But before they could depart, an idea striked her mind. "Hold on, I know how we can improve you a little, and at the same time make you live up your name, if y'all know what I mean."

The siblings immediately caught on the idea, and two small parties went to retrive the materials by the trees. After a team unhooking and some pine plucking, all under the Snowman's curious gaze, both orange-hearted sisters lifted and stuck the two branches by his sides. Those were quite long, and their ends looked like very thin-fingered hands.

"Ta-da !" chanted the duo. "Do you like them ?"

The snowman stood speechless as he observed his brand new appandages. They felt... right for some reason, almost as if he'd missed a part of himself for all those years, and only now realising it was missing. Not only figuratively and spiritually, but also physically. The monster focused, and to his surprise, as well as the humans', the tip of the branches moved ever so slightly.

"By the Angel, I can feel..." breathed the monster, overwhelmed by this miraculous change. "I-I-I don't know what to say. Sure, it'll take a while to fully get them to move, and I'm still stuck here, but I can actually feel something. Somehow, I finally feel whole as a snowman, all thanks to you."

"It's getting so emotional..." Leni teared up again, and reached for someone to hug. Lisa quickly swapped places with Lucy, who accepted her cuddling fate with an audible groan.

"Humans, know that it's not just my dreams to see the world who'll be with you on the way. You also have my gratitude, and my wishes to see you succeed in your quest. Once again, thank you, humans."

"Aw man, where's all that water coming from ? It's raining through the holes of that crummy old ceiling, that's what it is." stated Luna with watering eyes.

"And the drops are somehow falling near our eyes. Y-Yep, totally it." Lola agreed, clenching her fists to hold the waterworks back.

Twig Arms the Third now complete and happy, the siblings waved their new friend good-bye. And to his eternal delight, he waved back.

…

Taking the eastern path, the kids saw the rows of trees ending, and arrived to a small snowy area, again surrounded by cliffs, but with a clear path ahead. The area's center was bare of snow, as if someone had shoveled all the snow aside, but with minute precision to create a perfectly symetrical square zone. Needless to say, the small scientist was impressed.

And who better to live up this empty area than a pair of whacky bros ?

"SANS, YOUR LAZINESS HAS BECOME UNACCEPTABLE !" ranted Papyrus to his laid-back brother, who took it all with his unfaltering grin. "THE NAP YOU'VE TAKEN YERSTEDAY NIGHT BEAT RECORDS, AND THAT'S SAYING SOMETHING !"

"bro, i told ya. it's called sleeping."

"THIS EXCUSE IS RENDERED INVALID WHEN SAID SLEEPING TIME EXCEEDS 18 HOURS !"

"what can i say ? i'm a sucker for extra hours."

Papyrus groaned in Surround at the pun-laziness combo his brother liked to give him. Every. Single. Day. "SANS, NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR YOUR SHENINIGANS ! I MEAN, WHAT EXAMPLE ARE YOU SETTING FOR THE HUMANS ?!"

"well, why not ask them ?" said Sans, turning around.

Papyrus followed him, and gasped when he saw the Loud Clan on the other end of the desnowed area, some of them waving, especially the tall-ish one with the long blonde hair. "OH MY GOSH, THEY'RE HERE ! I-I MEAN... NYEH HEH HEH ! AT LAST YOU ARRIVE, HUMANS ! ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR FIRST OF MANY CHALLENGES ?!"

The Louds scanned the area, and were certainly confused by what they found. Or rather, what they didn't. "Um, I don't see any challenge. Or puzzle. Or anything really." Lincoln stated the obvious.

"NOTHING BEFORE YOU, YOU SAY ! OR IS THERE ?" Papyrus wriggled his eyebrows, making Leni fawn with delight. "THEN, PREPARE TO BE SHOCKED, IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE !" Sans approved of the choice of words. "BECAUSE BEFORE YOU, HIDDEN FROM THE NAKED EYE, STAND THE 'INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE' !"

"And suddenly, things get a little more dangerous." said Lori, not sounding particularly worried.

"It's too bad we can't see it. What a maze-merising sight that would be ! Get it ?" cracked Luan.

Papyrus' smile loosened, and stomped the ground in a fit. "ARGH, SEE SANS ?! ALREADY THEIR IMPRESSIONABLE MINDS MIMICK YOUR BAD EXAMPLE !" Sans nonchalantly shrugged, and Papyrus decided to not bother any further. For now. "ANYHOW, LET ME EXPLAIN THE RULES ! THE MAZE YOU DON'T SEE BEFORE YOU HAS A SINGLE EXIT DELIVERING YOU TO THIS SIDE ! FOLLOW IT, AND YOU WIN ! BUT BEWARE, BECAUSE IF YOU GRAZE A WALL..." Papyrus opened his palm to reveal a baseball-sized glass sphere. "THIS ORB HERE WILL GIVE YOU A HEARTY ZAP !"

"I'm not sure I like this game anymore." shuddered Lola, already imagining her hair in a wildly frizzled state, maybe even charred.

"Well, he did say invisible electricity maze. It wasn't very fun-sounding in the first place." reminded chillax Luna.

"Zap zap, bad !" quipped Lily with a frown.

"I must concur with my younger sibling's statement here. Electricity suddenly flowing through your Epidermis is not something one would normally qualifies as fun. To the exception of Lucy and friends, perhaps." lisped Lisa. Lucy answered with a 'so-so' movement of her hand. They had done it like, once, for a birthday.

"CORRECT YOU ARE, LITTLE HUMAN WITH HUGE GLASSES ! BECAUSE IT DOESN'T SOUND FUN ! AT ALL, REALLY. HUH..." Papyrus' brow tightened in thought, but quickly regained his upbeat tone. "ANYWAY, GO AHEAD ! GIVE IT A TRY !"

"So... any volunteer ?" asked Lincoln. His finger quickly reached his nose. "Not it !"

"NOT IT !" followed his sisters, except for the guitar maestro herself.

"I'll do it. I've dealt with so many amps and joy buzzers, what's one more zap to the noggin' gonna do ?" she casually offered. The purple-clad teen took a couple of steps forward, under the worried gaze of her sibs, and slowly advanced her probbing purple boot...

*BZZZZZZZT !*

"YEOOOOOWCH !"

Luna immediately removed her leg from the area, but only out of surprise, as the loud cry of pain had not been hers, but the puzzle master's, whose body was now covered with soot, and had two white eyes comically blinking.

"Looks like the zapper got zapped." commented Luan, earning a few giggles from the others.

Papyrus shook the soot off his body, and got hot under the collar. "SANS, WHAT'S HAPPENING ?! DID YOU DO SOMETHING ?!"

"bro, you're still holding the orb." revealed Sans with hidden amusement.

Papyrus looked at his hand, and his cheekbones glowed a faint orange. "OH, RIGHT. UM, ALL PART OF THE DEMONSTRATION !" gloated the Puzzle Master with a boisterous laugh. It did little to save him face, but he was certainly trying. Papyrus proceeded to walk through the small maze to join the children, but did so following a precise path. And while the square-shaped zone had no snow, the little that was still under Papyrus' snow made for a VERY obvious solution spoiler.

All, but to the spoiler guy himself, whose presence, for the first time this close, filled the kids with a small burst of energy, but was quickly replaced by dread when he presented them the zapping orb. "TO WHOM MUST I GIVE THIS TO ?" asked Papyrus, confused as to why the humans were avoiding his hand as though it smelled garlic, which was nonsense. His hygiene was spotless !

He then caught the sight of a wide-eyed Lori. "OH RIGHT, SANS TOLD ME THAT THE ONE WITH WHITE EARMUFFS AND A CONSTANT LOOK OF NAGGING SUPERIORITY WAS THE LEADER !" Lori threw a dark glare in the stout skeleton's direction, who responded with a proud thumbs up. "HERE, TAKE THIS PLEASE !"

Lori took a quick step back, looking at the orb as if it was... well, made to shock her ! Plus, Lily in her arms wasn't reducing her anxiety levels, nor was her trying to reach the 'shiny ball'. The eldest blonde knew she could easily shake the jolt off, like Papyrus had done, but who knew what a shock this powerful could do to the unknowing infant ? She needed a way out, but no one seemed any more thrilled to touch the menacing item. "Uh, I would gladly take that orb, but..."

Her tirade ended when she felt her back bumping into someone. Turning around, she saw her peppy roommate, only she looked quite stiff, pale even, and everyone could hear the clatter of her knees. Her (if you'll excuse the term) skele-bando was standing mere meters from her, and the thought was leaving the poor girl petrified with anxiety.

But in the heat of the moment, Lori only saw someone that was not unwilling to take her place.

"...my sister here wants it more than I do ! And as a fair leader, who am I to refuse her that honour ?" tightly grinned Lori as she planted her sister in front of her, now mere inches from Papyrus.

"Meep." was all Leni managed to articulate, her cheeks flaring with a powerful scarlet.

"MEEP TO YOU TOO !" answered Papyrus with enthusiasm, believing it was some sort of human greeting. Leni's eyes widened to their limit when Papyrus took her hand to put the orb in it. "HERE YOU GO ! HOLD IT TIGHT, PLEASE !" He then dashed back to his bro's side, taking the exact same way as before. "ALRIGHTY, NOW GIVE IT A TRY !"

Leni's mind went blank. Not the first time, but this was more serious. "He... He... He gave me a j-j-jewel... He gave me a jyaaahhgazada..." quite litteraly melted Leni. Indeed, her siblings could hear the sound of her brain turning into marmalade, and see her eyes losing all focus from reality.

"Death through romance. Cheesy and drooly, but oh so deep." murmured Lucy with underlying passion.

"LENI, NOOOOOO !" howled the twins, crestfallen to see that they had lost their sister to the poison of love.

Lisa wasn't letting her go that easily though, as she immediately sorted the pocket defibrillator that she apparently had. Shouting "CLEAR !", she applied the paddles on her sister's chest, effectively pulling her back to reality.

"HE WILL BE NAMED FERNANDO !" yelped the teen, before realising where she still was. "What just happened ? I remember Papy getting shocked, then nothing. Hey, why do I smell like chicken ?"

"You were offered this sphere by the monster of your idle fantasies, and lost all touch with the real world, to the point where I had to use electrode-filled surfaces to reboot your main cortex." explained Doctor Lisa.

Realising that not all of the last minute had been a fantasy, Leni began to giggle dreamingly and drool again, but was stopped by a hard pinch from Lynn. "Enough with that overused gag ! We have Luan for that !"

"HEY !" snapped Luan. The comedienne could handle the lack of laughter and harsh criticism when telling her jokes, but if there was one thing she would never let others diss and trample, it was her originality.

"Alright, group huddle everyone !" Lori ordered. In a flash, the circle was formed, with Leni still hanging on her orb.

"Okay, do we do this the same way we passed that spike puzzle ? You know, the one we got through choo-choo fashion ?" asked Lincoln.

"Sounds good." nodded Lucy. "But who's going to lead us down the track this time ?"

The siblings lost no time to look at Lori, who proudly smiled. "Well, I guess if the answer is that obvious-"

"It should be me !" chirped Leni.

"YOU ?!" said sisters and brother in confusion.

"Well, duh ! I'm the one who has the orb, which means I get to lead the march ! That's how they always do it on TV !" huffed the blonde. "Am I the only one who learns the important stuff here ?"

Lisa's brow intensely furrowed. "Oh, this just got personal."

Meanwhile, Sans and Papyrus watched the arguing huddling, and the energetic part of their duo couldn't help but feel a tad envious.

"SANS, WHY DON'T WE HAVE SIBLING CIRCLES LIKE THEM ?! IT SEEMS QUITE FUN !"

"sorry bro, but they've got the number advantage here. we can't make a circle just the two of us, it's the rule." said Sans.

"REALLY ? DARN ! FOILED ONCE AGAIN BY ETIQUETTE !" huffed Papyrus, crossing his arms. "I SURE WISH THERE'D BE THREE OF US SKELETONS RIGHT NOW !"

Sans' eyes widened at his brother's words, and for a split second, his grin loosened. Then, he let out a wistful sigh, and murmured to himself. "me too, paps. me too."

Back to the Louds...

"And that's why I earned that pudding cup fair and square !" Lola puffed her chest.

"Yeah, and we can clearly see where it went !" sneered Lana.

Lola's cheeks lit up with a wrathful red. "Why you dirty little- !"

"Dudettes, stop !" intervened Luna. "I don't even understand how we got to that conversation ! Now Leni, sis, you sure you wanna be head light ? It's a heck of a responsibility."

Leni felt a bulge forming in her throat, but immediately swallowed it down. "My Papy gave me this respon... respa- this orb ! It's the first step in our relationship, the first act of trust between us, and I can't let him down !" she insisted as she lovingly craddled the object as if it was Lily.

"Look, no offense Leni, but you did get lost at a Treasure Chase that happened in an Elementary School. And you somehow managed to get to the middle of a forest miles away from it !" recalled Lynn with a deadpan look.

"Hey, that was seven years ago !"

"Not that one, the one Lucy and Lincoln were in." corrected Lana. "You weren't even participating, you got lost on the way to the bathroom !"

Leni's face saddened, and she looked to the side. "There was an arrow in the streets, I got confused." she meekly said.

Lori rubbed her temples, mulling the situation over with calm. Leni wasn't an idiot, and she would punch anyone who'd say otherwise, but there were times where she could be extremely shallow. And today hadn't exactly been a streak of ingenoisity for Leni. But at the same time, she didn't want to belittle her, as it would only rise tension and only hurt the blonde's feelings. In her arms, Lily imitated her big sister. But as they mirrored eachother, a familiar sensation echoed between the two, and the memory of Goat Mom handling this type of situation appeared in their minds.

"Every child must go at their own pace... 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... Splendid ! You did very good, Leni. We all knew you could do it."

Supportive. There was the key word she was looking for. With that in mind, Lori adopted a confident smile, approached her uncertain sister, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Leni, if you truly feel you can do it, go for it." said Lori.

Leni's face brightened, and her watering eyes were now ones of joy. "You mean it ?" she hiccuped.

"Absolutely. Just remember to hold my hand, and to follow the tracks Papyrus left." she whispered the last part. Leni took a face of quick realisation, then nodded, overjoyed of the trust that her big sister had placed into her. Her siblings however, didn't look so sure of their leader's decision.

"Lori, I'm glad that you're taking your supportive leader's role to heart, I really do. But..." Lincoln cleared his throat, trying to find the right words. "... I do think that putting Leni in charge of our bodies not getting zapped with a million volts, is a bit risky."

"As in a lot risky !" intervened Lola, not caring for subtlety with Lori, but caring enough for Leni to keep her voice down as she stood a couple of steps away, giddly looking at the orb she had been entrusted with. "What were you thinking ?! She can't even do those maze games on the back of Choco Pops boxes ! She keeps being distracted by how funny the monkey looks ! Why would you give her such a big responsibility ?!"

Surprisingly, Lori didn't lose one bit of her cool. "Because, sister of little faith, giving this kind of mission to someone like Leni help them grow to be more confident. It's how Toriel would've done it." The siblings' protests instantly quelled when hearing the name of their guardian, and could only agree with their sister's notion. "Besides, the solution couldn't be more in the open here. I'm sure Leni can avoid getting us zapped until we smell like a burnt barbecue." Concern came back to the siblings' expressions, and Lori winced. "TMI, sorry."

"Hey guys !" called Leni. "Like, I've just noticed the ball is kinda less shiny than it was when Papy had it, what gives ? Do we need to plug it ?" As she wondered the question, the pretty teen took an unconscious step back, which brought her to the maze zone's border. As soon as her turquoise boot grazed the de-snowed area, a small zap made her jump back with a yelp.

"You see ? The orb's out of juice. We don't actually risk anything." whispered Lori with guilty relief.

"We are guaranteed a fruitful success, hahahaha ! Get it ? Because it's run out of juice ?" grinned Luan.

"Let's just cross that maze already !" groaned Lana.

Lincoln nodded, and turned to his second oldest sister. "Alright Leni, ready to own that maze ?"

Leni arched her head to the side. "But I didn't buy anything- oh, as in beat it ! Sure, let's totes do this !" she happily chirped.

"We are so not passing this unscathed." deadpanned Lynn under her breath.

"To keep my thought succint : Ditto." concurred Lisa.

"Hush with the negativity. Now, everyone in a single line ! I don't care in what order, but once you lock hands, they stay locked !" commanded Sgt. Lori with a clap of her hands. Soon enough, the human chain was assembled, with Leni upfront, followed by Lori – with Lily on her back koala-style – then Luna, Lynn, Lucy, Lincoln, Lola, Luan, Lisa, and finally Lana.

The orb safely tucked in her extended palm, acting like a front light, Leni began the trek. Brows started to sweat as they neared the first turn, wondering if the blonde would react in time. But it was with great relief, and even a bit of pride that they saw Leni following the trail of snow with acute precision.

"She's doing it !" said Lana.

"Told ya so." Lori grinned a tad gloatful.

"I don't say it often, but it looks like I was wrong." admitted Lola with a side smile. "I really thought Leni was going to bounce around the walls like Geo when he gets too much sugary treats."

"Heh, yeah ! Or maybe she'd run straight to Papyrus to give him the orb back, knowing that he would give her a lot of recognition, and maybe more !" added Lincoln with a big laugh. But when he felt – yes, felt – Leni's blood freeze and the edges of her lips stretched to their limits, hilarity stopped, and instead came a conclusion that would have made him slap his forehead had his hand not been locked with his little sister's. "I really wish I could glue my lips together sometimes."

Lori wanted to glare at her brother for his stupid move, but she knew time wasn't allowing her an extra glance here. In her hand, was the limb of a ticking love bomb, and the fuse was getting dangerously short. The orb wasn't producing any electricity yet, but Leni's skin was already trembling with sparks of overcharging excitement. And when Leni had a goal she was really excited for, it was hard to steer her mind from it.

"Leni, calm down. Remember, you gotta keep your eyes on the ground, and your mind in the task. We are all counting on you here, don't let yourself be distracted. If you follow the path, you'll still get to Papyrus, so just-" Lori stopped when she felt Leni's hand stop trembling. Its suddenness was quickly understood by the blonde leader, and she sighed. "Dang it."

"I'M COMING MY LOVE !" yelled out Leni with heart-shaped eyes. Her newly installed GPP (Guidance Per Papyrus) kicked in, and she quickly followed the shortest way to the monster of her SOUL. The power of love didn't just provide her love, but strength as well, and her siblings were unwillingly taken into her mad scramble. And of course, the moment Leni crossed the obvious solution's limits, the spheric penalty acted up. She didn't feel any of the shocking, but her siblings certainly did, and though it didn't hurt, it wasn't a pleasant sensation either.

Thankfully, it only took Leni a handful of seconds to get to the Skelebros, and once all feet were on snow grounds once again, the orb powered down, in both senses of the term. Papyrus held a neutral look, blinking at the beaming human in front of him, while Sans observed the scene with an amused grin, and, for a reason he couldn't place his bony finger onto, a craving for some fried chicken, even though he had never tasted any.

"Here~ !" Leni offered him the orb back, anticipation written all over her pearly whites.

"...THANK YOU ?" accepted Papyrus with a confused grin, scratching the back of his skull. "I MUST SAY, I DIDN'T EXPECT YOU TO SOLVE IT LIKE THIS. YOU BARELLED THROUGH THE WALLS WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION."

"I did ?" asked Leni, genuinely surprised.

"Yes. You did." growled her siblings, the small sparks coursing their hair having nothing on the intensity of their very unamused glares. Except for Lily, who still felt giddy over the mysterious tickles she felt every time she touched her own skin.

"Oh." Leni shrunk under the looks. "Oopsie."

"THIS IS QUITE CONFUSING. YOU PASSED, BUT IN A VERY UNORTHODOX MANNER. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO REACT OR FEEL ABOUT THAT." said Papyrus as he crossed his arms, and looked to the ceiling deep in thought.

Leni gasped. She didn't understand what 'Unor-toe-box' meant, but she knew one thing. Her performance hadn't pleased Papyrus. Even worse, she envisionned, he could be... disappointed in her ! Instead of esteem, she had only made him look at her with utter shame. Poor Leni began to tear up. Of all the things she could goof up...

But Sans, not indifferent to a man's tears, especially if that man was a girl, swooped in to salvage the situation. The best he could, anyway. "that's exactly why she did it."

"NYEH ?"

"yeah, think about it. there was only way to get pass this puzzle. or so you thought. but instead of going through it the brainy way, she instead used her endurance to resist the shock. didn't you ?"

"Y-Yes ?" said Leni hesitantly. She had no idea where the bare-boned jokester was going with this, but her moist eyes were seeing a glimmer of hope in his words, and she wasn't about to let it slip through her fingers.

Papyrus scratched his chin in contemplation. "WELL, UNDYNE DID SAY THAT HUMANS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE GREAT ENDURANCE, AND ARE QUITE PROUD TO SHOW IT OFF."

"Somewhat accurate, but more perceptive in particular cases." lisped Lisa. Lynn immediately felt herself concerned by the allegation, but didn't bother denying it. She was actually quite proud of that trait.

"see ? but you didn't see it coming. she used the element of surprise, and showed ya a brand new solution. clever move, if you ask me."

"Um, totes what he said ! Surprise !" celebrated Leni.

The lanky skeleton gasped dramatically. "INCREDIBLE ! YOU SOLVED IT IN A WAY THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HADN'T EVEN THOUGHT POSSIBLE, YOU BRILLIANT BULLDOZER ! HUMAN, THROUGH YOUR WISDOM, YOU HAVE OPENED MY EYES TO NEW PUZZLE-FILLED HORIZONS !"

"Leni and wisdom. Antithesis to its finest." Lucy dryly muttered under her breath.

"BUT ! HUMANS, KNOW THAT THIS WAS ONLY A PRELUDE, AN APETIZER TO THE PUZZLE BUFFET WE HAVE CONCOCTED, MY BROTHER AND I !" Papyrus posed with brimming confidence that got a few "oooh's" from the Loud kids, and a muffled squeal from Leni. "INDEED, THE NEXT PUZZLE YOU'LL HAVE TO FACE HAS BEEN MADE BY NONE OTHER THAN MY DEAR BROTHER, SANS ! PREPARE TO BE CONFOUNDED AND THOROUGHLY CONFUSED ! I KNOW I AM ! NYEH HEH HEH !"

Papyrus vacated the premises, bounce in his step, leaving Sans with the Louds once again. And it was a bit of gratitude that found its way in Sans' permanent grin. "heh, you're doing pretty well. thanks to y'all, my bro's having a load of fun, more than I've seen him having for quite some time."

But gratitude could go both ways, and Leni certainly demonstrated that by scooping the skeleton into a hug, making his slippers leave the ground. "Oooh, thank you thank you thank you, THANK YOU Sans ! You totes saved my skin back there ! And thanks to you, my first talk with Papy went perfectly ! How can I, like, ever repay you ?"

Sans chuckled. "well, i take checks and discount vouchers. but maybe you should take a look behind you before thanking me. i don't think you're out of trouble just yet."

Leni's joy let place to confusion, then switched to cold dread when she saw nine pairs of eyes boring into her skull. With a gulp, she shakily waved at them. "H-Hey guys. So, I can totally explain."

"I'm pretty sure we can fill in the blanks, thank you very much." scowled Lori, with a glare that mixed sternness and disappointment. "Leni, what you did was Lynn-level of reckless, and I'm being polite here."

"I'll say ! You were doing so good, but then you had to be a buzzkill !" raved Luan, sending a wink to Sans, who promptly returned it.

"Yeah, initiative's always good in my book, but not when there's an easy strategy that has absolutely no chances of failing !" Lynn added her two cents.

"I just recovered from what that dog guy did to my hair, and now look at it !" harshly accused Lola, pointing at the palm tree shape her scalp had now taken. Just looking at her reflection made her little glittery heart ache to the near point of tears. But as she looked around, she noticed some that didn't look so affected. "Aren't you a little concerned about your appearance ?!"

Brother and rocker looked at eachother, and gave a complice smile to eachother. They both removed their headwear, presenting their slightly disheveled hair. They then licked their hands, passed it through their hair, and, to Lola's astonishement, made them immediately regain their appearances.

"The advantage of having short hair ? Bad hair days are kind of a myth." smugly explained Lincoln.

"Hail to that." chuckled Luna, sharing a rock pose with her bro.

"And well, you know I don't give a hoot about appearances." said Lana, giggling at the ticking touch her hair now offered. In Lori's arms, Lily gleefully imitated her messy sister. "It's just like the time I rubbed those balloons against my hair. And then I did it to yours, which made it twice as hilarious."

"Thanks Lana, exactly the reminder I need right now." hissed Lola with clenched teeth and fists.

"You're welcome."

"AUUUUGH !" Lola furiously rubbed the top of her head, messing her hair a little more in the process, and also getting her a little angrier. Quickly, she grabbed her comb and multiple sprays to put it back to its perfect shape again.

"Let us be thankful to Papyrus for lowering the sphere's intensity beforehand. Who knows how many of our nerves could've gotten fried out, or perhaps even causing our organic hearts to stop." grimly theorised Lisa while patting her messy brown hair to less messy status. As she turned around, her eyes widened, and a rare amused snort escaped her lips. "Lucy, perhaps you should be using a piece of light reflector, because-"

"Weigh those next words carefully, little genius, for they could be your last." coldly snapped the little goth. To the average looker, dry neutrality was still the only thing her face reflected, but from her siblings' point of view, they knew the young poet was absolutely livid. Her bangs, normally as smooth as a butternut coffin, were now curled into the most ridiculous afro. A couple of bangs were still hiding her eyes to the world, a thankful detail, both for Lucy herself, and her siblings.

Huh ? Why were her siblings thankful too ?

…

Anyway, as Lola continued her operation, and Lincoln offered to help her raven-haired sister getting her hair's spook factor back to normal, Leni could only shrink under the hard glare Lori was giving her. She knew that look. It was the one that promised an earful that she would be feeling in the morning. And this time, the fashionista had nothing to shoot back. So, lowering her head, she waited for it. "Go ahead, just chow me out, or however it goes."

Lori's scowl deepened a little, but didn't answer just yet. Before, she would've obliged her sister's request without a second thought. Then they would get a little mad, let things simmer down for a while, and then everything would be back to normal. But this was before. Right now, she was not only under an oath she had made to herself, but she also needed all hands on deck at every time, and as such, didn't have the time for a petty arguing session. And looking around, she knew there wasn't even a good reason to start one.

"Leni... I'm not going to chew you out." asserted Lori.

"Y-You're not ?" sniffled Leni.

"You're not ?!" cried out a bewildered Lola.

Lori shook her head. "I'm not, because everything worked out in the end. We aren't hurt, we passed the puzzle, and bonus, Papyrus is happy. There is no need to make a big deal out of it." As he combed Lucy's hair, Lincoln couldn't help but smile at her big sister's newfound maturity. "Just, next time, don't let yourself be distracted. I know how it's like to have a hunky face you can't tear your eyes from, but family comes first, okay ?"

Rubbing her eyes off any moist, Leni nodded. "I'll do better next time, I swear."

Lori gained a kind smile. "That's all I wanted to hear."

Lily concluded the case with giving a hug to her ditzy big sis, and the rest felt appeased at the adorable sight, even those who thought Leni had been pardonned a little too easily...

"aw geez kids, i'm almost busting the waterworks here." quipped Sans, flicking an inexistant tear away.

"Suuuure you are." Luna playfully rolled her eyes, and everyone chuckled.

"what can i say, i'm an emotive guy like that. but anyway, did you notice that weird gear my bro's wearing ?"

"Yeah, it looked so cool ! Do they make them somewhere ?!" said Lincoln with a little too much enthusiasm. Hearing her sisters snicker, the tween attempted to play it cool.. "I-I mean, it was neat-looking. Yeah..."

"Why there isn't a big DORK written all over your forehead is a mystery to me." teased Lynn, snickering some more when Lincoln replied with a small punch to the shoulder.

"Lincoln's right though, it looks cool, especially the scarf. Floating in the wind like he's a superhero !" Lana excitedly hopped with youthful wonder.

"And classy. The tailor who made this must be a wonder, making dresses fit for a princess." day-dreamed Lola.

"nope, no tailor involved. all homemade." winked Sans.

"Wow, I had no idea your house was such an artist." cracked Luan. Groans quickly arose.

Of course, Sans followed. "Well, it saw a window of opportunity, and assured us it was quite carpet-ble to handle it. So we opened the door to the idea, and met wall-breaking results." The groans sharply increased in intensity, and facepalming levels went up by 400%. "Aw c'mon, those were... hila-roof."

(*Rimshot Combo !*)

"Bravo, bravo ! Bis, my good sir, bis !" applauded Luan, even hrowing a fake rose at the skeleton.

"So, to go back to the suit ?" cut in Lori, rubbing her forehead.

"ah yeah. so at first we just made it for a costume party, but paps ended up loving it so much, it's now all he wears. he says it's his 'battle body', designed to strike awe and coolness everywhere he goes." chuckled Sans, before his tone grew with warmth. "man. ain't my brother the coolest ?"

"The coolest in the whole universe ! And everything he wears becomes automatically cool !" merrily shouted Leni.

"Even leggings ?" tested Lana, knowing how much her sis dreaded those.

"He could sport socks with disco high heels, and it would become amazing !" squealed Leni without missing a beat.

"Now that, is dedication." Lucy made a respectful nod, with her hair finally back to its normal back-haired dome of spooks shape.

"Ah, perfect once again." Lola sighed contently at the flawless reflection she had learned to adore. "Alright, let's move out people !"

Humans and monster approved, and bid their temporary farewells to eachother. The instant they were gone, Sans snapped his fingers.

The next instant, the area was bare of any SOULs.

---

"Well, no client today. For the 53rd day in a row..."

It was an antropomorphic bunny monster who uttered this melancholic sigh. With a tall lanky body-type and coated with fuzzy sky blue fur, the guy rested an elbow against his little ice-cream cart, completed with red stripes on the side, and a yellow-and-red striped parasol. His clothes shared the same colour, with his t-shirt being a mustard yellow with a red stripe on the right, and his red jeans going all the way down his shoeless furry feet. And as if the universe wanted to assert his status, the monster had a sizeable tuft of hair that ressembled jello poking between his long ears.

And right now, the young frozen treat seller wasn't feeling like living to his jolly nature. "I just don't get it. This was the perfect spot to set my business, I was sure of it. There are monsters crossing this bridge every day, and the kids love coming here to play Ball. I poured weeks into perfecting my recipe, and my cousin said she loved them. So why is nobody getting one, especially by that beautiful weather ?" the bunny monster could only wonder. The silence answering him only prompted another sigh out of him. "Maybe I should've stayed with Mom at the shop..."

It was then that his ears perked up at the sound of shuffling feet. Curiosity fueled his movements, and the monster turned his head to the path that led to the Ruins door. Doing so, he caught the sight of approaching rosy-skinned children.

The vendor hitched a breath. Had his prayers been answered ?

At the same time, the kids entered the new area with some curiosity of their own. Beyond a small wooden bridge, waited a large area filled with everything they had seen thus far. Snow, stone ground, ice, pine trees, and two paths going straight ahead, but one was right in their sights, while they would have to walk down the area to reach the other.

But before they could properly focus on it, a mesmerising smell invaded their nostrils. The one of frozen sugar that had brought happiness and relief to many of their hot summer afternoons. Slowly, they pivoted their heads to meet the vendor's gaze, that was reflecting the same hope as theirs. And when peepers locked with eachother, came joyful conclusions.

"Customers !" exclaimed the long-eared merchant.

"ICE-CREAM !" the kids roared with joy. They quickly surrounded the cart, and drowned the monster in excited chatter. Seeing him getting overwhelmed, as well as his oldest sister getting caught up in the movement, Lincoln intervened with a sharp whistle.

"Guys, let him breathe ! We need him alive if we want to get ice-cream !" reminded Lincoln, effectively calming the girls.

"Not necessarily." grimly quipped Lucy.

"That's the talk of a grave-robber, Luce."

The goth winced, and looked to the ground. "This shame, I fully deserve."

"You got overwhelmed by the power of ice-cream. It happens to the best of us." said Lincoln as he gently patted his little sister's head. A tiny smile graced Lucy's lips, and the boy turned to the blue rabbit, who was a little bit frazzled. "Let's do this again. Hello sir ! Do you have any ice-cream suggestions for us ?"

The long-eared fellow beamed at this. "Indeed I have ! Delicious Nice Creams !" he proudly announced, showing his still-wrapped product. Somehow, light shone over it, and a choir could be heard in the background. The children's pupils grew threefold at the sight of it.

"I can almost taste it..." said Lana as she audibly licked her lips.

The Nice Cream Man smiled at their eagerness. "Like it ? You should ! It's the frozen treat that warms your heart ! And don't worry, I have plenty for everybody !"

"Real talk here : Do you have chocolate flavour ?" put down Lynn, meaning business.

"Of course ! They're a customer favourite, so I always prepare a dozen of them !" chuckled the vendor. Immediately, the girls roared cheers to the ceiling, and induced themselves into little jigs and awesome boogie moves.

"Ah, chocoholics. It's quite cute how little they need to be happy." chuckled Lincoln to the camera, his tone almost condescending.

"Oh, I also have mint-chocolate-chipped flavour if you want." jovially quipped the stallholder.

"I'LL TAKE TWENTY !" blurted Lincoln, too focused on tasting the heavenly combo to ask himself how the heck he had managed to snatch the bag of gold that now rested atop his palm. Lori certainly seemed to mind however, as she immediately swiped it back.

"So, how much is it ?" asked Lori, her calm tone still carrying a bit of restlessness.

"Not much ! Only 15G per Nice Cream !" replied the vendor.

Eagerness quickly died down amongst the kids at the price's announcement, and was replaced with the cold fear of losing their even colder treats. All eyes turned to the resident genius.

"One frozen delicacy each would cost us the modest sum of 165G." Lisa quickly mathed.

Expectant eyes then turned towards Lori, and the blonde looked at the side of the pouch. A neat little detail monsters had added to their wallets, pouches, and other money-carrying items, was a magic number note that automatically gave the number of Gold inside it.

All humans held their breath for the verdict and pressed their gloved hands together with all their faith... but their hope crashed to the icy ground when they saw the disappointed look their leader took.

"We've got 162 Gold... Three coins short of it." she gloomily announced.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO !" yelled the twins in ice-creamless despair.

But a certain sports captain wasn't out of ideas yet ! "Wait up, I've got a plan ! If one of us share our ice-cream with Lily, seeing as she can't hold one, that gets us to ten ice-creams, and about, um... carry one, plus two peanuts... 150 Gold, which we have !" concluded Lynn with a proud grin. "See ? I can math sometimes !"

"Yeah, you're certainly getting a degree with that." Lisa breathed sarcasm.

"Wow, really ? Man, I knew the brain was a muscle, but I didn't know I had it buffed up as much as the rest." Lynn grinned slyly as she smooched her twin guns. Lisa let out a looooong sigh, and made a mental note to do another sonography of Lynn's brain later.

Lori's expression though, didn't change. "Sorry sis, but I see two major flaws with that plan. One, is there any volunteer to give some of their ice-cream to Lily ?" As expected, the breeze was the only one to answer her, aside from the side-whistling of some of the kids.

"Um, would you like to take one for the team, hehe ?" awkwardly tried Lynn. Lori looked at her with the same look she'd give anyone trying to leave her their chores without something in return or an excellent excuse. The brunette bowed her head, "That's a nope, gotcha. So what's flaw number two ?"

"What's left afterwards. Goat Mom gave us this money as a backup, most likely to get a room for the night, until we collect more from other monsters. And since I'm gonna guess we have a unanimous NO for sleeping outside, blowing it all up on ice-cream doesn't seem to be the smartest solution. In fact-" Lori let out a regretful sigh, "-I think it'd be better if we don't get ice-cream. At all."

"But we could just do what we did with the donut !" pointed out Luan.

Recluantly, Lori shot down the idea. "We can't slice an ice-cream. I'm sorry guys, but this is the best solution. Well, the safest at least. And that means..." she couldn't fight back a hiccup. "... no ice-cream."

Sad acceptance was all that could be read over the kids' expressions. Lincoln, Lynn, and Luna all slumped their shoulders, with the latter humming a melancholic tune. Luan took out a mini-klaxon, that when pressing it, deflated with a broken honk. Lisa jolted down the hour of her joy's death, Lucy's aura oozed pure misery, and not the one she liked. But none look more broken-hearted as were Lily, Lola, Lana, and Leni, going full kicked puppy-eye mode, supported by whimpering sniffles and trembling lower lips. Those, right there, were the true face of a child that had lost their ice-cream without even having the opportunity to taste it.

And the Nice Cream Guy could feel his heart shatter at the sight of it. In fact, the overall sadness that blighted the kids was moving the blue man to tears. He had opened this stand to see the smiles of children, not to provoke gloom and tears out of them. It was his dutyto do something about it, and quick, as the children were already leaving !

"Think, think..." the monster tapped his forehead. Suddenly, his ears sprung up. "WAIT !" he called to the children, who turned up at once, startled and sad, yet intrigued. "Look, business has been slow this time around, so... how about I make it 10 for the price of 5 ? And I'll throw in a free one for the little one. What do you say ?"

The kids didn't say anything at first, but their tears of sadness morphed into tears of joy. And with a mighty cheer, they rejoiced.

"Woo ! It's never too cold for ice-cream, baby !" yelled Luna, joyfully shredding her air guitar.

"I don't usually show... oh you know what, who cares ? ICE-CREAM, YEAAAAH !" wildly fist-pumped Lisa.

"This is the second greatest moment of my life !" chirped Leni. "Or maybe the third. I mean, there was the time that shoe truck crashed in our street. I was swimming in heels, and they were all in !"

"Yep, you were head over heels that day. But now is a just as endairyng moment ! Hahaha, get it ?" giggled Luan with that big grin of hers.

"Alright, points for that one." said Lola, as she and Lana applauded. Luan's joy doubled.

"Golden heart, for once, I allow you to exist." murmured Lucy with a small toothy grin.

"WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS !" hecticly sang Lynn and Lincoln, arm in arm.

Lori warmly smiled at her celebrating sisters and brother, then directed the same smile to the merchant. "Thank you so much, mister..."

"Oh, silly me ! The name's Adrien, but everyone call me Nice Cream Guy. And the pleasure's all mine !" beamed the monster.

"Still, thank you Adrien. So, here's your money." Lori dropped the sum inside the bigger pouch attached to the cart. Adrien looked at the jingling golden coins with glee. Finally, his first profit, the first of many he hoped. His train of thought was cut short when he felt something squishy brushing against his cheek, and saw one little human in a purple parka hugging his neck. Lori snickered at the sight. "Aaaand, here's your tip. Her idea, not mine."

"Poo-poo." cooed Lily, as she rubbed her little head in the monster's fur, its softness almost matching the one of Toriel's.

Amused and feeling warmth invading his heart, the Nice Cream Guy rubbed the grateful infant's head, and handed her back to her big sister, before rummaging through his freezer to find the promised treats. As soon as they were out, they were swiped by the children, with the thanks that went with them, and were promptly unwrapped. The Nice Creams had the form of popsicles; brown for the ladies, and green with brown dots for the sole brother. The licking promptly began, and so did grateful moans.

"There is an ice cream better than ice cream ?!" said Leni, her eyes wide with enlightenment. "Everything is different now..."

Lana was in the same predicament. "My mind is blown... but my mouth ain't." shrugged the tomboy, returning to the delicious treat in her hands.

"Brah, your slogan is no hack. It's cold, and yet I can feel my whole bod warming up !" complimented Luna in-between furious licks.

"If it provides me with such mind-boggling facts for me to decipher AND chocolate to enjoy, I think I am more than willing to give magic a chance." asserted the bespectacled prodigy, still with a little strain in her voice.

"Lily, for the last time, your face is not a tic-tac-toe board. Just because this isn't mashed vegetables doesn't mean the rule changes." Lori scolded the giggling baby. Her words were unregistered, and Lily gleefully continued to smear her ice-cream all over her face, licking her lips and hands in the process. Lori shook her head, and decided to focus on her own piece of frozen sweetness.

"My wounds are healing." pointed out Lucy, looking at her HP bar becoming a golden yellow once again. There was a moment of silence, before Lucy turned her gaze to the camera. "Expecting another dark comment, maybe about the 'scars of my heart that never heal' ? Sorry, but my melancholy is no match for the positive power of chocolate ice-cream."

"When I get famous, I want a hundred of those delivered to my mansion every day !" declared Lola while wolfing down her Nice Cream, but still keeping manners intact with her lifted pinkie.

"Wow, easy there tiger ! That prey isn't gonna escape your claws, y'know." chuckled Luan, but then noticed another predator in the frey. "Never mind, chop it down tiger, because your title of ice-cream queen is on the verge of being taken !"

"I don't know *lick* how I'm doing *lick* that, but *lick lick* I just can't stop from *lick lick* licking every chocolate chip there is on this Nice Cream ! *licktacular combo !*" Lincoln managed to utter, before his tongue started working like a ninja spin dryer – probably crossing that from your 'Words I never thought I'd hear or see' list – by skillfully touching any brown spot at a most impressive speed.

And then, the source of the influence became pretty obvious.

*LICK IT ! YOU MUST LICK THEM ALL ! NEVER STOP TASTING THE DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE !

"I need a new mind." whimpered Lincoln.

*I AM YOUR NEW MIND !

As Lincoln was dealing with a new and troubling facet of his ghost buddy, the Nice Cream Guy kept looking at the happy scene with a feeling of accomplishment. He couldn't wait to share this story with his mother, aunt, cousin, and maybe even brother. As soon as he'd come back from duty...

Finally, as the last morcels of chocolate were being licked off the fingers, the siblings all contently sighed, appreciating the moment. As for that moment, life was good...

But a sneeze from their youngest member reminded the group of the coldness of their surroundings. "Alright, snack time's over, let's get going everybody." said Lori as she wiped her sister's nose with a handkerchief. But before starting to depart, she adressed one last smile to the sweet monster. "Good luck with your business, Adrien. You deserve to have your business working."

"Heh, good luck to you too !" he replied, unable to stop smiling. "Oh, and do keep the wrappers. Give them a look if you feel in a funk some time, I promise you won't regret it."

"Thanks kindly mate, you're occupying one cool spot in this girl's book." Luna finger-gunned.

"And that despite your fuzzy fur !" quipped Luan.

"Bye Mister Nice Cream !" enthusiastically waved Leni. Her brother opened his mouth, then promptly closed it, not having, or rather lacking the heart to ruin the moment.

Waving good-bye, the Louds were on their way once again, and the last words the kind bunny heard from them were given by the most energetic.

"I never thought ice-cream in the snow would be so darn good ! But I don't get why he didn't pick a warmer place to sell them. I mean, hotter place means more people wanting an ice-cream, thus more profit, right ?"

And those words were not lost on the young merchant. Scratching his chin, he realised that perhaps a relocation was in order. Not only to spread the Nice Cream word, but perhaps to get used to it as well.

After all, the next clients he'd meet could get to enjoy his products in a much fresher air...

Walking past cracking wooden boards, the Louds arrived to the larger area. And, becoming less a coincidence than a rule in Snowdin, they met once again with their skeleton guide.

"hey again." he lazily waved. But this time around, his casual greeting was met with surprise.

"Sans ? Hold on, weren't you back there two minutes ago ?" Lana jerked a gloved thumb behind her. "How did you get here without us seeing you ?"

"easy. You were so focused on your nice creams, you didn't notice me walking behind your backs." explained Sans with a humourous wink. "i can be really discreet when i want to."

"Oh !" said Lola.

"you sound surprised."

"Well, kinda. To be honest, I was just thinking you were too lazy to even put in the effort into it. But eh, you can't walk two feet without getting surprised in this place, so I'll just accept it."

"Oh, so when he does it, you believe him. But when I do it for eight years straight in the house that you live in, I must have the ability to teleport. Which is flattering, but not the case at all." crossly remarked Lucy.

"Suuuuuure you don't." said Leni, patting her gloomy sister's head, and not even realising how belittling it sounded. Lucy certainly did, if her audible teeth grinding was any proof.

*Liar.

'Huh ?' Lincoln tried to probe an answer out of his ghost buddy, but did not get anything. Having no idea what they had meant, and feeling a little freaked out by Sans' stare laying on him again, Lincoln decided to ignore it.

"So, anything new since two minutes ago ?" tersely asked Lori, wondering what kind of quirky comment the skeleton most certainly had in store for them.

"well, i've been watching you and nice cream guy over there, havin' a good time, and it made me realise something."

"You wanna grow some hair ?" jested Luan.

Sans chuckled. "nah, I just thought i'd start selling grub too."

"And what kind of substenance are we talking about here ?" lisped Lisa.

"just some fried snow. interested ?"

Lisa stopped. She just stopped, while her mind tried to process this new information. One could almost hear the hundreds of little Lisa's running around her inner cortex in total anarchy, banging computers against walls and crying into corners. Once the many fire alarms in her head stopped ringing, the astute toddler slowly raised her hands up to her face, and kept them there without a peep.

"Still on with that 'giving magic a chance' thing, sis ?" Luan couldn't resist the urge to tease.

"There are many reasons why I miss Goat Mother as our guide." mumbled Lisa, her voice wavering. "Her well-rounded mind, her delicious pastries... the kisses on the forehead she'd give before going to bed. But it is only now that I realise what I truly admired about her." Her lips trembled. "She made sense. I mean, I know it's quite the vague quality to tag someone with, but in this... bizzare world for the lack of a better term, I cherished that quality more than I thought I did. It was just so nice how much sense she made, how much common sense she had. I miss it so much..."

Could Sans' smile gain more cheekiness ? Yes, yes it could. "welp, I make sans, so it's almost the same thing. You're welcome, pointdexter."

Luan began busting a gut, while the siblings chuckled at a more moderate level. As for Lisa, she simply let gravity take its course, and crashed face-first into the soft snow.

"I wanna go home..." she pitifully sobbed.

Lincoln picked the green mass of misery, and began to gently rock her in his arms. "There there, everything's alright." he reassured her. Lisa had no care about her pride right now, and let him do so while craddling her notebook like a comforting plushie.

"well, is that a yes or a no on the fried snow ?" quipped Sans. "c'mon, i'm a busy guy, you know. i've got at least two breaks i still need to attend to."

"How much ?" asked Lana.

"just 5g."

"Neat ! Lori ?"

"Well, there's no such thing as having too much items, if we wanna play it safe." shrugged Lori, both content and worried of how much normal Lincoln's video game logic now seemed to her. "Alright, fried snow it is."

"wait, did i say 5g ? I meant 50g."

"What ?!" Lori jumped out of cold shock.

"gotta pay for that material somehow."

The blonde whipped her head around. To her left, to the right, to Lily, and finally to Sans. "What material ?!"

"I'll take some !" Luan raised her hand with a big toothy smile.

"Luan !" exclaimed her siblings, except for Lisa who was still sucking on her right pollex.

"wow, really ? How about 5000g ?" the monster slyly offered.

"I follow !" said Luan, returning the grin.

"Loons, you can't be serious !" gasped Luna.

Judge Sans lazily, yet dramitically pointed a finger ahead. "50000g. last deal. are you in, sunshine ?"

"Consider that deal due and done, Sansy ol' chap." Luan nodded, twirling the end of her false mustache.

"one piece of fried snow, sold for 50000g to the lady with the braces. a great deal if you ask me." Sans knocked his squeaky mallet down.

"We're broke." gawked Lincoln, falling on his knees. "Luan made us go broke over a piece of fried snow. There are just so many things wrong with the sentence I've just said."

"How are we even gonna foot that bill ?!" panicked Lana. Her distress only grew when she realised the only option. "We're going to be Sans' personal pet humans for the rest of time ! Of all the stinkin' irony !"

"One hour out of the Ruins, and we're being sold to a lazy skeleton version of Luan." breathed Lucy, a small twitch rippling across her cheek, then crossed her arms with a ticked off huff. "Fine, be that way, life. I never liked you either."

While her siblings were envisionning their new nightmarish future solely made of puns and even poorer humour, the grinning duo were discussing payment. "check or credit card ? unless you got the gold in your little bag ?"

"Nope ! But I'm sure we can work it out later. You know me, when I have a bill, I don't duck from my responsibilities !"

Lola glowered in the comedienne's direction. "That's right, rub some lemon juice on our wounds, while I cry over what really matters !" the six-year-old's eyes watered. "I'm gonna have to sell all my tiaras, dresses, and trophies to get out of debt ! MY PAGEANT CAREER AND LIFE ARE RUINED FOREVER ! WAAAAAAH !"

Poor Leni wasn't faring much better. "What about me ?! All my dresses, the ones I've made with my sweat, tears, blood, and water to wash off the blood ! They were supposed to be in the store front of every boutique of the state ! Now they'll be used as matress filler ! Or worse !" Leni made a fair imitation of Edvard Munch's most famous work. "They'll be thrown in the 80% off box of shame !"

"I can say good-bye to my axe and amps too, dudes. And all my CD's, going through the door and never looking back." Luna already mourned. Despite it all, she threw a solemn rock sign in the air. "At least I'll still have Rock'n'Roll inside me SOUL. Peace, mates."

"Teddy ?" whimpered Lily, imagining her best friend, the one that had comforted her through so many lonely nights, being cruelly taken from her. The baby could only let her lips tremble in sadness.

Luan was holding her laughter the best she could, but it was starting to get difficult. She couldn't believe her siblings could still be so naive after all those years living with her. But as she saw eyes starting to well up, she decided it was time to deliver the punchline.

"So, before we shake hands and wrap this up, may we have our fried snow please ?"

Sans patted his jacket, blinked twice, then shrugged nonchalantly. "welp, that's a bummer. it looks like all my stocks melted under their success. guess it means you don't owe me anything."

"...Come again ?" said Lori with wide eyes and a fastening breathing, an expression and action shared all the now silent siblings.

"HAHAHAHA ! You should've seen your faces ! I can't believe you didn't see that one coming ! With a guy like him, you should've really seen through his charade !" Luan guffawed. But she was so deep in her own laughter that she did not notice the menacing shadow approaching her, neither Sans taking a few steps back. And when she did, it was already too late.

Looking up, Luan didn't feel like laughing anymore. What she could feel however, were twenty eyes boring into her skull. In fact, she could almost feel them drilling into it. The creepiness was elevated even further by the wide smiles they all displaying, reminding her less of happy children, and more of a school of pirhanas that had just found their next meal.

"So, did you have fun giving us heart attacks, sister ? Well, now let us have some fun of our own." uttered Lori in a tone that did not promise any candy apple.

"I don't like those new faces you have." said Luan, pearls of fearful sweat rolling down her brow.

"Oh don't worry, you won't be seeing much in a minute." Lynn chuckled dangerously, making each bone of her knuckles crack as slow and loud as she could. "Anything you'd like to say before the operation begins ?"

Luan's eyes whipped around for an exit or a glint of salvation. But when she found none, she knew that this was how the cookie crumbled. And in her eyes, it had been a delicious cookie.

"This prankster has no regrets." she saluted, her last thoughts going to her bunny and her emo friend. Behind her, Sans returned the salute.

"AIM FOR THE TEETH !" Lana cried out, like a valkyrie going to war. And it was all the signal that the Louds needed to pounce on her, and began another comical fight cloud. It was made even more cartoony by the sounds of pain Luan made, ones that reminded of a famous mouse's best friend.

Due to the rating of this story, no more details will be added. Instead, appreciate this minute of calm and serenity.

…

Dang ! Is that move legal ?!

After a full minute of sibling violence, the fight died down, leaving ten huffing sisters and brother, and one crumpled Luan resting on the ground, with a big dizzy smile on her face.

"Lookit Ma, shooting stars. Boy do they have a bad aim, hehehe..."

"Is she going to be alright ?" asked Lincoln, worried they had gone a bit too far.

"We didn't break anything that stops her from walking or dodging magical assaults. Ergo, she's fine." analysed Lisa, dusting her hands. "Also, if we could never talk about that little breakdown again..."

Lincoln smiled knowingly. "What breakdown ?"

"Much appreciated, brother of mine."

"you sure know how to give a good beating." said Sans, failing to keep the critical touch out of his casual tone.

"More like we know how to bump heads, especially when it's when a sibling goes a little overboard with their 'thing'." explained Lori, rubbing the little spots of chocolate left on Lily's cheeks.

"Like after Luna had her first successful concert. She was so 'in the zone', the walls of the house were shaking all day, and our dog kept howling for the end of the world." recounted Lincoln.

"Bro, harsh ! We agreed to never tell that to anyone !" blurted Luna, blusing an embarassed pink.

"Well, you did almost get the house to cave in. It was in the local newspaper and everything !" laughed Lana.

"Guys !" Luna pulled on her purple cap to hide her reddening face. Seeing the normally so cool rocker getting so flustered got a good laugh out of the kids, and oblivious to them, eased Sans' mind a little.

"welp, i think it's time for me to leave. I'll call you back when I restock on fried snow, so don't you worry 'bout a thing." winked the skeleton. "see ya kids."

Once the skeleton had walked down the second path and disappeared from their view, realisation settled in the siblings' minds. "Hey, he just weaseled his way out of getting his just desserts too !" exclaimed Lola.

"Lazy he might be, but our skeletal companion is certainly a crafty fellow as well." noted Lisa with great suspicion.

"Let's forget about him for now, and just see what's that way !" Lana pointed to the path ahead, sniffing the air. "It smells good for some reason. Maybe there's another furry friend at the end !"

Lori rubbed her chin. "Well, Sans went the other way, but I guess a peek can't hurt. Just, let's hope there isn't a furry friend at the end."

"Aww, but why ?" pouted Lana.

"Because while fights might get us more allies, I'd like to litterally avoid them as much as we can. Getting burns and cuts wasn't funny before we came in the Underground, and it's not becoming any funnier." explained the blonde leader matter-of-factly, but ended with a small smile. "But, if there are any pettable guys on the way, you have full ground to do what you do."

"YES !" rejoiced the tomboy.

"Alright then, let's just fix Luan up and go !" excitedly quipped Lincoln.

"Haha, that crack in the ceiling looks like a bunny." Luan snickered wobbly. "...Are my legs still there ?"

Lynn and Luna answered the comedienne's question by lifting her back up, with Leni fanning her face with her hand. When her mind seemed to focus back to reality, her face scrunched in annoyance.

"Man, I didn't even get to say bone voyage to Sans ! Get it ?"

"We didn't hurt her humour either. Dang it." said Lucy.

"Alright, all set to go, let's move, people !" swiftly instructed Lori, and all followed her command just as swiftly.

All except one curious brunette.

"Lynn, what're you doing ? We're waiting for you !" called Lola.

The teen didn't answer, her eyes dead focused on the big snowball in front of her, easily Lucy's size. Apart from that, there was nothing special to it, but Lynn couldn't stop looking, simply mesmerised by its spherical form, that just begged to be rolled, or tossed, or kicked, or anything ! The possibilities made her back shiver with excitement...

Or perhaps it was just the snow that her roommate was dunking in her coat.

"YEEE !" Lynn jolted awake, and sent a dark glare to the goth. "A snap of the fingers would've been nice too !"

"But not as funny." monotonedly teased Lucy. The snowball she received in the nose barely got a reaction out of her.

"Lynn, we're going to check that area first. You can play your little game after." said Lori.

"But, but, but... But ball !" whine-pleaded Lynn.

But Lori put her foot down. "After !"

Lynn grumbled inaudible words, ones that she knew were better staying untranslatable both for the sake of her younger sibs' innocence, and the safety of her glove. But she relented nontheless and trudged forward, not without a displeased look plastered on her face.

"Fine, but it better not be a waste of time." she sourly grumbled.

---

"Wow, would you look at that ? A complete waste of time !"

The Louds had come to another dead end, with nothing but eerie darkness to greet them over the cliff. But looking in the distance, the kids could see a lower level starting to form, indicated by the same pine trees they had been constantly seeing since passing the Ruins' doors.

The small area was far from empty though. Two wooden stations stood next to eachother, a wooden sign in between them, and both looking very similar to Doggo's, down to the little desk bells. Seeing those, Lori gently but firmly asked Leni to stay away from them. With guilt crossing her eyes, Leni bowed her head and pitifully nodded. Lily proceeded to 'kiss her boo-boos away', and she felt a little better.

The only difference that Lincoln could observe were two nameplates hammered on the front of the station, but they were rather confusing to say the least.

"His ? Hers ? What kind of names are those ?" wondered the sleuth, not delivering such a stellar performance on this case.

"Well duh, bro ! Two stations standing side to side, nameplates referring to eachother, and even little hearts engraved on them. It's obvious that whoever those two guards are, have it mad for eachother !" concluded Luna, ruffling her now embarrassed bro's hair

"Look at the detail of those hearts too ! So romantic..." swooned Lola.

"Almost asgood as the ones Bobby made for our three-month anniversary." mused Lori, then turned to give a smug smile. "I'm surprised that it didn't even cross your mind, what with you having a girlfriend of your own."

"Well sorry me and Ronnie-Anne don't exchange a heart-plagued declaration of love every waking hour !" exclaimed Lincoln, his expression morphing into a grouchy pout, one that made him look adorkable. "I AM NOT CUTE !" rebuked the cute snow-haired boy. "GAH ! I can't even win against the voices in my head !"

"That's one mind game you aren't gonna win !" cracked Luan.

The sisters laughed heartily, even Lynn, leaving Lincoln to roll his eyes with great irascibility, not bothering to retort. There were fights that you simply couldn't win, or at least ones that weren't worth the bother or the risk for things to grow worse.

"It's A-okay everybody ! Those stations are empty !" reported Lana, as her feet dangled from the left station, while Lucy's head poked out of the right one. Leni gave the poet an odd look, as she could've sworn she had been next to her just a second ago.

Lana jumped back on the ground, and approached the wooden sign. "Alright, let's see what we have here." she said, squinting her eyes. "Looks like some kind of list. 'Snow smell – Snowman ; White Rating. Can become Yellow Rating.'"

"Why would it turn yell- Oh that's just gross !" grossed out Lola.

"'Unsuspicious smell – Puppy ; BLUE Rating. Smell of rolling around.'"

"If there are dogs around that have a 'Yellow Rating', rolling around in the snow might not be such a good idea." snickered Lynn, feeling a bit peppier. Her grin widened as she pursued, "In fact, what if they have a Brown Rati-"

"WOULD YOU STOP IT WITH THE TOILET HUMOUR ?!" hollered Lola, her hands clasped over her earmuffs to stop any more potty-related facts from worming their way inside her mind.

"And the last one : ' Weird Smell – Humans; GREEN Rating. No more good dog, eliminate at all costs !'"

That last line let a little chill fall down the Louds' spines. It seemed that those guards were truly dead set on taking their SOULs, yet the big WHY still lingered. The thought certainly seemed to unnerve most of the kids, including Luna, until she noticed something about the sign her messy sis was reading.

"Hold on, why did they write 'GREEN Rating' in red ?" she wondered.

"'Cause they're dogs !" said Lana, already knowing the answer.

"Indeed." Lisa pushed her glasses up her nose. "For you see, it is common knowledge that domestic canines have achromatopsia."

"What does looking for tops on the internet have to do with dogs ?" quipped Leni, desperately trying to work her inner hamster wheel around this new 13-lettered word. Lisa's long and tired sigh quickly indicated her that she wasn't doing a very good job at it.

"Achromatopsia, Leni, is when an individual's retinae is incapable of receiving colour pigments, thus rendering their vision in a black-and-white state." explained the little genius, trying and failing to hide her irritation for her sister's blatant lack of culture.

Leni's eyes widened with cold realisation. "That means all those times I asked Charles for the best colour to wear, he wasn't actually seeing anything ! Every treat I gave him was for a big fat lie ! Now I feel betrayed and very mad !"

"Would a hug help ?" said Lori, handing her Nurse Lily.

"Yes, it would, thank you !" said Leni in the same angry tone, and took her baby sister with the same big frown, that slowly melted under Lily's coos and nose boopings.

"Welp, unlike Lynn said, I think this wasn't a complete waste of time. We know that there's a couple of dog guards out there, and we've got a couple of informations about them." resumed Lincoln with a content smile, that turned into confusion when she felt Lynn's cheek press against his, quite litterally pressing him to continue. So, he did. "And I guess that now we can go play Lynn's snowball game-"

"Last one to it is Dad's weird bunny tie !" cried out Lynn, before zooming ahead in a feat of speed that only she could accomplish.

"It's actually a hare, you ignoramus ! An grisly one, but a hare nontheless !" yelled Lisa as she ran along with her siblings, all eager to not wear the personnally humiliating title.

---

"And I dub thee 'Lincoln of the ugly white hare tie' for the rest of the day." chortled Lynn as she mimicked a knighting ceremony with a branch found near one of the pine trees.

"No fair, Lana made me trip !" complained the sole brother.

"Underground rules, bro. I mean, you saw Lucy throwing snow at my face." said Lana, nonchalantly checking her nails.

"As if I was going to be affiled to a title that has white in it." sassed the little goth.

"Aw, don't be such a Gloomy McGloompants about this. I mean hey, you already have white hare !" Luan added her joke, messing with some of the hair that poked out of his brown winter cap.

Lincoln of the ugly- sorry, Lincoln crossed his arms with a big frown. "I'm cutting you out of my will. My comics will go to Clyde, and my coin collection to Lily."

"Aw c'mon Linky, it's just a name for a day, everybody will forget it soon." Leni comforted her bro with a gentle pat on the back. Three seconds later, her grin widened. "See ? I already don't remember what it was !"

This got a good chuckle out of Lincoln. As dimwitted she could be at times, there was just something in Leni that made you unable to dismiss her efforts to make you feel better. A description that wasn't far off from a certain new bare-boned face from today.

"Birds of a feather really flock together, don't they ?" murmured Lincoln to himself.

"Okay, are we doing this little ball game or what ?" pressed Lori, who had no intention to rain on her sister's fun, but still had her mind set on finding this Snowdin Town before it got dark. Well, darker anyway.

Lynn made a camera rectangle with her fingers, and scrutinised the field. Part of it had been cleared out of most of its snow, leaving only a light dusting of it. The layout consisted of a sharp turn to the right, a straight diagonal line in the middle, and a sharp turn to the left dredged with some ice. The course ended with a sizeable hole cut in the ground, obviously the end goal.

Lynn tested the other key element of said game by giving the ball a light kick. She watched as it rolled, bounced against the snowful area as if there was some kind of invisible wall, and then as soon as it stopped, slowly melted away. The moment it got too small and vanished, another one magically popped up in front of the sportaholic teen. "Alright, I think I've got it. All we gotta do is kick that ball all the way to that hole right over there. The ball always stay inside the zone, and if you leave it alone too long, it'll melt to nothing, and you're back to the Start Line."

"Sounds easy enough." nodded Lincoln, glad that Lynn hadn't added any of her rules into the mix like she would usually do. Seriously, who included bowling ball traps and trampolines to a Country Cross ?!

"Obviously, I get to go first. Gotta give you guys some benchmark to refer yourselves to." vaunted Lynn, not giving any mind to the many eye rolls she was awarded with. She first went through an obligatory series of warm-ups, then did one of her little good luck jigs. She didn't use them as often as she once did, before a certain incident that was better left where it now resided : A mere grim reminder buried in the Loud House collective mind's backyard. Finally, she put herself in position, and gave the gave the signal to Lisa and her chronometer.

"3, 2, 1... Begin !"

And Lynn was off like a hunting panther. Her years of football practice shone through her dexterity with keeping the rather large snowball to the tip of her feet at all time. She used the walls a couple of times to angle her shots, and shot the ball as soon as she came into range of the End Goal, making it soar through the air like a bullet, but stopping due to the hole's weird pulling force.

"And goal !" cried out Lynn, arms outstretched to the sides.

Lisa pressed the stopwatch button, and noted down the time. "11.2 seconds. A fair try."

The results weren't much good news to Lynn. "Really ? Geez, I'm getting a little out of practice. Or maybe it's because of all those fights we've been in today." Her proud grin came back. "But tired or not tired, let's see if you can beat that !"

Before any of them could respond, a little victory jingle rang from the hole, and to their evergrowing confusion, an orange flag emerged from it. Something seemed to be written on the flag itself, and got the better of Lynn's curiosity.

"'ORANGE. You are the type of person who runs into the danger fists blazing, barrelling through every obstacle with nothing but your wits.'"

Upon reading this, Lynn felt a tad weirded out. Did this game just read her, instead of the usual other way around ? But she was quick to shrug it off with a smile. Broadly speaking, it was pretty much her. Few were the problems she hadn't been able to resolve with her will and wits, and she certainly intended to keep it so.

Suddenly, a golden gleam from the orange pole caught her eye. "Wow, check it out ! This game gives you money if you finish it !" whooped Lynn, untying the five golden coins from the flagstaff. When it was done, the pole sunk back as swiftly as it had came out, and Lynn ran back to her siblings.

"How much gold is there in the Underground ? I swear, they give those coins away like they're made of chocolate !" Lincoln could only wonder. Oddly enough, the thought of Gold being replaced by chocolate for currency got a trickle of saliva out of him, without even the slightest idea why.

"This ball game is lucrative ?! Suddenly, it has all my attention !" said Lola with a gormandizing grin. The prospect of easy riches was always worthy of her time.

"Hmm, maybe we should all give it a shot." proposed Lori as she added the small loot to their jingling purse. "Some pocket change could litterally help."

"Welp, looks like it's time to rock and roll, eh Luna ?" Luan elbowed her rocking roommate.

"Thumbs down on that one, dude. It was weak, even for you." Luna denied the joke with a stern shake of the head, prompting a disappointed "aww" out of Luan.

"Ooh ooh, I go next !" said Lana with an excited wave of her arm. She dropped on all fours, and looked at the ball with the focus she'd give to a fresh puddle of mud.

Lisa's chronometer went off, and so did the little animal lover. Her dog run method was a little slower than Lynn – no surprise there – but still very effective, with a better control over the sharp turns. Seconds later, she gave one last nose push to the ball, and let it sink inside the hole.

"12 seconds, to the split hundredth of a second." announced Lisa.

"Aww, so close !" groaned Lana. Another orange flagpole appeared, but when she approached it, she found the contents to be a tad different.

"'ORANGE. No matter what the obstacles are, you listen to your instinct and leap ahead, never stopping in your crazy run.' Wow, that's one perceptive flag !" acknowledged Lana, feeling her whole being warm up with this same conviction. She lost no time to get her own five Gold, and went back to the starting line.

"Now, it's our turn." said Lori, with Lily still secured in her arms.

"Why you ?" inquired Lola, all too eager to join in the game for some pieces of that gleaming metal she adored.

"There's something I want to test. Plus, I'm the oldest/leader, and she's the youngest/cutest. Pick your priviliege, princess." smirked the young woman. Lola could only glower at the happy baby in her sister's hands, silently vowing to one day take back this Cutest Loud title from her. Soon...

"Alright Lily, here's how we're gonna do it. First, we aren't racing." Lily's expression gained confusion. "I know, I know, but if you want to participate, we can't do this fast. And you do want to play, don't you ?" Lily happily cooed in response. "I thought so. Now first, let me do the work."

Lori walked through the course with relative ease, not having the ruthless claw of time pressuring her into going faster, and thus making loads of dumb mistakes. If 's garden gnomes had still been here to testify, they'd certainly say that Lori's football performances were something of a myth, but not the good kind. Perhaps avoiding another embarassing episode was even the reason she was teaming up with Lily in the first place.

Once close enough from Point B, but not enough for the Ball to be sucked inside the hole, Lori sat Lily just before it, dwarfing the toddler by quite a lot. She happily began to tap and squish its surface, but her fun was interrupted by her big sis.

"Nonono, keep your hands off for a little bit, then you can touch it." she explained. Lily wasn't too keen about this logic : If something that didn't give an ouchie was in her reach, why shouldn't she put her mitts all over it ? But despite that thought, Lily decided to obey. And it proved a fruitful decision, as her young mind marveled over the shrinking snowball. Three seconds later, the ball had reduced to her size, and three later still, it was now no bigger than one of the squeaky balls that filled her cot.

And this, she felt, was her cue. She gave the now lighter ball the mightiest push her little arms could deliver, enough to get it to destination. Applause and cheers from her siblings echoed around her, and the little tot couldn't be more proud of herself.

"Good shot, Lilster !"

"You certainly snowed that ball who was the boss !"

"Yay Lily !"

Lori picked up the new little superstar, but kept her gaze on the hole as the same little jingle rang out. And as she expected, this time around, the result was more than a script change. Instead of a fierce orange, the flagpole emerged from the ground a serene cyan. Hard to say if this was a mere coincidence, but what she read on that flag were making certain puzzle pieces fit.

"'Cyan. Ever so slowly you guided, ever so often you waited. And when the opportunity was at its peak, you striked. And in the worst of times, you'll strike too.'"

The words struck a chord inside the blonde's mind, a recent one at that. She looked at her baby sister, who looked back, her expression as neutral as hers. But Lily unleashed her ace up her parka's stuffy sleeves, with the demonstration of a Grade-A cuteness Cheek squishing-Raspberry combo. Lori's inner focus broke, but for the better, she mused to herself.

What amused her a little less was the price for their performance. 4G, one less than her two daredevil sisters. As she walked back, she hoped that this number wouldn't dwindle through her other siblings' attempts, or it would mean more petty complaints she'd have to deal with.

"Even if it wasn't timed, that was a pretty good shot you gave there." commended Lynn.

"Thanks." simply replied Lori.

But of course, old habits died hard. "Though this gal is still ahead like always ! Woo ! Lynn Loud, Surface and Underground Champion !" she banged her head to the sound of victory trumpets, ones that, as always, only she seemed to hear. Lori's eyes made an intense 360°, and Lily quite litteraly rained on her sister's parade with a disdainful raspberry.

"Alright, who next ?" said Lincoln.

"ME !" resonated the voices of two stage-lovers, their hands in the air. One stink eye later, the two locked noses with eachother, braces against glitter.

"I asked first." Lola growled menacingly.

"I don't see any tape backing up your case. And you've got quite the record in lying." Luan pushed back.

"Oh, like you never doublespeaked before. You and that glorified table leg you call your soulmate."

"YOU LIVE OUT OF THIS !"

"ENOUGH !" thundered Lori, immediately silencing the bickering duo. "You two have been at eachother's throats three times today, and it's getting on everyone's nerves, mine very included ! Did you forget what the first rule of our survival is ?" Silence. "Well ?!"

"No petty fighting, always talk it out." said Luan and Lola in an impressive imitation of their grimmish sister's monotone.

"Exactly." firmly nodded Lori. "And now, you two are going to play this Ball game together."

"What ?!"

"Why ?!"

"To teach you teamwork. And because it's funny." the blonde leader smugly admitted. Her aura was now back to her usual 'Do me a favour, and nobody will know you did that Squirrel Dance' level.

"Welp, two cute lovebirds if I've seen any." snickered Luna. To add on the ridicule, she began playing the Wedding March with her harmonica, drawing hysterical laughs from her siblings, while Lola and Luan could only watch with the most deadpan expressions they could muster.

"Well, if we are going to do this together, I suggest we at least bring some style to our performance. Something I know you can pull off." said Lola, her rather snobbish tone hiding the compliment she'd just made.

Luan certainly grew interested, tapping her chin with a cheeky grin. "I do try my best striving for originality. But how original are we talking about here ?"

Lola pulled Luan closer, and susurrated to her ear. Some were tempted to eavesdrop on their conversation, but Lola's sharp teeth and laser-like eyes quickly cured them. Thirty seconds, a whispered pun, and a slap on the back of the head later, the huddle of two dispatched itself. Both comedienne and princess nodded to eachother, and the latter ran ahead to take her place.

Luan placed herself before the Ball, inhaled a deep breath, and put on her best smile. The one that announced an imminent show. And of course, what would be a show including Luan without...

"Alright, let's roll ! Luna !" she called to her surprised sister. "A little jig from the clover fields, please ?"

"You got it, lassie." said Luna with a grin of her own. Her harmonica soon rung of a little catchy tune that made all Louds' feet tingle with the sudden urge to dance. Luan obliged hers, and after skillfully punting the ball right on top of her head, she started hopping on one feet after the other, following the rhythm with awe-inspiring expertise.

"Woah, I thought the only dance Luan knew was that funny Duck Dance she always uses !" Lana clapped to the rhythm.

"Am I the only one craving for pop-corn right about now ?" snorted an amused Lincoln.

"I could do with some swollen maize myself." quipped Lisa.

"Make it extra bare for me." said Lucy with a slow, almost creepy lick of her lips.

Meanwhile, Luan felt she could dance hours to this music, but knew that wasn't an option. As such, it was time for Act 2 to begin. "Irish I could continue, but I don't wanna press my luck. Get it ?" The sibs groaned in response, but the music did not stop. "Now, get ready to get your socks knocked off by the one who never wears any : my Snake Shot."

As the Ball touched the ground once more, Luan gave it a hearty kick, but from the tip of her heel only. What happened next was a tad... how to put this into words ?

"She is NOT breaking the laws of physics right in front of my person !" angrily hollered Lisa. Monsters and their quirks were still something her brain was having a hard time processing, but the thought of their weirdness spreading to her siblings was something the prodigy was not willing to put the effort into even conceive. And looking at the Ball slaloming down the path only rose those levels to new highs.

"Wow, I've never seen that kind of shoot before." whistled Lynn, then gained a pumped up tone. "She's got to teach me how to do that ! Those suckers from Hazeltucky will never see it coming !"

"It's slithering like a real snake too..." whimpered Leni. She had no problem with Lana's El Diablo, because she knew he was a nice reptile, and a hugger at that. But that didn't mean that she appreciated seeing a viper slithering through the wild grass. "Eeek, I think it just looked at me !"

Lola was just as surprised as the others to see the Ball move left and right like it had a mind of its own. She had heard the idea, sure, but she didn't expect for Luan to actually pull it off. Then again, there had been more than a few drenching buckets that had appeared out of nowhere to ruin her make-up, so what did she know ?

But none of that mattered right now. The Finale was near, and she was the star of it, the main actress. Also the only one. But all the better in the little spotlight-hogger's mind ! With the Ball closing in, Lola was in position, both boots on the small skating rink the course offered. The cue was perfectly received, and she readied herself. Time to make those tiring and often painful hours on the ice worthwile !

With a gracious spin, the ball was caught by Lola's pink boot. But the spinning didn't stop, oh no, it only got quicker from there. But the blonde spinning-top didn't move from her spot, not by a iota. Once enough speed had been gathered, Lola dared a jump, resulting in a spin that would've made more than a few skating pros go green with envy.

"Now those are skills you don't pick up just posing for the camera." commented Lori, thoroughly impressed with her little sister's performance.

"But will it pay off ?" said Lincoln, his inner narrator (The one he always had, not you-know-who) working to build up the tension.

Finally, still airborne and at the precise time, Lola lowered the tip of her boot ever so slightly, and freed the Ball from her own little cyclone. The ball whizzed through the air, yet fell like a rock once above the hole. As the victory jingle played out, Lola fell right back on her feet, but promptly plopped back on her tushie, waiting for the world to stop spinning. In the meantime, Luan turned with an expectant look to her pear-clad sister.

"...12 seconds, 7 tenths, 7 hundredths." said Lisa, shaking her head. "I fear that the Gold remains out of your reach."

"YES !" bellowed Lynn, before calming down under the looks she received, reminding her of certain board game incidents. A little more, and she would have broken down her infamous 'chicken dinner' dance. "I mean, good try you two, good try."

"Don't patronize me ! Bronze is for the second loser !" woozily asserted Lola, before falling flat on her back with a sick groan. Luan went to retrive her, with a few good pokes in the stomach area first, just to be sure her cheese-coloured clothes wouldn't get the smell that came with it.

But before they could depart, the flagpole rose, this time a deep blue that felt so familiar to the both of them. That feeling, plus the thought of their gleaming reward, pushed them to creep closer to it.

"'Blue. Your originality carried you to success, and through it, you can see the world through many eyes and eyesockets unknown.'"

Lola and Luan blinked owlishly at the description. More than their performance, it seemed that this flag could read in their very existences, they were now sure of it. But far from being insulted, they felt quite, well, proud of what was written here.

But though eyesockets was pretty clear, what could it mean by 'through many eyes' ?...

Lola had a better question though. "Three Gold coins each ?! I deserve an award for my axel alone !" she raged.

"I guess our perfomance was out of boundaries. After all, crime doesn't pay !" guffawed Luan, once again seeing the glass half-full. Seeing her sister's growing annoyance however, her features softened. "But hey, we don't have to be ashamed for what we did, right ? They certainly don't seem to be." she gestured to her clapping siblings.

Lola's moody expression improved consequently, and got her confidence-oozing smile back from its break. "Well, numbers speak for themselves. And I do prefer a living crowd to a cheapstake flag."

"That's one pole we won !" added Luan with an exagerated wink, that she was finding herself to fancy more and more as the day went on.

As soon as they returned, the Louds' local modern minstrel threw her arms around her sisters' shoulders. "Y'know, that flag's got the right idea. You didn't get fastest, but presentation-wise, you two were the big shots for sure." said Luna encouragingly Both warmly smiled, letting the fuzzy feeling take a gentle hold of their hearts, but the sudden movement did give another unwelcome feeling to the green-faced blonde.

"Can I go next ?! Pleaaase~ ?" asked Leni with the most compelling large-pupiled look she could give, one that all could do nothing but melt under it.

"Hey, no need to resort to that !" cringed Lori, shielding her eyes from her sister's hypnotic stare of supreme pity. "Fine, you can go next !"

"Yay !" chirped the ditzy teen, prancing on her way to the starting line.

"If one day she gets smart enough to weaponize that look, we are litterally all doomed." said Lori, rubbing her brow.

Lucy wrinkled her nose. "Please don't give her any idea."

"Ready~ !" said Leni, waving as though she was an elementary pupil finding her parents in the crowd while on stage. Strange thing for a sixteen-year old to do, but common when you knew her right.

"Blissful are the ignorants." said Lisa. "3, 2, 1... GO !"

Leni departed at a comfortable pace, not wanting to bother or hurt the Ball she was carefully carrying. Wait...

"What the- LENI ! You're supposed to push it with your feet ! This is the kind of foul play that nails your butt to the substitutes' bench !" called Lynn, almost aghast to have such blatant foul play happening before her eyes. Sure, she had quite the record for fouls herself, but they'd been mostly thrown at her for rough play, something she could sort of gloat about with the team after the match. This was just tragic to watch.

But Leni wasn't moved by Lynn's logic, and simply answered, "I don't see anything that says that I have to."

Lynn almost choked in bewilderement. She had known her fill of Leni-graded naivety, but this felt like a whole new level. "B-B-But that's because it's ultra obvious ! Everybody moved it with their feet, except Lily, but that's because she's a baby ! You saw them, dang it !" she pressed on vehemently.

"Exactly. You've all been kicking at those snowballs, not even stopping to ask yourself if they have feelings like the rocks we met in the Ruins, or that nice Snowman from earlier." Leni pointed out, earning flabbegastered looks from the siblings, who began considering the matter, but were in shock that Leni was the one bringing up such a thing. "Well, this one is going home without a single kick to hurt him. Or her."

As Leni resumed her trek, Lana could only wonder. "They... don't have feelings, right ?" she asked, more so to herself than to her siblings.

"If they do, they're really good at hiding them." answered Lincoln, he and his mindmate standing just as confused as the little blonde currently was.

"How did she even come up with that stuff anyway ?" queried Lola, her brain rattling with questions. One of them being if she should stick up a note to the Ball to apologize kicking them in the face, and another to wonder what stars had aligned for her to end up asking herself that improbable question.

"There is always more than meets the eye, even with someone like Leni." quipped Lucy, her voice dry yet dripping with wisdom. "Who knows what enigmas her mind is currently deciphering ?"

'If we lived in a world made of water, would dry be like a reverse wet ?'

Such question would never find an answer, nor did it ever needed to. So Leni simply went back to hum that catchy tune from that super nice story about that boy and his friend snowman. She'd always sleep through the end, lulled by the melody. It had to be a great end, seeing how her siblings would always be crying when she'd wake up.

Her destination coming into view, Leni hurried her pace, and before she knew it, found herself before the end of her quest. The Ball was delicately put on the floor, and came the time to end this 15-second trek.

"Well, I guess this is good-bye." said Leni, a pinch of hesitation in her voice.

"..."

Despite the lack of response, Leni's eyes welled up. "I totes understand. I mean, I have my home to go back to, and... you have yours. I just hope that my sisters' kicks didn't hurt too much."

"..."

"You don't feel them ? At all ?"

"..."

"Wow, I didn't know that !"

"I don't know. It dearly costs me to admit it, but I just don't have the faintest grasp of what's going on." Lisa answered to the eighteen expectant pairs of eyes she could feel boring into her skull.

"Okay, now's the time to say good-bye, for real." said Leni, hand on her heart. But before fulfilling her quest, one shy question was yet to be answered. "You won't forget me, will you ?"

"... … …"

But despite the lasting, discrediting silence that hung in the air, it seemed that Leni's silly action had been judged a tad too quickly. It was with that thought in mind that the siblings' jaws collectively hit the floor, as they watched the Ball twitching from left to right and vice-versa; basically shaking its head.

Leni's reaction was a simple pat on top of her friend's round form, and a push to make it tumble inside the hole. She wistfully sighed. It was done. This bizzare yet emotion-packing small adventure was over...

The moment was thoroughly broken by the jingle that preceded the flagpole's appearance, coloured up in a luxurious green this time around. The colour alone carried a familiar sense of serenity to the teen, pushing her to find out if the writing onto it carried something similar.

"'Green. Your concern and care for Ball brought you a beautiful victory. Talent and predispositions help, but if the will to try and do better are not there, never can you be Great. That, you knew.'"

Confusion spread across Leni's face at first, but was quickly replaced by her natural smile. For a reason she couldn't quite place, her heart had been swelling when she'd set her eyes on that G-word. A dashing skeleton appeared in her mind, as did the hope to catch his look. To her, this was what the idea this flagpole was supporting, as long as she kept that positive mindset.

Leni's conclusion : Signs in the Underground were really nice !

Next to the flag flapped a lone gleaming piece of gold attached to a string. This was the lowest reward given thus far, but Leni didn't care. In fact, she felt that this one Gold was more precious on a personal level than all the coins they had gathered thus far. And reflecting against its surface was the flag's luxurious hue.

Glistening as bright as her own SOUL, she could tell.

Leni skipped back to her siblings, who had several questions about the events that had transpired during the last minute. But when they saw their sister's giddiness as she dropped her Gold inside Lori's bag, they decided to set it aside. Just one more mystery to add to the Loud House record. Right between the missing bowl of candies of Halloween '10, and the secret ingredient to Lincoln's Cheese Soufflé. Seriously, wars were fought over the latter.

"Well, I believe that it is my turn to act." said Lisa, passing her stopwatch to her purple-clad sister.

"You're sure about that, dudette ? It's a mighty big ball, and you ain't too mighty on the physical department."

"Ha, please ! All the 'mightiness' I need is much more compact than simple girth, and a whole lot more useful." snorted Lisa, a sole glint rippling across the surface of her glasses. With upmost confidence in her step, she went to stand by the Ball, shaking her head in amusement. Really, what could be so daunting about a game so simple, her roommate could easily grasp its rules ?

Then, Lisa opened her eyes, and her smile went for a nice crash course to the bottom of her cheeks. Her eyelids furrowed in annoyance as she heard her fellow humans' snickering in the background. Oh, they had to be so amused by the fact that her whole body stood shrouded in the Ball's shadow, and that it was nearly twice her size.

"We told you it was no small task ! In fact, I'd say it's a pretty tall order !" cracked Luan, doubling the laughing power around her.

"Preying over the weak and powerless. Typical." grumbled Lisa.

"Do you need a push or something ?" asked Leni, looking confused when she saw the others laughing even harder. "What ? What did I say ?"

"So, what's it gonna be, Einstein Jr. ? How is your big brain going to go around this bigger problem ?" teased Lynn with a growing smile.

A chord had been struck in Lisa's mind, the touchiest of all. Her genius was being... doubted ! After all those tutouring sessions and the scientific miracles she accomplished, they dared casting even the tiniest shadow of doubt onto her brilliance ?!

Lisa regained her calm, but this one glowed of its willful core. It seemed that a reminder was in severe order here.

Measuring tape in hand, Lisa went to work over the Ball, taking every useful measure. By the time the siblings shared a collective blink, she was already finished, and laid knees deep into the snow as she swiftly wrote calculations and variables in the powder, ones that, the others knew, would give them a headache just by looking at it.

"Wow, looks like we motivated her good. I can almost hear the gears turning in her head !" commented Lana, impressed by her usually calm and calculating sister's burst of energy.

"In Lisa's case, it would be more like the whirring of a supercomputer or two." said Lori as she scratched her chin. "What kind of gadget or ultra-complicated mathematic formula is she gonna use this time ?"

No one could properly answer, but as she observed the outlines the little genius was drawing around her mish-mash of numbers and letters, a certain detail did catch Luan's attention. "I think I see a... circus tent ?"

"How does that, like, add to anything ?" asked Leni. The blonde had no idea that she had once again tickled her sister's funny bone.

"We did say she'd have big shoes to fill ! Haha, get it ?"

The siblings would have groaned, if not for Lisa's sudden back straightening. "I have finished my calculations." she announced with upmost seriousness, faltering a bit when she gave an awkward cough. "However, I still have no means to access the top of the rotating sphere. Could one of you be of assistance... please ?"

"So much for that." Lincoln mused, before going to his sister's help. A relatively easy task, as it wasn't Lisa's first time where she needed to reach a high shelf. Most of the time, back home, she had her trusty portable stool and portable stepladder, but they could only help so much. There had been the idea of building a personal jetpack, but... yeah, let's just leave it at that.

Once she'd successfully made it to the top, Lisa thanked Lincoln, both for the assistance and the lack of a side-comment to rise some more levity at her expense. She spared the course one last analytic glance, checked her balance, and finally enacted her well-crafted plan. One that resulted of careful measuring of a sphere radius, breaking down the average number of flaws that the path could hold, and of course determining the frequency her lower limbs would have to be put in forward motion to achieve the optimum pace, that would guarantee her the victory she was destin- no, the victory she had the mathematic certainty of.

Lisa pressed on forth, making it through the first turn on both her carrier and what she needed to carry to the end. Everything was going smoothly, and the little genius could only revel in her delusions of grandeur. So much so that she didn't hear Luan as she slapped her forehead in realisation.

"Oooh, that kind of circus act ! A well-rounded plan if I've ever seen one !" laughed the comedienne, watching with swelling pride at her usually dry and serious sister being quite litterally, on a roll. (*Rimshot*)

"So after all that math stuff, she went with something even I could have thought about ?" said Lynn, her brow knitting in confusion, then slowly unravelled in a brief moment of clarity. "Huh, that's kinda genius on its own. Meh, not like it's gonna help her win anyway." she shrugged with a confident gaze on the timer.

"Flaws in her height, she rolls through despite it all. But at the end of her path, only waits the darkest hole." recited Lucy, blackening the pages of her poem book.

"Lisa ! Zoom, zoom !" babbled Lily, putting all of her heart in cheering for her super smart roommate. That, and she really wanted a turn on it next.

Those simplistic words were the only ones that managed their way to the prodigy's ears, making her ego and thirst for success overwhelm all her senses. But having cleared the second turn, she could certainly allow herself to lower her guard. All that remained between her and the Goal was a perfectly straight line. Lisa smirked. She dared anyone to find a better analogy for 'Child's play'.

But at only three rolls away from destination, a thought pierced through Lisa's self-assured facade like an arrow coated with icy awareness. Going over all of her sketches and careful planning, she suddenly noticed the minuscule, but oh so crucial detail missing from her plan.

The brakes !

"It's always the tiniest drop of sulphide missing that creates the largest explosions." were Lisa's famous last words, before the Ball abruptly stopped and catapulted her off it, and after a couple of nausea-inducing pirouettes, landed her face-first in the snow. A habit she was finding herself despising a little more with every occurence.

"Okay, I know I said I would be saving battery, but this is litteraly scrapbook material right there !" said Lori in near hysterics, replaying the small feed of Lisa's shrieking flight over and over. She could feel Lily's judging stare creeping down her neck, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Looks like snow itself is taking its sweet revenge against Lisa now." said Lola, stiffling a cackle of her own.

"The road to redemption is full of cracks and rocks, sis." Lana nodded with a wistful tone, wind in her pigtails. All of which lasted all of 3.2 seconds, before bursting out into laughter. "And in Lisa's case, it's gonna be full of hilarious falls flat on the face !"

Lisa grumbled and muttered profanities in multiple dead dialects as she helped herself back up. So much for proving the superiority of science; she had instead made an absolute fool of herself. Honestly, with all that had happened today, she wondered... Was this place placing a curse on her or something ? Just because she couldn't accept magic as the easy fix-it solution, that had for sole silly explanation its very name ?

Lisa pinched her brow with great frustration. "And now, I'm even starting to believe in curses. Because that worked out so well last time."

But Lisa's woes were put to rest when she heard the little jingle, acknowledging the fact that she had still brought the Ball all the way to the hole. It was a hazy and cack-handed victory, admittedly, but a victory nontheless.

This time around, the rising flagpole held a rich purple colour. It felt somewhat cryptic to Lisa, but in an endearing way, like with one of those 81-faced Rubik's Cubes she'd play with between two experiments, to keep her brain sharp and alert. With high hopes hidden behind a mere raised eyebrow, Lisa decided to see what strange message the flag had to offer.

"'Purple. Weighed down by your weaknesses, you used your strengths the best you could, took notes and adapted your way to success. Quick and thirsty to learn, you might just learn it from where you expect it the least.'"

Now there was a snag, Lisa thought once done with her reading. Surprises weren't exactly on her agenda or daily list. Just the fact that most of her days would strictly go by those two elements showed how much she wasn't fond of surprises. Chemistry, math, biology; all of the things she was fond of, didn't fare too well with surprise, luck, and other wild variables. As for coming from an external source, surprises back in her lab meant soiled nappies, a sudden window-breaking riff in the corridor, a cream pie right in the facial area, or a football plowing through test tubes, resulting in her room being painted in colours yet to be referenced.

But looking at those words again, Lisa began to look at it differently. While exactitude was something preferred amongst scientists, boldness had been a rather important factor to make science what it was today, especially back then. Inventions of all types had come from the need to improve life, but also from the desire to constantly go further, in ways that hadn't been thought of before. After all, Johannes Gutenberg didn't open his eyes for the first time thinking that it would be pretty neat to be able to spread copies of enlightening writings without having to write them all by hand.

Presently, surprises and discoveries hadn't been too kind to Lisa or her beliefs. But on a more social level, it had certainly been going a fairer way. The friendliness those monsters deployed under their odd behaviours had been a welcome enjoyement, especially with a certain caretaker. All of this reminded her of her own first friendship experience with Darcy. She had certainly learned a lot from someone that had barely anything in common with her and who, prior to her grades being in danger, she would have never interracted with further than a casual greeting when entering the classroom.

"Hmm, never thought I would be quoting Leni of all people, but hey, stranger things have happened in the last hour alone." concluded Lisa with a shrug, then looked up to the purple pole, and nodded her head at it. "Thank you kindly, sign." With that said, she collected her own loot, consisting of only two Gold, and trudged back to her sisters with a slightly broader mind. A feeling she always savoured.

"Alright, make way dudes and dudettes, 'cause my cue's up !" Luna said with a rollicking fist pump. "Normally I'd go solo, but if I wanna win this thing, I'm gonna need some help. And there's only one spooky duchess who can pull this schtick off."

Her siblings looked very confused by the musician's statement, with the concerned party even more so. "Um, why me ? I don't see how I'll be helpful." monotoned Lucy with a raised brow (?).

Luna's grin didn't falter nor did it twitch. She hunched to Lucy's level, cupped her hands against her dark grey hood, and whispered her rockin' plan. From Lucy's expression however, it didn't look all that synched up.

"I know I'm not as loud as you guys, but this is getting plain ridiculous. I do NOT telep-"

"It doesn't matter how you do it !" interrupted Luna. "You're still a whole lot more sly and quick on your dogs when nobody can see you, am I right ?"

"Pretty much. The feeling of being forgotten is the one I associate with the most." said the black-haired girl with an even tone. She suddenly felt her face being squeezed by her sister's arms wraping around her head. "What are you doing ?"

Luna realised what she was doing, and untangled Lucy from her surprise hug. "Sorry sis, my mind kinda went blank, and it felt like the right thing to do." She banished the pink in her cheeks with a clearing of her throat. "Anyway, ready to rock ?" Lucy shrugged, bizzarely making the sound of opening a dusty old wardrobe. "Good enough for me !"

The sibs watched as their purple-clad sister put herself before the Ball, and adressed a thumbs up to the stoic poet, who didn't budge a muscle to even acknowledge the gesture. Lisa gave the depart signal, and Luna was off, her feet juggling the ball with semi-expertise. While not her passion, football was a nice way to unwind in her book; as long as Lynn didn't get too competitive of course.

Nothing noteworthy so far, the siblings noted. But it was when she attained the first turn that Luna's grand plan unfurled. A mighty shoot sent the Ball through the path with acute precision, not coming close to the walls for a single second. But Luna's focus wasn't on the Ball anymore. And neither would her siblings' in a second.

"Blimey, look at that ! A distraction ! Coated in sweet chocolate !"

Reactions were immediate once the sweet was named, even from Lincoln for some reason, and the pack was quick to whip their heads around to see what Luna was pointing at. Of course, their gazes all met the same high and dark ceiling. The urge to facepalm rose sharply. They felt almost ashamed for getting fooled by this gag as old as the hills, save for Lily and Leni, who kept looking for whatever chocolate bird their sister had spotted.

When they all turned back, they suddenly noticed someone missing. Incidentally, the one they often didn't see disappearing. "Uh, where did Lucy go ?" asked Lynn, scratching her scalp in confusion.

Leni, getting over the disappointement of not finding that chocolate chicken, was quick to spot a familiar concentration of grey and black ahead. "There she is ! She teleported all the way over there !" she pointed.

"Grooooan." Lucy audibly expressed her mood. Once they'd get back home, she would pour into Grandma Harriet's book to see if there was something about hammering an idea inside people's heads. Figuratively or literally, she didn't care at this point.

But the fact was, Lucy was now standing in the Ball's path, having somehow moved faster than it, and without any tracks in the snow to indicate the path she had taken. The Ball, about her size, kept snowballing a little too fast, yet she kept her position, thoroughly unimpressed. Icy cold and chills weren't a problem to her, and neither was getting rolled over on a whim from a force of nature; though the one she was used to carried the smell of sweat and meatballs.

But the child was ready to retaliate this time. In one tug, she wrapped the lower part of her hood around her body, making it look like the cape of a Transylvanian count, if you caught her drift. This seemed like an odd move, but not odder than what happened next. Because upon reaching Lucy, instead of crashing into her with a mighty and humourous splat, it began slowly circling around her. It was as if a mystical force was both pushing the Ball away from Lucy's form, yet magnetizing the sphere to go around her, like a dog proudly parading around its master.

"Wow, so mystical. It's kinda impressive ! And freaky too..." gulped Lola, remembering the big laugh she had given as answer to Lucy's threats to turn her hair into hissing snakes. The expression 'taming her wild hair' would go to a level she didn't even want to imagine.

Lisa snorted at the pageant queen's naivety. "Please. What you see here is nothing but a sham."

"After everything we've been through, you still discard magic as fake ?" said Lincoln with an inquisitive brow.

"Negatory, as I have indeed learned to not jump to conclusions when it came to the thoroughly unexplored field of research that is... magic." She still had a little trouble getting that word out normally. She regained her composure soon enough. "No, the reason I qualify this performance as a sham, is because I can see one of her feet sticking out to monitor the rotation. I admit it is commendable for her to be able to keep the rotation perfectly circular, but I wouldn't call it mystical." she analysed with a smuggish tone.

"Then, how is her foot turning around her without stopping ?" inquired Lana, her curiosity not yet put to rest.

Lisa's eyes flew open, and gazed at the creepy ability. But instead of her jaw plummeting to the ground, Lisa merely groaned. "I can't even be allowed to win once, can I, Underground ?"

Lori patted her wild brown scalp. "With all the times you've been right, I'm sure you can take a couple of blows."

"The number referenced by the term 'couple' has been crossed since day one, dear sistriach. The correct term is one that shouldn't be pronounced in the presence of such young ears."

Right on cue, Lily went to hug the side of her youngest older sister. Lisa, feeling wagged out, wordlessly passed an arm around her little hooded head.

Feeling that two laps around her was enough, Lucy released the Ball from her power, and let it slide straight to the hole. To the suprise of nobody, it made no sound doing so. What did make a sound however, was the victory tune, and the slithering sound of the flagpole rising. And its colour soured the little goth's mood a little more.

"Really ? Yellow again ?" she dryly vented. Her fists were slightly clenched and the edges of her lips were down by about half an inch lower than usual. Which was the equivalent of say, Lola's high-pitched yell of wrath, or Luna's tone going from cool to subzero. But Lucy knew better than start picking fights with inanimate objects, and merely uttered a sigh. "At this point, I'd settle for dark purple..."

"Take them as they come, sis. Take them as they come." Luna keenly nodded, standing by her sister's side.

Not seeing any non-headache-worthy alternative, Lucy recluantly obliged, and joined Luna to see what reading of their actions and futures the mysterious flagpole was delivering this time.

"'Yellow. Your fine accuracy brought order to this wild course. Your forthright words whizz and cut through chaos and despair alike, and whether it is under a bright spotlight or by a dim shy glow, you shine for what is right.'"

"Wow, it's even written as a poem." remarked Lucy, feeling a little speechless. Both for the poetic effort, and the philosophy behind it. Not to mention the cozy feeling that came from that 'dim shy glow' mention. "And the message behind it is, dare I say, delightfully cryptic."

"It's pretty accurate, I'll give it that." chuckled Luna, not sure if the flag even knew that of all the chaos the Loud kids could offer, she was noisiest.

"Are you pulling a Luan now ?"

"Maybe~ ?"

"Sigh. Why was I bound to suffer those puns ?"

"Because you love us, little dudette. More than life itself, even though we're all mad. Now let's collect the dough, and see what's next on the list."

The rhyme-loving duo quickly collected their dues of 3G each, and made their way back to their siblings. Lisa gave her stopwatch a look, and announced the result.

"Your time is estimated at... 12 seconds, just like Lana."

"Dang it/Bogus !" cried the two. Meanwhile, Lynn was doing her best to keep her yells of victory to herself, but she didn't fool anybody. Especially when her legs were imitating Luan's Irish jig from earlier.

"Alright, seems we're done here, so let's continue." said Lori. She took a confident first step, but kept it at that when she heard the raspy of a throat being cleared. She turned to find the responsible to be Lincoln,. He had his arms crossed, and a flat expression that held its share of impatience.

Lori raised an eyebrow. "What's with the frowny face ?"

"Are you sure you aren't forgetting something ?" said the white-haired boy, his foot hitting the ground with an annoyed tempo.

The blonde stood there for a moment, wondering what ever could be the problem. Lucy was right next to them, so that couldn't be what she was forgetting. And they all had their turn with the game-

"Ah. You want to participate ?" tried Lori. Surprise crossed her face when her brother nodded. "Really ? Litteraly, no joke ?"

"Why would I be joking with this ?" inquired Lincoln, a little unnerved by all the owlish looks he was receiving from his sisters, like he had suddenly grown a third eye.

"But you hate football !" exclaimed Lola, wondering how much weirder this day could be get. "Every time Lynn asks you to do some passes, we can hear your groan of dismay from the Mall. You know, on the other side of town !"

"So ? You hate football too. So do Lucy and Lisa." countered Lincoln. "What was your reason of doing it ?"

"Cash, obviously !"

"Luna asked me. Gold sounded nice too."

"To add a little bit of inellectual work to this primal sport. And cash."

Lincoln offered a smug grin to all around. "Well there you have it. I don't want to be left out of the competition, and I want some Gold."

Lynn couldn't fight back a snort upon hearing her brother's claim. "Because you wanna get into the competition too ? I mean, you and sport competitions hasn't exactly been a mix that spells winning."

"Well duh ! Competition doesn't start with a 'w', and sport's got nothing to do with spelling bee events !" cut in Leni with a cocky tone, a rather rare sight.

"And the worst thing is, we can't say she's wrong." sighed Lana with a roll of her eyes.

"Anyhow, my mind is made." asserted Lincoln. "I know I don't have a speck of talent in those, and my chances of winning are microscopic, but if there's one thing I don't lack of, it's the will to try !" His enthusiasm brought a kinder smile to her athletic sister's visage.

"Now that's what I wanna hear. If only you had that attitude back home, instead of trying to weasel your way out of my activities. Maybe that weird guy or gal inside your head is changing you for the better." said Lynn as she gave her bro's head a little knock. A spike of annoyance rose inside Lincoln's mind, and only a quarter of it was his.

"Well go for it, li'l bro ! Go make us another Winter tale !" encouraged Luna, playfully ruffling her bro's hair.

This little bit of support was exactly what Lincoln needed to put some vigor in his step. As he looked at the Ball, his imagination went wild. What if his performance could unlock some secret message ? Maybe some secret item that could be useful for their quests ? What if he won, and finally had something to counter-gloat Lynn ? Oh yeah, he liked the sound of that last one. He liked it very much...

"Lincoln, we're burning daylight here ! Stop drooling, and start kicking !" shouted Lola.

Once his heart stopped its intense drumming from the sudden wake-up call, the sole brother prepared himself. He tried mimicking the pose Lynn would take on the starting line, but it ended up looking more like a broken wheelbarrow than anything else. Lincoln's cheeks flared up. He had no idea how athletes did it ! Do they actually train on those poses too ?

But enough questions. Time for action !

Lisa hit the button, and Lincoln was off a... weird start. The Ball, that had been steady and rolling exactly where the sisters wanted to when kicking it, suddenly decided to go through its rebellious phase. Every time Lincoln tried to kick it straight, the Ball would bend its path, go completely to the right or left, or simply rolled a few inches forward. Adding to that Lincoln's own record in kicking, which was pretty much the same than his oldest sister's, and it was quite the show to witness.

"Wow, I knew it wasn't stellar, but was he always that bad ?" commented Luan, to which Lynn nodded.

"Pretty much. He's good with his hands, and he's got mad skills as a goalie, no question asked. But yeah, when it comes to kick the ball, he just doesn't know how to do it. It's like his feet suddenly get painted with grease, or he angered some ball God." Lynn shook her head. "I'm giving him my best training, and he's getting better. But it's still embarassing to watch. And funny." she finished with a snicker.

"That Ball's so mean with Linky ! Nothing like Simon." Leni crossed her arms.

Lori cocked an eyebrow. "Simon ?"

"Simon the Snowball, duh !" beamed the fashionista.

"Weird to say, but I think Leni's got a point." said Lana, wincing at her bro crashing on his back after missing another shoot. "I think it just dodged Lincoln's foot just there !"

But despite the Ball apparently being against him and his annoyance swelling, Lincoln's will didn't deflate. Bit by bit, he managed to get the Ball through the middle of the course. He knew his time was up at this point, but he at least wanted to see what flag he would get, even if it was one which said that he sucked at this. A participation award was still an award, and one that he hoped, came with some Gold to help the cause.

"Okay, I'm down to the last stretch, just gotta give it one last kick." he assured himself, taking a calming breath. "Just one last kick... just one last kick... just one- OH COME ON !" he shouted. Lincoln considered himself a rather patient guy, a virtue that came from having so many sisters, each with a different mindset to understand and work with or his way around. But when a BALL was the one avoiding him, without giving any clear reason as to why, Lincoln believed he had found his limit.

But... Lincoln took another deep breath. Everything was alright. He had met with resistance before, and from many more opponents. He just needed a plan, even if it was one made on the fly.

Wait... that was it ! Plan memories coming back ! Giving the twins a bath three years ago !

Lincoln sighed in defeat, and turned around with a shake of his shoulders. "I guess it can't be helped. You win, Ball. I mean, who am I to say if you need to get in that hole or not. You're totally free to-"

Lincoln cut himself short as he pounced towards the unsuspecting sphere with a triumphant "AHA !". But, as Leni had proved earlier, the Ball was more intelligent than it was first given credit for. And it proved it once more, by side-rolling just enough to dodge the flying tween, making him end his soaring trip right by the hole. But he didn't just drop in front of it. It seemed that somehow, its magnetic attraction for snow was accompanied by a magnetic repulsion for humans. And his sisters saw just that when he crashed into an invisible column with an audible Smack !

"Oooh, that's gonna leave some marks in the morning !" winced Lana.

"Wait, didn't Lisa fly above the hole ?" noted Lynn. "Geez, this game really has something against him."

"Is he okay though ?" inquired Lola, looking with a rare bout of concern at the heap that was now her brother laying on the floor. Then she saw a twitch rippling his foot awake, and she let out a sigh of relief, that she immediately tried to hide with a cough. She had some pride to keep after all.

"If nobody minds, I'm going to lay down for a hour or two..." groaned Lincoln, finding the hard ground to be suprisingly welcoming and warm...

*Ball game, rule #3 : Ball accepts patience, but is itself impatient. Let fate get the best of you, and it just might be Game Over.

Lincoln stopped kissing the ground as soon as he heard those words; out of confusion at first, he quickly realised what his mindmate meant. Whipping his head, he saw the quickly dwindling snowball, and almost cursed. Well, what little bad words he actually knew anyway. He tried getting back on his feet, but his mind, still numb from the shock, ordered his legs to meet up to plan the situation at hand, as well as for his hands to meet to discuss the problem afoot. This of course resulted in Lincoln crashing down on his face, and nullifying any chance he had to get to the Ball in time before it disappeared.

Lincoln had failed. He had let a bigger force get the better of him. He hadn't accomplished what even his baby sister had managed to do.

Lincoln had lost the game of Ball.

The boy did not look up just yet when he felt a warm hand landing on his shoulder. He just needed that small moment to contemplate that loss, to understand it, to see what lesson he was supposed to learn here. But the hand insisted with a little shake, and Lincoln obeyed its command; he looked up and found his ten sisters looking at him with mixed looks, some weird, other stoical, and the ones he disliked the most, pitiful.

"Are you okay ? Like, do Lily need to intervene ?" offered the concerned Leni, brandishing Lily and her magic lips forward. But Lincoln turned her down with a shake of his hand. He appreciated the gesture, but he doubted those kisses could heal the massive blow his ego had just received.

"Um, you certainly tried your... best, bro. Don't be too- Don't be ashamed of what you just did." Lynn carefully articulated, her voice straining to keep boasting marbles from rolling up her throat and down her tongue. Even she knew better than to kick a man while he was down, especially if it was her little brother.

Lincoln answered with an almost mournful silence, his face devoid of any emotion. That, perhaps, was the most worrisome detail of all. No tear, no anger, no fake little smile to assure everything was alright. Just a pure concentrate of black defeat.

'Gosh, this is Lucy on a monday kind of gloomy !' thought Lori, feeling that it was her time to step up. She added her own hand on her little bro's shoulder, and said, "Lincoln, it's okay. It just, doesn't work sometimes. After all, your plans didn't always end up on a high note. And hey, at least we didn't cover our living room with paintball ammo, right ?" she chuckled, hoping to get the same reaction from Lincoln.

His lips elevated themselves into a weak smile. Not what she was going for, but a step in the right direction nontheless. Lori gave him a kind smile, then pointed a finger ahead. "Alright everybody, time to move out. Let's see what-"

"WAIT !" bellowed Lincoln, springing out of his gloom like the moment one would finally realise how stupid swallowing a ration of wasabi for his friend's sushis really was. "Lori, I want another try at this !"

"You can't do that ! It's one try per person only !" nagged Lola, all too eager to get going.

"But I'm the only one who didn't get anything !" insisted Lincoln.

"Regrettable, but winning this game doesn't halt the furthering of our quest, nor does it place our lives in any particular danger, and our common capital is high enough. As such, there is no real reason for us to trouble ourselves with this activity any longer." flatly analysed Lisa, even though she did feel a little bad for her brother.

"Yeah, no need to dedicate your hole life to it !" cracked Luan, renewing groans around her.

Lincoln felt a pang of sadness hearing the dismissive and apologetic chatter of his sisters, and for an instant, thought of just accepting his loss and move on. But as soon as he did, his whole body heated up, and made kindling out of the idea altogether, replacing it with burning resolve. Swifly, his gaze locked with his oldest sister's, who was surprised by the power it seemed to hold.

"Lori, I want to try again. I know it doesn't seem important, but it is for me. There is something I have to find out, something I have to prove here."

"Lincoln, you don't have to prove anything-"

"I feel it in my SOUL, Lori !" interrupted Lincoln. "It's calling me to do it. Y'know what, maybe I'm gonna fail again, and if I do, this time, I'll accept it. No tantrum, no tears, I'll follow your guys without a single complaint. But please..." his voice lowered to a pleading whisper, "...at least one more chance."

Lori observed her brother for a moment, contemplating. What had gotten into her brother ? What was this rubbish about proving himself ? From the moment they'd come here, he had been the one to suggest the most ideas, most succeeding. With all the weird rules that the Underground was imposing, he was the one in his element, figuring out how battles, equipements, and even the SAVE function worked.

So what if he didn't win a stupid little game ? What, did he want some kind of trophy to show-

Lori's train of thought froze in its tracks. A gale of memories almost tipped it over. Many victories, so many shiny trophies she and her sisters had to show, embarrassing sequences about her shoe problem.

And a lone, dusty, empty shelf. No gratification. No stand-out reward. No nothing.

Lori slowly massaged her forehead. She was once again tasked with juggling the balance between her brother's dedication and the shared desire to continue. Well, it was what she was telling herself, but she already knew the outcome of the weighing.

"Fine." decided Lori. Eyes widened around her, most in shock, and one pair in joy. "But I'm litteraly holding you on that last part. You have one try. Win or lose, we get going afterwards. The sooner we get to a town, the less chances we have of Lily getting cranky."

Lily confirmed the notion with another adorable yawn, then giggled when she felt her Linky wrapping her and Lori into a hug. "Thank you so much ! You won't regret it, I swear !" vowed the boy with watering eyes of gratitude.

Lori shook her head in amusement. And Lola was supposed to be the drama queen here. Still, she gave his white hair a playful poke. "That, I still have to see. Now get your butt up there, and show us what you've got. Clock is ticking."

Lincoln didn't need to be told twice, and rushed back to the beginning. This was the other girls' cue to drop their own thoughts on Lori's decision.

"You sure about this, sis ?" asked Luna, worry lacing her tone. "I mean, what if he messes up again ? He'll be so down in the dumps, he might want to just wrap himself up in a bag and throw himself to said dump."

"And since when do you have so little faith ?" retorted Lori with a teasing smile.

Luna seemed almost offended by her sister's claim, but took it the right way. "Never, that's when ! Gotta have faith !"

"But can it really help you against fate ?" cut in Lucy, a hint of uneasiness betraying her stoic mask.

"Gotta have faith !" repeated Luna as she forced her gothic sister's arms up in a rock pose. Lucy sighed, accepting her status as a meat puppet.

"Meh, I say let him do it again." shrugged Lynn, not a care in the world. "Victory's in the bag for me, and I like his spunk. If he fails again and walks it off, it'll still be a victory for him."

"Wow, that's kinda wise coming from you." whistled an impressed Lana.

"I know it's weird, but I get like that when there are sports involved. Almost like how you get when one of the critters are involved, especially that frog of yours." said Lynn with an ebow jab to her sister, who agreed wholefully.

With that, the sisters placed themselves next to the final stretch, finding three of small rocks to sit down. When they reached them, Lola had already claimed one, and the others were given to the two youngest. Luan, Luna, and Lana began to cheer for their bro, while the others watched in complete silence.

Meanwhile, Lincoln took a deep breath. He had meant every word; he needed to win this. They didn't often know, but what his sisters thought of him did matter. He had a thick skin, sure. Mockeries, taunting, ridicule, he had learned to deal with all of it. He had even found himself being on the other end of the poking stick at some points. And of course, the video contest incident had taught him that he didn't need to go too far just for some recognition.

But this time, it was different. The thought of doing something special, of being congratulated by his sisters, it filled him with so much energy and passion, like never before in his entire life. He could feel each quickening beat of his heart, empowering his vow, making him feel like he could do the impossible. His whole body was shaking with so much thrill, it was almost maddening !

He was going to do this. He was gonna do it, and it would be the single most amazing thing ever !

*The thought of ending this game in the grandest finale possible... to show the world, your world what you are made of...

Lincoln's eyes snapped open. The crimson in his pupils shone brighter than ever.

*It fills you with Determination !

"On your marks !" announced Lisa, loud enough for her brother to hear. She raised an eyebrow at his still form, but chose to ignore it, in favour of beginning her countdown. "Three..."

His fists clenched. His shoulders tensed.

"Two..."

His right leg widened the gap with the left, the tip of his foot moving a perfect semi-circle.

"One..."

All he could hear were the dwindling numbers. All he could see was the Ball. And all the images swirling around his mind were focused on his sole objective.

Everything that defined Lincoln Loud, past present and future, seemed focused on this very instant.

"GO !"

An hour later, when the time would be adequate to discuss in peace, the Loud girls would concur with the following description of events. The cover of snow rested undisturbed. None of the pine tree branches moved by an inch. And the rocky ground of the course didn't gain even the tiniest of fissures when Lincoln's boot came in contact with it.

But to them, Lincoln's first step was anything but ordinary. It produced a shockwave of power, one that they felt washing over their very SOULs. Any pair of eyes that had been distracted from the performance, turned towards a shiny stone embed in the ceiling or their own image in a compact mirror, was now completely locked on the freckled tween.

The chain of events that followed only lasted a few seconds. But the spectators saw every bit of the exploit with thorough detail.

First off, it seemed that Lincoln had completely tamed the wild white sphere. When his foot connected with it, the round bout of snow went exactly where the boy intended it to go. And it continued doing so with every little kick sent its way, even though they barely grazed its surface.

Secondly, when came the moment of deviating to the right, Lincoln fleetly spun around, and let the Ball whiz forward with a single kick. But the fact that it rivaled his athletic sister's own shoots wasn't even the impressive part. No, that distinction was awarded to what Lincoln did as the Ball moved forward. Somehow, the boy managed to run faster than the Ball, and kept its pace right around it. His body was moving left and right with agility and speed never found before in the boy. Even more jaw-dropping, it looked like he was phasing through the Ball, constantly brushing it with the tip of his boot, maintaining its intense velocity. And the weird cherry on top, was the sound Lincoln's steps lacked. Only faint *whoosh*'s were heard, as if he was sliding on air.

And finally, Lincoln outran the Ball for a short instant, to land on the ice rink of the track. Yes, landing on the rink. Like he was on solid ground. As foolish as the idea sounded, it looked like the boy had willed the ice to recede from giving his feet any slipping. With his two red eyes locked on the hole, Lincoln caught the Ball, stopping it with a small nudge of his left knee. As it peacefully floated up to his head's level, Lincoln readied the final part of his plan, by doing what he had subsconciously done to get here. Using his head.

The impact of Lincoln's headbutt once again sent ripples through the SOULs of those next to him, its closeness making it even more potent. The Ball's speed threatened to overpass the hole it was aiming for, but once again, that was not the case. The snowy sphere fell right inside the hole, without touching the edges; a perfect fit.

As it disappeared inside, the strange adrenaline left Lincoln's being, and snapped his now normal eyes open, feeling like he had just awoken from the strangest dream. "Uh, what..." he began, scratching the top of his head, hopelessly confused. "Was I... Did I do it ?"

A victory jingle answered his question. It seemed a little different, longer and more orchestral. Was there a band under that hole ? The idea barely grazed Lincoln's mind, as the flagpole was rising. But there again, something felt different. Its rising was slower, with more momentum and presence to it.

It felt special. Its pure red colour felt special. And it made Lincoln's victory feel that much more special.

"I... I did it. I made it ! WOOHOO !" cheered Lincoln, ecstatically breaking down into a classic dance that made everyone watching it craving for some pistachios. Or cashews. I could go for some cashews. "I maaaaaade it ! I'm awwwwwesome ! I found the seeeeeecret ! Lincooooooln rules ! YUS !" he sang, now understanding a little more why Lynn liked giving her victories some moves. Well, maybe not wriggling his butt in front of someone's face. When they all did it together, it was fun. Alone, it was just plain creepy.

And speaking of all together, Lincoln's hearts swole up at the thought of his sisters watching him. He could only imagine the looks of pride and respect they were now casting onto him, and it only fueled his happy jig for a couple more minutes.

But the girls had none of those things. Not to say that they were looking disappointed or disgusted, far from it. But the utter awe grasping their minds was simply leaving no place for any expression other than eyes widened to their limits, and jaws pratically touching the cold ground.

The only one clapping her hands in delight, oblivious to what had really happened, was of course Lily, who had no idea her brother could run that fast. But she slowly ceased doing so when she saw the looks her big sisters held. Apparently, neither did they.

"Girls... today has been a day packed with emotions, it's the least we can say, right ?" Lori managed to utter despite her brain still trying to fit those new pieces inside the evergrowing puzzle that this world created inside her. The girls around her nodded, and she pursued her question, "But even through all that, we can't be losing it yet, right ?"

"If we are, it's one heck of a fast effect." Luan scratched her light brown scalp.

"That, or we really did see Lincoln unlock his inner cheetah, who apparently plays soccer like a champ." said Lana, still in awe by her brother's performance. She knew he could give a good fight in the mud when he'd put the effort into it, but this was something else.

"I vote hallucination." quipped Lola with a hand in the air. But the master of drama and crocodile tears herself couldn't make this lie any believable, even to herself.

"I'm gonna have to check a second time to see if our brother is not a werewolf. White fur could work..." muttered Lucy, already lost in her gloomy yet hunky wolf-derland.

One sportaholic brunette though wasn't sold by the idea. "Okay, no. Lola is 100% right. It's just this place messing with our minds or something, using its weird magic to make us think that Lincoln – OUR Lazy Lincs – can suddenly give Umar Flash a run for his money. It has to be." said Lynn with a mask of nonchalant confidence. Though to a sharp ear, it sounded more like she was trying to convice herself. "I mean, do you really believe that Lincoln could make it in-"

"5.6 seconds." whispered Lisa.

"Ha, yeah ! 5.6 seconds ! That would be the best joke ever !" guffawed Lynn, passing an arm around her bespectacled sister's shoulder, who barely reacted to the touch. "That's a good one you got there, Lis'."

"I'd wholefully endavour in its hilarity; if this was a joke, that is." tersely replied Lisa.

"HA ! You're too much ! Maybe you should be the comedian of the family !" Lynn kept chortling. Luan's expression visibly soured at the words, but Luna sweetened it with a comforting pat on the back. However, Lynn's levity slowly vanished when she saw the lack of any hint of a smile gracing her sister's look of pure neutrality. "Hehe, heh... you are joking, right ?"

To answer her, Lisa thrusted her trusty stopwatch forward for all to see. Pushed by their curiosity, the girls lost no time in taking a good look at it.

And on the digital panel, appeared Lisa's exact result.

"'S...G' ? Like, I thought we were talking about numbers. Or is this one of those math thingies where they put letters in, and never really solve the problem anyway ?" naively, but truthfully spoke Leni.

"Those are digital numbers, Leni." explained Lori. "And it says exactly what Lisa just said. Five point six seconds."

Lynn gaped at the result, scarcely finding the right words, but not for long. "T-That can't be right ! It can't be ! You pushed that button too early, it's the only explanation !" she raved, gaining a crazy eye.

A frown struck Lisa's face like lightning, an effect that the Loud sibs knew all too well, as it was her clockwork reaction to her intelligence being questionned. Again. "While I can admit the possibility of my bewilderement over looking at our brother's performance might not guarantee the exactitude of this result, the most it could be erroneous of is a quarter of a second. My results still stand : our brother unit has beaten us, and by far."

"But that's impossible !" bellowed Lynn, feeling her vision on the world falling apart. "In ten years and about three thousand races, Lincoln never beat me, ever ! It's almost a rule now ! And you tell me that after miserably failing the first try, he suddenly pulls off half of my time ?! Granted, not my greatest try, but still !"

"Hard to believe it either, little dudette, but the facts are there." quipped Luna, with a scratch of her chin that balanced both reflexion and amusement. "The how, we have no idea, and it doesn't matter. We saw it, we felt it, and we've got the numbers to prove it. Lincoln just ran circles around us, and another record bites the dust today."

"There's a first time for everything. I mean, that's pratically this place's motto, right ?" chuckled Lola, coming to accept her brother's win. Not that it deeply affected her, since first place was already out of her grasp.

Lynn though, felt crushed. She knew there wasn't any trophy to win. She knew that her entire sports career wouldn't crumble down and fall into the abyss over losing one silly game. And dang it, she knew that reacting obsessively to defeat only brought harm to her kin, her image, and herself. The Board Game incident had already planted the seed of that notion in her brain, and it had bloomed on the sports field, after a certain Squirrel Boy had given her a piece of her mind. And nearly bitten a piece of her ear off.

But losing against her little brother ? On a ball/running-based game ? Defeated in her very element by Lazy Lincs ?! The notion was absurd, something of a joke Luan would tell on a good day. Or rather, it had been. No matter how harsh it was to her, Lynn had to face the facts. "A spotless 10-year record. Gone, just like that. Poof." she murmured through a long disgruntled sigh.

"'Are you gonna live ?" simply said Lori, but enough to bring a spark back into Lynn's eyes.

"Yeah... yeah, I'll live. Just, could you not spread the word outside of the house ? I love my team to bits, but trust me when I say that they'll never let me live it down." awkwardly implored Lynn. She shuddered at the reminescence of how long it had taken her friends to forget that little dip she'd accidentally taken in that soda pool.

"We won't. But you might just hear it bounce off the walls of our house from time to time." crowed Lucy, prompting complice snickering amongst the others. The young athlete rolled her eyes. As if she expected that to not happen.

"Guys, guys ! Over here !" rang Lincoln's call, disbanding the freshly formed sister forum. They saw their brother happily waving at them, beckoning them to come closer. "There's something written on the flag, come read it with me !"

They saw nothing wrong with that, and quickly joined him. But upon getting closer, a weird feeling seized the girls. Every time the flagpole had risen, a different feeling had come with it. Cryptic, serene, invigorating, you name them. But it had come as a tingle before, a sensation from the back of their minds, one that felt familiar and above all, right.

But the red flagpole was different. Not only did they all feel that familiar itch, the one that was respectly theirs; all the other feelings were splashing against their minds with a certain virulence. The pure red seemed to ooze raw power. So much so that some felt a little owerwhelmed just looking at it. But surprisingly, Lincoln seemed spared by that effect. In fact, he looked shinier than ever !

"Okay, it's a little hard to read, but here it goes !" he chirped, then began his narration.

{Undertale OST – But the Earth Refused to Die}

"'RED :Patience.'"

Lori and Lily were startled by the tingling in their chests, followed by the calm appearance of their light blue SOULs. Not only did they feel more still than before, a glow of the same colour rippled across the Blanket 2.0 and the Squeaky Mallet tucked inside Lily's parka, as well as the Faded Ribbon still on Lori's head, and the Toy Knife pushed to the bottom of her coat pocket.

"'BRAVERY.'"

Lynn and Lana didn't know what to say when their orange SOULs appeared and beat faster, only mouthing a silent "What ?". Lynn's Tough Glove was also glowing an orange hue.

"'Integrity.'"

Lola and Luan's eyes gained width as their blue SOULs throbbed a weird tempo when the word reached their ears.

"'Perseverance.'"

Lisa reached for her chest with a sharp breath. A little shock had passed through her purple SOUL, but she didn't dare searching for the answer, feeling that it was about to come.

"'Kindness.'"

A little yelp escaped Leni's throat despite herself, immediately huddling with her green SOUL. She swore she had felt something scorch it for an instant.

"'Justice.'"

A sharp feeling tore like a harmless bullet through the two yellow SOULs. Luna and Lucy could only share a glance. Both held the same magnitude of confusion.

And it only grew when Lincoln's second voice joined the narration.

*"'Through those different traits you've seen and learned, you found a different path. You broke expectations, shattered beliefs, and accomplished what all thought impossible. You succeeded not for yourself, nor did you win by yourself, but you led a fair battle all the same. You knew why, and who, you were truly doing it for.'"

The breeze that had been lightly blowing bangs about suddenly picked up speed. The girls were forced to shield their faces from the nippy gale, and both their SOULs and their outlines were shining brighter than before, helping them stand the storm of power that was now generated by the flagpole. As they tried shielding their younger sisters, the oldest quintor felt the rush of energies revealing one more source. It was not a mere merging feeling, it did not just feel like all those familiar auras combined.

The seventh source itself appeared as an ember, minuscule and barely visible. But its sole presence lit up the others, transforming them into a wild inferno of power. Not good, not bad. Solely power.

But the storm had yet to show all of its colours. Lincoln was standing still, transfixed by the flag's writing, and completely unaffected by the wind. Not a hair on the top of his head budged through the tempest; in fact, it seemed that the energy was coming as much from him as it was coming from the pole. His crimson SOUL was there, gleaming and pulsating like a microscopic Supernova, adding on the raw energy with each beat, echoed by the ten colourful SOULs behind it.

Around the white-haired boy, dimly like an aura, but clear enough for the girls to see it, a figure appeared. All they could see was its back. It looked human, with a childish look to it, yet was larger than any human they had ever met. They noticed its peachy skin, its messy green sweater with a yellow stripe, its light brown pants, and its pudding basin style brown hair; minds were quickly taken back to their brother's more thorough description of his dream, back at Toriel's.

Lincoln's voice no longer had an echo. It had gained enough power to be clearly heard from the boy's maturing voice. Lincoln no longer spoke alone. They were BOTH speaking. And their voices thundered through the area and beyond.

*"'THROUGH YOUR DETERMINATION, YOU PUT A DEFINITIVE END TO THE GAME OF BALL!'"

{End of track}

---

His head snapped upwards, almost breaking his stem in the process.

That shout. That power.

That voice. The only voice that after all this time, he still cherished, and prayed to hear one more time.

Could it be ..?

...No. There was no way.

He chuckled hollowly.

Looks like he was going as mad as this old fool he once called Daddy...

---

His head snapped upwards, almost flying off his neck and bumping against the top of his station.

That shout. That power.

That energy. Only once had he felt anything like it.

He quickly ran a scan of the zone through his shortcuts.

No SOUL had vanished. He sighed in deep relief.

Not even his bro's. Even though he was now awfully close to the source.

Suddenly, the energy vanished. And soon after, so did he.

He needed to see this.

Plus, his bro would be soon raving 'NON-SANS !' at him if he didn't show up ASAP.

---

Abruptly, a complete silence crashed on the area. The gale force dropped to nothingness, and the energy simply went out, as if someone had turned off a power switch. The storm of energy had also left no trace of its passage ; not a snowflake was out of place.

Well, that's not true, there were proofs it had been there. And that was just what Lincoln was about to find out.

The boy was wrapping up his reading with a clear of his throat, a little hoarse for some reason. "Wow, you were right girls. That flag is very nice, but I think he went a little overboard with me." said Lincoln 'modestly', ignoring the big grin on his own face as he blew on his fingers. He turned to the camera. "What ? With ten sisters, it's not often you get to be in the spotlight. Let me savour it, will ya ? Besides, it's not like it did any harm."

Lincoln then turned around, and was met with a most peculiar sight. "Uh..." he hesitated, lifting a inquiring finger. "Why do you look like Dad gave you a haircut ?" He was referencing to the many shapes the hair of his sisters had taken. Everyone with hair longer than Lucy were now indicating that the nearby community pool was on their right. Lincoln pursed his lips, "Well, more like began to give you a haircut, seeing as no one has any bald spots."

"What ?! Linky, I can't hear you with that stupid alarm clock in my head !" shouted Leni, her finger furiously at work trying to turn it off.

"Now, I'd be the first to joke off a subject, but I'm going to be extra serious here : Geez Louise, what the heck was all that ?!" asked Luan in a shaky tone.

"What was what ?" said Lincoln, arching an eyebrow.

The girls looked at him like he had suddenly begun speaking Latin. "Lincoln... you did hear yourself speaking, right ?" slowly uttered Lori.

Lincoln's confusion grew some more. "Yeees ?" he asked, wondering if he had released a curse by inadvertence. "Why, wasn't I clear enough ?"

"Oh trust me, we heard ya Loud and clear !" said Lynn with a shake of her head, trying to crank her ponytail back into its normal shape.

"Then, what about it ?"

"What about it ?! Are you seriously asking that question ?!" Lola cried out vehemently, her face beet red with anger after seeing the state of her hair. If things kept going like that, when they'd reach the exit, she'd be balder than a pool ball !

"Would you guys just tell me already ?! What did I do that's so important ?! Did I curse ? Did I scratch my butt at the wrong moment ? Did I declare war on chocolate ?! WHAT ?!" shouted the fed-up tween. Instead of congratulations for his feat, there he was being interrogated like a criminal !

Lisa felt the general atmosphere starting to derail, and decided to intervene. "Roughly 92 seconds ago, your small lecture of what is written on the present flag tremendously scaled up in volume, accompanied with wind of a small storm magnitude, and an overwhelming sensation of power numbing our very beings." she explained to her brother, with a bewildered stare that she half-expected. "It is rather strange that you took no notice it, as all those elements combined rivaled the sonority of a Rock concert."

"And no soft Rock, bro." concurred Luna, patting her short hair down. "It was an Amp-blasting, Guitar-obliterating, First-row-sent-flying kind of Rock concert ! You sure you didn't hear any of it ?"

Lincoln felt ready to deny, but shortly mulling both of his wise sisters' words, halted his answer. Each tap of his finger against his chin slowly tore through his previous obliviousness. "Now that you mention it... I did feel a little bit more zealous near the end. And I couldn't hear anything either. It was like wearing my Noise-B-Gone, except without any relaxing sound. There was just a quiet wind sound, kinda echo-y. Like it was blowing through a huge, never-ending abyss, and I was the only one standing in it..."

"Woah..." said the siblings of ages between Leni and Lola, picturing the image in their heads, and either wondering how it must feel, or fearing the loneliness that came with it. Lisa was too busy jolting down every fresh information on the 'Lincoln's inner narrator : Spectral entity or Repressed double personality ?' section of her notebook to properly react. And Lori, while keeping an eye on Lincoln to detect any trace of red and reassuring the whimpering tot in her arms, replayed the sight of that apparition over and over. She knew she had seen it somewhere before, but where ?

Lincoln too stood deep in wonder, especially after her sisters started talking about what happened during his little bout of reading. Energies ? Terms reacting with their SOULs ? And... the narrator person appearing around him ? He tried summoning them for clearance, putting all of his mind into it. But once again, the mysterious entity remained cryptically silent. One moment it was apparently blasting eardrums and shaking the very cavern with their voice, and the next, it was like they never existed in the first place.

Whatever their game was, Lincoln hadn't the faintest idea. But the longer he shared his mind with them, the more he felt inclined to find out who they really were.

But, speaking of game, a jingling caught Lincoln's attention. He turned his head to its source, the flagpole, and gasped in elation when he located the prize. Litteraly.

"Holy Schemoly ! Look at what the flag just gave me !" he laughed bubbly, his hands jingling the moderately sized bag of golden coins.

Lola gaped at it, almost losing grip on her precious pink hairbrush. She unconciously licked her lips at the vision she had of all those riches; so accurate in fact, one could swear her vision was going right through the bag's thin leather.

Lana felt a disturbance in the twin force, and immediately grasped the collar of Lola' coat. She soon had to be joined by Luan and Luna. "Heed girl, heed !" she frantically ordered. The little princess turned a deaf ear, and kept trying to escape the collective grip, perched on all fours, and her eyes gleaming of the same gold she was wildly trying to jump at.

"I guess you could say she turned into a Golden Retriver ! Hahahaha ! Get it ?" jested Luan, not caring one bit about the groans; this one had been gift-wrapped to her !

The high-pitched barking brought Lori back to reality. She promptly ignored the Chihua-lola, and instead approached Lincoln to retrieve his prize. He graciously gave it, and Lori poured the Gold inside her own magic purse. The amount made her eyebrows rise up in surprise. "Fifty Gold ?! That's more than what we won, combined !"

"Looks like Lincoln truly won this round." drawled Lucy, happy for her brother even if she didn't show it.

Lynn though was still a tad less happy about it. "He got lucky. And he had weird mumbo jumbo helping him. It doesn't count." she grumpily murmured.

Unfortunately for her, Lincoln had heard her, and the smug tone he was using was not sitting with the athlete. "I don't think luck and magic were part of the rules. Looks like the Loud House has a new champ." he purred to her ear, then started the infamous Victory Dance. "And his name is Lincoln Loud, oh yeah !"

Lynn's blood was sizzling at this point, and she knew what had to be done, for her pride's sake. A crack of her knuckles and neck later, the sportsgirl made a mighty jump, arched her elbow, and shouted "Lucha Libre !".

Lincoln's girly scream before she landed would be remembered as much as his victory.

The remaining sibs watched the two duke it out (if you could even call it that) with great amusement, the scene making them feel right at home. Some things never changed.

Or did they ? That was the question ringing inside Luna's mind as she accoasted Lori. "So sis, are we doin' anything about Lincs' ghost, or are we just gonna keep an eye on it like before ?"

"We'll go with number 2, but tighter than before." decided Lori, her look and tone stern yet slightly worried. "He- They are still friendly, but let's not be fools about it. If there's one thing we learned from that little scene earlier, it's that whoever they are, they're also very powerful. And I feel a bit stupid for not having realised it before. I'm ready to bet my two-month anniversary earring that it's their influence that's giving us the power to go back in time."

"Huh. 'Makes a mightier lick of sense than the 'magic in the air' theory. They still give me some weird vibes every time I hear they speak though."

Lori raised an eyebrow at this. "How so ?"

"No idea, love. It just feels like... like they've done something very bad." answered Luna, confused by her own words. But true to herself, she brushed it off for a relaxed grin. "But eh, no need to bust our heads over it. I'm sure our bro's got this."

"AAAAH ! Okay okay, you win ! You're still the champion ! Now please stop bending my spine like a slinky !"

"More like he's got us." Lori snickered to herself.

Lynn felt content with her brother's plea, and released her claw-like grip on him. "And don't you forget it." she proudly said, dusting her hands, then offering him one. "Seriously though, nice job bro. Ghost magic or not, you were still pretty awesome back there."

Lincoln felt his heart being pinched upon hearing this- Oh wait, never mind, that was his soar spine. But he still took the compliment to heart. It wasn't often that Lynn of all people, would congratulate him on his physical skills.

But, at last, the Ball game had ended. Knowing this, Lori whistled for everyone's attention. "Alright everyone, this took way longer than we expected. So, I think everyone will approve, that we litteraly gotta go if we want to find a nice place to sleep." She then felt Leni's cheek squish against her own, looking at her expectantly. Lori rolled her eyes in amusement. "And see what else Papyrus is doing." Leni squealed. "Does anyone have any objection with that ?"

This seemed like a rather stupid question; who would disagree with the notion of moving forward ? Well, apparently someone did, in the form of a pale hand peeking from behind Leni's back, promptly spooking the ditzy blonde out of her reverie.

Lori blinked at the perpetrator. "Lucy ? You've got an objection ?"

"More like a remark." replied Lucy, monotone as ever. "I think Lincoln's outburst did one more casuality. And they look alive. For now."

Lucy's siblings turned their heads to the direction she was pointing towards to, and saw, just under the pine tree that stood on the left on the course's final stretch, two small chubby feet flailing around, clearly trying to get the rest of their body out of the big lump of snow they were now buried under.

It was all the Louds needed to know to jump at the monster's rescue. Lana actively chucked the snow away faster than a mole on its third expresso, then Lynn pulled them out, and Lincoln ended the rescue by patting down the powder to free the monster from its cold prison.

"Hey, are you okay ?" asked Lincoln, feeling a little guilty. "Sorry, I don't exactly control it. I didn't even know I could do it before-"

*Slap !*

"OW !" yelped Lincoln, holding his gloved hand and rubbing it in hopes of shaking its soreness off. "What was that for ?!"

"THIEVES !" shouted the monster in a young high-pitched voice, quickly backing away from the small human crowd. "You'll never have my amazing hat ! NEVER ! You'll have to get through me first !"

The little fiery spirit was indeed very little, but not so much fiery in appearance. Like many monsters they've seen thus far, he seemed to blend well with the winter theme of Snowdin, but even more so than Snowdrake's snoflake-shaped head, the warm fur of Doggo, or a lack of skin to feel the cold, trait held by the skelebros. Indeed, the monster's entire body seemed to be made of snow.

But whatever magic had created the monster hadn't really thought of proportions. The round head he possessed was as big as the rest of his body, which was quite stubby in shape. Two arms, two legs, a tummy and a thin neck, but no finger, toes, or any other features to compliment it. No ears to be accounted on his head either, but two big round eyes were there, glaring, as well as frowning lips and a carrot-like nose, drilling with anger.

But the most noticeable feature, the one that litteraly poked out of his frame, was his peculiar headgear. The whole thing was made out of crystals, with one large one in the center, and two smaller but just as pretty ones poking out from the front and the back. Its design plus its rich light red, borderline pink colour gave it the appearance of a majestic crown, and the pride the monster had for it certainly reinforced that notion. The tyke looked like he would defend that crown with everything he had !

Which as said before, wasn't much. Lana looked at the monster, unimpressed by the fact that she didn't have to look up once to meet his eyes. "Yeah, no offense buddy, but there isn't much to get through. Also, you're welcome !"

But the drama ice queen didn't seem in a very grateful state. In fact, his ire only seemed to grow by this comment. "Welcome for what ? You are the ones who blew me away, and then took me out with the carefulness of a Pyrope ! You are just lucky my amazing hat was impervious to your brutish manners ! I should report you all to the fashion police !"

Leni gasped in pure horror. "NO ! I can't go to fashion jail ! Like, I was half asleep when I wore those crocs, totes honest !"

Deep was the annoyance in those two fingers rubbing Lori Loud's forehead. "Leni, for the last time, it's an expression. The fashion police isn't a real thing !"

"That's exactly what they want you to think." growled Leni, knowing her invisible enemy was there, looking at her. "And before you know it, they knock you over the head, bind you with leggings, and make you wear jorts for all eternity !" Lori wanted to retort, but just thinking about the fashion massacre left the acidic taste of bile in her mouth, forcing her to clamp it shut in fear of heaving down whatever was left inside her stomach. Finding out what magic looked like once regurgitated was not on today's to-do list, nor was it on one for the next century.

"Geez, he sure has a big attitude for someone that size." remarked Lynn, quickly getting irritated with the monster's stuck-up attitude. And yet...

"A hot attitude that strikes cold, an ego bigger than their cranium can scientifically allow, and an unhealthy obsession in external looks... I don't think I need to develop any further than that." sassed Lisa.

"Well, I have Sans, Lucy has Blooks, Lori has Toriel, in a way, and Leni has Papyrus. Following that logic, we were snowbound to find someone who had the sashay to rival Lola's." quipped Luan astutely.

"Uh, speaking of which you guys..." cringed Lincoln as he looked at the concerned party of one. Despite the slanderous mumbling going behind her back, the princess didn't look like she was registering any of it. Odd, considering how she could feel people badmouthing her even if it was from the other end of the house. Then again, the Loud House's thin walls and large vent system probably helped a lot.

A mad glint was betraying the princess down the corner of her eye, and any trace of strawberry-flavoured lipstick left on her lips after the events of the last hour alone, was being washed off by another heavily greedy lick over them. The sibs didn't have to tap too far into their memories to understand her predicament : Another ferocious golden fever was hitting the little blonde.

Immediately, Lana began shaking her twin awake. Well, trying very hard at least. "Would you get a grip already ?! I know his hat is really sparkly, and that anything that shines and sparkles is something you have to get your mitts on. But maybe not when it's a monster who has it !"

"What ? I have no idea of what you're talking about." Lola feigned ignorance, an almost-toothy grin still plastered on her face.

"Oh, so it doesn't appeal to you, at all ?" asked Lana, skeptical.

"What ever does ?"

"That big crown-like hat this guy has." pointed the mud lover. The monster raised a very grumpy eyebrow at the fleshy sausage aimed at him.

Lola faux-gasped. "Oh wow, I didn't even notice it ! It is pretty, but nothing to lose your marbles over."

"Really ?"

"Really."

"So your eyes having the shape of that crown is totally a coincidence then ?" sneered Lana teasingly.

Lola's stage smile vanished, and she looked at her reflection through her compact. Huh, so they were. But Lola gave the biggest nose flip to her twin's smug grin. "Fine, maybe I do like the design of his crown very much. But it's big, made of sparkly crystals, and pink ! So bite me !"

*Chomp !*

"THAT WAS AN EXPRESSION, YOU MINDLESS ANIMAL !" shrieked Lola, rubbing her now tenderised arm.

"Hey, don't think I enjoy it ! Your coat tastes like minty toothpaste !" said Lana in-between spits to the ground.

Lori was about to give the two a piece of her mind, but the Loud House's own peacemaker barged in before she could utter the first word. "Okay, okay, that's enough you two !" said Lincoln, breaking the very obvious incoming fight. "I mean, can we go five minutes before breaking into a full-on brawl ?"

"But Lynn and you-" started to rebuff Lola.

"Who said I was excluding me ? What I'm saying is, we've been doing pretty great at respecting our first Underground rule when we explored the Ruins, and now this is happening ! We're in a thermometer-freezing area, for pete sake ! And yet we've been acting more hot-headed than ever !"

"HA ! The puns aren't getting cold feet though !" Luan cackled through the groan galore.

Lincoln shook his head, and turned to the wilder half of the hissing duo. "Lana, your sister may have an obsession with shiny stuff-"

"I'm not obsessed ! I appreciate beauty and pizzazz, that's all."

"-but that's not a reason to tease her or to bite her like a chicken wing."

"Could've been fooled. Maybe if she ate a little more..." Lana mumbled crossly.

"Lana..." warned Lincoln with his pressuring disappointed look.

"Urgh, fine ! I'm sorry for biting you, Lola !" gave in the tomboy. It was clear that she didn't really mean it, but Lincoln knew it was as close an apology he would get. He gave his little sister a proud pat on the head, which she tried to pout at, but mellowed under it soon after. In the background, Lori fondly smiled at her brother's action. It sure felt good to look at the scene with pride instead of petty envy.

"Accepted." said Lola. "Both for the apology and the fact you didn't say sorry about the teasing. Because it's totally true, I want that monster's hat so bad !" Her eyes lit up with sparkling excitement.

"Go find your own, blondie !" spat the little snowman, already irritated by the lack of attention he and his hat have been receiving for the last minute. But his anger soon turned into mild confusion. "And what do you mean by 'that monster's hat' ? You're as much of a monster... than..." His eyes went wide with epiphany.

"Sigh. Here we go again." crowed the raven-haired poet.

"You're humans ! No wonder you all want my hat so badly !" snarled the young monster, his tone harbouring even more fierceness.

"Dude, trust me, we don't." Luna tried to reassure him, not yet seeing the battle glint in the kid's eye.

"I DO !" cried out Lola.

"Dudette !"

"IT'S SO SPARKLY ! I NEED IT !"

And that was all the crowned youngster needed to confirm his fears. His hat was in peril ! Well, he certainly wasn't about to go down without a proper...

Fight engaged !

*"Ice Cap sassily struts into battle !"

The rainbow of SOULs appeared, and the siblings groaned, louder than if a joke from the resident comedienne had been uttered. It helped that Luan was joining the groaning fray.

"We were so close ! Why can't we leave this zone already ?!" moaned Lynn, pulling on her lower eyelids with intense frustration. Lucy's mouth opened, but Lynn blocked it with her hand. "Are you going to say something that's philosophical, but also ultra depressing ?"

Lucy lightly waved her hand in a "Maybe ?" fashion.

"Then I don't want to hear it." firmly said the teen, withdrawing her hand before Lucy could lick it. A common defense mechanism against censorship in the Loud House.

"Censored by my own family. As always, I'll be weeping on the inside." monotoned Lucy, keeping the drama high, even if it wasn't necessary. Which meant good drama.

Lori shook her head, but didn't even bother to sigh. Toriel had warned them that enemies would be everywhere. And his reasons of doing so weren't any less strange or random than the other monsters they'd thought, fluffy caretaker not included. As such, she only gestured to her brother, "Lincoln, if you could just..."

"Already on it." saluted Lincoln, his hand already going for the ACT button. As per usual, he cholse the new monster's name, then the Check option, and the red flare of Lincoln's inner narrator reappeared in the boy's eyes.

*"Ice Cap. ATK 11, DEF 4. Everyday this kid wonders why he wasn't named 'Ice Hat'. Look out for his stalactite attacks, or they'll get the drop on you."

"Oh, Ice Cap ! I get it !" snickered Luan.

"You'll get more if you don't watch out dudette !" cried Luna, as she pulled Luan back from a big grey shape emerging from the ground. It looked like a pipe, or a big reverse top hat half-buried into the ground. Once fully emerged, it began blinking red, and blasted three white stalactites glued together into the air. Then, gravity did its work, forcing the siblings to disband, and the chunk of ice shattered on the ground, before disappearing.

"Yikes, this just got dangerous !" said Lana.

"Well heads up guys, 'cause it's not over yet !" Leni gestured to three other top hats poking out of the ground, blasting chunks of ice one after the other. The Louds did their best to avoid all the falling attacks, but Leni, Lucy and Lisa still ended up being hit by the icy fallouts, taking 2 HP away from their life bars.

"Ha ! That's what you get ! Fear the power of my incredible hat !" taunted the monster louder than ever.

Lincoln gave his back a crack, as it had gotten sore from landing on it, and adressed his sisters, "Okay people, we need ideas, and fast. This guy doesn't hurt too much, but his attacks are not looking very easy to avoid." he said, as the sibs all huddled up.

"We could try butter the guy up. He's so proud of that hat of his, maybe we'll get on his good side dropping a few good comments." slyly suggested Luna.

"Okay, but that didn't really work with Snowdrake." recalled Luan, wondering how her student was faring right now.

"Yeah, but that dude was desperate for an audience. Sassy over here looks like he wants that positive attention real bad." Luna jabbed a finger over her shoulder, to where Ice Cap was trying to pose in hopes of increasing his hat's awesomeness.

"Alright, everyone agrees ?" asked Lori, which all quickly agreed, though Lola only nodded absent-mindedly; was it her, or was that hat getting even greater-looking the more she gazed at it ? "Alright, let's go for some compliments. And don't hold anything back. Think, what Dad says every time Mom buys some new jeans."

The siblings shuddered at the memories of disgustingly sweet talk, followed by their parents sharing a long and languorous kiss. They didn't really mind their parents showing their love to eachother, heck, they were more than glad for them. But did they really have to do it 80% of the time either in the living-room, or while they are eating ?

Nevertheless, the tactic sounded good, and the motion was approved. Lori pushed the ACT Button, followed by the newly arrived Compliment option.

"Oh, my gosh." breathed Lincoln, his eyes gaining stars. "Girls, are you seeing what I'm seeing ?"

"I dare think so, brother of mine." followed Lisa, putting surprisingly strong elation in her tone. "Even the scientific that I am cannot deny that what we are seeing, is a headdress directly sent from above..."

"And what a gift it is ! How merciful is this angel to honour us with such a divine crown !" swooned Lori. It seemed that taking Lisa to that Shakespeare play was finally paying off in some way.

Luna played her musical card. "Any album with a cover that could capture a tenth of that hat's dazzle would snatch that Platinium Disk right on release date, even if that disc was just a compilation of crying babies remixed in G Major."

"Every gold and trophy I've ever won... they suddenly don't matter..." gushed Lynn in the most dramatic tone she could pull off.

"Its light is opening my eyes to the world. Perhaps there life has more to offer than darkness." recited Lucy, putting her all in blocking herself from harshly biting her tongue.

"It's so sparkly and clean... and I l-love it." Lana almost hacked. Urgh, she'd need to wash her mouth with some toilet water after that.

"If I had a hat myself, I'd be taking it off for you, my good sir." said Luan, mimicking her words with a swing of her arm and a courteous bow.

"You're so lucky, Lily. You're seeing the prettiest hat in the whole universe." Leni played along... or did she ? Those tears seemed pretty real. The toddler in her arms pulled off the gig quite well though, giving her eyes a gleam of innocent awe.

Lola said nothing. She just kept staring ahead, thoughtfully this time around; but she certainly looked like she had seen an angel. 'Only one thing would make this hat truly perfect...' she thought, holding it for an instant, probably wondering what detail would be worthy- 'Me under it !' she squealed delightfully. Of course...

The Loud group kept throwing compliments and engaging into eager chit-chat with the precious headgear as sole conversation theme; doing so loud enough for the monster child to clearly hear them. His mouth hung lightly open, and they could see his white cheeks gaining a microscopic hue of pink. Any time soon, he would be exploding with joyful pride, all would be forgiven, and they'd all be on their merry ways.

But fate had other plans for the humans, ones with more spice. Or rather, a very common mineral.

Instead of soaking in the compliments like a joyful sponge, Ice Cap, proudly patting his hat, let it drip down his body with a snobbish snort. "Duh, who DOESN'T know all that stuff ? But yeah, keep admiring. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two about getting a proper headwear."

Frowns grew amongst the sibs, both the bareheaded and coverheaded. They happened to like those winter clothes, as they not only had been selected by their caretaker, but also because they were the perfect likeness of the ones they owned back home. Another reminder of their quest's end goal, and a fond memory to hold onto.

The most upset though, had to be the little grease monkey herself, currently giving the snobby insult a low growl. This wasn't about winter clothing in her case; her very pride had just been slandered by this snow midget.

"Hey, my hat may not be all fashiony, but it's been sitting proudly on my head for years ! And I like it very much !" vented Lana with a death glare of her own.

While barely fazed by the outburst, Ice Cap scratched his chin, actually considering what he had just heard. "Hmm, I still think it's really plain-looking. But I'll admit, it does have some... personality to it." he analysed, his voice and demanour those of a fashion designer. All he was missing was a tight black shirt, white jeans, and a pair of black heeled boots.

The answer contented the tomboy. She wasn't looking for any fashionable compliment, just that it was hers, and it mattered because of it. But while she was free to go being herself, Ice Cap wasn't quite done yet.

"That's more than I can say for the pink one next to you."

Stillness. Then, the sound of something breaking. The Loud group didn't have to look very far to find the source; only broken shards remained of Lola's previously crown-shaped pupils. With them, her awe-filled trance had been broken.

"And what seems to be the problem with my tiara, buddy ? Isn't it one fit for a true princess ?" asked Lola with a big grin. But the grin was no longer admiring. It was the one her siblings had learned to dread, with slight twitches warning the reciever that their next words could decide for the inclusion of scratches and bite marks in their near future.

But it seemed that Ice Cap's hat was too bright for him to notice it. "Fit for a princess ? It's so small, I barely saw it when I first looked at you. A princess' crown is supposed to have gold, jewels, something gleamy in it. It's gotta scream pizzazz, beauty, royalty. But yours doesn't have any of that. It's just a dull little trinklet."

*"Your sweet talk met a saltier response."

The atmosphere suddenly got a whole lot thicker. The siblings could feel the waves of incoming wrath radiating from their pink-clad sister, and were sure the snow would start melting on a wide radius any second now. But curiously, but not any less worrisome, the opposite happened. Lola's blue SOUL brightened with a cooler blue, and the patch of stony floor around its owner was getting bluer, with a few specks of ice appearing. Even the snow looked like it was getting harder. The company didn't quite know how to react to that.

But it immediately clicked on when Lola started to remove her gloves while advancing.

"Woah Lola, calm down !" said Lynn as she cut her path. "What do you think you're doing ?"

"Just going to let this monster know exactly what I think of his little advice." she hissed through her dangerously wide smile. Lynn's SOUL skipped a beat when the grin slowly turned towards her. "You're not going to stop me, are you sister dearest ?"

A shiver of fear went down her spine, but the courageous brunette stood her ground. "He's obnoxious, I'll give you that. But you gotta keep a cool head here."

"Agreed !" piped Luan, wisely nodding at the hidden pun. "We promised we'd never touch that FIGHT Button again if we could help it ! You gotta keep the gloves on !"

"Not to mention the horrendous consequences that could arise from a fault of judgement in the strength you wish to put in your warring action." Lisa tried to remind, making a mental note for any writings on the phenom. Anything to replace the memory of its demonstration.

Lola's unnerving smile didn't falter. "Oh, but that's okay. I didn't press the button, and I don't intend to. I only want to see if that carrot nose he has tastes like one." she sneered grimly.

"Yeah, not happening." stated Lori, firmly gripping her pink-clad sister's shoulder. "We don't know if attacking without inputting the command still does damage or not. And we're litteraly never finding out. Not even for your wounded ego."

"WOUNDED EGO ?!" finally exploded Lola, taking everyone a bit off guard, except Ice Cap, too busy admiring his hat once more. "My name has been dragged through the mud, Lori ! My tiara is a symbol of everything I stand for, every victory I've ever earned ! And he called it a DULL little TRINKLET !" she roared, baring her sharpened teeth. Her gaze now carried an inferno of its own, and threatened to scorch any other eye meeting hers. This was Lola at one of her angriest levels.

And yet, Lori's expression stood still as stone. "The answer is still no. We don't fight monsters."

"He made fun of my treasure, but I can't touch him just because he's a monster ?! That's not fair !" whined Lola, part of her wrath having been doused off by Lori's calm voice.

"You're right, but we're going to make it right. Just, not with violence." Lori patted her shoulder soothingly. An eerie grin then crossed her features. "After all, there are other ways to punish a hater than to blow your gasket at them..."

Before Lori could go on about her idea, Ice Cap decided he had done enough self-admiring (for now) and took his turn. Instead of flying icicles, the attack came in the form of a white mist, with a slithering path cutting it in two. Before the walls could close on them, the sibs put themselves in a line, two by two, and followed the mist's waving corridor. The assault required quite the level of coordination to be avoided, but they managed. To the exception of Luna, who took one of the turns a little too sharp, and ended with her shoulder grazed by the harmful mist. But 'twas only a scratch, and she brushed it off as such.

Finally, the mist dissipated, and Ice Cap waited for the humans' next action. All turned to their leader. "Alright, what's the plan ?" inquired Lincoln.

"We pull a reverse Snowdrake." stated Lori.

Leni pursed her lips. "We cry on the ground ? How's that gonna help ?"

Lori resisted a swift facepalm. "Not like that, Leni. Both Snowdrake and that guy want positive attention, correct ? But as Luna said, Snowdrake was desperate for this attention, because it was his first gig. Ice Cap welcomes compliments, he thinks it's something normal, something he deserves. So, if we want to bamboozle him-"

"That's not a real word." cut in Lisa, but was ignored, much to her vexation.

"-we need to go the other way around : We have to act as if he isn't even there !" she finished with a mischevious smile.

"Oooh, stop feeding the troll, and he'll go away." reasonned Luan with a toothy smile. "Now that's one way to get him to blow his top off !"

"It also sounds a little mean." remarked Leni, not looking too keen on the idea. "Do we really have to ? Like, he's just a little kid."

"And that's exactly why we need to set limits, sis !" asserted Luna. "If we don't, he'll keep goin' bad without even realising it. We're doing the little dude a favour here." Leni still didn't look so sure, but Luna didn't give up. "It's just for a turn or two, love. Once we make him understand that what he's doing is lame, he'll apologise, we'll do the same, and all will be forgiven and forgotten."

"You really think so ?"

"Worked with the others, didn't it ?"

The gentle blonde seemed satisfied with this answer, and nodded, "Okay ! Like, let's do this !"

With everyone on board, Lincoln chose the new option allowed by the ACT Button, Ignore. Lola was the first to execute the plan, turning around with a scornful huff. Her siblings followed her action and began engaging false conversations. But Lola was left cold, silently glowing with anger and envy instead of lashing them out. Not something she did often, and in a way, it only allowed the flame of her rage to last longer.

"Like, did she really say that ?" faux-gasped Leni.

"Oh, you bet that wicked brat said it ! And she was proud !" snorted Lori with high sass. "But I didn't let it slide, oh ho ho, no..."

"Hey Lynn, what's a coffee's favourite weather when he wakes up ? A muggy morning ! Hahaha !" cracked Luan.

"Wow, that was actually kinda decent !" praised Lynn, actually meaning it. "Do a sports one next !"

"And they left nothing ?" said Lucy with a dash of curiosity.

"Not even the bone !" chirped Lana, excitedly making biting movements with her hands. "Those pirhannas ate the whole thing before I could even blink ! They tore that big piece of meat apart, bits were flying everywhere, and the whole aquarium became red !"

"Huh, maybe I will go to the zoo next time." mulled Lucy with a little smile.

"So, how do you calculate the area of a triangle again ?" inquired Lincoln.

"Lincoln, we've already been over this three months prior to this moment." sighed Lisa. "But, I suppose I cannot let you drown in your own ignorance. First off, to ease up your calculations, you have to analyse which triangle you are dealing with..."

"C'mon lil' sis, show me what you've got ! Rock that harmonica !" encouraged Luna, more excited than she probably should. Lily joyfully obliged, blowing through the funny metal music thingy with everything her little lungs could offer. Her spitting symphony met quite the success, but also promised a thorough cleaning for the now dripping instrument.

*"You ignore Ice Cap completely. He doesn't look very pleased by that."

And indeed he wasn't. Ice Cap looked completely dumbfounded by what was happening. One minute, all eyes were on his hat, as they should be. And the next, he was as invisible as a knocked over can on the side of a path ! Well, he wasn't about to let it happen.

"Hey, HEY ! Where are you all looking at ?! My hat is up there !" loudly called Ice Cap, trying to get their attention back on him. In his little tantrum, he went with another Ice Rain attack, with even faster chunks of ice. But to his growing frustration, while dodging them and even getting hit by them, the humans didn't even bother to look back at him.

"Wow, where did that even come from ?" Lori feigned surprise as she rubbed her scratched shoulder.

"No idea." "Beats me !" "Maybe revengeful ghosts..." "Ghosts ?! Where ?!"

'Shrugging it off', Lincoln touched the ACT Button behind him, and re-used the Ignore option. And this time, the message was clear to the forlorn monster.

They were ignoring him on purpose.

But why ? All he had done was giving them helpful advice to be more classy, with better headwear. Wasn't it the thing that mattered the most to make a good impression ?! Had he... Had he been too mean when saying it ?

Part of his mind nodded at the notion, but his youthful pride pushed the nagging voice aside. What did it know ? So instead of an apology, another idea bloomed inside his mind. If they were ignoring him, then it was only fair that he did the same !

Swallowing a sob back down his throat, Ice Cap childishly stomped the ground and showed the siblings his own back. "Fine ! I-I'll just ignore you too then ! Why should I care about what you think ?!" he vented, his voice certainly NOT cracking as he spoke.

He then unleashed another mist attack, but the path seemed much wider. Or rather, it was the mist who was smaller, picturing the little monster's wounded pride and his attempt at hiding it. It of course fooled no one, not even Leni, who wanted nothing more than to scoop the sniffling child into a warm comforting hug.

*"Ice Cap has lost his shine, as well as the will to fight."

Lincoln checked his own statement, and saw that Ice Cap's name had indeed gained a golden hue. "Okay, we've got him in the dumps !" he announced, then sighed. "I can't believe I just said that like it's something we should be proud of."

"Then let's hurry and turn that frown upside-down !" urged the braced comedienne, not feeling well with the fact she had worked to make a child cry.

"I agree, but we've gotta be smooth about it." quipped Lana. "If we start praising him again, he'll just go back to being a snobbish jerk."

"And if we lay it too harsh, we're just going to end up with Lucy the gloomy snowman." said Lynn, her seriousness momentarily broken off by the funny image of an actual Lucy snowman, complaining all day about the stillness of her life. "No offense, Luce."

"None taken."

Lincoln nodded fervishly, glad they were all on the same page. "Alright, let's see. How about we-" But his speech was cut short when the crimson gleam returned to his eyes.

*"A horrible larceny is about to happen. A fashion larceny."

Shocked, boy and girls looked behind them. The ACT panel layed open, and the crime's nature was immediately revealed by the chosen action : Steal. Everything clicked into place when they saw a pink blur dashing ahead.

Ice Cap's inner grumbling stopped when he felt a strong breeze hitting him from behind. Something immediately felt wrong. His body didn't ache as though he had been struck, yet he felt like something very important had been taken away from him. Ice Cap patted his head for good measure, and horror grew on his face when he felt his hand brushing the top of it.

"MY HAT !" shrieked the monster in full-blown panic.

The nefarious pink blur finished its course right behind the human pack, and revealed exactly who they thought it was.

"Lola, not cool ! Why did you take his hat ?! And why are you... drooling like that ?" said Luna, not really liking the mad look the little blonde had.

"At last, it's mine ! All mine !" crazily laughed the princess. Her hair was disheveled, and pure madness was dancing the tango in her eyes, a dead ringer to the time she had been the last girl standing on their Anti-annoying-quirk bet (or so everyone thought). And firmly trapped in her grip, was Ice Cap's priceless crown.

"Oh for pete- tell me you are so not going crazy now." moaned Lori, rubbing her eyelids.

"Who's crazy ?! I've never felt so sane in all my life !" cackled Lola, her twitchy eye and heavy breathing not really supporting her statement.

"Riiiight, sane..." drawled Luan. "Sis, I think you should put the hat down for just a moment-"

"STAY BACK !" barked Lola, making everyone take a step back. "IT'S MINE ! YOU WON'T HAVE IT ! You won't have the precious..." Her voice dropped into a whisper as she softly carressed her prize. "It's okay, I won't let them take you. We'll be together forever~"

"Yeesh, that hat is turning her brain into ego-marmalade." said Lynn.

"I knew glitter was evil, I just knew it !" Lana shook her fists in the air, cursing the sparkles themselves for taking over her sister's mind.

"Lala ! Hat bad !" cried Lily, trying to reach out for her big sister.

"NO ! You will not stop me with your lies, Lily !" she snapped back, making her baby sister whimper in fright.

"Lola, you must stop ! Look at what you are becoming, all over a pink amalgam of solid water !" shouted Lucy, her recent hatred for demons fueling her passion to exorcise Lola off her own.

The sibs all tried to concur, but all their comments were lost on Lola's mind, shrouded in glitterful thoughts of pure power. "I know what I'm becoming ! Perfectis what I'm becoming ! Do you not see it ?!" she brandished the crystaline hat, like the divine headdress it was, to her at least. "Look at it ! Feel it ! Envy it ! Everything about this hat is perfection ! Its gleam, its grandeur-"

"Its very low resistance to corporal heat." dryly remarked Lisa.

"Exactly ! Its- wait, what ?" Lola broke out of her trance, and looked at the hat. A shrill scream reverbated across the area when she saw the melting mess it had become. The shock was so important that she let it go completely, and it splashed on the ground, returning to its state of strangely pink water.

In desperation, Lola tried to put it back together, adding some snow to give it consistance. But when it pathetically toppled over the third time, she was forced to admit that it was a lost cause. In the only way a crushed Lola could.

"NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !" was hollered to the Heavens, rumbling the whole ceiling with the despair of a little girl's broken dreams. She then crashed face first into the remainings of her paragon of beauty, under the unimpressed yet slightly pitiful looks of her siblings.

"Well, so much for that." shrugged Lynn.

"Yep, a heck lot of drama for a hat. And I should know." said Lana, giving a little nudge to the peak of her red cap. But as she did, she noticed someone else who didn't look too well. "Uh, are you okay ?" she asked out of slight concern.

"My hat..." whispered Ice Cap, his heartbroken and heartbreaking look locked on the puddle that used to be his pride.

Hats. Hats were everything in Ice Cap's family. If your hat was great, you were great. And his hat had been the greatest since seven generations, due to its perfect shape and its reddish hue. After all, red was a highly respected colour amongst the monsters, and he couldn't be prouder to wear it.

Or rather couldn't have been. Now, it had melted. Melted ! What a world. Liquid started falling down the little monster's wide sad eyes.

Luna gasped softly. "Hey now, it's alright little guy. No need to get that cute face all wet. There are loads of hats out there, I'm sure you'll find an even hOLY COW !"

Luna's sudden shout was due to the amounts of liquid dripping down Ice Cap's face. But those were not tears; it was his very face dripping away ! In a matter of seconds, the monster child's entire body was melting away, falling to the floor like a block of ice under a lamp. The Louds kept watching, horrified by what was unfolding before their eyes, but unable to turn away. In their minds, they were witnessing the monster equivalent of a heart attack, and there soon would be but a mere pile of dust left. And once again, they would be powerless to stop it.

But no, the dramatic end would not happen twice today. Once Ice Cap's body had reached a complete liquified state, instead of drying itself into white dust, it rendered itself solid once more. But no round shapes or body structure; a big, pitiful ice cube was what it became.

"No hat, no style, no shape, only cold." was the quiet breeze coming from the ex-monster (?). "So c-cold..."

*"Ice Cap is no more. There's only ice. And all its regrets..."

If they had been touched by guilt before, the siblings' shoulders were now being crushed under it.

"Oh my gosh..." whispered Lori, a trembling hand on her mouth. "When he said this hat was his pride, he wasn't exagerating one bit."

"Seconds ago, he was boasting about its originality and prestance. And now he's got nothing, reduced to the dullest of ice cubes. Only its ice is not made of water, but of tears." said Lucy, sounding a tad moved.

"And I can't even hug him, because he'll m-m-melt if I do." babbled Leni, her eyes already pouring waterfalls of tears onto the snow down under. The poor girl was confronted with a hug paradox. A hugradox, she woefully dubbed it. "We've gotta do something !"

"Such a question needs not to be asked, dear sister, but I must slightly alter your grammar." A shine passed over Lisa's glasses. "We are not needed to act, for we did not cause this."

"I see what you mean, sis." nodded Lincoln. He turned around to look at the pink lump of woe he called his sister. Only Lily stood near her, having already forgiven her sister for her outburst, and was giving her a little pat on the back. Lincoln approached her, and said, "Lola, we need to talk."

"I don't want to." replied Lola, her cracking voice muffled by the ground she was stamping her head on. "Can't you see I'm having a great time, splashing my tears against the remains of my hopes and dreams ?"

Lincoln sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Lola, you know that's not true."

"You don't know me !"

"As your brother, your pageant coach, and the guy who's been changing some of your diapers, I think I know you enough to know that losing a hat doesn't mean the end of your dreams. You boast way too loud about them evey day." chuckled Lincoln.

"Shut up !"

Lincoln shook his head in further amusement. He knew that when Lola Loud started dialing her tone to shrill levels, that meant he was pushing the right buttons. "Lola, I know you're... what's the word again, Lis' ?"

"Materialistic."

"Yeah, that. But seriously, after everything you've done to collect those crowns, the ones you do own, are you really going to completely give up ? Just for a hat ?"

"...But it was a really shiny ha-a-a-at !" openly sobbed the little princess, adding her tears to the growing pink puddle.

Lincoln smiled sympathetically. Lola took pride in trying to act like a true lady : a graceful, independent adult, whose financial skills only equaled her fashion skills. Even when asking for a cookie, she would try to make it sound like a business order. She had to be in control; someone who wasn't in control didn't get respect, and that was a demand to be crushed in the pageant world.

But ever so often, the little girl inside her would show her face. Through a smile, through fearful quaking, or through tears. And Lincoln knew exactly how to handle all three. He began by gently lifting his sister off the ground, revealing her mascara-smeared face. Then, he went to work with her own frilly hanky, rubbing away wet make-up and snot alike. Finally, he gave her a little talk that only a big brother could give.

"It's not the end of the world, and it's certainly not the end of yours. There's still a lot to do, and a lot to see. We've still gotta get out of here, remember ?" Lola slowly nodded her head, but was still silent. But Lincoln had a pretty good idea where to poke the words out of her mouth. "Besides, if we stay down here, who's gonna win all those Michigan Pageants ?" Lola sprung up straight, eyes wide with shock. "Maybe... Lindsey Sweetwater ?"

"NEVER !" shouted Lola, shaking her fists with the ever-lasting rage she held for her sworn enemy. "I'd rather kiss the flee-infested monkey that lives in my room than let a single one of my crowns fall into the manicured claws of that prissy frump !"

"Hey, I had all my shots !" rebuked Lana.

"The actual monkey you have, Lana."

"Oh, right."

"So, ready to forget about that big crystal hat ?" coyly smiled Lincoln, glad to see his sister revatilised, even if it was through anger.

Lola gave a melancholic sigh. "No, of course not. I'll never forget that incredible jewel, and it'll be forever in my dreams. But," her tone regained vitality, "you're right. It's not worth crying a river about it, or planting my face on what's left of it forever. After all, the world still needs it; it still needs me !" she boasted without a trace of shame. Her blue SOUL's gleam went a couple gigawatts higher as she did so. Her smile then turned a tad sheepish. "I must've looked so pathetic down there. Thanks Lincoln !"

She went to embrace her brother, but was stopped by the boy himself. "I appreciate the gesture, and you're very welcome; but hugs will have to wait."

Lola stared, dumbfounded. What ever could be so important to delay tender sister-brother affection ? Her confusion only grew when she remarked her sisters, now circling her, and their deadpan looks. "What ?" she uttered. "Is this about what I said ? Look, I'm sorry for calling you liars." Silence. "And for losing my mind over a hat." Still nothing. "And for exploding at Lily." The baby nodded once, but said nothing else. And that was just about how much silent treatement she could take. "As far as I know, I didn't steal your tongues. So would you please spill it already ?!"

"You dun goofed, sis. You've goofed real bad." said Luan with the upmost seriousness. "Also, nice pun. Don't go stealing my material now, hehe."

"What you did brought despair so raw, it wrecked someone from inside out." Lola could feel Lucy breathing down her neck, litteraly. "I am not pleased by it. Think about that."

"W-Wha ? Who did I hurt ? You look all fine !" countered Lola, still not grasping the point of this little finger pointing session. She cringed a little when encountering her second oldest sister's damp mug. "Except you; you look terrible." she commented earnestly.

"How could you be so heartless ?!" blubbered Leni, before confusing herself. "Well, you do have a heart, 'cause it's floating right there... but still ! You've been totes mean to that poor little monster !"

Realisation hit the six year-old like a ton of bricks... okay, judging by her reaction, it was more like a kilo of pillows. Still noticeable ! "Oh, that's all ? Is he throwing a tantrum or something ? I'm going to apologise, don't worry ! Jeez, you made it sound like someone died or something." chortled the little princess.

The siblings exchanged knowingly deadpan glances to eachother. "You're about to chew those words, princess." said Luna, as she made way for Lola to see the mess she had created.

Lola angled her head. "He layed an ice cube, then ran away ?" was the most plausible solution coming to her mind.

"He IS the ice cube, Lola." dryly stated Lori, forgetting all about tact for a moment, as it was the best way for someone like Lola to quickly understand. "About a minute ago, we saw him meltinginto it, out of the despair of losing his hat." She sighed. "And at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of family heirloom, or a present left by his grand-mother on her deathbed or something like that."

"Don't say thaaaaat !" Leni burst into tears.

"Wow, cool it with the sprinklers sis !" said Luna, shielding her face from the tear showers her sister could somehow produce. "I'm gonna be an ice statue too if you keep it up !"

Lola looked at the lamenting ice block in complete incredulity. She just couldn't believe it. Being able to melt your own body into an ice cube out of sheer despair ? That was ridiculous ! Zany ! Down right illogical !

...And since they were in the Underground, it was only par to the course. Not to mention that Lisa had touched a word about Monsters' attacks and magic tying to their emotions; a theory they had wholefully observed during Goat Mom's final flurry of attacks.

All in all, Lola could only find herself agreeing with Luan's earlier statement. She had goofed up,

hard. "Can I even fix him ?" she murmured a little too loud for her own taste.

"You will not know until you try, sister." said Lisa, the neutrality in her voice not really putting her big sister's worries at ease.

"But I barely know anything about apologising !"

"Aw c'mon, you did pretty well with Lori and Tori, and that was earlier today." quipped Lynn.

"Yeah, but it was a group effort !" stubbornly pouted Lola.

"How about when we nearly botched up our teamwork to get in the Blue Bell scouts ?" recalled Lana, forcing a grin out of her sister. They had certainly gained some braids since that day, especially in cookie selling, so much so that the 'Twin Effect' actually got recognised as an official commercial move for the Blue Bells' industries across the planet.

But Lola shook her head, and regained her mulish attitude. "But we were both in the wrong ! And we wrapped the whole thing up in a couple of seconds ! This is completely-"

"What about the Secret secrets club incident ?" dropped Lincoln, his eyes slightly reddish for an instant, before widening in surprise. "Huh ? Why did I …?"

Though inadvertently, the reminder had hit right at home, and gave the little princess some pause for thought. The scheme she had pulled off that day was like any other, but it was the first one that had gotten her on the other end of a tattletale strike, served with a crushing order of loneliness and some guilt on the side. And by going through the good route, one that a week beforehand, she would have been scoffing at, she had earned far more valuable than servants and majordomes being at her beck and call : her siblings' trust.

And once again, she was being tasked to do the right thing, by admitting that she was wrong. Only this time, it would be out of the family circle, and to a cube who could be out of square with what she had to say.

(*Geometrical Rimshot*)

"Welp, here goes nothing..." Lola inhaled deeply, and calmly breathed out. She advanced to the ACT button, and chose Compliment,the option she had just made for Ice Cap. Oh wait, it was just ice now. Nervosity showed in every step she took to approach ice, almost tripping herself twice on the short distance, and her knees were almost buckling when she knew she was at an adequate distance to talk. But feeling the eyes of her siblings on her, hoping for her success, filled Lola with you-know-what.

'Okay Lola, you've got this.' Lola's mind steeled itself.'Just think of it as a talent show; first impressions are everything ! And this ain't some regional easy win, you're going to need your A-game for this one ! Start with a compliment, something nice about him.'

"HI !" derped Lola. "LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE LOST WEIGHT, THAT'S GREAT !"

'Oh yeah, smooth as a sheep's back, you're getting straight 10's on that one, Britney.' echoed Lola's mind with dripping sarcasm.

The ice cube barely shuffled, and spoke meekly. "Weight...? I don't weigh anything. Because I'm not worth anything. And I probably never was..."

*"The Napsta-force is strong in this one. Your entrance, not so much."

Lola shot a dark glare at Lincoln, who shrunk away with a sheepish shrug. One day, she'd get her hands around that ghost person's neck. Just they wait...

But she had better to do, as her suddenly lighter heart reminded her. A white thread swirled in the air, looking for a cheek to slap with its coldness. But it moved so slowly, Lola only had to side-step by an inch to avoid it. She watched as it pathetically dropped on the floor, and disappeared in the snow. It had nothing to stand out, so it vanished from everyone's eye...

"Do you really have to write now ?" quietly asked Lincoln.

"I'll stop when this place stops giving me inspiration." Lucy whispered back.

The attack over, the Louds' next turn began. Lincoln opened the ACT panel, but found no other options than the ubiquitous Check. It didn't take much for him and the girls to understand what was going on; Lola's silent and jittery form was also a big clue.

"Wow, since when does Lola get short on words ?" murmured Lynn, knowing how hard it was to even come close from winning an argument against the little princess, without either a parental figure getting mixed in, or her starting to bite left and right.

"Yeah, she kinda looks like me when I had to speak to the entire class about some old guy who discovered how to make big bombs." remembered Leni with a shudder. "Like, the only thing I could say about the guy was that he was really smart, but he was one lousy selfie taker. Who sticks their tongue out ?"

"It would make less sense if she litteraly could do it as smoothly as one of her victory speeches." remarked Lori, promptly ignoring Leni's own conundrum,, and watching ahead with slight worry on her otherwise calm expression. "She's got the gift of gab, but just because she's done it before, doesn't mean that she's an immediate expert at apologising. Especially to someone that crushed and morose."

"True. She needs help." stated Lucy.

"But we mustn't forget that we cannot barge into the conversation. It would be quite the blow to our sister's amour-propre if we were to interrupt her, or even try to steer the discussion in a way that denies her the credit of making this monster feel better." theorised Lisa, with acuity that left no place for doubt.

"Well, does anyone have any idea, or are we just going in circles ? Get it ? Because he's a cube ?" cracked Luan, followed by the usual groans. "No but really, any idea ?"

"We can't talk at all..." Lana rubbed her chin and gave her best pensive pout. She could feel the muddy gears inside her mind turning, but all she was getting as a result was smoke. But while her brain was no help, her eyes fell on her little orange SOUL. The smog was gone in the snap of fingers she was producing.

Buried under her mountain of anxiousness, Lola found a thread of hope to hang onto when she heard a sharp whistle, the one slithering through a tooth gap she knew all too well. She shyly turned her head towards her twin, and watched her movements. She felt a pang of annoyance at first. This wasn't the time for a mime act ! And besides, why was Lana doing it ? She always got uneasy every time Luan decided to perform it .

One tap on her forehead, then a shake of the head, then pointing at her SOUL, and finally a hearty nod ? What did that...

Oh. Ooooh...

Lola felt her own little floating heart brightening up, and gave a grateful nod to Lana, who made a 'Ah, shucks' wave of her hand. Assertiveness came back to the classy blonde, and she fluidly turned back to the weeping monster. No more chanting by heart; time to wow the judges with some Lola-esque originality.

A new option appeared on the ACT panel, one that took Lincoln by surprise. But any remark he had for it, he swallowed it right back down his throat. It wasn't his call, and it wasn't his action. He just hoped that Lola knew what she was doing. With that in mind, Lincoln pressed the glimmering option, Wake up.

"Alright buster, time to cut off the drama ! There's enough water on the ground, thank you very much !" said Lola, her haughty tone coming as an icy waking-up call to monster and humans alike.

"H-Huh ?..." meekly replied ice as he slightly shifted his position.

"You heard me, it's time for you to get a grip in life !" asserted Lola, slinging an accusing finger at the shocked glass-cooler. "First off, I wanna see eyes, not your back !"

"B-But I am looking at you..."

"And yet I can't tell the difference ! See ?! Your depression is only causing problems to everybody !"

"I-I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." sniffled ice with

"Okay, what kind of a crummy apology is that ?!" said Lynn, wincing at how hard she'd just slapped her forehead. "She sounds like she's strong-arming him !"

"She is coming off hecka strong !" admitted Luna, just as weirded out by the sudden outburst. Not pulling any punches was something Lola was known to usually do, to a few exceptions. But for this situation to not be one of those exceptions was catching the rocker off-guard. But, according to the thoughtful brow she was gaining, that didn't last. "But maybe she's onto something..."

"You sure about that ?" cringed Luan as she looked at the wetness appearing in the snow under ice's form. Whether it was melting or tears, it only made the whole situation sadder.

But Lola was not moved by this. Not at all. "NO !" she shouted. "What did I just say ?! No tears ! No crying ! Slurp that water back in there !" Her orders were followed to the letter, and the tears came back from whence they came. Lola nodded. "That's better ! Now, let's talk for real, human to monster, kid to kid, and most importantly, fashion-lover to fashion-lover."

"Fashion ?" said ice, a dash of interest in his voice, before crushing it himself under a glacier of melancholy. "What's the point in that ? My hat's gone. It melted away, and with it, everything I was. I'm just a sad little nobody now..."

"Yes, you are. But," she added before the little confidence in ice could be axed off by her blunt comment, "not in the way you think you are." She sat near him, knowing that some closure was in order for her message to be fully understood.

"Look, I get it. I know how it's like to be beautiful, to do everything to keep that beauty at all costs, and to brag about it as loud as you can. You want to be noticed, loved, appreciated, and it's the easiest way to win some hearts. Following me so far ?"

Ice moved its form up and down. Lola understood it as an awkward nod.

"But most of the time, flowing hair and a sweet little face are not enough. It doesn't matter how cute you are; if you dress in garbage, people will still turn their noses away from you. They just do, and that's why you need stylish garments to make it big. Dresses, coats, fashionable shoes... and sometimes, a good-looking hat." She stopped an instant for any pitiful whine to be heard, but it never came. Good, she was making progress. "In case it wasn't clear by the fact I stole it – I'm really sorry about that by the way – I loved your hat. It was a piece of art, and it made me go a teensy bit crazy for it." A frown then grew on her face. "Care to tell me what's so funny, o dear siblings ?"

Lincoln bit back a snort, and collected himself. "Nothing, nothing, keep going."

Thankfully, Lola let it slide. For now. "Yeah, that hat was amazing. A little too amazing, maybe. And I was just as broken as you over it ! Or so I thought, apparently..." she sighed sadly, feeling ice's aura of misery radiating still. "Be real with me : why was that hat so important to you ?"

"...It was my family's pride." muttered ice wistfully. "Not a family heirloom or anything, but a tradition gone amazingly right. See, us Ice Caps don't have much going for us. We aren't outcasts or anything, nobody bully us, but we just aren't much. I mean, we're small, pudgy, not very agile, and our magic is far from being Royal Guard material. We have only one thing that distinguish us from talking snow poffs : Our Hats." A lone lily of passion bloomed in his tone. "Every Ice Cap is born with their hat, and that hat is considered to be their greatest possession. My mom told me that it's our own way to show our worth to the rest of the Underground. Some choose magic, other choose strength, and some use very bad jokes." Luan sneezed. "We chose our fair hats, and mine was the fairest we've seen in a long, long time. And it's gone..." he gave a long and shaky sigh. "I've lost what made me, me... I can't even use my family name now..." Cracks began to spread through his words again. "What am I gonna tell Mom and Dad ?"

No answer. Lola had no immediate answer for this. All she did was poking the ground, seemingly in the false hope that an answer would rear its helpful head from under the snow. But her mind was all too full at work, despite the guilt crippling some of its cogs. With all the facts revealed to her, Lola now understood how much she had done goofed. She had not just crushed the budding dreams of a child, she had apparently ended a tradition that went back to a time she could only imagine how long ago.

What could you say to that ? What apology could you hope to give to earn some forgiveness for such a horrible crime ? Or at least one that didn't imply her cutting her entire scalp to offer it as a replacement wig. No, she needed something less drastic, but with a long-lasting impact. And as Lana had mimed to her, it needed to come from her very heart...

The bell whistle of an idea rung through the pink-clad human's mind. Of course ! What was the most important thing to her heart, second only to her family ?

"FASHION !" she answered out loud, promptly freaking ice right out of his mourning. She blushed a little, " Heh, sorry. But yeah, I think I've got the way to not only claim back your pride, but also make your family even prouder !"

Despite not having any, ice's eyes widened with wonder. It almost sounded too good to be true, but in his sad state, any solution was a good solution. Except maybe asking 'he-who's-too-obnoxious-to-be-named' for help. Ice nudged the little human to pursue.

"I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier, it's so obvious ! You need a brand new wardrobe !" squealed Lola in euphoric illumination.

"Huh ?" ice arched itself. Lola patted the top of his cubic form with a smile.

"Hear your Auntie Lola out : Your hat tradition, how long has it been going on ? Two, three centuries ?"

"Uh, more like seven ?"

"Exactly ! And it's about time we dust it up ! Your hats, from what I saw, are great. But trust me, there's better."

Ice gasped. "There is ?!"

"You bet ! From where I come, fashion never dishes out perfection. It's always changing, always looking different. Sure, some styles become classics, but there are always new surprises, new combos coming every month, every week even ! But none of it is ever perfect. Heck, I'm not perfect either !"

Sharp gasps rose from the human pack, now collectively holding their hearts. Lola had just admitted she wasn't perfect. They instinctively looked up to catch the sight of a flying pig playing the banjo that would assure them the true prelude of the World's end.

"But you know what makes me look and feel like it ?" she asked.

"A very pretty face that you doll up every morning ?" tried the monster.

Lola blushed upon hearing this, but stayed on track. "Well yes, but also a very diversified style. I mean sure, the pink gown in my bag is my usual choice, but when the weather or the crowd asks for it, I'm always prepared to dazzle them. Like those winter clothes !" she striked a pose. "I didn't choose them, but I knew they'd fit me, because they shouted ME. And those aren't the only ones. There is no one style making me. Just because one disappears or melts away, doesn't mean that Lola Loud vanishes as well. And that's the same for you."

Every inch of ice's attention was on the smiling blond angel now. He hung on every word that came from her lips, feeling his white SOUL warming up hearing them. And so did his cheeks, as he now noticed how pretty those lips were.

"I'm sorry for what I did to you, more than I've ever been before. I took and destroyed something very precious to you; and the only way I can make up for it, is to get you back on your feet. In more ways than one." she gently said. "Ice, losing your hat didn't turn you into a plain ice block : You did that to yourself. You don't have to be like that, you shouldn't. And moping about isn't going to solve anything." she chuckled, giving an embarrassed pull on her coat's collar. She could smell the irony stinking from her words.

But she could not halt her effort now. "If something gets in your way, you don't sit next to it and lament over how unfair life is ; you kick it down in style ! Your hat's gone ? Make another ! A better one ! A masterpiece that'll gratify your family for a million years to come !" she thundered with passion, squishing the sides of the blushing ice block. "And not just hats ! Make jackets ! Scarves ! Gowns ! Socks ! Whatever your heart tells you to do ! Just, avoid leggings. Seriously, never do leggings, kiddo. But other than that, have no limits ! Don't follow the trend, MAKE the trend !" She forced her euphoria to dial down to a kinder tone, as she wrapped her arms around ice's 'body', and pressed her forehead on the cold surface. She took no notice of its intense pinkening. "Do it, and you won't even have to peep a word to make them understand how beautiful you are."

At this instant, Lola could've sworn she had heard bells ringing from very far away, celebrating a success she had no idea about. Or perhaps she did. What she did know however, was that she could feel ice's form shift, morph under her very arms. She didn't open her eyes for it, she let it happen. She tapped into a feeling allowed by a piece of her SOUL's red lining, the one that allowed her to wait for the transformation to wrap itself up, before she allowed to brush it with a glance. Only when she felt two shoulders being grasped by her gloved hands, did she allow her eyes to flutter open.

And her gaze met the real Ice Cap's, making them slowly disconnect their foreheads. No cap resided on his bald little head, but it didn't seem to bother him in the least. In fact, he seemed happier than ever. As if he had found something even more precious.

"Heh, thanks... Lola." he was almost too shy to say her name. "...You know, I was kinda lying before. Your hat is pretty great too."

Lola fought her lips from taking a Leni-kind of goofy smile, and played it off with a cocky smile. "Why thank you. I feel generous today, so I'll forget you ever said wrong of it. Never do it again though, or I'll really give you something to cry about." she shook her fist, but more in a joking manner than a threat.

The two giggled at this, and the Louds watched the scene unfold with a tender eye.

"That was one of the sassiest ways I've ever seen someone say sorry." chuckled Luna. "Typical Lola. And I mean that in the raddest way possible."

"They grow up so fast..." warmly sighed Leni, wiping her eyes with her hanky.

As for Lana, she felt happy for her sister. She had managed to strike a friendship from the oddest places, and that only made the little tomboy's smile grow prouder. The glint of malice in it though was reserved for the load of teasing material she was cooking up for her fellow twin. Yeah, like she wasn't picking up the small pink hue highlighting their cheeks.

*"Ice Cap has been woken up inside. Ice Cap has been saved."

Lincoln completely agreed with himself, discarded how unhealthy it sounded, and went for the MERCY button. Spare was as golden as he knew it would be, and lost no time in giving it a hearty push.

*YOU WON ! You've won 0 EXP and 35 Gold.

Fight over.

"Wait, how many Gold again ?!" blurted out the sole brother.

"So, are you ready to dazzle the world ?" said Lola teasingly.

"I'M GOING TO MAKE THE WHOLE UNDERGROUND BLIND !" shouted Ice Cap. It seemed that Lola's earlier burst of passion had infected him. "And I already have an idea ! No, three ideas ! Ah, so many ideas in my head right now !"

"Woah, keep it cool, snow boy !" said Lola, putting a calming hand on his shoulder. "I like your moxie, but fashion is a field that requires elegance, remember ?" The springs on the young monster's feet slowly vanished, and he nodded fervishly. "Good. Now go ! Make me proud !" The two exchanged one last handshake, but before Ice Cap could completely disappear in the distance, she felt the need to add, "And there better be a dress for me in that collection !"

"You bet ! But don't count on a discount !"

Lola gasped in outrage... then fondly smiled ahead. In her hand, sat a little pouch full of Gold, and she could feel its whole mouthwatering sum. Why wasn't her mouth watering for it though ? Why wasn't she opening it up right this instant, and maybe shower herself with that sweet gold ? Maybe... maybe there was more to life than good looks and sparkling riches...

Yeah, right ! But still, her happiness rested not solely on what she had earned, but what she had given as well. "Go get 'em, snow boy." she murmured.

Her siblings quickly joined her, and were just as quick to congratulate her. She of course danced under the spotlight she was being put under like it was the most natural thing in the world, but it was nothing they didn't expect. Nor was the sourness blooming on her face when Lori cleared her throat meaningfully. Worst still, her puppy eyes were still not winning her any favour, and she was forced to pay the Lousy Lori Tax. A fitting name in her book.

And finally, she was surprised when she saw a lone coin being handed back to her, accompanied by Lori's big sister smile. "Lucy got to keep one, I think it's litteraly natural you do too. Plus, you've earned it."

Lola hug-tackled Lori before both of them could even understand what was going on, and the Louds were finally free to leave the Ball zone, with a big smile on a little girl's face, smaller ones on other faces...

And a red flagpole waving behind, despite the lack of wind...

---

There were two reliefs in the Louds' minds when they entered the next area. First, it was small, bare of any time-consuming challenges, or fight-promising guard stations, and with a simple exit ahead. Even the snow was scarce here, sweeped into the corners.

And their second relief came in the sight of two grinning skeletons waiting for them.

"NYEH HEH HEH, THERE YOU ALL ARE, HUMANS !" loudly welcomed Papyrus. "YOU CERTAINLY TOOK A WHILE. I THOUGHT PERHAPS YOU HAD GOTTEN LOST !"

"Nope, we've just been checkin' what Snowdin could offer, and throw in our faces." snickered Luna.

"Playing games..." said Lynn, rolling her eyes.

"Giving inspiration..." pursued Lola with a proud grin.

"Digging through other people's stuff..." dropped Lana nonchalantly.

"Ice C'eam..." drooled Lily, checking her fingers for any remanant of chocolate. But alas, the past her had just been a too good licker. Curse you, past Lily !

"WOWIE, THAT SOUNDS ALL DELIGHTFUL ! MINUS THE PART ABOUT BREAKING SOMEONE'S PRIVACY. THAT'S KINDA WRONG." Papyrus said with a side-glance. "OH BY THE WAY, DID YOU SEE WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THAT SHOUTING EARLIER ? I'D LIKE TO MEET THEM ! THEY ALMOST SOUNDED AS INSPIRED AS ME !"

The siblings exchanged rather nervous glances. Papyrus was a great fellow, and Sans was okay, but they weren't sure they wanted to unravel everything about them. Like parts about a Ghost Narrator possessing one of them, or the power to alter time and space itself. Heck, they weren't even ready to be told why Leni always had sunglasses with her !

They needed a cover story, one that would require perfect coordination between them, something they definitely knew how to pull off. When did that not ever work ?

The answer was, when no such story had been made in advance.

"It was an octopus !"

"Yeah, huge as a house !"

"With daffodil-hued skin !"

"And, uh, he wanted to form a band !"

"So he sang at the top of his lungs to get people to join them !"

"But it didn't work, 'cause he didn't know how to sing !"

"A-A-And he was freaky, 'cause he had anime-eyes !"

"And a very high-pitched voice !"

"So he got depressed, and flew back home."

"In the river, to ink about what he had done !"

"Bah-bye 'topus !"

Tense silence fell on the area, as all the Louds, minus Lily, gave the two skeletons big nervous grins, minus Lily, who was making jazz hands to celebrate the story's end. The quirky duo blinked, their expressions frozen into place.

"I don't think they're buying it." nervously whispered Lincoln.

"You think ?" whispered Lori back, not losing her smile either.

Finally, Sans broke the ice, delivering the sentence that sealed their fates... and that was that weirdness never stopped in the Underground. "see paps ? told ya it was onion-san."

"I HAD NO IDEA HE COULD FLY NOW ! GOOD FOR HIM !" rejoiced Papyrus, completely oblivious to the sighs of relief of the humans, currently crumbling to the ground. "BUT IN ANY CASE, HUMANS, LET US CUT TO THE CHASE ! OR RATHER, TO THE PUZZLE !"

The kids pulled themselves back on their feet, and observed the stone gap between them and the brothers. Once again, this image seemed to lack an important element.

"Is it invisible again ?" asked Lucy in her monotone.

Papyrus opened his eyes, and whipped his head from left to right, and back. Only when he had done so about five times did he let his confident smile disappear. "SANS ? IS THE PUZZLE INVISIBLE ?"

"nope." answered his brother.

"THEN WHERE IS IT ?!"

"riiiight there." Sans lazily pointed to the slim white object in the center of the area. Curious, the humans advanced, and retrieved the leaflet. What they found made eyebrows fly up in sheer confusion.

"A... word search ?" said Lincoln.

"A word search ?" parroted his sisters.

"A WORD SEARCH ?! SANS, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS ?!" Papyrus pratically leapt in the air, and landed with a very serious placement of his gloves against both sides of his pelvis.

Sans' chesire grin didn't falter. "bro, trust me, all part of the plan. there's no way they'll get through it. they're as good as yours." he whispered with a wink.

Papyrus had doubts, BIG doubts about his brother's claim. It sounded awfully similar the 'just five more minutes, paps' he'd hear for about two hours in the morning. Then in the afternoon. And even when he'd wake up, it would be to move to the couch for a nap, forcing the puzzle master to carry him around like a big, lazy handbag.

But on the other hand... Papyrus ADORED surprises ! So excitement gleamed into his eyes as he waited to see whatever astounding achievement would be playing before him.

Meanwhile, the siblings decided to play along, but in a way that would make their time worthwile. And nothing made mundane activities more worthwile in the Loud House, than some good ol' competition.

"Ready, sis ?" asked Lana, thumb hovering above the timer, while Luan kept the word search face blank.

"Does an hexagon have six sides ?" replied Lisa as she clicked the nib of her pen out, the little stain of ink at the end shimmering at the battle it was about to fight.

"...Yes ?"

"Precisely."

"Can she really beat her own record ?" murmured Leni, hitching her breath in suspense.

"Only she knows the answer..." said Lincoln.

"And... GO !"

Luan fleetly turned the paper over, and just as hastily retreated before Lisa's pen made its first strike. Papyrus was waiting for a show, and boy was he getting one. Every word, every letter of the word search was being analysed, shambled, then put together in hundreds of possibilities until the right combinations were found. And the whole operation was only the matter of a half-second.

Next was the flurry of ink attacks she unleashed, all lines to cross the different words. But despite her haste, no crook could be found in those perfect lines. Lisa's hand was fast, yet precise. Powerful, yet delicate. Calculated, yet flowing. It was like a perfectly orchestrated dance, and every right note could be heard, despite the fact that it was over before her audience even knew it.

The click of the pen followed the one of the timer, and all stood in baited breath for the result... until Lynn, peeking over Lana's shoulder, announced it with the intensity of her own victories, "Perfect lines in 3.74 seconds ! It's a new world record !"

As boy and girls cheered like a goal had been scored, Lisa simply blowed on the smoking tip of her trusty pen, and tapped it back into her coat pocket with a most satisfied expression. "As if there ever was any doubt." she patted her own back, then felt her little sister hugging her, and patted the top of her hood. "One day, you too shall be a semantic expert, I will make it one of my priorities when the time comes." Lily did not know what kind of biscuit that was, but she giggled in agreement all the same.

"BRAVO, BRAVO ! ENCORE !" applauded Papyrus, tearing up as he joined the celebration, surprising the humans who had not seen him nor Sans approach. Leni especially was having an inner conundrum between snuggling up to the lanky skeleton, or making herself as little as a mouse behind Lori. "PUZZLE SOLVING IN ALL ITS SPLENDOUR, HOW BEAUTIFUL !"

"yep, i've got no words right now." winked Sans. (*Rimshot*)

"AND AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE TOO ! IT'S SO RARE TO FIND CHILDREN THAT ARE INTO PUZZLES THOSE DAYS ! IF ONLY I HAD MY COOKING USTENSILS, I WOULD CALL FOR CELEBRATION !"

Sans activated a small party popper, raining a couple of confettis onto Lisa's hair. "congrats. you're a nerd."

The little genius quickly brushed it off, and gleamed ever so slightly at Papyrus' praise. "Your compliments are most appreciated, Papyrus." she said, drooping to her neutral tone when she turned to adress the lazy half of the duo. "Sans, you... Sans." she drawled, sighed when Sans gave her a thumbs up, and handed the paper back to Papyrus. "By the way, there seems to be a slight typographical error at 'giasfclfebrehber'. You might want to give the editor a call."

"I CERTAINLY WILL, ASTUTE LITTLE CHILD ! NYEH HEH HEH !" Papyrus laughed joyously, which was almost infections. Then, his joy descended into confusion. "WAIIIIIIT..." And finally, it turned into righteous fury. "SANS ! YOU SAID THAT IT WOULD STOP THEM, AND IT BARELY SLOWED THEM DOWN !"

Sans snapped his fingers, not even giving his action the effort to produce any sound. "darn, my bad. should've gone with plan c."

"What's plan C ?" asked Lincoln, feeling like he already knew the answer.

"crossword. they had a killer one in the paper of today."

Luan's following laughter was supported by snickers from the others, but it mostly came to the comically appalled expression Papyrus was wearing. "WHAT ?! HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT ?! WHAT A CRUEL LACK OF SERIOUSNESS, BROTHER !"

Lori blinked in surprise. "Wow, a breakthrough ?"

"IT IS OBVIOUS THAT JUNIOR JUMBLE WOULD BE A MUCH BETTER CHOICE !"

"Aaand, I fell for it." she sighed.

Actual surprise appeared on Sans' face, the action more surprising to the Louds than the reason. "huh ? junior jumble ? the word search they publish in the elementary paper ? pssh, that's baby bones stuff."

The drama only kept going higher when Papyrus began to rant, "BABY BONES ?! I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT JUNIOR JUMBLE IS A VERIFIED WARM-UP FOR YOUR RETINAE, AN EXCELLENT WAY TO SHARPEN YOUR LOGIC, AND HAS (ALMOST) BEEN RECOGNIZED AS OFFICIAL ROYAL GUARD TRAINING !"

"c'mon paps, i used to do those in my crib. between two naps. and i used to take twice the amount i take today."

"Did you even wake up ?" said Lola.

"Well, he had to eat at some point." Lana furthered the joke, rising hilarity around her, even from the butt of the joke himself. But it did not rouse any from his brother.

"UNBELIEVABLE. SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE." Papyrus shook his head. "WELL, IT SEEMS WE ARE IN AN IMPASS, BROTHER."

"looks like it. of course, you could just admit i'm right."

"AND DENY JUNIOR JUMBLE ITS GLORY ?! MOST CERTAINLY NOT ! NO, WE ARE GOING TO NEED A THIRD OPINION !" He turned to the humans. "FOURTH TO THIRTEENTH OPINIONS ARE JUST AS WELCOME ! HUMANS, HELP US SOLVE THIS DISPUTE ! WHICH IS MORE DIFFICULT ?!"

Skirmish engaged !

{Undertale OST – (Date Tension)}

The Loud sibs found themselves hesitating with the task being pinned onto them. It seemed pretty obvious at first, but the sympathy they had for the taller brother quickly made a mess of their judgements. But for one, it was the simplest choice to make, and all she had to do was getting her voice back.

"Oooh, oooh ! That's an easy one !" chirped Leni. "Junior Jumble, of course ! I'm usually not too great at word puzzles, but those ones are so great to do ! I mean at first, you see all those words that mean nothing, but then you scramble the letters, and the real word appear ! Not only that, it reveals a super secret word at the end, and makes you feel like an arch... arg... like that guy with the hat and the whip who likes old temples ! I love Junior Jumble, I've become the expertest at it !"

Lisa thanked Science itself that she hadn't any dictionnary or encyclopedia with her at the moment, as her fingers itched to throw them at her ditzy sister's head with extreme prejudice.

Doubts among the others began flickering when they saw the radiant smile on Papyrus' face, and disappeared completely when they saw Sans giving small, but meaningful head nudges in his brother's direction. The Papyrus answer it was !

"Oh yeah, Junior Jumble is hard, but super cool !" agreed Lana. "Especially the ones they publish in 'Little Miss Mechanician Weekly' !"

"I prefer the ones with cemetery themes myself." crowed Lucy. "Because it gives me the feeling that you'll never know what you'll find in them. Like your true soulmate."

"You found your Edwin bust in a cemetery ?" said Lynn, cocking an eyebrow.

"No, but I found him in a place even more desolate of life and the joy supposed to go with it."

"The Internet ?" Luan wiggled her eyebrows.

"The Internet." nodded Lucy.

In a matter of seconds, all Louds were pitching in their positive opinion on Junior Jumble and its difficulties. Even Lisa swallowed her pride, and made up a story about Harvard using Junior Jumble as one of their entry exams. It was far-fetched all the way to Mount Ebott's top, but the most over the top it was, better was the chances Papyrus would buy it. And unsurprisingly, it worked like a charm.

{Undertale OST – It's Showtime !}

"HA ! HA HA ! I KNEW IT ! JUNIOR JUMBLE WINS AGAIN !" chanted Papyrus, rising a finger to the ceiling as a victory music rung out, an invisible spotlight shone over him, and confetti in the shape of his face rained over him.

"Wow, I wish I could do that." said Lola, catching one of the confetti in mid-air.

"Yeah, no way you can mess up a party with that kind of trick." chuckled Luna. "If only I could remix that tune a little..."

"And as usual, I'm the only one to question the lack of logic of the present scene." grumbled Lisa, desperately searching the sky for any flying confetti bucket or spotlight; anything that would make more sense than the obligatory answer.

*"PAPYRUS WON ! He's won the right to brag about it for the next two weeks at the most opportune moment to reach maximum teasing potential."

Skirmish over.

{Music fades off...}

The defeated skelebro was taking his loss pretty well. In fact, he was looking a little cherrier than before. "majority has spoken. but hey, no reason to be cross about it." he winked.

Papyrus didn't even groan, too absorbed by his victory. "HUMANS ARE INDEED VERY SMART IF THEY FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE DIFFICULT AS MUCH AS I DO ! PERHAPS WE COULD SHARE A COUPLE SOME DAY !"

"Gee, is it a date ?" cracked Luan, grinning as the others giggled, and Leni's redness gained a few tones.

"I DON'T SEE WHY NOT ?" proposed Papyrus, the naive smile adoring his face immediately dissipating any kind of misunderstanding or innuendo.

"I've got a boyfriend." said Lori out of instinct.

"Music's my whole life, ain't interested in anythin' else right now." Luna gently put him down, even though her claim was only half-honest. But it wasn't the time for that yet...

Luan looked the other way, her innocent whistling having nothing to do with a cute dark-haired emo, Lynn was picking her nose boringly, Lincoln vowed his own commitement to a cute ex-bully, and Lucy to Lily didn't feel concerned by the offer.

That left only one. And she managed to make the calculation as well, making her face go full scarlet to the tip of her ears. Her wooly hat inflated with the sound of a steaming kettle, but barely a sound could rise up the blonde's throat above a meek squeak.

And that was before Papyrus turned his perfect grin towards her. "WHAT ABOUT YOU... LENI, RIGHT ? WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHARE SOME JUNIOR JUMBLE WITH ME ? AFTER YOU ARE ALL CAPTURED, OF COURSE !"

He was talking to her. Directly, without any other intention than asking her on a date. A puzzle date, not the most romantic date in the book, but still, an actual date ! Leni felt paralysed, more than if a swarm of spiders had chosen to climb and cover her entire body.

Okay, one question at a time. Was she supposed to answer ?

'Yes, of course.' replied her mind, in the form of the dapper hamster turning her mind wheel.

What was she supposed to answer ?

'...Curl down on the ground, and never move ever again.'

This wasn't helpful at all ! Ahh, the seconds were ticking away, and she still hadn't said anything ! And now, she was going to look so awkward, and Papyrus would think she was a weird girl who couldn't even answer a simple yes and no question, because she didn't ever get anything people told her. And he'd hate her forever !

'...Well, would he ?'

Huh ?

'Would he hate you ?'

Where was this whispering voice coming from ?

'Can he hate you ?'

Leni's eyes diverted to her Green SOUL out of confusion. She waited a few seconds to confirm her theory, but nothing else came. Had she dreamed it ? Was she in a dream right now ? Was a licorice unicorce going to appear, and swipe her and her knight in bony white armour away to the glimmering sunset ?

Gah, she had to focus ! This was real, but so was the mysterious question. Could Papyrus hate her ? One look at his slim eyesockets and pearlier-than-her whites was all she needed to answer it.

No. Every possibility of the opposite answer was incogitable, downright insane, even for this place. Knowing that she could not mess it up, filled her heart with... the heart to tell him how she felt.

"U-Um, sounds n-neat, yeah. I'd like that very much." she shyly said as she twirled a lock of her smooth blonde hair. Inside though, she was throwing in a one-girl rave party, celebrating her true first words with Papyrus. She added, "I just hope that my sunglasses won't fall and make the whole world darker again. It's way harder to find words-"

"SUNGLASSES ?" interrupted Papyrus quizically. Leni nodded, took out her round glasses, and showed them to him. "GASP !" yelled Papyrus, so shocked that he pulled a Lucy. "ARE YOU SAYING YOU HAVE SUNGLASSES TO USE AT A MOMENT'S NOTICE ?!"

"Yeah, in case the sun gets, like, way too bright ! Plus they're totes fashionable on my head !" chirped Leni naturally, before shrinking back to her little voice. "It's... It's not weird, is it ?"

"WEIRD ?! AU CONTRAIRE, CHÈRE HUMAINE LENI !"

'He can speak French... And he called me dear !' Leni internally squealed with the force of a thousand airhorns. And what he did next made Dian Ross' crowd seem like a quiet breeze compared to Leni's internal squeal.

Papyrus spun around on one foot like a true magical girl, turning his entire body into a spinning orange blur, before stopping and emerging looking the same as before, to the exception of a pair of gaudy sunglasses. The black lenses were sparkling with golden glitter, and the bright orange arms, taped to the sides of his skull, had the words 'RAD GUY' written in ruby-coloured letters, bones underneath, and a blazing flame engulfing it all. Yeah, that was how you knew someone was cool, their name was burning.

"TO BE AS COOL AS ME, YOU MUST ALWAYS BE PREPARED FOR SUNGLASSES EMERGENCIES !" boasted Papyrus, his long scarf flowing in a nonexistant wind. "ISN'T THAT RIGHT, SANS ?!"

"no arguing there." grinned Sans, now wearing a pair of light blue party glasses, the ones he'd use as a night mask most of the time.

"Cooooool..." whispered Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lincoln, Lana and Lola, their eyes glimmering with wonder and amazement at the posing monster beaming with coolness. As they should be.

"Too much bling on it for me, but I appreciate the shade." commented the little black-riding hood.

"Would Bobby look cute with those sunglasses ?" asked Lori, mostly to herself. A dreamy sigh was all the answer she gave to her own question.

Lisa sighed at her siblings' silly sheninigans being crossed with the two skeletons'. She felt her green pants being tugged, and saw Lily looking up at her. "What seems to be the problem, younger sibling unit ?" she asked.

Lily pointed at the grinning fallen log their ditzy big sister had become. "Fic ?" asked Lily, bobbing her head.

Lisa observed the snow around Leni, which was melting at an improbable pace, and listened to the little whines of pure ecstasy coming out of her mouth every once in a while. Having analysed the symptoms, Dr. Lisa handed down her diagnosis.

"Apologies Lily, but there are some sicknesses even my expertise cannot cure. And such an infected mind-liquefying love is one of such cases." she said without much care.

"NYEH ? IS IT NAP TIME ALREADY ?" piped Papyrus, appearing above Lisa's shoulder, and looking down at Leni. Looking at the watch he had drawn on his glove, he became certain that it was no such time, and started waving a hand in front of Leni's face. "YOO-HOO, TIME TO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE MORNING SPAGHETTI !"

The effect was instanteneous, and had no regard towards the laws of Physics, as Leni stood up straight on her feet like a slightly inclined wooden board with a foot pressing its bottom part. Only there was no such force applied on her foot right now. Except perhaps the power of love.

"AH, YOU'RE AWAKE !" rejoiced Papyrus. "I WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING TO YOU !"

"Yeeeeeees~ ?" sweetly asked Leni with a big toothy grin.

"I SIMPLY WANTED TO COMMEND YOU ON YOUR READINESS. YOU HUMANS ARE CERTAINLY PROVING TO BE EVEN MORE CUNNING THAN UNDYNE TOLD ME ABOUT !"

"Yeah, we try." said Lana, not without a hint at her pride having been rubbed in the right way

"You should see us when the chocolate cookie jar is full. We become masters of the infiltration !" added Lola just as merrily.

"INDEED ! SO MUCH CRAFTING MISCHIEF IN SUCH LITTLE BODIES ! NYEH HEH HEH !" said Papyrus boisterously, as he lifted the twins with each of his hands, making them squeak and giggle in excitement. It was clear that the man-skeleton-child's mindset was right in tune with the two tykes. Putting them down, he pursued just as loudly, "BUT YOU HAVE YET TO TRIUMPH, HUMANS ! MARK MY WORD, THINGS WILL ONLY GET HARDER FROM HERE ! YOUR MINDS WILL TWIST AND TURN OVER THE PUZZLES THAT AWAIT YOU !" He gave his sunglasses a tweak, increasing their shine. "AND JUST LIKE MY COOLNESS, MY VICTORY IS ASSURED !"

"Don't count your chickens before they're hatched ! We ain't captured yet !" challenged Lynn, eagerly flexing her arms.

The puzzle master gladly returned the confident grin. "WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT. OH YES, WE'LL SEE ! NYEH ! HEH ! HEH HEH !" he cackled, before dashing away.

"Heh, the more we get to know this dude, the funnier he gets." snickered Luna.

"Yep, this guy warms hearts all around. Except his, hahaha ! Get it ?" cracked Luan, making all humans groan, and one skeleton's grin grow a little larger. "By the way, where did you pull these glasses from ? Got a secret stash around here ?"

"nope, it's right there on my face." replied Sans, having now added a false mustache to his disguise.

While Luan busted a gut over this, Leni, who had just woken up from her frothing daydream, looked confused at the new monster in front of her. Sensing the question, Lincoln brought her up to speed. "It's Sans with sunglasses and a false mustache."

"Oh. I knew I recognised his haircut."

"by the way, thanks for choosing junior jumble to appease my bro. he really likes that game, 'cause he isn't so great with the others." chuckled Sans. "yersteday's horoscope did a number on his puzzle pride."

"Wait, he tried solving the horoscope ?" said Lori. "Why am I not surprised ?"

"Hold on, how can you read the stars if you all live in a cave ?" quipped Lucy, having a quite extensive knowledge about divination.

Sans shrugged. "we do with what we have." Lucy raised an unseen eyebrow, and Sans patted the top of her hood. "you'll get what i mean later."

"We won't see it from here, that's for sure. Perhaps we should, *yawn*, resume our roaming through the place." said Lisa, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

The yawning effect spreaded fast, and Sans even began to nod off while still standing. Lisa was right, and the Louds made their exit, waving a "See ya later" to their skeleton friend. Sans lazily waved back, and walked in the other direction.

"woo, that puzzle was some work. this guy earned his break, don't ya think ?" he winked to the camera. "see ya in five minutes. or a month. depends on lazier over there."

And then Sans tripped over his own feet, because he was clumsy like that.

"touchy."

---

The next area was no bigger than the last one, but had a fair bit more stuff in it. On their right, was a new SAVE Point, and on their left, were two tables. The pot of spaghetti with tomato sauce put on the larger one immediately caught the sibs' fancy, as it was a Loud House classic they could get tired of.

But before they could investigate it with eyes and perhaps taste buds, they discovered a note on the ground, almost trampling it in their interest for food. Lincoln picked up the note, eyed it, then handed it to Luna. "Papyrus wrote it."

"And how does that make me his official spokesgal, bro ?" asked a puzzled Luna.

"Your Papyrus voice is really funny." he simply answered.

The rocker rolled her eyes, but ultimately took it as a compliment, and began reading out loud before her roommate could add in her two cents.

"HUMANS, YOU DID NOT GET YOURSELVES LOST AGAIN ! TO REWARD THIS FEAT, I HAVE PREPARED MY WORLD-FAMOUS SPAGHETTI FOR YOU TO SHARE ! YOU CAN ALL EAT FROM THE POT. ENJOY !" It would never be explained how a black top hat suddenly replaced Luna's purple cap, a black cape appeared over her shoulders, and a thin mustache sprouted on her face, nor why she was mindlessly twirling it while taking a cartoony wicked tone. "(LITTLE DO YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS ACTUALLY A TRAP ! ENDEARED BY THE SPAGHETTI'S DELICIOUSNESS, YOU WON'T CONSIDER MAKING ANY PROGRESS ! YOU'LL GET STUCK THERE, GIVING ME MORE TIME TO MAKE EVEN BETTER WAYS TO CAPTURE YOU ! INGENIOUSLY JAPED ONCE AGAIN BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS ! NYEH HEH HEH !)" she cackled, before flowingly regaining her normal Papyrus voice, and her 1940's styled clothes disappearing. "WITH WARM REGARDS, THE GREAT PAPYRUS."

Luna shook her head in amusement. "That dude's too honest for his own good. Looks like Lazy Mate was kinda right about him." she chuckled, before she noticed all her siblings giving her weird stares. "What ? Got some sauce on my nose ?"

"No, but you had... I mean-" said Lincoln hesitantly, before sighing. "Never mind."

Leni snatched the note from her sister's hands, and gave it a deep whiff. She exhaled in an entranced manner, and regained heart-shaped pupils. "It smells just like him..."

Curious, Lynn sniffed it too. She raised an eyebrow. "He smells like tomato sauce ?"

"The bravest tomato sauce in the whole wide world..." gushed Leni.

"So, are we gonna eat, or what ?" chimed in Lana, having already grabbed the silverware.

"Spaghetti right after ice cream ? This is not really good for my figure." said Lola, rubbing her belly.

Lana shrugged, and grinned teasingly. "Suit yourself, princess. More for us."

"Wait ! I changed my mind !" cried Lola, tackling her twin before she could get a hang of the pot.

"I want some too !" Leni sprung wide awake. She could not pass up the opportunity of tasting her dear's cooking. Surely it had to be as divine as him !

But when Lincoln took a good look at the pot's contents, he knew that no God had had a hand in its preparation. "Uh, I hate to be the killjoy, but I definitely think we should not eat this."

His sisters approached for a closer peek, and heavily cringed at what they saw. "Okay, monster food is weird, that's a fact. But no eatable tomato sauce is supposed to be this purple, right ?" asked Lola.

"Whether the dressing can be ingested or not does not matter in the end. The burnt yet raw state of the pasta is proof enough that this iron cylinder contains nothing fit for consumption." quipped Lisa, feeling a little sick at the culinary carnage before her.

Luan nodded. "It does seem to promise penne to your stomach, not gonna lie-sagna ! Hahaha, get it ? But seriously, this is disgusting."

Leni gasped at the blasphemy against her beau's name. "How can you say mean things like that ?! It was made by the beautifulest person in the world; it HAS to be good !"

"Leni, just because someone is pretty doesn't mean they're automatically good at cooking meals." argumented Lori.

"Well, I'm good at cooking stuff, aren't I ?" Leni proudly shot back. Lori opened her mouth, then closed it, knowing full well of Leni's skills in the kitchen, thus rendering null and dumb any answer to that question. Leni defeating her with logic. Surprises just wouldn't stop today. But the enamoured blonde wasn't quite done yet. "Besides, you haven't even tasted it yet ! How can you say it's bad ?"

"One of the bubbles in the purple sauce looks like the face of a damned, who welcomed death with open arms the moment it was born." dryly pointed out Lucy. The worst part was, the little face frozen in mid-scream of agony was truly there, and only sent shivers down the spines of Lucy's siblings. "That's usually not a good sign."

"Anything with that face is not a good sign." said Lincoln. "Urgh, reminds me of Flowey's creepy bloated face."

The girls gagged in revulsion, but Leni was simply having none of it. "Well, I'm still givin' it a shot." she huffed, grabbing the bone-themed fork left by Papyrus, and throwing it into the cursed pot.

*KLANG !*

Leni watched in deep confusion the pointy end of the fork flying off without its grabby part, which was still in her hand. She registered the sound, looked at her environnement, then at both ends of the fork. It didn't make sense, forks were supposed to stab stuff...

Except if they were too hard. Driven by her mini-epiphany, she poked the food with what little fork she had left. Yep, it was hard alright, and very, very cold. Before she could begin a new thirty-second-long analysis, her comedienne of a sister jumped in.

"Wow, a frozen treat if I've ever seen one !" she giggled mirthfully.

"Well, this place is basically a giant freezer." Lola gestured around her. "I'm just surprised it froze over that quickly."

Leni gave the pot a good shake to be sure, but she found her sisters' claims to be the truth. All she had in this pot was a block of sp-ice-ghetti, impossible to consume or even lick, due to the pot being too narrow to allow her head to fit inside. Adding to that was the memory of the last time she had fit her head into a small container to lick food. Thank goodness it had been a colander.

But the ditzy blonde perked up when she noticed the microwave iddly sitting on the smaller table next to the spaghetti one. "Let's just heat it ! Easy-peasy !" she chirped, regaining hope. But that hope didn't last long.

"Uh, that microwave is kinda weird." said Lana as she gave the machine a closer look. "No settings, no timer, not even an on/off switch. It just has 'SPAGHETTI' written on every button."

"Totes okay, 'cause we're making spaghetti anyway !" beamed Leni.

"I don't think it's gonna fit inside, sis." remarked Lynn. Indeed, the pot's height exceeded the microwave's by at least fifteen centimeters (= six inches. The More You Know~).

Sweat formed on Leni's brow, who felt she was running out of options. "M-Maybe we can find a plate ? Or just put the spaghetti in it ! Or maybe-"

"Uh, mate ?" quipped Luna, spelling the crunch in all her big sister's plans by showing the lone, unplugged power cable.

Leni was downright panicking on the inside. In desperation, she pointed at the bottom of the grey stone wall on her left. "There's a hole here ! We can plug it there !"

"Leni, it's a mouse hole, not a power socket." said Lori, bringing Leni back to reality. She took a little pity in her when she saw her shoulders slumping in defeat. "It's for the best, Leni. This pot was a one-way ticket to Stomache-ache Town."

"Why would I want to go- oh wait, I get it." Leni sighed, and sadly looked at the sp-ice-ghetti. "I just really wanted to taste his food..."

Fortunately, Lincoln offered an idea. "You could always ask for fresh ones when you see it."

Leni's face immediately brightened up. "Of course ! It'll be totes better, and I'll get to see him cook for realsies ! Oooh, thanks Linky !" she exclaimed, as she put the pot back on the table and scooped her brother in a tight hug.

"My pleasure..." he wheezed through the sensation of his ribs being crushed into Bolognese sauce.

"Okay, the spaghetti's a bust. Can we just use the SAVE point and go ?" urged Lynn.

The plan was about to meet total approval, but Lily threw the results off with a long and audible yawn. Looking at her, they could see the losing fight she was putting against her tiredness.

"Uh-oh, looks like someone needs a nap." smiled Lori. Lily tried to flat out deny it with a shake of her head, but only managed to do half of it, before landing her head on her oldest sister's shoulder and losing herself to the land of dreams. "I think we should all take a break."

"Aw, come on !" shouted Lynn, quickly ushered by her siblings' "Shhhh"'s. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Can't we just keep walking while she takes her nap ?"

"Actually, I wouldn't say no to a little beauty break." yawned Lola.

"Yeah, my dogs are starting to ache." said Lana as she rubbed her eyelids.

"As shameful as it is to admit it, my infantile morphology still lacks the energy to go against all we've lived today without the proper REM sleep, which I forgot to enact while at Goat Mother's residence. Therefore, I *yawn* must support... the motion... wholefully..." she drowsily stated, her mind seconds away from complete shutdown.

"Who votes for break time ?" asked Lori. Eight hands flew up, leaving only sleepy Lily and pouty Lynn, the latter raising her hand with a sigh.

"Urgh, fine. I'll do a few stretches while you rest your lazy butts." grumbled Lynn, starting her exercising series with some chair workout against the wall.

"Alright ! Let's kick back with a tune or two. I take requests." Luna grinned at the hands already in the air.

The kids made themselves busy, with Lisa drifting into sleep under Luna's harmonica lullaby, Lana and Lola each on Leni and Luan's laps, while the two teens began conversing with Lori. As for Lucy, she decided to see what if the mouse hole could bring her some inspiration. Which, knowing her, took only a couple of seconds for the first drafts to appear.

While this was going on, Lincoln approached the forgotten yellow star, and executed the little ritual as per usual.

*"Despite your frozen butt, you don't stop wondering about what will come next... It fills you with Determination !"

LOUDS – Snowdin Spaghetti

LV1 – 174:18

File saved successfully !

And with that done, Lincoln joined his sisters, not sure with whom to mingle with first. Like the encounters of this place and, as he would put it himself, in a family as big as his, you always had a choice.

---

"Are you sure ?" asked a black-hooded figure.

"As sure as Undyne's tough ! Something petted ol' Doggo without even moving. Maddening, I tell ya !" barked a rough voice through the phone.

"Not that, the humans. Are you sure you saw them ?" said the other hooded figure.

"Huh ? Oh yeah, just like they described them. There's a flock of those humans; eleven of 'em, in all sizes ! Could've sworn I heard a 12th one though..."

"And they're on their way ?" asked the first figure.

The rough voice sighed. "Yeah, they go past me. Their sneaky petting techniques got the better of me. Sorry guys."

"Don't worry about it. Just stay alert in case they come back."

"Roger that." And he hung up.

"Hmm, looks like we'll have to investigate." mused the first figure, a mustachoied white muzzle poking through his hood. "Won't we, sugarlump ?"

"Looks like it, honey bun." giggled the second figure, whose own white muzzle was softer and devoid of any mustache. The two nuzzled noses for a good moment, before the softer muzzle figure noticed something. "Honey, where is Lesser ?"

"Looking at the prints, I'm gonna say she ran out of there the moment she heard thathumans were there. You know how she is about missions."

"Yes, I know. Once she gets the order, there is nothing in the whole Underground that can keep her in place." They both chuckled, and nuzzled some more.

Then, the mustachoied muzzle figure turned to the figure in the conversation; one huge enough to engulf the both of them in shadows. "Alright Big Guy, we're going back to our stations now. You remember what to do ?"

The bulky armoured figure answered with a positive high-pitched 'yip !', and strutted back to his station, lightly shaking the ground each time his paws landed on the ground. There was snow to roll into with his name written all over it !

The rougher muzzle let out a sigh. "Ah, I wonder if he'll be alright all on his own."

"Oh sweetie, it's true that he can get distracted... a lot. But he'll be fine. After all, he is the strongest of us all." reassured the softer muzzle.

"Ah, you must be right. But then again, when aren't you ?"

"Oh you !" Another nose nuzzling session later, the hooded figures finally stood up.

"Well, let's get back to work, and make the Captain proud ! And if we happen to see those darn humans..."

They both took their weapons off the ground : Two large battleaxes, their razor-sharp edges glinting with magic.

"...We'll show them just what the Royal Guard is capable of."

---

Author's Note : And there you go ! Hope that monolithic piece of writing will content you until next month ! Or maybe longer than that...

Joking, I'm joking ! Put those chainsaws away, please ! This a family-friendly fanfic !

But seriously though, I'll try to go back to monthly updates, just for you guys. Because you're awesome and you deserve it. Of course, a Review or two do make the writing process go faster. What ? Who's begging ? It's scientific, I swear ! Tell'em, Sans !

Sans : yeah, he's begging.

...Meanie.

As always, this is Superdimentio77, wishing you a Happy Halloween ! Don't forget to buy sweets for the kiddos, so that you can gorge yourself with half of the bowl on the next morning ! Ta-ta for now !