We appear in this world that was certainly not UnderSwap. Monsters were flying everywhere with majestic wings. Ink looks around. He tells us that we're most likely in BirdTale. Sure enough, BirdTale Sans soon swoops down and hugs each of us after greeting Ink and getting to know the situation. We chat for a bit. Ink asks if he had seen Blue or Swap!Pap, which he denies. Then there were screams.
"Ugh, not again. I'll tell you if I see them as I do, okay Ink? I gotta go."He says
"What were those screams about?"Ink asks
"There's some new dude that came. People just won't leave the dude alone and let's just say he isn't in a good mood. Plus people are getting frightened by his different wings. They look like bat instead of bird. I gotta go. Cya!"He replies
He then takes to the sky. We look at each other and nod. We know what to do. Find Blue and Swap!Pap. We decide to split up for more ground coverage, since none of us can fly. We were deciding on who goes with who when Ink pulls me close.
"Word of advice from experience. Don't let Dream know of your ears or feelings for Palette. He'll just use it for his entertainment. So just be careful with whoever you go with."Ink whispers
I had completely forgotten about the ears. I slowly nod and thank him for the advice. I feel a hand grasp mine. I look over my shoulder to see Palette holding it. My face warms. My ears twitch under the hood. I look at Ink. He smiles.
"It seems he's already chosen his partner." Ink says
I pull my hood lower. I nod. Palette pulls me to him now and proudly holds me close to him. I see his smile as well as Ink and Cross. I gaze up at him and step back, but he pulls me closer. He looks at me with a side glance and grin. I have to keep my mouth shut tight, don't wanna do or say something stupid.
"Gothy and I will check this world's Snowdin, probably the Grillby's or Muffet's or whatever. Swap!Pap usually goes there and wherever he is, Blue is surely nearby. You three search wherever else."Palette says
The three nod. They run off. Once they leave our sights, Palette leads me through the forest. He swings our arms back and forth happily as he does so, his grip firm on mine. We reach the Snowdin area and find the Grillby's. Palette takes me inside without a second thought. Few were inside, but something quickly catches my attention. I look at Palette to see if he noticed, which he had. There, at the bar counter, was Swap!Pap sitting and sipping from a honey bottle. Right beside him was a figure, sitting and drinking ketchup. They look like who BirdTale Sans was talking about. This figure was shorter than Swap!Sans, but not by much;had big bat-like wings and wore dark clothing. They had their hood up to hide their face, but two horns tearing through the top. As well as a small skinny and long tail with a point at its tip swaying. They sure did look intimidating. I wasn't sure of what to do. But Palette, he on the other hand, did. He brings me to the counter and he sits beside Swap!Pap with me beside him. Grillby comes over and Palette whispers something to him and Grillby nods, going to a backroom that I didn't know existed. I was still wrapping my head around the fact that Swap!Pap may have survived and is right here, even after the attack shot at him before we got split up. Surprisingly, the figure engages in a chat with Swap!Pap.
"I'm surprised you haven't ran or flown away yet from me. Everyone else has just at me saying hi or being around them in this place, or anywhere really."The figure asks
I quickly got the tone of voice they used was not menacing. They sound upset, hurt, or down in the dumps more than anything.
"Ya well, after some things I've seen, it takes more than just some appearance to scare me off. Besides, ya remind me of someone. And I don't have wings in case ya haven't noticed, so I cannot fly, silly."Swap!Pap replies
"Is that so? Huh. Interesting. Thank you. It's nice to have someone around and I guess I remind you of someone nice since you're staying..What even brings you here?"The figure says
"I'm looking for my bro and his friends. Stuff's been happening and it's a long story. I was sent here after a chain of those events and am worried about him. He went through a rough time and I don't think him knowing that I got hurt would help him. I just hope he's ok...."Swap!Pap explains, gripping his chest, where bandages lay
"I bet your bro is pretty cool. Any brother is. And I'm sure he is just fine. If the events are as serious as they sound, and he's made it up to this point alright, then I'm sure even now that he is okay."The figure states
"So, what brings you here?"Swap!Pap asks
"Eh, just wandering on a search. I'm looking for my friends, especially one. They've been through a lot and I just hope they're all okay. But if anyone dared hurt any of them, it'll be the last thing they do."They respond
"Mhm...You're name wouldn't happen to be Dust, would it?"Swap!Pap asks
The figure stiffens.
"How'd you know or guess that?"They ask
"Too many coincidences. Plus, maybe if you lower your hood, you'll see who you're talking to. Heh, you reminded me of yourself."Swap!Pap says
I connect the dots and info. I smile at the realization Swap!Pap was right. Too coincidental. Dust lowers his hood and looks at Swap!Pap. His jaw dropped.
"Swap!Pap? How are you here? Blue's magic shot you!"Dust asks
"Ya but he didn't want to hurt me, so the attack didn't hurt but sent me here. Heh, nice to hear that I'm not the only one worried about the others or my bro. Do you have any idea of where they could be?"Swap!Pap asks
"Hiya Dust! Hiya Swap!Pap!"Palette cheers
Both of them turn and look at us. Grillby returns and places a cup of milk with two straws in front of us. Then a map beside it. Palette hands Grillby 10G. I was quite confused. Palette nudges the cup between us. That's when I realize what he did. I feel my face warm. Dust gives a slight smirk. Palette smiles and takes a small sip.
"How long have you been here? How are you here?"Swap!Pap asks
"Your entire conversation. We, as well as Ink, Dream and Cross, came here when Dream sensed positivity to find you and Blue. Dream has no clue you're here, Dust!"Palette explains, then slides the milk over to me subtly.
"Wait, Blue could be alive? After all that power or magic used? Cool! I guess he's stronger than people make it seem! Hah, take that, Epic!"Dust says
"Wait, people were calling my brother weak?"Swap!Pap asks, his tone more hostile as he looks back at Dust
"Yep. One being Epic Sans. He was calling all the Star Sanses weak and dumb and stuff."Dust replies
"He's gonna have a bad time when I find him!"Swap!Pap claims
In order not to make the 10G a waste or hurt Palette's feelings, I take a sip. Sure, I do have feelings for him, but how am I supposed to explain that to him? In a situation like this? Oh hey, Palette! So, I know that we are in a dangerous situation and trying to save our friends as well as the multiverse from hardly known enemies, but I just wanna say I like you! And that I've been pretending to see you as a best friend for a while now! Like how stupid would that sound? Very!
"Alright. Hey, Goth and Palette, have you broken the news to each other now or what?"Dust asks
"What news?"Palette and Swap!Pap ask
I remain silent, sipping the milk to stall.
"That you like each other." Dust says with a smirk
Palette's face lit up in blush. Swap!Pap gives a sly grin.
"That is none of your concern, Dust! We are currently best friends!"Palette replies
"Currently. Key word."Swap!Pap states
"Swap!Pap, come on!"Palette snaps
"5G Goth confesses first."Swap!Pap chuckles
"Oh you're on. But I don't see that happening. 7G If palette does."Dust bets
Palette was clearly embarrassed and annoyed. But then he gets a call. He answers and listens, then hangs up. He gets up from his seat and grabs me. I grab the cup and walk beside him as he pulls me towards the exit.
"And where are you going?"Dust asks
"Off to tell Blue what you did. I'm sure there's a code that he will use on both of you."Palette replies
"What?!? No! Wait up!"Dust and Swap!Pap yell
Palette then teleported us before they could reach us. I smile at him and he leads us to waterfall. He and I sip the milk, no longer caring of doing it together. We soon see Blue up ahead. I see Dream and Cross beside him with Ink. Palette runs over and tattles on Dust and Swap!Pap to Blue, while I go and check on Ink, the cup of milk now empty. He was doing okay, happier now that he's reunited with his friends. I notice Blue had wings now, making him fit in with the AU. We chat, but go silent when we hear footsteps. I look over my shoulder and see Dust approaching, his face still hidden by the hood. Ink, Cross and Dream get protective quickly, not knowing it was him. Palette and I smile, knowing it was him. Swap!Pap appears in front of us, having teleported.
"Brother! You're okay!"Swap!Pap exclaims
"Papy! You're alive! I'm so glad! I was so worried!"Blue cheers, hugging him
"Heh, you couldn't have hurt me. If you're strong enough to survive what happened, and you didn't mean to hurt me, than you're strong enough to have not hurt me. Besides, it's my fault for not working to increase my hp."Swap!Pap assures him
"About time you admit it!"Blue says
"Yep. But there's someone else that has been worried about you. Come on over, bud."Swap!Pap says
Dust comes closer to us. Dream blindly summons his bow and arrows. Cross summons his knife. Ink watches curiously. Palette and I block the two off.
"Relax! Don't attack! It's-"Palette orders
"Let us by! Swap!Pap is crazy!"Cross interrupted
"Says the one with a child speaking to them in their head. I would never put my brother in danger."Swap!Pap snaps
"B-Blue? It's you?"Dust asks
"Yes, that's me. How do you kno-Wait.....Dusty!"Blue replies, a big smile coming across his face
Blue now leaps at Dust, hugging him. Blue's face ignites in a bright glow, and I could see Dust's face under his hood does the same. Dust's eye-lights shrink.His hood falls.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Dust! I was so worried! You and I both know that your lil reputation puts you in a bad spot! I thought you were attacked, hurt...or...or...."Blue says
"Me? I thought you were dead! I was worried about you!"Dust states
"I can understand why, but you also know me. I'm not as weak as Epic believes. None of us are so easy to take down, right?"Blue states
"Right."Everyone says
I nod and Dust does too.
"Now, Papy, Dust, I've heard of what ya did. It's not nice to bet on others. Dust, you didn't like being betted on, so don't do it to others. Besides, I think we know how it will go telling by how certain best friends we know become."Blue says
"Ok."Swap!Pap says
"True. Got it."Dust says
Neither Palette or I know what Blue was hinting to. We look at each other and shrug. We start planning. Where do we go? Who to find? What to do? Everyone was discussing it and Palette pulls me close to him, resting his arm around my shoulder and placing his hand on my head. I feel my face warm up and my ears press down under his hand on my hood. I feel my mouth open but I shut it tight, containing it. Oh why of all things was this a side effect? Then, there was a yell. A loud, echoing, recognizable yell. And that yell grows into two. Then three voices.
"BROTHER!"a voice yells
"PALETTE! GOTH!"a second yells
"FriEnDs!"a third yells
We look to see Ink!Pap, Sprinkle and E!Pap running over from the opposite way Dust came. Ink!Pap runs and hugs Ink. Sprinkle hugs Palette and I. E!Pap hugs Cross, Blue,Dust, Dream and Swap!Pap. They all were cheering, happy to find us safe and uninjured. Ink!Pap then made the realization that there may be two Inks and one must be a fake. He pop-quizzes Ink and he passes. Ink!Pap then looks around, his eyes narrowing. He tucks Ink behind him.
"Error! Get over here with Ink!"Ink!Pap says
"OkAy, CoMiNg!"Error says
Error comes over. The fake was nowhere in sight. But a few strings trailed behind him. Ink peeks out from behind his brother. I could tell Error saw him and the guilt come across his face. Error looks at me and his expression only got even more grim and guilty. He looks at Ink!Pap.
"Where's he?"Ink!Pap asks
"CoMiNg. I wAnTeD tO kEep mY diStaNCe wiTh tHe cUrrENt siTuAtIoN."Error replies
Error's strings soon come. There was the fake, getting dragged along the ground.
"Okay, destroy it. Do your reputation."Ink!Pap says
Error looks at him in surprise. He then catches onto the fact that he knows it's a fake as well. He then swung his strings, whacking the fake between two trees. Little gears and wires come flying out of the fake and sparks fly. Then, by the time Error was done, he lays the fake down. The disguise fades to show a compete robotic skeleton with a projector for an eye, most likely to project the disguise. This robot was in ruins and couldn't function anymore. I could see a smile come to Error's face. Small, but still a smile.
"Good, now, talk with my real brother. You surely have missed him. The real him, I mean. Not that robot that pretended to be him and insult you."Ink!Pap says
Ink!Pap does not wait for a response. He walks away, leaving Ink in plain sight. Ink looks at Error, silent. He has a neutral expression on, his eye-lights indigo circles. Error slowly approaches him, nervously gripping his sleeves. I smile, maybe the relationship will be fixed. The mistake swept under the bridge.
"So, uH, InKy....I'm sOrRy aBoUt tHe cAlL. I wAsn'T sUrE oF tHe siTuATioN aNd wAs oFfEnDeD bY wHaT tHe fAkE sAiD. I rEaLlY sHoUlD tRy t0 cRoTcHeT aGaIn, gEt mY aNgEr oUt iN oThEr wAyS. C-Can y0u fOrGiVe mE?"Error asks
Ink was silent. One of his eye-lights becomes a green question mark. It's as if he was processing what Error just said. His eye-light then turns to a sun symbol. He smiles. I could see the relief on Error's face.
"It's okay. Now I know how you feel about fakes. Plus, now you know that if I insult you like that, it isn't me. You would've made your point to the fake if they were calling instead! I forgive you."Ink says, winking
Error smiles now. He hugs Ink. Ink smiles, though I could see he jolts in surprise. Error scoops Ink off his feet and he let out a yelp of shock. His face becomes a rainbow and Error chuckles, his face a bright yellow. E!Pap looks over and smiles.
"GoOd t0 sEe yOu bAcK tOgEThEr aGaiN."E!Pap says
"YeP! NoThInG cAn kEeP mE fRoM mY sHorTiE! GoT tHaT, InKy?"Error says
"Glitchy! Shut up! I'm not a shortie! And you know how I react to be called one! But I get it, Glitchy."Ink snaps
"AwW, tHaT's mY InKy alRigHt! CoMe oN, silLy. Y0u kNoW I liKe To tEaSe. N0w cOme aloNg. We nEeD soMe TimE toGeThEr iN a tiMe liKE tHis. The rEal uS."Error says
"What plans are going through that head of yours, Error?"Ink asks
"Oh noThInG...."Error replies innocently, sitting down with Ink in his lap
"Uh-huh, sure. Now what is that nothing?"Ink asks, doubting Error's answer
"WeLl, I'm gLaD you'Re oK. And I tHiNk iT's tiMe fOr tHe sHoRtiE tO gEt a gIfT."Error says
Error then kisses Ink's forehead with a smile.
Error smiles. Ink's eye-lights keeps changing and his face was a bright rainbow. Error rests his hand on Ink's cheek. He holds it there for a few moments. Then he parts from Ink and hugs him. Ink nudges him for using the s name again. I smile. I then switch my focus from them to me and my surroundings. I look at Palette and Sprinkle, who were chatting. I look around to see everyone talking, happy, everything seeming safe and good so far.
"So, how have things been going between you both?"Sprinkle asks
Palette quickly pulls me close to his side again. I jolt in surprise. He looks at me with a calming grin. I tug my hood lower to hide my face. I look at Sprinkle and could tell that he knew how I was feeling, while Palette was completely oblivious.
"We're doing good! Things seem good. We've had good luck in this bad situation like reuniting with all of you."Palette replies
"And you're relationship status being what?"Sprinkle asks
Palette shakes his head.
"How many times do I have to say this? We. Are. Best. Friends!"Palette replies
"Hey, PaLeTtE, rEmEmBeR wHeN yOu sAiD yoU wAnTeD tO sEe mE uSe mY pUpPEtS? WeLl hEre's sOmE fReShLy mAde oNes."Error says
"Since when did I say that..?...ERROR!"Palette exclaims
I glance over and see Ink beside Error now. Error has two puppets in front of him. I glance at the puppets and realize that they were of Palette and I. He had the puppets on the ground. Each was made with great detail. I look at Palette and his face was brightly lights up.
"Error, don't-!"Palette snaps
Error begins to move the strings. I watch the puppets begin to move. Palette covers my eyes before I could see what happened. I was completely confused. I was curious though. I could hear chuckles or oohs and aahs. I shift myself to try to get out of his hold or see. But he pulls me closer to him. His head rests on mine. I feel my face brighten.
"Palette, wha-"I begin, but he covers my mouth
I jolt, caught off guard. My face got even brighter. I feel my ears twitch. I open my mouth to speak, but a purr comes out instead. I feel my face explode. My ears twitch even more and quickly. I hope he was oblivious to it and does not hear me. I shut my eyes and try so hard to calm down. I open them and Palette looks at me, lowering his hands.
"Did you say something, Gothy?"He asks
"I was gonna but I forgot! Lost train of thought!"I lie
"Hey guys, we figured out a place to go so we're not out in the open."Dream says
"Okay!"Everyone says
We follow Dream and Cross through a portal Ink!Pap made. We went through into some living room with loads of rooms or stairs connected to it. They tell us the plan, which is to find Geno, Reaper, Science and Change, Epicis too troublesome. We get them back here and go from there. I nod, as does everyone else. Everyone begins to split up and settle in to this new "home". Palette grabs my hand and leads me to another room. He sits down on the couch and I sit beside him. He takes his scarf off and lays it beside him. He reaches over the couch and lays a blanket on both of us. He then lowers my hood and rests his head on mine.He wraps an arm around me under the blanket, holding me close to him.
"What are you doing?"I ask
"You need rest, I'm sure. It's been a long day or days and I doubt any of us have necessarily rested properly since this event started. So, I'm giving you a chance to rest. Shut your eyes, relax, rest. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."Palette tells me
"You sure?"I ask, feeling my face warm again
"Yep. I care about you and you know it. I want to keep you safe."Palette says
I look around. Nobody was in the room. We are alone. I should tell him. Now's a good time to do it, too. I shut my eyes. My ears lower and I could feel his head rest on my head still.
"Okay, b-but, Palette. I-MMPH!"I begin but he covers my mouth
"Sssh, Gothy, relax. Do not worry. It'll be okay. Now rest."He says
I sigh and nod. I close my eyes, dozing. I feel his hand lower from my mouth. I feel a hand touch my ears. I jump, but feel Palette pull me closer to him.
"WelL tHeSe aRe nEw."Error says
"Error! Leave him alone! He's trying to rest!"Palette snaps
"Error! You better not be bothering anyone!"Ink shouts from another room
"Aw, alriGhT. I'lL bE wiTh InKy. TelL mE iF aNytHinG hapPens."Error says
I feel the hand pat me ears. I keep my mouth shut, yet I feel myself shake as I hold back the urge. He knows. Error knows! Oh I'm so telling Ink when I rest enough! I feel the hand get whacked away from me. I smile. I hear footsteps fade away. I nuzzle my head against his head as thanks. But then, I made a wrong move. I sleepily purred. I feel Palette stiffen for a moment before relaxing again. He must be shocked. Yet, the misty, relaxing sense of sleep overcame me, plus I was too chicken to open my eyes and confront Palette about it. I doze off completely. It would be a while until I wake up and little did I know that I would wake up without my Palette beside me.