Frisk was sobbing. Here in the dark, emptiness of the void, the only sounds heard from within was the cries of a human child, no more than the age of 12. Gaster knew exactly why the human was upset. It wasn't because of his attempts to lower their determination, though that certainly didn't help.
No, they were crying because they had witnessed Gaster's lost souls nearly killing Undyne. They were crying because Alex was going through so much to try to save them. Gaster, however, was not the least bit remorseful. In fact, he was pissed right now.
Not only did Alex free three of the Lost Souls, but those monsters had now prevented the battle that would have finally killed Alex. Gaster had run completely out of patience at this point.
Before, he had been bent on solving this peacefully and without much damage to the timeline, but now… now Gaster didn't care how much damage he caused. He'd resort to killing everyone in the timeline if it meant the success of his plan. However, genocide wasn't going to solve his problems.
Still staring at the window into reality, looking down upon the five dueling monsters, he raised his hand above the window and uttered, "NO MERCY."
Hearing the command, the Lost Soul of Madjick used their orbs to freeze the three opposing monsters in place. As this occurred, the Lost Soul of Knight Knight swung their weapon at full force, hitting each of the three monsters repeatedly.
Frisk noticed this and cried out to Gaster, "NOOO! PLEASE!*sob* Don't do thiiissss!" Gaster ignored them as the Lost Soul swung three times. "Plleeaasssee! NOooooo!" After the three swings Final Froggit, Whimsalot, and Astigmatism all fell down and turned to dust.
Gaster remained emotionless as they turned around to face the child, who was now sobbing even harder. Frisk noticed their emotionless expression and became to feel their sadness transform into anger. They began to shout.
"HOW COULD YOU… YOU… YOU MONSTER!" Gaster simply nodded at this accusation as if he agreed.
"They… THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG! YOU- YOU MURDERED THEM!"
Gaster held up his right hand, silencing the child. "THIS IS ON YOU, FRISK!" Gaster pointed at Frisk, while his emotionless face became one of accusation.
"I WARNED YOU THAT IF YOU DIDN'T TAKE MY DEAL, EVERYTHING I DID NEXT WOULD BE ON YOUR HANDS! YOU HAD A CHANCE TO PREVENT THIS!" Gaster looked Frisk in the eyes. Frisk was not backing down though.
"You LIAR! All you do is hurt others! You say you want to save us? FROM WHAT? They only thing we all need to be saved from is YOU!", Frisk rebutted.
Gaster's face was now back to being furious. "THIS PAIN? THIS SUFFERING? IT'S ALL POINTLESS IN THE END! I'M HURTING THEM BECAUSE YOU AND ALEX HAD TAKEN AWAY ALL OF THE ALTERNATIVES!"
"ALTERNATIVES? What, like us allowing you to kill us both and using our souls to become a god? To give you the power to wipe away or create timelines on a whim?"
"YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE, DO YOU?" Gaster sighed and calmed down for a moment before continuing with an explanation.
"DON'T YOU WONDER HOW I KNEW ABOUT METTATON NEO, WHICH YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT?" Frisk, still angry, nodded slowly.
"THIS… THIS PLACE IS LIKE A PRISON! I'M STUCK HERE WITHOUT A WAY TO EVER LEAVE! BUT… THIS PLACE HAS A SINGLE PERK. I CAN SEE OTHER TIMELINES… OTHER WORLDS…"
The anger in Frisk had slightly decreased as they thought about this. Gaster could see other timelines and realities? What has he seen? Gaster continued with his explanation, getting louder.
"I'VE SEEN WHAT LIES OUTSIDE US FRISK! I'VE SEEN THE BEINGS WITH THE POWER TO DESTROY EVERYTHING! …I'VE SEEN WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO TIMELINES LIKE OURS!"
Gaster was beginning to get emotional. Frisk had never seen anything of the sort from Gaster before.
"YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THESE TIMELINES? HUH?! THEY ARE DESTROYED! EVERY SINGLE SOUL WITHIN THEM ARE KILLED! EVERY PIECE OF MATTER IS DESTROYED! THERE IS NOTHING LEFT BEHIND EXCEPT VOID… VOID LIKE THIS!" Gaster motioned around them.
A tear formed in Gaster's right eye before quickly disappearing. Frisk finally began to understand Gaster's motivations. They seemed good, but then… Gaster continued.
"I'M DOING ALL OF THIS TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING TO US TO! WITH THIS POWER I CRAVE, I WILL HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY THEM! I COULD BECOME GOD OVER THE TIMELINES!"
"Why go through all of this? If there are other realities out there, then there must be other Gasters, right? Why didn't any of them do this?" Gaster had a wicked smile begin to form on his face. His sadness was changing into something more diabolical now.
"THE OTHER GASTERS NEVER HAD ALEX. THEY NEVER HAD A PURITY SOUL! ALEX IS AN ANOMALY, FRISK, A MISTAKE!" The anger surged back into frisk. "BUT THIS MISTAKE WILL BE THE KEY TO MY POWER. UNFORTUNATELY, SINCE THEY'RE A UNIQUE ANOMALY, I HAVE NO DATA TO GO ON…"
"DON'T CALL THEM THAT! Alex is NOT a MISTAKE! Their not just some sort of data for you to analyze!" The anger surging within Frisk was filling them with Determination, causing their soul to burn bright red. The black shackles of darkness were torn apart by their anger and determination. Frisk was now free, but still in the void with Gaster.
Gaster looked slightly alarmed by this, but then hid this with another grin. He held his hands out in front of him and shot more darkness at Frisk, pushing them against another wall of darkness, which struggled to recapture them.
"L-let me go! You're done Gaster! I'm not letting you use me to become some sort of deity!"
"MAYBE NOT NOW, BUT SOON IT WON'T MATTER. ONCE I GET ALEX'S SOUL, YOUR DETERMINATION WILL BE TOO INFERIOR TO DO ANYTHING TO HINDER ME."
Gaster flicked his wrists, forcing more darkness to envelope Frisk, silencing them for now. This nearly choked them, but he relented and allowed Frisk to catch their breath.
Gaster almost used the darkness to kill Frisk out of anger, but then remember what he was doing and stopped.
If he killed Frisk, it would force a 'File Load' due to their Determination. If he could get Alex, though… then his determination would not only match Frisk's, but would be enough to completely counter them. Gaster turned back around and focused on window into reality once more, focusing on Alex and Undyne in an elevator.
Gaster didn't currently have the energy to overpower Undyne due to her sheer amount of determination, but Gaster had a plan. The window's frame shifted to show Sans working on the nearly completed machine. The window's vision was hazy due to the alloy in the lab…
…but as soon as Sans stepped out of the Lab, Gaster would activate his trap. Then… Alex was in for a bad time…
After taking in the black-and-white scenery outside of the elevator, Alex turned their attention back to Undyne, who was still unconscious and leaning against the opposing wall of the elevator. Alex walked to Undyne's side and threw her right arm over them to try to bring her further.
She was lighter than she seemed, but still quite heavy due to her armor, so Alex struggled to walk down the hallway before them. They quickly passed by another glowing gold star, but Alex ignored it, figuring that they didn't need healing and no one else could see them, much less probably use them.
They walked slowly through the next hallway, looking out over a monochrome city. After continuing forwards for what seemed like an eternity, they reached a turn in the road. After walking even further, Alex saw a sight that was very familiar.
The building before them bared many similarities to the house in the Ruins, except everything was colorless, even the leaves. Then they felt like something else was off. Then it hit them, the large, black, and leafless tree didn't exist here. Instead, slightly beyond where the tree was in the other place was another golden star.
Alex was exhausted now. They trudged forward with Undyne past the star, leaving it alone as well, before arriving at the front door. Though that last leg of the journey was merely a dozen or two feet, all of Alex's energy was drained. Alex accidentally dropped Undyne a pile of leaves next to a window out of exhaustion.
Now freed of this burden, Alex took another step and knocked on the door loudly, twice. Suddenly, Alex heard a female voice speaking through the door. "Who's there?"
Alex couldn't help but feel that the Queen was setting them up for a knock, knock joke, so Alex decided to craft one quickly. Perhaps this was required to open the door? Alex was unsure, but spoke anyway.
"Wood."
"Wood who?"
"Would who please open the door?"
Alex heard laughter from the other side of the door from the Queen. Alex couldn't help but be proud of themselves for coming up with that joke so quickly, but the fatigue quickly returned to them. The laughter began to calm down as she opened the door.
Before them was a large female goat-like monster. Her fur was pure white and she had small horns atop her head. She wore a purple cape with golden shoulder pad-looking things. Adorning her head was a small crown, signifying that this was, in fact, the Queen.
Her smiling, laughing face quickly turned to one of shock as she noticed the human child before her. She had probably not expected to see a human.
"L-little one, wha… who…" She quickly composed herself. "Who are you, young one?"
"I'm Alex, y-your… majesty?"
She began to smile warmly. "You may call me Toriel, my child." The way she looked at them and spoke radiated with love and compassion. She then noticed the scrapes and bruises all over Alex's arms, there were even one or two on their face. They noticed that one on your cheek was still bleeding, which Alex hadn't noticed due to adrenaline.
"W-what happened, my child? Did some… did someone hurt you?" A quick flash of anger appeared in her eyes, which she tried to quickly hide. Alex felt that, as a mother, she was probably very protective.
"Y-yes… But I need help. M-my friend… she's hurt pretty bad."
"Where is she?"
Alex pointed to their left, and as Toriel peered around the corner of the door-frame, her mouth opened widely, seeing the unconscious Undyne in the leaves. She looked like she was about to question them on what happened, but then she noticed how unresponsive she was, which caused her to move much more quickly.
She picked Undyne up easily and brought her inside as Alex followed closely. The inside, much like the outside, was almost an exact replica of the house in the Ruins. The only real difference was the lack of color. They turned right and went down the hallway to enter the room that was probably another kid's bedroom.
They entered the room Queen Toriel laid Undyne on red on the far side of the room. Because of her height, he feet went slightly past the end of the bed. Now that she was laying on the bed, the Queen asked Alex to wait with her for a moment as she left the room in a hurry.
She came back in within seconds, her cape was gone and Alex saw a type of robe on her now. She bent over Undyne as her hands/paws began to glow a bright green. She brought them down over the slash on her armor as the light seeped inside. The light was green like Undyne's magic, but much lighter. And much softer too.
The amount of magic used was astounding, even Undyne's blue scales began to have a faint green hue to them as the magic spread across her whole body. She was still unconscious, but her breathing was now less harsh and less shallow.
After a minute of using healing magic, Queen Toriel stopped and took a step back. She turned her head away from Undyne and toward Alex, looking them in the eyes.
"M-my child, she is resting. I'll go prepare some food, then we can talk more about what happened… I'll be in the kitchen." Alex nodded in understanding as Toriel then left the room.
Alex refocused their attention on Undyne, and they could make out a slight flutter in Undyne's eyes as she slowly opened them. Her eyes looked weak and heavy, she was struggling. Alex's heart jumped for a moment in joy, seeing her alive and ok.
"H-hey p-punk…"
Alex bent down and threw a hug over Undyne's body as she patted them lightly on the back. A tear formed on Alex's right eye as it immediately fell onto Undyne's armor.
"A-alright kid, no… no tears…" Alex let go, took a step back, and looked her in the eyes. She broke eye contact for a moment as she examined the surroundings.
"O-oh, we're with the… the Queen at New Home?" Alex nodded. "Good job kid… You did good!" Alex beamed at the complement.
"How are you feeling Undyne?" Alex's face was covered in worry for their friend.
"I-I've definitely been better… but I'm ok. What do you t-think about our Queen? Pretty nice woman, right?"
Alex smiled. "Yeah, she's really nice. She took you in to heal you the moment she saw that you were injured."
"She is pretty great. Just like our king… was…" Undyne's eyes dropped slightly in sadness from thinking of the King.
She noticed this about herself and forced a smile. "A-anyway… why don't you tell Toriel about the plan and what happened. I'll be fine s-soon enough. I can already feel my strength slowly returning."
Alex nodded as they walked through the door. They turned around as the held the doorknob to look at Undyne. "Get well soon!" They both smiled as Alex left the room to allow Undyne time to recover.
Upon exiting the room and being back in the hallway, Alex went back through the main room and into the Living Room. Alex heard the sound of fire and cooking in the kitchen, and felt the heat of a fire in the fireplace beside them. Alex decided to take a seat at the table, in a position which allowed them to see the Queen.
After the Queen put something in the oven, she turned around and saw Alex sitting at the table, so she walked over. She sat down at one of the chairs at the head of the table next to Alex.
She was the first to speak. "I'm cooking a pie in there." She smiled as she continued, "Not only are my pies delicious, but they aid in healing too." She motioned towards the cuts and bruises on Alex. "So, my child… will you please explain what happened to you?"
{Quick Note: I imagined music accompanying this upcoming conversation.}
{If you want, Cue: Burning Heartache (lullaby cover)}
Alex swallowed before speaking to the Queen, "D-do you know Frisk?"
Queen Toriel's smile faded into a shocked expression with her mouth wide open. She shook off the shock before responding. "Y-yes…" She bowed her head slightly as her expression changed to sadness and remorse.
Alex allowed the Queen to continue. "I, I loved them like they were my own child. I took care of them before they left me to try to leave the Underground. I-I tried to stop them from leaving…" Her eyes wouldn't meet Alex's.
"…b-but they left and eventually got here, making many friends along the way. F-Frisk fought King Asgore…" She took a deep breath before continuing, "Asgore died and Frisk disappeared without a trace, probably back to the surface…"
After explaining this, she looked Alex in the eyes before asking another question. "H-how do you know Frisk?"
Alex looked down for a moment before regaining eye contact. "Frisk… they were my best friend. We were always there for each other…" Alex fought back tears, thinking about where their friend currently was.
"F-frisk and I, we're both orphans… We took care of each other, until one day when we were playing on the mountain, they disappeared." Toriel nodded. This must have been when Frisk had fallen.
"I-I looked all over for them all day, but I never did. I, um, called the police and they started a search for them… but after six months, they decided to give up. They said they we're probably long gone…" Alex fought back the tears again as they recalled the six months without Frisk.
"They… they just gave up on Frisk… But, but I knew they'd never leave like that! So I, um, returned to the mountain and found a hole. I tried to look down into it to see how far down it went when I… I slipped and fell in."
"S-so, that is how you fell down here? You were looking for Frisk?" Alex nodded.
"I-I'm sorry, my child, but no one has seen or heard from them in months here either. They must be back on the surface…"
Alex shook their head. "I-I know what happened to Frisk now! T-they…" Alex didn't want to look Toriel in the eye. They knew the Queen loved Frisk. She was one of the first adults to actually show Frisk love.
"They, what, my child?" There was now concern and worry in Toriel's voice.
Alex's words were caught in their throat. A tear was threatening to roll down their face, but they stopped it. Finally, Alex spoke, "They were… kidnapped."
Toriel brought both of her paws to cover her mouth as she gasped. Sadness flooded her face as she, too, fought back tears. "M-my ch-child was… k-kidnapped? W-who did this?"
Alex explained, "A monster who exists outside of our reality... Doctor Gaster… took Frisk and the other six souls…"
"W-why would someone take Frisk?" Anger was beginning to enter he voice now.
"I-I think he want's my soul too… to be able to control reality…" Now worry was overcoming Toriel's expression again. Alex wanted very badly to hug her, which would likely help calm both of them.
"This… Gaster… he wants you and Frisk's soul, along with the other six?"
"Yes…" Alex unhappily admitted. Eye contact continued to get tougher. "If he succeeds… he could wipe out reality. He… he'd kill you all…" Alex bowed their head as they continued. "He'd… he'd kill Frisk…"
Alex could no longer hold back the tears. They, at once, flowed down their face as they cried. Gaster had not only taken Frisk from them, but from so many others that cared about them too. Alex closed their eyes, trying to stop the waterworks, but they were unsuccessful.
Suddenly, they felt a soft, warm embrace. They opened their eyes to see Toriel holding them in a hug. Alex couldn't help but bury their face into Toriel's robe as they continued to sob. She allowed Alex to do so as she ran her paw over Alex's head and back, comforting them.
In Toriel's arms, Alex, for the first time in their life, felt truly loved and safe. "There, there, my child. Everything it alright… Shhhhhhhh… you'll be alright…" Alex looked up and saw Toriel with a loving and caring face. She only knew Alex for a short time, but she already cared deeply for them.
Was this how Frisk felt, falling down and finding Toriel. They must have fallen right in love with this woman. She was so nice. Alex, now empty of tears, finally began to calm down.
Toriel, still holding Alex in her arms, asked, "So this 'Gaster' was the one who hurt you too as well?" Alex looked her in her eyes and nodded. They could feel the sadness within Toriel, but she hid it visually to keep Alex calm. They began to then describe the plan to save Frisk.
"B-but we came up with a plan…" Alex began. "…a plan to save Frisk…" A spark of hope glimmered within Toriel's eyes. "What do you mean, my child?"
"S-sans has a machine that will be able to bring back Frisk…" Toriel grew a smile on her face hearing this. She was glad to hear there might be a way to save Frisk.
"Is that why you are all the way out here, Alex? Do you need help?"
"Y-yeah. In order to complete the machine, we need one of the Soul Capsules."
Toriels eye widened in realization. She knew exactly what they needed. "Alright Alex. They are downstairs, at the end of a bright hallway filled with windows there is a switch hidden on the wall that will eject them from their hiding spot."
Alex understood what she said, but asked, "So… I can go get one?"
Toriel smiled. "Of course, my child. If it'll save Frisk, I'll gladly let you take one. After all, I have seven of them!" Alex wiped their face with their sweater's sleeve.
"You may go grab one while I finish the pie. It should take no longer than a minute or two. Hurry back though, we'll be waiting." She smiled and put Alex down, patting them on the head lightly, which brought a large smile to their face. Toriel then went into the kitchen.
Alex decided to go grab the capsule so they'd be back in time for pie. They walked back into the main entrance before heading down the stairs. As soon as they reached the bottom, they were in another monochromatic hallway, so the hallway Toriel mentioned was likely just a bit further. They continued.
Sans stood up and wiped the sweat off of his skull. The machine was nearly completed now. All that remained was to plug in the things Alex was collecting and then the machine would be ready to go. It felt like time to celebrate by having a snack. He had run out of snacks down here several hours ago. And, frankly, Sans was tired of sitting in his small Lab.
He stood up and walked toward the exit and stairs to leave. He would just get into his house, grab a bite to eat, and take a quick nap(Back in his lab, of course!). Something felt off, though. Gaster hadn't done anything to hinder his progress in a while, which was highly alarming.
Yeah, the lab was made of a magical alloy that would shield everything inside from him, but what stopped him from taking control of another monster and trying to break in here. Gaster didn't just give up. Knowing Gaster, he was probably conserving his magic for something else…
Sans shrugged as he walked up the steps and stepped out into the snow. He rounded the corner quickly as he entered the house and walked toward the kitchen. Papyrus hasn't returned yet, so it was eerily quiet inside. Sans didn't like it and began to quicken his pace.
He grabbed a leftover burger from Grillby's from the fridge and put it in his pocket. He could enjoy it back in his lab where he was safe. Sans left the house to return outside when a sudden headache forced him to stop in his tracks. He fell to his knees in the snow as the pain worsened.
Sans' fears were confirmed when he heard Gaster's voice in his head, speaking. "I'M SORRY SANS…", it said. The voice sounded slightly remorseful, but that may just be San's imagination. He could feel himself losing control of his own body, but he fought back.
Sans' resistance was stronger than Gaster anticipated, but he had another trick up his sleeve. "SANS, IF YOU DON'T STOP RESISTING… I'LL HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THAT I'D RATHER NOT…" Sans was pissed now. "give it your best shot, asshole. i ain't letting you control me!"
Sans heard a sigh come from the voice of Gaster as it spoke again. There was no remorse or apologetic tone I his voice. "VERY WELL…"
Suddenly, images and visions flashed within Sans' mind. They were too vivid to be fake or made up, and what he saw made him terrified.
The world flashed as he was now hiding in the trees in Snowdin, watching Frisk confront Papyrus in the fog. It was just like it happened six months ago, but then something happened. Frisk held a knife in their right hand. He heard Papyrus speak, "I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"
Sans could see that Papyrus was telling Frisk they were a good person as a battle started. But, Frisk had started this one, not Papyrus. Sans wanted to step out of the shadows to stop this but was unable to. Suddenly, Frisk lunged at Papyrus with the knife, beheading him. His body turned to dust, leaving only his head on the ground. Tear rolled down Sans' face.
"BUT… ST… STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO… I… I PROMISE…" Frisk then approached his brother's skull as they smashed it under their heel, turning it, too, to dust.
Sans was shaking as he fell to his knees crying at this. He could see an evil smile on Frisk's lips. They laughed… They just laughed as the dust scattered…
The world flashed several more times, each showing another friend of Sans being killed at the hands of Frisk. He watched them kill Toriel, Undyne, Mettaton, Asgore, and so many more. He was also forced to see many more deaths of Papyrus. Sometimes he would be punched to death, sometimes they were stabbed, and he was killed in so many different ways.
This display was maddening. Frisk had never done that stuff. He'd checked the timeline before to confirm there were no RESETs caused by Frisk. But… Here was Frisk, killing everyone Sans loved over and over again. And each time, he was forced to stand back and watch their deaths, unable to do anything.
Sans began to lose control of himself again, but the shock and pain brought upon him by the visions reduced his willpower greatly. Gaster easily took control of Sans this time, allowing the hatred from the visions control his mind. "I DID NOT WANT TO SHOW YOU THIS… BUT YOU LEFT ME WITH NO CHOICE…"
Sans was now consumed by hatred. He knew the kid had to be stopped. The genocide has gone on long enough. Sans took a step forward as he opened a shortcut. He entered it as the world flashed again and he suddenly reappeared in his Judgment Hall.
Before him, he saw the demonic child enter the room. Their dust-covered blue sweater was appalling, and the knife they carried in their hands was frightening, but Sans stood his ground. For a moment, Sans could've sworn the sweater changed color to red and white, but it must have been the light coming in through the window.
Sans waited patiently for the kid to approach. This kid… no, this demon… they were in for a bad time. If they thought they could get away with killing everyone he loved without consequences, they were sorely mistaken.
Alex entered another hallway, but this one was filled with color. It was actually gorgeous. The hallway was colored orange and yellow, with pillars from floor to ceiling on both sides of it. There were many large windows that allowed 'sunlight' to flood the room.
Alex looked to their right as they spotted another star. They were still kind of injured, so Alex approached the star to have it heal them. The feeling of warmth and comfort washed over them as they felt all of the scratched and bruises heal and shut themselves. As it did this, Alex felt their left leg to see if the scar would heal… it wasn't but that was ok.
As the feeling was coming to an end, the familiar echo of a voice in their head spoke another message.
*The birds are singing. The flowers are blooming. The sunlight is shining. You are filled with Purity.
*Your HP was maxed out!
Alex released their hold on the magical star of awesomeness as they continued down the hall. They stopped as they saw the sight of a familiar skeleton standing before them. Was that Sans? How did he get here so fast? Did his 'shortcuts' start working again? Alex had no idea.
Before Alex could voice any of their questions, Sans raised their head slightly and looked them directly in their eyes. His smile seemed somewhat distant and almost fake. He began looking between Alex's right hand and their face. Why, though? Alex's hands were currently empty. It was if he thought they were carrying something.
Something seemed off… Something seemed wrong…
Guess it's time to find out what. Alex took a deep breath, tilted their head, and looked at Sans as he began to speak.
Author's Note:
I think you all know where this is going…
Chapter 15 coming soon! I hope you're all enjoying it so far. Want to say something? Want to ask something? Wanna tell me how amazing it is? Send me a PM, or leave a review. Feedback, constructive criticism, and complements are appreciated. See you soon!
-swrWriter