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Wiki

Reminder that if you want the most current information on Foiltale, check out the wiki here: https://foiltale.fandom.com/wiki/Foiltale_Wiki

All the little tweaks that I make to the Foilverse (once in a blue moon) are posted there first. Example: Foiltale’s Mettablook will now be known as Mettabox to differentiate it from the MettatonxNapstablook ship. I didn’t even known that was an actual ship when I decided on the character’s name... All character info and sprites can easily be found on the wiki.

If you have any other questions, be sure to send them here on this tumblr. Thank you.

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A huge Project with the complete community!

It is NOT animators only there are ways for normal artists to participate :D

Love to all people who share this so it can spread trough the community!

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I got this random idea in my head about a Freaky Friday AU where Mettaton and Undyne’s souls somehow get placed in each other’s bodies and they suffer a few stress-filled days of trying to live in each other’s shoes. Mettaton and Undyne agree that they can’t tell anyone about this predicament (until eventually, they break the news to Alphys and she can reverse the process). Hilarity ensues. 

~Papyton would be canon in this scenario, making things very awkward between Papyrus and Undyne. The same applies to Alphyne, causing a lot of strange moments for Mettaton and Alphys as well

~During a “romantic night in” (a tradition Mettaton and Papyrus have weekly that Undyne has been dreading from the moment Mettaton informed her of this), Papyrus keeps making advances (thinking she’s Mettaton) and she casually rolls over various pieces of furniture to get just out of reach: “Hah! Yeaaaah, about the kiss, dude– darling… I’m just, ah. It’s like. I have, like. Robot mono? Don’t want you to, ah, catch tha– stay over there. Personal bubble.” 

~Despite being a very good actor, Mettaton finds it’s rather hard to “play” Undyne. He keeps trying to pepper his language with odd phrases that he thinks Undyne would say, i.e. “ball is life”

~Undyne has to deliver the nightly news. She has literally nothing of substance to report and knows nothing of teleprompters, so she goes wildly off-script. Mettaton watches from Undyne’s television, absolutely appalled

~”Undyne” gets a random makeover and shows up to work one day… in heels?? Conversely, “Mettaton” suddenly can’t be bothered to gel his hair or something because he’s looking the worst he ever has 

~Mettaton has to run drills for the Royal Guardsmen in training (aka Papyrus). He has to pretend that watching Papyrus work out doesn’t make him feel some type of way: “Mmm. Do more of those squats, baby.” “WHAT?” “A-ah, yes, homeboy, um, squats are good for the… quadriceps?” 

At the end of it all, Mettaton and Undyne come out of the experience with a much greater appreciation for what the other does on a day-to-day basis… and maybe, they could even consider themselves… friends. Perhaps. 

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Foiltale is mentioned at 0:48! Thanks for including my AU! <3

Happy Birthday, Undertale!

The project for Undertale birthday, which I took part in, is finally done.

Enjoy watching everyone 

And Happy Birthday Undertale!!

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HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY UNDERTALE!

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Useful for Undertale writers! Maps of the entire Underground :)

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Six Ways to Support Fan Fiction Authors – The Lallybroch Library

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. . . . . . . . .

let me die !!!!

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Story: Error Wasn’t Foiled

Writing Prompt: When visiting an AU, Error meets character A. What is it about character A that makes them see the AU or the multiverse differently? Is this change in perspective positive or negative?

Prompt by @undertaleink

Error created by @loverofpiggies

Foiltale created by me

He had found another one, another filthy "Alternate Universe" that had to be destroyed. The creator didn't even look like they put any effort into this one; it was just a more washed-out version of the Original! Underfell had more effort put into its aesthetic, whereas this one was just… foggy and dreary. Was this scenery the creator's lame attempt at angst?

What was this place called again? Foiltale? Whatever, the name didn't matter when it was going to be gone soon.

Error made his way through the dense mist of this AU's Snowdin Forest, his red eyes squinting as he tried to find his way to the cleared path leading into town. He grumbled a bit, pulling his cloak closer around him as the cold wind brushed against his cheekbones. A few beats passed and it wasn't long before he found the main trail, his feet instinctively marching him down the familiar road. A majority of AUs had the same layout, most of them mirroring the original Undertale's Underground, so he doubted he'd get lost. In fact, he would have given this place points for originality if he had been caught off-guard by some new event, but alas. There was that same-old barrier with the same-old bars wide enough to walk through.

But he paused mid-step as something occurred to him: if he had just come across the barrier over the bridge, then that meant—

"this timeline sure is full of interesting characters. first a floating ghost 'kid' passes through, and now this?"

Error sighed, annoyed. Of course this AU had a Sans, and of course he'd be the first person Error met. Oh well, if he took care of this nuisance now, then he wouldn't have to deal with it later. Time to start the clean up!

Error quickly turned and shot out blue strings to where the voice had came from, looking back just in time to see the other figure teleport away in a blur. Anticipating a reactionary attack, the out-code jumped and landed in the snow a ways away. His eyes glowered as he scanned the area around him, getting more and more irritated at the hazy surroundings. How was anyone supposed to see anything around here?

"whoa, bud. howsabout we talk this out at grillby's instead? cuz i really don't feel like getting tangled up in any trouble right now," the voice called out, disturbingly calm even after having an attack launched at him.

"Nah, I'm a busy guy. I've got places to be, things to see, glitches to erase." Error emphasized his point by blindly shooting into the fog where he guessed the other Sans was hiding, growling when all his strings latched onto was a tree branch.

"pity. grillby rolls a mean bloody mary."

No longer amused by their bantering, Error summoned a Gaster Blaster and shot it toward the voice. "Stay still so I can erase you!" he yelled, his body and his voice both glitching out more and more as his anger mounted. What transpired next was what could be boiled down to a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, with trees and puzzles getting caught in the crossfire. Twenty straight minutes passed before Error paused to take a well-needed break. He panted, his gaze darting this way and that for any signed of his mark. Suddenly, he stiffened as he felt a presence teleport right behind him.

"wow. you sure did a number on this pla—"

Gotcha! Error's blaster fired point-blank at the other Sans, finishing him off for good. "Did he think I'd let my guard down?" The out-code laughed. "How stupid do you have to be to teleport right behind your enemy?"

"i'm guessing almost as stupid as someone who celebrates before confirming they won."

Alarmed, Error jumped a good foot in the air before scrambling to get away from the apparently not dead Sans. "How are you not dead!?" Error had fired point-blank for a good minute or so! Even if this Sans had more than 1HP, the continuous damage should have killed him regardless (and he was taking damage; Error saw the damage counters ticking off during the blast)! "Just how much HP do you have!" the out-code grunted as he readied a few more blasters, charging them all and taking aim at the all-too-calm AU resident.

"just one, lol."

“...” There was a lull in the battle as Error tried to make sense of this new information. This gray-boned Sans didn't seem like they were lying, but that means the blasters clearly wouldn’t work. Were the strings the way to go after all? There was only one way to find out.

In a flash, Foiltale's Sans was strung up in a web of blue strings, dangling from a high branch and unable to break free. His weighted iron ball and a few links from his chains connected with the ground in a heavy thud, crushing the snow beneath it. "really, bud?"

"Quiet! I can't find your soul to kill you if you keep distracting me!" Error tightened the blue strings, the force threatening to crush Sans' body. From experience, he knew Sanses usually housed in their soul in their ribcage, and even though this Sans had their orange hoodie unzipped with ribcage exposed, Error just could not find it.

"hey, weird me: try looking inside the weight."

"Oh, I see. Thank y—" Error caught himself and frowned. "What part of 'kill you' do you not seem to understand?" This Sans acted dismissive, like this had nothing to do with him, or like he was above death— no, that wasn't quite right. It was more like the Sans of Foiltale just didn't care whether or not he died, as if he had long given up hope and had simply accepted defeat. "Before I finish you off, I gotta ask: what's your deal? How are you still alive after being blasted?" Error peered up inquisitively at the Sans as he wrapped his blue strings around the large weight that was indeed housing the monster's soul.

Sans was just hanging around with nothing else better to do, so he figured why not answer the freaky newcomer? "i'm not really a monster in the normal sense. i'm more of a personification of hopelessne—"

"Nevermind, you took too long and I don't care anymore. Bye!" The strings around the solid metal ball tightened, easily crushing the soul's protective outer shell. Finally the threads wrapped around the white soul itself and…

[File Not Found]

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Foil!Sans:

Fox: Here is a pencil drawing piece I requested! I especially love all the minor details you added, like Foil’s ball-and-chain, and ribcage! (Lock’s shark chair is adorable. <3) Thank you so much!

Done by underlockdownsans who roleplays their Sans and Papyrus, Lock and Key respectively, and has their own AU!

Both these Sanses AUs are rather dark so I thought they’d enjoy something uplifting like sharing a joke. :) (Heaven knows Foil could use some more happiness in his life...)

Again, thank you for taking my request! ^^

Lock: I find it really nice to meet n-new people, especially…especially new Sanses! I’m not s-sure if my jokes were up t-to s-speed with his though.

Art requested by @foiltale-au of their AU sans joking around with @underlockdown-au Lock! If you get a chance, I highly suggest checking out their AU!

Please do not copy, trace, steal, or repost! Rather, reblog to share!

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THIS IS SO GOOOOD!! As I said before, I love how you do colors and shading! And you really nailed the whole comic book cover look! Thank you so much for drawing this angsty goat family! :D

Everyone! Please go check out stereotyped-orange’s artwork!

this is for @foiltale-au

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Foiltale - Chapter 7

FF.net Link: Chapter 7

It had been a while since the two departed from the Gate, but still, neither sibling had uttered a word, each lost in their own far-off thoughts. The snow beneath Chara’s feet crunched as they walked, the only sound echoing through the dense Snowdin Forest. They‘d used some freshly fallen snow to wipe away the blood and sweat for their previous battle, but that did nothing to heal their HP or mend their torn clothes. Were they even going the right way? The path through the trees seemed endlessly littered with puzzles and in every direction, all they could see was white.

Their brother didn't want to talk, the snow was freezing and they were pretty sure the both of them were lost. Chara didn't think their day could get any worse.

"H u m a n. D o n ' t y o u k n o w h o w t o g r e e t a n e w f r i e n d?"

Chara froze. What was this intimidating presence behind them? When did they get there? Surely they would have heard someone else's approaching footsteps in the snow?

"T u r n a r o u n d a n d s h a k e m y h a n d."

Asriel had bolted behind a nearby tree from pure fright. They had probably forgotten they couldn't be seen or touched, but his actions left Chara all alone with this menacing newcomer. The human gulped, not wanting to turn around, but fearing what would happen if they didn't. Hadn't their mother just finished telling that they'd be hunted down mercilessly for their soul? They had just started the first leg of their journey and they already had to fight for their life? With only seven HP, even!

Well, there was no changing their circumstances. It was time to face this next challenge head-on!

Chara quickly turned around and clasped the hand offered to the—

BZZZZZZT!

They snatched their hand back at the weird tingling-shock feeling sent right into their palm. What the! They glared over to the offending device but paused when they recognized the gadget. Is that a—

"heh, the old hand buzzer handshake trick. can't beat the classics. anyway, you're a human, right?"

"Hu-I-what?" Chara stammered. They watched the creature put its hand back into its zip-up hoodie's pocket and their incredulousness soon gave way to anger. "Of course I'm a human!" they yelled. "Who are you? And what was with the hand-buzzer?!" The monster in question was… a short skeleton? His bones were a charcoal gray color, his eye-sockets seemed to be backlit with dark blue light coming from deep within his skull, and black pupils indicated where he was looking. His clothes were casual: a bright orange hoodie that was open to expose his ribcage, light gray shorts and green, fuzzy slippers.

Wait, hold up. Was that a ball-and-chain attached to his left ankle?!

"i'm sans. sans the skeleton. and, uh, a word of advice? don't go screaming about humans down here. tends to stir up trouble. as for the buzzer," Sans shrugged, "i just thought it would be funny."

"Funny? You nearly scared the crap outta me! I thought you were going to attack… me…" Chara trailed off when they realized they were within grabbing reach of an unfamiliar monster. Suddenly alarmed, they jumped back to put some distance between them and got into a fighting pose just in case this skeleton initiated a fight.

"heh, you did look pretty… shocked. but relax, i'm not gonna fight or capture you. that's more of my brother papyrus' thing."

Chara narrowed their gaze, unconvinced. "Why not?"

"don't feel like it."

"I find that hard to believe. I know King Asgore sent out a declaration for any monster to obtain human souls from anyone who Falls down into the Underground, so I'm not falling for any tricks!"

There was an uncomfortable pause where Sans didn't speak or move. The stifling feeling from before swept over Chara's body and left them feeling very, very vulnerable …

But then it was gone. Poof, vanished as if it had never even existed. Sans moved a hand to scratch his boney head as he spoke, "seems you know everything, huh? a lot more than the usual child that comes through here, at least."

"… The usual child that comes through here?" What was this monster talking about? If Toriel was to be believed, then it had been a while since the last human made their way through the Underground. Was Sans lying? And to what end? "What are you talking about?"

Before the skeleton could answer, however, a voice rang out nearby. "SANS? WHERE ARE YOU? PLEASE TELL ME YOU ARE NOT SLEEPING ON THE JOB AGAIN."

"that would be my bro," Sans informed casually.

"The human capturing one?!" Was that this monster's plan: to stall long enough for his brother to show up and attack together?!

"well, he hasn't captured one yet, but he's always wanted to. hey, there's an idea – could you stick around for a bit and let him capture you? it'd make him super happy."

"What?" What was with this weird skeleton! "Of course not! He'll take my soul!"

"nah, papyrus'd never hurt a fly. and if he did, he'd apologize and offer them dinner as an apology. see, just watch." Chara followed San's pointing finger, turning to see an approaching figure that was far too close to hide from now. The human turned back around to snap at Sans for using underhanded stalling tactics, but the stout skeleton was nowhere to be found. Where did he go?

As Chara was looking around in confusion, Papyrus drew near, still yelling after his brother. "YOUR SENTRY STATION IS VERY BROTHER-LESS AND HUMAN-LESS, SO I CAN ONLY GUESS THAT YOU ARE BEING A LAZY-BONES—" The loud shouting was interrupted by a very long gasp. "IS THAT A HUMAN?!" Before Chara could even turn to face this boisterous newcomer, the human watched him flash right by and pick up a sizeable rock that looked disturbingly like a human's contour. "GREETINGS, HUMAN! I, PAPYRUS, HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME TO CAPTURE YOU!"

The stone obviously didn't respond.

"HMM, MUST BE THE STRONG, SILENT TYPE."

"Um, that's… just a rock…"

"NYEH?" Papyrus turned and finally noticed Chara. "OH! A HUMAN!" He placed the stone down where it previously was before running over and picking up the actual human being off the ground. "GREETINGS, HUMAN! I, PAPYRUS, HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME TO CAPTURE YOU!"

"sup, bro?" Sans appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

"SANS! LOOK, I FINALLY CAPTURED A HUMAN!" Papyrus excitedly presented the human in his large, gloved hands.

"awesome, bro. i knew you could do it. you're the coolest."

"YES, I AM QUITE COLD RIGHT NOW BECAUSE OF THE SNOW. BUT BACK TO THE MATTER LITERALLY AT HAND: I MUST INFORM UNDYNE! THEN SHE WILL SURELY RECOGNIZE MY TALENTS AND MAKE ME A ROYAL GUARD AT LAST!"

"Um, if you aren't going to attack me, can you let me down?" Chara said, awkwardly dangling in the taller skeleton's grip.

"HM." Papyrus frowned pensively, apologetic. "I AM AFRAID I CANNOT, HUMAN. FOR YOU SEE, I CAN ONLY LET YOU DOWN ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN SAFELY SECURED IN OUR HUMAN HOLDING CELL. FURTHERMORE IT APPEARS YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED! I DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE HARMED ANY MORE ALONG THE WAY!"

"why don't you carry them to the holding cell, paps? they won't get hurt if you're there to protect them," Sans added.

"THAT IS A GREAT IDEA! AND WHILE WE WALK, YOU CAN TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF, HUMAN!" Without consulting the human in question, Papyrus plopped the child onto his shoulders and started back down the path he came, apparently toward their 'human holding cell.' "LET US DEPART!" he proclaimed while gleefully marching in the snow, with Sans lazily trudging behind.

A little ways behind the three, the prince of monsters kept to the cover of the trees as he followed. Asriel could have sworn Sans looked back at him before moving on, but that couldn't have possibly been the case… right?

Previous || Beginning || Next

And special thanks to my beta reader: undertalethingems

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Minor Notes

Chara’s appearance has changed slightly with their clothes being cut up here and there, and their soul going back into the locket. They also gained some overall “HP” from the battle, along with some gil from winning. I wanted to include it, but I thought it would distract from the emotions being conveyed at the end of the chapter, so it’ll be touched upon in the story a little later on.

I also updated by FAQ a bit and figured out the general direction of where I want the story to go. It’ll be the familiar Undertale canon story until around the end of Waterfall, then Foiltale should start to diverge a bit from what’s in the game.

I’ll be going back and giving Asriel a stammer. Just a personal design choice.

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Fox

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Foiltale - Chapter 6

FF.net Link: Chapter 6

> Act >> Check HP: 1/440 AT: 80 DF: ?? *Always knows best.

Chara frowned, confused. The battle just started, and she seems perfectly fine, so why is her HP so low? And why can't I read her defense? Even with her defense a mystery, no matter how you look at it, one strike and mom will be… But they had no more time to contemplate as Toriel started her turn.

The monster lifted a white paw-like hand, pointing her index finger at the human. The large globs of water that were previously floating around the goat's body stopped moving, instantly solidifying into large, pointed icicles. "My child, I shall teach you what your life would be like on that side. Perhaps then you will reconsider any foolish notion of leaving here." The icicles all took aim at Chara's body and Toriel spoke once more, her voice as cold and hard as the magic she commanded, "You had best dodge this if you want to live."

Even with the warning, nothing could have prepared Chara for the barrage of icicles that shot their way. They cried out as the first one cut deep into their right arm, deep enough to leave a large gash and start to bleed out. Still, Toriel did not let up; sharp after sharp piece nicked their body and soul and the human only had just enough mind to stumble out of the way of the last couple. Finally, after what seemed like forever to Chara, Toriel stopped. Her turn was finished.

With cruel indifference, Toriel watched the shaken child fall to their knees. "If you cannot handle even this, then you have no chance out there. Return upstairs."

"…" Chara cradled their left hand around the large slice in their other arm protectively, their right hand still somehow shakily holding onto the toy knife. All of the other scratches marring their body seemed like mere pinpricks in comparison as the adrenaline quickly kicked in. The human's breathing was heavy and their body had broken out into a sweat despite Toriel's magic chilling the room's temperature.

Slowly, the human got back onto their feet, her body still trembling at the trauma it just received. Still, Chara grit their teeth and started to steady their breathing. It was their turn again and they could now strategize a little after seeing what they were up against.

"A-are you okay, Chara?!" A stammering voice called from behind them. Oh, right. Asriel is here. Chara turned around to see the goat's concerned gaze taking in all the now-bleeding cuts they just endured. He looked frustrated that he couldn't do anything, even if he did rush over. Being incorporeal must suck in these kinds of situations.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was more like a wake-up call than anything." Asriel probably didn't know it, but just having a conversation with him helped calm the human's mind. Their panting had softened and their grip was now steadier. Chara smiled as they turned their attention back to Toriel, now feeling both focused and at ease. Thanks, Azzy.

It was time for a come back.

Chara took a fighting stance, tightening their grip around the knife until they remembered Toriel's stats. One HP. After much deliberation, they were reluctant to even fight Toriel, but with how things stood now, striking even once would kill her! They refused; there had to be another way.

In their peripheral, Chara noticed the goat prince silently standing there, wringing his hands nervously while glancing between them. Maybe Asriel's way? They were already in the fight, so it's not like talking about touchy topics could start up another one. Who knows, they might even get some answers.

Chara relaxed their stance.

> Act >> Talk

"Won't you at least tell me why I can't go past the Ruins?" They started. "If you want me to stay here, can't you at least tell me why? I understand that the children that Fell before me died somehow, but what's so dangerous on that side of the Gate that it's better that I don't leave?"

Toriel's stony face twitched, a flicker of hesitance crossing her eyes. Her out-stretched paw fell a little as she weighed her options. Finally, she replied with a sigh, "I suppose I owe you that much, my child. Perhaps if you knew the truth, you would understand and head back upstairs." Her hand finally fell and she looked away, trying to put her thoughts into words. After a minute or two, she spoke, her voice grave as she recounted her memories of a time long past:

"Many years ago, I used to have two children, a monster and a Fallen human child much like yourself. Those two were as close as siblings could get, and they did everything together. A couple years passed by and our days were filled with happiness – until…" The Queen of Monsters took a long, shuttered breath, trying to stay calm and grounded as she recalled the next part. "An… incident happened, and both my children passed on. My husband and I weren't there when it happened, but we discovered one of the bodies, the human's, right at the barrier along with… with monster dust," she revealed with much effort. She turned her body around fully, her back facing Chara. "A moment if you would, young one," Toriel spoke softly, her words barely audible, even in the echoing chamber.

"Sure," the human replied uncomfortably. This was both awkward and painful; after all, Toriel's story was a story about their own death. Plus, knowing the other side of the story, that their mother's hurt and guilt started with a decision they chose, made them feel ten times worse. Chara had only just gotten Asriel's forgiveness earlier that day, but they hadn't even thought about how their passing would affect everyone else around them.

Finally having composed herself, Toriel faced Chara once more. "I'm sorry. Please let me continue:

"The King of Monsters, in a fit of blind rage, declared war on the humans without a second thought. He gave a decree, that any human to Fall into the Underground would be hunted for their soul, killed in his quest to break the barrier and bring the fight to the surface. I watched as a kingdom filled with hope suddenly turned into a nation of anger. I couldn't bear to see any more and so I fled to the Ruins, closing the Gate behind me. I haven't been back there since."

Toriel looked Chara dead in the eyes. "Seven human souls are needed to break the barrier. You are the seventh child to Fall since the King made his declaration. You, more than any of the previous children, will surely be hounded by every monster you come across. So you see why I must keep you here at all costs – your life depends on it! If I can save at least one child, then…" Her stony expression came back as she trailed off, her resolve strengthening at the reminder of what was at stake.

Luckily, Chara was ready for the oncoming attack. The ice shards crisscrossed around the arena in various patterns, and the human was able to dodge most of them. The cold slowly seeped into their wounds, numbing their appendages. Chara wasn't quite sure if they should be thankful that they couldn't feel the various nicks strewn across their body, or concerned that it was getting harder to keep a grip on their knife through the numbness. They checked their HP: 7/20. Things weren't looking too good; they had to finish this quickly.

> Act >> Talk

"It's not your fault those children died!" They exclaimed, getting right to the point. "You have no control over what happens to humans once they pass this Gate so you want to keep us here, but don't you think they all left because they thought they wouldn't be happy being stuck down here? Surely they left because they wanted to get back to the surface for any number of reasons, like missing their family." A look of sorrow crossed Toriel's features at the word family, and Chara knew they were slowly getting through to her.

Chara sighed before they continued, the words weighing heavily in their own mind even as they were said aloud. "I mean it. In fact, I'm sure they were very grateful for your offer to stay here, and your warnings of the dangers beyond. But I don't think it was your decision to make, and you were right to let them through. Plus, you did all you could to prevent their deaths, so I'm sure they wouldn't hold it against you, just like I wouldn't." Chara smiled sincerely at their mother. "Please let me through."

There was a long, heavy silence that passed between them before Toriel lowered her arms, the icicles around her melting once more into large globs of floating water. "Alright, but only if you promise to do something first." Before Chara could even get the question out, Toriel moved until they were standing only a couple feet away from the human. "I need to know you have what it takes to defend yourself. This may be difficult, so I apologize for asking this of you, but it will finally put my mind at ease if I know you can handle yourself out there against other monsters – strike me where I stand."

"W-what?" Did Toriel just ask them to attack her? Chara turned their gaze to the side, trying to gauge Asriel's thoughts, but the Prince just stood there with a shocked expression on their face. They had been frozen like that since they heard the tale of what had happened after his death. The human understood his distress; they were sure they wouldn't be fairing much better, had they actually been given the chance to digest it all. The aftermath of their joint demise, their dad's decision, the human hunting… this was surely going to be a topic of discussion between them once they made it past the Gate.

But that wasn't the most pressing issue at the moment! "I can't just attack y—"

"I will not let you pass until you do," Toriel interrupted firmly, her tone leaving no room for discussion.

Dammit! Chara clenched their eyes shut as their mind raced. But she only has 1HP left! If I land a hit, won't that finish her off?! What if the real her dies too? But she won't let me pass if I don't!

However, after hearing that story about their dad and the kingdom, they abruptly realized that this situation, all of it, was ultimately their fault. This was suddenly much bigger than just them. This was about righting a wrong they committed to a entire realm of people that welcomed them with open arms. So they had to keep going, had to find out where their father was and confront him about the past. Chara didn't know what would happen when they got there, or even if it would make any difference at all, but they still had to try.

I'm so sorry.

> Fight >> Slash

+439 HP!

Eh?

Suddenly, the arena was gone and Toriel was hugging them. "I am so sorry, my child. That could not have been an easy thing to do." She was comforting Chara, stroking the top of their head like they used to back when they were alive. "But I am proud of you. I realize now that I cannot stop you, nor should I try. I do not believe I was wrong, but perhaps there is more than one 'correct' answer. The same way I do not know what your fate entails if you go beyond this Gate, I cannot possibly know that things will turn out the same as before. You have given me hope that maybe this time will be different." With one final squeeze, Toriel separated from the human and walked to the stone gateway, opening its heavy slabs with magic. "Be well, my child, and know that you can always call these Ruins your home." With that, the Queen of Monsters left back down the corridor and up the stairs, possibly unable to emotionally handle watching the latest in a long line of human children leaving her.

"…" Chara took one step, then another step, and another, one foot in front of the other before finally reaching the Gate. A lot of things ran through their mind and they were physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, but they were still here. Mom was still alive, and Asriel was next to them. Countless things needed to be said and done, but for right now, Chara was just happy for a moment of respite.

Chara and Asriel wordlessly passed through and the Gate magically closed behind them, sealing them off from the Ruins and any chance they had at peacefully staying by their mother's side. However, it was this same mother that put her hope and trust in them and allowed them to continue on.

Chara felt the cold, carved stone with their hand and gave the Ruins and its inhabitants a silent send-off before turning around toward the next leg of their journey.

This was their new beginning, their tale of redemption.

>Foiltale<

Previous || Beginning || Next

[foiltale-au-blog]

Foiltale - Chara

I figured I desperately needed to find a better sprite for Chara to match all the others, and thankfully SkelyHat over on deviantArt has provided a free-to-use/edit sprite as long as you give credit! It was originally in black-and-white, so I colored it, changed their expression and added the Heart Locket armor.

Original sprite image courtesy of: SkelyHat

[foiltale-au-blog]

Foiltale - Chapter 5

FF.net Link: Chapter 5

"Everything looks the same," Asriel said as Chara opened their old bedroom door. The goat didn't even turn to look at the human as they spoke, just continued to take in their surroundings.

Their room looked almost exactly as they remembered it except for the odd item here and there, and a suspicious pile of shoes in a wooden box at the foot of Chara's bed. Six pairs to be exact, each of various sizes, but all obviously meant for children. "…" The pieces were all starting to fall into place.

"How's mom? Still crying?" The young prince's voice was distant, something weighing on his heart.

Chara walked over to their side of the room and sat on the bed, their feet dangling off its side. "Yeah, it's super weird!" they snickered.

Whoops. Asriel's sharp glare told them that this was another one of those times were laughter wasn't appropriate. At the stare, it quickly petered out, and before any feelings of guilt could form, Chara continued. "Yes, mom's crying, but I think in this reset that's almost like her default? There were points in our conversation were she seemed happy, but her tears kept flowing. I think it's just part of what her, uh, 'hurt' looks like. The missing-pupils-and-iris thing is kind of creepy though," they added idly.

For a while Asriel didn't respond. He just looked at the various pictures strewn about the room – even the macaroni art piece he and Chara had made together as a gift to their parents. After about twenty minutes, it was apparent to Chara that the monster wasn't going to bring up the next topic, the elephant in the room.

They kicked their feet languidly on the side of the bed, fidgeting with the toy knife in their hands. "Once I started to get too close to the cause of her pain, mom almost initiated a fight."

Asriel gasped, shocked green eyes meeting red. He stammered, "That can't be true! M-mom wouldn't—"

"You're right, mom wouldn't," the human cut in. "But that thing was probably just trying to protect itself." Chara frowned thoughtfully as they mused. "There's a big possibility that they summoned their magic subconsciously. I might just end up fighting mom after all," they concluded darkly.

"What?!" Asriel's yell was closer to a goat's bleating than actual words. "I was hoping we could talk it out instead! No one has to get hurt!"

It was Chara's turn to glower, and Asriel flinched under the intense look. "I tried the talking option, Asriel. What do you think I was doing up until now: baking snail pies? No, I was acting the dumb Fallen kid and scoped out what has changed since we were alive, and as soon as I asked about the other humans that Fell, bam! Her freaking tears are circling up around her defensively like her fire used to do for us when she was protecting us. I was literally one minute away from dodging for my life from mom's magic!" A small pain shot through Chara's hand and only then did they realize they were grasping the toy's grip tight enough to turn their knuckles white. "… Tch." They forced themselves to relax both their grip and their thoughts. The human wasn't too keen on fighting their mom and it was bring all sorts of conflicting feelings to the surface.

Despite Chara's attempts to hide it, Asriel still noticed. "Sorry. This can't be easy for you either. I mean, you're the one that has to… um, do it." The goat, more open with his emotions, looked like he was caught between both wanting to give their sibling a comforting hug, or start sniffling.

Chara shook their head before getting up. "No, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. I'm sorry." They went over and gave their brother a pretend hug; the two couldn't touch, but that didn't mean they couldn't act it out. A couple of peaceful seconds passed before being broken by Asriel's giggling.

"I bet this looks really silly!" He laughed. "I don't think our arms are matched up at all!"

"Oh really? Let me look!" Chara turned to the body-length mirror in the corner of their room and, "Huh?" That… wasn't their reflection. The person staring back at them… wasn't Chara. A cold shiver ran up Chara's spine as the other human's reflection moved out of sight, leaving an image of just the room behind them. Neither Asriel nor Chara were shown in the mirror. "A-Asriel, did you see that?" Chara turned their gaze to Asriel, only to see him looking elsewhere. Only at his name did the goat glance back.

"Huh? See what?" He paused, his smile dropping. "Hey, are you all right? You're looking a little pale." Their brother shot Chara a look of concern.

Though they could feel themselves nearly breaking into a cold sweat, they forced themselves to smile to cover it up. "Yeah, I'm good." They moved to a different part of the room, hoping to both get physically farther from the mirror and to steer Asriel's gaze away from it. They sat on Asriel's bed instead. "I was just, um, thinking I could tell you what I learned!" they finished with an overly bright grin. "Then we can figure out what to do!"

Asriel didn't look convinced, but decided to play along for now. Besides, they really did need to figure out how to help their mom. The young prince figured that the longer they stalled, the harder it would be to do… whatever it is they decided to do. He nodded and Chara recounted their earlier conversation with Toriel.

…

When the human finished, Asriel piped up. "So, if the other Fallen children aren't in the Ruins, where are they?"

Chara looked away. "If they aren't here, then I think it's pretty safe to assume that they either went further into the Underground or…" They trailed off.

Knowing exactly what Chara didn't say, Asriel's eyes widened again, this time in horror. Are they recalling what that flower version of them did? Whatever the monster was thinking, Chara didn't like seeing their brother so scared. "Or! Or like I just said, they're just further in the Underground with the other monsters." Even though they said it, Chara could tell neither of the siblings believed that to be true. But did they die or old age, or were they killed? And why did their mother look so guilty when the topic was broached? Maybe she—No, it couldn't have been Toriel that killed them. Chara quickly dismissed that train of thought because they knew for a fact that their mom would sooner end her own life than take the life of a child. Unless…

Did the human children leave Toriel, which lead to them somehow dying?

Chara suddenly stood up, startling Asriel. "I know how to help mom.  We need to go down to the basement."

"The basement? Why do we need to go there?"

"I thought this through, and if I'm correct, then the humans all left Home after meeting with mom. Then something happened and they all died, something mom couldn't prevent. I believe mom's blaming herself for their deaths, even if she didn't do it herself!"

Asriel frowned. "But that's not mom's fault! She can't blame herself for something she has no control over."

The human nodded, a resolute fire burning in their eyes. "And that's what we have to convince mom of. Let's go!"

The siblings quickly made their way out of the room and down the hall. Asriel was walking at a brisk pace just to keep up with the human. He finally spoke up after they reached the bottom of the stairs and asked the question lingering in both their minds. "But if you talk to her about it directly, won't it lead right into a battle? Maybe we should prepare a bit mo…"

He hadn't noticed Chara's steps halting right as they rounded the corner. Being incorporeal, the monster just walked right through him, but he too was stunned then finally saw what stopped the human in their tracks: Toriel stood at the closed doors, the Gate separating the Ruins from Snowdin Forest. The Delta Ruins were caved into the heavy stone, looking almost as faded as the worn out tunic that fluttered in front of it. Her back was turned, but there was no doubt she knew Chara was there.

"My child," she spoke, her voice more somber than either of them had ever heard. "Did you not say that you were going to rest?"

The knife in Chara's hand was shaking; they were scared. The monster before them gave off the air of someone who had been through this very instance many times before, but whose resolve had only grown stronger with each passing failure. Any slim chance of getting through this encounter without a fight vanished in a second, and the human knew the battle was going to be far from easy. Then again, Chara didn't expect anything less from the Queen of Monsters.

They were intimidated, yes, but still the human took a solid step forward. After all, this was to help their mom through her suffering. Chara was determined.

"The previous Fallen children, did they come through here? Did they die?" The way the human spoke it made it obvious that Chara already knew the answer.

It started. The puddles of water pooling at Toriel's feet suddenly grew to form a circle on the ground beneath her. Her tears fell off her cheeks, but before they could touch her collarbone, floated upward and drifted around the monster protectively, like a physical barrier. Just as it had happened earlier, Chara could feel their soul respond to the sudden influx of magic around them, except this time, it floated right out of the locket and hovered in front of their person. The Heart Locket regained its golden color and "Best Friends Forever" engraving, now an item equipped for the upcoming battle. A large, white square appeared on the ground, trapping the two within the newly formed battle area.

Toriel finally turned toward Chara, their gaze unwavering. "Yes, they have died – a fate I will not let befall you too!"

*Toriel blocks the way!

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[foiltale-au-blog]

Foiltale - Chapter 4

FF.net Link: Chapter 4

Chara hadn't seen Asriel since the group of three had entered the house- no, their old "Home." Everything was as the human remembered it, right down to the yellow flowers strewn here and there to give the residence a friendlier vibe, and a stark contrast to the gloomy scenery outside. The only thing out of place was the monster sitting their opposite at the dining table, all smiles despite the constant tears staining the fur of their cheeks.

"Are you all right, my child?"

Chara barely held back a flinch at Toriel's word choice. God, the monster even sounded like their mom. "I'm, uh, fine," Chara clumsily dismissed, red eyes looking at everything but the woman. Too many emotions were churning inside the young human, so many questions begging to be blurt out, but Chara forced them all down, opting instead to fidget with their red heart locket dangling from a gold chain around their neck.

Toriel didn't look convinced by Chara's answer, but decided to move the conversation along anyway. "Are your bandages staying in place? Not too tight?" When they had first stepped indoors, the monster had applied some first aide to Chara's numerous scraps, healing them back to full Hit Points (HP).

"They're good." The answer was curt.

A couple of uncomfortable seconds passed between them before Toriel sighed. "I am sorry, young one. In my rush to bring you here, I have neglected to explain anything. You have Fallen into a foreign land and are now talking with a scary monster; it is no wonder that you are frightened."

That caught Chara's attention: it seems Toriel had mistaken their apprehension for fear. Whoops. Still, the human couldn't help but smile a bit at the goat's words because Toriel was probably the least frightening person in existence – except when dad tried to sneak an extra piece of pie. The look of panic on Asgore's face whenever he got caught never failed to get a chuckle out of the Chara.

At the memory, Chara could feel some tension leave their body and they shifted into a more relaxed pose. As if in response, Toriel eased back into their chair looking much more relieved. Chara spoke, "Then would you mind answering some questions?" Time to gather some information.

The goat monster perked up at this and a smile graced her features. "Of course not! If you have any inquiries, I will certainly answer them to the best of my abilities. Is there anything in particular you wish to know?"

Why don't you recognize me? Where's dad? Why does this place look abandoned? Why are you crying? "Are there others here besides you?"

"Ah, that's right. You Fell a bit farther into the Ruins than the others." At Chara's confused look, Toriel went into more depth. "There have been seven other humans to Fall before you, my child. Usually, the children Fell all in the same spot, in the beginning of the Ruins, before all the traps. You, however, Fell right outside my house and therefore could not have possibly met any other monsters who live down here." Well, that wasn't quite right; they didn't Fall so much as "blip back into existence," but Chara wasn't about to needlessly complicate things. Plus, there were other, more important matters to worry about.

I was the first to Fall, but apparently there have been six others? How much time has passed since Asriel and I died? They asked their next question, "You keep calling this place 'the Ruins.' Why?"

Toriel's expression darkened for a beat before they replied. "Due to… reasons, most of the monsters have moved to a new capital, New Home, that's closer to the barrier keeping us Underground. This place, the old capital, has since been known as the Ruins and Old Home."

"…" Chara could there was more to the story that Toriel wasn't disclosing. They couldn't push it without drawing suspicion though, so they shelved that topic for now. "So, there are monsters in the rest of the Ruins, but you said there were seven other humans before me; where are they?" Knowing mom, if they were around the Ruins, I definitely would have seen them by now. So if they aren't here, did they pass on from old age or…?

It was Toriel's turn to look uncomfortable. Their smile turned sad, and they couldn't meet Chara's gaze anymore. "You certainly cut right to the chase, don't you, my child. You remind me of one of the previous children." The goat monster folded her hands while taking a shaky breath. "Of course. It is only natural that you would like to know where others of your kind are…"

Chara frowned. She's stalling. The human couldn't help but notice the tears streaming down Toriel's cheeks increase in volume, pouring onto her perpetually damp and worn-out tunic. As the seconds ticked by, droplets started to float upwards from Toriel's soaked feet, bobbing and drifting protectively between them and around the goat's form. The heavy atmosphere started to seep in from outside, causing the human to become acutely aware of both their surroundings and the feeling of impending danger.

In the heart locket, the human could feel their soul pulse in response to the mounting amounts of magic, as if a Fight was about to start. Could this have been what Asriel was talking about? A monster's "hurt" manifested into a living form? Did that mean this topic was somehow connected to the pain Toriel was feeling? In any case, Chara wasn't quite ready for a Fight, so they quickly scrambled to change the subject. "Um, I'm feeling a bit tired," they blurt out the first thing to come to mind. "This is a lot to take in, and it's starting to get to me. Can I rest a bit?" Well, it wasn't a complete lie – this was all quite a bit for the young human to take in, and they wanted to prepare before doing anything drastic.

"W-what?" Clearly taken aback, Toriel sputtered at the topic change. "Oh! O-of course!" The monster's mood quickly shifted gears, donning a welcoming smile. "There is a spare bedroom down the hall that you can use. I was going to show you later, but if you are tired now, then I shall not keep you up. Sleep well, young one."

Chara nodded their thanks before heading down the hallway. Now where did Asriel get off to…

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