Reunited Respite
The path had gone dark.
Literally.
They'd entered an area of the caves where the only source of light was a blue-tinted bioluminescent moss under their feet that outlined numerous walkways. The light didn't seem to travel more than a couple inches, and the only way to see anything was to spot its silhouette when it blocked out the moss.
Penn had taken hold of her hand and was leading her through, not even hesitating as he twisted and turned. Some paths he would take, others he ignored as if they weren't even there. Thanks to him, they were able to keep up a pace just below a jog, even in the dark. She had no doubt that without his guidance, she could have been fumbling around in the pitch-black marsh for hours. He hadn't spoken a word since they'd entered the dark, but Sunset could feel a burning question rising up in her mind that she couldn't keep ignoring.
"How do you REMEMBER all of this?" she whispered.
"Saw it in a video game."
"Penn, I've played video games. That doesn't mean I have their maps committed to memory!"
"Well, it was a VERY impactful video game!" he fired back.
Sunset raised an eyebrow. It didn't do much good considering neither of them could see each other. "Penn... did you ever stop to consider you might have a eidetic memory?"
"A what-now?"
"You know, a photographic memory?" Sunset asked. "You can remember things with a lot of detail, even if you've only seen them once before? Every time we show up someplace, you can remember practically everything that exists about it! Song lyrics, lore, dialogue, characters' strengths and weaknesses... It's like you just read it yesterday!"
To her surprise, Penn chuckled dismissively. "I'm just a huge nerd, Sunset. I forget birthdays, doctor's appointments, test answers... anything that had any real-life relevance up until you broke the multiverse."
"But you-"
"Sunset, THIS is where I came to get away from how much life could hurt sometimes. I had a phantom tollbooth in my head that I could drive away through into the world of fiction." He sighed wistfully and Sunset felt him come to a stop. A yank on her arm pulled her in close, and she found herself wrapped in that all-encompassing hug. "If I'm honest with you, then yes, my memory's been oddly sharp ever since I met you..." he whispered straight into her ear, as if he were telling some dark secret. "But I'm not superhuman, Sunset. I'm just some guy who spent most of his life knowing he'd be happier in worlds that don't exist. So that's where I spent as much of my time as I could. That's all."
And just like that, Sunset was once again exposed to the damp, chilly air as she was dragged by the hand.
"I guess me breaking all of space and time was the best thing to ever happen to you, huh?" she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yup. The day I met you was probably the best day of my life."
"Penn... the day you met me, you were nearly killed by a dalek, chased down by a giant truck and almost robbed, then whisked away in a government vehicle in the middle of the night."
"I know what I said."
Sunset narrowed her eyes, trying to get a clear look at his face to tell whether or not he was joking.
A few minutes later, they had emerged into another long tunnel, this one lit properly by glowing gems in the ceiling and tall blue flowers. The two of them stopped for a second to take in the almost-ethereal sight, each one still breathing heavily from their furious pace.
"It's beautiful..." Sunset whispered.
"You're definitely not wrong about that..." Penn replied. After a few seconds of silence, Sunset realized that the pressure on her hand still hadn't relented. Penn seemed to notice at the same time, surreptitiously letting go of her hand far too late for it to seem normal. He cleared his throat nervously, "But we can sightsee later."
"Right! Sorry," The two of them looked at once another, nodded, and settled back into a jog down the long hall. As they progressed, Sunset heard what seemed to be the first sounds of life since they'd entered the caves beneath the mountain: clashing metal and angry, gravely roaring.
It was the sounds of a fight.
Penn rounded the corner, and she followed, her hand already on her lightsaber. Her eyes flew wide when she realized that Penn had come to a complete stop. She dug her heels in against the stone floor, nearly throwing herself to the ground with how forcefully she tried to avoid crashing into him.
Finally, she managed to come to a stop and regain her balance. "Penn, why did you... stop?"
They were standing in a wide chamber, a cavern that extended much farther than the light. In front of them was a deep cliff, crossed only by a narrow rope bridge. Across the gap, Sunset could see the battle they had been hearing: a large, armored individual clashing with a human child wielding a kitchen knife, but that wasn't what her focus immediately fell upon.
Her focus was on the tiny figure laying on the ground, dressed in a delicate black dress and a blue hoodie, her back torn open by a gruesome slash wound that was still bleeding... and the severed wing sitting several feet to the side on the ground.
The knife in the human's hand was dripping with blood as they swung it back and forth at their opponent.
Sunset knew that she tended to have issues with her temper. She'd been working on it for a LONG time, but this was no time to be calm. In this moment, Sunset Shimmer's entire body was boiling with wrath.
She wasn't even aware of what she was doing until she had already done it, brief flashes of coherency in a sea of raw emotion. She knew that she ran across the bridge without an ounce of hesitation. She heard the hum of her saber switching on and saw the crimson light standing out in the sea of blues they'd been traveling through up until now. She heard someone's voice screaming in rage, and the scratchy pain in her throat told her that it was her own.
"HOW-"
She was practically on top of the human, now. She was slashing wildly with her saber, with no thought for form or technique. She didn't even think about who or what she was attacking.
"DARE-"
The only thing she could see consciously was the blood on the knife. Missy's blood. She didn't even spare a thought to the creature in the armor that had stepped back when she attacked.
"YOU?"
Somehow, even in this flurry of strikes, the human was staying one step ahead of her. Their expression never changed. Their grip on their weapon never wavered. It was like they knew every one of her attacks before she made them, a preternatural knowledge of what was about to happen.
"HOW DARE YOU? HOW DARE YOU HURT MISSY?"
The child lunged in close, ducking under her saber between swings. Sunset didn't even have time to realize what was happening before she saw the gleam of the saber's light off of the bloody surface of their knife.
Fear cut through the haze as time seemed to slow down, letting one coherent thought pass through Sunset's brain.
They're too close, they can hit me!
CLANG!
The sound of metal-on-metal rang through the air, and Sunset's jaw dropped as she realized the armored individual had thrown themselves between her and the knife. A series of glowing blue projectiles rained down, forcing the child back as another attack seemed to lock them in place with a green glow.
The creature was somewhere between a human and a fish, with scaly blue skin and red fins on the side of her head. Somehow, what looked like a simple kitchen knife had managed to put a deep gash into the armor, and Sunset could see that she was bleeding inside, though it wasn't possible to tell how deep the wound went. When she opened her mouth to speak, Sunset could see fearsome fangs lining the inside of her mouth.
"Who the HELL are you?"
Before Sunset could reciprocate the question, she could feel a hand tugging at the bottom of her shirt. She had landed on the ground right beside Missy, and the little spirit had crawled up onto her lap, laying her head across Sunset's legs.
"S-Sunny..."
Sunset scooped both of her arms under Missy, gently lifting her up off the ground. Missy's frail form felt even lighter than usual, as though she were made of tissue paper. Even by her usually pasty standards, she was as pale as a sheet and shaking softly in her arms. Sunset's eyes began to burn as tears were instantly flowing freely. "Missy... Missy, I'm so sorry..." she whispered, leaning down to press their foreheads together.
"S-Sunset... I- I knew..."
"Shh... save your strength." Sunset shook her head. "We're here, now. Everything's going to be okay..."
Missy nodded, closing her eyes with a satisfied smile on her face. "D-don't l-leave me... kay?"
Sunset nodded, cringing as she realized her tears were dripping on her dress. "I promise. I promise I'm not gonna leave you!"
The monster observed the tender moment with a skeptical look before sighing and rubbing at her head. "Look, I don't want to trust a human, but if you're with the angel then I'll have to make an exception..." She pointed on down the next tunnel. "If you go straight that way, you're going to find the Royal Scientist's lab. She should be able to help, she's pretty smart and stuff." Her body shuddered and she hacked, sending a spray of blood scattering across the floor. In spite of her injury, she smiled. "I'll stay here and show this human what us monsters are made of!"
Sunset's eyes widened. "But you're hurt!"
"HA! This? This is nothing!" She grinned a toothy grin as another one of those magical blue spears appeared in her hand. "Now get out of here!"
"And don't forget this..." Penn appeared from behind her, gently cradling Missy's missing wing in his hands. Sunset could see his hands trembling as he placed it across her chest. Is he scared? she wondered as she looked up to him.
His face was an absolute glower, one that sent chills through her soul. He was the picture of restrained animosity, just like he had been when he challenged Joshua to that shadow game what felt like an eternity ago. For a second, he seemed to notice her reaction, looking to the side before turning his back to her.
"Go. This kid's not getting by us... right, Undyne?"
"Hell yeah, uh... whoever you are!" the monster grinned practically from ear to ear as she tightened her grip on the spear. Behind her, Sunset could see the green aura around the human flickering, a sign that the spell holding them in place was about to wear off.
Sunset wanted to argue and insist that he come along, but... she knew that look. She'd probably had the same look in her eyes just a few moments prior, by her reckoning. There was no way she could talk him down from this kind of anger.
"Just... stay safe, okay?" she whispered, gripping Missy tighter as she pushed herself up onto her feet. She adjusted her grip, holding Missy with one arm and reaching to her belt with the other. She unclipped her saber, pressing it into his hand. "Here. I'm sure you'll get it back to me when this is all over..."
"GO, Sunset!" Penn growled. His hand wrapped around the handle of her saber, accepting the temporary loan of her good luck charm.
Sunset nodded, keeping Missy pressed tight against her chest as she sprinted away. I'll be back soon, Penn...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Never thought I'd wind up fighting side by side with a human..." Undyne muttered. There were SEVERAL questions she wanted to ask, but all of them were going to have to wait. Stopping the child was the priority.
She still couldn't believe she was saying that. Stopping the child was her big mission that all of the underground was relying on. It wasn't even some great warrior, or a crazed villain with years of experience. A CHILD had done all of this, had nearly wiped out every monster in the underground. A child had nearly wiped her out in one hit, even through her armor. She was already on her last legs, even if she could still talk big.
"Yeah, well, this kid hurt my friend, so they've got to pay..." he replied, his neck making several popping sounds as he tilted his head to the side. "Friends call me 'Penn,' by the way."
"We're NOT friends." Undyne narrowed her eye. "Just because we both hate this kid doesn't mean we're all buddy-buddy."
"Whatever. Catch your breath, I'm gonna take this round. I'll let you know when I'm ready to tag out."
Undyne smirked a little in spite of her injury. She wasn't sure if he knew how much pain she was in, but she couldn't have gotten up to fight if she wanted to. She didn't even know why she'd stepped in to save that red-haired human other than that they seemed to have a common enemy. It had just been instinct, something deep in her gut that needed to protect people. "Fine. I could use something fun to watch after how today's gone, anyway."
The human seemed somewhat more hesitant when faced with another one of their own kind advancing on them. Out of curiosity, she decided to CHECK him.
"Penn"LV: 18AT: 25 EXP: 5000DF: 75 NEXT: 2000
WEAPON: Lightsaber (Red)ARMOR: None
GOLD: 0
One human. Twice the trouble you'd REASONably expect.
His defense is three times higher than his attack with no armor? What kind of human IS this?
The child lunged forward, brandishing their knife. Penn didn't hesitate, raising both of his arms. One knocked away the child's knife-bearing hand, the other made a strike to their chest, knocking them back.
"You picked the WRONG monster to try and kill today..." he muttered. "So, Frisk, why don't we find out what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?"
Undyne hated to admit it, but if he was going to throw around lines like that, he was going to start growing on her quickly. For now, she would have to resign herself to watching as she tried to catch her breath. One hand slipped into a hidden pocket in her armor where she kept her emergency rations just for a situation like this. She ate more than half of the first "Legendary Hero" sandwich in one bite as she watched the two humans stalk around each other, each one assessing the other's skills.
This certainly wasn't the turn of events she had been expecting, but monsterkind needed all the help they could get. Maybe having two humans on THEIR side was just what they needed.
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Thing is, Penn isn't a monster, he isn't made of Magic and the Protag is just a small child with a knife.
10324972
A small child with a knife and infinite attempts to beat him.
10324981
true, after every defeat a mere reset and back again to the genociding
I read part of The Phantom Tollbooth when I was a kid.
Finally they found Missy! And Sunset's on her way with her to Dr. Alphys. All while Penn takes on Frisk with her lightsaber. Penn vs. Frisk, who will win? Only way to find out is in the next update which I very much look forward to. Keep up the good work.
10324981
Does the Fallen Child have more Determination than Penn? Again, both are human and Penn is very stubborn.
Fluttershy would be proud of you, Sunset.
10324981
"Frisk, I'm coming to bargain."
Looks like frisk is gonna have a real bad time.
10140618
Any chance we might be able to see it?
10257521
What do you mean “rescued”?
10325301
It would be the other way around since Frisk is the one who can die infinitely.
10331152
Right now, no. The planning doc has a number of spoilers I'd like to keep among only a few trusted individuals. It IS included in the WIPs folder available to my patrons, but I don't actually have any patreon supporters at the moment.
10257521
Well, maybe less "rescued" and more "picked up from the alternate dimension she's in presently."
10331195
I was just curious as to what other media you are including
10331199
Well, I might release a heavily edited-down version for those who are curious, but I worry it might take some of the mystery out of it.
10331205
I and maybe some others don’t mind spoilers at all. I mean, I read the plots of movies I am interested in even if I haven’t seen them.
10331154
But he cannot advance until Penn (and Undine) are defeated. I suspect Penn is going to do what he does best in duels: creating a near unbeatable defense and letting Frisk break him(her?)self against it.
Since Frisk is the one who has to replay the battle over and over again, is an exercise in frustration.
10331209
Well, for the moment it's going to be staying in the WIPs folder, I'm afraid. Patrons and pre-readers only.
10331198
Or perhaps both.
10331218
Unfortunately, Frisk has infinite attempts, possibly leading to them finding a weak point in the defense. Remember Sans. Frisk can overcome any obstacle if they have enough DETERMINATION