A/N: So in this chapter I'm jumping POVs around between the three children because Frisk is not the only main character. As such, be warned of the switching povs. If possible I would like to keep this as the norm, but if it's too confusing please let me know! I want to be sure this is a comfortable set up.
Also note that Sandro doesn't refer to Frisk as "they" because he sees Frisk as a male. That may be the most confusing part in the switching povs until it is properly addressed. Again, please let me know!
That all said, thanks to my wonderful friend for coming up with the puzzle in this chapter! And thank you for my beta joviamod!
Bundled up in the warm furred jackets, the children were in better moods as they carried on. The icy mist and the snow obscured their vision, but they didn't let it get them down. Well, Sandro didn't let it get him down. He was used to the snow by now. He pulled out of his snow goggles from his inventory and slipped them on, shooting a grin at Becca and Frisk as he pulled up his hood as well. It probably wasn't the best idea for Sans to have given both of his friends white coats right when it was beginning to storm, but Sandro had never known Sans to be particularly tactful on that kind of stuff. Helpful? Yes. Kind of a jerk? Also yes.
"I wonder where Papyrus went?" He questioned aloud as he shoved his hands into his pockets. Frisk was still shivering, practically swallowed up in his large coat as he huddled more into it. He didn't say anything in response to his question. Sandro didn't really understand why he didn't seem to like talking much, but he wasn't about to bother him for answers. Besides, Becca seemed to always make up for Frisk's lack of responses.
"Probably right ahead." Becca muttered, her voice a bit muffled from her own coat. The collar of her jacket was taller than either of the other children's, so the lower half of her face was better protected from the elements. Sandro somewhat regretted not bringing his scarf with him, but he preferred his manly bandana. It made him feel stronger and more sturdy. It was the abs, he was sure.
Becca grabbed Frisk suddenly and pulled them close to her. The kid looked at her in surprise, and Sandro noticed that her body was doing that glowing thing it occasionally did. Her light blue Soul was glowing, which meant she was seeing something Sandro couldn't. Frisk tilted his head to the side, confused.
"The edge is there." Becca warned, pointing. Frisk squinted (or . . . squinted more? To Sandro they barely opened their eyes much) and realized his mistake as the snow cleared just enough to reveal the thin ledge they were all at. Sandro had forgotten it was there. The cliff suddenly seemed a lot more dangerous after Frisk had nearly fallen off earlier.
"Aquí." He bolding grabbed Becca's sleeve and led both her and Frisk across the bridge that spanned the small gaps between the cliffs. Far down below he could somewhat make out the trees and a few houses of residents on the lower levels. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief once they were all safe. "All good!" Sandro grinned. "You have become better with your power, Becca!"
Becca made a small face before she allowed the compliment to sink in. "I guess." She agreed.
Sandro opened up his mouth to persist (because she had gotten better at it, he thought!) when Papyrus's voice rang out through the snow.
"HEY! IT'S THE HUMANS!" Through the snow the children saw Papyrus standing on the far side of the clearing, his hands on his hipbones. "BEHOLD!" He motioned in front of him to a strange set up. There appeared to be two paths drawn into the snow with some small rocks outlining various squares. Becca thought it looked a bit like hopscotch. There were X's and question marks in some of the boxes. Following along the edge of one of the paths were a couple of bored looking monsters. Frisk recognized Ice Caps and Snowdrakes. Sans also stood in line with them at the front, his eyes closed as he appeared to be falling asleep. Frisk did a double take, wondering how Sans had managed to beat them there. They were almost positive he could teleport now.
"YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE!" Papyrus drew their attention back to him. He narrowed his eyes shrewdly at them. "I'VE BEEN WATCHING YOU ALL VERY CLOSELY, HUMANS. AND I HAVE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IN ORDER FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR DOWNFALL, YOU MUST BE SEPARATED!" He paused and shot a glare at Sandro. "OF COURSE I WASN'T EXPECTING SANDRO TO BECOME A HUMAN AS WELL, SO I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO MAKE A THIRD PATH . . . NEVERTHELESS!" He crossed his arms over his armored chest proudly, widening his stance. "TO COMPLETE THE PUZZLE AND PROCEED FURTHER YOU'LL HAVE TO DIVIDE IN 2! TEAMS! BUT REALLY, YOU'RE STILL PART OF THE SAME TEAM. TWO PARTS OF THE SAME TEAM! SO. SPLIT UP!" He motioned for them to separate.
Frisk and Becca glanced at each other warily, but Sandro was already moving. He dashed over to stand at the end of the path with the monsters waiting, bouncing up and down with excitement. He waved and chatted rapidly with some of the monsters. One of the Snowdrakes looked familiar. Becca and Frisk were left to decide what they wanted to do. They didn't know what the other path held in terms of traps and such.
"I'll go over here." Becca finally said. Quieter, she added, "Go with Sandro. Just in case."
Frisk thought Sandro would do fine on his own, but they agreed with Becca's plan anyway. It may be easier to go alone. She was bigger than both Sandro and Frisk, so maybe she wanted to have more room in the squares herself? They didn't know. They walked over to join Sandro and waited for Papyrus's next instructions. Papyrus appeared pleased with the set up. He moved to stand between the two paths. The other monsters shifted a little in a bit of anticipation. Sandro was practically vibrating with excitement.
"NOW THEN! THE RULES ARE QUITE SIMPLE, REALLY. THE X ARE TRAPS AND THE QUESTION MARKS ARE CHALLENGES. IF TEAM A WINS A CHALLENGE, TEAM B CAN PROCEED. BUT! IF THEY LOSE! THEY WILL ACTIVATE THE OTHER TEAM'S TRAP! AND SOMETHING REALLY BAD WILL HAPPEN! NYEHEHHEHEHEHEH!"
Becca crossed her arms and looked vaguely worried. Frisk peered around Sandro to gaze at the paths on the ground again. There were a lot of X's and question marks considering there were only about six or seven squares to a path.
"Sounds fun, sounds fun!" Sandro muttered under his breath, still bouncing in place.
"TEAM A WILL BE CHALLENGED BY THE MONSTERS!" Papyrus motioned to the monsters standing in line. "ARE YOU SCARED YET? COWERING IN YOUR COLLECTIVE BOOTS?"
Frisk glanced at Sans napping and decided that, no, they weren't super scared. At least they knew how to deal with these monsters. They decided it more prudent not to say that.
"But what about this path?" Becca called, pointing to her own path which was clear of any real signs of danger or challenges.
"GOOD QUESTION, BECCA HUMAN!" Papyrus spun in place once in the snows and landed with a stomp, pointing at the second path. "THIS SIDE IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PATH FULL OF TREACHEROUS CHALLENGES GIVEN TO YOU BY ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I, RIDDLEMASTER PAPYRUS, SHALL ASK YOU A SERIES OF . . . QUESTIONS! AND! RIDDLES!" He paused as if expecting some dramatic fanfare. Maybe a thunderclap. None came. The snow continued to drift gently onto them all.
Papyrus looked slightly annoyed. "SANS!" He yelled, still posing. Sans blinked his eyes open from his slumber, looking at his brother. "YOU MISSED YOUR CUE!" Papyrus hissed.
"oh." Sans grabbed a handle that was hidden in the snow and pulled out a boombox. He pressed the play button, and dramatic music started playing. Sandro began laughing a bit loudly, but muffled himself so the music could be heard. Papyrus stared at Sans for a long moment before returning back to his original idea.
"A SERIES OF . . . QUESTIONS! AND! RIDDLES!" He posed dramatically again as the music thundered ominously. The children blinked. The skeleton sighed and slumped some. "THE EFFECT IS RUINED." He stood up straighter in the middle of the two paths. "YOU ARE QUITE LUCKY, HUMANS," He returned to his bravado, "THAT MORE MONSTERS DID NOT VOLUNTEER TO HELP ME CAPTURE YOU! TRY TO REACH THE END TOGETHER! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE RULES?"
Becca thought that the game was kind of confusing to be honest, but she had always learned better through trial and error. Hopefully Frisk and Sandro would do well enough over on their side. They weren't too far from each other, after all, and there wasn't really anything stopping her from running over there or vice versa. She hoped that Frisk and Sandro had enough healing items at least.
"GREAT! THEN LET'S BEGIN!" Sans switched the track to some tense music that seemed appropriate.
The children glanced at each other once. In the snow before Frisk and Sandro was a question mark while Becca's first square was an X. It appeared Frisk and Sandro would have the first challenge. All three children stepped forward onto their squares, and the ground beneath the younger children dinged. Frisk expected a Snowdrake to step up, but shockingly Sans joined them in the square. Sandro practically shoved Frisk downward to climb past them.
"We can fight you first?!" He cried, practically beside himself with his joy.
"yup." Sans stuck his hands into his pockets, his eyes only slightly drooping. Frisk didn't think he looked especially tired, but maybe he was? It was hard to tell on a skeleton. Sandro didn't mind, however. Sans was always napping. He had fought Papyrus many times, but it would be the first he got to fight his brother.
"YES! LET'S DO THIS!" The boy yelled, pumping his fist in the air as the three fighters stepped out of the square and the humans' Souls were summoned to battle.
"Don't forget I'm on a trap!" Becca called over the boy's hooting. Frisk gave her a thumbs up in understanding as she glanced at the X she was standing on. She considered just stepping back out of the game seeing as she could just go up the middle path undisturbed, but Papyrus waved a gloved finger at her, seeming to guess what she was thinking.
"DON'T YOU DARE STEP OUT OF THE TRAP, HUMAN!" He grinned. "YOU MAY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO AVOID MY MAZE LAST TIME, BUT NOW YOU SHOULD FEEL QUITE 'TRAPPED'! YOU SEE, IF YOU STEP OUT OF A TRAP SQUARE, YOU WILL AUTOMATICALLY TRIGGER IT AND YOU SHALL HAVE TO DEAL WITH WHATEVER CONSEQUENCES AWAIT YOU!"
Becca made a face. Of course that's how it worked. Somehow Papyrus had become quite skilled at puzzle-making. She suspected Sans had a role in it.
With the battle triggered, Sandro prepared himself to go first. However, he hesitated to actually attack as he realized just how weak Sans was. The guy clearly wasn't a fighter. Sandro wasn't so sure that his attack wouldn't accidentally kill him. Sans watched him, waiting for Sandro's move. The boy's hands itched to strike out and test how much of his strength he could hold back. His attack strength was strong though considering how much fighting experience he actually had. He didn't need high LV to have good strength. Video games didn't always work like that!
Reluctantly, Sandro Spared Sans and refused to attack.
Frisk smiled at Sandro. Sans's eye sockets sparkled with some kind of interest.
Frisk wasn't sure what to do either. They didn't have any idea of how to approach Sans. He didn't exactly feel threatening to them. Maybe he was going to do something funny instead? He had been helpful thus far. They trusted him. However, Sparing didn't appear to be the right answer at the moment. Sans clearly had something planned. So Frisk threw their stick. It landed silently next to Sans in the snow. He didn't move to pick it up. Frisk had to run over and grab the stick instead. They saw Becca sigh and drop her face into her hands.
"INTERESTING TECHNIQUE . . ." Papyrus murmured loudly, rubbing his jawbone.
"I do not think that works for skeletons." Sandro whispered to Frisk. They shrugged. It had been worth a shot.
"alright then." Sans said, rolling his head on his neck as if to stretch it. "get ready."
Frisk and Sandro tensed as he pulled one of his hands out of his pocket and they felt magic tingle across their skin. A small bone, about the size of Frisk's foot, popped out of the snow and approached them at a leisurely pace. Both children stared at it. It was going slower than walking pace. Frisk had time to glance at Sandro as the boy moved forward and stepped over the bone. They couldn't tell if he was more disappointed, annoyed, or whether he was trying not to pity Sans. Frisk was grateful, though. They supposed that Sans didn't actually want to fight. Or he was trying to annoy his brother.
They also stepped over the bone, and it disappeared as it reached the end of their battle arena. Sans wiped his forehead of imaginary sweat. "phew. well, i'm beat. you win kiddos." The children's Souls were released as the battle ended.
"SANS!" Papyrus screamed, stomping his foot furiously. "YOU DIDN'T TRY AT ALL! IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE SERIOUS, THEN GO TO WORK!"
"hey, relax." Sans told his brother, shrugging. "work won't mind that i'm here. there's no need to get hopping mad."
"SANS!" Papyrus yelled again.
"by the way . . ." Sans held out two pieces of "fried snow" to Sandro and Frisk. "you won on your first try, so here's your prize." Frisk had a feeling the fried snow would do absolutely nothing. It was already melting in their hands. Sandro at least attempted to eat it.
Despite the brothers' turmoil, the X beneath Beca's feet turned into a green O, and so she stepped into the next square. Frisk and Sandro moved forward as well, this time landing on a trap. Papyrus spun around to confront the girl. He cleared his throat and straightened up. "HUMAN! YOU HAVE LANDED NOW ON A QUESTION SQUARE! A RIDDLE FOR YOU, THEN!" He paused only to think about the question or riddle. Becca swallowed. She was good at puzzles, but maybe she should've left Frisk to this. Even though the kid didn't really talk much.
"WHO . . ." Papyrus asked, grinning widely, "IS THE MOST POPULAR IN THE UNDERGROUND?"
Becca froze, opening her mouth and closing it for a moment. That . . . that wasn't a riddle! That wasn't even a legitimate question! She looked to Sans for help, but he just grinned at her, helplessly amused. Sandro and Frisk pointed at Papyrus. Frisk raised their eyebrows imperatively. Becca really didn't want to answer the question. Knowing her luck, she'd be wrong. But she didn't have any other answers and Papyrus was . . . surprisingly simple.
She turned back to him and smiled, although it was wobbly and a bit forced. "Um . . . i-is the answer . . . Papyrus?"
Papyrus gasped. "WOWIE! DO YOU REALLY THINK SO?" His hands clasped together in his glee. "YOU'RE SUCH A NICE PERSON! AND OF COURSE YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!" He chuckled and ran a gloved hand over his head. "WELL . . . I SOON WILL BE, ONCE I CAPTURE YOU ALL! PROCEED!"
Becca dropped her head so that her hair hid her rolling eyes as all three children stepped forward onto the next squares. Once again another monster stepped forward to challenge Frisk and Sandro. The Snowdrake flapped forward and hopped briefly as it set itself for the battle. Sandro proved his eagerness to Fight as he struck out first at the Snowdrake. It was enough to knock the monster's health down, but not enough to seriously damage it. Still Frisk didn't like it. They were uncomfortable with attacking poor monsters. They were just helping Papyrus out, after all! (They were sure Becca would scold them for thinking that way). Frisk made sure to laugh at the monster's pun when it said it, and soon enough the battle was over. If all the monsters were that easy to defeat, Frisk would be glad.
Things followed in that route. Once again Becca landed on a question square. Papyrus jumped to join her in the square, laughing gaily at the predicament Sandro and Frisk were in on their trap square. He turned to Becca and put his hands on his hips.
"HUMAN! YOUR NEXT QUESTION TO SOLVE! WHAT IS . . . WHITE AND TALL AND COOL ALL OVER?" He frowned. "OR WAS IT, TALL AND COOL AND WHITE ALL OVER . . . ? EITHER WAY, ANSWER THE QUESTION!"
Becca closed her eyes and allowed herself to hide her face a bit more in the collar of her jacket. Her head was starting to hurt. She really wanted some warm real food, and she wanted to stop with all of these puzzles. She was starting to wonder if leaving the Ruins was worth it. She took a breath to comfort herself and thought, Well, it could be worse.
"Is it . . . Papyrus?" She asked hesitantly. Logically she knew he couldn't possibly give her a question with the same answer twice . . . but Papyrus was good at surprising her. She didn't get to hear his answer, though, as the image of Sandro plummeting down a hole in the snow and his shout of shock flashed through her mind. Her Soul hummed with magic and between one blink and the next she was spinning in the snow to call out to Sandro loudly.
"Hm?" Sandro hummed, curious as he and Frisk escaped the trap without any distress. When she didn't say anything, he shrugged and turned to face their newest opponent. Becca's Soul was still humming with warning. The future had yet to happen. Her vision could still come true. Papyrus was already ushering her along onto her own trap square. Frisk shot Becca a confused look, tensing some as they realized she must have seen something. They seemed to debate whether to stick closer to Sandro to protect him or step away so that both of them wouldn't get hurt.
Becca didn't doubt that Frisk and Sandro could easily defeat all of the monsters they would come up against (if Frisk could just get a little bit better at dodging, Becca wouldn't have to worry so much), so it depended on her to make sure they all made it to the end without being "captured" by Papyrus. She was prepared as Papyrus opened his mouth to once again give her another question (hopefully about himself), but Sans decided to butt in.
"hey . . . papyrus." Sans called from where he stood next to the radio so he could rewind the music back to the beginning. Papyrus stopped himself from what he had been about to say. "all of your questions have had the same answer so far."
"THAT IS BECAUSE THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING IS . . . PAPYRUS!" Papyrus cried with delight.
Sans chuckled a little and paused the music now that it was fully rewound. "i'll have to find scientific proof of that."
"SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHY AREN'T YOU AT WORK YET?"
"how 'bout i ask the kids a question?" Sans suggested, completely ignoring his brother's query. He was grinning mischievously as his eyes met Becca. Becca tensed ever so slightly, but she wasn't too worried. She had heard plenty of Sans's jokes before. With any luck, it would be a knock knock joke. That counted as a question, right?
Sans loved being a dick, apparently, as he instead asked, "why did the chicken cross the road?"
Becca gaped a little. "That's . . . that's not fair!" She cried, a bit outraged. "There are multiple answers to that question!"
"guess you better answer correctly then." Sans responded and turned the music back on. It thundered ominously again.
Becca struggled to come up with a good answer. Her knee-jerk reaction was to say "to get to the other side", but Sans was known for his puns. She was certain that it had to be a pun. The problem was that there were numerous answers to such a stupid old question. It was Joking 101! If she got it wrong, it meant that she risked getting two of the humans captured. She couldn't allow their Majesties to get ahold of more human Souls!
Frisk waved their hands back and forth to catch the girl's attention. "To cockadoodle-doo something?" They suggested in their soft voice. They couldn't seem to make it much louder.
"No no no! That is a rooster!" Sandro denied. "Try 'to impress the chicks'!" He paused and then frowned. "Wait . . ."
"NO HELPING! YOU THREE ARE A TEAM, BUT ONLY BECCA CAN ANSWER THE QUESTIONS!" Papyrus interrupted their thinking.
Becca didn't think either of them had the correct answer anyway. Frisk was on the right track, but not Sandro. She thought about it only for a few moments more before she decided on what would be the proper pun answer. "She didn't know." She told Sans. "She was just winging it."
Sans laughed and Papyrus groaned. Becca grinned, happy to have gotten the answer right, until Sans shook his head. "tough luck, kiddo. you're wrong. it was 'to get to the other side'."
The ground beneath Frisk and Sandro suddenly dropped away. Both children cried out and plummeted into the darkness. "NO!" Becca screamed, hands flying to her mouth at the sight while Papyrus laughed at his success. Becca wheeled on Sans, furious tears building in her eyes. "What happened to keeping an eye on us?" She demanded.
Sans seemed unrepentant. "fair's fair, pal."
Becca opened her mouth to say some rather nasty words she was sure her mother would turn her over her knee and beat her bottom for, but Sans was rescued from a brutal yelling at by noises coming from the hole. Frisk was scrambling up from the hole, clawing their way out and back onto the snow. There was just enough room left in the square for Frisk to teeter precariously on the ledge. Becca was awash with relief.
"You're alright!" She called.
Frisk nodded back, looking shaken but fine. They peered back down the hole as Becca heard Sandro yell, "I am fine as well! Keep going with the game!"
"ONE HUMAN SUCCESSFULLY CAPTURED THANKS TO MY MASTERFUL WORK ON THIS TRAP!" Papyrus praised himself, oblivious to the tension radiating from Becca. Frisk and Becca shared a look and nodded to each other. Frisk had yet to battle on their own, but Becca trusted them to do well. These were monsters they had faced before, after all, and any new ones they could learn.
"Here!" Becca called, and pulled out her Nice Cream from her inventory. She doubted she would need it, so after they both moved into their next squares she tossed the package over. Frisk caught and fumbled it a bit before holding steady. They smiled in thanks as the next monster called their Soul out.
Frisk had been nervous to fight a monster on their own for the first time, but admittedly it was a bit easier. They didn't need to worry about space, so they could dodge better. Unfortunately they didn't have the buffer room of watching their teammates try their hands at battling. The monsters' attacks, rather than being split up amongst two fighters, were focused solely on Frisk. They were a little put out to notice that their dodging wasn't quite up to par. They still had a couple squares left, so they were glad to have Becca's Nice Cream. They just wished that they didn't have to use it. The cold was bad enough.
When Becca's turn came again, both humans expected another ridiculous question from either Sans or Papyrus, but for once Papyrus had an actual riddle for them. He chuckled to himself. "ARE YOU READY, HUMAN? I, RIDDLEMASTER PAPYRUS, HAVE QUITE THE RIDDLE FOR YOU! E-HEM!" He crossed his arms and asked,
"'I WAS GOING DOWN TO THE MARKET AND I MET A MONSTER WITH HIS SEVEN COUSINS.
EACH COUSIN HAD SEVEN BASKETS.
EVERY BASKET HELD SEVEN KITTENS.
AND EACH KITTEN HAD SEVEN SAPPHIRES.
SAPPHIRES, KITTENS, BASKETS, COUSINS . . . HOW MANY WENT DOWN TO THE MARKET?'"
Frisk blanched at the question. This sounded like it should be a trick. Or, at the very least, required a lot of math to figure out. Frisk could do math fine, but they weren't sure how to do it without paper. Would Becca just use the snow? Did she know mental math? She had been down in the Underground for five years . . . who would've taught her? Frisk eyed the trap they were on nervously. Would they be joining Sandro in another hole? They didn't have him to boost them up to climb out again.
"MATH ISN'T FAIR!" Sandro yelled.
Becca only had to think for a moment, though. She smiled confidently and said, "Only one did!" Frisk looked at her in bafflement, before understanding dawned and Papyrus reluctantly allowed her to proceed. Frisk clapped. Sandro cheered from his hole.
"VERY CLEVER, HUMAN . . . BUT WILL YOU BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE LAST RIDDLE?" Papyrus asked. After Frisk's final battle, there was one question left between Frisk and Becca and the end of the game. When Frisk had finished the last battle, they watched as Sans thanked the monsters who had helped them. He even subtly slipped them what looked to be a bit of gold (probably to make up for the gold the monsters had lost battling the children). The monsters left, some rubbing at their wounds from Sandro and some waving goodbye to Papyrus. Papyrus cheerfully waved goodbye back and called a thank you before he suddenly spun to face Becca.
"HUMANS! YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE PUZZLE! BUT DO NOT THINK YOU ARE SAFE YET! FOR MY LAST RIDDLE . . . IS THE TOUGHEST OF THEM ALL!" Becca nodded seriously in understanding. Anything could happen, she had come to understand. She couldn't underestimate Papyrus. Frisk's safety was relying on her. She didn't know what she would do if she got both Frisk and Sandro captured. "ALRIGHT THEN! HERE IS THE RIDDLE:
"ALONE OR WITH OTHERS, I STAND UPRIGHT,
THE OUTFIT TIGHT, MY DRESS IS WHITE.
MY CROWN IT GLOWS WITH YELLOW AND RED,
BUT IF I WEAR IT TOO MUCH, I WILL BE DEAD.
WHAT AM I?"
Becca's mind flew into action, half in horror at the fact Papyrus had given her a legitimate riddle. She didn't know the answer to this one immediately. She couldn't think well under the pressure. She shot a look at Frisk, hoping they could help, but their face was stricken with their own confusion. They would be no help.
Papyrus's laughter at Becca's silence wasn't helping. "IS IT TOO DIFFICULT, HUMAN? IT CERTAINLY WAS FOR ME!"
"man, buddy, you ain't looking too hot." Sans said, joining his brother near the top of the puzzle. He put a strange amount of emphasis on the word. Becca narrowed her eyes at him in confusion. "ain't looking too bright either." He continued, smiling mysteriously.
Becca frowned. Was he . . . trying to help her? If he was, then that meant the answer had something to do with heat and light. Fire was the first thing that popped into her mind, but fire didn't fit the riddle. So something that had to have fire with it? The thought of fire made her think of warm hearths and s'mores. She longed for heat right then. She missed the little dusty house that had been her home back in the Ruins.
Remembering the Ruins brought back memories of her training. Riddles weren't her forte, but she had other skills. Ones that she could put to use if she tried. She only hoped that her Soul would respond.
She closed her eyes and focused. Her Soul was a familiar presence in her chest, calm and patient as she reached out for the magic housed there. She felt the light blue magic flood her body, and she asked for the answer to the riddle. In response, she caught sight of countless possible futures in her mind, but only one stuck out: a future where Sans's hints had clicked in her mind.
The answer was right there.
"GIVE UP?" Papyrus asked, his voice a little more gentle even as he waited excitedly for Becca to give in. Frisk could see the light blue glow on the girl's body, barely visible through the white snow. They glanced briefly at Papyrus and Sans, but only one of the skeletons seemed to have taken notice of the glow. Sans's eye sockets were fixed on Becca, the focus in them too intense for the casual watching he had been doing earlier. Was Sans aware of their magic powers? Frisk wasn't so sure that was a good thing.
"No, I don't give up!" Becca finally lifted her head, her eyes popping open with a newfound understanding within them. "The answer is 'a candle'!"
Papyrus gaped. "IMPOSSIBLE! HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT SUCH A BAFFLING RIDDLE? HUMAN, YOU ARE MUCH BETTER AT THIS THEN I WOULD'VE THOUGHT!" He grinned at her joyfully. "WOWIE, YOU MUST LOVE RIDDLES JUST AS MUCH AS I DO! PUZZLES OF THE MIND ARE STILL PUZZLES, AFTER ALL! NYEH-HEH-HEH!" His playfulness faded some as he became a bit serious again. "WITH THIS, YOU TWO HAVE MADE IT PAST MY CLEVER PUZZLE! HOWEVER . . ."
He ran past Frisk and Becca over to the trap Sandro had fallen into. Somehow Sans was already over there, his hand holding onto a sulking Sandro's arm. Neither Frisk nor Becca had noticed him pull Sandro out of the hole. "YOU MAY HAVE DEFEATED MY PUZZLE, HUMANS, BUT I HAVE MANAGED TO CAPTURE SANDRO!" He scooped up the child and held him under his arm. Sandro squealed a little in surprise and with some annoyance as he kicked and flailed. Clearly he wasn't happy to have lost the game. "TRY AS YOU MIGHT, YOU WILL BOTH BE JOINING HIM VERY SOON!" Papyrus laughed as he turned and ran off ahead.
"NO, I HAVE BEEN CAPTURED!" Sandro called back, although he sounded more like he was frustrated rather than worried. He started shouting something in Spanish, but his voice was soon swallowed up by the snow. The remaining humans looked around to search for Sans, but the shorter skeleton was gone as well. Becca and Frisk were once again alone.
A/N: What will happen to Sandro now that he's been captured?