First of all, I'd love to thank ALL MY VIEWERS. Thank you so much for reading this fanfic, I honestly didn't figure so many people would read this... *sniffles* Thank you thank you! You guys are the best. Anyways, I've managed to write this chapter relatively faster than I thought (maybe not idk).

Mettaton: When will I appear again?!

Napstablook: oh...

Mettaton: Oh- I-I mean, when will BLOOKY and I appear?!

(P.S. I have plans to introduce RG-01 and RG-02 some time in the future)

Gaster: I'm not that evil, am I...?

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 9 – Darkness Starts

Sans woke up, startled. His entire head ached again, just like that time. He leaned back into his pillow and tried to relax. Breathing deeply. Thinking about ketchup. Remembering the jokes he shared with Toriel. His head continued to ache slowly, throbbing and never truly fading away.

"p-papyrus… a-are you there…?" Sans weakly called out, trying to reach out to his brother. He tumbled out of the bed and struggled to breathe. It wasn't just the pain. He could feel the atmosphere stifling and thick, like water. He crawled slowly to the corridor. Darkness swallowed up the entire house, devoid of any sort of light. Sans felt a chill down his spine.

"papyrus, i-if this is a joke, i-i'm not liking it one bit," Sans called out down the empty hallway. He heard someone shuffling towards him. Sans fumbled for the door, trying to get up at the same time. He swung the door with all his might, trying to close it. Just as he thought the door had closed, a hand stopped it with a thud. Sans looked at the hand with disbelief. A hand with a single hole through the palm. He didn't want to believe it. He cried for Papyrus. He screamed and shouted.

"But nobody came," A voice whispered.

Toriel kept looking at her phone repeatedly, as if waiting for a call or a message. She did this constantly almost every five seconds, and Asriel looked at her with concern. He took a seat beside her on the sofa. They were still at the Snowdin Inn, taking up residence for the moment. Asriel did like the cozy little place, but he wished that the monsters beside their room put a little more effort into sleeping silently. He looked at his mother, hand on her arm.

"Are you waiting for a call, Mom?" Asriel asked, having a good idea of who it would be. Toriel looked at her son and tried to hide her embarrassment.

"Oh, i-it's nothing, child," Toriel replied with a small smile. She looked out the window, watching Asgore and Frisk making a snowman. Asriel stayed with his mother to keep her company. He looked at the phone's screen to see what his mother was up to. Messages were sent to Sans, but none had come back. Asriel looked at his disappointed mother.

"Should we go visit Sans, Mom?" Asriel chirped up, attempting to cheer his mother up. Toriel's ears perked up. Her bright blue eyes held a twinkle again. Asriel smiled at his mother and took her hand.

"I wonder what Uncle's up to, Mom," Asriel said to his Mother as they started to walk out of the room.

"Probably coming up with more bad jokes," Toriel replied, walking in rhythm with her son. She shut the door silently behind them.

Within moments, the entire Dreemurr family was on their way to Sans and Papyrus's house. With Frisk on Asgore's shoulders and Asriel in between Toriel and Asgore, the family was indeed a joyful sight for all monsters. Dusk had fallen in the Underground, and warm lights from houses illuminated the streets of Snowdin. Strangely, only one house lacked this quality.

"Well, that's weird," Frisk declared, sensing something. Toriel knocked on the door. Asriel tried calling out for Sans and Papyrus. But nobody came.

"Tori, maybe something happened to them…" Asgore said with a growing sense of apprehension. Asriel hoped nothing horrible happened. Frisk looked at the door with fear.

"Sans?! Papyrus?!" Toriel started to yell and pound the door with her fists. Asriel took a few steps back to Frisk. Asgore stepped up to the doorstep. He took a breath and smashed his shoulder into the door. With a great crash, the entire door fell away from the frame. The four of them stared at the darkness within the house.

"Is it supposed to be this dark?" Frisk asked finally. Toriel slowly shook her head and entered the house. She flipped the switches on. Everything was a mess. The couch was torn apart, the television screen smashed, and books about quantum physics lay tattered and torn. Windows were also broken, bones were smashed here and there. Asriel felt a chill behind him. He didn't like what he was seeing. Toriel dashed upstairs and Asgore followed along, but Frisk and Asriel remained downstairs, staring at the mess around them. Asriel noticed a square piece of paper on the ground, almost untouched. He picked it up. He shone it in the light and looked at it carefully. It was a photograph of Sans and Papyrus, along with someone he didn't know. He walked over to Frisk.

"Look at this," Asriel said to Frisk, handing him the photograph. Frisk studied it carefully and his face started to get paler. He looked at Asriel with wild-eyes.

"A-Asriel, this photograph…" Frisk whispered, his fingers trembling, "I-I know this person." Frisk looked up at Asriel with fearful eyes. As Asriel was about to say something, he heard a piercing scream. It was his mother.

"MOM?!" Asriel shouted, running up the stairs. He ran to Sans's room to find his mother crouching on the ground, his father holding her tightly in his grasp. Asriel trudged over to his mother.

"M-Mom? Dad? W-What's the matter?" Asriel asked softly, and it wasn't until he looked closer that he saw what his mother was holding.

Alphys sat in front of her giant computer, scrolling through extensive documents the previous Royal Scientist left behind. She never managed to tackle the entire archives of what he left, but she always tried to in her spare time. It was already late into the night and Undyne was already asleep upstairs. The things the documents contained intrigued her. She never thought about the possibilities with what he left behind. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. She stared at one word.

"Gaster..." Alphys whispered, "What were you even thinking of?" She put her glasses back on and promptly shut her computer down, thinking of going to sleep for now. She swung from her chair and looked up to see the clock. She froze. A shadow loomed over her.

"N-No…" Alphys stammered, taking a few steps backwards as she pushed the chair away from her. "Th-That's not possible. You can't be here. Y-You-"

"I am back," Gaster cut her off, spreading his arms out, "the Barrier has opened. How is it not possible that I am here?" His cold voice rang out in the dimly lit laboratory. Alphys quietly slid her phone out of her coat. She tapped on the keypad a few times. She wondered if Sans would get her message.

"Trying to contact someone?" Gaster smiled slyly, his eyes glinted a malicious black. "Too bad he won't." He shrugged and walked closer to Alphys. Alphys looked at the familiar porcelain white face with cracks in it. The black suit he always wore. She couldn't believe it still. It wasn't possible.

"You know, I've always wondered how a girl like you managed to take over my position," Gaster stated nonchalantly, "but then again, you're about as useful as my nephews who could never do anything right." Alphys shuddered upon hearing this, and she continued to back away from him. What could she do? Could she call for Mettaton? Undyne?

"G-Gaster, why are you here?" Alphys tried to drag some time. She clicked Undyne's number, trying to reach her somehow. Gaster chuckled, holding his pierced palm up to his mouth. He looked at Alphys with hatred.

"To become God of everything," Gaster replied, matter-of-factly, "Now that the Barrier is open… I can rule over everything, can't I?" Gaster made a fist and laughed.

"There's no way you can-" Alphys was cut off by Gaster holding a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Now now, I'm sure you've managed to figure out what I've been up to by reading the documents I left behind, no?" Gaster's eyes seemed to slit more and more as he held a broad grin upon his face. Alphys nodded slowly.

"Smart girl. If only my nephews were just as smart," Gaster stated, as he bent lower to look at Alphys squarely in the eyes.

"I hope you've prepared yourself for a bad time, my little scientist," Gaster whispered and Alphys couldn't help but cry. She started screaming for help, but not a sound was made. Her eyes widened in fear and she tried to type messages and call out for help.

"But nobody. Came," Gaster stated with a wicked grin. His eyes turned a deep scarlet and he stood back up. Lights started to flicker. Gaster started laughing shrilly. Alphys shut her eyes and prayed for the best of luck.

Suddenly, Gaster's laughters were cut off and he fell on the floor with a dull thud. Alphys slowly opened her eyes and the tears started welling up. Undyne stood atop Gaster, with a spear aimed at Gaster's neck. Alphys never felt any gladder to see Undyne.

"Who the hell are you?" Undyne growled out, pressing the tip of her spear into Gaster's neck. Gaster chuckled and only shrugged. Undyne looked at Alphys and looked back at the monster beneath her. She lifted her spear and smashed it into Gaster's head. With a sickening crack, Gaster started to shimmer out of existence, leaving nothing behind but the echoes of laughter.

"U-U-Undyne… I-I-I-" Alphys tried to speak out as she started to cry, and she felt safe and sound. Undyne wrapped her arms around Alphys and stroked her head.

"You're safe now," Undyne murmured as she tried to comfort Alphys. She knew the monster who attacked Alphys wasn't dead yet. She would see him again. And when that happens, she would kill that thing.

"A bottle of ketchup…?" Asriel managed to ask. He was baffled at this. He looked at his mother again. She was crying, but not out of grief. Out of laughter. She was laughing so hard that she was barely holding herself together. Frisk had finally arrived at the scene and could only look at their mother. They waited for Toriel to finally stop laughing. She looked at the bottle once more.

"Sans told me before that he would leave a bottle of ketchup as a sign," Toriel finally managed, wiping the tears off her face, "a sign that he is in fact, alive and well. Let me try calling him." Toriel flipped her phone open and dialed the number rapidly. She waited.

"Sans?!" Toriel shouted in delight. Her face brightened up and she seemed relieved to hear her friend's voice again. Everyone else made a sigh of relief, especially Asgore. Toriel made a few "Mhms" and "You Bonehead" comments before flipping the phone back into her pocket.

"Alright, let's go see your silly Uncle and Aunt," Toriel announced, grabbing Asgore, Frisk, and Asriel by the hands and dragging them out of the room. She still had the bottle of ketchup clutched in her arms. At least nothing terrible happened. Asriel thought to himself. He still wondered who that person was in the photograph. He looked at Frisk, who seemed afraid.

Frisk, are you going to tell me about that monster? Asriel asked quietly. Frisk looked at Asriel. He seemed to be thinking about something.

Yes. Frisk made a short reply. Asgore looked at them with a raised eyebrow. Asriel didn't notice it, however. He could only think over and over of the photograph. He knew that person had something to do with this.

"So where exactly are they, Tori?" Asgore finally asked her after trudging through the outskirts of Snowdin. Toriel only smiled at him and continued to walk. Asriel noticed where they were going. Frisk seemed to do so as well.

"We're on our way to the entrance of the Ruins, my dear," Toriel stated, amused. Asgore stayed silent and only laughed a little, as if understanding something. Asriel and Frisk walked together, silently discussing things their parents might not wish to hear.

So who is that monster? Asriel asked Frisk. He did seem to recognize who it was, but he couldn't quite put a finger on it.

Gaster. Frisk replied back slowly. He seemed greatly troubled. Asriel knew that name.

Gaster… You mean the previous Royal Scientist? Asriel's eyes widened. He finally got it. He remembered who this Gaster was.

You know him? Frisk asked, glancing at him with fear. Asriel nodded slowly.

He freaked me out during my childhood. He would often visit us in our palace. The creepiest monster I've seen, to be honest. He would often smile and look at me… Those were the worst. I never really knew what he was up to though. Asriel admitted. How do you know Gaster?

Well… I was in Alphys's Lab before I battled you, remember? And I picked up an old and battered journal there… It was filled with scribbles and everything, but I could read it somehow. They were all entries made by Gaster. His experiments. His findings. His hideous acts. Frisk stated with a shudder. You know that Alphys inadvertently melded monsters together to get those Amalgamates… But Gaster… He did worse. He… He managed to extract the souls of monsters while they were alive.

How is that even possible? Asriel wondered, feeling the chill once again. Frisk took a deep breath. Asriel held Frisk's cold hand, encouraging him.

He abducted monsters and split their heads open, alive and all. I don't even want to imagine it. He would then extract the soul out of the monster and still manage to get the monsters to live. In such a state, the souls would last at least a week, just enough for him to carry out some more gruesome experiments. Frisk shook his head and looked at Asriel. Asriel couldn't believe it.

Then… Those monsters would be alive for in that state before dying… Right..? Asriel asked weakly, and Frisk could only nod at him. Asriel held on to Frisk's hand even tighter and continued walking behind their parents.

He's… Evil, Asriel. He heard them screaming in pain and agony but he could only smile. He wrote that in his journal. I-I honestly wish I didn't find that journal. Frisk looked down at the ground. Asriel let go of Frisk's hand and placed an arm around his shoulder.

You're always so brave to go venturing out on everything, you know that? Asriel gave him a pat on the back and they continued walking on.

"Sans and Papyrus… I wonder what they've got to with such a horrid monster…" Asriel muttered. Frisk held the photograph in his hands.

"He was an uncle," Frisk murmured, and Asriel looked at him with shock. "Gaster last worked with Sans on something like… A time machine... But..." Frisk faltered.

"Gaster fell into his own creation and he vanished into the timelines and alternate universes, that's all I know," Frisk finished off, and Asriel pondered about that. A time machine?

"How do you even know all this?" Asriel finally asked, marveling at his brother's ability to know so much. Frisk made a pained smile.

"My friends are important to me. I try to do everything I can to know them better, Asriel," Frisk replied. Asriel brought Frisk to hug and nuzzled him. You're the best brother I can ever ask for. Asriel thought to himself. Frisk grinned warmly and looked ahead of them.

"We should catch up to them, shouldn't we?" Frisk asked cheerfully. Asriel nodded. Frisk suddenly grabbed his arm and started dashing forward, taking Asriel with him. They started laughing and running towards their parents, running under the night sky. Toriel and Asgore stood there waiting for them, in front of the doors that once lay shut and locked. They waved at their children, wondering what took them so long.

"So. Where's Sans and Papyrus?" Asriel asked with a wide smile. Toriel and Asgore trudged along the trees and pushed a few trees to the side. There, between the trees, was a camera and a door. Frisk's jaw dropped slightly and stared at the door. Asriel looked at him curiously.

"So this was what the camera was all about?" Frisk asked loudly, and the door slammed open. Sans stood there with a goofy smile. Asriel still didn't understand what was going on. Asgore and Toriel didn't seem to either.

"you got it, kiddo," Sans declared, "welcome to our other home. it's where papyrus and i hang out sometimes." Papyrus popped behind Sans and dashed at everyone in front of their door.

"Wowie! Everyone's here to see me?! The Great and Almighty Papyrus?!" Papyrus shouted with joy and gave everyone a hug. Asriel and Frisk felt happy to see them again. All of them were so worried.

"let's get inside for now," Sans announced, still smiling. Everyone managed to fit through the door and entered. The door shut slowly with a squeak, and the trees slowly creaked back to their original state, hiding the door and camera from view.

"So that was Gaster?" Undyne asked Alphys, who sat beside her on the River Person's boat. They were on their way to Snowdin, wanting to see if the others were all okay.

"Yes. The previous Royal Scientist, Gaster," Alphys stated sadly. "He was a brilliant monster. I wonder why he's turned that way…" Alphys looked at the dark waters.

"Beware of the man who speaks in hands…" The River Person uttered, and the two of them flinched. They didn't expect him to speak so suddenly. Undyne looked at him irritated and the River Person cowered and continued to row from time to time.

"Well, whether we know it or not, he's back from being dead," Undyne spat out, not bothering to hide her contempt. "He'll never harm anyone as long as I am here." Alphys felt her face blush slightly and she looked at Undyne in awe.

"What?! I-I still have to protect my friends, you know?!" Undyne exclaimed, slightly embarrassed. Alphys laughed a little and gave her a hug. She held her for a while. The River Person made a slight coughing noise.

"Oh look, we're here," Undyne choked out and climbed off with Alphys. The two of them walked away, hand in hand towards the town. The River Person looked at them and started humming his little tune.

"Tra la la, what a time to be alive…" The River Person chuckled softly. His hood unraveled to reveal a white face. He cackled and laughed, fading into the darkness, the very darkness that took him in when he fell into his creation. He knew that same darkness would start soon. Very soon.

Oh my me oh my... Dr. Gaster doesn't seem to be the nicest monster around town...? Again, thank you so much my beloved readers, and if you want to leave a review on what I should improve or anything you want to say, feel free to do so. Thank you!