Once Woona's bath was finished, she glanced up at Toriel. "Why do you even have dat wevah?" she asked with a sulky pout.
Toriel chuckled. "For much the same reason we have the two middle floor tiles in that first puzzle chamber," she explained. "It isn't a puzzle unless there's a wrong way to solve it, in addition to the right one."
Thinking about that, Woona nodded in understanding. "But...why soapy water?"
Toriel shrugged. "Originally, it was tar and feathers, but I felt that would not be fair to children who did not understand the puzzle, and since little children always need a bath, I replaced it with soapy water. I also marked the two switches that needed to be thrown."
Woona looked away sheepishly. "Oh...I thought it was 'spot the difwence'..."
Toriel chuckled softly. "A logical conclusion. Wrong in this case, but logical to think. The writing beside the other two actually tells you to throw them, though."
"But how do I know dat's not twying to twick me?" Woona asked. "Well...assuming I could wead it..."
"I also signed it," Toriel explained as she walked Woona to the levers, letting her throw them.
Once both switches were thrown, spikes lowered before the exit to the chamber, and Woona followed Toriel into the next small chamber. This one was a square chamber with only the western entrance they'd come in through, a northern exit, and some sort of training dummy. "What's dis?" Woona asked curiously.
"With how powerful the magic of your soul is," Toriel began, "some monsters in the underground will be scared of you on first meeting. They might attack you out of fear...or other reasons, in some cases." She shook her head as though to dispel unpleasant thoughts. "When that happens, you will enter a FIGHT. While in a FIGHT, strike up a friendly conversation. Try and make friends until I come to assist you."
"Can I hug them instead?" Woona asked. "I'm not so good with words yet..."
Toriel chuckled softly. "While that can work sometimes, some monsters value their personal space a little too highly, and might perceive a hug as an attack. Try and assess their mood before attempting to hug them." She then gestured to the dummy. "Approach, and enter a practice FIGHT with this dummy."
As Toriel moved to stand in front of the northern exit, Woona approached the dummy. She expected to find herself in the black field, as she had against Flowey...but something different happened. Lines of light surrounded her and the dummy, and her soul became visible on her chest, along with a yellow and blue bar over her head. "Towiel?" she asked worriedly. "What..."
"Do not be afraid, my child," Toriel reassured her. "This is what a FIGHT looks like when you can see the world around you. I assume you've experienced a FIGHT before, but in total darkness? With the one who hurt you?" When Woona nodded, Toriel smiled at her. "That only happens when there is no light around you, and the soul becomes the source of light. For now, practice FIGHTing the dummy without hurting it."
Woona turned to the Dummy, trying to figure out what to do. At first, she thought about hugging it, but it didn't look like it wanted a hug. The only other option was to try and talk to it. "Uh...hi?" she offered, waving one hoof.
The dummy waved back.
Yelping, Woona dashed out of the lines of light to hide behind Toriel. The lines vanished as she passed over them. Toriel, glancing in confusion at the dummy, leaned down to comfort Woona. "Let's...continue on, shall we?" She then took Woona into the next room.
Behind the dummy, Flowey cackled to himself. A petty revenge for his humiliation from before, but the look on Toriel's face made it all the more delicious.
"Calm down, my child," Toriel whispered reassuringly to Woona. "There is nothing bad about what happened."
"But...you didn't say the dummy'd wave back!" she complained.
"I didn't expect it to," Toriel replied. "However, it's possible a mischievous spirit possessed it momentarily."
Woona blinked. "Spiwit?"
"A Blook, perhaps," Toriel allowed. "They long to become one with physical vessels, so perhaps one was attempting to possess the dummy when we entered the chamber...and decided to wave back, not knowing it would terrify you."
Woona managed to get her shaking under control. "...didn't know that could happen..." she muttered. "So...what now?" She glanced around at the chamber they were now in.
The chamber was another long one, this time divided into two sections near the middle. In the part they were in, the room and walls were bare, and a squiggling path was drawn on the floor. She could see the second section was hidden behind a twist in the path.
"There's another puzzle in here," Toriel explained. "I wonder if you can solve it?" Knowing Woona's fondness for puzzles now, Toriel felt challenging her with one might be the best way to get her past the scare of the dummy.
Grinning eagerly, Woona rushed ahead, only to find herself in a FIGHT. A frog like monster - the name on the green bar over its head proclaimed it a Froggit - leapt into her path, bracing itself for combat. Woona noticed it was nearly as scared as she was.
"Want a hug?" she asked, holding her forelegs open. Unfortunately, she forgot to use her wings for balance, and wound up falling onto her back. "Oomph!"
The Froggit let off a croaking laugh, relaxing completely. Approaching, it helped her back to her hooves before accepting - and reciprocating - the offered hug. The FIGHT lines dissolved, and the Froggit patted her on the head before hopping away, leaving two small gold coins behind.
"Wait!" Woona called out. "You fohgot your bits!" The Froggit did not respond.
"He didn't forget them," Toriel explained as she approached. "Now that you've befriended him, he left you that gold as an apology for attacking you, and as a sign of friendship, to help you on your journey."
"Ooooh!" Woona replied as she wrapped her mind around it. "I'ma befwiend evewy monstah in da undagwound!" she proclaimed, her fast speech exaggerating her slight lisp.
Toriel smiled happily. "That's a wonderful idea," she praised softly. "For now, do you have any ideas regarding the puzzle?" She gestured forward.
The next part of the room had pools of water surrounding an island of spikes. On either side of the platform of spikes were wooden bridges connecting the island to normal ground. Woona examined it for a time. "Hmm...swimming?" she offered.
Toriel blinked a few times, then chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you could swim around it, but that's evading the puzzle, not solving it."
"Then...the spikes can be stepped on?" Woona asked incredulously.
"There is a safe path of that sort, yes," Toriel promised.
Curious, Woona extended her hoof, surprised to see the spikes lower as her hoof touched them through her silver hoofshoe. Feeling more confident, she tested the square of spikes in front of that one, and it went down as well. When she tested the third, however, the spikes did not descend, and touching them sent a shock of pain through her body.
As she fell back, even before she could scream, Toriel had caught her. "I'm sorry, my child," she whispered as she healed the injury. "I had hoped to encourage you, but perhaps this puzzle is a bit much for you." Toriel stood up, but felt a tug on her hand. Glancing down, she saw Woona was standing on her hind legs, wings spread for balance, both little hooves in Toriel's right hand. Toriel smiled softly. "How about I walk you through this one?" she offered.
Woona nodded, and carefully walked alongside Toriel, stepping only where she did as she was led through the spikes. As they reached the end of the twisting safe path, she gasped. "The squiggle!" she cried out. "The one on the fwoor in the fuhst paht! It's the safe path!"
"Very good, Woona!" Toriel praised, kneeling down to pet her head. "You are so clever, my child. I'm very impressed."
"Thank you, Mommy!" Woona called out, then gasped as she realized what she said, covering her mouth with her hooves.
Toriel blinked, surprised. "Woona?" she asked softly, hesitantly.
Woona hunkered in on herself. "It's just...you call me youw child...you pwaise me when I do good...make it all better when I get hurt...doesn't...doesn't that make you my Mommy?" She looked up at Toriel, her eyes pleading and lip quivering.
A huge conflict surged inside Toriel. On the one hand, here was a child like all the others, asking to call her Mom. Always before, she had said they could call her whatever they liked. The slight distancing there had always been to protect her own heart. She cared so much...and she'd lost her own two children already, and each of those she'd let call her Mom since, all six of them. Always, they would move on, and she couldn't protect them.
But it was different this time. The children who had asked to call her Mom - those six - had not been this young. Each had easily been ten years old, old enough for a good deal of independence. Calling her Mom was a source of comfort to them in a strange new world. She loved each of them, but it wasn't quite the same as how she'd felt about her own children, and she'd let them go when they'd wanted to go back to the surface...and cried as she learned of their fate.
But Woona... She was still slurring her speech. She was so young. This wasn't a child seeking the momentary comfort of a mother substitute. This was a toddler calling out for love and compassion, lost and alone. If she said yes here, it would mean opening her heart completely to Woona, and truly becoming her mother. And...someday, Woona might leave the Ruins...and her soul used to break the barrier. Toriel didn't think she could bear losing another child.
Had this been over the phone as it had been with the other children, perhaps she could have maintained that bit of emotional detachment, protecting her own heart. But staring into those hopeful, pleading eyes, and seeing that hope start to fade from her hesitation to be replaced by despair, she knew there was only one response she could give. She could not destroy this child just to protect herself.
Kneeling, she pulled Woona into a tight embrace. "If that is what you need..." she began, slowly building up to the words she knew would leave her open to a pain she didn't think she could handle again and feared was inevitable. "Then yes...I am your mother..." She felt tears pour from her eyes, both from joy of being a mother again, and from fear of the pain she was certain would come.
Woona gasped in shock as Toriel knelt down and pulled her into the tight hug. However, when she heard the words, tears fell from her own eyes. Wrapping her forelegs and wings around as much of Toriel's neck as she could, she buried her face in the crook of the goat woman's neck. Finally, she was able to speak. "...I love you, Mommy..."
The shared love between mother and child filled them both with DETERMINATION.
urk......feels.....too much......tears.....cant....see......keyboard.......
Woona is going to feels the shit out of Goat Mom when it comes to it, isn't she?
both?
Since the last chapter, I've seen a playthrough of the full MERCY run, and wasn't it that monster souls and/or bodies couldn't hold much DETERMINATION?
The real true ending, become a baby horse and call Toriel mum.
Awggh duck it. did you have to make me cry. Duck you feels DUCK YOU.
Now I want Toriel to go with Woona on her quest. Just seems like the way tats whold take it.
Both?
This might not end well...
Heeheehee, that was cute, nice job well done man, well done!
hahahaahaa, so much adroableness!
Keep it up!
6748356
Then explain Undyne.
A very enjoyable chapter. Well done.
6748354 Goat mum should totally go with her.
Could be some interesting dialogue between her and the skele-bros with her coming out of the ruins that early?
Ahhh geez.
6748489 Easy. If you attack and kill Undyne, she doesn't fade away like the other Monsters. The DETERMINATION overwhelms her body and she melts, like the Monsters you find in the True Lab. This is especially evident with Undyne the Undying, where she takes in everyone's DETERMINATION to try and stop Frisk from continuing their Genocide route. Afterwards, she slowly dies as the DETERMINATION begins to destroy her body.
Aww...
Earlier, all I could think about was asking a particular question: If someone made a pomified version of Undertale, whi would make a better Sans, Pinkie, or Vinyl? But now... All I can think of is how you depicted Toriel... and how it captures her personality perfectly. So thank you for that...
PS, I'd still like that question answered.
6748729
Pinkie easily.
Sans' shortcuts.
>Reading this story fills you with DETERMINATION.
6748732 I agree.
Soooooo... Um... What's Undertale? Is that how it is said?
it came close to giving me feels.
Guess Woona getting her first bits had her... Hopping with glee.
Now Woona gets the... Point of some of the puzzles.
I'm just wondering if I should continue doing this here as well, just to alleviate the too many feels or possible... Well, from what I understand it's mostly feels in this kind of game/story right? And people on your other story either asked if I was sans or like one said that he was my spirit animal or some sort.
6748356
For ordinary monsters, true.
But Toriel is a Boss Monster, and their souls remain for a time after their bodies are destroyed. Since it is DETERMINATION that allows for that, logically Boss Monsters can handle more Determination than ordinary monsters.
6748775 Ah, I forgot about that part. Silly me.
6748769
Please continue with the puns.
I can pretend Sans is reading the story.
I just have one complaint: The only time that it's referred to as Determination in full capital letters is when you're about to fight Asgore.
6748784 Alrighty then, I'll endeavor to do my best. Hope I just don't rattle anyone's bones doing this.
6748740 it's a game
get it, love it, don't kill anyone, repeat to satisfaction
6748508
OO! OO! yessss! not only would that be amazing, but it would give the story enough divergence to give more creative licence!
I just wrapped up my first pacifist run-
thank you for updating when you did, it really made me feel better :)
If Toriel still blocks the way out, is Woona even gonna be able to mentally handle that?
6748881 Oh. Ok. Um... I should go look this up. *looks up game* Oh wow.
...I wonder if Undying will ask Woona to join the guard. She has powerful magic and is clearly not a human...
...Also I just realized something. There are 6 elements of harmony... and six human souls... Coincidence? I think not, but we shall have to wait and see.
6749404
*insert a Pinkie Pie quote here*
If you guess the right quote, you will have uncovered the secret plot of this entire story. Have fun!
Hmm, methinks that Woona will be staying in the Ruins for a little while longer than usual. I look forward to it.
6749425 there's no way it would be the one I'm thinking of.
That'd be... quite a lot of things, actually.
6749558
PM me the one you're thinking of.
I'll tell you yes or no.
Wait, the whole reason Asgore collected human souls was to break the barrier. But he also declared war on the humans because of his son's death by their hands. Woona isn't a human, even if her soul is stronger than a human's... will Asgore still try to take her soul? And if he doesn't, is Woona's soul powerful enough to pass through the barrier without having to kill Asgore? These are questions that I am really anticipating seeing answered at the end of this story. I can't wait!!!!
6749425
Let me know if I guessed the quote.
"FOREVER!"
"And that's how Equestria was made!"
"No I'm not, I'm a chicken. BuKAWK!!!"
"Oatmeal? Are you CRAZY?!"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
6749599
One of those.
6749605
I actually guessed it?!?!?! Huh... I was just posting those for the lulz.
6748527
Nah, her DETERMINATION held her body together for a few moments longer during the Neutral run, as best as it could, until she dissolved.
But yeah, it was less an insinuation towards Undyne and more my proof that monsters can be determined too.
6749631 Monsters can be determined, but they cannot use DETERMINATION for very long without serious consequences. Yes, Undyne's will and DETERMINATION holds her body together as she dies during a Neutral playthrough and reforms herself into Undyne the Undying, but even if she killed Frisk, Undyne would probably still die, simply because Monsters cannot properly use DETERMINATION.
Aww, it's so adorable!
6749425
From Rainbow Rocks:
"She's gonna take the magic from HERE, and put it in THERE. There to HERE, HERE to THERE."
Did I get it?
6750918
Nope.
6750255
Given that we can't see the outcome if Geno Undyne lives, we can't say for sure.
6751815 Why not? The fact that Undyne last as long as she did is a testament to her willpower, but as a Monster, we can infer that at some point, she would be reduced to an amalgamation like the ones we see in Alphys' True Lab. You can see the beginning of this process when Undyne the Undying is killed. When she first take's Frisk's attack, she starts to fade away like normal, but then she absorbs DETERMINATION, something that gave her more power but is toxic. So we don't know how long, but Undyne would not be able to keep her form forever.
...did Woona just give Toriel DETERMINATION? Well guys, it looks like...
We're gonna have a bad time with this dirty mother melter. or monster melter. or brother killer. Not that one on second thought. Dirty hackers... maybe?
Nightmare Moon IS Wreck It Ralph's daughter.
...You know?
With how Undertale is like, I'm kind of wishing a bad version of Luna pops up from the other timeline.
Eh, that's what happens when you have radically different paths in a media, fanfictions feel incomplete without the other half.
6748431 what's your profile pic it's cool also Quack Quack!
6749605 it's the second quote isn't it?