Polly's Eternal Adventure

I shook my head, trying to clear dream out of my head, and reached over to turn on the lamp. But as the light flickered on, I froze.

There, standing right next to my bed, was a monster. I screamed in shock, my foot instinctively kicking out. The impact sent the monster flying across the room, crashing into the wall with a dull thud. "Get out! Ya weirdo!" I yelled, my voice trembling.

The monster groaned, pulling itself up off the floor. It was shaped like a flying saucer, with three dull spikes on top of its head, long narrow arms, and swollen lips that made its face look perpetually pouting. I stared at it, realizing it must be Jerry. He must've been lurking around this entire time; why was he in my room? More importantly, how did I manage to kick him so hard?

I shook off the shock and focused on the numbers flashing in my mind—50 damage out of his 80 HP. I knew I'd gotten stronger, but this was… a lot. I pulled the blankets off and stood up, still feeling the adrenaline from the dream and the surprise visitor. Where was Mani? She was acting strange before, trying to convince me to sleep all of a sudden. "What the hell? Where did Mani go? Probably back to that Zell guy," I muttered, grabbing my jacket before heading out of the room. "What's her deal?" I shrugged it off, figuring I'd find out soon enough.

Downstairs, the inn was as quiet as ever. Lora stood behind the counter with that same calm smile, her expression so normal it was almost unsettling. "How much time passed while I was asleep?" I asked, still feeling the lingering effects of the dream.

"Only an hour and a half," she replied, her tone flat but polite. I could almost hear her inner monologue—I hope I get a different job.

"Really??? Only an hour and a half?" I echoed, surprised. "Must've been one hell of a power nap."

Lora just nodded, offering the same polite smile. "Need anything else before you go?"

"Oh, uh… yes!" I dug into my pocket and pulled out all the gold I had left—16G—and placed it on the counter. "See ya!" I called out as I exited, the chimes of the bells ringing behind me.

"Uh… thank you?" she replied, a bit startled. Her inner voice probably screaming, "What kind of tip is 16G? But hey, not complaining."

Outside, Snowdin Town was bustling with more monsters than before. I pulled my jacket tighter around me, my eyes scanning the crowd for Mani, but she was nowhere to be seen. "What's going on?" I muttered. I checked my stats, and what I saw made me freeze.

Polly

FL - 2

LV - 1

HP - 25/20

ATK - 30 (4) | EXP - 0

DF - 15 (2) | Next - 10

Weapon - Legendary Stick

Armor - Cropped Jacket (Toriel's Warmth)

Gold - Broke | Kills - 0

SP - 4/6 | Next - 2/6

Item - (2) Candies, Toy Knife, Faded Ribbon, Orange Bandanna.

Storage - 3/10

 -"Whoa! My ATK went up by a lot! How?! Why? … Is this normal?" I wondered aloud, my mind racing.

 -"What if it's from that orb I got earlier... And..."Broke"?? Oh wow.. You just had to rub it in, didn't you?"

"Hey kid."

I turned around, looking for the voice. A rabbit man with normal white fur and a weird-looking tiny mustache stood nearby, watching me.

"Uh, yeah?" I answered, still distracted by my stats.

"That lady over there…" he said, pointing in the opposite direction. I followed his finger and saw another rabbit lady that looked awfully similar to Lora, down to the type of clothing and smile.

"Uh-huh. And?" I raised an eyebrow, not exactly in the mood for random chit-chat.

"Something about her disturbs me…"

I sighed, "So?"

"Look, I'll give you 20G if you figure out what's up with her."

I glanced at him, unimpressed. "Why don't you just ask her yourself?"

He shifted nervously. "I don't know…"

"Are you scare-"

"Look kid, ya want the G's or not?"

"... Fine, give it here."

I took the G's and walked up to the lady, who seemed to be walking her… pet? Bunny? I squinted, realizing the oddness of the situation. "Is that coward on to something here because that is weird," I thought to myself.

"Hello!" she greeted me with a bright smile, her voice bubbly.

"Yo! Um… So, what's your name? Mine is Polly, I don't have a last name, at least I don't remember it."

"Polly is a lovely name! My name is Eva! Nice to meet you!" She grabbed my hand and shook it excitedly.

"Isn't my son just the cutest? The little cinnamon he is!"

"Oh? Where is your son?"

"Right here." Eva pointed to the bunny she was walking with on a leash. I immediately understood the problem and started sweating a little.

"Hehe… he, Pfft yeah I knew that. Well, isn't he… Adorable?"

"You think so as well? Bun-buns are so adorables."

"Hehe, well-uh... Nice meeting you!" I said quickly, backing away.

"Bun-bun-bun-bun~" Eva said in a musical rhythm as I stepped away, walking back to the rabbit guy, Lake.

"So, what did she say?" he asked as soon as I got back.

Shaking my head. "Her name's Eva. She's walking her… uh, son."

He frowned. "I knew something was weird."

"Yeah, well, whatever. I'm outta here."

"Hey, wait. Name's Lake, by the way. Like the lake near Snowdin?"

"Yeah, cool. See ya, Lake."

"An extra 10G for you," he said handing it out before I walked off. "Alright, don't mind if I do," I muttered, pocketing the cash.

I wandered through Snowdin, seeing a few more monsters than before. A decorated tree caught my eye—something that looked an awful lot like a Christmas tree, with a bear monster setting up presents under it. A few others joined in, placing gifts that all had specific names on them, but none with a "from" label.

My family never really celebrated Christmas. We just didn't believe in it, so we compensated by giving each other gifts here and there.

"It wasn't always like this. It was recent that we started doing this. I'd say around 5 years or so," a voice said from behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Storytime? Really?" I muttered under my breath.

"Awful teens tormented a local monster by decorating its tree-like horns. So we started giving that monster presents to make it feel better," the voice continued.

I turned to see who was talking—a monster named Zander, apparently.

I blinked at him, half listening. "That's… nice, I guess."

"And now, it's a tradition to put presents underneath a decorated tree," he finished.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"It's Zander. Yours?"

"My name is Polly."

"What a weird name," he replied bluntly.

"Well, excuse you, huh…" I shot back, rolling my eyes.

Before I could respond further, a little yellow monster with no arms, a tail, and spikes on the back of their head came running around the tree, only to trip and fall face-first in front of me. "Yo! You're a kid too, right?"

"I really don't have time for this," I muttered, walking around the big tree, trying to ignore the little monster who was now following me.

"W-wait for me!" he called out.

I sighed. "Sorry, kid, I've got somewhere to be." I insisted, but the monster was persistent.

"I can tell you're a kid like me 'cause you're wearing a striped shirt!" he exclaimed, only to trip and fall on his face again, muttering, "I wonder if that weird skeleton is an adult or a kid?"

I stopped for a moment, pondering the thought. It was a little interesting, but I shrugged it off and moved forward. Soon, I found myself outside a place called "Grillby's," which looked like a pub for monsters to eat and hang out. I peered in from the window, curious, when another monster, a bear dude with an orange jacket, did the same.

"Y'know one thing about this town is that it doesn't have a mayor," he said suddenly.

"But if there's ever a problem, a skeleton will tell a fish lady about it," he added, as if that explained everything.

"Thaaaaaaat's politics!" he concluded, leaving me even more confused.

I decided entering wouldn't be a great use of my time, so I continued exploring Snowdin. I met a mouse-looking monster and another monster wearing a fiery-looking cloak. They both talked about the grimness of the underground, but despite this, they shared hope and a smile. For some reason, I felt like their freedom might come sooner than they think. Not that I know why…

As I moved to the northern part of Snowdin Town, I saw a neighborhood and ended up coming across more interesting conversations and facts about Snowdin. The town seemed to have a story hidden in every corner, a quiet charm that made you feel like you were part of something bigger.

Eventually, I came across a buff wolf monster tirelessly throwing huge ice cubes into the water. The ice cubes seemed to be endlessly generated from somewhere, and he made it look effortless. "He makes it look effortless. I wonder if he ever stops or gets a break," I mused, watching him for a moment.

I continued up further and found an empty water passageway with a boat parked there. A note was attached to it that read, "Tra la la... Which means don't take this boat, please. - From River Person."

I chuckled under my breath, shaking my head. "Trust me, I wouldn't know what to do with it even if I wanted to use it," I muttered, shaking my head with a small smile before turning back.

I headed back down into the main part of town and continued on, starting to see the end of the town a little bit ahead. Just as I was about to move on, I spotted the library—or should I say, Librarby. I paused, blinking at the sign. "Is it a typo? Or meant for some special branding or copyright?" I wondered aloud, curiosity piqued.

I stepped inside, finding the place quiet and filled with shelves of books lined up neatly. It was a small library, but it felt packed with knowledge, like it held secrets just waiting to be uncovered.

A librarian greeted me as soon as I entered. "Welcome to the library. And before you say anything—yes, we know. The sign is misspelled."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but thanks for clearing that up," I replied with a grin.

I wandered through the rows of books, eventually stopping at a red color-coded bookshelf. There, I saw a Loox monster with no arms, somehow managing to read the contents of a book.

The Loox Monster looked up at me, studying my face. "That look in your eye… You're someone that… I don't know? Finds puzzles relatively easy."

I shrugged, a small smirk forming. "You wouldn't be wrong about that," I said, thinking back to the puzzles I'd solved so far.

After spending a while in the library, I left the cozy space, the snowy landscape of Snowdin slowly giving way to something less wintry as I ventured toward the town's exit. Along the way, I passed a large home with two mailboxes out front. One was crammed with letters, practically spilling over, while the other sat nearly empty. I eyed the names but found nothing revealing. "'Guess someone's popular," I thought, moving on.

After walking for what felt like a while, I noticed a dense snow fog gradually building up until it completely clouded my vision. Relying on my hearing, I could just make out the footsteps of someone approaching. They got close enough for me to see a dark and indistinct figure.

Polly: ... Papyrus?

Papyrus: HUMAN. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS.

Polly: No. Not interested, I'm leaving this place now.

Papyrus: WAIT, JUST HOLD ON A MOMENT HUMAN I AM BEING ROYALLY SERIOUS.

Polly: Cool, and I'm just gonna 'royally' exit the scene.

Papyrus: YOU WISH TO LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND, DO YOU NOT??

If there was one thing Papyrus said that truly caught my attention, it was those words right there.

Polly: ... Go on, I'm listening.

Papyrus: AHEM AS I WAS SAYING... COMPLEX FEELINGS LIKE THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER, ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS... THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU FEEL-

Polly: No. Not really.

Papyrus: AT LEAST WHAT YOU FELT THE FIRST TIME-

Polly: Nuh-uh.

Papyrus: AHEM I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY.

Polly: Wow, how thoughtful.

Papyrus: NYEH, AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE, I PITY YOU... LONELY HUMAN...

Polly: Pity? (This skeleton is starting to piss me off...)

Papyrus: YES, I PITY YOU, HUMAN... BUT... WORRY NOT!!! YOU SHALL NOT BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR...

I hear a couple of footsteps as if he was backing away or turning around—I don't know, don't stress me out!

Papyrus: ... .... NO... NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I-I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND!!!

Polly: I wasn't asking you to.

Papyrus: YOU ARE A HUMAN!

Polly: ...Yeah, and?

Papyrus: I MUST CAPTURE YOU!!!

Polly: Oh, right. That.

I start to hear footsteps slowly retreating, but they're not getting quieter. Instead, it's like he's preparing for something, but I'm unsure what he'll do next.

Papyrus: THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM!!! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!!!

I hear a faint sound of a leap into the air. "Is he going to drop down on me?" I assume. I put my guard up just in case. A moment later, he lands hard onto the snow, blowing the thick snowy mist away. I can now see him clearly as he strikes his battle stance.

Papyrus: BECAUSE THAT'S PAPYRUS!!! THE NEWEST MEMBER... OF THE ROYAL GUARD!

Polly: Okay, I take back everything bad I said about you, that was cool.

Papyrus: NYEH HEH HEH! GET READY HUMAN AS I BLOCK YOUR WAY!

The area around us flashes black and white as we enter a [Battle]

[Enter Battle]

Polly: I guess we are really doing this… Well then, I look forward to this, PAPYRUS!