Save File 3 –

Napstablook certainly was an… uplifting individual. Charmingly so.

In a weird sort of, well, monstrous way.

"Don't mind me… I'll just be… lying here…"

The poor thing seemed to have cascaded into an eternal depression, punishing itself for not finding the joys in the world just by lying in a heavy patch of leaves – which happened to be in the middle of one of the most important crossing area in the RUINS. With Frogit, nearly exploding from the trip with Toriel practically stomping on its feet the entirety of the way, I couldn't be sure as to what to do to motivate the creature from moving from its very spot.

"Oh…if you need to get across…You can just step on me… I guess."

Really, the poor thing seemed to need something equivalent to Toriel's heartwarming embraces. But judging how she appeared to treat everything not relatively human in the area with a wave of disgust, the idea was out of the question. I pondered the ways of how to appease this ghost, as I've never met one quite this down… or any for that matter…

"Ah… you, uh. Look rather dashing today, sir. What is it that seems to be bothering…you?" I tried, recalling the ways in which I could modify my speech toward the previous Froggit's in a gentler manner. With a hearty sniffle and a distance stare into the very core of my soul, the ghost simply replied with a quiet, uncertain, "That's okay…I'm fine…"

Of course he most definitely didn't act in such a way, but I held back my tongue in protest and tried for means of telling a joke. "Ah, okay, uh. So there was… er…" my eyes flickered over to Froggit staring fearfully at Toriel's angelic stance, beaming down at my attempt and undoubtedly intrigued by my approaching joke – one that didn't seem to exist in my head, at all.

I stood there for a moment, waiting for those dagger-like seconds to pass by without a single ounce of luck in obtaining the right amount of comedic relief. The silence fell upon me worse than the times I'd been pelleted by those Froggit's confused, frantically blind jumps. At least, I had thought so until suddenly my pixelated heart jolted out in a battle stance, hovering in place as I suddenly found myself steering it from left to right to avoid a downpour of Napstablook's teary forecast.

"R…e…a…l…l…y…N…o…t….F…e…e…l…i…n…g…U…p…T…o…I..t…R…i…g…h…t…N…o…w…S…o…r…r…y…"

There was no way of getting anywhere with him, especially with my lack of current humor. How was I to recall a joke let alone my memories for Pete's sake?

"Knock, knock."

Curiously, I glanced over at Toriel who appeared to be giggling at whatever is was she intended to say before she could finish. Froggit looked impossibly more uneasy. Pleadingly I took a gander at Napstablook who had an expression of perplexed standing. Consumed by his depression, he made no reply but I intended to not make a mockery of the guardian so with a smile I questioned "who's there?" for the ghost's sake. In response she chortled.

"Dishes."

I quirked an eyebrow questionably, but gave into the awaited turn of answering.

"Dishes…who?" My voice came out in a mixture of confusion and skepticism, narrowing my eyes along with Froggit belching out a hearty croak. With a mighty sweep of her arms, Toriel knocked aside the poor creature in her fit of laughter, sending him flying over the downed body of the motionless Napstablook.

"Dishes a very bade joke!" she exclaimed, focusing at me for rewarding approval. For a split second, I had to let her words simmer and process in my mind. But once the meaning of the pun hit me, I unleashed the world's most achingly pathetic, loudest, disgusting snort ever in history.

"Heh…"

Which the reaction I emitted, itself, seemed to work effectively on our targeted companion.

"Good one!" I chuckled at Toriel with an encouraging wink. And with such encouragement, she went on a flurry of jokes like: "Who won the skeleton beauty contest? No BODY." "What do skeletons say before they begin dining? BONE APPETIT." "Do you want to hear a joke? It's quite – HUMERUS."

Meanwhile, Napstablook, while simultaneously pelleting me with his tears of delusional confusion/giddiness/and depression, grew more and more determined to step up his game with a bizarre action. As I silently pondered the reason for tagging only with skeleton related jokes… his wispy form bobbed up and down in attempt to capture my attention.

"Let me try…" he moaned in a dreary sort of way, and I assumed he was attempting his own bit at comedy which was a reassuring sign. But rather then appeal to my expectations, he simply trembled and I watched, dumbfounded, at his harmful tears suddenly lifting up to the sky in a backwards downpour – or was it now an up pour? – to very slowly form a sloppy, questionably sanitary hat.

He finished and gazed at me thoughtfully, the edges of his newly designed masterpiece sloshing everywhere while I frantically shielded my heart. It was a remarkably horrid pain to deal with even mediocre blows from the tears of a ghost to the pixelated heart. And as strange as a statement that may be, I wasn't too keen on facing the oddity of such. Because really, the touching of ANYTHING in this world hurt a ton. "I call it… 'Dapper Blook'…"

"Uh," I breathed awkwardly, smiling pleadingly at Toriel. She simply waited for my response. "It's – uh – wow."

Napstablook seemed absolutely thrilled with my reaction. A grimace that I supposed was supposed to represent a ghost of a smile – forgive the pun – formed at its…lips…?

"Do…Do you like…it?" he asked for reassurance to which I much more expertly engaged in a hearty head banging session of "yes's".

"Absolutely stunning!" I exclaimed to find Napstablook slowly rising to his – er – non-human, ghostly feet. With a nod of approval and gratitude, he continued to mumble to himself a little more cheerily.

"I usually come to the RUINS because there's nobody around…but today I met somebody nice…." He blinked at me blankly and I questioned the extent of his graciousness. "…oh, I'm rambling again."

"You're really no-" I try to encourage only to find him speaking over me like I were air and he were the only living thing in the planet.

"I'll get out of your way…" he sighed sadly, and with such promises, he upped and vanished into nothingness. Familiarity washed over me for a brief second, the way he make his departure, but once again I was left with the simple memory of such an occurrence. Once again, any hints to what I'd just felt were gone.

"Well," I breathed in relief, recovering from my déjà vu spell. "That was quite…a dramatic display."

Toriel, still clearly ecstatic from her moment of comedic popularity, nodded enthusiastically. "It's in his nature, the poor thing. He's always moping and tends to do so in the middle of paths or where monsters come to gather." Approaching my contended state, she buried her massive paws into the thick of my hair, ruffling. I caught the familiar scent of butterscotch, smile widening. "He's a bit of an attention seeker. Just doesn't know it himself. So really, there was no need to come rushing out here so urgently."

She added this last bit, snapping her neck in a frightening speed to glare at the Froggit that had silently made its way over, flinching under her frigid gaze. "Ribbit…" he sobbed, eyeing me in a pleading manner. But I was at no state of mind to come to its aid as my thoughts swarmed with the infectious curiosity of "what lays beyond that damn door?" And how was I to gain access to it before Toriel went back to her deed of destroying it for good?

"Come, dear, let us go back home and I'll cook us a hearty meal for our little victory of the day."

I agreed heartily, following in her footsteps, hand in paw as she practically pronounced it law to walk about in such a display. The back of her fluffed neck seemed to bristle in excitement for the expected feast and as I stared at the white tips of her fine fur, I wondered a suddenly very obvious issue. Would I ever see this new mother of mine again? For as strong as my desires burned to explore the depths of the upper world, I couldn't help but fear what I would find would ensnare me and prevent any future plans for me returning to this land underground. And for the briefest of seconds, I grew terrified of the idea of finding my coming journey to risk a darker change from within me. A change I still felt to be a false companion of mine, eagerly awaiting my return to its looming side.

"I love you, Toriel," I found myself saying at the table when we had returned. And for a moment, I didn't belief I did. I felt I had to say it for the sake of her, because I hardly knew the creature; barely took the time to understand her. But after her eyes welled and she scooped me into a loving embrace, tightening her grip as though she knew deep down it was a way of saying goodbye, I knew it had to have been fact for me to say such a thing. In another timeline, in this very moment, I did love her. And by the way her body trembled with an unseeing grief, she may have loved me as myself, but she undoubtedly treasured who I represented in her heart. And it hit me.

She'd lost a child.

And I was merely a way back to her beloved career of motherhood. A key to her much missed hobby. A reminder of her past passion. Perhaps even a gift for reliving her happier days.

So I couldn't help but feel her heart breaking along with mine as later that night, when the lights were switched, the kisses were dealt, and my feet hit the floor soft as the thuds in my chest, I snuck down to the basement and found myself at the massive outlines of the gateway to the unknown, followed by the mother of the keep.

"Prove to me, then," she said so quietly that I had no choice but to turn to face her once comforting figure. Adrenaline coursed through my veins and I suddenly grew deathly cold because without a doubt in my mind, this very moment had occurred in a different world. A world I'd gone through as a different person. And I knew, absurdly, this was a redo. I was living a life on repeat and I had to do things differently or I'd resort once again to a cascading madness.

"I'll get it right this time, mom," I replied, watching flames dance around her protectively. Her features reflected dealt pain from the powerful punch of remembrance. With a gentle smile, I pocketed my hands as the pixelated heart appeared between us, still as a statue. "I won't disappoint you, not again."

Surprise ignited her remorseful stare, and ever so delicately she muttered a name in question. One I couldn't quite catch, or perhaps refused to process.

I couldn't fail this test a second time. I had a choice. There was another option. No one had to die this time.