#even though this is more leaning on dr toriel

[wacky-wonders]

my attempt at a human toriel :]

[nightfurynova1217]

There might already be a post about this somewhere, but I haven’t been able to get this out of my head lately.

In regards to the differences between UT Alphys and DR Alphys, a lot of people obviously point out her take on Mew Mew 2, and the thing that’s been eating my brain is like… their different life experiences??

Okay so UT Alphys hates Mew Mew 2. She thinks it’s too edgy and she prefers the light tone of Mew Mew 1, but DR is exactly the opposite, she likes Mew Mew 2 and thinks 1 is childish.

However, in UT, Alphys is quite literally (accidentally) responsible for some of the most grotesque body-horror, science-experiment-gone-wrong her world has ever seen. She’s living with the constant guilt of what she did even though the final result was completely unforeseen and unintentional, the stress of keeping it all a secret and all the extra hoops she has to jump through to make sure it stays that way, added with the pressure of having successfully lied to Asgore by “creating” Mettaton and telling him she forged an artificial soul, and now she’s gotta keep up the act, with not just the ancient king looking to her for results, but the entire underground waiting for a repeat of her “success” so they can be freed sooner.

Contrast that with DR Alphys. She’s a high school teacher. In a small, pleasant, secluded town, where everyone knows everybody. Her highest point of stress is making sure Toriel doesn’t realize how lax she is with her students and what they can get away with in her class. And of course the pressure that she does wanna make sure she does a good job, she wants to be a good teacher and make sure her students are learning. But uh, that’s about it as far as I can recall.

Both Alphys’s are indulging in a fantasy.

UT wants a happy, feel-good story with minimal stakes or conflict. Not to say there wouldn’t be any, but to have the theme and genre leaning heavily into slice-of-life fluff, because her real life has too many stresses in it already.

DR is more interested in a deeper, darker story that delves into more adult-themes with higher consequences. Where the primary heroin is grounded and hardened through combat, and not as cute all the time. She wants angst, because her real life is secure and peaceful, and she feels safe and untriggered in consuming that kind of media.

[saintheartwing]

Undertales of Friendship: Beware the Man Who Speaks in Hands

Frisk was not having very good dreams.

Over and over, he would find himself descending down, down into the dark recesses of the "True" Laboratory beneath the normal place where Alphys had worked in the underground. The walls a dark green, a chill running through the air, a faint fog all around his feet as he nervously stepped past patient chair after patient chair. Over and over again he'd approach the sinks in the back of the room, turning them on to get the key one of them had inside them, hoping to flood the sinks and for the key to either float up, or the pipes beneath to burst open to get what he wanted. Yet that always gave way to the sight of that...THING coming out of the third sink.

A cute little round, cheery face, twisting and bulging and morphing into a monstrosity with a horrific laugh, large black eyes with pinprick white pupils gazing back. A tongue lagging out of one of many mouths, eternally crying and bleeding-black eyes on a whispy, curved tail like a scythe. This...this odd, strange, faintly melted specter of many faces looking back at him, three in a row all rising up from the sinks, mouths opening and closing and all speaking at once, and saying the same phrase again and again.

"LOREM IPSUM DOCET.

LOREM IPSUM DOCET.

LOREM IPSUM DOCET."

Frisk knew what it meant. Sorrow itself teaches. And he knew what these things were. Pieces of what had once been the Royal Scientist of the Underground, WingDinG Aster, aka Gaster, as he preferred to be called. More bestial and darker traits had risen up in this little "Mini-Me" of Gaster, and they were really only interested in one thing.

"Come join the fun."

"It's a real get together!"

"Become one of us! One of us!"

"You'll be with us soon." The Memoryheads intoned, as more heads sprang up around Frisk, knocking him back as they bulged and popped, Frisk shivering as the Memoryhead closest to him intoned in a dark voice.

"Sorrow itself teaches."

"Teaches what?" Frisk asked. And again the Memoryheads would get closer...closer. "Look, I-I don't want to join in the fun!" He insisted. How many times had he done this before, only to be ignored as they leapt on him and-

But now it was different. Now they merged together, popping and squishing into one, growing larger and larger as an enormous black maw opened slowly and a voice faintly echoey in tone rang out.

"I only want what's mine. And you have a part of it."

"Wh-what's that?" Frisk asked, a gigantic head now staring down at him, white pupils gazing deeper and deeper into him as Frisk found himself sinking, going further into the endless black that was engulfing him-

And then he awoke, Fluttershy the Pegasus gently dabbing a cloth over his head as he sat up on her couch, glancing about her little cottage. "Wh-what happened?"

"Oh, Frisk, sweetie, you fainted in the middle of feeding the chickens outside. Is it too hot for you? I don't know why you always wear a long-sleeve shirt." Fluttershy sighed a little, waving a hoof in the air. "I mean, blue does bring out your eyes, but you must get very hot."

"No, it...it isn't that." Frisk muttered, holding a hand to his head as he cringed. "I keep having these bad dreams and I haven't slept well lately."

"...dreams?" Fluttershy murmured. "Hmm. You know, I think I know someone who could help with bad dreams." She offered with a gentle smile, clasping her hooves together and beaming.

And indeed, a quick letter from Spike was sent out, and Princess Luna of Equestria was soon back in Ponyville, happily meeting with Frisk as the tired, ragged-faced, scarcely-able-to-keep-his-eyes-open child moaned, rubbing his head as he laid on the couch in Fluttershy's home. Fluttershy handed him some golden flower tea, another very popular dish brought up from the Underground thanks to the kindhearted Toriel, and Luna thoughtfully looked him over, dark blue eyes gazing intently at him as Sans, who was also there to look after the kid, gave the kid a hot dog. Or rather, a hot cat.

"Ugghhh. I'm sorry, Sans. I don't feel like eating it."

"geez. ain't even hungry enough to have one of my specialties? now I KNOW somethin' ain't right with you." Sans said, shaking his bony head back and forth. "maybe a joke'll cheer you up. what do you call a guy who gets run over? tired."

Fluttershy, Luna and Frisk all slooooowly turned their heads to directly look at each other, then at Sans, saying absolutely nothing. "..."

"...wow, something IS wrong with you. not even a chuckle." Sans commented with a surprised look on his face.

"I can see his soul's aura. It is plagued with bad dreams. Something has a grip on him." She reasoned aloud. "Frisk, I ask of you. Tell me EVERYTHING thou dost remember of thy dreams. It's most imperative."

"I'm dreaming of these...amalgamates. Melted-together things, pieces of a person that used to be. They're called Memoryheads because they're...well, they're like living heads that are the embodiment of a memory of a man." Frisk said, his tone sounding just as exhausted as the child looked. "A man named Dr. Gaster. He used to be the Monster Kingdom's Royal Scientist...and he was Sans and Papyrus's big brother."

"Whatever happened to him?" Fluttershy softly inquired.

"He fell into his machine, into the time/space continuum and now's in pieces."

"what Frisk here means is that he's at a PIECE conference." Sans remarked wryly.

Many, many, MANY miles away, something stirred. A very furious growl turned into a roar as a cracked face snarled out high and loud enough to crack every glass window in Canterlot. Which it DID.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT BONEHEAD SAID THAT!"

"OW. OW. Sans, that joke was so bad it's physically hurting me, OWWW." Frisk moaned out, Luna whacking her head against the nearby wall over and over again, Fluttershy covering her face with one hoof as Sans nonchalantly shrugged.

"maybe you're right. guess I should leave and make sure you get some-"

"DON'T YOU DARE-"

"PIECE and quiet."

"OHHHHH." Frisk groaned, writhing on the couch as Sans exited the house, laughing uproariously as another pained groan echoed out from miles away in Canterlot.

"Ugggghhhhh. How detestible. He should put more backbone into his pu-" Princess Luna began to say before cringing. "Oh sonofa-"

"HA!" Sans laughed.

Unbeknownst to them, it wasn't Frisk who was in the most danger. No, that dubious honor went to Papyrus, who was hard at work in his new job as a guard for Princess Celestia in her palace at Canterlot. Well, "work" is a strong word. Because currently, he was, along with the other guards, enjoying a nice game of charades with her. Celestia was pantomining a clown to demonstrate the circus, though the guards couldn't quite pick up on that, least of all Papyrus. Then again, perhaps the other guards DID realize it, they just couldn't speak over Pap's VERY loud voice.

"OH! OH, YOU ARE A FLOWER! NO, NO WAIT, YOU ARE A PATIENT FROM AN INSANE ASYLUM! NO, NO WAIT! A MAGICIAN! YES, I AM CERTAIN YOU ARE A MAGICIAN! IS THE WORD MAGIC?"

Celestia chuckled a little, Papyrus happily bouncing up and down in the throne room as she cheerily smiled back, some of the other guards jabbing each other in the side, snickering a bit at his childish exeuberance. It was really quite adorable.

But then the room began to get dark and cold, a chill settling in as Celestia realized that she could see her breath right in front of her. She gasped, quickly looking around the room as the expanse all about her began to convert into utter shadows, and she narrowed her eyes. Was this Discord playing a prank? It couldn't be Sombra, he wasn't around anymore! What was going on?

"...PaPyRuS..." A voice whispered, its voice haunting and echoing as Papyrus stiffened in shock, Celestia looking over in his direction before inky blackness began to swell around him, Papyrus struggling to get free of the darkness that was engulfing him. He let out a gasp, trying to push the other guards away so they wouldn't get sucked in, Celestia racing towards him.

"NO! PRINCESS, STAY BACK! I DO NOT WISH YOU HARMED!" Papyrus insisted, the blackness carefully pinning his arms to his sides as a form rose out of the black, its face skeletal, one black crack running up its right eye, another running down towards its mouth on the left as it gazed over Papyrus, bony hand clasping Papyrus's cheek. "DO...DO I KNOW YOU?"

"You don't remember, Papyrus?" It spoke. "I remember everything about you. Everything."

Papyrus's mouth gaped open slightly, Celestia taking a step forward, eyes intently narrowed as her horn glowed. "You release him NOW. I will not allow you to harm an innocent."

"I only want what's mine." The being said. "I need...to make USE of you." It told Papyrus.

And with that, the inky blackness exploded outward like a bomb, Celestia reeling back along with the guards as she gasped, glancing around...

Papyrus was gone.

AN HOUR LATER...

Sans was calmly sitting on a bench in the park, leaning back and doing nothing. Just the way he liked things. Calmly sighing, he looked up at the sky, and the clouds idly passing by as he saw Papyrus approaching off in the distance, dressed in his normal attire and eagerly sitting down next to him. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?" Papyrus asked Sans.

"well, i like to watch shapes in the clouds. that one looks like a flying dragon, see?" Sans said, pointing with a bony finger up at a draconic-shaped puffy cloud that looked like it was belching out 'flames', Papyrus nodding in agreement.

"OH, YES, IT DOES INDEED."

"and that lil' one over there looks like a mother duck, and the other ones after it are lil' ducklings."

"LIKE THAT CUTE LITTLE BIRD THAT LOVES TO CARRY PEOPLE OVER RIVERS?" Papyrus inquired.

"yeah. we gotta treasure that bird." Sans agreed with a calm, respectful nod.

"MAY I TRY ONE?"

"of course, paps." Sans said with a wink, Papyrus rubbing his long chin before pointing upward with a red-gloved hand.

"OOH! THAT ONE LOOKS LIKE A WOUNDED DERPY WITH SMOKE COMING OFF OF HER WINGS-"

KRAKKA-THROOOOOM! Derpy Hooves crashed hard into the market, a cry of "MY CABBAGES" echoing out through the air as a loud "Sorry' echoed out soon after, Derpy limping by them, angrily holding up an exploded mailbag, complete with the shredded remains of what had been a suspicious package and cake frosting and cabbages all over her body, Sans raising a nonexistent eyebrow as he looked her over.

"what happened?"

"It's a SICK world we live in with SICK PONIES!" Derpy shrieked, grumbling darkly as Papyrus shook his head back and forth.

"WHAT A SHAME. THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER SEND MAIL THROUGH THE POSTAL SYSTEM."

"yeah. i'm guessing that was a Boom Boom Cake of Pinkie Pie's."

"HOW CAN YOU TELL?"

"cuz she's got a real explosive personality."

Silence for a long, long time before Papyrus wryly remarked "...I HATE TO TELL YOU THIS, BROTHER, BUT YOUR JOKE JUST...BOMBED."

Sans stiffened a little, slowly turning his head, as if truly seeing Papyrus for the first time, his mouth agape in surprise as Papyrus put a hand on his shoulder...with incredible weight behind it. "you're not paps."

"NO...I'm not." The being that was not Papyrus said. "You know who I am, Sans. And you know why I'm here. You understand why."

"gaster, come on, he's just a child-" Sans began to say, Gaster's stolen form shaking its head back and forth solemnly.

"I'm not going to harm him anymore than I've harmed Papyrus. Or that I'll harm you. I only want what's mine." Gaster explained."Now come. It's time for all of us to be one big family, Sans. The way it should be." He intoned kindly, as Sans felt a large embrace engulf him, the shadows swallowing his form as he fell deeper, deeper, deeper into the abyssal black around him...

And then, within a few moments, there was only what appeared to be Sans on the bench as he made his way back towards Fluttershy's cottage. "now then...third time is the charm."

...

...

...

...Frisk was still on the couch, fast asleep as Luna held a hoof to his head, focusing intently, her lips slightly pursed. Fluttershy stood nearby, biting her lip as the light softly filtered in through the window, bathing over Frisk in soft golden light as Luna cringed.

"This is serious. An immense block is inside his mind. Whatever's inside him has placed a mental barrier that I cannot easily break through. I will need additional help, Fluttershy." Luna sighed at last, removing her hoof from Frisk's forehead before steepling her hooves, lying back in the chair she was sitting on. "He will have to be taken to Zecora."

"taken to ol' stripeybutt, huh?" Sans's voice rang out as they turned, seeing he was stepping out of the closet, Fluttershy gasping as she slightly jumped up in the air. "what? c'mon, Fluttershy. nothing wrong with a couple skeletons in your closet. everybody has 'em."

"I take it you could simply...shortcut your way to Zecora?" Princess Luna mused aloud as he looked Sans over, the skeleton giving a cute little wink, showing off a faintly royal blue glowing eye as Frisk was softly hovered through the air and over towards him. "However are you able to do that?"

"ahhh, blue magic runs in the family, really." Sans the Skeleton remarked with a shrug. "both my brothers got different mastery over it. But Paps's spirit's tied to the trait of Bravery, so his magic comes off more orange. Me, I'm patient, so mine's light blue." He remarked with a shrug, unzipping his blue jacket as the sleeping Frisk was caaaarefully lowered down, down, and soon, was perfectly positoned right in front of Sans's form. With a little smile, Sans zipped his jacket back up, Frisk now warmly tucked away in the jacket almost like a mother kangaroo with her baby joey, as Sans patted the sleeping child on the head. "theeeere we go. all snug as a bug in a rug."

"You've been waiting to do that to him for a while, haven't you?" Fluttershy asked with a smile. "I can tell."

Sans gave her a big grin. "oh, you've no idea." He said, reopening the closet. "i'll see you two later. got a lot to do." he remarked before popping into the closet again, Fluttershy smiling before suddenly stiffening up. Something hadn't been right. What had he said? "My magic's light blue".

...but Frisk had been surrounded in a royal blue light.

"Princess Luna, I think something terrible has just happened." She realized aloud, wheeling around and looking into Luna's eyes. "We need to find Ms. Toriel immediately."

Meanwhile, Frisk was still tucked away inside the jacket as Gaster-Sans calmly walked down the forest path, heading to the abandoned Castle of the Two Sisters, the old castle of Princess Luna and Celestia. The castle was long overgrown, its steeples crumbling and cracked with trees around it drooping and saddened, everything about it giving off the air of dejection and abandonment as Gaster's borrowed form approached the front of the castle and pushed the doors open. Little Frisk was still fast asleep, Gaster's stolen form looking quietly down at Frisk, biting into a lack of bony lip.

He felt guilt. Frisk had been nothing but kind and loving to monsters like him. He'd freed his kind, he'd given his brothers something to live for again. Such a dear child.

"I..." He hesitated, gently stroking Frisk's brown-haired head. He just looked so cute, all tucked away tight and warm and safe in his jacketed body. "...he's just a child..." He murmured.

But he wanted to be whole again so dearly. To just be himself. Before he'd only been able to hold onto the material world in little bits and pieces, barely able to manifest for more than five minutes. But now with Sans and Papyrus sampled...

And soon it would be three with Frisk. Out of everyone in the Underground, four had the strongest physical connection to him. He'd been scattered in pieces across the Underground, and had barely managed to scrape enough of himself together for this wild, desperate plan. He needed four souls, and the pieces of himself within them: Sans, Papyrus, Frisk and Alphys. With Papyrus, his physical form would become more stable. With Sans, his mind would get more stable. With Alphys, he could get back his Soul. And with Frisk would come his heart, his compassion. He needed that. He needed to feel again. To just love someone.

"You're only feeling remnants of a man who once was." He murmured to himself, gently taking Frisk's sleeping form out of his jacket and laying him on a table as his visage began to shift, growing taller and darker. "You don't truly feel guilty. All you feel is a shell. Intellectually, you know you should feel disgusted. But you don't truly feel it. With the child claimed, you will. With the child claimed, you will feel again. Be almost utterly whole again. It's everything you want, isn't it?"

He now stood tall, a large skeleton in a dark cloaked robe with a silver undershirt, his form lean and faintly thin. A black crack ran up his eye, another running down to his mouth from the other eye, his skeletal hands having large holes in the center as he gently laid one on Frisk's head. "Believe me." He spoke softly to Frisk. "I'm truly grateful. With this, I'll be whole again. And you'll never be alone." He offered, shadows beginning to rise around Frisk as his SOUL was exposed...

Gaster flinching as he reeled back, cringing as he clutched at his chest, feeling his remnant of a Soul, his pale imitation flinching. Damn. The soft light of Sans and Papyrus within him were objecting. They were almost utterly overpowering him. Perhaps he couldn't claim the child yet. He'd need more raw power. Perhaps Alphys would do. Her Soul was rather weak-willed in comparison, and would provide the boost needed.

Ah, well. For now he could at least do one thing with the child. Carefully lifting the child up, he placed him between the folds of his coat as he buttoned it up more, the little one nicely tucked away inside him as he softly enjoyed the gentle movements of Frisk turning ever-so-slightly in a peaceful slumber. Sighing, Gaster sat down against a nearby wall, and softly drifted off to sleep himself to join the child in dreamland...

TO BE CONTINUED...

[nighttimepixels]

How swapped does a Underswap have to be? Like I personally only swapped the bros, Frisk and Chara and left everyone else in there original spots.

Oh well, that’s totally dependent on personal taste! That’s why you see a nigh infinite spectrum of Swap ‘verses out there, I figure, heh.

There of course ends up trouble if you’re trying to be too exacting with who’s swapped with who; eg, you can follow the rabbit hole pretty far down but then you get to trouble when it comes to lesser NPCs (eg, who do you swap Ice Wolf with? what about random Vulkin NPC? people in MTT Hotel? etc....)

Personally, I tend to think of it as swapping the ‘major foils’, so to speak. Several of the major characters and even lesser-but-still-important/well-loved/noticed NPCs have some sort of foil. Obviously, there’s the skelebros; but there’s also Toriel & Asgore, Frisk & Chara, Alphys & Undyne, Mettaton & Napstablook, Grillby & Muffet, Flowey &... depending on how you look at it/popularly Temmie (for laughs) or Gaster (for more dramas), and the list goes on quite readily.

In the end though it really is up to you! I tend to lean towards the above swaps, and when in doubt, will ‘swap’ someone’s approach to life, really. It’s kinda moot though beyond your fave characters though bc those are the one’s most fics/art will interact with X)

But also, ‘how swapped’ applies to personalities, and stars, that’s a whole can of worms you definitely don’t want to hear my rambling opinions on, haha! TL;DR, have fun with it, let others have their fun, and frolic in the delightful and chaotic playground that is AU shenanigans!

[ihaveanimagine]

(@skellesins, I finally got your ask finished! I hope you don’t mind it’s a bit sloppy >.< Anyways I hope you enjoy!)

(From the 390 Prompt List)

11. “Be my wife”

16. “Come back to bed”

Underswap!Papyrus (Honey)

There was nothing you loved more than seeing your beloved honey boyfriend on stage. No, not a theater stage (although he had been tempted to try out for a comedic play that had Death as a main character).

Honey was on a stand-up comedy stage, microphone in one hand, honey flavored lollipop in the other with his trademark lazy grin as he rattled out puns and jokes.

“And this supposed to be a stand up comedy right?” Honey said, gesturing to the stage “Well if this is stand up, why do we have a stool?!” He grabbed the stool and shook it aggressively and people started howling.

“Like seriously, this isn’t a sit-down show like Dr. Phil!” Honey leaned on the stool and chewed his lollipop while the crowd calmed down a bit “I mean, I get why we need the stool, you’re up here for a long ten maybe twenty minutes rattling off dozens of terrible jokes so the audience can give us sympathetic laughs.”

The audience burst out laughing again, no doubt they were still cringing from the last comedian’s routine that centered around snot and rubber chicken.

“Oh and there’s also muscle cramps! Few of my coworkers have that-“ He bent down and tapped the part of his leg were his calf would be “Man, muscle cramps are the worst right?”

He got a lot of nods and a few chuckles before propping his foot up in the stool and motioned to his bones. “Of course, I get muscle cramps all the time-“

The audience roared with laughter and Honey had to stand there for a about a minute, exchanging amused looks with you before he was able to continue.

“Anyway, as I was saying: I get the worst muscle cramps ever! I mean they get bad enough to the point where I can’t even feel my leg! It feels like it’s just all bone!” He got a few groans from that last line but it was mostly laughs.

“My poor girlfriend has to deal with me and my muscle cramps all day, isn’t that right, Sweets?” Honey asked, throwing you a wink and charismatic grin.

You nodded and grinned mischievously “Oh yeah, any time I walk in the room you’re just on the floor screaming: I NEED SOME MILK!!” You shouted that last part like the vine and the ones who caught your reference cackled hard enough to start coughing and Honey gave you and exaggerated pout.

“I’m sure you’re all wondering why I’m the one up here when it’s obvious she’s the better comedian.” Honey joked, throwing you a wink before motioning for you to join him on stage.

Normally you hate being called on stage to do stuff but Honey knew your limits and would never say or do anything to make you uncomfortable. As you walked up to the stage, a few people applauded and Honey began moving stuff around so you could easily hop up the stage and were in view of everyone.

Once you were up there, Honey greeted you with a quick kiss to the lips before hugging you and turned back to the audience, one arm snuggly wrapped around your waist.

You let your head rest on Honey’s shoulder and wrapped an arm around him as Honey resumes his routine.

“Anyway, everyone, this is my wonderful girlfriend of 3 years.” He grinned when a few people applauded and whistled. You grinned and tilted the microphone towards you and Honey held it up for you.

“By that he means we’ve known each other for 8 years and it took both of us 5 years to ask each other out on a date.” The audience burst out laughing and Honey grinned proudly “Toldja she was the better comedian.”

After the crowd calmed down Honey turned back to you “Speaking of our 8 years of knowing each other, I gotta question for ya.” He cleared his throat and tried to hide his sudden nervousness.

“Okay, you know how I told you that when us monsters find someone who completes us we usually give each other some kind of token?” You nodded and held up the necklace Honey gave you last year for Gyftmas.

“You have yours?” You asked him with a smile and Honey chuckled and took out a keychain from his pocket that was a honey pot with a cartoon bee on a lawn chair with the captions “Lazy Bee”.

You grinned proudly and Honey kissed your head before turning back to the audience who was cooing over how cute you two were being.

“Anyways, it has come to my understanding that humans also give each other a small token when they find someone who completed you.” Honey took a deep breath and knelt down in front of you before putting his hand in his pocket.

You felt your eyes widen and tears well up as you covered your mouth with your hands, silently asking Honey if this was real. He nodded and grinned up at you before speaking again.

“Now, before you say anything, I promise this isn’t from one of those popular jewelry stores you hate.” You laughed and briefly recalled telling Honey that if you both get married that you refuse to spend your hard earned money on a shiny rock that’s overhyped and overpriced.

“I made this with Undyne and Muffet, you know those days when I told you I was going out to practice some lame puns at the grocery store to see how people react?” Honey waited till you nodded before taking out a small box and opened it, revealing a beautiful but simple ring with a gem the color of Honey’s magic and yours swirled together in a way that gave off a faint glow.

You faintly heard people gasp and whisper but Honey ignored them and kept on explaining. “When I was out of the house, they were helping me make this. Uh, the band is made from metals up here but the gem is from Underground and some of my magic. You know those glowing rocks we used as stars? It’s kinda the same thing.”

You felt your heart melt and you reached out to touch the gem, you remembered telling Honey that you thought the glowing rocks in Waterfall were beautiful but you never imagined he’d do something like this for you.

“Uh, I’m getting off track, shoot-“ Honey coughed in his hand and quickly took the ring out of the box and held it out to you.

“A-Anyway, uh, my point was Monsters give each other tokens of affection as part of our uh, courting process, and humans give each other tokens of affections to begin the next level of relationships so…” Honey blushes bright orange and looked up at you with love and adoration in his eyes.

“(Your full name), will you be my wife?”

Swapfell!Papyrus (Russ)

When you and Russ first met, you would never take him for a cuddler. He had two gold fangs, a thick collar on his neck, and lazy glare seemed to deter anyone from even trying.

But once you got to know him, you discovered the exact opposite. Russ showed his affection for friends by using them as chin rests, falling asleep on top of them when he felt like it, and was always finding some way to lean on you for warmth and comfort.

Sometimes you thought he was so touchy with his affections was because he was touch starved but most of the time you felt like he did those things because he thought you were a comfy human blanket/mattress.

But then the two of you started dating and you realized he loved being physically affectionate because he was a cuddle-addict.

Despite being one of the tallest people you’ve ever met, this lanky skeleton always found ways to curl around you, curled up on your lap or stomach, wound his arms around you at every possible moment.

It was both endearing and slightly annoying, especially at times like right now.

You and Russ were in bed, he was fast asleep with his arms wrapped around yours, trapping you to his chest. He had his legs wrapped around yours and his head was perched right above yours.

Normally you loved how cuddly your husband was, he was always really warm and even though you’ve been married a full 3 years by now, he held you like it was his first time staying in the same bed with you.

But right now it was highly inconvenient. You and Russ had a newborn baby girl and she was currently going through her phase of waking up in the middle of the night to scream and cry.

Russ slept like a rock and most of the time didn’t hear her which left you to be the one to go and rescue her from whatever made her cry.

All you had to do was escape your mate’s vice grip. Which was easier said than done.

It took you awhile but you managed to wriggle out before grabbing a spare blanket to wrap around yourself before heading to the baby’s room.

A few minutes later, the baby was still crying and you were walking around the room trying to get her to settle and Russ began to wake up, noticing his favorite cuddler wasn’t with him.

He glanced over to the baby monitor and heard you singing a lullaby while the baby cried. With a small whine he got up and went to the baby room to see you patting the baby’s back as she cried.

“Having trouble?” Russ teased before giving you a tired smile. You threw your husband a look and sighed “I’ve changed her diaper, I’ve burped her, she doesn’t wanna eat, she keeps throwing away her toys and pacifier, and I’ve tried walking with her and singing to her but nothing is working!”

Russ winced when he saw how exhausted you were and he held his arms out and took the baby from you and cradled her while you plopped into the rocking chair.

“Hey there, baby bones!” Russ cooed at the screeching baby “What are you being fussy for? Can’t sleep?” He held her close to his soul and tried to calm her by keeping her close to his soul.

He didn’t really know much about babies but Queen Toriel had pulled him aside after his baby was born that sometimes monster infants can be calmed with the presence of their parents’ souls.

It seemed to work briefly because the baby opened her eyes and pouted up at Russ, causing him to laugh.

It wasn’t his fault! His baby was just too precious and she had your pout!! The baby however, didn’t appreciate the laughing because her crying started back up.

You sighed and joined Russ and pressed a kiss to her head “Come on, sweetheart, go to sleep.” At the sound of your voice, the baby turned to you and her crying died down a bit.

“…..What just happened?” You asked, confused but grateful she stopped crying. Russ bounced her in his arms and shrugged “I guess she just wanted to make sure both of us were here.”

You yawned and gently tugged Russ back to your bedroom “Come back to bed, we can cuddle her there.” Russ chuckled and kisses his baby’s head again “You’re a little banshee, aren’t you?”

You flopped back on your bed and Russ carefully got in beside you. When the baby started getting fussy again, you moved so your head was near your daughter’s and gently rubbed her head.

“Easy, sweetie, your Papa and I are right here.” You yawned and sleepily wrapped an arm around Russ and your husband responded by laying the baby down his chest so he can keep an arm wrapped around the two of you.

Hopefully his excellent cuddling skills could put the two of you asleep for the rest of the night.

[odderancyart]

A Few Days of Late Autumn

Happy Birthday, @kyuko-chan!!!

Here’s some Blackcherry High School AU!

...

26 October

We got a new classmate today. The entire school buzzed with the news this morning as gossip spread through the hallways. According to them, he had been expelled from the Royal Academy, which obviously means he must be rich as fuck: the Royal Academy is only for the absolute elite, after all. The children of politicians, CEOs, nobility.

Early this morning, while the sun still was low on the sky, I sat in my chair in the classroom – clad in high-heeled black boots, which I had polished until they basically shimmered in the light from the lamps, black and white striped jeans, and my hot pink turtleneck – with my feet thrown up on the table while Slim slept in his seat next to Blue (the idiot needs to go to bed earlier, for fuck’s sake, it’s not strange he’s always exhausted), and Jennifer was yelling about the latest episode of her favourite show, or whatever. Wow holy hell that’s one long sentence, huh? Anyway, that’s when we heard the doorknob turn. I threw my legs of the table, sitting properly, just in time before Ms. Toriel (our principal) stepped inside. I could see Blue elbow Slim awake in the corner of my eye.

Following Ms. Toriel, who as always wore a perfectly neat suit and, as always, was sneering – was the new kid. As I first saw him, I froze. I might’ve forgotten to breathe too? Not sure. He has a jagged scar running down over his eye socket, a bit like mine but less clean. A gold tooth, which gleamed in the sunlight coming in through the window. And he certainly knows how to dress: biker boots, torn jeans, and a black shirt with the Anarchy-symbol in red. Which, admittedly, is kind of weird from a member of the uppermost class, but whatever.

The most noticeable thing, however, was the fact that he had a cocky smirk on his face. I’ve never seen anyone look cocky in Ms. Toriel’s presence: she is fucking terrifying.

And yes, I admit. He’s fucking hot.

Seems like an asshole though, and a different kind than me. He leaned against the desk, despite Ms. Toriel’s awful glares, as she introduced him. “This is Red Gaster,” she said, and her dislike was very obviously in her voice. He didn’t seem bothered, though. Whispers filled the classroom – everyone knows the name Gaster. Is he related to Dr Gaster? The King’s advisor? He must be, mustn’t he? How many Gaster families can there be? “He will be joining your class from now on. Mr. Gaster, is there anything you’d like to tell your new classmates?”

“Hiya,” he told us, saluting lazily. His grin widened. “Nice to meetcha.”

His accent is… offensive. That’s all I can fucking say. That’s our accent, and it’s easy to hear it’s been trained in; and I can literally only think of one reason someone from his class would want to speak like us. I’ve heard what people say about it, after all. Heard how people judge those who speak like that. There’s a reason I’m training mine away. I highly doubt I will get anywhere in life while speaking like a ‘gutter rat’. But he can afford the luxury to sound like that for his own amusement, I suppose. If he’s a part of the Gasters, he can do whatever the fuck he wants and face zero consequences. Everyone would hire a Gaster, or let one into their university.

Fucking unfair. Bet I’m smarter than him.

Probably stronger too, even if he has big bones.

Life is unfair. That’s a lesson we’re taught early around here. No one will give a damn about you when you’re poor and working class. We’ve only got ourselves.

Well. Then Ms. Toriel gestured for him to sit, which he did, in the only free seat. Which happened to be the one next to me. I had known he’d sit next to me, obviously, since I saw the added seat when I entered the classroom, but my soul still skipped a beat and I wasn’t sure what to do because fuck he’s hot but god he already makes me angry.

So I just nodded.

“Hello,” he said and made himself comfortable, and then our teacher entered and began the lesson.

Even though he made one or two attempts on talking with me I didn’t humour him: I don’t talk during class. Even if I was tempted, for some reason. If I did, I’d never learn anything, get detention, and get stuck in this shithole forever, and I have aspirations. Not a goddamn chance I’ll let some random, if good-looking, stranger stop me from reaching my dreams.

Later that day, as I was hanging out with Blue and Alphys at lunch – I still regret introducing them goddammit they won’t stop ganging up on me and they’re both committing treason – we saw Red hanging over the fence. He was talking with another skeleton in a fancy suit – the school uniform of the Royal Academy, I believe. Their suit was lazily put on, though, and their tie not even tied. Fucking hell that’s so ungrateful. And I heard him say, “Yeah I’ll take this school with storm, man. They won’t know what hit them.”

Which is bullshit. Watch this privileged asshole not surviving a week in a public high school. I am shocked he didn’t throw a fit when he saw the food.

 27 October

Alright… I admit, he’s fitting in surprisingly well. Still a fucking asshole, but perhaps our kind of asshole rather than the kind I expected from someone from the cream of society. He’s absolutely related to Dr Gaster, though, seeing how a tall skeleton who appears to be his brother – who is also handsome as fuck why that’s so unfair – in a fancy red cabriolet which carried Gaster Industries’ mark picked him up after school yesterday. And today he came on a fucking motorcycle. Because of course he has a motorcycle. Of course he drives motorcycles.

It’s beautiful. Sleek and black with red details. A Ducati. Oh my stars I- Oh fuck it yeah I am jealous as hell it’s absolutely gorgeous and I’ve been dreaming about driving one like it for years. One day, Razz. One day. I technically don’t even have my license yet, even though I can drive: I had a neighbour teach me, but we can’t afford the license for now. Once I get a job, that’ll be the first thing I save up to buy. And then, I will get a beauty of my own.

God I am squeezing my pen so hard right now. I want one so badly.

But back to Red: We sat together in class again, and we actually talked a little before class began. He seems to have learnt not to talk to me while class is going on already, that’s good. Today I was wearing a black and red rockabilly-dress, by the way, that I found in the thrift shop last weekend. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I think he noticed, I saw his gaze on it. That did feel nice. I do appreciate when people, even if they’re assholes, can recognize my beauty and sense of style.

Actually I think I like him a bit more now. Just a tad.

I did find out he doesn’t live at home. Imagine being able to move out at eighteen. I’d love to but well. Even if I could afford it, that’d end in catastrophe, because neither dad nor Slim knows how the fuck to care for themselves. When I came to visit they’d live in chaos and eat instant noodles for dinner every day. What would they do without me? How the fuck did we survive until I started taking charge, anyway? I mean dad can manage, obviously, but his standards are much too low.

So Red lives in an apartment just at the border between our side of town and the finer parts. Only two blocks away from another, richer, school district. And he has a brother, as I suspected, who is still at the Royal Academy and is planning on becoming a Police officer, and the dude I saw him talking to yesterday is his best friend and distant relative (second cousin thrice removed or something), Sans Gaster. And yes, he’s the fucking oldest son of Doctor Gaster, the country’s most prominent scientist and the King’s right-fucking-hand. What the fuck.

What the hell did he do to get expelled? Did he kill someone?

Anyway I have a History-essay to write, on the great monster-human war and how the Treaty was written.

 28 October

It’s Friday! Blue and I am going out on the new club down the corner, it looks awesome. Dad doesn’t want me to go, of course, he’s overprotective as always, but he knows by now that’s not going to stop me. It’s going to be great. Especially since I’ve already finished my homework for the weekend and so it doesn’t matter if we drink and stay up to six am and sleep until noon. Plus, I finally get a chance to wear my latest find: this short, black dress that’s all glittery. It’s fabulous, especially with a black leather jacket.

 29 October

I-

Last night-

Fuck.

I don’t even know how to write this down.

I’ll take it from the beginning.

So Blue and I went to the new club, and we looked fantastic. He had torn jeans and a tank top in dark gold with a leather jacket over, and I had my dress. The music from the nightclub was loud already before we came there, we could hear it down the streets. (I don’t imagine the residents were too happy but whatever.) After showing ID, we were soon allowed inside, luckily there was no queue.

And the inside was every bit as cool as we’d hoped. Flashing lights in rainbow colours, a dancefloor, a fucking smoke machine. The bar was crowded and served the most amazing drinks and it was so much fun. We danced for hours and probably drank a little too much, but we’re eighteen and it’s weekend so it was whatever. I haven’t had so much fun in weeks, and Blue chatted up this pretty girl inside. Not sure if he likes her or if it was just him being tipsy. Blue does become a flirt when he’s drunk he’ll even flirt with me. It’s hilarious. I mean he’s smooth as fuck, not denying that, but anyone would think it’s funny when your best friend-since-childhood is drunken-flirting with you and asking you stuff like “Are you a SAT? ‘Cause I’d do you for three hours and forty five minutes- with a ten minute snack break in the middle.”

Like I said, hilarious. I love drunk Blue.

But when we were going home. It was four am. And I don’t remember all of it, but I know what happened, more or less. We were tired, and giggly, and more than a little drunk. Being drunk doesn’t take away a lifetime of being on your guard, at least not for me, but it does take away my reflexes. Stupid. Why did I ever expect to be safe? Pure idiocy.

And suddenly we were surrounded. I can see them before my eyes. There were at least five of them, they were huge like mountains. And their eyes- So cold, so cruel. So greedy. I’m shivering at the memory of how their eyes racked over our bodies, like we were objects. I felt like someone had doused me in ice water and nausea rose that had nothing to do with me being drunk. It was terrifying. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I can fight, but again I was drunk and they were many, and bigger.

“Well, well,” one of them murmured, leaning toward me. I felt his breath on my face, gross and foul-smelling. They’d cornered us, and he put his arm next to the wall, and I threw out with my arm over Blue. He’s not innocent or weak in any way but he hasn’t been through the shit I have. So I feel like I should protect him, even if he hates it. “What do we have here?”

“Leave us alone,” Blue said, defiant as always. I could hear his voice tremble, though, and I think they did too because they laughed. Laughed.

Fury spiked through me and it only grew as another one added, “What’s two little sweethearts such as yourselves doing out here all alone, in the middle of the night? Lookin’ for some action?”

I punched the one in front of me. Straight in the face. And as he staggered backwards in shock, as the others processed, I grabbed Blue and ran. I can still feel the adrenaline pumping through me and my soul pounding in terror as we ran as fast as we could through the streets, hear the fast clicking of our shoes against the pavement. My mouth was dry as sand and I wasn’t even looking where I was going because I saw them follow us, yelling angrily. They were furious. Who knows what they’d do to us if they caught up?

We turned around the corner, and Blue was just a step before me now because he’s the fastest runner, and we ran straight into something soft on the other side. I froze, my breath catching in my throat as I forgot how to breathe, before I recognized the faces. Red. Red and his friend, Sans.

They stared at us for a moment before they heard the shouts, and I didn’t even know what to do so I grabbed Red’s wrist and pulled, yelling at him that we had to get out of here they were going to- I didn’t finish the sentence. I was afraid of what they were going to do when I couldn’t even access my magic because of the intoxication.

I’ve never seen anyone look so similar to dad as Red did in that moment. The absolute fury on his face, and he moved my hand to Sans, and Sans grabbed Blue. They only nodded at each other and then Sans pulled us into an alley nearby.

I remember screaming.

We were worried about Red, Blue and I – who wouldn’t be, apparently he was about to take on five men at once. But Sans, after introducing himself with a short “The name’s Sans,” told us to worry about our followers instead and I really didn’t give a flying fuck about them. My heart was still pounding so hard I wondered if it was trying to escape my chest as I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds.

Then, a Police siren came from the distance, and Red appeared in the entrance of the alley. “Oh fuck. Time ta leave.”

He and Sans brought us to Red’s apartment, which wasn’t too far away. They picked out some warm blankets for us and sat us down in the sofa. Red made hot chocolate for us both but I couldn’t finish it before I fell asleep. On Red’s shoulder. The next morning Blue and I woke up in Red’s bed, with the world’s biggest hangovers, and my soul was in my throat as I realized where we were, but I didn’t need to worry. He and Sans had both slept on air mattresses on the floor. That’s… surprisingly considerate, isn’t it?

They made us breakfast and ginger tea against the hangover, and Red told us what had happened last night, how he’d beaten up those creeps. He’s battle-trained, says his father made both him and his brother learn how to fight remorselessly. Which… okay yeah that’s attractive.

Now when we finally felt safe again, I listened and honestly? I can’t deny that he’s… nice. I… yeah. He’s nice. But that doesn’t at all explain why I constantly felt the urge to reach out and touch him when we were eating breakfast, or why I blushed as he complimented my dress. I’m confused and it’s annoying. The weirdest thing is that, when he patted my shoulder when Blue and I were going home, I didn’t want him to let go, and felt intensely aware of his handsomeness.

 1 November

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Yeah.

I spoke with Blue about it and he says I have a crush.

Dammit.

3 November

I have so much to write.

The past two days have been a rollercoaster and I’m all giddy right now. Slim actually checked in on me to see I’m alright because I was giggling to much. So yeah I absolutely had a crush on Red. And when we went back to school this Monday it felt kind of awkward and my soul did flips when he asked if I was okay. It might’ve been a little hard to speak to him too without stumbling over my words but I’m not confirming anything.

But he hung out with us all day, and he’s so fucking charming? I’m still thinking whether I should mention his accent or not, but god. He has these super dark jokes, and they’re the funniest thing, and I also found out he lets giggly. So I hung out with him after school and we went to the Starbucks on the corner and drank coffee, and he also tipped the barista really well. And we have so much in common? He was very happy to tell me about his motorcycle and we talked about astronomy and it just… worked.

It was kind of sad when I had to go home. But then- then.

He asked me out on a date.

And I gaped and could hardly answer him for a few moments, and he looked so adorably anxious as he smiled at me, and then I just threw myself around his neck and said yes, of course.

So after school today he brought me out on his motorcycle outside of town and it was amazing. I sat behind him on it, holding around his waist, as the landscape flashed by and the motor purred so wonderfully, and he was really warm in the chill of late autumn. We stopped at a biker bar far out on the countryside, where he seemed to know quite a lot of people. It was really nice, with an old jukebox and dim lights and, apparently, rivalling biker gangs who weren’t allowed to fight in there or they’d be forbidden to come back.

Red bought us soda and pommes and burgers, and we just sat there and talked and ate, and somehow, we began holding hands. I can still feel his fingers around mine. So warm and gentle. He smiled and told me, “You’re lovely.”

And then, on the way back, he let me drive a bit. And it was brilliant. His arms around me, and I couldn’t stop grinning as the motorcycle reacted to my smallest command. It was so… Oh, he leaned his head against my helmet and his ribcage against my back, my leather jacket, and we flew past nature on the empty highway, it was magical.

Unfortunately, the day ended much too soon, and he brought us back into town. And as he dropped me off, he hesitated, and he looked so handsome in the dim light of sunset in his biker jacket, and then he dismounted the bike, and slowly leaned in toward me until I could feel his warm breath on my face, and asked, “May I?”

I nodded, breathless, and he kissed me softly, embracing my waist. I grasped his face between my hands and held him, and I felt him smile into the kiss.

I couldn’t stop smiling as I stared after him as he jumped back on his bike and left, looking back before he disappeared around the corner. Then I went back in and told dad to shut up about my love life I’m legally an adult now and he can’t tell me what to do.

Oh stars I’m so happy I can feel my entire body tingling. I can’t wait for our next date.

[byneddiedingo]

Herschel Bernardi, Phillip Pine, and Vince Edwards in Murder by Contract (Irving Lerner, 1958) Cast: Vince Edwards, Phillip Pine, Herschel Bernardi, Caprice Toriel, Michael Granger, Kathie Browne, Joseph Mell, Frances Osborne, Steven Rich, Davis Roberts, Don Garrett, Gloria Victor. Screenplay: Ben Simcoe. Cinematography: Lucien Ballard. Art direction: Jack Poplin. Film editing: Carlo Lodati. Music: Perry Botkin Sr. Irving Lerner's lean, clever Murder by Contract is a favorite of Martin Scorsese's, and you can detect its influence in his work, especially in the character of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976). Claude, the central character of Lerner's movie, is a loner and an enigma, who like Travis works off some of his sociopathic urges by exercise. Brawny, brooding Vince Edwards, who gained some fame in the 1960s as brawny, brooding Dr. Ben Casey on television, plays the hit man Claude, who is both a sociopath and a misogynist -- he refers to women as "pigs" and freaks out when he discovers that his latest target is a woman: "The human female is descended from the monkey, and monkeys are about the most curious animal in the world. If anything goes on, it just can't stand not to know about it. Same thing with a woman." We first meet Claude in a wonderfully elliptical scene in which he's applying to a Mr. Moon (Michael Granger) for a job. We aren't told what the job is, and we never even meet the man named Brink who is the actual employer, but our suspicions, if we have them, are confirmed when Claude is put to the test in a couple of contract killings. Succeeding in them, he's sent to Los Angeles, where he connects with a pair of Brink's henchmen, George (Herschel Bernardi) and Marc (Phillip Pine), who help him set up for the murder of the key witness in an upcoming trial. But Claude keeps his cool, stalling George and Marc, insisting on touring L.A. before finally setting up for the kill. The result is some entertaining scenes in which Claude frustrates the hot-headed Marc but wins over the more intelligent George. Marc mockingly refers to Claude as "Superman," which is more apt in the Nietzschean sense than in the DC Comics sense -- some have even called Murder by Contract an "existentialist film noir." The movie falls apart a bit at the end, which feels anticlimactic, though it's hard to see how it could have topped the very good beginning and middle. Ben Simcoe is the credited writer, but Ben Maddow, who wrote the screenplay for John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle (1950) and probably the best movie made from a novel by William Faulkner, Intruder in the Dust (Clarence Brown, 1949), is said to have worked on the script.

[nsschaintale]

LINE 7: GLAMOROUS TO THE CORE

UNDERTALE

LINEAR TEMPORAL

LINE 7: GLAMOROUS TO THE CORE

Hiro had started to explore the lobby of the hotel. Other than the bright floor and the statue, Hiro met a small pink and blue origami monster who says that MTT Resort is Hotland's biggest apartment building-turned-hotel. It prides itself in providing a good stay, whether someone stays there for a night or already lived there, even when it's passed through. The front desk is manned by a blue monster with a hand for a head, and he spotted three monsters loitering before an elevator. One is a worried green dragon on the phone telling someone that he might not get home, a white feline monster wearing red shoes on her front paws, glasses, black hair, and has a black briefcase by her, and a black one-eyed slime monster who's outraged at the situation. The elevator before them was apparently in use, but from the sound of the complaints from them, it was like this for a good while. Down the right hall are a set of four doors. One asked for Sea Tea, one asked for a Cinnamon Bun, one didn't specify anything, and one was locked from the inside. Hiro wasn't able to provide the items as he used most of them previously, so he moved on as a green janitor monster was mopping up his own dripping slime in vain. As he was about to head out the doors with the CORE sign above them, he heard a cough ring out from the shop on the right of the Core entrance. There's a sign that showed a burger next to the letters MTT above the double doors. He walked inside to see a standard burger shop with the only employee smoking behind the counter. The employee was an orange cat person wearing a red and yellow uniform with a paper hat of the same colors, and the name tag showing “Burgerpants” on it. He was leaning on the counter, smoking his cigarette and looking bored as usual. On the menu, there was a Starfait, a Glamburger, a Legendary Hero, and a Steak Shaped Like Mettaton's Face (yes, that's what it's called). Hiro only had enough for 3 Starfaits, so he bought those, getting inwardly startled by Burgerpants's “joyful” reaction.

Burgerpants (has a pained smile): Thanksy! Have a FABU-FUL day!!!

Hiro decided to try and ask about the hotel, but ended up getting various pieces of advice, from not ending up like him to never interacting with attractive people. Case in point: the two girls who asked him to sneak some Glamburgers for them. He was caught by his boss on his way to meet them, leading him to drop the burgers and his pants, earning him the nickname. Burgerpants dreamed of working with Mettaton, but not in this manner. He wanted to be an actor, but ended up working at the restaurant. Even though he had some troubles with the robot, Hiro asked why Mettaton was bad, and Burgerpants called this place a labyrinth of bad choices. Even when the staff tries to change something to work better, Mettaton rejects the idea, citing that it's not how it worked on the surface. This confused Hiro as he knows the monsters hadn't been on the surface, so how would Mettaton know? Hiro certainly didn't know. He's just a kid. When the cat mentioned how humans were always eating hamburgers made of sequins and glue, Hiro felt disgusted at the thought. Burgerpants questioned how people find the robot attractive, when he's literally a rectangle. He did at one point buy a kit online that makes people more rectangular, but it didn't work. Hiro was curious about what Burgerpants would do if he was freed. The cat told him he was probably going to be stuck at this job forever, but the one thing that keeps him going is that if Asgore gets one more Soul, everyone can leave for the surface and he'll find a second chance for himself.

That worried Hiro.

He's still not sure of what to think of Asgore. After that enlightening conversation, Hiro was curious about the two chicks Burgerpants mentioned. He didn't go down the alley before when he met Sans, so he headed back out. There, he met two monsters; an alligator with blonde hair, pink eyes, and wearing a pink longsleeved top with blue and yellow stripes, and a purple cat with black hair that has blue tips, a gold earring on her left ear, and wearing blue overalls that have yellow fur lined on the straps. Their wares were interesting. Junk food, a gun, a cowboy hat, and a key. Again, Hiro only had enough for some stuff, so he only bought the junk food. When asked about Burgerpants, the girls called him a creep, even though Catty thought he was kind of cute. She didn't have any real standards. They thought he'd be okay if he treated them with respect. He seemed to blame them for the way he acts, especially when they asked him for the Glamburgers. Bratty was going to share them, but Catty wasn't planning to. Bratty and Catty were their names, and they're best friends for-EVER! Looking over the  items, Hiro had asked where they got their stuff.

Catty: We got them from the garbage!

(awkward pause)

Bratty: It's GOOD garbage.

Catty: It's like, really good garbage.

Hiro was not so sure about the junk food now. They apparently got their garbage from the garbage store, but mostly from Waterfall. Catty exclaimed that she found a gun in a dumpster. Hiro wondered if it belonged to anyone who came before him, which is possible since he did see some trash fall into the area. When he asked about Mettaton, the girls were crazy about him. They both claim that he's their robot husband, either being already married to him or planning to do so. He just doesn't know yet. Hiro wasn't sure if Mettaton is husband material considering the few run-ins he had with the robot, but the girls mentioned that they heard rumors about him being made by Dr. Alphys was his idea. Afterwards, he acted like she was an old friend. They weren't friends anymore, unlike these two. About Alphys, she used to live on their street and was like a big sister to them, if she takes you on trips to the dump. She showed them the coolest places and always collecting some weird cartoons. Then she became the Royal Scientist and they haven't seen her in forever. They mentioned Alphys had always thought Asgore was a super cutie, so they thought she made Mettaton to impress him. A robot with a Soul was something that was possibly relevant to his hobbies. Soon after, Asgore made her do the science stuff, but apart from Hiro, nobody's seen anything from her. She likely just stays in her lab all day. When asked about Asgore, Bratty called him a total goober and Catty says he's a big, fuzzy, goofball.

More descriptions of Asgore that confused Hiro.

They mentioned how he was nice and they love him. So much so, they're both hyped for the destruction of humanity. Disturbed, Hiro left them with that thought and mulled over what happened. The more Hiro hears about Asgore, the more he wonders why Toriel made him out to be so bad. It's clear that everyone but her loves him. Did the king do something to draw Toriel's hatred to him? He'll find out soon, he feels. For now, Hiro decided to talk to Burgerpants about  Bratty and Catty. Hiro told him the girls talked about him and that he should stop acting like they owed him, and if he wanted to be friends with them, he should see through their perspective. Burgerpants felt pity for Hiro, thinking he got brainwashed. Friendship was a hot person's way of making someone their slave, according to him. He then wanted to know what time they wanted to hang out. Hiro went back to ask them and Catty said he should go look for junk with them. Bratty was worried, but Catty thinks it'll be fun. She felt that that kind of person would want to hang out all the time once they join up. Catty wondered if she felt bad for him, and thought about how cool they are compared to him. They'd be saving his life with their friendship. Bratty was still unsure, but once Catty mentioned Glamburgers, Bratty asked if he was free after work. Hiro soon realized he's being a messenger between Burgerpants, Bratty, and Catty. He told Burgerpants that they want to hang out after work, and the cat got excited, thanking him and asking Hiro where they wanted to go.

Hiro: To the garbage dump.

Burgerpants eventually accepted it. After playing messenger for the trio, Hiro found that the relaxing atmosphere of the hotel filled him with determination. He looked past the front desk towards the doors with a flashing sign saying “CORE” above. With some resolve, Hiro pushed forward. Once he stepped out, he spotted two shadow figures heading into an opening ahead on the opposite end of the bridge. Before moving past the flanking bushes, his phone rings.

Hiro: Hello? I just saw two shadows ahead of me.

Alphys: Huh? Who are they? N-Nobody else is s-supposed to be here. Oh well! We can't worry about that now! (hangs up)

Hiro entered the area and it looked far more advanced than any other area he went through. The floor is mainly blue with some glowing circuitry lines in intricate designs in different areas. Two paths flanking the elevators led to a different exit, and before he picked one, his phone soon rang again.

Hiro: Alphys, I'm here.

Alphys: I see you! Ready? This is it! Take the elevator up to the top of the CORE!

Hiro (goes up to the elevator, but finds it's not working; answers his ringing phone): Ah, the elevator's not working.

Alphys: What?

Hiro: I'm pressing the buttons, but it's not opening.

Alphys: ….The elevator should be working... W-Well then! Go to the right and keep heading up!

Hiro: Okay! (follows her instructions, but ends up in a dark room with blazing fire below) Uhhh....

Alphys: Now just keep heading up!

Hiro: I can't! There's fire here!

Alphys: ... That pit...isn't on my map. Forget it! Let's try the left side!

Hiro left the room and went up the left path. He saw three red-tipped blue columns flanking the path.

Alphys: Okay, you should be able to make it through here!

Hiro: All right.

As he headed up, the two shadow figures he saw before quickly approached him.

Hiro: Ah!

Alphys: W-Watch out!

The area went grayscale and a battle ensued. Hiro soon faced against a magician type monster that popped out of its hat along with two floating spheres. Its hat covered its eyes, didn't look like it had arms as its coat bellowed and its boots floated underneath it. His options were Talk, Stare, and Clear Mind. Hiro decided to clear his mind and thought of pollen and sunshine. Hiro soon had to dodge flying crosses, but got hit once. The Madjick, as it was called, flaunted its orbs menacingly. Hiro then tried talking to it, but was interrupted as it chattered to itself. Hiro managed to dodge the orbs, then Madjick whispered arcane swear words at the boy. Hiro soon spared it, clearing the room of gray and answering his phone.

Alphys: Th-That was close... Wh...Why are there so many monsters here?

Hiro: Maybe they work here?

Alphys: Ah... I mean... It's no problem, r-r-right? W-w-we've just got to keep moving forward! (becomes silent then hangs up)

Hiro: …?

Hiro soon enter the next area and ahead of him is a barrier and a long glass-floored bridge lined with the laser nodes. Three sets of three light bulbs with three different colors are seen on the light-stripped wall before the switch. He noticed that he could see the various inner parts of the bridge as the lights flickered in various patterns and some spots have a sort of wear with some gray panels and purple insulation worn or broken off, exposing the wires underneath.

Hiro: It's that barrier... (answers his phone)

Alphys: Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch. B-But, those lasers will activate when you do. Um, looks like they'll come in this order. Orange, orange, blue. Got it, move until the third one!

Hiro: Okay. (hits the switch, then moves forward) Oran- (sees the colors being blue, blue, then orange) BLUE?! (gets hit by the blue laser, dodges the lasers that followed, stopped on the second blue one and dashing through the orange one) I.. (picks up the call) Alphys!?

Alphys: Oh my god... Are you hurt? I...I'm sorry, I.... I gave you the wrong order. (slight panic) E-Everything's fine, okay? Just keep going to the right.

Hiro: Okay... Is she all right...?

Hiro made his way through the corridor, spotting even more panels broken off and the triple set light bulbs on the wall, passing them by before he arrives at a T road with the bottom pointing north. Seeing the state of the area made Hiro think that the Core hasn't been fixed up for some time.

Alphys: A crossroads... (clicking and papers shifting are heard) Uuuh....uhhh.... Tr...Try heading to the right!

Hiro: Okay. (moves ahead; his phone rings) Hello?

Alphys: W-Wait! No, I think you should h-head up!

Hiro: Ah, I guess?

Hiro moves up into another area. He soon runs into a shadow figure again, and meets a monster called Knight Knight as the area went gray. She was a giant kneeling monster with a face that occupies most of its torso and is occasionally tapping her large mace on the ground. Checking his options, all Hiro could do is Talk and Sing to her. He remembered singing with Shyren, so he tried that, noticing the monster getting sleepy. The monster looked drowsy, but she managed to rain meteors and Hiro got hit by one. Hiro dodges them this time after singing again, lulling the monster into a deep sleep. Once she did, he took the chance to spare her.

Hiro (answers the call): I ran into more monsters...

Alphys: Sorry, I...I...I thought that... Let's try the right.

Hiro: Okay... (returns to the crossroad and heads to the right; sees a long corridor with the laser nodes moving their blue and orange lasers across the way) Ack, it's lasers again.

Alphys: M... More lasers... Okay, I...I won't mess around this time. I'll just deactivate the lasers and let you through. (clicking and tapping is heard, then stops)

Hiro: …..? Alphys?

Alphys: They're... They're not turning off... I can't turn them off, I....

Hiro (worried): What are we gonna do?

Alphys: I-I-It's okay! I have this under control! I'm going to turn off the p-power for that whole node. Then you can walk across. (turns power off in node) Okay, go!

Hiro: I'm moving now! (moves across)

Alphys: W-WAIT! STOP!

Hiro (sees the lights flickering and stops as the corridor gets filled with blue lasers; a blue laser appears and points at his side): Aaaah....Alphys...

Alphys: Th-The power... (heavy tapping is heard) It's turning itself back on. D-Damn it... Th-This isn't supposed to...

Hiro: I can't move...

Alphys: I...I'm gonna turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little then STOP. Okay? Y-You won't get h-h-hurt.

Hiro: All right.

It was an excruciating trek across the bridge as Hiro was guided by the lights to stop and move. He did take a chance to hang up as he needed to focus on the path ahead. Once he made it, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and answered Alphys's call.

Hiro: I made it!

Alphys (slightly more panicked): Yes! S-See? I've got everything under control. Everything's under control! (hangs up)

Hiro (stares at his phone before hanging up): Uh….? Hm. (leaves the area)

He makes it to a crossroads where a Save Star is waiting. The area was more lit up from the light below. Hiro look down to see flowing glowing liquid that he was unsure of what it was made of, so he moved on to the star, answering his phone as he approached it.

Hiro: Ah, I'm at another place with more roads. Where should I go next?

Alphys: Okay! Y-You should... (rustling sounds) You should.... I don't know? (rustling stops) This doesn't look like my map at all..

Hiro: Ah, uh... (looks around) Um, there's a star and four paths and-

Alphys: I'm sorry... I...I...I have to go.

Hiro: Alph- (gets hung up on; stares at his phone) …..I hope she's okay....

After pocketing his phone, he touched the star. He could smell something in the air. He's heard of the ozone layer in one of his classes, and this scent made him think of it for some reason. Either way, it filled him with determination. Two signs with green light lettering are seen on the wall flanking the northern path. The left sign shows “North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End.” The right one shows “East... The End.”

Hiro: Wow, that's easy! I'm gonna go this way!

Hiro departed down the eastern path. The path led through a large area of liquid and past several mechanical chrome pillars that have several red lights flashing on them. He soon came to another crossroads with two signs and an electrical barrier. These signs show “To the East! This is The End.” and “ I cannot fight. I cannot think. But, with patience, I will make my way through.”

Hiro: Hmn, I don't think I can wait. I'll go up more. (leaves, doesn't notice the barrier vanishing)

He kept going north to find a T-road, so he kept going to see what's up there. He found himself in a room with just a trash can inside. He decided to look inside and found 100G in it, digging it out and leaving. He went to the left this time, coming across a sign showing “Traverse the northern room, and The End will open.” Hiro was curious about the other end, so he went left to find another T-road and went north. Another room with a trash can present had a Glamburger in it. Hiro was unsure of it, but it's wrapped up, so he felt that it should be okay. Hiro went back to where he was and made his way on the long bridge, only to be ambushed by what looks like an armored Whimsun called a Whimsalot and a spikier Froggit with a small crown called a Final Froggit. The options for Whimsalot were Terrorize, Console, and Pray, and the ones for Final Froggit were Threaten, Compliment, and Mystify. Hiro decided to compliment the Froggit.

Hiro: I like your crown!

The Froggit understood him perfectly and lowered its ATTACK. Despite that, Hiro didn't do well in the fight, flailing around and getting hit by flies and butterflies. There was a strange smell lingering around that was like nightshade and bleach. Hiro turned to Whimsalot and used Console.

Hiro: Um....I think what you're doing is all right?

Whimsalot: Ah...I've made my peace.

Hiro got surrounded by butterflies and couldn't really dodge the flies, leaving his health at 1. He quickly ate a Starfait, healing himself back to 19. Against, he got surrounded and took hits. Afterwards, he noticed the Whimsalot locking eyes with his, so he prayed. This caused the monster to remember its conscience, leading it to not want to fight any longer. Hiro spared the monster and focused his attention to the frog. With only Final Froggit left, Hiro was able to dodge the flies easily. He saw a look on the monster's face like it knew why it's here. Hiro decided to try mystifying it and did something mysterious. Upon seeing this, Final Froggit recognized that it had more to learn from this world. Suddenly, a small white frog appeared, hitting Hiro at first, but he was able to avoid it. Hiro soon spared it and the battle ended. He noticed he was running out of items to use, so he went back to the hotel and Snowdin to buy more, dropping by Sans and Papyrus's place and seeing Undyne and the tall skeleton hanging out by the mailboxes. Hiro waved at them as he went back to return to the Core to continue onward. Again, he was ambushed by a Madjick, but also a Knight Knight. He knew what to do with them. Shocking to Hiro, he managed to dodge the spheres and crosses that appeared. He sung Shyren's song again until the knight fell asleep. While she slept, Hiro dodged Madjick's sphere, sparing Knight Knight in the process. This time, Hiro messed up and ran into the crosses. Hiro glared at both orbs, causing them to freeze, and thus giving him an opportunity to spare Madjick and leave the battle. Not a few more steps ahead, and he ran into Final Froggit, Whimsalot, and a new monster that similar to Loox called Astigmatism. Astigmatism's options were Don't Pick On, Pick On, and Challenge. Hiro didn't want to challenge nor pick on it. Hiro realized too late that he forgot to heal and died in the battle, surrounded by butterflies and running into a bubble stream. Hiro woke up at the Save Star and realized he had to fight Knight Knight and Madjick again.

Hiro: Agh....

This time, he was bombarded by meteors which threw him off from his last attempt. After sparing them, he went back and saved before facing the three monsters that he lost to. Hiro remembered Astigmatism saying to pick on it, so he did, sparing it afterwards. He did the same methods on the frog and bug monsters, but did horribly worse, dying again. It really was a nightmare. He even noticed the eye monster saying not too pick on it, and died again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

Until finally, Hiro managed to beat them. Ahead of him was a switch on the wall. He figured it was for the exit and clicked it. After that, he went back to the star, saved, and moved on. He went down the path that mentioned the east being the end and followed it, leading to a bridge where he ran into an Astigmatism. He picked on and spared it with ease. Hiro reached an area where the elevator and an entrance similar to the one he went through before the first set of lasers is seen.

Hiro (saves then stands before the winged entrance): This gotta be the way to get to the castle. (nods) Right, I'm getting determined!

Once he went through, he was confronted by none other than Mettaton.

Hiro: Not you again...

Mettaton: OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLING.

Hiro: What's it this time?

Mettaton: IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE “MALFUNCTIONING” ROBOT. …..NOT!!! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT. ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME.

Hiro: Eh? Really...?

Mettaton: YES. AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU. ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON...THAT SHE'S NOT. AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR “BATTLE,” SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO DEACTIVATE ME, “SAVING” YOU ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY, SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE. YOU'LL REGARD HER SO HIGHLY, SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU NOT TO LEAVE....OR NOT. YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW...WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?

(door shuts behind Hiro; knocking is heard)

Alphys: H-Hey!!! Wh-Wh-What's going on!? Th-Th-The door just locked itself!

Hiro (looks back): Alphys!?

(the area lights up in red with five red spotlights surrounding Mettaton with one white spotlight focused on him)

Mettaton (holding a microphone): SORRY, FOLKS! THE PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED!!! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!

(the floor raises up, then rises higher as Hiro falls to his knees)

Mettaton: REAL DRAMA!! REAL ACTION!! REAL BLOODSHED!! ON OUR NEW SHOW...”ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!”

Hiro was thrown into a battle with Mettaton, his soul becoming yellow again. His only option was Burn, so he tried that. Considering how he often runs into fire recently, he felt that it was what he'll do if it continues in this manner.

Mettaton: YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT REARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER? KILLING YOU MYSELF!!

Hiro: Then that person Muffet mentioned was him... (waits for the attacks to come, but nothing happened)

Mettaton: LISTEN, DARLING. I'VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU'RE WEAK. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL, AND WITH YOUR SOUL, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY.

Hiro was caught off guard with some falling blocks, which he started blasting away. Hiro decided to try and spare the robot, but Mettaton ignored his attempt.

Mettaton: BUT IF I GET YOUR SOUL, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!

Hiro spotted some robotic arms descending and shot at them, forcing them to pull back from him.

Mettaton: THEN, USING YOUR SOUL, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER...AND BECOME THE STAR I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING! HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS...NO! MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!

Two arms and a line of blocks with a bomb in the middle fell. Hiro shot the arms and a block, but he runs into one by accident.

Hiro: Ah!

Mettaton: GLITZ! GLAMOUR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!

Hiro (gets a call from Alphys): Alphys, help!

Alphys: U...Uh.... I can't see what's going on in there, but.... D-D-Don't give up, okay!? Th...There's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton...It's...um...it's... This is a work-in-progress, so don't judge it too hard...But you know Mettaton always faces f-f-forward?

Hiro: Yeah!

Alphys: That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-S-So if y-y-you c-c-can turn him around... um... And, umm... press th-th-th-the switch... He'll be... um.... He'll be... Vulnerable. Well, g-g-gotta go!

Hiro: Ah. I guess it's my chance to make him move. But how? (notices the Burn option changed to Turn in yellow; selects it) Uuh, hey, there's a mirror behind you!

Mettaton: OH??? A MIRROR??? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE! (turns around and exposes his switch) HMMM... I DON'T SEE IT... WHERE IS IT....?

Hiro (flips the switch): Got ya!

Mettaton: DID YOU. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?

Suddenly, Mettaton was shaking violently as Hiro backed far away, worrying the robot would soon explode. Light bursts from the metal body until the whole area was engulfed in it, yet the only sound that was heard was....

OH~ YES~

Hiro: Oh...whoa...?

A pair of spotlights descended and focused their light within a cloud of smoke, a humanoid figure stood among it. Its voice had a familiar robotic tone in it, but it seemed more...human..?

???: Ohhh my. If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments.... (a flash of light reveals a male android) ABSOLUTELY beautiful!

Hiro was stunned in seeing this android, even more so when he finds out it's Mettaton, but with an EX on the end of his name. Mettaton had taken the shape of a man with short black hair, most of it covering his right eye, a metallic section on his left cheek, large shoulder guards, arms similar to the ones he had as a robot, holes on the right side of his chest that may be the speaker, a dial on the left side, a chassis containing a white soul, black skintight pants, and high-heeled boots.  The boy watched as the android made various poses in place and noticed a line graph on the upper left corner that shows a yellow line, a cyan line, and fluctuating purple line, and the words “Ratings 3001”. His options are Pose, Boast, and Heel Turn. Hiro had watched the android doing many poses, so he tried one out dramatically, raising the ratings to 3101.

Mettaton EX: Lights! Camera! Action!

Hiro saw six legs appear, descending towards him. Hiro shot two grey ones to move them and went between moving ones, hitting on the right. He saw green words pop up and the ratings had 50 more points. Hiro posed again, raising the score 3311.

Me. EX: Drama! Romance! Bloodshed!

Bombs appearing between little umbrella-carrying Mettatons threw Hiro off as he shot the ones on the right side. A bomb explodes, catching him off guard. Hiro ate a Starfait, which the audience loves and received 300 points, the score being at 3756 now.

Me. EX: I'm the idol everyone craves!

Six legs and some boxes appeared, drawing Hiro's attention as he shoots the legs and boxes. Hiro didn't notice a leg and it hits him, making the score bump up to 3826. Hiro decided to do a boast.

Hiro: Your attacks won't get me! I won't get hit at all!

Me. EX: Well then! Smile for the camera!

Hiro saw the ratings gradually rise as two arms and four Minitons (as Hiro decided to call them) descend. He managed to survive, and the ratings hit 4151. Hiro dramatically poses again, bringing the score to 4251.

Me. EX: Oooh, it's time for a pop quiz! Have fun with that on-screen keyboard... This one's an essay question!

To Hiro's surprise, a blank screen and grey keyboard popped up in front of him with the Essay Prompt: What do you love most about Mettaton? Hiro was unsure before putting his answer: His style and legs. Hiro threw in the legs part because he's been seeing them a lot in this battle, not because he liked them. Apparently, the mention of legs raised the number to 4601.

Me. EX: That's right. Legs was the correct answer! (saves the answer for future use)

Hiro (confused): Oh...I guess?? That was right?? (strikes a pose again, seeing the number bump to 4701)

Me. EX: Your essay really showed everyone your heart. Why don't I show you mine?

The door of the chassis opens and Mettaton's soul came out. Several pulses of electricity sparked out along with some Minitons blowing heart kisses at Hiro. Hiro tries his best to dodge the onslaught, but still gets hit by them. Even the violence contributed to the score as it rises to 4856. Seeing his health running low, Hiro eats a Glamburger. Because it was on brand, it jumped the score to 5356.

Me. EX: Ooooh, I'm just warming up!

Hiro manages to dodge all of the Minitons and their hearts. The score rose to 5416 now. Hiro hadn't noticed before, but the area had a peculiar smell wafting in the air. He soon realized it was coming from Mettaton. Hiro made another dramatic pose, making the score hit 5516.

Me. EX: You got some pretty lovely poses! But how are you on the dance floor!?

Hiro: Not that great...

A spotlight focused on Hiro as a disco ball  hangs above him. Hiro shoots at it, noticing it changing the lights from white to blue. He keeps going as he noticed Mettaton's poses seem to be a little faster than before. The impromptu dance-off brought the score to 5526, with Hiro ending it in a pose, raising the score again to 5626.

Me. EX: Fabulous! Can you keep up the pace?

Hiro: Yeah!

The disco ball descends again, but the lights move faster. Hiro messes up his shot once, but he quickly regains control, ending the dance with 5666 points while posing again.

Me. EX: Lights! Camera! Bombs!

Hiro: Not again!

Hiro sees his battle field become thinner and four bombs and blocks appear. In his attempt to shoot them, one set hits Hiro while he was caught in the explosion. The violence bumped the ratings to 5856 before Hiro's pose made it 6006.

Me. EX: Things are blowing up!

To Hiro's dismay, more bomb blocks fall. He somehow only got hit once, bringing the score to 6136. He eats a part of a Bisicle, which he noticed it didn't bring the descending score up.

Me. EX: Time for our union-regulated break!

The words “Happy Break Time” flashes on Hiro's field.

Hiro: Just like Napstablook... (notices Mettaton posing at a rapid rate) I'm gonna pose, too! (poses with style)

Me. EX: We've grown so distant, darling... How about another heart-to-heart?

Hiro sees the soul coming out again and shoots at it. 4 waves of boxes pulsing in and out from the android's soul along with sparks, and Hiro manages to dodge everything surprisingly well while shoot the dancing bot's soul, raising the score to 6496. This caused Mettaton's arms to fall off, startling Hiro as he poses to bring the score to 6596.

Hiro (panicking): M-Mettaton, your arms fell off!!

Me. EX: A..Arms? Wh...Who needs arms with legs like these? I'm still going to win!

Hiro didn't do well this round. He was hit by several blocks and bombs, and just when he thought it was over, there was a strange feeling in the air.  Like time was being rewound. Suddenly, the blocks and bombs that went by him came back up, causing him to jump between the spaces he shot out. The ratings sat at 6816 because of this.

Hiro: That was close! What was that feeling..? It feels...

Me. EX: Come on...!

Again, the record/rewind stage appeared before Hiro. He did a little better this time, now that he got the gist of this stage. His score rose to 6996, but this is where things took a heel turn for the worse. He's run out of items.

Me.EX: The show...must go on!

Many blocks and bombs fall, causing Hiro to try and shoot at them. Hiro was hit a few times blasting the bombs away, his score hitting 7136 and jumping to 7286 after he poses.

Me.EX: Dr...Drama! A...Action!

The blocks and bombs fall again faster, and Hiro was hit a few times again. The ratings were at 7446 when he poses again.

Me. EX: L...Lights... C..Camera... Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish!? ….Or do you just believe in yourself that much?

Hiro: I don't want that, but I do believe in myself!

Hiro was becoming weary, which caused him to mess up the bomb block section. The score rises to 7576.

Me. EX: Haha, how inspiring! Well. Darling! It's either me or you! But I think we both already know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!

Mettaton's soul comes out again. Hiro had to dodge more sparks as he shot away at the soul and the two bombs that revolved around it. Once done, Hiro saw half of his field flashing with a warning.

Hiro: What's that- (sees a row of legs jutt out at him; dodges away) AH! (hears the warning behind him and moves away as more legs appear) Gah! This is crazy!

Hiro had to deal with the soul sparks and kicking legs twice more before he saw Mettaton's legs fall off and the ratings hitting 7696. He poses in front of the limbless android, adding 100 more points and making it 7796.

Me. EX: ….then.... Are YOU the star? Can you really protect humanity!?

Hiro: I don't know. Maybe if I tried hard enough?

In his thoughts, Hiro is caught off guard with the soul shooting sparks at him while he shoots at it. Mettaton remained silent during the exchange. Hiro was so worn out from the battle that he didn't realize the disco ball came out and he panics. Some sparks and Minitons came out and hit Hiro as he desperately tries to shoot and dodge them. With no more items left to use, he was left at 2 Hp. With the last of his power, Hiro poses with all his might. The audience screams in adoration, but it wasn't enough. He was completely worn out to the point where he couldn't see the bombs nor recognize that it was the rewind stage. He shot at one, causing it to explode on him and making him literally go out with a bang. He soon wakes back up at the save star outside of the elevator. Even though he usually gets healed and refreshed at these points, Hiro still felt the remnants of exhaustion from that battle and lays in his spot for a while. It was during that rest when he remembers that feeling from being rewound in the fight.

Hiro: That was weird. It was like.....a tape rewinding? Oh... Is that what happens when I die? I redo stuff? ….. (puts his hands on his head) My head hurts....

Deciding to not think more on it, Hiro rested a little while longer before getting up and reentering the room where Mettaton is waiting. Hiro was not much in the mood to hear Mettaton's monologue and tells him about the mirror again.

Me. EX: CLEVER. VERY CLEVER.

The battle ensues again. Poses, bombs, and bolts fly as Hiro danced and fought his way against Mettaton. He stopped caring about the ratings as he needed to concentrate. Despite doing much better this time around, he ran out of items and was back on his last two HP again. And once again, with feeling this time, Hiro poses with his might. The battle was soon cut off as Mettaton sees the ratings skyrocket past 10000.

Mettaton (excitedly): OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS!!! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE HAD!!! WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO TALK TO ME...BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER!! LET'S SEE WHO WHO CALLS IN FIRST! (phone rings) HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW???

???: …..oh.......hi....mettaton....

Hiro: Huh? This voice...

???: ….i really liked watching your show...my life is really boring....but...seeing you on the screen...brought excitement to my life...vicariously. i can't tell, but...i guess this is the last episode...? i'll miss you...mettaton......oh.....i didn't mean to talk so long....oh......

Mettaton: NO, WAIT! (tries calling back) WAIT, BL.. (hears a click) ..H....THEY ALREADY HUNG UP. …. I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!!!

As soon as he opened the phone lines, calls started pouring in as the viewers voiced their joy in watching Mettaton on TV and the sorrow they felt at the thought of losing him.

“Mettaton, your show made us so happy!”

“Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you.”

“Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart....”

Mettaton (saddened): AH... I...I SEE...(grins solemnly)...EVERYONE... THANK YOU SO MUCH. … DARLING.

Hiro: Yes?

Mettaton: PERHAPS.... IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR A WHILE. HUMANS ALREADY HAVE STARS AND IDOLS, BUT MONSTERS...THEY ONLY HAVE ME. IF I LEFT....THE UNDERGROUND WOULD LOSE ITS SPARK. I'D LEAVE AN ACHING VOID THAT CAN NEVER BE FILLED. SO... I THINK I'LL HAVE TO DELAY MY DEBUT. BESIDES. YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. PERHAPS...EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE.

Hiro: …

Mettaton: I'M SURE YOU'LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY. HA, HA... IT'S ALL FOR THE BEST, ANYWAY. THE TRUTH IS, THIS FORM'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS....INEFFICIENT. IN A FEW MOMENTS, I'LL RUN OUT OF BATTERY POWER, AND...WELL.

Hiro: Oh no! Will you be okay?

Mettaton: I'LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK 'EM DEAD, DARLING. AND EVERYONE.... THANK YOU. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!

With Mettaton's parting smile, a bright light flashes in the area then fades. Once Hiro lowered his arms to look around, he saw the stage had return to normal and Mettaton's resting form on the ground before him. Before he could make a move, he hears the door opening behind him.

Alphys: I...I managed to open the lock! Are you two... (runs in; stops in shock) Oh my god. (rushes over to Mettaton) Mettaton! Mettaton, are you.... (checks him over, sighs in relief) Thank GOD, it's just the batteries. Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have.... (trembling) I would have.... (silent, then shakes her head) I m-mean, h-hey, it's n-no problem, you know? He's just a robot, if you messed it up, I could always...j-just build another. (becomes silent again)

Hiro: Alphys?

Alphys: Ah....I'm...fine. Why don't you go on ahead? I....I just need a moment.

Hiro: Okay....

Hiro took a look at Mettaton's broken body, and got a quick vision of a more deadly version of him. Strangely, despite this towering version with its flowing cape, laser eye, and deadly gun arm, that Mettaton was shot down in one hit. Hiro shook that vision away, and departed the room exhaustively. As Hiro made his way down the corridor, he was caught up by Alphys as she apologized for before.

Alphys: L-Let's k-keep going!

(silence)

Alphys: S-So you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be...Y-You must be... Pr... pretty excited about all that, huh?

Hiro (frowns): Not really.

Alphys: Oh.. (twiddles her thumbs) A-At least you'll f-f-finally... You'll finally get to go home!

Hiro (smiles): I'm more excited about that! (arrives at the elevator; pushes the button and is about to enter) Here I go.

Alphys: W... Wait!

Hiro (notices Alphys standing some distance from him): Yeah?

Alphys (smiles nervously): I mean, um... I... I was just going to..….um...say goodbye, and.. (her smile slowly drops; faces away from him)

Hiro: Alphys?

Alphys: ...I can't take this anymore. (turns away) I...I lied to you.

Hiro: About what?

Alphys: About....A-About how to l-leave here. R-Remember wh-when I said that with y-your human soul, you c-can pass through the b-barrier...?

Hiro: Yep.

Alphys: A....A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone.

Hiro: It isn't?

Alphys: N-No.... (looks down at her feet) It takes at least a human soul...and a monster soul. (silent; turns to him) If you want to go home.... You'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore. (walks away then stops) I'm sorry.

As Alphys ran off, Hiro stood before the open elevator in shock. He has to...kill Asgore? He had no intention of killing anyone in the Underground, nor anyone ever anywhere. Besides, Hiro's never killed anyone before in his life.

…...

Right...?

TO BE CONTINUED

[promisedangel]

PredatorShift- Chapter 8

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After BronyCon, writer’s block, and school starting up again, I finally finished this chapter! Enjoy~

Chapter 8- Past Dealings

Delving deeper into Waterfall gave Chara time to think over their current situation. However, their mind drifted back to a memory, one they always hung in the back of their mind.

Five years ago, mere months after they had fallen into the underground, Chara walked through Waterfall alone to Riverperson’s dock. They were nervous, their eyes shifted, and they shook slightly. Once they rang the bell at Riverperson’s dock, they felt immensely better, as though the bell spirited away their stress. Chara smiled at Riverperson as soon as their boat came to a halt, “Greetings, Riverperson.” Riverperson lightly bowed, “Tra la la. Greetings, Chara. I see you are without little Asriel today.” Chara’s smile dropped to a frown, “Yes. I need to go to Hotland.” Riverperson turned forward in their boat, “Once more to Hotland? Step aboard, quickly if you please. I sense monsters nearby.” Chara instinctually turned their gaze behind them for a moment. No monster within their vision. With their curiosity sated, they stepped onto the boat carefully. They spoke once more in a more hushed tone, “Thank you once again, Riverperson.” Riverperson seemed to ignore Chara’s thanks as they turned forwards, “Tra la la, to Hotland we ride.”

Riverperson’s boat left the dock smoothly as always. Chara sighed as they sat down and pulled out a bulky cell phone out of their pocket. They turned their gaze towards Riverperson, “Would it be rude to make a phone call while we travel?” Riverperson called back to Chara calmly, “Tra la la, call ahead, Chara.” Chara raised their brow at Riverperson but brushed off their suspicion. They dialed a number, minor struggles in their key presses from memory, before they put the phone to their ear. After a few seconds they spoke, “It’s me. I am on my way.” Dr. Gaster’s voice echoed through the other side, “Good. Everything is ready. I guarantee you will not fall unconscious, unlike the previous few extractions.” Chara lightly bit their tongue before they instinctually made a quip. They paused before they spoke, “…Hopefully not.” Gaster chuckled, Chara could feel his smirk curl by the tone of his voice, “Such doubt in your voice. I would hope that you-“ Chara heard another voice through the phone, one they did not recognize, “You hope for what?”

Chara heard Gaster nearly gasp and drop the phone. It clattered onto the lab’s linoleum floor as Gaster spoke nervously, “M-my king! What a surprise…I did not receive notice you were visiting.” Chara’s eyes widened and they stifled a surprised gasp. Toriel, Asgore, and Gaster all had given them warning about the king of all monsters. They had to be careful. Their first instinct was to hang up the phone, but something inside begged them to stay on the line. Their contemplation was broken by the voice of King Sans through the phone. His tone was direct, but hints of dark curiosity bled through, “Who are you talking to?” Gaster’s tone slowly became more composed, “One of my newer hires, currently working on improving the Core’s reach.” There was a small pause before Chara could hear Sans’s dark curiosity become more obvious, “Let me talk to them.” Chara heard the phone being picked up, “… Yes… sir. Here.”

The phone transferred hands, Sans’s voice was now much closer to Chara’s ear. His voice dipped, a purposefully dark tone. Much like Gaster’s voice, Chara could feel a smirk curl on the other side, “Hello.” Chara froze as a shiver ran down their spine. They unconsciously sat up straight on Riverperson’s boat. Was it due to fear or knowledge of authority figure, Chara did not know. They hesitated to speak, “G-greetings…” “Do you know who I am?” “Yes… King Sans…” “What’s your name?” Chara’s already pale face paled further. They could not give their name, but that was all that came to them. They racked their brain in a few milliseconds to find a name to use. One came to them after what seemed far too long. Chara spoke, their nervousness still apparent, “Ruma, sir. I… started work here a few months ago.” “Is that so? Where are you?” “I-in the Core.” “Where in the Core? What section?” Gaster’s voice chimed in, “They’re doing some dangerous work right now-“ Sans’s voice turned away from the phone as he spoke in a low growl, “I asked them. Not you.” Sans returned his attention to Chara’s voice, “Well?” Chara spoke with more confidence, “The northern most corridor, I’m working with a few others on making calculations to extend-“ Sans interrupted them abruptly and with a strict tone, “That’s enough. Get back to work.”

The phone hung up abruptly, leaving Chara stunned in silence. They shivered and collapsed on Riverperson’s boat. They instinctually curled inwards on themselves as Riverperson’s cloak turned back toward them, “Is there trouble?” Chara took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. They then slowly uncurled and sat up on the boat, “Yes.” Riverperson turned forward, “Your stop is soon.” Chara settled on the boat and spoke, “If it is not too much trouble… may… I stay on your boat for a little while longer?” Riverperson crooked their hood, “Tra la la. If I am not called away… perhaps I could stay…” Chara gave a small smile, “Thank you, Riverperson.”

Riverperson’s boat slowly approached the Hotland drop-off before it came to a stop. Chara stayed on the boat for about five minutes before their cell phone vibrated silently. They quickly answered the phone, “Hello?” They heard Gaster’s voice, slightly strained, “It is safe now... Come quickly.” The phone immediately hung up before Chara could ask any questions. Chara sighed as they returned their phone to their pocket. They slowly stood on Riverperson’s boat, which was not affected by Chara’s adjustments. Chara turned their gaze to Riverperson and spoke politely, “Thank you, Riverperson.” Riverperson turned forward, “Tra la la, will I see your return trip with your father in a few hours?” Chara nodded, “If all goes well.” Chara hopped off of the boat onto the solid ground of the Hotland dock. They gave their goodbye to Riverperson before the two went their separate ways.

Chara entered a particular room in Gaster’s lab, one that held the heavy scent of blood hung in the air. Their own blood. They saw Gaster leaning on a desk with his right hand. His left hand clutched his face, just below his left eye. He scowled and seemed to grit his teeth as small grunts escaped him. Asgore was next to him with his hands grasping the other. Asgore appeared nervous and concerned, with constant fidgets with various parts of his own body. The two noticed Chara enter the room. Gaster’s right hand clenched as he spoke, disdain and stresses laced his voice, “Lock the door. Now.” Chara raised a brow at Asgore, who responded with a silent nod. Chara sighed before they complied with Gaster’s demand. The door creaked closed before Chara turned the lock. They turned back to see Gaster take a deep sigh and stand tall. He took his hand from his face to reveal a scar that cut from the bottom of his left eye to the bottom of his skull. Unlike the other, which was on the top of Gaster’s right eyes to the top of his skull, this was one Chara had not seen before. And from the dust in Gaster’s hand, Chara could only guess it was new. A fresh wound.

Gaster spoke, some pain still in his voice, “I am sure you can guess how I received this new scar… and you would be correct.” Chara gritted their teeth behind their lips and did not respond. Gaster glared at them, “We made this deal because it was convenient for both of us. You have another protector, while I am able to give my people a way to survive.” Asgore frown deepened, “Sir… please-“ Gaster turned his glare towards Asgore, “Be. Silent.” Asgore shrunk away from Gaster and stood in a more submissive stance as Gaster continued to speak to Chara, “But things are now far worse than I feared. He suspects your existence. I can only imagine protecting you for a few short years before he either finds you or his rage towards me eclipses my usefulness to him. We need to make an addition to our little deal.” Chara scowled, but their tone remained calm, “I am listening.” The poison in Gaster’s voice subsided slightly, “Including yours, we have six human souls out of the king’s sight, and inevitably, his stomach. If you want to live to see the surface once more, you must bring me the remaining two souls. In exchange, I will continue to keep the glutton of a king from finding you, but for only five years.” Gaster smirked, “Should you fail… I will have no choice but to use your soul for the barrier.” Asgore spoke up, “B-but sir! There is no way of knowing if one or even two humans could fall within the next few decades! Let alone two in five years!” Gaster turned his smirk over towards Gaster, “Then I suppose they will have to be lucky, now won’t they?” Chara revealed their gritted teeth, ready to retort, but their jaw fell slack. Their mouth closed and relaxed. They brought their right arm up to grasp their left arm in a half-hug. They turned their gaze away and spoke quietly, “…Understood.” Gaster’s smirk faded to a neutral expression as their attention turned back to Chara. Chara continued, “I will… find the next two humans that fall… I will lead them here…” They increased their grasp on their own arm, their eyes now hidden from Gaster’s gaze, “And… I will kill them… to give you their souls…” Asgore approached Chara, “Chara… you don’t have-“ Gaster interrupted him, “-Then it is a deal.” Gaster walked towards Chara, almost blocked by Asgore. It only took a single glare towards Asgore for the assistant to back off. Gaster finished his approach to Chara with his right hand open for a handshake. Chara seemed to calm down during his approach and quickly grasped his hand before Asgore could protest once more. Asgore stammered through his words, nervous looks both towards his adoptive child and his boss. He soon sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, “We will need to inform Toriel of this… you know how she is…” Gaster let go of Chara’s hand and gave a light smirk, “But first, it is time for the next scheduled blood extraction.” Asgore sighed, defeated, “Yes, sir…”

Chara’s mind turned away from that memory as they continued to walk through Waterfall. They brought their hand into their view; the right hand that shook Gaster’s. They clenched it while they clenched their own teeth. They let their hand drift back towards their back, to float above their hidden knife. Only one more soul to collect, and the deal would be complete.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Asriel and Frisk sat still until the two of them were calm once again. Frisk’s sweater was heavily stained with tears in addition to the more stubborn of the monster dust. Asriel’s eyes were puffy and red, but the tears had stopped. They both knew they had to press onward. Frisk helped Asriel to his feet, where he wobbled and leaned against a wall to stay standing. Frisk spoke in concern, “Are you okay?” Asriel sighed, “Maybe… I do need to take my evening dose… early…” Asriel reached into his pocket to reveal his medicine. He quickly fished out two pills but hesitated as he held them. He whined slightly, “I… I always knew this was Chara’s blood… and they always made me take it. But I don’t want to take it…” Frisk frowned, “But, you need it, right?” Asriel mirrored the frown, “Golly, I don’t know. I lasted so long on snails… maybe I still can?” Frisk gave an unsure look, “Maybe… just in case?” Asriel gave a defeated sigh, “Okay…” Asriel swallowed the pills without another complaint before he shuffled the container back into his pocket. He slowly pushed against the wall in order to stand tall once more. He wobbled for a second before he caught himself. Frisk approached, “Do you need help?” Asriel shook his head, “No, I should be okay now...” Asriel smiled, “C’mon, we still have a while to go before we’re at mom’s house.”

Frisk nodded before the two continued on into Waterfall. They made their way past the crystal fields to a few winding paths of glowing grasses. Mushrooms of a similar glow occasionally were in the way or off to the side if not trampled over. Frisk frowned at the trampled mushrooms silently but kept moving along with Asriel. Once they were nearly through the glowing grasses, they heard a strange noise in the far distance behind them. A scream or terror, high pitched, but still frightful. Both Asriel’s fur and Frisk’s hair stood on end and the two ran far from the noise after it echoed throughout the cavern. They entered a tunnel area which contained two waterfalls side by side each other, slowly cascading down into an abyss past the large walk area of the tunnel. Frisk and Asriel stopped between the two waterfalls to catch their breath. Asriel whimpered, “Is… is it gone?” Frisk turned their gaze backwards towards the cavern but saw nothing but the waterfall and the water cascading around various colored rocks from brown to the cavern’s blue. Frisk looked back at Asriel with a relaxed sigh, “I don’t think it knew we were there...” Asriel sat against the wall of the cavern with his eyes closed, “Thank goodness. That was scary… I don’t know how Chara can be out here for so long…” Frisk relaxed but remained standing with a nervous laugh.

As the two caught their breath, Frisk heard the water behind them shift. They went to turn, but before they could, they were forced to the ground face first. They landed with a thud, too surprised to make a sound until they collided with the stone floor. Asriel raised a confused brow and spoke, “Frisk?” He opened his eyes quickly in Frisk’s direction. He gasped at what he saw and shouted in anger, “Chara!” Towering above Frisk was Chara, holding them down by twisting their arms back and with a knife to the back of their neck. Chara was drenched in water, nearly all of the dust that coated the clothes before was now washed away. Chara had a focused smirk upon their lips, satisfied their plan worked. They watched as Frisk wriggled in attempts to break free, but Chara tightened their grasp on Frisk’s arms and pushed them towards Frisk’s body; locking the torso on the ground. Frisk could only flail their legs and grunt as they said nothing to their captor.

Chara’s smirk dipped to disdain once Asriel shouted. They turned their currently normal eyes to their best friend and shushed him with the hand that held their knife, “Rei, please be quiet.” Asriel stood slowly, “Not until you tell me what’s going on!” Chara visibly shook and turned their gaze past Asriel, “I will explain everything back at the lab. In the meantime, we must be quiet.” “But you’ll kill Frisk!” Chara put away their knife for a second to grab Frisk by the hair and arms. Frisk winced as Chara dragged them up to their feet under a tight grip. Chara sighed and soften their tone and gaze towards Asriel, “Asriel… do you want to see the stars?” Asriel reeled their head back slightly, he crooked their brow with a befuddled expression. His mouth hung half-open in response to the question. He raised his voice in anger, “What does that have to do with anything?!” His voice echoed far throughout the cavern. Chara froze and visibly shook at the echoes. Their hair stood on end. Immediately their eyes went to the tunnel beyond Asriel. Before they could speak, the group heard a distant growl echo from the tunnel beyond. Frisk stopped squirming at this point and looked towards the darkness. Confusion washed over their face that slowly dipped to fear as they felt Chara shaking through their grasp.

Stomps began to sound in the cavern in the direction of the growl, partially accompanied by the clangs of metal. Chara stepped backwards before they released one arm from Frisk, though kept tight on one of Frisk’s arms and spoke quietly, “Run. Now.” Asriel turned towards Chara and complied. Frisk went to turn and run but was forced to run along the cavern as Chara ran. But still, the stomps grew closer. They paused for a few seconds before a loud, bestial roar sounded from the cavern behind as the group moved onto the glowing grasses. Asriel instinctually screamed and Frisk winced. Chara drew their knife and growled, “Damnit, she has our scent.” Frisk blinked in surprised, “You know what’s chasing us?!” Chara’s gaze turned backwards as the stomps grew both in speed and sound.  In mere moments, a new figure emerged from the tunnel. The figure easily towered in size to the group of children, easily twice their size while hunched over on almost all fours. The first thing the group noticed was that fire swirled violently around the figure, but did not burn its white fur. It revealed the figure. Its fur had sections where it was matted, disheveled, cut off from bite or claw marks, or discolored by dust and various other minerals. Sections of purple armor clung to the figure’s form, the pauldrons remained on the shoulders only scuffed. Meanwhile, any under clothing was in tatters that hung from the form carelessly. Bits of metal boots or gloves were clung by mats in the fur, broken by the form’s unkempt but still sharp claws.  The top of the form held long, white horns that curved upwards and inwards. The figure had long ears, much like Asriel’s, and its eyes were glowing red. The figure’s mouth barred teeth with a low growl that exhumed hot breath past the long, sharp teeth stained partially with monster dust and hints of human blood.

Frisk nearly tripped as the figure revealed itself. The fire lit up the entire section, a sun to the candle that was the glowing grasses. Asriel stared in horror at the figure, disbelief as well. Asriel shifted his gaze between the figure and Chara. He cried, “Chara… is… is that?...” Chara nodded, “Yes, Asriel. That is Mother.”

[topazshadowwolf]

Dadster (Chapter 8)

The Great and Wonderful Dr. W.D. Dadster

With the best story title, ever, if he must say so himself. Clearly it will go down in his-story

An Undertale Fanfiction by: Topaz Shadowwolf Undertale is owned by: Toby Fox Rating: Teen for mild cursing, violence and to give me some wiggle room for later down the road Heads up: Cursing, violence … not all sure, still in development AO3 Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7

Random notes:   Happy Father’s Day! Have some Dadster to celebrate! 

Chapter 6 : I AM A MONSTER, BUT NOT THEIR MONSTER

(Let's take a moment, review the past, and see things through someone else's eyes. Doing so will, undoubtedly, increase your understanding of current events. For, as much as this is Gaster's story, the people in his life also matter.)

When Chara first entered the lab, the small skeleton in its playpen-esk crib looked up with curious eye lights. There was no fear or aggression, only wonderment at this new being. As Chara approached the skeleton it sat there and reached its small hands in the universal sign of “pick me up” that children seem to inherently know.

So, not one to reject such an invitation, Chara obliged the offer and picked up the small collection of bones. It was easier to look at the thing this way. In return, the skeleton was watching Chara, as if inspecting them as well.

That was when Chara started testing it. Gaster had mentioned enhancing it to increase its potential as a weapon. And while Chara doubted most of those won't manifest till it is older, it would be interesting to see what it can do now. And, well, hurting it was part of the job, though the human took no pleasure in that. Even so, Chara reasoned that it should learn to hate humans eventually, why not start today.

Over all, the skeleton seemed confused and nervous, and time was running out before Gaster would be back. Chara decided to restart and be tougher on the thing. After all, if it did somehow dust, it was just a matter of restarting the encounter.

The second time Chara entered, there was a change in behavior. The skeleton didn't reach to be picked up. It just sat there, watching, suspension visible in its tiny eye lights. But, Chara didn't care, wanting to hurry this all along.

The treatment given to the thing this time was far harsher. No small pain but mostly gentle coaxing like last time. By no means would any of these acts ever be performed on a real monster. (The idea of Sans being a real living monster was impossible to Chara. He was simply a toy or construct.)

Unfortunately, Gaster walked in, disturbing the tests just as they were starting to produce results. Chara had felt a hum and rise in magic from the thing. Before Gaster could react, they loaded encounter again.

The third time Chara walked up to the crib, the thing tried to move to the back and started crying. This time, Chara went too far and ended up turning the thing to dust. Gaster walked in, and was clearly upset but in a state of shock, allowed Chara to quickly moved to the SP in the lab to reload again.

The fourth try, the weapon just moved to the far back and sat there, rattling and crying. Chara found that annoying and struggled to get the thing out of the crib. And when they did, Gaster had gotten back sooner than before, arriving just as the tests were about to start.

The fifth time the thing behaved the same way, but was dodging, as if remembering how it was grabbed before. This was… interesting...

Gaster got back even sooner, demanding to know what Chara was doing.

Same with the Sixth.

The seventh time Chara had barely started to reach for the thing when Gaster returned and full out attacked. He had barely left, and seemed confused by all of this, but too angry to care. How could he remember though? Monsters aren’t supposed to remember resets!

Either way, this thing, that Gaster made, also clearly remembers.

But that was all past events now. After being forced to save by Gaster, Chara could no longer test this in the lab. Getting Toriel as a distraction for Gaster felt like a stroke of genius. And now, the box Gaster tried hiding the weapon in was in their hands. Taking a deep breath, Chara opened the box...

Chara reached into the box…

Chara lifted what was in the box…

“Freezer manual?”

“Yes! Isn’t it exciting!” The addle-brained monster of a scientist said as if singing, clapping her claws together and smiling. (Again, please remember the perspective) “With the help of this very department we were able to recreate one of the fascinating machines that fell from above. But even better. I made that manual and Gaster signed off on it. He was just returning it to me, and is eager to see the freezer himself!

“Would you like to see it? Apparently, humans use it to keep things ice cold.” The scientist spun around, and started to walk off happily, “It is just this way, if you’d follow me~!” She sang.

Chara frowned, glaring at the manual, “Where is it?!”

The monster stopped and tilted her head, “I do believe I said it was this way…” The monster made a grand gesture, hinting the direction she was going.

“NO!” Chara stood and threw the manual down, “NOT SOME STUPID FREEZER! I mean the thing, the skeleton baby thing!”

The monster frowned and thought before looking up, “Oh, that, you can have it actually, wait here.” She then turned and walked off, humming some stupid tune to herself. Chara will have to hurry, they didn’t want their mother to see them here. They loved the Dreemurrs, and didn’t want to upset Toriel more.

  “So, this is it,” Toriel said, looking around the lab. She was scanning everything in silence. There were a few times her large paw like hands wandered close to the seams in the walls where his hidden storage spaces are. But they, luckily, always missed the hidden spots.

“Yes, your majesty,” Gaster replied.

She walked over to the crib, or pen, that Sans was in just moments before. Looking it over, she glanced at Gaster. “Just Toriel, Gaster. And this is for?” She asked, still angry but a hint of calm seeping into her tone.

“I had been considering injecting DT, or human determination, into other, non-monster, life forms. I would need to hold them somewhere for observation. But, I still don't know the effects it would have on them. As much as I desire to know how to create an artificial human soul, so we can escape, torturing helpless creatures is not part of that plan,” Gaster frowned as much as his face would allow. Looking back at Toriel he continued, “I don't wish to justify the negative connotation humans placed on our kind. I may be a monster, but I’m not their monster.”

The goat monster looked at him a moment, then smiled, “I don't believe you are, either.” She then tapped the book case, “This?”

“My current shelves are getting packed. I need space for more books.”

Toriel frowned, “You could have asked my husband. In Home, where Asgore and myself previously lived, is a far better bookcase than this. And since we moved it is getting no use.”

“Maybe next time,” Gaster offered a smile.

Toriel looked around then leaned on her elbows against the bookshelf. No surprise, with her standing roughly 7 feet tall, it barely came up to her chest. There was still something angry about the way she was looking at him, but she has relaxed. That didn’t ease any of the stress of having her stare at him though.

Needing to break the awkward silence he started to speak, but she beat him to it, “What happened to your hand?”

“What?” He should have known…

“I heard about your hand being hurt in a lab accident. But no one can tell me what exactly happened. I kept asking Asgore to ask you during one of your meetings, but he’d always forgot, bless his soul,” she smiled as she mentioned her husband. There was a hint of blush showing through her fur. It faded though as she refocused while tapping on the bookcase, “The only thing that makes sense is that you did it here, where no one witnessed the accident and you keep what you do secret.”

Yup, he should have known. Toriel, the brains behind the throne, would not let such details slide like Asgore. It is most likely thanks to her advice, Asgore has overfilled Gaster’s staff.

“That would be correct, I was making a machine to collect samples and it went off,” he leads her over to where most of his machines have been stored. He showed her the one he used to harvest his own materials, “There is still much we can learn from the underground’s environment. This is for creating smaller samples, to experiment with, from something already collected. Or, cut into something with a hard shell.” He held up his damaged hand, showing off the blatant hole in the middle, “And I can guarantee it is sharp.”

Toriel looked at it, then some of the other machines. He tried not to flinch as she tapped a claw against the tank that once held Sans when he was still developing. She then looked at Gaster, “I know you're hiding something. You're not your normal, boisterous, self. But currently, I don't see anything too suspicious; and, well, maybe I’m stuck in the past, but I still trust you.” There was a saddened look on her face, “After Verdana died, and her being one of my best friends, I felt I should keep an eye on you since you were her husband. But I feel I failed because of all of this.” She accented the ‘this’ by sweeping her arms to the side, indicating everything in the room.

“Toriel,” he started to say more but she stopped him.

“Gaster, please just promise me that you will do nothing that would make you feel ashamed to tell Verdana.”

Placing his right hand on his sternum he nodded, “I promise, Toriel.”

“And Gaster?”

“Yes?”

She gave him a sly smile, “Think before you threaten a child. Or next time there will be less talking and more fire. Also, stop hiding away, or someone maybe believe you’re hiding skeletons in your closet.”

Gaster laughed, hoping his nervousness at that pun didn't reflect in his voice. To help deflect attention he offered up one of his own, “A shame, if they got to know me, they'd know they could see right through me.”

“Hmmm, well clearly you’re not that see through.”

  As Gaster and Toriel made their way through the True Lab toward the exit, exchanging witty word play, they saw Dr. M. R. walking Chara out as well. In Chara’s hand was a small skeleton figurine with a large wiggly head. The human visibly winced upon seeing the queen, and looked away as if ashamed.

“Chara?” Toriel said, looking surprised to see her adopted child here, “I thought I told you to stay home, what are you doing here?”

“Mother, I,” Chara started, then looked away, “I’m sorry, Mother.”

The boss monster sighed and reached a hand out towards Chara, “Come along, child. Let’s go home. Your brother and father are waiting for us, I’m sure.”

Gaster saw them the rest of the way out before turning back and seeing Dr. M. R. standing there, watching him. Even though it was now late in the day, and some of the workers were on their way home, they opted out of talking for now. This was still too public of an area for the matters they both wanted to discuss. They returned to the True Lab and walked down the hall to the A wing.

Once he felt no one could over hear them, he looked at the other scientist. She seemed to have kept his son safe, and he will have to repay her for that. “Thank you,” He started with that.

“You’re welcome. Though, maybe, you should find a better means to transport a baby. Cute little thing he is,” She looked at Gaster, then straight ahead. “I’ve had time to think about where he came from. Honestly, I’m stumped, though I have a theory.”

“Oh?” Gaster was amused by this, “And what might that be?”

“I have heard of cloning; though, he doesn’t seem to be a complete clone, but a monster made by means close to that. Although, that is more science fiction than science fact. But then… the fiction often precursors the facts,” she said, then hummed thoughtfully. “Add in the mysterious injury you suffered, and things are highly suspicious that this child was made by less than normal means.”

“If I were to say you were correct, I’d have to ask, what would you do then?” Gaster asked, hands in his pockets. They stopped outside of lab 1-A, looking at each other.

“I’d ask what you plan on doing with him,” she replied with a hint of dark undertone.

Gaster smiled, or well, smirked. Where had this scientist been all this time? No one else had the gull to question him, in fear of his wrath. But even though he may yell and throw a fit at someone for doing so, he always looked favorably on the ones that did. Here, hidden away in a section rarely used, for a department that was meant to be fictitious, was the sort of lab assistant he always wanted. Without getting to know her, he tried to make her quit.

But she didn’t. (Being a monster of high perseverance himself, he respected any monster like her.)

“And if my answer would hurt him, or treat him as a thing?” He asked.

“They’ll never find your dust,” the singing way of speech disappeared, and there was a hissing growl as she spoke.

“His name is Sans. He was originally created to be a living weapon, but I realized he was not a tool but a living being. Thus, he is now my son,” He then looked around the hall. “Soooo, where is he?”

“OH!” The lizard monster waved and said cheerfully, “If you would follow me!”

They enter a small room with a sink, table and chairs, and a large white rectangular object. He remembered this used to be a break room, back when this wing was primarily used.

“This,” she said with a dramatic flair, “is a freezer, a human invention with the single purpose of keeping things frozen or freezing the non-frozen. It is also airtight, to keep the cold in and the hot out. And it is the last place one would put a baby, unless said baby didn't require air or heat to survive.”

Gaster opened the freezer door and saw his son, completely bundled up, lying on a shelf. Sans squinted his eye sockets, adjusting to the light. Wiggling an arm free, the small skeleton reached for his father, with a pleading look in his sockets.

“Granted, I am also aware being too cold, while not harmful, can be uncomfortable. Which is why the freezer is not plugged in,” Dr. M. R. added.

Lifting his child out of the appliance, he held Sans close to warm him up. Though Sans clung to him tightly, seeming done with all of this, the child was unharmed. “Again, thank you,” Gaster said as they walked out of the room.

“May I ask you something?” Dr. M. R. again sounded serious, before Gaster could reply she continued, “What now?”

“Well, I was planning on moving into this section with my son. And now that you know about him, I suppose we need to keep tabs on you as well,” Gaster thought on this. It would be nice having someone who could watch after Sans while he was doing other work. And this scientist seemed like a good option, “Anyway, I have a task I need to work on concerning the CORE, but after that, I would be interested to learn more about what you are working on.”

“Sounds wonderful, Doctor. Is there anything I can do to help?” The lizard monster reached over and lightly pet the small skeleton on the back of the skull.

“How much do you know about the CORE?”

“I studied it a lot when I was in school.”

The two started walking into lab 1-A, Gaster smiling, “Then, Dr. R. I do believe I have use of you!”

End Notes: I think this relates to how Chara is feeling.

[gettinziggywithit]

Fire In My Bones

Back to writing again. I have lots of little ideas that I really want to put into one big one, so welcome to this chapter by chapter trainwreck until I figure out where I want the tracks to go.

These are the memos of Dr. Wing Dings Gaster.

6:34am March XX, 19XX.

The status of today’s experiment remains unchanged though I feel this may be my last attempt to succeed as King Asgore has begun to seek new ways of breaking the barrier. As done so before, I have taken the necessary steps for the creation of what is to be WD-002-P. The needed sample of personal bone material was removed less painfully than before, but the agony of the soul fragment extraction remained near indescribable. Lesser monsters would have dusted instantly from this enduring procedure and I myself felt my health drop into the decimals, leading to Dr. Areggon to take control of the labs while I recuperated. It is truly amazing how much the monster body can endure before it dusts, but that research will have to wait for another time.

*pause*

I do not know exactly what continues to keep me alive after two soul fragment extractions. Perhaps it’s the will to see the barrier broken so we may be free once more...or perhaps it is for san-er, subject WD-001-S. Although WD-001-S was not a success, I could not bear to see such potential obliterated like so many before it. *chuckles* I will be honest in these memos as they are only meant for my personal records, I must admit there was an instant fatherly connection to the...child.

*clears throat* I am getting off track. The needed supplies have been inserted into the machine and I have had several lab assistants monitoring it for the past 12 hours. King Asgore continues to ask for updates and I must admit, tension is quite high in the laboratory.  Everything must run smoothly if this is to work.

I pray to the stars that we do not fail.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Something didn't feel right when Papyrus woke that morning.

It was hours before his alarm was set to go off and it was still dark outside. He lay there staring up into the darkness listening to the sounds of his brother's snores from across the hallway and the gentle breathing of his sleeping mate next to him. She was snuggled up close and her presence calmed him from his unexpected rouse. When he could not will himself back to sleep, he sat up carefully so as not to wake her and staggered sleepily into the bathroom.

The fluorescent lights irritated his eyes as he crept to the sink and turned the faucet on to splash some cool water in his face. He leaned over and rolled his shoulders, trying to rid himself of the unnatural tension. Looking over to the calendar in confusion, his quarterly Heat wasn't due for at least another month. He made sure to keep track of it diligently lest he have a repeat of last time. After accidentally writing down the wrong date when planning for the months ahead he very nearly embarrassed his mate, Amber, to death when it suddenly struck him while they were in a neighboring city for her teaching excursion. Having to be moved to a back room in the hotel and forcing her to tend to him as he rode it out for the majority of the trip made him so disappointed in himself.

She took it in stride and he made it up to her the following weeks, pampering and treating her like his Queen; not that he didn't do that normally. His mate was a history teacher for one of the local schools and she frequently loved to go out to different teaching excursions and so he made extensive effort to allow them to go whenever possible. In the beginning of their relationship, Papyrus didn't quite know what to make of her. When the monsters emerged from Mt. Ebott, there was a lot of confusion and some fears here and there, but the monsters eventually made themselves at home at the base of the mountain. The humans took a bit more time to get used to their neighbors, but Amber was one of the few humans who didn't seem afraid and marched right up to him while he was in the donut shop to ask the history of his battle uniform.

He splashed more water on his face and stared into the mirror and smiled. He was smitten the moment she started that conversation with him and he gladly sat with her and discussed the Royal Guard over donuts.She was hoping to become a historian of sorts and he made the comment that she should speak with Queen Toriel to help record the Underground's history since so much was lost in their time under the mountain. He couldn't describe how he felt when her eyes brightened at the notion of getting to study a history as diverse and old as it was. They talked for some hours until the shop closed before they were forced into the cold, November weather. She thanked him profusely and had to run to catch her parent/teacher conference, but not before scribbling down her number on the donut napkin and handing it to him. She hoped for another outing sometime soon and then was gone, disappearing into the crowd.

Papyrus was so giddy he ran all the way back home, the feel of the cold and wind no longer biting at his bones, he felt...warm. Like the same feeling with the barrier broke for the first time and he and his brother and the other monsters witnessed the sunrise for the very first time. Papyrus’ brother was not so accepting of his new friend in the beginning and scrutinized her for months after, carefully monitoring their outings and even at one point threatening her that if she ever broke his heart, she would have a very bad time. That led up to a fight between him and sans to the point that she had to intervene and persuade both to make up. She understood that sans cared very much for him and did not want to see him hurt. Papyrus did not see how that justified his threatening, but under her coaxing, he forgave his brother and all was well.

That was nearly a 2 years ago now. Now, there were ups and downs to the new relationship as Papyrus struggled like any other monster to adjust to aboveground living with humans. After setting fire to her kitchen and nearly burning her apartment down trying to make the best spaghetti for their six month friendship anniversary, she became a little distant. Papyrus was absolutely distraught and after getting sans off his lazybones to help, they rebuilt her kitchen and he had Toriel assist instead of Undyne in making an apology dinner. He was relieved in that she accepted it and surprisingly came with an apology of her own, stating work had become difficult and it was starting to affect her outside.

"You are so special, Papyrus. You look for the good in everyone without fail I'm just not sure if I deserve a heart as pure as yours. I don't want to drag you down with my problems."

She was insecure, something he saw very little of in her, but knew it from personal experience. He remembered setting the spaghetti aside and grasping her hand across the table, reassuring her that she was bright, pure, and whatever she was going through, she would not have to be alone in the fight against it. He gave her patience and eventually she smiled, tears in her eyes and asked for a hug. He had given her many hugs beforehand, but this one felt especially warm, his soul vibrating contently beneath his ribcage. There were a few more dates after that, he did have to follow the dating book guidelines of course, but eventually when he proposed the notion of going steady, she happily agreed. She began staying overnight with him and soon moved in with the skelebros. He had to say goodbye to his racecar bed, but Amber graciously let Fluffy Bunny and his action figures stay next to the bigger bed on the nightstand. Papyrus couldn't be more happy at how his life was turning out.

After some time, he eventually shut the water off and dried off his face. The tension lessened, but was definitely still there. He stared at himself in the mirror for a couple of minutes and for a moment, it felt like something else was staring back at him. His eyelights dimmed, burning magic starting to manifest in the back of his right socket. A sharp pain rocked his skull and he gripped the sink and groaned. "Babe, is there something wrong?"

He turned and saw Amber standing in the doorway, a tired, but worried expression on her face. "NYEH, J-JUST A SKULL ACHE. I'M SORRY FOR WAKING YOU." She met him at the sink and placed her hands around his skull and gently rubbed. He leaned into the massage and sighed. "You do feel a little warm," she continued to rub at certain spots on the back of his skull and frowned, "are you sure you want to train today?" Papyrus placed his hands around hers and brought them down as he stood up. He kissed them, "A ROYAL GUARDSMAN NEVER SLACKS ON THE JOB, EVEN IF IT IS TRAINING."

She sighed, knowing there were just some things she couldn't argue him out of. "Alright, well, I have little ones to tutor today, so I'll see you tonight at Grillby's?" Papyrus made a disapproving face. He did enjoy the company his friend Grillby, but the bar scene was not his favorite. However, it made Amber happy to see her friends there and he could suffer one greasy hamburger and fries for her. "YES, I WILL BE THERE." She smiled and gave him a tight hug, "I know it's not your favorite, so I made us reservations for your favorite Italian spot tomorrow night. How's that sound, Captain?" Papyrus cheekbones burned. While he knew there was no chance of him making Chief as Undyne held that position in the newly formed Royal Police, he was happy with being a Captain and enjoyed being called one, especially by his mate.

“I THINK THAT SOUNDS SUPERB. PERHAPS WE COULD...HAVE A LITTLE “FUN” AFTERWARDS AS WELL?” Amber smiled slyly as she took note of his intentions and ran a finger up his sternum, “Is that an order, Captain?” Papyrus shivered as he picked her up and took her back to the bed, pinning her beneath him and snagging a kiss, “NYEH, IT’S ONLY ONE OF SEVERAL ORDERS I’LL BE GIVING YOU TODAY.”

[sephythespooky]

Library Cards (a sans/reader fic) Part 6

(first/previous/next)

Talking with Toriel the next day, you expressed how surprised you were to see the skeletons in your house and how comfortable you were with Honey. She chuckled, “I am not surprised, my child. Out of all of them, Honey, Sans, Red, and Syrup are the most alike.”

“Syrup?” you question, and she nods.

“You have not met them, yet, but Syrup and Razzberry are another set of caretakers. Their charge, Sugar, is actually doing very well here. Perhaps I should invite them over tonight to give you a proper introduction?” Toriel always had get togethers on Sunday afternoon, and you smiled at the idea. You agreed, and the kindly goat monster assured you she would do so.

 You came to Toriel’s in one of your better casual outfits, a long sleeve tunic with ‘original’ written on it in golden script and some denim pattern leggings. When the door opened, Toriel beamed, “Ah, my child, wonderful. The brothers are already here. Come in, come in.”

You take her invitation and step forward. Your own skeletons are busy today, though doing what you don’t know. Sans almost never misses Toriel’s butterscotch cinnamon pie, and Papyrus hates not being near Frisk when he can. They’re best friends, with similar energy levels and both eager to play pretend.

Walking in, you notice that only Alphys and Frisk are here out of the usual group, and the two unfamiliar skeletons stand out like sore thumbs. They remind you of Honey and Blue, but oh so much rougher. Frisk sees you and gets up, tugging you toward the skeletons. A shy, brown haired girl peeks at you from around the couch. This must be Sugar.

Frisk puts you in front of the pair, who are looking at you as if you were some fascinating puzzle, then pulls Sugar out of their hiding spot. Sugar blushes and offers her hand, “H-hi. I’m Sugar. Um, it’s nice to meet you.”

“HUMAN! WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO THIS TALL ANNOYANCE?” screeched the smaller skeleton, hopping up to stand on the sofa. “WE HAVE NOT ASSESSED HER DANGER LEVEL YET!”

Sugar sighed and you shook their hand anyway, then turned with them toward the skeletons, “Razzy, please. She’s our librarian and Miss Toriel already approved her to be around all of us.”

“MISS TORIEL IS TOO NICE! I MUST DO SO MYSELF.” Razzberry huffed and put his hands on his hips. His false armor was black and didn’t cover the gap between his ribs and pelvis, leaving the spine uncovered. The purple eyelights  in his skull looked you over suspiciously, leaving your eyes to linger on the three line scar on his left socket.

“HMPH, SHE HAS NO EXPERIENCE IN BATTLE. WHAT A WEAKLING.” He flopped back on the sofa, crossing his arms to show off his purple gloves as he moved his matching boots in frustration, “ARE ALL HUMANS SO STUPID AS TO NOT TRAIN IN COMBAT?”

“maybe just the ones who are like Sugar, m’lord.” Offered the brother, clearly Syrup.

“WELL, THAT DOES MAKE SENSE. YOU SAID SOMETHING SENSIBLE FOR ONCE, MUTT.”

Syrup just nodded and gave you a wink and a smile. He didn’t mind the insult and seemed very relaxed.

Sugar smiled, taking your hand while Frisk clapped excitedly. Toriel called, “Dinner is ready, my dears!”

The group all went to the table, and as you passed her, Alphys murmured, “Um, _____, please be careful. These two a-are from a rough place.”

“I’ve already dealt with Red and Edge, Alphys. I think I can handle a grump berry and a fluff lord.” You giggle softly, and she smiles at you.

“y-you’re so brave. N-no wonder Sans and P-Papyrus love you.” She shuffles away quickly before you can call her on that cryptic note.

 You end up sitting between Frisk and Sugar, with Alphys next to Toriel on Frisk’s other side and Razzberry and Syrup going to the other end of the table.

Sugar asks softly, “Miss ____? Why did you become a librarian?”

“PROBABLY BECAUSE SHE’S NO GOOD AT ANYTHING USEFUL.” You glare at Razz for a minute, then answer.

“Actually, it’s because I thought that helping children read was my calling in life.” You see Syrup look up from the (honestly fantastic) chicken and rice to raise an eyebrow at you. You notice he has a gold tooth just like Red does. Same place, too. “Reading honestly saved my life as a child, and I wanted to help other kids who were in bad places find that escape. Books let me go somewhere when I felt trapped in my life. They gave me friends when I was alone, and gave me the power to fight against evil even when I was so helpless in my real life.”

Frisk pulls on your sleeve and signs worriedly. Toriel translates, “Are you alright, my dear?”

“I am now, yeah. It’s always hard to talk about why I do what I do, but the reward is so worth it.”

“AND WHAT DO YOU GET, HUMAN?” Razzy seems taken aback, almost unsure of himself.

“I get to see how happy every child who comes into my library is, I get to help them find something that will make their life just a bit easier. Helping others brings a joy I was never able to find before.” You beam at him, and see a soft purple blush cover his face.

Syrup speaks up, very gently testing the waters, “since you enjoy reading so much, is there a book you’d recommend for starters?”

That was your favorite question. “Sure! My favorite for older readers is Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones, and for the younger set, you can’t go wrong with Dr. Seuss’ work.”

“cool. I’ll keep those in mind.” He went back to eating and you did as well, very happy to help.

Razzy was still purple and Sugar asked, “Is something wrong, m’lord?”

“D-DON’T COPY THE MUTT, CHILD,” came the reply but it was softer than his previous voice. “I AM FINE, THOUGH.”

 Frisk, Razzy, and Sugar are playing some sort of racing game on the tv now, and Alphys is helping Toriel with the dishes. You offered to join them, but they both insisted on you getting to know Syrup and Razzy more instead.

Razzy was too caught up in the game to talk, and Syrup seemed happy to just watch, so you sat on the couch with him and did the same. It was a companionable silence, so you didn’t even jump when his quiet voice asked, “So just how rough did you have it, angel?”

“It wasn’t physical violence, just emotional and mental, but it still messed me up,” you reply just as softly. You didn’t feel forced, but something told you that you needed to answer him or he’d be thinking about it all night.

“yeah, I can understand that. Glad you told me, though. ‘s a thing with me, tryin’ to figure out how best to handle people.” He sighed and leaned back, the fluffy fur of his hood dropping behind him. It hit you that he’d had his arm on the couch behind you this whole time and you hadn’t even reacted, and now he pulls you closer so you’re up against his chest. “Angel, just know me’n m’lord know where you’ve been. He’s loud and rough, but we’re coming from a dark place, too. You’ve got my shoulder to cry on, y’know….stuff like that.”

You look up at him, and see his eyes lidded, expression soft and natural. Your heart feels like it’s being cut free of tangling strings. “Thank you, Syrup. I really appreciate that.”

You stay where you are as the other three play games, even when Toriel and Alphys return. After a while, Razzy gets frustrated and growls, “YOU HUMANS ARE GANGING UP ON ME! I SHOULD BE WINNING!”

Frisk giggles and signs something, which Razzy scoffs at, “NO, YOU ARE NOT BETTER THAN ME, HUMAN FRISK, THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE. I MUST SIMPLY BE TIRED.” He gets up and comes to sit on the couch, then frowns. You smile at him as he stares at you and his brother. “MUTT, WHY ARE YOU SITTING WITH THE HUMAN THIS WAY?”

“felt like I should. That okay, m’lord?” Syrup raised a browbone, looking right at Razzy.

The little skelebones huffed and tapped his foot. “I SUPPOSE IT IS NATURAL TO WANT TO SHOW AFFECTION TO A BEING SO MUCH WEAKER THAN US. ALRIGHT. BUT NOW IT IS MY TURN.” He scrambled up to the couch and wriggled in under your arm. He was the same height as Blue, and you beamed at him as he snuggled in close.

“good idea, m’lord.” Syrup mused, a small smirk on his face.

Razzy sighed, hugging around your waist, “HUMAN, YOU ARE WARM AND SOFT. THIS IS NOT ADVISABLE FOR FIGHTING. HOW DID YOU SURVIVE TO ADULTHOOD BEING THIS WAY?”

“I honestly don’t know, Razzy. Luck, I suppose.” You use one hand to stroke his arm bones with your thumb. This makes him blush again as did your saying his name.

“WELL IT IS GOOD YOU HAVE US TO PROTECT YOU NOW. YOU ARE VALUABLE IN TEACHING MY HUMAN THIS READING THING.”

You think he’s just finding an excuse to like you, and you’re alright with that. Avoidance is normal.

Toriel says softly, “Alphys, do you think she might be something special? No one has yet gotten these two so affectionate besides Sugar.”

The little scientist smiled, “I-I think it’s her s-s-soul frequency. It’s pretty c-c-close to most skeletal frequencies, so it’s n-normal they’d feel comfortable with her.”

This made the goat woman sigh happily, “Good. I had worried there would be difficulties in getting the rougher sets acclimated to peace, but if there is an anchor such as her, it will be much simpler.”

“You d-d-do know they’ve all been checking on her?” Alphys murmured. “Sans told me as much. I set up a magic tracker in the library last visit and sh-she’s got so many signals all around. L-like every one of the guardian types has been popping in and out frequently.”

There was a hardness underneath as Toriel answered, “Then they had best behave themselves within my school, Alphys. I won’t stand for any harm coming to this child.”

“I-I know. Sans said he’d be keeping the others in line.” Alphys giggled slightly, “I th-think he might be jealous o-of how well she gets on with them.”

“Perhaps,” Toriel found this information encouraging. She trusted Sans implicitly. “but look at her now.”

She and Alphys both smiled softly as they saw you cheer for the kids as they played. Razzy and Syrup were watching you, and all three of your souls were thrumming in soft comfort.

“I believe she is just as comforted by them as they are by her.” Toriel’s motherly instincts hummed happily. “Our boys are doing well.”

“Y-yes.” Alphys cooed softly, “I j-just hope they don’t s-s-start fighting over her. E-even though that’d make a great anime.”

[saintheartwing]

Songtale, Part 3

Frisk let out a groan, the Asian-American-blooded young lad moaning as he rubbed his head, cringing, shaking it back and forth as his brown hair flopped about. He slowly opened up his grassy-green eyes, gazing out at the dark entrance he'd fallen into. It had been frankly an amazing feat to survive falling down here to begin with, but...he'd been desperate. Desperate to find his mother, and hearing she'd died on the mountain, Frisk had been in denial. He so, SO badly wanted to find here, he would have done anything.

So he'd tripped on a root and fallen into the open cave, down, down into the dark abyss below, landing in a field of oddly comfy, plush flowers...and was now staring up at a big, yellow-petaled flower with a white face that was smiling at him.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" It announced in a chipper tone before it heard a sharp whistle.

"Heyyyyyy! You better not be being rude to our new guest, FLOWEY." A faintly Midwestern voice rang out through the darkness as Frisk turned, seeing a blonde-haired young child in a pink tutu who had lovely blue eyes approaching. Flowey "harrumphed", folding petals over his "chest" in a disgrunted expression before the tutu-wearing kid helped Frisk up. "I recognize you, you're Frisk!"

"And you're one of the missing kids." Frisk remarked, looking Neil Elliot over. "I've seen your face on the flyers in my neighborhood." He added with a nod, shaking Neil's hand. "Is...that flower really talking?"

"Oh, this flower does more than TALK!" Flowey growled out, stretching his little petal limbs wide as white bullets soared through the air. Frisk ducked away, but gasped in amazement as Neil expertly wove in and out of the bullets, smoothly twisting and twirling, humming cheerily to himself as Flowey growled and, had he been able, would have stomped on the ground beneath him.

"You big, fat, cheater!" He snapped. "You big fat dirty cheat!" The talking flower protested, shaking his little head back and forth before popping into the ground with a THWOOOP as Neil gave a deep bow to Frisk, his tutu flapping slightly.

"Woooowwww..." Frisk murmured, hands going to his mouth as he looked at Neil, amazed at the fluidity and majesty with which the blonde-haired boy had moved. "How did you dodge all that? It was like you knew exactly what was gonna happen!"

"I kind of do." Neil said with a smile. "I have an ability, it sort of helps me know what's gonna happen. But I can help you out if you'd like." He offered, giving Frisk a cheery little smile. "Come on and follow me, there's a really nice lady who's been taking care of me down here, she can help explain how things REALLY work."

Frisk looked a bit nervous, but then smiled and followed after Neil down the long purple hallways, past cheery, waving frog creatures, little fairy-esque monsters, and the occasional cyclops and jelly blob that looked in his direction. Many of them were quite interested to see a new human arrive, but none of the monsters of the Ruins were as happy as Toriel, who was overjoyed to see another human.

"Hello, my child! I'm Toriel, Guardian and Caretaker of the Ruins." She had explained, shaking Frisk's little hand, her fur soft and warm the touch as she led him inside her home, and into the main living room where a chalk board had been set up, not too far from the table. The room's chairs were turned to face the chalk board, and Toriel held up a thick bit of chalk that had odd letters and symbols etched into it. "Neil has been my student down here for a good three months, and he's been so eager to learn!"

"About what?" Frisk inquired as Neil gave him a little nudge in the elbow.

"Watch this." He whispered, turning to Toriel. "Um, Mom?" He asked, Toriel smiling warmly back at him at the mere mention of the word "mom" as he clasped his hands in front of him and held them down. "Could you, uh...do THAT lesson? The one about the universe's beginning?"

"Ohh, of course! Dr. Gaster developed it with me, it was our favorite to impart to my own son and my adopted daughter back in the day." Toriel said with a wistful sigh. "A bit of magic chalk and just the right attitude is all you need." She intoned with a little laugh, sounding almost like Mary Poppins as she twirled about in her robe, then drew a small, tiny little ball on the center of the chalkboard that glimmered softly, twinkling...like a star. Frisk's eyes widened, and his mouth fell open as Toriel began...to sing.

Our whole universe was in a hot, dense state! Then nearly fourteen billion years ago expansion started-

"Wait!" Neil added, he and Frisk taking their seats as Toriel grinned, and then began to sketch even MORE furiously, and with every sweep and swipe of the chalk, the scene began to change upon the chalkboard through literal magic, Frisk's eyes going even wider.

The Earth began to cool, the autodrophs began to drool, neanderthals developed tools, we built a wall!

"We built the pyramids!" Neil sang along.

Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries that all started with the big bang!

Now Toriel began to draw PEOPLE on the board, the monkeys turning to apes, then humans and monsters, the two splitting off, twirling off the board and dissolving into twinkling stars as Frisk clapped his hands together in delight, laughing eagerly.

Since the dawn of man" is really not that long, As every galaxy was formed in less time than it takes to sing this song! A fraction of a second and the elements were made!

The bipeds stood up straight, The dinosaurs all met their fate, They tried to leap but they were late, And they all died!

"They froze their asses off!" Neil sniggered as Toriel now drew a large supercontinent that began to shift and morph and stretch, finally splitting out into the continents that Frisk could recognize, Toriel giving the young human a wink.

The oceans and Pangaea, see ya wouldn't wanna be ya Set in motion by the same big bang! It all started with the big bang!

And NOW, Toriel drew a galaxy upon the board, the galaxy beginning to draw in on itself, more and more, becoming that same, small dot from before...

It's expanding ever outward but one day It will pause and start to go the other way. Collapsing ever inward, we won't be here, it won't be heard Our best and brightest figure that it'll make an even bigger bang!

And then EXPLODING outward into an even bigger galaxy, twinkling stars shooting out all through the room as Frisk let out a "wowwwww" in amazement over what he was seeing.

Neil gave a shrug, and now HE began to sing. "Australopithecus would really have been sick of us, debating how we're here, they're catching deer!"

And now Frisk understood. Now he 'got' it, and gave a little wink. "We're catching viruses!" He laughed.

"Religion or astronomy!" Toriel proclaimed.

"Descartes or Deuteronomy?" Frisk inquired.

"It all started with the big bang!" Neil and Toriel sang out at once, one hand clasped in the other, their other arms stretched.

"Music and mythology, Einstein and astrology?" Frisk asked.

"It all started with the big bang!"

And then, all together, as one...

It all started with the big...BANG!

Frisk laughed in delight, and began clapping his hands, smiling warmly, nodding his head up and down. "I love it, I love it!" He proclaimed. "So you do ALL your lessons like this?"

"We do everything like this!" Neil said. "Music is how a monster expresses itself! It's the language of the Soul! The very culimation of their being!" He then gave a bow. "And I'll teach you everything you'd like to know about it." He offered.

Frisk said yes in a second. And so, the next month was spent in an almost heavenly state. Without a doubt, they were some of the happiest days of all three's lives, as Neil helped Frisk learn to ballet dance, and more importantly...how to dodge. Frisk became nimble and swift, expertly leaping through the air, pirouetting about, twirling and prancing, working in tandem with Neil as a perfect partner. They would eat long meals with Toriel, talking and singing into the night by her fireplace before being tucked into bed, awoken by the smell of delightful cinnamon-butterscotch pie.

More importantly, Frisk had gained a sense of how the Underground truly worked. He could feel the rhythm of the land running through his blood, almost see when he looked around the song on everyone's lips. It was as if all the Underground was an eternal concert, and if you knew what notes to play, everyone had no choice but to be in awe of you. Yet even then, he didn't quite have Neil's skill.

When it came to Neil, there was nobody else greater at dancing. Though he had a decent voice that could be operatic and carry far, what he did best of all was immerse those who watched him in his movements, so dynamic and powerful, so fluid and smooth, it was as if the wind itself had reincarnated as a child, and Toriel always smiled in delight whenever she watched him perform out by the tree in her yard.

She sighed softly, leaning against the door frame, watching as Neil and Frisk headed out into the Ruins, to do a performance for the moldsmals. The jello-like creatures were rather stupid, but they knew what to do with that big, fat, butt!

WIGGLE-WIGGLE-WIGGLE.

Toriel sniggered, thinking back to the first time she'd seen them do that. They'd not been the only ones to realize how much moldsmals liked that Jason DeRulo song, no, Chara-

...Chara. Toriel sighed softly, watching her children enter the next hallway, and for a brief moment, it wasn't Frisk and Neil she was seeing, but little Asriel and Chara all over again.

Meanwhile, Bonnie Hatfield-McCoy was lying in wait. She'd snuck her way into the laboratory of Dr. Gaster and had been watching him intently, getting a lay of the place. It had helped that his assistant, Ms. Alphys, had been taking more time on her robot creation than the security system which didn't have cameras set up yet. Or rather, not ENOUGH. There were such huge, obvious blind spots that it was easy for Bonnie to sneak around as long as she did a bit of shimmying in just the right vent shafts.

And now she found herself deep within the laboratory, Dr. Gaster looking over a computer screen, analyzing the findings...and his eyes were wide with horror, eye sockets bulging, bony hands gripping the table of the computer as Sans and the dinosaur-esque Alphys stood nearby. Ms. Alphys adjusted her glasses, looking nervously at Dr. Gaster as her faintly bucktoothed expression softly broke. "...Wing?" She asked.

"...dark, darker, yet darker, the darkness keeps growing, the shadows cutting deeper, photon readings NEGATIVE." Wing Ding Gaster murmured. "This next experiment seems very...VERY...interesting..."

He paused for what seemed to be a long time, laughing wryly before slowly turning around. "...what do you two think?" He inquired, showing them the screen as they examined it, mouths agape, Sans's eye sockets turning pure black.

"...interesting's one way ta put it, doc." He mumbled. "...i was gonna call it "positively horrifying"."

"This is awful!" Alphys exclaimed. "This means the end of time and space! Everything collapsing! How are we supposed to stop it?!""

"All of this is dependent on this "anomaly" I've found in the...well, I suppose the only way I can describe it as "code"...that makes up our reality." Gaster confessed. "If we destroy it...we can avert this disaster." He concluded with a nod. "It's the only thing I can think of, and the good news is that the anomaly is currently present within the Underground. The radius scan indicates it isn't more than 10 miles away from this very location. Thank heaven's for small mercies."

"Any idea what it could be?" Alphys inquired.

"I am acting on a hunch, and comparing it to the data we've acquired from the Souls we captured." Gaster said, his hands flying over the keyboard, Bonnie cringing and gritting her teeth, seeing data spilling out over the computer screen. "Yes. Yes, just as I thought. The anomaly has an amazing amount of Determination. More so than any monster ever could. It must be a human. Perhaps even another human child." The skeletal doctor mused. "...Alphys?"

Alphys shot up towards Gaster, looking away from the screen. "Yes?"

"...your...new project, the robot? Mettaton, you called it?"

"Yes?"

"I think it might be best to implement as many human-fighting features as you can. I can do work on the security system with Sans as we get cameras set up through the Underground to search for our little anomaly. Then, perhaps, we can send your robot to track them down? No need to endanger any monsters if we can help it."

"Oh, wonderful idea!" Alphys said, nodding eagerly. "I'll finish the body straight away! I woulda completed it sooner, but I've not yet finished the lower part. Every time I try to, I get all SWEATY for some reason." She sheepishly confessed, making her way out of the laboratory, Dr. Gaster and Sans chuckling as they exited the other way, Bonnie waiting until they were long gone before finally sliding out the vent, looking over the screen. Looking at the Soul data, at...photos taken of the dead children.

And she thought of her own child, taking out her own photograph from her wallet in her back pocket, as her hands brushed over it just at the same time Toriel's own hands brushed over a dusty photograph of a smiling little goat, a girl with brownish/red eyes and she and her husband, all holding flowers.

Seemed like only yesterday her family had been together.

"Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning! Waving goodbye...with an absentminded smiiiile! I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness, And I have to sit down for a whiiile!"

Toriel sighed softly, picturing Chara's brown hair flopping about, her bookbag bouncing against her back as she ran down the street with Asriel's hand in hers. She could picture her turning, smiling warmly back at her beloved mother and father, her cheeks so red and rosy, returning to the school for the third week, things going so well, the Underground full of hope.

The feeling that I'm losing her foreveeer! And without really entering her woooorld! I'm glad whenever I can share the laughter, that funny little giiiirl!

She remembered tucking Chara in, kissing her forehead before she went to bed. She could feel her embrace once again, and the way Chara had always smelled like chocolate. Toriel could see Asriel and Chara lying in the flowers, Chara describing how she'd find shapes in the clouds, Asriel almost seeing them himself as he closed his mind and Chara let her imagination run wild. The goatly mother sighed softly, shaking her head back and forth as she held the photograph in her hand.

Slipping through my fingers all the time, I try capture every minute! The feeling in it, slipping through my fingers all the time! Do I really see what's in her mind? Each time I think I'm close to knowiiing, She keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the tiiime!

Bonnie shook her head back and forth as she held the photograph in her hand, seeing Frisk's tiny face as she put the bottle to his lips. She could feel how soft and warm he was, like a living pillow in her arms as he sucked on the bottle and she smiled down upon him. It had hurt to have a father who had committed suicide rather than own up to fatherly duties, but Bonnie wasn't going to let that stop her from being the best damn mother she could be. Yet those close morning breakfasts had become less and less close as Frisk had to go off to school, and she had to go off to her job as security at the guard station of Mount Ebott, a lingering sadness ringing in her heart.

Sleep in our eyes, him and me at the breakfast table! Barely awake...I let precious time go byyyy! Then when he's gone, there's that odd, melancholy feeling, and the sense of guilt I can't deny!

She had wanted to do so much with Frisk when he was older. Sure, she'd shown him how to fish. How to ride a horse. How to play the harmonica, oh he LOOOVED her harmonica, and her notes would drift up through the night sky when they sat on the porch outside their home. Yet...these were all such brief, tiny snippets. So...lacking. Not nearly enough.

What happened to those wonderful adventuuures? The places I had planned for us to go? Well, some of that we did, but most we didn't! And why, I just don't know?

Slipping through my fingers all the time, I try capture every minute! The feeling in it, slipping through my fingers all the time! Do I really see what's in his mind? Each time I think I'm close to knowiiing, He keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the tiiime!

As the two mothers held the photos tightly to their chest, their voices softly drifted through the air...

"Some times I wish that I could freeze the pictuuuure! And save it from the funny tricks of time! Slipping through my fingeeeeers!"

Toriel covered her face, shaking her head back and forth as quiet laughter rang out from her voice, and she made her way down her house's steps, into the deep purple halls of the basement, heading towards a doorway in the distance.  "Ha-ha-ha...I...I don't want to let go." She whispered, finally releasing him before she slowly made her way towards the downward stairs, and the exit of the ruins, resting her hand against it.

"...I don't want to let go..." She realized, before a knock she was all-too-familiar with came from the other end.

"heya! knock knock!"

"...who is there?" Toriel mumbled out.

"a broken pencil."

"...a broken pencil...who?"

"nevermind, it's pointless."

"H-heh..." Toriel quietly laughed. "...sorry, I'm...it's just..."

"hey, you can tell me anything, lady." The voice from the other end spoke up, it's voice deep but warm. "c'mon. What's wrong?"

"...if a human ever comes through this door...could you please, please promise me something?" Toriel sobbed out, resting herself against the exit to the ruins, her body shaking, the tears falling openly. "Watch over them and protect them...will you not?"

For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence. But then...

A gentle knock back.

"lady, someone like you who sincerely likes bad jokes?...you got an integrity a guy can't say "no" to."

And with that, Sans popped back into the lab, chuckling as he made his way back to his room...suddenly seeing a teenage human in the main computer room just down the hall. She was clutching a photograph tightly, covering her face with one hand and trying to suppress sobs as she slowly put the photograph back in her jacket pocket, and made towards a nearby vent, climbing up onto a cupboard. Sans quivered a bit, unsure of what to do...

...but he'd just made a promise. He sighed. He wouldn't tell the others about this. For all the good it would do. He'd just finished putting the cameras up around the laboratory exterior...

And sure enough, Dr. Gaster would be the first one to realize that the "new monster" that had been hanging around town had seemed familiar for a reason. Now that she had that makeup and those fake horns off, he could recognize what he was REALLY looking at.

"The anomaly?" He wondered quietly, aloud to himself as he sat back in his chair and looked at the camera screen, arms folded across his bony chest. "...well. One way to find out." He remarked darkly, and snapped his fingers, vanishing in a flash of light.

Sans wasn't the only one good at "shortcuts". After all, who did you think taught his little brother all he knew?