Child Of The Sun - Chapter 8 - GamerXZ (2024)

She knew for the longest time that a day like this was gonna happen.

A day when the families of her victims would finally get fed up with the constant lies and empty promises that she had been feeding them over and over, and just take matters into their own hands. Or claws, or whatever appendages they had. They’d come demanding answers. Answers that she couldn’t give them because the truth, in her eyes at least, would be too much to bear.

How do you tell someone that their son, their daughter, father, mother, aunt, uncle, or whoever, has either been transformed into, or merged with, a literal abomination whose existence was now nothing more than a parade of endless suffering? And that the only reason they were like this was because you put your faith in someone who was woefully underprepared for her position?

Who figured it would be a wonderful idea to play around with a substance that they only knew the bare minimum about and hadn’t even been properly tested before-hand?

In the case of a certain Royal Scientist, she couldn’t. At least, not without there being severe consequences. Not just for her but for everyone around her, and so, she buried the truth, both literally and figuratively, convincing herself that this was for the best until she could come across some sort of solution.

Deep down, however, although she would do her utmost to deny it, a part of her was was aware that there would come a time when she’d slip up, fumble the ball, and expose herself…and it seemed like that time had come much sooner than she would’ve liked.

The dinosaur was sweating up a storm, yanking on her collar as she watched through the camera at all the visitors she had right outside her door, and they were certainly a diverse group if she’d ever seen one. A fox monster. A vampire. A bird monster. A robot. A starfish, and an actual human in their midst…

Alphys swore she’d seen an anime with a very similar line-up of main characters.

The fox monster had her arms folded and was tapping her foot impatiently while glowering at the camera, “Well? Are you gonna make this easy on yourself and let us in? Or are we gonna have to force our way in? The choice is yours, but I have no intention of leaving here today without my little girl.”

“M-Miss Ketsukane, um…” Ah geez, how could she rectify this situation? She needed to come up with something and quick, “I-I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now but could you please, PLEASE just give me a little more time…?” Even through the feed, she could see the mother’s eye twitching incessantly, “I-I’m working on a treatment for her as we speak! It should be ready sometime in the very near-futu-”

Next thing she knew, the person was suddenly right up in front of the lens, eyes ablaze with righteous fury, “I AM DONE WITH YOUR LIES AND EMPTY PROMISES!!” Alphys scrambled away from the monitor, knocking over her chair in the process as, for a moment, she actually expected Ceroba to reach through the screen and start strangling her, as illogical as that sounds. “You will give me my daughter back RIGHT NOW!! ”

“Ceroba!!” She froze at hearing Starlo yell out to her and she whirled on him with the same look she just gave the camera but he simply frowned in disapproval and shook his head, “Remember what we talked about, ok? Control yourself. Don’t go treating the good doctor as if she’s the enemy.”

The widow of this motley band of misfits at first just kept on scowling but, upon recalling her promise, the expression softened but her eyes were still filled with a fiery determination. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, “Right…right…” She backed away from the camera a couple of steps, body trembling only to suddenly feel someone’s hand grasping onto her own as an act of reassurance, “Clover….”

The human said nothing. Merely smiled up at her and nodded. She got the message immediately. He was here for her. They all were. Nodding back, she refocused on the camera, now feeling a bit more emotionally balanced, “Doctor Alphys…some time ago, I came to you in the hopes you could do something for my daughter’s condition….”

The tone of her voice suddenly sharpened and she found herself flashing her fangs, “You swore that she was in safe hands and would be given the best of care. I believed you, just like so many others did, and so I went on my way…” She lowered her head slightly, her voice choking a bit now, “I spent days…and days …waiting for any sort of good news to come in the mail…heck, there were occasions where I would spend almost every moment I was awake sitting right next to the mailbox…just…waiting…”

Alphys winced as the mother proceeded to pour out her heart and soul on camera. Those who had joined her on this mission all looked visibly anguished at what they were hearing, especially Starlo and Clover. The former having stopped by with some food and drink for her during the times she chose to wait all day for news to arrive. Clover’s lip trembled as he too looked ready to shed tears on her behalf.

However, he was aware that he needed to stay strong and so he merely reinforced his grip on Ceroba’s hand and while she didn’t say anything back, the fact she returned said grip with equal force said more than enough, “Days turned into weeks and still I heard nothing. I went straight to the post office, thinking maybe the mail you sent my way got misplaced. Innocent mistake. Happens to the best of us….”

The fox monster’s expression hardened and she shook her head, “No dice. Fearing the worst, I started sending you letters, pleading with you for some sort of update. At this point, I didn’t even care if it was good news or bad. Just as long as it was something ….” The hand not holding onto Clover’s curled inward on itself from frustration, “And you never responded to ANY of them. Not…once…”

“....I know…” That was all the Royal Scientist could say, because really, what else could she do? Start spouting apologies? It was a bit too late for those. “...I know…”

Although Ceroba’s feelings towards the scientist were mixed at best, she could hear the regret in her fellow monster’s voice, and so she closed her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself. When she opened them, the fire was still there but now seemed to have settled down somewhat, “...Why? Why didn’t you ever respond back? Did you just…not care? About those who had Fallen Down? About their families? About my daught-”

“I did care!” Alphys finally snapped, slamming a fist down on the computer desk, startling the folks on the other end, including Ceroba whose eyes shot open as she instinctively took a step back, “I’ve ALWAYS cared! If you’re willing to believe anything, then please believe in that! There is not a single soul that came in here whom I didn’t show the best possible care! And that includes that sweet little fox girl, Kanako!”

She actually remembered her. Ceroba thought to herself in a mix of awe and bewilderment. For the longest time, she thought the dinosaur only saw her little sunshine as another statistic, but now….

Martlet stepped up, looking calm yet resolute as she brought a wing/hand across her chest, “Dr Alphys…I’ll admit, I don’t know you quite as well as some other people may, but you’ve never struck me as the type to do something without a good reason, especially when lives are on the line…”

Yeah, she really doesn’t know me at all. Alphys bitterly thought within the confines of her own brain.

“That’s why I refuse to believe you kept so many of your fellow monsters in the dark for so long just for sh*ts and giggles!” The former guard member exclaimed, standing tall and proud in her conviction while staring into the camera, “You had a reason…maybe not a good reason, but a reason nonetheless!”

“And if it’s not something you’re proud of, that’s alright,” North Star said in what he hoped came across as a reassuring tone of voice, “Believe it or not, everybody here has made their own share of mistakes so you’re not alone in that department! All we’re asking you to do is clear your conscience. There won’t be any judging on our end.”

The dinosaur took a moment to digest what she was hearing, and while that all sounded well and good, honestly it sounded downright tempting at this point, doing so wasn’t nearly as simple as the sheriff and the bird monster made it out to be…or maybe that was the remnants of her cowardice making one last attempt to be spiteful.

“...Doctor…I need you to ask you something…” She shifted her gaze towards the mother of the group who was now staring at the ground, her hair seemingly blocking her face from view, “...Are you a mother as well, by any chance? And if not, do you have any desire to be one someday?”

“W-Well, I…” That was certainly the last question she expected to hear today, so much so that she found herself awkwardly poking her index fingers together even though she was talking to her guests through a camera and thus were unable to see her reactions, “I…am not. However! I can’t say I’m against the idea either…of having a little one to whom I can pass on what I myself have learned…t-to love and nurture and to give the whole world…”

“If that’s the case, then I’m sure you can comprehend why this means so much to me,” Ceroba remarked, taking a step forward and raising her head, but making sure not to get up right in front of the lens this time. Some of the animosity towards the doctor had started to fade from her expression, and now she just looked somewhere between insistent and desperate, “If our roles were reversed, I’m almost certain you’d be doing the same thing I’m doing right now. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Miss Ketsukane, I…” The scientist could be heard letting out a sigh as she wiped the sweat from her brow using a tissue, questioning why she had bothered to even wake up, “...I…can’t say I disagree…”

“Then please! Just tell me the truth!” Ceroba all but begged as she put a hand to her chest, “She is alive! I can feel it within my soul! All I’m asking for is answers! If she’s in terminal condition, then please…” The fox monster let her head drop down as she could be heard sobbing, “...Please…just let me see her one more time…”

Alphys’ heart went out to the mother, and for a few moments, she actually felt a very strong temptation within the core of her being to yield to Ceroba’s wishes. Heck, she even found herself reaching for the button that would unlock the door and usher them all inside. Wasn’t that the just thing to do in such a situation? Of course it was…

And yet, just inches from doing so, she heard Flowey’s laughter in her ears, disembodied yet omnipresent at the same time, and she stopped, cursing at her own weakness. Yes, she knew apologizing wasn’t gonna do anything but what other options did she have that wouldn’t put everyone’s lives at risk, “...M-Miss Ketsukane, I…I am..so, so sorry for all the grief I’ve put you through…t-that I’ve put everyone through…I…”

Pulling off her glasses, she wiped the tears that were starting to trickle out, “I know it was wrong! That I was just making an already terrible situation even worse! But I…I’m not sure how to even begin to describe it as I doubt you’d be able to make much sense of what I would even be talking about…”

“...We know this isn’t the real lab…” Martlet quietly pointed out, causing the dinosaur to freeze in place like a statue, “...That the real one is down a secret elevator that’s disguised like a bathroom…”

Alphys’ only reaction was to lean forward and bury her face in her hands groaning, “Of course you know, because at this point, why not…? Should I even ask how you know about th-” She paused as something in her brain clicked, “...That time I was waiting on the new security budget and moved all the cameras to Waterfall and Snowdin…”

“Y-Yeah…” Martlet muttered, now avoiding looking at the camera and running a wing up and down her other forearm, grimacing as she did so, “I didn’t stay down there long. Just long enough to grab something that would help defend us from any human attackers! A syringe that was labeled-”

“Determination,” The scientist finished for her, to which she only nodded, “...I know I should feel taken advantage of, but…I guess compared to the crimes I myself have committed, I got no room to be angry about a bit of thievery. Especially if it was for a good cause…that said, even if you know about that, I…” She hesitated, knowing what she said next wouldn’t win her any brownie points, “...I still can’t let you in…”

Sure enough, the various looks of disapproval and/or disappointment now being thrown her way were enough to make her feel even more sh*tty than she already did. Ceroba let go of Clover’s hand and stepped towards the camera again, reaching up and gripping it tightly so she was its main focus. When she spoke now, her voice was low and rumbly, like a volcano about to erupt, “...Why…not…?”

“I-It’s for your own protection!” Alphys proclaimed insistently as she put her hands up, but the fact Ceroba’s expression didn’t change showed that she wasn’t buying what she was selling, “I-I know how that sounds, but I swear I am not making excuses or lying to you in any way, shape, or form this time! You are all in grave danger so please get away from this place while you still can!!”

Ceroba looked like she was seriously considering putting her fist through the lens, only for the human of the group to speak up, “If that’s the case, then…why are you still here?” Clover got his mother figure to step aside so he could be the camera’s focus now, his face the picture of innocence and concern, “Shouldn’t you have left too? Maybe even warned some people? Like Asgore?”

“I…” The scientist found herself once again wiping some sweat from her forehead, “W-Well, you’re not wrong, but…” She trailed off, unsure how to finish that thought.

“For that matter, if you did so, couldn’t you find a way to move all your patients somewhere a little more secure?” Clover further pointed out with that naive optimism most kids have.

“L-Look, Clover, I-”

“And then you could probably work on reuniti-”

“It’s Not That Simple!!” She finally snapped, slamming her palms down on the desk. The force of her shout was enough to cause the cowboy to stumble back into the waiting arms of Martlet who wrapped herself around him and scowled at the camera, but Alphys went on anyway, seemingly ignorant to her outburst, “None of you understand! I can’t just pack up all my equipment AND my patients and just get out of dodge! Their condition wouldn’t allow for it!! Besides, even if I ran to the other side of the Underground, HE would still find me and who knows how many he’d kill along the way?!”

Every fiber of her being was shaking, and it was a miracle she could even stay somewhat coherent at this point, “I still hear his laugh in my head! He knows! He knows I can’t escape him! So my hope right now is if I stay, if I offer myself up to him, he’ll spare the rest of those under my watch! Because I made him! I brought him back into this world! I-”

“Flowey…”

That one word was enough to halt the crazy train spiraling in an endless loop within her mind, driving her to the brink of insanity. She lifted her head only to see the cowboy’s hat pulled down over his eyes, his voice somehow managing to be soft yet somber at the same time, and when he spoke…it sounded…almost old, “...You said you can still hear his laugh. I can too…I’ve been one of his playthings for a long…long time…”

“Playthings…” A chill went down the scientist’ spine, “...You can…remember…like Kanako..?” She slapped a hand over her mouth at that little slip-up but the damage was already done as was evident by the now even more worried-looking faces she was seeing on her screen.

Clover lifted his hat up at hearing this bit of info, now looking somewhere between shocked, surprised, and maybe a little intrigued too, “Wait…Kanako can remember when Flowey loops time? And if I’m thinking this through correctly, he was…born here, I guess?”

“Wait, wait, wait! Hold up a second, please!” Dalv exclaimed, holding up his hands and getting everyone’s attention. “So, that thing that attacked me and Martlet…it came from this place?” He gestured to the building with a slightly trembling finger, eyes filled with abject fear, “And if what Martlet said is correct, and I got no reason to doubt her…he…already killed me once…”

Although the vampire couldn’t remember the details properly, a phantom pain could be felt within his chest and he put his other hand over said body part, wincing as he did so. Dying was one thing…but the fact that you HAD died and the person who did it could just make it unhappen at a whim with you being none the wiser?

That…that was a genuinely terrifying thought.

“Dalv…” Ceroba whirled on the camera, snarling, righteous fury visible within her gaze, “Why, Doctor?! Why would you create such a horrible thing?! What was going through your mind to make you even consider bringing that crime against nature into the world?! Do you just like playing God or-”

“It was meant as a gift…”

That admission stopped the fox monster right in her tracks, the gears in her brain having to take a moment to process what she just heard, “...A gift…?”

Alphys swallowed a lump in her throat, but figured at this point there wasn’t much reason to hold anything back. As such, she let herself lean against the computer desk, and closed her eyes as her mind went back to that fateful day which set all this in motion, “Yes…a gift…for Asgore….to keep him company when he was all alone in his castle…”

Every word out of her mouth now felt more damning than the last, and yet, for some reason, in a way, it also felt liberating. Like, she was finally taking off some of the weights that had been dragging her down into the abyss for so long, “H-He has a garden in his throne room that he spends a lot of his time tending to…w-waiting for the next human to come through, but to be honest? I…I’m almost convinced he’d rather that no more fall ever again…”

This was certainly news to all those present, with many of them expressing various levels of shock and disbelief at such info, even Axis who found himself scratching the top of his metallic head in confusion. However, none were as shocked as the human in their midst who actually looked like he was gonna need a place to sit down in a moment, “W-Wait! Wait! Back up there for a second! W-Why would he want that?! I thought he wanted to free his people no matter the cost!”

Alphys was about to explain further, when another voice chimed in, “THAT’S THE THING, LITTLE STAR…HE DOES WANT TO FREE US…MORE THAN ANYTHING…” Clover turned and spotted Mettaton rolling back towards the group, and despite having no face of his own, the human got the impression the possessed machine was looking very guilty about something, “BUT THE PROBLEM IS BACK WHEN HE MADE THAT DECREE SAYING ALL OF YOUR PEOPLE WHO FALL DOWN HERE NEED TO DIE, HE WAS NOT IN HIS RIGHT MIND…”

Ceroba couldn’t hold back from letting out a scoff full of disgust, “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. Only a complete fool or someone without a conscience of any kind would stoop so low as to demand that even a human child needs to be used as a sacrifice…” She held up a hand to stop the others from commenting, “And yes, I am aware of the hypocrisy of such a statement but, in all fairness, he IS the one who started all this.”

“AND HE WOULD NOT DENY A SINGLE WORD OF WHAT YOU JUST SAID, MISS,” Mettaton acknowledged, his robotic voice surprisingly gentle and understanding, “BUT CAN YOU HONESTLY SAY YOU’D BE THINKING STRAIGHT YOURSELF IF YOU LOST BOTH OF YOUR OWN CHILDREN IN A MATTER OF DAYS?”

The fox monster visibly winced and quickly turned her head away, “...No. I can’t say I would…” She had been desperate enough to steal away another child’s soul out of the faint hope that doing so would somehow make her own sins go away, after all, “...If I lost Kanako…for good…I don’t know what I would do…” She lifted her gaze and stared right through Alphys’ creation, “But even so…that still doesn’t make it right. We’re the adults here, for crying out loud! We’re not supposed to…”

Maybe it was the heat doing so but she suddenly found herself a bit light-headed and stumbling back into Starlo’s arms, wrapping her own arms around herself for comfort, “W-We’re not supposed to let things like this happen! We’re supposed to protect the children! Not hurt them!”

An image of her assaulting a certain cowboy with constant barrages of fire magic flashed through her mind.

“Or let them think that their only reason for even existing is to be the solution to all our problems!”

And then came the memory of Clover willingly giving up his Soul for the sake of his friends and, by extension, all Monsterkind. Ceroba got the sinking feeling in her gut that none of them put up much of an argument against such an absurd plan…

“Only to abandon them once they’ve run out of use, or just want someone to tell them the world hasn’t ended…!”

The last memory basically confirmed her worst fears as, after Clover gave up his soul, and told his friends he would be fine, they all just…left him there, and went on their merry way. None of them bothered to stay anyway, and comfort him in his last moments.

“Ceroba!” Starlo shouted in a strained, panicked tone of voice, “Clover’s not gone! He’s right here with us!”

“And I’m not going anywhere either!” The deputy exclaimed as he wrapped his own arms around her, tears streaming down his face, “We’re gonna save Kanako, and we’re all gonna go home together and be one big happy family! That’s all I want right now!”

“A family…yes…that’s right…” Ceroba, at hearing Clover’s vow, found the strength to calm herself, wiping her own tears with a sleeve before nodding in thanks to Starlo who nodded back and let her go. She then got down on her knees and placed her hands on the shoulders of the human, “...Clover…there’s something else I been meaning to tell you…something I should’ve told you before now…or rather WE should’ve told you…”

At seeing him tilt his head, she took that as a sign to continue, “...There is…another reason you can’t go to Asgore. Not ever. I know you wanted us to be free but you giving your soul to him won’t change anything! Not only would we all miss you deeply, but we’ll still be a soul short of what we need to break the barrier…”

“Yeah, I’m aware of all that, but…” Clover’s eyes widened and he felt a chill go down his spine as the light bulb within his brain turned on, “...There’s another reason isn’t there…?”

Judging by the expressions filled with dread all around him, it was evident this reason was something none of them wanted to discuss, but Ceroba, ever an advocate for the blunt truth on a matter, figured she might as well tell him. He deserved that much. “...When Asgore finally gets his hands on the last soul he needs-”

“Seven.”

The group, including Mettaton, all lifted their heads upon hearing the voice and were drawn to look towards the roof of the Royal Lab where a figure was standing, silhouetted in shadows. Spotlights turned on courtesy of Mettaton’s mini-robot helpers and when they exposed the individual’s form, Martlet felt a rock form in her stomach. Oh no…she’s here…

Standing on the rooftop, glowering down at all those present, wearing armor that made her look downright demonic, was Undyne. Captain of the Royal Guard.

Nobody said a word. They all just stood there, frozen, and despite the fact they were in the aptly named Hotland, all of them felt an icy grip tugging at their very souls due to the realisation they were in the presence of one of the Underground’s greatest warriors. Personally trained by King Asgore himself.

And now, here she stood, acting as a living wall between them and their goal.

The captain’s gaze drifted over all those present, though she fixated on the human and the former Guardsman somewhat longer than the others. Once she was sure she had their undivided attention, she leered out at the rest of the Underground from her perch.

“Seven human souls…and King Asgore will become a God…”

Clover found himself instinctively clenching at his own chest as the warrior focused on him once again, “...Five. That’s how many we’ve collected thus far…Understand what that means, human? Once we claim yours, we will be but one away from our freedom, and retaking what is rightfully ours…and once we reach the Surface, our liege will see to it that your kind faces Justice for their crimes…”

The human felt his breath catch in his throat as all the seemingly disjointed pieces lined themselves up in his brain, “...Oh no…no! NO!” He shook his head in vehement denial at the horrifying reality that was only now being laid bare before him, “H-H-He wouldn’t…he couldn’t! He’s not going to…!” His gaze snapped from one person to another, eyes pleading with his found family that it wasn’t true, that this was all some sick joke being played on him…

But one by one, each of those present would look away from the deputy, shame and melancholy written all over their faces. Only Mettaton was willing to look the human in the eye, but his body language, namely in the form of the lack of beeping, made it clear he felt the same way his fellow monsters did, “..I AM SORRY, LITTLE STAR…BUT IT’S THE TRUTH. WITH THE POWER OF SEVEN HUMAN SOULS….ASGORE WILL DESTROY YOUR PEOPLE SO THAT MONSTERS MAY RULE THE SURFACE UNOPPOSED…”

“Consider this karma for locking us away in this hell in the first place…” Undyne growled without a hint of sympathy or compassion in her voice, although secretly a part of her genuinely despised what she was doing…but she had made a promise to Asgore and she was going to fulfil that promise no matter what.

She stepped off the edge of the roof and dropped straight down, slamming into the earth hard enough to leave a small crater under her feet before summoning her spear and pointing it with lethal intent at the now-trembling human, “Now, how about you make this easy on yourself and just let me get this over with quick so we can finally put an end to all this madness?”

“Not happening on my watch, bucko!” Starlo stepped up while giving his deputy a reassuring pat on the shoulder with one hand and tipping his hat up so he could match Undyne’s fearsome gaze with one of his own…even though he was using most of his willpower just to keep his legs from shaking in the presence of the Guard Captain, “I’m Sheriff North Star of the Wild East, and this here is Deputy Clover! And I should warn you, if you dare so much as lay a hand on my partner…well…”

He shifted his poncho aside to reveal his revolver and placed a hand on said weapon, “Let’s just say, I’m gonna be mighty cross with you, and so will the rest of my posse…”

“Y-Yeah! Same here!” Dalv stammered as he slipped his cloak back on and flicked his wrist to generate some sparks, “Clover’s a good friend to all of us here! A great friend, in fact! And we’re not about to give him up to you OR the King without a fight!”

(AGREED, PURPLE-HORNED HUMAN. BESIDES, OUR HUMAN FRIEND MUST LIVE ON SO HE CAN BECOME MY KIDS UNCLE UNIT) Axis proclaimed as his eyes started glowing red.

“I don’t want to fight you, Captain…” Martlet admitted with complete sincerity as this was indeed the last thing any member of the Guard ever wanted to experience. Butting heads with the Spear Of Justice herself. To go against her basically meant you were turning your back on the King too…however, she steeled her nerves and flapped her wings, conjuring some wind magic. “But I won’t lie to my own Soul ever again! I’ll do what it tells me is right!!”

“Well said, Martlet,” Ceroba nodded in approval as she called forth her staff, which she had patched up using some duct tape the night before. She wouldn’t be whacking anybody with it anytime soon, but the staff itself was still a good channeler for her magic, “Captain Undyne. You may see your cause as just, but so do we when it comes to our own! Clover has committed no crimes! He is innocent and has as much right to life as we do!”

Clover could only stand there in stunned silence as he watched and listened to each member of his found family step up on his behalf, even willing to throw down with a living legend just to protect him. This….this was what he’d been seeking for so, so long…

“Whether the punk is “innocent” or not, doesn’t matter!!” The fish lady shouted back angrily as she stomped the ground under her feet before shaking her head in disapproval, “Asgore’s word is final! All humans must be sent to him and their souls confiscated! If you intend to defend this one then ALL of you will be marked as traitors! Criminals!” Not a single person present budged at her warning and thus she let out a sigh, “I would very much like to avoid that so…I’m gonna give you one last chance…”

She gestured to the human with her spear again, snarling, “Hand over the human and you can all be on your merry way. No charges will be pressed, and we can go about our lives as if nothing ever happened. I take no pleasure in doing this…” Scoffing could be heard from Ceroba, Martlet, and Starlo simultaneously, making her raise her voice, “But! This is bigger than me! Bigger than all of us standing here! This is our freedom we’re talking about! Everyone’s hopes and dreams, for crying out loud!”

“UH, IF I MAY INTERJECT FOR A MOMENT, UNDYNE DEAR?” Mettaton cut in, raising a single index finger for emphasis, and while he did get a slight scare from having her fearsome gaze turned on him, he didn’t back down, “NOW, I’M NOT TAKING SIDES HERE, BUT I JUST WANT TO ASK IF IT’S REALLY NECESSARY TO TAKE THE HUMAN’S SOUL RIGHT NOW? I MEAN, THERE’S NO RUSH! WE’RE STILL GONNA HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL THE SEVENTH HUMAN FALLS BEFORE WE CAN EVEN THINK OF BREAKING THE BARRIER!”

“Mettaton’s got a valid point!” Martlet concurred, to which the robot actually made a “blowing kiss” gesture with his hand, which made her briefly cringe before refocusing on her former captain, “We have no way of knowing when the next human’s gonna fall! Could be tomorrow, or a month from now, or a year! Perhaps even longer! That’s time Clover could spend living down here with us! And besides…”

She flashed a warm smile down at her charge, whose own cheeks turned red from embarrassment, “I think there’s far more worth in keeping him alive than just imprisoning his soul in a jar…we could learn so much from each other…”

“Ok, layering the praise on a bit thick there, Martlet…” The human in their midst commented while scratching the back of his head, smiling warmly, eyes shimmering with gratitude at her words, “But…thank you…I still got a lot of things I want to learn from you guys too…”

Undyne scoffed, causing Clover to shoot her a dirty look, “Oh please! Can’t you blokes see they’re just playing you all for a bunch of saps?!” The others all followed suit, including Mettaton despite, again, the lack of an actual face, but the captain wasn’t intimidated one bit. She was used to such faces, after all. “This is how humans are! They act all sweet and innocent, like they could never hurt even a fly, but the moment you let your guard down,they-”

“With all due respect, Captain, I think I’ve heard enough out of your mouth for one day,” Ceroba cut her off, making the fish lady take a threatening step forward, but she didn’t back down, only intensified her own gaze, “We are here for my daughter, whom your scientist friend is holding captive within her lab, and we have no intentions of leaving without her! Now, you can either stand aside or we will force you to do so!”

“U-Undyne, please! Just listen for a secon-”

“Alphys, you got nothing to worry about,” The fish lady cut her off in a firm yet still reassuring tone of voice without even looking back at the camera, “I’ll have these traitors subdued and the human’s soul captured in no time! And then we can deal with that other matter at our leisure. Now,” She tightened the grip on her weapon as she stared down her fellow monsters and the human, “...You really want to do this, huh?”

The group’s only response was to psyche themselves up even moreso, including Clover who pulled out his Wild Revolver and loaded the weapon up before adjusting his hat so that only a single yellow eye was staring at her. She didn’t know why but the sight was enough to make her flinch just a little.

This human…they really were dangerous…but she would not falter! Not now! Too much was riding on her success! As such, she prepped herself to do what needed to be done, “...Fine..Fine! If I’m being completely honest? I needed a reason to blow off some steam anyway! So this works for me!! En Garde!!” She bent her legs and then launched herself towards the group with enough force to kick up shards of rock behind her.

The group all split up every which way as she slammed into the spot where they all once stood. Twirling her spear about, she jabbed it into the earth causing dots of blue light to start forming under the feets of those who didn’t have wings, forcing folks like Clover and Ceroba to basically play hop scotch in order to avoid the magical spears that shot up from said dots in an attempt to skewer them.

All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind would knock the captain off-balance and thus disrupting her magic. She glared up at Martlet whose face clearly showed that she was sorry about doing this…but she wasn’t gonna stop now as she flapped her wings and let a rain of feathers descend down on her former boss.

Undyne, showing off the results of her training, spun her spear in front of her like a makeshift shield, deflecting every single feather before pointing at the bird monster with her other index finger and sending a rain of magical spears flying upwards in her direction, forcing Martlet to start pulling off some dips and dives in an effort to avoid them, despite one managing to nick her on the cheek.

The captain did her best to suppress the guilt welling up in her gut as she swung that same arm out to the side and casually deflected an energy ball fired by Axis. However, before she had time to zero in on the robot, a wall of fire shot up in between the two of them, courtesy of Ceroba. Undyne didn’t do well in the heat, so between the fact she was in Hotland, and the heat given off by Ceroba’s magic, she found herself instinctively backpedalling a little…

Which ended up being a mistake as she was distracted just long enough for Starlo’s rope to wrap around her wrist and begin to yank with all his might. However, the difference in physical strength was made clear by the simple fact that Undyne only needed to give a simple tug and the poor sheriff was yanked off his feet and through the air towards her.

She caught him by the throat but before she could do anything, she winced and stumbled backwards as several gunshots hit her square in the helmet courtesy of Clover and his revolver. Sure, said shots barely made even a dent in the material but they still had enough stopping power to force her to drop Starlo who flashed a thumbs up in the human’s direction before chucking dynamite at Undyne’s feet as he leapt backwards.

The bundle exploded but Undyne emerged from the smoke, armor barely even singed, gunning straight for the human. If she could just get her hands on their soul, this would all be over in an instant!

However, unlike her, Clover wasn’t alone, as next thing she knew a certain bat monster dropped right in front of her face and began biting and screeching. Sure, the fact she was wearing armor meant they couldn’t do any real damage, but the action was still enough to stop her in her tracks and force her to waste time trying to grab at the flying rodent. This opened her up to several more bullets straight to her chest plate, causing her to stagger backwards in pain.

Said bat monster dropped back down beside Clover, now having changed back to Dalv whom clapped his hands while generating electricity between them before drawing them apart and pulling back to fire, “Sorry about this!” He let loose a pair of electrical spheres that spiraled through the air towards the captain.

She was ready to block the attack, but getting hit in the back by a literal wall of wind courtesy of Martlet, paired with getting shot in the face yet again by more bullets, kept her off her game long enough for both spheres to make contact and now she was the one being blasted off her feet along with being sent flying towards the edge of the area they were fighting on.

Alphys couldn’t help but automatically fear the worst, “Undyne! No!!”

Snapping back into focus, Undyne roared as she righted herself while still in mid-air and stabbed her spear into the ground to act as a makeshift anchor and slow her flight until she was able to bring herself to a stop just inches from the edge, “Heh…didn’t I already tell you not to worry, Alphys? These blokes ain’t gonna get the better of me…and they certainly ain’t getting to you! Not while I’m still standing!”

“We don’t want to hurt your friend!” Clover cried out in defiance of such assumptions, “We just want her to release Kanako and then we’ll leave and you’ll never have to hear from us again!!”

“You really expect me to buy that after all the trouble you and your little friend have caused since the moment you fell down into our kingdom, human scum?!” Undyne shot back, words laced with venom, which naturally got Ceroba to bare her fangs, flames igniting around her hand, “There’s only two ways that this is gonna end! Your soul in Asgore’s possession or my death!”

“You’re really ready to throw away your life just for the sake of that sad old man?!!” Ceroba roared, incredulous that someone would willingly gamble everything for someone who had put in place such a draconian law. She slammed the end of her staff on the ground and called upon her family’s magic to cause a number of bells to form and begin to fall down.

Clover, as if he could read her mind, took aim and used his sharpshooting skills to start detonating them early, creating overlapping rings of orange and blue magic.

Undyne, indignant at having Asgore’s good name being smeared, rushed forward and leapt through the gaps that she could find within the waves. “Don’t you dare insult our king! You have no idea what he’s endured to keep our hope alive! If he didn’t do what he did, our entire kingdom could’ve been thrown into chaos!” She snapped her fingers, filling the air around her with more spears before sending them rocketing towards the pair.

Ceroba grabbed Clover and held him close as she smacked the end of her staff down once again, now casting one of her diamond-shaped barriers to protect the pair. She grunted as the barrage strained the barrier to its breaking point, but she held firm and continued staring down the captain, “So you’re perfectly fine with forcing even younglings to shoulder the sins of their ancestors?!”

“Of course not!” Undyne angrily denied, “But in case you forgot, we’re at war! And during such times, there are always casualties! Especially when tough choices need to be made! Unlike you lot who would gamble everyone’s hopes and dreams just to protect a single human, Asgore understands that sometimes, sacrifices are needed to bring hope!” She turned and called up a wall of spears to block an attack from both Axis and Dalv.

“Or he’s too much of a spineless scoundrel to find a better solution!” North Star argued back as he fired his gun in the air and caused a giant horseshoe formed of his magic to fall on the fish lady who was forced to drop her spear and catch the construct with both hands before being shot at from all sides by his revolvers, “He’s got you and your cronies out here doing his dirty work, for crying out loud!!”

“Shut up! Shut up!!” Letting out a wordless scream, she shrugged off the magic bullets and stomped the ground, causing more dots to form on the ground around the sheriff, forcing him to yelp and fumble as he did his best to avoid being stabbed only for Undyne to take advantage of his distracted mental state to lunge towards him and manage to slug him hard in the chest, making him gasp in pain.

“North Star!!” Everyone present gasped in horror.

“This is what happens to those who dare turn their back on our king!! On their own kind!!” Undyne proclaimed as she raised her fist to club him upside the skull. She hated herself for doing this. She truly did, but she needed to make an example of these idiots! Maybe after she did so, they’d wake up and realize just how foolish they were after being….

However, she found herself freezing in place, courtesy of Ceroba placing a barrier around her very soul. “W-What the…?” She didn’t even have time to comprehend what was happening as a ball of energy courtesy of Chujin’s magnum opus hit her dead on and forced her to let the starfish go as she staggered backwards, “Why you! I’ll turn you into a pile of soup cans when I’m through with-”

But Undyne wouldn’t get the chance to finish as she would hear a loud screech and her attention would be briefly diverted upwards where a certain avian was spiraling through the air while encased in a cyclone. They aimed themselves downward and for a moment, Undyne swore she saw a pair of bright golden eyes glaring with intense animosity right into her soul.

…Martlet?

The captain’s confusion would cost her as said monster would crash into her feet-first, hard enough to knock her former boss away, even making her bounce off the ground once before righting herself again, only now breathing a little bit heavier than before and feeling pain within her chest. Just where on earth did the trainee acquire such strength?!

“Starlo! Starlo!” Clover rushed to his friend’s side, worried beyond belief while looking like he was on the verge of breaking down as he pulled out a slider from his satchel and offered it to his fellow cowboy, “Please don’t leave me too!!”

“R-Relax, partner. I’m fine…” Starlo managed to get out despite the burning in his chest. Still, he took the food and tore into it, “Mphh…gonna take a lot more than that to force this here cowboy into an early retirement…oof!” He grunted at the human throwing his arms around him, but he merely smiled and patted his back in a reassuring manner.

Undyne could scarcely believe what she was seeing right in front of her. This human…not only was he fighting alongside these traitors instead of using them as a shield but he was also…showing actual concern for them too? Either this “Clover” individual was one hell of an actor, or they really did care…

…No. NO! It had to be a trick! Humans were ruthless and hateful! She needed to remember that! They were the ones who drove her people to the brink of extinction, locked them away in this hellhole, killed the King’s children and overall, seemed to be doing everything in their power to finish their terrible work!

Yes. Humans were the enemy…because to think otherwise would mean that everything she was fighting for would be one big lie.

She took a step towards where the human and the sheriff were, and when she spoke next, her words were that of admonishment, “You know, human, he only ended up that way because of you…”

The moment she said those words, pure silence descended on the area, and something within the cowboy cracked, “...What did you say?”

For some reason, a tightness formed in her chest, but she brushed it off and soldiered on, “You heard me. He only got hurt because you dragged him here. If you really did care about our people, you would’ve surrendered your soul without a fight, but you didn’t! Instead, you chose to be selfish!” She scoffed and folded her arms in disgust, “Although I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised a human would do what’s in their nature to do…”

“Captain Undyne, how can you say such awful things?!!” Martlet demanded as she landed on the ground nearby. A little worse for wear after her last attack but otherwise fine. “You don’t know the first thing about Clover! Or his story! Or even what led him to coming down to the Underground in the first place!”

“I don’t need to pay attention to the words of a damn traitor!!” Undyne snapped in her direction, yet again doing her best to suppress the guilt trying to well up inside her at treating one of her own so poorly, “You’ve let the enemy poison your mind, so as far as I’m concerned, your word is worth less than nothing!!” Martlet gasped and stumbled back while clenching her chest.

Sadly, Undyne wasn’t done, her stress and anxiety having finally reached its breaking point, “You know, I could’ve let the whole “parole” thing slide after a while if you proved yourself even somewhat competent at your job, but you couldn’t even do that!” A voice in the back of her head told her to stop, that she was being unreasonable, but she ignored it. “In fact, as far as I’m concerned, this whole mess is just as much your fault as it is the human’s!”

“I-W-Well, you’re not exactly wrong but-” Martlet stammered.

However, Undyne cut her off, “But nothing! It’s the truth! You had one job! Capture the human! And you couldn’t even do that right! I’m starting to question if you can do anything right!!” Martlet staggered back, tears starting to well up in her eyes at the tongue-lashing she was receiving, “You’re a traitor, a criminal, and a failure of a Royal Guardsman! And once I’m done here, I will personally see to it that-”

“Take that back…”

The captain paused mid-rant as she spared a glance over where the human was kneeling, head tilted towards the ground, hat shielding his face, but the air around him gave off a rather…foreboding feeling, “...What did you just say, punk?”

“You heard me…” Clover pushed himself to his feet without looking up, hands at his sides, the oppressive atmosphere he was emitting being felt by all those present, “...You’re gonna take back everything you just said about Martlet…right…now…” The deputy took a single step forward and, impossibly, the ground under his boot cracked a little.

This one action was enough to immediately put everyone on edge, including Undyne albeit to a more limited extent. She wasn’t about to be intimidated by some brat acting all big and tough, especially since she had a fair amount of experience humbling upstarts who thought they were all that, and this human would be no different! “...You don’t get to demand anything of me, human. Besides, why should I apologize for speaking the truth?”

“Because nothing you just said IS true!” Clover spat, the animosity he felt causing something to spark within his soul, “Martlet may be an airhead and she can even be a little lazy and has trouble committing herself to some things…but she’s also got a heart of gold! And she’s a lot braver than you give her credit for! She stood by me even when she knew doing so would get her into trouble with you!”

“Clover…” Martlet murmured, wings covering her beak now while tears of joy started to trickle forth.

“That just proves my point!!” Undyne argued back, “A guard’s loyalty belongs, above all else, to the King! The moment you let doubt creep in is the moment you stop being worthy of your role! But why am I wasting time arguing with you?!” She created more spears in the air above her, “You’re gonna die! And with your death, the poison you’ve been spreading amongst our people will die with yo-”

A series of gunshots rang out and the spears she summoned all dissipated into particles, stopping the captain right in her tracks, “...Wha…” A second look the human’s way and her eyes widened to see that he was holding both a revolver and what looked to be a Toy Gun of all things. Both weapons had smoke drafting up from the barrel. Clover had destroyed all her armaments with one shot each.

This reality was enough to make a faint sensation start worming its way into her heart. One she hadn’t felt in a long time. Was this…fear? No..no! She was the Spear Of Justice! Fear did not exist in her vocabulary! “I-If you think that’s gonna scare me, you’re even dumber than I tho-” She paused upon glancing back, her train of thought derailing at what she saw next.

Floating in front of the human’s chest was a bright yellow heart.

When Clover spoke next, his manner of speaking was almost eerily calm, “...You know, ever since I first fell down here, I’ve been debating with myself what real Justice looks like. Is it avenging the five humans that fell before me? Is it giving my Soul up for the sake of your people? The further I went, and the more people I met, that question just seemed to get harder and harder to answer…”

He spared a glance back at Dalv, and then Martlet, followed by Starlo, Axis, and finally Ceroba. Sure, he hadn’t met any of them on the best of terms, but after everything he was after going through with each of them, he couldn’t imagine his life without any of these folk.

“...And even now, I still don’t have an answer, and for all I know? Maybe I won’t ever find one,” The human admitted with only the barest hint of sorrow and resignation in his voice as he turned back to face the guard captain with bright yellow eyes, “But I do know this much. I’m not giving my soul up to your King. I refuse to be just another cog in the machine! Especially a machine for war!!”

A chorus of cheers could be heard from his group, “Hell Yeah! That’s the way, partner!” Starlo cried out excitedly. The joy and relief of knowing that his little deputy wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon was enough to help him block out the lingering pain from Undyne’s attack.

“Clover…I can’t tell you how proud I am right now to hear you say that…” Ceroba admitted with the biggest smile on her face. They had done it! All their efforts to convince Clover of his own worth were finally paying off!

“Same here!” Dalv exclaimed on his end, “I still need your help writing my novel, after all!”

Clover spared a second to flash a fond smile in the vampire’s direction before nodding to the others and then shifting back to Undyne who, despite wearing a helmet, looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel, “Sorry, I know how important this is to your people but…I got a lot of folks who would be crushed if they lost me so I’m staying. If your King wants my Soul that badly, he can come get it himself!”

“...I guess you really are like all the rest of your kind,” Undyne grumbled in a mix of anger and disappointment, “Thinking your own life matters more than the countless others your sacrifice could bring hope to…”

Despite her words, some aspect of her soul couldn’t help but express a little bit of respect towards the human for being willing to stick by their guns. That took some serious resolve. The kind that would’ve made them a great Guardsman…if they were a little older and circ*mstances were different, of course.

However, her own resolve was equally as strong. She gripped her gauntlet-clad fist tightly, “I take no joy in doing this, but our people’s plight requires your death!! Whether you like it or not!!” Roaring in fury, she launched herself towards the human and threw a devastating haymaker…

…However, she would be stunned to see that a pair of hands had stopped her punch right in its tracks. One clearly belonged to the human, but the other belonged to, of all people, Martlet who also had a pair of bright golden eyes replacing her normal blue. Needless to say, the fish lady was completely stunned by this development, “...How in the name of Asgore…?”

The pair nodded to each other and together, booted their shared foe in the chest at the same time, sending her skidding back along the ground, dragging her feet as she did so. She went to stand only to get knocked back further by a powerful gust of wind courtesy of Martlet, but where was the human…

Her instincts kicking in, she glanced up in time to see him descend on her both fists clenched together and raised high as he brought them down on her helmet-clad noggin hard enough to make her ears ring and force her to use every ounce of willpower not to cry out in pain. Instead, she conjured her spear and jabbed it towards the falling human who…seemingly blinked out of sight.

She grunted as she stumbled forward, courtesy of a sharp kick to the back of the head from Clover. Since when could the human flipping teleport? There was nothing in the report that mentioned anything about that! She needed to think of something quickly, otherwise she could actually be in danger here.

Remembering her lessons with Asgore, she cooled her head and waited for her instincts to flare up once more, and once they did, she shot her hand out to the side and grabbed the cowboy’s arm, mid-blink, “Clever trick, human. Very clever indeed. Too bad you aren’t clever enough to use that little gimmick properly, are you?”

Instead of being worried, the human only spared her a grin, “Maybe…but unlike you, I’m not alone, am I?”

Alarm bells went off in her brain and she cursed herself for getting careless. Summoning a spear to her other hand, she used it to deflect the bullets and fire blasts sent her way by Starlo and Ceroba then launched a stream of spears like arrows in return only to then grunt as she had the air knocked out of her by Axis ramming into her full-throttle, forcing her to drop Clover.

“Aggh! Enough!” She twirled her spear in the air before stabbing it into the earth yet again, only now the field around was full of dots. Many more than before, and the rain of spears that erupted upwards was enough to throw the gang every which way and scatter them. She hated using this much magic as not only was it straining on the body, but doing so just felt…not very heroic. Careless even.

Of course, it was all for the cause. She would not fail Asgore! She would not force him to take another youngling’s life!

Breathing heavily upon having successfully blocked the group off from one another with walls of spears, she conjured two more for herself and bent her form for the final strike, “You’ve fought well, human, but victory is mine!!” She lunged toward him to deliver the coup de grace.

…But Clover didn’t look the slightest bit worried. Instead, his soul seemingly moved on its own accord to his hand and he took aim as the sound of something charging could be heard. Undyne heard the alarm bells blaring in her mind louder than ever but she ignored them and doubled down on trying to run the human through! This would all be over soon! She would finally prove herself, and Asgore would see that he didn’t have to carry the world on his shoulders-

Clover fired off a Big Shot and Undyne skidded to a stop, crossing her spears in front of her like a makeshift shield but the blast of soul energy smashed through them like they were nothing but brittle glass and hit her in the chest hard enough to catapult the fish lady backwards at high speed, screaming.

She crashed into the doors to the lab hard enough to partially dislodge them, the magic keeping the others at bay dissipating and allowing the group to gather together once more, “It’s over, Captain!” Starlo announced, a frown on his face at seeing a fellow lawman in such a condition, “Just stand aside and let us rescue Ceroba’s daughter! That’s all we want to do!”

(PLEASE. THERE’S BEEN ENOUGH PAIN FOR ONE DAY) Axis pleaded on his end, and even though he was a robot, there was genuine emotion in said plea. A testament to the level of self-awareness he possessed.

“Just as Clover doesn’t have to give his life up, the same can apply to you as well,” Ceroba pointed out. Sure, she wasn’t a big fan of the fish lady, but at the end of the day, she was only doing her job. Much like Martlet had been. “There is always a better solution…you just need to find the courage to keep on trying.”

Courage, huh… Alphys thought to herself, feeling mentally drained at the brawl she just watched go down but at least relieved to see they weren’t trying to kill her dear friend. Yes. Perhaps a little bit of courage was exactly what she needed. “...U-Undyne? Listen…you can stop now. Really. I-I’ll let them in and at the very least, I-I can explain everything-”

“Alphys, you’re my friend and I respect you greatly but…right now, I kinda need you to keep quiet,” Undyne grunted as she pulled herself free of the indent she left in the door and took a moment to steady herself. Reaching up to her dented helmet, she removed it and then let the armor piece drop to the ground before cracking her neck side to side. “Ok then! Ok…”

She opened her one good eye and, for a moment, Clover swore he saw a shimmer of red within its depths, “I gotta give you credit where it’s due, human. I didn’t expect you to start pulling out those fancy tricks of yours but I guess this will serve as an excellent reminder why one should never judge a book by its cover…and Martlet! Well…”

The captain gestured with one arm in her direction, looking almost impressed with the trainee, “All I can say is…where the hell have you been hiding that kind of strength all this time?! Seriously, if I was made aware you could pull off all that, you would’ve left the trainee status behind a long time ago…”

Normally, being showered with praise by her boss would’ve been a dream come true…but that was the old Martlet. This new Martlet, one with golden eyes and a now slightly darker shade of blue to her feathers, was barely moved as she knew where her true loyalties lied now, and she didn’t need the validation. “I guess I just didn’t have the drive I needed. To be more than what I already was…” She spared a glance down at the Clover and the two shared a smile, “But I think I’ve found it now…”

Her human nodded and turned back to Undyne, “I’ve said it once already but I’ll say it again! Asgore wants my soul that badly, you can tell him that he can come get it himself. As for me? After we save Kanako, I’m going home with my family and living my life. At least until the next human falls down. After that…well…” He gave a half-hearted shrug, “I guess we’ll see what happens. Now…is it too much to ask for you to step aside?”

“Afraid so, punk…” However, Undyne’s manner of speaking was softer now, even carrying a trace of admiration as she punched her fists together with enough force to generate a minor sonic boom while at the same time, the hint of a grin began to form on her face. “Asgore gave me a mission, and come hell or high water, I’m not going back to him empty-handed! Besides, I haven’t had a chance to go all out in a long time, so I got no intentions of passing this up!” A reddish tint began to form around her body.

“Oh dear, oh dear…” Dalv muttered, shaking in his boots, droplets of sweat forming on his brow as he knew this was about to get ugly, but recalling what was at stake here, he steeled his nerves and flexed his wrists to generate electricity around them.

“Well, I’ll give her credit where it’s due. She’s beyond stubborn.” Starlo commented as he snapped his fingers and formed some revolvers in the air around him.

“And so are we,” Ceroba reminded the sheriff as she made a gesture with her hand and began casting barriers, “I…no, WE have come too far to be stopped now…”

(AND TO STOP NOW WOULD BE MOST SHAMEFUL) Axis commented on his end. (LET US SEE THIS THROUGH TO THE END TOGETHER, MY FRIENDS)

“Come on then!” Undyne roared in a challenging tone as she stomped one foot down and raised her fists in a combat stance, eyes gleaming with bloodlust, “Let’s see whose brand of justice is superior right here, right now!!”

Clover recalled some words from an almost-forgotten timeline that he felt worked for this situation, “You know…somebody once told me that yellow is a color typically associated with Justice…but it’s also associated with another concept…”

He ran a hand along the rim of his hat before glowering at the captain and raising his soul in a firing motion.

“Judgement.”

He fired.

One may wonder where a certain possessed machine was during all this chaos.

Well, don’t worry, dear reader, as Mettaton hadn’t gone far. Nope. Not far at all.

In fact, when the fireworks started flying, he had taken up a spot behind the corner of the lab building and proceeded to just observe.

Yes, one could argue this was a cowardly thing to do, to just sit back and watch while both sides tore each other to pieces but really, what else was he supposed to do? He knew from experience that the words “Undyne” and “reason” never, ever, EVER, belonged together in the same sentence. Unless you were willing to throw hands.

Even the thought of taking the human’s soul for himself and crossing the barrier didn’t really appeal to him for the simple reason that with how protective all those monsters with him were being, if the robot tried to pull off such a stunt they would likely rip him apart at the seams. Granted, this body was supposed to be indestructible but he got the feeling these folks would find a way around that.

Plus, if he tried to help this “Clover” individual in any way, the good captain would more than likely take that as a sign of treason and that would only complicate the situation a hundred times more than it already was. And would almost certainly cause my dear Alphys even more grief…

Thinking about the lizard made him wonder if he unknowingly had a hand in causing all this. Yes, he knew he should’ve stayed in touch with her more than he did. With Shyren. With his precious Blooky. They were the whole reason he had even gotten half as far as he did and yet…the glamour. The fame. The perks that came with being a star were just too much to resist.

More than once, the idea to call them had actually crossed his mind. Just to touch base, say hi, talk about their day. Keep the lines of communication open. However, for one reason or another, he would always push said idea to the back of his mind. Maybe there was another photoshoot he needed to attend, or another cooking show to host, or a musical, or another adoring fan who needed his autograph, and so on, and so on.

And the idea would just get pushed further and further back…until he basically forgot he ever had said idea to begin with.

The former ghost growled and smacked his fist against the wall in anger at himself. What was the point of stardom if you didn’t have the people you cherished most by your side? Well, a very lonely existence for one thing. Yes, back when he first met Alphys he saw his ticket to the big time, but he also saw something even more important:

A chance to do his part to bring some joy and hope to the denizens of the Underground. The mood down here was often peaceful but at times, if you read between the lines, you’d soon see there was a lot of sadness and melancholy hiding behind the curtain.

He wanted to change that, to be the shining star that his people needed.

The problem was that he allowed himself to get swept away by his own rise to greatness, and now here was, hiding away and just watching while the little human and his companions were in a fight for their lives. This wasn’t right. He couldn’t just stand here and do nothing!

He winced at seeing the captain punch right through the barrier protecting the fox monster of the group and grip her by the collar, lifting her up high only for the person she was holding to swing her foot out and connect with Undyne’s face.

The fish monster grunted in pain but flashed her an evil grin and slammed her down into the ground hard, making her wheeze. Undyne raised her other fist to knock out the fox only for the air in front of her to distort as Clover appeared right in her face and fired off a Big Shot point-blank, launching her away from his mother figure.

He would help Ceroba to her feet and offer her one of the sliders he had stuffed in his satchel, to which she nodded in thanks before rejoining the fight.

Such a brave and noble little star. Mettaton thought to himself while sighing with fondness. And look at me. Hiding away here while I could be doing something. Anything. Damn it! What good is being a celebrity if I can’t take advantage of that status for those who need it most?!

That’s when the bolt of inspiration struck him and he snapped his fingers. Wait! That’s it! Of course, I’m gonna need some outside help to pull this off…

Hearing grunting behind him, the possessed machine took his eyes off the battle and looked behind him to see a certain pair of Royal Guardsman pulling themselves up over the rocky encampment, their armor scratched up and dirtied and both having the looks of folks who just tried to keep up with Undyne in a foot race.

The first guy, after pulling himself up, tumbled over into a heap, groaning in agony, “Ugghh…that does it…next time we’re taking the elevator, R2…”

“...Agreed…” R1’s partner mumbled as he too fell into a heap next to him, breathing heavily. Despite being among the more physically capable members of the Guard, to the point they were among the very few allowed to go with the captain on her patrols, when it came to feats of strength and endurance, Undyne had them beat by more than a few miles.

Sure, trying to keep up with her was a great way to stay in shape, but it was still hell on the body. “Gonna need a dip in the hot springs once we get this whole mess cleared up…” R1 remarked groggily before it dawned on him what he just said, “...Uh, by that I mean us going into separate hot springs, of course…yeah…R2?”

Groaning, his partner gave a dismissive wave, “We can share…”

R1 actually had to pause for a second upon hearing that, before lifting his head and eyeing his fellow guardsman with a mix of incredulity and shock, “W-Wait, what did you just-”

“YOU TWO!!” Mettaton announced excitedly, causing the pair to almost jump out of their armor in fright and immediately shoot back to their feet, their prior exhaustion having seemingly evaporated into nothing. Upon seeing the robot before them, the pair shared a glance before gesturing to themselves, “YES! I WAS TALKING ABOUT YOU TWO IN PARTICULAR! YOU’RE PERFECT!”

Needless to say, this was the last thing either guard member expected to hear today. So much so both found their cheeks turning bright red to such a degree the redness could be seen right through their helmets. “Like, y-you really think so? Well, I don’t mean to brag but me and R2 do make a pretty good team and-” He was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder, “Hm? What is it, R2?”

The guard member he totally didn’t have feelings for simply pointed to the robot before them, “Mettaton…”

Despite the fact he was wearing a helmet, and thus no one could see what was going on, R1’s eyes widened as the importance of what his pal just said sank in, and he slapped his hands to the side of his face, “Oh my gosh! You’re right! We’re talking to THE Mettaton!” Breaking protocol, he rushed up to his idol and shook their hand vigorously, “Can I just say that it’s an honor to be in your presence? Because it really, truly is!”

Now it was the former ghost’s turn to be completely blindsided, even putting a hand to the side of his “face” while stammering, “O-OH MY! YOU FLATTER ME, DARLING! I GUESS YOU AND YOUR FRIEND WATCH MY SHOWS ALL THE TIME?”

“Yes!” Through the visor in his helm, a twinkle could be seen in R1’s eye, “R2 and I haven’t missed a single one yet! In fact, we’ve actually got this thing we do where every Friday we get together, pop a big pile of popcorn and just chill out-” Anything else he was gonna say was droned out by the sound of an explosion, ‘Eh, I’d love to stay and chat more but we got work to do!!”

“WAIT!!” Mettaton grabbed hold of both monsters’ arms by the wrist, “YOU’RE NOT GONNA BE MUCH HELP TO MISS UNDYNE OUT THERE! I MEAN, I DON’T KNOW HER AS WELL AS YOU TWO DO, BUT WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT WHEN SHE’S LIKE THAT-”

“Yeah!!!! I feel alive!!! NYARRRGGHHH!!!”

The two Guardsmen visibly winced at the same time. They both knew from experience that once the more “passionate” side of her took over, talking her down from it was next to impossible until she finally came off of the high caused by all that adrenaline. “Eh…good point…” R1 found himself scratching the top of his helmet, “So…did you have a plan in mind?”

If Mettaton had an actual face, it would be wearing a very evil grin. He even snickered deviously, “HMHMHM…AS A MATTER OF FACT, MY DEAR? I MOST CERTAINLY DO…”

Asgore hummed to himself as he watered the flowers in his garden, as was part of his daily routine. He had always wanted to be a gardener instead of a king and this was perhaps the closest he would ever get to being a real one.
Ever since he had been young, he had dreamed of owning a huge, sprawling garden filled with various types of flora from all parts of both his own kingdom and the humans. A place of tranquillity, beauty, and perhaps even, a visual display of unity between the two races. A way to show that regardless of what set them apart, they all walked the same land, swam in the same seas, and breathed the same air.

Now, if only his father could’ve been more supportive of such an idea, instead of treating the very notion of such a place as complete hogwash.

Our two worlds will never be truly united, boy. Believe me. I’ve been around long enough to learn that at the end of the day…humans are incapable of changing their nature. The best you can ever hope for is to have them tolerate us…

Asgore scowled at that particular memory. If only his mother had still been around back then. Maybe she could’ve talked some sense into her thick-headed husband. Of course, the current King was no fool. He knew for a fact there were plenty of humans that could be ruthless, spiteful, prone to acts of cruelty…

But how did that make them any different from himself and the monsters he ruled over? Sure, his people were supposedly composed of love and compassion, subsisting on hope to stay alive…but he had known more than his fair share of monsters who were capable of being just as wicked as any monster-hating human.

After all, at the end of the day, magic may’ve been integral to his people’s very existence…but magic was still just a tool. Capable of both good and evil. Even something almost universally seen as positive such as the art of healing could be turned to some very nasty ends in the hands of certain individuals…

Setting his watering can aside, the king pulled out his phone and went to take a seat on the throne, staring warily at the screen, waiting for some sort of response from his guard captain. He didn’t really care if she had captured the human or not. All he wanted was to hear that she was doing alright.

If you really wanted her to be alright, you wouldn’t have allowed her to take on this responsibility in the first place. The voice in his head chastised him. She gets hurt, or even worse, dies, it’ll be on you, and if she somehow manages to get the human’s soul, you’ll have saddled her with the guilt of having taken a young one’s life.

Of course, she was so insistent, so earnest, so passionate in her resolve. Her drive to ensure he didn’t have to take another youngling’s life that he couldn’t bring himself to deny her, even though he knew in his heart he should’ve.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

That was one of the main lessons his father had done all in his power to ingrain into his son’s mind. The idea that as long as a hundred souls were saved, if a handful were to be sacrificed along the way then that was merely a weight that a king needed to be willing to carry.

Besides, what was the point in going back at this point? To stop now would be a disservice to all those sacrifices. To squander the hope that had been built up. A hope built on the blood of young ones, but it was still better than letting the kingdom fall into despair and if that ever happened, then his people really were done for.

He needed to do this, because what good is a King who can’t even follow through on his own word? Who expects those under him to follow his decrees but won’t do so himself simply because he had a crisis of conscience?

You could call such a person many things. A hypocrite. A coward. Untrustworthy…weak.

And the last thing a true king needed to exhibit was weakness…or at least, that’s what his father seemed to believe.

However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t allow himself to be vulnerable. As such, he brought up his meagre list of contacts and dialed the one for Undyne. He waited as the phone rang…and rang…and rang. No answer.

Asgore grimaced, and tried dialing the number again.Still no answer. Now he was getting a little concerned as she almost never missed a call from him. He tried to contact her again, but no dice.

Ok, this was just getting ridiculous now. Not to mention very worrying. Just what was she up to that was keeping her from answering his calls? Maybe Dr Alphys knew something. He was keenly aware that when those two got together, they could very easily lose track of time and other priorities.

The king wasn’t gonna hold that against them. It was healthy to have relationships that went beyond merely being acquaintances or work buddies. Honestly? He sometimes pondered joining the pair on one of their little get-togethers. Maybe they could help him pick up some new hobbies?

But when he dialled the doctor’s number, she didn’t pick up. Ok, now he wasn’t just worried. He was legit scared.

Deciding he needed to get up and move, Asgore left the room and took a moment to stop and wonder if he should pay a visit to THAT room…but then he decided against doing so as now wasn’t the time.

He turned and walked on out of the castle, continuing to message the captain and the doctor as at this point his palms were starting to sweat due to the accumulation of stress and anxiety. “Either one of you please pick up…please don’t make me assume the worst…” He muttered, lips trembling as he tried their numbers for the umpteenth time.

All of a sudden, the king found his thought process diverted by the sight of a small flock of monsters standing before a store with a bunch of televisions in its front window, and judging by the chatter, whatever was being viewed was definitely generating some buzz.

Curiosity getting the better of him, as he knew this occurring at the same time as him not being able to contact either member of his inner circle couldn’t be a coincidence, the old king made his way over to the store window.

Needless to say, the sight of the king just appearing as if from nowhere gave a number of folks quite a scare, but he flashed them a comforting smile, “Now, now. Don’t pay any attention to an old coot like me, dear citizens. I’m just as curious as you all are as to what’s on the talking box today. That’s all.”

His people seemed to accept this explanation, and went right back to watching what was on the screens, now feeling a little more reassured that their great leader was by their side. Asgore focused on the boxes as static covered their screens, only to gradually clear up and reveal a very familiar robot seated behind a desk wearing a suit.

“ARE WE ON THE AIR, R1 DARLING?” Mettaton quizzed.

“Y-Yes, Mettaton, sir! I mean, madam! I-ughh…uh…what are the right pronouns I should be using?” R1 could be heard sputtering, off-screen.

His idol merely chortled, “HOHOHO! EITHER ONE WILL DO, MY DEAR! UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE, I’M NOT PICKY! R2? COULD YOU BE A SWEETHEART AND MOVE THE BACKDROP TO THE SIDE JUST A TEENSY BIT?”

“...Sure thing…” R2 grunted as he shoved the cardboard cutout being used as a backdrop to the side a tad. “...Good?”

“PERFECT! THANK YOU!” Mettaton gave a thumbs up to the guard member off-screen before coughing and scooping up some papers which clearly didn’t have anything on them but were just there to look professional. “EVENING, DEAR VIEWERS! THIS IS YOUR HUMBLE HOST, METTATON, COMING TO YOU LIVE FROM THE HEART OF HOTLAND WITH A REAL SIZZLER OF A STORY FOR YOU ALL!”

The robot snapped his fingers and suddenly, viewers would be treated to an airborne view of the battle going on right outside the Royal Lab, and all those present would gasp in shock and amazement at what they were seeing. “AS YOU CAN SEE, RIGHT THIS SECOND, OUR DEAR CAPTAIN UNDYNE, HEAD OF OUR ESTEEMED KING’S ROYAL GUARD, IS ENGAGED IN A FIERCE BATTLE WITH THE LATEST HUMAN TO HAVE THE MISFORTUNE OF ENDING UP DOWN HERE.”

Sure enough, the area below was littered with spears, scorch marks, holes that made it clear a certain someone had decided to use chunks of the terrain as improvised projectiles. As for the combatants, it was evident that both sides were running out of steam, as shown by the fact that Clover’s hat had been knocked off and he had several scorch marks and scratches along his body and even tears in his vest.

Ceroba wasn’t doing much better, her hair having come undone and having even more bruises on her than what the human did. The same could be said for Martlet and Starlo, with the latter even holding his arm with a pained expression on his face, but refusing to back down. Dalv was doing a little better but one of his fangs looked like it was chipped off and an eye seemed partially swollen. Axis too wasn’t doing too bad but one of his eyelights had a crack in it, the antenna on him had broken off, and his sluggish movements showed his battery was starting to run low.

As for Undyne? She was definitely the worst off out of all of them. Her armor was basically in tatters by this point, all sorts of bumps and bruises littered her frame and it seemed like she was running on pure stubbornness and spite by this point…and yet through it all, she had the biggest sh*t-eating grin on her face.

Ceroba was the first to take notice of this, “...You’re smiling…why the hell are you smiling? You look like you’re ready to keel over any second…”

Undyne proceeded to laugh, but the action turned into a coughing fit halfway through, “D-Do you have…ANY idea how rare something like this is for me…? A chance to…finally cut loose?” She took a step forward only for it to turn into a stumble, “A chance to…do away with all the speeches about higher causes and just throw hands?! To let your fists do the talking?!”

“Captain Undyne…” Martlet murmured in a pained tone of voice. Said pain being one that was both physical, thanks to her injuries, and also emotional due to seeing her captain in such a state. Had she really gone mad? Or was this simply her true self?

“You know, human, in a way, I should be thanking you…” The fish monster grunted as she wiped a smear off the side of her face, leering down at it with a mix of contempt and resignation, “For reminding me why it’s so important that Asgore gains the seven human souls and becomes a god…if just one of you is capable of causing this much trouble then we don’t stand a chance…”

Before one of the other monsters could interject, Clover stepped forward, tired and bruised, but definitely not broken, “You really think I wanted any of this?!!” He waved his arm out at the destruction and the damage both sides had done to the other, “Well, I didn’t! All I wanted was to find out what became of the humans that fell before me! And maybe get them some justice, if I can!”

“MY, OH MY! A BRAVE YOUNG SOUL FROM THE SURFACE WHO DESCENDED INTO OUR WORLD OF THEIR OWN WILL ON A RESCUE MISSION!” Mettaton announced in his usual bombastic manner, “IF THAT IS NOT BOTH INCREDIBLY NOBLE YET TRAGIC AT THE SAME TIME, I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS!”

That got those watching to start talking amongst themselves, but Asgore simply kept his eyes on the screen, seemingly stone-faced but everything he was seeing and hearing was gradually chiselling away at his soul.

However, Undyne wasn’t moved one bit, scoffing, “Ha! Justice, you say? Your side are the ones who locked us down here in the first place! If you humans had your way, you’d wipe us all out and then go about your lives without the slightest bit of guilt!”

“Miss Undyne, you and I are fellow lawmen, aren’t we?” Starlo pointed out as he adjusted his hat, “And if there’s one thing I’m quite certain we can both agree on is we want to do right by the people under our protection…but a real lawman doesn’t pass judgement until all the facts are in. When justice ain’t tempered with mercy, it just becomes blind vengeance.”

Undyne glowered at the cowboy, “...Mercy…you want to talk about mercy after the sh*t these humans have put us through. There are some breeds of monsters down here who are literally the last of their kind! No! The time for mercy passed a long time ago! Now’s the time to talk with our fists!!”

She let out her signature battle cry as the others rushed to meet her, the collision kicking up such wind that the footage went right to static. However, the robot was not dissuaded and went on.

“OUR COWBOY MADE A VERY GOOD POINT!” He acknowledged, even though he figured the folks down below couldn’t hear him, but he went on anyway, “MY DEAR VIEWERS. LIKE MANY OF YOU I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE SURFACE SOMEDAY, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO STOP AND ASK OURSELVES AN IMPORTANT QUESTION…” He then let out a deep sigh and clasped his hands on the table, “...HOW FAR SHOULD WE BE WILLING TO GO TO MAKE THAT DREAM A REALITY?”

As far as we have to go. NOTHING matters more than our survival.

Asgore could almost hear his father saying such a thing within his own mind, making him grimace. The fact that those around him were leering at each other with uncomfortable expressions only made HIM feel even more uncomfortable.

“WHILE YOU’RE ALL CHEWING ON THAT QUESTION, I NEED TO COME CLEAN WITH YOU ON SOMETHING…” Mettaton could already hear the gasps among his audience and he put up his hands to pacify him, “YES, YES, EVEN I, YOUR BELOVED METTATON, WHO BELIEVES IN BEING UPFRONT AND HONEST, HAVE NOT BEEN ENTIRELY TRUTHFUL WITH YOU ON SOME THINGS…AND ONE OF THOSE BEING, WELL…”

He took a moment to build up the anticipation before making his big announcement, “I ACTUALLY LOVE HUMANS!!” Sure enough, that generated all sorts of buzz, “AND WHY SHOULDN’T I? A LOT OF THE ENTERTAINMENT I’VE BEEN BRINGING YOU HAS ACTUALLY BEEN INSPIRED BY HUMANS, FOR HUMANS! WE WERE JUST FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE SOME OF THOSE WONDERS END UP DOWN HERE!”

“He’s right, you know,” An Astigmatism quipped, “I mean, one of my favorite movies of all time features humans dressed in colored spandex fighting what looks like a guy made out of goop.” The other monsters shushed them so they could focus on the screen where Undyne and her opponents were throwing their last ounces of strength at one another.

“IF WE STAND BY AND ALLOW HUMANITY TO BE DESTROYED, WE’LL LOSE OUT ON ANY OTHER MARVELS THEY WOULD’VE BEEN ABLE TO SHARE WITH US!” Mettaton pointed out in his usual dramatic, over-the-top fashion. “TO THAT END, DOES IT NOT MAKE MORE SENSE FOR US TO EXTEND OUR HANDS IN FRIENDSHIP? SO THAT WE MAY CREATE A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP?”

Asgore had to admit. He would love nothing more than that…but folks like him needed to live in the real world, and in the real world, such a scenario might as well be a pipe dream. He knew once humanity learned what he had done to free his people, they would descend on Monsterkind like wolves and destroy every last one.

He hoped against hope that this wouldn’t be the case…but if that ended up being the hand he was dealt, he…he would do what needed to be done. A king’s first priority was to his people, after all. Whether he liked it or not…

“Uh, Mr Mettaton, sir? I don’t mean to interrupt but this camera’s battery is starting to run a bit low.” R1 quietly muttered.

“OH WOE IS ME!!” Mettaton dramatically swooned for the camera, but on the inside he was chastising himself for not checking to make sure the battery was fully charged before leaving, “A THOUSAND APOLOGIES, MY LOVELY VIEWERS, BUT I’M AFRAID WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO CUT OUR PROGRAM SHORT! HOWEVER, I HOPE OUR BRIEF TIME TOGETHER HAS GIVEN YOU SOMETHING TO PONDER OVER. FOR NOW, I MUST BID YOU ADIEU! UNTIL NEXT TIME! STAY BEAUTIFUL!!”

With that, the screens went to static and Asgore simply stood there, still stone-faced.

“....King Asgore?” He snapped out of his stupor at being spoken to by a particularly small Whimsun, “Y-You’re not gonna…hurt that human if you meet them…are you?”

The king’s face softened as he knelt down to their level, forcing a smile onto his features, and shaking his head, “Of course not, little one. They will feel no pain. That I can assure you.” The Whimsun seemed to accept this and floated away, relieved.

Well…technically, it wasn’t a lie. He would do his best to make sure the little one felt no pain when their time came. That much they deserved. He stood up to his full height and turned to address those still present, raising his voice just a little to get his point across, “The rest of you please return to your homes. I will attend to this matter myself…”

Something I should’ve done before now, but, as usual, I was too much of a coward to take matters into my own hands…

Without waiting for a reply, the king began the long march towards his destination: The Royal Laboratory.

He would get the answers to all his questions very soon…he just hoped everyone would still be alive by the time he got there…

And maybe…just maybe…he could find out who that flower was…and why they felt like somebody he knew…

Clover fell to one knee, breathing heavily as exhaustion and pain finally caught up to him. Even with access to the abilities he had fighting Ceroba, and the help of all his friends, Undyne just refused to stay down.

If she’s this strong…this..stubborn…then I don’t have a ghost of a chance against Asgore…I never did…

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but the truth almost always was. Regardless, he needed to remember why he was here. Why he was pushing himself so hard. To save the last soul that needed saving. That was enough to force his body to stand one more time.

Undyne, looking all sorts of beaten up and ready to collapse, could only smirk in his direction, “Heh…you know something, human? We may be on opposing sides here but I gotta say..you’ve earned my respect, and that’s a hard thing to do…” Her entire body seemed to scream out in protest as she too pushed herself up, panting as she did so, “But just like you, I’m fighting for something bigger than myself…and that’s why I can’t afford to stop here…”

“...And neither can I…” Clover calmly remarked as he raised his soul, only to grunt at the effort, but then he found himself being supported by a certain bird monster who gave a determined nod and channeled her wind magic. Ceroba was soon by his side, also offering up her own magic. Both North Star and Dalv joined in, and then Axis.

No words needed to be said. He nodded in thanks and began channeling the power of his soul which now was being further empowered thanks to the bonds forged with all these people. The glow around his soul shifted to red, then blue, then yellow, then green, then purple, and finally back to yellow.

Undyne, seeing this, couldn’t help but get giddy all over again, “Oh, hell yeahhh!! That’s what I’m talking about!!!” She clapped her hands together and drew them apart to produce one final spear, only this one seemed to have a reddish tint to it and then proceeded to grow several times the size of her normal spears, “Give me everything you got! I won’t settle for less!!”

She grasped the spear and pulled back, that red light in her eye now back and gleaming brighter than before. This was what she lived for! Real warriors didn’t need a bunch of empty platitudes and speeches to communicate! They just needed their own two hands and the fire in their souls!!

Both sides charged up to finish this fight. One final clash. Winner takes all.

…However, a certain someone finally decided they were tired of sitting on the sidelines and thus decided it was time they acted. As such, the doors to the lab began to open…only to stop partway, “Damn it!!” Their claws could be seen breaching the gap, trying to force the doors the rest of the way open.

She couldn’t allow this! She just couldn’t! For once in her miserable life, she needed to actually SAVE lives instead of just condemning them! “UNDYNE!! Please! Stop!!!” She pushed and heaved but the doors refused to budge any further than they already had. No! It couldn’t end like this!!

“HANG ON, ALPHYS, DARLING! WE GOT YOU!!” Next thing she knew, Mettaton would grip on to one side of the doors while R1 and R2 got the other side and together they hauled the doors open, allowing the doctor to stumble out and rush towards the fighters.

Just as they were about to unleash their finishers, she managed to run in between the pair and this finally managed to snap the fish lady out of her bloodlust, “ALPHYS!! What the hell?!” Knowing she couldn’t just dispel this much magic, she aimed it just off-course so it headed towards the pools of lava far below, causing a massive plume of molten material to shoot upwards.

Not wanting to let a bystander get caught in the crossfire, Clover shifted their own blast so when it fired, the huge beam would partially melt through a tiny part of the lab’s roof and the rest would gradually dissipate as it soared skyward, leaving the whole gang to fall on their rears completely wiped.

Seeing that the fighting was seemingly over, the lizard monster breathed a huge sigh of relief as she ran towards her fallen friend and knelt by her side, worried beyond belief, “Undyne? Undyne! Speak to me! Come on!” That’s right. She was a fish monster, so she needed a steady supply of water, “Water! D-Does anybody have some?!”

She felt something roll against her foot and glanced down to see that, yep, it was indeed a bottle of water, courtesy of a fallen Clover who merely gave a thumbs up before going back to feeling like sh*t, “T-Thank you!!” Unscrewing the cap, she lifted her friend’s head just enough so she could start pouring the liquid down her throat, “There you go…”

Undyne’s body, acting on instinct, greedily gobbled up the offered water, until she started sputtering and coughing, “A-Alphys…?” She kept on coughing but did so in the midst of narrowing her eyebrows in annoyance at the doctor, “W-What the HELL did you think…you were doing back there?! Were you…agh…trying to get yourself killed…?”

“I…” Some dark, nihilistic part of her mind quietly remarked letting herself get killed may not have been the worst idea, but she shoved such thoughts back where they belonged. She had just seen a full-on, legit, anime fight scene right on her front door step! If that wasn’t a reason to keep on living, then what was? “W-Well, uh…it’s just…I-I didn’t want to see anyone die…e-especially not you…”

“Alphys…” Undyne proceed to facepalm at the fact that her friend could be so stupid on occasion despite being a genius, “I would’ve been just fine, you know…granted, I would’ve been sore as hell for a couple of days but hey, what are you gonna do? Comes with the job, and hey!” She forced a sh*t-eating grin onto her face, “I got an awesome fight out of it, so I think it all evens out in the end…”

“Oh, Undyne…” Alphys shook her head in a mix of amusem*nt and dismay. No matter what, at the end of the day, Undyne would always be Undyne. She spared a glance up at Mettaton and the other guardsmen, “C-Could you guys go fetch us some food and drink? And make sure there’s some for the human and their friends as well.” Not wanting to argue with the Royal Scientist, the trio did as they were told.

“H-Hey! You two! Get back here and capture the-acck!!” Undyne suddenly clenched her ribs, hissing from the pain, “Y-You’d better have a damn good reason for doing this, Alphys…”

“W-Well, I have A reason, if that makes you feel any better…” Alphys quipped, poking her index claws together in an awkward manner. Her fish friend raised an eyebrow, skeptical as all hell, but decided to let the matter slide for now.

The guardsmen and the robot reappeared with refreshments before going to offer them to the fallen fighters whom all, with the exception of the captain, cast suspicious gazes at the offer but they were all too bruised and thirsty to care that much, especially a certain deputy.

Ceroba guzzled down a bottle of water, her eyes trained on the now-open doors to the lab. Her little one was waiting for her right through there. She was so close. Basically a stone’s throw away from reuniting with the light of her life.

As if she could read her mind, Alphys looked the fox monster’s way, then at the doors to the lab, and then at Ceroba one more time. Her face and posture being that of someone who was defeated in every manner. She just looked…done, “...Miss Ketsukane?” The mother leered her way with a neutral expression, “....You wish to see your daughter.”

It was not a question. It was a statement. Still, she nodded grimly.

The royal scientist closed her eyes for a second, mentally prepping herself to do what needed to be done. Finally, she opened her eyes and gave a short, curt nod of her own, “I…I will take you to her.” A sense of damning finality descended on her at those words. There was no turning back now.

Helping each other to their feet, irregardless of whether they were previously ally or foe, they all made their way inside the lab where seating arrangements were set up and every single one of them would basically collapse, looking like they had just been through hell, which in a sense, they technically had been.

“ALRIGHT, DARLING. LET’S GET YOU ALL CHARGED UP,” Mettaton said as he pulled out a charging cord for his fellow robot’s battery and got him plugged in, “THERE YOU GO! YOU SHOULD BE RIGHT AS RAIN IN NO TIME FLAT! AND I GOTTA SAY, YOU PUT ON A MOST SPECTACULAR PERFORMANCE OUT THERE! HAVE YOU EVER CONSIDERED GOING INTO SHOW BUSINESS?”

(THANK YOU, AND NO, I HAVE NOT) Axis would reply while shaking his head, (I MUST ADMIT, I AM A LITTLE SURPRISED YOU ARE NOT HOLDING A GRUDGE CONSIDERING THE MOMENT I SAW YOU, MY PROGRAMMING TOLD ME TO PUNCH YOU)

“You did what?!” R1 exclaimed, looking like he wanted to throttle Chujin’s creation for daring to lay a hand on his idol.

However, Mettaton gave him a dismissive wave, “NOW, NOW, R1! WHILE I APPRECIATE YOU WANTING TO STICK UP FOR ME, THAT WON’T BE NECESSARY. I BEAR MR AXIS NO ILL WILL AS I’M SURE HE HAD HIS REASONS,” The possessed automaton glanced over at his fellow robot, “REASONS WE DON’T HAVE TO GET INTO AT THIS VERY MOMENT…RIGHT?”

Axis tumbled around the thought of just blurting out Mettaton’s biggest secret but decided this wasn’t the time or place, especially since the latter had already shown himself to be somewhat better than Chujin had made him out to be. Somewhat. (...NO. WE HAVE MORE PRESSING ISSUES AT THE MOMENT, AFTER ALL)

Mettaton clapped his hands together, “PRECISELY! IN THAT CASE, LET’S JUST ALLOW THAT EARLIER UNPLEASANTNESS TO BE WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE, SHALL WE?” Axis merely nodded as he took out the destroyed lightbulb on his head and replaced it with a fresh one.

“Just so we’re clear, first chance I get, I’m reporting you all to Asgore…” Undyne wheezed, laying stretched out on a couch while R2 bandaged the wound in her side. “But for now, consider what we got at the moment to be a temporary truce…”

“How generous…” Ceroba grumbled sarcastically, to which the captain shot her the stink eye but she paid her little heed as she obviously wasn’t in a position to do much…although by the looks of it, nobody was. As much as she wanted to breach that secret elevator right this second, she was aware her friends, and herself, needed a little while to recuperate.

She would give the fish lady credit where it was due. Her Captain status had been well-earned. “Do you think you could get your guardsmen to keep an eye outside? Just in case any more unwanted visitors show up.”

“I was just about to tell them to do that, girlie.” Ignoring the scowl shot her way by the fox, Undyne nodded to R1 and R2 to step outside and they did so without complaint.

Clover, whom had perched himself on a chair, looked around at the lab with a confused expression on his face, “So, um, Dr Alphys?” Said doctor, whom was in the middle of passing out ice packs, turned her head back, “Are you…really the only one who works here? Seems kinda lonely…”

“O-Oh, well, um, it’s not really THAT lonely,” Alphys blurted out as she took a moment to hand the human an ice pack to which he gave a thumbs up as a sign of thanks, which made her a little bashful, “...But yes…when you take up the role of Royal Scientist, you’re expected to be able to do the kinds of work that would typically require multiple scientists working together to pull off…”

“AND CAN I JUST SAY THAT SHE’S DONE A BANG-UP JOB AT HER ROLE AS WELL?” Mettaton cut in, looping an arm around her shoulders, his words laced with melted butter and honey, “YEP! I LITERALLY CANNOT IMAGINE ANYONE MORE QUALIFIED!” Ok, now her cheeks were burning red.

However, Ceroba wasn’t the slightest bit amused shown by her placing an elbow on the table and balancing her head on top of it, looking rather bored, “If you ask me, a more qualified person would’ve had the guts to keep the families of their patients updated on what was happening with their loved ones…”

Undyne scowled in her direction and almost seemed ready to throw hands once again on her friend’s behalf but, to both hers and Ceroba’s surprise, Martlet stepped in, “Uh, Ceroba? I know you’re not a big fan of Miss Alphys, and I can’t say you’re wrong not to be, but maybe we can at least let the good doctor give her side of the story first? Starlo did say a real lawman waits till all the facts are in…and besides…”

She flashed a sympathetic smile at the dinosaur, “I still stand by my opinion that she wouldn’t do the things she’s done without there being some sort of reason as to why…and, well…” Her smile stiffened as she parted some hair from her face and took a gander at all those present, “Let’s face it, none of us here, aside from maybe Clover, are exactly smelling like roses…”

Nobody, not even Ceroba, could argue against that. North Star decided he might as well take charge, being the resident sheriff and all, and so he cleared his throat, “So, um…Dr Alphys, right? You said you were gonna explain everything to the best of your ability and this is your chance.”

“R-Right! Right! Of course, I…” She bit her tongue while sparing a glance back at Undyne. If only she weren’t here, this might actually be a little easier….

Of course, she recalled her last conversation with the captain, of how they were friends. Heck, Undyne had literally just put her life on the line for the sole purpose of protecting her. If that wasn’t true friendship, then what was?

And besides…there was the fact that a certain flower could burst in here and kill them all anytime so…what was the point in hiding anything? Even if Undyne and everyone ended up hating her, it wasn’t gonna matter. Thus, she pulled over a chair for herself, and flopped herself down.

Taking a deep breath, she gazed up at the ceiling, sending a silent prayer to the Angel for support, “...Ok! Ok…where to begin…where to begin…?” She massaged her temples, “...Actually, where would you guys like me to begin? Because…there’s a lot to go over and I’m not sure how much time we have…”

Dalv raised his hand to get everyone’s attention, “Um…how about that Flowey individual? What’s his deal? Earlier, when the topic of him came up, you made it sound like the two of you had a history together.”

“I suppose it’s only right that we start with him…” Alphys acknowledged in a somewhat bitter tone as she laid her back against the chair, now feeling way older than she actually was, “I did indeed create him…right here in this lab, using a flower from the garden Asgore has in his throne room. I wanted to give him a companion. Someone to talk to, and make him not feel so…alone in the world…”

Clover chimed in, “What about the Queen? Why isn’t she with him?”

Alphys, caught off-guard by the suddenness of the question, stammered a little, “O-Oh! Well, um, that’s a bit of a sensitive topic. Y-Yes, very sensitive indeed, and not exactly the kind of thing I believe I’m qualified to discuss out in the-”

“Because she’s a goddamn coward, that’s why!!” Undyne all but shouted with a hint of disgust evident in her tone, going to sit up only to fall right back down, grunting, “When the King and Queen lost their kids at the hands of your people, the entire Underground might as well have been drowning in a flood of hopelessness…so you know what Asgore did?”

She fixed the human with a remarkably stern look, wanting to make sure she got her point across, “He decided enough was enough…he would do what was needed to make sure we would never again be the victims…he turned that pain and anger into strength. The kind of strength you need to make the toughest decisions!”

“And so he decided that younglings like Clover needed to act the role of the sacrificial lamb…” North Star commented in a voice laden with bitter disappointment. “...That said, I can’t imagine what that day was like as it happened long before I was even a thought in my folks’ heads…”

“Hmph…neither can I, to be honest…” Undyne admitted, her manner of speaking softened as she laid her head back down and just stared at the ceiling, reflecting, “You punks can think what you want of Asgore, but at least he stuck to his guns. At least he didn’t take the coward’s way out, unlike our oh-so-glorious Queen who decided the best course of action was to run away from her problems and disappear into thin air…”

She shook her head in a mix of disappointment and disgust, “You ask me, somebody who does that has no right calling themselves any sort of leader. No, as far as I’m concerned, such a person is nothing more than a spoiled child too scared to shoulder a little responsibility…”

“Undyne, I don’t think you’re being entirely fair,” Alphys’ admonished, and Undyne actually winced at this which surprised those who knew her as the captain almost always seemed completely infallible, never faltering, “She was suffering just as much as anybody else back then. I mean, I’m not a mother but if I lost my child…well…I don’t know what I would do…”

Mettaton brought her over a glass of water and she nodded in gratitude, downed the contents, before sighing, “And then her husband loses his mind and declares all-out war…I can’t say I blame her for deciding to just…disappear…”

“Alphys, we’ve been over this before. He had a moment of weakness. Happens to the best of us,” Her friend pointed out, the tiredness in her voice reinforcing the fact that they were after having this discussion more than once. “You ask me, if she really were devoted to him, she would’ve caught on to the fact that he wasn’t himself. Maybe then they could’ve…I don’t know…helped each other to heal?”

The royal scientist’s scowl faded into more of a wishful-looking frown, “...Perhaps…but then again, maybe it wouldn’t have changed anything. Either way, we’re getting off-topic, and I doubt our guests are interested in hearing us get into a debate right in front of them.”

“I do have one question though before you continue,” Clover piped up, now being the one to raise his hand which earned a round of amused snorts from the monsters present, making him pout, “What? Raising my hand just seemed like the polite thing to do…anyways…Asgore had…kids?”

“HE MOST CERTAINLY DID, LITTLE STAR,” Mettaton chimed in, eager to be part of the discussion in some small way, “TWO OF THEM, IN FACT. ONE WAS BIOLOGICALLY HIS AND HIS WIFE’S, BUT THE OTHER JUST SO HAPPENED TO BE A HUMAN LIKE YOU THAT THEY ADOPTED AFTER SAID HUMAN FELL DOWN INTO OUR KINGDOM.”

“Ooh, ooh! I know this one!!” Martlet actually jumped out of her chair, suppressing the sharp jolt of pain from the effort, and proceeded to wave her wing excitedly, giddy as all get out to contribute and show her smarts, “I actually read about the topic once from a book I found in Snowdin’s library! Now, I’ll admit the book didn’t go into anything super specific but said human, Chara was their name by the way, they were a pretty big deal down here.”

“Considering they were the first human to enter our kingdom since the barrier’s creation, that’s no surprise,” Alphys acknowledged with a nod, “The bond between them and the king and queen’s son brought new hope to our people. Made the majority of us believe that our imprisonment didn’t need to last forever. Somehow, someway, we would escape one day.”

“And once we did so, we’d be able to show the current humans that they have nothing to fear from us,” Martlet continued, “Because Chara and Asriel would serve as living proof that it is possible for us to co-exist…” The cheerful mood, however, began to dissipate with her sitting back down, “...But that all changed when Chara got very sick…”

Nobody else picked up on it, but Clover, observant as ever, noticed the slightest twitch in the lizard’s eye. She knew something. “Y-Yes…out of the blue, they just suddenly fell ill, and their condition kept on getting worse and worse. Eventually…well…” She trailed off, but she didn’t need to say more. The others could fill in the blanks on their own.

Someone needed to pick up the slack, so Dalv cleared his throat, getting the others' attention, “When Chara…passed on…their soul lingered thanks to the simple fact that human souls are much stronger than our own…”

At these words, Clover instinctively put a hand to his chest where a soft yellow glow formed, “...Before their physical body gave out on them completely, they had but one request: To see the flowers of their village again…so the prince absorbed Chara’s soul, becoming a being of great power…and carried their sibling’s body through the barrier…”

“So it takes a mix of a human AND monster soul to cross through…” Clover quietly mumbled, to the point that unless you had sharp hearing like Ceroba, you’d be hard-pressed to hear what he said.

Dalv only nodded somberly, “...When they reached the village, the humans there, as you can imagine, didn’t take well to a monster in their midst, especially one carrying the body of a child…so they reacted as you might expect.”

Nobody said a word. Not a peep was uttered as each of them let their imaginations roam freely. The very topic all on its own was uncomfortable, making some like Martlet feel like they were intruding into territory they had no business being part of. Just how scared had the prince been all throughout that terrible time? Watching their adopted sibling wither away, having to take their soul and bring their body back home only to get assaulted by scared humans…

“...AS INSENSITIVE AS THIS IS FOR ME TO ADMIT, I CAN’T SAY I BLAME THOSE HUMANS FOR REACTING THE WAY THEY DID…” Mettaton conceded, having shifted his form so he wasn’t looking at anybody. “THEY’VE LIKELY SPENT MUCH OF THEIR LIVES BEING FED STORIES ON MONSTERS BEING CRUEL, sad*stIC, HUNGRY FOR SOULS….AND THEN THEY SEE ONE WANDER INTO THEIR VILLAGE, CARRYING THE BODY OF A CHILD NO LESS AND…WELL…”

He spared a glance back at the assembled group, “CAN WE HONESTLY SAY IF THE ROLES WERE REVERSED, IF WE WERE THE ONES IN THAT SITUATION…THAT WE WOULDN’T HAVE REACTED THE SAME WAY…?” Nobody had an answer to that question, and in a way, that was perhaps the only answer that made sense.

However, Dalv still had a story to finish so he continued, even if he wasn’t exactly feeling up to it, “As you can imagine, the prince, being a Boss Monster himself and having merged with a human soul had a power most of us can only dream of possessing…but he refused to fight back against his attackers…”

“Because he knew that they weren’t acting out of malice or cruelty,” Clover commented in a soft, meek tone, eyes having drifted to the floor while his hat cast a shadow over them, “They were scared…angry that this monster had seemingly taken a child’s life and was now showing off his kill…”

Dalv’s lip trembled, “...Yes…” He took a moment to regain his composure, heaving his shoulders as he did so, and then continued, “Asriel retreated back to the Underground, and there in the throne room, his parents were forced to watch as he…turned to dust right in front of him…” He couldn’t hold back the tears anymore and brought a forearm up to cover his eyes, “I-I’m sorry…it’s just every time I think about what that poor soul had to go through…no, what BOTH of them had to go through…”

Nobody said a word, because what could you possibly say in response to that? Just a few friendly pats on the shoulder, some empty words about how everything was gonna be fine? No. The Dreemurr Siblings had suffered in ways none of them could imagine, left a void in the heart of Monsterkind that could never be filled.

Perhaps the only one here who could even begin to grasp the enormity of this tragedy was a certain fox monster, seated there with a faraway look in her eyes, “...This never should’ve happened…” Short and to the point, but those few words said enough.

“Agreed…” Alphys downed the rest of her water and set it aside, “That’s why I felt it was so important to do whatever I could think of to ease his loneliness. In fact, that actually lined up very nicely with my main goal of trying to find alternate ways to break the Barrier. One of my working theories took the form of a very simple yet vitally important question…”

She took her glasses off long enough to wipe them clean with a handkerchief but when she slipped them back on, there was a newfound hardness to her gaze, and the words she spoke next carried a grave weight to them:

“What Happens If Something Without A Soul Gains The Will To Live?”

She gave her guests a moment to digest the enormity of those words, and like she expected, almost everyone’s eyes widened in horror, with Martlet covering her mouth in disgust, “W-W-Wait a minute…you don’t mean…Flowey doesn’t have a soul of his own?!!”

“Mind explaining to the rest of the class how that’s even possible, Alphys?” Undyne quizzed from where she lay only to push herself to sit up while holding her side, “I mean, I had myself a little pow-wow with that freak of nature back in the Dunes and he certainly seemed to have a fully-functioning personality to me…”

She grinded her teeth together as the flower’s sickening laugh echoed in her brain, “A sick, twisted personality fit only for a megalomaniac…but a personality, all the same…”

“I…well…” The lizard monster balled up her hands from the mounting anxiety. This truly was the point of no return, wasn’t it? Well, if they all turned their backs on her, then she knew she only had one person to blame, and their name wasn’t Flowey, “...Asgore gave me access to the Human Souls we had gathered and so I got to work learning all I could from them…”

Feeling the sweat already reforming on her forehead, she wiped it away and continued, “I-I figured if I could figure what it was that allowed them to l-linger in our world for so long, then I could apply that to the souls of Monsters and we could somehow use that to break the barrier instead but now I’m talking in circles so-”

“Hold up, hold up!” Clover jumped out of his chair, hands raised to stop her, his face being that of someone who was definitely not liking what he was hearing one bit, “Are you saying you experimented on my fellow humans?” He was starting to wonder if he was dealing with another Chujin.

“I-I only extracted what I needed from their souls and then I sent them right back! I swear! That’s all I did!” Alphys insisted, eyes bugging out as she pushed her chair away from the human. If this lad was capable of giving Undyne a run for her money, then she didn’t want to even think about what he could do to her if she pissed him off…

Clover didn’t look convinced, and neither did a number of his posse, especially Ceroba who was now folding her arms and glowering in her direction. Thankfully, she wasn’t alone, “I CAN VOUCH FOR HER,” Mettaton remarked as she placed himself as a wall between her and the human, “IF SHE SAYS THAT’S ALL SHE DID, THEN THAT’S ALL SHE DID.”

“For once, I gotta agree with the living microwave,” Undyne grumbled, and if she overheard him fuming, she paid no heed, “I’ve known Alphys for quite some time and if you can trust anybody to take the best possible care of a soul, it would be her…now…” She opened her one good eye, now gleaming red, “I’m willing to give you lot the benefit of the doubt, but if you so much as lay a hand on her, we’re gonna have problems…”

“ALSO, I THINK WE’RE LETTING OURSELVES GET SIDETRACKED FROM THE MATTER AT HAND.” Mettaton pointed out. Clover’s expression didn’t lighten up but he got the message and so he sat back down. Martlet reaching over to pat his shoulder reassuringly. “NOW, ALPHYS, YOU WERE SAYING?”

“T-Thank you, Mettaton…Undyne…” Alphys murmured, a hint of disbelief evident in her tone at the realization they were still standing by her side even though she was, more or less, coming clean about her greatest sins. Had she been…wrong to lie so much? Could she have reached out sooner to someone? “B-But yes…as you all know, the barrier is locked by Soul Power. A power equivalent to seven human souls is necessary to break it…”

“So you were trying to create a substitute,” North Star nodded in understanding, “That way, nobody would have to die.”

“Y-Yes! Exactly!” The doctor concurred, pointing at the sheriff excitedly, “As long as the force we hit it with was equal to the force used to create it in the first place, the barrier should fall! That was my working theory, anyways…and yes, Flowey was intended to be that substitute. Not only would he be Asgore’s companion, he would hopefully be the key to our freedom…keyword being hopefully…”

“But that’s not what happened, sadly…” Martlet muttered with downcast eyes, reflecting on all the suffering that thing had inflicted. “Somehow, your experiments brought him to life while also giving him the power to control time…a power he’s used to treat Clover and who knows how many other people as his playthings…”

Alphys turned white as snow at this piece of info, the sins of her past crawling up her spine with renewed vigor, “He..you mean you’ve all…” Her gaze drifted over them one by one, each of them nodding grimly, before ending on Clover who now seemed oddly interested in a random corner of the room, “Oh dear…oh dear, oh dear…I-I am so, so sorry. I really, truly am…I-I swear, I did NOT mean for any of this to happen! I know I should’ve run more tests, been more cautious about using Determination but I was just so desperate and scared and, and…”

“Oi, Alphys!” Suddenly, the doctor found herself being spun around and having both sides of her face being gripped tightly by Undyne, whose own face was now only a few inches from hers, the former wearing a cold, hard expression that commanded respect, “Get a hold of yourself already before I’m tempted to suplex you! The last thing we need right now is for you to go to pieces, so pull yourself together, ok?”

“Undyne, I..” Some part of the doctor’s psyche wanted to start spewing apologies and making excuses, as was her whole song and dance by now, but being surrounded by folks willing to stand up for her, and being in the presence of those that were also directly affected by Flowey’s machinations…well, it didn’t exactly ignite a fire in her heart, but there was definitely something there. A spark.

Now, she wouldn’t call this spark one of hope but it did signify a…desire. A desire that said if they were all going down, the least she could do was try to make amends wherever she could, even if the effort was pointless in the end.

Taking a few deep breaths, and relaxing her posture, Alphys found herself nodding, “Thank you…” Undyne nodded, grinning as she let her friend go so she could continue explaining to her guests, “If what you guys are saying is true, and I have no reason to doubt that due to the simple fact you even KNOW my creation exists…then we are in even more danger than I originally thought…”

“Especially since we know for a fact he’s after the human souls Asgore has in his possession,” Clover revealed, gripping his own hands tightly as images from his past runs played out within his brain like a short film, “Ever since the moment I first fell into the Underground, he’s had complete control over my fate. If I didn’t do things the way he wanted…”

“He’d just rewind the clock and you’d be back at square one…” Alphys finished that train of thought for him, and with a pained expression, Clover could only nod as her mind started to piece together what Flowey was really after, “...He was trying to get you to Asgore’s castle so you could kill him and then he’d be free to take the souls for himself.”

“And you wanna know the really messed-up part, doc?” Clover asked, sneaking in an empty chuckle which unnerved all those present, including the captain, “If it weren’t for Flowey, I’m pretty sure I would’ve never even made it out of the Ruins. That’s how hopeless I was back then-hey!” He got cut off by a certain bird monster lifting him into her arms, “M-Martlet!”

“Oh no, you’re not putting yourself down while you’re in my presence, buster,” The former guard member remarked, wearing a smirk on her face as she sat back down, now carrying him much to his annoyance and everyone else’s amusem*nt, “Now, who’s my big, strong, smart, handsome, sugary sweet dumpling of a human who’s been nothing but a ball of sunshine since he entered our lives?”

“M-Martlet, I’m fourteen. I’m a bit too old for-” He was about to protest but being held in a warm embrace like this was too much to resist so he sank into her embrace with a huff, “Me, I guess…” His caretaker giggled and patted his head gently, hat and all.

Even Undyne couldn’t help but crack a smile at the scene. Sadly, she could only do so briefly before tapping her friend on the shoulder, “So, um…I guess this explains all the feelings of deja vu various folks have been having, huh?”

“Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I guess it does…” Alphys admitted while sheepishly scratching the back of her head, “Kinda wish I had connected all the dots sooner, to be honest…maybe then I could’ve done something long before we ever had to end up in this situation…”

“Alphys, old friend, you and I both know from all the anime we’ve watched that folks who can control time are extremely difficult to stop,” The captain reminded her in a gentle, patient manner, “And while we’re on the topic, don’t you start blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault,”

She poked her friend in the chest for emphasis, “Got it? You may have brought that asshole into this world but everything he’s done since then? That’s on him. Not you.”

The lizard looked like she was about to object, to point out that he only got this way because she messed with forces she had little understanding of, but Clover piped up first, “She’s right,” Alphys turned her head in his direction as he shifted so he was sitting in Martlet’s lap, “Regardless of whether he has a soul or not, that’s still no excuse for the things he’s done, and the people he’s hurt…he made his choices entirely of his own will…”

When Clover opened his eyes, they shimmered with a familiar yellow light, “And no matter what it takes, I intend to make sure he faces justice for his crimes.”

“Well said, punk!” Undyne complimented, punching the air with a cheeky grin, “And if anybody knows how to stop that talking weed, it would be the person who made him! So come on, Alphys! Don’t hold out on us! You gotta have, like, some sort of kill switch for him, or some fancy new weapon you've been working on we can shoot him with!”

“Ooh, or maybe some sort of fancy artefact that’ll somehow disable his time powers!” Dalv exclaimed, eyes starting to sparkle at the possibilities.

“Hell yeah! This guy gets where I’m coming from!” The fish lady exclaimed, pointing at the vampire, beaming with pride.

“You guys…” The good doctor groaned as she ran a hand over her temples, “We are dealing with time travel here! Not shapeshifters, not weather manipulators, or illusionists, or folks who can call down meteors, not any of that! If it were any of those I could probably throw together something but I don’t think we have the time-”

“Mommy…”

That one word emitting from the speakers was enough to stop everyone right in their tracks, banishing all sound and leaving only a void of silence. Ceroba ignored the lingering burning of her injuries and shot out of her chair so fast she knocked it over, frantically looking everywhere, eyes bugging out, “...That voice…can it be…K-Kanako…?”

“M…o…m…m…y..”

“It’s coming from the speakers over there next to the computer!” Clover shouted, pointing out said listening devices as he left Martlet’s embrace.

“Kanako! Kanako!” In a flash, the mother lunged past everyone and crashed into the table, scooping up the speaker, misty-eyed, hands trembling from a mix of excitement and anxiety, “Kanako! It’s me! Mommy’s here! I-I’m so so sorry I took as long as I did to come for you, b-but…I-I’ll be with you real soon, I promise!!” No reply on the other end, which only elevated Ceroba’s worries as she whirled on the doctor, “W-Why isn’t she answering??”

Alphys expression was stoic, but her eyes betrayed the guilt and anguish she herself felt, “...That speaker there only goes one way…” She tilted her head in the direction of the secret elevator, the stoicness fading to one of resignation, “...She’s down that elevator…as are all the other patients…”

Ceroba dropped the speaker and rushed over to what would normally pass for a bathroom and, sure enough, the doors slid open to reveal an elevator. “...So all I have to do…is go down in this…and I’ll find my little girl…” She looked back at the doctor, her facial features void of any hostility and merely looking for assurance, “...Right? S-She’ll be there…right?”

Alphys lowered her head, avoiding the widow’s gaze, but did give a short, curt nod, “...Yes. She will. However…I should warn you that she…w-won’t be the way you remember her…”

Some of the colour in Ceroba’s face faded at this admission, “W-What did you do…?” The doctor said nothing, and this only aggravated her, “I asked you a question! What did you do to my little sunshine?!”

“What I had to do to give her a fighting chance at life, ok?!!” Alphys finally snapped, shooting out of her chair, eyes red and puffy as she stared down the fox monster, “And the same went for every other monster that came in through my door! They all got injected with Determination! The very same I extracted from the human souls!”

Ceroba looked ready to start an argument only to feel a hand on her shoulder from Mettaton and when he spoke, his tone was firm but kind, “...MISS KETSUKANE? I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE SOME STRONG FEELINGS TOWARDS DR ALPHYS RIGHT NOW AND YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE…BUT PLEASE TRY TO REMEMBER THAT SHE NEVER MEANT ANY ILL WILL. EVERYTHING SHE DID WAS TO SAVE LIVES.”

“And the only reason you’re getting a chance to reunite with your daughter right now is because of what she did…” Undyne pointed out with a hint of bitterness and even some envy in her tone, “Regardless of the state she’s in…that’s still a better deal than what a lot of families down here get…”

The fox woman was forced to bite her tongue as, although she didn’t want to give the doctor any sort of credit, she was forced to admit that her colleagues had a valid point. Besides, I’m not really in a position to judge considering what I’m guilty of…am I?

Ceroba sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, “You’re right. I apologize. It’s just…can we please go see my daughter already and then we’ll figure out what comes next…?”

“I’m coming too!” Clover announced, pounding a fist against his chest proudly, “We’ve come this far so we might as well see this through to the end!” Everyone around him echoed his sentiments. The time was now. “Besides, I wouldn’t be a very good deputy if I decided to walk away from a job that’s only half-finished.”

“Got that right, partner!!” Starlo praised as he pushed himself out of his chair, adjusting his hat. His bruises still hadn’t fully mended but he’d be damned if he sat by while his dear old friend had to face…whatever was down there, “Ok, posse! Let’s move out!” The rest of the rescue squad all cheered in agreement.

Undyne couldn’t help but let a proud smile come across her face as she eyed Ceroba, “Gotta say, you’ve surrounded yourself with some real good people…”

“They’re the best,” Ceroba replied with a fond smile. “And I wouldn’t trade their loyalty for any-”

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“They’re the best,” Ceroba replied with a fond smile, “And I wouldn’t trade-”

“He’s coming…”

The good vibes came to a screeching halt at hearing the abject fear in Clover’s voice at those words. That fear was only made even more evident by the fact he was now glancing around the lab, “F-Flowey…h-he just did something…w-we need to go now!”

“He’s right. I felt it too,” Martlet concurred as she put her hands on Clover’s shoulders to steady him, “I think that flower’s done waiting…”

“Well, in that case…” Undyne forced herself to her feet while summoning a spear to her free hand, “You guys take Alphys and go do whatever it is you’re gonna do. Me and the boys will handle things up here. Buy you some time.”

“That won’t work,” Alphys shook her head in firm denial, “Flowey can appear basically anywhere he wants. Your best bet would be-”

“My best bet is to give him something even he can’t ignore!!!” Undyne shouted at the top of her lungs as she raised her spear triumphantly while marching towards the exit, “Sheriff North Star! I leave Alphys in your hands! Any harm comes to her, and you’ll answer to me! You hear?!”

“Loud and clear, sir!!” Starlo saluted the captain before eyeing the doctor with a reassuring smile, “Hey, don’t look so down. Something tells me she’s gonna be just fine. It’s your own safety you need to worry about right now.”

“I-I suppose…” The scientist admitted reluctantly as she watched her friend’s retreating form in dismay. She turned her head in the direction of a certain ghost, “Mettaton? Could you…ya know…”

“SAY NO MORE, ALPHYS DEAR!” He flashed her an “ok” gesture with his hand, “I’LL KEEP AN EYE ON THE CAPTAIN FOR YA! MAKE SURE SHE DOESN’T EMBARRASS HERSELF TOO MUCH…” Chuckling, he rolled on out.

Deciding that she had put this off long enough, the lizard walked into the elevator with the others and once they were all inside, the doors closed and the descent began.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Asgore huffed and puffed as he marched along the path leading out of the capital and towards Hotland, “Phew…dearie me…didn’t realise I was so out of shape. Maybe I should consider getting out of the castle more often…that and maybe cut back on the number of cakes I have with tea time. That would certainly help…”

Oh, if only dear old dad could see me now, he’d probably have some choice words about what a disgrace I am for slacking off my training. Then again, it did seem to get harder and harder to please him as the years went by so even if I didn’t, he probably would’ve found something else to complain about…

Pushing thoughts about his father to the back of his mind for the time being, he marched onward. Yes, he knew what he was doing right now wasn’t exactly smart, leaving the capital behind but, after viewing that broadcast, he was now more convinced than ever that all the chaos of the past couple days had a single focal point:

The Royal Laboratory.

For the longest time, he had trusted the current Royal Scientist to know what she was doing, and so he had been, for the most part, rather hands-off when it came to keeping tabs on what she was up to. After all, the burden she carried was second only to his own so he understood the need to keep certain matters to one’s self.

No need to let the folks who depended on you know just how close you were to falling apart at the seams…

Of course, with everything that was after happening lately, he started to wonder if he had put a bit too much distance between himself and her affairs. He couldn’t help it, as the more often he was seen out in public, the greater the chances of running into another human that had fallen down, and if that happened…well…

Asgore’s breath got caught in his throat as he stopped and placed a hand against the nearest tree in order to steady himself. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep doing this. How much longer he could keep tearing his own soul to pieces with one unforgivable act after another…

However, to stop now would be pointless. A complete and total squandering of all that had been done to get them this far. The king got cold feet just as they were on the verge of escape? There would be riots, panic in the streets, the entire Underground could end up getting split down the middle with one half being pro-human and the other anti-human.

…And for all he knew, maybe that was already happening.

Was what he was doing truly just? At best, that was a matter of opinion. Some, like Undyne, would argue that of course it was. They had every right to see the Sun again, to not have to live with the fact that this was all they had, that humanity needed to pay for their crimes, and so on, and so on.

Others though, would likely feel very differently. There was no justice in taking the souls of those whose lives had barely even begun. In wanting to wage war against a race whose ancestors were the guilty party. Not those who lived in the here and now. To do so would make Monsterkind no different than the humans who imprisoned them in the first place.

And that broadcast was almost certainly gonna generate a lot of buzz in the coming days, especially since Mettaton outright admitted to being a fan of humans. Asgore could already feel a headache coming on from all the racket he was gonna be dealing with soon.

Just then, he was brought out of his musings by something bumping against his foot, “Hmm?” Glancing downwards, he spotted a gold coin having rolled next to his foot. He scooped up said coin and turned it back and forth, “Now where on earth did you come from…?”

“Get back here, you little scoundrel!!” A voice shouted from far away, “I am not letting a single one of you get away from me! Especially after all the trouble I went through to-KING ASGORE??!”

“Yes?” He lifted his head and saw a most unexpected sight standing before him, a brown-furred raccoon wearing a blue tuxedo and fedora, along with a red tie and a pair of black sunglasses. “Is this yours by any chance, dear citizen?”

“Uh…well…kinda…” The raccoon suddenly looked very uncomfortable being in his presence, leering every which way as if they expected a camera crew to pop out of the bushes as part of some prank. “But, uh…that’s ok! Really! You can have it if you want! Plenty more money where that came from.”

“Nonsense,” Asgore scoffed as he knelt down and offered the coin back with a warm smile, “I know a businessman when I see one and the last thing I’d ever want to do is deprive them of the pay they toiled so hard for.”

The raccoon’s expression softened at his words, genuinely touched, “...T-Thank you, sir…” They took the coin back graciously and stored it in their tuxedo’s pocket, “I-I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before. I-I’m Mo. A Salesman, or at least I was once upon a time until I made some really bad financial decisions…” The aptly-named Mo took off his hat and held said apparel with both hands, now looking quite ashamed of himself.

The king’s expression shifted to a more sympathetic one. He tried to do his best to ensure everyone in his kingdom was provided for, but despite what some may insist, he wasn’t perfect and every now and then a couple of unfortunate souls would fall through the cracks in the system, “...I am truly sorry to hear that…if there’s anything I can do-”

“Oh no, no, no!!” The raccoon put his hands up pensively, even taking a step back, “I’m not asking for charity! If there’s one thing I believe in is working for an honest buck! No hand outs! And besides, I’m already back in the game!” A grin starting to form on his face, he rooted around in his hat and pulled out a small sack of gold coins, “See? With this much dough, I should have more than enough to pay off all my debts!”

“That’s wonderful!” Asgore exclaimed, and he genuinely did mean that. “Although I am curious how you managed to pull that off. You must’ve had some mighty fine souls to help you get back on your feet.”

“I did, actually!” Mo acknowledged as he put the sack away and placed his hat back on, “A fine young lad by the name of Clover who just so happened to buy up all my stock! Real trooper that one is! Even if they’re human!”

The moment he mentioned the young one, Asgore’s jovial mood soured a bit, “Oh…I…I see. That’s…very good to hear. Yes…indeed. Wonderful, in fact…I…” Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to stand, “I apologize for cutting our talk short but I have urgent business to attend to…please come by the castle sometime and I’d be happy to have tea with you…” He turned to go.

However, he only managed to get a few feet before the raccoon called out after him, “You’re going to take their soul…aren’t you?” There was no resentment in their words. Only honesty and a hint of disappointment.

Asgore didn’t bother looking back but he did stop in place, “...Yes…”

Mo could only give a shaky nod as he reached up and took off his glasses, “...I…I figured as much. Just for the record, I…I don’t hate you. How can I when this is all for our sake…?”

The king didn’t reply right away, but when he did, it almost sounded like he was choking back tears, “...You should…a king who would take the lives of little ones for ANY reason…is no king at all…”

“Maybe…maybe…” The salesman acknowledged, doing his best to bite back his own tears, “...They’re a good kid, that Clover. Bought everything I had for sale every time I showed up in front of them, unannounced…” He snorted in amusem*nt, “In hindsight, I probably could’ve tried being a little less pushy but hey, I was desperate…and it all worked out in the end. I’m out of the red and on my way back to the top, baby!”

Mo smirked, or at least tried to, but he couldn’t find the energy for even that so he let out a deep sigh instead, “I…I know nothing I say is gonna change your mind but I figure I might as well let you know that, from what I heard on the grapevine? That Clover lad? They’re after helping a lot more people than just me…they don’t deserve what you got planned…”

His gaze hardened just a little bit, “And if you do what you’re setting out to do…you best be aware that you’re gonna be leaving a pretty big hole in a lot of folks’ hearts…”

Asgore used every ounce of mental strength he had to swallow back the tears of anguish that threatened to spill forth, because he knew if he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop, “...I am aware…if they end up hating me then that is their right. I won’t fault them. However, even just letting a single human wander freely…that is a recipe for disaster all on its own…”

He tilted his head back just enough so he could place Mo in his field of view, “Any number of things could happen to them…and if they are lost and their soul isn’t retrieved in time, or somebody decides to take it for themselves…well…”

“I know, either way that’ll just create its own slew of problems,” Mo acknowledged, his voice tinted with annoyance, but he knew on some level, Asgore wasn’t wrong. There just seemed to be no good solutions to this crisis, and Mo, being a simple salesman, didn’t feel he was qualified to weigh in on the matter either way. “...I do have one request though…”

Asgore turned to face him properly, his mouth locked tight but his eyes were as gentle as ever, “Of course. Name it.”

The raccoon slipped his glasses back on and adjusted his fedora, “Before you do what you’re planning to do…talk with Clover. Get to know them a little. Make sure the poor lad is remembered…and….” His mouth quivered, “...Please…make sure they don’t suffer…”

The king could only nod, “You have my word. I will do as you ask. Their sacrifice will not be for nothing….” He went to walk away only to stop one last time, “Oh. Before I forget…” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small sack of his own and set it on the ground, “There you go. I wish you well in your future business ventures, Mr Mo. Until we meet again.”

With that, he walked off towards where he knew he needed to be.

Mo watched him go, and once he was out of sight, the raccoon gingerly scooped up the sack and, sure enough, there was a decent chunk of gold within. Normally, he’d be over the moon at such a lucky break, but instead, he felt nothing.

What use was all this gold when he knew a young lad was about to lose their life as a result of a war that none of them asked for?

Scowling, he stored the sack away and stormed off. He needed a coffee…

And then after that, he had a few calls to make.

Ceroba paced back and forth in the elevator frantically while said transport descended further and further towards its final destination. Finally, she stopped and started slamming the down arrow repeatedly, grunting, “Come on. Come on! Can this thing go any faster?!”

Martlet wanted to remark that the elevator was going as fast as it possibly could and all her button pressing wasn’t gonna get them any quicker to their destination, but she got the feeling Ceroba currently wasn’t in the mindset to listen so she kept quiet as did everybody else.

They were all on edge, not having the foggiest clue what to expect down in the True Lab. They knew Kanako would be there, along with all the other monsters who had Fallen Down, and that Alphys was forced to use the DT Serum in an attempt to save their lives…but beyond that? Not much else, and that…that was genuinely worrying.

Clover was off in his own little world, recalling his vision of Martlet’s death. Namely the time he saw her inject herself with the serum, transform, fight and kill him over and over again…until finally, he managed to emerge the victor, only to then be forced to watch as she literally melted away, crying out for help.

No, Clover. That’s not gonna happen in this timeline. He argued with himself. For one thing, Kanako is not Martlet. She hasn’t melted away. That alone means her situation is very different. He found himself narrowing his eyebrows. Could that be due to the fact she’s got the Boss Monster gene in her…?

While Ceroba kept up trying to somehow defy physics by hammering away at the button, Clover turned his attention to the good doctor who seemed like she had completely zoned out, going so far as to mumble stuff under her breath, “Dr Alphys?” She seemingly ignored him and just kept on mumbling, which was starting to annoy him a little. “Doc?”

Before he could do anything though, Starlo stepped in and snapped his fingers in front of the lizard’s face, startling her out of whatever mental space she had tucked herself away in, “Huh? Wha? Where? Who? Oh, uh, y-yes Clover?”

“I just wanted to ask something while we got the chance,” He spared a glance behind him at Martlet whom snapped out of her stoicism to give him a reassuring wink before returning to mentally readying herself. “Do you think there’s a way we can stop Flowey?”

The good doctor folded her arms and contemplated the question, “Well, this is only a theory but assuming that Determination is what gave him his power over time in the first place then supposedly , and again this is only a theory, having enough in you might allow you to, at the very least, resist his ability..”

“So, is that why some of us like Clover and Martlet can recall when time has gotten rewound?” Dalv quizzed, “Because we’ve got a certain amount of this…determination stuff in us?”

“W-Well, from what little I’ve gathered about this whole situation. Your own experiences, Kanako’s, all the reports of people experiencing deja vu…that all seems to line up just so, yes,” She took out her handkerchief to wipe the beads of sweat forming on her brow as a result of the stress, “Thing is, most monsters can only contain a small amount of determination as our bodies are just too fragile for an excessive amount. Humans, on the other hand, their bodies are made up of physical matter meaning they can hold much greater amounts of it…”

(SO THAT’S THE OTHER REASON YOU CHOSE A FLOWER TO BE THE VESSEL) Axis commented. (PLANTS ARE ENTIRELY PHYSICAL MATTER SO IT STANDS TO REASON THEY WOULD EXPERIENCE LITTLE TO NO SIDE EFFECTS FROM BEING INJECTED WITH DETERMINATION)

“Y-Yes! Precisely!” Alphys exclaimed, sounding a little bit more chipper to be in the presence of someone she could actually discuss science with. “Of course, when the process didn’t yield any results, I labelled it a lost cause and focused my efforts elsewhere…” Suddenly, a faraway look entered her eyes, “...And then one day, the flower was just…gone…like, one day it was there and then the next, poof…” She made a “poofing” gesture with her hands to illustrate her point.

Clover frowned. He had experienced for himself on many occasions that little disappearing trick his so-called “best friend” loved to pull. The fact he could do that almost freely was legitimately scary. Granted, Flowey’s entire existence seemed like what would happen if you took your worst nightmares and gave them a physical form…

And then on top of that, you gave your nightmares the power to manipulate time….Yeah.

Despite the fact she had been playing whack-a-mole with the elevator buttons, Ceroba had indeed been listening to the doctor’s explanation and an idea was starting to form. A very unpleasant idea but an idea nonetheless, “...So, if we got our hands on more of this stuff, do you think we could-”

“Absolutely not!!” The lizard roared in denial as she slapped a palm against the side of the elevator, giving everyone a good scare, even Ceroba who took a step back. Alphys’ expression and body language was definitely that of someone doing her best to hold on to reality even if it was by the seams, “I know what you’re gonna say and I refuse!”

“But with that power, we could help Clover stop Flowey once and for all!” Martlet argued, her hand going to the pocket where she was keeping the syringe.

“The risks are just too great!” Alphys shot back, “And even if you were to inject yourselves, and you were somehow to keep your forms stable, there is still no guarantee you’ll be able to defeat him!” She reached up and removed her glasses, giving all those present a very stern, almost hostile face to look at. “Flowey was meant to wield a power capable of breaking The Barrier! And not just any barrier but one made by seven of the strongest human mages!”

“But Clover and Martlet can remember when he resets time!” Starlo pointed out, to which the pair nodded incessantly, “That on its own gives us a huge advantage, and with some extra firepower on our side, we could-”

“No! I refuse!” Alphys stomped her foot down, “I have committed one too many sins already, and the last thing I need right now is to add even more to the pile!”

“This is different though!” Dalv raised his voice, stepping up and putting a hand to his chest, “We’re doing this entirely of our own choosing! Besides, we don’t exactly have much in terms of options right now! If we’re gonna die, then at least we can die on our own terms!” He never imagined himself saying something so morbid, but here he was.

Clover was about to offer his own two cents when he grunted in pain and stumbled backwards, leading his friends to call out to him and Martlet to be by his side in a split second with Ceroba kneeling next to him as well. They were saying stuff but his mind was going back to yet another forgotten memory….

Clover shot back to reality, panting quickly and heavily, surrounded by his friends, with both his mother figures holding him tightly, Ceroba humming the tune she had used to put him to sleep back on the overlook. Sure enough, the more she hummed said tune, and followed Martlet’s advice to take deep breaths, he found himself slowly coming back to reality. “I-I’m sor-”

“Stop.” Martlet ordered firmly, and he zipped his lip as she went back to cradling him, “Don’t you dare start apologizing, young man. Not after all you’ve been through on our behalf.”

“B-But I-”

“It was just a bad memory…” Ceroba said in a gentle, comforting manner as she took his hat off long enough to pat his head reassuringly, “And whatever you saw in that memory doesn’t have to be discussed if you don’t want to. Nobody here is gonna force you to do anything you don’t want to do…”

She shot an accusatory scowl in the scientist’ direction and she put up her hands, “I-I wasn’t gonna say anything! Honest!”
Clover was tempted to take the fox monster’s advice and just say nothing, but this was one of those occasions he knew he had to speak up, “No…No!” He loosened himself from the loving embraces of his mother figures and got to his feet, taking a second to steady himself with Starlo’s help, “I-I gotta…w-while I still remember it! Flowey…there may actually be a way for me to defeat him…”

“Your memories showed you something?” North Star quizzed, frowning as he despised everything about his little deputy’s situation, especially when he had those blasted flashbacks…but at the same time, he was forced to accept that those memories might hold the key to ending this nightmare…and that truth aggravated him to no end.

The human of the group nodded, “I…I remembered a timeline where I actually did manage to take away Flowey’s powers for myself…” Needless to say, this generated a fresh round of frantic talking back and forth, forcing him to whistle to get their attention again, “I’m not a hundred percent sure how I did it myself! All I know is -”

“Your will to live,” Alphys quietly remarked, causing everybody’s attention to shift to her once again as she started stroking her chin, “During my research on the human souls, I discovered that Determination was, essentially, the will to live, the resolve to change fate, and to reject the reality you’ve been given. Somehow, the strength of your will must’ve grown to a point where it surpassed even Flowey’s…”

“...The will to live, huh…” Clover glanced down at his hands before clenching them tightly. If he could do what he did back then, maybe…maybe he could finally win. Without anyone needing to die this time. He was about to talk more about his memory when the whole elevator jerked and the doors opened.

Alphys let out a sigh and stepped in front of the group, leering over her shoulder, “Stay close to me. I can’t guarantee all the patients down here are in the right frame of mind for dealing with visitors…” Without waiting for a response, she strode out into the True Lab.

Ceroba took in a deep breath of her own before following suit, the others close behind, and automatically, Martlet’s words of how this place felt like “another dimension” were proven to be very literal.

Unlike the fake lab on top, the place was clearly poorly-lit, the air down here managed to somehow be both chilly and humid at the same time, the cold, metallic steel that seemed to make up the bedwork of this area only added to the oppressive atmosphere down here. Even from a glance, the group could tell this place was huge.

“Clover, stay close to one of us at all times, got that?” North Star ordered in a stern yet still caring manner of speaking, to which the human only nodded, gripping tightly to the hand of the person he was closest to right now. In this case, Dalv who swallowed a lump in his throat but, remembering why he was here, straightened his posture and put on a determined face of his own.

“She’s here…” Ceroba quietly muttered, hand to her chest as she scanned their surroundings, “She’s so, so close…” Each step she took was starting to feel just a bit heavy, as she knew each one was bringing her closer and closer to where her little one was waiting. Would she be happy to see her after all this time? A strange question to ask one’s self, but considering this whole mess started with Ceroba pretending to be something she wasn’t, in this case a trained scientist, she felt it was a legit query.

…Regardless of whether she hates me or not, doesn’t matter. I’m getting her out of this place and then we can work on everything else…

The group, covering each other’s backs, made their way down the hallway, following Alphys’ lead. (SO…THIS IS WHERE YOU BROUGHT ALL THE FALLEN) Axis commented, eyes scanning every which way.

“...Yes…” The good doctor admitted without looking back, “After the DT Experiments failed and they ended up as they are now…I couldn’t bear to tell their families, so-”

(SO YOU LIED) Axis finished for her. (YOU LIED AND KEPT THEM HOUSED DOWN HERE…IS THEIR CONDITION…REALLY THAT BAD?)

Alphys came to a stop and looked back at the robot with a dead-eyed stare. The kind you see on the faces of people who have witnessed too much. Who can never forget. “Let’s put it this way…there’s not a day that goes by I don’t think that death would’ve been preferable to their current situation…”

Before anyone could comment on such a grisly statement, she picked up the pace, forcing the others to shelve any questions they had for the time being. Of course, the whole time they followed the good doctor through the halls of the structure, none of them could shake the feeling that they were being watched.

However, every time one of them felt a presence behind them, they would turn only to see nothing, yet when they started walking again that feeling would return. At one point, Clover swore he saw a box lying on the ground, looked away for not even two seconds, and when he looked back the box was gone…

Made him stop and wonder if there even was a box there to begin with.

Martlet stayed close by her human, remaining on alert for any signs of trouble, but as she did so, curiosity got the better of her, “Um, Dr Alphys? Don’t take this the wrong way but with how huge this place is there’s no way you could’ve built all this on your own, even with all the funding in the world.”

“You’re right, I didn’t,” The lab’s owner acknowledged as a wishful look entered her eyes, “I was once part of a team trying to improve life for our people down here in any way we could while also figuring out ways we could open the barrier. I actually worked closely with the previous Royal Scientist, a…”

The doctor paused, creasing her eyebrows as she poked her brain for info on her predecessor, “...Strange…for some reason, whenever I try to think of their name I come up with blanks. Almost like there’s a…gap in my memory or something…I-I know they’re the reason for the CORE but…” She grunted and rubbed her forehead, “Dang it, I can’t remember much about them beyond that…why..? I-I think I got some of their old notes to look over down here some-”

She stopped at hearing a deep growling noise on the part of a certain fox monster, and this paired with seeing her eyes turning a bit red was enough to make her shift gears immediately, “B-But that can wait! L-Let’s get you to your daughter, Miss Ketsukane!” She resumed the guided tour.

Out of the corner of his eye, Starlo swore that for a brief second he saw something leering at him from a crack in the door but once whatever it was realized he had taken notice, they gently shut the door. This naturally made him experience a round of the heebee-geebies but he remained focus on the task at hand.

He was gonna get to see his adopted niece again any minute, after all.

“Kanako?” Alphys peeked into the room where she had left her only to see the space was empty, causing her to sigh, “Guess she must’ve returned to her room to draw or watch some recordings of the cartoons I brought down here for her…”

“So you actually were making an effort to look after her…” Ceroba stated, sounding quite surprised to hear this from the lizard.

“I meant what I said earlier that those who come in here are given the best possible care,” Alphys reminded her with a hint of annoyance evident in her tone, before turning away, “But sometimes, our best just isn’t good enough…” The fox monster said nothing, only give a slight nod in agreement. “...Her room is just down this hall…”

Everyone walked together on this last stretch, the tension at an all-time high. The fact that there was barely a sound within these halls only amped up the creepiness of this whole area. It gave the vibe that just about anything could happen at any moment.

However, they weren’t gonna stop now. Not after coming this far. Not after battling against time itself and even the Captain of the Royal Guard. Whatever awaited them at the end of this hall…they were ready to face it.

Alphys came a stop in front of one particular door where gentle humming could be heard emanating from behind it. The sound of which Ceroba’s heart skip a beat, “T-T-That’s…” She looked to the doctor who merely stepped aside and gestured with her hand to go on ahead.

The fox monster had dreamt about this moment for so, so long…her little sunshine was right behind this door. She would get to see her sparkling smile once more. Listen to her joy-filled laughter. She would get to hold her tightly and feel as if all was right with the world.

Taking some deep, laborious breaths, she glanced towards all those who had come with her on this journey, who all supported her even through her massive screw-ups, even after she had almost lost herself completely. Each of them either gave an encouraging smile, a nod, a thumbs up, or in Clover’s case, all three.

“You guys, I…” She had no words to describe the depths of her gratitude. Each and every one of them had gambled so much just to bring her this far. Martlet had given up her job in the Royal Guard. Starlo’s crew had stayed behind to keep the rest of Asgore’s guards at bay. All of them had risked their very lives to come here…

And Clover…well, what was there left to be said about him? “...Thank you. This means more to me than you can ever know…”

“Hey, don’t forget that this means something to the rest of us here,” Starlo said with a smile as he reached up and removed his cowboy hat, “Now…how about you open that door and say hello to your little girl?”

Choking back tears, Ceroba nodded and placed her hand on the door knob, only for Alphys to lay her own hand on the mother’s wrist. “One last piece of advice before you go in there…” She gave the fox monster a final dead-eyed stare, “...You asked for this.” With that, she let go and placed herself against the wall nearby.

Ceroba steeled her nerves and turned the knob, gently pushing the door open, bracing herself for what awaited on the other side, “...K-Kanako..? Sweetie?” She stepped into the room and finally got her first real glimpse of where her sunshine had been cooped up for so long.

The room was a bit on the small side, but cozy at the same time. Its walls peppered with all sorts of drawings, ranging from a sketch of the estate, to one of herself, her mom, dad, even Starlo and Dalv altogether having a picnic. There was a bed with a Mew Mew Kissy Cutie cover on it, a desk set up with books alongside a small tv with a tape recorder attached and a number of cassettes on standby.

Finally, spread out around the floor were more pieces of paper along with various crayons and pencils…and there in the midst of it all sat what looked like a white blob-like mass which was acting as the source of the humming. Ceroba froze right where she stood, needing to use every ounce of willpower she possessed to even force her mouth to move, “...K…K…K-Kanako…?”

The blob stopped humming and, for a moment, didn’t react but slowly, the uppermost portion began to lift itself up, “...M…o..m..m…y..?” Ceroba’s breathing stopped for a split second. Despite how distorted that voice was now, she knew in her soul who it belonged to.

The mass began to slowly but surely turn itself around and the mother was greeted by the sight of what her daughter had become: An Amalgamate. A living mass of magic, dust, and determination all stitched together and just barely resembling a recognizable shape. However, the head retained just enough features for Ceroba to tell this was indeed her daughter.

The two simply remained where they were, eyes locked onto each other, both waiting for the other to make a move. For this one instant, nothing else existed except these two.

Finally, the widow could take no more of this waiting, a tear trickling down her cheek, “...My little sunshine…” She took a shaky step forward but found herself simply falling to her knees, her watery eyes never losing the target of their focus, “M-My sweet, sweet baby girl…”

The Amalgamate that was Kanako, recognizing who was kneeling before her, began to shed tears of her own, “Mommy!!!” She scooted along the floor as quickly as she could and hurled herself into the warm, tender embrace offered by her mother. Ceroba held her daughter as tightly as she could and so, unable to hold back the floodgates anymore…

She cried. She cried and screamed so loudly it echoed down the hallway and throughout the entirety of the lab. Her wailing was that of a mother who had been suppressing so much for so long. The guilt. The anger. The sorrow. The anguish. The fear. All these emotions and more swirled together and then exploded forth.

She let it all out while those by the door could only watch in solemn silence at the reunion. A bittersweet reunion, for sure, but at the very least, Kanako was alive. Their efforts hadn’t been for nothing.

The cries of unrestrained anguish even caught the attention of some of the Amalgamates who felt something primal echo within their forms. A sentiment that spoke to them. Reminded them of who they were once upon a time. Parents, sons, daughters, people with lives. They stopped what they were doing briefly to just listen.

After some time, Ceroba’s wailing gradually gave way to quiet sobbing yet she refused to let go, mumbling “I’m sorry” and “I was so stupid…” repeatedly. Kanako said nothing, partly because saying anything more than a couple of words was legit painful, so she merely patted her mother’s back with a goopy arm.

At last, Ceroba managed to murmur, “...Love you lots…”

A giggle bubbled forth from her daughter, “...How…much…?”

The fox monster could only smile through her tears, “Enough to break the barrier…twice over…”

Kanako glanced past her mother and saw a familiar face peeking in the doorway, “Uncle Starlo…” Yes, the effort to speak this much was taking the good out of her but she didn’t care! Her family was here for her!

“Hey sport…” Starlo stepped into the room, beaming as tears of joy streamed down his face. Yes, his niece looked different but he didn’t care. She was alive and that was all that mattered right now. He took a seat next to her and held out his arms, “Can your old man get a hug too, or is this a private-oof!”

He wouldn’t get the chance to finish as Kanako would stretch out one of her goopy arms to impossible lengths and bring him into the hug as well. She had hoped and prayed for this moment for such a long time, and now it was actually happening! The sheer joy and love she was surrounded by was even enough to completely numb the pain she faced on an almost daily basis.

Such was the power of a loving family.

“Kanako, I…” Ceroba winced as she tried to get the words out, “I am so, so sorry. None of this was ever meant to happen…” Her daughter tilted what passed for her head, and she closed her eyes, “I was a fool. I should’ve just destroyed all of that research the moment I learned about it, focused on fulfilling your father’s last wish for you to live a full life…but I…” She trailed off.

Kanako was after having a lot of time to think about that day, and the guilt still ate away at her. Yes, her mother had been the one to give her the formula, but she was the one who had convinced her to go through with it in the first place. There were so many things she wanted to say but this distorted form of hers made any attempts at long discussions a futile endeavour.

Still, she had to say something, “M…ake…daddy…proud…”

Ceroba’s mouth became a flat line. Yes, that was right. That’s what it all came back to. Making sure her husband wasn’t just a footnote in the history books, to be forgotten, to be treated as if his life didn’t matter. If anyone deserved to have left their mark, it was him. He had literally worked himself to death for the sake of Monsterkind. He was a hero and had earned the right to be treated as such.

…At least, that was what she believed once upon a time. Blinded by faith, she allowed herself to get wrapped up in things she was wildly unprepared for…and Kanako ended up paying the price.

“Kanako…” She gently pushed herself off of her daughter but still kept her hands on the latter’s shoulders, “Listen to me. What happened back then was not your fault in any way, shape or form. Understand? I should’ve been wiser back then. Stronger. Better. I should’ve refused you outright, but I…” She frowned in disapproval at how her past self had acted.

“B-But…daddy’s dream…” Kanako mumbled, her voice etched with anguish at having let her father down.

“Chujin already left a legacy behind,” Ceroba pointed out, tear stains on her face but a warm, proud smile acting as a counterbalance as she touched her daughter’s cheek, “You. He gave me the greatest gift I could ever be given in you…I was just too much of a fool to truly appreciate that gift, but now I know better.”

“Even at the end, your dad wanted only one thing. For you to be safe and to live a full life,” Starlo pointed out, “If you really feel like you owe him anything, then just do that, and that’ll be enough.”

Kanako sniffled and buried herself in the pair’s embrace once more, which they gladly reciprocated. She knew from the tapes what her dad had asked of Ceroba but the latter wasn’t the only one who was blaming herself and having something to prove at the time. Maybe if she had helped out around the house more, focused on her studies more instead of goofing off so much….

No. There wasn’t any point in focusing on that for the time being. She had her Mommy and her Uncle here now and she couldn’t be happier, or more grateful. “...G..o..i..ng…h..home..?”

“Yes…yes, of course!” Ceroba’s demeanour became more upbeat at the very suggestion, nodding incessantly, hair fluttering about as she wiped the tear stains on her sleeve, “We’ll go home, and the first thing I’ll do is cook you up all the corn chowder you want.” Kanako managing to give a little cheer was enough to send her own soul soaring.

“And we got a couple other people here with us who’ve really been looking forward to seeing you again,” Starlo remarked somewhat cryptically, to which his niece tilted her head in confusion. He turned to the door, “Alright, guys! You can come in now!”

In a matter of seconds, a pair of someones entered the doorway and Kanako’s eyes almost sparkled at the sight of Aunt Martlet and Uncle Dalv. By this point, she genuinely felt like she was having both her birthday and Christmas on the same day! Sure, Martlet was looking a little bit different thanks to the golden eyes and slightly darker color scheme but she could chalk that up to a growth spurt or something.

“Um, hey there, sport!!” The bird monster greeted with a friendly wave. Seeing a literal blob monster right in front of her, and knowing this was Kanako, definitely made for the last sight she expected to witness today but compared to everything else she was after going through lately, this was actually pretty tame in comparison. She bent down and spread her wings, “Can your auntie get a hug as well?”

“And, can I, y-ya know, get one too…?” Dalv murmured, kneeling down as well, feeling very sheepish in the presence of his old friend, “L-Like, when you’re done with Martlet, of course. I can wait my turn-oof!” He too wouldn’t get the chance to finish as, just like with Ceroba and Starlo, the Amalgamate hurled herself at Martlet and then looped a very stretchy arm around the vampire.

“Y-You’re…here…” She muttered, fresh tears streaming down her face.

“Well, of course we are, silly!” Martlet teased, giggling but refusing to let go of the little one. “Your Mom’s not the only one who’s been looking forward to seeing you again, after all!”

“Kanako, I…” Dalv bit his lip, anxious as all get out in the presence of the youngling, “I’m sorry I ran away back then. That I shut you out of my life just cause I was afraid of putting you in danger again, and…” He huffed and shook his head, “...I’m sorry. That’s really all I can say…but I promise, I won’t run away from my problems, or from the people I care about, ever again…”

“Uncle Dalv…” She had so much she wanted to say to him. That she didn’t hold what happened against him. That she was just happy he was eating the corn she left on his doorstep, and how beautiful his corn field was. How grateful she was that he had risked his life to protect her, and a million other things.

Of course, she knew this unstable form of hers wouldn’t allow for that, so she just clung even tighter to the pair, hoping to get across what she felt, “Love you…” The pair said nothing, only returned the affection she offered with interest.

Looking past the pair, she saw someone new standing in the doorway. A robot. An actual, legit, real-life robot! Just like in the anime Alphys had shown her! Could this day get any better? “...Axis…”

The robot tilted his head in surprise, puffing out some steam, (YOU KNOW WHO I AM?)

She bobbed her head up and down, flicks of her melted form dripping off as she did so, “Daddy…told me…you…b..r..o..t..h..e..r…”

(...YES. THAT’S RIGHT) Something within his hardware suddenly got very warm at being addressed by that name. (FATHER BUILT ME TO SAFEGUARD MONSTERKIND BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER MORE PERSONAL REASON…TO BE YOUR BIG BROTHER UNIT. I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE THAT IT TOOK US THIS LONG TO PROPERLY MEET…)

He rolled himself into the room. (IF IT’S NOT TOO MUCH TROUBLE…MAY I-)

As had become routine by now, Kanako pulled her big brother figure into a hug which he happily reciprocated. At this point, the Amalgamate was so overcome with joy she figured she might literally melt.

Ceroba watched as her daughter was showered with love and affection, wearing the biggest, proudest smile she could manage. Sure, nothing would ever be the same again, and there were still a lot of things to handle going forward, but she had her daughter back, at least in some form and that…that was enough for her.

She took a gander out the door and saw a certain someone peeking in from behind it. Upon being spotted, he ducked out of sight, making the fox monster quietly chuckle, “Kanako, sweetie? There’s one more person here you need to meet,” Her daughter actually turned her head a full 180 degrees, forcing both her mom and uncle to exercise all the restraint they could not to wince at the action.

Yeah, this was definitely gonna take some adjusting, “You don’t know them, but they’ve become a very important person to all of us here,” She gestured with an outstretched hand to all those in the room, “They’re helped each of us here in some way, and I truly hope you get to become as close with them as we have.”

Starlo nodded, beaming proudly as he slipped his cowboy hat back on, slipping once more into his sheriff persona, and called out, “Alright, partner! The stage is yours!”

Hesitantly, his deputy stepped into view while the others all moved aside so as to not impede either him or the Amalgamate being able to see each other. The pair stood there, observing one another silently, and then, as if in synch, they started to move towards each other until they were only a few feet apart.

For a moment, Clover felt wildly out of his depth. Not because of Kanako’s current form, oh no, he’d seen more than his fair share of strange-looking creatures on his journey and so this was nothing new. (In fact, if he were asked for his honest opinion, he actually found it kind of cool…though he got the feeling the others wouldn’t share those feelings) No. What was getting to him was the simple fact that, well, this was Ceroba’s daughter.

Starlo was her adoptive uncle. Martlet her aunt, or big sister, or whatever. Dalv was her close friend. Heck, even Axis was built to be like a big brother for her. She had a connection with each of them that existed long before he entered the picture. Who was he in comparison?

Of course, in response to that question, his mind flashed back to all the times each of his friends were after proving they valued him for him. Ceroba, Starlo, and Axis had risked their lives to save him from falling to his death. Martlet had gone against her own boss and quit her job just to protect him. Heck, both her and Dalv were willing to become enemies of the crown if that meant keeping him safe.

He was loved. And he loved each of them. That fact was enough to spark a warm feeling in his chest and so, with resolve in his heart, he bent down to the Amalgamate’s level, giving her a honest, friendly smile and sticking out his hand, “Hello, Kanako. I’m Clover. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Clover. That was a good name. Yes, she liked that very much. She didn’t know why but even though she couldn’t recall meeting him before, just being in his presence made feel a little more at ease. As such, she reached out a goopy hand, “..H..e.l..lo…you…helped…mom…”

He chuckled, ruffling the back of his head, “Y-Yeah…I guess I did, but you could say she helped me just as much…” When she wasn’t trying to steal my soul, but Kanako doesn’t need to know that. “Since we’re here now, how do you feel about going home?”

Kanako’s expression brightened up immediately and she nodded enthusiastically. Yes! She had missed her home so very much! She took Clover’s hand and…oh. “...Warm…”

“Hmm?” Clover rose an eyebrow at the word, “You mean my hand? Well, I guess that makes sense as humans are warm-blooded creatures by nature.”

“No…” Kanako shook her head before pointing with a half-melted finger at him, “You…warm…like Mom…” This caused the human to shift his curious gaze back at the fox monster, as did the others.

Ceroba looked between them all before bringing a hand to her chin and contemplating, “Hmm…well, Kanako’s always been a good judge of character so maybe that’s what she’s sensing. Clover’s innate nature. I mean, we monsters are mostly made up of magic and are well-known for being able to sense the nature of an individual…”

“Their nature, huh…” Clover glanced down at his chest where the culmination of his being briefly formed. The sight of it was enough to make Kanako gasp and back away a bit while also putting the others on alert.

“...Pretty…” Kanako muttered, having never seen such a beautiful soul before. Just being in its presence, bathed in its light, the anguish she fought with on a daily basis seemed to be fading away bit by bit. She swore her form even felt slightly more stable too.

“Clover…” Starlo remarked, a hint of a growl entering his voice. A silent warning to put that soul back where it belonged. They had been through too much, and his little deputy had actually started to find value in his own life. There didn’t need to be more sacrifices.

“Don’t worry, I’m not gonna,” Clover said reassuringly as he glanced up at Kanako, her own soul having several small cracks along the edges and a blueish tint all around the source of her being, making his stomach drop, “...But I’d be lying if I said the temptation wasn’t there.” The talk of how Kanako needed a pure-hearted soul to become whole again was still fresh in his mind, drumming up a measure of guilt at not having gone through with Ceroba’s plan.

It wasn’t fair…but then again, when was life ever fair?

Ceroba stepped between the pair and bent down so she could put an arm around both of them, “Let’s get on out of this place. We can figure out what to do next once we’re all home, safe and sound…” Both of them nodding in agreement, they followed her on out with Kanako’s goopy hand staying linked with Clover’s.

Walking together back through the hall, the group was stopped in their tracks by the sound of a dog barking, and then next thing they knew, from out of the darkness, emerged another Amalgamate. This one having more of a dog monster aesthetic. Automatically, the adults present stepped in front of the kids, ready for a fight, only for Alphys to run in between them, hands raised in placating them, “Wait! It’s alright! They’re not a threat!”

Sure enough, the new arrival scooted to a stop and could be heard panting like an actual dog as it parked itself on the floor in front of them. Needless to say, nobody was quite sure what to make of this new arrival, some like Martlet left scratching their heads but Ceroba stood firm, ready for a fight in case they tried anything.

Endogeny dropped something from the hole it had for a face and, on closer inspection, it turned out to be the red rubber ball Alphys had given them earlier, “Hang on. This won’t take but a second…” Having done this sort of thing a hundred times, she casually picked up the slime-covered toy, causing all those present to cringe, and then hurled the ball down the hall as far as she could, “There ya go! Go get it boy! Uh, girl!!”

The Amalgamate woofed excitedly as it ran off down the hallway, leaving the group completely bamboozled at what they just saw. Ceroba merely scowled at the good doctor. “Start talking. Now.”

Alphys sighed, wiping the saliva off on her jacket, “Let’s just say that your daughter was one of the luckier patients…”

The mother’s eye twitched at this bit of info, “Lucky…” She pointed to Kanako’s current form, “You call this lucky.”

“In comparison to most of the other Amalgamates, yes,” Kanako’s caretaker bluntly responded, making Ceroba’s expression darken but she paid it no heed, “She could’ve ended up fused with several other monsters, like the one you just saw there.”

“By the Angel…” Dalv murmured, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth at the abject horror. The kind of horror that you swore only belonged in movies and works of fiction. To have such a thing be real was almost too much to even fathom.

“How can you stand there and be so calm about this?” Ceroba snarled, clenching her fists while looming over the doctor.

Normally, being put on the spot like this would cause Alphys to curl up into a ball but after the past couple of days, she was at the point of just not giving a sh*t, “I have spent almost every day down here since the incident taking care of them as best I can while trying to research a way to make their forms stable again…” She shrugged while looking away, “I guess by this point I’m just…numb to it…”

Ceroba growled and grabbed the doctor by the collar, lifting her up off her feet. The kids moved to object but the others kept them at bay despite their protests. “Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you, doc…I have no intentions of forgiving you. You subjected my baby girl to this hell along with many others, and then instead of taking responsibility you willingly chose to cover up what you did…”

Alphys could only nod, shame etched into her features, “I know…because I’m a coward…”

Ceroba’s expression didn’t change, “...Yes, you are…” However, her face suddenly softened and she began to lower her back down, “...And so is Asgore. And me…none of our hands are clean, but at the very least you did your best to help these people, including Kanako. So for that, although I can’t say I like you one bit…you have my gratitude,”

The doctor gasped in shock and tilted her head up at the mother whom looked like she was about to start crying again, “Regardless of your methods…my little sunshine is alive, so for that, I refuse to hate you. Besides, it’s clear to me you hate yourself enough already. Now,” She glanced over at her baby girl and her human, her expression becoming warm and gentle once more, “We are leaving this place, as for you…”

She stepped up and Alphys prepared to get smacked or punched or something, but instead…the fox monster held out her hand, “Do yourself a favor. Talk to Asgore and Undyne. Tell them everything you’ve done. I’m sure we can both agree that they of all people deserve to know,” The doctor opened her mouth to protest but she cut her off, “It will be painful, I know. The truth always is…but…”

Ceroba’s gaze hovered over all her friends and family, “...You’d be surprised how many will still be willing to stand in your corner and support you, even through your mistakes. Even through your guilt and self-loathing. You don’t have to carry the weight of the world all by yourself…” She focused on the doctor one last time, “Promise me that one thing, and I’ll do my best to let this whole ordeal be water under the bridge.”

“Miss Ketsukane..” To say Alphys was left stunned by the mother’s words would be an understatement. For the longest time, she had allowed herself to think of all the worst-case scenarios for what may happen if the truth ever leaked out. She didn’t expect forgiveness as even she knew that was the last thing she deserved, but to have her victim’s parent be so…understanding and, in a way, supportive was….

Well, let’s just say this was the last thing she expected to happen today.

As such, she found herself giving a firm nod, “Understood. Assuming we survive today, I’ll do as you ask, and even if I lose my job, I’ll keep looking for a way to undo what I’ve done…” She took Ceroba’s hand and shook it firmly, misty-eyed, “...Thank you.”

“The ball is in your court now,” The taller woman reminded her, gripping her hand a little more tightly, “Don’t make me regret giving it to you.”

With that, she let go and turned to face her friends, feeling as if a weight had been taken off her chest, “Alright! Who here is ready to go home?” The adults, including the robot, all let out simultaneous sighs of relief while the kids cheered excitedly. She spared the doctor a look and nodded.

Alphys nodded back and hit the button to signal the elevator…only for nothing to happen. “Huh?” She hit the button again, but still no response. “What the…” She pounded her fist on the button but still nothing, “Oh, you gotta be kidding me…”

(ELEVATOR PROBLEMS, DOCTOR?) Axis quizzed as he wheeled himself closer. (MAY I BE OF ASSISTANCE?) She grimaced but backed off and allowed him to do his thing. (THANK YOU) He reached up to the panel and removed it…only to back away at what he saw. (OH DEAR)

Behind the panel was not wires but a tangled mess of vines. The sight of which was enough to make everyone’s blood run cold, especially Alphys who looked like she was on the verge of a panic attack, “Oh no…no,no,no,no,no,no…”

What lighting this place had began to flicker on and off, briefly draping the group’s vision in a veil of darkness. Before anyone had a chance to panic, North Star took charge, “Alright, buckos! This is it! Form a perimeter around the kids and the doctor! That damn weed isn’t getting anywhere near them while we’re here!”

Obediently, everyone did exactly that while Clover stayed next to Kanako. The former trying to dig deep into his soul to draw forth that power from earlier, and the latter shuddering non-stop, struggling to hold her form together, “Mommy….”

“It’s gonna be ok, Kanako!” Ceroba exclaimed, conjuring forth her staff and scanning the area, ready for any tricks that flower would pull, “I have no intentions of losing you…EITHER of you, ever again!” Even if it kills me. However, she kept that part to herself as the last thing she needed was to have the kids even more worried and frantic than they currently were.

The lights in the area began to shut off one by one as a familiar laugh began to echo through the vents. “H-He’s tampering with the power!!” Alphys exclaimed, head swiveling about in every direction conceivable, “H-He’s not gonna let us leave! Did he…Undyne…”

“Oi, don’t go thinking like that right now!” North Star commanded, hand on his revolver as he scrutinized the layout of the area for any spots that damn flower could emerge from, “She’s a tough gal! Besides, our main priority right now is staying alive! First, we need light sources so we don’t become sitting ducks in the dark! Ceroba!”

“On it, sheriff!” She snapped her fingers, creating a ball of fire in her palm and then launched it out so that it just hovered in mid-air, followed by a couple more fireballs, and just in time too as several more of the lights had just gone out.

(I WILL HELP TOO) Axis tapped the side of his head and both the lights in his eyes jumped to life, essentially making him a walking flashlight. Ok, more like a flashlight on wheels but you get the general gist.

“Excellent work, you two!” North Star nodded in approval before taking a moment to focus on the lizard, “Doc! See if you can get in touch with Undyne and let her know we’re trapped down here!”

“R-Right! Good idea!” Alphys fumbled with her phone and went to hit the Call button just as the last of the artificial lightning down here went out. She waited as the ring went through a couple of times, “Come on, come on…please pick up..”

A click, and her spirits lifted immediately as she heard her fish friend pick up, “Yeah, Alphys? How’s it going dow-”

“Undyne! Flowey! Here! Elevator not working! Hurry and-”

FILE LOADED

“R-Right! Good idea!” Alphys fumbled with her phone and went to hit the Call button just as the last of the artificial lighting down here went out.

“Don’t!” Clover shouted, stopping her just as she was about to make the call, making her freeze, “He’s just gonna rewind time again! He doesn’t want us calling for help!”

Starlo cursed to himself while pulling his revolver out of its holster, ready to shoot the fiend when he reared his head, “Ok! New plan then! We gotta get the elevator working again! Doc! I assume there’s a generator for this place?”

“Y-Yes actually!” She pointed at a seemingly random hall, but for her, she knew this place like the back of her hand, “Down that way! However, we may need a way to jump-start it again…”

“I’ll take care of that.” Dalv said, a hint of confidence evident in his voice, clapping his hands to show off some sparks.

Having something resembling a plan, the group proceeded to start making their way along the path Alphys had pointed out to them, all the while, that flower’s damn laugh seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at the same time.

“Bad Flower…B-Bad…Flower…” Kanako meekly repeated, sticking to Clover like glue.

Further along, they would start coming across several open doors and within the rooms they led to were more Amalgamates who, even with their monstrous appearances, were just…curled up in the corners, whimpering. They didn’t like the dark one bit.

Both of the kids would urge Ceroba to share some of her fire magic and she would comply, leaving behind a small orb of flame for each of the creatures they came across, leading to each of them giving a genuine sigh of relief and earning a disgusted scoff from the flower which only made the kids and Ceroba give each other a knowing smirk.

They continued down the winding halls of this labyrinth, every once in a while, spotting what looked to be a figure moving in the distance only to do a double-take and realize nothing was there. Finally, after wandering for what felt like forever, Alphys pointed yet again, “Just down this way and we’ll reach the generator…”

Cautiously, their footsteps echoing through this final hallway and the group arrived at their destination. The Generator Room.

…There were only two problems, however. First was the fact that vines had entangled themselves within the framework of the machine.

Secondly, a certain somebody was standing before the machine with their back facing Clover and his crew, obviously admiring their work. Upon hearing them setting foot in the chamber, the culprit turned his stem of a neck around, swiveling his whole head as he did so gave a cheeky grin, “Howdy, Clover! Boy, you and your little cheer squad sure took your time tracking down little ol’ me! Finally done having your little pow-wow session?”

Clover snarled and stepped forward, his hand going for his gun, “Flowey…”

“Whoa, what’s with the hostility, partner?” The reanimated husk asked in a teasing manner, bobbing his head to the side while winking playfully, “I figured after everything we’ve been through together, we’d be thick as thieves by this point!”

“Cut the crap!!” Ceroba snapped, embers emanating from her free hand as she bared her fangs while staring down the source of her young one’s misery, “You were never his friend! You were just using him for your own selfish gain!”

Flowey’s expression went blank at the accusation, but only momentarily as a quiet chuckle began to bubble up inside him and then erupted forth as one of his signature laughs of mockery, bouncing off the chamber’s walls and making it seem as if it were coming from every direction. Ceroba clenched her staff tightly for reassurance despite the trembling in her legs, “What is so damn funny?”

“You are, duh! No wait, scratch that, ALL of you are!” He swung one of his vines out to gesture to all those present, “You think any of you here are qualified to judge me?! Really? After all the sh*t you lot have pulled?! After all the times you let a human child be the answer to all your little problems?!”

“Their problems aren’t little!” Clover argued back, stepping up to defend his family, “Dalv isn’t a bad person! He was just lost, scared and confused! Martlet was only doing her job! Starlo was only doing his part to keep hope alive! And Ceroba only wanted to see her daugh-”

“Blah blah blah, yakitty yak yak!” Flowey rhymed off, tilting his head side to side as he did so, earning a dirty look from the human, “Oh, it’s perfectly fine to let myself get beaten within an inch of my life by my so-called friends because they have issues they’re trying to sort through! Do you have the slightest clue how messed up that sounds? And that's coming from ME of all people."

The living anomaly paused and raised a vine to stop the human from speaking, “No wait. Don’t answer that. For a moment there, I forgot who I was talking to. Another idiot in a kingdom already filled to the brim with them. Seriously, you belong down here.”

“Good. I didn’t really have much of a reason to go back to the surface anyways,” Clover retorted as he looked to each of his new friends who all gave him appreciative glances, “I’ve found something bigger than myself to fight for…to live for,” He withdrew his Wild Revolver and aimed it at the flower, “This ends here, Flowey. You don’t get to write my story anymore.”

The flower glowered back at the human, now very much unamused, “You know, I think a certain somebody is letting the little taste of power they’ve gotten ahold of go to their head, so I think it’s only right I bring you back down to reality, partner, and remind you who’s in charge,”

He drew himself up, drawing upon the power of his will and a shining golden button appeared in the air right above him, “See this right here? All I gotta do is press it a-”

“And all my progress up till now will be undone,” Clover finished for him, sounding slightly tired now, like he had heard this before, even rolling his eyes, much to the flower’s annoyance, “I know what your whole schtick is by now and it doesn’t scare me nearly as much as it may have once upon a time…”

He leveled his gun with renewed vigor, “Especially since I’m pretty sure I can put a bullet right through your face before you can push it. So what do you say? Wanna test your luck?”

The flower’s expression went from annoyed to straight-up furious at the gall of this human. He was half-tempted to take them up on their offer but stopped himself at the last second. The nerve of this brat. Acting like they’re the one holding the reins. In a way, it was actually kind of amusing, if it weren’t mostly just aggravating.

With a sigh, he gave a dismissive wave and the button faded away, “Unlike you, I’m not an idiot so if you expect me to fall for such obvious bait then you’re an even bigger fool than I gave you credit for.”

“Big talk coming from someone who let himself get played by a civilian and a former Royal Guard trainee,” Martlet pointed out, a smirk starting to form on her face. She knew she was kicking the hornet’s nest by doing this but she couldn’t deny it felt good, “All that power and you throw a tantrum the moment things don’t go your way.”

“I’d watch what I’m saying if I were you, bird-brain!!” Flowey snapped, grinding his teeth together, “You two just got lucky! That’s all! But everyone’s luck runs out sooner or later! That said..” He took a deep breath and gathered his composure, “I have to give you credit where it's due, Clover. Out of all the runs we’ve been through together this has perhaps been the most interesting one so far,”

He could hear Clover fuming and folks like Ceroba snarling but he ignored them and went on, “Like, seriously, it’s just been one surprise after another, so I gotta give you kudos for holding my attention as long as you have…” The talking flower let out what sounded like an actual sigh of legit fondness. “But I think I’ve let you play the hero long enough. It’s time we wrapped up this little game of ours.”

“A game…” Starlo growled, taking a step forward and leveling an intense glare at the weed, “Is that all this is to you, weed? A game? Our lives, Clover’s life? Just things for you to play with?”

“The great sheriff North Star of the Wild East, people!” Flowey announced, gesturing with his vines in the monster’s direction, an evil grin starting to work its way back onto his face. “Stating the blatantly obvious! I’d give you a round of applause but as you can see, I don’t have hands. Actually, that reminds me…” He looked past the sheriff and saw a familiar yellow-scaled monster, “Howdy there, Doc! Ruin any more lives recently?”

The royal scientist felt sick to her stomach but Starlo put out his arm while keeping a close eye on the flower, “Leave her out of this. She’s already doing what she can to make amends for her mistakes, anyway.”

“Wow, you lot really have become a bunch of sad saps thanks to Clover here!” Flowey teased, snickering…but said snickering died almost immediately as he now scowled in the sheriff’s direction, “I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Believe it or not, there once was a time I actually gave that idiot you’re defending there a chance to fix her mistakes. To undo what she did to me. Multiple chances, in fact…and you wanna know what happened?”

Alphys’ began to feel a chill up her spine. Oh no…no, he’s not going to…

For a moment, the grin on Flowey’s face faltered and he let his head flop downwards while his voice suddenly became more meek and timid, “...Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I let her try again and again and again…and still nothing. Heck, there were even occasions where I sent back information from her future self, and that didn’t work either! I went so far as to try and rough her up in some runs, hoping that would give her the motivation she needed to make something happen, but, well, you get the picture by now.”

Clover’s expression didn’t change on the outside, but within his mind, he was pondering what the flower was ranting about. Undo what was done to him? Fix him? What was he talking about? He had to ask although he didn’t really want to, “You’re talking like you had a life before Alphys created you…how is that possible?”

“I’m glad you asked, Clover old buddy!” Flowey exclaimed in a sing-song voice as he turned his head a full 180 degrees upside down, “Yo, Doc! You want to be the one to tell them, or should I? Doesn’t matter to me either way, but I figured I’d give you the chance since you’ve already shown the lot here what a piece of sh*t you really are…”

“I…I…” Alphys stumbled backwards while holding her head. She turned to leave only to find a wall of vines had blocked the only way out. Panicking, she looked back at the grinning flower in abject terror, “No…no, please…please! They know enough already! They don’t need to know where you came from!!”

“Oh, how disappointing, dear Alphys,” Flowey said mockingly, his smile turning into a toothy grin, “And you were doing so well up till now too…that’s fine. Your old pal Flowey will take over from here!” He popped into the ground, only to reemerge in another random spot, “The truth is, Clover buddy, I wasn’t always like this. Oh no. In fact, I used to be a monster just like your buddies there…”

He ported into the ground and reemerged in another spot, getting closer as he did so, “And not just any Monster either…but a Boss Monster…” The flower waited for the wires to align in his audience’s brains and judging by the wide-eyed looks he was getting, along with one or two of them starting to go a bit pale, they were catching on to what he was implying.

Alphys was borderline manic now as she sank to her knees with Axis and Dalv rushing to her side to offer what support they could, “Please! I’m begging you! Don’t tell them! I-I’ll do anything! I-I’ll put all my other projects on hold and work 24/7 on a way to fix you! Just please, please, PLEASE! Don’t do it!!”

He popped up right in Clover’s face, still smiling, “...But one day…I died…at the hands of you humans…” The puzzle pieces all came together in the lad’s brain and his gun arm drooped down as the flower popped back to the center of the room. “And when I died…my dust scattered all over dear old dad’s garden, and I’m sure you can fill in the rest…”

“Y-You mean you’re…” Martlet stammered, taking a step back as she put a wing to her beak, eyes wide in sickening dread, “No…no! You can’t be! You can’t be him! There’s no way!”

Flowey’s evil grin grew to a size way too big for his face, “You’re right! I’m not him! I’m something greater than that weak, useless prince could ever hope to be! Asriel Dreemurr is dead, and only I, Flowey the Flowey, remain! The god of this world!! And every last one of you are nothing more than entertainment for me! Always have been, always will be!!” He laughed and laughed at the faces before him. They really were a bunch of idio-

A gunshot went off…and a small piece from one of Flowey’s petals drifted to the floor before him, stopping his mad tirade right in its tracks, “...What…” At a loss for words, he reached down and picked it up, looking between the petal and the person who fired at him, “...Clover?”

Misty-eyed, the cowboy’s arm was trembling from the effort of holding his gun up, teeth bared as he choked, “Y-You…how could you…these were your people! Your family! What made you think you had the right to toy with their lives like you have?!!”

“I have every right!!” Flowey snapped back as the room around them began to shake and rumble, vines beginning to break through the flooring, “Because unlike you lot, I know what the real meaning of this world is! Chara even tried to teach me but by the time it finally clicked, it was too late for them OR the old me! So I refuse to make that mistake ever again!”

He began to stretch, his body growing with him as roots and vines began to creep into the room, the lighting in here only making him look downright demonic, “I have no soul! That means no way to love or connect with anyone! And besides, when nothing you do has to have consequences, then why even pretend like you give a damn?!”

“That doesn’t give you the right to treat this world like it’s nothing more than a video game!!” Starlo roared defiantly up at the former prince, pulling out his revolver, “What happened to you should never have happened, but you’re handling this all in the worst possible way!!”

“I don’t need to listen to the words of a farm boy trying to pretend he’s some sort of superhero!” Flowey/Asriel snapped back, “Especially one who thought it was a wonderful idea to kill his own deputy thinking doing so would somehow make him popular again!!” The sheriff flinched at the reminder but didn’t back down, “Now, I think that’s enough gabbing! Clover! It’s time you give me what I’m owed!!”

The deputy only snarled and put away his revolver while drawing forth his Soul for one last fight. “Then come and take it if you can, old friend.”

“WITH PLEASURE!!” Flowey caused a bunch of vines to rip forth and lunge towards the assembled group only for a semi-circle of fire to form, courtesy of Ceroba, singing the vines and making the flower cringe in pain. She made some motions with her hand and the fire she summoned spiraled and condensed into a sphere before flying at the prince.

He narrowly dodged it and hissed as he mentally commanded the roots in the ceiling and floor to shoot towards the group from all sides, forcing them to split their focus in deflecting them with a mix of magic projectiles, Big Shots, and energy orbs. “Ceroba! Get Kanako and Dr Alphys out of here! I’ll keep Flowey busy!” Clover ordered.

Without waiting for an answer, he dodge rolled to the side just barely avoiding being jabbed by one of Flowey’s roots, “Come on! Is that the best you got?!” He fired off a charged Big Shot which the former prince countered by drawing some of his vines together into a makeshift barricade only for Clover’s attack to smash right through them and singed another one of his petals, making him screech and redouble his efforts.

“Clover…” Ceroba muttered, watching as her human literally blinked through a circle of pellets and returned fire on his foe. She looked to the others who nodded and each gave her a thumbs up before rushing to provide cover fire and assistance to their charge. She wanted to join them but she knew neither her daughter or the scientist were fighters so they would just be in the way.

"You can't win..." Alphys muttered, still staring at the ground in a daze, shaking her head vehemently, "H-He controls time itself...defeating him is literally impossible unless your Determination can somehow match his...he's gonna kill us all, take Clover's soul, then go on to kill Asgore and take the other souls and then, then..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish that terrible train of thought.

Ceroba scowled but, in a way, she couldn't exactly blame her for being like this. Having all your worst secrets being exposed like that...living with the fact that you had accidentally brought back the kingdom's beloved prince as a literal hellspawn who now sought to rule the world...it would do a number on anybody's psyche. Regardless, she stepped towards the wall of vines keeping them trapped in this room, "...If anybody is capable of doing that, it would be Clover. He has this way of making impossible things happen, but this time around? He won't have to stand all on his own..." She snapped her fingers and called forth some fire to begin burning away the greenery.

"M-Mommy..." Kanako murmured. She had just gotten her mother back! She didn't want to be separated from her again so soon!

"Kanako, I promise that this is not good-bye!" The taller fox proclaimed, getting a little misty-eyed, "But for now, you need to leave with Miss Alphys and get somewhere safe! I'll come find you once our work here is done!" A hole had formed in the wall of vines, "Now's your chance, you two! Go!"

Kanako, biting back tears, understood the seriousness of the situation and nudged the doctor incessantly to get her to move, but she was unresponsive. Knowing they didn't have long, she forced her body to grow to its taller, more stick-like form and yanked Alphys to her feet so they could both get through the hole together. Well...there's something you don't see every day...

Satisfied that they were out of immediate danger, Ceroba spun around to join the fight only for a bundle of vines looped together into one bigger vine to suddenly be right in her face. She summoned forth a barrier but it shattered and sent her flying through the air only to be caught by Starlo. She nodded in thanks only to immediately return the favor as her ears picked up the sound of the vine approaching again so she slammed the end of her staff on the ground, causing a pillar of fire to shoot up and incinerate Flowey's attack.

The ground erupt them splintered in various places, forcing them to split up as spear-like roots would shoot forth in an attempt to skewer them. On the other end of the room, Clover and Martlet fought together in an effort to try and tackle the source of the problem: Flowey. Martlet gathered some wind magic around her as she fly high into the air, staying just inches ahead of his friendliness pellets before flapping her wings and sending a barrage of wind slashes down at the reanimated prince. He called up another wall of vines but her magic, empowered by the love she had for those around her, cleaved through the green like a hot knife through butter.

Next thing Asriel knew, Clover was right there in his face, aiming his soul and readying to fire another Big Shot to-

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Next thing Asriel knew, Clover was right in his face, aiming his soul and readying to fire, but he merely smirked and shot a single vine up from the ground in front of him in the hopes of ending this fight in a single stroke, only for Clover to blink out of the way at the last second, making him fume. The brat's ability to recall was getting better by the second, which meant he was somehow getting even more Determined...but it still wasn't nearly enough to overcome the prince's! He turned his attention to Dalv and Axis and created walls of pellets on both sides in an effort to box them in.

However, this would end up failing as the vampire of the pair would create a makeshift barrier of his own in the form of multiple electricity pillars as Axis charged up an orb above his head which then let loose a rapid-fire barrage of smaller orbs at the flower who would be forced to pop into the ground. This time, though, he didn't re-emerge and simply allowed the remaining vines in the room to start layering over one another to form bigger vines that he then proceeded to start using in an effort to flatten and swat and hopefully even crush what he saw as a bunch of insects.

Axis would use his robotic strength to stop the one trying to turn him and Dalv into pancakes and the latter would soar up the length of the vine in bat form before transforming back in mid-air and throwing several electrical spheres at the end, blowing the whole thing clean off, earning a scream of indignation from Flowey that shook the whole room. Martlet would scoop Clover up and carry him on her back as she took flight into the air, pushing herself to stay ahead of the vines chasing them. Hanging on for dear life, the deputy would turn and, aiming with one hand, managed to use his sharpshooting skills, honed over who knows how many loops, to snipe down each of their pursuers with a single Big Shot one after the other.

Finally, North Star and Ceroba stood back to back surrounded by a ring of fire to keep the vines at bay. Of course, the ceiling above them began to crack and pieces of it started to fall on the pair. They glanced at the other and knew they had to make a decision. Stay and risk getting crushed by the falling debris, or take their chances with the minefield out there. Deciding the latter was the lesser of two evils, Ceroba clapped her hands and dispersed their protection in the form of a blast wave of heat and Starlo jumped into action, hurling several sticks of dynamite at the vines emerging from the walls.

Martlet, seeing they had stopped being chased for the moment, stopped in mid-air and took a second to breathe, smiling back at her charge who returned the gesture and nodded, only to then hear Flowey's voice, "Why?...Why Clover? Why are you making this so damn difficult?" The pair scanned the room, ready and waiting for any sign of the prince, "I mean, I've already seen how your story ends. Your soul in my old man's possession and your so-called "friends" moving on with their lives like you were never even there!"

"That's not true!!" Martlet shouted at the disembodied voice, "We would never just forget about Clover! He's too important to us!"

There was that laugh again, but this was the kind of laugh that belonged to someone who knew something you didn't, "Really? You're so sure about that, huh? In case you forgot, which I wouldn't be surprised if you did, when Clover offers to give up his Soul for the sake of all you idiots, you barely even fight him on the issue!" She, Starlo, and Ceroba all flinched at the reminder. "Oh, you put in the bare minimum amount of effort to try and convince him otherwise, but then you just give up and leave him there to die! You don't even bother staying by his side to comfort him in his final moments!"

"D-Don't listen to him, you guys!" Clover pleaded, doing his best to suppress the memories associated with that moment. "He's just trying to get into your heads!"

"T-That's right!" Starlo proclaimed, hardening his resolve and conjuring some TNT to his hand, "We won't make the same mistakes again!"

"Cute words coming from the fella who told a literal child they were lower than dirt for the unforgivable crime of self-defense!" Flowey argued back, a hint of resentment evident in his tone, making the sheriff freeze where he stood, "Oh yes! I know all about that particular incident! How you had yourself a good little cry over the death of your nutcase of a friend while cursing out a child! Hell, even the bird-brain over there had enough sense to tell how full of bullsh*t you were!"

"He just watched his best friend die right in front of him!" Martlet countered frantically, "Of course he wouldn't be thinking straight! I figure you of all people would understand considering what happened with Chara!"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THEIR NAME!!" Flowey roared, resuming his attack by having sharp-tipped vines explode forth from all directions in a renewed attempt to stab the bird monster, making her yelp as she was forced to drop down low and resume the chase, "Chara was everything to me! The only reason for me to keep going! You have no right to even let their name leave your mouth!" Rings of friendliness pellets materialized around the pair and closed in on them but Martlet, being, well, a bird monster with years of experience at flying, simply dove right through the center of each rapidly closing ring at high speed.

"So it's ok for you to guilt trip and treat my friends like crap and expect us to take it but when somebody says something you don't like that gives you the right to flip your lid and act like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum?!!" Clover pointed out angrily as he turned and fired off another Big Shot to destroy a bundle of vines that were in the middle of emerging from a hole in the wall, "That's pretty hypocritical, if you ask me!" Seeing that Martlet was starting to look a little worse for wear at having to carry him for so long, she patted her head and motioned for her to drop him off and she, reluctantly, did as asked.

"Call it whatever you want! A god doesn't have to abide by your stupid notions of what's right and wrong!" Flowey shouted back.

"You're no god..." Ceroba growled as she beckoned to Clover to join her which he did, "You're just another traumatized child who was given too much power and didn't know what to do with it," There was a mix of disappointment but also pity in her voice as she held the human tightly, "As terrible as the things you've done are, a part of me can't help but feel a little sorry for you..."

"...You...feel...SORRY FOR ME?!!" The former prince roared as he gathered all the vines left in the room and knotted them together into what looked like a facsimile of Flowey's head and it did not look one bit amused, "I don't need your worthless pity! And I certainly don't need you to try and understand me either!! All I need is for you to act out your roles like the good, obedient puppets you are!" His creation reared back as its "mouth" filled with smaller vines that were honed to a razor-sharp edge, "Now stand aside and give me what is MINE!!"

The behemoth lunged forward and Clover grabbed her hand, pushing himself to blink both of them out of the way as the vine beast smashed into the wall hard enough to rattle the entire chamber. Clover gagged and staggered back while Ceroba did her best to steady him, "S-Sorry...first time I tried doing that while taking someone else with me..." The fox monster felt a pang of guilt well up in her chest at having dragged the lad into a fight he had no business being part of...except that wasn't true as Clover was at the center of all this, so in a way, he had every reason to be here.

Flowey's creation began to wiggle itself free of the indent it made in the wall and loomed up high, ready to attack again, but Ceroba bravely stepped in front of her charge, staring down the monstrosity. It went in for the kill only to suddenly get pelted by a barrage of magic bullets, feathers, electrical blasts and energy orbs, blowing off chunks of its body, and diverting its attention to the two pairs of individuals now attacking on opposing sides. "...Clover. I'm gonna need a minute to charge up my magic. Do you think you could..?"

He gave her a thumbs up and withdrew his Wild Revolver. She smiled and nodded while casting a barrier spell to protect him then she braced herself and slammed her staff on the ground hard enough to chip the end. A reddish-orange aura beginning to gather around her body. She hadn't used this much magic in a long time so she was a bit out of practice performing large feats like this one. After bracing herself, she began twirling her staff while summoning an array of fireballs in the air above her.

Clover pelted his tormentor with an array of shots from both his revolver and his soul while running along the side of the room, "If Chara really meant as much to you as you claim, do you really think they'd approve of what you've been doing?! I'm sure if they saw you right now, they'd be soooo proud!!"

"STOP.SAYING.THEIR.NAME!!!" Asriel/Flowey roared at the top of his non-existent lungs, ignoring the other monsters in favor of focusing purely on the human, proceeding to start chasing the lad while trying to grab him in its teeth, "You don't know them! Only I knew what type of person they really were! And yet you got the nerve to act like you do?! You're a literal nobody!! Nothing more than a cog in the machine! A footnote!" He closed in enough to try and bite down...

Only for a certain robot to be standing in the way and holding its jaws open with every ounce of strength it could muster, steam venting from his pipes endlessly, sparks shooting from his joints as he held back the monstrosity. (CLOVER IS NOT NOBODY. THEY ARE...MY FRIEND...BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY...THEY ARE...FAMILY...) More sparks flew from his body as he strained himself to hold back Flowey's creation (WILD WEST NERD! NOW IS YOUR CHANCE)

Next thing Flowey knew, he would see a number of TNT sticks fly down the gullet of the beast, a series of explosions rumbled within its body, causing the whole thing to rear back and leaving itself open to getting slashed up by another whirlwind of feathers and lightning courtesy of Martlet and Dalv, leading to pieces flying every which way albeit the effort still took a lot out of them, leading to them both falling to the ground, clearly wore out. Between seeing this, and the fact that Axis had strained himself so much just to protect him, Clover found himself getting a mix of worried and angry, "Ceroba! Anytime now!" He continued peppering the creature with whatever shots he could get off.

"Just a few more seconds...." Having surrounded herself in a maelstrom of fireballs, they came together above her and exploded forth as a deadly geyser that hit the creature dead on, incinerating it almost completely but leaving her completely drained and toppling over into Starlo's arms.

That had to be it...wasn't it?

Sadly, it wouldn't be as Flowey's voice could be heard reverberating through the walls, now sounding no longer angry but...almost sorrowful, "Well, I gotta say that was quite the show you just put on but...do you really think even if you somehow manage to defeat me that it will change anything?"

"Of course I do!" Clover snapped, panting as he waved his gun every which way, sweat pouring down his forehead, "With you gone, I'll finally have my life back! And you won't be able to hurt anyone ever again!"

"You really are an ungrateful little turd, you know that?!" Flowey shouted back as he emerged from the ground, flames still smoldering but he paid them no attention as all his focus was on the human, "I've said it to you before and I'll say it again! Without me, you would've never even made it out of the Ruins!" His expression then suddenly softened up, if only a little, and now he looked genuinely hurt, "Clover, I've been your best friend! Your ONLY friend! I was there for you long before any of these other bozos entered the picture!"

However, Clover merely shook his head, "You were only helping me so I could take out Asgore and then you could have all the human souls, including mine, for yourself."

"So what?!" The former prince snapped, baring his teeth, "How is that any different than what the rest of your so-called "friends" have done?! They either tried to kill you, use you for their own ends, or some mix of the two! That fox girl over there?" He gestured to Ceroba, "She basically lied to you from the moment you two met! She literally planned to stab you in the back and steal your soul just to fix a situation SHE caused with her stupidity!"

Ceroba grimaced at the reminder of how she acted once upon a time and Starlo could only give her a reassuring pat on the back. Thankfully, Clover wasn't moved, "I know, but she's already made amends for that! People are capable of bettering themselves if we just give them a chance and they got a good enough reason to do so!"

"Wow, did you pull that out of a self-help book or something?" Flowey retorted sarcastically, "I mean, yeah sure, that's great and all, but it would've been nice if that didn't require you to die 27 times in a row, huh?" He took a bit of satisfaction at seeing the human flinch at him pointing this out, "Besides, that just proves my point! I'll admit that I did leave some details out, sure, but unlike these bozos, I've never once lied to you, have I? I was always in your corner! Always! Even when nobody else could get their sh*t together long enough to pick up the slack!"

"I've heard enough!!" Clover roared, pulling the trigger and-

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Clover scowled and pulled the trigger ag-

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Ok, this was just getting ridiculous now. He just needed to pull-

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"I can do this all day, ya know!" The former prince exclaimed, "The question is, can you?"

Clover merely snarled and repeated the gesture, causing Flowey to sigh.

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"Can you please put the gun away and just hear me out?" Flowey asked, now more than a little irked at how stubborn the human was being, "Unless you enjoy keeping your so-called "friends" locked in a time loop?"

Clover spared a glance at his friends whom all clearly had seen better days, thanks to a mix of all the fighting and the fact their wounds from Undyne had yet to fully recover before coming down here. Reluctantly, he put away his revolver, "Talk."

"How about tacking on a "please" there at the end? Wouldn't cost you anything, ya know," Flowey grumbled but he went on anyways, "Now, Clover. Buddy. Let's cut to the chase. Even if you do somehow manage to defeat me, which I highly doubt, it's not gonna change anything. This ain't like your wild west flicks where the hero rides off into the sunset and everyone lives happily ever after. That's not how the real world works. For one thing, my old man's still gonna be after you, and if your performance against the fish lady was any indication, even you and all these idiots together won't be able to stop him."

"D-Don't listen to a word he says, Clover!" Martlet pleaded, trying to stand but all the fighting had left her drained, along with her injuries from Undyne having reopened, "We'll figure out a way for you to live with us! That's a promise!"

"Y-Yeah, Martlet's right," Dalv chimed in, holding his ribs and taking a step but falling to one knee instead, "M-Maybe if we get enough of us together, show him how much of a difference you've made, Asgore will have no choice but to stand down..."

"Ha! Yeah, sure, that may work in your dreams but I know my father too well," Flowey grunted, sounding almost...disappointed for some reason, "Once he's made up his mind on something, it's next to impossible to convince him to change it..maybe if Mom were still around..." Banishing that train of thought from his mind, he looked up at the human with a gleam in his eye, "No...no, you want a different ending to your story so allow me to offer you one."

"I don't want anything you got to offer!" Clover argued.

"Not even a chance to get back at the world that took everything from you?" That made Clover stop right in his tracks, completely caught off-guard by this inquiry, making Flowey smirk, "Come now, Clover, old buddy. I maybe old but I'm no fool. Anybody who would willingly fall down here into this trash heap of a kingdom is clearly somebody who has nothing left to lose. You hated the world you came from, didn't ya?"

"I...I don't..." The deputy shook his head vigorously and raised his soul to fire, eyes narrowing, "What does that have to do with anything?!"

"EVERYTHING!!" Flowey argued back, making the human actually stagger a bit, "Chara never told me much about themself but I could read between the lines and I knew they hated humans, and I can tell deep inside you is the same spark! A part of you that wants to inflict the same pain and torment on your people that they did on you!"

"My little deputy isn't that kind of person!" Starlo shouted in denial, "Somebody who would do the kinds of things he's done, whom would call a complete fool like me their friend even after the things I'm guilt of is not somebody capable of real hatre-" He wouldn't get the chance to finish as more vines would sprout from the floor and ensnare him along with the others, holding them at bay while they worked to try and free themselves.

"There. Finally, we get five minutes to ourselves..." Asriel growled as he faced his human once more, whom now was giving him a heated glare, hands trembling as he began charging his attack, "Clover, let me put it to you like this. One way or another, this story ends with your death, but I want to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime," Clover had finished charging but refused to fire, which only made the flower's grin grow and his eyes to hollow out, "Offer your soul to me! And together, with our combined power, we'll strike down Asgore, take the Souls for ourselves and we can remake this world as we see fit! Together!!"

"W-W-What?!!" Clover was flabbergasted, as were all those listening.

"You heard me! It's such a simple solution that I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner!" Flowey snickered mischeviously, "And you said it yourself, remember? You got nothing waiting for you on the surface. You got no loyalties to that bunch of idiots up there!" He gestured upwards, "Even if you stayed up there, you could die tomorrow and the world would go on as if you never even existed! In fact, you've got the proof in your hands! Five kids went missing on this blasted mountain and nobody bats an eye! Does that really sound to you like a species worth defending?"

Clover kept quiet and Flowey took this as an opportunity to go on, "Your people are flat-out willing to kill someone over how they look! Actions don't mean anything! Only appearances! This world allowed something like ME to come into existence, for crying out loud!" He gestured to himself and his tone became downright cynical, "I should've died back then! And stayed dead! But instead, this twisted, disgusting world brought me back as a literal crime against nature! Not quite dead, but not quite alive either!! I have spent literal lifetimes down here, doing everything there is to do, trying to find a reason to keep going, but there is none!"

He was suddenly right in Clover's face, making him reel back in horror, "I've even tried killing myself on multiple occasions but this curse I'm stuck with won't let me go! Literally nothing I do matters! So you know what? Let's just put an end to this whole farce for good! Let's tear this whole rotten excuse of a world down and build something better in its place!" He stretched out one of his vines with a seemingly genuine smile, "You get your happy ending with a family that actually loves you and I get what I want too. So, what do you say, partner?"

The deputy stood there, dumbfounded and a little unsure of how to respond. Sure, he didn't have a high opinion of his fellow humans but he couldn't say he outright hated them...could he? Granted, he had enough experience living on the Surface to say that his people were capable of some pretty sh*tty things, even back a thousand years ago, and that part of them hadn't changed much up to today. Plus, Flowey seemed aware that there was something very wrong with his existence. Plus, Clover had to admit that the flower did have a valid point in that he had been there for him from the very start.

What was the right thing to do?

"Oi...partner..." Hearing coughing, Clover, alongside Flowey, turned his head to address the source and saw North Star still tied up but having managed to loosen himself just enough to get his mouth free, "Remember that talk we had back at the hotel about making a deal with the devil and how it always comes back to haunt you?" The human stayed silent but he did nod, "Of course you do. You're a smart kid, after all..." The sheriff grimaced and shifted his gaze to the ground, "Now listen...I know we didn't do right by you in the past. We should've been there for you more, treated you like an actual person instead of...well, how we actually did..."

"But you take that flower's offer and you're gonna regret it!" Dalv cried out insistently from where he was tied up, "Besides, you're better than that! Better than him! He gave into his darkness, but you don't have to!"

(ESPECIALLY SINCE YOU HAVE US) Axis, damaged but still functioning, chimed in as he tried to generate enough power to break free of these vines, (AND FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, I APOLOGIZE FOR CHASING YOU AROUND THE STEAMWORKS THE FIRST TIME WE MET)

"Axis is right!" Martlet cried, pushing her body well past its limits in order to get free, "You already are an important person! To us! If I didn't believe your life mattered, do you really think I would've been willing to quit the Guard? To stand up to my own boss even if it meant getting labeled a criminal? And to go against what Chujin warned me about your kind? Well, if I had to go back, I would do it all again for you in a heartbeat!" There was not a hint of doubt or falsehood in her eyes.

"Martlet..." Clover murmured, shock and awe evident on his face at her declaration.

"Clover, before you make your decision, I want you to understand something," Ceroba said in a weak, raspy tone, her staff lying off to the side while she herself was bruised, battered and drained to the point she could barely conjure a small flame, and yet her eyes were still warm and kind, and full of hope, "I know I lied to you, that I used you, and regardless of my reasons for doing so, what I did was still inexcusable on every level...but what I say now is the honest truth. I value you just as much as I value Kanako..." Flowey actually gagged but she pressed on, "Just like how she's my little ball of sunshine...I'm come to see you the same way..."

She coughed up some dust before continuing, "I have made many, many terrible mistakes in recent times...things I can't undo no matter how much I want to...but one thing I don't regret is getting to meet you. Axis was right...you are living proof that our races can co-exist again someday..." Her eyes were drawn to the doorway where her daughter was peeking through.

Clover looked around at all his friends, and Kanako, before closing his eyes and reflecting for the last time. So many runs. So many times meeting the same people, reliving the same experiences, only to have it all undone again and again in an endless loop going back who knows how far. He was tired of this. Tired of dying. Tired of losing precious memories. Tired of living in an eternal now. It was time to make a change.

"...You're right, Flowey," He opened his eyes and offered a sad smile towards the flower whom smiled back, "I do owe you a lot. You did save my life more times than I can count and for that, all I can say is thank you..." He reached for the extended vine as if making to shake it...only to then grab and yank Flowey towards him while aiming his Soul right at his face, "....And good-bye..." He readied to fire. To end this once and for all.

......

....Why was nothing happening?

Suddenly, a sharp pain could be felt in his chest, causing him to cough up blood and look down to see one of Flowey's roots sticking out through his chest, having erupted from a patch of floor behind him that had been concealed by darkness and debris.

Nobody said a word. All of them could only lie there in unspeakable horror as their worse fears came to pass.

"Oh, Clover, Clover...predictable right to the very end..." Flowey teased as he reached to claim his prize while the lad's vision started to go dark.

The former prince leaned in closer to make sure his was the last face the human would see. "Game Over, my little deputy...You Lose..."

His face broke into the most evil, most haunting grin imaginable.

"I Win."