Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Ouch… that’s it. I’m never climbing up huge mountains ever again.” Chara let out a groan as they got up. They rubbed their head and looked around. “Where the hell am I?”

Chara noticed a door leading to another room, they decided to go through it and see if there was anyone else around.

And surely enough, there was someone.

Sitting on a patch of grass was a small dog-like creature that had cat ears and wore a green-striped shirt.

“hOI!” the dog cried out. “i’m tEM… tEM da tEMMIE!!!”

Tem stared at Chara for a few minutes before saying, “mmm… u r new to da Underground, aren’t ya?”

Chara nodded.

“awawawa!” Tem giggled. “U must be so confuse! tEM will teach u how things work here!!!”

“Okay…?” Chara said. They weren’t sure if they should trust the dog or not.

“are u ready? tEM is ready!!! yaYA! lET’S gO!!” Tem pointed to the kid’s heart and said, “see dat heart? dat is your soul… da veri culmination of your being! Ur soul is weak at da beginning but can be strong if u have a lot of LV.”

“What’s LV?” Chara asked.

“Why, it stands for love, of course!” Tem replied. “U want some love, don’t u? Don’t worry… I’ll share some with you!” Tem winked at Chara. “Down here, love is shared with… little white, ‘temmie flakes’!” A few flakes appeared behind the dog. “Ready? Move around, get as many as you can!”

Chara moved around and tried to catch some of the flakes, only to get injured afterwards.

“What is wrong with you!?” Chara cried out as they turned to Tem.

Tem smirked and said, “You IDIOT. In this world, it’s kill or BE killed. Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this!?”

More flakes surrounded Chara and began to close in on them.

“Die.” Tem cackled.

“Well, this is it,” Chara muttered. “This is how it ends… I lived for about fourteen years, and now… I’m about to be murdered by a dog that has cat ears. Nice… that’s just great. Hell, my tombstone will probably say: ‘Here lies Chara. They had only tried to befriend a dog’.”

Then, a ball of energy knocked Tem away. A goat wearing a purple robe then rushed over to Chara.

“What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth,” the goat remarked. He then noticed the frightened look on Chara’s face. “Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Asgore, caretaker of the ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time.”

“Really?” Chara was surprised. There had been humans who fell into the Underground aside from them?

The goat nodded and then smiled. “Come, I will guide you through the catacombs.” Asgore then led them to a door. “This way.”

Chara was hesitant at first.

Well… he doesn’t seem that bad, and he did save my life… I guess I’ll follow him.

Chara then went through the door and into the next room.

Chapter Text

“Welcome to your new home, innocent one,” Asgore said. “Allow me to educate you in the operation of the ruins.” Asgore stepped on a few gray tiles and pulled a switch, which caused a door to open. “The ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them.”

Asgore left the room and Chara followed.

“To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches,” Asgore continued. “Do not worry, I have labeled the ones that you need to flip.”

Chara saw a switch that had arrows pointing towards it, they pulled the switch and continued to walk down the path. They saw another switch and pulled it, they then heard a loud thud.

They turned to Asgore, who said, “Splendid! I am proud of you, little one. Let us move on to the next room.”

“As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple.” Asgore smiled. “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.” Asgore pointed towards the dummy in the corner, he then left the room.

Chara walked up to the dummy.

Try talking to it.

Who… who are you?

I’m Frisk, but the rest is not important right now. What’s important is that you try to stall the dummy long enough for Asgore to come. Try saying something sweet, that always works.

“A cotton heart and a button eye, you are the apple of my eye,” Chara said to the dummy.

The dummy didn’t respond. It looked like it was going to fall over.

It doesn’t seem much for conversation… oh well. At least you won.

“That was pointless,” Chara muttered. They rolled their eyes and turned around. They saw Asgore standing at the doorway, smiling.

“Ah, very good! You are very good.”

“There is another puzzle in this room, I wonder if you can solve it?”

As Chara walked down the path, they encountered a Froggit.

Compliment it.

Chara complimented the Froggit, but the frog did not understand what the child had said.

Asgore walked up to the Froggit and cleared his throat. “Ahem.”

The frog hopped off, looking ashamed.

Asgore and Chara came across a bridge that was covered with spikes.

“This is the puzzle, but… here, take my hand for a moment.” Asgore held his hand out and Chara took it.

As they walked across the bridge, the spikes disappeared.

“Woah… how do you create these kinds of puzzles?” Chara asked.

Asgore didn’t respond.

When they reached the other side of the room, Asgore remarked, “Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now.”

“You have done excellently thus far, my child. However…” Asgore’s grin faltered as he continued, “I have a difficult request to ask of you. …I would like you to walk to the end of the room by yourself. Forgive me for this.”

Asgore walked away.

This doesn’t seem like a huge task. I don’t know why he’s so worried about leaving me all on my own. I can handle myself just fine, Chara thought.

This may be an easy task for you, but you don’t know what it’s like for him.

Chara cocked an eyebrow, but shrugged and continued to walk to the end of the room.

When they reached the end of the room, Asgore came out from behind a pillar and greeted the child.

“Do not worry, I was simply behind this pillar for the whole time,” the goat said. “Thank you for trusting me. However, there was an important reason for this exercise… to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It’s dangerous to explore by yourself.”

Chara wanted to object, they wanted to say that they would be fine, but no words came out of their mouth.

“I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone,” Asgore said. “If you have a need for anything, just call. Be good, alright?”

Once Asgore had left, Chara was pondering about their current situation.

Should I explore the ruins… or should I just stay here?

Try befriending other monsters, it’ll be a huge benefit.

Chara walked out of the room and continued to explore the ruins.

Chapter Text

So you were the first fallen child?

Yes.

But now you’re dead… so, technically, you’re a ghost.

Technically, yes, but I’m not like the other ghosts in the Underground.

How so?

For some reason — I don’t know how or why — only you can interact with me. Granted, it’s only in your mind, but still… somehow you’re the only one I can ‘talk’ to.

There’s got to be an explanation for this.

Chara stopped as they noticed that there was something in their way.

It was a light pink ghost.

Chara nudged the ghost and said, “Excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt your sleeping session, but you’re kind of in my way. I’m just trying to pass through, so if you could move over so I can continue on my way, that’d be much appreciated.”

“Oooh…” Happstablook got up and looked at Chara. “A human…? I thought that there weren’t any more children left after… oh no…” The ghost’s expression turned into a worried one.

“Um, are you alright?” Chara asked, concerned.

“Oh… I’m just peachy, darling,” the ghost replied, faking a smile.

However, despite his fake smile, tears began to fall from the ghost’s eyes.

He’s crying…

Flirt with him, that’ll cheer him up.

How is flirting with him going to cheer him up?

It always worked when I did it.

Chara sighed and tried to flirt with the ghost.

“I’d just weight you down…” the ghost muttered.

“No, you wouldn’t.” Chara gave the ghost a patient smile.

“Heh…”

Chara decided to tell the ghost a joke.

“Heh heh…” The ghost chuckled. “Hey, um… I want to show you something.”

“What is it?” Chara asked curiously.

“Let me try…” Tears floated to the top of the ghost’s head, forming a light yellow hat with a bright red bow on it. “I call it ‘pretty blook’. Do you like it?”

“I love it,” Chara replied.

“Oh gee… I usually come to the ruins because there’s nobody around… but today I met somebody nice… oh, I’m rambling again. I’ll get out of your way.” The ghost was about to fade away when Chara stopped him.

“Wait! What’s your name?” Chara asked.

“Happstablook,” the ghost responded. “Anyway, see you later, darling!”

The ghost disappeared, leaving Chara all alone.

“Well, that was interesting,” they muttered, smiling.

Chapter Text

After exploring the ruins for a while, Chara came across an old tree. Asgore came from behind the tree and noticed that there was a bruise on Chara’s face.

“Oh dear, that took longer than I thought it would. How did you get here, my child? And you’re hurt… there, there, I will heal you.” Asgore hugged Chara. He then pulled out a bandage and placed it over their wound. “I should have not left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this.”

“It’s fine. It was only one Whimsun, no big deal,” Chara said, trying to calm the goat down.

“Well, if you say so.” Asgore sighed. “And I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one! Follow me.”

As they followed the goat, Chara noticed a small house.

Seeing such a neat, tidy house filled them with… determination.

“Do you smell that?” Asgore asked. “Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we might celebrate your arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here.”

“Wait, you want me to… live here?” Chara asked, surprised.

Asgore nodded. “You can stay here as long as you’d like.”

“Thank you…”

“You’re welcome. And I also have another surprise for you.” Asgore grabbed Chara’s hand and led them to a room.

“This is it… a room of your own, I hope you like it!” Asgore said.

Chara gasped. “Woah…”

Asgore sniffed, he smelt something burning. “Um, I’ve got to go.” He ran to the kitchen.

Chara cocked an eyebrow, but decided to go into their new room.

It was a small room. It had a nightstand, a lamp, a closet, a box full of shoes, a box full of toys, and a small bed.

Chara got into the bed and pulled the covers over their body. They closed their eyes and fell asleep.

Chara woke up and saw a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie on their nightstand. They smiled and got up.

They grabbed the slice of pie and took a bite out of it. It had a sweet flavor.

Chara left the room and went into the living room.

Asgore was sitting in a rocking chair while reading a book. He looked up from his book and said, “Up already?”

Chara nodded. “Yep!”

“Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here,” Asgore began, “There are so many old books I want to share. I could even show you my old bug-hunting spot… golly, there are just so many things I want to teach you. Oh, and speaking of teaching, I’ve also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you… but I have always wanted to be a teacher. …Actually, perhaps that isn’t very surprising.” Asgore squinted. “STILL. I am glad to have you living here.”

“Um, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“When can I go home?”

Asgore was surprised at the child’s question. “What? 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?”

“How do I exit the ruins?” Chara asked. They didn’t want to offend Asgore, but they still wanted to go back to the surface.

“Um… how about an exciting snail fact?” Asgore tried to change the subject. He didn’t want to lose another child. “Did you know that snails sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature? Interesting.”

Chara felt like puking as they heard that, but they continued to ask, “Is there any way I can exit the ruins? Is there some kind of path or road I can take?”

“…I have to do something. Stay here.” Asgore got up and left the living room.

Chara followed Asgore down into the basement.

Despite feeling uneasy, they were determined to leave the ruins.

“You wish to know how to return ‘home,’ do you not?” Asgore asked. He had a blank expression on his face.

Chara felt their stomach churn. Asgore’s voice was so… emotionless. It was as if he had lost the ability to feel compassion, empathy, or even sorrow.

“Ahead of us lies the end of the ruins,” Asgore continued. “A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs.” He continued to walk ahead.

“WHAT!? You can’t do that!” Chara cried out as they ran after him.

“Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again.” Asgore frowned. “They come, they leave, and then they die. You naïve child… if you leave the ruins… they… Toriel… will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand? …Go to your room.”

“Who’s Toriel?” Chara was so confused. What was going on? Why was this happening?

As the two reached the end of the hallway, Asgore said, “Do not try to stop me. This is your final warning.” His voice now had a stern tone, as if he were a parent and he was scolding his child.

Chara felt their heart pounding. They knew they couldn’t stay in the ruins forever, but they also knew that from the tone of his voice, Asgore was not joking. He was being serious.

Chara continued to follow him.

“You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself…” Asgore turned to face Chara. “Prove to me that you are strong enough to survive.”

Chara tried to say something, but they couldn’t think of a conversation topic.

They dodged Asgore’s attacks.

What am I supposed to do? Do I fight him?

Spare him.

Chara took a deep breath and said, “I’m not going to fight you… I just want to go back home…”

Asgore didn’t respond. He continued to throw balls of energy, but the child continued to dodge his attacks.

“Please, Asgore,” they pleaded. “Don’t do this.”

“Go away!” Asgore shouted.

“I know that you don’t want to be alone, but you’ve got to trust me,” Chara continued. “I’m not like the others. I just want to go home…”

Asgore took a deep breath. “I know you want to go home, but… please, go upstairs now.”

Chara shook their head. “No, just listen to me!”

Asgore gave a sad smile. “I promise I will take good care of you here. I know we do not have much, but… we can have a good life here.”

“A good life isn’t being cooped up in a house, while fearing death.” Chara frowned.

“Why are you making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs.” Asgore felt tears sting his eyes.

Chara noticed that there were tears in the goat’s eyes. They felt terrible. “Are… are you crying?”

Asgore wiped a tear away and laughed. “Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child.”

“I-I’m sorry, I’ll… I’ll go back upstairs…” Chara looked down, they were about to head back, but Asgore placed a hand on their shoulder and stopped them.

“No, I understand. You would just be unhappy trapped down here,” he said. “The ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations… my loneliness… my fear… for you, my child… I will put them aside.”

“W-wait, so this means that I can…?” Chara trailed off, looking up at Asgore.

He nodded. “If you truly wish to leave the ruins, I will not stop you. However, when you leave… please do not come back.”

“W-what?”

“I hope you understand.” Asgore hugged Chara tightly. “Goodbye, my child.”

Asgore walked away, he looked back at Chara. When they turned to him, he continued walking.

Chara let out a sigh. “This is it, then…”

They opened the door and left the ruins. As they reached the end of the hallway, they came across a small patch of grass.

Their eyes widened as they saw Tem.

Tem smirked. “Clever. Verrrryyy clever. You think you’re really smart, don’t you? In this world, it’s kill or be killed. So you were able to play by your own rules. You spared the life of a single person. Hee hee hee…” The dog gave a smug smile. “I bet you feel really great. You didn’t kill anybody this time. But what will you do if you meet a relentless killer? You’ll die, you’ll die, and you’ll die until you tire of trying. What will you do then? Will you kill out of frustration? Or will you give up entirely on this world and let ME inherit the power to control it? I am the prince of this world’s future. Don’t worry, my little monarch, my plan isn’t regicide. This is SO much more interesting.”

He let out a laugh and then ran away.

Chara saw a door at the end of the hallway. They went through it and then shivered, they quickly wrapped their arms around their body as an attempt to stay warm.

It was snowing.

Chapter Text

“It’s not even winter yet, so why is it snowing?” Chara continued to walk through the woods. “Ugh… I should’ve put on a sweater before coming here…”

As they walked through the forest, they felt as if they were being followed.

Their suspicions were confirmed as they started to hear footsteps.

As they continued down the snowy path, they spotted a bridge.

They heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer.

“Human, don’t you know how to great a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand,” a voice drawled.

Chara turned around and saw a skeleton wearing a red jacket. He was also smoking a cigar.

The skeleton held out a hand, waiting for the child to shake it.

Chara grabbed the skeleton’s hand. As they shook his hand, they heard the sound of a whoopee cushion deflating.

“heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick.” The skeleton chuckled. “it’s ALWAYS funny. anyways, you’re a human, right?”

“No, I’m a ghost trapped inside a porcelain doll’s body,” Chara sarcastically replied. “Of course I’m a human!”

“that’s priceless,” the skeleton replied. “i’m Papyrus. Papyrus the skeleton. i should be watching for humans right now. but… y’know… i don’t really care about capturing anybody.”

“Thank god,” Chara muttered.

“now my brother, Sans… he’s a human-hunting FANATIC,” Papyrus continued. “i have an idea. go through this gate thingy.”

“Wait, I can go through the bars?”

“yeah, you can. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone.”

They both walked through the bars.

“quick, behind that conveniently-shaped plant.” Papyrus pointed to the plant, and Chara went over to the plant and hid behind it.

Sans ran towards Papyrus.

“sup, bro?”

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

“staring at this plant,” Papyrus replied. “it’s really cool. do you wanna look?”

“NO!! I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!!” Sans stomped his feet. “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!” Sans then grinned. “THEN, I, THE GREAT SANS 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.”

“yeah… maybe this plant will help you.”

“PAPYRUS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES!! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AROUND AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!!!” Sans stopped as he noticed the cigar in Papyrus’ mouth. “WAIT… ARE YOU SMOKING AGAIN?”

“yes.”

“PAPYRUS!!!”

“what?”

“QUIT SMOKING AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE ALREADY!!”

“hey, it’s not that easy. let’s just say… i don’t have the guts to quit.” Papyrus winked.

“PAPYRUS!!!”

“come on. you’re chuckling.”

“I AM AND I HATE IT!” Sans sighed. “WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH JUST TO GET SOME RECOGNITION?”

“wow, sounds like you’re working really hard… but are you UP for the task?”

“OF COURSE I… PAPYRUS?!? ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF MY STATURE AGAIN?!?”

“bro, i’m just kidding. relax, you are really working yourself… down to the bone.”

“UGH!!! WHATEVER!! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES… AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE… ‘BACKBONE’ INTO IT!!!” Sans let out a laugh. “MWEHEHEHEH!!!” Sans was about to leave, but he stopped and turned to Papyrus. “HEH!” He then left.

“ok, you can come out now,” Papyrus said.

Chara walked up to the skeleton, snickering. “That’s your brother? He’s such a dork!”

“yeah, yeah, i know. but you probably should get going, he might come back, and if he does… you’ll have to sit through more of my hilarious puns.” Papyrus grinned.

Then an idea struck him.

“actually, hey… hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?”

“Sure, what kind of favor?”

“well, i was thinking… my brother’s been kind of blue lately… i mean, besides his clothes. you know, he’s been kinda down. he’s never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day. don’t worry, he’s not dangerous, even if he tries to be.” Papyrus winked at the kid.

“I did have some places to get to, but… okay, I’ll approach him,” Chara said.

“thanks a quintillion. i’ll be up ahead.” Papyrus went in the opposite direction.

Chara cocked an eyebrow, but shook their head. They smiled.

Maybe the Underground wasn’t that bad after all.

Chapter Text

“YOU’RE SO LAZY!! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!” Sans shouted. He was getting tired of his brother’s slothful nature.

“i think that’s called sleeping,” Papyrus replied.

“EXCUSES, EXCUSES!” Sans then turned and saw Chara. “OH-HO! THE HUMAN 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!!! 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. OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW.”

Since when do skeletons know how to create electric mazes?

Well, his brother never said that he was a genius.

Chara took a step forward, and Sans was struck by a bolt of electricity.

“PAPYRUS!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!” Sans angrily asked as he stomped his feet.

“i think the human has to hold the orb.”

“OH, OKAY.”

Sans walked through the electric maze. A couple of footsteps formed, showing a safe path.

“HOLD THIS PLEASE!” Sans said as he handed the orb to Chara.

Chara went through the safe path.

“INCREDIBLE!! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!!” Sans said, shocked. “YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY! HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY!! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, PAPYRUS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! MWE HEH HEH HEH!”

As Sans left, Papyrus approached Chara. “hey, thanks… 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… he keeps calling it his ‘battle body.’ man, isn’t my brother cool?”

“Yeah… he’s cool,” Chara said, holding back their laughter.

Chara saw a brown cat wearing a pink shirt, he was standing next to a cart full of burgers. The cat looked upset.

They approached the cat and asked, “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” The cat was surprised to see a customer. “OH!!! A CUSTOMER!!!!” He cleared his throat. “Ahem... I mean, hello, would you like some Glamburgers? It’s the treat that warms your heart!”

“Sure! How much are they?” Chara asked.

“15G.”

“Hmm…” Chara pulled some money out of their pockets. “Will this be enough to cover it?”

“Yep!” The cat took the money and handed them a burger. “Here you go! Have a super-duper day!”

“Thanks, sir!” Chara smiled.

“Anytime, little buddy!”

After solving a few more puzzles made by Sans, Chara came across a small town.

They saw a young goat wearing a yellow rain coat along with a hat. They went up to the goat and tapped his shoulder.

“Oh, howdy!” The young goat smiled, he then noticed the green-striped shirt that Chara was wearing. “Yo! You’re a kid — or at least a teen — too, right?”

“Yeah, I am…”

“I knew it! I could tell ‘cause you’re wearing a striped shirt — I’m wearing one too, but it’s underneath my coat. I’m Asriel, by the way.”

“My name’s Chara.” They shook Asriel’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too!” Asriel beamed.

Chara then spotted a bear.

“This town doesn’t have a mayor,” the bear said. “But if there’s ever a problem, a skeleton will tell a dino lady all about it. Thaaaaaat’s politics!”

A dino lady? Aren’t dinosaurs extinct?

You’d be surprised at what some people can live through. You’d also be surprised at how some people aren’t all that they seem. But it really doesn’t matter how we look or how we act. We all eventually die in the end, but when the time does come to pass on… it helps to look back at the good times, it makes death easier that way.

Chara pitied Frisk. They seemed like a good person, but it was a shame that they had died at a young age.

But after hearing their stomach growl, Chara decided to get something to eat.

“Why, hello, dearie~ Welcome to Muffet’s Diner, run by yours truly~” Muffet giggled.

“oh, hey, kiddo.” Papyrus pulled out a chair. “sit next to me.”

Chara sat next to him.

“so, what do you want to eat?” Papyrus asked.

“Actually…” Chara began to snicker. “I’m so stupid! I forgot that I had bought a Glamburger…” They pulled out the burger and looked back at Papyrus. “Hah… isn’t that priceless?”

The two began to laugh.

“hah, it’s okay, kid. i forget things all the time,” Papyrus said as he wiped away a tear.

“Yeah… anyway, how’s Sans?” Chara asked.

“he’s doing alright. meeting you has made him more determined to capture you, though, but don’t worry, he’s got good intentions.”

“I hope so.”

Chapter Text

Chara felt uneasy about fighting Sans. They remembered fighting with Asgore, and the results still made them feel terrible. But they couldn’t turn back now, they had to keep on going if they wanted to go back to the surface.

And if that meant that they had to dodge all of Sans’ attacks, then so be it.

“HUMAN,” Sans began, “ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS 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!!!”

Wait, is he trying to imply that I have a… crush on him?

I think he is.

“I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY,” Sans continued. “AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT. I DON’T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE. I PITY YOU… LONELY HUMAN… WORRY NOT!! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT SANS, WILL BE YOUR…” Sans shook his head and turned around. “NO… NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN’T BE YOUR FRIEND!!”

“And why is that?” Chara asked, crossing their arms.

“BECAUSE YOU ARE A HUMAN!” Sans replied, turning to them. “I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM!!! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS!!! THAT’S SANS!!! THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!”

Sans blocked Chara’s way.

“Listen, Sans, there’s many other ways you can get into the royal guard. Capturing me isn’t going to prove anything,” Chara said. “I know that you want to be popular, powerful, and prestigious… but you’re already cool.”

Their advice didn’t work, and a couple of bones were thrown at them. Chara dodged the bones and let out a sigh. “Not again…”

After a while of dodging Sans’ attacks, Chara was exhausted and so was Sans.

“WELL,” Sans huffed. “IT’S CLEAR… THAT YOU CAN’T… BEAT ME! YEAH!!! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS!! THEREFORE I, THE GREAT SANS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY!!”

“Wait,” Chara huffed, “Really?”

“YES. I WILL SPARE YOU, HUMAN! NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY.”

Chara smiled and grabbed Sans’ hand and whispered, “Thanks.”

Sans looked down, upset. “I CAN’T EVEN STOP SOMEONE AS WEAK AS YOU… ALPHYS’ GOING TO BE DISSAPOINTED IN ME. I’LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD… AND… MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT!”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea… let’s be friends,” Chara said, in hopes of making the skeleton feel better.

“REALLY!? YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS, WITH ME???” Sans asked, surprised. “WELL THEN… I GUESS… I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! WOWIE!! WE HAVEN’T EVEN HAD OUR FIRST DATE… AND I’VE ALREADY MANAGED TO HIT THE FRIEND ZONE!!! WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO DO TO MAKE PALS WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM?? YOU TAUGHT ME A LOT, HUMAN. I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! AND I’LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE. CONTINUE FORWARD 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. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT, BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT IT… EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL, LIKE YOU! THAT’S WHY THE QUEEN WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. SHE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE!”

“Oh god.” Chara gulped. They were not looking forward to meeting the queen if it meant that they’d have to lose their soul.

“OH, AND I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU… TO REACH THE EXIT, YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS THROUGH THE QUEEN’S CASTLE. THE QUEEN OF ALL MONSTERS… SHE IS… WELL… SHE’S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER!!!” Sans smiled. “EVERYBODY LOVES HER. I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY ‘EXCUSE ME, MRS. DREEMURR… CAN I PLEASE GO HOME?’ SHE’LL GUIDE YOU TO THE BARRIER HERSELF! ANYWAY, THAT’S ENOUGH TALKING! I’LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND!! FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HAVE THAT DATE! MWE HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!” Sans ran back to his house.

Guess I’m going to have to date him, huh?

Well, you have to say goodbye, so it’d be best to leave him on a positive note.

I’m starting to question why I’m even a pacifist…

Chara let out a sigh and followed Sans’ footprints.

Chara knocked on the door, and it opened to reveal Sans.

“SO YOU CAME BACK TO HAVE THE DATE WITH ME? YOU MUST REALLY BE SERIOUS ABOUT THIS…”

“Actually, I—”

Chara was interrupted by Sans taking their hand and dragging them throughout town, only to return to his house shortly afterwards.

Sans went inside, and Chara went in after him.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Chara said, already regretting all of their choices.

Sans let them up to his room and then took off his gloves. He put on a baseball cap and a teal shirt that said ‘Cool Guy.’

“THE DATE CAN’T START UNLESS YOU DISCOVER MY SECRET!” Sans grinned, thinking that Chara wouldn’t find out the secret behind his outfit.

Chara pulled his cap off, revealing a burger. “Okay… I do like burgers but… how did you think you could hide a burger under your hat?” Chara took the burger and bit into it. Their face scrunched up and they dropped the burger. The taste was indescribable.

“WHAT A PASSIONATE EXPRESSION!!!” Sans remarked. “YOU MUST REALLY LOVE MY COOKING! AND MY EXTENSION, ME!!! MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN I DO!!!”

“Yeah right,” Chara muttered.

“HUMAN, IT’S CLEAR NOW. YOU’RE MADLY IN LOVE WITH ME. EVERYTHING YOU DO, EVERYTHING YOU SAY — IT’S ALL BEEN FOR MY SAKE. HUMAN, I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, TOO. IT’S TIME FOR ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS. IT’S TIME THAT I TOLD YOU.” Sans took a deep breath. “I, SANS… I… UM… BOY, IS IT HOT IN HERE OR IS IT JUST ME??”

“Just say it, Sans!”

“OH, SHOOT. HUMAN, I… I’M SORRY. I DON’T LIKE YOU THE WAY YOU LIKE ME. ROMATICALLY, I MEAN. I MEAN, I TRIED VERY HARD TO! I THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE YOU FLIRTED WITH ME THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU. THEN, ON THE DATE, FEELINGS WOULD BLOSSOM FORTH!!! I WOULD BE ABLE TO MATCH YOUR PASSION FOR ME!!!” Sans blushed slightly, but stopped as he continued, “BUT ALAS… I, THE GREAT SANS, HAVE FAILED. I FEEL JUST THE SAME AS BEFORE. AND INSTEAD, BY DATING YOU… I HAVE ONLY DRAWN YOU DEEPER INTO YOUR INTENSE LOVE FOR ME! A DARK PRISON OF PASSION, WITH NO ESCAPE. HOW COULD I HAVE DONE THIS TO MY DEAR FRIEND—?”

“Okay, Sans, stop right there,” Chara interrupted. “First of all, I meant for this date to be platonic. I had no idea that I was making you feel as if it was supposed to be romantic, and I sincerely apologize for that. I was hoping to leave you on good terms, since I’ve got to get back home and also because the last person I met didn’t react too well after I asked if there was a way to get back to the surface. I hope you understand.”

“OH… I UNDERSTAND. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY, HUMAN!” Sans placed a hand on Chara’s shoulder. “I BELIEVE IN YOU, AND SO DOES MY BROTHER!”

Chara smiled. “Thanks.”

Well, that went surprisingly well.

Sure did.

Chapter Text

As Chara made their way through Waterfall, they saw Asriel standing by a pond.

“Yo! Are you sneaking out to see her, too?” Asriel asked.

“You mean Alphys, right?” Chara asked, Asriel nodded. “Well, maybe…”

“That’s awesome… she’s the coolest, right?! I wanna be just like her when I grow up… hey, don’t tell my parents that I’m here. Haha.” Asriel smiled.

Chara noticed that Papyrus was behind a hot dog stand.

“what? haven’t you seen a guy with two jobs before? fortunately, two jobs means twice as many legally-required breaks.” Papyrus grinned. “i’m going to Muffet’s. wanna come?”

“I’m busy at the moment,” Chara replied.

“ah, i understand. by the way, you see those blue flowers? those are echo flowers. whenever you say something to it, the flower will repeat those exact words,” Papyrus explained. “sounds incredible, doesn’t it?”

“That is incredible.”

As Chara walked into a patch of tall grass, they heard voices.

Chara peeked through the grass and saw two figures that resembled a skeleton and a dinosaur. However, when Chara got a good look at the dinosaur’s face, they were worried.

The dinosaur had two scars over her right eye, and the rest of her body was covered in armor, she was also carrying a spear.

“H-HI, ALPHYS! I’M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT… UHHH… REGARDING THAT HUMAN THAT I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER…” Sans sounded nervous.

“Did you fight them?” Alphys asked.

“…HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!”

“Well, did you capture them?”

“…WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM…? W-W-WELL… NO. I TRIED VERY HARD, ALPHYS, BUT IN THE END… I FAILED.”

“Ugh… never mind… I’ll just take their soul myself,” Alphys muttered.

“…WHAT? YOU’RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN’S SOUL YOURSELF? BUT ALPHYS, YOU DON’T H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE…” Sans tried to approach her, but as she turned to face him, he felt himself shaking. “YOU SEE…” He sighed. “I UNDERSTAND… I’LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN.” He then started to make his way back to Snowdin.

Chara was terrified. They didn’t want to die, not yet.

She’s… she’s going to kill me!

No, she’s not. Not if you try to explain things to her.

Chara tried to run away, but they were making too much noise and Alphys had noticed them.

“Probably just a grasshopper,” she muttered, walking away.

Chara let out a sigh of relief as they walked out of the grass.

Asriel walked out of the grass. “Yo… did you see the way she was staring at you…? That… was AWESOME! I’m SOOO jealous! What’d you do to get her attention…? Haha. C’mon! Let’s go watch her beat up some bad guys!” Asriel ran up ahead, before tripping and falling face first. He got back up and brushed himself off, he continued to run.

“If only you knew.” Chara sighed.

Chara walked across a bridge. “God… how long will it be until I get to the queen’s castle?”

Then, a spear was thrown at them. They dodged it and looked to see who had thrown it.

It was none other than Alphys.

She glared at them and continued to throw more spears.

Chara ran as fast as they could. They hid in some tall grass.

Alphys walked through the tall grass and felt a piece of hair. Thinking that she had found the human, she yanked the hair, only to find out that it was the tuft of fur on Asriel’s head. She put the young goat down and left.

Asriel turned to Chara, with an excited look on his face.. “Yo… did you see that!? Alphys just… TOUCHED ME! I’m never washing my face ever again! Man, are you unlucky. If you were standing just a little bit to the left…! Yo, don’t worry! I’m sure we’ll see her again!”

Chara watched as Asriel ran ahead.

Ignorance is bliss, they thought.

They heard their phone ring, they pulled it out of their pocket and checked to see who had called them.

It was Sans. “HELLO! THIS IS SANS!!! REMEMBER WHEN I SAID THAT ALPHYS WOULD BE DISSAPOINTED? WELL, YOU SEE, HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY… MURDERY. WELL, WORRY NOT DEAR HUMAN! SANS WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU! I AM NOT A CRUEL PERSON. I STRIVE TO BE COMFORTING AND PLEASANT. SANS! HE SMELLS LIKE THE MOON. SO, BECAUSE OF MY INHERENT GOODNESS… I TOLD HER YOU WEREN’T WEARING A STRIPED SHIRT, EVEN THOUGH YOU WERE WEARING ONE! INSTEAD, I MADE SOMETHING UP! I TOLD HER YOU WERE WEARING… A GREEN SHIRT! IT PAINED ME TO LIE TO HER, BUT I KNOW THAT YOU WOULD NEVER WEAR A SHIRT LIKE THAT. DANG! I JUST WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE…”

As soon as Sans hung up, Chara was frozen with fear. Alphys was sure to recognize them, since they were wearing a green striped shirt.

But they soon mustered up the courage to move forward.

Chapter Text

Chara noticed that there was a monster in the corner. They approached the monster, and saw that it was a fish.

“Oh, hi,” the fish said. She smiled. “It’s been a while since a human’s visited. What’s your name?”

“My name’s Chara, and yours?”

“Shyren. I usually come around here to play the piano, but no one bothers to listen, so I prefer to be alone,” she said.

Chara went over to the piano and played a few keys.

“This is fun,” they remarked. They noticed the surprised look on Shyren’s face. “Well, c’mon! Join the fun!”

Shyren nodded. She began to sing a sweet melody while Chara played the piano.

As soon as they finished, Chara said, “Your singing is lovely.”

“Thank you,” Shyren replied. “Oh, and if I were you, I’d keep going ahead. If the captain of the royal guard finds you… well, let’s just say she’s not a pacifist.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Chara replied.

Geez, nearly everything is a mess here.

Well, it’s called a garbage dump for a reason.

But still, who leaves a dummy lying around?

Chara snapped out of their thoughts as they noticed that something had blocked their way.

It was the dummy, and it was floating.

“How the hell are you even floating?” Chara asked.

It landed on the ground.

“I’m a ghost that lives inside a dummy. Also, when you talked to my brother… you kinda scared him out of his body. So, I, uh… I’m avenging him,” the dummy replied.

“No, no, no. First of all, I’m sorry, but… did you just say that you were a ghost living inside of a dummy? And second, I didn’t mean to scare your brother out of his body. What’s his name anyway?”

“His name’s Happstablook.”

“Wait, ghosts can have siblings?”

“Well, duh.”

“Oh… this is awkward… um, listen, Mr…” Chara trailed off.

“Glad Dummy.”

“Well, Glad Dummy, how can I make it up to you?”

“Go to my brother’s house, it’s straight up ahead. Go there and apologize to him,” Glad Dummy replied. He nearly fell over as Chara ran to the ghost’s house. “Hey, wait for me!”

“Oh, back so soon? Why is that—?” Happstablook stopped as soon as he saw the Glad Dummy right next to Chara.

“He told me to apologize for scaring you out of your body, y’know, back when we were in the ruins.” Chara pointed to the dummy.

“Hey, Happsta… look, I know you’re probably mad at me right now but—” Glad Dummy stopped as he saw tears form in the ghost’s eyes. “Are you okay…?”

“I thought that you wouldn’t come back,” Happstablook began, “I thought that you and Napsta were gone for a long time… and I just sort of gave up… I’m sorry.”

“Nah, it’s fine. I don’t blame you… still, I wish Napsta was here.” The dummy frowned.

“As do I.” Happstablook looked at Chara and smiled. “Thanks… um, feel free to come here anytime.”

“I’ll visit, I promise.” Chara grinned.

Chapter Text

Chara was near the end of the path. They saw an echo flower and poked it.

They started to hear footsteps. They turned around and saw Alphys.

“Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our queen… Queen Toriel Dreemurr… will become a god,” Alphys said. “With that power, Toriel can finally shatter the barrier. She will finally take the surface back from humanity… and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured. Understand, human? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your soul, or I’ll tear it from your body.” Alphys gripped her spear, and was about to attack.

Asriel jumped out of the bushes. “Alphys!!! I’ll help you fight!!!” He looked at Alphys, and then looked at Chara. He turned to Chara and said, “YO!!!! You did it!!! Alphys is RIGHT in front of you!!! You’ve got front row seats to her fight!!!” He looked at Alphys again and then realized what was going on. “…Wait. W-who’s she fighting? It can’t be you, Chara…”

Alphys then grabbed his arm and started to drag him back home.

Chara gulped and looked around, hoping to find an exit. They saw a path behind the waterfall and ran.

Chara crossed the bridge and was about to continue on their way when they heard a voice cry out, “WAIT!”

“Asriel?”

“I… wanted to… ask you… something,” Asriel panted. “Yo… you’re human, right?”

“Yes…”

“Man! I knew it! Alphys told me to stay away from you because of that. So, like, um… I guess this makes us enemies, huh?” Asriel frowned.

“No, it doesn’t,” Chara replied. “Just because we’re different species doesn’t mean that we can’t be friends… I may be human, but I’m still the same kid you met at Snowdin.”

Alphys approached the two. Noticing the frightened look on their face, Asriel got in front of Chara.

“If… if y-you wanna hurt my friend… you’re gonna have to get through me first,” Asriel said.

Alphys backed away.

Asriel turned to Chara. “She’s gone… yo, you’re right about the whole ‘different species can be friends’ thing. Man, I should REALLY go home. I bet my parents are worried sick about me! Later, dude!”

Seeing a hill up ahead filled Chara with determination. They thought that they had finally made it to Hotland.

However, their hopes were crushed as they saw who was on top of the hill.

“Seven human souls and Queen Toriel will become a god,” Alphys stated. “Six. That’s how many we’ve collected thus far. Understand? Through your 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…” Alphys stopped. “No, you know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE!?! YOU! You’re standing in the way of everyone’s hopes and dreams! Undyne’s history books made me think humans were cool with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen. BUT YOU? You’re nothing but a coward! You hid behind that kid, only so you could have a chance to run away from me again! And let’s not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes act! Oooh! I’m making such a difference by hugging random strangers!” Alphys glared at Chara. “You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF YOU WERE DEAD!!! That’s right, human! 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 unlike you, we’re not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can’t lose! Now, human! Let’s end this, right here, right now. I’ll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you’re ready!”

Chara took a step forward.

This is how it ends… I’m about to die at the hands of a dinosaur.

No! Don’t just stand there! RUN! Your life depends on it! Talk things out later, but for now, just run!

And Chara did run, they ran as fast as their legs could carry them.

“HEY! GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PUNK!” Alphys shouted as she ran after the human.

“Armor… so hot…” Alphys panted. “But I can’t give up…”

Alphys collapsed due to the heat and exhaustion.

She had chased them through Hotland, and the two were right by a water cooler.

Perhaps some water will cool her down.

Snickering at the bad pun, Chara took a cup of water from the cooler and poured the water onto Alphys’ face.

Alphys got up, she looked at Chara and then walked away.

Chara shrugged and went ahead.

Chapter Text

As they were walking through Hotlands, Chara spotted a lab.

Perhaps there’s someone in there who knows about Queen Toriel.

They noticed that the door was open, and they decided to enter the lab.

Chara looked around and saw a monitor.

“It’s… me.” Chara felt uncomfortable. “So, someone’s been watching me on a monitor this whole time…? That’s creepy…”

Then the lights turned on. Standing by a steel door was a fish with red hair that had been tied up in a bun. She wore a lab coat and a pair of glasses.

Her eyes widened as soon as she saw Chara. She walked over to them and muttered, “Oh…my god.” She began to fidget. “I didn’t expect you to show up so soon! I haven’t showered, I’m barely dressed, it’s all messy and…” She stopped fidgeting and cleared her throat, “Ummm… h-h-hiya! I’m Dr. Undyne. I’m Toriel’s royal scientist! B-b-but, ahhhh, I’m not one of the ‘bad guys’! Actually, since you stepped out of the ruins, I’ve… um… been observing your journey through my console.”

“Oh, that explains the monitor by the doorway,” Chara remarked.

“Y-yeah… I’ve been watching your fights, your friendships, everything!” Undyne continued. “I was originally going to stop you, but… watching someone on the screen really makes you root for them.”

“Don’t I know it,” Chara muttered. They remembered how they used to watch football with their birth father back when he was alive. “Yup… those were the good ‘ol days…”

“S-so, ahhh, now I want to help you! Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland!” Undyne grinned. “I know a way right to Toriel’s castle, no problem!”

“Really? That’s great!” Chara smiled. They were going to go home, safe and sound, without anyone trying to stop them.

“Well, actually, umm, there’s just a tiny issue.”

“And what is the issue?”

“A long time ago, I made a robot named Napstaton. Originally, I had built them to be an entertainment robot. Uh, you know, like a robotic DJ or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make them more useful,” Undyne explained. “You know, just some small practical adjustments. Like, um… anti-human combat features?”

Chara let out a groan, “Of course they do! Of course they have anti-human combat features! Great, just great!”

“C-calm down!” Undyne winced. “Anyways, as I was saying… o-of course, 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 they’re an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood? Ehehehehehe…”

“I’m doomed,” Chara stated.

“Heh,” Undyne chuckled nervously. “But, ummm, hopefully we won’t run into them!”

Then, there was a loud banging noise coming from behind the steel door.

“Oh no,” Undyne whispered.

“OHHHH YEAH!” a voice cried out. A gray and blue robot then crashed through the wall. “Welcome, everyone, to today’s quiz show!”

Sounds of clapping could be heard in the background.

“Oh boy! I can already tell it’s gonna be a great show! Everyone give a big hand for our wonderful contestant!” Napstaton clapped along with the audience.

“I should’ve just made them a chef,” Undyne muttered.

“Never played before, gorgeous?” Napstaton asked as they turned to Chara. “No problem, it’s simple! There’s only one rule. Answer correctly… or you die!”

Chara’s heart sank. “I’m gonna die, aren’t I?”

Chapter Text

“Let’s start with an easy question!” Napstaton held a microphone up to Chara’s face and asked, “What’s the prize for answering correctly?”

“Um… mercy?” Chara hoped that they were correct.

“HAHA! YOU WISH!” Napstaton electrocuted the kid, lowering their health to 10 HP.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…

Stay calm and focus.

Chara pulled out a piece of candy from their pockets and ate it, causing their HP to max out.

“Here’s your terrific prize! What’s the queen’s full name?” Napstaton asked.

“Toriel Dreemurr,” Chara answered.

“Correct! What a terrific answer! Anyway, enough about you, let’s talk about me! What are robots made of?”

“Metal and magic.”

“Too easy for you, huh? Here’s another easy one for you! Two trains, Train A and Train B simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Station A and Station B are 2525 miles apart from each other. Train A is moving at 124.7mph towards Station B, and Train B is moving at 253.5mph towards Station A. If both trains departed at 10:00 AM and it is now 10:08, how much longer until both trains pass each other?”

“16.232 minutes.”

“WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!!” Napstaton shouted. They electrocuted Chara again. “Don’t count on your victory… here’s another question, how many flies are in this jar?”

Chara looked inside the jar and counted the amount of flies in it. “Fifty-four flies are in this jar.”

“Correct! Let’s play the memory game. What monster is this?” Napstaton pointed to a picture of a frog’s face.

Chara rolled their eyes. This time, they were sure that this was a trick. “Let me guess… it’s you wearing a Froggit T-shirt, isn’t it?”

“Very correct! But can you get this one? Would you smooch a ghost?”

Heck yeah.

“Hell yeah.” Chara grinned.

“Great answer! I love it!” Napstaton said happily. “Time to break out the big guns! In the dating simulation video game ‘Mew Mew Kissy Cutie’ what is Mew’s favorite food?”

“OH! OH! I KNOW THIS ONE!” Undyne cried out, raising her hand. “IT’S SNAIL ICE CREAM! IN THE FOURTH CHAPTER, EVERYONE GOES TO THE BEACH AND SHE BUYS ICE CREAM FOR ALL OF 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…” Undyne trailed off.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Napstaton sounded disappointed. “Undyne, Undyne, Undyne… you aren’t helping our contestant, are you?”

Undyne shook her head. “N-no, of course not—”

“OOOH! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME,” Napstaton interrupted. They turned to Chara and said, “I’ll ask a question you’ll be sure to know the answer to! Who does Dr. Undyne have a crush on?”

“Alphys,” Chara answered. They smirked as soon as they saw Undyne cover her face while blushing furiously.

“See Undyne? I told you it was obvious. Even the human figured it out,” Napstaton said smugly.

“This is priceless.” Chara snickered.

“Yes, it’s true that Undyne scrawls Alphys’ name in the margin of her notes,” Napstaton continued. “She names programming variables after her. She even writes stories of them together… sharing a domestic life. Probability of crush: 101 percent. Margin of error: one percent.”

“Hey, I made a hypothesis and got the correct answer, did I not?” Chara shrugged.

“Well, I suppose you’re right. Besides, with Dr. Undyne helping you, the show has lost its tension. But this is only the pilot episode, so next time there will be more drama! More romance! And most importantly… more bloodshed! ‘Till next time, folks!” Napstaton waved as they went through the hole in the wall.

“…Well that was certainly something,” Undyne remarked. “But t-that last question… they weren’t s-supposed to ask that one…”

“It’s okay. I won’t tell Alphys about this.” Chara pat Undyne’s back.

“T-thank you… if she was watching the pilot episode, then I’d n-never be able to show my face around her ever again,” Undyne stammered.

“Hey, that’s what friends are for, right?” Chara winked.

“Right.” A small smile formed on Undyne’s face.

Chara started to walk towards the exit, but Undyne stopped them.

“Wait! Let me give you my ph-phone number!” Undyne pulled out a small note and handed it to Chara. “Th-then, m-maybe… if you need help, I could…” She stopped as she saw Chara pull out their phone. “Wh-where’d you get that phone? It’s ANCIENT! It doesn’t even have texting!” Undyne grabbed the kid’s phone and went upstairs. When she came back down, she handed the phone back to Chara. “Here, I upgraded it for you! It can do texting, items, it’s got a key chain… I even signed you up for the Underground’s number one social network! Now we’re officially friends! Ehehehe… hehe… heh… I’m going to the bathroom!” Undyne opened the steel door and closed it.

“Welp, that was fun.” Chara went to the exit and left the lab.

Chapter Text

As soon as they left the lab, Chara heard their phone go off. They pulled it out of their pockets and saw that Undyne had updated her status twice.

* just realized I didn’t watch Alphys fight the human.

* Then again, she’s unbeatable, so I’ll ask her about it later. For now I gotta call up the human and guide them.

Undyne updated status.

* Omg, I’ve had my fin over the last digit for five minutes.

* Omg, I’m just gonna do it!

* I’m just gonna call!!

When they came across a few lasers, Chara’s phone rang. They picked up. “Hello?”

“Uhh! Hi, so, the blue lasers… the blue lasers won’t hurt you if you don’t move,” Undyne said. “O-orange ones, um… y-you have to be moving, and well, just move through the orange ones! Uhh, bye!”

“So…move when close to the orange lasers, and stay still when close to the blue lasers…seems simple enough,” Chara remarked.

Chara noticed that Sans had left them a voice message.

“I HEARD YOU GOT TO DANCE WITH NAPSTATON. THAT’S GREAT! THEY’RE MY FAVORITE SEXY RECTANGLE!”

Favorite sexy what? Chara was confused.

“I WONDER WHAT I’D LOOK LIKE IF I HAD BLUE EYES LIKE THEIRS.”

“They don’t even have eyes…then again, how do they even see if they don’t have eyes? Never mind.” Chara shook their head. “Right now, I need to focus on the lasers…”

Chara entered a pitch black room. “Well…now what?”

Their phone rang again, and Chara picked it up.

“H-hey, it’s kind of dark in there, isn’t it?” Undyne asked. “Don’t worry! I’ll hack into the light system and brighten it up!”

Once the lights turned on, it turned out that Chara was in a kitchen.

“Oh no.” Undyne sounded worried.

Napstaton entered the room and cried out, “OHHHH YEAH!!!”

I’m doomed, Chara thought. They crossed their fingers, hoping that the robot had changed.

“Welcome, folks, to the Underground’s premier cooking show: Cooking with a killer robot!” Napstaton continued. “Pre-heat your ovens, because we’ve got a very special recipe for you today! We’re going to be making…a cake! My lovely assistant here will gather the ingredients. Everyone give them a big hand! We’ll need sugar, milk, and eggs! Go for it, champ!”

Chara went over to the counter and grabbed the eggs, milk, and sugar. They went back to Napstaton and said, “There, I’ve got the ingredients.”

“Perfect! Great job, champ! We’ve got all the ingredients we need to bake the cake!” Napstaton then paused for a moment. “…Wait a second…how I could I forget? We’re missing the most important ingredient!” Then, the robot pulled out a saw. “A human soul!”

Chara was about to protest when their phone rang again.

“Um, I’m kind of in the middle of something here,” Napstaton said, annoyed.

“W-wait a second!! Couldn’t you make a…couldn’t you use a…couldn’t you make a substitution in the recipe?” Undyne asked.

“…A substitution? You want me to use a non-human ingredient? Why?”

“Uhh, what if someone’s…vegan?”

“…Vegan.”

“Uh, well, I mean—”

“Haven’t you ever been to a cooking show before?” Napstaton interrupted. “I already baked the cake.” The robot turned to Chara and waved their hand dismissively. “You got lucky, kid. Now just go and do whatever kids do best. In the meantime, I’ll be revising this episode.”

Chara gulped and left.

Chapter Text

“No wonder they call it Hotland…I feel like I’m burning alive here…” Chara wiped some sweat off their forehead.

They saw a sign that read ‘bake sale up ahead.’

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to buy a few things along the way,” Chara remarked.

“Welcome to our shop. Interested in some heated goods?” Grillby asked as Chara approached him. “Or perhaps you’d like some lava cider instead? Either way, all proceeds go to the people made of flame.”

“Lava cider? You do realize that it’s dangerous to serve lava as a drink since it can burn someone’s entire body, right?” Chara asked.

“Our lava is safe,” Heats Flamesman spoke up. “Trust me, no one’s gotten hurt before while trying it.”

“Alright then, I guess I’ll have the lava cider. How much does it cost?” Chara pulled some gold out of their pockets.

“It costs about 9999G,” Grillby replied.

Chara’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? But I’ve only got 422G!”

Grillby sighed, “Then how about 10G?”

Chara handed over the gold and grabbed the jar of cider. “Thanks.”

“Remember, Heats Flamesman is my name, don’t wear it out!” Heats Flamesman yelled.

Chapter Text

Chara saw a hotel up ahead. When they were near the hotel’s lobby, they noticed a note on the ground. They read the note, “Go to the alleyway on the right…”

I’m not sure. Is it safe to go on up ahead?

This isn’t the surface. Believe me, no one’s going to mug you.

If you say so.

Chara went up the alleyway and saw a small shop. The shopkeepers were an alligator and a purple cat.

“Hey! Check it out!” the shopkeepers said in unison.

“You should buy all of our stuff!” the cat said as Chara looked through the box of items. There was some junk food, an empty gun, a cowboy hat, and a key.

“So, like, what’s up?” the alligator asked. “I’m Bratty, and this is my best friend, Catty.” Bratty pointed to the cat.

“I’m Catty, and this is my best friend, Bratty,” the cat introduced herself.

The two paused for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter.

Chara cleared their throat. “Ahem. I’d like to know more about your wares.”

“The stuff inside, is like…” Bratty trailed off.

“TOTALLY wicked expensive,” Catty finished, waving her hands in the air for emphasis.

“But, like, this stuff we found is like…”

“TOTALLY wicked cheap.”

“You should…TOTALLY wicked buy all of it?” the two suggested.

“And what is the origin of your wares?” Chara asked.

Bratty chuckled nervously. “I mean, like, where does anyone get guns, or food, or—”

“We found it in the garbage!” Catty interrupted.

“It’s like, really GOOD garbage,” Bratty added. “We mostly get it from Waterfall.”

“What do you know about Napstaton?” Chara asked, hoping to get some more information about the robot.

“Oh my god, NAPSTATON.” Both Bratty and Catty had hearts in their eyes. “They’re like, my robot spouse. We’re both like, already married to them.”

“They just, like, don’t know it yet,” Catty said. “Undyne built them a long time ago, yet they act as if being built was their idea somehow.”

“And even right after they were built, they acted like Undyne was an old friend of theirs,” Bratty said, confused.

“But the two aren’t friends anymore, unlike me and Bratty! Best friends forever!” Catty added.

“How do you know who Undyne is? Were you friends or something?” Chara raised an eyebrow.

“Oh my god, Undyne…she used to live on our street,” Bratty explained. “She was like a big sister to us.”

“I mean, like, if your big sisters takes you on trips to the dump.” Catty giggled. “She showed us the coolest places to find trash. But she was always collecting these weird cartoons…”

“Then she became the royal scientist, and we haven’t seen her in forever,” Bratty said. “She always thought that Toriel was a—”

“—super cutie!”

“So, like, I’m pretty sure she—”

“—made Napstaton to, like, totally impress her.”

“A robot with a SOUL…” Bratty’s eyes widened.

Catty put her hand up to her mouth and said, “That’s, like, SUPER relevant to her hobbies!”

“So after meeting Napstaton, Toriel—”

“—asked her to do all this science stuff for her! But nobody’s, like, seen anything from her yet.”

“Or…her at all…”

“She must, like, just stay in her lab all day.”

Bratty stuck her tongue out. “Like, live a little, girl.”

Catty laughed. “Yeah! Like us!”

“Oh, and about Toriel…” Chara chuckled a little before continuing, “I’ve heard that she’s the queen of all monsters…but I’ve only gotten vague details about her. So, perhaps you could give me some hints as to what she’s really like?”

“Oh my god. She’s a big, fuzzy goober,” the two said. “She’s like, so nice. We’re so hyped for the destruction of humanity!”

“I’ve…I’ve gotta go somewhere.” Chara ran back to the hotel.

“Like, see you later!” Bratty called out.

Chapter Text

As soon as Chara made it back to the hotel, they bumped into someone. They looked up and saw who it was. “P-Papyrus? What are you doing here?”

“hey, i heard you’re going to the core. how about grabbing some dinner with me first?” the skeleton suggested.

“Yeah, sure,” Chara answered.

“great, thanks for treating me.” The skeleton held out his hand. Chara took it and slowly got up.

Papyrus gestured to a path on the left. “over here. i know a shortcut.”

The two sat down at a table. Chara listened to the music in the background and admired the fancy decorations that the restaurant owners had put up.

“well, here we are,” Papyrus spoke up. “so, your journey’s almost over, huh?”

“It seems so,” Chara replied, not bothering to make any eye contact. They were a little sad, since they had so much fun exploring the Underground. And soon, their adventure would end.

“you must really wanna go home,” Papyrus remarked. “hey, i know the feeling, buddo. 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?” Papyrus looked away for a moment.

Chara paused. They soaked in every single word that he said and thought about the people they had encountered—their new friends, and the way that they had encouraged some monsters to believe in themselves.

Is it really worth it? Is going back home really worth losing all the friends that I made?

It’s up to you to decide. Besides, it was your idea to find a way to get back to the surface. I’m merely just a voice in your head trying to make sure that you choose the right path. Though, in the end, it’s all up to you.

Chara snapped out of their thoughts as soon as Papyrus said, “ah, forget it. i’m rootin’ for ya, kid.”

Chara looked up and stared at him for a while. A smile made its way across their face. “Thanks, Papyrus.”

“anytime, kid,” Papyrus said. He looked around the restaurant and observed the pictures on the wall. He turned back to Chara. “hey, let me tell you a story.”

“Okay, I’m listening.” Chara scooted in closer.

“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.” Papyrus winked. “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 man’s voice. "Who is there?" so, naturally, i respond: "dishes." "Dishes who?"  "dishes a very bad joke." then he just howls with laughter, like it’s the best joke he’s heard in a hundred years.”

“Holy shit,” Chara whispered. They didn’t know what to say—what was there to say?

“so i keep ‘em coming, and he keeps laughing,” Papyrus continued. “he’s the best audience i’ve ever had. then, after a dozen of ‘em, HE knocks and says…"Knock knock!" i say, "who’s there?" and then he makes a joke about his ex. he calls her an old lady, i repeat the phrase, and then he says, "I didn’t know that you could yodel!" and even though the story behind it is a little sad, it’s nice to know that he’s slowly getting over it.”

Wait…Asgore has an ex? I didn’t know that.

You never asked him. You only cared about going home.

Chara didn’t want to admit it, but Frisk was right. All this time, they had their heart set on going home, and now…now they were having second thoughts.

“and we kept telling each other jokes for hours. eventually, i had to leave. Sans gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story. but he 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.” Papyrus grinned. “…one day, though, i noticed he wasn’t laughing very much. i asked him what was up. then he 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 don’t like making promises. and this man, i don’t even know his name. but…someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has an integrity that you can’t say no to.”

“Oh…oh my god.” Chara understood it all now.

Papyrus looked away for a moment, and then turned back to Chara. “do you get what i’m saying? that promise i made to him…you know what would have happened if he hadn’t said a word? buddy, you would’ve been dead right where you stand.”

Chara gulped and laughed nervously. “Oh, gee, thanks for telling me.”

Papyrus noticed the frightened look on Chara’s face. “hey, lighten up, bucko! i’m just joking with you.”

“It didn’t sound like a joke to me,” Chara retorted.

“c’mon, you know i’d never hurt you! besides, haven’t i done a great job at protecting you? i mean, look at yourself. you haven’t died a single time. that’s right, isn’t it?”

“That is correct…”

“well, chalk it up to my great skills.” Papyrus let out a laugh. “well, that’s all. take care of yourself, kid. ‘cause someone really cares about you.” Papyrus got up and left the restaurant.

“I’ve got to get to know my friends more often,” Chara muttered.

Chapter Text

As Chara explored the hotel, they noticed a room with a sign above saying, “Free Nice Cream!”

Nice Cream? Is that the equivalent of ice cream, except for monsters?

Yes, it’s the equivalent of human ice cream.

Well…my father always said that I had a sweet-tooth for a reason, Chara thought as they went inside the ice cream shop.

The shopkeeper was a blue rabbit that wore a yellow shirt with red overalls. His shirt had a piece of paper stuck to it, which read, ‘Nice Cream Man.’

The Nice Cream guy faked a smile and said, “Welcome to NTT-Brand Ice Cream Emporium, home of Nice Cream. Hopefully, your day will be way more rad after trying our brand. How can I help you, O customer?”

“So, do you have any information on Napstaton?”

“I’m sorry.” The blue rabbit laughed before saying, “It’s against the rules to talk to customers who haven’t bought anything.”

“Here you go!” Chara handed over 120G and got a Nice Cream cone in return. As Chara began to lick the frozen treat, the Nice Cream Man began mumbling under his breath. Chara looked at the rabbit and titled their head, confused. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just thinking about life, that’s all,” the rabbit replied. “I don’t want to bore you or anything…”

“Come on, tell me.”

“…SO, I wanted to be an actor,” the Nice Cream Man began, “When I first came to Hotland, it was my dream to work with Napstaton…well, be careful what you wish for, kiddo!”

“Why is Napstaton bad?” Chara asked.

“God, have you even looked around? This place is a labyrinth of bad choices. And every time we try to change something for the better, they veto it and say "that’s not how they do it on the surface." Oh! Right! Humans are always eating ice cream made of SNOW and WHIPPED CREAM.”

“Why else is Napstaton bad?”

“Why do people find them so attractive?? They’re literally just a freaking rectangle!” The rabbit paused for a moment. “…You know, one time, I bought one of those, uh, kits online…to…make my face rounder to impress those two shopkeepers in the alleyway so I could join the group, y’know? But that kit didn’t work, obviously.”

“What about everyone’s future?”

“Future? WHAT future? Nothing down here EVER changes! I’ll probably be trapped at this stupid job forever…but wait! There’s one thing that keeps me going! If Toriel gets just one more soul, we’ll finally get to go to the surface! It’ll be a brand new world! There’s gotta be a second chance out there for me—for everyone! So stay strong, kiddo. When I make it big, I’ll keep you in mind.”

Why does everyone talk about ‘Toriel getting one more soul’ as if I’m not standing right in front of them?

You don’t know this place’s backstory. You’re new here, so of course you wouldn’t understand.

Chara noticed that Frisk seemed to grow more bitter as the two continued to speak to each other. It made the child wonder what was wrong with them.

But Chara knew that they had to keep on going. They had started this mess, and they were going to finish it.

Chapter Text

As soon as Chara left the resort, they saw two shadowy figures in the distance. Their phone rang as soon as the figures left.

“Huh? Who are they?” Undyne asked, confused. “N-nobody else is s-supposed to be here…oh well! We can’t worry about that now!”

Chara continued down their path. They felt as if their heart was going to pound right out of their chest.

Chara saw a sign that said: North is the warrior’s path, west is the sage’s path, but any path leads to the end.

“I’ll take the east path,” Chara muttered and they went ahead, hoping to reach the end of the core.

Near the end of the core was a room with an elevator next to it.

“This is it, then. My journey’s almost over…” Chara took a deep breath and opened the door.

“Oh yes, there you are, champ,” Napstaton said as they saw Chara walk into the room. “It’s time to have our showdown. It’s time to finally stop the ‘malfunctioning’ robot…NOT!”

“…what?”

“Malfunctioning? Reprogramming? Get real!” Napstaton scoffed. “This was all just a big scam—nothing but a lie. Undyne has been playing you for a fool the entire time and you haven’t even noticed it yet. As she watched you on the screen, she grew attached to your adventure. She desperately wanted to be a part of it, so she decided to insert herself into your story. She reactivated the puzzles, disabled elevators, and enlisted me to torment you—just so she could save you from the dangers that never even existed to begin with, just so you could think that she was the better person…that she’s not. And now, it’s time for her finest hour. At this very moment, Undyne is waiting outside the room. During our ‘battle,’ she will interrupt. She’ll pretend to ‘deactivate’ me to save you one more time. Finally, she’ll be the heroine of your adventure. You’ll regard her so highly that she’ll be able to convince you to stay here…or not.”

The doors suddenly closed, locking the two inside the room.

“You see, I’ve had enough of this predictable charade,” Napstaton continued, “I don’t want to harm humans, believe it or not. The only thing I want to do is to entertain people. After all, everyone deserves to hear watch a good show, right? And what’s a good show without a plot twist and some sick beats?”

The sounds of someone banging at the door could be heard. “H-hey, what’s going on? The door just locked itself!”

“Folks,” Napstaton began, “here is the show that you’ve all been waiting for!”

The stage rose higher and higher, until finally, it had stopped moving.

Undyne dialed Chara’s phone number. She waited for a few minutes until they picked up their phone. “I don’t know what’s going on in there, but…just don’t give up, okay? There’s a way to beat Napstaton. Try to find something that they’ll surely show interest in, and then when they turn around, flip their switch.”

“Hey, Napstaton, there’s a mirror behind you,” Chara lied.

Napstaton turned around, but they couldn’t find see the mirror. “Where is it?”

While they weren’t looking, Chara flipped their switch.

“Did you just flip my switch?” Napstaton asked. They put their hands to their sides as everything went white.

Chara coughed as the smoke began to clear up. They saw a Napstaton’s silhouette. Except this time, their structure bore a greater resemblance to a human.

“If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You’re desperate to hear these sick beats. Well, luckily for you, I’ve been dying to show these off for a long time.” The lights turned on, revealing a better view at Napstaton’s body. They had light grey hair, and wore a blue cap and jacket. At the center of their chest was a teal heart. “So, as thanks, I’ll make your last living moments absolutely rad!”

Chapter Text

So…got any ideas on how to make it through this round?

First, take a deep breath and relax. Strike a pose. When it comes to show business, it’s best to keep the audience entertained.

Chara did as they were told. They breathed in, and then exhaled. They posed dramatically, causing the audience to cheer for them.

“Lights, camera, music, and action!” Napstaton cried out.

Chara saw a few bombs heading their way. They tried to defuse a bomb, only for it to blow up in their face. They turned and scoffed at the audience, who only rooted for their destruction.

“Oh, it’s time for a pop quiz,” Napstaton announced. “I hope you brought a notepad…this one’s an essay question! What do you love the most about Napstaton?”

“They’re radical,” Chara answered.

“That is true! You get a golden headphone set.”

Chara could hear the sounds of a piano playing the background, the sounds of a beating drum following shortly afterwards. It was music to their ears.

“Your essay really showed everyone your heart,” Napstaton began, “why don’t I show you mine?” The teal heart floated in the air as the robot waited for the human’s next move.

Chara didn’t do anything. They simply just stood there and smiled, causing the robot to groan in frustration.

Finally, the kid said, “I’m not going to get hit at all.”

“I’m just warming up.” Napstaton smirked.

A disco ball appeared above the child, flashing bright blue lights. But as soon as the light turned white, Chara hit the disco ball with a stick, causing the light to change back to blue. This went on for a while, and the disco ball’s pace quickened as Chara continued to change the light’s color.

“Lights, camera, bombs!”

Bombs rained down upon the child. They quickly ducked behind a block as the bombs blew up.

“Time for our union-regulated break!”

Now what?

Keep the audience entertained until the ratings are as high as ever.

“Hey, sport, how about another heart to heart?” Napstaton asked as their soul left its spot once more.

This time, Chara struck the robot’s soul with their stick. The robot’s legs fell off. Chara’s eyes widened. “What have I done…?”

“Who needs legs with arms like these? I’m still going to win!”

After a while of defusing bombs and hitting souls, Napstaton’s arms fell off. Napstaton looked at the ratings chart and saw that they had reached 10,030 ratings. “Look at those ratings. 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!”

Napstaton’s phone rang and the call was automatically received. “Hi, you’re on TV! What do you have to say on our last show?”

“…oh,” came a familiar voice that the robot immediately recognized. “Hi, Napstaton…I really liked watching your show…my life is pretty dull, but…seeing you on the screen ignited some sparks within me…but I suppose this is the last episode, right? I’ll miss you, Napstaton.”

“No, wait, Haps—” The caller had already hunt up. Napstaton paused for a moment, before sighing. “I’ll…I’ll take another caller!”

Dozens of monsters called in, saying how the robot had filled the hole in their hearts.

“Ah, well, I,” Napstaton stammered as they tried to come up with something to say. “I see…everyone, thank you so much.” They looked at Chara and smiled. “Champ, perhaps it’s best that I stay here for a while. Humans already have stars and idols, but monsters…well, I’m the only DJ in the Underground. If I left, the Underground would lose its spark. I’d leave an aching void that could never be filled by anyone else. So, I think I’m going to have to delay my big debut. Besides, you’ve proven to be capable of taking care of yourself. Perhaps, you might be strong enough to get past Toriel. I’m sure you’ll be able to protect humanity. And 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 fine. Knock ‘em dead, sport. And everyone…thank you. You’ve all been such a wonderful audience!”

The door creeked open and Undyne slowly entered the room. “I managed to unlock the door. Are you two—” She stopped as soon as she saw the limbless robot. “Oh my god…” She rushed over to them, checking their battery. “Thank god, it’s just a low battery. If they were gone, I would’ve…” She looked back at Chara and quickly came up with a lie. “…hey, it’s no problem…if you did mess up, I could’ve simply repaired them. No big deal…just…just go on ahead. I just need a moment.”

Chara didn’t say a word. They went up ahead and entered the hallway. They heard footsteps. They turned back and saw Undyne slowly walk up to them.

“Sorry if I seemed a little harsh earlier,” she apologized. “Let’s just keep going.”

As the two kept on walking ahead, Undyne stopped and said, “So, you’re about to meet Toriel…I bet you’re excited, huh?”

“Not really,” Chara mumbled under their breath.

“You’ll finally get to go home,” Undyne continued, “You’ll never have to worry about anyone trying to collect your soul ever again. Humanity will be safe, and you’ll get your happy ending…”

Once Chara reached the elevator, they turned back to Undyne. “Undyne, be honest…you had a reason for all of this. It wasn’t just because you wanted to be the heroine of my story, right?”

“…alright, the truth is…” Undyne looked down, feeling the guilt build up inside of her. “A human soul isn’t strong enough to cross the barrier alone. It takes at least a human soul and a monster soul. If you really want to go home, you’ll have to take Toriel’s soul. You’ll have to kill her.”

Chara’s heart sank as soon as they heard those words. Why was everything so difficult? Why couldn’t they just find another way to cross the barrier? “So, there’s no way I can go back home…”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve told you sooner…” Undyne turned around and left, leaving Chara alone once more.

Maybe going back to the surface isn’t worth it after all, they thought bitterly. Not if it causes others to suffer.

Chapter Text

Why are we here?

I’m going to apologize to her, and at least try to hang out with her for a bit.

Good luck with that. You’re going to need it.

“ARE YOU READY TO HANG OUT WITH ALPHYS?”

Chara nodded. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“OKAY. JUST STAY BEHIND ME FOR A SECOND.” Sans knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal Alphys.

“Hey, Sans!” Alphys smiled. “Ready for training?”

“YOU BET! AND I BROUGHT MY FRIEND WITH ME!” Sans stepped aside. Chara laughed nervously as they waved at the dinosaur.

Alphys’ eyes widened as soon as she saw the human. She looked at Sans and then back at the kid. She took a deep breath and asked, “Why don’t you two come inside?”

“UM, I’VE GOT TO GO RUN SOME ERRANDS…SEE YOU LATER.” Sans rushed out of the house, quickly shutting the door behind him.

Alphys turned back to Chara. “So why are you here? To rub your victory in my face? To mock me? Is that it?”

“No.”

“Then why are you here?” An idea soon struck the dinosaur. “Wait, I get it now…you think that I’m going to be friends with you, right?”

“Um…maybe?” Chara grinned sheepishly.

“Really? Well, isn’t that sweet?” Alphys sarcastically asked. “Why don’t we all just frolic in the queen’s garden while holding hands? NOT! Why would I be friends with someone like you!? If you weren’t my houseguest, I would’ve kicked you out and left you to fend for yourself! Your kind has done nothing but treat us all with disrespect! Just get out of my house and never come back! You’re not welcome here!”

Sans peeked through the window. “WELL, THAT DIDN’T GO THE WAY I THOUGHT IT WOULD…BUT I SUPPOSE ALPHYS JUST ISN’T THE TYPE TO TAKE ON A HARD CHALLENGE.”

“Sans,” Chara began, gritting their teeth, “you’re not exactly helping me out here—”

Sans quickly ran off as soon as he saw the look in Alphys’ eye.

“Challenge!? Why, I outta…!” Alphys clenched her fists tightly. She looked at Chara. “He thinks that I can’t be friends with you…well, I’ll show him! In fact, we’re not going to be just friends, we’re going to be besties! Now, why don’t you have a seat?” Alphys smiled.

“Okay…” Chara sat down at the table. They crossed their fingers and hoped that luck was on their side.

Chapter Text

"That's a nice looking oven you got there," Chara spoke up.

"Oh this? Nah, it's nothing special," Alphys replied. "It's just some 'top-of-the-line' NTT thing. The only reason I kept it is because it was a gift from Undyne. But I prefer my food home-cooked with fire magic."

"And what's with the axe in the corner?" Chara asked, pointing to the weapon.

"Most humans suck, but some of their history is...actually neat if you look into it," Alphys remarked. "Case in point: This axe! Historically, humans used to carry around axes that were twice their size, right?"

"That's correct," Chara answered.

"I had a feeling." Alphys grinned. "When I first came across this piece of information, I immediately wanted an axe. So me and Undyne decided to build one together. She got all the materials that we needed to make one. She's pretty smart, isn't she? Now, I'm going to get you something to drink." Alphys placed some hot mustard, a soda can, a cup of hot chocolate, a tea box, and a cup of sugar on the counter. She turned back to Chara and said, "All set!"

Chara was about to get up and thank the dinosaur, but they jumped back as a sword in the shape of a lightning bolt was thrown at the table.

"Hey, you're not supposed to get up! You're the guest! Now just sit down and enjoy yourself!" Alphys began to sweat. "Um, why not just point to what you want? You can use the sword!"

Chara picked up the sword and pointed it towards the soda can.

"Oh, soda? Actually, even though you pointed to it, you don't look happy. That's fine, I think diet soda's gross too. The original stuff is way better." Alphys chuckled.

"Can I have some tea?" Chara asked as they pointed at the tea box.

"Sure." Alphys grabbed the tea box and poured some of its contents into a coffee maker. She then poured the liquid into a tea pot and placed it on the stove. She clasped her hands together and said, "It's going to take a while for the water to boil." But after a few minutes, smoke began to rise. "Okay, now it's done!" Alphys grabbed a small cup and poured tea into it. She went over to the table and placed the teacup down. "Here you go." She sat down at the other end of the table.

Chara blew the cup, making sure not to burn themselves while drinking the tea. They looked up and saw Alphys looking at them with a confused expression on her face.

Oh, that's right...she's never seen a human drink tea before...

Humans and monsters have different traditions. Even if monsters do celebrate Halloween, Christmas, and New Year's Eve...there's still some parts of human culture that they don't understand.

"Why are you blowing the tea?" Alphys asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I'm blowing it so I don't burn my tongue," Chara replied before taking a sip. "By the way, this tea is really good."

"Nothing but the best for my PRECIOUS FRIEND!"

Everything remained silent for a while, until Alphys spoke up, "Hey...you know...it's strange how you chose that tea—golden flower tea. That's Toriel's favorite kind. Now that I think about it, you share some similarities with her. You're both total softies! ...sort of."

"Go on."

"...I was a pretty hotheaded kid back then," Alphys said. "One time, I tried to prove that I was the strongest by fighting Toriel. Emphasis on tried, since I couldn't land a single blow on her! And what's even worse is that she refused to fight back! I felt so humiliated...afterwards, she apologized and said something strange. 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to defeat me?' I said yes, and from then on, she trained me. One day, during training, I finally knocked her down. But I felt so...bad. But she was beaming. I've never seen anyone that proud after getting their butt kicked. Long story short, she kept training me...and now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So now I'm the one who gets to train dorks and teach them how to fight! ...like, uh, Sans."

"That's very sweet," Chara mused.

"Yeah, but to be honest, I don't know if..." Alphys trailed off as she twiddled her thumbs. "...I don't know if I can ever let Sans into the Royal Guard." She noticed the shocked look on the kid's face and quickly added, "Don't tell him I said that! I mean, it's not that he's weak or anything—far from it, actually! It's just that he trusts people too easily. I mean, look, he was supposed to capture you, and he ended up being friends with you instead! And that's why I'm teaching him how to cook now, so he might be able to do something with his life that doesn't put him at risk. And he actually does make a nice burger—granted, it's got some pepperoni in it, but still."

Alphys' eyes widened as a thought crossed her mind. "Oh my god. The cooking lesson...and he's not here, and..." She then looked at the kid and an idea struck her. "Well, if he's not here for his cooking lesson, then you're going to have to have it for him!"

"But I'm not good at cooking—" Chara tried to protest, but Alphys didn't let them finish.

"Nothing's brought us closer than cooking! Just think about, kid, we'll become closer than you can ever imagine!" Alphys grabbed some tomatoes and put them on the counter. "Let's start with the sauce! Envision these fruits as your rival, then pound them to dust with your fists!"

Chara pet the fruits in an affectionate matter, like how a child would pet their dog.

"Oh my god, don't pet the enemy!" Alphys shook her head. "Let me show you how it's done!" Alphys pounded the tomatoes with her fists, causing tomato sauce to splatter all over the walls. She noticed that Chara's face was now covered in tomato sauce. "Uh, we'll scrape this into a bowl later. But for now, we add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best, but I just buy store brand because they're the cheapest."

Chara carefully put the noodles into the pot. "What now?"

"Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir, the better it is."

Chara slowly stirred the pot. Their pace picked up as Alphys kept telling them to stir harder. Eventually, Alphys decided to stir the pot with the sword instead.

"Turn up the heat!" Alphys said as she finished stirring.

Chara nodded and turned on the stove.

Then everything went black.

Alphys observed the burning kitchen before saying, "No wonder Sans' brother, Papyrus, sucks at making hot dogs. Anyway, what's next? Scrapbooking, friendship bracelets—oh who am I kidding? I messed up big time, didn't I?" Alphys frowned. "I can't force you to like me. Some people just don't get along with each other no matter what. I understand if you feel that way about me. And if we can't be friends, that's fine, because if we're not friends...it means that I can destroy you without any regret."

Chara's eyes widened. "Wait, no, I can't fight you!"

"And why is that?"

"Because...because..." Chara sighed and took a deep breath before making eye contact with Alphys. "I can't fight you because I'm a pacifist."

Alphys was surprised. "Wait...you're being serious about this? You're a...pacifist?"

Chara quietly nodded.

"So...you think that war and violence aren't the only ways to solve a dispute?" Alphys asked.

"I don't see why we can't just talk things out," Chara mumbled. "That's what Father would do whenever he and Mother got into an argument...but then again, that was before they both..." Chara sniffled and covered their face with their hands.

"I'm sorry," Alphys apologized as she placed a hand on the human's shoulder. "Listen...I've seen the way you fight, and...it reminds me of someone I used to train with. It shows that you're not a wimp, you've just got a big heart. And it seems that you and Toriel are fated to fight, but knowing her, she probably doesn't want to. Instead of fighting, you should talk to her. I'm sure that you can persuade her to let you go home—or, at least, back to where you came from."

"But what about your goals?" Chara asked, looking back up at Alphys.

"I'll just wait for some rude human to fall down here, and I'll take their soul instead," she answered. "Makes sense, doesn't it? Besides, if you fought Toriel, then...I don't know what I'd do...let's just get out of this flaming house, okay?"

Chara wiped away a few tears and smiled. "Okay."

"Well, that was fun, huh?" Alphys said as she watched the burning house. She turned back to Chara and grinned. "We'll have to hang out again some other time! But somewhere else, since this place isn't an option right now. In the meantime, I guess I'll go hang with Sans. So if you need me, just drop by Snowdin, alright? And if you need help, just give us a ring. See you later, punk!" Alphys quickly ran towards the ferryman, who greeted her as she approached him.

So...how long do you think it'll be before everyone else finds out that you're a pacifist?

It'll take a few days, I bet.

Chara sighed and looked back at the burning house. "I better get going before I start coughing..."

Chapter Text

"Alright, so I took the ferry to Hotland, and now I'm at NTT Resort...so the core's only a few miles away if I take the shortcut," Chara mused as they traced back their steps.

Then, their phone rang.

Chara picked up the phone and saw the Caller ID. "Oh, it's Alphys."

"Hey, uh, could you deliver something for me, please? I'm at Snowdin in front of Sans' house. See you, punk!" Alphys hung up afterwards.

"Well, so much for finishing what I've started," Chara muttered.

Chara approached Alphys. "So, what do I have to deliver?"

"I need you to deliver this letter to Dr. Undyne," Alphys said.

"Why can't you just do it yourself?" Chara asked.

"Huh? Why don't I do it myself? Well, it's kind of personal...but we're friends, so I'll tell you. Hotland's like a volcano, and I nearly burned myself chasing you there. So here you go." Alphys handed Chara the letter. "And whatever you do, don't lose it."

Chara gave her a thumbs up. "I'll do my best!"

Chara slid the letter under the lab's door and knocked.

"Oh no, is that another letter...?" they heard the scientist ask. "I don't want to open it. Why can't I just slide it back out? No, no, I can't keep doing this. I'll read it." After a while, Undyne continued, "It's shut kind of strongly, isn't it? Wait a second."

Undyne opened the door and froze as soon as she saw Chara. "Oh my god. Did you write this letter? It wasn't signed, so I had no idea that you could've written it...and that's just adorable. And I had no idea you, uh, wrote that way! It's surprising, too. After all of the things I did...I don't really deserve forgiveness. Much less, um...this. And so passionately, too."

"Um, Undyne, I think you misunderstood—" Chara tried to explain everything, but Undyne didn't let them finish.

"You know what, it's the least I can do to make it up to you." Undyne chuckled nervously. "Y-yeah! Let's go on a date!"

I've ruined everything.

Not quite. You could always use this situation to your advantage.

Wait, what?

Undyne led Chara to the garbage dump. She was now wearing a black dress with white dots on it. “Here we are! This is where Alphys and I come all the time…we find all sorts of great stuff here. Heh, she’s really…uh…” Undyne’s eyes widened. “Oh no, that’s her over there. I c-can’t let her see me on a date with you!”

“And why is that?” Chara asked, tilting their head to the side.

“Why…? Because, uh, well…oh no, here she comes!!” Undyne quickly hid behind a trash can.

Alphys, who was now wearing a jacket, walked over to Chara. “There you are! I realized that if you deliver that thing…it might be a bad idea. So I’m going to do it instead! Give the letter to me.”

“I don’t have the letter anymore. I, uh, lost it…” Chara looked down, feeling guilty for lying to the dinosaur.

“Well, have you at least seen Undyne?” Alphys asked.

Chara nodded. “She’s somewhere around here.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep looking for her.” Alphys walked past the trash can and went looking for the fish.

Undyne walked up to Chara. “Oh my god…w-well, I guess it’s obvious, huh? I really like her. I mean, romantically. She’s so confident, strong, and funny…and I’m just a fraud. I’m the royal scientist, but…all I’ve ever done is told lies. I’ve told Alphys so many lies, and yet…she thinks I’m a lot cooler than I actually am. If she gets close to me, she’ll…she’ll find out the truth. What should I do?”

“You should tell her the truth,” Chara said.

“But if I tell her the truth, then she’ll never want to speak to me again. Isn’t it better this way?”

“Living a lie isn’t all that it’s cut out to be.”

“You’re right.” Undyne sighed. “Every day I’m scared of what will happen if I tell the truth. I’ve already lost a friend—who was like a brother to me—because of it. I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me. But how can I tell Alphys the truth? How can I practice?”

“Well, we could always roleplay,” Chara offered.

“Okay, but then who will be Alphys?” Undyne asked.

“I’ll be Alphys.”

“Oh, right, obviously…ahem.” Undyne cleared her throat. “Hi, Alphys…how are you doing today?”

“I’m fine.” Chara tried to get into their role, but they felt a little awkward. They didn’t know much about roleplaying, aside from watching a few people do it before.

“Glad to hear it! So, I’d like to talk to you about something.”

“What is it, Undyne?”

“You see, I…I…I haven’t been exactly truthful with you lately…you see, I…I…” Undyne trailed off. Her face was as red as a tomato, and sweat was now trickling down her face. “Oh, forget it! Alphys, I want to tell you how I feel! You’re so brave, strong, and nice…you always listen to me when I talk about nerdy stuff…you always do your best to make me feel special, like telling me that you’ll beat up anyone who gets in my way…I can’t take this any longer! Alphys, I’m madly in love with you! I just want you to hold me and caress my scales!”

Chara stiffened as soon as they saw Alphys standing right behind Undyne. “Um, Undyne, behind you…”

Undyne turned around and saw Alphys. “Oh, Alphys, I, uh…I was just…”

“Hey, wait a second. Your outfit’s adorable.” Alphys grinned. “What’s the occasion?” Alphys stopped as soon as she realized what was going on. “Wait…are you two on a…date?”

“Actually, we were only romantically roleplaying as you,” Chara stated.

“What the—?”

“What they mean is…Alphys, I…I’ve been lying to you,” Undyne confessed.

“WHAT?! ABOUT WHAT?”

“Everything! I told you that seaweed was scientifically important…but the only reason I eat it is because it was a recipe passed down from a relative,” Undyne continued, “And those human history books that I keep reading…those are just comic books! And those history movies are just anime. It’s not real! All this time, I’ve done nothing but…I just…I only wanted you to think that I was cool because…because I really think you’re amazing.”

Alphys hugged Undyne and pat her on the back. “Shhh.”

Undyne gasped as Alphys picked her up and threw her into the trash can.

“Undyne, I think you’re neat, too,” Alphys said. “But most of what you said doesn’t matter to me. What I really like about you is that you’re passionate and analytical! It doesn’t matter what it is! You care about it! So…you don’t have to lie to me. I don’t want you to have to lie to anyone anymore. I want you to be happy with who you are. And if it takes some training to make you happy, then so be it!”

Undyne peeked through the trashcan. “You’re gonna train me?”

“Nah, I’m gonna get Sans to do it,” Alphys replied.

“GET THOSE BONES SHAKIN’! IT’S TIME TO JOG ONE-HUNDRED LAPS WHILE TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!” Sans announced.

“Ready? I’m about to start the timer!” Alphys held up her hand, revealing a small timer.

Undyne and Sans started to jog, leaving Alphys and Chara behind.

Alphys turned to Chara. “OH MY GOD. She was kidding, right!? Those comics, those cartoons…they’re real, right?!”

“Anime is real, Alphys.” Chara smiled.

“YES, I KNEW IT!!” Alphys threw her arms up in the air as she let out a cry of joy. She turned back to Chara and said, “Thanks for taking care of Undyne. Things seem like they’re going to get better for her, even if I didn’t get to say what I wanted to. Later, punk!”

As soon as Alphys left the garbage dump, Chara fell back onto the ground, mumbling, “That was beautiful…”

Chapter Text

Chara had finally made it to the core. They saw a small, grey house up ahead.

It looks just like Asgore’s house.

It does, doesn’t it?

Chara opened the door and explored the house. While it was empty, there were some items lying around on the floor—such as a golden heart locket for example. Chara picked up the locket and put it around their neck.

There’s nothing here, let’s keep moving.

Alright.

Chara walked through the golden corridor and saw an open door. They went through the door and saw a garden of golden flowers. They saw a figure wearing a purple robe watering the flowers. After noticing the crown on the figure’s head, they came to the conclusion that it was Queen Toriel.

“Hmm? Is someone there? Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers.” As she finished watering the flowers, Toriel turned around and gasped as she saw the human. “Oh…I wish I could say, ‘would you like a cup of tea?’ But…you know how it is. But I will not hold you here if you do not wish to be. If you have some unfinished business, then you can go back and do what you must.”

Chara shook their head and took a few steps forward. “I don’t have any unfinished business. And I will not go back. I have come this far, and I’m not giving up now. My friends are counting on me, and I will not let them down.”

“…I see…this is it, then.” Toriel pulled out a bright red trident. “Human…it was nice to meet you. Goodbye.”

A bright ball of energy knocked Toriel back. Asgore walked up to Chara and remarked, “What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent, youth…”

“D-Dad—I mean, Asgore?” Chara quickly corrected themselves. “What are you doing here?”

“Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Asgore, your friend and guardian. At first, I thought that I would let you make your journey alone, but I could not stop worrying about you,” Asgore explained. “Your adventure must have been so treacherous, and ultimately, it would burden you with a horrible choice. To leave this place, you would have to take the life of another person. You would have to defeat Toriel. However, I realized I cannot allow that. It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone leave here. Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time? So, for now, let us suspend this battle. As terrible as Toriel is, she deserves mercy, too.”

Toriel got back up and smiled a little. “Gorey…you came back…!”

“Do not ‘Gorey’ me, Dreemurr!” Asgore glared at Toriel. “You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind, you could have gone through the barrier after you got one soul…taken six souls from the humans and freed everyone peacefully. But instead, you made everyone live in despair. Because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping that another human doesn’t come.”

“Gorey…you’re right…I am a miserable creature…but do you think that we can at least be friends again?” Toriel had a hopeful look in her eyes.

Asgore sighed. “NO, Toriel.”

“TORIEL! HUMAN! Nobody fight each other!” Alphys shouted as she ran into the throne room. “Everyone’s gonna make friends, or else I’ll…!!”

“Howdy, I am Asgore,” the goat introduced himself. “Are you the human’s friend? It is nice to meet you.”

“Uh, yeah…?” Alphys smiled. “Nice to meet you!” She went up to Toriel and whispered, “Hey, Toriel, is that your ex? Jeez. That’s rough, buddy.”

“H-hey! Nobody hurt each other!!” Undyne cried out.

“Oh! Are you another friend?” Asgore asked as soon as he saw the fish. “I am Asgore. Howdy!”

“Uh, hi!” Undyne was confused now. She went up to Alphys and stood next to her.

“HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE! IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE…! THEN I’LL BE FORCED TO ASK ALPHYS FOR HELP!”

“Howdy!”

“OH, HELLO YOUR MAJESTY!” Sans turned to Chara. “PSST. HEY, HUMAN, DID TORIEL GROW A BEARD…? AND CLONE HERSELF???”

“hey guys…what’s up?” Papyrus asked casually, as if it were a normal day.

“That voice…!” Asgore walked up to Papyrus. “Howdy, I think we may know each other?”

“oh hey…i recognize your voice, too,” Papyrus said, smiling.

“I am Asgore. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“my name’s Papyrus. and, uh, same.”

“Oh, wait, then this must be your brother, Sans. Howdy, Sans! It’s nice to finally meet you! Your brother has told me so much about you.”

“WOW…I CAN’T BELIEVE TORIEL’S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM!! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!”

“Hey, Sans…what does a skeleton tile his roof with?”

“HMM…SNOW-PROOF ROOF TILES?”

“No, silly! A skeleton tiles his roof with…SHIN-gles!” Asgore smiled and looked at Papyrus, who was chuckling.

Sans groaned. “I CHANGED MY MIND!! THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!”

“Come on, Toriel! It’s gonna be okay!” Alphys reassured her friend. “There are plenty of fish in the sea…” Alphys looked at Undyne, grinning.

“Y-yeah, Toriel! Alphys is totally right about that fish thing! Sometimes you’ve got to stop going after the furry boss monsters and j-just get to know a really cute dinosaur…” Undyne stopped as she saw the look on Alphys’ face. “I-it’s a metaphor.”

“Well, I think it’s a good analogy,” Alphys said.

“OH MY GOD! WILL YOU TWO JUST FIND A ROOM TO MAKE OUT IN OR SOMETHING?!” Napstaton shouted, frustrated. “THE AUDIENCE IS DYING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!”

“Hey, shut up!!” Alphys glared at Napstaton as the robot began to back away slowly. “Man, the nerve of them! Right, Undyne?”

“No, they’re right,” Undyne said. “Let’s do it!”

“Then, I guess, if you want to, then…don’t hold anything back!”

As the two were about to kiss, Asgore quickly yelled, “Wait, not in front of the human!”

“Uh, sorry, got a little carried away there.” Undyne began to scratch the back of her head.

Everyone turned to Chara. Asgore spoke up, “My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while. But looking at all the great friends you have made…I think you will be happy here.”

“Hey,” Undyne began, turning to Sans, “that reminds me. Sans…you called everyone here, right? If I got here before you…how did you know how to call everybody?”

“LET’S JUST SAY…A TINY DOG WITH CAT EARS HELPED ME,” Sans replied.

“A tiny…dog?”

A large vine wrapped around everyone except Chara, absorbing most of their energy.

Chara heard a familiar voice say, “You IDIOTS.”

They froze as soon as they realized who it was. “…Tem?”

Chapter Text

“While you guys were having your little pow-wow…I took the human souls!” Tem said, smirking. “And now, not only are those under my power…but all of your friends’ souls are going to be mine, too!” Tem cackled. “And you know what the best part is? It’s all your fault. It’s all because you made them love you! All the time you spent listening to them, encouraging them, caring about them…without that, they wouldn’t have come here looking for you. And now, with their souls and humans’ together…I will achieve my real form!”

“Why are you doing this?” Chara asked, their voice sounding hoarse. “What could you possibly gain from all of this?”

“Huh? Why am I still doing this? Don’t you get it?” Tem asked. “This is all just a GAME. If you leave the Underground satisfied, you’ll ‘win’ the game. If you ‘win,’ you won’t want to ‘play’ with me anymore! And what would I do then? But this game between us will never end! I’ll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach…and then tear it away just before you grasp it. Over, and over, and over…” Then an idea struck him. “Listen, if you do defeat me, I’ll give you your ‘happy ending.’ I’ll bring your friends back, I’ll destroy the barrier, and everyone will finally be satisfied. But that won’t happen! You…! I’ll keep you here no matter what!” Tem pulled out a small box with no space, which had Chara’s soul inside of it. “Even if it means killing you one million times!”

A bunch of Temmie Flakes surrounded Chara’s soul. But then a few balls of energy blocked their soul.

“Do not be afraid my child,” Asgore wearily said. “No matter what happens…we will always be there to protect you!”

A bone and an axe blocked the red heart.

“THAT’S RIGHT, HUMAN!” Sans smiled. “YOU CAN WIN!! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO…BELIEVE IN YOU!!!”

“Hey, human! If you got past me, then you can do anything if you put your mind to it!” Alphys said, grinning. “So don’t worry, we’ll be with you every step of the way!”

“huh? you haven’t beaten this guy yet?” Papyrus asked. “come on, he’s got nothin’ on you.”

“Technically, it’s impossible for you to beat him,” Undyne spoke up. “But somehow, I know that you can do it!”

“Human, for the future of humans and monsters…! You have to stay determined!” Toriel finally spoke.

A bunch of monsters ran into the throne room, shouting encouraging words such as, “We’re with you too,” and “C’mon, you got this,” and “You can do it!”

“Urrgh…NO! Unbelievable! This can’t be happening!” Tem shouted, his voice filled with disbelief. “You…YOU…! I can’t believe you’re all so STUPID!”

A vine wrapped around all of the others monsters.

“All of your souls are mine!!” Tem laughed as everything went white.

When Chara opened their eyes, they saw a young lizard with no arms standing right in front of them.

“Finally,” the lizard breathed. “I was so tired of being a dog.” The lizard turned around and faced Chara, smiling. “Hello! Frisk, are you there? It’s me, your best friend.” The lizard then got taller and sprouted wings. His eyes turned black with small white pupils, and he wore a grey robe that resembled Asgore’s.

It’s Monster Kid…so, this is it…this is the end…

I can’t fight him…he’s…he’s…

You’ve got to win. You can’t die now. If you do, then our hopes, our dreams…everything that we’ve worked so hard for will be lost…

Bright lights flashed before Chara’s eyes as shooting stars were heading their way. Chara dodged the stars and thought about why they were there now.

“You know, I don’t care about destroying this world anymore,” Kid said. He held two lightning bolts before releasing them. “After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline…I just want to reset everything.” He grabbed two swords and tried to strike Chara’s soul, but they dodged the swords while trying to reason with him.

“What about everyone’s hopes and dreams of leaving the Underground?” Chara asked.

Kid laughed. “You don’t get it, do you? If I reset, then no one will remember a thing…all of your progress and everyone’s memories…I’ll bring them all back to zero! Then we can do everything all over again!”

Chara’s life flashed right before their eyes as they dodged more falling stars.

“And you know what the best part of all of this is?” Kid asked. “You’ll DO it, and then you’ll lose to me again, and again, and again.”

“Huh, what happened…?” Alphys asked as she rubbed the back of her head.

“We were all in the throne room trying to make sure that the human was alright, and then…I don’t remember what happened after that,” Undyne said, looking down.

Asgore’s eyes widened as he saw Chara lying on the ground, unconscious. He shook them, trying to wake them up. But they remained still. “My child, please wake up!”

“Oh no,” Toriel whispered, putting her hand over her mouth.

Undyne pulled a stethoscope out of her pocket and tried checking for a pulse. “T-there’s no heartbeat…”

“What do you mean there’s no heartbeat?” Napstaton snatched the stethoscope from Undyne’s hands. “The heart doesn’t stop beating while you’re asleep!”

“Well, they don’t have a pulse!”

“Come on, human! You can’t die now!” Alphys shouted as she grabbed Chara and started shaking them. “You’ve got your whole life ahead of you!”

“come on, kid, you can wake up now. no one’s gonna hurt you.”

“HUMAN, PLEASE WAKE UP…WE’RE VERY WORRIED ABOUT YOU…”

“It’s all my fault,” Toriel murmured as she watched Asgore cradle the human in his arms. “If only I hadn’t tried to take their soul…if I had just listened to them…maybe this wouldn’t have happened.”

There’s only one thing that you can do now. Show him what friendship, family, and love is like again.

“I hope this works,” Chara muttered as they walked up to Kid and hugged him.

“Huh…?! What are you doing?” Kid asked. Then, his life began to flash right before his eyes. He remembered the day he met Frisk, and how Toriel and Asgore had raised him as if he were their own child. He remembered playing with Frisk and accidentally poisoning Toriel. He remembered Frisk’s sacrifice and his death. He remembered his experience as Tem.

“I’m doing this…because you’re special, Frisk,” Kid said, smiling a little. “You’re the only one that understands me. You’re the only one who’s fun to play with anymore. But that’s not just it…I’m doing this because I care about you, Frisk. I care about you more than anybody else! I’m not ready for this to end. I’m not ready for you to leave. I’m not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…so please, stop doing this and just let me win!”

“I’m never letting go,” Chara whispered. “Not now, not ever.”

“I’m so alone, Frisk…I’m so afraid, Frisk…”

“You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“Frisk, I…”

“Shhh…it’ll be alright…everything will be fine…”

“I…” Kid’s wings disappeared, and his eyes were now brown. He wore a brown striped shirt, and he had no arms. He was now Chara’s height again.

Kid sniffed and shook his head, trying to hide the tears that were forming at the corners of his eyes. “I’m so sorry.” He looked at Chara. “I always was a crybaby, wasn’t I, Frisk?” Kid frowned. “…I know. You’re not actually Frisk, are you? Frisk’s been gone for a long time. What is your name?”

“My name is Chara.”

“That’s a cool name.” Kid smiled. “Chara…I haven’t felt like this for a long time. As ‘Tem,’ I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. However, with everyone’s souls inside of me…I not only have my own compassion back, but I can feel every other monster’s as well. They all care about each other so much. And they care about you too, Chara. I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore…monsters are weird. Even though they don’t even know your name, it feels like they all really love you.” Kid looked down at the ground. “Chara, I understand if you can’t forgive me. I understand if you see me as an enemy. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you and so many people. Friends, family, bystanders…there’s no excuse for what I’ve done.”

“I forgive you,” Chara said.

“What?” Kid asked, surprised. “…Chara, come on. You’re gonna make me cry again. Besides, even if you do forgive me…I can’t keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But first, there’s something I have to do.” Kid had a determined look in his eyes. “Right now, I can feel everyone’s hearts beating as one. They’re all burning with the same desire. With everyone’s power, with everyone’s determination…it’s time for monsters to finally go free.” Kid closed his eyes and rose into the air as a bright light blocked Chara’s vision.

Chara rubbed their eyes and saw Kid land on his feet. “What did you just do?”

“I broke the barrier,” Kid answered. “Chara, I have to go now…without the power of everyone’s souls…I can’t keep maintaining this form. In a little while, I’ll turn back into a dog. I’ll stop being ‘myself.’ I’ll stop being able to feel love again. So, Chara, it’s best if you forget about me, okay? Just go be with the people who love you.”

Chara hugged Kid once more. They began to pat his back. “I will never forget you.”

“Ha…ha…” Kid laughed a little. “I don’t want to let go…Chara, you’re going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do, everyone will be there for you, okay? Oh, and before you wake up, can you promise me that you won’t tell mom and dad about this?”

“I promise,” Chara said as their vision got blurry.

Chapter Text

Chara woke up and looked around to see their friends standing around them.

“Oh, you’re awake! Thank goodness!” Asgore said, relieved.

“W-we were so worried!” Undyne said, smiling a little. “It felt like you were out forever!”

“Yeah! Any longer and I would’ve freaked out!” Alphys grinned. “Tell us next time you decide to take a nap, okay?”

“yeah, you made Sans cry like a baby,” Papyrus said.

“WHAT?! I DIDN’T CRY! I DON’T CRY!” Sans said, trying to act tough. “I JUST CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE.”

“what did you catch?”

“TEARS!!”

“Now, now,” Toriel began, “the important part is that Chara is alright. Here, Chara, why not drink some tea? It’ll make you feel better.”

“How about we give them some space, first?” Asgore suggested. “They must be very exhausted. Though, from what, I am not certain. Chara, we do not remember what had happened. There was a dog, and then everything went white…but now the barrier is gone. When you are ready, we will all return to the surface. It seems that the door to the east will lead us there now. But before you go any further, perhaps you’d like to take a walk and say goodbye to all of your wonderful friends? Do as you wish. We will all wait for you here.”

“Okay, but…what are you doing with your phone?” Chara asked.

“Undyne upgraded my phone,” Asgore explained. “I am having a lot of fun with the texting feature. Papyrus, ‘check out’ this one.”

“oh man, Asgore…that’s brutal,” Papyrus said before bursting into a fit of laughter.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THE KING HAS RETURNED…AND ALSO THAT HE’S A HUGE DORK!! YOU TWO ARE ONLY TWO FEET AWAY FROM EACH OTHER!! WHY ARE YOU TEXTING?!” Sans stomped his foot in frustration.

“Worry not, Sans. We are texting for a good reason,” Asgore reassured the shorter skeleton.

“WHY IS THAT?”

“well, ‘cause we’re huge dorks.” Papyrus winked.

“Papyrus, please do not say that. You are not a dork. You are more of a bonehead!”

“WOW! THOSE PUNS ARE EVEN LESS FUNNY COMING FROM HIM!” Sans said, unamused.

“then why are you smiling?”

“IT’S A PITY SMILE! ANYWAY, SO, TORIEL…HOW ABOUT MAKING ME A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD?” Sans asked as he turned to Toriel.

“Well, Sans, now that the war is over…we might not need the Royal Guard anymore,” Toriel said.

“THEN WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE HUMAN’S QUEST?! THEY JOURNEYED ALL THAT WAY AND I’M STILL NOT A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD? TRULY, THIS IS THE WORST POSSIBLE ENDING.”

“So,” Alphys began, “Undyne, what do you want to do now that we’re all free? We have the whole world to explore now.”

“Well, I’m…I’m gonna stay inside and watch anime like a total loser,” Undyne said, chuckling a little.

“I’ve gotta admit, losing to you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” Alphys said as she turned to Chara. “So, I’m glad we…huh, what is it, Toriel?”

“What’s anime?” Toriel asked.

“Anime’s like a cartoon but with swords,” Chara explained.

“That sounds interesting.” Toriel smiled. “Where can I see the anime?”

“Hold on, I think I can find some on my phone.” Undyne pulled out her phone and gave it to Toriel.

“Oh, that’s amazing…but why is the show called ‘Pokemon’?”

“It stands for ‘Pocket Monsters.’ But they’re not actually real monsters, so it’s harmless,” Undyne explained.

“Ah, I see,” Toriel mused.

Undyne turned to Chara and whispered, “Psst, Chara. Do you think that Toriel and Asgore will ever get back together?”

“I don’t think that’s happening any time soon,” Chara whispered.

“Oh. Well, thanks for being honest.”

Chara approached Toriel.

“Hello, Chara,” Toriel greeted. “Sorry about almost trying to take your soul. I regret everything…but I hope that we can still be friends.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it, Toriel!” Alphys spoke up. “I think everybody’s tried to kill Chara at least once.”

“Oh, I see…still, I’m truly sorry for all that I’ve done,” Toriel said as she looked down at Chara.

“It’s okay, I forgive you.” Chara hugged Toriel’s leg before heading to the door to the east.

“Isn’t it beautiful, everyone?” Toriel asked as she watched the sunset.

“Wow,” Undyne breathed. “It’s even better than on TV. It’s better than I ever imagined!”

“Chara, you LIVE with this?!” Alphys asked, amazed. “The sunlight is so nice…and the air is so fresh! I really feel alive!”

“HEY, PAPYRUS, WHAT’S THAT GIANT BALL?”

“we call that ‘the sun,’ Sans.”

“THAT’S THE SUN!? WOW! I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M FINALLY SEEING THE SUN!”

“I could stand here and watch this for hours,” Asgore said, soaking in the sun’s warmth. “But…we should think about what comes next.”

“Everyone,” Toriel began, “this is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters. Chara, I have something to ask of you. Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?”

But…I’m only fourteen years old!

So am I, and I sacrificed my life to stop a war for crying out loud!

Fair point.

Chara took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll be the ambassador.”

“YEAH! CHARA WILL BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR! AND I WILL BE THE BEST MASCOT! I’LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!” Sans ran ahead.

“welp, someone’s gotta keep him from getting into trouble. see you guys.” Papyrus went in the opposite direction.

“Man, do I have to do everything?” Alphys sighed as she went after Sans. “Sans, wait!!”

“Hey, Alphys, wait up!” Undyne ran after Alphys.

“Well, gotta go!” Toriel went after Undyne and Alphys.

Now it was just Asgore and Chara left.

“It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off,” Asgore remarked. He turned to Chara. “Chara, you came from this world, right? So you must have a place to return to, do you not?”

Chara sighed. They couldn’t avoid telling the truth anymore. This was their chance to start a new life, and they were going to be honest. “No, I don’t have a place to return to. My parents aren’t here anymore…but…but now…now I just want to stay with you.” They looked up at Asgore and smiled a little. “You were the first monster that I encountered. And you took care of me as if I were your own child. You were like a father to me.”

“If that is true…then I will do my best to take care of you for as long as you need,” Asgore said as he grabbed Chara’s hand. “Now, come along. Everyone is waiting for us!”

Chara smiled. When they had fallen down, they were an orphan. They were afraid of losing their soul, but they were also afraid of losing their new friends. But now they didn’t have to fear anything anymore. They now had a family who loved them, and that was all that they needed.

Chapter Text

The barrier was broken. Everyone was free and content with their lives now.

…well, everyone except for him, of course.

It wasn’t like he was trapped there; he just chose not to go. After all, he’d end up hurting the people that he loved all over again, and he didn’t want that. He couldn’t live a day without a voice in his head telling him that it was his fault that he couldn’t go back. It was his fault that his parents had been hurt. It was his fault that he had nearly killed…

He shuddered at the thought. He wished he could feel emotions—he wished he could regret what he had done. He wished that he could feel sad, happy, or angry—but he couldn’t. He couldn’t feel, nor could he love.

It wasn’t like he didn’t try to love others. When he had first discovered that he had turned into a dog, he had spent weeks with Toriel at the castle. Eventually, he got bored and moved onto the ruins. He thought that Asgore would be the one to help him understand what it felt to love someone, but his father had failed.

In the end, he was nothing but a hollow being with the inability to love or feel any type of emotion. He was alone, with no one to take care of him, shower him with kisses every morning, or even sing him a sweet lullaby. He missed his family, he missed Frisk, and sometimes—even if he didn’t want to admit it—he missed Chara as well.

But one day, he felt something brush past him. He turned around and saw his best friend—or what had become of them, at least.

“Frisk…? Is that you?” he asked.

“Kid…she made you a dog of all things?” Frisk asked. They sounded disappointed.

“What are you talking about?” Tem titled his head to the side. “After we both died, I woke up like this…”

“No.” Frisk shook their head. “After your death, Doctor Undyne injected a monster—I believe she called it a Temmie—with determination, hoping that her experiment would work. It backfired, and you were reincarnated…but I didn’t know that you would look like this. But I suppose it’s my fault for paying attention to the chemicals rather than the actual test subject.”

“Hee hee hee,” Tem chuckled. “The way you say it…you sound so casual, so calm…you’re not human anymore, are you? No, you’re empty inside…just like me…”

“I may not have a body anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’m hollow.”

“Well, that doesn’t matter…all that matters that we’re still inseparable after all these years…you finally made it back home…remember when we used to play here? I bet that today’s going to be just as fun…”

“Hardly. The place is deserted,” Frisk remarked.

“It wasn’t always like this. The queen used to live here, until that stupid kid had to come and ruin everything,” Tem spat. “I still remember…I remember when I first woke up here, in the garden. I was so scared. My body felt so light… ‘Mama, Papa, somebody help!’ I called out, but no one came. But eventually, the queen found me, crying in the garden. I explained what had happened to her. Then she held me, Frisk. She held me with tears in her eyes, saying, ‘There, there. Everything is going to be fine.’ She was so…emotional. But for some reason, I didn’t feel anything. I soon realized that I didn’t feel ANYTHING about ANYONE. My compassion had disappeared! And believe me, it’s not like I wasn’t trying! I wasted weeks with that foolish queen, vainly hoping that I would feel something. But it became too much for me. I ran away from home. Eventually, I reached the ruins. Inside, I found him, Frisk. I thought out of all people, he would make me feel whole again…but he failed.” Tem smiled sadly.

“You were soulless, incapable of loving anyone…”

Tem nodded. “I then realized that those two were useless…I just wanted to love someone, but I couldn’t…you might not believe this, Frisk, but I decided that it wasn’t worth living anymore…not in a world without love. Not in a world without you in it. So, I tried to follow you in your footsteps. I would erase myself from existence. And you know what? I succeeded.” Tem smiled. “But as I left this mortal coil, I started to feel apprehensive. If you don’t have a soul, then what happens when you…? Something primal started to burn inside me. ‘No,’ I thought. ‘I don’t want to die!’ Then I woke up, like it was all just a bad dream. That was how I learned about the resets, Frisk. I went down a different route each time, trying out new options, seeing what would happened if I killed someone or if I spared someone…then, I got tired. Everything was so predictable, but…but I could never predict you, Frisk.”

“Was that why you were mad at Chara?”

“That was partially the reason…the other was because…because I thought that they had replaced you,” Tem admitted, looking down. “But…there was one trait that they held…they were willing to spare someone, even if that person had wronged them in the past…they had forgiven me, Frisk. They spared me even if I was so cruel to them—even when I didn’t have everyone’s souls inside of me, they spared me.” Tem looked up, smiling as he had a flashback.

“Oh, well, if it isn’t the skinny trashbag?” Tem teased as Papyrus approached him.

“listen, i don’t care if you taunt me or threaten me,” Papyrus said, glaring at him. “it won’t work against me, but…i’m pretty sure i remember Chara telling me about the way you had greeted them when they fell down. and boy…if no one had been there to witness it, then we all would’ve been trapped down here because of your careless actions.”

“Oh please, It was all just fun and games.” Tem rolled his eyes. “Besides, a monster’s gotta have fun sometime, and with someone at such a low level, can you blame me for poking some fun at them?”

“so you think nearly killing someone is funny?”

“Sometimes, it can be. Besides, it’s their fault for falling for my saccharine sweet attitude.”

“don’t you dare put all of the blame on them.”

“And what are you gonna do?”

Papyrus picked the dog up by the tail, causing him to squirm. “don’t push it, buddy.”

“Put me down!” Tem shouted. “I am the prince of this world’s future! I’m not going to let some pathetic human and a bag of bones stop me from acting out my plans!”

“Papyrus, stop it!” Chara yelled, running over to the skeleton.

Both Papyrus and Tem looked at the human in confusion.

“but, Chara, he nearly killed you!” Papyrus protested.

“But Asgore healed me just before he could finish me off,” Chara pointed out. They then looked at Tem. “Besides…we’d be no better than him if we had given him a taste of his own medicine.”

“…fine.” Papyrus dropped Tem. The tiny dog looked at Chara, surprised. But once he looked back at Papyrus, he quickly ran away.

“But…” Tem started to shake. “…what’s this…feeling? Why am I…shaking?”

“That’s rather strange. But what you said about Chara is true…they are a sweet person, but…” Frisk let out a sigh. “I miss Father…I miss Mother…I know I shouldn’t envy Chara, but…but it’s not fair that they get to have a happy ending while we have to suffer. I have helped them, but I never really gained anything except feelings of hope from it. I want things to go back to the way they were, Kid,” they explained. “I want to see my family again, but the only way I can come back is if I get a soul…perhaps, they’d be willing to give their soul to me.”

“W-what?” Tem continued to shake. “I-if you’re joking about taking Chara’s soul, then this…this isn’t funny! You’ve got a SICK sense of humor!”

“Why would I joke about something like this, Kid? I’m being serious about this. I am going to take their soul and get my body back. Then, after that, things will go back to normal.” Frisk smiled. “Besides, I thought that you didn’t care about them. I thought that I was your friend.”

“N-no…everyone is perfectly happy…monsters have returned to the surface…peace and prosperity rule across the land…there’s nothing left to worry about. Well, there is one thing, actually…” Tem paused for a moment. “It’s you, Frisk. The way you’re talking right now…you don’t get it, do you? They had to walk on bare feet across the entire Underground, just so they could free everyone…they don’t deserve to have their life taken away from them, not after all that they’ve been through. Frisk, you’re my friend. I…I miss you a lot, but…please, just let them go. Let Chara be happy. Let Chara live their life to the fullest.”

“…alright then, but I want you to know something.”

“And what is that?”

“You’re not soulless. The way you spoke right now…you sounded like you cared about them…you didn’t want them to get hurt…you felt something, Kid.”

“Wha—Frisk, wait!” As Frisk disappeared, Tem looked down, wondering if what they said was true.

“But that’s impossible, how could they just…” Tem felt something prick the corner of his eye. He looked into the pond, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

He was crying.

Chapter Text

“Alright, Chara…are you sure you’ll be fine going on your own?” Alphys asked as she held a long rope in her hands.

Chara nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Now, be safe, my child.” Asgore hugged them tightly. “And be careful. You don’t know what is out there.”

“I’ll be fine, Dad, don’t worry,” Chara reassured the goat. They put on a yellow construction hat and held onto the rope’s end as it was lowered down.

As soon as they were close to the ground, they jumped and landed feet first. They looked around and saw a small dog. “Tem,” they said, smiling.

“What do you want?” Tem asked as he turned to them.

“I’m bringing you to the surface, Tem,” Chara replied.

“…why?” Tem asked. “Why would you want to take me up there when all I’ve ever done is hurt you?”

“Because someone told me that anyone could be a good person if they just try.” Chara smiled as they picked up the dog, placing him on their shoulder as they clung onto the rope. “Now, hold on tight and don’t let go.”

Once the two had been pulled up, Chara placed them onto the ground and grabbed the rope again. “One down, two to go!” they said, jumping down.

“Wait, what are you doing?! You never said you were going to go back down after that!” Alphys cried out. She held onto the other as tight as she could.

“I’m saving another person!” she heard Chara shout back.

But who could it be? Alphys wondered.

Everything was distorted. It looked as if they were in Hotland, although it wasn’t as lively as before. The buildings were a dark shade of grey, much like everything else was. It made Chara feel out of place.

Chara looked through every room, until they spotted a hooded figure. They approached the hooded figure.

The figure turned to Chara. Their dark blue hood was tattered, and there were bags under the figure’s eyes, but Chara couldn’t see their face.

“Who are you, young one?” the hooded figure asked. Their voice had a raspy tone.

“I am Chara,” they replied. “You must be Doctor R. Rochester.”

“Please, just call me River…” River looked down at the ground. “It’s been a long time since someone’s called me that…” They looked back at Chara. “No one’s ever dared to come here, and because of that, I’ve been alone for a while…though, I’ve grown used to it. But, if I must ask, why did you come?”

“I came here to free you,” Chara answered. “Undyne told me that you were the royal scientist before her, but you fell into your own creation. And Tori—Mom told me that you were a good friend of hers.”

“Child…there is nothing left for me or anyone else. We are all trapped down here in the Underground for the rest of our lives. We will never get to see the sun. We will all die down here,” River said bitterly.

“No.” Chara shook their head. “The barrier has been broken. Everyone else has moved to the surface.” They held out their hand. “Come on, River. I know a way out of here. We can go back to the others and you can pick up from where you left off.”

River stared at the child’s hand for a moment before nodding. “Alright, I’ll go.” They took the child’s hand and followed them.

“My child, are you alright? You were down there for a very long time,” Asgore said as he picked Chara up.

“I was busy saving someone…someone that nearly everyone forgot,” Chara replied, looking at the hooded figure as they dusted themselves off.

“Doctor Rochester, I thought you were dead!” Undyne said as she helped River get up. “You had fallen into your own creation, and nearly everyone forgot about you…are you alright?”

River coughed as they slowly got up. “I’ll be fine…”

Toriel approached the former scientist. “My friend, it has been a long time,” she remarked.

River looked up at Toriel and nodded. “It has.” They paused and then said, “I see that you and Asgore are now raising Chara.”

“Well, sort of.” Toriel scratched the back of her head. “You see, Asgore and I are now just friends. But Chara insisted that they refer to me as their mother.”

“Oh…I see.” River tried to hide the grin on their face. “What type of monster is Chara?”

“Monster? Chara isn’t a monster.” Toriel looked confused.

“But I could’ve sworn that they…never mind. It must’ve been too dark.”

“…I didn’t expect Chara to bring you along, so…perhaps you’d like to stay at my place until we find a house for you?” Toriel offered, chuckling nervously.

River smiled a little. “Sure.”