Chapter Text
This is an exposition chapter for your role in the story, it’s not super Mew Mew-focused so you may skip if this lore is not of particular interest to you!
A jester.
A dealmaker.
A fallen star.
An author.
And a sound of the future.
These five shattered fragments, empowered by the lost dreams of Lightners, were the Shadow Crystals. Their powers combined, they were purified into… Well, who’s to say.
Of course, there’s no such thing as a Lightner in the Underground, or a Darkner. Much like the worlds consumed by darkness you once knew, they’d be one and the same.
The Roaring had all but enveloped Hometown. Dreams became reality and realities became dream, a chaotic cacophony of everything and nothing. You feared for the worst as the mastermind behind your operations, Doctor W.D. Gaster, wished only to see it through from the sidelines. And so, your world was consumed in darkness. You managed to escape, of course, alongside another strange colleague of yours, but who’s to say what became of Hometown after your departure.
You had long worked for Gaster alongside many other esoteric fellows - friendly devices and desolate followers that gave way to the great machina of Gaster’s Deltarune. It was what you were made for, after all. Your earliest memory is that of a deep sea. That must’ve been your birthplace, the Depths. You’ve always resembled a human, but not quite. You were not confident in your appearance and feared monsters would find you off-putting, so you’d often cover up when travelling, as you are now.
Gaster would often give you all a beacon into a world beyond, perhaps His world? It would seem that this is where you now find yourself - the Underground.
Gaster was everywhere and nowhere, wishing to create a new future while allowing the present to be destroyed. Of course, there was another who allowed this all to happen. You remember them as a Cage for a human soul with the power to banish the darkness. Yet, this Cage swore an allegiance to the dark to uphold a promise regarding a great tragedy. In many ways, the disappearance of December Holiday, a teenage resident of Hometown, was what really kickstarted your operations. She befell a similar fate to your master, a girl shattered across time and space, transformed into an eldritch author of a prophecy written in glass. Part of that girl became the Roaring Knight, wishing to bring about the unity of light and dark as one. Yet, many others would accelerate this process. You and your colleagues always kept a particular eye on Noelle Holiday, the younger sister of December. Your closest colleague even kept a suspicious loaf of bread in case things got too weird with the lake. You had later heard someone had begun to hear Dess’ song and was promptly “served” by a few of your other colleagues, so perhaps this wasn’t the strangest idea.
Gaster’s ultimate dream was to see fate shattered - to see his story contorted and twisted and to inspire something greater, something tangible. The Shadow Crystals were a part of this, although they were not his invention. These crystals were an invention of the Knight, formed from a bitter river of titanic size. They were to be used by a Darkner, but a Lighter would empower these crystals with their lost dreams. In many ways, it made you question if Lightners and Darkners were really that different after all. You always took a fascination with the Shadow Crystals, although you were careful not to gaze too hard into them, for you feared the worst on the other side of your periphery. You had heard, however, that the Lightner heroes did purify the crystals they obtained, but the Roaring was already imminent by that point.
The Underground was familiar yet detached from the world you knew. There were many familiar faces around here, evidently without the memories of their past self. Perhaps these worlds always had existed like this, in parallel. Yet, even still, you could not help but try to find the pieces of the world you left behind. If you could track down any remnants of these Shadow Crystals - the holders of these fragments - perhaps it would bring you some closure.
You’ve been in the Underground for quite a while now, certainly years, settling in Hotland close to the Core. You have invented some new technology to track space-time disturbances. You figured this may help you track any remnants of the old Doctor. You weren’t sure what to call these disturbances, so you asked your colleague for advice.
Simple as ever, he suggested the name “fun value”. You felt like there was a reason for this, but you decided to just go with it.
???: “Ha, ha… The thought terrifies me.”
You had just finished talking to someone strange. Their skin’s paleness matched your own. You wondered if it possibly could’ve been a resident of Hometown brought over as well, since there was a kid who resembled this monster.
The monster’s words shook you, but you nevertheless continued your mission. It wasn’t the first time you heard this monster’s words. Your device read “95.000000”. You walked away and made a note to bring something to give to this monster another time.
You were in Waterfall, a dark cavern that was as damp as ever. You began to cross back the bridge, noting the creak of every step. You became lost in thought again about the Shadow Crystals as you passed over the bridge.
It was clear that some denizens of Hometown exist in this world, too. Some are older or younger, some dead instead of alive. You had been to Waterfall countless times before, where you would often encounter an old turtle named Gerson. You remembered him as a Lightner of Hometown who was already nearly dead by the time you had arrived. But in the Underground, he was still kicking. You remember, too, that he was a recipient of a Shadow Crystal. He didn’t seem to do much with it, for he didn’t see a use for it. Whatever family he had, though, does not seem to exist in this world.
Gerson was the first you could ever find of the Shadow Crystals in the new world. He had knowledge of a Prophecy, but it was not the Prophecy you knew, the one you dedicated your work to. It was much simpler than that. You feared that this was a sign that the world you knew would one day be forgotten about, forever.
Of course, there were other traces of these Shadow Crystals within the Underground. Dr. Gaster was succeeded by a new Royal Scientist, Alphys, who took charge of much of his previous work. You’ve yet to find a way into her lab - the deepest portions of it, at least - but you knew well of Mettaton. It was hard not to know of him. Could this have been the Lightner whose dream powered the NEO body of the Cyber World? You’d often visit this Underground Star’s resort since it was right next to the previous base of Gaster’s operations.
At this point, you were pacing back and forth for a few minutes now, between a telescope and a particularly squeaky flower. It was comforting to you in a way you didn’t quite understand. You were unsure of where to go next, for your reconnaissance did not prove very useful. Luckily, this task was soon decided for you as get a call from a certain someone.
S: “hey kiddo.”
S: “so… it’s been a while.”
S: “still haven’t given up yet on those old shards, have you?”
You murmur that you have not.
S: “well, you’re calling at the right thyme, Papyrus is making spaghetti again!”
You question what Sans means by this since he was the one who called you.
P: “SANS! THAT PUN DOESN’T EVEN MAKE ANY SENSE!”
P: “WHO USES THYME FOR SPAGHETTI?”
S: “wouldn’t you know?”
P: “OH ENOUGH OF YOU! WHO ARE YOU ON THE PHONE WITH ANYWAYS?”
S: “oh yeah, shouldn’t be wasting thyme, unlike you.”
S: “…look kid, i may have found someone you would be interested in talking to.”
S: “she’s been staying with us for a bit.”
S: “you should swing around old snowdin if you can.”
S: “what was her name again, papyrus?”
P: “PAPYRUS!”
S: “whatever you say bro.”
S: “well, if you want to see, uh, ‘papyrus’, i’ll be seeing you around.”
S: “don’t forget to come through the back.”
S: “...” (he hangs up)
Sans.