Book 1: The First Fallen Human

Dancing with Death

The skeleton spun as he avoided the human's knife slashes. His eye was lit up blue. He spun and snapped his fingers, bones shooting towards his attacker. He wasn't a fan of this dance. He never had been. Judgement Hall was spinning, the pedestals on the floor spinning and shrinking. In other AU's, the Judgement Hall wasn't some decked out dance floor. But then again... The skeleton smirked as he flew around. Other AU's weren't Dancetale. 

Dance focused on his attacker. His sneakers scuffed the floor and his hoodie tassels spun with him. The human glared at him. They were delicate-looking. Dressed for ballet. But, one thing was for sure. Ballet and hip-hop did not mix well. At least... not for Dance. The music that blasted through the speakers on the wall had to change from pounding, beat-bopping music, to soft, gentle classical music. 

This stage, was called the Ring. It was where he and the human faced off every Genocide Route. It was honestly his best show. He focused and dodged as the human attacked once again. The Ring itself was a giant circle, filled with rising and sinking columns. Dance blinked and tipped his head. It was his turn again.

Before he could enter, he heard the music suddenly fizzle and the lights flickered. Both him and the human stopped. The music made multiple garbling noises before it seemed to take on a sort of dripping noise. As it played, a soft tune began to play, like someone was playing a music box. He didn't recognize the tune. He blinked. The human seemed just as confused as they watched. Dance turned and saw someone rising in the center of the Ring. It was another human!! He tensed. This one was taller and older. He didn't recognize them and he couldn't pinpoint their style of dance, based on their clothes. They were a female.

They had pale, freckled skin and piercings on their ears. Rings shone on their fingers. They wore a leather coat over a black sweat shirt with a yellow-furred hoodie. A ribbon was tied uncomfortably tight around their neck, just behind a silvery-white scarf. They wore grey skinny jeans and black boots, a gold chain hanging off her belt. Her hair was long and grey, with orange tips. Their eyes were grey. Grey, glassy, and practically unseeing. Dance furrowed his brow. Who was this?? He blinked as she sighed and tipped her head back. He jumped as she shed her leather coat and her sleeves were rolled up, revealing thin scars and an intricate tattoo on her forearm. Her tattoo glowed red in time with the dripping. She lifted her head as there was a cracking noise added to the mix, like the music box was breaking.

All of a sudden, the lights turned dim. Dance watched in awe. The human seemed wide-eyed too. What was happening? The tattoo seemed to grow all along the new human's body, a vine curling on her cheek. Her eyes lit up green and she sighed, waving her hands outwards. The pedestal she was on, rose higher and higher as she held out her hands. A smoky, glowing red fog spread out from her, like a ripple on the surface of a lake. It swirled around her, taking on a water-like appearance. There were faint flashes of light from under the surface, swimming like fish. The music lost its music-box-like tune and fell silent with the sound of wind and rustling leaves. And that single dripping noise.

The music box suddenly kicked back in and the pedestal spun as the female turned in place, like a music box figurine. Then, came the cracking noises. On each one, she moved forward, jerkily. Cracks were stretching up her body as she tilted her head back, her frizzled hair smoothing out. She was moving down the rising pedestals. She opened her mouth as there was a sigh in the music. She opened her eyes as there was a period of silence, her eyes locked with Dance's. He froze. The eyes were dull and unseeing, like no one was really operating the body at all. Then, the next crack sounded as she dropped beneath the surface of the mist. Cracks of thunder joined the music box and the dripping sound. Each crack of thunder was accompanied by a flash of light under the fog's surface. The dripping noise sped up and suddenly it sounded like rain. Heavy rain.

The female rose back up out of the fog in the center, head still tipped back. She was pulling some of it up with her, it billowing back down her body. The fog rippled outwards. She seemed to be soaking wet. They all blinked as glowing vines seemed to rise to the surface of the fog, spiraling around her. They were connected to her. She raised one arm and the cracks and vines were climbing it. There was a cracking noise and a gray light was climbing her body, seeming to freezing her in place. It was like she was turning to stone. Even her clothes turned grey. 

 Finally, she froze as a statue. The music went silent again, before the music box started again. Her statue spun slowly in place. The cracks sounded again and there was a shattering noise as the grey broke off of her body. She spun on the pedestal in a delicate dance. The vines spun with her. She sank down under the surface before the pedestal lifted her, her arms spread. It dropped back down and there was a splash as it stopped just above the surface. The rain came to a halt and the dripping noise returned. The female stood straight up and bowed in the center. The pedestal began to sink as the music box slowed with a creak. Finally, as the fog swallowed her beneath it, the music box stopped and there was the dripping of water a few moments more before it stopped. It was quiet.

Dance was wide-eyed as he stared at where she'd disappeared. "Woah..." He whispered. The fog cleared and both of them were shocked to see that she was nowhere to be seen on the Ring. She'd disappeared. Dance was startled. He jumped as the human attacked him again, just barely managing to dodge it. Uneasy, he returned back to his battle with the human, who seemed unfazed by what had just happened. Finally, the human attacked and Dance just wasn't quick enough. 

He watched as the Ring stilled, it having had its last show. The music that always blasted from the speakers went silent. The human continued on without even looking back at him. Dance shook quietly and slid down against a pillar, his ribs screaming in pain. He tipped his head back, closing his eyes as he prepared to see his brother again. 

There were footsteps. He twitched and opened his eyes. He blinked. "It's you." He said softly, his voice already deteriorating. It was the female who'd danced in the Ring. She blinked at him with dead eyes, her leather coat back on her. These eyes weren't nearly as glassy as the ones he'd seen before. The female knelt down and inhaled shakily before speaking in a voice that sounded like Dance's. It sounded broken too. 

"What... do you mean?" 

He blinked. He looked down to see his fingertips already dusting. He gave a shaky smile. "Your dance was amazing..." He rasped out. The female blinked at him, face unchanging. His smile faltered as she spoke. 

"What dance...?" 

Dance couldn't tell if she was joking or not. But he could look at her and see that she wasn't exactly a joking type. She sat in front of him quietly. 

"I don't dance." 

She stated quietly. She blinked and slowly furrowed her brow, each muscle she used to do so twitching. It was like she wasn't used to pulling a facial expression. 

"I... don't remember..." 

Dance couldn't say anything. He watched helplessly as she stood. She still seemed confused before she sighed and her emotionless face took over once again. She pulled up her hood and stared down at him, her eyes oddly reflective. 

"Thank you for speaking with me." 

Dance nodded in quiet pain as he began to deteriorate into dust, watching the mysterious human leave. He closed his eyes. "I'm ready for that rematch, Papyrus..." He said, a slow grin crossing his face before his body collapsed into a pile of dust.