Alphys: I have found the most adorable person in the universe! Undyne and I can totally agree on this! Adorable behind adorable!

Undyne: The cutest being in all of existence!

Red: The sweetest of sweethearts!

Toriel: My sweet baby boy!

Frisk: Asrieeeeeeeeellllll Dreeeeeemurrrrrrrr!

Asriel: *Opens Arms* Hugs mean love. Anyone wanna hug me?~

*Asriel fans faint from the absolute cuteness*

Frisk: Hug the goat-baby. HUG HIM NOW!

Shamir: This is how intros are, huh?

Sans: yup. they got more ridiculous and less reasonable. for the time being, this is your life now.

Shamir:...Shock. If you're reading this...please. Give me the strength to survive this insanity.

Chapter Start!

"LOOK ALIVE, PUSSYCAT!"

Shamir was desperately trying not to get skewered as multiple spears ejected from the ground, attempting to pierce straight through him, and not give him simple gashes like he constantly gained on these training phases. He panted tiredly as he backflipped to avoid one shooting right from under him. He landed on all fours with labored breathes as he stares at Undyne. She was standing a few yards across from him with her arms casually folded, though her grin was looking predatory and her eye looked like it was craving for blood.

Sans, Alphys, Frisk, and Monster Kid were sitting on the sidelines, watching the beatdo-training session. Sans was drinking a bottle of ketchup as he had his feet kicked up on a lounge chair. Alphys was casually sipping some instant ramen while sitting on the ground with her legs crossed. Frisk and Monster Kid were sitting against a tree as the former helped the latter munch on some monster candy.

"hey, alph."

"Hm?"

"how long do you think shamir will last today?"

Alphys pulled out a clipboard and adjusted her glasses. "Weeelll...much longer than last time, that's for sure."

"how long was last time?"

"Ten minutes. This is quite a good run for him."

"Is that all ya got, Shamir?! Huh?! Is this really the extent of all of your progress?!" Undyne bellowed, never moving from her spot or unfolding her arms. "C'MON! ARE YOU A FEROCIOUS JAGUAR?! OR ARE YOU JUST A POWERLESS LITTLE KITTEN!?"

How the hell did Asriel survive six full years with this madwoman?! Shamir thought frantically. Asriel didn't even have the excuse of being close to her. Because eventually she DID get extremely rough with him, gradually, when he's able to take it better. But to be fair, he started training when his was physically seven years old. Undyne went brutal on Shamir right from the get-go, because he was an adult. And even then, Shamir could tell that Undyne was still not trying very hard, because she's only using spears.

At the very least, despite the very intentional vocal jabs Undyne was sending his way, he was able to keep his own temper somewhat in check, fully aware of how damaged his focus will get. And when he did sometimes snap and lash out blindly, Undyne would ruthlessly beat it out of him. It was a really good motivation to try and keep his temper in check if it was going to be a detriment in a fight, instead of an advantage. Undyne's temper no longer made her make rash decisions in a fight. Instead, it helped her focus, which is sometimes even more frightening than an uncontrolled rampage. So he really wanted to keep his focus to be spared of her wrath.

With a huff, Shamir narrowed his eyes as he charged towards Undyne. She narrowed her eye as spears continued to tear out of the ground trying to pierce him. Shamir manages to move faster, effectively dodging a majority of them while also powering through a couple other cuts on his face and sides. He pounced the moment a spear nearly sliced his arm. He unsheathed his claws as he bounded towards Undyne, and managed a fierce swipe towards her. Though fatigue sets in at the last moment, and he stumbled across the ground until he landed on his face.

Undyne didn't flinch, even as she felt some of her magic blood slide down her cheek from the three claw marks he managed to make on her. After a moment of contemplation, she managed a more casual smile to go with her arm fold. "Fuhu. I think we can stop for now. Frisk, would you care to be a sweetheart?"

"I'm happy to help~" Frisk got up and moved over to Undyne and Shamir. His soul flashes green as he holds his hands outward, enveloping Shamir and Undyne in a green sphere of light. Both of their wounds slowly faded away, as well as the pain accompanying them. The glow eventually fades away, and Shamir was able to stand and stretch. Frisk puts down his hands and nodded. "There, all done."

"Your magical prowess has improved greatly, Frisk. It's fantastic." Shamir smiled as he held out his paw and rustled his hair.

"You've gotten much better yourself, Shamir." Frisk nodded. "Your strength and magic have grown...it'll become even greater once you receive the Angel's Blessing from Asriel." Asriel had kindly offered to give the Angel's Blessing to Shamir. But he politely refused. He wanted to further advance his experience in humility, as well as gain the mindset to focus on what's truly important, when it's truly important. Only then will he find himself worthy of receiving such a thing.

"Thank you, Frisk. I admittedly still have ways to go before I qualify for that, though."

"yeah. it's like undyne says. nothin' teaches humility faster than constantly havin' your ass handed to you by a superior opponent. she knows from experience." Sans chuckled, earning an irritated glare from the jaguar.

"You got that right..." Undyne muttered. Sensing her displeasure, Frisk runs up to her and gives her a hug. Undyne blinked a bit, then grunted in slight annoyance. "Geez! You Dreemurrs are constantly looking for a reason to hug somebody! You're all fluffy huggers! Except Chara...most of the time." Though she rolled her eye as she roughly returns the hug. He powers through it, nestling into her chest. "Fuhuhu! Whatever. Four out of five of you Dreemurrs are total softies. Though that isn't necessarily a bad thing, I guess~"

Sans watches from his seat as he watches Undyne and Frisk hugging one another. He was well aware of how much Frisk liked to hug, and Asriel shares this trait. Sans recognized that when it came to the elder monsters, Frisk and Asriel have a slightly more emotional attachment to Toriel, Undyne, and Alphys. Once he thought about their relationships with the boys, it makes a bit of sense. It was nothing personal to himself, Papyrus, and Asgore of course. Just that something about the females made them a much more likely candidate for cuddling, though he was unsure of what it was...nah. He totally knew what it was. But he also knew that it was mostly innocuous on their part. They may be older now, and were somewhat hardened by their less-than-fun experiences in the past, but they were still children who liked to hug and cuddle. And they do it a lot.

The two of them soon broke apart as Frisk moved back over to Monster Kid, and Undyne moved over to Alphys. Undyne casually lifts Alphys up as she takes her spot, then set her down in her lap with her arms wrapped around her belly, then kissed the top of her head. Alphys's cheeks became hot in a matter of moments, and her glasses fogged up.

"Fuhuhu. There goes my training session with the cat for today. Now I can start my cuddle time with you~"

"U-Undyne...plz..." Alphys stuttered, lightly making a mess of her ramen.

"Do you really have to refer to me as a simple cat...?" Shamir said with light irritation. Though he easily shook it off.

Sans continued sipping ketchup until the bottle was empty. He blinked when he realized that it was empty. "aw...crud. no more..." He casually throws it aside, his telekinesis directing it into a nearby trash can. Sans was tended to be messy in his own room, but that didn't mean he would litter outside. He might be lazy, but he was still a skeleton with standards, after all. "...heh. trick shot."

"You used your telekinesis, you little cheater." Undyne grumbled.

"that's one of the things i'm best at."

Alphys shrugged lightly. "H-He's got you there, Undyne."

"Still..."

"I can't believe you three sometimes...you can act so immature..." Shamir sighed, scratching his head in exasperation. And yet, so powerful underneath that silliness...

"...meh."

"...Whatever."

"...I-It's not new information, really."

"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?!" Shamir shouted angrily.

Frisk and Monster Kid chuckle brightly at this, turning towards one another. "Yo! Even after such a long while, Undyne remains ever so cool! And Papyrus have gotten cooler as well!"

"obviously. paps is always cool. his coolness is absolutely immeasurable." Sans said lightly.

"Totally immeasurable!" Monster Kid cheered as he wiggled his own feet. "It continues to grow and grow!"

"It really is a pretty good thing we tend to train away from the humans. Even though it's taken them quite a lot of time to get used to the idea of magic being in the world, it's also still a lot to take in. We'd rather not freak them out with what we can do more than they tend to do normally." Alphys reasoned with a nervous nod. Undyne lightly petted her head. Alphys smiled, her tail wagging with delight at the treatment. It was true that they were away from human populated areas.

"True. Whether they're used to our magic or not, we should keep them mostly out of sight, especially when it comes to fighting." Undyne said. "It's pretty suckish, but that's just how it is. Ae don't wanna push our luck too much, especially with all of those time-space shenanigans."

"i realize you only call those things time-space shenanigans."

"Because very few of it makes any damn sense to me!"

Sans shrugged playfully. "i dunno. i think you can only blame your rather tiny fish brain."

"WHAT'D YOU SAY YOU SKELETON BASTARD?!" Undyne snarled as she grabbed Sans' jacket and began shaking him furiously. His expression never changed from it's mostly lazy disposition. Shamir, Alphys, Frisk, and Monster Kid could only watch the scene in total astonishment, all of them sweatdropping slightly.

A flash of light appeared a few feet behind the both of them. Moments later, Asriel and Red appeared from the light, landing gracefully on the ground. Red patted her skirt down a bit while she recovered from the warp. She waved a bit. "Hey guys! Fancy teleporting here! Asriel! I thought we teleported farther than this!"

"I...er...sorry. I"m not entirely accurate with teleportation like Sans. I tend to goof it up every now and then." Asriel said lightly, rubbing his neck as Red pouted at him. "Uh...Master Undyne? Why are you trying to strange Sans?"

"We were having a disagreement..." Undyne growled quietly as she lets Sans down gently. "Not a mature agreement, but a disagreement."

"That's an understatement..." Shamir muttered.

Asriel shook his head, disregarding the entire thing. There were more important matters at hand right now. "Sans. I need to go see Gaster and Gerson for something very important. It has something to do with the Waterfall Plaques. We have gotten an idea about something, but we need them to help us do what we can to confirm it."

Sans tilted his head, slightly confused. "must be pretty big for you kiddos if ya had to take a gander at the plaques. alright. gaster should be at me and paps place, and gerson shouldn't be too far from the monster neighborhood either. ya can talk to both of em' if ya need to."

"Thanks Sans. We really do need to, though. It really is important." Asriel nodded.

"Ya need to talk to those geezers about somethin'? Must really be urgent." Undyne said with a raised eyebrow. She slowly turned to look behind her, narrowing her eye. Then she turned back and smiled. "Well, we're just about done with training for today anyway. So you might as well take Shamir and Monster Kid with you so that the latter can get home safely. Oh, and you oughta take Frisk and Alphys with you too. I bet they could really use the information as well."

"Oh. Okay, Lady Undyne. That isn't a problem for us at all." Red shook her head while turning towards Asriel. Well well, it was much more than we planned, but it looks like we'll be having more people aboard this discovery path of ours. Guess we're learning a lot together."

Frisk looked like he was confused about Undyne's intentions. Though he didn't deny that he was curious about what Asriel and Red seemed so interested in that it demanded their immediate attention. Frisk nodded as he went over to Asriel's side. With both Frisk and Asriel teleporting together, the accuracy would be much higher. The two of them gathered Monster Kid, Shamir, and Red around them, within their range.

Alphys looked towards Undyne with a look of worry. She knew Undyne better than most. She could see that her mermaid girlfriend was on edge about something, and she wanted Alphys to move away from their current location, rather quickly. Undyne saw Alphys's look of worry, and simply smiled at her.

"Don't worry about me, Alphys. Sans and I are just gonna stick around for a little bit and check something out. We'll catch up with you in a bit." Undyne said, leaning down and kissing the lizard's lips softly. Alphys was still feeling rather nervous, but she gladly returns the kiss while cupping her cheeks, as her tail gently wags with glee. Soon they separate as Alphys reluctantly pulls away from her. "We'll be alright. Just go ahead with the others. They've going into some rather interesting research material. Hang out with them for a bit."

"...O...Okay..." Alphys nodded as she steps back towards Frisk and Asriel. The two of them joined hands/paws as they kept the others close together, and they all vanished in a bright flash of white.

Sans took a deep breath, then sighed as he looked up to Undyne. "...ya sensed it too, didn't ya?"

"Yeah." Undyne nodded as she turned towards the trees, her eye narrowed. "Alright, you can show yourself now. Don't think neither of us noticed you."

There was no sound for the next couple of minutes. Neither Undyne or Sans let their guards down, staying focused on waiting out whoever was waiting them out.

Soon enough, someone DID show up. Someone who they thought just completely disappeared off the map. Sans assumed he just completely vanished on his own free will because he disliked everyone that much. Undyne honestly didn't notice. The Dreemurrs, while they obviously missed him, also assumed that he's gone off to find his own path in life, and didn't do much to stop him. But no. He hasn't completely disappeared. He was just sitting in the shadows, waiting for an opportune moment to see them again. Especially these two, the ones he really needed to talk to most. Though he obviously avoided being seen by Frisk and Asriel, for obvious reasons.

The both of them looked on in disbelief as a smiling flower beamed up at them sarcastically. "Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

Sans looked on in disbelief as Flowey, Classic Flowey, stared with a mock cheerful expression towards the skeleton and the fish warrior. The both of them couldn't believe that he came back after he seemingly got sick of everyone's mushiness and just left them behind. Sans was especially curious why Flowey would come back...but he also wanted to know the real reason why he left. He also knew that Flowey had a sadistic glint in his eye. Almost as if he wanted something...

Sans just grinned. "heh. guess it's true what they say, eh? ya can never keep a strong weed down for long."

Flowey giggled sinisterly. "It's nice to see you again as well. Smiley Trashbag!"

Sans dodged the large vine that struck out of the ground by jumping backwards, his hands still in his pockets. "woah there. is that really how you wanna say hello to an old pal?"

"We're not pals and you know it!" Flowey huffed in irritation as a plethora of friendliness pellets manifested above him, then shot swiftly towards Sans. The skeleton takes precaution as a wall of bones shot up in front of him and blocked most of the pellets, one managing to graze his jacket. He didn't flinch.

"hey. i was wondering when you'd show your little sunflower face again. they don't really show it often because they try to keep moving forward. but the dreemurrs really miss you."

"You don't think I know that? That's why I waited until AFTER Frisk and Asriel left, so I could do this!"

Sans warped out of the way as three large vines tore out of the ground and shot towards him with high speed. He landed on one of them, scratching the back of his head. "that makes me wonder. what were you doing in the background, weed? ya must have been up to somethin' big if ya couldn't tell anyone about it?"

"Try to survive and maybe I'll tell you!"

"sounds like a plan." Sans shrugged, manifested bones to shoot forward and clash against a plethora of friendliness pellets. They collided against each other as Sans warped again to avoid a vine trying to pierce him from behind.

Undyne watched the exchange with confusion. Flowey was most certainly doing his best to harm Sans as much as he possibly can, yet she sensed no malevolence from him. Irritation and aggravation, perhaps. But not malevolence. And Sans was treating the exchange as if they were having a casual conversation.

"ya missed quite a lot while you were away, weed." Sans said as he ducks under a swinging vine while stepping backwards from the onslaught. "kiddos messed with my machine for a bit while it was still under repairs, went on an au field trip, got gaster back for me, encountered some multiverse destroying version of me in the process...yeah. it was quite a fun time."

"Dont toy with me, trashbag!" Flowey shouted as another vine lashed out and managed to around Sans' leg before he could teleport away. He then threw the skeleton to the side, watching him skid across the ground. He buffed in irritation once he saw Sans stop in midair and casually recover from being tossed, rubbing his neck.

"heh. well whaddya know. you wanted me to feel the magic flowing from your vines. you wamted me to know just how much stronger you've gotten since you went away."

"That's right, Trashbag. I've been quite a busy flower." Flowey smiled sadistically. "I've also found that it wouldn't hurt to get a bit of sunlight in order to make me strong enough to take you down."

"that would require-ugh!" Sans was cut off by another plethora of vines rising from the ground and striking him hard, in the form of a fist. He was sent flying into a tree, hitting it hard and landing on his face, unmoving for a bit.

Flowey slowly approached the fallen skeleton. Undyne narrowed her eye in suspicion. Not just at Flowey, but at Sans as well. She was proven correct once Flowey lets out a sassy huff. "Stop being such a lazy asshole. I know you're faking it."

"...can't blame a guy for tryin'." Sans chuckled as he slowly rises from the ground, patting the dirt off of his jacket. He was mostly unharmed. "guess there was no use in hidin' it, huh?"

"It takes a hell of a lot more than that to leave you down for the count. I've learned from experience. Both old and new." Flowey rolled his eyes. "And yet you still tried to get me to stop by pretending to be knocked out, making me feel like I won. Don"t patronize me, Trash bag. I wanna kick your ass fair and square."

"hate to break it to ya, weed. but neither of us are really adept in the art of fighting fairly." Sans reminded him. "besides, I figured the sooner i lose, the sooner we could get that over with."

"Trying to laze your way out of a real fight...hmph. Looks like you haven't changed at all. You idiot." Flowey folded his vines irritably.

"not much. but you did." Sans elbowed the tree behind him, and held out his hand as something fell into his hand. a piece of paper with words neatly jotted down. Flowey paled and rushed forward to stop him, but was stopped by his other hand. "aahh...now what do we have here...?"

"No! Don't touch that! Give it back!"

"flowey's to-do list when he returns home: confirm the information i found. try to kick smiley trashbag's ass. eat some donuts and have some good coffee. and most importantly..." Sans eyesockets lowered. "...reunite with my family. i've been gone for a very long time...i miss them so much...those stupid idiots." Sans grinned. "heh. looks like ya missed them as much as they missed you."

"HANDS OFF MY NOTE, JACKASS!" Flowey snatched the paper from the skeleton, blushing furiously. "I was just writing random crap by that time! I don't actually miss those morons! Of course I don't miss them! They just became my favorite beings to play with and managed to amuse me for quite a long time! I only came back because I was finished with my work, and I was getting a bit bored!"

"heh. yeah. sure."

"It's the truth!"

"uhuh."

"STOP BEING SO CASUAL, DAMN YOU! I! DON'T! MISS! THEM!"

"riiiiight...ya don't miss them at all?"

"No! It was difficult for me to leave, but it was for good reason! Despite that, I don't miss those morons! Why would I miss Frisk's peaceful nonchalant face, or Asriel's obsession with cinnamon, or Chara's obsession with chocolate, or Asgore's tea making, or Toriel's annoying hugs?! You think I miss those things, especially the last one?!" Flowey lowered his head, folding his leaves. "Because I really don't miss any of that crap...I hope you know that..." He sharply turned towards Sans with immense aggravation. "Why'd you abridge the story you idiot?! You know I would have been interested on hearing the whole damn thing!"

"hey. you don't miss them. so why would you wanna know how they're doin'?"

"You off and disappeared on everyone, you flower jerk. Now you've gone and hurt your own feelings because you decided to leave without tellin' anyone. You just up and vanished without warning. We couldn't find you, so we had to accept that you might have been trying to find your own life somewhere." Undyne huffed, folding her arms. "Dont be so damn persistent about this! You miss them, and they miss you! There's no reason to be such an emotional cactus right now!"

"I...I...I..." Flowey stuttered a bit. He's been caught. Then he blushed again and pouted while turning away. "...Whatever."

"Didn't think so. Now, since Asriel and Frisk are busy with something serious, and you don't feel like interrupting their focus, we'll have to see their parents first." Undyne said. "Let's go back to the Dreemurr house and speak with Asgore and Toriel. I bet they'll be rather surprised to see you."

"What about Chara?"

'Chara is spending time with Muffet. We don't want to interrupt that, either."

"Well good. The less hassle, the better." Flowey huffed. Sans shrugged as he raised his hand as the trio disappeared in a cyan flash of light. A moment later, they were in front of the Dreemurr residence. Flowey looked around in astonishment before turning towards Sans again. "You certainly don't waste any time, do you? That's so unlike you."

"i try not to put family as a secondary priority. that mindset did me no favors." Sans said as Undyne knocked on the door. Flowey looked a bit nervous, though he was unsure why. Soon enough, the doors opened slowly, revealing Toriel in her reading glasses, holding s book in her other paw.

"Sans? Undyne? Hello, what brings you-" Toriel's eyes widened. "Flowey?!"

"Surprise...whatever." Flowey rolled his eyes. Though he gasped as Toriel swiftly took Flowey away from Sans and hugged the small flower as gently as she could.

"My goodness! You had me worried for an awfully long time, do you realize this?! You just up and vanished without saying goodbye! Not even a sarcastic note of farewell! I was hoping that you simply decided to live on your own, and nothing terrible happened to you!" Toriel expressed maternal relief, placing an affectionate kiss to his top petal before hugging him to her chest with a bright and relieved smile. Flowey could feel how immense the warmth from her was, physical and emotional. Being hugged to her chest can give that kind of feeling in regards to the former. It MUST have been very strong emotions imprinting on him, because for such a long time, he wasn't supposed to feel anything.

Why does she insist on hugging her children this way, anyway? Maternal instinct, perhaps? Personal preference? Is it simply more comforting to feel her heartbeat underneath this pillow-like softness? Tch. I guess that could be a major reason why they like hugging her. The maternal aura she gives off doesn't hurt, either. It's quite easy to fall asleep like this...Flowey thought. Nonetheless, he decided to indulge her affection, nuzzling into her bosom and wrapping a couple vines around her frame, as he kept trying to deny that he missed her, and couldn't wait to see the others. He had to admit, at this point he was just kidding himself. Of course he missed her and the others. He's been away for a long time, and he was sure they dearly missed him in return. He also knew that he was determined to not say it out loud. But what he was doing was very important indeed, and it was for their own sake. Very reluctantly, he pulled his head away from her chest and stretches his stem so he could look at her eye-to-eye.

"Look, Toriel...I know I kinda made everyone feel crappy by taking off without so much as a goodbye...but I need you to believe me when I say that it was for a legitimate reason. I couldn't have any of you slowing me down, I move faster and recon more effectively on my own."

"You were on...reconnaissance? What exactly were you doing in your absence, Flowey?" Toriel asked with a bit of concern. "Excuse me. Before you begin, do you want me to go get your flower pot? I still have it in my closet."

"Sure, I can get along with that." With this, Toriel handed Flowey back to Sans as she went to retrieve his personal flower pot.

"You were on recon? For that damn long? What the hell for?" Undyne asked, her arms crossed and her glaring eye demanding answers.

"i'm pretty curious myself, weed. must have been somethin' really serious if you had to be gone for so long."

Flowey chuckled bitterly, his petals lowering. "Oh boy...you don't know the half of it. Serious doesn't even begin to describe the amount of trouble we'll be finding ourselves in soon. As interesting as it'll be...I'd rather at least tell you what I know about it first. Trust me when I say that our shenanigans have NOT gone completely unnoticed like we thought it did."

"haven't gone unnoticed? what do you mean...?"

Flowey narrowed his eyes. "Let's just say...there were seven pairs of eyes in the shadows...and they were paying very close attention to the monsters ever since we can out the Underground..."

(Sans and Papyrus's Residence)

"Er..." Gaster smiled nervously as Papyrus handed a plate of spaghetti to him. Once again, the lanky skeletons pasta was noticeably better looking and had a better scent...unfortunately, it wasn't by that much of a margin. But at the very least, it was no longer bordering on lethality. Just a very high risk of getting sick...it's still a major positive over making Papyrus sad because they didn't at least try it. Gaster put on a polite smile. "Um...it was very kind of you to make this for me, Papyrus. I can see you placed a lot of effort into it."

"I INDEED PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO ALL OF MY PASTAS! I ESPECIALLY PUT EFFORT INTO THEM WHEN MAKING THEM FOR MY LOVED ONES. NYEHEHEHEHE!" Papyrus looked very hopeful. "GO AHEAD, TRY IT!"

"Um...okay!" Gaster nodded hesitantly, looking downward at the pasta. He really didn't want to disappoint Papyrus. So he prepared his soul for pain for Papyrus's sake. He brings the pasta ho to his mouth, braced himself as much as he could, and-

"Hey! Gaster!" Red called out as she, Frisk, Asriel, and Alphys warped right into the room, startling the two of them greatly. Gaster nearly falling out of his seat and Papyrus just completely falling backwards. The former managed to recover quickly enough to clear his throat and turn towards the group in question.

"Fancy meeting you all here. You've arrived just in time to interrupt Papyrus's pasta time." I'd better not let them know that I'm actually grateful for said interruption...that was very close indeed. Gaster coughed a bit as he folded his arms behind his back. "What's going on? Is there something you wish to ask of me?"

Asriel turned to Red. She nodded softly to him, then turned towards Gaster with a determined expression. "Gaster. I know you and Gerson know something about me and my past. Error Sans said it. And there was something about the plaques in Waterfall that seemed so familiar to me despite how I've never seemed them myself before. The 'horrible beast with unfathomable power'. The timeline decided that I have to endure that role. You know how I ended up that way, and so does Gerson...don't you? You both know what happened to me...right?"

"There's also something else we believe that you know." Asriel said with slightly narrowed eyes. "The Plaques said that the only type of monster soul that humans can absorb is the souls of Boss Monsters. Me and my parents are the only ones left...that only means that there were much more of them before. Maybe you know what happened to all of the others?"

Alphys and Frisk both blinked at the rather serious questions Asriel and Red were asking. Though the more they thought about them, the more their own curiosity began to peak as a result. For a while now, those were questions that almost no one was able to find an answer for. And the ones that did have an answer to those questions, they were either so old that their interpretations would be considered tall tales, or that someone was placed in the Void. Both Gaster and Gerson have been keeping things secret, especially the former. Timeline alterations have made a number of possibilities open, and it chose to land on this one. It would be rather difficult to explain...but he supposed he didn't have much of a choice in the matter, did he? He already knew that he and Gerson would have plenty of questions to answer, but he still didn't take into account for how soon he would be asked for them. Nevertheless, it didn't change the fact that he indeed needed to answer their curious questions, as they are very serious ones indeed.

He couldn't allow Red to wallow into that sense of unknowing for the rest of her life. It would be very unlikely that Asriel would allow such a thing. Gaster did not want to do that to either of them, no longer.

Gaster sighed. Papyrus simply looked on in confusion, but it was very clear that what was taking place was the beginning of a very serious discussion. So he simply nodded and sits at his table quietly, not making too much noise, just allowing his pasta to lie on the table.

Alphys gently adjusted her glasses. "Gaster. As a fellow scientist, I find myself wondering this as well. The possibilities of a Boss Monster Soul being absorbed by a human...you might be one of the only ones who could know the deeper details of the subject. Do you think you can relay what you know to me? From one former Royal Scientist to another former Royal Scientist?"

"...Yes. I suppose I will have to, won't I?" Gaster said quietly. "I can't afford to keep much more secrets. It has nothing to do with me not trusting any of you. I'm much more hesitant of the consequences that follow me telling you what I know. But I've already realized, thanks to Sans' experiences, that keeping these secrets to myself will only worsen those consequences. So I shall take the risk and impart to you what I know about the plaques. But not before Gerson walks through that door."

Red blinked. "What? But Gerson didn't come with us...he isn't here."

"I am now." The elder turtle opened the door and appeared right behind Red. Unprepared for that, she paled for a couple seconds. Then...

"...YIPE!" Red jumped upwards with a surprised yelp, with Asriel having to catch her before she hit the ground. Red looked towards Asriel as he nervously smiles at her. She huffed as she hopped back onto the floor on her own, patting down her skirt with a shy blush. Well, she was reassured by one thing. If she happened to be falling, he would catch her. Now he's proved he can do that literally as well as figuratively.

Gerson rubbed his neck awkwardly. "Wa ha ha! I'm sorry about that, little lass! Did I give ya a bit of an unexpected spook?"

"Um, yeah! Unexpected is the only reason I got jumpy, alright?! It doesn't mean that I'm scared of you! Not one bit!" Red said with defiance, shaking her head irritably. Though once she was able to calm down and regain her bearings, she lowered her eyes as she pushed her cowl back. "Gerson...do you remember who I am...and what happened to me?"

Gerson lowered his own eyes as he stared quietly at Gaster, who was nodding to him in approval. The turtle nodded back as he gently walks past Red. "...Yes. I indeed know what happened to you, child. However, the beginning of your story is completely unknown by me. So I can only tell you how it was put on hold when you were around in my era."

"Because I was sealed away, right? By Gaster."

Gerson sadly shook his head. "...I'm afraid not, child."

"Huh?"

"It was true that you were sealed away in the artifact before the war started...but it wasn't by Gaster, but me." Gerson explained. "You've went out and read the Waterfall Plagues, haven't ya? Read about this horrible beast with unfathomable power...and you wonder how a sweet little girl like you could have turned into a rampaging beast. A beast that I had to stop, before you did anymore damage to either humans or monsters. But the entire time, I wonder how much pain you've been through that made you turn out that way. Unfortunately I couldn't find the answer."

Asriel blinked. "Wait...if Gerson was the one who sealed Red away...then what was Gaster there for?"

"Yeah?" Red also wondered.

"...I wasn't as kind as I was back then, though I was still far from completely cold. I am a scientist. As such, I was much more worried about the casualties you could cause than the actual person causing the casualties. Gerson was the one who suggested that we seal you away after I managed to weaken you enough." Asriel looked surprised by such a statement, until he remembered that Gaster was quite a powerful monster himself, more than Sans or Papyrus together. The times which he was trapped within the Void, he had little access to his full power. Gaster sighed. "Red. I was willing to do what I had to do to reduce the damage that's already been done. Do you know what would have happened...if Gerson didn't show some compassion and suggest to seal you within the Artifact? Do you know what I would have done...?" He asked quietly. He didn't like what he was going to say, because he wished he didn't think that was the first and only solution. But he knew that Red took honesty seriously, even brutal honesty.

Red silently shook her head. Once this became apparent, Gaster turned towards her, and her fur stood on end from the look he gave her. The warmth of his gaze was gone, replaced by a cold mask of indifference that Asriel honestly didn't know he could manage. The former Royal Scientist had this to say:

"I almost didn't show mercy."

And she could see in his eyes, that he meant every word. As for Frisk, he suddenly gasped as he recalled the very first time, what Sans had told him about his promise to 'the old lady behind the door' and what would have happened to him if he never made a promise to her like she insisted.

"You'd be dead where you stand."

Those words have long since cemented that Sans was much more than he seems. Not only was Frisk wondering about the times when Gaster was a much colder man, but now he wondered just what exactly was his relationship with the skeleton brothers in general. Asriel on the other hand, was as surprised as Red once the words left Gaster. It surely wasn't a lie. He also feels that Gaster wasn't particularly happy with those words, even though they were the truth.

Red soon sits down in one of the couches in the room, staring down at her lap. She had gone so out of control and got so dangerous that Gaster had considered killing her? She now really wants to know what happened, for the sake of at least putting the anxiety surrounding her past to rest, once and for all. She'd much rather face the pain of the ugly truth than let it be unknown forever. Though she will honestly admit to being scared of hearing or experiencing the answer. But not scared enough to turn away from it.

With a deep sigh, Red looked at both Gaster and Gerson. With Papyrus watching from his table, and none of them noticing the Annoying Dog watching from the upper stairway. "Gaster...if you or Gerson don't know how it got to that point...then how can I possibly know?"

Gerson nodded a bit roughly. "Listen here, little lass. I need you to try and look into your soul."

"My...soul...?"

"...Of course." Gaster nodded in understanding. "The memories may have been lost from your mind, Red. But your soul might be another story entirely. If your mind doesn't have it, the soul might."

Red blinked. She to look into her soul...the human soul she absorbed, which surrounded her own monster soul. Could she really do such a thing? She knew she was willing to bear whatever pain she was dealt with...but can she endure it? Would she be able to? What if something happens to her while she does it? She just wanted to know...yet she didn't know if she could handle it.

Time to find out. She closed her eyes and focused on her soul.

Alright, human soul. It's time I find out who you belonged to before me...

Flowey: Thouht you'd never Classic Me again, did you? You idiotic readers! I've been blending into the shadows, focused on something else. Something very important. You probably know what it is...i'm gonna tell you right now. Try NOT to be such a spoiler sport! Just enjoy the ride without doing such a thing OR I'LL DEVOUR YOUR SOULS!

Sans: nope.

Flowey: I'LL DEVOUR YOUR DREAMS!

Sans: nope.

Flowey: I'LL DEVOUR THEIR-

Sans: nuh-uh.

Flowey:...Forget it. I'll just eat everyone's snacks and not apologize for it.

Sans:...i'll allow it.

Undyne: NO YOU WON'T!

Sans: frisk and asriel are gonna hug the hell outta flowey when they find out...chara might not give a damn.

Flowey: Like I care! Now hurry up and FEED ME FOOD!

Sans:...

Flowey:...Please?

Sans: that wasn't so hard, was it?

Flowey: I want to scrub my tongue...until the next chapter. Don't be idiots. Stay safe. Remember, I don't miss any of you.

Undyne:...

Flowey: I don't!

Sans: ...the hug you gave tori says differently.

Flowey: LIES!