It's been another two years... Wingding, now sixteen years old, had advanced beyond his junior high and high school education. He had graduated early due to his excess study and high marks, and was now looking into college and career paths.
Pristina and Happi continued to hang out with me. I had gotten better at dancing, and I continued trying out many new songs on the piano, all different styles of music. Wingding had joined in the fun after learning the acoustic guitar as I had suggested, though of course, we kind of had to force him to.
As for just me myself... I was a little frustrated with my body. I wasn't growing too much, despite being fourteen, leveling out at about four-foot-ten. Wingding said I must have had a growth deficiency, and been born to be naturally short.
I hated being short, but there wasn't much I could be about it. I had to live off of magic food, which could provide nutrients to well, keep me alive and "grow", but not enough if I wasn't going to grow at a steady rate naturally.
Pristina enjoyed having a friend that was short like her, but I really grew to dislike being called short, so Wingding convinced her to stop referring to me as such. (Though, of course, Gaster was still growing, he was already pretty tall.)
There was still no update for Asgore's decree, whether or not I was the first soul. It was still all rumors.
Anyway, today was an interesting day for me. I'll let them tell you about it though...
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Gaster was visiting the snail farm again. He was speaking with Napstablook, when Hapstablook and Pristina arrived.
"Hey, Gaster," Pristina called out. "I thought I heard you over here."
"Pristina, Hapstablook, how are you?" Gaster replied. "I thought you would have gone to see Chara by now."
"Yeah, but we wanted to say hi."
"So, Gaster, there's something I was wondering about Chara," Hapstablook said.
"...What?" Gaster asked, confused. Couldn't she ask Chara herself?
"We were talking things we like and don't like, and Chara mentioned something about being scared. But she cut herself off, and refused to explain. I was wondering, do you know what she's scared of?"
"Hapstablook, I don't know," Gaster said. "I've never... she doesn't like talking about her past much."
"Oh, what, about her parents getting in trouble with the royal guard, or her brother... oh, you know. She told us all about that."
Because she was telling you an altered story from the real truth, Gaster thought. And I was referring to before that. ...Not that it matters, you don't know the truth about Chara anyway.
"...Gaster?" Pristina called out. Gaster must've been in thought for too long, because his silence seems to have worried her a bit.
"Sorry, I was- Anyway, Hapstablook, to answer your question, I know Chara is nervous around knives, but that's about all I know. And she isn't really afraid of them, as she can use them for her cooking just fine."
"Hm..." Hapstablook closed her eyes for a second, before suddenly bursting out, "I know! Let's have a scare bet!"
"A what?" Gaster asked.
"It's an old family tradition we used to do in the ghost family. Ghosts aren't easily scared, so we would try to take turns trying to scare one of our family members. Each of us have to try to scare a different way to find out what they were afraid of. We each get one try, and if we fail, they win."
Gaster considered this. "So we take Chara, and put her through a set of scenarios... to scare her."
"I don't know... isn't it kind of mean?" Pristina asked.
"Actually, kind of sounds fun," Gaster exclaimed.
"What?"
"Finally, something we can agree on," Hapstablook replied.
"So... when do we begin?" Gaster asked.
Awkwardly, Napstablook asked, "...um ...should i go?"
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
The next day, Pristina was taking Chara down into the Waterfall valley. She had Gaster set something up for her.
Being given the first turn, Pristina planned to win this bet here and now.
"So, where are you taking me?" Chara asked.
"Well... um..." Uh oh, didn't think this far ahead, Pristina thought. "...You see, ...there... is a rumor that there is a box that was lost in the valley, and if you sit in it for, a certain amount of time, uh, something interesting happens..."
"Okay, what are you up to?"
"N-nothing. Nothing at all!"
"Whatever... let's see this box."
They approached the box Gaster set up for her, which, like she asked, was just a normal wooden cabinet.
"A cabinet," Chara said. "Is this a prank?"
"No, no, no," Pristina replied. Not exactly that, at least, she thought.
"Fine, I'll bite. You want me to sit in that... 'box,' for how long?"
"For long as you... want. Just... knock when you want out."
Chara rolled her eyes, and stepped into the cabinet. Once she closed the doors, Pristina ran up, and locked them up.
Gaster walked out from behind some nearby brush, followed by Hapi.
"Hey, what you doing here?" Pristina whispered to them. "You need to go."
"Oh, don't worry, I made sure the box is soundproof. She can't hear us," Gaster replied. "So what is it you're trying to do?"
"Well, when I was younger, I was playing hide-and-seek with some friends, and I hid in a cabinet like this. Well, I hid so well, that no one found me-"
"Oh, dearie, you hid in your house, while everyone else was playing outside. It was your own fault we didn't find you, we thought you went home," Hapstablook replied.
Pristina stomped her foot down. "Don't bring that up! The point is, I was in there for long, such a tiny box, and a little dark-"
"So you're trying to scare Chara with claustrophobia, the fear of small and dark spaces," Gaster replied. Well, this could do the trick, he thought.
"Well, I locked the doors, and was thinking I wouldn't let her out when she knocked, like I said I would."
Gaster chuckled. "I didn't think you would be so evil. Hapstablook, you can phase through the cabinet. Check on her when she knocks. Let's not be rude and keep her waiting"
So they waited... and waited... Twenty minutes, thirty minutes, forty... After about an hour, Chara knocked. Hapstablook quickly flew in and back out after a couple seconds.
"She... looks normal. A little annoyed, maybe," She told the skeletons.
Pristina sighed. "Okay, you two hide."
Gaster and Hapstablook hid back behind the brush, and Pristina unlocked the doors.
Chara jumped out. "Took you long enough."
"Sorry, I dozed off for a bit," Pristina told her.
"And why did you lock the doors?"
"...Um, so I could get you out when you knocked, like I said."
"So, you didn't think I'd like to get out myself? And you know I could have used my magic and burned the door open, so it wouldn't even matter."
"Well, yeah... so... what happened?"
"Nothing... I was just sitting in a small, dark box, being annoyed for about an hour... could have also just lighted up the inside with my fire magic, too, by the way. Though... I did have some time to think. Probably why I was in there for so long."
"What did you think about?"
"Oh... um, nothing important. Well, I've got to go. Bye." And Chara ran off.
Gaster and Hapstablook walked back out. "Hm, I actually thought that might've worked," Gaster said.
"Is this the best you can do?" Hapi asked. "Come on, that's a childish fear."
"Oh, come on, I tried," Pristina replied.
"Well, I suppose Chara isn't bothered by small spaces," Gaster told them. "Well, maybe it's because she is so small herself... don't tell her I said that. You know she doesn't like it when she's called short."
"Well, I guess I lost. So... who's next?"
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
"So, why are we going to Hotland?" Chara asked.
"Oh, I want you to meet some distant friends," Hapi replied.
"Friends, not family?"
"My family and their family have been close friends for a long time. Don't worry, we just need to pick up some stuff, and you can talk for a while."
"Why isn't Pristina with us?" Chara asked.
"Oh, she couldn't join us today." Hapstablook stopped. "Here we are."
They stopped outside an old wooden house, a few miles outside of the main area of Hotland, away from any of the magma and general heat that might burn it up (though it was still pretty warm). Though I was still was worried it might just fall apart.
"Are you sure-" Chara started.
"It's fine, darling," Hapi replied. "And the monsters who live here are great."
She floated up, and knocked on the door. It then opened, and... no one was there.
"Um..."
"Come on, go on in."
Chara walked on in. And Hapi followed her as the door closed.
Hapi floated back, before she got a surprise. "So this is your plan."
She turned around to find Gaster and Pristina behind her. "Oh, hey."
"The spider house?" Pristina asked.
"Well, the spiders have been close friends with the ghosts. Though other monsters tend to be very afraid of them. So, I asked them to put on a show for Chara."
"Oh, that's... oh," Pristina said, little shocked.
Gaster was a little worried. He wasn't scared of the spider species of monster like many others were, but he was aware that they were a very smart species of monster. Hapstablook and Pristina didn't know this, but the spider family were the ones most likely to discern that Chara...
After a few minutes of waiting he couldn't take it.
"Sorry, Hapstablook, but I don't trust this," Gaster said, and then ran inside.
He ran through the halls to find Chara... pulling off a bunch of webbing, talking to a young spider monster.
There were two varieties of monster spiders, small ones no different from normal ones (from what he's read), and the not as common, more humanoid spiders. This was one of them, maybe six years old, with six arms, five eyes, purple skin, and short dark purple hair. She wore a small Lolita style dress.
"I never imaged that a human would be so fond of us," the young spider said.
Of course, Gaster thought, I knew they would figure it out. Dang it, Hapi, you couldn't have thought of anything else.
"Well, spiders... they never really scared me, even on the surface," Chara said. Gaster noticed that she was calm, having a happy chat. "But how did you find out-"
"A spider's intuition, at least that's what my parents call it. But don't worry... you're secret is safe with me."
"Oh, thanks, I..." Chara looked over and saw Gaster. "Oh hey, Wingding... why are you here?"
"I... I... you two..." Gaster stuttered.
"Blame Hapi... though don't actually tell her-"
"Obviously." Gaster turned to the young spider. "And you?"
"I already told, your secret is safe with me... at a price."
"What?"
Chara smiled. "Do you like tea parties, Wingding?"
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
An hour and one flowery tea party later, Gaster and Chara left the spider house, to find Hapstablook and Pristina.
"Oh Pristina, you made it!" Chara exclaimed. "Sorry, though, you're a little late..." she turned to Hapi. "And where did you go!"
"Sorry, I, uh, got caught up in something, and-" Hapstablook started.
"Ugh, no excuses. At least WE had a good time with Muffet."
"Oh, she a lovely little girl, isn't she?"
Chara just rolled her eyes, and walked off, leaving the three of them alone.
"Hapi, this plan of yours was dangerous," Gaster replied.
"Oh come on, I didn't ask them to harm her or anything, just freak her out a bit," Hapstablook said.
"Well, instead of scaring her, they, well, Muffet, just wanted a tea party in-" Gaster stopped himself. "Well, that's not important. What is important is that the spiders have been dangerous to not just humans, but even other monsters in the past, and-"
"I get it, I get it, I put Chara in danger. But it was a good idea, wasn't it?"
"Well, yes..."
"So, Hapi and I lost," Pristina said. "It's your turn Gaster. What's your plan to scare Chara?"
"Well, let's just say, at least my contact won't actually attempt to harm her."
"Wait, what does that mean?"
"Well, let's follow, Chara." Gaster then walked down the same path Chara went. Hapi and Pristina looked at each other with nervous looks, and then followed him. Along the way, Gaster got out his phone, and made a call. "Get ready." He got a reply, and then hung up the phone.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
They caught up with Chara, and found her waiting for them. "Took you long enough."
"Sorry, I had to talk to your friends about... well, you know?" Gaster replied. Chara assumed he was talking about the spider house and Muffet. "Let's go. Hotland is well... hot, and I'm not quite fond of it."
Gaster continued along, the three girls followed along. They were close to the exit to Hotland, when suddenly a wall of rock sprung up in front of them.
"What the-" Chara cried out. Everyone turned around all to find another wall rising up as well, leaving only a cliff drop into lava, and a steep slope opposite to that.
Suddenly, they heard a sound above them, on top of the slope. They looked up to see a large boulder sitting on the edge of the top.
"Hey Wingding, can you-" Chara turned to see Gaster smiling. Uh oh, she thought.
Suddenly the boulder started rolling down the slope. Pristina stepped back. "G-Gaster, what did you do? I'm scared."
Chara stepped in front of everyone. "Don't worry, I got this." She summoned fire and prepared to destroy the falling boulder.
But before she could, a loud, gruff voice spoke out, "wait! Stop! No, no!"
Two arms grew out of the boulder, and slammed on the ground, stopping it just as it reached them.
The boulder spun back a bit, and a face appeared on it. "Okay, I was asked to give everyone a scare, not get blown up!"
"Wait, what?" Chara asked. "Who asked you to do this?"
"The tall skeleton, right there!" The boulder monster pointed at Gaster.
Chara turned to Gaster. "Give us a scare?"
"Well, nothing is scarier than a near-death situation," he replied.
"Why?"
Gaster sighed. "It was Hapstablook's idea."
Chara turned to her. "Your idea?"
"Well, we wanted to know you were scared of, so we all had a scare bet."
"A scare bet. Really? You all tried to scare me?"
Everyone looked down in shame, until suddenly, Chara started laughing.
"Wh-what? Chara!" Pristina replied.
"I'm sorry, but finally it all makes sense. Why all of you were acting so weird." Chara hugged her stomach as she tried to calm her laughter. "And it's so funny! I can't... I can't..." she lost control laughing again.
Gaster snickered a bit as well. "Well, I supposed it was fun. But we've got to go. Thank you Bernard, for your assistance."
"Yeah, well, just keep that crazy fire girl away from me," replied the boulder monster. He then waved his arms, causing the rock walls to crumble apart, and then he rolled off.
"Well, I guess we got to go, too," Hapstablook said. "See you guys later!"
Pristina waved, and the two of them left, while Chara and Gaster continued to laugh for a bit.
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Wingding and I just reentered Waterfall. I thought about the past few days. Scare? Me? Ha! What a joke.
"So, did you guys all lose? Is that how the bet worked?" I asked Gaster.
He nodded. "I honestly thought a near-death situation like that would get you. But, then again, considering you're past, I figured Pristina's little plan might have had a chance."
"Well, I never really hid like that. I've always kind of just... fought back."
"That's must be your determination talking."
"Wingding, were you sacred for ME when I went into the spider house?"
"The spiders are dangerous monsters, and smart. Of course I was scared for you. I'm mean they did figure out you are human."
"Well, just the one little girl. ...And her tiny servants. But it isn't too much of a problem."
"Ugh, I suppose..."
We took a turn, and then I realized something. "This isn't the way we came in before."
"Well, of course. Hapstablook must've taken you down through a shortcut before. This is the normal way back into Waterfall. Cross the bridge, pass by the snail farm, and back down into the valley."
"A-are you sure," I replied.
"Trust me, considering where I had taken you for my turn of the bet, this is faster. Though I've never liked this bridge. It's old, and needs fixing, but it's stable enough."
We walked out of the cavern, and turned towards the bridge in question. It wasn't too long, but it was only wide enough for one person to cross at a time. There were no railings, some of the planks were slanted, and off-balance.
"Uh, you sure that's safe?" I asked.
"Safe enough, fortunately," Wingding replied. Then he started crossing, only to look back and notice that I hadn't moved an inch. "Well, what you waiting for, come on!"
"O-okay." I took a tiny step forward, and another. I was crossing the bridge at a snail's pace. I could hear the creaking of the bridge under me as I crossed.
"Are you okay, Chara? You look pale."
"I-I'm fine, I'll b-be fine. I can... I can make it." Suddenly, one of the planks gave way, but only just a bit. It didn't fall or get misplaced, but it was enough to make me look down, and... I nearly slipped. "NO, I'M NOT OKAY! I'M NOT OKAY!"
Suddenly, Wingding dashed to my side, and grabbed my arm. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm going help get up, and then get across."
I nodded, and grabbed his hand. He helped me up, and guided me across the bridge. It wasn't until I was a few feet away from the bridge when I caught my breath and started to calm down.
"I'm sorry," Wingding said. "I didn't know."
"It's not your fault," I replied.
He looked back at the bridge. "You don't like bridges?"
"No, nothing's wrong with them... except that one."
"You're afraid of falling. High places."
Tears welled in my eyes. "I almost died when I fell into the Underground. Asriel found me... and I got used to the idea of monsters... but when I slipped and fell, I thought that was it for me. I still have nightmares of it. They... my parents told me to not look down. And that works... until it moves. Then I remember what's below me, and I..."
Wingding pulled into a hug, comforting me. "It's okay."
I laughed a little. "I guess you were right. Near-death experiences are scary. It's just a lot more specific than you thought."
Wingding chuckles at this. "Come on. Let's go home. And maybe avoid any cliffs on the way."
----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Author's Note: So, I call this the "Chapter based on that one episode in Ouran Host Club" (one of the few anime shows I've actually seen). And I did not think that this chapter would be so long when I conceptualized and wrote it, but that's how it happened, so... longest chapter yet! Really it's here to point out one aspect of Chara's character, because I am a really bad writer. But whatever.
Also, young Muffet cameo! Yeah! Now how will this play out during the main story, hm?