The new clothes Toriel had given Sunset were a little snug, but they fit nonetheless. The red and pink stripes on the shirt highlighted the red glow of her SOUL very nicely. She felt much better after Toriel let her use her shower. All of her aches and pains slipped right down the drain with the water.
Okay, so I'm clean, rested, and full. What do I do now?"
The answer to that question came when she exited her room once again. Since she'd already seen everything to the left, she headed right instead. The next room appeared to be some kind of foyer. To her left was a door that presumably led outside of the house. To her right was a stairwell that went downwards into a yawning darkness. Something about it gave her second thoughts about going down there; but even if she wanted to, two giant padlocks sat in front of the steps and barred her entry. After a moment of hesitation, she walked straight ahead into the next room.
Toriel was there, sitting in a comfy rocking chair in front of a roaring fireplace while reading a book. A table sat towards the rear of the room with three plates set. Another bookshelf was next to the fireplace. Taking it all in, Sunset smiled and walked towards Toriel.
The goat glanced up from her book at Sunset, smiled, turned back to her book, scrunched up her face, paused for a few seconds, and looked at Sunset again. Her eyes took in every inch of the girl in front of her.
"Is there something wrong?"
"I'm sorry." Toriel put a hand over her eyes. "I didn't mean to gawk. You just look so much like them."
"Uh...thanks?" Sunset wasn't sure how to respond to that.
"Do you need anything, little one?"
"Well, now that I'm fed and clothed, I actually had some questions I wanted to ask you. Do you mind?"
"Ask until your curiosity is sated, my child. We don't get many newcomers to the Underground."
"All right then," Sunset held up a finger. "First question. What exactly are you?"
"If you're referring to my species, then I am a monster."
"Monster? But that can't be right. You're so nice."
"When I say 'monster', I don't mean a wicked and cruel person. Every being in the underground is a non-human creature that fits the secondary definition. Very few of them fit the first one."
"Unless you're a flower named Flowey apparently." She winced at the memory.
Seeing her distress, Toriel wrapped her arms around Sunset. "There there, my child. I won't let anyone hurt you now."
"That reminds me. I never thanked you for saving my life."
"No thanks are necessary. I merely aided someone in need. Anyone else would have done the same."
Sunset opened her mouth, then bit her tongue. "I suppose that's true. But how did you know I was in danger to begin with?"
"I didn't know exactly. I pass through that area every day to see if someone has fallen down. It just so happens that yesterday, someone had."
"Every day? Have you seen anyone else besides me?"
"Only that flower, I'm afraid. Why? Are you searching for someone?"
"Huh? Uh, nonotatalljustcurious." Sunset rubbed a hand behind her head. "I think I'm going to go for a walk if that's okay."
"You may as long as you're careful." Toriel reached into her pocket. "Just in case, take this cellphone with you. I have some errands of my own to run later, so that way you'll be able to contact me if something goes wrong."
Sunset took the phone, put it in her pocket, and walked towards the front door. "All right. See you later."
"Have fun."
Outside the house, Sunset got her first real look at the Underground. The garden in front of Toriel's house contained a bunch of red flowers, all of them wilted. A little further away stood an equally dead tree, leaves scattered around the center. Walking closer to it, she touched her hand to the rotted oak.
"Guess Toriel's not as good with plants as she is with pastries." The next room contained a fork in the road with one path going left and the other going right. She went left. One thing the old goat hadn't told her was the the Ruins were full of puzzles. One area had her finding switches to hit in order to proceed. Another room had her moving rocks over switches. And a third one had her precariously proceeding over a series of spikes. She had no idea why the rooms were set up in such a manner to begin with. Perhaps they were supposed to be a precaution against intruders? Or maybe some kind of training course for younger monsters?
One room stood out though. Inside stood a simple practice Dummy. She looked around it but couldn't see anything else, no boxing gloves, no practice weapons, no instructions for how to use it, and no indication that it had even been used. Out of sheer curiosity, she moved closer. Part of her wondered if it was alive. After all, she'd already seen a goat and a flower so why not a living Dummy?
Should I hit it?
On one hand, it wasn't moving, so it didn't seem to be alive. But on the other, maybe it was just sleeping. Carefully, she moved her finger towards it, ready to jerk it to safety at a moment's notice.
"Afternoon."
"WAAAUGH!" The unexpected voice sent her reeling backwards where she promptly tripped over her own two feet and sprawled all over the floor.
"Terribly sorry for startling you, milady."
"T-the Dummy? You talk?"
"I have the ability, yes. Though I admit, I'm not usually much for conversation. Though for you, I shall make an exception. You're the first Human I've seen in eons."
Sunset didn't know whether to blush or blanch at that. "Well thank you. Though now that I know you're alive, I'm not sure what to do now."
"How does me being alive change anything? I am still a Dummy after all; and like all other Monsters, I am at your mercy. Or lack thereof."
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know?" If it had had eyebrows, she was sure it'd be raising one. "Monsters and Humans are mortal enemies. It's been that way for as long as I can remember." It rotated so that its arm was pointed at Sunset. "Yes, one whiff of that SOUL of yours is all it will take. Why, I am quite surprised you have not been attacked already."
"Attacked? W-what are you talking about?" Was she about to get another dose of "Friendliness Pellets"?
"Don't worry about me. I have no interest in bloodshed and no use for your SOUL if you die. But you should probably arm yourself before going any further." It turned around completely, showing her its back. Embedded in it was the long handle of a knife.
"Oh my goodness. Where did that come from?" Gripping one of the Dummy's arms in one hand and the handle in another, Sunset tried to jiggle it free.
"That knife is merely a souvenir left by the first human I met a long time ago. She was not much for conversation either."
It took a few tugs to remove; but at last, she freed the blade. To her surprise, it seemed unaffected by years of disuse. Experimentally, she took a few swings for practice and flicked off a layer of dust.
" It feels smooth." She ran her finger over the tip. "Smooth and kind of familiar."
"Does it?" The Dummy turned back around. "That was not the expected reaction. I suppose I really am at your mercy now."
Sunset barely heard it. Her eyes were still locked on the knife. It gleamed brightly in the light. She gave a small grin and kept rubbing the tip. It shifted a bit in her hand and pricked her finger ever so slightly. Moving her hand up to her eyes, she stared it the wound. It was a small trickle of blood, barely visible. Out of instinct, she moved the finger into her mouth to suck it dry, but the pain didn't come. The blood felt warm, soft even. And it was oddly calming.
I wonder if Monsters can bleed?
She imagined what she'd do if she saw Flowey again. What would it be like to give Mr. "Kill or be Killed" a taste of his own medicine? First she'd uproot him to make sure he couldn't get away. Then she'd cut off all his petals. Then maybe she'd drive the knife into his face again and again until there was nothing left. Yes, yes that would show him. That would show ALL of them. She'd make them all cower and beg for their miserable lives. She'd--
Wait. WHAT?
She shook herself back to reality. The knife was still there, along with the Dummy. And she was standing right in front of it.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"What?" She spluttered and leaped backwards. "N-No! No. Of course not." Holding her hands in front of her, she blushed crimson. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'll just take a step back, put this away, and I'll um...uh."
Spare him.
"Spare you, yeah. I'll do that instead."
"That's certainly nice to hear. Being slashed to pieces is hardly my idea of entertainment."
"Again, I'm really sorry."
"You're forgiven, milady. A little scare now and then keeps the heart pumping a little longer. I wish you luck in your travels."
"Um, thanks." Sunset turned and began to walk away. "See you later I guess."
On her way back to Toriel's house, her mind was racing. That was the second time she'd zoned out and the second time she'd felt such violent tendencies. First, the mirror had triggered it, and now the knife. She definitely needed to ask Toriel about that. Perhaps exposure to the Underground was making her sick, or something. Or maybe Flowey's pellets had infected her somehow, as a way to twist her into accepting his wretched mindset. Well, whatever happened, she was NOT going to prove him right. Even if she ended up killing herself first.
The return trip was a lot faster than the outgoing. As she walked around the gnarled oak once again, she noticed that the side facing the house had a few carvings whittled into it. The first one read "T+A." The second one was crossed out and read "A+C." Next to that one was a third that read "A+F." So feeling a little left out, Sunset drew the knife and carved "T+S" with a dorky heart around it. Yes, now that she thought of it, no one word could describe her new goat-mom any better than love.
"Oof!" She'd been so distracted that she hadn't seen her foot catch on one of the roots, and she found herself kissing the floor once again. Inwardly groaning, she rolled over on her back and hoped this wouldn't become a habit. Staring at the sky, she caught sight of the tree's branches for the first time. They pointed towards the sky, leafless and dead, seemingly in defiance of the lively house behind it. The only color she could see was a tiny gem on one of the branches.
Wait a minute.
Righting herself, she rubbed her eyes and looked again.
That can't be right. Gems don't grow on trees. Not even in Equestria.
To resolve this contradiction, she climbed the tree for a better look. The gem hung from the very top of the tree. Fortunately, curiosity overrode any sort of fear. Once she got close enough she grabbed for her new treasure. It took a few pulls to pry loose, but she eventually succeeded. Turning it over in her hands, she got a good look at it, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head!
"This is...TWILIGHT'S CROWN!"
(Skip the video to 3:22 if it doesn't do so automatically.)
Also, image version if you prefer:
img08.deviantart.net/2c46/i/2015/325/4/a/undertale_ask_blog__digestion_by_bpavlica-d9hl19o.png
glad to see this great story updated.
Glad to see this update. I just realized. Six souls. Six other humans. I have a bad feeling about what happened to Twilight and the others.
Let's see... "T+A" would be Toriel and Asgore, "A+C" would be Asriel and Chara, and... "A+F"? That makes no sense at all! The only Undertale characters that start with "F" are Flowey and Frisk, but neither of those make sense with an "A" character! Unless the game's been finished before, but then why would they still be underground? One of these assumptions must be wrong, and that fact could change everything...
7049454
It could be Asriel + Frisk... after all we do have the mystery of why is the underground not under Mount Ebott. as well as the mystery of someone in sunset telling her to spare the dummy.. perhaps something happened post pacifist leaving Frisk to the same fate as Chara?
Oh I am SO happy to see another chapter! Undertale is becoming one of my fav crossover subjects and I am really enjoying this story. I have to admit, after reading your comments regarding Sunset's emotional state and how she's now in the care of "Best Mom" , I am wondering how the story will progress? Will Sunset admit to Toriel that she ISN'T a "regular" human? Or what she experienced on the surface recently along with the idea that her friends are (hopefully) somewhere in the Underground?
Looking forward to another chapter!!!
7049693 That would count as one of the possible "wrong assumptions", namely "Sunset is replacing Frisk's usual spot in the story". Another case may be "Asriel + Fluttershy", which raises further questions...
7049454
Actually, it makes perfect sense... ahem:
ASRIEL+FRISK
7049759 Technically, if Frisk is a spirit inside Sunset's head she wouldn't be taking his place now would she? even more so if she follows her own path and not that of Frisk's Pacifist, or Chara's Genocide. The Author seems to even be hinting at this with both the voices in Sunsets head seen in this chapter, as well as in a previous comment saying that Frisk's role has been the most altered. and what could be more different than being in the same situation as Chara?
course, this is all just a guess, for all we know it could be Asgore + Fluttershy or Angel (Bunny) + Flowey or something crazy like that.
7049287 Is that canon or fanon?
Believe it or not, the original idea I had going into this was making Frisk and Chara act as Sunset's respective angel and devil. But that ended up being too comedic and diluting Chara's menace.
7050175
Well, one of the npcs in Grillby's says something about the difference between monster food and human food, referring to how human food actually has to pass through the body. (It's the one in the upper booth on the bottom-right, if I remember correctly.)
Edit: Just loaded up the game to check, and yeah he says, "Hmmm... isn't human food different from monster food? It does things like 'spoil.' And when you eat it, it passes all the way through your whole body. Disgusting. I'd love to try it sometime."
Talk to him again, and he says, "And I've heard they have things called bathrooms."
7050291 I like it!
7049786 The part that doesn't make sense is the fact that they're still underground, assuming this pair is the correct one.
7068769 Asriel's dead. Who's to say Frisk isn't dead, too?
So... Sunset Shimmer has Chara within her. Interesting. "A+C"? Asgore + Celestia?
7081040 How are you lost?
7068913 Unlilkely, unless they intentionally died and didn't reset.
... Wow, this just got darker.
Bullshit. Most people would have walked away and said, 'Not my fucking problem.'
'Oh, you're just a negative person.'
Have you ever been to Chicago?
I have.
I went with my family on a vacation. At the time, I did not have my concealed carry permit (I did not see the need for it), and I was walking. A man far larger than I pushed me against a wall, and stole my wallet at knifepoint. Daylight, busy streets. I was screaming for help. I was 15. 50 people had to have walked past, and none of them stopped.
My point? People are creatures with a desire to only help themselves.
So you went the, 'Chara's a chick' route? Meh. Can't say I blame you.
Each SOUL has a different type. For every powerful Emotion, there is a SOUL. The SOULS of the previous seven Fallen Humans (coincidentally) match up to a certain trait. Each trait has a different ATTACK type. Certain SOULS can use more than one Type, though they generally have a main Type.
SOUL Modes
ATTACK Types
7102801
I agree, why make it masculine when there is no romance in this story? Also, there are things I learned from the fanon that I liked, although others not so much...