Running through the snow, the cold begins to penetrate my boots. The chill begins to numb my feet uncontrollably, though my focus is to find my Dad. I realize I crossed a bridge that had bars across it with a nice stand ahead. No one's there. I don't understand how this place seems so abandoned. Pushing further on, I see the path lead up to a riverside with some red stick, maybe a fishing pole, sticking out of the ground. I also see the path go ahead to a longer path. Turning my head towards the river, I see the fishing rod clearly now. As of this moment, I can't find any tracks or signs anyone has walked this path in a long time. What do I do? There isn't anyone around to ask about this.
The crunch in the snow behind me signals that I'm wrong. Someone is here. Turning around, I start to speak up, "Hey can you help me find... my..." My voice catches in my throat at the sight of the armored figure. I instinctually step back to the edge of the river.
"Humans… You think that you can sneak past me? Think again," a female voice says almost enthusiastically. It's almost like she's... enjoying this. No to mention the blue spear in her hand makes me feel even more scared than before.
Emanating with fear, I just try to bolster what part of my courage I have left, "No! Wait! I'm looking for a skeleton. He ran off this way. I need to find him."
Her voice falters if only for a second, "A skeleton? You have to mean the sentry. If you saw him, then he failed to catch and kill you."
"No... He would never kill me. He's..." my own vigor starts to fade. Shaking my head in disbelief, I raise my voice unintentionally, "Liar!"
The world becomes a blur for a moment. Dizziness washes over me like a wave, taking out my current strength. Snow and dirt rises to meet me once my knees give out. I can only take my dazed eyes up to her armor.
A spear ready to strike inches from my face with a grunt coming from inside the armor. She barely gets out, "What's... Happening?!"
Seeing her stuck, I take my chance. I get to my feet wobbly. Stumbling around her to find the long path ahead. It has to lead somewhere safe. Anywhere safe. The pathway leads me past some stands until I slip onto an ice patch. Sliding across, I see spears land where I was a second ago. Reaching the other side of the road, I take off again this time feeling much better. I cross a bridge and head south. Crossing the flattened snow patch, I run past a note and a plate of frozen spaghetti by a microwave. Spears blaze past me on the right with only one slamming through my right shoulder. I fall into the snow face first, crying out in pain.
The armored figure moves behind me with a roar to her voice, "What did you do to me, punk? Tell me before I kill you. I wanna know what kind of trick holding me in place was."
Sitting up, I realize the spear is gone, but the injury remains. Pain surges through me with a new wave of dizziness, "I don't know. Please stop. Don't hurt me. I'm looking for him."
"Oh and what could you... possibly... Not... Again," she begins until she stops again.
The moment is too precious to take advantage of, "I'm sorry." I carry myself south over another small bridge, heading south. There are rocks set up with X triggers on the ground. Not even stopping to see it fully, I move past it only to run past yet another one in the form of a face of some sort. There's a greyed-out tile bridge I blaze past, slowly regaining a clear head. Rushing past the next stand, I see the ice clearly this time. I brace myself and jump onto it, gliding coolly across until I find myself sliding over the bridge. Now my feet were burning from all this. Between the cold and running, I was beginning to slow down.
Crying out as a last resort as I pass the doghouse, "Help! Someone help! I'm being attacked. Help!"
Sliding to a stop in the snow, I see a dog's head in the snow. The dog head bursts from the snow in armor and moves behind me. In a swift arm movement, a set of blue spears block the whole path in front of us. He barks at the armored figure who slams to a stop before the spears.
"What are you doing? She's human! Kill her!" the armored one yells at him.
He barks something that makes her let out a low growl of anger. I didn't know what he was saying, but whatever it was is saving me. He picks me up and holds me in his arm with a bark. Turning around, he moves towards a bridge. He crosses it quickly for being a largely armored dog. Once across, he cuts it with his spear so it breaks. I watch the bridge fall away with the armored figure watching us from the other side.
He turns away and begins walking towards the town. With a small shift, I wince, "Ow..." My shoulder is killing me.
He barks an moves past two buildings; Shop and Inn. Then past a small house with a blue door and a diner called Grillby's and turns left. He moves past a house with rocks in front and steps onto a ferry. He barks and the cloaked figure nods. The boat stands and takes off. He holds onto me carefully to prevent me from falling.
Despite his best efforts, I feel like I'm dizzy... Or maybe not dizzy... I'm weak. Speaking up in a low voice, I look at him, "Hey... I think... I'm not feeling so great but thank you for all your help."
He barks more urgent as the boat speeds up. It slows to a stop by a pier of light brown wood and brown rocks. I feel warmer here at least. He moves more briskly now, smoother for my sake I think. He goes up to a crossroads and turns right. A big sign says Lab but I wander if there's a doctor here. Rushing in, he barks out to call someone.
A yellow dinosaur in a lab coat and glasses comes out. She speaks up nervously, "Greater Dog, why are you here?... Oh my gosh. You found a human."
He barks again, more careful this time not to move me.
The yellow dinosaur sighs and nods, "Fine. Set her here against the wall. I'll get the first aid kit from my room. Be careful not to move her arm."
Careful of hurting me, he sets me by the wall where a monitor flicks between cameras all over. The flickers make me sleepy. Greater Dog as she called him barks at me to get my attention. He jumps out of his armor and licks my hand. I smile at him, realizing he's just a small dog with a lot of heart. Petting his head, I say, "Thanks..."
The yellow dinosaur comes down with a kit and a pill bottle. She kneels in front of me with a small smile, "Hi... Y-y-you can call me Alphys... This might hurt a bit, I'm sorry."
The set of gauze is covered with alcohol cleanse and some gel. She sets it on either side of my shoulder, making me cry out in pain. Quickly wrapping it on, the bandages tighten the seering pain to my shoulder until it dulls. She pulls a sling out of the kit and sets it on my shoulder, slipping my right arm carefully in. She gets a water bottle from the fridge and comes back to us. She holds out the bottle opened with the pills, "Take this. It'll numb the pain..."
I take the pills first with my good arm. Then I take the bottle and drink it all. I smile to her, "Thank you. It hurts, but it feels better than before."
"Your W-welcome. Don't move it out of that sling though. It's pretty bad. That will stop the bleeding for now and keep it clean. Not to mention I put pain killing gel in the gauze. It'll hurt but not much..." she hesitates after speaking until she speaks up again, "Don't hold this against Undyne. She's doing all this because she wants us to see the surface again. But I guess Greater Dog chose to protect you. That must mean something."
He barks from beside me in a series of barks. Alphys looks to me with a small shocked look, "He says you smell like monsters. Like Skeletons. But wait." She looks at my guitar on my shoulder bag on the ground to the other side of me, "I made that guitar for Sans. He said it was important..."
"You know my Dad?! Please tell me you know where he is. I need to find him," I say all too suddenly forgetting my shoulder. I wince but let it go.
She holds her hands up, "Wow... And yeah. I know him. But your Dad?"
"Yeah. He raised me with Toriel in the ruins. I've been here for seven years... But they got in a fight and... He left. I just wanna find him," I say without thinking of the consequences of telling someone everything.
Alphys looks at me and then Greater Dog beside me. She sighs and pulls out a phone, "Let me call him. You two stay here."
She walks away, prompting me to pet Greater Dog again, "Well thanks to you, I can find my Dad. Thank you, Greater Dog."
He barks and curls up on my legs. It takes me a moment, but I realize how tired I feel. All of the running and this injury... Must be the medicine. Either way, I feel my head slump as sleep takes me. I'm just... so... tired...
Sometime Later
Within a few moments of deafening emptiness, I realize that this gray color is all I see. The only lights around me are three lights. One green circular glowing ball tailing a white glowing ball. The green one chasing the white ball. Fleeing ahead of it, a vibrant red ball with conflicting colors shows up. They're all running from the green one. Why? What did it do?
The moment is fleeting but I manage to reach out to grab the green ball. It burns in my hand with a searing sensation. I let it go as it floats in front of me. Watching me hold my now burned hand, It just watches. Something isn't right. Why is it here? Finding my voice finally, it comes out in a shaky manner, "Who are you? Why are you chasing them?"
The other two glowing orbs hide behind me without a sound. The green one stares and glows in pulses now, like its angry. A gaze towards the area behind it, I see something in the darkness there. I look up instead, "It's not the orb. Who are you?!"
"Clever child... Hehehe. Sans does raise smart children. Then again, your not his child. Just some pup he picked up..." the cracked voice says.
Sounds like a guy or some older man, I think internally. Speaking up to him, "You didn't answer me. Why are you chasing them?"
"I guess I could answer you some before it's too late... I'm technically, by Sans' choice, your grandfather," he solidifies into a skeleton in a tattered black coat, a half skull with the rest missing with edged cracks, black tattered pants and shoes and this hauntingly crooked smile I can't get past. He finishes, "And I'm chasing them for their power. To do that, I need a ride..."
I don't feel good about this. I shake my head, "A ride... No. You're not okay. Somethings off..."
A fourth orb appears. This time it's a smaller orb of a white color but pulses with a deep blue to it. It moves in front of me defensively and forms. Dad is standing in front of me, holding his arms out, "Don't touch her, G. I don't know how you pulled her here but leave her out of this."
"Sans, it's been so long since you visited. It's nice to meet your daughter," the stranger says mockingly.
I speak up quietly, "Dad... Where is this? I'm scared..."
Dad holds his stance with a slight fall of his shoulders. Did Dad just sigh? He speaks up, "Hope... This is Gaster. My Dad..."
I look over his shoulder still scared. The figure made a crude effort of waving, but his bone hands were mangled. Gripping Dad's sweatshirt, I feel afraid of this person and this whole place.
"Oh, look. Now she's scared. Poor dear. You misunderstand. You see, Sans keeps me locked up here. No one can remember me. Ask him, child. Your Father is a liar," the stranger speaks to me directly.
Dad doesn't even say anything this time. Tugging on his sweatshirt, I speak up timidly, "Dad... He's wrong, right? You wouldn't lock up your own family, right? You told Mom..."
"I would never lock anyone up... See, one day Dad got ahold of some red liquid he failed to mention was the soul of a kid. He refined it into a drink. Over time, the drink made him crazy and began to degrade him. He tested on the other skeletons until Pap, him and myself were left. His experiments with human souls killed so many of my kind... I can't kill my own. So I put him here. I'm sorry you got involved Hope," Dad explains with a softened tone to it. I think he's sorry... Or upset.
The stranger writhes in a fit of maniacal laughter as he seems to be enjoying this, "See her faith waver in you. Seems you just opened your own can of worms instead of my own, Sans. What will your darling child think of you now?"
"Quiet!" Dad yells suddenly shaking. He held out a hand with a bone-encased gun appearing in a rush of blue flames.
What is he doing? Didn't he always tell me that violence wouldn't solve anything? Why is this person, his Dad, making him break his own rule? I have to stop him. Taking Dad's hand, I call out, "No! Don't do it!"
Dad pulls his arm away with a look back at me. He's crying with a blue flame filling his eyes, "Hope... He's the reason my Mother isn't here to meet you. She's gone. His soul experiments..."
"Oh! You're upset over spilt milk, Sans? She volunteered. It was that or... Well, you kids would have been next. She chose to let the others be taken until it was only her. Then it worked... Her soul may have shattered but shockingly it became an amalgam. Then again, I killed it days later. It turned on me... That's when I tested you and your brother while you slept. You got colds but recovered. Papyrus rose stronger in hand to hand combat and had faster reflexes than I'd ever thought he could. You grew in power but gained something new. You can access the void," the stranger rants.
Dad's just shaking now. He'll break from this. But how do I stop this. Turning my head, I see the white orb and red one beside me. Something talks inside my head: Take ahold of us. We'll give you the power to save your Dad and get you home. Just don't take the green orb. Hurry before this gets out of hand. Please!
I grab the souls, trusting them. Instantly, a searing pain traces lines up of white and red up my arms. Dropping to the floor of the void, I curl in on myself into a ball as the pain makes me cry.
Dad tries to grab my arm but steps back from the burning flame around me now.
"She is clever. I stole those souls from other worlds but couldn't get ahold of them... I am intrigued at what will happen," the stranger says.
Any words further on seem to fade away. Soon, the pain seethes into my soul. I see the lines merge in my soul and then it stops. I don't feel anything anymore. Standing up, I see a green soul in front of me. No... Not just any green soul. My soul. But if it's there, what about my soul? Looking to my own soul, I see a white soul with a slight red hue that seems to pulse.
Before I could look at either long, the stranger lunges for the green soul. Dad intervenes and takes it. His blue flame lingers with a green hint now. Dad summons another one, this time a pistol of some make. It has a dragon head around the barrel. It glows blue and green like his eyes. Dad fires at the stranger and takes my hands quickly.
The resulting flame generates a heat beyond what I knew was possible. Within a blink, Dad and I standing by the vacant river with only a fishing rod in it. The flames die down, but he seems fixated on me now.
Looking at my hands, I see a faint bone structure. It looks strange but I can't ignore that I also see something white in my eye. I try to turn to see it, but it moves.
Dad stops me, laughing a bit, "Hope, it's your hair. It's white now... Wait... No, it's turning back." We watch as the white moves from my hair and my hands are normal. My soul coats in red instead of green.
Before I freak out, Dad takes my hands, "Hope, it's okay. We'll get you checked out and figure out what happened. But what were you thinking?! Grabbing those souls could have killed you!"
Looking down, I should feel guilty. I don't. I stand firmly, "I couldn't stand by while he said those things. I didn't like seeing you that upset. They said they could get us home and stop him. In a way, they did. See?"
One bone hand resting on my head with him laughing quietly to himself mostly while he ruffles my hair, "I guess your right kiddo. Well, you met your granddad... Sorry you had to hear that..."
"I'm glad I understand now. He's there to protect everyone else, right?" I ask.
Dad nods, pulling me into a hug, "Yeah... He's not okay right now. But I'll find a way to make him feel better. He'll come home someday... Just don't do something that reckless again, hear me?"
Hugging him tightly, I say, "Yeah. No more reckless stuff. Thanks for coming to save me, Dad..."
Letting go of the hug, he looks at me curious, "Not sick or anything? You did just absorb a human and monster soul... And lost your own..."
"Scared yes… But not sick. I'm okay, Dad. I'm not hurt and I feel fine. For now, we can consider it null and-" I start until he stops me.
Shoving me lightly, Dad walks ahead, motioning me to follow, "Come on. I need to get you a bed set up in town and we gotta break the news to Papyrus. Don't say anything about what happened."
"Got it... But, what do you mean 'break the news' to him? What news?" I ask Dad curiously following now.
Dad chuckles as he looks to me, "Well, one being that I adopted you and the other that a human will be staying with us for a little bit. Part of me thinks its safer to go back and talk to Mom then to tell him."
"I don't know... She's probably mad at me for leaving..." I say looking down.
Holding out a hand to me, he sounds calmer maybe happier too, "Well, let's find out after we get through Papyrus. Undyne said she'd explain as much as she could to him while I went to get you back... Hopefully that went well... We'll talk to your Mom after Pap, okay?"
Smiling while taking his hand, "Yep! Together! Wait... Undyne..." I freeze in my tracks outside of the door letting go of Dad's hand.
"Something wrong, kiddo? Undyne isn't too bad. She knows about you now. I told Alphys everything and Alphys told Undyne," Dad says reassuringly.
Frozen in place remembering Alphys call the armored one Undyne, I just nod. I shiver with thoughts; will she attack again? am I safe? What do I say? Does he know she attacked me? What do I do? What do I do?... I don't know.