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Telling an Undertale: I Pity You

by Mr.RMA

Mr.RMA Having reached the town of Snowdin, our protagonist, still unnerved by the prospect of repeating one of the larger regrets of their previous journey through the underground, takes a moment to take in the sights of the village they so brazenly passed by before. They soon find there was plenty more to learn from this small little community.
Part 4:

It felt like I had put it off for weeks… months even. I was supposed to only spend a brief time in Snowdin, that’s how it had been before, and maybe that was why I kept myself from briskly continuing forward as quickly this time around. Maybe I was simply too afraid, too afraid of the consequences of failure. I’d seen how he went out, like the usual jokester, at least I hadn’t been heartless enough to take that away from him… at least I wasn’t as much of a killer then as I could have been, but it hardly mattered, there was no sense in justifying those killings just because I could have killed more. I was supposed to be better than that this time, atoning for sins that were nonetheless sins no matter what they were compared to.

I paid a quick visit to the store, purchasing a bandanna with quite the manly ab pattern on it, and a cinnamon bun that the cheerful bunny-like clerk said was her own recipe. I was going to need all the protection and healing I could get if my dodging ability was as “graceful” as it had been back on the snowy path leading to this place. Yet, while the visit was brief, I nonetheless stuck around after my purchase to talk with the merchant for a moment, eager to bide my time as much as possible. I gave her a premature hello and she happily greeted me back, claiming she couldn’t even recall the last time a “fresh face” like mine had come around these parts. She asked if I came from “The capital” as she had put it, and that I didn’t look like the usual tourist, further questioning if I was visiting by myself. I uncomfortably ignored her questions, providing one with my own that I felt would be a proper detractor, namely what the town had to offer. She mentioned a place by the name of Grillby’s, that she simply stated “has food” and the library which, naturally held information. The inn, run by this lady’s sister, was the place to go if I was tired. Very abrupt and simple this merchant, who appeared to know of Sans and Papyrus herself, labeling them as “wacky skeletons” who, according to what she said, simply showed up on a random day and “asserted themselves”. She put that strangely, as if she didn’t know the exact words she wanted to use and simply stuck with the closest ones that came to mind. Snowdin had apparently gotten far more interesting with their arrival, and I can’t say I found that surprising, though that motivated me to ask about what the town had been like in the past. She referred me to a history class that I’d never taken, giving me the brief history about how there had been monsters living in the ruins in the forest long ago. Now, having come to associate all these creatures as monsters myself, this caught me a bit off guard. Whoever these monsters had been, they must have been quite horrid for the other monsters to label them as such. These far more intimidating monsters apparently were all the more docile ones needed for motivation to get out of there, taking refuge at the end of the caverns, whilst some “fuzzy folk” as she put it, decided to set up camp in Snowdin, having taken a fancy to the colder weather. She informed me then that exploring the ruins would be impossible, as the door had been locked for ages. Peculiar… I had figured I’d already visited the ruins previously, but, perhaps these ruins were different from what I had been familiar with. There were many questions of that ilk that I had, but obviously this lady figured I would have learned all of this in school somehow, and I didn’t want to come across as suspicious, I’d need as much help as possible to survive down here, and that meant keeping the hostilities to a minimum. So, instead, having nothing else to ask, I simply asked how her life had been treating her. She said it had been the same as usual, claustrophobic, yet, “we all know deep down that freedom is coming, don’t we?” She was quite optimistic it seemed. She firmly believed that keeping hope, and continually facing the daily struggles would pay off in the end. “That’s life, ain’t it?” she said. I didn’t respond, merely giving a bit of a shrug as I turned and walked out.

Wrapping the bandana around my head, I took a quick stop by the inn, not exactly feeling tired, but still willing to procrastinate in the face of the inevitable. There I found a couple more bunny-like folks, a mother and her child, said child happily letting me know that sleeping could make my health rise above its usual limit. An intriguing premise, I’d never thought sleeping could be so beneficial… Now it seemed I had a reason to spend a night, and by god I was going to take advantage of that. The mother welcomed me then to the inn, cleverly titled “Snowed Inn”, offering a night for 80 G. A hefty sum, but I could afford it, and I figured I needed the strength. It was a compact room, I slept fairly well, for the two minutes that had passed, though I could hear the strange sound of melodic snoring coming from the room beside me. It reminded me of that first feeling of determination somehow. Figuring I really didn’t need any more sleep, and I was clearly just putting off what needed to be done, I went back downstairs and the clerk generously gave me my money back for the shortened stay. The rest of the town laid out before me as I left the inn, and it seemed a bit larger to me than I remembered it. Bunny people and bear people were scattered about, along with a… difficult to describe sort, who seemed to guess I was a child merely by pointing out my striped shirt, apparently the best way to decipher a kid in these parts. Another notable denizen, a large brown bear, informed me that while no mayors ran the town, a skeleton would inform a “fish-lady” about any troubles. Ah yes, a fish-lady… That likely explained why I had been hunted down those last few moments of my first “attempt.” Better I not recall that moment for now though, one hardship at a time. A quick stop by Grillby’s was something of an unsettling one, seeing all the monsters I had previously had a run-in with. Naturally I didn’t recall seeing any of them last time, for obvious reasons… They didn’t seem hostile to me, apparently our previous encounters were enough to soften them up. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel relieved or all guiltier over this… Fearing I’d fall into that dark place again if I thought it through too much, I made my way over to the bartender, who I assumed was the “Grillby” the sign mentioned. He appeared to be saying something to me, but I couldn’t comprehend it. An intoxicated-looking duck sort informed me that he’d offered me a glass of water, but, he apparently didn’t touch the stuff. Seemed fair, the fellow was an anthropomorphic fireball… and I wish I knew how that was even possible… Hanging around the bar a little more, an equine sort of guy told me that the “Capital” I’d heard of before was getting rather crowded, and the rumor was they were going to start migrating to Snowdin… which likely explained why the storekeeper had asked if I had come from there. The guy seemed nervous over the potential loss of the local culture, but he nonetheless looked forward to the urban folks falling over each other in the unfamiliar icy surroundings. Truly this man had his priorities in line… The bar really didn’t have much else, for now I had to simply move on.

Things seemed friendly enough in this town, and then a mousey creature in an oversized scarf threw in a rather downer statement about how everyone was smiling and joking around to ignore the crises they were all in, rather sobering to hear, especially when it said it was only not joining them because it didn’t think of itself as very funny… The fellow accompanying the mouse, draped in a demonic costume with cross-shaped eyeholes and a perpetual smile, said that they all knew there was trouble, but since it was out of their hands, there was no reason to complain about it. Perhaps more optimistic, but, just barely really… Still rather troubling to think about all that much. Heading up north, I spotted a creature in the snow who offered to play a game of “Monsters and Humans” with me… or perhaps it was talking to the other person… rock… rock-person? These monsters were certainly confounding sometimes. A locked door with the occupant inside enjoying the sound of my futile knocking and a wolf-like creature throwing ice into the nearby bay rounded up this spot, so I moved on. There was nothing but more water up ahead, which felt rather eerily serene compared to the rest of the town… I didn’t wish to stay there very long and went back south to continue in the easterly direction.

The library, or, rather, the “librarby” according to the sign, was my next stop. The librarian inside was well aware of the misspelling, and simply left it at that. Must have gotten quite a few comments about it… or signs were simply terribly expensive to fix. Plenty of books lined the shelves, and to further keep myself distracted I began to read a few excerpts from them. The first involved a report discussing the nature of monster funerals, labeled “cool as heck” by the writer, mentioning how monsters turned to dust upon their deaths, and funerals involved the dust being spread on the individuals favorite thing, where their essence would live on. The report ended rather anti-climactically with the writer asking if they were at their page limit… so I went to the next book. This one caught my eye at its mention of humans, stating that while monsters were mostly made of magic, us humans mostly consisted of water. It went on to say we were stronger than monsters on a physical scale, but, the book was adamant in its claim that humans were unable to understand the “joy of expressing themselves through magic,” or a “bullet-pattern birthday card.” It made me feel rather left out, knowing this… The next book didn’t exactly brighten my spirits, more than it just confused me by how it was going very metaphysical on me, describing how I came in and picked the book up, began to read it… and that was it. One of the monsters at the table nearby explained she was still writing the book, so, puzzled as I may have been, I simply put it back on the shelf and moved on. The next book informed me that monsters’ bodies were attuned to their souls because of their magical makeup. Thus, a monster’s defense would weaken if it lacked the desire to fight, and attacks against them would hurt more depending on how cruel the intentions of the aggressor were… So, I wasn’t getting that much stronger as they were simply getting weaker in the face of my cruelty, and my soul’s growing desire to kill… Naturally I moved on to another book before that thought could simmer, and read up on what appeared to be the fourth volume of monster history, explaining how the monsters moved out of their old city, having no longer feared humanity, traveling through many natural hazards to reach the capital, moving from the old city of “home” to the new city of “new home”. The book mentioned a King of sorts, and this King apparently named the two civilizations. A very childish naming scheme for a king, I thought to myself, moving on to one last book before leaving. This final book said that love, hope and compassion were apparently what comprised of a monster’s soul, yet the absolute nature of one was unknown. The last line I read stuck with me for quite a time after… “After all, humans have proven their souls don’t need these things to exist.”

Walking out of the library, a little more informed and a little less cheerful, I observed two mailboxes, one filled to the brim with letters… and the one addressed to Papyrus. Curious, I peered inside the taller skeleton brother’s mailbox… not a letter to be seen. Was he simply grabbing the mail as soon as it arrived or, was the poor guy simply not very popular compared to his brother? Then again, Sans’ overflowing mail looked to be mostly junk, so… maybe there wasn’t anything to be sympathetic about here after all.

I’d seen all I could see at that point, all the remaining locations were either locked or otherwise inaccessible. It was time for me to face the music and deal with what had been haunting me since I restarted this stage of my life. The snow, or fog, or whatever the strange stuff that was clouding my vision, made Papyrus’ waiting form look like a mere shadow as he spoke to me. He wished to explain complex feelings he had, namely the joy he felt of finding someone else who enjoyed pasta, the admiration for my puzzle solving ability, and the desire to have someone cool and smart think he was cool… or wait, no, these were feelings he thought I was having towards, him… Oh dear, Papyrus, being amusing even in a confrontation like this…

“I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way,” he said to me. “After all, I am very great. I don’t ever wonder what having lots of friends is like.” I wasn’t quite sure how accurate that was, and the empty mailbox immediately sprang to mind, but, then he continued, and suddenly I felt less sympathetic and more like I was the one who needed the sympathy…

“I pity you… Lonely human…” If there was one thing I could guarantee was accurate in Papyrus’ words, it was that… I certainly felt quite lonely. “Worry not!!! You shall be lonely no longer!” he proclaimed assuredly. “I, the Great Papyrus, will be your…” He stopped there, and I knew why, I knew how the rest of this would go… he wouldn’t be able to finish that statement, because… well… as he put it, “This is all wrong! I can’t be your Friend!!!” He shouted at me. I felt myself shivering at that, and it had nothing to do with the chill in the air. “You are a human! I must capture you!!! Then, I can fulfill my lifelong dream!!!” He said, mentioning his desires for power, popularity and prestige. The words he wished to have associated with him in his strife to be the newest member of the royal guard. So… we had to fight… but I couldn’t fight… yet he was blocking the way. I had to think… Beyond my fear and my sadness, I had to think! I tried to see if I could observe anything about him, and he responded with a weak attack. It seemed quite evident he was pulling his punches. I didn’t know what to say, so, I tried to compliment him, and well… I think it came out as more flirtatious than I expected, because he said I had somehow revealed my true feelings, yet, he had high expectations, so, I was going to have to make my case… For a moment I felt like all I could really tell him was that I lacked any redeeming qualities, but, well, that felt terribly harsh, I mean, I wasn’t that hopeless… was I? So, I tried thinking of something that I could do that he might like…

“…I can make Spaghetti!” I suddenly blurted out. Apparently that did it and now he wanted to… go on a date with me? Well this was suddenly getting very strange, but, I needed to roll with it, I couldn’t allow myself to get captured, but I wouldn’t let myself hurt Papyrus either. So, I tried flirting with him more, but, he still seemed bent on capturing me first and foremost. I decided then I would just give up and not fight, so he struck me with a blue attack of his, an attack that, while it did sting a bit, mostly just turned me blue… go figure. Papyrus seemed very amused by this, laughing quite a bit. The fight carried on, and suddenly the attacks seemed a bit tougher to avoid… but I nonetheless endured, still doing nothing to attack, simply standing there, completely unarmed as he apparently kept preparing himself for the date I had somehow set us up on. He seemed intent on capturing me, yet he knew he also couldn’t date me very easily if I were captured, and I could tell he was struggling terribly as he continued to fight a lopsided battle. He struck at me plenty more times before finally… after clearly exhausting himself, he spared me, giving me the chance to spare him. He looked terribly disappointed with himself at that, saying that Undyne would be disappointed in him as well, and that he’d remain friendless… Finally, my chance… I told him I wanted to be friends with him, and suddenly, that sad version of his permanent smile lit up into the happy one I’d hoped to see.

“We haven’t even had our first date and I’ve already managed to hit the friend zone!!!” he shouted with glee, a statement that most humans I knew would have probably only said if they were, well… feeling rejected. Yet, this lanky skeleton took it as quite the good thing by contrast. At that, he decided to let me pass, explaining to me the directions to get out, describing a barrier at the end which kept all the monsters trapped here, and was only accessible to those with a strong soul. Apparently the king of the land desired a human for that very reason, and to make matters worse, I would have to pass through his very throne room to pass the barrier. Papyrus assured me the king was a “big pushover,” but, forgive me if I said I didn’t fully believe him at the time. The fact that the king was looking for humans like me, made me feel like I wasn’t going to have the easiest time getting out… but that was just one issue at the moment, one that was behind quite a few more… I knew it’d be something of a trek to even reach the king’s throne room, from how Papyrus had directed me… and it was almost a guarantee I’d have more things attacking me between that gap of time… Having felt rather tired myself after that fight, and knowing I’d have quite a bit of physical and emotional strain in my future, I turned back to Snowdin to rest up for the time being… and… perhaps even take up Papyrus’ offer for a date. I mean, I’m not exactly interested in Skeleton men, but, still, I didn’t want to disappoint the guy… I mean, how bad could a single date with Papyrus be?
  1. Psycho Monkey
    Psycho Monkey
    Protagonist x Papyrus is my new OTP. It shall be shortened to Propyrus for convenience! :'D
    Mar 15, 2016
    Mr.RMA likes this.