Chapter Text
The TV sits blankly in front of them, waiting to be turned on. The sound of clattering utensils and fridge doors, followed by the clop-clop of hooves on a tile floor. They look around the living room, examining the minimalist decor, faintly smelling the comforting aroma of gingerbread and cocoa from another room… smells more like home than home does.
They’re startled out of their trance by a young doe trotting into the living room, carrying a plate of gingerbread cookies.
“Kriiiismaaaas! Hope you’re hungry, ‘cause Dess made loads!”
She sets the tray down in front of the human before sitting down next to them, grabbing a cookie and taking a bite out of it.
“Are you excited? This is the first time you’ve stayed over in forever , and during the holiday season, too! Fahaha, I can’t wait!”
Kris couldn’t help but crack a small smile at her excitement, she always gets so energetic during the winter months and this month was no different, being the first Christmas they’ve spent together since they were 5.
The clock on the wall ticks and tocks forth, drawing Noelle’s attention to the time.
“Oh! It’s almost time! Where’s the remote? Where’s the remote?!”
She hops up and starts scrambling to find the TV remote, dashing around the room and looking in every single drawer, every single nook and cranny she can find. A special holiday program she had said, though Kris couldn’t remember what kind of show it was… a cartoon? A game-show?
Ultimately it didn’t matter, all they cared about was spending more time with her.
Kris reaches into their pants pocket and pulls out the TV remote, holding it out to a now very offended looking Noelle.
“Huh?!” She squeaked. “You had that the whole time ? Uuugh… you’re just the worst …” Noelle gave a dramatic sigh and snatched the remote from Kris’s hands as they chuckled, still getting a laugh from teasing her all these years later.
She gives them a playful bonk on the forehead with the remote in retaliation before sitting down again. “Alright…” she sighed, “You got me that time, but next time… ” Noelle turned to them and gave them her best approximation of a smug glare, “ I’ll be the one who gets you .”
Kris is about to say something to respond to that, but Noelle glances up at the clock and lets out a small gasp. “Oh, it’s starting! Alright, shush, shut up, let’s watch! ” she exclaimed. She held out the remote and pressed the power button, turning on the TV.
The room fills with the sound of static…
CHAPTER 1: LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
Susie’s eyes slowly open, adjusting to the light as she sits up and stretches her arms. She lets out a loud noise somewhere between a roar and a yawn, scratching her head. Her eyes flutter as the last remnants of her sleepiness fade away, but what she sees in front of her wakes her up almost immediately, her eyes snapping open.
Instead of waking up on the couch in Toriel’s house like she had expected, instead she was in an unfamiliar room with fluorescent lights across the ceiling, tacky green star-patterned wallpaper, smooth tile floors, and even smoother jazz faintly playing from a speaker overhead.
Susie’s gaze darted around this strange room, head racing at a million miles per hour to figure out what was going on. Was she kidnapped? Did she fall asleep for 100 years and this is just how things look now? Is Toriel’s house just really really weird? Or is she…
Her questions were finally answered when she turned to her side and saw Kris on the green couch next to her, their skin blue and wearing armor, fast asleep in an… unflattering sleeping position. She looked down at herself, seeing that she was wearing her Dark World outfit too.
“We’re… in a Dark World?” She whispered to herself.
“ W-We’re in a Dark World?! ” She said, not quite as quietly this time.
“ WE’RE IN A DARK WORLD!? ” She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Susie dashed over to Kris, grabbing them by the shoulders and trying desperately to shake them awake. “KRIS! KRIS! WAKE UP, KRIS!! YOU GOTTA WAKE UP, PLEASE!! ” She kept shaking them furiously, their head bobbing back and forth like a cheap toy. Her frantic assault stopped when she saw a single disgruntled red eye peering back at her through Kris’s messy hair.
“K-Kris, thank god you’re…” She stuttered out as she let go of Kris, letting them sit up on their own. “I-I mean I wasn’t worried or anything, I just… y’know… didn’t want you to wake up and get all scared or something…” She took a step back, placing a nervous hand behind her head as she stammered out excuses.
Kris just stares at her.
* [Are you okay?] ❤ [Where are we?]
“Where are we?” Kris finally speaks, flatly reciting the words rather than voicing their own question. Susie ponders this question for a few seconds, putting a claw to her chin. “Uhh… D-Dark World… I think.”
Susie grunts and puts her hands on her hips. “Last thing I remember I fell asleep at your house, then as soon as I wake up, I-” She suddenly freezes, her eyes going wide. “Wait, your house…? Kris, d-did someone break in?!” She roars in frustration and puts her hands on her head. “AAUGH! THAT BASTARD BROKE INTO YOUR HOUSE AND OPENED UP A FOUNTAIN RIGHT UNDERNEATH OUR NOSES!! WHEN I FIND THAT DAMN KNIGHT, I’M GONNA-”
Kris just stares at her, taking some of the momentum away from her ramblings. “W-Well… that’s not important right now. What’s important is…” Her eyes dart around the strange room again, taking in the scenery properly this time. The room looks clean and well-kept, looking almost like a TV studio, with a couple TVs sitting across from the sofas they woke up on.
Behind them was a vending machine and even a whole bar, stocked and ready to serve guests. The two oddly-shaped doors at each end of the hall presumably leading elsewhere in the building with a third door in between, labeled [CHANGING ROOM].
“Where the hell are we?”
As if on cue, one of the TVs suddenly turned on behind them, the harsh static of the TV catching their attention. After a few seconds the screen on the TV turned blue, and a voice came from the speakers.
“Hello, hello to you two! So nice of you to finally wake up.” They said, their voice upbeat and slightly nasally, like a children’s show presenter. “After all, the games can’t begin without all of the participants!” Susie cringed at the faux-bubbliness of the voice and stepped forward.
“Where the hell are we?! What did you do to us?! Who are you?! ” She roared at the TV.
“Unfortunately I can’t answer your burning questions right now, I’m busy prepping for the First Trial! But what I can do is give you that first little push to get you started!” The voice ignored Susie, most likely pre-recorded audio.
“Let me welcome you with all my heart to the greatest and most heart-stopping game show on Entertainment Isle: The Ten Terrific Trials of Tenna!! Where 12 lucky participants will put everything on the line for fame, fortune, and glory!”
A distorted and overly compressed fanfare emanated from the speakers, causing both Kris and Susie to clutch their ears in pain. “Now I’m sure you must be wondering just what you’ll have to do, but you’ll just have to wait and see!”
Susie swallows nervously, but feels a strange pressure on her neck. She nervously reaches for her throat and feels something attached. Grabbing at it she realizes that it’s a bulky metal collar, missing it entirely in her earlier panic. She also notices a bracelet around her wrist, with what seems to be a circular screen on it, though it seems to be off right now.
She turns to Kris and sees the same collar and bracelet on them, too. After a few seconds of trying to pry the collar off, the voice speaks again.
“Once you’re done preparing, make your way to the Lobby through the east door and meet the other participants! Your other friend was directed there as well… somewhat forcefully , I may add.” The voice says, putting emphasis on 'forcefully' along with a stressed sigh. Susie freezes, does this person mean Toriel? Did she fall in too?
“When all of you are together I’ll give you all a brief rundown of the rules, and we can finally begin the games! Hee hee hee, stay tuned…”
The voice disappears, and the screen goes back to static before the TV shuts off once more. Susie doesn’t know quite what to say… she turns to Kris.
From the look in their eyes, it seems like they don’t know what to say either.
“So… what now?”