//------------------------------// // Monster's Trash, Mare's Treasure // Story: The Moon in the Dark // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// Deep in the abyss, Woona heard a voice speaking to her. It was a voice she did not recognize, and yet somehow just the sound of the voice filled her heart with such strong emotions of affection, longing, and pain that she was nearly laid low by just the sound of the voice. "It sounds like it came from over here...Oh! You've fallen down haven't you...Are you okay? Here, get up...Chara, huh? That's a nice name. My name is..." The voice trailed off as Woona opened her eyes, finding herself in a small batch of golden flowers that must have cushioned her fall. Looking around, she found she was surrounded by water, and a large waterfall covered the entirety of one wall. She started to step off the flowers, but hesitated. "...Chara?" she asked worriedly. It took some time for Chara to respond. Yes? "...I can't swim." Well, the water's not that- He paused, and chuckled. I forgot how tiny you are. Hmm...maybe you could put some magic on your hooves to walk on the water? "Hmm..." Focusing, Woona made the attempt, and discovered that it worked surprisingly well. Grinning, she walked on over the water, past large piles of junk. "What is this place?" It's the junkyard, Chara explained. It's where monsters throw everything they don't need anymore. As Woona passed by the garbage piles, she ignored a badly damaged bicycle, a cooler, and an empty DVD case. She paused at a dummy, however. Seems like a regular training dummy, Chara offered. ...do you want to beat it up? "Why would I do that?" Woona asked, confused. "Mama said dummies are for friend making!" With that said, she hefted the dummy in her magic. What are you doing? "Finding a dry spot so I can clean it up!" Woona replied firmly. "It's gotten kinda moldy in the water, and it's in such bad condition...I'ma fix it up for friend making!" ... Not far to the north, Woona found the dry spot she was looking for and began her work. Pulling out her art supplies, she fished out her needles, thread, scissors, and fabric. First she cut off the portions of the dummy that had become moldy, replacing them with new fabric, trying to match the original color as close as possible. Then she started on the rips and tears in the fabric, sewing them closed. She paused at the last one. "You're a bit understuffed..." she muttered. "Hmm..." Glancing around, she gathered a bunch of dirt and took a pinch of the dummy's stuffing. Using her magic, she converted the dirt into more stuffing before pushing it all in through the hole, sewing it closed. "There!" she said happily, setting the dummy upright. "Good as new!" In a flash of light, the fabric of the dummy's body took on more lifelike qualities, and the face changed. Eyelids closed over the eyes, and the stitched mouth shifted to smile. "I've never known such kindness..." he murmured. "Everyone else who passed by me just ignored me or beat me up...I was so angry, certain you'd be the same. But...you fixed me..." Noticing Woona's nervousness, he continued quickly. "I'm a ghost possessing this dummy. But, because of your kindness, my rage was washed away, replaced by joy and gratitude...and because of that, I was able to fully merge with this dummy. My lifelong dream...I'm fully corporeal now!" Woona grinned widely. "Happy to help!" Woona offered happily, hugging the Glad Dummy. "Always nice making a new friend!" "And I want to help my new friend!" the Glad Dummy offered eagerly. "Hmm...oh! Did you know Napstablook lives to the north of here? He runs a snail farm! And Old Man Gerson has a shop not far from there. And if you're carrying too much stuff, Temmie Village is south of the field of light mushrooms! You'll have to backtrack after lighting all the mushrooms to find it, but the Temmies will buy anything, so you don't have to throw anything away!" Woona smiled widely. "Thanks!" she proclaimed eagerly. As she turned to go, she paused. "...what do the Temmies do with everything they buy?" she asked curiously. "No one knows," Glad Dummy replied. "Maybe you could ask them!" "I'll do that!" Woona agreed happily. "Bye bye!" With a wide smile, Woona headed north to meet up with Napstablook. "Wait!" the Glad Dummy called out. "Be careful if you head northwest. That's where Undyne lives!" Woona swallowed convulsively. "T-thanks for the warning!" she called back. Entering the blue ghost shaped house, she found that it was...rather dilapidated. The wood of the floor and walls seemed to be on the verge of falling apart, the refrigerator and television showed signs of being salvaged from the junkyard, and the computer looked barely functional. The only other things visible were three DVD cases and an empty cobweb. Napstablook turned away from the computer, removing his headphones as he caught sight of Woona. "Oh...Woona..." His voice had the faintest glimmer of joy as he saw her, but it was all but overwhelmed by his normal moroseness. "I...wasn't expecting company-" Woona lunged forward, surrounding Napstablook with a magic field she could grip so she could hug him. "That's a pony hug!" she proclaimed happily. Napstablook managed a small smile. "I'm...afraid I don't have much to offer in the way of refreshment...all I have is ghost food..." Woona tilted her head in confusion. "Ghost food? How do you get ghost food?" "From heartburn," Napstablook replied. He then tilted sideways in confusion. "...why are you laughing?" Woona paused in her laughter. "Wait...you're serious?" When Napstablook nodded, she started laughing even harder, pounding her hooves on the floor. Napstablook stared at her, unsure what to do. Having no other ideas on things he could offer, he turned to the DVD cases. "Would you like to listen to some of my music?" Woona leapt to her hooves. "You make music? Lemme hear, lemme hear!" Napstablook managed another smile. "Pick a track you'd like to listen to." Woona looked through the tunes, and eventually selected Spookwave. "Oh...really relaxing." "...sometimes, after a great meal, I like to lay on the floor and feel like garbage," Napstablook offered. "It's...a family tradition. Would you like to...join me?" Smiling, Woona flopped to the floor in response. Napstablook lay down beside her. As she lay there, the music playing around them, the world seemed to fade away, and the whole universe flowed by around them. As the zen lulled her towards slumber, the knowledge that she'd brightened Napstablook's day filled her with DETERMINATION.