So I've recently been introduced to the Undertale Fandom... as in it ambushed me whilst I was working on the second part to my LOTR fic His Corrupted Mind, Heart, and Soul...
All in all, I love it. It's a great game (#TruePacifist), and more so I love the lore that was put into the game. Thank you, Toby Fox, for the time and effort you put into the game. But let's get straight to the point, shall we?
This is an Undertale Fan Fiction, and moreover this is a W.D. Gaster x OC fan fiction. Kind of slow burn, but we'll see were it goes.
Ever get an idea in youe head that constantly bugs you until you actually do it? That's what this fic is, but I will be putting as much effort into it as my LOTR fic. Updates won't be weekly as I only have this chapter written and my beta has been very, very quiet for two weeks now and I am an insecure writer and like to through second opinions on future chapters. Basically, chapters will come as I complete them.
Now, this chapter is a bit of backstory for Gaster and the introduction of an OC who will only show up in person for a grand total of two times in the entirety of this story. Next chapter will the second time for that OC, the actual OC makes an appearance, and more Gaster backstory.
So, enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think and we, the Undertale Fandom, know that Gaster needs a serious hug and some love!
Well... not LV, but we get the point!
Read on!
Chapter I: We Must Begin Somewhere After All
"Entry number seventeen… Dark, darker, yet darker…"
A tall, skeletal being murmured this aloud in a smooth, cultured baritone as he wrote on the legal pad in his hand, his slim pen translating his thoughts into a language comprised of symbols. He did this as he walked along a not too narrow corridor, the hem of his lab coat swishing due to the pace he kept. His steps were followed by the sounds of two other pairs, one quite lazily and the other very much the opposite as it struggled to keep up.
"The darkness keeps growing, the shadows cutting deeper...Photon readings negative…"
The small group now entered a large room, a laboratory to be more precise. A wide desk took an entire wall, covered in various instruments and many papers scattered in small piles. Other, larger machines and monitors were also present, but ignored as the skeletal scientist made his way to the apparatus that dominated the lab.
"This next experiment seems very, very… Interesting..."
It was of a rusty color, large and in the shape that would remind one of a beetle's head. Gaping ovals for eyes that seemed endlessly deep, and various steel-grey tubes connected it to other, unseen machines. The tall skeleton stopped in his pace before the machine, the very machine needed to help him achieve his latest project. He looked up from his legal pad, his pen held still now as he gazed at it for a few moments before his attention returned to his companions.
"What do you two think?"
His companions consisted of another, shorter skeleton and a monster best described as a yellow dinosaur who was about the same height as the other skeleton. Sans, his eldest son and assistant, and Alphys, his newest intern. His son's usual lazy grin faded for a moment, and he barely caught it before Sans replied, "Welp, your ideas are crazy most of the time, but this ices the cake G."
"I-I have to agree with Sans D-Doctor Gaster. T-This is definitely y-your most d-dangerous project y-yet."
The doctor raised an eyebrow ridge slightly, though didn't condemn them on their opinions. He had expected this, and while writing down more things to the entry he had a summoned hand gesture for them to continue. Sans spoke first once again.
"Sure, I know you're confident after building the Core an' all, but this… This can't have any good repercussions. G, there are too many unknowns. We don't even know if this place actually exists, much less on how to access it."
"H-He's right," Alphys stuttered. "And what i-if something's on the o-otherside?"
It was at this that the renowned scientist of the Underground chuckled softly before responding, "Dear Alphys, I believe you've been watching far too much anime recently. When we do manage to get a look at this plane, even if it's just a glimpse, I am certain that nothing will be there as the stories and our current evidence speak of."
Sans looked hard at him.
"When? Isn't 'if' more likely?"
The doctor's smile widened. "I am more than confident in my calculations Sans. The machine before us will aid greatly in the stabilization of our little peephole. Also, with the amount of power the Core now provides us, we should be able to maintain it for approximately ten minutes."
"I hope so. I'd hate for those calculations to be voided."
The taller skeletal monster smirked faintly, knowing exactly where his son inherited his tendencies for bad puns. The summoned hand closed and shook its pointer finger side to side slowly.
"Let us a-void the jokes for now Sans, we have an experiment to perform after all. Best to be at the top of our game."
"Expecting to be played?"
"Better to be prepared and not need it than to need it and not be prepared."
"T-That's pretty deep Doctor!" Alphys exclaimed, getting over a small giggling fit when Sans started the small pun exchange. Said doctor gave a small nod, replying simply, "When you've lived as long as I have, and have seen the things I have seen, you tend to leave such experiences with bits of similar wisdom."
Alphys nodded quickly, taking his words to heart. Sans merely shrugged lightly before turning around and making his way toward the long table at the wall, picking up the most recent notes he made on a different project. Something he'd been working privately on for some time now. The doctor quickly finished up the last of his notes before fully facing Alphys.
"Alphys, I want you to check the tubes and connecting wires. The slightest misplacement could throw my calculations off, and you were right when you said that this is quite a dangerous endeavor."
Alphys' eyes sparkled, excited to help her mentor with such an important task. "R-Right away D-Doctor!"
She rushed off to the back of the apparatus to diligently check each tube and wire as per his instructions, working quickly and quietly with the occasional muttering of something under her breath. Though she worked at a fast pace, it did not mean that she lacked efficiency and quality in her work. This was one of the main reasons why the doctor selected Alphys as his intern out of the many applications he had received months ago. She had quite the clever mind under the appearance of social anxiety and her tendency to stutter.
His son on the other hand… simply stated he was the very definition of a 'lazy genius'. Sans easily matched him when it came to sheer intelligence and magical power, however he often lacked the motivation to do much else other than sleep. Despite that, his input has proven time and time again to be invaluable.
The skeletal scientist summoned another hand to take his pen and paper and set them on the desk, and as it did this he looked up at the grand machine. This creation would allow him a look into a place where, supposedly, everything and nothing existed. A painting that has been painted, unmade, and then painted again. This was a cycle that repeated with no end.
With great expectations, the doctor was excited to make history yet again. Especially after the recent success and impact of the Core in the Underground. He took in a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. Oh yes, today would certainly be a day to remember.
"E-Everything's all clear D-Doctor!" Came Alphys' voice, her task now complete and satisfactory in her eyes. The doctor gave a single nod, trusting her judgement without fault, and turned his head to have Sans within his vision.
"Sans, let us begin Phase One of testing shall we?"
His son was startled a bit, quickly stuffing the blueprints he had been inspecting before saying, "Sure thing." and walking over to the main monitor and typing away code to start Phase One. The doctor sighed quietly, though a small smile played on his features. He knew that those blueprints more than likely belonged to Sans' latest idea, weapons he named 'Gaster Blasters'. The skeletal scientist honestly had no idea why his son named the devices after him, but was flattered and touched deeply by the action anyway.
Machinery began to hum all around the trio, the Core easily providing the energy needed for the beginning stage of this experiment. A white light began to glow softly within the depths of the 'eyes' of the main apparatus, and the doctor's smile widened as it continued to grow. His calculations, his predictions, were so far accurate. Together, they witnessed as the glow expanded for a few minutes, watching as it then stabilized itself and remained a certain size. The large machine now properly looked like it was staring at them with a hollow, soulless gaze.
"Alphys, begin Phase Two of testing." The doctor said calmly, not affected at all by the perceived gaze.
"R-Right away Doctor!"
Alphys removed herself from his peripheral vision, soon standing at another monitor and activating more code. The humming then quickly turned into a deep buzzing, and the light intensified though grew no larger in overall size. His smile widened some more, seeing how stable it remained and in pride of the accuracy of his calculations. The doctor had put much time into this project, having worked out every single detail and had painstakingly reworked sections or, rarely thankfully, the entirety of the arithmetic.
Just like when the Core finally went live, it was a beautiful sight to see his creation come alive before his very eyes.
But unfortunately this apparatus was not the Core, and everything very quickly went very wrong.
Alarms suddenly rang throughout the lab, and it took the small group but a moment to realize that all hell was about to break loose. The apparatus began to shudder, something only noticeable to the trained eye, and then it rapidly started shaking and violently so. Pressure built up within the tubes and holes punched through, steam whistling through and only adding more noise in addition to the alarms.
Sans and Alphys were typing madly at their keyboards, trying to discover the cause of all this sudden chaos. The doctor was still in a form of shock, greatly confused as to this gross miscalculation. He had assured himself that if something did go wrong, it wouldn't have been anything as dramatic as what he was currently witnessing.
"D-Doctor G-Gaster!" Alphys shouted over the noise in order to be heard. "T-The wires! Diagnostics say t-that some o-of them have been d-disconnected!"
His head snapped to towards his intern, his tone curt. "What?! How?!"
"I-I don't k-know Doctor! T-They were all f-fine when I checked them b-before we started P-Phase One!"
His gaze flicked over to Sans, seeing the sweat forming as he also looked back at his father. He nodded, and the skeletal doctor quickly refocused on the apparatus. Inspecting its entirety in a single sweep of his gaze, he spotted large sparks slightly behind it and to the left. There was the source of this chaos, and a few theories ran through his head as to why the connecting wires were in such a state. Chief among them was that perhaps an overload occurred on a massive scale, but this was countered by the fact that there were many, many breakers in the system it was created around. An overload should have been near impossible.
Those thoughts promptly died when he saw the damage that had actually been done to the wires.
Four large slashes made their way across several groupings of the connecting wires, the ends quite frayed and wildly sparking. This was sabotage, that much was obvious. He thought to Alphys but quickly disregarded it. She was far too dedicated to science to ever do such a thing, and also admired him to the point that an act such as this would be psychologically impossible for her to perform. Besides, her claws weren't nearly as long as the gashes he was looking at and it had to have been done after she had checked them.
"Do you know what happens when you stare into the abyss, WingDing Gaster?"
The new voice was deep and hollow, echoing throughout his mind as he looked up from the ruined wires. He saw a dark creature standing only a few feet away, a male humanoid in form with skin that gave the impression of a void, blacker than black and without true, perceivable depth. He was only clothed in a skirt that reach the floor with ease, comprised of tattered strips made of a rough cloth, colored in various shades of grey. Well built in overall physique, and the lower half of the dark creature's face was covered in a mask mimicking the feral jaws of a fearsome beast.
But what truly caught the doctor's attention were the four long claws of a solid black on each hand, no thumbs at all present, and the dark creature's eyes. They were a solid white, sharp, faintly glowing too, and Dr. WingDing Gaster was filled with dread and the unnerving feeling that the monster before him could see into his very being. His very soul, in fact.
Shadows seemed to mist and fade off of the dark creature as he shifted in his place slightly. His arms were crossed over his chest, as if very disappointed in the skeletal scientist. Suddenly remembering the dark creature's inquiry, the doctor tried to formulate an answer but it appeared he was not quick enough for the dark creature's liking. He suddenly vanished from sight before reappearing behind him, making the doctor whirl around to find himself face to face with the new monster. The hollow tone remained.
"Well, you should know then that the abyss… stares… back."
WingDing Gaster didn't know he was falling until it was far too late. He felt himself breaking apart in painful ways before being remade in a new way. If the doctor could describe such an experience, he would not be able to find words even then, for there were no words that could suit it properly. It was not definitive by the limitation of mere words.
However, he managed to hear his son.
"Dad! No, Dad!"
Sans… I'm so sorry. Take care of your brother… please Sans. I'm so sorry!
And then he broke again before once again being remade. The cycle repeating, as it always has and must do.
Later…
"Don't forget… I… I refuse to forget you Dad! I won't!"
I legitimately cried when I wrote those last few lines of Gaster and Sans. So many tissues were introduced to my garbage bin that day...
I'm pretty sure my LOTR fic readers, who have read this, are shaming me for doing this and not working on the LOTR fic. To them I say, "I'M WORKING ON IT!" My writing process involves making a list of seemingly random events (25-45) and then organizing them into a semi-detailed story outline. THEN I write the actual chapters. THEN I send them to my Beta. And THEN I post it on here.
Speaking of outlines, the one for this story is only approximately one-third of the way complete so... Yeah chapters will be posted upon final draft.
Disclaimer, disclaimer I do not own Undertale. Toby Fox does, and he's great. I do own Griever and the actual and currently unrevealed OC, and that's about it.
'Till next chapter my wonderful readers!
