Twice Fallen [Undertale]

Chapter 5 part 2

Fray felt their soul being... tugged towards Papyrus, somehow. Like, they can't escape the battle. Is it because my soul is blue? thought Fray. No, they had sensed this sensation before. But when and where? Ah, yes. Right before they choked Toriel. She had wanted to claim their heart too.

"It's a Boss Battle," chuckled Chara. "You can't run away from one of these."

Fray wanted to retort something in a sarcastic manner but they turned their attention back to the smiley, joyful idiot of a skeleton.

Papyrus grinned and lifted his arm. A dozen bones shot out from the ground and above. Fray dodged any of them when they could but a blue bone, which Fray was sure wasn't even there before, swept their feet from underneath and Fray lost balance for a moment. And they felt their health go down.

Don't move when touching a blue bone, thought the two souls in Fray's body at the same time. Okay, it won't happen again, added Fray.

Fray dodged all other bones and stayed still when going through a blue one. They're making their way towards Papyrus pretty quickly and Fray felt giddy. Skele-dummy was just a few steps away now.

When close enough, Fray lifted their knife, the silver blade gleaming. They aimed for his neck and-

-RESTART-

Frisk's POV

Not again. These monsters are getting tougher and tougher.

And I knew I should have gotten more Junk Food. Those run out fast.

I wonder where Fray is right now. Probably torturing our neighbours for info of my whereabouts. Nah, Fray would never do that. They don't even like touching people, that introvert.

I want to take something from this place and give it to Fray as a peace offering once I get home. Maybe one of those glowey flowers, whatever they're called. Fray's face isn't going to be pretty, surely. Unless they get pretty mad with me, haha.

Great, now Sans is getting to me.

-RESTART-

Fray let out a scream of pure frustration and punched the innocent snow under their fists.

"You'll damage your vocal chords, kid." taunted Chara's sing-song voice. "How will we give a war cry with a raspy voice? Surely, I'll be embarrassed."

"Shut up," Fray muttered. They finally stood up and ran through the entire wretched town of Snowdin once again. After saving Frisk's butt, I'm gonna be back with a tank of gasoline and set fire to this whole place. I don't care if it's freaking Christmas Town, Fray fantasized.

They finally got to the place where they had fought Papyrus.

"Get out here, you smiling idiot! Show me your damn face so I can cut that smile off of you!" Fray shouted out into the snowy darkness. They were pretty sure Chara snorted.

"HUMAN! ...OR WHATEVER YOU ARE!" a loud voice shouted back. "'TIS I, THE GREA-"

Fray rushed Papyrus but the skeleton had quick reflexes. Before moving more than 10 feet, Fray felt their soul being claimed.

"NOW, UH, HUMAN," Papyrus's voice took on a more calming tone now. "SURRENDER YOURSEL-"

"No, I won't!" Fray interrupted. As expected, the same bones sprouted out and into existence. Fray quickly found back the pattern and weaved in and out with ease.

"WHA-? NO! STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Papyrus was getting frustrated.

"Hell no," Fray was closing onto him once again. I can't lose him this time. Fray whipped out their trusty blade. With a scared expression, Papyrus gave out one last thrust of his arm and a giant blue bone rose between them, bigger than the rest.

"Dang it," Fray muttered.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS," Such a narcissist, thought Fray. "AM GIVING YOU ONE LAST CHANCE TO SURRENDER HUMAN."

Fray did the first thing they thought of and tried to swiftly move around the blue bone. The bone itself moved to block their way. Grumbling, Fray tried the other way and, as expected, the bone moved too. Fray tried several other times but gave up as they realize the bone was like their reflection. You can't out-move your own reflection.

Papyrus's face morphed into a pitying expression. "PERHAPS SURRENDER IS THE BEST WAY OUT, HUMAN." He still sounded uncertain whether Fray should be called a human. "BUT DO NOT WORRY! UNDYNE WILL FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE TO TAKE CARE OF YOU! JUST COME ALONG, HUMAN, AND NO ONE NEEDS TO GET HURT."

He said that last part without threat. He wasn't going to hurt Fray, and both Fray and Chara knew that. What a wuss, one of them thought, unsure which of them and neither cared.

"How good is your acting?" Chara's voice sounded loud and clear in Fray's mind. Fray was confused. Chara sighed, "Never mind."

Fray felt their body being taken over by Chara. Their face contorted into a sweet angelic smile. "Okay, O' Great Papyrus. I will willingly follow you to this honourable Undyne. You may remove this bone now."

"EXCELLENT!" relief flushed over the skeleton's face and his smile was brighter than ever. The bone disappeared. But my soul's still claimed, thought Fray. He's taking precautions.

"RIGHT! LET'S GO, HUMAN!" Papyrus turned to walked ahead of them. Chara followed, placing themself right behind him.

Whipped out their knife.

And SLASH.

A crunching noise was heard as the blade tore through Papyrus's neck, hard enough to slit his neck under the scarf.

Everything was still for a moment.

Then Papyrus's head tilted slowly, and tumbled off his body and onto the soft snow, scarf falling after.

"HUMAN..." his severed head wheezed. "WHY? I... TRUSTED YOU..."

"Oh, I'm no human," Chara's voice was fierce and lively. "And call yourself severely boned!" They lifted the knife over his terrified face and drove the knife home, into his eye socket.

Papyrus gave a last raspy scream and faded into dust, leaving his bright red scarf behind.

Fray all this while was staring, stunned. Their body once again in their own control. "And that's," Chara concluded. "How you finish what is already dead."

Fray, feeling like the lesser of the two, murmured a "Um, nice pun?" Chara laughed.

"When you're fighting a naïve idiot, you must pretend to be a naïve idiot. Let's get going." Fray slowly stood up.

Was it wrong to slaughter these creatures? Sure, they must be a threat to all humans, if not, why were there so many rumours to prove that? Fray recalled the innocent smile of the skeleton. A while ago, he seemed just like another monster, all sugar and sweet before they attack you. But didn't he have a right to attack? This was their home after all. Fray wasn't sure of their intentions anymore.

Empathy was getting to them.

"Tut tut, let's go," Chara urged. Fray advanced forward, still thinking of that. But they quickly let it go. These are monsters we're talking about, Fray reminded themself. If they're so nice, they would just stop and help me, like humans do, wouldn't they? Fray didn't know. They don't even know if a human normally does that.

They walked into a labyrinth and braced themselves for a new world.

"Question," Chara said. "What jokes do skeletons make?"

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Skele-puns!" Chara laughed at her own joke maniacally.

Fray wished they could stab themself in the head without doing severe brain damage.

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