Chapter Text
Clover scoots up against the stone railing behind them. Despite the heaviness of their limbs, they feel remarkably empty. Even as Flowey says goodbye to them, once he departs, Clover can't manage to get a grasp on their feelings.
They've tried so hard and come so far. They had initially only come searching for all the missing children, hoping to either become a hero or die trying. And yet, they've done all that and more. They've met all kinds of amazing monsters and robots, making so many friends along the way. They experienced death and revival, as well as the determination necessary to stay alive even when all odds were stacked against them. They were even able to shed light on a few more secrets hidden under the earth than they intended to find. And, of course, they got the answer to the mystery they came to solve in the first place.
Now, all that's left to do is join the rest. To carry out an act of justice on behalf of all the monsters trapped in the underground. To sacrifice their soul for all of Monsterkind, so that one day, maybe another kind human will be willing to do the same. So that Martlet and Starlo and everyone will get to leave the Underground and bask in sunlight after countless years shrouded in darkness.
As Clover tilts their head down and shuts their eyes, the chill from the breeze rustles their hair. It's unkempt from being shoved under their hat all this time, and now it's also coated in small pink petals.
All that's left now is to go to sleep. Clover has fought so hard to stay alive, at least long enough so that they could find out what happened to all the missing children. And now that they know what happened, they've made their peace with their own demise.
If dying here and now will help their friends out, they can no longer find any reason to fight to survive. What else would they do? Attempt to kill the king, only to either die trying or make it to the surface alone?
What would they even do then, if they made it out? There's nothing for them up there, that's for sure. If Clover had it their way—if they didn't have to die for everyone's sake—they'd probably stay here with… someone. They could see themselves happily living amongst their friends, fixing up puzzles around Snowdin, and going on adventures around the Wild East.
But that's all wishful thinking. Clover accepted their potential death long ago.
So why… After all the decisions they just made… Why do they feel their hand reaching out for someone?
And… why… does it feel…
"Hey," says a soft, shuddering voice. "I know you said you were fine being alone, but I'm not fine with it! I'm here, Clover."
Martlet…?
Clover's hand is grasped by a feathery wing. Though their eyes have closed, Clover can easily feel their friend's presence next to them. For them, that's enough.
"Ceroba's bringing your soul to King Asgore, but we're here for ya, Clover," says a deeper voice. Starlo's voice. "You think I'd leave my deputy alone in their final moments? Nah, I don't roll that way. Yer one of us, Partner, y'hear? And no one in my posse, not even an honorary member, gets to die alone. Not on my watch."
Clover wants to respond. Really, they do. But they feel so weighed down. It's easier to just sink down into darkness than to muster up enough energy to reply.
And yet, not here, but far away, something surges within them. It's the same feeling they experienced when Ceroba nearly brought them to the brink of death, but they refused to die. The urge to keep going, to persist even with the near-certainty of death. To hold on just a little longer. To not give up so easily.
To stay determined.
As Clover takes their last shallow breath, they can't help but feel like, even if this seems to be the end, they're going to see everyone again someday. Like… their story is just being put on hold, waiting to be picked back up again later.
Someone calls for help…
Clover answers the call.
Clover's eyes shoot open and they gasp harshly in search of air, but they end up choking instead. They try to take a deep breath, lungs straining for oxygen, but wherever they are, there's none to be found. Nor is there any source of light that can help them figure out where they are or why they can't breathe.
Clover reaches their hands out, trying to get a sense of where they are. Their scrambling fingers meet a solid, gritty surface. They shove at it, and, just barely, it budges. They push harder, using their hands and feet to move the cursed concrete-like slab of sorts that seems to be encasing them in the dark.
After some struggle, they manage to move the slab to the left, the darned thing making an awful scraping noise all the while. Once they're able to get a glimpse of the outside, Clover pauses and slumps down, their body rather weak.
After a moment of lying down, Clover finally musters up the energy to sit upright, straining to allow their face to reach the hole that light and sweet, sweet air are flowing in through. They breathe in and out, and in again, until they feel at ease.
Once they calm down, Clover grasps the edge of the slab again. They try pushing it away, but it's just too heavy. The strength they had just a moment ago seems to have depleted, and they fall back into their strange confines.
How did they even get here? The last thing Clover remembers is that they had given up their soul. They were dying… And yet, they heard someone crying out for help, and they were confused at first, firing off bullets from their pistol… But then they remembered they weren't a fighter. Shooting at an opponent is a skill they were taught by a friend, sure, but they never used it against anyone during a battle.
So, they tried to heal the person. They… they did heal someone. They felt their strength, their perseverance, their determination. The sheer amount was almost too much to bear, and yet Clover helped them defeat their opponent.
Thinking about all that hurts their head, though, so Clover puts a hand to their temple, willing the pain away. They allow their body to go limp and rest, at least for the moment. They try to quiet their thoughts, not to let them slip back to whatever just happened.
But no matter how calm they feel, they can't help but wonder how they're alive. Surely losing a soul would lead to permanent death, right? And, if they are in the afterlife, why do they need to breathe? Why do they feel simultaneously worn down and restless?
Clover's thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps on a hard floor. Their eyes snap open, their mind alert. They slowly prop themselves up on their elbows to turn their ear up at the opening above them.
The footsteps come to a stop, and there's a slight gasp.
"Hey!" Clover yells, their voice a bit hoarse. "Can— I don't know what to say. Can ya help a feller out of here? I ain't really sure where I am."
Silence.
Just as worry starts to seep into Clover's mind, they hear more footsteps and shuffling. They pull away from the opening and reach up a hand, fingers curling over the slab in hopes the other person here can see.
"Hey, I'm in here!" Clover calls out.
After a moment, a hand settles on the slab by Clover's hand, and they nearly flinch away. Only, as they see the other person trying to free them by pushing away the slab, Clover tries to help with what little strength they have.
Once there's enough space for them to get out, Clover sits up and takes in as much fresh air as they can. The room they're in is clearly dark, but it's so bright compared to being inside the… whatever they're in. They take a few seconds to blink and allow their eyes to adjust to the difference.
Standing before them is someone they've never met before. To their surprise, it is a human. A human who looks a little younger than them, sporting a blue and pink striped sweater.
"Uh, hi," Clover says, unsure of what exactly they should or shouldn't be saying here. "I'm Clover. Am I still in the Underground?"
The other human stares at them without moving for long enough that Clover starts to get a little creeped out. Thankfully, they soon respond with a nod.
Okay, then, that answers that question.
Clover tries their best to climb out of— Woah! They stumble, arms flailing as their legs just about give out and they crash into the other human. With a surprising amount of strength, the kid catches Clover and helps them get their bearings.
"Sorry. So sorry. I— Clearly I need to stretch a little, huh? Guess I gotta get used to bein' alive and… oh, boy," Clover trails off as they turn and see what they were just lying in.
As it turns out, they were stuck in a coffin with their own name on it. Wild.
"Yikes, I reckon I must've fully died, then," they say. "But how am I back? I mean, I gave up my soul and everything. Do I…"
Clover focuses, closing their eyes. They search for the feeling of their soul beating inside of them. Surprisingly, they find that it's there. They almost don't believe it, as they know they gave it up, but it's unmistakably their soul. They do know what it feels like to be without one, after all. "Huh, I guess my soul is back."
The kid is still just staring at them. That is, until they seem to realize that Clover is the only one doing all the talking, and they finally do something about it. They point to their left, and Clover looks to see that there's a staircase leading to a brighter area. Right. They should probably get out of this tomb of sorts.
"Uh, we should leave, right?"
The kid nods. So, that confirms to Clover that they probably don't talk much, if at all. They're fine with that. Clover didn't talk that much either before they came to the Underground and made friends who helped them feel comfortable coming out of their shell.
Together, the two humans walk around the rest of the coffins and slowly head up the stairs. Along the way, Clover starts to get the hang of moving around again.
Now that they're fully awake and alert, their mind starts to wonder a bit. How long have they been dead for? Are their friends still around? Does anyone remember them? And why is there another human down here?
Clover goes to adjust the hat on their head, but they're hit with a harsh reality check. They had given it to Martlet. Darn. They'll have to go and get it, then.
"Aww, man. I don't have my hat or my revolver," they mutter, patting down their pockets for items they know won't be there.
The kid turns to Clover and puts a hand up, resembling a STOP symbol.
"What? You want me to wait here?" Clover asks.
The kid nods and heads off. Clover does wait. They lean up against the wall with their arms crossed and think about how much cooler they could look if they were wearing their hat and had a straw of wheat in their mouth.
After a few minutes, the kid returns. They hold up Cover's hat and revolver, an expectant look on their face. Clover has to do a double take to confirm what they're seeing.
"How'd you get these?" Clover asks, their voice raising as they snatch them from the kid. "How— did you kill monsters to get these?! Did you steal from—"
The kid waves their hands and shakes their head. They use their hand and move it forward, as though it's a river or wave. Then, they bring it straight down and make a trickling motion with their fingers.
"What? Is that… a waterfall?"
They nod.
"Wait. Waterfall? Is that where you found my stuff?"
The kid looks unsure before shaking their head.
"Okay, you found them at an actual waterfall? Like, at the bottom or something?"
The kid shakes their head again. They go through the motion of crumpling something up—like a ball of paper—and tossing it.
"The trash?" Clover hesitantly asks, a pang shooting through their heart. Did everyone really throw their things away? "Some kinda trash in Waterfall?"
The kid gives them a sympathetic look and nods.
"Okay, okay. Well how in tarnation did my stuff get there? Did… Did my friends really… They wouldn't just throw my things away, right? Surely there's some kind of explanation."
The kid shrugs. That's fair. Clover probably wouldn't know how to react if someone asked them that either.
Even though there's a pit in their stomach, Clover tries to stay positive. It won't help them to just come to the worst conclusion. "Well, I guess I won't know unless I ask them, huh?"
The kid gives a thumbs up, then they lead Clover down a hallway and into another room, which is full of a group of monsters. Most of them are chatting with one another, but as soon as they enter, a goat monster turns to face the two of them.
A very familiar goat monster. Clover ponders about that for a moment.
"Oh, Frisk, you have already found another friend? Who is… No… It can't be…"
Ah, so the other human's name is Frisk. That's good to know.
Just then, a wave of recognition washes over Clover as they realize who this monster is. This is the kind lady who was going to help them out in the Ruins, up until they fell into a deeper area and got help from Flowey instead.
"Howdy," Clover says, awkwardly waving a hand. "Long time, no see."
The other monsters have all turned to look at this point, some with curious glances and others with expressions of surprise. The goat lady hurries over to stand before Clover and the other humans.
"Child, do you remember me? I am Toriel, the one you met in the Ruins after you had fallen down. When you, er, unfortunately fell again, I tried to send down a length of rope for you to climb, but you never did. Oh, I had no idea what had happened to you! At least, not until I heard that… Well, that is in the past. How have you returned?"
Clover blows out a puff of air. "Honestly, I ain't too sure myself. I made some friends, traveled around, and got all the way to New Home before I realized going to fight the king wasn't necessary. After I gave up my soul, I was out pretty quickly. And then, uh, I guess I woke up in a coffin?"
Toriel opens up her arms for a hug, and Clover takes it. Her arms are warm and she smells oddly of mothballs. When they pull away, she steps back and folds her hands together.
"You gave up your soul? Willingly?" A raspy voice asks.
Clover looks over to see a fish monster staring at them, brows furrowed. Next to them, a yellow monster looks between the two of them, clearly a bit uncomfortable.
"Um. Yeah?"
"I wanna know what you mean by that," she says, rather bluntly. "Humans don't just give up their souls."
Clover shrugs. "Well, I did. I made a lot of friends here. And when I found out my soul could help free everyone from the underground, I gave it to them to give to King Asgore."
Another monster, who Clover immediately realizes to be King Asgore, clears his throat. "Yes, I do remember an odd group that brought me a yellow human soul several years back. What stood out to me was that they did not look triumphant, but rather full of sadness and grief. It was clear that they were not very happy to speak with me."
"Must've been Ceroba, Martlet, and North Star— er, Starlo," Clover notes with a snap of their fingers.
"HANG ON A MINUTE!" A skeleton monster with a red scarf loudly interrupts. "DO YOU MEAN MARTLET FROM SNOWDIN? EX-ROYAL GUARD MEMBER?"
"Blue bird monster?"
"YES."
"Yeah. She was, uh. She helped me out a lot," Clover admits warmly.
"I WONDERED WHY SHE ALWAYS TOLD ME THAT JOINING THE ROYAL GUARD WASN'T WORTH IT! A LOT OF THE THINGS SHE'S SAID ARE STARTING TO MAKE MORE SENSE NOW! THIS HAS BEEN A VERY INSIGHTFUL DAY INDEED!!!"
"So she still lives in Snowdin?" Clover asks eagerly.
"oh, she comes and goes. usually she hangs around with that quiet guy who plays piano and drops corn everywhere," the shorter skeleton monster says.
"That must be Dalv," Clover mutters. "He's still living in Snowdin? He hasn't gone back to the Ruins?"
"yeah, he just doesn't get out much."
"I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE I'VE MET TWO HUMANS," the larger skeleton says. "AND THE BARRIER HAS BEEN DESTROYED. I MUST BE DREAMING!"
"Nah, if you're dreaming, you wouldn't be able to feel THIS," the fish monster says before pulling the other into a headlock.
"NO! DON'T NOOGIE THE SKELETON! UNDYNE!!"
"Please do not roughhouse in front of the children. We would not want any accidents, especially when you are wielding a spear," Toriel admonishes.
"I m-mean, to be fair, Frisk and Cl–Cl–Clover have already been attacked a hundred times over already. They're p–pretty good at d–dodging, so…" the dinosaur monster says.
Toriel looks over at them with scrutiny in her gaze, then to the shorter skeleton. "I thought you said that you would protect Frisk?"
The skeleton shrugs. "oh, yeah. i followed 'em all the way here. they didn't die once. aren't i right, kid?"
Frisk crosses their arms and sticks out their tongue.
Clover opens their mouth to ask how that could be possible, since they personally died to four different monsters according to Flowey. But perhaps Frisk also befriended Flowey and was able to be brought back a couple times. That might make sense. They probably shouldn't ask about that, though. Not in front of all these people.
Toriel sighs. "Fine, I suppose that since Frisk made it here in one piece, you did keep your promise."
Undyne's jaw drops. "You promised the queen that you would protect a human even though you were working as a sentry this whole time?"
Sans shrugs. "hey, i hate makin' promises, but i'll listen to anyone who can respect a good knock-knock joke."
Undyne crosses her arms and turns away. "I guess, since it was the queen, I can let it slide. Besides, it's not like any of that matters much now. I mean, wow, the Royal Guard is going to have to disband and everything… Everything is going to change… Oh, I'M NOT READY! ALPHYS, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO NOW?!"
The dinosaur— Alphys, puts up her hands placatingly. "W-we'll figure it out, I guess? I… I'm sure you could do a-anything you put your mind to, Undyne."
"Oh yeah! You're right! Thanks, Alphy."
"Oh! Uhm.. y-yeah. N-no problem."
"Wait," Clover says. "Before, you pointed out that I was attacked by a bunch of monsters. How did you know that?"
"Uh, l-lucky guess?"
Clover shoots her an unimpressed look.
"Okay, okay. The truth is, one of m-my first con–contributions as the Royal Scientist was to install a bunch of c-cameras around the Underground to watch for humans, and, well–w–well, just in case. You know, like if someone went m-missing, or, that sort of thing. I just… I-I saw your journey after you l-left the–the Ruins, b-but I didn't get to see what happened after you went into the S-Steamworks."
"Huh. I guess that makes sense. Hey, wait! You're the Royal Scientist!"
"I… well, y-yeah."
"Can you tell me what happened to Kanako Ketsukane? Y'know, the daughter of Ceroba and the late Chujin?"
Alphys' expression drops.
After they don't get an immediate response, Clover continues. "She, uh, fell down and was sent for some kinda experiment or something to try and get better?"
Clover can't help but feel as though the temperature of the room has dropped several degrees. All eyes look away from them, but Toriel puts a hand over her mouth.
"I can explain," King Asgore says, holding up a hand and taking a few steps forward. "Dr. Alphys was asked to run such experiments on my behalf, and she got permission before going through with everything. Unfortunately, the experiments went very wrong. The good news is that everyone lived. The bad news is... Well, I believe you would need to see for yourself."
Clover isn't sure of what to say. What in the world could have happened to Kanako? They're glad that she's alive, of course, but they can't hellp but wonder how Ceroba is dealing with all of this.
Next to them, Frisk takes their hand and squeezes lightly. They offer a sympathetic expression.
"I dunno what to say, if I'm bein' honest."
Toriel speaks up. "That's quite alright, my child. You have had a lot of new information thrust upon your shoulders all at once. And, you see, we are just about to go on ahead to the surface. Frisk was going to go and say goodbye to their friends before we all head out, but seeing as they're back so soon, they must have stumbled upon you on their way. Since they are likely going to head back out again, do you wish to go on ahead as well?" Toriel says.
"Wait, so I can go and get my friends? We can all leave? Together?" Clover asks.
"Of course," King Asgore answers. "Believe it or not, I did not want to take the souls of the humans that have fallen down here. However, as the king, I have a responsibility to do what is best for Monsterkind."
Toriel huffs and crosses her arms, looking away.
Asgore glances over at her for a moment, but he sighs and continues. "I know I must have put you through much strife, but that is all in the past. I deeply apologize for all the trouble you have expereinced. Now, I can only hope that you will do as your heart desires. Go, find your friends, and travel with them to the surface, if that is your desire."
Clover nods. "Well, this has been fun. Kind of. But I guess it's time for me to head out. Say, where's the closest UGPS station?"
"..."