Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Back at the flower bed. They didn’t feel anything about Amber’s death, but her actions… they felt…

…like it was fun.

But she suddenly stopped having fun after Waterfall. Maybe this time, Chara could convince the person to keep going all the way. And then, well, nobody managed to get past Asgore, so maybe they could see what comes next. That would be fun.

But, wait, they wouldn’t get to see it. If the human dies, they…

Well, they weren’t really sure what happened in between, but they knew they always ended up back at the flower bed as if no time had passed at all. But they knew Asgore was going to destroy humanity, and they felt that they deserved it.

The kid looked a little younger than Chara. Chara looked the same age as them, but they always looked younger than they actually were. Even before they spent time as a spirit. This kid looked about ten.

“Where… where am I?” The other child looked up. “Who are you?”

“I am Chara.”

“My name is Frisk! Did you fall too? I don’t remember seeing anyone else.”

“That is because I fell a long time ago.”

“Wait, what?”

“I am the spirit of the first human to fall down here.”

Frisk sat up. “Is that why I can see through you?”

“Yes. I can help you get through the Underground.” Well, their soul anyway. To Asgore.

To get Frisk’s soul to Asgore, Chara was pretty sure they didn’t even need to do anything. After all, none of the previous humans made it past Asgore, even ignoring that they wouldn’t be able to leave without his soul. The chances Frisk would survive against him with a stick when a girl with a gun died to Asgore were slim at best. All Chara had to do was convince them to show monsters the worst of humanity.

Or so they thought.

After Toriel led them to the beginning of the Ruins, Chara could see it. A save point.

They were able to use those when they were alive, up until they gave it up for a chance to free the monsters.

But if Frisk had that ability now, they could just come back until they figure it out. Even if they died, it wouldn’t take. The monsters wouldn’t get their soul.

This… would be a slight complication.

Unless…

LOVE was a powerful force. Enough of it, and… Maybe there was a way Chara could use Frisk’s ability to turn back time to their advantage.

“As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you,” Toriel said. “You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple! When you encounter a monster, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict.” She gestured towards a training dummy. “ Practice talking to this dummy.”

Frisk approached it.

“You are not actually going to talk to it, are you?” Chara asked.

Frisk nodded. “I don’t want to hurt anybody.”

“You realize that the dummy is not alive, right? You could strike and nobody would be hurt. And it would be fun. Besides, if you want to get out alive, you should be able to defend yourself. This dummy is good practice.”

Frisk hesitated. They raised the stick they carried and hit the dummy as hard as they could, quickly reducing the dummy to a pile of stuffing. They looked like they felt bad.

“Ahh, the dummies are not for fighting!” Toriel said. “They are for talking! We do not want to hurt anybody, do we…? Come now.”

“That’s what you think, Mom,” Chara said quietly.

It took a lot of convincing to get Frisk to strike a living opponent. Chara had to convince them they could erase their mistake.

Once they were done they would go back to the beginning and get a much happier ending for the monsters.

But wouldn’t it be best to prove surviving is possible at all, rather than face what may just be a completely hopeless boss fight? The monsters were attacking them. They could just claim it was self-defense anyway.

Frisk reluctantly agreed. And so every last monster in the Ruins was eradicated.

Eventually, Frisk let Chara control them. That was, in Chara’s opinion, when the real fun began. It had been so long since they had a body, and even if it was borrowed, Chara didn’t mind.

In Toriel’s house, they looked in the mirror and smiled.

“It’s me, Chara.”

“Prove yourself…” Toriel said. “Prove to me you are strong enough to survive.”

Slash! “Was that good?” Chara asked, smiling with Frisk’s face.

Toriel was having a hard time standing. Just one hit. That was all it took. “Y… you… really hate me that much? Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you… but them!” She collapsed to the ground and laughed weakly, before turning to dust. Her soul appeared before breaking and thus disappearing.

Chara walked Frisk’s body through the door before running into a certain weed.

Flowey laughed. “You’re not really human, are you?”

“Have not been in a long time,” Chara replied.

“No. You’re empty inside. Just like me.” Well, not exactly, though they couldn’t say they were complete, either. “In fact, you’re Chara, right?”

“You… recognize me in Frisk’s body?”

“Of course I do! We’re best friends!”

Chara paused. “Asriel?” The one who agreed to a plan and then ruined it. Who died because he was too much of a coward to fight back. They were pretty sure they didn’t like the flower anymore, even if he was very different from his past self.

“It’s me! We’re still inseparable after all these years…” Unfortunately… “Listen. I have a plan to become all-powerful. Even more powerful than you and your stolen soul. Let’s destroy everything in this wretched world. Everyone, everything in these worthless memories… let’s turn ‘em all to dust! That’s a wonderful idea!” Then Flowey went into the ground.

“Chara, maybe we should go back,” Frisk said.

“Do not worry about him,” Chara said. “As fun as his idea sounds, the last thing I want is to help him. And do not worry about what he said. Remember: you can always reset whenever you feel like it. Nothing I can do will take that ability away from you.”

Chapter Text

Chara walked through Snowdin. They encountered a skeleton.

Holy shit, that guy seemed like he could be snapped in half with Frisk’s bare hands. When the time was right, he was gonna be easy EXP.

Then he told Frisk to hide behind a lamp. Frisk thought they should, but Chara didn’t. “If he’s dangerous, you know what to do.”

They didn’t hide. Somehow, Papyrus completely missed them. Sans also told them to ‘pretend’ to be human.

When Papyrus actually saw Frisk, it took him a bit to recognize them as a human. But he said he was going to capture them.

Not very likely.

Frisk and Chara got past Doggo easily. All they had to do to get past him was just… not move. Then, after taking all the snow from a snowman, they found Papyrus talking to Sans.

“YOU’RE SO LAZY!” Papyrus said. “YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!”

“i think that’s called ‘sleeping’,” Sans said.

“EXCUSES, EXCUSES!” Papyrus turned to see Frisk. “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!” Chara moved Frisk’s body forward. Nobody got shocked. “FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS… THE… INVISIBLE… UHHHH…. HMMM… YOU MUST BE HAVING CULTURE SHOCK. YOU SEE, WHERE I COME FROM, IT’S A LOVING TRADITION TO SUFFER THROUGH HORRIBLE PUZZLES FOR NO REASON.”

“Oh,” Frisk said. “Sorry.”

“But w- I am kind of in a hurry,” Chara finished.

“really?” Sans asked. “cuz it took you a while to get here.”

“THIS PUZZLE WON’T TAKE TOO MUCH TIME,” Papyrus said. “SO, IF YOU COULD JUST WALK BACK THERE, AND…”

They did the opposite.

Papyrus sighed. “WHY COULDN’T WE GET A HUMAN THAT LIKES PUZZLES?” He walked away.

It seemed like all the puzzles Frisk and Chara couldn’t just walk through had been solved. One of the buttons to a puzzle was depressed with vines.

“So that flower is helpful after all,” Chara said.

“Why do you hate him, anyway?” Frisk asked.

“Because he agreed to a plan and at the last minute he refused to go through with it. At least you seem to be more reliable.”

They almost reached Snowdin Town. The only thing standing between them and the town was a bridge. And two skeletons.

“I… will let you do this alone,” Chara said, leaving Frisk’s body. “I am petrified of heights.” Then they floated away.

“Afraid of heights but floats across the bridge.”

“I cannot fall if I am floating!”

The bridge wasn’t even that easy to fall off of. It was pretty solid, almost as if it was made out of rock. It didn’t sway.

“HUMAN!” Papyrus said. “THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!” A bunch of things appeared, but Frisk couldn’t see them. Weirdly, with Chara possessing them they could see just fine, but now… “WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN! ARE YOU READY? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!”

Nothing happened. “well? what’s the holdup?” Sans asked.

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

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

“WELL! THEY’RE PROBABLY GOING TO WALK THROUGH IT… AND IT WON’T BE ANY FUN AT ALL.”

“hmmm… so this human thing was a bust, huh?”

“WELL. I MEAN. I’M EXCITED TO CAPTURE THEM. SO I’LL BECOME A FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN! BUT ALL THE TIME I PUT INTO THESE PUZZLES… IT’S KIND OF LIKE THROWING A BIRTHDAY PARTY…”

“…without traps and fire?”

“EXACTLY! IT’S POINTLESS! MAYBE YOU WERE RIGHT TO BE LAZY ABOUT PUZZLES.” Frisk felt bad.

“me? right about something? really?”

“YEAH! WHAT AM I SAYING! YOU’RE STILL COMPLETELY WRONG! I JUST HAVE THE WRONG AUDIENCE! THINK ABOUT HOW MUCH FUN UNDYNE WOULD HAVE HERE! FLAMES, VIOLENCE! IT’S RIGHT UP HER ALLEY!” Papyrus turned back to Frisk. “SO I WON’T WASTE THIS PUZZLE ON YOU. I JUST HAVE TO APPRECIATE THE FRIEND I ALREADY HAVE!” All the stuff went away. “PHEW! A VALUABLE LIFE LESSON!” Papyrus laughed and then walked away.

Frisk continued walking on the bridge and once they reached the end, Chara possessed them again.

They started to follow Papyrus but Sans stopped them. “hey. kid. i need to talk to you.”

“Oh. What is it, Sans?”

“this whole time, you act completely emotionless, and suddenly this gets you scared?”

Well, that was because Chara was mainly in control. “I… weird…”

“i also saw you… talking to yourself? and not the normal kind of talking to yourself either. it was like you were two people in one body. is something up, kid? by the way, who’s the real you? frisk or chara?”

Frisk, suddenly much more confident, said, “You must have been hearing things. My name is Frisk and I have never met anyone named Chara in my life.”

“i doubt i did… i dunno what’s going on with you, but it’s something. i mean besides the whole… thing you’ve been doing to all the monsters here. well, you don’t have to tell me, but… i have something to tell you . some friendly advice. if you keep going the way you are now…” Sans’ pupils disappeared. “you’re gonna have a bad time.”

Then Sans disappeared. Not as in he walked away, Frisk blinked and Sans was completely gone.

“I am not afraid of him,” Chara said. “He is extremely weak. I doubt he could do more than one damage, or even take any damage himself without turning to dust.”

Just before the end of Snowdin, Papyrus blocked the way.

“HALT, HUMAN!”

Chara moved Frisk’s body forward.

“HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I’M TALKING TO YOU! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE SOME THINGS TO SAY. FIRST: YOU’RE A FREAKING WEIRDO! NOT ONLY DO YOU NOT LIKE PUZZLES, BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE ABOUT FROM PLACE TO PLACE, THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER, IT FEELS LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A DANGEROUS PATH. HOWEVER! I, PAPYRUS, SEE GREAT POTENTIAL WITHIN YOU! EVERYONE CAN BE A GREAT PERSON IF THEY TRY! AND ME, I HARDLY HAVE TO TRY AT ALL!”

Chara approached him.

“HEY, QUIT MOVING! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT! HUMAN! I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE! SOMEONE NEEDS TO KEEP YOU ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW! BUT WORRY NOT! I, PAPYRUS WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND TUTOR! I WILL TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!”

Chara kept walking toward Papyrus. “I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!” Papyrus held his arms out. “I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!”

But instead of his hug being reciprocated, he was attacked.

His head fell off, but he managed to catch it with his hands. “W-WELL, THAT’S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED…” his body, save for his head, turned to dust and his head landed on the ground. “BUT… ST… STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON’T THINK SO!” Chara placed Frisk’s foot on top of Papyrus’s skull. “I… I PROMISE.” Chara pressed down until the skull crumbled, joining the rest of his body in a pile of dust that used to be Papyrus.

Chapter Text

When they entered Waterfall, it was empty except for a reptilian monster in a striped shirt.

“Hey! I saw you earlier in Snowdin Town! I’m Mike! But my friends call me Mikey! What’s your name?”

“Frisk.”

“That’s a cool name! Are you sneaking out to see her too?”

“See who?”

“Undyne, obviously! She’s only the leader of the royal guard and the coolest monster ever!”

Frisk smiled. “I see things have changed a lot since she lost her eye to Amber.”

“Who…? Oh, is that the human who some of the adults talk about that did a lot of bad things? They say history’s repeating itself, but… like… worse. But they didn’t have Undyne back then, and she can protect us!”

“Your parents are probably really worried for you. Why are you here?”

“They don’t know I’m here. Don’t tell them.”

“They probably don’t know where you are at all.”

“Yeah, but… it’s okay!”

They refused to talk further about their parents.

The first encounter with Undyne was… nerve-wracking. She was just standing there as if she was waiting for Frisk to show up. But they weren’t prepared for a fight just yet.

Truthfully, they didn’t know if it was Undyne, and neither did Chara. But Chara remembered a kid with messy red hair like that ponytail coming out of the knight’s helmet, and they remembered that she was a fish, so she probably felt right at home in a place like Waterfall. And she looked like she was missing an eye. Her left eye. The same one Undyne lost to Amber. Guess they didn’t manage to fix her eye. And Chara couldn’t help but find that funny, but they resisted the urge to laugh, lest Undyne notice Frisk.

But she heard them walking through the grass and summoned a spear (way better at it than she used to be). Did she know what happened? About all the dead monsters? She seemed angry. Was that why?

She stared at Frisk intensely. But she didn’t throw the spear. Instead, she walked away.

So Chara continued walking. And then Monster Kid came out of the grass. “Yo… did you see the way she was staring at you? That… was awesome ! I’m soooo jealous! She was just standing there waiting forever , and then you just…! C’mon! Let’s go watch her beat up some bad guys!” Mike ran away, face-planting before getting back up again and continuing to run.

So it was Undyne. But… what stopped her from killing them?

Some of the puzzles were already solved. Chara remembered at the top of a waterfall that some vines appeared to be holding back some rocks, and noticed in other areas, bridge seeds had formed bridges that Chara assumed were already solved.

Frisk was confused, but Chara thought they knew who did it.

For a weed, Flowey sure was helpful.

Undyne sent Frisk to the dump and Frisk landed on a bed of golden flowers.

Frisk saw one of Chara’s memories.

“It sounds like it came from over here…” Asriel’s voice. “Oh! You’ve fallen down, haven’t you? Are you okay?”

“Ye-yeah…”

“What’s… what’s your name?”

“Uh… Chara…”

“Chara? That’s a nice name. My name is…”

Frisk woke up. “Chara, did you recognize that voice?”

Chara didn’t respond.

“Chara?”

“Yes,” Chara said. “It… It does not matter who it was, though. Let us go.”

“Why don’t you talk about your past?”

“Will you tell me why you climbed Mt. Ebott?”

“If you tell me who was in that flashback and why you climbed.”

Chara groaned. “No.”

“Then no.”

For some reason, there was a training dummy in the dump. Chara punched it full force. It felt good. They smiled.

But when they walked away from the dummy, it came to life and appeared in front of them.

“Fool! You think you can hurt me? I am a ghost that lives inside a dummy! My cousin used to live inside a dummy too, until you came along! Not only did you destroy their home , but now all of their neighbors are gone, too! Despicable. Despicable! Despicable! You’re the worst person I’ve ever met! I’ve never been more mad! Guooooohhhh! My mannequin levels are going off the charts !”

Then, suddenly, the dummy didn’t look so angry.

“This… this feeling…?” They looked happy. “Eureka. Eureka! Eureka! Human. That moment of unbridled emotion. It allowed me to finally fuse with my body! I’m fully corporeal now! My lifelong dream, realized! In return, I guess I won’t stomp you. How’s that sound?

Chara smiled before attacking.

To get to the end of Waterfall, Frisk had to cross a bridge. So Chara, again, left their body.

“Yo!” That was Mike’s voice.

Frisk turned around. “Mike?”

Mike approached Frisk. “Yo. Undyne told me to… stay away from you. She said you… you hurt a lot of people. But, yo, that’s not true, right?!”

Frisk frowned and looked down.

“Yo, why won’t you answer me?” Frisk looked up again and smiled at Mike. “A… a… and what’s with that weird expression…?”

“She was right,” Frisk giggled.

“Oh… oh man… man, my he-heart’s pounding right out of my chest… What would Undyne do? Yo… you- you’d be- better… st- stop r-right where you are… cause if you wa- wanna hurt anyone else… you… you’re gonna have to get through me first. A-and… and…”

Chara slashed…

…and Undyne stepped in front of Mike just in time to take the hit for them.

“Undyne…” Mike said. “You’re… you’re hurt…”

“Hurt? It’s nothing. Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?”

“Undyne… I…”

“I’ll take care of this! Get out of here!”

Mike ran away to safety.

Undyne’s body started to dissolve. “‘It’s nothing’… no… somehow, with just one hit, I’m already… already… dammit… Papyrus… Alphys… Asgore… just like that, I… I’ve failed you…” Undyne’s body almost completely dissolved…

“Oh, it is so sad,” Chara said. “Not even the captain of the royal guard is strong enough.”

…but the dust particles reformed. Her body continued to waver, but the dust wasn’t scattered on the ground.

“What?”

“My body… it feels like it’s splitting apart. Like any instant, I’ll scatter into a million pieces. But… deep, deep in my soul, there’s a burning feeling I can’t describe. A burning feeling that won’t let me die. This isn’t just about monsters anymore, is it? If you get past me, you’ll… you’ll destroy them all, won’t you? Humans… monsters… everyone… Everyone’s hopes. Everyone’s dreams. Vanquished in an instant…”

“I would think you would not care about humans, considering how you lost your eye.”

“No, even she wasn’t nearly as horrible as you. I won’t let you accomplish your goal… right now, everyone in the world… I can feel their hearts beating as one. And we all have one goal: to defeat you . Human, no, whatever you are. For the sake of the whole world, I, Undyne, will strike you down!” The dust finally settled on a form. Undyne’s eyepatch was gone, and her armor was different. Even her hair and ears/fins were different. “You’re gonna have to try a little harder than that .”

Spears started flying. Chara dodged and healed when they needed to.

It took a while and a few tries, but Undyne went down. For good this time.

“So even that power… it wasn’t enough…?” Undyne started laughing.

“Why are you laughing?” Chara asked. “I beat you.”

“Because… if you… if you think I’m gonna give up hope, you’re wrong. Cause I’ve… got my friends behind me. Alphys told me she would watch me fight you… and if anything went wrong, she would… evacuate everyone. By now, she’s called Asgore and told him to absorb the six human souls.”

Undyne was starting to really melt. “Is that… normal?” Frisk asked.

“And with that power… this world will live on…!” Then Undyne finally turned to dust.

Chapter Text

In Hotland, Chara saw an elevator. Unfortunately, there was a forcefield blocking it. So they instead entered the lab.

It wasn’t empty this time. The lights were on, and there was a screen showing Frisk, live, constantly recording them.

Wait, didn’t Undyne say Alphys would watch the fight? Was this Alphys’ lab? Was she the royal scientist now? Was she the first one? Or was there one before her? What happened to them, then, and why did it take so long for them to be replaced? Chara was sure there was no scientist when they first fell.

The only other individual in the lab was what looked like a giant calculator with arms. Chara didn’t think it was Alphys, though.

“OH, THERE YOU ARE,” the robot said. “YOU UGLY LITTLE CREATURE. YOU’VE MADE QUITE A NAME FOR YOURSELF.” The… calculator clapped. “SUCH INFAMY…! I’M IMPRESSED.”

“Who are you?” Chara asked. “I am assuming you are not Alphys, you look more like something a scientist would build. ”

“OH. YES. YOU ARE CORRECT. I AM METTATON, AND IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR ALPHYS, SHE’S NOT HERE. WHILE YOU WERE BUSY DOING YOUR, AHEM, THING, SHE WAS RUNNING AROUND EVACUATING PEOPLE TO SAFETY. NOW THEY’RE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU’LL NEVER GET TO THEM. DECIDING NOT TO FIGHT YOU. MY MY, SHE REALLY IS THE ONLY SMART ONE, ISN’T SHE?”

“Where are they?”

“DO YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO TELL YOU?”

“I am sure there is some way to break you, or short you out, or fry your circuits.”

“OH? THREATS? HOW SASSY. YOU’RE JUST ITCHING TO GET YOUR HANDS ON ME, AREN’T YOU? WELL… T-O-O B-A-D! I’M INVULNERABLE IN THIS FORM. AND THIS WORLD NEEDS STARS MORE THAN IT NEEDS CORPSES! TOODLES!” And Mettaton was gone faster than Chara could go after him.

“Dammit…” Well, they were going to get that robot eventually.

There were two guards in Hotland. One looked like a bunny and the other like a dragon. They were talking when they saw Frisk.

“…you’re here,” one of them said. “So that means Undyne… she’s…

“Like, Undyne! We’ll avenge you!”

But it only took one hit for each of them. They didn’t stand a chance.

Chara tried to go to the second floor of Hotland. Regardless of which side they went to, it was blocked with forcefields.

Was this where the monsters were hidden? Was this why Mettaton said that they couldn’t get to the hidden monsters?

There didn’t seem to be any way around the forcefields, either.

Well, at least there were still plenty of monsters that were out in the open.

Chara entered some kind of room and god, this place was full of spider webs.

There was laughter. “Did you hear what she said? She said a human wearing a striped shirt would come through. I heard that they hated spiders. I heard that they love to stomp on them. I heard that they like to tear their legs off. I heard…”

“What the hell…?” Chara was stuck in a big web.

A purple humanoid monster appeared with six arms and five eyes. “…that they have some awful taste. What a shame. A human comes through and they aren’t even fit to be eaten. Oh well! rotten ingredients can always be discarded~” The monster laughed.

But that laughter stopped when Chara struck her.

Spiders approached the pile of dust to put flowers next to it, before running away from Frisk before Chara could stomp on any of them.

In the Core (which, if Chara remembered correctly, was designed to be extremely weird and confusing) there was an elevator. At least they didn’t have to deal with a stupid maze.

There was a door with the Delta Rune on it. Chara knew that symbol. An angel, one who has seen the surface, would return and the Underground would go empty. Monsterkind would be free.

Well, it was going empty, in a matter of speaking, and depending on how you defined being freed…

Inside the door was Mettaton.

“MY, MY. SO YOU’VE FINALLY ARRIVED.”

“Yes. We meet again.”

“AFTER OUR FIRST MEETING, I REALIZED… SOMETHING GHASTLY. YOU’RE NOT JUST A THREAT TO MONSTERS… BUT HUMANITY, AS WELL. OH MY. THAT’S AN ISSUE. YOU SEE, I CAN’T BE A STAR WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE. AND BESIDES… THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE… I WANT TO PROTECT.”

“How far are you willing to go to protect them?”

Mettaton laughed. “EAGER, AS ALWAYS, EH? BUT DON’T TOUCH THAT DIAL! THERE’S SOMETHING YOU HAVEN’T ACCOUNTED FOR. AS ANY TRUE FAN WOULD KNOW, I WAS FIRST CREATED AS A HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT. IT WAS ONLY AFTER BECOMING A STAR THAT I WAS GIVEN A MORE… PHOTOGENIC BODY. HOWEVER… THOSE ORIGINAL FUNCTIONS HAVE NEVER BEEN FULLY REMOVED… COME ANY CLOSER, AND I’LL BE FORCED TO SHOW YOU… MY TRUE FORM!”

Chara stepped forward.

“FINE THEN! RRRRRRREADY? IIIIIIIIT’S SHOWTIME!”

Mettaton shifted until he looked completely different. Humanoid, but missing an eye. One of his hands was replaced with a blaster. He had wings. But despite looking powerful, somehow, Chara could tell just by looking at him that he was weak.

Chara gave him a moment. Nothing happened.

“Well?” Chara asked.

“I- I WILL STOP YOU.”

“Can you even attack like this?”

“IT DOESN’T MATTER. EVERY SECOND I STAND IN YOUR WAY IS ANOTHER LIFE SAVED.”

“Well, then I should make this quick. I will give you one last chance. How do I get to the monsters Alphys has hidden?”

“I WON’T TELL YOU.”

“Fine.” Chara attacked.

“GH… GUESS YOU DON’T WANT TO JOIN MY FANCLUB…?”

“It is such a shame. You could have walked out of here alive. It would have only cost countless more lives. But you’re a star, so it is worth it, right?”

“I… ADMIT TO BEING SELF-CENTERED SOMETIMES… BUT… BUT EVEN I WOULD NEVER STOOP SO LOW…”

Mettaton exploded.

Chapter Text

New Home. Finally. Piloting Frisk’s body and making them eradicate monster kind was fun, don’t get them wrong, but dealing with Frisk’s constant complaining was getting to them.

Fortunately (for Chara at least), it seemed the longer Chara possessed Frisk, the stronger their control.

The way to the throne room was blocked off with chains and locks. Fortunately, they knew where the keys were. Wouldn’t stop them from exploring, for old time’s sake.

Chara looked at their room. It looked… the same as they remembered. Still had two beds, one for them and one for Asriel. And a photo. It was Chara and Asriel happy together.

“Is that Asriel?” Frisk asked.

“Yes.”

“You look so happy. What changed?”

“He agreed to a plan and then refused to go through with it. That is what happened.”

They found a real knife (well, a worn red dagger, not a weapon, but in the right hands…), finally, and a locket. This one was Asriel’s. Chara knew because their own had an upside-down heart. If Chara had to guess about their own, they were probably buried with it. They were wearing it when they died. This one was beating.

Chara almost got the key in the hall when Flowey appeared. “Howdy, Chara! Remember when we used to play here?” Flowey laughed. “Boy! Today’s gonna be just as fun.”

It wasn’t as if they could argue.

Chara grabbed the key and checked out Asgore’s room.

His diary entries were still always the same. “Nice day today!”

He had macaroni art of a flower on his wall. He still had the sweater that Chara knit for him.

Chara remembered feeling such a sense of thankfulness that he, Toriel, and their son Asriel had decided to take care of him. They made this sweater to express that thankfulness. Asgore was so excited when he got it.

Now, though, they wanted him dead. Maybe even his soul.

They left the room to see Flowey again. “I remember when I first woke up here, in the garden. I was so scared. I couldn’t feel my arms or legs. My entire body had turned into a flower! ‘Mom! Dad! Somebody help me!’ I cried out. But nobody came.”

Why did Chara listen to this? They only allowed it because at least he wasn’t getting in their way, but as far as they were concerned, he deserved to be turned into mulch.

They went to check the kitchen.

Before the kitchen was a living room/dining room. There was a chair. It looked very comfortable and it was used for reading. But it didn’t look like anyone had used it in a while. That made sense. Toriel was always much more of a bookworm than Asgore.

Flowey appeared again. 

“Eventually, the king found me, crying in the garden. I explained what had happened to him. Then he held me, Chara. He held me with tears in his eyes, saying ‘there, there. Everything is going to be alright.’ He was so… emotional. But… for some reason… I didn’t feel anything at all.”

The kitchen itself wasn’t stocked with chocolate. Disappointing. But, Chara took the key. They unlocked the padlocks and checked a small bookcase. There was an old calendar from 201X marked with the date they fell.

Chara went downstairs and Flowey appeared to continue his story. “I soon realized I didn’t feel anything about anyone.”

“I know how that is,” Chara said.

“Exactly! You can understand! My compassion had disappeared. And believe me, it’s not like I wasn’t trying. I wasted weeks with that stupid king, vainly hoping I would feel something. But it became too much for me. I ran away from home. Eventually, I reached the Ruins. Inside I found her , Chara. I thought of all people, she could make me whole again.” There was a pause. “She failed.” Flowey laughed sadly.

With Chara walking away, Flowey found they were getting further away from him. So he went into the ground and popped back up ahead of them.

 “I realized those two were useless. I became despondent. I just wanted to love someone. I just wanted to care about someone. Chara, you might not believe this… but I decided… it wasn’t worth living anymore. Not in a world without love. Not in a world without you.”

Wow. The flower still had some positive feelings for them. Too bad it wasn’t reciprocated.

“So… I decided to follow in your footsteps. I would erase myself from existence. And you know what? I succeeded.” Flowey went back into the ground.

“But you’re here,” Frisk said when Flowey appeared again.

“You’re right. As I left this mortal coil, I started to feel apprehensive. If you don’t have a soul, what happens when you…”

“I feel inclined to say ‘likely nothing’,” Chara said.

“That’s what I was scared of. 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. I was back at the garden. Back at my ‘save point.’”

Flowey went further ahead. He continued to do this as Chara walked and he talked.

“Interested, I decided to experiment. Again and again, I brought myself to the edge of death. At any point, I could have let this world continue on without me.”

Chara knew it was easy to give up the power if one really wanted to. They had done it themself. Only for their plan to fail because of a certain goat monster.

“But as long as I was determined to live… I could go back. Amazing, isn’t it, Chara?” Chara nodded. They remembered when they discovered their own abilities. “I was amazed, too. At first, I used my powers for good. I became ‘friends’ with everyone. I solved all their problems flawlessly. Their companionship was amusing… for a while. As time repeated, people proved themselves predictable. What would this person say if I gave them this? What would they do if I said this to them? Once you know the answer, that’s it. That’s all they are.”

Chara could see the end of the hallway. It was still a ways away, but they could see it.

Flowey continued. “It all started because I was curious. Curious what would happen if I killed them. ‘I don’t like this,’ I told myself. ‘I’m just doing this because I have to know what happens.’” Flowey laughed. “What an excuse! You of all people must know how liberating it is to act this way. At least we’re better than those sickos that stand around and watch it happen! Those pathetic people that want to see it, but are too weak to do it themselves. Nowadays, even that’s grown tiring. You understand, Chara.”

Not really, they didn’t have their powers for long before giving them up.

“I’ve done everything this world has to offer. I’ve read every book. I’ve burned every book. I’ve won every game. I’ve lost every game. I’ve appeased everyone. I’ve killed everyone. Sets of numbers… lines of dialogue… I’ve seen them all. But you… you’re different. I never could predict you, Chara. When I saw you in the Ruins, I didn’t recognize you.”

“That is probably because I am using Frisk’s body.”

“I thought I could frighten you, then steal your soul. I failed. And when I tried to load my save file… it didn’t work. Chara, your determination! Somehow, it’s even greater than mine!”

“It is not mine, but Frisk’s. I am, however, using it to my advantage.”

“Oh. Well, I just have one question for you, Chara. How did you get back to the Ruins from here…?”

“I… do not know for a fact. I just woke up there. I believe Mom must have done it.”

“I bet that’s what happened too. She must have taken you when left. And decided to give you a proper burial, rather than… hanging out in the basement forever. But, why then…? What made you wake up? Did you hear me calling you…?”

“Every time a human fell, they landed on a bed of flowers. Every time they land on that bed of flowers, I woke up. And when they died, I was asleep again.”

“So… you were there with all of them?”

“Yes. I just… never decided to take control until now. Amber… inspired me.”

Flowey smiled. “Yeah, she was pretty bad, wasn’t she? But, it doesn’t matter now. I’m so tired of this, Chara. I’m tired of all these people. I’m tired of all these places. I’m tired of being a flower. Chara. There’s just one thing left I want to do. Let’s finish what we started. Let’s free everyone. Then… let’s let them see what humanity is really like! That, despite it all… this world is still ‘kill or be killed!’”

“What about after? What is your plan once we do that?”

“Then? Well. I had… been entertaining a few ways to use that power.” Flowey giggled, then paused. “But seeing you here changed my mind. Chara… I think if you’re around… just living on the surface world doesn’t seem so bad.”

It was too bad that Chara didn’t feel the same way.

“We don’t even need to leave to get them this time. The king has six of them locked away. I’ve tried hundreds of ways to get him to show me them… but he just won’t. Chara… I know he’ll do it for you .”

“Why are you telling me all of this, anyway?”

“Chara, I said it before. Even after all this, you’re still the only one that understands me. You won’t give me any worthless pity! Creatures like us… wouldn’t hesitate to kill each other if we got in each other’s way. So that’s…” Flowey suddenly frowned. “So… that’s… why…” he started shaking and laughing nervously. “…what’s this… feeling? Why am I… shaking? Hey… Chara… no hard feelings about back then, right?”

“Do you mean about when I died slowly and painfully, and you refused to cooperate with the plan, the one I died for?” Chara held the dagger up.

“He-hey! B… back off!” When Flowey disappeared into the ground again, Chara expected that to be the last time they saw him. They were almost at the judgment hall.

But he appeared again.

“Oh,” Chara said. “You are back.”

“Chara, I… I’ve changed my mind about all this. This isn’t a good idea anymore. You- you should go back, Chara. This place is fine the way it is!”

Chara smiled at Flowey very eerily.

“St-st-stop making that creepy face! This isn’t funny!”

“I think it is.”

“You’ve got a sick sense of humor!”

“Says the one who killed people over and over because he was curious.”

Chara went to attack Flowey, but he went into the ground before they could.

Chapter Text

In the Judgement Hall was a skeleton. The skeleton that Chara evaluated would probably die in one hit against the weakest opponent (besides himself of course) and probably did pathetic damage as well.

Sans.

“heya,” Sans said. “you’ve been busy, huh?”

“You could say that,” Chara replied.

“so, i’ve got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change…? that everyone can be a good person if they just try?”

“I do not know, and I do not care. I just know I am having a lot of fun.”

“well, here’s a better question.” Sans’ pupils disappeared. “do you wanna have a bad time? cause if you take another step forward… you are really not going to like what happens next.”

“There is no way you are that strong. You should have seen Undyne.”

“i’m not talking about fighting, but, well, if you insist…” He muttered to himself, “welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i never make promises.” Who was he talking about? He didn’t explain. “it’s a beautiful day outside. birds are singing, flowers are blooming… on days like these, kids like you…” San’s pupils disappeared. “should be burning in hell.”

Sans used a bunch of brutal bone attacks. He didn’t even give Chara a chance to do anything. And his attacks were like papercuts, that is to say, that a single one wouldn’t have done anything other than maybe be annoying. 

But it wasn’t a single papercut. No. It was more like a hundred at once.

That was what did it.

Back at the save point, Chara sighed, approaching Sans while muttering to themself. “So this is going to be another Undyne. Except it seems to be way more difficult. If he knew what can come of this, I do not think he would try to stop me.”

“and what goal could you possibly have that i would agree with that requires all this?”

Chara turned their head. Sans. They frowned. “I still do not think you would understand.”

“by the way, you look frustrated about something. guess i’m pretty good at my job, huh?”

“Wait, what do you mean?”

“i know about the resets. i can’t remember ‘em, but i can figure it out pretty easily. i can figure out that i killed you before.”

“Well, then, in that case, I am trying to get a soul. The owner of the soul has the power you speak of. But I know how to get their soul without killing them if you just let me do this! And then? You know what? I can undo all of this and give you your happy ending.”

“sorry, but i don’t believe you.”

Sans said the thing about flowers and birds from before.

It took a couple of tries to get past the first attack. But Chara eventually managed to. They laughed. “Ha! I did it! Your attack failed, Sans!”

“huh. always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first. wait, did you think that was my only attack?”

Well, not really, at least they didn’t think he planned it that way, but even if Sans didn’t appear to be insanely weak, everyone else seemed to be going down in one hit, so…

Chara slashed. Sans took two steps to get out of the way.

“Wait…”

“what? you think i’m gonna stand there and take it?”

A bunch of bone attacks flew at Chara. “Shit!”

“hey, don’t fucking swear. you brought this on yourself.”

Frisk died again.

“it’s a beautiful day outside. birds are singing…”

Sans didn’t finish his sentence before starting his attacks.

It managed to catch Chara off-guard, not enough to kill Frisk, but enough that they didn’t survive the next couple of attacks.

“ready?”

Chara tried to prepare themself for the unexpected this time. So when Sans attacked, they managed to avoid it.

“here we go.”

Chara attacked Sans, only because they knew he couldn’t dodge forever. With the attacks and dodging, it was only a matter of time before he was exhausted.

“what? you think i’m gonna stand there and take it?” Sans managed to focus on both attacking and talking simultaneously somehow. Chara “our reports showed a massive anomaly in the time-space continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting… until suddenly, everything ends.” Sans laughed and his pupils disappeared. “that’s your fault, isn’t it?”

Chara took every opportunity to slash at Sans when he attacked and they tried to talk while avoiding the attacks. “If- if this is about resets, Frisk hasn’t used it- except to- survive against you and- and Undyne.”

How Sans was managing to talk and fight so well at the same time, Chara didn’t know. Because they died as soon as they tried that.

After that, Chara refused to talk. Even then, it took a few tries.

But Sans… “our reports showed a massive anomaly in the time-space continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting… until suddenly, everything ends. i know you said ‘flowey’ had control before, but frisk clearly does now. are you making them do this, or are they letting this happen?”

Chara just attacked him.

“okay, don’t answer. you can’t understand how this feels. knowing that one day, without any warning… it’s all going to be reset. look. i gave up trying to go back a long time ago.”

Back to what, he never explained. Chara just assumed he meant whatever he was like before he knew.

“and getting to the surface doesn’t really appeal anymore, either. cause even if we do…” Sans’s pupils disappeared. “we’ll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right?” They reappeared. “to be blunt… it makes it kind of hard to give it my all. …or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy…? hell if i know. all i know is… seeing what comes next… i can’t afford not to care anymore.”

He could, though. This would be undone too.

“ugh… that being said… you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?” Sans paused. “listen. i know you didn’t answer me before, but… somewhere in there. i can feel it. there’s a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even…cared about us monsters?” What? How did he… “i vaguely remember the name ‘chara’ being mentioned once, in a positive light. don’t remember where, but i feel like i have. so please, if you’re listening… let’s forget all this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and… well, my job will be a lot easier.”

Chara smiled. Was… was he really that stupid? They slashed…

…and Sans stepped out of the way. “welp, it was worth a shot.” His pupils disappeared again. “guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?”

Sans’s attacks became way more intense. Chara died again.

Sans spared Chara. They attacked and missed.

“welp, it was worth a shot. guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?”

Sans’s attacks became more intense. Somehow, he stopped time, and Chara found themself in the middle of a completely different attack.

But Chara was prepared. They had gone through this a bunch of times and kept dying.

“sounds strange, but before all this i was secretly hoping we could be friends. i always thought the anomaly was doing this cause they were unhappy. and when they got what they wanted, they would stop all this. and maybe all they needed was… i dunno. some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends. but that’s ridiculous, right?” His pupils disappeared. “yeah, you’re the type of person who won’t ever be happy. you’ll keep consuming timelines over and over, until…” He closed his eyes. “well. hey.” When he opened them, his pupils were back. “take it from me, kid. someday… you gotta learn when to quit . and that day’s today . cause… y’see… all this fighting is really tiring me out. and if you keep pushing me… then i’ll be forced to use my special attack.”

He had a special attack?

“yeah, my special attack. sound familiar? well, get ready. cause after the next move, i’m going to use it. so, if you don’t want to see it, now would be a good time to die.”

He didn’t talk while tons of attacks were used on Chara.

Then, “well, here goes nothing… are you ready?” His pupils disappeared. “survive this and i’ll show you my special attack!” His pupils reappeared before he attacked.

This one was worse than the previous one. Telekinesis. Gaster blasters. Bones. And a lot of each. And the longest one so far. So what the hell was the special attack, then?

But the attack ended. “huff… puff… all right. that's it. it’s time for my special attack. are you ready? here goes nothing.”

Chara braced themself. And yet…

“yep. that’s right. it’s literally nothing. and it’s not going to be anything, either. heh heh heh… ya get it?”

“Oh, well in that case…” Chara approached Sans…

…and then suddenly they were where they were before.

“Wait, what?”

“i know i can’t beat you. if you keep attacking, sooner or later you’re just gonna kill me. so, uh. i’ve decided… you’re not gonna attack. ever. i’m just gonna keep you there until you give up.” Sans’s pupils disappeared. “even if it means we have to stand here until the end of time.” Then they reappeared. “capiche?”

Chara groaned and plopped on the ground.

“you’ll get bored here. actually, it seems like you’re already kinda bored.” His pupils disappeared. “good. eventually, you’ll finally quit.” They reappeared.

Chara stared at Sans. He looked tired. Wait a second…

“i know your type. you’re, uh, very determined, aren’t you? you’ll never give up, even if there's, uh… absolutely no benefit to persevering whatsoever. if i can make that clear. no matter what, you'll just keep going. not out of any desire for good or evil… but just because you think you can. and because you ‘can’, you ‘have to.’”

Sans paused for a bit.

“but now, you’ve reached the end. there is nothing left for you now. so, uh, in my personal opinion… the most ‘determined’ thing you can do here? is to, uh, completely give up. and…” he yawned, “do literally anything else.”

Chara was right. Sans was tired. So if they just waited, then…

Eventually, Sans fell asleep. When Chara approached him, he didn’t teleport them back.

This was their chance.

They attacked. He woke up just in time to dodge. “heh, didja really think you would be able-”

And Chara struck again. This time, finally, it connected.

Sans started coughing up blood. His chest was bleeding and his hand was covered in blood. “so… guess that’s it, huh? just… don’t say i didn’t warn you. welp. i’m going to grillby’s.” Sans walked weakly away. “ papyrus, do you want anything?”

And then Sans turned to dust.

Chara smiled. “Finally.”

Chapter Text

Chara headed to the throne room. Inside, they found Asgore.

“Curious,” Asgore said. “I’ve never seen a plant… cry before.”

“I did, just a few minutes ago,” Chara said.

Asgore turned around. “Huh? You must be the one that flower just warned me about. Howdy!” He looked at Frisk for a few seconds. “Erm… what kind of monster are you? Sorry, I cannot tell. Well, we can always-” Chara didn’t answer, instead smiling and raising their knife. “Now, now. There’s no need to fight. Why not settle this over a nice cup of tea?”

“As tempting as that sounds, no thanks!” Chara slashed.

One hit. That was all it took. “Why… you…”

Then Asgore was surrounded by friendliness pellets. They hit him and he turned to dust. His soul appeared and another round of friendliness pellets destroyed it and Flowey appeared. Chara glared at him.

He looked and sounded scared. “See? I never betrayed you! It was all a trick, see? I was waiting to kill him for you!” Flowey’s face shifted to resemble his past life. Chara felt weird seeing this. “After all, it’s me, your best friend! I’m helpful, I can be useful to you. I promise I won’t get in your way. I can help… I can… I can…” Flowey’s voice was Asriel’s, and he was crying. “Please don’t kill me.”

They knew who he was this whole time, and yet somehow, hearing that voice… so scared…

They’d watched as humans and monsters died with no emotion. They hunted down every last monster they could find for fun , and yet… if for a moment, it felt like this was one thing they couldn’t do.

But that moment was enough for Flowey to get away. The only flowers Chara managed to hit, while definitely alive, were not sentient. And they were not him.

“Dammit…”

“✋︎❄︎ 💧︎☜︎☜︎💣︎💧︎ ❄︎☟︎✌︎❄︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎🕯︎☼︎☜︎ ☠︎⚐︎❄︎ ✌︎💧︎ ☟︎☜︎✌︎☼︎❄︎☹︎☜︎💧︎💧︎ ✌︎💧︎ ✡︎⚐︎🕆︎ 👌︎☜︎☹︎✋︎☜︎✞︎☜︎👎︎📪︎”

“What?”

Chara turned to see… a skeleton? It was wearing some kind of black coat, had cracks on its skull, and holes in the palms of its hands. Why did Chara feel like they had seen him somewhere…?

“Who are you? What did you just say? Where did you even come from?”

“I am Dr. Gaster. What I said is not important. And I’m able to appear anywhere I want. But it is difficult to do so for long. I must be quick. I can help you and I can help him.”

“With what?”

“You heard his story. He can’t feel anything. And I know you were thinking that sounded familiar. But what if there was a way to save you both?”

“But… why would I…”

“Because I know you care about Asriel. Or else you wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him. And because you were concerned the first time you noticed a lack of feeling. Just like him. I can give you a soul. It won’t be as good as your old one, but it will still be much, much more powerful than a monster’s soul.”

“A soul? But I thought…” Frisk’s hand drifted towards their chest.

“If your soul still existed, monsters would not still be underground.”

“But when I first… I felt bad about Asriel.”

“Yes. Somehow, your connection to him is so strong that even without a soul, he is very important to you. And it seems the same applies to how Flowey feels about you. He was very excited when he realized his sibling was back.  More excited than he’s ever been about someone as a flower. He even said that he’s fine with just living on the surface with you.”

“What do you get out of this?”

“Stopping your destruction. Stopping Flowey’s destruction as well. Stopping him would be easy enough, but you are different. As long as you’re attached to Frisk, your fate depends on theirs. And we both know that killing them permanently is not an easy task.”

Well, that didn’t really tell Chara anything. But whatever. “What do I have to do.”

“Reset. You’re in Frisk’s body, you can do it. And I can make everyone forget. Even Flowey and Frisk. This is necessary since both are undoubtedly terrified of you now. You will have a soul. You will be back in your own body. But… beyond that, my abilities are limited. The only way to do this is if you become a skeleton. To save Asriel, a certain set of circumstances will have to be met.”

“And those are…?”

“Listen to what he says.”

“But he is not-” Gaster was gone.

Was this worth the risk? Either way, Chara couldn’t stay like this. They couldn’t do what they wanted to, which was destroy the world, though whether that was because of one little flower or because of all the monsters hidden away, they couldn’t tell.

Two buttons appeared in front of Chara.

Flowey definitely wasn’t going to come back if they just loaded Frisk’s save. So there was only one option.

Chara was anxious, if this mysterious skeleton did what he said he would, who knew what would happen? They took a deep breath and pressed reset.