Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 “You’ve got us lost, again!” Ahsoka exclaimed.

 “I did not,” Anakin huffed. “It was Master Kenobi’s job-”

 “Do not bring me into this,” Obi-Wan said, raising his hands. “But we do need to figure out where we are.”

 “There’s a mountain over there, maybe we could see better if we got higher up,” Ahsoka offered, pointing in its direction.

 “Good idea, Snips.”

 The three Jedi made their way up the mountain, but only found themselves inside of a cave instead. 

 “Great, now we’re lost even more,” said Ahsoka.

 “Hey, this time it was your idea.”

 She rolled her eyes. 

 “We can just leave the cave,” said Obi-Wan. “We’ll figure things out eventually, we just need to be patient.”

 There was a clash of thunder in the distance.

 “What was that about leaving the cave?” Anakin asked.

 “Then we wait until the storm passes. Patience still applies.”

 “Yeah even more so,” he grumbled.

 “I can hear you, you know.”

 Ahsoka had been ignoring the two of them, and was looking around the cave when she suddenly tripped over a vine. She let out a scream: “MASTERS!”

  Obi-Wan and Anakin both turned around immediately and saw her hanging upside down over a giant hole in the ground held only by her foot that was tangled in the very vine she had tripped over. They rushed to her, Anakin tried to grab onto her but at just that moment she slipped. “AHSOKA!” He used the Force to catch her before she could fall all the way down. “I got you,” he told her. 

 “Wait!” She called. “There’s a barrier!” 

 “What? That’s impossible,” said Anakin. 

 “Well it’s not, I can’t get back up.”

 “That’s not true,” he said. He continued trying to lift her back up with the Force, but at one point he couldn’t bring her up any higher. She was unable to breach the surface.

 “I told you,” she said.

 “We’ll find a way,” said Anakin. “Obi-Wan, help me, maybe with two people it’ll work.”

 Obi-Wan joined forces with Anakin trying to lift Ahsoka past the surface, but even the two of them together couldn’t do it. They focused as much as they could and still nothing changed. Anakin began to slip as well. He grabbed onto Obi-Wan trying to stop his descent but he couldn’t. He let go of Ahsoka by accident, and then he fell, taking Obi-Wan with him. 

 All three Jedi falling into the Underground. 

 When they opened their eyes, they saw that they had landed on a bed of flowers. Golden flowers. Anakin shifted, and groaned a little bit before sitting up. “Everyone okay?”

 “That hurt, but I’m alive,” Ahsoka groaned.

 “How did we manage to survive such a fall?” Obi-Wan asked. 

 “I don’t know,” Anakin said. He looked up. “Force, how far did we fall?”

 The other two looked up as well and saw that they could hardly make out the entrance to their fall in the first place. Yet just enough light managed to reach where they landed to illuminate the flowers. 

 “We have to find a way out of here.”

 “Well there’s a giant purple entryway right over there,” said Ahsoka pointing across from them.

 “Well that makes it easier,” said Anakin. “Let’s go.”

 The three Jedi went through the archway and found themselves in another small room of sorts. It was barren except for a large patch of grass in the middle of the room, and in the center of the patch was a small golden flower. Almost like the ones the three Jedi had landed on. 

 They were going to continue on when Obi-Wan noticed something off about it. “I must’ve hit my head, because I could swear that flower has a face,” he commented.

 “Don’t worry pal, you didn’t hit your head!” the flower spoke up suddenly. “Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower! You’re new to the underground, arent’cha? Golly! You must be so confused! Someone ought to teach you how things work around here! Looks like little ol’ me will have to do!”

 All of the sudden, three glowing hearts were pulled from their chests. The heart in front of Obi-Wan was a cyan blue, Anakin’s shone with a deep red, whereas Ahsoka’s was upside down and was a brilliant white. Anakin went for his lightsaber and ignited its blue blade. “What did you just do?” He demanded. 

 Flowey merely laughed at his reaction. “Oh wow! That’s a cool weapon! Don’t worry, I haven’t done anything. Those hearts are simply your SOULs, the very culmination of your being! They start off weak, but can grow strong with a lot of LV.”

 “LV? Like a level in a hologame?” Ahsoka asked. 

 “Not quite,” said Flowey. “You see down here, LV stands for LOVE. Oh that’s interesting,” he turned towards Anakin. “Your LV is already pretty high! Most humans that fall down here only have a 1, like your other human friend.”

 He looked at Obi-Wan and smirked. He merely sighed and ignored him. “Well, how does one go about increasing their LV?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “That’s simple,” he replied. Suddenly, little white pellets surrounded the flower, hovering just above him, and aimed at the three Jedi. “Down here LOVE is spread through little white friendliness pellets. You want some LOVE don’t you? Move around and catch as many as you can!”

 A song of danger rang through the Force. 

 Obi-Wan dodged the pellets, and it seemed Anakin and Ahsoka had felt the same warning as they had moved as well. 

 “Hey, buddies, you missed them. Let’s try again, okay?” Flowey asked, some frustration seeping into his voice.

 He summoned more of the pellets, and once again they flew towards the Jedi. 

 They dodged again, feeling the warning in the Force. 

 He frowned. “Is this a joke? Are you braindead? Run. Into. The. Bulle- friendliness pellets.”

 Now they definitely knew something was up with the flower. As he sent another barrage of his apparent bullets, the trio of Jedi dodged once more. 

 This caused Flowey’s face to morph into a demented smile, and his eyes grew larger while remaining pitch black. “You know what’s going on here, don’t you?” He asked them, his voice having switched from its original cheery demeanor into a darker more sinister one. “You just wanted to see me suffer.” 

 He surrounded the trio entirely in the bullets. The three Jedi all activated their lightsabers in response.

 “DIE!” Flowey commanded, and then he began to laugh. 

 The bullets came closer and closer to the Jedi, as they held out their lightsabers to defend themselves. Before the bullets could even make contact with the weapons however, they suddenly disappeared completely.

 Flowey was puzzled by this sudden development, but before anyone could process what just happened a fireball appeared next to the flower. In the next moment, it hit him and he went flying off, but somehow was not set aflame.

 A new person, a woman with white fur, and long drooping ears, suddenly rushed over to where Flowey had been moments prior. “What a horrible creature, torturing such-” she looked at the group and her eyes widened. “Oh my! Forgive me, but I am used to there being only one human, not two…and forgive me, my child, but what type of monster are you?” She added, looking at Ahsoka. 

 “Monster?” She asked, offended. “I’m a togruta.”

 “Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve never met a togruta before,” she apologized. “I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass by this place everyday to look for any humans who may have fallen down. Are any of you hurt?”

 “Only from the fall,” Obi-Wan admitted.

 “Yes, it is a far drop into the Underground. If I may? I do know healing magic.” She walked over to him, and placed a paw on his head. A sudden gentle warmth filled Obi-Wan’s body, and the pain from the fall was suddenly gone. She did the same for Anakin and Ahsoka as well. 

 “Thank you, Miss Toriel,” Obi-Wan told her. 

 “It is not a problem,” she replied. “Oh! I don’t believe I have caught any of your names.”

 “I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

 “I’m Anakin Skywalker.”

 “And I’m Ahsoka Tano.”

 “It is nice to meet you. Come, I will guide you through the catacombs. This way.”

 She went ahead, and the three of them followed her through yet another purple archway.  

 The next room that they entered had a lot more. The walls were lined with purple bricks, and the floor was also purple, with a lighter shade making a pathway. There also seemed to be a few fallen red leaves, despite there being no tree in sight.

 Toriel was waiting for them right at the start of the path. Upon seeing them, she continued moving and they followed. There was a set of white staircases that led to the entryway of the next room. Between the two stairs however, was a pile of red leaves. Again strange, as there was no tree in sight, and how could a tree even grow this deep underground?

 Although there was something even stranger in front of the leaf pile. A glowing yellow…almost star of sorts, but more of the kind of star a youngling might draw. Anakin seemed compelled by it, while neither Obi-Wan or Ahsoka seemed to even notice. While the two of them went to follow Toriel, Anakin walked over to the mysterious star, it seemed to be calling to him. Almost as if his kyber crystal once did on Illum. Something about the star drew him in, he reached out his hand and encased the star inside. It felt warm, but it didn’t hurt. He felt something sing within him as well. Almost as if it was his very SOUL.

 A quiet voice whispered to him, “the shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination.”

 He turned around, and to his surprise there was a youngling behind him. They wore a green sweater with a yellow stripe in the center. They also seemed to be….floating? “What-?”

 “Greetings. I am Chara. It seems your determination has awoken me.”

 He stared blankly at them. “What…? How?”

 “I do not know. I have not met a being as powerful as you in a very long time,” they told him.

 “A very long time?” He asked incredulously. “ You’re what, six?”

 “Twelve. You look familiar, do I know you?”

 “Master, is something wrong?” Ahsoka called before Anakin could respond. 

 He shook his head and the youngling was gone. “Everything’s fine, Snips.” 

 He went back and joined them, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka seemed to look concerned, although Toriel noticed nothing at all. 

 “I’m fine,” he told them. “Let’s go.”

 Toriel gave him a kind smile, and they went through the door to the next room.

 In this room the door was closed, and there was a switch on the right wall with a sign on the left. On the same side as the switch there were six buttons on the floor. There was a path to the door, and another path went through the middle buttons. “Welcome to your new home, my friends.” Toriel told them.

 “Home? Miss Toriel, I’m afraid you may be mistaken, we have a lot to get back to,” Obi-Wan told her.

 “I am afraid that may never happen,” she replied.

 “Why not?” Ahsoka asked.

 “Er…moving on. Allow me to educate you on the operation of the RUINS.” She walked over four of the buttons and then flicked the switch, therefore opening the door. She continued to explain. “The RUINS are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourselves to the sight of them.”

 “But why have puzzles to open doors here?” Ahsoka asked. 

 “This place is very ancient, and the puzzles are a remnant of our past, and a tradition the monsters here love,” she explained. “Come along, the next room awaits.”

 She went into the next room and three Jedi followed her.

 This room was much larger than the last. Vines hung from the walls, and there were small wooden bridges over paths of water that flowed between the spaces of the floor. “To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches,” Toriel explained to them. “Do not worry, I have labelled the ones that you need to flip.”

 She crossed over the bridge and they followed her. Only to see there was one switch, yet despite this it was still heavily marked with three arrows pointing to it and a note on the side. Anakin stared between the switch and Toriel from a moment, confused as to why she had marked something so obviously. 

 Obi-Wan however, decided not to bring it up and simply flicked the switch and then crossed the bridge to find two more switches. The lever that needed to be pulled was marked just as obviously as the last one. Toriel was standing in front of  two spiked tiles that blocked their way from continuing. Ahsoka flicked the marked lever, and the spikes retracted. 

 “Splendid! I am proud of you,” she told them. “Let us move to the next room.”

 The next room lacked any puzzles. Instead the only thing of note was a training dummy. Toriel explained: “As humans living in the UNDERGROUND, monsters may attack you. Although with Ahsoka, you may be safer. Still! You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple! When you encounter a monster, you will enter a FIGHT. While you are in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict. Practice talking to the dummy.”

 “Miss Toriel, I do not mean to be rude, but Anakin, Ahsoka, and I come from a place of war. We are more than capable of being able to handle ourselves in a fight,” Obi-Wan told her.

 “I see, I know war as well. Still, the Underground in certainly a far different place than the Surface, so it is still best to learn how fights work down here.”

 “Wouldn’t a fight just be the same?” Ahsoka asked. “It’s a fight.”

 “Please, just practice talking with the dummy. I would prefer it if fights were avoided, if possible.”

 “Very well then,” said Obi-Wan. 

 The three of them walked over to the dummy - and similar to how when they encountered Flowey their SOULs hovered in front of their chests in heart shapes. 

 “You encountered the Dummy,” came Chara’s voice next to Anakin’s ear quite suddenly. 

 “Yeah, clearly,” he muttered to them. 

 “What?” Obi-Wan asked. “Who are you talking to?”

 “You can’t see them?” 

 “See who?” Ahsoka asked.

 Apparently this confused conversation among them seemed to count as if conversing with the Dummy.

 “It doesn’t seem much for conversation,” Chara narrated. “Although Toriel seems happy with you.”

 “What…?” Anakin asked. He turned to Obi-Wan, “you really can’t see them?”

 “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you okay, Anakin? Did you hit your head when we fell?”

 “What? No!” He said defensively.

 “Um, pardon me, is everything alright?” Toriel asked. The fight had apparently ended already, as their SOULs had disappeared.

 “Yes, I’m sure everything’s okay,” said Anakin. Although he couldn’t shake his confusion about the ghost youngling. 

 “That is good to hear, now come along.”

 They moved onto the next room where Toriel informed them that there was yet another puzzle in the room. “I wonder if you can solve it?” She added. 

 “Of course we can solve it,” Ahsoka said. “These puzzles don’t seem that bad.”

 They followed her through the room but there was no puzzle. They continued to go through a hallway connecting to another room when all of the sudden a frog-like creature jumped in front of them. Almost out of instinct, Anakin whipped out his lightsaber and ignited it, although upon seeing what had jumped out in front of them he deactivated the blade. Although the action had terrified it. Toriel then glared at the creature for added measure and it ran away. 

 “I am sorry about that,” she said. “Many of the froggits have never seen a human, or togruta before. Well, let us continue, although Anakin, please be more careful with your weapon. There is no need to fight here.”

 He connected his lightsaber back to his belt. But he didn't really say anything. They continued onwards only to find the area the hallway connected to was covered in spikes.

 “How are we supposed to get past that?” Ahsoka asked.

 “That would be the puzzle,” Toriel said. “But…on second thought…one of you take my hand, and the rest of you can hold the others’.”

 Hesitantly, Ahsoka took Toriel’s hand, Anakin held onto her’s and Obi-Wan onto his. Toriel led them through the maze of spikes, clearly having solved it many times before. “Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now,” she told them, once they had safely exited the spiked maze. She went onto the next room and once again they followed her. 

 “You have done excellently thus far. However….I have a difficult request to ask of you.” She paused, seeming to hesitate before tasking them with whatever request she planned on making. “I would like you to walk to the end of this room by yourselves. Forgive me for this.”

With that, she ran far faster than any of them could, leaving their sights almost instantly.

 Anakin scoffed. “That’s it?” He asked. “And after that last puzzle?”

 “Oh come on, Anakin, it’s clear she’s been lonely for some time. Now come on, let’s continue.”

 The three Jedi made their way through the hallway without issues, there wasn’t a single puzzle in sight. In fact the whole was empty except for a single pillar at the end. Once they passed the said pillar, Toriel emerged from behind it. “Greetings, my friends. Do not worry, I did not leave you. I was merely behind this pillar the whole time. Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise. To test your independence.”

 “We’re already in a group,” Ahsoka pointed out.

 “Yes, but to test how the three of you fared without me. I must attend to some business and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It’s dangerous to explore without a guide. I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone that you can share. If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?” She gave them the phone and then left before any of them could respond. 

 “Well, I guess we wait,” said Obi-Wan. 

 “I disagree,” said Anakin. “She wants us to stay in these ruins with her, and we have to get back to the surface.”

 “Anakin’s right, Master Obi-Wan. I don’t think we can afford to wait. Besides, I think she underestimates us.”

 He sighed. “Oh, very well. I guess we shall go on without her. You’re right, we do need to get back home.”

 They moved onto the next room. A froggit sat by peacefully, and there seemed to be an entrance way to another room nearby, despite the path leading in another direction. Once again the floor had many red leaf piles that defied logic. But also in this room was yet another glowing star that called towards Anakin’s very SOUL.

 He started to walk over to it when the phone rang, and Toriel’s voice came from the other end: “Hello? This is Toriel. You have not left the room, have you?” She asked. The three Jedi shared a look. “ There are a few puzzles ahead that I have yet to explain. It would be dangerous to try to solve them yourselves. Be good, alright?” She hung up before they could reply. 

 “What, did she know we left?” Ahsoka joked.

 “Perhaps she’s used to people not listening to her,” suggested Obi-Wan.

 Anakin wasn’t listening to them though because he was once again called to the glowing star. He reached it and grabbed it again feeling that same strange comforting warmth from before. Once again this was also met with the youngling’s voice: “playfully crinkling through the leaves fills you with determination.”

Chara disappeared before he could say anything about their voice, and what this star meant or why neither Obi-Wan or Ahsoka could see it. 

 Still they were right: Anakin was filled with determination. 

Chapter Text

 Anakin walked away from the star and went back over to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. Obi-Wan spoke, “Well, I guess we follow the path to find our way out of here.”

 “What about the puzzles Miss Toriel told us about, do you think they’ll be on the path?” Ahsoka asked.

 “The paths have seemed to show the solution to the puzzles before,” Anakin pointed out. “We should just stick to the path.”

 “Yes, as well as stick together. Everything should be fine as long as we do that.”

 They agreed and began to follow the path. Right as they were about to move onto the next room, a bug-monster appeared in front of them and their SOULs glowed in front.

 “Whimsun approached meekly,” Chara narrated for Anakin. 

 But he didn’t listen because he had already ignited his lightsaber. He was about to swing at the monster but Ahsoka stopped him.

 “I’m sorry,” the Whimsun whispered. They seemed terrified.

 “No, I’m sorry about my friend, you did nothing wrong,” Obi-Wan consoled them.

 He had barely begun speaking before the Whimsum burst into tears and flew away.

 Their SOULs entered their bodies again, and the three of them stood there. Ahsoka turned to Anakin. “Don’t just attack these poor monsters, not everyone is going to be like Flowey.”

 “Listen to your Padawan, Anakin. She’s right, we don’t know anything about this place, and not every fight needs to be solved with violence.”

 “You’re right, I apologize,” he replied, he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back to his belt.

 “Let’s follow Miss Toriel’s advice on this and avoid fighting when we can,” said Ahsoka.

 “Which is what we should be doing anyways,” Obi-Wan added.

 “Okay, okay, no need to lecture me, I get it,” Anakin said. 

 They entered the next room, there were two rows of cracked tiles blocking their way as well as two pipes on either side of them. “Well, following the path is out of the question here. Those tiles look like they can crumble any minute,” Anakin said.

 “Perhaps it’s a puzzle,” said Obi-Wan. “Look at those pipes, they have to connect somewhere, perhaps they connect under the tiles.”

 “It wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot,” said Ahsoka.

 “Fine, but since it’s his idea, Obi-Wan goes first.”

 “Very well.”

 He walked onto the fragile tiles and just as suspected they crumbled under him and he fell into a room below them. In that room there were two doors that followed the exact path the pipes were above him. He entered the path that led to the other side, making it across. “Your turn.”

 Anakin and Ahsoka followed after him and they moved on.

A  froggit to jump in front of them right before they left, however. “Move aside, little guy,” Ahsoka told them. 

 They croaked nervously and flies began to swarm them. They avoided the flies with ease, and managed to spare the froggit without further issue. 

 When they entered the next room their phone rang. Obi-Wan picked up, and Toriel spoke. “Hello? This is Toriel. For no reason in particular…which do the three of you prefer? Cinnamon or butterscotch?”

 “What’s butterscotch?” Ahsoka asked.

 “Ah…it’s just something for food. So I take it cinnamon would be your preference?” 

 “Yeah, it would be,” said Anakin.

 “Oh, I see. Thank you very much!”

 She hung up. 

 “I wonder what that was about?” Obi-Wan asked.

 Ahsoka shrugged. “Either way it looks like there’s another puzzle here and an easy one.”

 “Just one rock to push a button? Who designed these?” Anakin asked.

 “Toriel did say these were ancient,” Obi-Wan said.

 As they were about to push the rock their phone rang again. “Hello? This is Toriel. You wouldn’t mind butterscotch, would you? I know what your preference is, but…Would you turn up your nose if you found it on your plate?”

 “No, we wouldn’t, we’re open to trying new things,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Although I am a carnivore,” Ahsoka added. 

 “Right, right, I understand. Thank you for being patient, by the way.” She hung up again.

 “...Well I guess she doesn’t know we left,” said Anakin. “Let’s keep going.”

 They easily solved the puzzle, but as they walked past the now empty spike tiles a froggit hopped close. They asked him to move but he sent a swarm of flies that they once again easily avoided before sparing him and moving on.

 Only to get yet another call from Toriel. “Hello? None of you have any allergies, do you? Besides Ahsoka being carnivorous?”

 “Why do you ask?”

 “No reason…No reason at all.”

 “ Obi-Wan has an allergy to hoi-broth. It almost caused a big problem at one point,” Anakin informed her.

 “Anakin!” Exclaimed Obi-Wan, a little embarrassed. 

 They could hear Toriel chuckling over the phone. “Well it is good to know. There is no need to worry as I do not believe there is any hoi-broth in the Underground. Thank you for letting me know.” She hung up again, and they were able to actually continue. 

 The next room was full of cracked tiles. There was nothing but these tiles. And there was only one pipe at the start of where the cracked tiles began.

 “What kind of puzzle is this ?” Ahsoka exclaimed.

 “One where I think we may have to fail a couple of times,” said Anakin.

 “What is that supposed to mean?” 

 “The last puzzle like this had a room below us. This could be the same, and our clue would be there.”

 “Good thinking, Anakin,” said Obi-Wan. “And as it was your idea, you can be the one to test it.”

 “Ha, ha, very amusing, Master.” He replied, rolling his eyes. 

 He walked forward and immediately fell, just as he suspected there was another room underneath. This room was covered in those fallen red leaves from before, the only part that didn’t have leaves seemed to follow a path. He followed the path and found a sign, he proceeded to read it. 

 Please don’t step on the leaves.

 Anakin looked around more closely. He realized it was a path. He had landed on the leaves before, the path in the room below must be the same path as the room above. He took a little bit longer to study the path, memorizing it. Once he had, he went back up. 

 Only to encounter a froggit just before he could get there. He warned the froggit to leave him be, and then the froggit sent a swarm of flies. He easily avoided them, they were only flies after all, and then spared the creature. 

 “So, were you right?” Ahsoka asked him when he was back.

 “I was, did you doubt me?” He teased. 

 “Never, Skyguy.”

 “Good. Follow me.”

 He safely led them across the path, but the moment they reached safety a slime creature blocked the way. They just easily walked over it and continued onwards.

 The next room had another rock puzzle. This time there were three of them. “We each push one?” Obi-Wan suggested.

 “Sounds good to me,” said Anakin. 

Obi-Wan went to the rock on the left, Anakin went to the rock in the middle, and Ahsoka went to the rock on the right. 

 Obi-Wan tripped into a line of three of the slime creatures from before but got back up after making sure they were alright. Then he pushed his rock.

 Anakin pushed his rock without ease.

 Ahsoka went to move her rock when suddenly it spoke. “WHOA there, pardner! Who said you could push me around?”

 “Oh, sorry!” She said, “I didn’t realize you could talk. Could you please move over?”

 “HMM? So you’re ASKIN’ me to move over? Okay, just for you, pumpkin.”

 It moved forwards but not enough. “Could you move a little more?”

 “HMM? You want me to move some more? Alrighty, how’s this?”

It moved up, off the path. “That was the wrong way.”

 “HMM? That was the wrong direction? Okay, think I got it.”

 It moved onto the button and the spikes retracted. “That’s it, thank you!”

 The three of them went to walk across the bridge when the spikes suddenly returned.

 “Hey, rock, we need you to stay there,” Anakin shouted at it. 

 “HMM? You wanted me to STAY there? You’re giving me a real workout.”

 It moved back onto the button and they crossed the bridge. Only for a pair of froggits to hope towards them.

 “You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Anakin. “Listen, we need to get going, so can you get out of our way?”

 The froggit didn’t listen, or seem to even understand what he had said. Instead they were attacked with twice the amount of flies they normally had to dealt with. 

 “Did you hear me? I said to get out of our way!” Anakin yelled.

 They were attacked again. “I don’t think they understand us, Master!” Ahsoka shouted at him as they avoided the flies. 

 Despite the complications, they spared the two froggits and made it into the next room.

 Well, it was less of a room and much more of a hallway. There was a mouse hole and a table with some cheese on it. There was also the glowing star. Anakin once again felt called to it and grabbed it, much to the confusion of Obi-Wan and Ahsoka who could not see what he did. 

 “Knowing the mouse might one day leave its hole and get the cheese…It fills you with determination,” Chara said to him.

 “Okay, I was not thinking that,” Anakin said.

 “I know,” they said with a grin on their face.

 “Then why did you say that?”

 “It fills you with determination.”

 “I think you’ve got something wrong.”

 “I think you’re filled with determination.”

 “Yeah but not over a mouse- and you’re gone.”

 “Um, Anakin, who are you supposed to be talking to?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Some kind of ghost I guess,” said Anakin.

 “A ghost? Like one of the monsters?”

 “No, like a dead human ghost.”

 “Is that even possible?”

 “Apparently. For some reason only I can see them though.”

 “That’s strange,” said Ahsoka.

 “Yeah, I agree. I have no idea why.”

 “Either way, we should keep going,” said Obi-Wan.

 They entered the next room and there was a ghost on the floor. Not a ghost like Chara, but one that looked like a ghost a youngling would draw. “I just want to say that is not the same ghost I was talking about,” said Anakin.

 Obi-Wan and Ahsoka chuckled. 

 He ignored them and walked over to the ghost. 

 “Zzzzzzzzz………..zzzzzzzz……zzzzzz,” They kept repeating. “Are they gone yet?” They asked. Then they continued to pretend to sleep. 

 Anakin tried to push them, and they woke up and his SOUL left his body. The same happened for Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

 “Here comes Napstablook,” said Chara.

 Anakin ignored them.

 Obi-Wan noticed that they seemed to be on the verge of crying and gave them a patient smile.

 “Heh,” they said, dryly. 

 They began to cry and the tears were almost like projectiles as the three of them had to carefully avoid getting hit. Still afterwards, they seemed a bit better.

 Ahsoka decided to cheer them up as well and told them a joke.

 They chuckled a little, amused by her joke. They didn’t even attack. “Let me try…” Napstablook began to cry again but this time their tears seemed to defy gravity and went up, they even formed the shape of a hat. “I call it ‘dapper blook’. Do you like it?”

 “Yeah, that’s really cool,” said Ahsoka. 

 “Oh gee…I usually come to the RUINS because there’s nobody around…But today I met some nice people ...Oh, I’m rambling again. I’ll get out of your way.” They faded away, clearing the path. 

 They continued ahead, only to find the next room led to a dead end with two spider webs and a sign. Obi-Wan walked over to the sign and read it aloud, “Spider bake sale. All proceeds go to real spiders.” 

 “I don’t know, I don’t see what they’re selling,” said Anakin. 

 They left the room with the bake sale and went up into the next.

 As they walked into the next room two monsters confronted them. One was that slime monster and the other was another bug-like creature although they lacked the wings that Whimsun had. They decided to spared the slime monster. 

 “Mmm, cha cha cha,” said the other monster once he was alone. Then he just danced and they were able to leave them be.

 After dealing with the two monsters they were able to actually observe the room, it seemed to be just another hallway. There was a sign and three different froggits. Obi-Wan read the sign out loud, “Did you miss it? Spider bake sale down and to the right. Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders! …Of spiders?”

 “Normally I don’t care about eating bugs, but that seems wrong to me,” said Anakin.

 “Agreed,” said Ahsoka. 

 Anakin walked over to one of the froggits. “Ribbit, ribbit.”

 Chara translated, “Sigh. My friend never listens to me. Whenever I talk, they just seem to skip my words. That’s right….Well, at least you listen to me.”

 He turned to the ghost child, “you got all of that from-?”

 “I used to live here,” they shrugged.

 The three of them began to leave the hallway when their phone rang. Toriel’s voice came through the other end, “Hello? I just realized that it has been a while since I have cleaned up. I was not expecting to have company so soon. There are probably a lot of things lying about here and there. You can pick them up, but do not carry more than you need. Someday you might see something you really like. You will want to leave room in your pouches for that.” She hung up before they could say anything.

 The next room was yet another puzzle. Anakin read the stone sign on the wall, “There is just one switch. Well that’s helpful.”

 “There doesn’t seem to be a single clue either,” said Ahsoka.

 “We’ll find it eventually,” said Obi-Wan. 

 “Are you suggesting we each try to fall down each of these crumbling tiles until we can find it?” Anakin asked.

 “That’s precisely what I’m suggesting,” Obi-Wan replied.

 “Of course it is.”

“I’m not hearing any other ideas.”

 “Which row first?”

 “Let’s try the top row first.”

 Anakin decided to look for the one closest to where they had come from, Ahsoka would check the middle, while Obi-Wan would check the one close to the spikes. However, just before they could, another slime and bug-creature came up close out of nowhere.  They knew how to handle it this time though and resolved the situation quickly. 

 Anakin found nothing but something stuck in the ground that he decided to ignore.

 There was nothing on Obi-Wan’s end either.

 “I found it!” Called Ahsoka. She flicked the switch and joined her Masters. 

 As they were about to head out a new monster encountered them starting another fight. It was small and round and had one eye in the center with a mouth below it. Anakin wondered if he could tell what they were.

“Loox, don’t pick on him. Family name: Eyewalker,” Chara narrated. Then they stopped and their eyes widened. They suddenly faded away. 

 “Please don’t pick on me,” Loox said. 

 Then they attacked them with circles, and Anakin was so confused about the similar last name that one of the circles managed to graze his arm. He winced a little, but it was only minor. 

 They left them alone. “Finally, someone gets it,” they said.

 Loox attacked once more and yet again Anakin got hit. They were able to spare them and when Loox left Ahsoka turned to him. “Anakin, are you okay?”

 “Yeah, it’s just a scratch, Snips,” he said.

 “You seemed distracted by something,” Obi-Wan noticed. “That shouldn’t have been a problem for you.”

 “Chara just said something strange, that's all,” Anakin explained.

 “Chara?” Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow. 

 “The ghost kid that’s following me.”

 “You didn’t mention they were a youngling…the poor thing.”

Anakin didn’t really say anything to that. They continued into the next room.

 It was another puzzle. There seemed to be three colored buttons behind some pillars. However the puzzle of the room was already solved so they moved to the next. The next room had the same puzzle, although arranged differently. Ahsoka read the sign, “if you can read this, press the blue switch.”

 “That’s not even a clue, that’s just the answer,” said Anakin. 

 As they went to press the correct switch two space carrot looking monsters came out of the ground blocking their path. Ahsoka tried to talk with them.

 “Plants can’t talk dummy!”

 “Part of a complete breakfast.”

 They threw carrots at the Jedi as if they were projectiles. The three dodged without problems. 

 “Hmm…I wonder…” Obi-Wan patted his stomach.

 “Eat your greens!”

 The attacks were sent again but some of the attacks seemed to have a green glow with them. All the attacks were dodged again but he seemed to realize something. “I think I know what to do. We need the green items.”

 “What?” Anakin asked. “Okay fine, I’ll try.” He also patted his stomach. 

 “Eat your greens!”

 Once again the attacks were sent. Anakin managed to get one of the green ones, and he began to feel better, but it didn’t last long as a more damaging one hit him. “Kark.”

 “Oh, I get it!” said Ahsoka. “You’ll have to get the greens though,” she told the two of them. Then she patted her own stomach.

 “Eat your greens!”

 While avoiding the attacks they failed to get one of the green attacks.

 “Okay, let’s try that again,” said Obi-Wan. He patted his stomach.

 “Eat your greens!”

 This time they succeeded and spared the monsters. Finally they were able to press the switch they had been trying to get to in the first place.

 They moved to the next room, which had yet another puzzle. Obi-Wan read the sign. “We need to press the red switch,” he informed them. 

 Anakin pressed the switch, but before they could move on they ran into the slime-bug monster duo. They knew how this worked by now and got past them without issue. 

 The next room was also a puzzle. Ahsoka read the sign. “We need the green switch.”

 Obi-Wan pressed it and they were ready to move onto the next room. Before they could however, Loox drew near.

 Anakin decided not to pick on them, remembering what the last one said.

 “Finally someone gets it.”

 They attacked, and Anakin got hit again, but after that he spared the Loox, and they were able to move on.

 They were finally free of the puzzles. They followed the path ,which had more leaves this time, and went up into the next room.  It was there that they discovered the cause of all the leaves. There was a tree with the leaves on the ground rather than the tree they fell from. 

 They also heard Toriel. “Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would.” She walked past the tree, pulled out her phone, and then stopped when she saw them. She rushed over to them. “How did you get here? Are any of you hurt?” She asked.

 “Skyguy and Master Kenobi are,” Ahsoka told her.

 “That’s alright, I shall heal them,” she replied. She placed a paw on either of their heads and warmth filled their bodies as their wounds magically went away. “I should not have left the three of you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this.”

 “Surprise us?” Obi-Wan asked.

 She blushed. “Er…Well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, my friends!”

 They began to follow her and saw that they had reached her home. Anakin also spotted another star. He once again obeyed its call. Chara once again appeared.

 “Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the RUINS gives you determination.”

 “Your back,” said Anakin. 

 “Yes, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you, Obi-Wan, or Ahsoka. I feel so stupid.”

 “Don’t beat yourself up about it, kid. You’ve kind of been literally living under a rock…er- wait.”

 They laughed. “I know what you meant. But what I don’t get is how you’re here.”

 He shrugged. “We got lost.”

 “Yeah, that I could tell.”

 “How come?”

 They were gone.

 “Chara?”

Chapter Text

 “Ah there you are!” Toriel exclaimed once Anakin came in. “I was wondering what was taking you so long. I was just telling your friends that I have made a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I have also made a snail pie for you, Ahsoka. I want all of you to have a nice time living here.”

 “Living here?” Obi-Wan asked. “Miss Tor-”

Toriel didn’t let him finish. “I have another surprise for you!” She rushed off into the hallway on the right. The three Jedi shared a look before following after her. 

 “This is it….” she said. “A room of your own. I hope you like it. Although I do apologize for the size, I’ve never had three guests before.” There was a pause as she smiled at the three of them. “Is something burning…? Um, make yourself at home!” 

She rushed off, leaving them in front of the room. Obi-Wan was the one who opened the door. It was a small room, made for a young child. There was only one bed, and there was a toybox in front of it. “I hope she really doesn’t mean for us to stay here,” he commented, idly. 

  “She called it a ‘room of our own’,” Anakin pointed out.

  “Yes, and she’s said that we will be living here…”

 “Miss Toriel has been really kind to us, though!” Ahsoka pointed out. “Maybe she’s just a little overprotective. I mean, she’s the first person we’ve met down here that hasn’t tried to kill us, or the two of you at least.”

 “Why hasn’t anyone tried attacking you directly since that flower?” Anakin asked.

 “Well, Flowey did mention human souls. I would guess it’s because she isn’t human.”

 “Isn’t that strange?” Ahsoka asked. “What would monsters even want with a human?”

 “I have no clue,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Yeah, and now that I think about it, wasn’t there that barrier that kept us from bringing you back to the surface, Ahsoka?”

 “Yeah, there was. But why would there be a barrier?”

 “This whole thing is very strange,” said Obi-Wan. “But I think after such a long adventure it is best that we get some rest. We can try to get some answers in the morning.”

 Ahsoka yawned. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, Master Obi-Wan.”

 “There’s only one bed, though,” Anakin pointed out. “And it’s a child’s bed.”

 “Then I guess it’s my bed and you two can sleep on the floor,” said Ahsoka, playfully.

 “That might be our best arrangement, actually,” Obi-Wan replied.

They were tired from the day’s adventure, and fighting and so they all agreed on the decision. Anakin turned off the lamp, and then detached his prosthetic arm, placing it on a desk with a picture frame. After that he and Obi-Wan laid down on the rug on the floor. Ahsoka took off her boots and sat them by the bed before laying down herself.

 They closed their eyes and let sleep overtake them. 

  When they woke up both Obi-Wan and Anakin had been given blankets, and there were three slices of pie near the door. Ahsoka smiled as she turned on the light. “Miss Toriel was very thoughtful,” she told the two of them.

 Obi-Wan smiled as well. “Yes she was,” he agreed. He stood up and helped Anakin as well. Anakin put his arm back on along with his glove. Each of them picked up their slice of pie. Anakin decided to save his for later, while Obi-Wan and Ahsoka ate their pie.

 “It’s great to have something other than ration bars and bugs for a change,” said Ahsoka.

 “You’ve been eating bugs?” Obi-Wan asked. “You and Anakin are too alike…” He shook his head.

 “Hey!” Said Anakin.

 Obi-Wan chuckled.

  “Well it’s morning now, so I suppose it’s time for answers and a way to get home,” said Anakin.

 They left the room and found Toriel in the living room reading a book on a chair by the fireplace. They also saw a bookshelf. Obi-Wan took one of the books from the shelf, it was a history book. He flipped to a random page and read aloud to Anakin and Ahsoka. “Trapped behind the barrier and fearful of further human attacks, we retreated. Far, far into the earth we walked, until we reached the cavern’s end. This was our new home, which we named…’home’. As great as our king is, he is pretty lousy at names.”

 “I guess that really was a barrier,” said Ahsoka.

 “And apparently there was a war,” said Anakin.

 “Yes.”

  They walked over to Toriel. 

 “Up already, I see? I heard you reading that history book. Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I’ve also prepared a curriculum for your education.”

 “Our education? Toriel, we can’t stay here,” Obi-Wan told her.

 “But….This….This is your home now. Um…would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It is called ‘72 Uses for Snails’. How about it?”

 “We have a war to get back to Toriel,” Anakin told her. “We need to get there, how do we exit the Ruins?”

 “Um…How about an exciting snail fact? Did you know that snails….Make terrible shoelaces? Interesting.”

 “Miss Toriel, we really have to go,” said Ahsoka. 

 “...I have to do something. Stay here.” She closed her book, stood up, and bolted away.

 The three Jedi chased after her immediately. They went down the stairs into the basement where they found her. “You wish to know how to return ‘home’, do you not?” She asked.

 “Yes!” exclaimed Anakin.

 “Ahead of us lies the end of the RUINS. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it.”

 “WHAT?!” Ahsoka exclaimed. “You can’t do this, we have to get back!”

 “No. No one will ever be able to leave again. I need you to go upstairs.”

She continued ahead and they continued after her.  

 “Every human that falls down here meets the same fate.  I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die. If you leave the RUINS… They…. ASGORE… Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?”

 “We can handle ourselves! We’re fighting a war back home, we can handle the underground!” Ahsoka cried.

 “...Go to your room.”

 She rushed off again, and again they chased after her.

 “Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning.”

 She left. They followed. They had reached the exit of the Ruins now. 

 Toriel did not even have to face them to know they had ignored her warning. “You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself… Prove to me you are strong enough to survive.”

 Their SOULs shone outside of their bodies. Anakin and Ahsoka ignited their lightsabers. Anakin immediately attacked. Toriel had no response as his lightsaber hit her, searing some of her fur. 

 She sent fire balls hurtling at all three of the Jedi. They dodged to the best of their ability, but one hit Anakin catching his robes on fire. He dropped and rolled on the ground, quickly extinguishing the flame. 

 Ahsoka leapt at Toriel with both her lightsabers shining a brilliant green and yellow. She landed her mark, slashing Toriel’s dress and singing some more of her fur. She didn’t let it stop her though as she let out another barrage of fire. 

 Some of the fire managed to get so close to Ahsoka it singed her lekku. She let out a scream of pain.

 This only made Anakin’s anger boil over. He hated seeing anyone hurt Ahsoka. He rushed at Toriel and attacked her again, he was not going to be holding back anymore. He landed another hit. 

 She attacked again, and again the flames reached him, burning his skin.

 Again Ahsoka attacked and again it landed.

  Toriel attacked again, but Ahsoka swiftly dodged avoiding being hit.

 Obi-Wan tried to talk with her but he couldn’t think of anything to say. 

 She attacked him, Obi-Wan tried to dodge but some of the fire singed his robes.

 Once again this prompted Anakin to attack. He landed another hit and yet she seemed unphased.

 When she attacked again all the fire seemed to be avoiding everyone.

 “Stop fighting her!” Obi-Wan yelled at Anakin and Ahsoka. “Can’t you see that she doesn’t really want to hurt us?”

 “She burned us!” Ahsoka argued.

 “Ahsoka, Anakin please, use your heads!”

 She hesitated, and then deactivated her lightsabers and looked up at Toriel. “I’m not fighting you!”

Toriel sent more fire that never got close to them, remaining silent. A shadow was over her face. Obi-Wan knew she didn’t want to fight. He didn’t either. There was more fire, and more silence.

 Anakin, however, seemed more inclined to keep attacking, and he swung at her again.

More fire, more silence.

Ahsoka showed mercy.

More fire, more silence.

Obi-Wan showed mercy.

More fire, more silence.

Anakin fought.

Ahsoka showed mercy.

More fire, more silence.

Obi-Wan showed mercy.

More fire, more silence.

“Anakin, please she’s not even fighting anymore,” Obi-Wan told him.

He hesitated, then he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back to his belt.

More fire, more silence.

Ahsoka showed mercy.

More fire, more silence.

Obi-Wan showed mercy.

 “What are you doing?” Toriel asked.

“Refusing to fight you,” said Anakin.

 “Attack or run away!”

 “We’re done attacking you, we don’t want to kill you,” said Ahsoka.

“What are you proving this way?”

 “That we can survive without resorting murder. We’re Jedi, Toriel, we only kill if we have no other choice,” Obi-Wan told her.

 “You have to fight me or leave!”

 “No, we refuse,” said Anakin.

 “Stop it.”

 “We already did,” said Ahsoka, tears were in her eyes now.

 “Stop looking at me that way.”

 “You can end this fight at any time. Neither of us want to fight,” Obi-Wan tried.

 “Then go away!”

 “Only through that door, we have to leave to get back home,” Anakin insisted.

 She went silent again.

 “Please, we don’t want to fight, we just need to go home.”

 Her face fell. More fire, more silence. 

 “Miss Toriel please, I know you don’t want to do this.”

 “I know, and I know you want to go home, but…”

“But what?”

 “But please… Go upstairs now.”

“We can’t do that.”

 “I promise I will take good care of you here.”

 “I don’t doubt that, but we have people back home that we need to take care of.”

 “...I know we don’t have much but…”

 “Toriel, we can’t stay here.”

 “We can have a good life here.”

 “But at the price of too many that depend on us.”

 “Why are you making this so difficult?”

 “We need to go back.”

 “Please, go upstairs.”

By now the fight had already ended. 

 “We’ve already told you, we can’t do that.”

 She didn’t reply.

 “Miss Toriel, I’m sorry, but we have to go back.”

She laughed sadly. 

 Obi-Wan could see her on the verge of tears. “We’re sorry.”

 “Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save a single person.”

 “By letting us go, you’ll be saving more than you know,” Obi-Wan comforted her.

 She didn’t reply.

 “Please, Toriel. I know you mean well.”

 “No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here. And you have people that depend on you, do you not? It would not be right for you to stay. My expectations…. My loneliness… My fear… For you, I will put them aside.”

 Their SOULs finally returned to their bodies.

 “If you truly wish to leave the RUINS…. I will not stop you. However, when you leave… Please do not come back. I hope you understand.” She wrapped all three of them in a hug.

 “You’re doing the right thing, thank you, Toriel,” Obi-Wan told her.

 She smiled and stood back up. “Goodbye, my friends.” She began to leave, but she turned around again at the last moment. “And…..May the Force be with you.” With those words she left.

 The three of them stood there for a moment. Shocked slightly by her parting words. Then they looked among each other. “I think it’s time to go,” said Anakin.

 “Yes,” said Obi-Wan. “I think it is.”

 They left through the door, heading out into the rest of the Underground.

Chapter Text

 Once again Flowey was there.

 “Clever. Verrrryyy clever,” he greeted them. “You think you’re really smart, don’t you? In this world, it’s kill or be killed.”

 “Then you’re living in a very sad world,” Obi-Wan told him.

 “Shut it, Kenobi. You see, you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person.” He laughed. He turned his attention onto Anakin. “I bet you feel really  great. You didn’t kill anybody this time.” Then to Ahsoka. “But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You’ll die and you’ll die and you’ll die. Until you tire of trying.”

 “You can’t come back to life,” said Ahsoka. “Once you die that’s it.”

 Flowey laughed. “Oh, you don’t know? You don’t know the power your friend holds?” He looked at Anakin. “I wonder, what will you do then? Will you kill out of frustration - you already have, haven’t you?” He laughed again, as Anakin became very uncomfortable. How did he know? “Will you give up entirely on this world… and let ME inherit the power to control it?”

 “You can’t control things like that,” Obi-Wan said.

 Flowey once more laughed. “You really don’t know, do you? Well, don’t worry. I am the prince of this world’s future. Don’t worry, my little monarchs, my plan isn’t regicide. This is SO much more interesting.” He laughed again, this time it was far more vile. Then he went back into the ground.

 “What was he talking about?” Ahsoka asked Anakin.

 “Let’s keep going,” he said. “It doesn’t matter.”

 They finally exited the Ruins.

 They entered into a snowy forest instead. Ahsoka shivered. “If I had known it would be cold, I would have brought a coat.”

 “Yeah,” said Anakin, shivering as well.

 “At least you have your robes.”

 “We’ll try to find a place where we can get some coats soon,” Obi-Wan told them. “For now, it’s best if we continue ahead.”

 They nodded and moved on. There was a simple path through the snow, and they followed it. Ahsoka hugged herself, trying to keep warm, but the fact she had no sleeves was fighting against her.

 They could sense someone following them. Anakin noticed a shadowy movement behind them as well. They passed a large branch. Suddenly it broke behind them.

 “Who’s there?” Ahsoka called out.

 There was no response.

 They kept walking. The figure kept following them.

 They reached a bridge with bars far too wide to be useful. But they suddenly stopped. Footsteps were approaching behind them.

“Don’t you know how to greet a new pal?” Came a deep voice from behind . “Turn around and shake my hand.”

 Anakin, being at the back, turned around and found himself face to face with a short skeleton. Reluctantly he took his offered hand.

  A loud fart noise began to play. Anakin was not amused. Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and the skeleton on the other hand found it hilarious and began to laugh, Anakin couldn’t help but join in as well.

 “the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it’s ALWAYS funny. anyways, the two of you are humans, right? that’s hilarious. i’m sans. sans the skeleton. i’m actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. but… y’know… i don’t really care about capturing anybody.”

 “Capturing?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “yeah, that’s what we’re s’posed to do with humans, course i’m too lazy for that. now my brother, papyrus… he’s a human hunting FANATIC.  hey, actually, I think that’s him over there. i have an idea. go through this gate-thingy.”

 They did what Sans told them and he followed just behind them. “quick, behind those conveniently-shaped lamps.”

 “What?” Anakin asked. He turned and saw there were in fact three perfectly conveniently shaped lamps for all them to hide behind. “How the-?”

 “it’s best not to question it, pal. quick, behind the lamps.”

 They did what they were told, and just as they had hidden behind their lamps a second skeleton - Papyrus entered the scene.

 “sup, bro?” Sans asked.

 “YOU KNOW WHAT ‘SUP’, BROTHER! IT’S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN’T… RECALIRBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!?”

 “staring at these lamps. they’re really cool. do you wanna look?”

 “NO!! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!! WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!?! I WANT TO BE READY!!! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECOGNITION… I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY, ‘FRIEND’? I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING.”

“hmm… maybe these lamps will help you.”

“SANS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES!! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!!!”

“hey, take it easy. i’ve gotten a ton of work done today. a skele-ton.”

“SANS!!”

“come on. you’re smiling.”

“I AM AND I HATE IT! SIGH… WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME…HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION…”

“wow, sounds like you’re really working yourself… down to the bone.”

“UGH!! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES… AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE, ‘BACKBONE INTO IT!!!! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!” Papyrus walked away, and then returned to say “HEH!” before leaving again. 

“okay, you can come out now.”

They left from behind the lamps. Anakin crossed his arms and looked at Sans. “You could’ve gotten us caught.”

 “nah, i know my bro, you were safe where you were.”

“Well, thank you, Sans,” said Obi-Wan. 

“no problem. actually, hey… hate to bother ya even more, but can you two humans do me a favor? i was thinking…. my brother’s been kind of down lately… he’s never seen a human before. and seeing the two of you might just make his day. don’t worry, he’s not dangerous. even if he tries to be. thanks a million. i’ll be up ahead.” He left, except he went to the door of the Ruins, not where they were.

 “That’s the wrong way-” Ahsoka started but he had already gone. “Huh.”

 They continued on. The next area had a cross-roads path. One continued right, with a box and a sign, and the other went up. There was also another star. As before, Anakin was called to it. He once again held it and felt that warmth. Chara’s voice also returned. 

“The convenience of those lamps still fill you with determination.”

 They continued along going to the above path first, but there was nothing except for a fishing rod and a flowing river. Seeing there was nothing there they went back down to follow the other path. There was a sign and a box right before the next area. Ahsoka decided to see what was inside the box. Inside was a single glove. She decided to take it anyway as it would add some extra protection to the cold. She closed the box and slipped it on. 

 On their way to the next area a snowflake-bird monster fluttered forth. Their SOULs left their bodies indicating a fight had started. Anakin remembered how he was able to see things about Loox, and tried again with this monster. Chara informed him.

 “Snowdrake, this teen comedian fights to keep a captive audience.”

 “Better not snow ‘flake’ out!” Snowdrake said.

 Even as it attacked Ahsoka couldn’t help but giggle a little at its joke. 

 “See! Laughs! Dad was wrong!” Snowdrake exclaimed. 

 They were able to spare it without problem. Then they continued on through the forest.

 Up ahead were the two skeleton brothers from before. Sans and Papyrus. As they approached they could hear what Papyrus was saying. 

 “ SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE- ” He stopped, noticing the three of them. 

Him and Sans seemed to spin around several times, getting faster with each spin before they had their backs turned to them.

 “ SANS!! OH MY GOD! ARE THOSE…HUMANS?!?!??!?! ”

 They turned around again. “ uhhhhh…actually, i think that’s a rock, ” said Sans.

 “ OH, ” he said, disappointed.  

“hey, what’s that in front of the rock?”

  “OH MY GOD!!” He then whispered to his brother, still quite loudly. “ARE..ARE THOSE HUMANS?”

 They couldn’t hear Sans’s reply, but they could guess what he said by Papyrus’s response.

 “OH MY GOD!!! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL…I’M GONNA…I’LL BE SO…POPULAR!!! POPULAR!! POPULAR!!!” He then changed his focus on the group of three Jedi. “…AHEM. HUMANS!….AND WEIRD MONSTER. YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!!! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! THE HUMANS THAT IS! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPTIAL! THEN…THEN!!! I’M NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.”

 Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka shared a look. Toriel had said something about someone named ‘Asgore’ killing humans. It didn’t sound like Papyrus knew about that fact, but either way they knew they couldn’t let him capture them. Although it sounded like Ahsoka was safe. 

 Papyrus went on: “IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE…ONLY IF YOU DARE!!” He ran off laughing. 

  “well, that went well,” said Sans. “don’t sweat it, humans. i’ll keep an eyesocket out for ya.” He then walked off after his brother. 

 “It sounds like it's only you two I have to worry about,” said Ahsoka. “So I’ll do my best to keep you out of trouble.”

 Anakin laughed, “I think we can do that just fine.”

 “Are you sure, Skyguy?” She asked, putting one hand on her hip.

 “Very funny, Snips,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

 As they did they passed by a station that seemed to be made out of cardboard. They decided to ignore it and went on. Only to encounter a monster that was like a snowman with ice for a hat. 

 “Your hat looks great,” said Obi-Wan. 

 “Envious! Too bad!” It said.

It attacked the two humans, leaving Ahsoka alone. Both of them dodged easily. 

 “Let me try something, Master,” said Anakin. He checked the monster and Chara spoke. 

 “Ice Cap, this teen wonders why it isn’t named ‘Ice Hat.’”

 “That’s helpful,” he muttered sarcastically. 

 “Where’s YOUR hat?” Ice Cap demanded the two Jedi. 

 It attacked them again and Anakin got hit a few times, but brushed the injuries off. 

 “What were you trying there?” Obi-Wan asked him.

 “I was trying to come up with a plan.”

 “And?”

 “HELLO??? My hat’s up here!” It shouted at them. 

 Ice Cap attacked again and they dodged again.

 “Well I have a plan now,” Anakin told him.

 “Do you care to share what that plan might be?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Better a hatter than a HATER!” Ice Cap yelled angrily. 

 It attacked them again, throwing icicles at them. Once again they expertly dodged its attacks. 

 “That was the plan,” said Anakin, as he proceeded to spare Ice Cap.

 “Ah, smart,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Wow, it didn’t even attack me,” Ahsoka said.

 “We already figured out why. The monsters are only interested in human souls, it’s a good thing you aren’t being attacked,” Obi-Wan told her.

 “I know,” she said. “It means I can keep you boys out of trouble. Come on.”

 They moved into the next area. There was a sign and another station, this time it was clearly professional. Anakin read the sign and then furrowed his brows. “Huh.”

 “What is it?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “It said no moving.”

 “That’s strange.”

 “I wonder who left that sign,” said Ahsoka.

 “Me too,” Obi-Wan agreed.

“Well we can’t listen to it if we want to get free.”

 Although the moment they walked in front of the station a fluffy monster popped his head out. “Did something move? Was it my imagination?” He asked, confused. “I can only see moving things. If something WAS moving… For example, a human… I’ll make sure it NEVER moves again!”

 A fight began. 

They stayed absolutely still. 

 “Don’t move an inch,” he told them. 

Then he threw a dagger. Anakin moved and got hit. 

“MOVING? MOVING?” He shouted.

“Anakin!” Obi-Wan exclaimed in a whisper. “He can’t hit us if he can’t see us.”

“Right,” said Anakin.

They refused to move again. 

“It moved! It didn’t NOT move!”

Once again the dagger was thrown but it missed them completely. 

“Will it move this time?”

They still didn’t move.

“What’s next? We can’t just stay still forever,” Anakin asked quietly.

“I might have an idea,” Ahsoka whispered back.

As slowly as possible to avoid being detected, Ahsoka reached out and pet the monster.

“WHAT!! I’VE BEEN PET! PET? PAT? POT?!”

It confused him so much that they were able to spare him.

 “S-S-Something pet me… Something that isn’t m-m-moving… I’m gonna need some dog treats for this!!!” He disappeared back into his station.

 The three Jedi continued on.

 Sans was waiting for them in the next area. “hey, buckos, here’s something important to remember. my brother has a very special attack. if you see a glowing blue attack, don’t move and it won’t hurt you. here’s an easy way to keep it in mind. imagine a stop sign. when you see a stop sign, you stop, right? stop signs are red, so imagine a blue stop sign instead. simple, right? when fighting, think about blue stop signs.”

 “Thank you for the advice, Sans, that’s very helpful,” Obi-Wan told him.

 “no prob’ kenobi.”

“I don’t remember telling you my name.”

 “ah, right, just forget about it.”

Obi-Wan seemed hesitant, but didn’t say anything.

 Ahead of them the path seemed to break apart, with ice blocking the way. They slipped on the ice and found the path forward. They continued on.

 Sans was already in the next area with his brother despite none of them seeing him move. “How the-” Anakin started.

 Papyrus also seemed to already be in the middle of a conversation with him too, making it even stranger. 

 “YOU’RE SO LAZY!!” He was telling Sans. “YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!”

“i think that’s called…sleeping.”

 “EXCUSES, EXCUSES!” He turned around and noticed the Jedi. “OH-HO! THE HUMANS AND THEIR FRIEND ARRIVES! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU…MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE…QUITE SHOCKING!!! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE…ELECTRICITY MAZE!!!”

 “You can’t be serious,” said Anakin.

 “I AM VERY SERIOUS TALL SCARY HUMAN!”

“My name is Ana-”

“ANYWAYS! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP! SOUND LIKE FUN?? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE, IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK. OKAY, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW!”

“Papyrus, you have the orb, doesn’t that mean you’ll get shocked instead?” Obi-Wan asked him.

“OH RIGHT! SILLY ME! THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME FLUFFY HUMAN!” He walked through the maze, leaving footprints all over the snow. He then handed Obi-Wan the orb. “HOLD THIS PLEASE!” He ran back to the end of the maze. “OKAY, TRY NOW!”

 Obi-Wan followed the path of footprints Papyrus left, with Anakin and Ahsoka following behind him.

 “INCREDIBLE!! YOU SLIPPERY SNAILS!! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY….TOO EASILY! HOWEVER!! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!” He ran off….backwards.

 “Well, that was easy,” said Anakin. “It’s a good thing, Papyrus doesn’t seem to be aware of-”

 “i wouldn’t say that if i was you. ” Sans warned him, his eyesockets suddenly turning pitch black. Suddenly they lit up again as if nothing happened. He turned to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka instead. “anyways, thanks to the two of you. my brother seems like he’s having fun. by the way, did you see that weird outfit he’s wearing? we made that a few weeks ago for a costume party. he hasn’t worn anything else since…keeps calling it his ‘battle body’. man. isn’t my brother cool? you don’t have to answer, i know he is.”

 “Right…” said Anakin. “Well, we should keep going.”

 “i wouldn’t want to keep ya waiting.”

 In the next area there seemed to be a monster with a cart selling things. Obi-Wan went over to him. 

“I don’t understand why these aren’t selling…It’s the perfect weather for something cold…” Then he noticed him. “OH! A CUSTOMER!! Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream? It’s the frozen treat that warms your heart!”

 “Sure,” said Obi-Wan, giving him a soft smile. “Although I may recommend moving your business elsewhere. Nice Cream doesn’t sell well in cold areas, but if you were to sell somewhere with warmer weather, then I’m sure you’ll get a lot of business.”

 “Oh! Thank you for your advice. It’s just 15G!”

 Obi-Wan fished out some of the gold they three of them had been collecting and handed him fifteen pieces of it. 

 “Here you go! Have a super-duper day!”

 “Thank you,” Obi-Wan replied.

 Anakin looked at him and raised an eyebrow, “did you really buy ice-on-a-stick in a snowy forest?”

 “Oh do be quiet, Anakin.”

 Once again they saw Sans. “Hey, Sans,” said Ahsoka. 

 “heya kid, y’know i’ve been thinking about selling treats too. want some fried snow? it’s just 5G.”

 “Sorry Sans, I don’t think I could eat that.”

 “don’t sweat it, bucko.”

 They followed the path down, and then took a turn and entered the next area. Once again Sans was already there with his brother, despite not having followed them and having had no clear way of being ahead of them. There was a single piece of paper on the ground as well. 

 “HUMANS AND MONSTER FRIEND! I HOPE YOU’RE READY FOR…” He paused, noticing there was only a single page of paper on the ground. “SANS! WHERE’S THE PUZZLE!!!”

“it’s right there. on the ground. trust me. there’s no way they can get past this one.”

 They just walked right past it. 

“SANS! NONE OF THEM EVEN LOOKED AT IT!”

 “whoops. i knew i should have used today’s crossword instead.”

“WHAT!? CROSSWORD!? I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT!! IN MY OPINION…JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST.”

 “what? really, dude? that easy-peasy word scramble? that’s for baby bones.”

“UN. BELIEVABLE. HUMANS AND WEIRD MONSTER! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!”

 “The more difficult option would change depending on who is doing it,” Obi-Wan said.

“URGH! YOU DON’T GET IT EITHER!” He stormed off. 

 They continued on to the next area.

 There was a piece of paper and two tables. One table had a plate of spaghetti, the other had a nanowave. There was also that star once again. Anakin followed the same routine. Chara spoke to him: “Knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti…It fills you with determination.”

 “Again, the mouse doesn’t fill me with determination….and they already disappeared.”

 “Chara again?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Yeah,” said Anakin. “They’re a weird kid, let’s keep going.”

 They moved on to the next area. There was a sign, Anakin read the sign. “Warning: Dog Marriage. Good for them.”

 “Come on,” said Obi-Wan.

 They went down only to find spikes blocking their path. “Great, another puzzle,” said Anakin. He kicked the snow and noticed that it began to reveal something. “Wait..I think there might be a clue here.”

 As they began clearing the snow, a dog-monster approached them. “Awwww,” said Ahsoka.

 “Really, Snips?” Anakin asked.

 “What? It’s adorable!” She said, She reached out her hand to pet him and he got so excited his neck began to extend. “Awwww, It’s happy,” she grinned, showing her fangs off. She tried to pet him again, she only lightly touched him and it was already overexcited. She continued trying to pet the dog.

 Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged glances, they could leave by now, but Ahsoka was still petting him and its neck was stil extending as it barked excitedly. 

 There was no stopping either of them. 

 “It’s possible she may have a problem,” Chara told Anakin.

 He ignored them.

Ahsoka kept petting Lesser Dog until it became impossible for her to pet it any longer. 

 Finally, they spared it. 

 With Lesser Dog gone they were able to continue clearing out the snow, eventually revealing a map. There was a red “x” that seemed to mark where the switch to deactivate the spikes was at. 

 “I’m on it,” said Anakin. He rushed off to press the switch, leaving Obi-Wan and Ahsoka behind. He pressed the button and ran back over to them without encountering any other monsters. The spikes were gone and they were able to continue to the next area.

 As they did they were stopped by two literal guard dogs. 

 “What’s that smell?” One said.

 “Where’s that smell?” The other said.

 “If you’re a smell…”

“...identify yoursmellf!”

The two of them circled around the three Jedi. 

 “Hmm… Here’s that weird smell. It makes me want to eliminate.”

“Eliminate YOU!”

A battle began and their SOULs appeared before them. 

 Anakin checked one of them. Chara explained: “Dogamy, husband of Dogaressa. Knows only what he smells.”

 “Don’t touch my hot dog!” Dogamy told the Jedi.

 “He means me,” Dogaressa added.

 Dogamy and Dogaress swung their axes together in unison, ending with a flourish that resulted in them forming a heart for just a moment. Anakin got nicked slightly by Dogaressa’s axe, but brushed it off.

 “They could only tell because of our smell,” Anakin explained to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. “Maybe if we roll around we can confuse them.”

 “Anakin, that isn’t going to work.”

 “Suit yourself, Master. I’m going to roll in the snow.”

 “With a bleeding cut?” Obi-Wan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Your point?”

 “You're impossible.”

 Anakin dropped down and began rolling in the dirt and snow.

 The two dogs attacked again and Anakin got nicked by Dogamy’s axe this time. “Arugh,” he grunted, clutching his bleeding arm, with the same spot having been hit twice.

 “Master!” Ahsoka exclaimed.

 “I’m fine, Snips. It’s nothing.” He walked up to the two dogs, and let them sniff him again.

 “What smells like a…” Dogamy began.

 “Are you actually a lost puppy?!” Dogaressa exclaimed.

 Despite this, they still attacked him and he got hit yet again. He felt his vision fading in and out. “Kriff, maybe I’m not so fine.”

 Ahsoka pulled Anakin away from the fight, and glared at the two dogs who dared to hurt her Master. Her hands reached for her lightsabers, but Obi-Wan placed a hand on her shoulder. “No, remember, they identify us by our smells. Anakin’s right, we need to roll around.”

 Both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan rolled around in the snow. 

 “Let’s kick human tail!” Dogamy exclaimed.

 “Do humans even have tails?” Dogaressa asked.

 Suddenly, Dogamy let out a loud bark and a circle of hearts appeared with some being white while others were blue. Remembering what Sans had told them, they stopped on the blue hearts, while they avoided the white. 

 Once the attack had ended the two walked over to the dogs to let them sniff the two Jedi. They had managed to convince the dogs they were puppies instead.

Dogamy attacked with the bark again, and they managed to survive without a scratch.

 “What’s next?” Obi-Wan asked.

 Ahsoka grinned. “We pet them.”

 “We what?”

Ahsoka didn’t respond because she had already started petting Dogaressa. 

 “What about me?” Dogamy asked.

 “A dog who pets other dogs…amazing,” said Dogaressa.

 Once again Dogamy barked - perhaps this time jealous that he didn’t get pet the same as his wife.

 “Master Obi-Wan, you pet him!”

“Oh alright,” he said. He walked over to Dogamy and pet him.

 “Wow,  pet by a pup!” Dogamy exclaimed. He was so happy he let out another bark, accidentally releasing another attack that both of them successfully avoided.

 They spared the two dogs. 

 “Dogs can pet other dogs?” Dogamy asked.

 “A new world has opened up for us…” Dogaressa realized.

 “Thanks, weird puppies!”

 The two dogs left them, and Obi-Wan and Ahsoka immediately ran to Anakin who was still bleeding out, the snow around him having turned into a dark shade of red. 

 He seemed to be barely holding onto to consciousness. Chara floated about his face, and they seemed clearer than ever. “Anakin! Don’t give up! Monster food can heal, stay determined!”

 “Mmmm,” he groaned. “Mmm…Master,” he managed to get out.

 “Yes, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked, his face was pale with fear. 

 “Can I have that Nice Cream?” He asked, almost mumbling.

 He was too worried about his friend to question the request, and gave him the Nice Cream that he had bought. He unwrapped it for Anakin, and handed it to him. 

 Anakin bit into the Nice Cream, and suddenly the injuries began to fade, leaving only a small scratch where the axes had hit him.

 He suddenly sat back up, perfectly fine. “That’s better!” He said, happily. Despite the fact he was on the brink of death moments earlier.

 Obi-Wan and Ahsoka’s eyes widened. “H-how?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Monster food heals,” he said. “Chara told me.”

 “Huh,” said Obi-Wan. “Well that’s good to know.”

 Ahsoka wrapped him in a hug. “I’m glad you’re not dead, Anakin! You scared me!”

 “Oh come on, Snips. They’d have to try a little harder than THAT.” He replied. 

 Ahsoka smiled. 

 “Now come on, let’s keep going.”

 In the next area there was yet another puzzle. The solution to this was obvious, and they quickly got past it without needing to read the sign. Papyrus was on the other side, he noticed that they solved it. “WHAT!? HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP? AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY…IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME???”

 “We just left it there, it was impossible to eat,” Anakin told him, rather coldly.

 “REALLY!?” Papyrus asked, not upset in the slightest. “WOWIE… YOU RESISTED THE FLAVOR OF MY HOMECOOKED PASTA…JUST SO YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME???”

 “Um…yeah sure.”

 “FRET NOT INTIMIDATING HUMAN! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS…WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEH HEH HEH NYEH!”

 Anakin stood there, puzzled. Obi-Wan patted him on the back. “Have fun with Papyrus's spaghetti,” he told him.

 Anakin rolled his eyes. “Oh shut up, Master. Let’s keep going.”

 Papyrus was standing in the next area waiting on them. Obi-Wan chuckled seeing him. “Hey Papyrus,” said Obi-Wan.

 “HELLO FLUFFY HUMAN! MY BROTHER STARTED A SOCK COLLECTION RECENTLY. HOW SADDENING… SOMETIMES I WONDER WHAT HE WOULD DO… WITHOUT SUCH A COOL GUY TAKING CARE OF HIM??? NYEH HEH HEH!”

 Obi-Wan was left speechless. Anakin and Ahsoka were laughing behind him. 

 They just kept walking , Papyrus followed them. “BY THE WAY FLUFFY AND SCARY HUMAN AND WEIRD MONSTER FRIEND…. HMMMM….HOW DO I SAY THIS…. YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE-”

 “I almost died,” said Anakin.

“UNFORTUNATE SCARY HUMAN, ANYWAYS… I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE…BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT! AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND. I SUPPOSE WHAT I AM SAYING IS…” He began to pose with his cape following in the non-existent wind. “WORRY NOT, FRIENDS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL SOLVE THIS CONUNDRUM! THEN WE CAN ALL PROCEED!” He stopped posing and faced them again. “MEANWHILE, FEEL FREE TO TRY THE PUZZLE YOURSELF! I’LL TRY NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE ANSWER!!”

 “Like you gave away the answer for the maze?” Anakin asked.

 “WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT SCARY HUMAN?”

 “...You left footprints in the snow, and we just followed them.”

 “NO! HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THIS EARLIER?! I SHOULD HAVE USED FOOTPRINT-PROOF SNOW!”

 “That exists?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” He replied, grinning.

 Anakin looked at the puzzle, and realizing what it was, he managed to solve it on his first try. 

 “WOW!! YOU SOLVED IT, FREAKY HUMAN! AND YOU DID IT ALL WITHOUT MY HELP… INCREDIBLE! I’M IMPRESSED!! YOU MUST CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO!”

 “Actually, I do,” said Anakin. 

 “WOWIE! WE HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON ALREADY! WELL, I’M SURE YOU’LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN! IT MIGHT EVEN BE TOO EASY FOR YOU!! NYEH! HEH HEH! HEHHEHHEH!!! ” He left the area and they followed after him.

 Sans was just behind the spikes. “ good job on solving it so quickly, skywalker. you didn’t even need my help. which is great, ‘cause i love doing absolutely nothing.”

 “I don’t think I ever told you my name either…”

 “don’t think about it too much, pal.”

 Sans was already in the next area without explanation, once again. Already he was deep in a conversation with his brother, despite the fact he and Anakin had just been talking.  There was also a grey-scaled tiled floor and a small bridge separating the Jedi from the skeletons. 

 Papyrus noticed them. “HEY! IT’S THE HUMANS….AND THE OTHER ONE! YOU’RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE, FRIEND! IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THESE TILES?!”

 “I mean they make up the floor-” Anakin started.

 “HUSH! ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH…”

 “The robot?”

 “QUIET! THEY WILL BEGIN TO CHANGE COLOR! EACH COLOR HAS A DIFFERENT FUNCTION!”

 Obi-Wan pulled out a small notepad at the mention of this. 

 Papyrus went on, explaining as Obi-Wan took notes. “RED TILES ARE IMPASSABLE! YOU CANNOT WALK ON THEM! YELLOW TILES ARE ELECTRIC! THEY WILL ELECTROCUTE YOU! GREEN TILES ARE ALARM TILES! IF YOU STEP ON THEM…YOU WILL HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER!! ORANGE TILES ARE ORANGE-SCENTED. THEY WILL MAKE YOU SMELL DELICIOUS! BLUE TILES ARE WATER TILES. SWIM THROUGH IF YOU LIKE, BUT…IF YOU SMELL LIKE ORANGES! THE PIRANHAS WILL BITE YOU. ALSO IF BLUE TILES IS NEXT TO A, YELLOW TILE, THE WATER WILL ALSO ZAP YOU! PURPLE TILES ARE SLIPPERY! YOU WILL SLIDE TO THE NEXT TILE! HOWEVER, THE SLIPPERY SOAP…SMELLS LIKE LEMONS!! WHICH PIRANHAS DO NOT LIKE! PURPLE AND BLUE ARE OKAY! FINALLY, PINK TILES. THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING. STEP ON THEM ALL YOU LIKE. HOW WAS THAT!? UNDERSTAND???”

 “Of course,” said Obi-Wan.

 “GREAT!! THEN THERE’S ONE LAST THING…THIS PUZZLE…IS ENTIRELY RANDOM!!!!!! WHEN I PULL THIS SWITCH, IT WILL MAKE A PUZZLE…THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE! NOT EVEN I WILL KNOW THE SOLUTION! NYEH HEH HEH! GET READY…!”

 Papyrus flicked the switch. The puzzle came to life rapidly changing colors, so quickly that they couldn’t begin to tell what it would be. Eventually, it stopped, and the maze turned out to be a simple pink path, with red tiles on the side. Papyrus stood there for a moment dumbfounded before spinning away without a word.

 The three Jedi broke into laughter. Once they composed themselves, they walked across the path. Obi-Wan decided to speak with Sans.

 “actually, that spaghetti from earlier…it wasn’t too bad for my brother. since he started cooking lessons, he’s been improving a lot.”

 “He’s been taking lessons?” Anakin asked.

 Sans stared at him with empty eyesockets, and then turned back to Obi-Wan with the lights returned, acting as if nothing happened. “i bet if he keeps it up, next year he’ll even make something edible.” 

 They moved on to the next area. It was covered in the snow sculptures of Lesser Dog.  As they walked through the snow sculptures Anakin saw another star, and as it called to him he wrapped it in his hand. Chara spoke: “Knowing that dog will never give up trying to make the perfect snowdog….It fills you with determination.”

 They disappeared. The three of them went on. 

 In the next area there was another puzzle, this one was on ice. Anakin began to solve it, Ahsoka then bumped into him. Sending them both off the ledge. There they found a snow sculpture of Papyrus, and a lump of snow with Sans’s name lazily scrawled onto it.

 They went back up, and Anakin tried the puzzle again. This time solving it without problems. They then went across the snowy bridge that appeared once the button had been pressed. On top of Anakin’s head a patch of snow shaped like a hat had formed. Anakin shook his head causing the snow to fall. 

 There was another split pathway. They decided to take the path that went down first. 

Sans was waiting there. Despite the fact that there was no bridge before them, and they had not seen Sans pass them, and as far as they were aware there was no other way to the area.

 Anakin walked over to him. “what’s up? ” Sans asked.

 “How do you keep doing this?” Anakin demanded.

 “doing what?”

 “Being ahead of us!”

 “what are you talking about?”

 “YOU-” He was ready to throttle Sans.

 “Anakin, stop,” said Obi-Wan.

 Sans just chuckled, amused at the interaction.

 They continued on the path. Somehow Sans was already on the other side.

 Anakin was fuming. “HOW?!” He shouted.

 “say…are you following me?” Sans asked.

“ARE YOU FOLLOWING US?!” Anakin demanded.

 “i dunno what ya talkin’ about, pal.”

Anakin was ready to strangle him.

 Just as he turned back a deer-like monster appeared, confronting him. 

 Anakin checked. Chara described: “Gyftrot. Some teens ‘decorated’ it as a prank.”

 “Hohoho! Go ahead and laugh,” it told him, it was clearly bothered by it’s decorations.

 Gyftrot sent presents flying at Anakin, and although he did his best to dodge, one hit him square in the face covering him in glitter. “ARE YOU-”

Anakin undecorated it. He removed the tiny cane from it. 

“That’s a little better,” it said. Before once again throwing presents at him. Another one hitting him in the face, this time covering him in feathers.

 He undecoracted it some more, removing a small confused dog from its antlers. 

 Gyfrtort breathed plumes of snow at the Jedi, hitting him in the face once more. 

 Once again he undecorated. This time he removed a stocking that was strangely filled with chicken nuggets. 

 “A weight has been lifted,” it said, clearly relieved. 

 Anakin spared the monster. Then he turned around and glared at Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, and Sans, still covered in glitter, feathers, and snow, while blood poured from his nose, with one of his eyes swollen. Remembering how he always felt better at the star, he began to head back to where it was at. As he did, he saw Sans once again, inexplicably in front of him. He let out a heavy sigh and moved on, heading back to the star.

 As he slid across the bridge a dog shaped pile of snow appeared on his head. He was too tired to shake it off on top of the glitter, feathers, and more snow. Once he reached the star, his nose and eye healed, and the snow melted away, however the glitter and feathers remained.

 He went back to where his friends were, and they left the area with Sans. In the next area there were a bunch of snow poffs. Chara appeared and began pointing to each snow poff as they passed by. “It’s a snow poff.” “And this…is a snow poff.” “This however, is a snow poff.” “Surprisngly, it’s a snow poff.” “Snow poff…” “Is it really a snow poff?” “Behold! A snow poff.” When they approached the second to last snow poff there was a glistening to it. “Eh? There’s 30 G inside this….what is this?”

 “Let me guess, a snow poff?” Anakin asked.

 Chara chuckled. “It’s a snow poff.”

 They approached the final snow poff. “If you say this is a snow poff-” Anakin started to tell Chara.

A dog’s head poked out from the snow, and then an armored body followed.

 “It’s not a snow poff,” said Chara.

 “Then what is this?” Anakin asked.

 “Greater Dog. It’s so excited that it thinks fighting is just play.”

Greater Dog attacked by barking cheerfully at the Jedi….it wasn’t much of an attack.

 “It’s adorable,” Ahsoka said, before calling it closer. 

 It bounded towards her flecking slober into her face.

 “Still cute now?” Anakin teased.

 “Yes,” Ahsoka replied, before petting it.

 It curled up in her lap as she pet it, despite Greater Dog being nearly twice her size. It got so comfortable that it fell asleep in her lap. “See?” She whispered to Anakin.

 Suddenly it woke up excitedly, its tail wagging at rapid speeds.Greater Dog even started barking happily again. 

 Seeing how excited it was, she played with it. She made a snowball with her gloved hand and threw it for Greater Dog to fetch. The snowball splatted on the ground. However, this didn’t deter the Greater Dog as it scooped up all the snow in the area and brought it to her. Then it got tired again and rested it’s head on her.

 She pet it again.

 She pet it again. 

 It flopped over with it’s legs hanging in the air. She almost wanted to give it a belly rub, but Anakin stopped her, and they spared it. Greater Dog leapt from its armor and kissed her on the face, before jumping in its armor upside down and walking away.

 They moved on to the next area. There was a long bridge. They began to cross the bridge, and saw that Papyrus was there, and somehow so was Sans. 

“HUMANS…AND….YOU…. THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!”

 Several weapons and a small white dog hanging from a rope suddenly came from both the bottom and top of the bridge, dangling before them.

 Papyrus went on: “WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!!! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!!! ARE YOU READY!? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!”

 Anakin was getting excited, finally there was going to be a real challenge. 

But nothing happened.

“well? what’s the holdup?” Sans asked.

“Yeah,” added Anakin.

 “HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!? I’M….I’M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!”

But nothing happened.

“that, uh, doesn’t look very activated.”

“WELL!!! THIS CHALLENGE!!! IT SEEMS….MAYBE….TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMANS…..AND UH….THE ORANGE ONE….WITH. YEAH! WE CAN’T USE THIS ONE!”

“Oh come on!” Exclaimed Anakin.

 “I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS!!! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!”

All the weapons from before, as well as the dog went away.

“PHEW!” He said facing away. He turned his head around fully without the rest of his body. “WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!” He added, as the rest of his body caught up with his head. “ NYEH!! HEH!!! …HEH???” He walked away.

 The trio of Jedi continued across the bridge. Anakin decided to talk with Sans again.

“i don’t know what my brother's going to do now. if i were you, i would make sure i understand blue attacks.”

Chapter Text

 Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka entered a lovely town. The sign read the name as Snowdin. They passed by a shop which was connected to an inn. There was that star again next to a box. Anakin wrapped his hand around the star, and heard Chara’s voice once more.

 “The sight of such a friendly town fills you with determination.”

 They moved on into the shop, a friendly bunny lady was the shopkeeper. “Hello, travellers. How can I help you?” She asked.

 “What do you have for sale?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Why don’t you take a look?”

 So they did. There was another glove, and Ahsoka paid for that, and then slipped it on. Much warmer now. 

 There was also a bandanna with abs on it, for some reason. There was a double ice-on-the-stick, and a cinnamon roll in the shape of a bunny. 

 Remembering how monster food heals, Anakin bought the cinnamon roll. 

He also bought Ahsoka the bandanna to complete the look. 

 “Seriously, Master?” Ahsoka asked.

 “What? It completes the look, and it could keep your lekku warm.”

 “You do have a point.”

 “Is that everything?” The shopkeeper asked.

 “Yes, thank you,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Thank you for your purchases. Bye now! Come again sometime!” 

 They left the shop. 

 Anakin went to the star, feeling its call once more. 

 Ahsoka yawned , “after that trek through the forest I’m exhausted.”

 “Good thing there’s an inn right here,” said Obi-Wan. “Why don’t we check in for the day, and continue tomorrow?”

 “That sounds like a good plan,” said Anakin.

 So the three of them went into the inn. 

 There was a bunny innkeeper at the desk, with a smaller bunny next to her. Obi-Wan walked over to the innkeeper.

 “Welcome to Snowed Inn! Snowdin’s premier hotel!” She said, “One night is 80G for everyone.”

 Anakin handed her the gold, “here you go.”

 “Here’s your room key. Make sure to bundle up!”

 They went to their room. They got cozy and quickly fell asleep, it had been a while since Anakin and Obi-Wan had proper beds to sleep on. 

 The next morning the innkeeper greeted them. “Hiya! You look like you had a great sleep.”

 “We did, thank you,” said Ahsoka. 

 “That’s good to hear.”

They left the inn and continued through the town. There was a life-day tree in the center of the town that was decorated and had presents underneath. They passed by a restaurant by the name of ‘Grillby’s’, they also passed by a library with the sign misspelled. They also passed a house covered in festive lights, and it had two mailboxes. 

 They went on having gone through most of the town. 

 As they progressed to the next area it became progressively misty. It was near impossible to see anything in front of them. Then they heard the unmistakable voice of Papyrus.

 “HUMANS….AND THE ORANGE ONE. ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELING LIKE… THE JOY OF FINDING ANOTHER PASTA LOVER. THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER’S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE A COOL, SMART PERSON THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS….THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW.”

 “No not really,” said Anakin.

 “YOU’RE JUST IN DENIAL HUMAN. I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON’T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS  IS LIKE. I PITY YOU….LONELY UH……….NEVERMIND!  WORRY NOT!!! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR……NO…NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN’T BE YOUR FRIEND! TWO OF YOU ARE HUMANS! UH….ORANGE ONE YOU CAN STAY OUT OF THIS. YOU CAN GO TO MY HOUSE, I DON’T MIND.”

 “What? No, I’m not leaving them!”

 “VERY WELL, I GUESS I HAVE TO CAPTURE YOU TOO! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM!!! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!!! THAT’S PAPYRUS!!! THE NEWEST MEMBER… OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

 The mist cleared suddenly as their SOULs appeared. Papyrus was already in a battle pose, his cape flowing despite there being no wind. 

 “You’re seriously getting on my nerves,” said Anakin.

 “HOW SELFLESS,” Papyrus replied. “YOU WANT ME TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT FIGHTING YOU….I DON’T DESERVE SUCH HOSPITALITY FROM YOU!”

 Papyrus sent a small wave of bones through the snow, but they just barely missed them. 

 Anakin decided to check Papyrus. Chara spoke: “Papyrus, he likes to say ‘nyeh heh heh.”

 “I’ve noticed,” said Anakin.

 “NYEH HEH HEH!” Laughed Papyrus.

 He sent out another small wave of bones that missed the three Jedi. Then scowled at something he seemed to remember. 

 “You’re not as great as you keep saying,” Anakin told him.

 “THERE’S NO NEED TO LIE TO YOURSELF!!! YOUR BARBS HIDE A HIDDEN AFFECTION YOU EMOTIONAL CACTUS,” he said cackling. 

 Another wave of bones flew by.

 Obi-Wan sighed. “We don’t want to fight you Papyrus,” he told him.

 “SO YOU WON’T FIGHT… THEN, LET’S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED ‘BLUE ATTACK’!”

With that a barrage of blue bones were sent flying at the three Jedi, remembering Sans’s advice they stayed completely still. Although it felt strange having the bones go through them. Anakin even shivered. It was quite bone chilling.

 Then all of the sudden, they felt weighed down as a small bone hit them from behind. 

 “YOU’RE BLUE NOW. THAT’S MY ATTACK! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”

 “What?!” Anakin exclaimed. “How did you do that?!”

“MAGIC!”

“I mean my soul was already blue,” said Obi-Wan.

 “WELL NOW IT’S A DIFFERENT SHADE, FUZZY HUMAN.”

 “Huh, my SOUL is blue too,” said Ahsoka. “But it isn’t like theirs.”

 “THAT’S BECAUSE YOU HAVE A MONSTER SOUL LIKE ME NYEH HEH HEH!”

“You’re blue now,” Chara narrated. 

 “I know,” Anakin groaned.

“WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?”

“Nobody, don’t worry about it.”

 “BEHOLD!”

Another small wave of bones were sent towards the Jedi, but instead of being able to step out of the way, they had to jump over them. Papyrus was preparing another bone attack, and they didn’t have time to respond before he sent towards them.

 “HOW HIGH CAN YOU JUMP?”

 To answer the question he sent a wave of taller bones. They did well for the most part, but Anakin tripped over one of them, causing him to faceplant in the snow. Although, it didn’t seem to hurt too bad.

 Papyrus was already preparing another bone attack and when they landed he sent towards them.

 After managing to go through the attack unharmed the second time, Papyrus began rattling his bones. They could not tell why. 

 Obi-Wan once again refused to fight. Anakin starkly disagreed, but Ahsoka was holding him back.

“YEAH!! DON’T MAKE ME USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!” Papyrus warned them.

 He sent another barrage of bones from behind, catching them off guard and smacking Obi-Wan in the back of the head. “Ouch,” he groaned.

 However he barely had time to shake it off as Papyrus was preparing his next attack.

 “I CAN ALMOST TASTE MY FUTURE POPULARITY!”

 He sent the next wave of attack. A blue bone seemed to shake it up, and then after it was done. Another bone was sent flying and smacked Anakin across the face, leaving a small scratch on his cheek.

 This made him angry and he punched Papyrus square in the jaw in retaliation, but he missed because he underestimated how tall the skeleton was.

  “PAPYRUS NEW HEAD OF THE ROYAL GUARD,” he went on,seemingly ignoring what Anakin did. Before another bone materialized in the small space between the two, sending Anakin flying back into the snow, and scratching his other cheek.

 Anakin charged at Papyrus recklessly, ready to try again to punch him with his metal arm. Which he did, but the skeleton was unphased.

 “PAPYRUS UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE!” 

 Another barrage of bones hit Anakin, sending him flying back once again. Papyrus was not as unphased as he seemed though, as he began to prepare a non-bone attack before quickly changing it.

 “ARE YOU INSANE?!” Anakin shouted.

Papyrus was too busy fighting. “UNDYNE WILL BE REALLY PROUD OF ME!!”

 He sent several waves of bones at the Jedi, and once again Anakin got hit.

 Anakin ate the cinnamon bunny to heal, and as soon as he finished the next attack began.

 “THE KING WILL TRIM A HEDGE IN THE SHAPE OF MY SMILE!!!” Papyrus said.

 He sent bones flying in both directions and one of them hit Anakin, again. He was getting tired of this. Getting fired up, he picked up a stick on the ground and chucked it out Papyrus.

 For some reason, Papyrus brought it back…in his mouth.

 “What the-” Anakin started, but decided to finish.

 “MY BROTHER WILL…WELL HE WON’T CHANGE VERY MUCH!” Papyrus said.

 The attack happened again, and once again Anakin was hit. The skeleton cackled, seemingly at his misfortune.

 “Why are you so mean to me?!” Anakin shouted.

 Papyrus did not hear him. “I’LL HAVE LOTS OF ADMIRERS!! BUT…”

 He sent another wave on bones, this time they were layered forcing them to jump through the gaps. They managed to get through without taking any damage. Anakin sighed in relief. Papyrus kept  laughing.

 Obi-Wan stopped Anakin from punching Papyrus again.

 “HOW WILL I KNOW IF PEOPLE SINCERELY LIKE ME????”

Papyrus attacked again, and once again Anakin got hit, this time directly in the nose.

 “Smells like bones,” Chara said smugly.

 Anakin got so angry he pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it as he turned to face them, only for the ghost to have already disappeared.

 Obi-Wan gave Anakin a stern look and he deactivated his weapon. 

 “SOMEONE LIKE THE THREE OF YOU ARE REALLY RARE!!”

 He attacked again, the bones seemed to grow and shrink in height as they moved, but the Jedi were still able to dodge. 

 “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” Anakin shouted.

 Papyrus ignored him . “I DON’T THINK THEY’LL LET YOU GO…”

 In the next attack, which switched between white and blue bones, Anakin got tripped again by one of the normal bones. 

 They didn’t have time to respond before he attacked again. “AFTER YOU’RE CAPTURED AND SENT AWAY….”

Once again it was two waves of bones that they were able to jump over.

Anakin was getting angry again, and attempted to punch the skeleton once more. Barely hurting him.

 “URGH…WHO CARES! GIVE UP!!”

Anakin got hit again, being bashed in the head by one of the bones. 

Obi-Wan dragged Anakin away from the battle and refused to fight Papyrus any further. 

 “GIVE UP OR FACE MY…SPECIAL ATTACK!!” Papyrus warned.

 He attacked again, and Obi-Wan got hit in the head, leaving a visible mark.

 Still, Obi-Wan refused to fight him, being patient that he would come around.

 “YEAH!! VERY SOON I WILL USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!”

 He attacked again, with Obi-Wan getting hurt. He took out the pie Anakin was saving and split it with him. Both of them felt much better.

 “NOT TOO LONG AND I WILL USE THAT SPECIAL ATTACK!”

He attacked again, and they were doing well, but then Anakin moved a bit too soon and a blue bone smacked him in the face.

 “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” He shouted.

 Papyrus continued to ignore him. “THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE….BEFORE MY SPECIAL ATTACK!”

 He attacked again. Anakin got hit again. 

 He was too tired to fight or say anything. It didn’t matter, Papyrus was ready.

 “BEHOLD….! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!” 

A small white dog was gnawing on one of  Papyrus’s bone attacks.

“WHAT THE HECK?!” He exclaimed. “THAT’S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY! YOU STUPID DOG!”

 The dog’s eyes widened. 

“DO YOU HEAR ME?!! STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE!!! HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING??!!”

 The dog had slunk away with the bone.

“COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK!!” He let out a sigh . “OH WELL…I’LL JUST USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK. HERE’S AN ABSOLUTELY NORMAL ATTACK.”

A barrage of everything Papyrus could muster was sent at the three of them. It started normally, before the dog came running towards them, then they had to jump over bones that spelled ‘cool dude,’, a bone on a skateboard, and finally a tidal wave of bones with the final one reaching the clouds, somehow. They were finally done, and then a small slow bone slid along the ground and they simply stepped over it.

 However, the three Jedi were badly beaten, not having been able to dodge everything.

“WELL,” Papyrus huffed. “IT’S CLEAR YOU CAN’T, ” he sighed. “DEFEAT ME!! YEAH!! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS!! THEREFORE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY!”

Anakin was fuming.

 “I WILL SPARE YOU HUMANS….AND UH ORANGE ONE! NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY.”

Anakin was ready to punch him, Obi-Wan stopped him and then their SOULs returned to their bodies. 

 “NYOO HOO HOO… I CAN’T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU…UNDYNE’S GOING TO BE SO DISSAPOINTED IN ME.”

Anakin eye’s glinted yellow for a moment. “Weak? I’ll show you weak, you overgrown anatomy lesson-” He started to march forwards, one hand reaching for his lightsaber. 

 Obi-Wan put an arm out in front to stop him. “Anakin…” he said sternly.

 He glared at his former Master.

 “No.”

“Urgh, fine.”

“I’LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD…AND...MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!”

 “Let’s be friends!” Ahsoka shouted quickly, before her Master could insult Papyrus further.

 “REALLY!? YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME??? ” Papyrus seemed overjoyed.

 Although Anakin had been moments away from committing murder, the joy in Papyrus’s face seemed to melt away his anger.

 “WELL THEN….I GUESS…I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! WOW!!! I HAVE FRIENDS!!! AND WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE THEM… WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM??”

 Before Anakin could get angry again, Obi-Wan said, “your puzzles aren’t awful. In fact, they are quite impressive.”

 “Yeah, they were very fun,” Ahsoka added.

 “WOWIE! THANK YOU FRIENDS! YOU TAUGHT ME A LOT. I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! AND I’LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE.”

 “Great, thank you,” said Anakin, relieved.

 “CONTINUE FORWARDS UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN…WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL CROSS THE BARRIER. THAT’S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS ALREADY ORANGE ONE, YOU SHOULD HAVE LEARNED THIS IN YOUR HISTORY CLASS.”

 “Ah, I’m not from the Underground,” Ahsoka told him.

 “REALLY? I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WEREN’T ANY MONSTERS ON THE SURFACE.”

“I’m not a monster.”

“WELL….THAT’S STRANGE. YOU’RE CERTAINLY NOT HUMAN. BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH THE BARRIER, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT…EXCEPT WITH A POWERFUL SOUL, LIKE YOU THREE. THAT’S WHY THE KING WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE! OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU,” Papyrus said, his face growing stern. “TO REACH THE EXIT, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS…THROUGH THE KING’S CASTLE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS…HE IS….WELL…. HE’S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER!!” He was grinning again. “EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY, HE EVEN REMINDS ME OF YOU FLUFFY HUMAN, YOU EVEN HAVE THE SAME BEARD. I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY…’EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR….CAN WE PLEASE GO HOME?’ HE’LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF! ANYWAY!! THAT’S ENOUGH TALKING!! I’LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND!! FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HANG OUT!!” NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!” 

 He jumped over the three Jedi with ease, seemingly fluttering in the air as he did so. They stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. 

 “So…what’s next?” Asked Anakin.

 “Tending to our wounds, and then resting in the Inn. Then we can hang out with Papyrus,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Do we have to?” Anakin whined.

 “Yes, Master, we do have to hang out with him,” she said. 

“Fine,” he groaned.

Chapter Text

 After a well deserved rest, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka managed to drag Anakin with them to Papyrus’ house. 

 “SO YOU CAME BACK TO SEE ME!” Papyrus greeted them. “YOU MUST BE REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT THIS…”

 “So, you weren’t expecting us?” Asked Anakin. 

 “NOT REALLY, I HAVEN’T DONE THIS BEFORE. I’LL HAVE TO TAKE YOU ALL SOMEPLACE REALLY SPECIAL…A PLACE I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME!!!”

 He led them throughout the town, turning back halfway before taking them back to where they were. “MY HOUSE!!” He announced.

 “Really?” Anakin asked.

 There was no response as he had already run inside. The three of them followed.

 The house was quite tidy, except for a sock near the kitchen that had a stack of sticky notes on top of it. Obi-Wan went over to Papyrus. “WELCOME TO SCENIC MY HOUSE! ENJOY AND TAKE YOUR TIME!!!” he told them. 

 “We will, thank you,” said Obi-Wan.

 Anakin noticed a book and decided to open it. It was a joke book,except there was a quantum physics book inside. Inside that was another joke book. Inside that was another quantum physics book. He decided to stop. “Huh,” he said.

 “OH, THAT’S MY BROTHER’S SANS’S BOOK, THOUGH I NEVER SEE HIM READING IT, ” Papyrus explained. 

 “Does that rock have….sprinkles on it?” Ahsoka asked. 

 “THAT’S MY BROTHER’S PET ROCK. HE ALWAYS FORGETS TO FEED IT. AS USUAL, I HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY . “

 They headed to the kitchen, it was normal, aside from the excessively tall sink that almost reached the ceiling. 

“IMPRESSED? I INCREASED THE HEIGHT OF MY SINK. NOW I CAN FIT MORE BONES UNDER IT! TAKE A LOOKSY!”

Just then, the small white dog from earlier was gnawing on the same bone from before. 

“WHAT!?!? CATCH THAT MEDDLING CANINE!”

 Ahsoka chased after him but the dog had already escaped the home, with the bone.

 “CURSES!!!”

Sans came out from his room playing the trombone. Then went back inside.

“SANS! STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC!!!” He sighed . “SORRY ABOUT MY BROTHER.”

“It’s alright, Papyrus,” said Obi-Wan. 

 Anakin went upstairs to Papyrus’ room. 

“THAT’S MY ROOM! IF YOU’VE FINISHED LOOKING AROUND…WE COULD GO IN AND….’HANG OUT’ LIKE A GROUP OF VERY COOL FRIENDS.”

 “Well then, I think we’re ready to go inside,” said Obi-Wan.

 They entered the room.

 Papyrus had a race car bed, a table covered in action figures, a flag with a skull and crossbones, a box full of bones, a device, and a bookshelf. Anakin went over to the bookshelf to see what books Papyrus read.

 “THAT BOOK’S ONE OF MY FAVORITES. ‘ADVANCED PUZZLE CONSTRUCTION FOR CRITICAL MINDS.’ THAT NEXT BOOK’S ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES. ‘PEEK-A-BOO WITH FLUFFY BUNNY’. THE ENDING ALWAYS GETS ME.”

 “Well, one of those books interests me.”

 “WOWIE! GOOD TO KNOW.” He then paused. “SO, UM….IF YOU’VE SEEN EVERYTHING...DO YOU WANT TO START HANGING OUT?”

“Yes, I believe we’re ready,” said Obi-Wan.

 “OKAY!!! LET’S HANG TEN!! HERE WE ARE! HANGING OUT!! ALTHOUGH I HAVEN’T DONE THIS BEFORE WORRY NOT! YOU CAN’T SPELL PREPARED WITHOUT SEVERAL LETTERS FROM MY NAME!! I SNAGGED AN OFFICIAL HANGOUT GUIDEBOOK FROM THE LIBRARY! WE’RE READY TO HAVE A GREAT TIME. LET’S SEE….” He began to read through the guidebook. “STEP ONE….ACCESS THE FRIENDSHIP HUD, I….DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT! BUT YOU MUST, THE THREE OF YOU ARE FRIENDS ALREADY! TIME FOR STEP TWO!! STEP TWO….ASK THEM TO HANG OUT. AHEM! EVERYONE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HANG OUT WITH YOU!!”

 “Alright?” Anakin asked, perplexed. It wasn’t even a question.

 “R-REALLY??? WOWIE!! I GUESS THAT MEANS IT’S TIME FOR PART THREE!!!” He consulted the manual again. “ STEP THREE…PUT ON NICE CLOTHES TO SHOW YOU CARE!” He paused, and looked at them. “WAIT A SECOND. ‘WEAR CLOTHING’... THOSE OUTFITS YOU’RE WEARING…YOU’RE WEARING CLOTHING RIGHT NOW!!”

 “I sure hope so,” both Obi-Wan and Anakin said.

 “NOT ONLY THAT….EARLIER TODAY YOU WERE ALSO WEARING CLOTHING!”

 “Yeah???” Ahsoka asked, even more confused.

 “NO….COULD IT BE??? YOU’VE WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH ME FROM THE VERY BEGINNING??”

“Uh…not really,” said Anakin.

Papyrus gasped. “DESPITE THAT, YOU CHOSE TO WEAR CLOTHING TODAY, OF ALL DAYS….?”

“Yeah??” The three Jedi said together.

“WAS YOUR FRIENDSHIP….PREDESTINED???”

“....Yeah sure, let’s go with that,” said Anakin.

“N-NOOOOOO YOUR FRIENDSHIP POWER!!!”

Despite being a skeleton his eyes were wide, and confusing the Jedi even more, a blue bar appeared beside Papyrus seemingly measuring their ‘friendship power’.

“NYEH! NYEH HEH HEH!” He laughed cockily. “DON’T THINK YOU’VE BESTED ME YET! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS. HAVE NEVER BEEN BEATEN AT HANGING OUT AND NEVER WILL!”

“It’s kind of hard to be beaten at hanging out if you’ve never done it before,” Anakin remarked.

 “HUSH! IT DOESN’T MATTER, I CAN EASILY KEEP UP WITH YOU! YOU SEE, I, TOO, CAN WEAR CLOTHING!!”

 “You’ve been wearing clothing this whole time,” Obi-Wan pointed out.

 “IRRELEVANT! IN FACT….I ALWAYS ‘SPECIAL’ CLOTHES UNDERNEATH MY REGULAR CLOTHES! JUST IN CASE SOMEONE WANTS TO HANG OUT! BEHOLD!!” 

 With that he ran into his closet, he came back just as fast wearing a different outfit, and it was…strange to say the least. 

 “NYEH! WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MY SECRET STYLE!”

“It’s unique…” said Obi-Wan.

 “NO!!! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT…!!!”

“I mean I wouldn’t s-” Anakin started.

 He didn’t get to finish as the blue bar appeared again, showing that their ‘friendship power’ increased.

“HOWEVER…” said Papyrus. “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THE HIDDEN POWER OF THIS OUTFIT!! THEREFORE…WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS INVALID!! THIS HANG OUT WON’T ESCALATE ANY FURTHER! ….UNLESS YOU FIND MY SECRET!! BUT THAT WON’T HAPPEN!”

 Ahsoka pointed to his hat, “let me guess, it’s under there?” She asked.

 “MY HAT…? MY HAT. MY HAT! NYEH HEH HEH!” With that, he lifted his hat, revealing a gift box that was somehow hidden, despite it being larger than the hat itself. “W-WELL THEN… YOU FOUND MY SECRET! I SUPPOSE I HAVE NO CHOICE! IT’S A PRESENT…. A PRESENT J-JUST FOR YOU!!!”

 Ahsoka opened it. It was a plate of spaghetti. 

 “DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?”

 “Spaghetti, right?” She asked.

 “‘SPAGHETTI’. RIGHT! BUT OH SO WRONG! THIS AIN’T ANY PLAIN OL’ PASTA!” The ‘friendship meter’ appeared again, suddenly. Papyrus went on. “THIS IS AN ARTISAN’S WORK! SILKEN SPAGHETTI, FINELY AGED IN AN OAKEN CASK…THEN COOKED BY ME, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS! FRIENDS IT’S TIME TO END THIS! THERE’S NO WAY THIS CAN GO ANY FURTHER!”

 Reluctantly each of them took a bite of the pasta. It was indescribable. 

“WHAT A PASSIONATE EXPRESSION!!”

The three of them were grimacing. Obi-Wan gave a thumbs up, not wanting to insult him.

 “YOU MUST REALLY LOVE MY COOKING! AND BY EXTENSION, ME!!! MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN I DO!!!” He screamed as the friendship meter broke.

 “FRIENDS. IT’S CLEAR NOW. YOU’RE COMPLETELY OBSESSED WITH ME. EVERYTHING YOU DO EVERYTHING YOU SAY. IT’S ALL BEEN FOR MY SAKE. FRIENDS. I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, TOO. IT’S TIME FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS. IT’S TIME THAT I TOLD YOU. I, PAPYRUS….HMMMM. WELL, I’M FLATTERED YOU CARE SO MUCH. BUT MAYBE COOL IT A LITTLE BIT…? YOU’RE VERY NICE PEOPLE, EVEN YOU TALL ONE. I’M GLAD WE’RE FRIENDS. BUT, I THINK YOU CAN REACH YOUR MAX POTENTIAL…IF YOU LIVE FOR YOUR OWN SAKES. RATHER THAN JUST FOR MINE. HMMMM…HEY, I KNOW THE SOLUTION!! YOU SHOULD HANG OUT WITH MY BOSS, UNDYNE!! I THINK IF YOU SPREAD YOUR FRIEND ENERGY OUT MORE…YOU’LL HAVE A MORE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. YEAH!! LET’S BE FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!” He began to leave his room and then came back. “OH, AND IF YOU EVER NEED TO REACH ME…HERE’S MY PHONE NUMBER. YOU CAN CALL ME ANY TIME. PLATONICALLY.” He added his number directly to their phone. “WELL, GOTTA GO! NYEH HEH HEH!” With that he left his room.

 The three Jedi left his house, and he was nowhere in sight. It was time to move on to the next area.

 It was covered in water with rushing waterfalls. It was peaceful. Sans was also there, in his sentry station…although there was still somehow snow on it. There was also a star. Anakin felt called to it and reached out. Chara spoke.

 “The sound of rushing water fills you with determination.”

 They then walked up to Sans. “what? haven’t you seen a guy with two jobs before?”

 “It’s mostly the snow,” said Obi-Wan.

 “there’s snow on all of my stations. anyways, two jobs mean twice as many legally-required breaks. i’m going to grillby’s. wanna come?” 

 “Yeah,” said Ahsoka.

 “well if you insist…i’ll pry myself away from my work… over here. i know a shortcut.”

 Despite taking them in the opposite direction of Snowdin, They suddenly appeared right in the restaurant.

 “fast shortcut, huh?” Sans asked.

 “Wha-how-DID YOU TELEPORT?” Anakin asked.

 “i dunno what you’re talking about pal, it’s just a shortcut.” He addressed the others at the diner. “hey everyone.”

“Hey Sans.”

“Hi, Sans.”

“Greetings, Sans.”

 “Hiya, Sansy~”

 “Hey Sans, weren’t you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?”

 “nah, i haven’t had breakfast in at least half an hour. you must be thinking of brunch.”

Everyone laughed.

 “here, get comfy,” Sans told the Jedi.

 When Anakin sat down a fart noise came out, he was not amused. Ahsoka chuckled.

 “whoops, watch where you sit down. sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats.”

He was ready to strangle him.

 “anyway, let’s order. whaddya want, fries or a burger?”

 “Burgers sound good,” said Ahsoka.

 “hey, that sounds pretty good. grillby, we’ll have a quadruple order of burg.”

 With that the fire monster, Grillby, went to the back of the restaurant.

 “so, what do you think…of my brother?”

 “He’s cool,” said Ahsoka.

“of course he’s cool. you’d be cool too if you wore that outfit every day. he’d only take that thing off if he absolutely had to.”

 “Like hanging out with us?” Anakin asked.

 “well, that would be a special occasion. oh well, at least he washes his outfit. and by that i mean he wears it in the shower.”

 Grillby came back with their burgers.

 “here comes the grub. want some ketchup?”

 “No thank you,” said Obi-Wan.

 “more for me,” Sans replied. He then drank the ketchup. They just stared at him as he chugged the whole thing. “anyway. cool or not, you have to agree papyrus tries real hard.”

 “Yeah, he does do that,” said Anakin.

“yeah, for example he keeps trying to be part of the royal guard. one day he went to the house of the head of the royal guard…and begged her to let him be in it. of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight. but the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there. seeing his dedication she decided to give him warrior training. it’s, uh, still a work in progress.”

 There was some silence as they ate their food, except for Sans who left his untouched.

 “oh yeah, i wanted to ask you something,” Sans said, suddenly. Time seemed to freeze. “have you ever heard of a talking flower?”

 “Yes, we met one in the Ruins,” said Obi-Wan.

 “huh, ” said Sans. “i didn’t know echo flowers grew down there.”

 “Echo flowers?” Anakin asked.

 “yeah, they’re all over the marsh. say something to them and they’ll repeat it over and over…”

 “The flower we met didn’t repeat anything,” Obi-Wan told him.

 “maybe it did, i wouldn’t know.”

“Can echo flowers try to kill you?” Anakin asked.

Sans’s eyesockets darkened for a moment, and then went back to normal. “i haven’t met one that tried, but who knows? the point is, papyrus told me something interesting the other day. sometimes, when no one else is around…a flower appears and whispers things to him. flattery….advice….encouragement….predictions. weird, huh?”

 “Yeah, that sounds like something Flowey would try,” said Obi-Wan.

 His eyesockets dimmed for a moment again. “i haven’t heard that name before, pal. i think someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. keep an eye out, ok?”

“We will,” said Ahsoka.

 “thanks, snips.”

“I haven’t-”

Time had resumed.

 “welp, that was a long break. i can’t believe i let you pull me away from work for that long.”

“You weren’t doing anything…” Obi-Wan pointed out.

Sans ignored this. “oh, by the way. i’m flat broke. can you foot the bill? it’s just ten thousand gold.”

“It’s what?!” Ahsoka exclaimed. 

“just kidding. grillby, put it on my tab.”

Sans began to leave, then he turned around again. “by the way…i was going to say something, but i forgot.” Then he left.

 Grillby sighed. “For once, I expected him to pay…but that’s Sans for you. Have a good day.”

 They left the restaurant.

 It was time for the next step in their adventure.

Chapter Text

They returned to the cavern area, and passed by Sans’ station where he had returned. In the next section, there was another box and a waterfall blocking their path; stones drifting down it. “Well, it looks like we’re swimming,” Ahsoka said. 

 She was the first to enter the waterfall, it wasn’t deep. She could just walk over it. “I guess we’re not swimming.”

 “Aw, you sound disappointed, Snips.”

 She rolled her eyes, and then sprinted across the water, avoiding the rocks. “Your turn Masters!” She called.

Obi-Wan noticed there was a break in where the rocks were falling. He decided to investigate the gap, and was able to go through the waterfall finding a secret room. There was nothing more than a dusty old tutu, so he left. He then waited on the rocks to pass and made it to where Ahsoka was waiting on them.

 Anakin was the last to go. He made a mad dash towards Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. He got bumped by one of the rocks, but it only helped him get to his friends. So it didn’t bother him much. Still he muttered a quiet, “I swear this whole cave hates me.”

 “Perhaps you’re just unlucky, Master,” Ahsoka remarked.

 “There’s no such thing as luck, Padawan,” Obi-Wan told her.

 She shrugged. “Luck or not, we need to keep going.”

 They went into the next area of the cavern. It was darker than before. There was a large patch of grass. They started to make their way through it, but were stopped when they heard an all too familiar voice.

 “H…HI, UNDYNE! I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT…”

 They could not hear Undyne’s response, but they could hear Papyrus’s.

 “UHHH….REGARDING THOSE THREE I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…..”

They couldn’t make out the words of Undyne’s response.

 “....HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!”

Another hardly audible reply.

 “....WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM….? W-W-WELL….NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END….I FAILED.”

A long pause as she replied again.

“...W-WHAT? YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE THEIR SOULS YOURSELF….. BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON’T HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE…YOU SEE….”

There was a tense silence. 

“...I UNDERSTAND. I’LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN.”

  “After all of that, he’s just going to betray us?” Anakin muttered, all too loudly.

 Undyne heard him. Her boots clanked closer, they could see her peeking over the edge, glaring at them. A magical spear appeared in her hand, pointed right at them. She stood like that for a long moment. Then the spear disappeared, and they heard her footsteps retreat. 

  The four in the grass took a shaky breath. The Jedi left, followed by a small yellow wide-eyed monster kid.

 “Yo….did you see the way she was staring at you…?” The kid asked them, all too excitedly.

 “Yeah,” said Ahsoka, still shaking. That had been a little too close for her comfort.

 “That…was AWESOME!”

 “I think we have two very different opinions on what awesome is, kid,” said Anakin. 

 “No way, dude!” Monster Kid replied. “I’m SOOOO jealous! What’d you do to get her attention…? Ha ha. C’mon! Let’s go watch her beat up some bad guys!” They rushed off before Anakin could say anything more, faceplanting on the way out.

 There was another star, he reached out for it.

 “A feeling of dread hangs over you….but you stay determined,” Chara told him.

 “For once, you’re right.”

 They smiled at him and disappeared.

 “Come on let’s go, we don’t want that kid running off too far,” Anakin told Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

 They nodded, and went on.

 The next area, had a sign, and a few plants, separating them from going further was a small rushing waterfall. The water moved too fast to swim through.

 Ahsoka read the sign out loud: “When four bridge seeds align in the water, they will sprout.” She looked at the plants, “I’m guessing those are the bridge seeds.”

 She picked up one of the seeds and cast it across the gap, it wasn’t affected by the rushing water, and stopped right before the next area. “Come on, everyone grab one!” She told them. 

 They each grabbed one of the three remaining seeds, and casted it across the water. Just as the sign had said, the four plants blossomed into a sturdy bridge. The four crossed without any issue at all.

 As they began to walk through the next area, a strange, mer-horse creature, with abs….and bulging biceps - looking like something out of a teen-girl drama - flexed his way in front of them. 

 Obi-Wan flexed.

Anakin and Ahsoka stared at him in shock.

 The monster flexed back. “Flexing contest? Okay, flex more,” he winked.

Anakin and Ahsoka didn’t know what to say, backing up slightly.

 The monster sweated violently, and as if they were projectiles, they flew towards the three Jedi who dodged.

 Obi-Wan seemed unbothered by this and flexed again.  The monster flexed back once more.

 “Nice! I won’t lose though,” he winked again.

 The sweat attack happened once more. Obi-Wan dodged expertly.

 Anakin and Ahsoka had left the battle, their SOULs returning to them as they watched their Master in absolute horror.

 Obi-Wan flexed again. So did the monster, who flexed so hard he went out of the room.

 They were all relieved. 

 “What the kark was that?!” Anakin exclaimed.

 “I….don’t know,” Obi-Wan replied.

 “There is something wrong with this place.”

 “Let’s just move on, please,” said Ahsoka.

 There were more bridge seeds, but no clear way to line them up. 

 Anakin grabbed one of the seeds, and went to the bridge where he casted it upstream. 

 “Why did you do that?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Why were you flexing with the mer-horse?” Anakin retorted.

 He said nothing.

 Anakin continued his plan, without explaining. It turned out it worked, creating a bridge that did not line up, but could still be crossed. They began to move on to the next room when their phone rang. 

 Obi-Wan picked up.

Papyrus answered. “HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!!!”

 “How did you get our number?” Obi-Wan asked.

  “IT WAS EASY!! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!! SO…WHAT ARE YOU WEARING…?”

 “Um, the same things we were wearing before,” Obi-Wan replied, confused. “Why are you asking?”

 “FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING ARMOR, ROBES, AND A BANDANA. AND THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE WEARING.”

 “Yes?”

“GOT IT!! WINK WINK!!!”

 “Why did you wink out loud?” Anakin asked.

 “TO GET THE POINT ACROSS SCARY HUMAN! WINK! HAVE A NICE DAY!”

He hung up, leaving them even more confused.

 They entered the next room, there was a sign on the wall, and beautiful gemstones on the ceiling, as well as large blue bioluminescent flowers. That seemed to almost whisper things, they realized these were the echo flowers Sans had mentioned before.

 Ahsoka read the sign to herself. 

 Anakin walked to the first flower of the room. 

 “A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky,” the flower echoed in an unknown voice. “If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…”

 He stayed quiet and moved onto the next flower.

 “Thousands of people wishing together can’t be wrong! The king will prove that.”

He went to the next one. It had a different voice.

 “C’mon, sis! Make a wish!”

There was a flower next to it. It continued the conversation. This sister spoke through the flower. “I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday…”

  There was a telescope. Anakin took a look through it. As he looked it seemed to just show the ceiling, but there was a message on it. One that simply read to check the wall.

 So he did what it said. When he touched it, a doorway appeared suddenly. The Jedi moved on to the next room.

 The next room was a bridge more than anything. There were signs on the walls. Ahsoka read them out loud, although it was hard to read. “The War of Humans and Monsters. Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster…just to equal the power of a single human SOUL. 

 “But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. 

 “A monster with a human SOUL…a horrible beast with unfathomable power.” 

 The final sign had a drawing depicting the monster described.

 Ahsoka turned to Obi-Wan and Anakin. “My SOUL is the weakest…”

 Anakin walked up to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. “But you’re not a monster.”

 “Everyone else says I am,” she said, near tears. “Papyrus said my SOUL is the same as his.”

 “But he also said your SOUL is powerful.”

 “But do you think it’s enough?”

He hesitated. “I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter. Either all of us are getting out, or none of us are.”

 “I hope you’re right, Master.”

 There was a small platform that was barely big enough to fit the three of them over the ink black water below. Still, it managed. They stepped on it and it carried them to the next area. 

 There was a tense air all of the sudden. 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Ahsoka said.

 “We’ll face it together,” said Anakin.

 As they moved forward, the light of the cavern dimmed. It was like walking blindly, into the belly of a beast. All of the sudden, a spear hurtled towards them, piercing the bridge in front. 

 Undyne emerged from the shadows. 

 The Jedi ran, and she chased them from above. Launching the glowing spears. 

 They tried to dodge but several times the spears pierced through them. 

 There was a gash through Ahsoka’s arm, and she grinded her teeth in pain, but there was no blood. She felt like her body wanted to split apart at its very core - at her very SOUL. 

 But she refused.

 She dragged herself along into the seagrass, as Undyne continued to relentlessly throw spears towards them, barely missing them. 

 Her determination could perhaps be matched by Anakin. 

 They ran further into the grass with Ahsoka dragging herself along. The spears stopped, but the footsteps started.

 Undyne marched through, she reached up an arm - but grabbed Monster Kid instead. She set them back down, before marching away.

 They left the grass. Monster Kid ran out, overjoyed. “Yo….did you see that!? Undyne just…TOUCHED ME! I’m never washing my face again…!”

 Anakin was bandaging Ahsoka’s wound. 

 Obi-Wan gave a concerned look towards his friends, then he looked at Monster Kid. “That’s not the best idea, little one.”

 “Man, are you unlucky. If one of you were just standing a LITTLE bit to the left…!”

 “I don’t believe in luck, but perhaps it was destiny for you.”

 The kid grinned. “Thanks, man! Yo, don’t worry! I’m sure we’ll see her again!”

 “I hope not!” Ahsoka shouted.

 “Ha ha, you’re so funny!” They replied, before dashing off and tripping again.

 “Urgh,” Ahsoka groaned. 

 They moved on to the next area. There was a mouse hole, a table with crystalized cheese, an echo flower, and a star. He sighed heavily, already knowing what Chara was going to say. He went to it anyway.

 Chara appeared, already chuckling. “Knowing the mouse might one day-”

 “No,” snapped Anakin. “But, can these star things heal Ahsoka?” He asked.

 “I wouldn’t know,” they replied. “No one else has done so.”

 “Then let’s find out,” he said. He walked Ahsoka to the star. “I know you can’t see this, Snips, but do you trust me?”

 “Of course, Master.”

 He guided her hand to the star. Her body was filled with warmth, and her wound healed.

 Chara smiled at Anakin, “seeing your Padawan restored to her former strength, fills both of you with determination.”

 Anakin and Ahsoka both smiled.

 They moved to the next room. Sans was standing there next to a telescope. 

 “hey buckos,” he said to them. “i’m thinking about getting into the telescope business. it’s normally fifty thousand G to use this premium telescope…but since i know you, you can use it for free. hey skywalker, why don’t you go first?”

 “Sure,” said Anakin. But all he saw when he used it was red. “Um,  I think it’s broken,” he said, pulling away from it, with a large purple mark on his eye.

 Sans chuckled. “nah, it worked perfectly.”

  Anakin was about to strangle Sans again. 

 Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were laughing.

 “What did that bastard skeleton do to me?” He demanded from his friends.

 They were too busy laughing.

 “don’t worry about it, consider it a new fashion statement. i heard it’s very popular with rock-stars.”

Anakin was ready to kill him, but didn’t for the sake of his friends. 

 He wiped his eye, and saw the purple mark on his hand. “You-” He started but didn’t have the words.

 Sans was laughing.

  They went up into another area, the Nice Cream salesman was there. “I relocated my store, like that human suggested, but there are still no customers…fortunately I’ve thought of a solution! Punch cards!! Every time you buy a Nice Cream you can take a punch card from the box. If you have three cards you can trade them for a free Nice Cream! They’re sure to get the customers to come back!” He smiled at Obi-Wan. “It’s now just 25G! Would you like some?”

 “Yes I would, I think all of us would.”

 He grinned. “Three Nice Creams coming up! Would you like the free one as well?”

 “We sure would,” replied Ahsoka.

 They got the Nice Cream and moved to the next area.

 There was a small monster. They looked at them. “What’s a star?” They asked.

 “It’s a ball of flaming hot gas,” Anakin explained.

 “Can you touch it?”

 “Not a good idea, you’ll die,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Can you eat it?”

 “Again, you’ll die,” said Ahsoka.

 “Can you kill it?”

 “I mean….all stars burn out,” said Anakin.

“Are you a star?”

They didn’t respond. 

 The three Jedi moved into the next, darker area, with bioluminescent water, and some plants as well. They walked through the mystical place and approached an echo flower.

 “So? Don’t you have any wishes to make?”

 They moved to the next one.

 “....hmm, just one, but…It’s kind of stupid.”

  They headed left, only to be tripped by two of the slime monsters from the Ruins, apparently, this was their home. They simply spared them, and moved on. 

  There was a patch of grass, within it some discarded ballet shoes. They left them, and moved on. 

 They got a phone call. 

 “HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS! 

 “REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES? WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW…HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY…..MURDERY. 

 “BUT I BET YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY! AND BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT….I TOLD HER WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU WERE WEARING! WHICH WAS THE SAME THING FROM EARLIER! 

 “BECAUSE I KNEW, OF COURSE….AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION…YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! YOU’RE SUCH SMART COOKIES! THIS WAY YOU’RE SAFE AND I DIDN’T LIE!!! NO BETRAYAL ANYWHERE!! BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY!!!”  

 He hung up before they could correct him.

  “Well at least he has good intentions,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Still betrayed us,” mumbled Anakin.

 “He didn’t intend to,” Ahsoka argued. 

 “You’re right, Snips.” 

 They continued down the path. As they did they were encountered by two more of those slime monsters. They spared them and moved on.

  There was another echo flower. “Don’t say that! Come on, I promise I won’t laugh!”

 They moved on. There was another sign. Ahsoka read it out loud. “The power to take their SOULs. This is the power that the humans feared.”

 They moved on. 

 The next room seemed empty minus a path and some water…then a tentacle stuck out from the water. Then another. As they went on, a whole head appeared. “Hey….there… Noticed you were…here. I’m Onionsan! Onionsan, y’hear!”

 “That’s nice,” said Obi-Wan confused.

 They tried to move on, but Onionsan followed them. “You’re visiting Waterfall, huh! It’s great here, huh! You love it, huh!”

 “It is nice,” said Ahsoka.

 “Yeah! I like it too! It’s my Big Favorite.”

 They went on, they followed. “Even though the water’s getting so shallow here…I have to sit down all the time, but…He-hey! That’s okay! It beats moving to the city! And living in a crowded aquarium! Like all my friends did!”

 “I’m sorry to hear that,” said Obi-Wan.

 “No need to be sorry! I’m perfectly happy here!” They replied. “And the aquarium’s full a-anyway, so, even if I wanted to, I… That’s okay though, y’hear! Undyne’s gonna fix everything, y’hear! I’m gonna get out of here and live in the ocean! Y’hear!”

 They kept going and Onionsan kept following them. “Hey…there…. That’s the end of this room. I’ll see you around! Have a good time! In Waterfallllllllll.” They sank back into the water.

 The Jedi went on.

 The next room was quiet and calm. Then a fish monster shyly bumped into them. Anakin checked

 “Shyren. Tone deaf. She’s too ashamed to sing her deadly song.” Chara told him.

 “Can anyone sing?” Anakin asked.

 Obi-Wan blushed.

  Shyren hummed quietly.

 Obi-Wan hummed along, singing a sad song.

 This seemed to cheer Shyren up as she sang along.

 Obi-Wan continued to sing, no longer just humming. 

 A small crowd formed, and suddenly it became a concert. 

Shyren sang, and so did Obi-Wan, lost to the music together. 

 Anakin noticed that in the corner, Sans was selling tickets made of toilet paper.

 Obi-Wan and Shyren continued their duet. 

The melody was starting to reach their end. They sang a final chord.

 The song came to an end, and Obi-Wan and Shyren parted ways. 

  “Wow, Master, I didn’t know you could sing,” said Anakin.

 “Oh, I just don’t do it often,” he replied, blushing slightly.

 Ahsoka read some of the signs on the wall. It continued the story. “This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster’s SOUL. 

 “When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster. 

 “There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a ‘Boss Monster’. A Boss Monster’s SOUL is strong enough to persist after death…If only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. 

 “But this has never happened. And now it never will.”

 The next room had a statue of a monster with horns holding the body of a human child. Chara seemed saddened by the sight, Anakin noticed. “Is something wrong?” He asked them.

 The ghost said nothing, and then faded away.

 “Chara?” Ahsoka asked.

 “Yeah, I think they’re the human in that statue.”

“Well, it’s getting wet from that rain,” said Obi-Wan. “Maybe if we find an umbrella, we can dry it for them.”

 The next room just so happened to hold a bucket of umbrellas. They got one, and went back to the statue placing it in its hands . 

  A music box began to play. 

 A broken hauntingly melancholy melody was playing. 

 It unexpectedly brought tears to Anakin’s eyes. He couldn’t quite place it, but the song felt almost like a distant memory. One he couldn’t quite place. He wasn’t even sure if it was his own.

  They stood in front of the statue listening to the music for a while.

  It was calming. 

 They rested here for the moment. Taking a break from all of the fighting.

 Obi-Wan even sat down and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes and sunk into meditation. 

After some time, he left this state, and the three Jedi continued their journey. 

 They got umbrellas for each of them, and moved on to the next room. 

 Rain fell from the ceiling, and puddles were on the ground, showing their reflections. They walked onwards, eventually they found Monster Kid, hiding from the rain in a small nook.

 “Yo, you got some  umbrellas? Awesome!” They ran next to Obi-Wan sharing his umbrella.  

 He made sure to give Monster Kid more of the umbrella. Some of the rain trickled down his head, but he didn’t mind. “

 Let’s go!” They said.

 The four continued on, with Obi-Wan keeping Monster Kid dry.

 “Man, Undyne is sooooooo cool,” they told him.

 “Well, it’s good to have someone to look up to in life,” he replied.

 “Yeah! She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses.”

 “Well, I wouldn’t say never. No one is invincible, I’m afraid.”

 “Undyne is! She hasn’t lost a single battle. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night…knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha.”

 Obi-Wan didn’t have the heart to correct them.

  They continued on.  The puddles were gone now, but the rain was still falling.

Monster Kid stopped suddenly, as rain dripped down them. “So, one time. We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. 

 “The king - we had to call him ‘Mr. Dreemurr’ - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. 

 “That got me thinking…YO! How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school!? She could beat up ALL the teachers!!”

 “Well, I hope she wouldn’t be beating up teachers, they’re just doing their jobs,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Maybe you’re right dude! She wouldn’t beat up the teachers…she’s too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!”

 Anakin was ready to snap at Monster Kid, but Ahsoka stopped him, giving him a gentle look. “They’re just a kid, Skyguy, they don’t know,” she told him.

 He sighed and calmed down.

 As they continued on, they stopped, the ceiling was lit  by sparkling crystals, and a castle in the distance. They took in the view for a moment, and then they went on. 

 The next area had another bucket of umbrellas, and they returned theirs.

  Monster Kid had stopped at a wall. It was too high for them to climb. “Yo, this ledge is way too steep….Yo, you wanna see Undyne, right…?”

 “Yeah, I do,” said Anakin. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were surprised by this.

 “Great! Climb on my shoulders.”

 Each of them did so, taking a turn.

 “Yo, you go on ahead. Don’t worry about me. I always find a way to get through!”

 “Be safe, little one!” Obi-Wan called after them.

 They tripped on their face right afterwards, and then left.

 “They’ll be safe right?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “I’m sure they will,” said Anakin. “Now let’s kick some clanker butt!”

 “That’s armor, Anakin, come on.”

 “Who cares! I’m clobbering that lady!”

 “Anakin,” Obi-Wan sighed.

 The next room was dim. 

 The wind was howling. The only light seemed to come from a glowing star. 

 Anakin went to it, and wrapped his hand around it.

 “The serene sound of a distant music box….it fills you with determination,” said Chara.

 “There’s more signs,” Ahsoka noticed. She went to read them out loud. “The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy.

 “In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. 

 “Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust….”

 They went on, crossing a bridge. As they did, spears appeared in front of them. Undyne appeared below.

 They ran as more spears pierced through the ground.

 It was a maze of the bridge and the spears. 

 Undyne was relentless in her chase. 

 They avoided the spears as much as they could, having many close calls. 

 It was hard to navigate such a maze, and at one point Anakin’s leg was slashed by one of the spears. 

 They ran until they reached a dead end.

 They turned around, Anakin limping, and began to try and find their way. 

 Undyne, however, was behind them. 

 She said nothing and sliced the bridge in half sending them falling down.

Chapter Text

 “It sounds like it came from over here…” an unfamiliar voice spoke. “Oh! You’ve fallen down, haven’t you…? Are you okay?”

 “Urgh, I don’t know…who are you?” Chara’s voice asked.

 “Here, get up…”

 “Thank you, my name is Chara by the way,” they said, although in pain.

 “Chara, huh? That’s a nice name. My name is…”

 Anakin woke up on a bed of flowers. 

 Golden flowers. Like the ones from before. 

 He groaned, and the others followed, carefully sitting up. 

 “Did anyone else hear that?” He asked.

 “Hear what?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Those voices? Chara and someone else…I woke up before I could get their name.”

 “No, I didn’t hear anything. Did you hit your head?”

 “I don’t know. Urgh, everything hurts.”

 “There’s a SAVE POINT nearby,” Chara told Anakin.

 “A SAVE POINT?” He asked. “Do you mean those star things?”

 “Yes, you’ll heal there. And SAVE.”

 “What do you mean, SAVE?”

 “I hope you don’t have to find out.”

 The area the Jedi had woken up in was full of trash, as if it was a garbage dump, which it probably was. 

 They moved on. 

 Just as Chara had said there was a SAVE POINT. Anakin reached for it, and felt the warmth return to him as he healed. 

 “The waterfall here seems to flow from the ceiling of the cavern….

 “Occasionally, a piece of trash will flow through…and fall into the bottomless abyss below. 

 “Viewing this endless cycle of worthless garbage…It fills you with determination. 

 “And a sense of dread for the future.”

 “What dread?” Anakin demanded.

 Chara had already disappeared.

 “What dread?” He asked again to nothing.

 “Skyguy, you’re talking to air again,” Ahsoka told him.

 He sighed. “I am never going to understand them. Let’s keep going.”

 The next area was more trash. 

 There was a broken bike, an old device, a cooler - which Anakin looked inside and found something that looked like ration bars, pocketing some of them.  There was also a case for something, and a dummy. 

 A dummy a lot like the one from the RUINS.

 They ignored the dummy and kept going. The dummy did not like that.

  It suddenly became angry and blocked their path. 

 “Hahaha…” It laughed. “It’s just like you to run away. 

 “I am a ghost that lives inside a DUMMY. My cousin used to live inside a DUMMY, too. Until….YOU THREE CAME ALONG! 

 “When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat…But the things you SAID…! Horrible. Shocking! UNBELIEVABLE! It spooked them right out of their dummy! 

 “HUMANS! I’ll scare your SOULs out of your body!”

 A battle began, their SOULs appearing before them. 

 Anakin was just as angry as the Mad Dummy. He tried to punch it square in the face. 

 It fell apart and shouted. “Foolish. Foolish! FOOLISH! Even if you attack my vessel, you’ll NEVER hurt me! I’m still incorporeal, you DUMMY!!!”

 “Seriously Anakin, it’s a ghost .”

 “Shut up, Master.”

 Mad Dummy reformed its body. Whispered, “wait…is dummy a compliment?” Before shaking it off.

  Several smaller dummies emerged from the water sending cotton balls hurtling towards them. 

 They dodged the attacks expertly, but Mad Dummy forgot to dodge itself, getting hit by its own attacks. “OWWWW, you DUMMIES!” It exclaimed. “Watch where you’re aiming your MAGIC attacks!” 

 They seemed shocked. “Hey! You! Forget I said anything about MAGIC!!”

 Anakin grinned, if he couldn’t hurt it. He could just make it hurt itself. 

 “Feeble. Feeble! FEEBLE!” It exclaimed. The dummies popped out again. 

 More magic attacks were sent their way. Anakin tripped over one of the dummies, but even as he dodged he used the Force, to guide the attacks towards their sender.  Damaging it some more.

 “I’ll defeat you and take your SOULs!” It shouted.

 Once again more attacks were flung their way. Anakin continued to guide them to Mad Dummy. 

 It realized what was going on, and began to float around to be able to dodge its own onslaught. 

 “I’ll use one of your SOULs to cross the barrier!”

 It attacked again. Anakin was wounded several times, but still managed to guide some of the attacks towards it. 

 Then he took one of the ration bars and devoured it in one bite. He instantly felt better.

 “I’ll stand in the window of a fancy store!”

 It attacked again. 

 Anakin tripped again, but shook it off, continuing to guide attacks.

 “And, that’s meant to avenge your cousin?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “THEN EVERYTHING I WANT WILL BE MINE!” It went on ignoring him.

 There was another attack, but this time some dummies fell from the sky, almost pelting the Jedi, but they were able to roll out of the way. 

 “Huh? Yeah I guess that’ll avenge my cousin,” it said, only now acknowledging Obi-Wan. 

 It attacked again.

 More dummies flying towards them from both the left and right this time. 

 More magical cotton flew through the air.

  Anakin was too busy dodging to guide the cotton to the dummy.

 “What was their name again?” It asked.

 More dummies fell from the ceiling. 

 More cotton was sent from the ground, Anakin aimed them back at it.

 “You don’t remember their name?” Obi-Wan asked.

 It didn’t seem to care what he said. “Whatever. Whatever! WHATEVER!” It cried.

 Another barrage of dummies was sent flying towards them. 

 Missing them completely. 

 Another burst of cotton followed. Anakin made sure all hit it.

  This angered Mad Dummy further.

 “HEY GUYS!” The dummies appeared. “Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! Remember how I said NOT to shoot at me?” It hadn’t noticed the way Anakin had been manipulating the battle. “Well….FAILURES! YOU’RE FIRED! YOU’RE ALL BEING REPLACED!!!”

 The dummies retreated.

Mad Dummy cackled. “Now you’ll see my true power: Relying on people that aren’t garbage!”

 The all too familiar sound of mechanical whirring filled the air. As if on instinct each Jedi reached for their lightsaber, glaring at Mad Dummy, but not attacking. 

“DUMMY BOTS! MAGIC MISSILES!”

 Droid versions of the dummies from before emerged and sent the missiles flying at the Jedi. 

 Little did it know that the Jedi were experienced when it came to droids. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka were all able to dodge with ease, but as soon as they did, the missiles followed. 

 Anakin knew what to do. He circled the missiles to get them to hit Mad Dummy, unfortunately they missed.

 “DUMMY BOTS! TRY AGAIN!”

 There was another attack. 

 No one got hit.

 “DUMMY BOTS! You’re awful?????”

 Another attack, this time Anakin did guide a single missile to his target. Although he got hit himself, yet despite it being a missile little damage was done.

  “DUMMY BOTS! FINAL ATTACK”

 The droids and the regular dummies joined forces. 

 Ahsoka got hit by one of the dummies, and Anakin made sure that it paid for hurting his Padawan by sending several missiles back at it. 

 “N…no way! These guys are even WORSE than the other guys!” It whispered all too loudly. “Who cares. Who cares! WHO CARES!! I DON’T NEED FRIENDS!!! “ A knife appeared next to it. “I’VE GOT KNIVES!!!” 

 It threw the knife at them, missing entirely. It got stuck in one of the nearby trash piles.

 “I’m… Out of knives. BUT IT DOESN’T MATTER!! YOU CAN’T HURT ME AND I CAN’T HURT YOU!!”

 “Are you sure about that?” Anakin asked, ready to charge at it.

 Obi-Wan stopped him.

“YOU’LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME… Forever. Forever! FOREVER!” It began to cackle again. 

 Tears began to fall, hurting Mad Dummy. 

“Wh….What the heck is this!? Erugh! Acid rain!?! Oh, FORGET IT! I’m outta here!” It left the battle, their SOULs returned. 

 Napstablook arrived. “....sorry, i, interrupted you, didn’t i? as soon as i came over, your friend immediately left….”

 “No, no, you did us a big favor!” Said Ahsoka. “You saved us.”

 “oh no, you’re just trying to make feel better….oh no…i just wanted to say hi….oh noo….well….i’m going to head home now….oh…um…feel free to ‘come with’ if you want…but no pressure…..i understand if you’re busy…it’s fine…no worries…just thought i’d offer…..” They floated up into the next area.

 The Jedi followed Napstablook. “hey….my house is up here….in case you want to see….or in case….you don’t….” They left for their house. 

 Obi-Wan and Ahsoka started to follow them, but Anakin noticed another SAVE POINT, and went to that first.

 “You feel a calming tranquility. You’re filled with determination.”

 After SAVING- apparently - Anakin joined his friends going to visit Napstablook.

 There were two houses. One house was blue, and the other was pinkish red. The pink house had the light on, so they went there first, however it was locked. “I guess that’s not their house,” said Obi-Wan.

 They went into the next one. 

 A song was playing in their house. It was simple, yet it was nice, and almost relaxing. There wasn’t much in their house, there was a cooling chamber, a television, and another device they couldn’t recognize. There were also three cases. 

 Napstablook noticed their arrival, “oh….you really came…sorry, i….wasn’t expecting that.”

 “Do you not get much company?” Obi-Wan asked.

“not really….not since my cousin left. it’s not much, but make yourself at home.”

 “Do you have anything to eat?” Anakin asked.

 “oh….are you hungry? I can get you something….” They went to their cooling chamber and pulled out a translucent sandwich. “this is a ghost sandwich. do you want to try it?”

 “Yes, I do, actually,” said Anakin. 

 He attempted to bite the ghost sandwich but he phased right through it.

“oh….nevermind….”

“It’s okay,” Anakin said.

“well, after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage…it’s a family tradition…….do you want…..to join me?”

 “Sure,” said Obi-Wan.

 “okay….follow my lead.”

 They joined them on the ground, laying down. “here we go….” they said.

 They stayed there, it was nice to get a break from everything. To just rest.

 Then the world around them seemed to melt away, replaced by the vast cosmos. 

 Anakin sat up, as if waking from a nightmare. “WHAT THE HELL WAS IN THAT GHOST SANDWICH?!” He exclaimed.

 “um….ectoplasm…anyway that was nice….thank you..”

 “Well we should get going,” Obi-Wan told them.

 “alright….stop by again sometime….if you want.”

 The Jedi left their home.

 There was a shop in the next area, Obi-Wan went in.

 “Woah there! I’ve got some neat junk for sale!” The shopkeeper - an elderly tortoise monster - greeted him.

 “That’s great,” said Obi-Wan. “What are some of the items you have for sale?”

 “Take a look!”

 He bought a torn notebook, and then eyed the glasses. He smiled to himself, and bought them as well.

 “Thanks for buying from me,” he said. “Is there anything you wanna know?”

 “What is that emblem?” He asked.

 “Eh? You don’t know what that is? What are they reaching you kids in school nowadays…? Wa ha ha!  

 “That’s the Delta Rune, the emblem of our kingdom. The Kingdom…of Monsters. Wahaha! Great name, huh? It’s as I always say…Ol’ King Fluffybuns can’t name for beans!”

 “King….Fluffybuns?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “He’s a friendly, happy-go-lucky kind of guy…If you keep walking around long enough, you’ll probably meet him. He loves to walk around and talk to people. 

 “Eh? Why do I call Dreemurr ‘Fluffybuns’? Oh, that’s a great story! I don’t remember it. But if you come back much later, I’m sure I’ll have remembered by then.”

 “Ah, I see. Well, does your emblem have any meaning?”

 “It actually predates history. The original meaning has been lost to time… All we know is that the triangles symbolize us monsters below, and the winged circle above symbolizes… Somethin’ else. Most people say it’s the ‘angel’ from the prophecy…”

 “The prophecy?”

 “Oh yeah…the prophecy. Legend has it, an ‘angel’ who has seen the surface will descend from above and bring us freedom. Lately, the people have been taking a bleaker outlook….Callin’ that winged circle the ‘Angel of Death’.  A harbinger of destruction, waitin’ to ‘free’ us from this mortal realm. In my opinion, when I see that little circle…..I jus’ think it looks neat! Wahaha! “

 “That’s interesting to know, thank you. What about yourself?”

 “I’ve been around a long time. Maybe too long. Studying history sure is easy when you’ve lived through so much of it yourself! Wa ha ha!”

 “Ah, I see,” said Obi-Wan. “Well, what do you know about Undyne?”

 “Undyne? Yeah, she’s a local hero around here.Through grit and determination alone, she fought her way to the top of the Royal Guard. Actually, she just came through here asking about someone who looked just like you, and your friends outside….I’d watch your back, kid. It might save your hide! Wa ha ha!”

 “Well, thank you, sir. I should get going.”

 “Be careful out there, kid!”

He left the shop. 

 “What took you so long?” Anakin asked.

 “I was having a very pleasant conversation with the shopkeeper. Actually, I bought you something as well.”

 “Oh?” He asked.

 Obi-Wan handed him the pair of glasses.

 Anakin glared at him. “Really?”

 “I’ve noticed you’ve been having some trouble lately.”

“Ha, ha,” said Anakin, he took the glasses anyways. He put them on.

 “Hey, they actually suit you, Skyguy.”

 “Oh shut up, Snips.” He paused. “Actually….these do help.”

“See?” said Obi-Wan.

 “Well yeah, that’s what they help me do.”

 They moved on to the next area. 

 There were more signs. Ahsoka read them: “Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. 

 “Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful SOUL can leave. 

 “There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier…It will be destroyed.”

 She paused. 

 “That’s why everyone has been attacking you, your SOULs are what they need to be free,” she realized, looking at them with wide eyes. Tears suddenly filled them, “but mine is too weak…”

 “They’re wrong, you’re just as strong as us, if not stronger.”

 “Okay,” she said, she wiped away her tears, “Okay.”

 They continued on. There was another sign.

Ahsoka was about to read it, but Anakin put a hand on her shoulder. “Let me read this one, Snips.”

 She nodded and stepped back.

 Anakin read it out loud: “but this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever.” He paused. “Well that’s depressing.”

 “Will we ever get out of here?” Ahsoka asked.

 “We have to,” said Anakin.

 “And we’ll do it together,” Obi-Wan promised.

 They continued. They had almost left the hallway when a small tooka-like monster appeared. Anakin checked it.

 “Temmie, rated tem outta tem. Love to pet cute humans,” Chara said.

 “Oh no.”

“HOi! I’M TEMMIE,” she introduced herself.

Suddenly her legs extended and they had to avoid being crushed.

 “Um, hi, Temmie,” said Obi-Wan.

 “hOI, i’m tEMMIE!”

 She tried to aggressively pet Obi-Wan….and succeeded.

 Anakin handed him a Nice Cream, Obi-Wan licked it, and was healed.

 “So cUTE!”

 She tried to pet Anakin but was far too short. 

They managed to spare her and get away. 

 In the next room it was dark, barely visible, and they couldn’t see the path. 

 There was a mushroom though, and when Ahsoka pressed down on it, it revealed more of the path. They followed it to find another mushroom, which did the same as before. 

 They continued down that path before walking into two slime monsters. Having done this before, they spared them, but only one went away.

 Obi-Wan then bent down beside the remaining slime monster, “you can leave now, it’s okay,” he told them. He tried to gently push it away.

 The monster, however, didn't like that. With it suddenly extending. Then attacking.

 It shot rings out of its face towards the Jedi. Which they avoided.

 “What the kark?” Anakin exclaimed.

 “I didn’t know it would do that!” Obi-Wan cried. 

 “Let me see what this is,” Anakin said. 

 “Moldbygg. One size greater than Moldaverage,” Chara said.

 “Great, very helpful,” Anakin remarked, sarcastically.

 “Roar.” It said. 

  It attacked shooting spores from its face. 

 Anakin got hit several times by the spores.

  He quickly unwrapped the remaining ration bar and ate it. He instantly felt better.

 The monster made slime sounds, and sent more spores. They all dodged.

 “Maybe we should back away,” Obi-Wan suggested.

 “You first. You pushed it!!” Anakin exclaimed.

 “Gee, sorry,” replied Obi-Wan. 

 Still, the three of them backed up. It seemed to appreciate that.

 This seemed to pacify the monster, and they were able to pass.

 They continued on, although the pathway led up, Ahsoka noticed a secret one, and headed that way. Much to Anakin and Obi-Wan’s confusion, but they followed her.

 They were in a village full of temmies. 

 There was another SAVE POINT….Anakin hesitated before touching it.

 “You feel…..something. You’re filled with detemmienation.”

 “If you weren’t a ghost I’d kill you.”

 Chara laughed so hard they faded away.

 “Can we go now?” Anakin asked.

 “Yes,” said Ahsoka, regretting her choice.

 They left the village.

 They went to the more obvious path, but it had been fake, so they backtracked. 

 There was a new path now. And they followed it to the next area.

 It was dark again, with lanterns that illuminated it.

  They kept to the path, lighting up the lanterns as they dimmed. 

 They escaped the darkening maze and moved on to the next area.

It was so dark they could hardly see. 

 There was water, which they were able to wade through.  

 They reached a dead end, but when they turned there was an echo flower.

 “Behind you,” a voice whispered. 

 Then, a glowing spear revealed Undyne. 

Chapter Text

“Seven,” she said. “Seven human souls. 

 “With the power of seven human souls, our king….King ASGORE Dreemurr…will become a god. 

 “With that power, ASGORE can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity…And give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured.” 

 She paused. “Understand, humans? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your souls….or I’ll tear them from your bodies.” 

 She charged towards them.  Ready to strike. 

 All of them went for their lightsabers. Ready to fight.

  Monster Kid jumped out from the grass, landing between them.  “Undyne!!! I’ll help you fight!!” They exclaimed. 

 They looked between Undyne and the Jedi. “YO!!! You did it!! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you!!! You’ve got front row seats to her fight!!!”

 “That’s not a good thing, little one,” Obi-Wan said.

 “The human’s right,” Undyne replied.

 “WHAT?!” Monster Kid exclaimed. “Human?! What do you mean?!”

 She sighed and her spear faded out of existence. She grabbed the kid by their face, and dragged them away.

 “H-hey! You aren’t gonna tell my parents about this are you?!” They shouted.

  The three stood there for a moment, processing what had just happened. 

 “Asgore’s the king?” Anakin asked.

 “That doesn’t make sense….everyone described him as such a good guy. Why did Toriel describe him as a murderer?” Ahsoka asked.

 “Only monsters have been saying these things about him…we don’t know how he feels about humans. Toriel could be right….he could be ready to kill when we meet him.”

 “If Undyne doesn’t first,” said Anakin.

 “I think she’s busy lecturing that poor kid,” said Obi-Wan.

 “At least we can agree with her on one thing, that kid needs to stay out of this.”

 They found a path up. They followed it. There were more echo flowers. 

It was a continuation of the conversation prior.

 “....hmmm….if I say my wish…you promise you won’t laugh at me?”

 “Of course I won’t laugh!”

 “Someday, I’d like to climb this mountain we’re all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around…That’s my wish.”

 The next flower held laughter.

 “...hey, you said you wouldn’t laugh at it!”

 “Sorry, it’s just funny…..That’s my wish, too.”

 There was another sign at the end of the hall. Anakin read it. “However…There is a prophecy.”

 “I heard about that,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Really?” Asked Anakin.

 “Yes, that there will be an angel that will come from the surface….and the Underground will go free.”

 “This one just says empty.”

“Huh, I guess that’s why there’s one grim interpretation.”

 “Angel of Death?” 

 “Precisely.”

 “Well that’s a grim conversation,” said Ahsoka. “Let’s go.”

 The next area was simply a bridge. They crossed over it. 

 Only to hear a familiar voice.

“Yo!”

 Monster Kid had come back, they crossed the bridge over to them.

 “Yo, I know I’m not supposed to be here, but…I wanna ask you something. Man, I’ve never had to ask anyone this before…Yo….You’re humans, right? Haha.”

 “I mean, Anakin and I are, but Ahsoka isn’t.”

 “Man! I knew it! …Well, I know it now, I mean ...Undyne told me, um, ‘stay away from those humans.’ So, like, umm….I guess that makes us enemies or something. But I kinda stink at that, haha. Yo, say something mean so I can hate you? Please?”

 “No, you don’t need to do this, little one,” Obi-Wan told them.

 “Yo, what? So I have to do it?”

 “No, you don’t.”

 “No, I do. Here goes nothing….Yo, I…hate your guts,” they paused. “Man, I….I’m such a turd. I’m….I’m gonna go home now.”

 They turned to leave, but tripped and fell holding on by their teeth.

 “Yo, w-wait! Help! I tripped!” They cried - although muffled.

 Obi-Wan ran towards them, and helped them up. He hadn’t even noticed Undyne approaching. 

 Monster Kid faced her, defending Obi-Wan. “Y…y…..yo….dude….If….If y-you wanna hurt my friend…You’re gonna have to go through me, first.”

 Undyne backed off.

 Monster Kid turned back to Obi-Wan. “She’s gone…Yo, you really saved my skin. Guess being enemies was just a nice thought, haha. We’ll just have to be friends instead. Man, I should REALLY go home…I bet my parents are worried sick about me!”

 “Yeah they probably are,stay safe, little one,” Obi-Wan replied.

 “I will! Later, dude!” They left and went home, for once not tripping on their face

 Obi-Wan smiled at them. 

 The Jedi went on. There was another mountain, despite them already being in one. When they approached, Undyne was there, standing on top of it.

 “Seven. Seven human SOULs, and King ASGORE will become a god. 

 “Six. That’s how many we have collected thus far. 

 “Understand? 

 “Through one of yours , the seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed. 

 “First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far…I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started long ago…” She trailed off.

  “No, you know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY?! WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE!” 

 She let out a battle cry as she tossed her helmet aside, there was a loud crash where it landed. With the removal of her helmet, it was revealed that she was a fish monster of sorts. It was not decoration coming from her helmet, but her ponytail. 

 “YOU!” She roared. “You’re standing  in the way of everybody’s hopes and dreams! 

 “Alphys’s history books made me think humans were cool…with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen. 

 “BUT YOU? You’re just cowards! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again! And let’s not forget the wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick! Oooh! I’m making such a difference by hugging random strangers!

 “You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!! 

 “That’s right, humans. Your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone’s hearts pounding together! Everyone’s been waiting their whole lives for this moment!! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can’t lose!

 “Now, humans! Let’s end this, right here, right now. 

 “And kid- stay out of the way. You don’t need to be a part of this, unless you want to die with them. 

 “I’ll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you’re ready.”

 Anakin was ready to step forward. 

 “Stop!” Chara shouted. “You need to SAVE before this!”

 “Do you have that little faith in me, kid?”

 “I know how strong Undyne is, trust me. SAVE.”

 He reluctantly did so.

 “The wind is howling. You’re filled with determination.”

 “Damn right I am,” said Anakin.

 He rushed to the base of the mountain, igniting his lightsaber. “You want a fight?! Let’s fight!” He cried.

 “That’s it, then…! No more running away! HERE I COME!!”

 She jumped down, wielding her spear, crashing down in front of him. 

 She swung her spear and his SOUL turned green. His feet felt like metal, and he could hardly move. “En guarde!” She cried.

 Anakin prepared himself. 

 He struck at her, slashing at her. But her armor defended her.

 “As long as you’re GREEN you CAN’T ESCAPE! Unless you learn to face danger head-on….You won’t last a SECOND against ME!”

 Spears rained from above, as Anakin blocked without having to move.

 He struck at her again. 

  “Not bad!! Then how about THIS?!”

Spears came from above, then left, then right. Anakin blocked each one, fearlessly.

 He attacked her again.

  “For years, we’ve dreamed of a happy ending…”

 More spears rained from different directions, Anakin swung his saber, blocking each of them.

 She towered over him threateningly, but it didn’t deter him. He was filled with determination. He struck at her again. 

“And now…sunlight is just within our reach.”

 More spears flew from every direction, swirling around him. He continued to block without being hit. 

 Undyne drew her finger across her neck. Anakin glared daggers up at her. 

 He struck again.

 “I won’t let you snatch it away from us!”

 More spears were coming from every direction, one caught him by surprise, nicking his arm and slowing his movement. 

 He struck her again.

 “NGAHHH!!! Enough warming up!” She cried.

 More attacks came, and he got hit again and again. 

 His SOUL became red, but red was all he could see. 

 He struck at her again. 

 The fight continued, but he was losing so much blood that he was stumbling, and could barely lift his lightsaber. 

 Finally, a spear impaled his very heart. His vision faded.

 A voice called out. One he had never heard. 

 “It cannot end now! Chara! Stay determined….”

 He woke up, gasping for air at the SAVE POINT. 

 Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were staring at him as if he were a ghost. 

 His body ached, although there were no wounds. No sign of how he had been impaled. He should be dead….how was he alive? 

 Ahsoka rushed to him, wrapping him in a hug, while in tears. 

 Anakin was surprised. “What’s wrong, Snips?”

 “What’s wrong?!” She cried. Tears were flowing down her cheeks.  “YOU DIED!”

 “I…I died?” Anakin asked. “But-” Suddenly he remembered the feeling of the spear going through his heart.

 He collapsed to the ground. A sudden pain going through his whole body. It seemed to remember his wounds.

 “I died,” he whispered. “If I died….?”

“You came back,” said Obi-Wan. “I don’t know how. We saw you die. Your SOUL was floating there….then it shattered.”

 “But I thought human SOULs didn’t shatter?” Anakin asked.

 “The moment it shattered, we were back here.”

  “That fish is going to pay,” decided Anakin, standing up again. 

 He unclipped his lightsaber from his belt. He ignited the blade and once again rushed to the base. 

 “That’s it, then…! No more running away! HERE I COME!!”

 She jumped down, wielding her spear, crashing down in front of him. 

 She swung her spear and his SOUL turned green. 

 His feet felt like metal, and he could hardly move. 

 “En guarde!” She cried.

Fueled with rage he attacked her once more.

  “As long as you’re GREEN you CAN’T ESCAPE! Unless you learn to face danger head-on….You won’t last a SECOND against ME!”

 Spears rained from above, as Anakin blocked without having to move.

 He struck at her again. 

 “Not bad!! Then how about THIS?!”

Spears came from above, then left, then right.  Anakin blocked each one, fearlessly.

 He attacked her again.

  “For years, we’ve dreamed of a happy ending…”

 More spears rained from different directions, Anakin swung his saber,  blocking each of them.

 She towered over him threateningly, but it didn’t deter him. 

 He was filled with determination. 

 He struck at her again. 

“And now…sunlight is just within our reach.”

More spears flew from every direction, swirling around him. He continued to block without being hit. 

 Undyne drew her finger across her neck. 

 Anakin grinned up at her. Even if she killed him, he could come back stronger, and he would learn her moves. But she could never guess his.

 He struck again.

 “I won’t let you snatch it away from us!”

 More spears were coming from every direction, this time he knew what to do. He blocked without effort.

 He struck her again.

 “NGAHHH!!! Enough warming up!” She cried.

More spears came from every direction, Anakin blocked, not getting hit this time.

 He was ready to strike again, but Obi-Wan grabbed his arm, and dragged him off, as they fled from the battle. 

 Undyne chased the two humans. 

 She captured them both. 

 “You won’t get away from me this time!”

 Anakin struck again.

 “Honestly, I’m doing you a favor.”

 More spears came from the front and back, the two halves of a warrior  blocked each side. They were back to back. 

 Undyne once more drew her finger across her neck.

 Anakin, once again attacked.

 “No human has EVER made it past ASGORE!”

 One spear was coming slowly from the left, while a barrage struck at them from every other direction. 

 One spear even nicked Obi-Wan in the leg, causing a small gash.

 He smiled at Obi-Wan. “Don’t worry, Master, I have more Nice Cream. Besides, if I can come back to life, so can you.”

 Then he faced Undyne again, and attacked her.

 “Killing you now is an act of mercy.”

 More spears came from each direction. The two continued to block.

Anakin attacked again.

 “So STOP being so damn resilient!”

Spears came from every direction once more, and they blocked with ease. 

 Their SOULs turned back to their usual colors. 

 Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin’s arm and they fled, but he was limping from his wound, so they didn’t go as fast.

 Unydne caught up with them again. 

 “You’ve escaped me for the LAST time!”

 Anakin attacked again.

 “Alphys told me humans were determined!!”

 Spears came from the left and right. But one went backwards and changed direction at the last minute. 

 Anakin barely blocked it in time. 

 He attacked Undyne again.

 “I see now what she meant by that!”

 She attacked again, there were more spears, even the ones that went in reverse. Anakin and Obi-Wan blocked them all.

 Anakin attacked again.

 “But I’m determined too!”

 More spears came from every direction and they continued to block. 

Anakin attacked.

 “Determined to end this RIGHT NOW!”

 More spears came, and both Obi-Wan and Anakin got hit  multiple times, leaving many gashing wounds on their arms and legs. 

 Their movements were getting slower. 

 Anakin was too determined to care. He pushed through the pain, and struck her again.

 “...RIGHT NOW!”

 She attacked again, and Anakin was barely able to keep defending him and his Master.

 He was about to attack again. 

 “No, stop. We need to heal, Anakin!” Obi-Wan cried. He got out a Nice Cream and the two shared it. Their wounds faded, and they were ready to keep going.

  “....RIGHT…..NOW!”

Undyne sent more spears flying as fast as blaster bolts. But the Jedi knew how to block blaster bolts.

 Anakin struck at her again.

“Ha…ha….”

 She sent more attacks. 

 They blocked them all. 

 They were filled with determination.

  Anakin attacked again.

 “NAGHH!!! DIE ALREADY, YOU LITTLE BRATS!!”

 She sent more spears. They blocked some more, but Anakin got hit in the arm.

 Their SOULs were back to their regular colors again. 

  Obi-Wan grabbed his uninjured arm, and they fled the battle.

 They were almost out of Waterfall when they got a call. “HEY! WHAT’S UP!?”

 “NOT NOW PAPYRUS WE’RE TRYING NOT TO DIE!” Anakin shouted at him.

 “OH. I WAS JUST THINKING….YOU, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU WOULD LIKE HER ANGRY HUMAN!”

 “PROBABLY NOT, I’M AFRAID!”

  “WHY? THERE’S NOTHING TO BE AFRAID OF ABOUT UNDYNE….ASIDE FROM HER INTIMIDATING NATURE AND EXPERTISE WITH WEAPONS….AND HATRED OF HUMANS! BUT I’M SURE YOU CAN GET PAST THAT! LET’S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!”

 He hung up.

 They kept running.

  Undyne caught up. 

 “STOP RUNNING AWAY!!”

 Anakin struck at her.

 She sent spears flying at them. 

 Obi-Wan grabbed Anakin again and they fled into a new area.

 They passed Sans, asleep at his station, and went across a bridge.

 “Armor….so…hot….” Undyne complained. “But I can’t…..Give up…” 

 She passed out from the heat exhaustion.

 Ahsoka was already there with a glass of water. Seeing the state Undyne was in, she poured it on her. 

 She woke up, and stood. She looked down at Ahsoka, seeming thankful, embarrassed, and a little confused. She walked off.

  “What did you do that for?” Anakin demanded.

 “She’s a fish near lava!” Ahsoka exclaimed. “She could’ve died!”

 “Good.”

 “Master!”

 “She killed me!”

 “How do you think Papyrus would feel?”

 “How do you think he would feel if I stayed dead?! How would you feel?!”

 “Let’s let the hypothetical past, stay in the hypothetical past. It’s done, you’re alive, and so is Undyne. Now I think we should accept Papyrus’s offer to hang out, before we go on any further.”

 “Yeah, that sounds good to me,” said Ahsoka.

 “I disagree.”

 “You’re outvoted, and therefore your opinion is irrelevant.”

 “I’m the one who died!”

 “Still outvoted.”

Chapter Text

They reached Undyne’s house, and Papyrus was already there. 

 They could hear music coming from the house, it sounded like a piano was being played…badly. 

 “OHO! THE HUMANS AND THE ORANGE ONE ARRIVE! ARE YOU READY TO HANG OUT WITH UNDYNE?”

 “Yeah, we are,” said Ahsoka.

 “I’m not,” said Anakin.

“TOO BAD ANGRY HUMAN! YOU’RE OUTVOTED FOUR TO ONE!”

“Four…?”

“UNDYNE WANTS TO HANG OUT TOO! ….I THINK…..I HOPE….ANYWAYS I HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE YOU ALL GREAT FRIENDS! OKAY MAKE A LINE BEHIND ME!”

 They did so.

 “PSST. MAKE SURE TO GIVE HER THIS!” He showed a wrapped bone. “SHE LOVES THESE!”

  He knocked on her door.

 Undyne came out, she had changed out of her armor into a more casual look. Wearing a plain black tank top, jeans, and red boots. “Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extra-private, one-on-one training?”

“YOU BET I AM! AND I BROUGHT SOME FRIENDS!” 

 He stepped out of the way revealing the three Jedi.

 “Hi, I don’t think we’ve….” She paused. She scowled at them. Glaring at Anakin in particular. “Why don’t. You all. Come in?” She asked through gritted teeth. 

 Papyrus entered her home and the Jedi followed.

 “HERE UNDYNE. MY FRIENDS BROUGHT A GIFT FOR YOU, ALL ON THEIR OWN!” He handed her the gift wrapped bone.

 “Uhh…thanks. I’ll, uh, put it with the others.” She placed it in a drawer with all of the other bones. “So are we ready to start?”

“WHOOPSY DOOPSY! I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM! YOU ALL HAVE FUN!” 

 He then flipped outside through the window.

 Everyone stared at him.

 Undyne only looked tired. The Jedi were confused.

 Undyne then looked at them. “So why are YOU here? To rub your victory in my face?”

 “Not really,” said Obi-Wan.

 “Anakin didn’t even want to be here,” Ahsoka added.

“Oh really?” She asked. “Then why are you here?” She asked Anakin.

 “They made me,” he admitted.

 “Wait, I get it. They think that I’m gonna be friends with you, huh?  RIGHT????”

 “I guess so.”

 “Really? How delightful!! I accept!” She mocked. “Let’s all frolick in the fields of friendship! NOT! Why would I EVER be friends with YOU!?”

 “Yeah, and why would I?” Remarked Anakin, crossing his arms. 

The two glared daggers at each other, the same hate burning in them from their battle.

“If you weren’t my houseguest, I’d beat you up right now! You’re the enemy of everyone’s hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND.”

“And I won’t ever be yours,” he spat right back.

 “Now get out of my house!”

 “Gladly.”

 Papyrus’s head stuck through the window. “DANG! WHAT A SHAME…I’M SORRY ORANGE ONE AND FLUFFY HUMAN, I REALLY THOUGHT UNDYNE AND ANGRY HUMAN COULD BE FRIENDS. BUT I GUESS….I OVERESTIMATED THEM. THEY’RE JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE.”   He sighed. “YOU TWO CAN COME JOIN ME. LET’S LET THEM SETTLE THEIR DIFFERENCES THEIR OWN WAY….EVEN IF IT IS BATTLE.”

 Obi-Wan and Ahsoka left the house, to join Papyrus who was waiting outside with them with a bag of bangcorn. 

 This just left Anakin and Undyne.

 “CHALLENGE!?” Anakin and Undyne exclaimed. “What!?”

“Papyrus!” Undyne shouted.

“Master, Snips!” Anakin shouted at the same time. 

“Wait a second…!” They said in unison.  

 “Darnit! He thinks I can’t be friends with YOU!? Fuhuhu! What a joke!” Undyne laughed. “I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!”

“Loser? I’ll show you the loser!” He reached for his lightsaber.

 “No, if Papyrus wants us to be friends, then I’ll crush you with friendship! I’ll show him! Listen up, punk. We’re not just going to be friends. We’re going to be…BESTIES. I’ll make you like me so much…you won’t think of anyone else!”

 “I mean I have a wife so-”

 “Okay fine, think of her too. BUT OTHER THAN HER-” She laughed. “It’s the PERFECT REVENGE!!” 

 She paused. “Why don’t you have a seat?”

 Anakin took a seat at the table. 

“Comfortable?” She asked.

 “Yes, actually,” Anakin replied.

 “I’ll get you something to drink.” She set out different options. “All set! What would you like?”

 Anakin started to get up, Undyne threw her spear at the table, breaking it in half.

 “HEY!! DON’T GET UP!! YOU’RE THE GUEST!! SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!!”

 “Okay, okay, sheesh,” Anakin replied.

 She seemed slightly embarrassed. “Um, why not just point to what you want? You can use the spear!”

 Anakin picked up the spear, it felt comfortable in his hands. Almost as at home as his lightsaber. He looked between the options, and settled on the tea.

 “...tea, huh?” She asked. “Coming right up!” She started setting up the tea. “It’ll take a moment for the water to boil.” They waited a little bit. “Okay, it’s all done!”

  She poured both of them a cup of tea, and gave Anakin his. “Here we are.” She sat at the other end of the table across from him. “Careful, it’s hot.”

 Anakin waited to let it cool.

 “It’s not THAT hot!! Just drink it already!” 

 “Okay, okay,” he chuckled. He sipped on the tea, it was really good.

 “It’s pretty good, right?”

 “Yeah, it is. Thanks, Undyne.”

 She grinned. “Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIEND!!”

There was a long silence as they both drank their tea.

 “Hey…You know it’s kind of strange you chose THAT tea,” Undyne said.

 “How come?” Anakin asked.

 “That’s ASGORE’s favorite kind. Actually, now that I think about it…your human friend kind of reminds me of him. They’re both TOTAL weenies!! Sort of.” She paused.

 There was another quiet silence, not really awkward or tense, but reflective. “Y’know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight ASGORE.”

 “I know what you mean,” said Anakin. “When I was younger…just a student. I reprogrammed one of the training droids to fight like a Sith that…killed who could’ve been my Master. He was actually Obi-Wan's own Master…I defeated it too. The other students made fun of me though…why am I talking about this? Even Snips doesn’t know.”

 “Heh, yeah I get that,” she replied. “My fight with ASGORE didn’t go that well though.  I couldn’t land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated 

 “...Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy. ‘Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?’ 

 “I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. 

 “One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt…bad. But he was beaming…I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked. 

 “Anyway, long story short, he kept training me…And now I’m the head of the Royal Guard!  So I’m the one who gets to train dorks to fight!”

 “Yeah, I have my own dork to train to fight.”

 “Yeah, it’s Papyrus for me. Who do you train?”

 “Ahsoka, she’s the uh…’monster’, that’s been traveling with Obi-Wan and I.”

 “Huh, I’ve never seen that kind of connection between humans and monsters before, but it’s nice to know that it’s possible. But to be honest, I don’t know if…I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard. Don’t tell him I said that!”

 “I won’t,” Anakin promised. 

 “He’s just…Well…I mean, it’s not that he’s weak! He’s actually pretty freaking tough!”

 “Believe me, I know. He almost beat me.”

 Undyne laughed. “That’s Papyrus for ya’ overeager but just too damn nice! He’s too innocent. I mean, look, he was SUPPOSED to capture you and your friend…And he ended up joining your friend group instead! 

 “I could NEVER send him into battle! He’d get ripped into little smiling shreds. That’s part of why…I started teaching how to cook, you know? So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life.” She paused. “Oh, sorry, we were talking for so long…you’re out of tea aren’t you? I’ll get you some more.”

 She began to walk to the stove to get Anakin more tea. 

 Then she stopped. 

 “Wait a second. Papyrus…his cooking lesson…HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!!  And if HE’s not here to have it….YOU’LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!!”

  She leapt onto the counter and knocked everything to the floor. “That’s right!! NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you his lesson….WE’LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE!! Fuhuhu!! Afraid!?”

 “Not at all,” Anakin grinned.

 “Good, because we’re gonna be best friends!!”

 She jumped up and picked Anakin up by the head, and jumped with him to the kitchen, dropping him right beside her. 

 They were both grinning. 

 “Let’s start with the sauce!” She stomped the ground and a variety of fruits and vegetables fell on the counter. “Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy!”

 Anakin grinned, and pulled out his lightsaber.

 “No! Use your hands, we want to CRUSH them! Not dice them! We’re making sauce! Not a salad!”

 “In that case,” he replied. He lifted them with the Force, and then crushed them. The sauce splattered the kitchen and their faces. 

“YEAH!” Undyne cheered. “THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT! Uhh, we’ll just scrape this into a bowl later. But for NOW!” 

  She stomped the ground again and noodles and a pot fell as well. “...we add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best! BUT I JUST BUY STORE-BRAND! THEY’RE THE CHEAPEST!!” She let out a war cry. “Uh, just put them in the pot.”

 He threw them in with the box. 

 It clanked against the empty bottom. 

 “YEAH!! I’M INTO IT!!! Alright! Now we stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir…THE BETTER IT IS! Ready? Let’s do it!”

 Anakin stirred rapidly. But it still wasn’t enough for Undyne.

 “Ugh, let me do it!”

 She summoned her spear and stabbed the pot repeatedly. 

 She laughed. “That’s the stuff! Alright, now for the final step: TURN UP THE HEAT! Let the stovetop symbolize your passion!  Let your hopes and dreams turn into burning fire. READY? Don’t hold anything back!!”

 Anakin began turning the dial up and up, the pot was on fire. 

 “Wait that’s too-”

The house was also on fire.

 “Ah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking.” 

 There was another long silence. 

 “So, what’s next?” Undyne asked. “Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?” She paused. “Oh, who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn’t I?” 

 Anakin didn’t get the chance to respond. 

 “I can’t force you to like me, human. Some people just don’t get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me. And if we can’t be friends….that’s okay. Because….if we’re not friends….

 “IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!”

 She started a battle. Anakin’s SOUL hovered in front of him.

 “I’ve been defeated….my house is in shambles…..I even failed to befriend you.”

 “No, you-” Anakin started.

 “That’s it. I don’t care if you’re my guest anymore. One final rematch! All out on both sides!! IT’S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!! NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU’VE GOT! NGAHHHHHH!!”

 Anakin stared at her. Then he pretended to punch her, making sure to use his non-mechanical arm. 

 “What. That’s the best you can manage?”

 “I’m not going to hurt you, Undyne. This is some of the most fun I've ever had.”

 “Heh, you know what?” She dropped her spear. “I don’t actually want to hurt you, either. At first, I hated your guts, but….the way you hit me right now, it…. Reminded me of someone I used to train with. Now I know you aren’t some wimpy loser. You’re a wimpy loser with a big heart! Just like him….” she paused. “Listen, Anakin. It seems that you and ASGORE are fated to fight. But knowing him…he probably doesn’t want to. Talk to him. I’m sure you can persuade him to let you and your friend go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here, and I’ll take their soul instead. That makes sense, right?” She laughed.

 “Yeah, it does,” said Anakin.

 “Oh, and if you DO hurt ASGORE…I’ll take the human souls….cross the barrier….and beat the hell out of you! That’s what friends are for, right?”

 “I couldn’t agree more.”

 She laughed. “Now let’s get the hell out of this flaming house!”

 They left the house.

 “Well, that was fun, huh?”

 “It was.”

 “We’ll have to hang out again another time! But, uh, somewhere else I guess. In the meantime, I guess I’ll go hang with Papyrus. So if you need me, drop by Snowdin, okay!? OH! And if you ever need help… Just give Papyrus a ring, okay? Since we’re in the same spot, I’ll be able to talk too. Well, see ya, later, punk!!”

Chapter Text

 After hanging out with Undyne, the trio of Jedi made their way back to Hotland. 

 There was a large lab looming not that far, but before that there was a star. Anakin walked to the SAVE POINT, now knowing just how important they were. He wrapped his hand around it and SAVEd. 

 “Seeing such a strange laboratory in a place like this….you’re filled with determination.”

 There were two guards blocking the path above, meaning the only way to continue  forward was to go through the lab.

 The doors had opened automatically, and when they went inside it was too dark for them to really see anything. They kept moving forwards. 

 There was the sound of a door opening and footsteps.

  Then the light suddenly turned on and they could see again. 

 There was a short reptilian monster in a lab coat. She seemed shocked by them. “Oh. My god,” she exclaimed. “I didn’t expect you to show up so soon!” 

 She began pacing in circles, panicking. “I haven’t showered, I’m barely dressed, it’s all messy and…” she calmed down and faced them again. 

 “Umm…. H-h-hiya! I’m Dr. Alphys. I’m ASGORE’s royal scientist! B-b-but, ahhhh, I’m not one of the ‘bad guys’! E-even if I have made a droid. I mean! Um! 

 “Actually, since you stepped out of the RUINS, I’ve, um… been ‘observing’ your journey through my console.  L-like your other ones from Star Wars! And…I’m getting ahead of myself. 

 “U-um, I was originally going to stop you, but… Watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them. E-espeically when they’re the main protagonists of a franchise. 

 “Uhhhh….I mean-! Now I want to help you! Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland! I know a way right to ASGORE’s castle, no problem!” She paused. 

 “Well, actually, umm, there’s just a tiny issue. Remember that droid I mentioned earlier?”

 “What did you do?” Demanded Anakin.

 “W-well. I made him a long time ago, his name is Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment droid. Uh, you know, like a robotic holovision star or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know,just some small practical adjustments. Like, um… b-battle droid features?”

 “What?!” Anakin exclaimed.

 “W-wait! When I saw you coming, I immediately decided… I have to remove those features! Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake while doing so. And, um….now he’s an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?”

 “How do you even make that mistake?!” Anakin shouted.

 She laughed nervously. “D-don’t worry! Hopefully we won’t run into him!”

 There was a clanging noise. 

 Alphys seemed confused.

 There was another crash, closer this time.

 “Did you hear something?”

 “It’s kind of hard to miss,” said Anakin.

The thudding got louder, the sound - and whatever was causing it - approaching rapidly. 

 “Oh no.”

 A giant rectangular droid crashed through the wall. It looked like a modified gonk droid with arms, and a wheel instead of legs. With a screen as his face. 

 “OHH YES!” He exclaimed. “WELCOME, BEAUTIES….” 

 There was a drumroll, and then a spotlight shined down on the droid. “...TO TODAY’S QUIZ SHOW!!”

 A light up neon sign with the words ‘GAME SHOW’ on it and two orbs with lights coming from them came down from the ceiling. 

 “OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT’S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW!” Mettaton went on. “EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANTS! SOME OF YOU AT HOME MAY EVEN KNOW THEM! ANAKIN SKYWALKER, THE HERO WITHOUT FEAR, OBI-WAN KENOBI, THE NEGOTIATOR, AND AHSOKA TANO!” He clapped and confetti showered the three Jedi. 

 Anakin tried to dodge the confetti, but it wasn’t an attack so he just looked stupid. 

 “NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, JEDI? NO PROBLEM! IT’S SIMPLE! THERE’S ONLY ONE RULE! ANSWER CORRECTLY….” There was a pause and another drumroll. “OR YOU DIE!!”

 Anakin pulled out his lightsaber as their SOULs shone outside their bodies. 

 He attempted to swing at the droid but his body was invincible to lightsabers as if made of beskar. 

 Mettaton ignored this entirely. “LET’S START WITH AN EASY ONE!”

 “What’s the prize for answering correctly?”

 “Um, more questions I would presume,” said Obi-Wan.

“CORRECT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!!”

 “HERE’S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE”

 “What’s the king's full name?”

 “Asgore Dreemurr!” Anakin shouted.

 “CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER!”

 “ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET’S TALK ABOUT ME!”

 “We didn’t even say anything about ourselves,” said Ahsoka.

“IRRELEVANT!”

 “What are droids made of?”

 “Metal…” he trailed off, knowing there was more to it for this droid. “And magic?”

“TOO EASY FOR YOU HUH, SKYWALKER? YOU’RE A REAL DROID EXPERT!”

 “HERE’S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!”

 He started rambling incoherently.

 None of them knew what to say, and all got zapped.

 “Ouch!” Shouted Anakin.

 “SHOULD’VE PAID MORE ATTENTION!”

 “DON’T COUNT ON YOUR VICTORY….”

“How many flies are in this jar?”

 Ahsoka stopped for a moment and then knew the answer. “Fifty-four!”

 “CORRECT! YOU’RE SO LUCKY TODAY!”

 “YOU JUST ELECTROCUTED US!” Anakin exclaimed.

 “YOUR POINT?” Mettaton retorted, sounding unbothered.

 “LET’S PLAY A MEMORY GAME.”

 “What monster is this?”

 “That’s a froggit!” Said Anakin.

 The screen zoomed out and showed it was actually Mettaton wearing a shirt with a froggit. 

 He zapped Anakin. 

 “BOY, THAT’S EMBARRASSING!”

 “AGAIN?!” 

 “BUT CAN YOU GET THIS ONE?”

 “Would you smooch a ghost?”

Obi-Wan smirked. “If you’re the ghost,” he winked.

“OH MY! I’LL SEE YOU AFTER THE SHOW, GENERAL KENOBI…”

“Master???? That’s a rectangle-” Anakin started.

 “You have no reason to judge me,” he replied.

 “HERE’S A SIMPLE ONE.”

 “How many letters are in the name Mettaton?” 

 But he kept holding the ‘n’.

 “Um, infinite?” Anakin asked.

 “CLOSE ENOUGH.”

 “Oh thank Force.”

 “TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS!”

 “In the dating simulation video game ‘Mew Mew Kissy Cutie’ what is Mew Mew’s favorite food?”

“Oh! Oh! I know this one! It’s snail ice cream!” Alphys interrupted. “In the fourth chapter everyone goes to the beach, and she buys ice cream for all her friends!! But it’s snail flavor and she’s the only one who wants it!!! It’s one of my favorite parts of the game because it’s actually a very powerful message about friendship and…”  

 “ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS,” Mettaton said, wagging one of his fingers. “YOU AREN’T HELPING OUR CONTESTANTS ARE YOU?”

 She violently shook her head.

 “OOOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I’LL ASK A QUESTION…YOU’LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!”

 She covered her face, her scales turning red.

 “Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on?”

Alphys was gesturing for them not to say anything.

 They, however, genuinely wouldn’t know the answer. “I don’t know,” said Anakin.

 “CORRECT. DR. ALPHYS HAS A CRUSH ON…THE UNKNOWABLE. 

 “YOU SEE, ALPHYS BELIEVES THERE IS SOMEONE OUT THERE. SOMEONE WATCHING HER. SOMEONE SHE THINKS IS ‘CUTE’ and ‘INTERESTING’. HELLO, THEORETICAL PERSON. DR. ALPHYS LIKES YOU. TOO BAD YOU ARE NOT REAL.”

  A laugh track began to play. 

 “H-hey, I’ve done research about this! There are alternate universes out there! Them being here is proof!”

 “YOU SAID THE SAME THING ABOUT ‘MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE.”

 “But you see them too!” Alphys exclaimed.

“EXCUSES EXCUSES. WELL, WELL, WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU….THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN’T GO ON LIKE THIS! BUT….BUT!!! THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE! NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE!! MORE BLOODSHED!!! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS….” He rocketed away.

 Their SOULs returned to them. 

 Alphys stared at them, embarrassed.  “Well that was certainly something. “

 “Yeah, about the multiverse, and us being proof?” Anakin demanded.

 “O-oh. U-uh….” she laughed nervously.  “Well, you see….you’re not from this universe?”

 “What’s that supposed to mean?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “W-well….y-you’re just fiction here. C-characters!”

 “Fiction?” Anakin asked, raising an eyebrow. “No. We’re very real! And so is the war!”

 “I-I’m not saying that!” She exclaimed. “P-please don’t freak out. Um…oh how do I say this?”

 “Well, you said we’re ‘fictional’, what media are we from to make it this way?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “O-oh a lot! It’s a whole franchise! T-there’s movies…and TV shows….a-and books….and comics….and even games! I-It’s called ‘Star Wars’! Y-y-you’re some of my….favorite characters, actually?”

 “Stop saying we’re characters,” demanded Anakin.

 “S-sorry! Oh….this is a mess! I d-don’t even know how you got here! Oh….b-but! If you reach the Surface, m-maybe you’ll also return to your universe?”

 “Great, because we need to get there.”

 “B-but wait! Y-your stories….they don’t have the best…ending?” She laughed nervously. “I mean- uh….oh man….I really don’t know how to say this….”

 “What kind of ending?” Obi-Wan asked. “Maybe we can fix it.”

 “O-oh, I hope so….um it….th-the Sith win. A-A-Anakin….y-you—be-become one.”

 “I WHAT?!”

 “I! I! I mean- o-oh….u-uh. OH UM- YOUR PHONE….I-I mean….Let me give you my ph-phone number! Th-then….m-maybe….If you need help, I could…..” She stopped seeing the phone they had been using. “Wh….where’d you get that phone!? It’s ANCIENT! It doesn’t even have texting. W-wait a second, please!”

 She took the phone from them and left to work on it. They waited for a moment, and it didn’t take her that long to return, giving all three Jedi new phones that also managed to be more familiar. “Here, I upgraded it for you! And gave each of you one!”

 “Thank you, Dr. Alphys, that’s very kind of you.”

 “I-it’s nothing! It can do texting, items, it’s got a key chain….I even signed each of you up for the underground’s number one social network! Now we’re officially friends!” She laughed nervously. Then there was a long awkward silence. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

 She ran away.

 The three shared a look.

 “Well, I guess we should go,” said Ahsoka.

  They left the lab, and ventured out into Hotland.

Chapter Text

Almost immediately they all got notifications on their phones. 

 Alphys had updated her status. It read: “just realized i didn’t watch undyne fight the jedi v.v”

They ignored the update and kept going. 

Alphys updated again: “well i know she’s unbeatable i’ll ask her abt it later ^.^”

 Anakin laughed a little, “she’s going to be disappointed.”

 “She’d be more disappointed if you had killed her,” Obi-Wan retorted.

 Anakin rolled his eyes.

 They kept going. There was another update. “for now i gotta call up the jedi and guide them =^.^=”

 Anakin was getting annoyed by these frequent updates, and had half the mind to turn his phone off. 

 They kept going and finally reached the next area. There were two conveyor belts. It was clear which one they had to use, as only one of them went forwards.

 They got on the conveyor belt, but while on it, a small volcano monster strolled in.

 “We have to fight on a conveyor?!” Anakin exclaimed. “Oh wait, that wouldn’t be the first time.”

 “Wait, when did you fight on a conveyor?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Remember Geonosis?”

 “Which time?”

 “Never mind. Let me just figure out what this monster is.”

 “Vulkin. Mistakenly believes its lava can heal people,” Chara replied. Then added, smirking at Anakin, “you should try hugging it.”

 “I am not hugging a volcano-”

 “Thunder helpful, speed up!” Vulkin said, happily.

 A thundercloud shot out of its top and began blasting lightning at the Jedi. They were barely able to dodge. 

 Ahsoka had heard half of Anakin’s conversation with Chara, and decided she would hug it. It hurt a little, but the Vulkin seemed happy.

 “Ahh…so…..LOVEY….”

 It attacked again and they were able to dodge. They then spared Vulkin and continued on their way.

 Just as they were about to get to the next area, Alphys updated her status. “gonna call them in a minute!!! =^.^=”

 Anakin shut off his phone, annoyed.

 They reached the next SAVE POINT without incident.

As Anakin reached out  Chara spoke: “The whooshing sound of steam and cogs….it fills you with determination.”

 “Once again, you’re right,” He grinned.

 The trio of Jedi moved on. 

 There was a vent with arrows on top and steam rising from it. There was a gap between the two spots of land. And it was clear the only way forwards was to jump on the vent. 

 Anakin went first, and it carried him over. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka followed.

 They continued on to the next vent, but the land it carried them to had two vents going in different ways. 

 “Well, which way do we go?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “We could call Papyrus and Undyne,” Ahsoka suggested.

 “Good idea, Snips,” Anakin replied.

 “When did you become friends with Undyne?”

 “When we burned her house down. Nothing brings friends closer than fire….and cooking according to Undyne. Which worked, to her credit.”  He was in fact the one who called Unyne and Papyrus. “Hey, we’re in a room with steam vents I think.”

 “Steam vents?” Undyne echoed. “I think Alphys told me about those. The CORE cools off by releasing steam through those…and at the same time, it doubles as transport!  Pretty cool, if you aren’t wearing a dress!”

 Undyne hung up before Anakin could ask another question.

 “Well, which way did she say we should go?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “Uhhhh, right,” he lied.

 They went right and followed the path down. 

 “This is not the right way,” Obi-Wan said.

 “Well she didn’t say which way to go Master, okay!?” He said exasperated, “She just mentioned a ‘Core’ cooling off through them.”

 “Okay, well there’s a frying pan over there, so I call dibs,” said Ahsoka, already using the vent to leap over to it. She grabbed the pan, and then used the conveyor belt to return to Obi-Wan and Anakin. “Okay, let’s go.”

 They continued on the vents returning to where they had been, and then took the other path - or they were about to - when Ahsoka and Obi-Wan’s phones went off with another update from Alphys. 

 They continued onwards and crossed the final vent. Right before they turned to the next area, Obi-Wan’s phone rang. Then whoever was calling - (Alphys he was guessing by the Undernet notifications-) hung up. 

 In the next area there was a laser blocking the path. It was orange. 

 They weren’t entirely sure how they could get past. As they approached however, Alphys called Obi-Wan again. This time she didn’t hang up. 

 “Uhh! H-hi, so, the blue lasers….Uhh! I mean, Alphys here! Hi! The blue lasers won’t hurt you if you don’t move!”

 “I’m sorry,  blue laser? The laser here is orange,” Obi-Wan told her.

 “I-I was getting there. O-orange lasers, um…y-you have to be moving, and they….um they won’t um… move through those ones!” There was an awkward pause. “Uhh, bye!” She hung up.

 “What did Alphys say?” Anakin asked.

 “We have to move through the orange lasers and the blue ones work the same as those glowing attacks.”

 “Ah, that’s convenient,” he replied.

They followed the instructions and got through unscathed. At the end was a switch. Anakin flicked it, turning off the lasers, making it easier to go back if needed. .

 The Jedi moved on into the next area. As they approached a three way crossroads of sorts made of the vents from earlier - (They were quickly realizing they would be all throughout Hotland-) Obi-Wan’s phone rang again. “A-A-Alphys here!!! The…the northern door will stay locked until you… S-solve the puzzles on the right and left! I….I think you should go to the right first!” She hung up.

 “What did she say?” Ahsoka asked.

 “We have to solve some puzzles, and to do the right one first.”

 “Puzzles?” Anakin grinned. “ Hopefully these ones are fun.”

 He crossed the vent.

 Anakin moved on into the room with the puzzle. There was a tooka head sitting in the corner. And a note on the ground. 

 “The door leading through the area is closed? So I tried the puzzle? But I kept running out of ammo, and it kept restarting? And my two co-workers won’t help? It’s like they don’t even wanna go to work?” The monster said, seeming confused.

 Anakin then checked the note. It explained how the puzzle worked, which is what he had hoped.

 Then he gave the puzzle a shot.  It was simple and he did it on the first try. “That was not that bad,” he told the tooka-monster.

 “Wow? You solved it? I’m impressed? You must be a total nerd?”

 “Rude.”

 He returned to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka. “That first puzzle was easy,” he told them. “Let’s go check out the second one.”

 However, there was a blue laser blocking the path to the puzzle. “Well, that’s a problem,” said Obi-Wan.

 His phone rang immediately after, and they were reminded that Alphys had been watching their whole journey as she replied: “N-not a problem! As the Royal Scientist, I h-have some tricks up my sleeve! I’ll h-hack into th-the Hotland laser database and take it out!” She hung up, and the moment she did the laser turned off. 

 There were two teenage monsters that had been trapped behind the laser. Ahsoka walked over to them. “We were hanging out when suddenly, a buncha puzzles reactivated out of nowhere. This is a huge problem…it rules! They’ve GOTTA cancel school over this!” One monster told her.

 Ahsoka laughed a little. Then she spoke with the other monster. 

 “Finally! Someone turned off that laser!  Now that we’re free we can…well, uh, I guess we’ll just keep standing here.”

 “Don’t want to go to school either?” She asked.

 “Nope,” she giggled.

 “Fair enough,” Ahsoka laughed.

 Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka went into the room with the next puzzle. 

 This puzzle was a lot more complicated than the one Anakin had solved earlier. Still, he decided to give it a shot. It took him a little longer, but he still was able to finish it on the first try. “These ones are kind of fun,” he said. “Papyrus should have taken inspiration from them.”

 They went back to the vent crossroad. They went north, and the door opened. They continued ahead.

 The pathway to continue was a path of vents. But before they reached the vents Obi-Wan’s phone rang, as Alphys called. “Uuuh, I think…umm… Hey! About the puzzles on the left and right…!”

 “Anakin has already solved them,” Obi-Wan said.

 “O-oh. Awesome!” She hung up.

 They started on the path. Obi-Wan ahead, Ahsoka behind him, and Anakin behind her.

 The path led them to a tiled room of sorts. They continued and it became pitch black. They kept walking and Alphys called again. “H-hey, it’s kind of dark in there, isn’t it? Don’t worry! I’ll hack into the light system and brighten it up!”

 The lights turned on. 

 They were in a kitchen. 

 “Oh no,” said Alphys.

 Suddenly, Mettaton in a chef hat appeared. 

 “OHHH YES!!! WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND’S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!!”

  A sign lit up above them. It read Cooking With A Killer Robot.

 “PREHEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE’VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE  FOR YOU TODAY! WE’RE GOING TO BE MAKING…A CAKE! MY LOVELY ASSISTANTS HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!!”

 He clapped and confetti fell on the Jedi.

 “WE’LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS,” Mettaton told them. “GO FOR IT SWEETHEARTS!”

 Each of them grabbed one of the mentioned ingredients, and placed them down on the counter by Mettaton.

 “PERFECT! GREAT JOB, BEAUTIES! WE’VE GOT ALL OF THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO MAKE THE CAKE! MILK…..SUGAR…..EGGS….OH MY! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET!! WE’RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!” His screen-face suddenly went fully red as he pulled out a vibrosaw. “A HUMAN SOUL!!”

 Anakin pulled out his lightsaber, and ignited it as Mettaton approached. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka pulled out their own lightsabers.

 Only for Mettaton’s phone to ring. 

 “HELLO…? I’M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE.”

 Alphys’s voice came from the phone, echoing in the studio - as if a part of the show itself. “W-wait  a second! Couldn’t you make a….couldn’t you use a….   Couldn’t you make a substitution in the recipe?!””

 “....A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT? …WHY?”

 “Because we don’t want to die?” suggested Anakin.

 “IRRELEVANT,” Mettaton replied.

 “We still haven’t talked in private yet?” Obi-Wan reminded him. 

 “....ONLY ONE HUMAN SOUL IS NEEDED.”

“Uuh, what if someone’s…..” Alphys paused, awkwardly, before making her suggestion. “Vegan?”

 “...VEGAN.”

“Uhh well I mea-”

 “THAT’S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!! ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE!! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE!”

 “What does a human SOUL even taste like?” Ahsoka asked.

 “LIKE A HUMAN SOUL! I HAPPEN TO HAVE A CAN JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!! WELL, DARLING? WHY DON’T YOU GO GET IT?”

 “Of course, darling,” Obi-Wan replied, winking. 

 He went to the can, and then the counter rose almost to the ceiling. 

 “BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN’T GET  TO THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE…WE’LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!! SO…BETTER START CLIMBING , BEAUTIFUL!!”

 Obi-Wan’s phone rang. He picked up. “Oh no!! There’s not enough time to climb up!” She paused. “F-f-fortunately, I might have a plan! When I was upgrading your phones, I added a few…features. You see that huge button that says…’JETPACK’?”

 “It’s kind of hard to miss.”

 “Watch this!”

 Obi-Wan’s phone suddenly turned into a jetpack.

 “There! You should have just enough fuel to reach the top! Now, get up there.”

 Obi-Wan began his ascent.

 Mettaton threw the ingredients from before, down at him to slow his flight, but he dodged a great many. 

 He did get hit by some of the milk, but it was hardly enough to stop him. He had reached the top with ten seconds to spare. 

 “MY MY. IT SEEMS YOU’VE BESTED ME. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS! OH, I LOATHE TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOUR FRIEND WITHOUT HER!! WELL, TOODLES!!” He flew off, and then came back right afterwards. “OH YES! ABOUT THE SUBSTITUTION…HAVEN’T YOU EVER SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I ALREADY BAKED THE CAKE AHEAD OF TIME!! SO FORGET IT!!”

 He flew away for real this time, and Obi-Wan descended down. Anakin and Ahsoka were waiting for him. His phone rang one more time. 

 “Wow! We…we did it!! We… we really did it!! Great job out there, team! W-well, uh, anyway, let’s keep heading forward!!” She hung up.

 “Great job Master,” Anakin told him.

 He smiled. “Let’s keep going.”

 In the next area there was another SAVE POINT. Anakin went to it.

  Chara spoke: “An ominous structure looms in the distance… you’re filled with determination.”

  Obi-Wan’s phone then rang. “S-see that building in the distance?” Alphys asked.

 “Yeah, what is that?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “That’s the CORE. The source of all power for the underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity by…Uhh, anyway, that’s where we’re going to go. In the CORE is an elevator directly to ASGORE’s castle. And from there…all of you can go home…or at least to the Surface. M-multiveresal travel is new to me.”

 Alphys hung up. 

 “We’re almost there,” said Obi-Wan. “We have to go to the CORE, and then we can reach the castle.”

 “But when we leave will we be back in our universe?” Ahsoka asked.

 “The future is uncertain, young one,” Obi-Wan sighed.

 “But we’ll find our way,” Anakin said. “We have to.” He was filled with DETERMINATION. 

 The three Jedi continued on

They had used an elevator to continue their ascent to the surface. Once outside of it, there was a small fire monster. Ahsoka approached him. 

 “Heh. I’m Heats Flamesman. Remember my name!” He told them.

 “I will,” Ahsoka replied.

 They moved on. Sans was there at his sentry station which still somehow managed to have snow. There were two monsters that had some turbo dogs. The three of them walked up to Sans. 

 “hey buckos, what’s up? wanna buy some hot dogs?” He asked them.

 “Yeah I would love some!” Said Ahsoka.

 “I wouldn’t mind,” said Obi-Wan.

 “I’m good,” said Anakin, he didn’t trust anything given out by Sans.

 “well they’re only 30G each,” he told them.

 “Great,” said Ahsoka.  She handed him the gold.

 “thanks kid. here’s your ‘dog. yeah, ‘dog. apostrophe-dog . it’s short for hot-dog.”

Obi-Wan also bought a hot dog.

 “here’s your h’dog, kenobi. whoops, i’m actually out of hot dogs. here, you can have a hot cat instead.” He looked at Anakin, “sure you don’t want anything, skywalker?”

 “I’m good,” he said, taking a step back.

 “alright,” he shrugged. “but uh, i recommend taking some for the road. i got a special deal, buy one for the price of three and get two absolutely free.”

 “That’s just buying three,” said Anakin.

 “from a certain point of view.” He grinned at Obi-Wan. 

 “Alright, we’ll get them,” He replied. He handed over the gold.

 “here you go,” Sans replied. He gave them the ‘dogs.

    “you know what, have an extra one skywalker.” He placed the hot dog on his head.

 “Wha-” Anakin began.

 “you want another one? sure.” Sans did it again.

 “Wait no,” said Anakin.

 “another one? here, have fun.”

 “No!”

 It was too late. Sans was stacking hot dogs on Anakin’s head. Far past the point either of them could reach. The stack of hot dogs almost reached the ceiling. 

 ‘i’ll be ‘frank’ with you. as much as i like putting hot dogs on your head….thirty is just an excessive number. twenty-nine , now that’s fine, but thirty…does it look like my arms can reach that high?”

 “I DIDN’T EVEN WANT ONE!” Anakin cried.

 “welp, too bad ,” said Sans. “in fact…”

 “No-”

Sans put a hot cat on his head.

 The moment  Anakin walked away a tidal wave of hot dogs crashed down behind him, covering Sans.  The skeleton laughed buried underneath all of his sausage. 

 Anakin was fuming as he stormed out of the room. 

 All of the sudden a flaming torch monster bounded towards him.

 “Are you kidding me?!” He groaned. “What even is it this time?!”

 “Pyrope, this mischievous monster is never warm enough,” Chara told him.

 “It’s on fire!” Anakin exclaimed.

 “Is it cold in here?” Pyrope asked.

 “No!” Yelled Anakin, as he had to dodge the bombs that it threw at him.

 He pulled out his lightsaber, not willing to deal with this monster today. 

 However, this heated up the Pyrope. 

 “Hot! Hot! HOTTER! HOTTER!” It exclaimed excitedly.

 Anakin had to dodge more bombs, but he had plenty of experience with that. He smirked. “Oh, so you want more, huh?’ He asked. 

 He swung his lightsaber at the monster, but made sure not to hit it.

 It looked satisfied with this. In spite of that it threw more bombs.

 Anakin dodged them quite well, but one blew up a little too close to him, and some of the debris sliced his cheek very slightly. 

 Afterwards he was able to spare Pyrope and move on.

 Obi-Wan and Ahsoka rushed over to him. “Are you alright?!” Ahsoka asked.

 “Yeah, I just met a new kind of monster,” he replied. “Now come on, let’s keep going.” 

 There was a path downwards and the Jedi decided to see what was there. 

 It was only a lone apron, but Ahsoka picked it up and equipped it, so it could match the frying pan she found earlier. 

  On the path ahead were two conveyor belts. Again it was obvious which one they needed to go on, as it was the only way forward. 

 However there were some switches on it that they needed to press while on the conveyor belt. 

 As they approached the conveyor, Obi-Wan’s phone rang. “H…hi..! It’s Dr. Alphys. This p-puzzle is kinda…um… timing-based. Y-you see those switches over there?”

 “Yes, we do.”

 “G-great! So y-you’ll have to press all three of them within three seconds. I’ll try to help you with the rhythm.” She hung up.

 Obi-Wan went on the conveyor belt. He pressed two of the switches before Alphys called him again and stopped him from pressing the last one. “Ok! Now press the third switch!!” There was a pause as she realized he couldn’t press it anymore. 

 The field stopping them from going on was suddenly deactivated.

 “H-h-hey! Looks like you!! Only needed to press! Two of them!!!” She hung up.

 Anakin and Ahsoka followed Obi-Wan and they continued on. 

 There was another puzzle in the next room. A labyrinth of steam vents and buttons. Obi-Wan turned, “well, Anakin, may the Force be with you.”

 “Why are you looking at me?”

 “You’re the one who likes puzzles.”

 “This isn’t a puzzle, this is a death trap!”

 “Have fun.”

 Anakin sighed heavily, as he marched towards the puzzle to begin, however his phone rang, as Alphys called him just before he could start the puzzle. 

 “Uh, h-h-hey! I’m going to the bathroom, so I’ll be MIA for a bit. I’m….I’m sure you can handle this puzzle yourself!”

 “Thanks doctor,” he muttered through gritted teeth as she hung up.

 It took Anakin several tries to figure out the puzzle, eventually though he managed to cross it. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka just used the Force to jump over to the other side. Anakin glared at them. 

 Obi-Wan chuckled.

 They moved on to the next room. There was another SAVE POINT. Anakin went over to it and SAVEd. He realized there was a mouse hole. “Oh…oh no-”

 Chara appeared laughing. “Knowing the mo-”
“NO!” Anakin screamed.

 “Knowing the mouse-”

 “DON’T-”

“Knowing the mouse might-”

 “NO!”

 “Knowing the mouse might one day-”

Anakin sighed.

 “Knowing the mouse might one day hack the computerized safe and get the cheese…it fills you with determination.” 

“Why are you like this?”

 “Why don’t you like mice?”

He sighed heavily. “Let’s just go.”

 The Jedi went on ahead. A voice called out:

 “Hey! You! Stop!”

 Two armored monsters approached the Jedi. 

 “We’ve, like, received an anonymous tip about two humans who are wearing armor. They told us they were wandering around Hotland right now…I know, sounds scary, huh?”

 “They’re probably not that bad,” Obi-Wan said.

 “Well, we still need to bring you someplace safe, okay?”

 “We don’t need that.”

 “Still, come with us!”

  Reluctantly, seeing as they had no choice, the Jedi followed the two royal guardsmen. 

 They suddenly stopped. “...huh? What is it, bro?” One of the guards asked the other, after he had whispered something. “The armor they’re wearing? ….like, what about it?” Both of the monsters looked at them. “Bro…Are you thinkin….What I’m thinkin? Bummer. This is, like…..Mega embarrassing. We, like, actually totally have to kill you and stuff.”

 Their SOULs emerged from their bodies. Anakin was beyond frustrated. “It took you that long to notice!”

 “It’s kind of hard to see out of these helmets….”

 He sighed, “alright, Chara, what do we know about them?”

 “RG 01 is a royal guard member with shiny, polished armor while RG 02 has stuffy armor.” 

 “Like team attack,” said RG 01.

 “...team attack,” RG 02 repeated quietly. 

 Small blades flew towards the Jedi, nicking Ahsoka’s lekku slightly.

 “Are you saying we have to clean 02's armor?” Anakin asked, exasperated.

 “I didn’t say that,” said Chara.

 “But he looks uncomfortable,” said Obi-Wan. “I’ll clean it.” He walked over to 02 and tried to clean his armor.

 01 sent energy projectiles at him, but he avoided them.

 “....can’t….take it…” said 02. “....armor….too….HOT!!!”  he took off his chestplate, revealing his scales. “....much better.”

 01 seemed to be panicking. Ahsoka noticed this. “Hey, do you have something you want to tell 02?” She asked him. “Be honest with your feelings.”

 “I…….I….”

 There was another attack, but they barely did anything.

 01 looked over to 02. “D-dude….I can’t….I can’t take this anymore! Not like this! Like, 02! I like….I like LIKE you, bro! The way you fight….the way you talk….I love doing team attacks with you. I love standing here with you, bouncing and moving our weapons in sync….02…..I, like, want to stay like this forever….”

 There was a long silence. 

 “Uh…I mean, uh….psyche! Gotcha bro!! Haha!” 01 laughed, panicking. 

 “...01”

 “Y-yeah, bro??”

 “...do you want to….get some ice cream….after this?”

 “Sure, dude! Haha!”

 They were smiling at each other. The Jedi spared them. 

 “That was sweet,” said Ahsoka.

 “They tried to kill us!” Anakin exclaimed.

 “They were also in love,” Obi-Wan remarked.

 “That doesn’t change that they tried to kill us??”

 “I know that,” he replied. 

 The Jedi went on until they entered another pitch black room.  They went forwards despite the darkness, 

 Obi-Wan’s phone rang . “Okay, I’m back!” Alphys announced.

 “Good timing, we can’t see anything here,” replied Obi-Wan.

 “O-oh! A-another dark room, huh? Don’t worry! M-my hacking skills have got things covered!”

  The lights turned on. There was a miniature version of Mettaton holding a camera in front of the Jedi.

 “Are you serious?” Alphys and Anakin asked together.

 “OHHH YESSS!!” Mettaton exclaimed, his voice echoing through the cavern. “GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS! AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND!”

 Anakin crossed his arms and looked at the camera (presuming that he would be looking at Mettaton), “What situation?” He demanded.

 “THAT’S WHY YOU’RE OUT THERE MY LOVELY CORRESPONDENTS! TO FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!!”

 There was very little to choose from. Obi-Wan noticed a script for something coming in Mettaton’s shows, so he picked it up. “What about this?” He asked.

 “OH NO! THAT MOVIE SCRIPT!! HOW’D THAT GET THERE???? IT’S A SUPER-JUICY SNEAK PREVIEW OF MY LATEST GUARANTEED-NOT-TO-BOMB FILM: METTATON THE MOVIE TWENTY-SEVEN…..STARRING METTATON! I’VE HEARD THAT LIKE THE OTHER FILMS….IT CONSISTS MOSTLY OF A SINGLE FOUR-HOUR SHOT OF ROSE PETALS SHOWERING ON MY RECLINING BODY. YOU MIGHT ENJOY THAT, KENOBI! OOH! BUT THAT’S NOT CONFIRMED! YOU WOULDN’T SPOIL MY MOVIE FOR EVERYONE WITH A PROMOTIONAL STORY, WOULD YOU?”

 “I would!” shouted Anakin, snatching the script from Obi-Wan’s hands. 

  “ATTENTION, VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENTS HAVE FOUND…..A MOVIE  SCRIPT! OH MY! AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S FOR MY LATEST FILM! LET’S NOT KEEP THEM WAITING! LET’S OPEN IT UP AND GET THE SCOOP!” 

 Anakin opened the script, inside was a bomb. 

 “OH??? WHAT’S THAT INSIDE THE SCRIPT?”

 “Are you blind?! It’s a bomb!” Anakin shouted. 

 “OH MY! LOOKS LIKE I WAS WRONG ABOUT THE MOVIE! WE DEFINITELY HAVE A BOX OFFICE BOMB ON OUR HANDS! AND IT’S ABOUT TO BLAST YOU TO BITS! BUT DON’T GET TOO EXCITED!”

 “Don’t worry I won’t!”

 “YOU HAVEN’T EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!”

 A false wall that had been in front of them suddenly shattered, revealing the droid. 

 “OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG’S A BOMB! THE BASKETBALL’S A BOMB! EVEN THE CAMERA IS!” With that the miniature Mettaton exploded. “BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS….IF YOU DON’T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS….THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON’T BE REPORTING ‘LIVE’ ANY LONGER! HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS! GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS!”

 Mettaton flew away.

 Obi-Wan’s phone rang again. “D-don’t worry! I installed a bomb-defusing program on your phones! Use the ‘defuse’ option when the bomb is in the defuse zone! N-now, go get ‘em!”

 The three Jedi split up in order to defuse the bombs in more time. It was stressful, as they ran about the area to get all of them. They managed to defuse them with twenty seconds to spare. All of them let out a sigh of relief.

 Mettaton appeared again. “WELL DONE, DARLINGS! YOU’VE DEACTIVATED ALL OF THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN’T DEACTIVATE THEM THE BIG BOMB WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES. NOW IT WON’T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES! INSTEAD IT WILL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS!”

 “Oh come on!” Anakin shouted, activating his lightsaber. 

 “GOODBYE, DARLINGS!”

 “No, you’re not getting away!” 

 He ran at Mettaton. 

 He dodged the attack, by simply moving slightly. 

 Anakin face planted.

 The bomb didn’t explode.

“AH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN’T GOING OFF.”

 “That’s b-because!!” Alphys began. “While you were monologuing….I….!!! I f…fix….Um….I ch-change……”

 “OH NO. YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS.”

 “Yeah! That’s what I did!”

 “CURSES! IT SEEMS I’VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN! CURSE YOU, JEDI! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS, FOR HELPING SO MUCH! BUT I DON’T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN!! UNTIL NEXT TIME DARLINGS!”

“W-wow….w-we really showed him, huh?” Asked Alphys.

 “Yeah, I guess we did,” said Anakin sarcastically. 

 She paused. “H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first….especially considering you’re Jedi…..But I really think I’m getting more…..uh more…..M-more confident about guiding you! S-so don’t worry about that b-big d-dumb droid…”

 “Who said we’re worried, he's just another clanker,” said Anakin. 

 “Y-yeah you’re right! But still! I-I’ll protect you from him!”

 “We’ve dealt with plenty of droids like him before,” said Obi-Wan. 

 “N-not exactly like Mettaton. He’s….special….” She hung up the phone. 

 They continued onwards, once again seeing the CORE loom in the distance. They were almost home. 

 The next area had another elevator they went up, further to the top. 

 They passed another bake-sale, unable to afford the prices, and in the next room was another steam vent maze.

 “Hi, Alphys here! This room is like the room we saw before. There are two puzzles to the north and south. You’ll have to solve them both to proceed!” She paused. “A-also…I’d like to say! I don’t really…like giving away puzzle solutions. But if you need help, just call me, ok? Actually, wait, I have an idea! Let’s be friends on UnderNet!”

 “We already are, Doctor,” said Obi-Wan.

 “O-oh. Th-that’s right, I signed you three up, didn’t I? You’ve been reading my posts the whole time…Well! I hope! You agree with me! About Mew Mew 2!” She hung up.

 “Well, more puzzles, that’s what I like,” Anakin said.

 He went to the north puzzle first, but was stopped by a vulkin and a shuttle-looking monster with a bonnet on its head. 

 “What is that ship monster?” Anakin asked Chara.

 “That’s not a ship, that’s an airplane! It’s Tsunderplane, seems mean but does it secretly like you?”

 “I have a wife.”

 The two of them attacked Anakin but he managed to avoid getting hit. 

 Remembering how Ahsoka defeated the vulkin from before, he gave it a hug. 

 It burned. 

 There was another attack that he managed to avoid. Afterwards he spared the vulkin leaving just tsunderplane.

 The tsunderplane dropped bombs on him, and he got caught up in the debris of one of the explosions. Still, afterwards he approached the monster.

 It began to blush. He got closer. Then was able to spare it.

 He went to the puzzle. 

 It was like before, although more complicated. He enjoyed the challenge, and was still able to beat it on his first try. 

 Afterwards, he reluctantly ate the hot cat that Sans had given him.

 Then he moved onwards to solve the puzzle in the south. 

 Alphys called him right as he was about to get to the puzzle. “Hey! This um, doesn’t have anything to do with guiding you…but….” She paused awkwardly. “Uh, hey, would you want to watch a human TV show together??? Sometime???? It’s called, um, M…Mew Mew Kissy Cutie….”

 “....No.”

 “Um! Well! That’s okay! Just thought I’d ask!! B-but I think you’d really like it!! If you gave it a chance!”

 She hung up and Anakin reached the puzzle and solved it without issue. 

 He met back up with Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, “well the puzzles are solved, let’s get going.”

 In the next room there was a SAVE POINT. Anakin gladly went towards it, it had been some time since the last one. 

 Chara’s voice echoed. “The smell of cobwebs fills the air…..You’re filled with determination.”

  There was a structure ahead, they went inside. 

 Cobwebs were everywhere. 

 There was laughter from above. 

 “Did you hear what they just said?” A voice whispered.

 “They said some humans and a strange monster would come through.”

 “I heard that they hate spiders.”

 “I heard that they love to stomp on them.”

 “I heard that they like to tear their legs off.”

 They were being slowed by the webs. 

 They couldn’t even move anymore, not that well anyways.

 “I heard….” The spider lady from the earlier bake-sale appeared in front of them. “...that they’re awfully stingy with their money.” She laughed. “You think your taste is too refined for our pastries, don’t you, dearies? Ahuhuhu…I disagree with that notion. I think your taste…..is exactly what this next batch needs!” 

 Their SOULs appeared in front of them. The woman had trapped them.

 “Who is this?” Anakin whispered to Chara.

 “Muffet, if she invites you to her parlor, excuse yourself.”

 “Don’t look so blue my dearies,” Muffet told them.  

 She poured some tea directly on their SOULs. The colors changed, and they got stuck on some strange web. “I think purple is a better look on you!” She laughed.

 They struggled against the web, as they did Muffet giggled. “Why so pale? You should be proud.”

 “Proud of what?” Anakin demanded.

 “Proud that you’re going to make a delicious cake.” She giggled.

 Spiders crawled towards them, they could only struggle to avoid them. 

 One spider bit Obi-Wan, but he barely felt its fangs. 

 “I do believe this could all be a misunderstanding, if you could kindly let me and my friends go, that would be much appreciated,” Obi-Wan told her.

 “Let you go? Don’t be silly.”

 More spiders crawled towards them, and they could only wiggle around in the webs to avoid being bitten. 

 “Your SOULs are going to make every spider very happy,” she explained. 

 Anakin got bit by one of the spiders, unable to dodge with such limited movement. 

 “Oh, how rude of me! I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet. It’s breakfast time, isn’t it? Have fun, you four.”

 The ground opened with a roar as a massive spider dressed in a cupcake wrapper climbed from beneath them. 

 The webs formed almost a ladder as the three Jedi frantically crawled up to avoid being consumed.

 “The person who warned us about you…” Muffet went on. 

 Anakin got hit with a stale donut to the head. 

 “Offered us a LOT of money for your SOULs.”

 They struggled in the web.

 “They had such a sweet smile and…” she giggled.

 A stale donut collided with Ahsoka’s back lekku. 

 They struggled again.

 “It’s strange but I saw them in the shadows…..changing shape?”

 Another struggle.

 “Oh, it’s lunch time, isn’t it? And I forgot to feed my pet.”

 The spiders must’ve been venomous as Anakin’s vision began to fade, and then he awoke at the star.

 “I died…again?” He groaned.

 “And came back,” Ahsoka reminded him. 

 “Yeah, we need more food, that will heal us,” he said. 

 “What even happened to all our hot dogs from Sans, anyways?” Obi-Wan asked.

 Anakin shrugged, “I don’t know, but I’ll go get us some more. Wait here.”

 After awhile he returned to the SAVE POINT with his newly acquired healing items. He also SAVEd just to make sure he wouldn’t have to make that journey twice.

 “Well, are we ready to fight that spider again?”

 “As much as we can be,” said Obi-Wan.

 Knowing the attacks made the second time around easier. 

 Obi-Wan had a hot dog as he had been bitten by the spiders one too many times. 

 “Oh, it’s lunch time, isn’t it?” Muffet asked. “And I forgot to feed my pet.”

 More spiders. 

 Then the ground opened. 

 They crawled and climbed as the massive spider chased from below and smaller ones fell from above.

  Anakin kept getting bit, and had a hot dog to heal when the attack was done. 

 “With that money the spider clans can finally be reunited,” Muffet told them.

 More struggling. She giggled. “You haven’t heard? Spiders have been trapped in the RUINS for generations!”

 Anakin got smacked with a stale bagel. 

 He struggled in the web.

 Muffet clapped, enjoying his suffering. “Even if they go under the door, Snowdin’s fatal cold is impassable alone.”

 More struggling.

 “But with the money from your SOULs, we’ll be able to rent them a heated limo.”

  A spider bit Ahsoka. She had a hot dog to heal.

 “And with all the leftovers…? We could have a nice vacation. Or even build a spider baseball field.”

 A stale bagel hit Obi-Wan in the mouth, almost cracking a tooth. 

 “But enough of that….it’s time for dinner, isn’t it?” Muffet laughed. 

 They survived another round of her pet. 

 She was surprised. “You’re all still alive?” She giggled. “Oh, my pet. Looks like it’s time for dessert.”

 A small spider approached Muffet with a sheet of paper. 

 “Huh? What’s this? A telegram from the spiders in the RUINS? What? They’re saying that they saw you, and….even if you are stingy, you never hurt a single spider! Oh my, this has been a big misunderstanding.”

 “I tried to tell you,” said Obi-Wan.

 “I have no memory of that,” She replied. “Either way, the person who asked for those SOULs, they must have meant a different group. Sorry for all of the trouble. I’ll make it up to you. You can come back here any time….and for no charge at all…I’ll wrap you up and let you play with my pet again!”

 “We’re good, thanks,” Anakin replied through gritted teeth. 

  “Just kidding. I’ll spare you now!” She laughed as their SOULs returned. “That was fun! See you again, dearies.”

 They moved on, glad to be done with Muffet’s fight. 

 In the next room there was a poster for Mettaton’s latest stage performance. A tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, kept apart by the tides of fate…

 “It looks like it’s almost time for the performance,” Obi-Wan noted.

 “Yeah, strange though, his latest shows tend to include us,” said Anakin. Then he paused and stared at Obi-Wan in horror. “No…”

 “What?” He asked.

Anakin said nothing. Ahsoka was also staring at Obi-Wan with the same shaken expression.

 “Guys?”

“You’re on your own with this one, Master,” said Anakin. 

 “Um…okay?” Obi-Wan said, completely confused by their reaction.

 Obi-Wan entered the set. It was a dark night, with a castle, and vines adorning it.

  He walked on ahead, approaching the stairs of the castle. 

 “OH? THAT HUMAN…..” Mettaton’s voice crooned. “COULD IT BE…?” He revealed himself to be by the top of the staircase in a sparkling blue ballgown. “MY ONE TRUE LOVE?”

 Obi-Wan realized what was going on. At first he was shocked, but then his face twisted into a smug expression. 

 Very well then, he could play along. 

 Music began to play and Mettaton descended down the stairs. 

 Obi-Wan bowed as he reached the bottom. 

 Mettaton began to sing. “Oh my love, please run away.”

 As he danced, Obi-Wan joined, playing along for the theatrics. 

 “Monster King  forbids your stay….humans must live far apart, even if it breaks my heart.”

 The Jedi went along with the story, not interrupting the song, but acting along with the lyrics, and dancing alongside Mettaton.

 Pink rose petals began to fall to the ground.

 “They’ll put you in the dungeon…….it’ll suck, and then you’ll die a lot. Really sad, you’re gonna die….cry, cry, cry, so sad it’s happening.”

 “SO SAD. SO SAD THAT YOU ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON. SAY HI TO YOUR FRIENDS FOR ME.” Mettaton, pulled out a remote and pressed a button. 

 A trap door opened up underneath Obi-Wan and he fell into a pit below, where Anakin and Ahsoka already were.

 “OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO? MY LOVE HAS BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOUR WILL SURELY PERISH! 

 “O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE! EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION.  FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL….

 “ACTUALLY, WAIT A SECOND. DIDN’T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE BACK IN SNOWDIN?”

 “Yeah, and weren’t you the machine that turned it on?” Anakin asked.

 “DOES IT MATTER?” Mettaton asked, dramatically. “MY LOVE IS TRAPPED DOWN HERE WITH IT! AND HE HAS TO HURRY, BECAUSE IF HE DOESN’T GET THROUGH IN THIRTY SECONDS….HE’LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE!!”

 “Well, that certainly isn’t good,” Obi-Wan commented.

 Mettaton laughed. “MY POOR LOVE! I’M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN’T STOP LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, DARLING!”

 “I don’t believe in luck, my dear, but thank you anyways,” Obi-Wan replied.

 He traversed the maze, but struggled at times, and was unable to reach its end. Mettaton sang all the while until the timer ticked to zero.

 “OOOOH, I’M SO SORRY! LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE OUT OF TIME!! HERE COME THE FLAMES, DARLING! THEY’RE CLOSING IN! GETTING! CLOSER! OH MY! ANY MINUTE NOW!”

 The fire never fully closed in. 

 It just stopped right at either side of the Jedi Master. Yet it didn’t burn, almost as if it was an illusion.

 The phone rang. 

 “Watch out! I’ll save you!” Cried Alphys. “I’m hacking into the firewall right now!”

 The fire disappeared. Anakin and Ahsoka rushed to Obi-Wan.

 “OH NO! HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED? FOILED AGAIN BY THE BRILLIANT DOCTOR ALPHYS!!”

 “That’s right! Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You’ll never be able to defeat us..Not as long as we work together! Your puzzle’s over..Now go home and leave us alone!”

 “PUZZLE? OVER? ALPHYS, DARLING, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT…? DID YOU FORGET WHAT THE GREEN TILES DO? THEY MAKE A SOUND, THEN YOU HAVE TO FIGHT A MONSTER. WELL, DARLING….THAT MONSTER…….IS ME!!!”

 Mettaton descended down, casting aside his dress.

 Anakin ignited his lightsaber and tried to stab him. It had no effect, whatever metal he was made of was like beskar.

 “THIS IS IT, DARLINGS! SAY GOODBYE!”

 Obi-Wan’s phone was ringing.

 “OH IS THAT YOUR PHONE KENOBI? YOU BETTER ANSWER IT!”

 He did.

Alphys’s voice rang out. “H-hey!! This seems bad, but don’t worry! Th-there’s one last thing I installed on your phones..! You see that yellow button…? Press it!”

 They did what she had said. It seemed that their phones were resonating with Mettaton’s presence. 

 “OH!! THAT YELLOW GLOW!”

 Their SOULs turned yellow, and Anakin and Obi-Wan’s flipped around, pointing at the droid.

 “Now focus!” Alphys called.

 When they did, they were able to shoot at him.

 “OOOH! OOOOOH! YOU’VE DEFEATED ME!! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ETC. WHATEVER.” He rolled off. 

 “L-looks like you beat him!” Alphys said.  “Y-you did a really great job out there.”

 “Thanks to you,” said Ahsoka.

 “What? Oh no, I mean….you’re the ones doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phones.”

 “Including compressing jetpacks into them, somehow,” added Anakin.

 There was an awkward pause. “....Umm, h-hey, this might sound strange, but… c-can I tell you something?”

 “Sure, Alphys,” said Obi-Wan.

 There was a small silence. “B-before I met you, I d-didn’t really…..I didn’t really like myself very much. For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn’t do a-anything w-without….W-without ending up letting everyone down. 

 “B-but…! Guiding you has made me feel…..A lot better about myself. So….thanks for letting me help you. Uhhh, anyway, we’re almost to the CORE. It’s just past MTT Resort. 

 “Come on! Let’s finish this.”

Chapter Text

 To the surprise of all three Jedi, Sans was just outside of MTT Resort, seeming to be waiting for them. “hey. i heard you’re going to the core,” He greeted them. “how about grabbing some dinner with me first?”

 “I don’t see why not,” said Obi-Wan. “It has been a long day.”

 “great, thanks for treating me. over here. i know a shortcut.”

 “Teleportation,” Anakin muttered as they suddenly appeared inside the restaurant.

 “well, here we are,” He said. “so. your journey’s almost over, huh? at least here, i mean.”

 “So you’ve known about us being from another universe, too?” Anakin demanded.

 “look pal, i didn’t think it mattered. you want to get home the same as anyone else, who cares if it’s in another galaxy instead of just outside the barrier.” 

 “I do! This is a different universe, and apparently you know our stories!”

 “that’s true, i’ll give you that, skywalker. but in the end, i know how you feel. though….maybe sometimes it’s better to take what’s given to you. down here you’ve already got food, drink, friends…..is what you have to do…..really worth it?”

 “Of course it’s worth it, if you know anything about us, then you know we need to get back to The Clone Wars, the galaxy depends on us.”

 “you’re not thinking of the galaxy, there’s only one person on your mind. besides, have you ever considered what would happen if you did return?”

 “What are you implying? I know I become a Sith but-”

“do you know how?” Sans asked, his eyesockets darkening. “maybe it’s better for everyone if you stay down here. especially for her.”

 Anakin glared daggers at him. “You don’t know me.”

 “heh, i know you too well, pal. don’t you think you’ve done enough?”

 “Of course I haven’t, we’re not out of here yet.”

 “i wasn’t talking about here, you know.” He paused, going quiet in thought. “ah, forget it. you’re the type who doesn’t give up for better or worse.”

 “hey. let me tell you a story. so i’m a sentry in snowdin forest, right? i sit out there and watch for humans. it’s kind of boring. fortunately, deep in the forest….there’s this HUGE locked door. and it’s perfect for practicing knock knock jokes. so one day, i’m knocking ‘em out, like usual. 

 “i knock on the door and say ‘knock knock.’

 “and suddenly from the other side….i hear a woman’s voice.

“‘who is there?’

“so, naturally, i respond:

“‘dishes.’

“‘dishes who?’

“‘dishes a very bad joke.’

 “then she just howls with laughter. like it’s the best joke she’s heard in a hundred years. so i keep ‘em coming, and she keeps laughing. she’s the best audience i’ve ever had. then after a dozen of them SHE knocks and says…

“‘knock knock!’

 “i say ‘who's there?’

 “‘old lady!’

 “‘old lady who?’

 “‘oh! I did not know you could yodel!’

 “wow. needless to say this woman was extremely good. we kept telling each other jokes for hours. eventually, i had to leave. papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story. 

 “but she told me to come by again, and so i did. then i did again. and again. it’s a thing now. telling bad jokes through the door. it rules.”

 There was another long pause. Sans seemed to be thinking of something else for a moment.

  He continued his story: “one day, though, i noticed she wasn’t laughing very much. i asked her what was up. then she told me something strange.

 “‘if a human ever comes through this door…could you please, please, promise something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?’

 “now, i hate making promises. and this woman, i don’t even know her name. but…someone who sincerely likes bad jokes…has an integrity you can’t say ‘no’ to.”

 A silence fell across the table.

  Sans looked directly at Anakin, “do you get what i’m saying? that promise i made to her…you know what would have happened if she hadn’t said anything? ….buddy.”

 His eyesockets became empty, as if there had been no light in them at all. The voids seemed to pierce through Anakin’s very SOUL, “You’d be dead where you stand.” 

 Anakin pulled out his lightsaber and ignited the blade, pointing it at the skeleton’s neck.

 His expression didn’t change at the threat, instead he just snapped his fingers and suddenly Anakin’s lightsaber had been turned off. 

 He was also forced back into his seat. 

 Then the lights returned. “woah, lighten up, bucko! i’m just joking with you.”

 “That wasn’t very funny,” Anakin growled.

 “eh, everyone’s a critic. besides, i couldn’t beat you if i tried. though with how little i try, hell if i know. and haven’t i done a great job protecting you? i mean, look at yourselves. you haven’t died a single time.”

 He was scowling.

 “hey, what’s that look supposed to mean? am i wrong…?”

 “Well….one could say that,” said Obi-Wan.

 “heh,” Sans chuckled.  “you are the one to bring the bad news, aren’t you, kenobi? but you’ve got better, so really, is it that bad if you died a few times?”

 “I would have preferred if we hadn't died at all,” he replied.

 “I’m the one who’s died,” Anakin grumbled. “You two just got sent back with me.”

 Sans shrugged half-heartedly. “well, that’s all. have a good night, and take care of yourselves. ‘cause someone really cares about you.” 

 He left the restaurant, leaving the Jedi alone at the table.  

 “Well, since we’re at a resort, I think we should get a room for tonight,” said Obi-Wan. “I don’t think we’ve had any sleep since Snowdin.”

 “What about when Undyne knocked us out by collapsing the bridge?” joked Ahsoka.

 “I don’t think that one counts, Snips,” said Anakin.

 She chuckled. Then yawned. “But yeah, having a room again would be nice.”

 “Let’s just hope the rooms don’t cost too much.”

 They left the restaurant into the resort. There was a SAVE POINT in front of a Mettaton water fountain. Anakin SAVEd. 

 “The relaxing atmosphere of this hotel…it fills you with determination,” Chara told him.

 The counter was being run by a monster whose head was a hand. 

 “Hello,” Obi-Wan greeted them.

 “Yes, we know. The elevator to the city is NOT working. Because of this incident, rooms are running at a special rate! It’s 200G a room. Interested?”

 “Yes, we are, we’re exhausted,” said Obi-Wan, passing over the required gold. 

 “Fabulous! We’ll escort you to your room!”

  It was a massive room with only one bed. It took up most of the space, but there was only one pillow. Everything in the room was Mettaton themed, which made sense as it was his resort.

 Anakin took off his prosthetic arm, and the three Jedi got settled in to get some rest for the night.

 They woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. They got ready for the day.

 “Well, it looks like we might meet the king today,” said Obi-Wan.

 “I just hope we don’t have to fight him,” said Ahsoka. 

 “If he’s the reason we’re down here, I won’t hesitate,” Anakin replied.

 “He’s just trying to do what’s best for his people,” Obi-Wan reminded him.

 “And we’re trying to get back to our galaxy to save it,” He retorted.

 “Well, we’re not there yet,” Ahsoka interjected. “We just need to see how this will go.”

 “Are we ready?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “I don’t know if we can be.”

Chapter Text

The path to the CORE was dim. Light only coming from the back of the hotel and a slight red mechanical glow. The entrance was illuminated by a deep blue. 

 Two monsters hidden in shadow ran ahead of them into the building.

 Suddenly, Obi-Wan’s phone rang. “Huh? Who are they?” Alphys asked. “N-nobody else is s-supposed to be here…Oh well! We can’t worry about that now!” She hung up. 

 The three of them exchanged a glance. Then they followed the path into the CORE.

 The elevator was directly in front of them. 

 All they had to do was enter, and they would arrive at the castle.

 They would meet the king. They would go home. They were almost there. 

  Obi-Wan’s phone rang again. “Ready? This is it! Take the elevator up to the top of the CORE!”

 “Well, Masters, let’s go home,” said Ahsoka. 

 They approached the elevator, but for some reason it seemed to be out of service. 

 “Are you kidding me?!” Anakin shouted. He punched the door with his right hand, causing a dent to be formed in the metal.

 “What? The elevator should be working…” Alphys exclaimed. 

 “Well it isn’t,” he remarked.

 “W-well then! Go to the right and keep heading up!”

 They followed her directions, going through the door into the room. 

Except it was empty and dark save for a pit of fire. 

 “Alright, now just keep heading up!” Alphys told them.

 “Into the fire?! Are you trying to get us killed?” Anakin yelled at her.

 “W-what? That pit….isn’t on my map. Forget it! Let’s try the left side!”

 “Well that’s the only other option.”

 They exited the room with the fire, and went through the left door. 

 “Okay, you should be able to make it through here…” Alphys said. “W-watch out!”

 Suddenly they were ambushed by a wizard monster of sorts. 

 By now, Chara knew the routine. “This is Madjick, this magical mercenary only says magic words.”

 “Hocus pocus,” Madjick said.

One of the orbs beside it started flying towards the Jedi, but they were easily able to avoid its attack.

 Obi-Wan cleared his mind to focus, and allowed the Force to guide him through the battle, as it did in every battle. 

 “Alakazam!”

 The other orb seemed to zip around the corners of the room, firing energy beams at the Jedi. One of the beams barely scraped Ahsoka’s right side. 

 Anakin glared at the monster and its orbs. 

 The orb that had hurt Ahsoka seemed to freeze.

 “Tinkle tinkle hoy.”

 The corner orb attacked again, but Anakin was able to avoid it with ease. 

 Realizing what to do, Ahsoka shot a glare at the chaser orb. 

 “Hocus pocus.”

 The orb split into three chasing after her, one even hitting her in the head, but she managed to shake it off.

 With the orbs weakened, they were able to spare the monster. 

 “Th-that was close…” said Alphys, who had been watching the battle through her cameras. “Wh…why are there so many monsters here?”

 “Shouldn’t you know?” Anakin demanded.

 “T-the CORE is usually automated, it doesn’t need many monsters to work. I mean….It’s no problem, r-r-right? W-we’ve just got to keep heading forward.”

 “If that doesn’t lead us to another fire pit.”

 They still went ahead as it was the only direction they could go. There was a force field blocking their path in the next room. 

 “Looks like you can’t proceed until you hit the switch,” Alphys piped up.

 “Yeah no kidding,” Anakin grumbled. 

 “B-but, those lasers will activate when you do. Umm….Looks like they’ll come in this order: Orange, orange, blue. G-got it? Move until the third one!”

 However, when they pressed the switch the lasers came in the opposite order, with it being blue until the end. Luckily they were able to avoid taking any damage from the lasers, sensing what was to come. 

 They crossed the path to go into the next section.

 “Oh my god, are you okay?” Alphys asked.

 “Yeah, no thanks to you,” Anakin remarked.

 “I….I’m sorry, I gave you the wrong order. E-everything’s fine, okay? L-let’s just keep heading to the right.”

 They entered the next room. “A crossroads…” Alphys noted. “Uhh…uhh… Tr…try heading to the right!”

 “Yeah, are we sure we should?” Anakin demanded.

 “She’s made a few mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t trust her,” Obi-Wan replied.

 “Yeah, she’s just under a lot of stress. We should listen to her, and go right.”

 “Okay but when she’s wrong-”

 They started to head right.  “W-wait! No, I think you should h-head up!” Alphys exclaimed.

 “Make up your mind!” Anakin exclaimed.

 “S-sorry.”

 “Well, since you want to listen to her, are we going up?” He asked, crossing his arms.

 “It wouldn’t hurt to check,” said Ahsoka.

 “Unless we’re ambushed again,” he remarked.

 “And what are the chances of that, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked.

 They went up. 

 They were in fact ambushed.

 An armored bird-like monster blocked their way.

 Anakin crossed his arms and glared at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka.

 “Okay, so maybe I was wrong,” said Ahsoka.

 “This is Knight Knight, this megaton mercenary wields the Good Morningstar,” Chara explained.

 “Good knight,” Knight Knight whispered.

 A star-like projectile appeared in the center of the room, blasting energy in all directions. 

 Some of it managed to burn Anakin’s skin. He hissed in pain.

 Obi-Wan began to sing Shyren’s song, and Knight Knight began to look tired. 

  Once more her star-like projectile appeared, but nobody took damage in this round.

 Obi-Wan continued his lullaby. 

 She fell asleep. 

 They left her alone. 

 “Sorry, I….I…” Alphys began. 

 “Tried to kill us again?” Anakin snapped.

 “W-what?! No! I-I don’t want to- I wouldn’t- I thought that… Let’s try the right path instead.”

 Following the right path was a bridge covered in lasers. It would make it difficult to pass. 

 “M…more lasers…” Alphys noted. “Okay, I….I won’t mess around this time. I’ll just deactivate the lasers and let you through.” There was a pause. “They’re…they’re not turning off… I can’t turn them off, I…. I-i–it’s okay! I have this under control!”

 “Do you?”

 “Yes! I’ll turn off the p-power for the whole node. Then you can walk across.”

 The power cut off.

 “Okay go!”

 The Jedi began to make their way across the bridge.

 “W-WAIT! STOP!”

 “What now?” Anakin demanded, as the power suddenly turned back on and they were standing trapped in a cage of blue lasers.

 “Th-the power…It’s turning itself back on. D-damn it… Th-this isn’t supposed to….I…. I’m gonna turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little, and then STOP. Okay? Y-you won’t get h-h-hurt.”

 “I’m starting to have my doubts,” Anakin muttered. 

 The power began to flicker on and off again, as Anakin marched through the lasers, even when he should’ve stopped. When all three Jedi had crossed, Alphys’s voice rang out again.

 “S-see? I’ve got everything under control. Everything’s under control!”

 They went up some more, and there was a SAVE POINT at the center of a crossroads. 

 “Ok! Y-you should… you should…I don’t know? This doesn’t look like my map at all…I’m sorry….I…I….I have to go.”

 Anakin reached the star and let its warmth fill him.

 “The air is filled with the smell of ozone…it fills you with determination,” Chara’s voice echoed. 

 “Well, which way now?” Anakin asked.

 “According to this sign north leads to the warrior’s path, while west is the sage’s path. Any path leads to The End.” Ahsoka said.

 “What about the other sign?”

 “East….The End.”

 “That’s helpful.”

 “Well, if all paths lead to the end, perhaps we should split up,” suggested Obi-Wan. “We’ll all get to the same place eventually.”

 “Fine, then I’m taking the warrior’s path,” said Anakin. Before anyone could stop him he rushed north. 

 He followed the pathway north until he couldn’t any longer and was forced to make a turn east and cross a bridge. However, as he crossed he was ambushed by stronger versions of the monsters he met in the RUINS.

 “Whimsalot, it finally stopped worrying,” Chara narrated. 

 “I’ve made my choice,” said Whimsalot.

 Anakin was surrounded by moths as flies descended upon him. As he tried to escape the flies, he got caught by the moths who somehow tore into his flesh as if their wings were made of blades.

 Still he refused to back down. He shut his eyes and awaited the Force to guide him.

 “Don’t give up!” Whimsalot encouraged him. Now the moths seemed to heal him, if only slightly. 

 The flies still descended down onto him, burning like hot embers. 

 Feeling himself weakening, he ate his last hot dog that he had reluctantly bought from Sans. He instantly felt better.

 The flies bombarded him again, but he stayed determined.

 He spared the Whimsalot, and turned his focus to the remaining enemy.

 “Final Froggit, its future looks brighter and brighter,” Chara let him know.

 “Robbit robbit.”

 The flies continued to descend, but Anakin remained steadfast.

 “You still have lots to learn,” he told the Final Froggit, mystifying it with the use of the Force.

 It croaked thoughtfully, and he was able to spare the monster. 

  Wounded, he returned to the SAVE POINT in order to heal. Then he trekked back up the warrior’s path. 

 Here he was greeted by Madjick and Knight Knight, but having encountered them before, he knew what he must do.

 He sung a lullaby for Knight Knight. Beginning to send her to a peaceful slumber.

 “Goodbye,” she whispered.

 A moon appeared in the center of the room and meteors crashed from above as Madjck’s chaser orb flew at him violently.

 He dodged gracefully and continued his song. 

 Soon, Knight Knight was fast asleep.

 He had to avoid another round of Madjick’s chaser orb. It slightly bumped into his shoulder, but did little to him. 

 He then shot the orb a deathly glare.

 The Jedi was able to dodge the orb much more gracefully the second time around. Then he glared at the corner orb, knowing the battle would soon be at its end.

 He easily avoided the beams of the orb, and spared the two monsters.

 He returned to the SAVE POINT once more to heal, then went back along the pathway. As he crossed the bridge a trio of enemies awaited him. It was Final Froggit, Whimsalot, and a new strange monster that seemed to resemble Loox. 

 “That is Astigmatism, this relentless bully ALWAYS gets its way,” Chara explained.

 “I hate bullies,” said Anakin. 

 “Pick on me,” Astigmatism demanded.

 “You only bully others to make yourself feel big,” he retorted.

 “That’s right!”

 It seemed oddly happy about what he had said. 

 He spared it, leaving only Final Froggit and Whimsalot left to defeat.

  He closed his eyes and let the Force guide him.

 Whimsalot tried to heal him, but Final Froggit ended up dealing a killing blow.

 He awoke at the star, his body aching from his death.

 It was strange to not have Obi-Wan and Ahsoka at his side as he defied death for the third time. For some reason, he thought they would always be there at his side. 

 But as he had SAVEd while they had been away, they wouldn’t be there. He wondered if they even noticed that he had died.

  He didn’t let that deter him from his goal, in fact he was even more determined to defeat the monsters.

 He once again headed up the warrior’s path and crossed the bridge to face the trio that had ended his life before.

 He mystified Final Froggit with the Force, and it croaked thoughtfully. Astigmatism demanded not to be picked on, as all three enemies attacked in unison. 

 He did what it had asked, knowing that was the way to defeat it.

 “Finally someone gets it.”

 He spared the two, leaving him alone with Whimsalot. He closed his eyes and reached to the Force.

 As before it reminded him to not give up, and healed his SOUL. He spared it as well. Concluding the battle.

 At the end of the bridge was a switch. He flicked it, and was ready to head to the end, after he SAVEd another time.

 Ahsoka had gone along the sage’s path. 

 She was able to see the ice from Snowdin finally finish its journey to cool the CORE. She went up ahead, and found another path west. There was a sign labeling it. She only had to solve the puzzle and the end would open. 

 That seemed easy enough, she had seen the puzzles of Hotland, and it was of the same kind.

 She lined up the shot ready to aim, when all of the sudden she was back outside of the room.

 “What?’ She asked, out loud. “Oh no, Anakin…” He must have died.

 She reminded herself that he had already come back, and went back to the puzzle once again lining up her move. She solved it with ease, and had unlocked the end.

 Obi-Wan had been at the bridge leading to the end, awaiting  the two of them. “I’m glad to see you’re alright,” he said. Then frowned and looked at Anakin, “although, correct me if I’m wrong, but did something happen along that path?”

 “I got killed by some monster on the warrior’s path, but it’s fine now. We’ve made it through. Now we can get to the end.”

Chapter Text

 “Behind this door must be the elevator to the king’s castle. You’re filled with determination.”

 Anakin took a deep breath. He looked at Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, and then the three of them went ahead through the door. 

 The room was filled with the quiet hum of machinery. 

 The lights were dim. 

 Mettaton stood before them, seeming to have anticipated their arrival.

 “OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS.”

 “Mettaton,” Anakin growled,  a hand going for his lightsaber.

 “IT’S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT’S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE ‘MALFUNCTIONING’ ROBOT. …NOT!! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. YOU SHOULD KNOW SKYWALKER. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW.”

 “I called it!” Anakin shouted. “Alphys set us up, didn’t she?”

 “YOU’RE MORE CLEVER THAN I GIVE YOU CREDIT FOR. YES, ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU FOR FOOLS THE WHOLE TIME. AS SHE WATCHED YOU ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE. NOW MORE SO KNOWING YOU WERE ‘REAL’. 

 “SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE 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 HERE. 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?”

 The doors suddenly shut behind the Jedi, trapping them with Mettaton.

 There was frantic knocking. “H-hey!! Wh-what’s going on!?” Alphys demanded. “Th-th-the door just locked itself!”

 “SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM’S BEEN CANCELED!!”

 The floor lit up, and it was revealed they were standing on a stage.

 “BUT WE’VE GOT A FINALE THAT WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!”

 The stage rose as intense music swelled. 

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

 Their SOULs emerged from their bodies. Already glowing yellow from the phones. 

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

 They focused on their SOULs and shot at Mettaton, but the bullets only bounced off.

“OH PLEASE, THOSE WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTERS WON’T WORK ON ME, DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS?”

 Anakin growled, growing enraged. He activated his lightsaber and slashed at him. It did nothing.

 “LISTEN DARLING, I’VE SEEN YOU FIGHT. YOU’RE WEAK.”

 “I’ll show you weak!”

 “YOU’VE SHOWN ME QUITE ENOUGH. IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARDS ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOUL. AND WITH YOUR SOUL ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY.”

 The ceiling opened up, small crates began to fall down towards the Jedi who managed to dodge them with grace,and cut down several. 

“BUT IF I CAN GET ONE OF YOUR SOULS I CAN STOP ASGORE’S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!”

 Mettaton swung his arms at the Jedi, and managed to punch Anakin in the gut.

 He grunted but didn’t fall.

 Mettaton went on: “THEN, USING THAT 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!”

 Once again Mettaton swung his arms and ended up punching Anakin’s shoulder.

 The fight went on.

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

 “I don’t think it is,” said Obi-Wan.

 Just then his phone rang and Alphys’s voice echoed throughout the stadium.

 “U..uh..I can’t see what’s going on in there, but….d-don’t give up, okay?!”

 “So you can take our SOULs yourself?” Anakin snapped. 

 “N-no! Seriously, no! I-I want to help! R-really! T-there’s still one 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 how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That’s because there’s a switch on his backside! S-so if y-you c-c-can turn him around…um…. And, um….press….th-th-the switch…He’ll be…um….He’ll be….Vulnerable. Well, g-g-gotta go!”

 Anakin, enraged at Alphys’s continuous interruptions, lies, and betrayal, picked up Obi-Wan’s phone and threw it off the stage. 

 Mettaton extended his arm and caught the phone, throwing it right back at Anakin, hitting him in the forehead.

 Ahsoka rolled her eyes, “hey, Mettaton, there’s a mirror behind you!” She called.

 “OH?? A MIRROR??? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!” He turned around. “HMMM….I DON’T SEE IT…WHERE IS IT…?”

 Ahsoka rushed at him and flicked the switch.

 He paused, realization striking him. “DID YOU. JUST FLIP.  MY SWITCH?”

 Mettaton began to glitch out, his screen flashing between red and yellow frantically. Then everything went white. 

 “Ohhhh yesss,” echoed Mettaton’s voice. Some of its robotic edge had disappeared. Spotlights descended downwards with fog. Casting Mettaton in a shadow, only revealing his silhouette. No longer was he just rectangular, his shape was far more humanoid. 

 “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….”

 The fog faded, revealing him in full. Obi-Wan’s cheeks flushed.

 “ABSOLUTELY beautiful!”

A new song began to play, blaring from the speakers that surrounded the stage. It was upbeat, electric, and dramatic. It seemed this would be the fight of their lives.

 Mettaton began to dance, and Obi-Wan joined him, striking a dramatic pose.

 “Lights! Camera! Action!” Mettaton announced. 

 He began to kick towards Obi-Wan as he gracefully dodged and posed when he had avoided all of his attacks. 

 “Drama! Romance! Bloodshed!”

 Mini-Mettatons and bombs descended from above, the three Jedi gracefully dodged them and posed at the end. 

 “I’m the idol everyone craves!”

 Mettaton pirouetted towards them violently, but they dodged with grace, dancing along. 

 “Smile for the camera!”

“Of course, my darling,” Obi-Wan replied in time, giving him a smile. 

 Mettaton swung towards them, and miniature versions of himself threw hearts in their direction.

 Anakin was bombarded with the hearts, taking more damage then he had expected. 

 “Ooh, it’s time for a pop quiz!” He announced. Keyboards sprouted from the stage, in front of each of the Jedi. “This one’s an essay question!”

 The prompt was simple: what did they love most about Mettaton?

 Each of them filled it out. 

 “Wow Kenobi you are correct! Legs was right!”

 “LEGS?!” Anakin exclaimed, looking at Obi-Wan in horror.

 “Not a word,” he said, his cheeks flushing slightly.

 “Fine,” he huffed. He pulled out a glamburger and ate it to heal.

 “Your essay really showed everyone your heart, Kenobi. Why don’t I show you mine?”

 Just then, Mettaton extended his arms and activated the jetpacks on Anakin and Ahsoka’s phones, sending the two of them flying away, leaving just Obi-Wan and Mettaton on the stage. 

 His heart glowed and shone from his chest as it sparked and sent electric shocks towards Obi-Wan. He dodged it with grace, dancing along, putting on a show.

 “Ooooh, I’m just warming up,” said Mettaton. 

 The Mini-Mettatons returned and Obi-Wan gracefully danced to avoid the hearts being thrown his way. 

 Then, when the attack was done, Obi-Wan took out a stick, and twirled it around before tossing it in the air like a baton. Mettaton leapt upwards, and caught it in his mouth as if it were a rose, and then landed gracefully, and winked at the Jedi Master.

 “But how are you on the dance floor?” He asked.

 “Why don’t I show you, my dear,” he replied, offering his hand.

 “Oh my,” he gasped, and then covered his mouth dramatically. He took Obi-Wan’s hand.

 The two of them began to tango around the stage, as the spotlight followed them. They went on like this, and then as they were in center-stage, Mettaton dipped Obi-Wan down. He leaned in closer to his face, it almost seemed as if they were going to kiss. Then he put a finger on his lips. “Not yet, darling,” he whispered.

 Then he pulled Obi-Wan from the dip and spun him around.

 Anakin leapt back onto the stage, and ran at Mettaton with his lightsaber ablaze.

 “Anakin no!” Obi-Wan exclaimed.

 But he couldn’t stop him, Anakin slashed at the robot. This time, it did damage to him, however not by much.

 “Can you keep up the pace!?” He asked him.

 Mettaton fought back, kicking and punching at him. He almost knocked Anakin off the stage, as he barely held on to the edge.

 Fuming and with a fire in his eyes, he launched himself upwards, and landed back on the stage in front of Mettaton, in a dramatic striking pose.

 “Lights! Camera! Bombs!” He cried.

 “Bombs?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “BOMBS!” Mettaton replied. His voice booming.

 Bombs began to rain from the ceiling. All aimed towards Anakin.

 He threw his lightsaber at the bombs, cutting them through the middle, and gracefully dodging the explosions. 

 Then he dramatically took out a glamburger and ate it, healing himself to full. 

 “Things are blowing up!” Mettaton cried.

 More bombs began to fall. 

 Anakin once again threw his lightsaber to cut them down.

 However, the last two were cut down by green and yellow blades. 

  Ahsoka followed, landing dramatically. “Need some help, boys?”

 “Glad you could join us, Snips,” Anakin replied.

 She grinned, toothly, showing off her fangs. 

 “Well you clanker, none of your attacks have done that much damage. I bet you won’t even hit me this time,” Anakin called out. 

 “Oh really? If that’s what you want,” Mettaton smirked. He once again pressed the jetpack buttons on their phones and sent Anakin and Ahsoka flying away.

  He turned to Obi-Wan, “we’ve grown so distant, darling…. How about another heart-to-heart?”

 “It would be my pleasure,” he replied.

 Once again Obi-Wan and Mettaton engaged in a dance. Moving gracefully around the stage. 

 Then all of the sudden, Anakin had crashed down, and used the Force to throw Obi-Wan away as the jetpack exploded on Mettaton, causing his arms to fall crashing to the stage with a deafening thud. 

 “Mettaton!” Obi-Wan cried. “Your arms!”

 “A..arms? W…who needs arms with legs like these?”

 Bombs launched from Mettaton’s empty arm-sockets, flying towards Anakin.

 The explosions hit him multiple times, nearly sending him off of the stage again. 

 Grunting with pain, he pulled himself up from the ground. 

 His right arm, now missing. Having fallen off the stage with its own thud, but muffled over the music that played throughout the fight.

 “Anakin!” Obi-Wan cried, rushing over to him. “Are you alright?”

 “Now’s not the time, Master. I’ll be fine once that clanker is dead.”

 “We are not killing him.”

 “He’s in our way. It doesn’t matter, he’s just another droid.”

 “He’s more than that! Alphys said so!”

 “You really believe her?! After everything she’s done? Or do you just also happen to have a crush on him?! I’ve seen how you've been dancing.”

 “My feelings on the matter are irrelevant. I will not let a life end in this battle. I’m sure there’s a way we can make peace like we’ve done with every battle here.”

 “He’s just a droid.” With his remaining arm he managed to take out a glamburger and take a bite out of it. His wounds healed, but his prosthetic remained destroyed down below.  

 “You can’t fight like this,” Obi-Wan told him. “You’ve never fought with just one arm.”

 “First time for everything,” he remarked. He pushed past Obi-Wan, shoving him out of the way. He reignited his lightsaber. A fire burning in his SOUL. 

 Anakin slashed at Mettaton with no restraint, but his attack was messier and he wasn’t able to hit the robotic-star.

 “Come on…!” Mettaton cried. As if encouraging Anakin to continue, along with himself.

 Crates and bombs fell from above, but not a single SOUL got hurt.

 Anakin tried again to attack, but again he missed. 

 “The show…must go on!”

 A flood of crates and explosives fell from above. He was crushed, but he crawled out, and despite his injuries he struck a pose.

 “Dr-drama! A-action!”

 More crates and explosives seemed to rain from the ceiling, but it didn’t stop Anakin - nor did his own injuries. 

 Ahsoka bounded back to the stage and struck a dramatic pose.

 “L-lights….C-camera….Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish?! …Or do you just believe in yourselves that much?”

 More bombs fell from above.

 The explosions caught Anakin.

 Ahsoka took out their last glamburger and gave it to him.

 He ate it and his injuries vanished from his skin.

 “Haha, how inspiring! Well, darlings! 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 let out an onslaught of everything he had, sparking and fizzing. It was too much for his new body. 

 When the attack was done, his legs fell too. He was just a head and torso on the stage floor.

 “Mettaton,” Obi-Wan gasped. Even Anakin was shocked to see the fallen star. 

 “OH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS!!” Mettaton gasped, seeming to not care about the loss of his beloved legs. “THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I’VE EVER 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 CALLS IN FIRST!”

 His phone rang.

 “HI, YOU’RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW??”

 There was a moment of silence. “oh…..hi…mettaton…..i really liked watching your show…..my life is pretty 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……”

 “NO! WAIT! WAIT, B….” He cut himself off. “H…THEY ALREADY HUNG UP.” Another long pause. He seemed to be thinking over what had just been said. “I’LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!!” He decided, trying to hide his guilt.

 Obi-Wan could see through his mask.

 “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.”

 “AH….I…I SEE….” He sighed. “EVERYONE….THANK YOU SO MUCH.” 

 A beat. He looked at Obi-Wan, their eyes meeting. “DARLING. PERHAPS…IT MIGHT BE BETTER IF I STAY HERE FOR AWHILE…”

 “Yes, perhaps it is,” said Obi-Wan, gently. “Humanity has its stars and idols, but from what I have seen, the Underground only has you.”

 “YOU’RE RIGHT. 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 BIG DEBUT…

 “BESIDES. YOU’VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG. ALL OF YOU. PERHAPS….EVEN STRONG ENOUGH TO GET PAST ASGORE. I’M SURE YOU’LL BE ABLE TO PROTECT HUMANITY, AND YOUR GALAXY. 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. I’LL BE ALRIGHT. KNOCK ‘EM DEAD, DARLING.  AND EVERYONE….THANK YOU. YOU’VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE!”

 With that the stage lowered, and Mettaton’s eye went dull. The light going out.

 Obi-Wan knelt down in front of him. “Mettaton,” he said softly. He didn’t know what else to say. He put his forehead to Mettaton’s, “I will,” he promised. 

 The doors behind them opened. “I…I managed to open the lock! Is everyone…?” Alphys stopped dead in her tracks as she saw Obi-Wan kneeling in front of Mettaton’s powered-down body, with Anakin and Ahsoka standing to the side watching them. Anakin’s right arm missing below his elbow. His prosthetic was elsewhere on the ground.

 “Oh my god,” Alphys gasped. “Mettaton!” She ran to him. Obi-Wan backed away to give her space. “Mettaton, are you…” She hesitated, before letting out a sigh of relief. “...thank GOD, it’s just the batteries. Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have….I would have…” She trailed off. “I m-mean, h-hey, it’s n-no problem, you know? He’s just a robot, if you messed it up, I c-could always…”

 “He’s more than a robot,” said Obi-Wan. “I think we both know that.”

 “Why don’t you go on ahead?” She suggested. “O-oh and Anakin, I’ll fix up your arm, d-don’t worry!”

 “Thank you,” Anakin said, begrudgingly. 

 The three Jedi left the stage, leaving Alphys and Mettaton alone. They went ahead, on their way to the elevator that would take them to the king.

 Alphys caught up with them. “S…Sorry about that!” She said. “L-let’s k-keep going!”

 They continued along, Alphys following them. 

 “S-so you’re about to meet ASGORE, h-huh?”

 “I guess we are,” said Anakin.

 “You must be…..Y-you must be….pr…pretty excited about all that, huh?”

 “Not really, we just want to get back to our universe.”

 “R-right.”

  They reached the elevator. They were about to go up, to go to the castle. 

“W…wait!”

 They turned around and looked at her, Anakin seemed peeved.

 “I mean, um….I….I was just going to…..um…say goodbye, and….” She sighed heavily. “I can’t take this anymore.” She turned her back to them, unable to look the Jedi in the eyes. “I….I lied to you. A human SOUL isn’t strong enough to cross the barrier alone. It takes at least a human soul…..and a monster soul.” 

 A pensive silence fell upon them. Alphys didn’t have to say what that meant.

 Only one of them could go home. And it wouldn’t be Ahsoka either. 

 “I’m sorry.”

Chapter Text

The long elevator ride was uncomfortably quiet. None of them knew what to say. 

 They had gotten so far, they were almost at the castle, but only one could leave.

 They exited the elevator without a word. 

 There was another SAVE POINT and Anakin silently held the fleeting light, even Chara was quiet. No encouraging message of determination.

 The whole Underground seemed to have fallen into this mournful silence, even the area they were in now was devoid of color, pale and grey. 

 They all looked at each other. Pausing, frozen in time. What were they to do?

 “I said either all of us are leaving, or none of us are,” said Anakin. “I intend to stick to that.”

 “Then none of us can leave,” whispered Ahsoka. “We’re trapped here.”

 “No, there has to be another way. We did not get this far for nothing.”

 “We’ll talk with Asgore, perhaps he might know a solution to this,” Obi-Wan suggested. “We’ve come this far already, I don’t think we can just turn back now.”

 “Okay,” Ahsoka agreed. “We might as well.”

 “But before we can go – Anakin, are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “I’ll adapt, it’s all I can do now,” he replied. “And besides, Alphys said she’ll repair it. But we can’t wait around for that. Let’s end this.” He used his remaining arm to roll up his sleeve. 

 “Do you want some help with that?” Ahsoka asked.

 “I’ll be fine, Snips.”

 “Your sleeve might fall again,” she pointed out.

 “Then I’ll just roll it back up.”

 “Skyguy…” 

 He sighed. “Fine.”

 She helped him tie his sleeve around his arm stump. “There you go.”

 He smiled. “Thanks, Ahsoka.”

 The three Jedi continued on the path ahead.  

 There was an elevator  to the castle. They approached it but someone was using it already.

 They had no choice but to take the long way around. 

  The silence continued as they walked through the city, seeing its vastness in the distance, yet there was this distinct emptiness as well. 

 Everything was quiet. 

 At the end of the path lay a familiar home. It seemed almost identical to Toriel’s, but without the lively color. 

 As if the house itself was a ghost.

 There was another star before the home. 

 Anakin SAVEd, but Chara’s voice was gone. They did not appear at all. 

 Even the ghostly child seemed affected by the depressive atmosphere.

 With nowhere else to go, the Jedi went inside. 

 Even the interior seemed to resemble that of Toriel’s home. An air of grief seemed to fill it, the warmth and life faded. The only color seemed to come from the golden flowers in a vase near the staircase.

  The staircase itself was blocked off with a chain and two locks. There was also a note taped to it.  

 Ahsoka walked over to it and read the note. “It says the keys are in the kitchen and hallway, whoever left this note is in the garden.”

 “I wonder whose home this is,” Obi-Wan said.

 “I don’t know, but they invited us to talk if there’s something we need off our chest.”

 “That’s kind of them.”

 “Well, we need to get the keys to get to the castle,” said Anakin. “Come on.”

 They first headed in the direction of the kitchen. 

 Even the living room mirrored Toriel’s. There was a golden flower at the center of the dining room table, and four chairs fit for a family. There was a lounging chair by the fireplace.

 The coals were still warm. Whoever called this place home, had been here not that long ago. 

 Two froggits suddenly hopped forth. And for the first time that they could hear, they spoke without the need for Chara to translate.

 “A long time ago, a human fell into the RUINS.”

 “Injured by its fall, the human called out for help.”

 With that they hopped away. 

 The three of them looked at each other. 

 Why were they sharing this?

 They headed into the kitchen. Just as the note had said, the key was there. 

 Anakin collected it and handed it to Ahsoka for her to  put it on her phone’s keychain.

 They left the kitchen and began to make their way to the hallway when two Whimsuns fluttered forth. 

 They continued the Froggits’ story:

 “ASRIEL, the king’s son, heard the human’s call.”

 “He brought the human back to the castle.”

 Again they left, leaving the Jedi alone.

 “This is the first time we’ve heard of Asriel,” Obi-Wan stated.

 “Yeah, I wonder why,” said Anakin. “Wait…”

 That other voice he had heard within Chara’s memory…? Could that have been the prince?

 The hallway too, echoed that of Toriel’s home. Except the room that had been boarded off was now free to enter, and the room that had belonged to Toriel had seemed to take its place.

 Again the only color were the golden flowers that seemed to fill the home, as much as grief filled the air. 

  A small gust of wind - although it shouldn’t have been possible, opened a door into a room fit for children. 

 It seemed almost entirely untouched from years of going without use.

 There were two beds on either side. 

 There was a drawing of a golden flower taped to the wall next to one of the beds. The artwork seemed to have been done a long time ago by a small child, and the paper was beginning to fray.

 In the center of the room were two unopened presents. It felt wrong to disturb them, though.

  There was also a picture of a family. 

 They all recognized Toriel in the photo, but Anakin noticed Chara too. Alongside them were two other monsters similar to that of Toriel’s type.

 “That’s Chara,” Anakin said, looking at the photo.

 “And Toriel,” noted Ahsoka.

 “But who are the others?” Obi-Wan asked.

 They stood there in silence for a moment. The room itself was like being in a memory that didn’t belong to them.

 The gifts continued to stand out, heavily contrasting everything.

 They shouldn’t be here.

 But Anakin felt a pull to the presents. Something he couldn’t explain. 

 It was like that memory that didn’t belong to him.

 Or the unfamiliar voice that reminded him to not give up whenever he died. Calling out for Chara.

 For the human child that had died a long time ago, and followed him around unseen by anyone else.

 This was their home, once upon a time.

 There had been that gust of wind to open the door.

 But there should have never been a gust of wind. They were inside.

 It was Chara. 

 Chara wanted them to be here, to see the room.

 Anakin looked at the presents again. 

 Did Chara want him to open them too?

 “We should go,” said Obi-Wan. “This room hasn’t been touched in years.”

 His voice seemed far away though, he was staring at the presents. 

 Even the Force called him to them, for some inexplicable reason. 

 He walked over to them and opened them. Inside each box, lay a worn dagger, and heart-shaped locket. 

 He put the locket on. Something about it just felt right.

He held the locket in his hand, observing. Something about it felt right, like it was calling to his very SOUL. But he couldn’t put on with just one arm. “Master, can you help me with this for a second?”

 He turned around and saw what he was holding. “Anakin, that’s-” He gasped.

 “It’s fine,” He assured him. “I think….I think Chara wants me to have it. They’ve been quiet, but I just have a feeling.”

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. “Are you sure?”

 “Yes, I am. If Chara didn’t want me to have it I think they would have something.”

 “Alright,” he agreed. He walked over to him and helped him equip the locket. 

 It rested right on his heart. Right where it belonged.

  “Well, we need to keep moving,” said Ahsoka. 

 Although it didn’t even sound like her SOUL was in it.

 They left the room and continued through the corridor. They were almost at the key, when they nearly tripped over a line of Moldsmals. 

 They also continued the story:

 “Over time, ASRIEL and the human became like siblings.”

 “The King and Queen treated the human child as their own.”

 “The underground was full of hope.”

 They too, left like the others.

 Ahsoka collected the remaining key.

 They turned around to head back to the staircase and unlock the chain.

 With the path cleared, they went down the stairs. 

 Once again, the place mirrored that of Toriel’s. 

 As they went on two Migosps walked over to the Jedi.

 “Then… One day….”

 “The human became very ill.”

 And with that they flew away.

 As they went on, some Vegetoids popped up.

 “The sick human had only one request.”

 “To see the flowers from their village.”

 “But there was nothing we could do.”

 They went into the ground again.

 “That poor human,” Ahsoka said, quietly. 

 A part of her understood.

 The Jedi continued and this time it was a pair of Loox.

 “The next day…” They said together.

 One fell silent.

 “The human died,” the other said.

 Then they went away.

 “No,” Obi-Wan whispered.

 Anakin was beginning to believe that this tale was Chara’s.

  Chara was the first human to fall.

 Snowdrake and another similar monster continued the story. 

 Chara’s death had not been the end.

 “ASRIEL, wracked with grief, absorbed the human’s SOUL,” Snowdrake began.

 “He transformed into a being with incredible power,” the other concluded. 

 And with that they fluttered away. 

 They were almost through the corridor when a trio of Ice Caps continued the tale:

 “With the human SOUL, ASRIEL crossed through the barrier.”

 “He carried the human’s body into the sunset.”

 “Back to the village of the humans.”

 The three of them had a sense of dread inside. They could see where this story would go. 

 How many times had Jedi been mistaken for kidnappers? 

 A monster with a dead human? It would be believed that he was a murderer.

 They turned to head up, and went along through the next section of the path.

 Three Woshuas continued the tragedy:

 “ASRIEL reached the center of the village.”

 “There, he found a bed of golden flowers.”

 “He carried the human onto it.”

 They could see the city again. 

 The air of grief seemed to only grow.

 It was Shyren who continued the story next:

 “Suddenly, screams rang out.

 “The villagers saw ASRIEL holding the human’s body.

 “They thought that he  had killed the child.”

The dummy from the RUINS had also come to share the tragedy:

 “The humans attacked him with everything they had.

 “He was struck with blow after blow.

 “ASRIEL had the power to destroy them all.”

 Knight Knight and Madjick emerged from the shadows:

 “But…”

 “ASRIEL did not fight back.”

 “Clutching the human…..”

 “ASRIEL smiled, and walked away.”

A trio of  Final Froggits hopped forth:

 “Wounded, ASRIEL stumbled home.”

 “He entered the castle and collapsed.”

 “His dust spread across the garden.”

Next were a swarm of Whimsalot:

 “The kingdom fell into despair.”

 “The king and queen had lost two children in one night.”

 “The humans had once again taken everything from us.”

 A group of Astigmatism followed:

 “The king decided it was time to end our suffering.”

 “Every human who falls down here must die.”

 “With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever.”

 “It’s not long now,” Loox shared.

 “King ASGORE will let us go,” Moldsmal gurgled.

 “King ASGORE will give us hope.”

 “King ASGORE will save us all,” Migosp rasped.

 “You should be smiling, too,” Pyrope told the Jedi.

 “Aren’t you excited?” One Vulkin asked.

 “Aren’t you happy?” Inquired the other.

 “You’re going to be free.” A familiar Froggit croaked.

Chapter Text

 It was not the castle that greeted them at the end of the path. It was one last corridor bathed in golden light. 

 It seemed to almost reflect the Temple they called home.

 A SAVE POINT shimmered. Anakin embraced the light. 

 Chara once again had nothing to say.

 They walked through the corridor. It was silent except for the echo of their own footsteps, and the faint chirping of birds. Standing in the center was Sans. As they approached, funeral bells rang out

 “So you finally made it,” He addressed them. The lazy humor gone from his voice. He was grim and serious. “The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the king. 

 “Together…. You will determine the future of this world, and your own. That’s then.

 “Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you’ve earned.”

 “What’s EXP?” Anakin demanded.

 “It’s an acronym.”

 “Obviously,” he retorted. 

 “You didn’t let me finish, Skywalker. It stands for ‘execution points’. A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. The amount each of you has, says a lot about you. For you see, LOVE too, is an acronym. It stands for Level of Violence. A way of measuring someone’s capacity to hurt.

 “The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others.”

 A silence fell upon the room.

 “i’ll judge you each individually, instead of as group. one of you drags the rest down,” Sans decided. “make your choice on what order you want to go. i’ll be waiting.”

  Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka shared a look. Who would be judged first?

 The Jedi Master sighed, “Well, let’s get this over with,” he said. “Anakin, Ahsoka, I’ll try not to take too long.”

  The two of them went back to the beginning of the corridor, to leave Obi-Wan alone with Sans.

 “So, shall we begin?”

 “always leading by example, huh kenobi?” Sans asked. 

 “alright. despite everything you’ve gone through, you’ve barely killed. you show mercy whenever possible. for that i hold you in high regard, even with what’s to come in your galaxy you remain compassionate and patient. knowing that one day the light will return even if it goes out. you are not only a true jedi, but you are a great inspiration. if only your student was the same. go and join the others, the next judgement awaits.”

 Obi-Wan gave a small bow, like he would to another Jedi. Then he turned around and joined his friends.

 “What did that skeleton have to say?” Anakin asked.

 “He just judged me, that is all,” he replied.

 “Well, I guess I’ll go next,” Ahsoka decided.

 She walked over to him.

 “Okay, Sans, I’m ready for my judgement.”

 “alright, kiddo.” He sighed. “you’ve uh, definitely taken out a few people. decapitation is a pretty brutal way to go, but it was in self-defense, so i’m not gonna hold it against you too much. besides, you’re in a warzone. death is gonna happen. and it’s not like you go out of your way to kill people. 

 “since you’ve been down here, you haven’t harmed a soul. hell, you’re the one who saved undyne. so uh, while i can’t give you full marks, a b+ is pretty good, huh? go ahead and return to your master, i need to talk with him next.” 

  Anakin approached Sans.

 His eyesockets were empty as he stared into his soul. “well, let’s just get this over with. i’m surprised your lv is so low, i thought it would be higher with everything you’ve done. but granted, lv12 is still pretty bad, that’s half of the underground here. small world, huh? and knowing what you’ll do if you don’t stop this path you’re on, you might be the first soul to reach lv21. i know i can’t stop you.” 

 The light returned to his eyesockets.  “but, i hope your time down here has taught you a lesson. and, i like to try to believe that perhaps, even the worst person can change. after all, you've proven to still have some compassion in your heart. i wonder how long that will last? all i’ll say is, maybe, just maybe, you’re not the best judge of character.”

 Anakin was silent for a moment, there was no hiding what he had done from Sans. He had seen it in the films and even the LV of his SOUL gave away his crimes. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he said after a long moment.

 “i hope you do, for the sake of your galaxy.”

 With his judgement over, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka walked over to him.

 Sans watched the three Jedi. “now. you’re about to face the greatest challenge of your journey down here. your actions here…will determine the fate of this world. if you refuse to fight, asgore will take one of your souls and destroy humanity. and even if you do kill him, two of you will have to remain behind, with the rest of monsterkind. what will you do?”

A silence fell between them again.

 “well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn’t get this far by giving up, did you? that’s right. all of you have something called ‘determination’ so as long as you hold on, so long as you do what’s in your heart, i believe you can do the right thing. even you, skywalker. alright. we’re all counting on you. may the force be with you.”

Chapter Text

 Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka stood before the throne room. In a few moments they would meet the king. There was no turning back now. 

 “Well,” said Obi-Wan. “It’s time.”

 Together they entered.

 The throne room was a garden, full of golden flowers. The same as they had fallen on. The same that adorn the empty home. In front of them was a large figure in purple robes. With the crown atop his head, and two large horns. They knew this was the king. 

 “Dum dee dum,” he hummed. “Oh? Is someone there? Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers.” There were a few moments of silence as he did just that. “...Here we are!”

 He turned around to face his visitors. “Howdy! How can I…” He trailed off. He knew what Anakin and Obi-Wan were. They were humans. 

 He backed up. A shocked expression on his face. “Oh.” Silence fell for a moment, as a shadow fell upon his eyes. “I so badly want to say, ‘would you like a cup of tea?’ But…You know how it is.”

 He walked over to the window, peering outside at his kingdom. “Nice day today, huh? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming…. Perfect weather for a game of catch.” He fell back into a pensive silence as he overlooked his people for a final time. A mournful sigh came from his lips. “You know what we must do. When you are ready, come into the next room, but child, please do not follow. You do not want to see what will happen.” 

 He left the throne room, placing his watering can on his throne before moving on. He didn’t let them have a chance to speak. There wasn’t much to say, anyway. 

 “It doesn’t sound like he wants to do this,” observed Obi-Wan. “Maybe we can talk him into peace, and find another resolution to this.”

 “It doesn’t matter if he wants this or not,” snapped Anakin. “He’s in our way of getting home, and he has killed others before us….and it sounds like they were children.”

 “Anakin, he hasn’t had any other choice. The only way for these people to be free is to collect the human SOULs.”

 “Then they should remain trapped. Sans even said they have everything they need down here. What difference does it make if they’re trapped in a cave or wandering the surface?”

 “You don’t mean that.”

 “I do.”

 “Master, we’ve been trapped down here. By whatever logic of this world, I’m a monster too,” Ahsoka pointed out. She sounded heartbroken.

 “Snips…you’re different. Your home is back at the Temple, you’re a Jedi and belong with us.”

 “There’s no Jedi here. There are no Jedi in this universe . It’s humans and monsters. I’m a monster here, not a Jedi.”

 “You don’t mean that,” he said, darkly.

 “I do .” 

 “Then remain down here with the rest.”

 “Anakin!” Obi-Wan gasped.

 “If it’s humans and monsters, then so be it.”

 Before Obi-Wan could protest further, Anakin marched into the next room to face the mountain king. 

 “Go on with him, Master Kenobi,” Ahsoka said. “He’s right, this is between humans and monsters.” She sounded dejected, and betrayed. 

 “You don’t really believe that,” He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “I know you don’t.”

 “He does,” she said. 

 “He doesn’t, I trained him long enough to know.”

 “Then perhaps you don’t know him as well as you thought….and neither do I.”

 “Ahsoka,” he whispered. 

 “Go,” she told him, looking at the flowered-floor. “I’ll stay here.”

 He hesitated. Then sighed. “I’m sorry, little one.”

 “I’m sorry, too, Master."

 Obi-Wan left the throne room. 

 “How tense…” said Asgore. “Let’s try not to think of it as a battle.” He walked off, making his way to the barrier. 

 Obi-Wan and Anakin followed him.

 “Are you two ready?” He asked. “If you are not, I understand. I am not ready either.”

 He went to the barrier.

 There was a star glowing before it. The last SAVE POINT. Anakin grabbed hold of it. 

 There was only silence. Even his determination itself seemed muted, but angry.

 The two humans followed the king. 

 The room glowed white. It was a pure light, but blinding, and oppressive. The walls of a prison. 

 “This is the barrier,” Asgore explained. “This is what keeps us all trapped underground.” He let out a shaky breath. “If…If by chance you have any unfinished business…Please do what you must.”

 “We do,” said Obi-Wan. “We can’t go just yet-”

 “No,” decided Anakin, with a fire in his eyes. “We’re ready.” He had his hand already wrapped around his lightsaber. 

 There was a long pause from the king. “I see… This is it, then.” He turned around to face them. “Ready?”

The canisters that held the human SOULs emerged from below. Only one was empty.

 A strange light filled the room. Twilight was shining through the barrier. It seemed their journey had finally reached its end. Anakin was filled with determination.

 “Humans… It was nice to meet you,” Asgore told them. “Goodbye.”

 His head fell, he pulled out a glowing red trident and revealed his shimmering golden armor underneath. He held it, ready to fight.

 Obi-Wan ignited his blade, he wouldn’t hurt the king. But he had to keep him and his Padawan safe.

 Anakin activated his own lightsaber, illuminating him in its blue hue. 

 He slashed at the king. Asgore didn’t even try to defend himself.

 He sent fire flying towards the humans. Obi-Wan moved in front of Anakin, cleaving the fire apart to defend them.

  “I don’t want to fight you, your majesty,” Obi-Wan said quietly.

 Asgore’s hands trembled for a moment. He remained silent, however.

 Once more fire swarmed the sacred room, setting parts of it ablaze. Some of the flames singed Obi-Wan’s skin and robes. He cried out in pain.

 This only further stoked the fires of Anakin’s dragon heart. He struck at the king in further rage.

 Fires continued to rain down and upon him. By the end he was barely holding on. It was anger and determination alone that kept his heart beating. He was unable to stand, his vision was fading in and out. He was on the very brink of death itself.

 Obi-Wan took out the last remaining glamburger, he split it in half and each human finished their final item. Their health and strength was restored. 

 Asgore’s eyes flashed, once blue, once orange. His trident became a scythe, a symbol of the death he had to bring, either on himself, or the last SOULs he faced.

 They remained still and the glowing blue scythe passed through them without harm, and moved upon the flash of orange. 

 Anakin attacked again, slashing the king. His lightsaber left scorch marks on his armor and singed some of his fur.

 Once more he sent fire towards them. Anakin barely avoided each of the fireballs.

 He then rushed and leapt at the king once more swinging violently.

 His response was to encircle him in flames, but there were cracks that he could escape from.

 As he escaped the last circle he struck again.

 Fire rained from the sky. 

 Anakin moved and escaped. Attacking once more. Anger boiling in his blood.

 Asgore’s eyes once more flashed with the warning of death. His scythe was swung as if he was the reaper himself.

 Anakin moved to escape it, but got caught by one of the swings. A gash in his leg.

He refused to let that stop him. His eyes reflected the fire the king sent.

 Obi-Wan had barely been a part of the battle now. It seemed to be between the king of monsters and the chosen of the Force.

 Even as more fire ravaged his body, making him weaker, Anakin did not give up. He kept attacking.

 He was barely standing. He had to gasp for breath. His robes were singed. His hair a mess. He still attacked.

   More fire was sent his way. He couldn’t move. 

 Obi-Wan leapt in front of him suddenly. A fireball collided directly with his chest.

 Anakin could only watch in utter horror, as his Master burst into flames before his eyes. His screams ringing in his ears.

 His corpse fell to the ground, and he could hardly recognize his face.

 Tears blurred his fading vision. But as quickly as the grief came, so did the rage.

 Ignoring all of his pain. He dragged himself from the ground, and charged at Asgore to avenge his fallen brother.

 Only he didn’t see. The red trident pierced through his body, growing redder with his blood.

 Anakin choked. Looking up at the king.

 Their eyes met as the life left the Jedi’s. 

 Asgore looked down upon him, tears shimmering in the twilight, his mouth moved, but Anakin didn’t hear the words.

 The world suddenly ended.

 “Our fate rests upon you….Chara! Stay determined…” Said the voice from the unbelonging memory.

 But now Anakin knew it.

 The voice was the same as his murderer. 

 He awoke at the star.

 Obi-Wan was at his side.

 The two looked at each other. Both of them had died. They remembered every moment of it. 

 Anakin rushed towards the barrier.

 He didn’t make it. Obi-Wan gripped his remaining arm. “If we want to stop the king, we have to survive him.”

 He shook him off, and shot him a glare. But then he sighed, because he was right. They wouldn’t stand a chance without more items. 

 “I will go grab some food, I will be back shortly,” Obi-Wan told him.

 He left the corridor. Ahsoka was sitting in meditation in the throne room. She looked up when Obi-Wan entered. “Did Anakin die?” She asked, concern showing in her eyes.

 “He wasn’t the only one,” he informed her, grimly.

 She gasped. “You did too.”

 His expression said it all.

 She stood up. “That’s it, I’m fighting Asgore too.”

 “No,” he said, gravely. “Without Anakin, our death is permanent. He’s the only one who can come back. I am not risking your life in this fight, little one.”

 “I can handle Asgore, he won’t want to hurt me. I’m a monster.”

 “It’s too dangerous. I won’t allow it.”

 “And I don’t care, he killed you and Anakin.”

 “And that’s precisely why you’re going to stay here.” His voice was stern. His eyes were grave. “We died, Ahsoka. Both me and Anakin, without his determination and his ability to SAVE in this world, we would have been dead for good. I am not letting you deal with that as well.”

 “We’re from a war! I know what death means!”

 “I know you do, Padawan. But you shouldn’t be so familiar with it, you’re sixteen . I am not letting you go into a battle that neither Anakin or I survived.”

 “I can handle it.”

 “I don’t doubt that, but it is too dangerous. Asgore was right, you need to stay out of this battle.”

 “Why? Because it’s between humans and monsters?”

 “Because it’s not a battle children should deal with, no battle is.”

 “Then I hate to break it to you, but it won’t be my first one.”

 “I know, and I wish that wasn’t true.”

  They paused. A silence falling between the two of them. Within the silence they noticed something strange. Sometimes the birds would stop their song suddenly, and it would begin all over again. 

 Obi-Wan’s eyes widened realizing the pattern. “Anakin,” he groaned. 

 “He’s dying again, isn’t he?” Ahsoka also realized.

 “Yes, he is,” Obi-Wan sighed. He sounded more tired than upset.

 He left the throne room just in time to see Anakin charge right back into the barrier room. A few moments later and he was standing at Ahsoka’s side again.

 “He died again?”

 “He died again.”

  He went back. “Anakin!” He shouted. “If I’m ever going to get those healing items you need to stop dying and resetting time!”

 “But I almost killed him last time!” Anakin complained.

 Obi-Wan pinched the bridge of his nose. “It took only moments for time to reset. You died instantly .”

Anakin didn’t say anything.

 “Just be patient, and don’t fight, and don’t die. Please . I’m going to go and get some food.”

 Obi-Wan left again, and this time Anakin did wait for him for once. Eventually he returned with food from the MTT Resort.

 Anakin eyed his Master noticing the brand. “Don’t tell me you just bought from your robot boyfriend?”

 “Mettaton and I are not-” He started. He let out a frustrated sigh. “I’ll have you know I got these because they heal us more, not to mention you might be a fan of the Legendary Heroes, as they increase your attack.”

 “Really? That’s awesome,”He said.

 “I thought you would like it. Remember to SAVE, I don’t want to have to get this again.”

 “But wouldn’t you like to see-”

 “Just SAVE.”

 Anakin did so. Then they both went to the barrier, together.

 “Ready?” Asgore asked, upon their approach.

 “More than you know,” Anakin replied.

 Once again the SOUL canisters emerged from the barrier floor.

 Asgore revealed his trident and armor. Shimmering in the twilight barrier light. 

 He was silent this time around. As silent as Chara had been since leaving the elevator into the city.

 The next light to be added into the glow  were the blades of two shining blue lightsabers. Obi-Wan and Anakin stood side by side. They were - after all - two halves of a single warrior. 

 “This time we’ll do it together,” Obi-Wan said.

 “I was about to say that,” Anakin replied.

 Obi-Wan and Anakin fought together.

 Asgore sent fire towards them and they dodged without fear.

 Now, they were almost in the pattern of The Clone Wars.

 More fire flew their way. Some singed Anakin’s robes. He stood strong, refusing to let that defeat him. 

 The battle went on. The Jedi and Monster King trading blows. 

 The smell of plasma and flames filled the air. 

 Anakin took a bite from one of the Legendary Heroes. His injuries faded and his resolve grew.

 Fire flew. The trident and lightsabers swung. The battle went on.

 Obi-Wan was getting fatigued, he ate an L. Hero himself and his energy returned. 

 Asgore swung his trident again, and fire continued to fly.

 The battle went on. Blows being exchanged. Items being consumed. It was war.

 It was becoming clear that the battle was beginning to take its toll on Asgore. But the king of monsters did not back down.

 Neither did the Jedi.

 They continued. It was almost over.

 And then it was.

 Anakin struck once again.

 Asgore fell to his knees. One hand on his heart. “Ah…” He sighed, seeing his defeat. “So that is how it is.”

 There was a mournful silence, a moment shared between the three of them.

 “I remember the day after my son died,” Asgore told the two. “The entire underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war. I said that I would destroy any human that came here. I would use their souls to become godlike…and free us from this terrible prison. Then, I would destroy humanity… And let monsters rule the surface, in peace. Soon the people’s hope returned. My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again.”

 He bowed his head. “Truthfully…I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope…

 “But…I cannot take this any longer. I just want to see my wife. I just want to see my child. Please….humans….this war has gone on long enough. You have the power….take my soul, and leave this cursed place.”

 There was a long silence.

 “No,” said Anakin. “You wanted what was best for your people.”

 “And that is something a good king should do,” Obi-Wan added. 

 “Besides, I told Obi-Wan and Ahsoka that either all of us were leaving, or none of us would. So, as much as it pains me to say it, I think we’re staying here.”

 Asgore was quiet for a moment. He looked up at the two Jedi, hope filled his tired eyes. “After everything I have done to hurt you…you would rather stay down here and suffer….than live happily on the surface?”

 “How happy would it be, if I couldn’t have my friends with me?” Anakin asked.

 He smiled sadly. “Humans….I promise you…For as long as you remain here….my wife and I will take care of you as best we can. We can sit in the living room, telling stories…eating butterscotch pie….We could be like….like a family….”

 All of the sudden familiar bullets surrounded the king.

 They all crashed into him. Except for one.

 Obi-Wan and Anakin watched in horror as he faded into dust, his last hope vanishing with him.

 His soul shined a glowing white before them. 

 But before they could reach out - even if they had tried - the last bullet collided with it. The soul shattered. 

 Asgore was dead.

 Flowey popped out of the ground. For the first time since the RUINS he was there. His smile taunting them. 

 “You IDIOTS,” he cackled. “You haven’t learned a thing. In this world…”

 He destroyed the canisters with his vines, releasing the human SOULs as they swarmed around him.

 “It’s KILL or be KILLED.”

 His face began to decay. The SOULs grew closer.

 There was a blinding flash of light.

 Everything was suddenly dark.

Chapter Text

 “You’ve got us lost, again!” Ahsoka exclaimed.

 “I did not,” Anakin huffed. “It was Master Kenobi’s job-”

 “Do not bring me into this,” Obi-Wan said, raising his hands. “But we do need to figure out where we are.”

 “There’s a mountain over there, maybe we could see better if we got higher up,” Ahsoka offered, pointing in its direction.

 “Good idea, Snips.”

 The three Jedi made their way up the mountain, but only found themselves inside of a cave instead. 

 “Great, now we’re lost even more,” said Ahsoka.

 “Hey, this time it was your idea.”

 She rolled her eyes. 

 “We can just leave the cave,” said Obi-Wan. “We’ll figure things out eventually, we just need to be patient.”

 There was a clash of thunder in the distance.

 “What was that about leaving the cave?” Anakin asked.

 “Then we wait until the storm passes. Patience still applies.”

 “Yeah even more so,” he grumbled.

 “I can hear you, you know.”

 Ahsoka had been ignoring the two of them, and was looking around the cave when she suddenly tripped over a vine. And died on impact.

 Howdy readers! You didn’t get too invested in the Jedi, did you? DID YOU?! 

 Come on, we all knew this would happen. You’ve played the game, or are you one of those pathetic types that are too weak to do things yourself? Hee hee hee.

 Oh, don’t worry, I won’t overstay my welcome. I’ll let the author have their time to shine. But don’t get upset when I put in my own personal edits. 

 Oh, it looks like Kenobi and Skywalker are waking up. I’ll go ahead and hand this back to the author. See you again soon.

 The Jedi groaned as they opened their eyes. The world had turned into a void. Everything was gone.

 Ahsoka was standing there with them in the pitch black emptiness. 

 “I heard screaming and came over, what’s going on?!” She exclaimed.

 “I think we’re going to find out quite soon,” Obi-Wan replied.

 “And I think we’re going to need some weed killer,” Anakin remarked.

 There was a small glowing light in the darkness. Only Anakin could see it. 

 It was a star. A SAVE POINT. He walked over to it, unsure about saving. Asgore was dead. If he SAVEd here, then he would remain that way.

 But there was nothing else he could do.

 He took ahold of the light. But it burned.

 I appeared before them. “Howdy!” I greeted. “It’s me, FLOWEY. FLOWEY the FLOWER!” I winked and stuck out my tongue. It’s fun to taunt people, especially when they’re new.

 And oh boy, is Star Wars new.

 “I owe you a HUGE thanks, Skywalker. Obi-Wan not as much, and Ahsoka not at all.” I giggled. “You really did a number on that old fool. Without you, I NEVER could have gotten past him.”

 My face shifted into that of the dead king. “But now with YOUR help…” Next my face morphed into his skull. “He’s DEAD. 

 “And I’VE got the human SOULS!” I grinned.

 My laughter echoed through the void I created.

 “Boy! I’ve been empty for so long…It feels great to have a SOUL inside me again. Mmm, I can feel them wriggling…” And really, feeling them inside like that. It’s the best feeling in all of the timelines. “Aww, you’re all feeling left out, aren’t you?”

 “Not really,” Skywalker remarked, his face contorting into one of disgust.

 Not that I cared. He would join them soon enough. 

 “Well, too bad. After all, I only have six souls. I still need one more… Before I become GOD.”

 And imagining what EIGHT souls could bring, it’s tantalizing. 

 “And then, with my newfound powers…

 “Monsters,” my face shifted not to that of dear old Toriel, but to the young Padawan instead.

 The fear in her eyes only made this more exciting.

 “Humans,” I went on. My face shifted into Skywalker’s. 

 He too seemed frightened by this, but more angry. I understood that primal rage.

 “Everyone,” I concluded. “I’ll show them all the REAL meaning of this world.”

 I laughed again.

 “Oh, and forget about escaping to your old SAVE FILE, Skywalker. It’s gone FOREVER. But don’t worry. Your old friend FLOWEY…”

 “We are not friends,” Skywalker interrupted. How rude.

 “Well, either way, I’ve worked out a replacement for you! I’ll SAVE over your own deaths. So you can watch me tear you and your friends to bloody pieces…. Over, and over, and over…”

 Skywalker approached me, unaware of what I had planned. Or of the power that wriggled inside. His remaining hand was wrapped around his lightsaber. How cute, he thinks he could do something to me.

 “...What?” I exclaimed, mockingly. “Do you really think you can stop ME?” I giggled. “You really ARE an idiot.”

 I descended upon the Jedi, my new form now revealed. They looked upon me with the horror of seeing an eldritch being. 

 I barraged them with attacks. 

 Suddenly the cyan SOUL arrived to the rescue. The toy knives surrounded the Jedi, but they called for help, and it came. Healing them.

 I continued to attack. Bringing them nearly to their knees.

 The orange SOUL was next. Encircling them with gloves until Obi-Wan was able to ask for help. Once again they were healed.

 I continued again. Resetting over and over, loading and reloading. But the pathetic Jedi managed to escape from harm.

 Dark blue was next with their ballet shoes. They avoided the deadly dance in harmony until help arrived.

 But whatever help they gained from that pathetic SOUL didn’t stop me. I attacked more and more. They were no match for a being that was a GOD. In fact, I won. 

 They didn’t stand a chance, dear readers.

 For in a fitting end, I burned Skywalker to a crisp. Just as he one day will be at the end of his fateful battle with Kenobi. That he’ll never get to see.

 Hee hee hee.

 As promised, I reloaded. Bringing them back to die again. And again. And again. Until they give up.

 I do hope you don’t tire so easily.

 Once more I sent an array of attacks hurtling towards them. They were almost dead again.

 But the purple SOUL arrived to save them. Ahsoka called for help, and they answered, healing them. 

 And then I kept going. No matter how many times these SOULS-

 Green was next. Saving them again.

 NO! I refuse to be defeated! These Jedi would fall to me. This fanfiction is under MY control now!

 But he was wrong. The yellow SOUL arrived. Even though the Jedi were close to defeat they were able to be healed.

 The SOULs all emerged to save them and heal them.

 The attacks began to slow. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka were able to fight back easier. The SOULs were on their side again. 

 Even as they were covered with slashes, and bleeding. The SOULS came, and healed them.

 The battle went on. It was furious but it was now in the favor of the trio. The Force was with them. The SOULS were with them.

 “No…NO!!!” He cried. “This CAN’T be happening!!!”

 “Oh but it ca-” Anakin began.

 I cut him off by loading. The author was wrong. I am still in control.

 “You IDIOTS!” I cried.

 I killed them. I killed them again and again. Over and over. Just like I promised.

 Better than some of you can keep yours.

 Hee hee hee.

 I surrounded the Jedi just as I did in the beginning. All the way back in chapter one. 

 “Did you REALLY think….you could defeat ME?! I am the GOD of this world. And YOU? Being the chosen one is NOTHING when you’re facing someone who controls FATE! You’re HOPELESS. Hopeless and alone… 

 “Golly, that’s right! Your WORTHLESS friends…can’t save you now. Call for help. I dare you. Cry into the darkness! ‘Mommy! Daddy! Somebody help!’ Cry to your precious Force! See what good it does you!”

 That pathetic Skywalker kept trying to find a way to escape my bullets. It was getting on my nerves. 

Really? This is one of the characters you clicked on this fanfiction for? What are you thinking?

 He’s pathetic.

All of these Jedi are pathetic. 

 “Anakin, you’re not doing anything!” Kenobi cried, after I had to reload several dozen times.

 I do have to thank him, it was getting annoying.

 But it didn’t stop Skywalker.

 Would he ever stop?

 His determination bordered on insanity. 

 “Can you stop that!” I hissed.

 But he didn’t.

 He kept going.

 Why is he doing this?

If this keeps up, I might even give the author back control.

 At least then HE’LL be the one who has to deal with Skywalker’s antics.

 Not me.

The Jedi kept it up.

I am SICK of this.

 Your author can come back now.

 Thank you, Flowey.

 Anakin finally put an end to trying to escape. It was doing nothing. 

 Determination could get him far, but it wouldn’t get him out of this.

 Even Obi-Wan had begun to lose his patience. 

 Finally, they called out into the Force for help.

 “But nobody came,” I said. 

 Now that Skywalker was done, I’m taking back control. 

 “Boy! What a shame! Nobody else… Is gonna get to see you DIE!!”

Skywalker once AGAIN kept trying to escape.

 Why?

What is wrong with him?

 “JUST QUIT IT ALREADY!” I roared. 

 “You first,” He challenged.

I wanted to scream.

 He is the absolute worst.

I will not understand those of you who have Skywalker as a favorite character.

 He stopped at last.

 I brought my bullets together to kill him.

 But it didn’t happen. They disappeared.

 “What?” Flowey exclaimed. “How’d you….?”

 He trailed off, stopping himself. “Well, I’ll just-”

 He couldn’t load.

 “Wh…where are my powers!?”

 The SOULs had once again come to the rescue.

 Flowey stood before the Jedi, back into the small flower he was. Broken, and beaten. Almost wilting.

 The three stood over him. Anakin and Ahsoka had murder in their eyes.

 But Obi-Wan held compassion in his heart. “It’s over Flowey,” he said. “You’ve lost. But it doesn’t have to end in any more death.”

 “What are you doing?” He asked him.

 “Yeah, what are you doing, Master?” Anakin demanded. “He doesn’t deserve mercy.”

 “He does,” he replied. He shot a disgusted look at Flowey. “Death would be too good for him.”

  “Do you really think I’ve learned anything from this? No.”

 “Even if you haven’t, there’s still opportunities to,” Obi-Wan told him.

 “Sparing me won’t change anything. Killing me is the only way to end this.”

 “No. There are other ways to end this. You won’t learn anything in death. It sounds like it wouldn’t be the first time you’ve died.”

 “If you let me live….I’ll come back.”

 “That’s what I’m hoping.”

 “I’ll kill you.”

 “I don’t think you will.”

 “I’ll kill everyone.”

 “You’ve already tried that.”

 “I’ll kill everyone you love.”

 “I hate to tell you this, but a lot of the people I love are out of your reach.”

 He fell silent. He was confused.

 “...Why?” He demanded. “Why are you being…so nice to me?”

  Obi-Wan’s face softened. “You’re not all you seem to be, are you?” He asked. He looked through the facade and saw the scared child inside.

 “I can’t understand,” he whispered. “I can’t understand!”

 He even began to cry.

 “You don’t have to,” Obi-Wan comforted him, kneeling down to his height. “You don’t have to understand compassion.”

 “I just can’t understand…” He choked in a sob. Then he vanished into the ground. 

 Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Ahsoka were alone. Standing on a lone patch of grass. 

 There was nothing.

Except for an archway. It was like they were back in the RUINS. 

 Starlight glittered through the barrier… 

Chapter Text

 Obi-Wan’s phone rang. He answered the call.

 “heya,” came the familiar voice of Sans. “is anyone there…?”

 None of them said a word. They didn’t know what to say.

 “well, i’ll just leave a message…

 “so…it’s been awhile.”

 It had? Their fight with Flowey had only just ended. What had happened?

 “the queen returned, and is now ruling over the underground. she’s enstated a new policy…all the humans who fall down here will be treated not as enemies….but as friends.

“ it’s probably for the best, anyway. the human souls the king gathered….seem to have disappeared. so, uh, that plan ain’t happening any time soon.

 “but even though people are heartbroken over the king…and things are looking grim for our freedom…the queen’s trying her best to not let us give up hope. so, uh, hey…if we’re not giving up down here….don’t give up where you are, ok?”

 But they were there. They were still underground. They were trapped as well.

 None of them knew what to say. 

 “who knows how long it will take…but we will get out of here.”

  “SANS!! WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO???” Demanded Papyrus's unmistakable voice. 

 “oh, nobody.”

  “WHAT!? NOBODY!? CAN I TALK TO THEM TOO???”

 “here, knock yourself out.”

 “WAIT A SECOND….I RECOGNIZE THIS NUMBER!! ATTENTION, HUMANS AND ORANGE ONE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS….AM NOW CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD! IT’S EVERYTHING I’VE EVER DREAMED OF…

 “EXCEPT, INSTEAD  OF FIGHTING, WE JUST WATER FLOWERS. SO THAT’S EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT.

 “AND, WE’RE HELPING DR. ALPHYS WITH HER RESEARCH! SHE’S GONNA FIND A WAY TO GET US OUT OF HERE. UNDYNE IS HELPING HER TOO! THOUGH TO BE HONEST, HER METHOD OF HELPING….SEEMS KIND OF….EXPLOSION INDUCING. BUT I THINK ALPHYS LIKES HAVING HER AROUND.”

  “UH OH!!”

 “Hey!” Called out Undyne’s voice. “What are you up to, punks!? Ngahhhh!”

 “PLEASE DON’T NOOGIE THE PHONE.” 

 “Hey! Who’s in charge here!”

 “ME.”

 “Oh…yeah, that’s right! I quit my job as leader of the Royal Guard. Actually, since we won’t be fighting anymore… The Royal Guard totally disbanded. There’s, uh, only one member now.”

 “BUT HE’S EXTREMELY GOOD.”

 “Yeah!! He is!! C’mere!!”

 “PLEASE DON’T NOOGIE THE SKELETON.”

 “Anyways, now I’m working as Alphy’s lab assistant… We’re gonna find a way out of this dump once and for all!! 

 “Oh, yeah, and I’m a gym teacher at the queen’s new school. Did you know I can bench-press seven children!? Awesome, right?”

 Anakin wanted to say something, he wanted to tell her how cool that was. And he wanted to see it. But, something stopped him. There seemed to be something keeping all of them quiet. 

 “Hey,” Her tone shifted, there was a grief to it. “ I’m sorry about what happened with ASGORE. You were just doing what you had to, I know you were Anakin. It’s not your fault he…” She sighed. “Ah, darn it. I miss the big guy.”

 Another pause.

 “Come on, Undyne! Snap out of it! 

 “Uh, I guess I’ll tell you how Alphys is doing. Well, she’s the same as ever. Maybe a little more reclusive than normal. Seems like something’s really bothering her…”

 A pang of guilt filled Anakin. Alphys really wasn’t trying to get them killed. 

 Sure she lied, and maybe she did betray them. But in the end, she never really wanted them dead.

 Quite the opposite, she wanted them to stay.

 If he had the chance, he would go back and apologize.

 “But she can get through it!” Undyne continued. “I’m there supporting her!! That’s what friends are for, right?

 “Hey, where-ever you are, Anakin…. I hope it’s better than here. It took a lot of sacrifice for you and your friends to get there… 

 “So where-ever you are…you have to try and be happy, okay!? For our sakes! We’ll feel better knowing our trouble was worth it. We’re all with you! Everyone is! Even the queen!”

 “HEYY! WAIT a second!” She exclaimed. “TORIEL! TORIEL! Do you wanna…?”

 There was a pause. All three of them took in the fact that Toriel was the Queen of Monsters.

 “Heh, she says she’s busy.”

 “BUT IF SHE KNEW WHO WE WERE TALKING TO….”

 “we wouldn’t get the phone back for at least a few hours.”

 “WE HAVE THE MERCY TO SPARE YOU FROM HER!!”

 “But call back any time, ok?! She’d love to talk!”

 “oh, whoops. this thing’s almost out of batteries. so, hate to cut this short, but….be seeing you, ok?”

 “BYE BYE FOR NOW!”

 “See ya, punks!”

 The call ended. There were a few moments of silence. Nobody was free. Was this really the end?

 Flowey came back, appearing before them. “Why…?” He asked Obi-Wan. “Why did you let me go?”

 “Because it was the right choice,” he replied. “You wouldn’t have learned anything.”

 “Don’t you realize that being nice…just makes you get hurt?”

 “It’s worth it.”

 Flowey laughed weakly. “Look at yourselves. You made all these great friends…but now, you’ll probably never see them again. Or your friends back home. And your wife, Skywalker. Isn’t that the whole reason you went through here? Not to mention how much the underground has been set back by you, and the Republic war effort…. Hurts, doesn’t it?

 “If you had just gone through without caring about anyone…you wouldn’t have to feel bad now. So I don’t get it. If you really did everything the right way…why did things still end up like this? Why…? Is life really that unfair?”

 “Sometimes it is,” said Obi-Wan with a sigh.

 “Say. What if I told you…it didn’t have to be? I may know a way to get you a better ending.”

 “Why should we trust you?” Anakin demanded.

 “Maybe you can’t. But if you just load your SAVE file and…well, in the meantime, why don’t go see Dr. Alphys? It seems like you could have been better friends.”

 “You destroyed my SAVE FILE, remember?” 

 “I overrode it with mine, you still have access to it. Go back, and…well, who knows, maybe she’s got the key to your happiness…? And you know….your arm.

 “See you soon.”

Chapter Text

 When Flowey left, the Jedi stood there silently for a long moment. The only way Anakin had reloaded before was by dying. How were they supposed to go back?

 Was death the only way?

 “I don’t know how to just go back,” he admitted. “I’ve only gone back when I died.”

 “Maybe if you focus on going back?” Obi-Wan offered. “Our SOULs have done things before when we focused on them.”

 “Yeah!” Agreed Ahsoka. “Like when they glowed yellow against Mettaton!”

 “Good thinking,” he agreed. 

 Anakin sat down on the grass. He let the light that filtered in through the barrier become his focus. He turned his attention to his very SOUL. He was filled with determination.

 They were back at the star. Well - Obi-Wan and Anakin were. Which meant Ahsoka was in the throne room. 

 “It worked!” said Obi-Wan.

 “Looks like it,” replied Anakin.

 “Well, we should go drop by the lab and talk to Dr. Alphys.”

 “I agree.”

 Ahsoka was waiting for them. “Well, I guess we should get that happy ending,” she greeted them. “Let’s go.”

 They left the castle, passing through the golden corridor again. Sans had long gone. Perhaps to one of his many sentry stations, or back home with his brother. 

 This time the elevator was free to use. So they went inside, and it took them across the city. Saving them from having to once more trek through the king’s home.

 Once again they rode the long elevator down to the CORE. And were able to leave just as quickly, now that the monsters had stopped trying to kill them.

 As they headed back to MTT Resort, Anakin’s phone rang. It was Papyrus’s number. He picked it up. 

 “Hey..! Uh, this is Undyne…” She greeted him. Then muttered through gritted teeth. “Shut up, Papyrus! This was YOUR idea!”

 “Hey Undyne, what’s up?” Anakin asked.

 “Uh….I….you have to deliver something for me! Uh, please?”

 “Yeah sure thing,” said Anakin.

 “I’m at Snowdin in front of Papyrus’s. See ya, punk!” She hung up.

 “Well?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “It was Undyne, she wants me to deliver something for her,” he answered.

 “She’s at Papyrus’s right?” 

 “That’s correct.”

 “That’s great and all,” said Ahsoka. “But, how do we get back to Snowdin? Undyne  destroyed the bridge when she was hunting us.”

 “Well there has to be some way to get back there,” Obi-Wan replied. “We’ll figure it out.”

 They passed through the hotel, past the Mettaton fountain, and went over to the elevator. The flame monster from earlier was there. “Hey, hey!” He called over to Ahsoka. “Did you remember my name?”

 “Hmm,” she exaggerated. “Heats Flamesman, right?”

 “Wh-WHAT!? You REMEMBER!?” He exclaimed. “How could I be so easily defeateeeeeeeeeeed!?” 

 They took the elevator back down to Left Floor One. The only pathway they had yet to explore was a staircase. They went down to find a river. There was a cloaked monster, entirely hidden, on a boat. 

 Obi-Wan approached them.

 “Tra la la. I am the riverman. Or am I the riverwoman…? It doesn’t really matter. I love to ride in my boat. Would you three care to join me?”

 “Yes, in fact we need to visit Snowdin,” he informed them.

 “Then we’re off.”

 The three Jedi hopped on the boat. While they traveled over the water, Riverperson spoke. “Beware of the man who speaks in hands,” they warned.

 “Who?” Obi-Wan asked.

 “The man from the other world.”

 “We’re from another world,” Anakin said.

 “Then perhaps others should be wary of you. Tra la la.”

 When they reached Snowdin Town, they got off the boat and bid Riverperson farewell. They walked through the town, happy to be back at such a quaint village.

 They reached Papyrus’s home, where both he and Undyne were awaiting them.

 She grinned upon seeing Anakin. “Hey punk!” She called over. 

 “Hey Undyne!” He greeted, matching her grin. “You said you wanted me to deliver something for you?”

 “Uuuuh, I…I need you to deliver this letter. To Dr. Alphys.” She paused, noticing his missing limb. “Wait a second, what happened to your arm?”

 “NO! SCARY HUMAN I AM SO SORRY TO SEE YOUR PLIGHT!”

 “It’s fine, I’ve lost it before. Dr. Alphys is fixing it.”

 “YOU HUMANS ARE VERY STRANGE!”

 “It’s a prosthetic, Papyrus,” Undyne explained. 

 “OH. THAT MAKES MORE SENSE.”

 “About the letter, why don’t you deliver it yourself?” Anakin asked.

 She blushed and looked away. “...um. W-well…I-It’s kind of personal, but we’re friends…so….I’ll t-tell you…” She trailed off for a moment. “Hotland SUUUUCKS!! I don’t wanna have to go over there!!! So here you go.” 

 She handed it over to him. “Oh, and if any of you read it….I’ll KILL all of you. Thanks so much! You’re the best!!!”

 They went back and returned to the Riverperson who happily gave them a ride back to Hotland. 

 Once there Anakin made sure to SAVE, and then they went to the lab and knocked on her door. There was no mail slot. So he slid the letter underneath. 

 There was a long pause. “O-oh n-no, is that another letter…?” Alphys muttered. However her voice was loud enough for the Jedi to overhear. “I don’t want to open it… C-can’t I just slide it back out…?” There was another silence. “N…no… I can’t keep doing this. I’ll read this one.” A beat. “Um…. I-it’s shut k-kind of strongly, isn’t it?? Wait a second….”

 There was the sound of a vibrosaw. All three Jedi stood there, staring at each other.

 The lab door opened to reveal Alphys. “Hey, if this is a joke, it’s…” she trailed off. Staring at Anakin, her eyes wide. “Oh My God? Did YOU write this letter?”

 “Uh- I-”

 She cut him off. “It wasn’t signed, so, I had no idea who could have…”