Chapter 6
The Dark Night Cometh
The horrible weather did not let up in the slightest as Halloween drew closer. People were beginning to talk about how strange it was that they had not seen the sun or moon in nearly a month. Autumn storms were not uncommon, but this was truly bizarre. And like before, contact with the outside world became fuzzy. Radio and television signals were becoming harder and harder to patch into, and Catti's cell connection was also growing spottier as the month progressed.
Kris and Susie could not shake the feeling of something truly ominous hanging over Hometown.
One stormy afternoon, just a few days away from Halloween, Kris and Susie made their way to the library. Even with the terrible weather, Alphys was still having them work on projects and homework.
Hurrying along, hand-in-hand, Susie complained, "How are we supposed to beat what we did last year, Kris? You don't suppose Alphys has already forgotten least's presentation so we can just do that all over again!"
Kris was pretty certain their teacher would not allow them to get away with being that lazy. Susie grumbled, "Figures. Teachers!"
The rain pelted the couple like airsoft pellets. It was freezing and the leaves whipped from the trees were plastered down by the rain. It made the sidewalk super slippery. Kris and Susie had to struggled to keep each other upright half the time.
"Do you think Noelle's mom would pay me the big bucks if I scrapped the streets clean?" Susie asked.
Kris knew the mayor would call community service, but soothed Susie with saying that QC would probably give her free hot chocolate and meal for keeping the citizens safe from breaking their necks.
Their girlfriend snickered and said, "I guess I could live with that. But you know, Kris, I've been thinking more and more about what we're going to do when we graduate. Like, I'm not trying to be super smart and plan out everything. I'm not an egghead like Noelle is," she added with a wink. But she gripped Kris' hand harder as she said, "I just don't want us to be living with your parents for years to come. Especially with Asgore!
"Sorry Kris, I know your dad is a lovable oaf, but he really needs to run his business better and clean that place up! It smells kinds of funny."
Kris couldn't deny it. Loose potting soil, bad BO, and the scent of bad business did have a weighty aroma that was hard to shake. But Asgore was doing better. Thanks to all the help he was getting these days, Asgore was doing better at finding customers. At least he wasn't close to starving from being unable to pay his bills.
Agreeing with Susie, Kris wondered what kinds of plans she did have. They were supposed to try and enjoy this final year of high school before really thinking too hard on the future. Going to college like Asriel did would be a great way to get out of town, but this was where Kris felt most comfortable. And with the Dark World so close by, they had all kinds of adventures. Why leave town!
Also, given recent events three different villains had done their best to screw up the balance between Light and Dark. Could the heroes really be so foolhardy to just up and leave when other enemies could appear and try to take advantage of the Dark Fountain? But then again, how were they going to support themselves if they just stayed in this tiny town and fought monsters that no one else could see?
Kris suggested that perhaps they could keep a running blog with artwork, music, and tell the stories of the Dark World. Perhaps people out there would be willing to support their work, and they could make a living like Gerson.
"But what if we got some dangerous idiot who thought they could reverse engineer out stories and open up their own Dark Fountains?" Susie asked they finally arrived at the library, soaked and freezing. "Achoo!"
"Bless you," Kris rasped. The answer was simple: The Fun Gang would travel around the world and put a stop to these people and lecture them on how the Dark World was supposed to help them become their best selves, not to impose ridiculous expectations on the Light World.
"Sounds like a swell plan, but perhaps we should keep workshopping it," Susie teased.
Stumbling inside, the two teens found plenty of other people sheltering inside to avoid the horrible rain. Ms. Boom quickly scolded them to dry off at the entrance before rummaging around the books. Susie and Kris took off their raincoats, stamped their feet, and used some of the towels provided by the librarian. Even though she old, crusty, and snappy at time, the turtle monster did have a lot of nice sides to her as well.
Once they were somewhat dried off and warming up inside, the couple made their way into the stacks, looking for inspiration. And it was there that they found Papyrus.
"HA! HUMAN AND MONSTER GIRLFRIEND, SO GOOD TO SEE YOU HERE!"
A chorus of 'Shhhhhh!' greeted Papyrus. The tall, skeletal brother to Sans soaked it all in. He was positively beaming as he said, "I like to remind people that they should be quiet in the library. But constantly chiding them only goes so far. So sometimes I have to be the example for what not to do so that way others don't have to deal with it.
"BUT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO MAKE THE SACRIFICE!"
"Shhhhhhh!"
"Anyway, what are you two doing here?"
Susie did her best to not bust a gut laughing. She really liked Papyrus and Sans, even though they did a lot of goofy, sometimes weird things. Once she got herself under control, Susie giggled, "We're working on a school project."
"Ooo! Wonderful! Education is great! So what are you doing research on?"
Kris shrugged. They still hadn't decided.
Papyrus scratched his calcium chin and squinted, "Why not do a presentation on bones? Or on heroism! Or on very articulate people?! I just happen to have experience in all three areas, so feel free to interview me. I'll tell you everything you want to know. You can even invite me to school so I can help with the presentation!"
Kris had to admit that was very tempting to bring Papyrus along for the ride. He would certainly make things lively and probably help to annoy Alphys enough that she wouldn't pay too much attention to how good or bad their project was.
But then again, Alphys was getting more sociable recently, so distracting her this way probably wasn't going to work that well.
However, Susie was the one to reply. "Talking about heroism would be perfect! We know a thing or two about that!"
"I suppose you do…" Papyrus said slowly.
"But interviewing you is something we could absolutely do! What do you say, Kris?"
As far as Kris was concerned, this was an easy topic for them to create a project about. They smiled and invited Papyrus along. The tall skeleton let out a cheer and jumped for joy. This resulted in more people shushing him.
"See? No one else is breaking the rules of these hallowed halls of preserved learning," Papyrus bragged, very satisfied with his work. Though he did whisper to the teens, "I should probably tone it down. I really don't want to get banned. It's a lot more fun to be here than just sitting around home or stocking food at Sans' shop. Seriously, if he let me run the place for a week, it would be a much tighter, profitable ship!"
"It would certainly be more fun," Susie said with a good-natured smirk.
The trio first went to the front counter and borrowed some recording equipment before retiring to a corner of the library and beginning to conduct the interview. Susie and Kris thoroughly enjoyed letting Papryus be himself and ramble on. It was going to be a pain to edit all of the input he was giving them, but in the moment, the teens were just having fun wasting time. Kris took the opportunity to start sketching some stuff that they could later enlarge and transpose onto a poster.
They would later use the computer lab to edit everything they had gotten from the skelebro. Susie wondered sometimes what might happen if another Dark World opened up in there. Since they had moved Queen and her people over to Ralsei's kingdom, there was theoretically no one there to bring to life with a Dark Fountain. Or was that really the case? What if the recent events playing out around and in Hometown awakened even more denizens and creatures? What if the library suddenly became a trap for all the Lightners are book and computers came to life?
"You're not looking too good there, Susie. Do you need some food? I can cook a mean pot of spaghetti!"
"Really?" Susie brightened up, and then realized what was going on. "Oh! Sorry, I got lost in thought."
"Yes, my wise words do tend to make the mind wander," Papyrus bragged. "What if I could be as strong, as wise, and as handsome as Papyrus? Or where can I go to prove my mettle!? But you look troubled," he concluded kindly.
Kris was a bit taken aback that Papyrus had noticed anything when they hadn't. True, they had been busy drawing and trying to follow the skeleton, so it made sense that they might have missed a small clue from Susie. But their girlfriend was pretty shaken, flushing a little.
"I…" she thought about it a moment. Papyrus and Sans already knew a lot of what was going on around town. She figured it would be good to clue him in. "I was wondering about what might happen if this library suddenly became a huge trap."
"Now why would something that ridiculous happen? Did Sans say something weird again? Are more of his experiments causing minor incidents around town!? I did notice that the weather is acting peculiar lately, but because I have no skin, I don't need to worry about the cold! Nyahahaha!"
"Shhhhhh!"
Susie leaned in and explained, "Papyrus, someone is cursing Hometown. They put up a bunch of sigil that started this storm and summoned a bunch of strange shadows."
"Ah yes! I have seen those ugly things wandering around. Never fear! With the Great Papyrus at your side, you never need to worry about those shadows getting their claws into you!"
"But that's the problem: it won't just be them soon," she insisted. "The spell that's being used is supposed to bring a bunch of bad guys and powerful creatures to Hometown during Halloween. At twilight, all the worlds are going to merge and we have to beat these monsters in order to get all the town's candy and save the day."
"So, you're going to fight your neighbors? Other monsters?" Papyrus asked, dubious.
"No! We have to deal with evil creatures and champions from other worlds!" Susie snapped, finally losing a little patience with him. "It's got me feeling on edge, because even though we did everything we could stop this curse, it keeps coming as if our actions don't matter!"
"Ah, but they do," Papyrus said, remaining annoyingly calm.
"I know that they generally do, but not in this situation," Susie said miserably. She shook herself. "Sorry, I'm being a downer. I just let my thoughts get away from me. They won't be a problem anymore!" She punched herself across the face, making both Kris and the skeleton jump. "See? I just punched the problem away! Alright, let's get back to our interview."
"I have a better idea!" Papyrus declared, standing up. "We're going to go outside and find one of those shadow creatures and beat it into submission!"
"Why?" Susie and Kris asked together.
Already moving to the door, Papyrus explained, "It might not do anything to stop the oncoming curse, but sometimes you have to prove to yourself that you are in charge of your own destiny. You're acting all defeated when now is the time to be excited and prepare!"
Kris had not been expecting those words from Papyrus. Normally the brother who was more bent of obeying the rules and being an upright citizen, Papyrus should have recommended going to talk with Undyne. Instead, he waved for the couple to follow him. They quickly ran over to the counter and signed out the recorder. Ms. Boom mouthed 'thank you' to them as they got dressed and exited into the storm.
Papyrus was already soaked, but in his football gear and scarf, he struck an impressive figure against the howling wind and flashes of lightning. Hands on hips, he swung towards Kris and Susie, beaming in a way that no other skeleton could manage.
"This is the perfect evening to go and face down some villains! Follow me and we'll find one of those shadow monsters!"
"You know where to find one?" Susie asked.
"Nope! But I guarantee that one of them is going to pop out real soon the moment they see you! See, they want to devour kids that they think make tasty treats. But when they see me, all bones and not even some skin for seasoning, they'll underestimate just how strong I am!"
"I'm not sure that's what they're really thinking," Susie muttered to Kris.
They agreed with her but decided that it would be good to humor Sans' brother and see what happens. Besides, it was probably a smart idea to get an idea of what they were really going to be in for when Halloween rolled in. The only problem was that they might not have their Dark World equipment and abilities…
"Don't worry, Kris! I'll just punch them into Christmas!" Susie said with a wink, already feeling than she had earlier. The storm couldn't dampen her spirits this time!
They wandered around Hometown in the pouring rain, braving the cold and wind. Kris did begin wondering if they weren't all going to get immensely sick from this escapade. However, not too far from QC's they finally came a shadow waiting for unsuspecting travelers.
"Hey! Is this weird blob thing one of those shadows you were talking about?" Papyrus asked.
"Yes! Watch out!" Susie warned.
"NYAHAHAHAHA! Never fear, Susie, for the Great papyrus is always ready for action!" As he said that, bones came flying out of the gloom and clobbered the shadow.
It squealed and reared back. Like a large slug, it tried to feel out what was in front of it. Papyrus grabbed the flying bones and began jabbing the blob. It squirmed and tried retreating, but the skelebro didn't let up. The shadow finally sloshed all over the wet, leaf-strewn sidewalk. Then its odd back began roiling.
"Aha! Look at this! The enemy is entering its next stage of battle!"
"Kris, did you just see that?"
"Uh-huh…."
"Papyrus managed to use powers outside of the Dark World!"
"Uh-huh…."
"Or is it because the curse is so far advanced?"
Kris shrugged in a shocked reply.
Papyrus summoned more bones that pelted the shadow and smacked it around from below. But then finally long, clawed fingers ripped their way through the shadow's back. It ripped open the bulbous body and a new creature came out of the thing's spin. Covered in slime, a spindly, boney werewolf emerged. Acid-green eyes glared at the teens before focusing on Papyrus.
"Well, well, well! This an unforeseen development!" Papyrus cackled. "I thought you were just going to get cuter or angrier."
"I'm plenty angry!" the werewolf snarled. It leaped at Papyrus and stole one of his bones.
"GAH! BAD DOG! BAD DOG!"
Papyrus summoned an ever larger bone and whacked the werewolf over the back of its head. The strange shadow deflated behind him and dissolved. Soon, there wasn't a single bit of evidence to prove that it had been there. Susie fell into an attack stance, but wasn't sure what she could do. Kris checked their pockets and found that all their sentimental junk could not transform.
The Dark World couldn't cross over to the Light World yet!
"What do we do?" Susie hissed to them.
Kris replied by picking up some of Payrus's bones and pointing at the werewolf.
"Hey, those are mine! Get your own awesome weapons!" he snapped to Kris, but it was too late. Susie snatched up even more.
She threw them with all her might at the werewolf, pummeling him until he grew large bumps and welts. The creature turned on her and was about to launch itself in Susie's direction when Papyrus whammed it once more over the head. Disoriented, the creature stumbled towards Kris.
Though they felt a stab of fright without their abilities, Kris could still act. The charged forward and jammed the bone into the werewolf's maw, forcing it wide open and stuck. Gagging, it reached up to yank out the bone. Kris kicked the beast in the shins, hurting both themselves and it. It took a deadly swipe at Kris, knocking them over.
"Kris!" Susie screamed.
Fire began spilling from between her teeth as she charged. Unleashing a small torrent of flame, she scorched the monster. It whined and reeled, its mouth still jammed open. Papyrus rushed in and swing for its open mouth. He landed a direct hit, shattering the extra bone and driving the bits into the creature's mouth. Green blood spilled from between the werewolf's teeth. It clutched it mouth, howling in pain.
Distant shadows inside of QC's began milling around. Susie felt a stab of panic. If the citizens saw some kids fighting a werewolf in the open, Halloween would be cancelled. And their best bet to put a stop to the curse would end!
Susie threw herself at the monster, tackling it off the road and into the bushes.
"This is for hurting Kirs!" she snarled, throwing her fists and claws with all the frantic rage of a dragon who just lost her treasure.
It was too much for the werewolf. Caught completely off guard, it tried to defend against Susie, but she slapped its claws aside and drove her knees into its thin chest. More of Papyrus' bones helped to pin the creature. Finally, Kris reappeared and with a broken bone drove it into the monster's heart.
The results were instantaneous. Just like the shadow, the werewolf dissolved and completely vanished. Papyrus' bones turned to dust and disappeared in the storm as well. Susie dropped soft half a foot into the mud. She reached up and pulled Kris into a crushing hug.
"I thought you were hurt! You're not hurt are you!"
"If you keep hugging me like that, I will be," they answered weakly.
For his part, Papyrus looked a little shaken. "Well… I hadn't thought it would end like that! Perhaps, I should escort you home."
Kris said it would be okay if Susie stayed over. The skelebro quickly got them away before anyone went looking for what happened. No one from QC's saw what happened. Papyrus spirited the teens back to the Dreemurrs and then berated them for getting into trouble.
"And make sure that you edit the audio properly and let me know if you have any more questions," Papyrus said hurriedly before running back home.
After a strange moment in the rain, holding hands, Susie told Kris, "You know what, he was right. That did feel damn good!" She began shaking Kris like a rattle. "We defeated a bad guy without even using our powers or special weapons! Sure, papyrus helped us, but we won! Halloween is going to be a cinch!"