The bell rang to signify the end of class. Papyrus and I were at Napstblook's table to talk. "Oh… sorry…" The ghost apologized after a yawn. I had noticed throughout the entire day, he had been more tired than usual.

"What are you apologizing for?" I frowned.

The ghost seemed to shrink in on himself. "...problems…"

Of course, Papyrus and I knew exactly what had happened the day before, but we still had to pretend for the sake of not blowing our cover. "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Napstablook was covering himself up so small, he was starting to look like a little ball. We could barely see his face. "Sleep… walking?..."

"NYEH?" Papyrus remarked, confusion on his gaze. He was a good actor.

Fortunately, Napstablook unravelled himself a bit. "Collective… hallucination…" He put his head down on the table with worry. "But exams…" He mumbled worriedly.

"Then why did you come to school?"

"Not actually… sick…"

"You sound sick." I commented.

"THAT IS VERY BRAVE OF YOU!" Papyrus laughed, attempting to give Napstablook a slap on the back. One look from him proved that he didn't want that, and Papyrus laughed heartily. I didn't get how he could be so happy after devoting himself to become Magical Monster.

Sans was watching on a nearby table, hands in pockets. His expression was of disapproval. So the two of us seemed to agree.

The grass was green, and the windmills turned.

Papyrus stretched his arms out, seeming to relish in the good weather. "IT'S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I FELT THIS GREAT!" He proclaimed. "I FEEL WONDERFUL!"

I was sitting on the grass next to Papyrus, but not lying down like him. I wanted to tease him, but my worry got the better of me. "Papyrus… aren't you scared?"

"NYEH? OF COURSE NOT! WELL..." After seeing my face of doubt though, he admitted, "OK. MAYBE A LITTLE BIT. BUT! YESTERDAY'S WITCH WAS EASY! BUT JUST THINKING ABOUT LOSING SOMEONE IMPORTANT… I THINK THAT IS MUCH SCARIER! EVEN FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

I nodded, kinda getting what he was saying. But it was still frightening to think about. He suddenly got up, showing me a bright orange gem in the palm of his gloved hand. His Soul Gem. "I AM MORE CONFIDENT NOW! I FEEL SO AT EASE… I FEEL LIKE CONGRATULATING MYSELF! IN FACT…" He stood up, waving his arms around happily. "I, THE GREAT MAGICAL MONSTER PAPYRUS, WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO PROTECT EBBOT CITY!"

Wow. I wasn't sure whether to celebrate with Papyrus or to wail from fear. "So you don't regret anything at all?" I asked.

"WELL. IF THERE WAS ONE THING I REGRETTED…" He sighed. "IT WOULD BE FROM HESITATING IN THE FIRST PLACE." Confused, I looked to him for an explanation. "IF I WAS GOING TO BECOME A MAGICAL MONSTER ANYWAY, THEN I SHOULD'VE DECIDED SOONER!"

I realized what he was going for, and ducked my head down. Papyrus came to sit down next to me, his voice quieter. "IF WE HAD FOUGHT THE WITCH TOGETHER, ALPHYS MIGHT NOT HAVE DIED."

"I…" I could understand what Papyrus meant now. If only he had been back there to help Alphys fight the witch, then she might still be alive now. Talking and smiling with us. Maybe if only I had decided on a wish sooner, I could've become a Magical Monster too. Then all three of us could've fought the witch, and maybe even defeated it easily. We could've even-

Papyrus poked my cheek, and I startled at his touch. "HUMAN! YOU ARE THINKING OF SOMETHING WEIRD, RIGHT?" He narrowed his eyes at me to prove a point.

I took a shaky breath. "I-I should've…"

"I CAN ONLY SAY THOSE THINGS BECAUSE I ALREADY AM A MAGICAL MONSTER." Papyrus pointed out. "THE IDEA IS THAT I WOULD'VE BECOME ONE EVENTUALLY, SO WHY NOT DO IT SOONER? LIKE A DESTINY." He looked to the sky with a happy sigh. "I, MASTER WISH FINDER, HAVE FOUND MY WISH. I FOUND SOMETHING WORTH RISKING MY LIFE FOR." He turned to me, an apologetic look in his eye. "SO DON'T FEEL BAD, HUMAN! THAT'S ALL I WANTED YOU TO KNOW."

"Yeah…" The two of us stared at the river before us, currents moving swiftly along

Papyrus got up, already getting ready to leave. "ANYWAY! I HAVE TO GET GOING!"

"Huh? Do you have something to do?"

"YEAH!" He cheered, grinning. "JUST A LITTLE SOMETHING."

"So. Watcha wanted to talk about?"

Sans and I were sitting in a cafe, called "Grillby's" or something. It was a little monster establishment that I had figured would be a good place to talk without being interrupted or overheard. I had asked him to meet me there. We had only gotten some simple food, since eating wasn't the main point of the meeting anyway. I tried to convince myself we were just here to talk. That we weren't here for any other suspicious reasons, like dating, or…

I made myself focus on the question. "It's, uh… about Papyrus…" Sans blinked at my words. "It's really easy for him to believe what he wants to, and sometimes he gets pretty stubborn. And he may not seem much like it, but he's a really nice person! He's really kind and and courageous and…" I sighed. "He would go to any length to help someone."

Sans ate a french fry. "That's fatal for a Magical Monster." He put out blantly.

"R-really?..."

Sans sighed, putting down his french fry. "Excessive kindness leads to weakness." He said gruffly. "Reckless courage? Becomes inattention to detail. And dedication gives no reward whatsoever. If you don't understand that, then ya shouldn't be a Magical Monster." He moved to pry open the ketchup bottle. "See, that's why Alphys lost her life-"

"Stop talking like that!" I paused briefly after the outburst, and attempted to calm myself down. "Papyrus might say he's fine, but when I think of things happening to him like they did to Alphys, I… I don't know what to do."

"You're worried about him, aren't ya?"

I nodded. "I can't do anything for him anymore, so I was wondering if maybe you?..." I gulped. "Maybe you could become friends with him?" It was a vain hope, but I had to ask. "It would be safer if you all fought together against witches, right? So it would only be sensible if you-" I stopped when I saw the look on his face.

Sighing, he put the ketchup bottle down. Wasn't he going to pour it on his fries? "I don't wanna lie, kid, and I can't go around making any promises I can't keep. Besides." He grinned. "I hate promises." Shrugging at my expression, he finally took a sip of the ketchup. I decided not to comment on his strange behavior of condiment sipping. "Just give up on him already."

I could feel my eyes widening at his words. "Why?" I squeaked.

"He shouldn't have made a contract." Sans replied gruffly, taking a bite of hot dog. "Frankly, it's my fault too. I should've watched his actions too, and not just yours."

"T-then?"

"It's a mistake I can't do anything about. It would be like… ya know." His grin faltered. "Bringing someone back from the grave. He's already a Magical Monster. There's no hope for salvation. Basically, the contract forces you to give up on everything in exchange for a single desire."

I sighed at his words, diverting my gaze. "So you've given up too?" I shake my head, staring at him. "You've given up on yourself and the monsters? On everything?"

"Yep." Was his simple response. "I won't make any excuses about trying to atone to my mistakes. I gotta keep fighting, no matter what sins I commit." He stepped off the seat, signifying the end of the conversation. My single hope deflated into nothing. "Seems I've wasted your time." He commented. "Sorry, buddo." He turned away, leaving the table to myself.

Papyrus finally left the building, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw me waiting outside. "FRISK?"

"Papyrus!" I smiled back, noticing that Flowey was perched on his shoulder. "Are you going to…?"

"YEAH! I, MASTER WITCH-HUNTING PAPYRUS, AM PATROLLING FOR BAD WITCHES!" He looks discreetly to the side. "IT'S KINDA PART OF THE JOB FOR JUSTICE."

"Will you be fine by yourself?"

"OF COURSE! I MEAN, ALPHYS DID IT TOO! IF WE LEARNED UNDER HER, I CAN PROBABLY DO THE SAME! AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT! I AM CERTAIN THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN STOP ME."

"I-I can't do anything." I stuttered, knowing how ridiculous my request would sound. "I know I'll just get in the way, but… could you please take me with you? At least, until I would cause a problem?"

I blinked at Papyrus' still expression. Had I made him mad? Was he going to say no? Then, his grin suddenly grew larger. "YOU ARE TRYING TOO HARD, FRISK!"

"I'm… sorry?" I sighed. "I guess I shouldn't. I would just get in your way or something."

"WHAT? NO!" Papyrus happily set his hands on my shoulders. "I'M VERY HAPPY YOU'VE DECIDED TO JOIN US!" I frowned, and he started to explain, his voice dying down. "COULDN'T YOU TELL? EVEN THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS HIS OWN WORRIES! IN FACT, MY HANDS HAVEN'T STOPPED SHAKING EVER SINCE. PATHETIC, RIGHT?"

"Paps?"

"YOU'RE NO NUISANCE! I AM VERY HAPPY! I FEEL BETTER JUST BY KNOWING YOU'LL BE WITH ME! IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I HAVE THE POWER OF A HUNDRED SKELETONS!"

"I…" I grinned a little at his enthusiasm.

"DO NOT WORRY! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL PROTECT YOU! SO JUST FOLLOW ME! WE'RE GONNA GET THOSE WITCHES!"

"Right!"

Papyrus set a pair of sunglasses upon his head, trying to look cool. "WITCHES! YOU HAD BETTER BE PREPARED FOR MANY JINKS AND JAPES COMING YOUR WAY!"

Flowey readjusted himself on Papyrus' shoulder. "You know it's dangerous, right?"

"KEEPING FRISK HERE WILL ALLOW ME TO REMIND MYSELF TO BE CAREFUL." Papyrus explained.

"I see." Flowey commented. "Well, I hope you have a plan of some sort."

"Flowey…" I paused when I saw him looking in my direction.

"Hey Frisk." He said to me through telepathy. "You have a plan too, right? You want to protect him. Just by staying with him, you have an ace up your sleeve if the worst happens." He grinned at my surprised expression. "Don't act so surprised. I'm not stupid."

"I-I…"

"Don't worry." Flowey reassured me, waving a paw. "You don't have to say anything now. Just know that I'll be ready when you are."

We were standing in front of a dark alleyway, Papyrus' Soul Gem glowing vibrantly. This was the place. "IT'S HERE." He proclaimed.

Almost immediately, rainbow stars burst out from the ground. The walls were covered with scribbles of a green crayon, and the space behind us became a green wall as well. Orange handprints dotted along the green as colorful crayons fell from the ceiling. It was like a nursery. The walls had pictures of cute little zoo animals.

"This barrier feels like a familiar's, not a witch's." Flowey informed us helpfully.

"GOOD." Papyrus spoke. "THE EASIER THE BETTER! NOT THAT I WOULD DISLIKE A WITCH INSTEAD OF A FAMILIAR, THAT IS. JUST THAT STARTING WITH SOMETHING EASIER MAY BE BETTER FOR A START. NYEH."

"Don't let your guard down." I reminded him as we descended the stairs.

"OF COURSE!"

The walls were still green, though they seemed to be made of notebook paper. They were decorated with more stars and toy blocks of all shapes and sizes. A shadow passed behind us, and we all turned around to investigate. Yellow balls bounced around the place, swarms of them making boing noises against the ground and walls. Then, a single monster riding a tiny airplane came into view, flying in crazed circles. It stuck its tongue out at us as it flew away.

"Is that?..."

"It's going to get away!" Flowey yelled.

"LEAVE IT TO ME!" Papyrus brought out his Soul Gem, and purple sparkles surrounded his being. In a flash of light, he was in his uniform, sword in hand and all. Flying down the stairs, he ducked under his cape before revealing a whole set of long bones underneath. Cape flying wildly, he sent them flying at the monster in the air, throwing them with precision.

The monster continued to fly away, teasing Papyrus relentlessly. All the swords were missing him by mere centimeters. Green hair flying and still sticking his tongue out at us, he flew away on his tiny flying car, only to stop right before slamming face-first into another blade. Papyrus had almost got him!

But then suddenly, another blue weapon came into view. It looked like a spear point connected to a string, and it split the bone blades thrown by Papyrus into pieces, allowing the familiar to run away as he wailed in fear, moving into the depths of his own abyss. Mouth opening in shock, I watched as the familiar got away, thanks to the spear-weapon.

In the next moment, another monster had dropped in front of us. She was a fish lady; her scales were blue, and she had her flaming red hair tied into a ponytail behind her. She looked to be about as tall as Papyrus, maybe even taller. She seemed to be wearing the same attire as a Magical Monster, except her's was red. Not to mention that her gaze was furious.

"WAIT A MINUTE, punks!" She yelled, swinging her spear around. "Just what are you two doing?" Her voice was loud and husky, full of energy.

Before any of us could protest, the labyrinth was already dying away. In the next moment, our surroundings were back. The familiar had gotten away.

"IT'S GOING TO GET AWAY!" Papyrus yelled frantically. He started to run forward, only to be immediately stopped by a spear to the throat.

The newcomer was standing quite far away, yet her spear had grown to accustom to the space between them. "Can't ya tell, ya punks?" She kept her spear pointed at Papyrus in a threatening way. "That's a familiar, not a witch! It's not gonna have a Grief Seed!"

"BUT LEAVING IT BE MIGHT GET SOMEONE KILLED!" Papyrus protested angrily.

The fish-lady raised her other arm to take a bite out of a fish-shaped bun. "You just have to wait for it to eat around four to five people." She explained, grinning at our shocked expressions. "Just until it become a witch. That's how you get Grief Seeds." She finally retracted her spear, spinning it a couple of times before stopping. "It's like trying to strangle a chicken before it lays eggs! How dumb can you nerds get?"

Papyrus frowned, obvious confusion on his face. "ARE YOU SAYING THAT WE SHOULD LET THE WITCH KILL PEOPLE?"

She took another bite, finally setting the spear point down to the ground. "You punks are gettin' it wrong." She huffed. "Ya ever heard of the food chain? Well see, that's just like our situation here." She licked her fangs before stepping closer to Papyrus. "The witches will eat the weak humans. And we'll eat them." She was still eating her bun, too. "That's how it works. The stronger you are, the higher up you are."

She was still moving forward, and Papyrus had no choice to but to slowly back off. I could only stand there and look between them, unsure about what to do. Then suddenly, a red force field appeared, separating me and the two Magical Monsters. I couldn't reach them anymore. "That's…"

"NYEH!" Papyrus growled in a warning tone. I could see he was barely restraining himself from attacking.

Undyne pushed her spear toward the ground, and I heard the concrete crumble. "Huhu!" She grinned. "I hope ya didn't form a contract with Flowey just to make people watch you play out some ridiculous joke!" She gave Flowey an eerie look, who was sitting on the ground not too far away from the scene. "Ya know. Like pretending to rescue people and trying to perform justice, something stupid like that, am I right?"

Papyrus seemed unsettled. "AND SO WHAT IF I DID?" He attempted to swing his sword at the fish lady, but she blocked him off with her spear easily.

"Aw c'mon, punk!" She teased. "You can do better than that!" Papyrus strained against the spear, putting all the force he could onto his sword. But the fish-lady didn't even budge. Even I knew this battle was impossible. She took another bite of bun. "Ya know, it pisses me off when someone messes with my work. Especially when they think it's all good and fun."

With a single thrust of her spear, she sent Papyrus flying back. Spinning, her spear grew longer and broke into pieces all connected together, like a long nun-chuck. It was bizarre. In the next moment, her broken-up weapon had slammed itself into Papyrus, leaving him spinning down the alley and bouncing off the walls. He hit a couple of surfaces and broke a couple of pipes before coming to a stop, the sword landing on the ground next to him. He looked good as dead.

"P-Papyrus!?" I attempted to find a way through the red barrier. No luck.

The broken pipe was now spouting water all over the ground next to Papyrus. "Hmph." She commented. "Dumb brats. Cool yourself off for a bit, will ya?" She turned around and started to walk away from the scene.

That is, until Papyrus started to get up, leaning against his sword to right himself. "Huh. That's funny." She frowned, turning back around. "That should've been enough to land you in the hospital for three months. No, for three years!" She lifted her head to cackle for a bit. "FUHUHUHU!"

"Papyrus is okay?" I wondered.

Flowey was perched on my shoulder now. "That's because he used his wish for building. Er… that is, robot creation and whatnot. So now, his rejuvenation ability is far greater than anyone's else's." That explained things.

Papyrus was now slowly getting up, like he was regaining his strength after every second that passed. "I, THE GREAT PAPYURS, WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" He proclaimed. "IT'S BECAUSE OF MONSTERS LIKE YOU THAT WITCHES…" He hesitates.

"Well, I gotta give it to ya." She finally ate the last piece of the bun before twirling her spear around again. "You're the most annoying brat I've ever met!" She set the spear in her hands, ready to attack. Papyrus readied his own sword, concentrating. "Actually, punks like you shouldn't even be talking back to me like that! After all, I've been doing this far longer than you."

Papyrus tilted his sword. "THAT'S RUDE! NYEH!"

She attacked, jumping forward as her spear split into pieces again. She swung it at Papyrus once, and he deflected it. She tried again, only to have him block her off again. The spear formed back together, and she struck him over and over, each time with Papyrus blocking her off in some way. He didn't even get hit once, making me assume that he was concentrating very hard. Sometimes there were swings with the nun-chuck, other times they were direct hits with the spear.

"STOP moving around ya punk!"

Papyrus was barely holding her back now. With every hit, he winced slightly from the impact it sent down his arms. The strikes were so strong, they sent bright sparks flying off their weapons. They were starting to near the edge of the barrier. Papyrus finally raised his sword to deal his own attack, leaving his chest wide open.

"Papyrus!" I called worriedly.

"Don't move forward!" Flowey warned me. "It's too dangerous to get closer."

Papyrus lost his balance for a split moment, and that was enough for the fish-woman to find her chance. She hit him in one direction, then sent out a chain that wrapped tightly around his midsection. Then she sent him flying into the wall again. He yelped in surprise, and winced while laying vulnerable on the ground.

The broken spear bits were now floating in the air, and I realized that the chains were strung through the pieces, like a necklace. That was how it stuck together. "If you brats are so dumb that you can't even get it when I tell you or when I beat you down, then..." She smiled a toothy grin. "Then I'll just have to kill you! Fuhuhuhu!"

Putting on a confident expression, she moved forward, running at Papyrus with top speed. Raising himself up, Papyrus readied his own charge. In the next moment, they had collided, weapons forcing against one another, tip-to-tip. It seemed like an impossible maneuver. The fish lady frowned for a moment, seeming unsettled at the way Papyrus had blocked her off. Random bubbles floated around, the fight showing in their reflections.

"I WON'T LOSE!" Papyrus proclaimed, pushing his own sword forwards. The fish lady pushed forward just as hard, growling with the effort needed. The power became so strong that an energy ball had started to appear right where the tip of the weapons met, making more sparks fly off. Just a single tip in the balance would put them off.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, REFUSE TO LOSE!" Papyrus repeated, thrusting forward, and knocking the spear down. The fish woman quickly retaliated, swinging her spear to clash with Papyrus'. Then she leaped upwards, the spear posed above her head, before bringing it down towards the ground to boost herself upwards.

Papyrus and I both gasped at the sight. She was now flying down at an unimaginable speed, the spear pieces clicking and moving so fast that I couldn't even see them. Then when she almost reached the ground, the spear formed back together and she struck.

Brown clouds billowed up from the impact. Fortunately, she had missed by a landslide. It had only sent Papyrus back a short distance. Readying his sword, Papyrus charged forward. She stopped him with her spear again, expertly controlling the stick's direction with her hands. She spun before striking him again, though Papyrus blocked it as well. They seemed to almost be evenly matched, despite Undyne's claims.

But now there was a different question on my mind. I couldn't really understand why they were fighting in the first place. Although I could feel myself silently rooting for Papyrus, I went to ask myself what this would gain. It didn't make sense. They were on the same side, yet they were fighting, even in the absence of a witch.

"It's hopeless." Flowey sighed, shrugging his petals. "Neither of these two idiots feel like backing down." I watched as the battle continued on, with spear pieces and bone blades flying around and hitting one another. The fish woman even managed to land a kick in the midst of it.

"Flowey." I gulped. "Can't you make them stop? This shouldn't even be happening! After all… they're on the same side! Aren't they both Magical Monsters?"

Flowey turned his head away, pouting slightly. "I can't do anything about it." He answered, leaping off my shoulder to land on the ground. "However, if you want to stop them by force, it's not like there aren't any options on the table." I blinked at his words, watching the two monsters collide with one another. "Only another magical monster can come between their fighting. You can do it if you really wish it."

That was right. I could form a contract right now, and-

Papyrus suddenly fell once the chains wrapped around his legs to bring him down. The fish woman was perched atop her own spear pole, towering over the skeleton as the nun-chuck pieces flew around the surrounding air. "It's over, punk!" Papyrus looked up weakly, a look of uncertainty in his expression. His attacker stared at him with an accomplished grin before jumping down at him, her spear readied to strike him dead.

It was now or never. I quickly turned to Flowey, prepared for my wish. "I-"

I was immediately cut off by a voice. "There'll be no need for that." Startled, I noticed someone in the reflection of the bubbles. Before I could try to see if it had been my imagination, the bubble popped.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion after that. The fish lady continued to move downwards in a swift movement, and she struck the ground at full force, the water pipe next to her exploding. I was sure she had hit her mark, but her expression was shocked as she landed. Bewildered, I looked to Papyrus to see that he was safe, on the other side of the alleyway.

It was so confusing, and impossible to tell what had happened. The two that had just been fighting a moment ago were now a good distance away from one another. Had the fish lady missed her target? That couldn't be possible, since she had been aiming for him directly. Then had Papyrus been moved? That couldn't be it either, since he was still on the ground. Then what had happened?

And right between them was someone standing in the middle of a damp puddle. It was Sans, grinning in his own accomplished way.