I strode on, the stone hard beneath my feet. The ballet shoes were especially thin, so I could feel all the rocks and pebbles I accidentally strode on. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to toss those tennis shoes aside.

Ahead, next to a small waterfall, stood a yellow lizard monster. He wore a striped sweatshirt, like me and Chara. Small, weak-looking, and pretty much not a threat. I faced Chara, asking her a silent question.

"Don't kill him yet." Chara commanded me. "He'll be useful, for the time being. Only get rid of him once he proves himself to be a problem."

I nodded, figuring that if Chara believed he would help our cause, then he would. I moved forwards before approaching the monster. He was small, like a kid. A kid monster.

"A Monster Kid." Chara corrected.

"Yo!" He had finally noticed us. "Are you sneaking out to see her, too?" His dismissive talking made me believe that he wasn't aware of my power. That I could kill him instantly, if I wanted to.

"See who?" I whispered to Chara.

"You'll see."

"Awesome!" The 'Monster Kid' cheered. "She's the coolest, right!? I wanna be just like her when I grow up…" Figuring he was just a weird, useless monster, I made my move to leave. "Hey, don't tell my parents I'm here. Ha ha…"

I passed by a strangely large aqua-colored flower and another sentry station before Chara murmured something in my ear. 18 left.

"Say." I commented, eyeing Chara. "How come you never ask to control me anymore?"

Chara looked in Monster Kid's direction, as if making sure we were out of earshot. "I respect your boundaries, partner."

I smiled lightly, realizing that I now trusted Chara more than ever. True, we may have had our complications in the past, but she was the only person that understood me now. She was the only person I could trust down here now, too. I was glad we had gotten over our past problems.

We moved onwards to find the box again. Feeling confident of my abilities, I left the Snowman Piece in the box. Then I ran across the waterfall top, trying not to get swept away by the small currents. There was no trouble with that.

Right before continuing, Chara stopped me with a warning. "The next area will be slightly dark, but don't be intimidated. Just ran as quickly as you can to the nearest reed bush, which will be straight ahead, got it?"

I wanted to question it, but I decided that her word was worth trusting. "Ok."

Taking a deep breath, I rushed forwards. The river was still flowing to my left, guiding me forwards. Almost immediately, I noticed the change. My shadow had grown bigger, stretching out behind me in a black mass. Not only had it gotten darker, but there also seemed to be a light causing the extra shadows. Trying not to pay much mind to it, I ran forward and leaped into a tall patch of reeds.

Once I was in, I stayed as still as possible. Chara, who was hiding in the reeds with me, cast wary glances around as if she were looking for something. When the reeds rustled next to me, she shushed me. I glared back at her, wondering why she was so hesitant to be noticed.

And then, I heard some clunking. Was someone out there? It was kinda distant, so I guessed it was past the river. The noise sounded like metal moving against metal. I heard no voices of any kind. Confused, I looked to Chara.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Undyne." She answered simply.

I made a face, rustling the reeds around me. "Undyne is metal?!"

Chara made an irritated face. "Keep your voice down-"

She was suddenly interrupted as the clanking noises grew louder. Yelping, I listened closely. The so-called 'Undyne' was getting closer now. Was it a monster? Or a robot? I couldn't tell. At least, not from behind all these reeds. I considered standing up to get a better look, but Chara was giving me the ultimate glare.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Why can't I just go and kill-"

"Shhh!" She hissed.

The noise was louder now, and I stayed completely silent, trying not to get Chara on my case. There was suddenly a quick sucking sound, like something was getting vaporized. I kept my ears open, waiting. There was just silence for a while.

Then, the sucking noise happened again, followed by more clanking noises. Ignoring Chara's expression of warning, I peered through the reeds. Past the river and hiding in the distance was a single white dot, staring back at me. I watched as it slowly faded into the darkness.

"She's gone." Chara sighed in relief.

I frowned. "Undyne is a white dot?" If that was all she was, why was Chara so scared?

Chara made a face. "What? No!"

"What are you so scared of? She's just another monster to deal with, right?"

"No, she's not." Chara groaned. "She's a hard one to beat. I just don't want you approaching her before you're strong enough."

"I'm not strong enough yet?" I couldn't believe it. After all those monsters I had killed, I still wasn't good enough to handle some robot monster with a white dot?

"No, not yet." Chara grinned. "But see, that's when this area comes into use. There will be a whole lot of new ones for you to gain strength from. Once we've cleared this place, you'll definitely be powerful enough to take on Undyne."

I sighed, irritated at my lack of strength. "Ok then." Getting up, I crawled out of the reeds to the other side. As I got up to wipe my pants, the reeds rustled behind me.

Monster Kid suddenly popped out from the greenery, jumping around excitedly. How had he gotten in there? "Yo… did you see the way she was staring at you? That…" He paused, as if trying to think up the perfect word. "...was awesome!" He finally decided.

"How was that awesome?" Chara wondered, scrunching up her face.

"Undyne's a 'she?'" I asked, slightly bewildered. Did robots have genders?

"I'm soooo jealous!" The monster kid squealed. "She was just standing there waiting forever, and then you just…!" He took a long dreamy sigh before nodding to me. "C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" He then took off, but not before falling on his face. Somehow, he managed to quickly pick himself up and continue running. I didn't follow him yet.

"How did he get in the reeds without us noticing?!" I exclaimed incredulously.

Chara shrugged. "He's a sneaky one. Harmless, but unpredictable. We'll have to keep an eye out."

I nodded, and Chara grinned. 18 left.

As I crossed rivers with "Bridge Seed Flowers" (or so the sign called it), I was met with a more variety of monsters, as Chara predicted. It was almost as if different types of monsters lived in different habitats. I didn't hesitate to kick mermaid horses in the tails, washing machines in the head, and jellies in their… jellies. Needless to say, my feet felt rather sore afterwards, but it was well worth it.

I passed more silent flowers before moving through a hole that led me to a large wooden platform. It was like a dock, just slightly elevated above the water all around us. Ignoring the signs on the nearby wall, I moved eastwards until I met a dead-end.

"Go onto the platform." Chara instructed.

It was then that I noticed, at the end of the platform was a single square-sized metal plate. It was rather small, but big enough to hold the both of my feet. Huffing, I moved onto it. I was immediately startled by the sudden movement as it moved forwards, crossing the dark expanse beneath us. Was it still water, or was there nothing below us at all? It was hard to tell; everything was so black. The dark abyss was unsettling, and I found myself losing my balance. Then I started to panick, vainly hoping that I wouldn't plummet headfirst into the stuff below.

"Don't worry." Chara reassured me. "I'm here."

Taking a deep breath, I nodded. The trip wasn't as terrible after that. Once the platform reached another bridge, I jumped off in a hurry, just to get away from the fear. I had survived the journey. Chara smirked playfully, and I raised my eyebrows at her.

"Of all the things that scare you, it has to be a moving platform."

"It wasn't just that!" I protested. "We were crossing a really dark and scary pit!"

Chara then went on to mimick me sarcastically, and I pouted. At that face, she laughed. And admittedly, I couldn't help smiling back at her.

The next room was dark, and the dark shadow was back. The mood was dangerous. Looking around, I noticed a long land mass stretching to my left, a few pillars here and there. The shadows were back. Moving forwards cautiously, I noticed that I was still on the bridge platform. The only way was forwards and backwards, but backwards wasn't really even a choice anymore. My only escape transportation was a metal plate that had left me long ago.

So the only way was ahead. I took a few more steps, and then Chara stopped me. Before I could question it, a blue spear had flown right in front of me, imbedding the wooden floor I was standing on.

Before I could even react, Chara was already pushing me forwards. Obeying her command, I ran ahead, trying not to fall off the bridge. Who threw the spear? Was someone chasing us? I looked to the side, and along the land mass, darting between the pillars was the one and only Undyne herself. She had found us.

All this time, I had imagined Undyne to be some kind of robot, but I was obviously wrong. The metal clanking just came from the suit of armor she was wearing. The white dot was just one of her eyes, because the other one was covered by a shadow. There was also an unnecessary red fluff poking out from the back of her head. I wondered if it was an accessory.

I considered staying back to fight, although I immediately realized that I couldn't. Undyne was all the way on the other side of the river, and I couldn't jump that far. This was an unfair fight. All that was left for me was to run.

Metal clanking and arms retracting, she threw more spears at me. Not exactly sure how to dodge, Chara directed me. When she told me to move left or right, I did. When she told me to jump, I did. When I had to stop, I did. Even when told to backtrack, I did. When she wasn't giving orders, I kept running. The bridge started to turn in lefts and rights, as if it were trying to mess with me. It made the fleeing harder, but Chara was with me all the way. Her knack for knowing exactly how to dodge every spear was slightly unsettling. Not like I cared.

For some reason, I didn't get hit once. Lucky me. It took a long time, with all the stopping and backtracking, but eventually I made it to the end. And I was just starting to wonder how long this bridge was.

Ducking into some tall grass, which were the only things up ahead, I kept moving. The spears were still flying over my head, but they were a lot less aimed now. Like the pursuer wasn't even trying anymore. Or maybe she just couldn't see me anymore, since I was in the reeds?

Once I went in far enough, I stopped at Chara's signal. "Move a little to the right." She instructed.

"Why?"

"Just do it." She growled.

Growling a little myself, I obeyed. The spears had stopped, but now there was the sound of someone stomping up from behind. Was it Undyne? Then perfect! Now was my time to show what I was made of, to show that I was strong enough to take her on, as long as she put up a fair fight. It would be easy…

But Chara shook her head at me, as if reading my thoughts. I pouted at her before hissing, "Why not?!"

"Because," She replied. "You're not strong enough yet. Now quiet, Undyne is coming."

"Still?" My face fell. "Even after all those new ones I killed?"

"Yes, even after." Chara groaned. "Now shhhh. Don't move."

Chara's unwillingness to fight just made me more upset. Crossing my arms, I sat criss-cross as I waited. Maybe if Undyne got close enough, I could attack her anyway. I could tell Chara it was self-defense. Then she couldn't blame me for doing it.

The clanking was louder now. I froze when I saw a metal leg pierce through the reeds. It stopped when it was inches away from me. She was literally right in front of me now. If she made any advances, then I could attack. It was the perfect moment, the perfect excuse.

I watched as her metal arm reached down, searching for me. Chara seemed to realize my intentions, as she glared at me in warning. Ignoring Chara, I eyed the arm carefully, making sure as to not actually get caught in her grasp. Once it made contact with me, I would jump on her. It would make a perfect surprise attack. I would take her down in one hit, like I did with Papyrus. Then I would prove to Chara just how capable I was.

The arm was right next to my leg now. I got ready to strike, that is, until Chara hissed at me. Pausing, I watched as Undyne's hand retracted. Mouth gaping in surprise, I waited for her to search again. Instead, all I heard was shuffling. More rustling happened next to me, and then Undyne's footsteps retreated.

I was disappointed. I had all the plans figured out and everything, and then Undyne had to just retreat? Why? What happened to that murderous intent on killing me? Snorting in disbelief, I turned to Chara. "Happy?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't give me that. I know your capabilities, and they don't reach to beating her."

I threw my arms up. "C'mon, she's weak! Why else would she need a suit of armor in the first place?!"

"Just move." Chara hissed. "Before she comes back or something."

I sighed exaggeratedly. "Fine." Getting up, I wove through the long stalks before finally reaching the other side. Hopping out of the greenery, I took two steps before stopping. The reeds behind me were rustling. Was Undyne back?

No, it was just the Monster Kid again, hopping around happily. Did he have endless amounts of energy or something? "Yo, did you see that?" He yelped, still jumping around. "Undyne just touched me!"

I blinked at him. "Huh?"

"I'm never washing my face ever again!" He smiled, wagging his tail. "Man, are you unlucky. If you were standing just a little bit to the left…!"

I gave Chara a sharp look before glowering at him. "So you're telling me that the reason Undyne left was because she got ahold of you instead of me?"

The kid gave me a pitying look. "Yo, don't worry!" He said reassuringly. "I'm sure we'll see her again!" He then ran away happily, but not before falling on his face once and picking himself back up. That dude had no coordination.

"Well we better see her again!" I called to him threateningly, waving my fist. "Or else I'm going to sever your head and dunk it in a bathtub full of water!"

The monster yelped a bit before dashing out of sight, and Chara gave me a look. "That was hardly a threat."

"He said he never wanted to wash his face again. So I figured doing just that would be the best kind of threat."

"There are better ways to treat a head after dismemberment." Chara commented dryly. "Put it on dynamite. Hang it over a pit of death. Impale it with a knife."

I gagged slightly. "Seriously?"

"Well, if you're going to sever someone's head, you might as well do it right."

"It's not like it's even possible anyway." I reminded her, waving my hand dismissively. "They always turn to dust before I can even do anything to them."

"Well on a happy note, at least you don't have to deal with dozens of corpses."

"Sure."

Up ahead, I saw a cheese surrounded by a magical purple crystal. It sat upon a table, stuck in place. There was another mousehole nearby, and the familiar flower that I kept seeing all around Waterfall. 13 left.

I narrowed my eyes at the cheese and the mousehole. "Why is there always so many of those? Is that like, an Underground thing?"

"We shall never know~" Chara spoke spookily.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Okay, fine. It's not like I care anyway. Right now, I have to get stronger." I had to beat Undyne. To prove myself to Chara.

Chara grinned. "And you will, partner."

The area I was in was now a lot more open. I went on to eliminate more enemies as I strode across the mazes of paths, passing by colorful currents of aqua-blue rivers. Passing a telescope on a tripod gave me a pang of sadness, but I didn't get why or how. It made me confused, and I hated to be confused, so I tried my best to forget about it.

Ahead, the grass underfoot was squishy, and I relished every step I took on them. It was slightly destructive, but I could care less. What mattered was that I was becoming strong enough so that I could face Undyne.

I was back in the cavern parts of Waterfall, but that didn't stop the monsters from appearing. A good kick in the face was enough to remind them of their place. Chara was very encouraging throughout the whole thing.

Ahead of us, I could hear pitter-pattering. I found the source of the noise once I passed by a statue, completely wet from getting rained on by a hole above it. I could really care less about it. Quirking an eyebrow, I moved on to find a trashcan full of umbrellas. What could be the coincidence in that?

I reached for a salmon-colored one and opened it up. Despite my non-caring motives, I found myself backtracking to the statue. Something inside me was telling me to go back. Something told me that it would be well worth it. Chara didn't seem to agree, and cast wary glances in my direction, but she didn't argue.

Once I finally reached the statue, I glared at it for a moment. Why had I come back? I was supposed to do something, right? Stepping closer to observe, I realized that the little smaller stone figures at its feet were dry. The statue itself was acting like an umbrella, shielding the stones from the rain like a good guardian. Maybe it was time for me to be a good umbrella too.

I raised the item and set it atop the statue, in the grasp of his stony arms. Since it didn't seem exactly eager to hold it, I decided on leaning it on the front of his face. I found myself waiting eagerly, and before I could question myself on what I was waiting for, a music box began to play.

I stood there in numb surprise as the music wafted around me, calm and serene. It was so familiar, and so pretty. A little awed, I found myself dropping to the ground to sit. Knowing that I was the one that caused the music to play made me feel proud. I wanted to enjoy this music for a while. Bringing the umbrella back was definitely worth it. Listening to my instincts was good.

It was great. It erased my worries, my doubts and concerns. It just brought peace. And… memories? I frowned a little at the word, and I felt something stirring in the back of my mind. Was it important? Probably not. Not as important as the music.

At first, Chara looked absolutely peeved. But after a few verses, she had calmed down and sat down next to me, a hopeful expression on her face. The two of us sat in silence, just listening to the pitter patter of the rain on the umbrella and the beautiful notes of the song.

It was a while before I moved on. I strode on through the puddles, feeling irked at how wet I was becoming. Maybe I should've grabbed an umbrella, but I was too lazy to go back.

Chara noticed my discomfort. "So you're too lazy to backtrack to grab an umbrella for yourself, and yet you're fine with going back to get one for a statue made of stone?"

"Shut up." I sighed, flicking a wet strand of hair over my shoulder. "And it was good music, mind that." When Chara turned her head away in defiance, I waved my finger teasingly. "C'mon, just admit it! You liked it too, I know."

"It wasn't that I liked it." Chara grunted. "It just brought a lot of… memories."

I blinked. "Huh." Memory. That word again. It rang through my head, quiet but special. What did it mean? Why did it matter so much to me? Because I lost all my memories when I landed on the bed of flowers? Was that it?

Chara finally seemed to notice my thoughtful silence, and she waved her arms around urgently. "Uh, forget what I said!" She yelped.

I frowned in response. Before I could ask her what she was worried about, I noticed an all-too familiar monster standing not too far ahead.

"Yo!" Monster Kid called out to us, looking slightly irritated. "You can't hold an umbrella either?"

Chara grinned knowingly at me, and I crossed my arms. "Don't say a word." I warned her.

"If you're walking anyway, I guess I'll go with you, haha…" He quickly made his way over to follow us, feet splashing in the puddles.

"What?" I grimaced. "No, you don't have to-"

"Let's go!" He cheered, oblivious to my protests.

I turned to Chara, obviously annoyed. "Can I just kill him now?"

"No." She responded, unamused. "Later, not now. Just deal with him for the time being."

I huffed. "Easy for you to say."

The three of us proceeded, continuing through more rain and water. Monster Kid babbled a lot about random things on Undyne and how cool she was, and I couldn't help rolling my eyes. This guy was obsessed, and all over a weak monster wearing a suit of armor. Big deal.

I tuned out his ramblings as I walked on, firmly ignoring him. Soon, we were on another ledged path, and before us stood a huge castle. It was very far away, and the blue hues of the cave ceiling glittered above like tiny stars. Slightly mesmerized, but trying not to show it, I proceeded to walk ahead.

"That's Asgore's castle." Chara informed me helpfully.

I rolled my eyes before sarcastically remarking, "Gee, thanks for that helpful comment."

"I didn't even say anything!" Monster Kid protested, seeming slightly hurt.

"'Wasn't talking to you." I grumbled in response.

Up ahead, there was another trash can of umbrellas. So only now did it choose to show up, huh? Feeling annoyed at my bad luck, I trudged forward to meet a steep ledge that the Monster Kid was already analyzing.

"Yo! This ledge is way too steep."

"Obviously?"

He seemed to be in thought. "Hm… yo, you wanna see Undyne right?" He steadied himself before hunching over slightly. "Climb on my shoulders."

Well, that was certainly a way to solve this predicament. Shrugging, I climbed onto his shoulders and used him as a foothold to leap onto the ledge above. I landed like a cat.

"Owww…" He complained, getting back up onto his feet. "Yo, try being a little less rough, haha."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Did you expect me to be gentle? You were the one that suggested the idea anyway."

He ignored my snarky comments. "Anyway, I'll look for another way through. Later!" He dashed away, and I turned away before I could even see him fall on his face again.

"Told you he would be useful." Chara smiled knowingly.

"Hush."