//------------------------------// // The Pacifist // Story: The Moon in the Dark // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// As Woona found herself amongst more snow covered trees at the top of the underground cliffs, she came across a large banner that proclaimed, 'Welcome to Snowdin' in big letters. "I guess this must be a town," Woona deduced. "I hope the monsters here are friendly." They are, Chara informed her silently. There's a shop right there. Maybe you could buy some snacks or something. I've got plenty of spider donuts and cider...but okay. Woona stepped into the shop. As she stepped into the shop, Woona found a bunny-like woman behind the counter, smiling at her. "Hello, traveler," the woman greeted. "I can't remember the last time I saw a new face around here. Where did you come from?" Don't talk about the surface, Chara quickly cautioned Woona. Most monsters by now have been conditioned to believe that danger comes from the surface. "...the Ruins," Woona offered. "Really?" the woman asked, shocked. "Been a long time since anyone left there. Are you here by yourself?" "Not entirely," Woona replied. "Sans and Papy are looking after me." "Oh, the skeleton brothers," the woman replied good naturedly. "Nice guys, if a bit strange. You're safe with them." Woona smiled, glad to hear that Sans and Papyrus were well liked. "What's fun around here?" The woman scratched her chin. "Well, there's Grillby's if you want good food and company. There's also the library if reading's more your thing. And my sister runs the inn next door if you want to take a nap in some clean sheets." "I'd rather take a nap in Sans' hood," Woona replied. "That way I can curl up and his walking steps rock me to sleep." The bunny woman clutched at her chest. "You're just too adorable," she groaned. Woona smiled, even though it couldn't be seen through her human mask. "What's for sale?" "Well, I've got some bisicles and cinnamon bunnies," she replied. "Bisicles are two popsicles made together, so it's two servings. And the cinnamon bunnies are my own recipe." Woona thought about it for a time, then shook her head. "I don't need any food just now. Anything else?" The bunny woman shrugged. "Papyrus stopped by not long ago and bought out my only tough glove and manly bandanna-" She paused when she notices Woona flinch. "You okay?" As Woona shuddered deep inside, she felt Chara slip past her magic. "I'm okay," she heard herself saying. "Just a bad dream I had. I'm...gonna get some air." "Sorry for upsetting you," the bunny woman replied, her voice concerned. Woona found herself nodding before leaving the store. As she got ahold of herself, she felt Chara's grip on her body fade. How'd you do that? she demanded angrily. What she said shook you, Chara replied. Your grip on your magic, your body, your soul weakened. I acted to remove you from the situation. If you were a monster, you would be in danger of 'falling down'. ...'falling down'? she asked worriedly. When a monster loses all hope, their bodies cease functioning, and turn to dust. It's called 'falling down', and...is the monster equivalent of death. Woona whimpered. Please don't let me fall, Chara! she pleaded. I won't, Chara promised. Woona slowly brought her emotions under control. So...you can just...take control of my body when I'm in emotional turmoil? Only if it's to the point of you being catatonic, Chara explained. Or if you allow me to. What about my magic? Only if your HP drops too low. Woona nodded to herself. While it was somewhat reassuring that Chara was trying to take care of her, it was less so to know that there were situations where he could take over her body. Deciding to push past that, she continued to explore the town. Since she wasn't feeling tired, she walked right past the Inn to see a tree decorated like the Gyftrot had been, with presents under it. Next to it was a young, gecko like, orange skinned monster in an orange and brown striped shirt, the sleeves hanging empty. "Yo!" he greeted her happily. "You're a kid too, right?" "Uh...yeah?" Woona offered, confused. "Cool! Nice to meet you! I'm MK!" Woona smiled. "I'm Woona!" MK grinned widely. "I'd love to talk more, but I'm a bit busy just now. See ya later?" "U-huh!" Woona agreed happily, continuing on through town. Grillby's turned out to be a rather homey restaurant run by a monster made of fire, wearing a butler's garb. In addition to the dog monsters she'd befriended on the way there, she also saw a few other monsters. However, they all seemed to be busy, so she decided to come back later. To the north of town, a large dog or wolf like monster was throwing blocks of ice into the river as they came off a conveyor belt. The logic of these actions were not immediately apparent. Woona decided to pass on visiting the library, however. She was uncertain how reliable the information could be in such a building when the sign was misspelled. Beyond the library was a house with two mailboxes beside it, one overflowing with junk mail, the other labelled 'PAPYRUS'. Realizing this was where Papyrus and Sans lived, she tried to go inside, but the door was locked, as was the garage beside it. Seeing nothing else she could do in town, she moved further east. As she moved along the path through the trees, fog began to flow in, making it hard to see even the path, or even her own hooves. However, not far in front of her, she could make out the silhouette of a tall figure, and heard a familiar voice. "HUMAN...I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN THIS. WE...WE'VE BECOME SUCH GOOD FRIENDS, SOLVED PUZZLES TOGETHER...WE BOTH LOVE PASTA...IT WOULD BE SO WONDERFUL JUST TO STAY THAT." Papyrus seemed very conflicted as he spoke. "BUT...IF I DON'T CAPTURE YOU...THEN I'LL NEVER ACHIEVE MY DREAMS. NEVER BECOME A ROYAL GUARD. I MUST DO THIS! TO BECOME POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!" He spun to face Woona. "PREPARE YOURSELF-" Unnoticed to Papyrus, Woona had slipped up beside him while he spoke, and she now glomped onto his leg. Glancing down at her in shock, Papyrus tried to shake her off his leg, but she wouldn't let go. "HUMAN! I CAN'T FIGHT YOU IF YOU DON'T GET OFF ME!!" "But I don't wanna fight my friend!" Woona proclaimed happily. "So if you gotta capture me...then I surrender!" WHAT? Chara shouted in her mind. Are you INSANE? Asked the voice in my head, Woona countered. Elsewhere, Sans burst into laughter for no apparent reason. No one really thought much of it. "S...SURRENDER?" Papyrus asked, stunned. "YOU...YOU CAN DO THAT?" "Yup!" Woona confirmed. "After all, you never said you had to beat me before capturing me! And I don't wanna fight my friend!" Papyrus struggled to find some reason to make Woona fight him. "WELL, MAYBE I DON'T WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND!" he countered primly. "I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS, AFTER ALL!" Chara, at this point, had given up trying to reason with Woona and decided to help her. Try to think of something you know he likes you can impress him with, he instructed. Remembering all the fuss Papyrus had made about his spaghetti, Woona decided what to say. "I can make macaroni!" Papyrus blinked at her. "WHAT IS...MACARONI? I HAVE NOT HEARD OF THIS." "It's like pasghetti you can play with!" Woona proclaimed proudly. Papyrus' eyes goggled and his jaw dropped, nearly falling off his skull. "YOU'RE EXCEEDING ALL MY STANDARDS!" he wailed. He remained silent for a time, before finally speaking. "I...I CAN'T DO IT! IF I CAPTURE YOU AND TURN YOU OVER TO UNDYNE, I'LL NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN!" Sinking to his knees, he began to cry. "YOU PRETENDED TO BE HUMAN FOR ME...BUT IT WAS ALL A WASTE!" Reaching out, he removed Woona's human mask. "I'M SORRY MY LITTLE PONY FRIEND...I'VE BEEN A TERRIBLE FRIEND THAT I CAN'T EVEN ACCEPT THE NICEST THING YOU DID FOR ME..." Frowning, Woona nuzzled him. "It's okay," Woona offered consolingly. "I forgive you." "BUT HOW CAN I MAKE IT UP TO YOU?" Papyrus wailed as softly as he ever got. Woona scratched her chin. "...swimming in pasghetti?" she asked. Papyrus brightened up. "THAT'S RIGHT! I PROMISED YOU A PLATE OF SPAGHETTI BIG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SWIM IN AND AS DELICIOUS AS YOU EVER TASTED! AND SO I SHALL MAKE IT FOR YOU!" Grinning, Woona kissed Papyrus on the cheek. "It's a date!" she offered happily. She didn't know why Papyrus rushed off back to town so quickly after she said that, but it was adorable, and filled her with DETERMINATION.