One World: Many Souls
Chapter 17: Life From a Spark
Angel's Point of View:
"Brother! Why must you be so infuriating?!"
"Ah, come on Bro. Ya love me and all my boney puns."
"Rawah! I can't take it anymore! Get me away from this infernal creature that claims to be my brother!"
And so the teasing once again began at the expense of Papyrus who rested in his personal hospital room inside Alphys' lab. For the last month we'd all been staying with them for the most part as my little ones grew, I recovered, and Papyrus approached his due date for his spark. I needed time to recovering after giving birth to the twins while Alphys and Undyne were eager to help in anyway they could. We were happy for the help of them along with our other friends who perhaps weren't as available at the time.
Papyrus also needed to stay due to his slightly risky pregnancy. While perhaps twenty precent wasn't the worst possible chances, it was much higher than any of us were okay with. There was a fifth of a chance he wouldn't survive giving birth. It made us terribly worried. Thankfully Papyrus had been given special permission and assignments by the head of his course so that he wouldn't fall behind. In a safe environment at home, he studied, practiced, and learned all while making sure he was in peak health for the babe he would bring into the world.
I sighed from the spot I was in rocking the twins in my arms. Arial had just fallen asleep a short while ago. She was always so fussy; it was difficult to honestly get her to settle down. Though at least she ate well… Her brother on the other hand was quiet as a mouse and sometimes even slept though her often fussing. He was more so the type to sleep too long where I had to wake him for a feeding.
The two of them couldn't have been more opposite if we'd tried.
"B-both of you s-should k-keep it quiet f-for the babies." Alphys noted while hooking up Papyrus to monitors. She kept a good look upon his soul and the spark attached to it.
Papyrus was right on schedule to have his little one any day then. His due date was actually the current day, November thirtieth. Yet there had been no sign yet that the spark was ready to bloom. We were all waiting on pins and needles for it to happen. And I knew Papyrus also wished so. He wanted to go back to class in person with his peers and professors. I'm sure that Sans was driving him absolutely mad…
"Awe come on, Bro. Ya love m'funny bone. Its awful humerus!"
I half expected Papyrus to screech at him again like he had before. But that time, I saw something change in the eye light of our brother. They faded a bit. Dimmer than normal. It was like a light switch being used on him and he laid back hid head quietly.
The lack of respond quickly had Sans standing and checking over his brother. I tried to keep my nerves in order to keep my little ones calm while they were checking him over.
"Shit!" Undyne came to flick her friend only to see him very lethargic. "Is it happening?"
"Y-yes… h-he's right on t-time." Alphys looked grim while watching over the bed Papyrus was laid out on. "Just d-deep b-breaths P-papyrus. W-were right here, r-ready t-to give m-magic i-if you need it."
The male barely nodded his head while he looked up at the ceiling just this dazed like state. I couldn't imagine what he was going through, though I soon didn't have to. His soul materialized from his chest and soon I saw the white heart pulsing strongly while the little glimmering spark attached to it seemed to grow brighter. The spark itself was taking magic from their parent in order to rapidly grow.
I watched in amazement at how quickly it was that Papyrus' soul went from being a bright blinding light to that of a dim and shriveled mess withing seconds. It honestly terrified me as the last time I'd seen a soul so terrible had been right after Sans' kidnapping when I finally found him. He had been in terrible shape. Starved for weeks, struggling to break free of the control he'd been under at the time.
At the same time, the spark attached to him grew so large and brightly that a new small soul of a white heart appeared. Once it was fully formed, I cast my gaze to where little bones began to grow around the soul to protect it. Hands, feet and a skull formed soon around a little skeleton that was the spiting image of Papyrus with his longer, narrow looking skull. Though I was surprised by something strange, little wispy… ghost like hairs protruded through the little skull. I'd never seen anything like it… was this the part of Mettaton that was in this child?
The little one was laid out against Papyrus' ribcage. It yawned loudly before curling into the body of their father. Though his tired eye lights, Papyrus watched the small body he held with such a new look that I think none of us had seen before.
Protective. That was the word that seemed right at the time.
"A-a little boy…" Alphys commented after letting Papyrus have a few moments to compose himself. "Y-you did so g-good Papyrus…"
"Yeah punk!" Undyne went around quickly with blankets in her hand. Her and Sans were quick to cover Papyrus' shivering body on the table. "Look at you! A dad!"
And just then the little one began to cry. It was soft like, not an outright wail like Arial often tended to do when she got incredibly fussy. No, he was quiet, much like Eras.
Sans came next to put his hand to Papyrus' shoulder. "Nice job, Bro. Can ya see how he speaks?"
A few quiet moments passed as Papyrus looked to his own son, holding the little babe that Alphys was helping in bundling up, Papyrus nodded softly. Though he couldn't seem to utter much for words.
"Ya want me ta tell 'em Bro? We can wait for ya."
But Papyrus looked so tired. He shook his head and relax against the pillow behind him.
"Welp, I'll be the lucky puncle that gets ta tell ya." Sans smiled while he watched the little skeleton. "Impact Terians."
"Impact…" Letting the name of my nephew come from my own lips to hear the sound of it, I glanced back to the tired father. "That's a lovely name for your son, Papy."
A gentle nod was cast in my direction by him before Papyrus continued to hold the little one close. His eye lights were fading quickly and before any of us could say another word, Papyrus fell asleep. Too tired from the ordeal that nearly could have taken his life, we allowed him moments of rest to recover his magic while looking over our newest addition.
"Hey, Al? Sans? What the heck is that glowing hair from the top of his head?"
We all carefully took a carefully look at the strange hair that actually glowed wispy like out of the skull of our nephew. It was so strange to see that kind of a feature. Mettaton was a robot, I knew she had hair in her most recent form that Alphys had made for her… but wouldn't he have hair that would be similar to his mother's?
Sans raised a boney brow before looking to Alphys. The yellow scaled woman shrunk lightly under his gaze. "I got m'guess. But ah… Al? I'm guessin' ya know?"
"U-um… y-yes…" The woman lowered her head. A short look to the baby before returning her gaze to us. "M-mettaton, back b-before a-all the stardom c-came to h-her h-head, s-she u-use to b-be nice… and s-shy… And… S-she's n-not a-a r-r-robot…"
"She-WA-"
Undyne's loud cry was cut off by a quick slap of Sans' hand over her mouth. She looked at him with astonished eyes before all gazes went to Papyrus' sleeping form below them. He quietly slept with his babe in his arms while the others hovered.
Rising from the seat I was in in the corner, I approached, holding onto my two little ones. "If that's the case, would I be correct in guessing a ghost instead?"
"Y-yes… t-that's right…"
My husband seemed to sigh at that, a knowing look on his face. "Knew there wasn't a way for a robot monster ta be made."
Alphys squeaked at my husband. "Y-you knew?!"
"Wasn't hard ta figure out Al, ya can't make a soul from nothin'." In a flash, my husband was by my side, taking one of the kids so I had more ability to move. "Ya'd have ta make a copy of someone's soul, like Angel did for Azz. That's the only feasible way I can think 'bout it."
With a nervous look, Alphys looked carefully between us. "A-are you g-g-going to tell?"
"No we're not." A look from myself to both other parties was met swiftly before turning back to the meek woman. "Perhaps I would love to get back at that woman for all that she's done, but this is a lie that would affect you as well. Wouldn't it? You 'creating' Mettaton was the very reason you became head royal scientist above all others. Perhaps it wasn't honest, and I don't agree with people taking short cuts such as that. But this is something we can't let get out. It would discredit you and put you in a bad light with others. Strip you of your titles and prestige."
"Fuck that," Undyne crossed her arms before crossing the room to give a smooch to her girlfriend. "I ain't gonna rat ya out, but don't do somethin' stupid like that, or making magical soulless flowers, ever again. Ya go that?"
"R-right?"
"Yeah, not happenin' Al." Sans chuckled dryly at the exchange. "Look, we got plenty of dirt on the tin can. That phony-ba-boney wouldn't be caught dead sayin' anythin' 'bout that. She'd lose just as much as ya."
Undyne growled at my husband. "That pun was total garbage, ya dork."
A glint glowed in my husband's eye light. "Ya got a bone ta pick with me, gill face?"
"Not in here you won't." Under my narrowed gaze, both parties calmed themselves. "Now we should let Papy and Impact rest. I'll take second watch if someone can watch the little ones while I nap for a few hours."
"I-I can." Alphys reached for my daughter and I easily handed her over. The little woman I saw smile at me just as I turned toward the door. "T-thank you, Angel."
"Its fine Al." I struggled to hold back a yawn as I headed for the door. "Nap time…"
Later That Day:
I wasn't sure just how long I'd been resting in the other hospital room. It was far closer the guest room that had been set up for Sans and myself that was on the other side of the massive building Alphys and Undyne owned. Sans seemed to have found me in that room at some point. Himself and our twins were resting all in the same room. Sans had somehow climbed into the same bed as myself, the tiny hospital bed that barely could fit one comfortably.
I felt… uneasy. Something didn't feel right which had me up and out of bed. Stepping out of bed and slipping past the sleeping faces in my room, I hurried next door to make sure Papyrus and Impact were okay.
Cracking open the door, I stopped short of opening it when I saw my sister in there, baby Impact in her arms. She rocked him softly back and forth with still that dazed look to her eye that made me nervous. Something about that look to her had me worried. Was that the ache I felt in my gut?
Then I took a better look at the girl. It seemed that dullness in her eyes was beginning to expand to other areas of her body. Her hair didn't look as shiny as it normally did, much more like a straw hue. She was looking a lot older than she should have. Even the tiniest bit of wrinkles I could see forming from stress or… something… She was rapidly aging before my eyes.
It was frightening…
"You're so lucky… things are so simple for you right now…" Frisk's words were quiet. Papyrus still slept soundly beside her, oblivious to the fact that she was even in the room. "I don't… nothing makes sense right now… Everything is a garbled mess…"
She paused then, glancing up briefly to look at her brother while he slept. Never had I seen Papyrus look so worn, and yet, so peaceful. She studied his face for a few moments before looking back to the baby.
"I… don't know what's going on anymore… I don't even know who I am…" I watched her struggle. Her lower lip wobbled and it looked as if she wanted or needed, to cry. But the tears never flowed as the dead look stayed on her face. "I really… really hope, that you and the others don't end up like me…"
My heart felt as if it was crushed watching my sister admit this only to a small babe that would never remember the conversation. She didn't speak anything else after that, even as she rocked the little one for hours past that. Even as Sans, Undyne and Alphys eventually joined me in watching our friend and sister through that doorway.
She couldn't be herself.
That anxiety in my gut quickly turned to anger. Fury. Anything would have fit the bill as my determination took shape. One way or another, I would save my sister from whatever hell she was in.
Witch's Note:
Oh my goodness! More little ones! Now we have another cutie that's been added to the children and that's Impact Terians! Oh so cute! And how do you like how Mettaton has been revealed? Unfortunately, Alphys has as well, but look at that support she's got from all of those around her?
But I know a lot of you are paying attention to Frisk and watching how she's doing. How she's... uh... not doing so hot right now. Some of you even suggest that there's a magic withdrawal or something of that nature going on. And what interesting guesses! We'll have to come around to everyone and perhaps talk about that more in question!
Mystic Girl: (Off in the corner, it looks like she's mumbling to herself and sulking, it looks like Mystic Man is trying to comfort her while she hides her face.)
Me: Don't mind her. Trust me, she's so happy that all of this is going on, except for what's happening to Frisk. And she can't say anything because it would ruin the carefully worked set up I've made. Honestly, I'm kinda proud of myself of how so many of you are still coming back to the fence of Luke. It makes me so proud, because no one still knows if he's good or bad for Frisk.
And of cours,e writing Papyrus has been hard too, trying to write of his struggles as he goes through this new world and now with a baby on top of it all as a young adult. Things are just gonna keep getting most likely crazy, but we'll have to see as the kids grow up!
But I'll stop talking at least for a moment since we have reviews to get to!
Thechaosmaster: So many choices Chaos, so many to choose from... hm... which one is right? Which one is wrong? That is the question! XD
And yes! Da babies are here! Ah! So cute! Been waiting for this for SO long! So now we get to see them grow up as time moves around our main characters! So much is happening!
Shadow8Phantom: There has been some serious changes in Frisk, in certain ways to show her coming back to herself, but changing. With the fact that time is moving so fast now, some things are being blurred a bit into the background.
As far as Angel knows, this was or is the first time Frisk has snuck out unless she wasn't telling us or it's something Angel suspects and doesn't have concrete evidence for at this moment.
And I hope I didn't disappoint with the birth!? :v I'm not sure how you want me to take that comment, but I hope its good! I figured after all that Angel had gone through; a more rapid but simple delivery sounded more reasonable to me. If you think otherwise, do let me know.
MysticBoywastaken: Yes! Babies! And now we have another one! Three in total!
Not A Shady Guy: I certainly try to make it wholesome! And hopefully we get to see more moments like that and this!
Okay! I think that just about wraps that part up! At least for this piece going on and now I need to get back to some paperwork. (I carefully look over my documents that I need to work on in the next few weeks. The documents once again are for the release of a particular character…)
Mystic Girl: (Her ears perk up at the mention of documents and she turns her head to look at me hopefully.) Is it time? Its it finally fucking time?!
Me: Well, technically it cane be fucking time whenever you want. Just give me a heads up before you and Mystic Man get at it just like I do with Jager and myself-
Mystic Girl: (She cuts me off with a solid punch to the arm.) You BITCH! That's not what I meant and you know it! Don't you dare tease me like that!
Me: (I laugh despite the pain.) You walked into that one, but yes, for your information, its time. I've made you wait almost twenty chapters for this, but I know you're eager for it. The release is coming. You can prepare your troops. You might need them with this one-
Mystic Girl: (I can't even finish my statement before my best friend has run off, sounding all alarms in the entire fortress as she prepares for what I would assume would be war. Oh boy…)
Me: Friends from all sides of the argument, the time has come, and everyone best be ready. You'll know what I'm talking about next chapter. XD
Love you all and see you next week!
Halloween Witch and Mystic Girl