DISCLAIMER: MOTHER and Undertale don't belong to the author. They belong to Shigesato Itoi and Toby Fox respectively.
...
...Right, maybe if I don't say anything, no one will notice-
Flowey: Hello there~
...Hi.
Flowey: Took you long enough. What's it been, three, four months?
Listen, there was writers block, and I was thinking of rewriting the beginning, and then-
Flowey: I don't care about excuses. As long as you write this regularly from now on, I'm fine.
Really? That's surprisingly chill of you.
Flowey: I'm all chill. But you can't let the audience wait that long.
Of course-
Flowey: And you definitely can't keep the main character waiting that long either, got it!? If you go off without updating for that long again...Well, I know where you are.
Right, noted.
Waterflame89fan: Yeah, I'm hoping to rectify that now. Stay tuned.
RaeChanNau: Wish granted! And hopefully regularly now! I love crossovers, so it's nice hearing that mine is a good one! Also, uh, Flowey granted your wish too, hah...
Chapter 9: Pups and Paps
"Target!"
You watch as Doggo's arm blurred, launching knives towards Ninten. The knives flew true...And started to revolve around Ninten as his feet hit the ground.
"Still a target! Woop, woop woop woop!"
Ninten started to run around in the snow, waving his arms. Doggo's hackles raised as he pursued, throwing knife after knife. You blink at Ninten's gung-ho distraction.
"Woop-!"
"Keep moving!" Doggo growled, flicking his paws as ten knives appeared between his toes. A kitchen drawer's worth of knives were spinning around Ninten and you could see the strain on his face.
You narrow your eyes and get up to your feet, hissing as your shoulder protests. Black liquid drips onto the bright white snow and you falter for a moment.
You look as Doggo and slowly walked towards him. Ninten continued to jump around, yelling.
The knives around him were a thick cloud and now Doggo was throwing spoons.
You stepped closer. And closer. And closer.
You were now only a foot away from Doggo. But now that you were a foot away...You stand on your tiptoes. The top of your fingers barely reached Doggo's chest. You frown.
And then you yelp as knives blur towards Doggo. For a moment your SOUL freezes as you think that Ninten's attacking Doggo. Your fear is dashed away when the knives sink into the snow in front of Doggo. Causing Doggo to snarl and go down on all fours.
You seize your chance and throw your hand out.
Doggo stiffens as you gently pet him.
"I've...been...PET!"
You can't move in time to avoid Doggo's flailing and blades coated in light blue light swing towards you- and pass harmlessly. You slowly release a breath as Doggo flails.
"PET!? POT!? PAT? PETPETPETPET-!" Doggo shudders violently and looks around with bleary eyes. Nobody moves. Doggo gives a ragged sigh and the world became colorful again.
"S-S-S-S-S-Somebody just pet me...S-S-S-Somebody that wasn't moving…" Doggo moaned. I frowned, suddenly feeling sorry. Doggo put a paw over his eyes.
"I'm going to need some dog treats for this!" Doggo leapt into the wooden shack and there was an almighty crash. A moment later a wispy trail of smoke rose from behind the counter.
Somebody grabbed my shoulder and I hissed.
"Sorry," Ninten said quickly, letting go of me.
I shook my head, the pain fading into a burning throb. Ninten frowned and placed his hand on my wound gingerly. A moment later I sighed in relief as I felt the wound numb and close. Ninten let go of his hand and his eyes stopped glowing.
"Well...That was something," he said after a moment. I nodded at the understatement and Ninten looked at the shack again.
"Looks like they've got guard dogs," he said quietly, motioning me to follow. We walked carefully until the shack was out of sight.
"We best be more careful if there are anymore along the way," Ninten said. I nodded and we walked on the snowy path once more. A moment later Ninten broke the silence.
"You know, I have a pet dog. He's a lot like that dog we just fought too. Heck, maybe they're cousins! That dog's a lot nimbler than mine- my dog can do a handstand and that's about it but-"
"HUMANS! WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!"
Ninten removed his hands from his ears and gave PAPYRUS an annoyed look.
"The path was icy and we met a talking snowman!" Ninten yelled back. I rubbed my back, still feeling sore from the fall I had taken.
"OH, THAT GUY! HE'S PRETTY COO- IN ANY CASE!"
Papyrus cleared his throat very loudly and I could see Ninten's eyebrow twitch as the skeleton did so, "HUMAN! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU, MY BROTHER AND I-"
Papyrus paused before realizing that sans wasn't there. Slightly flustered, Papyrus barreled on, "HAVE CREATED A MAGNIFICENT MYRIAD OF PUZZLES! AND I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE QUITE…" Papyrus snickered, "SHOCKING! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB-"
Papyrus fished out a grey orb from his armor and held it aloft in the air, "WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!" Papyrus grinned and waggled his eyeridge. "SOUND LIKE FUN? BECAUSE THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE...IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL, I THINK."
Papyrus appeared to be lost in thought. I turned my head as Ninten tugged my arm.
"Follow me carefully. I know how to get past the maze," he said confidently. I tilted my head.
"PSI…?" I guessed.
Ninten grinned and I frowned.
"Kinda cheating…" I pointed out.
Ninten shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, I'm not going to be zapped, thank you very much."
I didn't want to be zapped either and so followed Ninten carefully as he stepped out from the snow and into the stony clearing. Ninten moved carefully, his eyes half open. I tried to follow him as best I could, but- I was clumsy in the best of circumstances. And in this freezing cold, as I tried to make the sudden turn Ninten made I stumbled and tripped.
*ZAP!*
As Papyrus said, the sizzling sound of a hearty zap filled the air. Ninten and I watched as Papyrus stopped spasming. The skeleton blinked and stared down at the orb in his hand.
"HEY, WAIT A MINU-!"
*ZAPPP!*
Ninten stopped in front of Papyrus, smiling.
"We got through the puzzle."
Papyrus stared at Ninten, open socketed for a moment. Then the tall skeleton narrowed his eyes and stomped the ground.
"DARN, DARN, DARN! YOU DIDN'T DO IT CORRECTLY!"
"If you solve the puzzle, then you've done it correctly. We just found another correct way," Ninten said simply. Papyrus stared at Ninten for a moment before dramatically pointing at him.
"THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT! BE! SO! EASY!" And then Papyrus was gone, running into the snowy distance. Ninten walked up to me and helped me up.
"You okay?" he asked. I nodded and Ninten turned back to the path.
"You know, it's going to be slightly disappointing if all the puzzles will be that easy."
"I don't understand why these things aren't selling…"
I turned to see the source of the voice. A tall slim blue rabbit monster was leaning against a snack cart, looking at the ground sadly. The monster's bright mustard yellow and ketchup red clothes clashed violently with the white snow around them.
"Frisk…" Ninten warned. I ignored him and walked up to the monster. The monster blinked on seeing me, before perking up.
"Oh! A customer!" The rabbit monster stood up straight and opened his cart. Somehow the air seemed to get colder.
"Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream? It's the frozen treat that warms your heart!" the rabbit monster said.
It was freezing cold and I couldn't feel my feet anymore. But I couldn't say no to the desperate hope in the monster's eyes. I rummaged in my pockets and took out 45 gold and gave it to him. I could feel Ninten staring at me and I endeavored not to look back. The monster took the gold, beaming.
"Right! Three Nice Cream's, coming up!" The monster rummaged in his cart and before I knew it four wrapped cones were in my arms. I looked up at the monster, surprised. The monster winked.
"An extra one for being my first customer. Tell all your friends about Nice Cream, okay? "
I nodded and told him I would before walking back to Ninten. Ninten had his arms crossed and was staring at me.
I fidgeted a bit under his gaze.
"Ice cream in this cold?" he asked.
I frowned and pointed at the monster. He was beaming at everything and waved when he saw us looking at him. Ninten sighed.
"Can you even hold all of that?" Ninten asked. My hands were starting to become numb with the Nice Cream and I shook my head. A moment later the Nice Cream was floating around us lazily.
"You're lucky I can do this," Ninten said. eyes glowing. I clapped, smiling, and pointed out that now we had food. Ninten snorted.
"If you say so. Don't say I didn't warn you when you get brain freeze though."
When we saw the wooden shacks, we froze. It was until Ninten whispered that there didn't seem to be anyone there that we relaxed. Ninten was now staring at the shacks while I read the sign in the middle of them.
Snow Smell- Danger Rating White, can become Yellow.
Unsuspicious Smell- Puppy, Blue rating. The smell of rolling around.
Weird Smell- Humans! Green Rating, destroy at all costs!
I stared at the red green and started when Ninten spoke.
"Looks like personalized doghouses. Still, this is a dead end. We better take the other path."
The other path was a large oddly shaped clearing. We walked past a snowball the size of my head and continued walking until we saw the hole.
Ah! Wow! Woah! It's...A "Hole".
I frowned and rubbed the side of my head, confused. That hadn't been Ninten, had it?
"It looks like a golf course," Ninten said thoughtfully. I blinked and looked at the odd clearing. I realized that Ninten was right. There was the snowball...And here was the large hole.
I bet you can't get the ball in.
I walked towards the snowball, stumbling.
"Uh, Frisk?"
I ignored Ninten and stepped up to the snowball, staring at it thoughtfully. And then as quickly as I could I kicked it. I didn't expect it to be so hard and I winced and clutched my foot as the ice ball rolled away. I opened my eyes, and saw the ice ball melting in front of me. Frantically I started to punt the ever shrinking iceball. Just as it was the size of a pea I fell over and pushed it straight into the hole. A cheery jingle rang out and a purple flag rose out of the hole, fluttering.
Ninten walked up to the flag and read it.
"Even when you felt trapped, you took notes and achieved the end of "Ball"," Ninten read, before reaching into the hole.
"Hey, neat! You got two gold!"
Ninten turned around and grinned.
I tried to grin back, but-
I couldn't feel my legs anymore.
"Hey, Frisk? What's wrong?"
Ninten seemed to realize something was wrong and walked up to me. I smiled and tried to get up. But I couldn't. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't.
Ninten took one look at me and knelt down, pulling my shoes off. I should've immediately shivered or something- but I still felt nothing.
This is bad.
Ninten's face paled and I tried to look at my feet.
"Er, wait! There's no need for that," Ninten said quickly and I felt a gentle telekinetic grip preventing me from looking. I frowned, heart beating.
"Ninten…?" I began.
"Don't worry! Just...Just a Life-Up and some Healing, and you'll be fine!"
Ninten placed his hands on my feet, or at least I assumed he did, and a moment later his eyes began to glow. At first I couldn't feel anything. Then my feet got warmer and soon I felt blistering pain. I threw my head back and ground my teeth, trying not to make a sound.
"Crud, crud, crud…!" I heard Ninten say.
Time passed and the pain didn't fade. I blinked and turned towards Ninten, who was staring unblinkingly at my feet. With some effort I sat up to look at them.
I wish I hadn't. My feet were white and waxy, large blisters covering them. I stared at them, not comprehending for a moment.
"I-It's frostbite. I've done what I can but-" Ninten bit the bottom of his lips and growled.
"HUMANS!"
We turned to see PAPYRUS running towards them, arms windmilling.
"Humans! What is taking you so long?! I have been waiting!"
Ninten narrowed his eyes.
"We don't have time for you right now, skeleton."
PAPYRUS blinked and walked up to Ninten.
"What do you mean-?"
PAPYRUS looked down at my feet. And then back at me. And then down at my feet and back at me and-
"Hey!"
Ninten was pushed aside by PAPYRUS, who silently knelt down and put his hands on my feet.
"What do you think you're-"
Ninten became silent as a green light danced in PAPYRUS's eyesockets. I felt the magic buzz in the air as Papyrus's hands glowed green. I winced as my legs became warmer and warmer, the sensation of pins and needles intensifying. PAPYRUS grunted as I screwed my eyes shut. And then I heard a sigh and opened my eyes, carefully peeking at my feet. They were an angry red and it hurt to wiggle my toes- but I at least could wiggle my toes and move my feet.
I looked up to see PAPYRUS looking at me sternly.
"HUMAN! YOU MUST BE CAREFUL IN THIS WEATHER! I HAVE DONE ALL I CAN, BUT EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS LIMITS! I KNOW IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE! BUT! YOU ALMOST LOST YOUR FEET TO THE SNOW! WHY HAVE YOU NOT WORN BOOTS!?"
Ninten looked guilty and adjusted his hat over his eyes.
"There were boots back in the house but I didn't think of bringing them…" he muttered. I felt the guilt roil of Ninten and tried to walk up to him to assure him it wasn't his fault.
It hurts to get up.
I winced and gritted my teeth. And then yelped as PAPYRUS hoisted me in the air. I saw Ninten's surprised expression as I was lifted. PAPYRUS settled my onto his shoulder, and to my surprise wrapped my feet using his scarf.
"Wait-" I began.
"YOUR SHOES ARE USELESS, HUMAN! YOU NEED WARMTH!" PAPYRUS said sternly. I watched as the soft scarf was wrapped around my feet carefully. I felt more guilty than Ninten. I didn't want to get PAPYRUS's scarf dirty…
PAPYRUS finished wrapping up my feet and resettled me on his shoulders, one bony arm around my waist.
"WORRY NOT HUMAN! I KNOW FOR FACT THAT THERE IS SOME FOOD JUST AHEAD! I SHALL TAKE YOU TO IT!"
"Why?"
PAPYRUS turned towards Ninten, who stared at the skeleton.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
"Why are you helping us?"
I held on tighter as PAPYRUS posed.
"THE GREAT PAPYRUS ALWAYS HELPS THOSE IN NEED! BESIDES! HOW WILL YOU EVER COMPLETE MY DASTARDLY PUZZLES IF YOU CAN'T WALK!? WORRY NOT, HUMANS! JUST FOLLOW THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
I hung on for dear life as PAPYRUS ran, flying over the snow. I looked behind me in time to see Ninten hurrying to follow us as PAPYRUS laughed.
"NYEHEHEHEHE!"
I popped out of the icy ground, watching as that stupid skeleton lead those two forward.
"Damn it, Papyrus. You're supposed to fight them, not feed them."
Still, it wasn't like I could've expected anything else. And if those two got any closer to the skeleton…
I grinned as a particularly brilliant idea popped in my mind. A moment later I held the two shoes left behind in the snow. Shoes that stank of human.
I laughed and burrowed back into the ground.
Time for some Dog Marriage!
"VOILA! BEHOLD, HUMANS!"
I looked down from my perch on PAPYRUS's shoulder and saw two wooden tables. On held a microwave. And the other held-
"SPAGHETTI!" PAPYRUS exclaimed. I nodded while my ears rang. The skeleton took me carefully and slowly put my on the table. Grinning, PAPYRUS then grabbed the plate of spaghetti.
It didn't budge.
PAPYRUS, still smiling, started to tug on the spaghetti. As time went on his grunts got louder and louder and he pulled harder and harder. Until he suddenly jumped onto the table and pulled with all his might.
The spaghetti's stuck to the table.
PAPYRUS stopped, falling back to the ground. I tried to take the fork.
The fork is also frozen.
I poked the spaghetti. It made a dull *tink* sound.
PAPYRUS cleared his throat.
"THE SPAGHETTI HAS GOTTEN COLD. WORRY NOT! ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS POP IT INTO THE MICROWAVE, AND-!"
PAPYRUS, grinning, once more attempted to remove the spaghetti from the table. I turned to the microwave in question.
…All the settings say spaghetti.
I frowned and tried to find the on button. It took me a moment to realize that the microwave itself wasn't plugged in.
"Papyrus? May I try?"
PAPYRUS, skull flushed with effort, turned to Ninten in surprise.
"HMM? OH, OF COURSE YOU MAY TRY! HOWEVER, I MUST WARN YOU THAT! IT IS STUCK THERE QUITE WELL."
Ninten stepped up to the frozen spaghetti and thrust his hands out.
"Why unstick it with force when I can do it with heat?"
Ninten stared at the plate of spaghetti with such intensity that I thought that it would catch fire. But instead of catching fire, it...shook. The plate began vibrating, slowly at first but getting faster and more frantic, rattling and blurring. I started to scoot away from the plate. Ninten glared at it calmly, eyes glowing. And the now frantically buzzing plate- exploded. Fragments of the plate whizzed outwards and the spaghetti flew into the air. I covered my face and Ninten cried out.
"I GOT IT!"
I peeked over my arms and saw Papyrus backing up, holding his arms up in the air and grinning. A moment later the clump of spaghetti slammed into his face. Papyrus stood there, arms outstretched while tomato sauce dribbled down his cheekbones, a meatball in his eyesocket.
I tried real hard, I did. But despite my best efforts the snicker left my mouth and soon I was silently laughing, doubling over.
"Oops."
I wiped a tear from my eye and looked up. Ninten looked bashful, holding his cheek. Blood welled from a deep looking cut. I immediately stopped laughing and scooted towards him. Ninten glanced at me and waved me away.
"It's fine, it's just a cut."
As if to prove his point Ninten squeezed the cut closed and closed his eyes. The skin slowly sealed itself, leaving not even a scar behind.
I poked the cheek and Ninten winced.
"Hey, it's still sensitive."
"WOWIE! THAT WAS ALMOST AS BIG AN EXPLOSION AS THE LAST TIME WE TRIED REHEATING SPAGHETTI!"
Ninten and I turned towards PAPYRUS and I snickered again. PAPYRUS's face was stained with tomato sauce and the spaghetti in his hands hung limply. I stopped laughing as soon as PAPYRUS presented the spaghetti to me.
"EAT UP HUMAN!" PAPYRUS said happily. I stared at the offered spaghetti. Even heated, it looked cold and waxy.
It looks completely inedible.
I glanced up at PAPYRUS. He gave me a bright grin.
You have those Nice Creams.
PAPYRUS, still grinning, nudged the spaghetti towards me.
I sighed and took a handful of spaghetti and eating it. As soon as it hit my tongue I was almost overwhelmed by the urge to spit it out. My body refused to let the spaghetti go down my throat.
With great difficulty I swallowed. I looked down at the still mountainous pile of spaghetti. And then back to PAPYRUS's hopeful expression.
I took another handful. And another. And another.
Forcing yourself to eat the...Spaghetti? Fills you with DETERMINATION.
Urp.
You ate all the spaghetti. Do you feel accomplished?
I resisted another burp. It felt like there was a lead weight sitting in my stomach.
I flashed a small smile at PAPYRUS, ignoring my stomach.
PAPYRUS looked at me with an unreadable expression.
"YOU…YOU ATE ALL THE SPAGHETTI?" PAPYRUS asked slowly.
I nodded, stomach churning. Was I not supposed to? I stared at the silent skeleton nervously.
''…"
Much to my worry a tear flowed out of PAPYRUS's eyesocket and the skeleton started to sniffle.
"YOU…YOU'RE THE FIRST ONE TO HAVE EATEN A FULL PLATE OF MY SPAGHETTI!"
Before I could react I found myself caught in a bear hug by PAPYRUS. The wind squeezed out of me, I couldn't do anything as PAPYRUS lifted me into the air and started to spin me around.
"TRULY I HAVE BECOME A PHENOMENAL CHEF, FOR A HUMAN TO LOVE MY COOKING! FEAR NOT, I SHALL MAKE YOU AS MUCH SPAGHETTI YOU WANT, HUMAN! AS MUCH-!"
Suddenly PAPYRUS stopped and I slipped out of his grasp. Instead of falling to the ground below I floated gently down and landed on the table.
"Are you okay?"
I turned to see Ninten looked at me worriedly.
"I'm-" I burped. Loudly.
Ninten stared at me and I felt heat rise up to my cheeks. I cleared my cheeks.
"I'm fine."
"Hmm. How was the spaghetti?"
Don't even ask-
"It was edible," I said.
Ninten shot me a confused look.
"HUMAN! TRY STANDING NOW!"
I turned to PAPYRUS, who smiled at me, and nodded. Slowly I stood up.
My feet were fine. My feet looked fine. The spaghetti worked.
I smiled and turned to PAPYRUS.
"Thank you…" I said earnestly.
PAPYRUS beamed.
"IT WAS NOTHING, HUMAN! HOWEVER, I NOTICE A PROBLEM," PAPYRUS pointed at my feet, "YOU DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR!"
I frowned. That was a problem. And we couldn't get to Snowdin Town without some boots or someth-
Ninten suddenly tensed and turned towards the path. I looked at him, and then to the path nervously.
"HUMAN? WHAT'S WRONG?" PAPYRUS asked.
"…Someone's coming," Ninten said.
I stared down the path, fidgeting. And then I saw the two figures.
They were dressed in grave black robes. Their hoods cover their all of their faces, except for the snouts that poked out of them. And the two massive battle axes strapped to their backs only made their intimidating look terrifying, even with the little printed puppy face on the chest of each robe.
I took a step back, only to hit the edge of the table. Ninten's eyes were wide as he stared at the axes.
Only PAPYRUS seemed unconcerned.
"OH! DOGAMY! DOGARESSA! HOW ARE YOU TWO DOING?" PAPYRUS asked, smiling and waving.
The two figures paused, silent.
"Papyrus?"
"(What are you doing?)"
Both voices spoke in tandem, one gruff and one soft.
PAPYRUS blinked.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I AM PATROLLING THE WOODS, AS ALWAYS!"
The two figures turned towards each other before turning back to PAPYRUS.
"Then why-"
"(-Are there two humans next to you?)"
Oh no.
I quickly started to look around, but no ways of escape were present. I noticed Ninten slowly moving in front of the table. PAPYRUS still seemed oblivious.
"AH, WELL, I WAS JUST FEEDING THEM SOME OF MY SPAGHETTI IN ORDER TO-"
PAPYRUS seemed to realize what he was about to say and stopped, mouth open but silent. For a moment I was afraid that he was in trouble. But instead of suspicious, the figures seemed...pleasantly surprised.
"Oh? Nice job!"
"(It's a bit cruel, but you've trapped them!)"
Looks like PAPYRUS'S cooking is infamous.
They weren't wrong. Even if I could've, I felt too bloated to run away.
PAPYRUS blinked his eyes before striking a pose.
"O-OF COURSE! THAT WAS MY PLAN ALL ALONG, TO DAZZLE THEM WITH MY DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI BEFORE CATCHING THEM! A MASTERFUL PLAN, WORTHY OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
I edged my way towards Ninten.
"What do we do…?"
Ninten glanced at me and glanced back at the figures.
"Don't worry, I'll….I'll think of something."
One of the figures cleared their throat.
"Yes, in any case...Can you please give us the humans?"
"(We must give them to the Captain.)"
"YES, OF COURSE! I...I SHALL HAND YOU THE HUMANS!"
I tensed as PAPYRUS turned around. PAPYRUS stared at them with an unreadable expression.
"YES...I SHALL GIVE YOU THE HUMANS...NOW."
PAPYRUS didn't move. The figures stirred.
"Papyrus?"
"(What's wrong?)"
The figures stepped forward. And Ninten acted.
"PK Flash!"
I averted my eyes just in time, but I still saw the harsh green light through my eyelids.
"WOAH!"
"The Humans!"
"(They're attacking!)"
"Run!" Ninten said.
Well, I'd love to, but-
I opened my eyes just in time to see the two figures rushing towards them, seemingly having ignored the flash. PAPYRUS on the other hand had cupped his hands over his eyes and was asking loudly if anyone could turn off the lights. The figures bounded towards them, shrugging the giant axes into their hands and raising them up high.
Ninten yelped and dove out of the way. The two figures swung and I cried out, scrambling away. The desk shattered under as the axes struck and I fell into the rubble and snow. I curled in on myself, ignoring the freezing snow and hoping that the attack would be over quickly. But the attack never came and I looked up.
The figures were dogs. Like Doggo. One of them had a cowlick, big bushy eyebrows, and a little mustache. The other had long eyelashes and softer features. They were sniffing the air violently, looking around.
"Where's the human?"
"(They were here a moment ago, dear!)"
Dear?
Dog Marriage. The sign.
I glanced at the snow covering me. It couldn't be-
"Hey!"
There was a smaller flash. But this one had exploded like thunder. The two dogs whirled around, staring straight at Ninten. Ninten blinked and seemed to realize what he'd just done.
"Oh, cucumbe-"
The dogs launched themselves at him, barking furiously. Ninten juked to the side and started to run away, occasionally sending harmless blasts of light at them. He ran off into the distance, back the way they came, the dogs hot on his heels. I got up to my feet. And immediately started to hop from one foot to the other, trying not to touch the freezing stone. I stepped on one of the larger table fragments, careful of splinters, and stood there.
Now what?
"HUMAN? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
I looked up to see PAPYRUS staring at me.
"WHY DID YOU NOT RUN WITH THE OTHER HUMAN?"
I latched onto a desperate idea.
"PAPYRUS!" I began. The skeleton gave me his full attention and I felt the words get caught in my throat. I forced them to come out.
"...Please, uh, please can you take me to, uh, Ninten…" I asked.
PAPYRUS scratched his head.
"WELL, I'M SUPPOSED TO CATCH YOU RIGHT NOW, AND-"
I gave him my best pleading look. He faltered.
"THAT IS TO SAY, ER, THE GREAT PAPYRUS MUST...MUST…"
PAPYRUS stared at me.
PAPYRUS struck a pose, flashing me a thumbs up.
"OF COURSE, CATCHING BOTH HUMANS IS EASY FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I MUST GIVE CHASE!"
In a blink of an eye PAPYRUS scooped me up in his arms and hoisted me onto his shoulders.
"HOLD ONTO YOU CAPTOR, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HUMAN!"
I held onto the skeleton tightly and before I knew it PAPYRUS was running at breakneck speeds. I held on for dear life, barely paying attention to PAPYRUS's laughter. The landscape blurred past us. And then PAPYRUS stopped, almost throwing me off his shoulders.
The two dogs were swinging their axes with deadly precision. And Ninten was rolling around and running, not able to escape. Even one blow from those axes would spell dea-
I shook my head and tried to think.
"Hold still human!"
"(You cannot escape us!)"
The dogs barked and the world turned monochrome. I felt my SOUL stir-
And you still don't know what to do.
"WOWIE! YOU HAVE A VERY BRIGHT SOUL, HUMAN!" PAPYRUS said. You blink at him, distracted. You hear a cry and look up and see Ninten rolling in the snow, his SOUL blinking. The dogs axes glowed bright with magic.
You get an idea.
You yell at Ninten to roll around in the snow.
Ninten shoots you a look and the dogs turn your way. But he does as instructed.
"The Human!"
Ninten stopped rolling and stayed silent. The dogs started sniffing the air carefully. You remain dead quiet and even PAPYRUS doesn't say anything.
"..."
"(...)"
"..."
"(...I smell it!)"
The second dog whirled her axe around and it descended on Ninten. Your heart leaps in your throat but Ninten manages to roll out of the way before the axe cuts him in half.
"It's not working!" Ninten yelled. The dogs raised their axes again and Ninten yelped.
"PK Fire!"
Sparks of fire suddenly flew into the air and the two dogs backed away violently.
"Fire!"
"(The human is attacking!)"
The attack didn't do much damage.
You sigh in relief, though its short lived as you remember the danger Ninten is in. Ninten took the time that his attack bought him...And ran to a nearby tree, scrambling up its branches until he could no longer climb.
"The humans!"
"(Where are they!)"
The two dogs sniffed the air and turned straight towards the tree.
"There they is!"
"(Get them!)"
Just as the dogs reached the tree the lower branches all snapped. In the monochrome world the blue glow of Ninten's eyes was striking.
"They're up the tree! What do we do!"
"(Chop it down of course, dear!)"
The two dogs took their axes and swung. The axes didn't move. You saw Ninten throwing a hand out, struggling.
You have to do something. FIGHT? ACT?
You think desperately, hearing the dogs bark in the background.
…
You look down at PAPYRUS. The skeleton was watching the fight, silent.
You begin to say PAPYRUS's name nervously. You steel yourself and forge on. And you tell PAPYRUS to throw you at that tree. PAPYRUS looks up at you.
"WHAT?"
You ask again.
"I'M SORRY, WHY DO YOU-?"
You tell him it's a matter of life and death
"WELL, I'M A RATHER GOOD THROWER-"
Please?
You stare at PAPYRUS. PAPYRUS stares at you. The skeleton looks uncomfortable but a moment later plucks you off his shoulders and curled his arms back.
"I'M NOT SURE IF THIS IS A GOOD IDEA," PAPYRUS began.
You tell him to hurry. PAPYRUS makes a noise but curls his arm back even further. You hold you knees and curl into a ball, bracing for-
PAPYRUS's throw was like a catapult. You zoom through the air towards the tree, somersaulting. You start to flail. And then you hit the branches, hard. You fall for a heart stopping moment before you grab hold onto one of the branches. You curl around it and don't let go.
"Frisk, what-what the corncob are you doing!?"
Ninten seems surprised. You'd wave at him, but you're a bit busy.
"How'd you even get up-?"
The tree shuddered and we looked down. The dogs swung their axes again, cutting into the tree. The tree started to groan.
Uh-oh.
The tree shuddered again and again as the axes bit into them. Your heart must be beating at least a hundred times a second.
"Uh, any ideas!?" Ninten yelled.
You shake your head, paralyzed. Honestly you had only planned this far.
Ninten glanced between you and the dogs.
"Uh, uh...I may have an idea!"
You look at Ninten hopefully.
"You'll have to jump though!"
Never mind, it's crazy.
You stare at Ninten, wide eyed. He just looks back at you, serious.
"You need to jump and grab me! Before the tree falls!"
You want to tell him that this is a bad idea. The tree crunches and you feel it start to totter. The dogs below are barking furiously.
You steel yourself and jump.
You barely grab Ninten, and the branch cracks under your weight.
You both fall towards the ground and towards the baying dogs.
You close your eyes and your SOUL twinge-
"4! D! Slip!"
"The humans!"
"(They escaped!)"
"After them!"
I watched as the Dogamy and Dogaressa run away, baying for blood.
They were wasting their time. I heard what that psychic brat yelled. Wherever they were, it wasn't here.
I grumbled. Why couldn't they have just died? Out of all the royal guard dogs, those two were the most competent- which wasn't saying much, I knew, but still!
And speaking of competent…
I pop out of the ground, smiling.
"Howdy, Papyrus!"
The skeleton whirls towards them, shocked. The shock turned into relief as Papyrus saw me.
"OH, IT'S JUST YOU FLOWEY! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?"
Just smile and nod.
"Oh, I've been fine! Say, I heard some barking? Is something happening?"
Papyrus looked around shiftily.
"UH, WELL…" the skeleton posed, as though it would make him cooler, and spoke loudly.
"THEY ARE SIMPLY IN HOT PURSUIT OF TWO HUMANS, THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAD APPREHENDED PREVIOUSLY!"
Jeez, did this idiot really, well, think? I was almost certain he didn't. Still, he was useful.
"Oh, so you caught them-?"
"OF COURSE!"
"-And then let them escape?"
Papyrus immediately looked uncomfortable.
"WELL, ER-"
I gave a well practiced sigh, mixed with genuine frustration. Honestly…
"Papyrus, how many times have I told you? You've got to keep the people you've captured, well, captured!"
"WELL, I-IT ISN'T EASY, CAPTURING HUMANS YOU KNOW! THERE VERY WILY AND CUNNING!" Papyrus said defensively.
"Oh, I know," I said.
Wily and cunning compared to a door knob maybe.
"That's why your old pal Flowey is here to help you!"
"YOU ARE?"
"Of course! Just listen to me, and you'll have those humans in no time!"
Much to my surprise, Papyrus looked less than joyous about that.
"OH, THAT'S...GOOD."
I frowned.
"Papyrus, you've got to capture these humans. They're dangerous!"
"I-I KNOW THAT-"
"If you let them run amok, someone will get hurt!"
"I KNOW-"
"Isn't it your job, as soon-to-be Royal Guar-?"
"I KNOW!" Papyrus said loudly, before looking apologetic.
"BUT HOW SHALL I CATCH THEM?"
"Like I said, your old friend Flowey is here to help!"
Oh, the things I do for a SOUL…
"Now, listen carefully…" I begna, before clearing my throat and blowing a note.
"Here's a little lesson in puzzlery~!
This will go down in history~!
If you want to be Guard number one~!
You have to catch the Humans on the run~!"
AN: Flowey: I can't believe I sang that stupid song.
You didn't need to.
Flowey: Yeah, well it's the only way to get that numbskull to listen. I just hope he does what he's told this time…
And I hope your stolen song does nothing.
Flowey: You're already on my bad side. Try to annoy me, please.
Right, welcome back to PSI:MoM! This time for real! Where have Ninten and Frisk gone now? Will Dog Marriage catch up to them? Is Papyrus the next Master Chef?
Flowey: Yeah, how bout you post the next chapter?
Impatient aren't we?
Tune in next time to find out! Remember, I always love getting reviews!
