As soon as she was outside, it felt like the cold bit into her like an army of snakes. However, the wind had died down and it wasn't snowing so heavily anymore. Lara saw Emma and Klyde coming towards her. The latter, like Flowey, was pretty battered. His whole face was swollen and slightly bloody with some form of ectoplasm. The rest of the body didn't look any better either. Lara turned to Emma: "Didn't you want to prevent the fight between the two from getting out of hand? Look at them!"
Emma raised her hands defensively. "Hey, I tried, but everything went too fast in the end."
"At least there was an epic fight," Flowey remarked.
"And that made it clear to both of us that we're evenly matched," added Klyde.
"That means... what?" Lara asked.
"That means," said Emma,"that the little rivalry of theirs is over. Right guys?"
The two addressed looked at each other.
"Uh, right," they said in unison. As the group went on Lara asked Emma: "Was the fight really as epic as Flowey said it was?"
The ghost girl shook her head."Oh no, it wasn't. At first, Flowey and Klyde didn't really do anything except insult each other. After about ten minutes they ran out of insults and only then did they start fighting."
"How did it go? Oh I bet it was as cool as your little battle between you and Klyde."
"Well… it went like this. Flowey tried to grab Klyde with his vines, which didn't work since he's a ghost. Flowey was quite embarrassed when he realized this. Just by then, Klyde attacked. But Flowey retreated under the ground with each attack and tried to attack Klyde with his pellets. But these were blocked most of the time. The interiors were reduced to splinters and it became honestly quickly boring. I basically just waited on who would get the first hit. The whole thing ended up with Flowey dodging a fist from Klyde in such a way that he was hit by his own attack. Which also knocked a table over and landed on Flowey. Both had practically knocked themselves out. After having recovered, they discussed for a long time and agreed on a draw. I think they're fed up with this rivalry too, and they're using the end of this fight as an excuse to stop it. Without anyone looking cowardly or anything."
"Okay… I'm not sure what to say about that. It honestly sounds just like an ordinary school fight, only with extra steps."
"I know right."
"At least I hope the two will recover soon."
"Don't worry about them, they're tough. They'll recover."
"If you say so," Lara said. She didn't sound convinced. Klyde, who had heard what the two girls were talking about, floated next to Lara.
"Oh, I often had such fights with Flowey and Monsters. It's not even the worst thing that happened to me underground."
Lara frowned at him, unsure if she wanted to hear it or not. Her curiosity got the better of her.
"And that would be...?"
"Well I was being pursued by the royal guard, stumbled on a bridge and fell down a deep abyss. A very deep abyss."
Lara's eyes widened.
"Is that how you died?"
"Unfortunately, yes. But I lived! At least I do now. Somehow."
"How can you be so calm about your own death?"
Klyde shrugged with his shoulders.
"My uncle always told me that when times get better for you, to not focus on the bad. I mean, I barely remember the pain of my death and I'm alive with a cool new spirit body. I can't really complain. Plus I guess having a bravery soul gives you extra mental toughness."
"So orange stands for bravery?"
"Yup. Hey while we're at it, what's your soul trait? I hope you're not another patience soul who finds anything that doesn't involve sitting still and doing nothing annoying."
Emma huffed at Klydes remark and turned around with crossed arms. Lara just simply grinned over the jab. She thought that Emma kinda deserved it, since she was admittedly a bit too mean towards the orange ghost, who actually wasn't that bad now that Lara got to know him better. But then the human girl went serious.
"Well I'm definitely not patience or bravery or any of the other traits you know. I... see for yourself." Lara summoned her soul. Klyde watched the floating heart with curiosity and said, "A white human soul? How cool!"
"Aren't you kinda... totally surprised with that?" Flowey asked.
Klyde shook his head. "Not really. I mean, it's interesting, but not really mind-blowing. Is it so unlikely that there is a new soul trait? After all, the world is big and a lot is happening in it."
"I mean you aren't wrong but its still unusual. Especially since there aren't any historical reports about something like that. At least that we know of."
Klyde opened his mouth to reply. But what ever he wanted to say didn't come out.
The whole group halted.
"Oh crap, I completely forgot about that," the orange ghost boy murmured. A huge sheet of ice opened up in front of them.
"Wait a minute, ice? What does that mean? Wasn't there a river and a path here?" asked Emma. "That's the way it's supposed to be," Flowey agreed. The flower turned to Klyde, "Do you know anything about this?"
Klyde nodded. "When I came here, there seemed to be a little volcanic eruption or something in Hotland. Anyway, there was a slight tremor here. This tremor broke some glaciers that fell into the river, causing a flooding. It got colder, the water froze and became the sheet of ice in front of us."
"Let me guess," Flowey said cynically, "the big but is that the lake isn't completely frozen and there's deep, cold, deadly water beneath the ice."
Klyde nodded. Flowey gritted his teeth. It was clearly written all over his face how little he liked the situation. "Damn it! And what are we doing now? I can't come with you Lara. I wouldn't make it through the ice!"
"Couldn't you wait on the other side?", she asked.
"Yeah, but..." "Then wait for me while I walk over the ice."
"You talk about it like its nothing, but what if something happens? When I left you alone in a similar situation, you hurt your hand. You could fall through the ice and freeze or drown!"
"I mean Klyde could just transport me with one of his hands over the ice." She turned to said ghost. "Right?"
He rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Sorry to say this but I kinda exhausted my magic during my battle with Flowey. But don't worry! I´ve got an idea. I figured I could dive under the ice and float along the thickest parts. You would simply have to follow my light, which should be visible through the ice, and thus walk on the safest parts of its surface."
"I have to say that's not a bad plan", Emma said to Klyde with begrudging respect. "But I think I should be under the ice and show Lara the way."
"What? Why?"
"Because you are much too impatient for this task. You would only be looking roughly at the ice instead of really examining it closely. That's why I'll take the job."
"How about you both go under. Two pairs of eyes see better than one", Lara said.
"Also, Klyde's color contrasts better with the ice than yours Emma," Flowey added. "Not that Lara steps into the wrong spot just because she loses sight of your light."
"I didn't even think of something like that," Emma admitted. The idea that her new friend could have an accident on the ice because of this made the ghost girl uneasy.
Klyde crossed his arms. "Okay, if that's all, we'd better do it now. The wind's picking up again. And Flowey I think you should go to Waterfall now. You're looking worse than before. I think the cold is getting to you."
The flower trembled slightly. Snowflakes were getting caught in his petals and the stems green color paled. Flowey shook himself to free himself from the snow.
"Yeah you´re right. I've been here way too long. Okay Lara good luck and take care of yourself."
"Thank you. You too," the human girl said with a smile.
"And you two better watch out that you don't do anything wrong." Floweys black eyes pierces trough Emma and Klyde. The ghosts nodded nervously. They could hear the menacing undertone in the soulless flower's voice. Flowey crunched back into the ground. Lara stared at the hole her friend had left for a while. Then she looked out at the surface of the ice lake. In some places it was covered in snow, making it more difficult to distinguish ice from the solid ground of Snowdin.
"Well then, what are we waiting for, let's go."
The ghosts dove under the ice. Although Lara could see the light from both, Klyde definitely stood out. It made it easier for Lara to follow the duo as they began to move. She was very careful to step only on the glowing ice. Klyde and Emma always waited until they could see Lara's figure above them before they started looking for the next safe spot. Although the children made good progress this way, the ice often cracked under Lara's weight. Once it cracked so loud that she was sure that tears must have formed somewhere. But the surface of the ice remained deceptively smooth. After a while, the trio must have almost reached the end, the lights stopped. Lara waited and waited, but none of the ghosts moved. And the snow and the wind blew harder around the girl with the white soul. Not eager to experience the next snowstorm, Lara bent down carefully and tapped the ice. No reaction. Lara knocked again. This time the heads of the two ghosts appeared above the ice.
"Yeah?"
"You might not notice it down there, but it's getting worse up here with the cold. Why are you stopping?"
Klyde and Emma exchanged uncertain looks before staring at Lara again.
"We have a little problem."
"The entire sheet of ice in front of you is pretty thin. We're not sure if there's a spot that wouldn't cave in."
"Can't you see any other way?"
Shaking heads were the answer.
"Couldn't I try jumping over the thin parts?"
Emma's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious? You could breack trough and sink in an instant if you do that!"
"Not even I would dare to do something like that," Klyde agreed with his fellow ghost.
"Have you also checked the ice to see if it's getting thicker for the rest of the way? Because otherwise I have no idea how to proceed."
The ghosts exchanged uncertain looks again. Then they dove under and moved a good distance away from Lara. The human girl rubbed her arms in a desperate attempt to keep them warm, but she was trembling all over and her breath rose in white clouds before her. When they came back, Emma announced, "Well the ice is getting thicker and from that distance you could do it. But I'm still not sure if you should do it."
"Believe me, I really don't want to do that, but as things stand we can only hope for the best."
The spirits were silent and watched tensely as Lara took a ready stand. She took a deep breath and tried to encourage herself.
I can do this, I can do this. I need to get out of here and find Frisk.
She clung to that hope of a reunion and jumped.
She flew through the icy air and then landed back on the frozen lake.
CRACK!
Although Lara had landed on thicker ice, tears appeared. Emma and Klyde rushed to look for the nearest safe spot for Lara. She watched nervously as the cracks slowly but noticeably spread.
When the spirits alerted her to the next passage, Lara walked as slowly and stepped as carefully as possible. Every time she brought her foot down, a slight crunch was hearth. Despite the cold, beads of sweat formed on the girl's forehead and her heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
Bit by bit the trio made progress.
And finally, miraculously, Lara felt snow-covered ice give way to stony ground. She was standing in front of the entrance to the tunnel that led to Waterfall. She took a few steps inside to be protected from the stormy elements, then collapsed on her knees. Her heart rate slowly began to drop. Her breath echoed loudly trough the tunnel. Klyde and Emma appeared on her side.
"Don't worry you´ve done it. You're safe now."
"Take deep breaths Lara. Slow and deep breaths."
Lara listened to the advice. Even if tough that experience hadn't been the first dangerous thing for her Underground, it had been extremely nerve wracking.
But she had made it and escaped unscathed. She slowly calmed down.
"Are you feeling better Lara?"
The white souled girl got up with shaking legs.
"I... I think I need a break."
"I can understand that. Apart from the incident just now, you must have been on the move all day. Let's go on and we might find a place where you can rest."
The trio wandered through the tunnel. The further they went, the warmer and more humid it got. After the cold of Snowdin, this was a welcoming change for Lara. Her body stopped shivering after a while.
They reached a cave made of dark blue rock. Glowing crystals on the walls lit up the place. Flowey was in the middle of the room.
"Thank god you made it. Lara are you okay?"
"It was a bit close, but everything is still there." She tried to give the flower a smile, but she was still so tense that it was more of a grimace.
"She needs a break. She's been wandering all day."
"Yes, I figured that she would eventually reach her limit. Fortunately, there is a place right here where she can rest."
Flowey sank into the ground and appeared next to a wooden structure that Lara only noticed now.
"Sans´ sentry station?" Klyde asked, frowning. "I mean it's better than nothing, but contrary to the manifestation of laziness, Lara won't be able to take a nap here that easily."
Flowey grinned smugly. "Oh don't worry. From all my... experiences with that guy, I know this is his favorite station for the following reason."
He extended a tendril and pulled aside a pile of boards that were leaning against the cave wall behind the station. Behind it appeared a small side cave. Curious, Lara, Klyde and Emma came closer. They saw a mattress lying on the floor with a blanket and pillow. Shelves lined the walls and were filled with an assortment of different types of ketchup and snacks.
Klyde made an impressed whistle. "The guy had a secret break room all to himself the entire time."
Emma shook her head. "It's almost impressive how much effort someone puts into being lazy."
"Um, do I need to know who you're all talking about?" Lara asked, not quite following and obviously confused.
"Well you see, there´s this guy…", Klyde began but was interrupted by Emma.
"... which we should talk about later. I think Lara deserves some sleep, don't you think?"
Flowey and Klyde, while a little confused by Emma's sudden objection, agreed. Lara wanted to say that she wasn't that tired, but all she did was yawn.
"I guess I could actually use some shuteye. What about you guys?"
"We are ghosts. We can sleep, but we don't have to."
"Likewise," Flowey said. "I just need nutrients and water, of which there is enough in this place. Sleep well Lara, we'll make sure nothing disturbs you."
A warmth spread in Lara's heart. She was hardly used to being taken care of by others like that. But it was a nice feeling.
"Thank you."
She went into the little cave and lay down on the mattress, where she quickly tugged herself in. Although the stuff smelled like ketchup, Lara didn't really mind. She was very tired and fell asleep after only a few seconds.