Disclaimer: This chapter is skipping a little all over the place, just like the Metatton fight, so in each section, the thinking is done by a different person. Andi, Frisk, and so on. It should be easy to follow.

I don't own Undertale.

"Speaking"

Thinking

Saving


The walk back was uneventful, and unlike the last time she passed through Waterfall, Andi felt much more at peace. Any monsters she had passed by gave her friendly smiles and the occasional wave, not one going out of their way to engage in a fight. Perhaps that was because, in a sense, Frisk and her had cleared Waterfall. They had made peace with Undyne, and after making their way through all of the major areas of the Underground, no one saw them as dangers anymore. Saving, loading, and now that. "It's too close to a video game," she mumbled, giving a quick head shake to dismiss the idea. Weird.

Over wooden walkways, marshes, retracing her steps back through the path Undyne had hunted them along. It took less time backtracking than going through the first time, and soon, Andi reached the room with the bridges made of flowers. Almost there. "I better get this back on before reaching Snowdin." Dropping the bag, she began to shuffle through the contents, pulling out the sweater she had buried inside back in Hotland. "Need to give Frisk hers back too," she mused, sliding it back on and tugging her ponytail free from the collar. It was still fall outside, and while they were far from winter-and still never saw snow-it would be cold out on Mount Ebott's surface.

Zippering it shut, she stopped to look at several newly grown seeds. From what she had seen throughout Waterfall, it was only this area that had the bridge seeds. Their purpose was to get from one area to the next, but... was that all? The Underground had its secrets, did that include hidden areas? Like the Temmie Village? "Hmm." She scooped up the four seeds, the plant material sticking to her sweater. "Now, let's have a look."

Surveying the area, one piece of ground, down towards the area where Frisk had launched the seeds, stood out from the rest. A small stretch of dirt, from the larger section she stood on, reaching the wall at the end. A single wooden sign stood on a rock between the earth and the wooden bridge, but the larger area of water was what had her attention. "I wonder..."

One by one, Andi knelt down and released the seeds, watching them drift to the far end of the cavern to a space she could not quite make out. Sure enough, the flowers bloomed once they rested in a line, and she hurried back over to them. Stepping on the petals, she kept a hand against the wall and followed along the newly created path.

A wooden bridge was what the flower seeds had hit, stepping onto more stable footing as she followed towards her mysterious destination. Off to her right, once she reached the end of the bridge which ended at the rock wall of the narrow cave, was a room. The contents of which, was a single echo flower and a bench, its white coloring faded with time. "... this is it?" She... was expecting more. Dropping the bag by the corner of the wall, opposite of the flower and bench, she walked towards them. Was there something special about it? What do you have to say? She touched the soft petals of the glowing flower, and predictably, a voice flowed through.

"I just wasn't ready for the responsibility." Responsibility of... what? What did that mean? And why did the voice seem so... sad?

Going to the bench, and hoping to find something else, she gave the seat a quick scan. Sure enough, there was something odd. Just as out of place as the flower's remark. "A quiche?" Spinach and egg, from the looks of it. "Who would get rid of you?" Grabbing the pan, she pulled the food out from underneath the bench. It was cold, and had not been cut into. "Well, I'm not sure who left you here, but you're coming with me." A quiche was food, and if the skeletons and Undyne were all going to be at the house, they could all enjoy it together. Heck, anything left over, Alphys and Frisk could enjoy too. The power of free food compels you.

Taking it over to the bag, she knelt down and began to carefully fit it inside. "... oh." Buried at the far bottom, underneath Frisk's sweater... the knife. Almost forgot about that. There was no threat anymore involving the weapon, right? If so, tossing out there, where no one would find it, wouldn't hurt. "I mean, wouldn't hurt her" she corrected herself. "It's not like he'd ever find it."

"Are you sure about that?"

Her throat closed up, straightening up from her hunched position. "What's wrong, friend? Not happy to see me?" I jinxed it. Giving a sigh, she looked over her shoulder, staring at the voice's owner. Flowey. She had hoped that she wouldn't be seeing him again, at the very least, not until Frisk was with her. The monster kid's him, huh? What an experiment. How a possibly sweet child could turn into... that. "Shouldn't you be with Frisk at Dr. Alphys'?"

"Shouldn't you be bothering her instead?" She retorted, voice barely loud enough for him to hear. "Whatever you hoped for us to do hasn't happened. No one's died, we haven't killed anyone. So why are you bothering me?" Flowey had to have been following them. That was obvious in the Ruins, and he knew about Alphys and Frisk. Did that mean he also knew about her talks with Sans and Frisk? What are you hiding this time?

Flowey's smile twisted a little, and Andi mentally kicked herself for not keeping her mouth shut. Shouldn't have responded. "Why am I bothering you? I think you know why."

She had a hunch. A few, in fact. "Because... I'm an anomaly. I was never in any timeline before this, and therefore, something you can't predict." There was no use in hiding it; Flowey listened. Watched from the shadows. Sans must have had some vague idea about her before Frisk reset. Did Flowey?

"Well, what do you know? Guess you aren't as big of an idiot as I thought you were." Flowey's look brightened, giving a nearly-innocent smile. Had she have no idea what the flower was capable of, she might have actually bought it. "Do you really think Frisk will stop after she gets her happy ending? Not hopping back to the beginning and restarting it all over again?" The flower's eyes narrowed, leaning forward. What? "You've figured it out, huh? What your friend's really capable of?"

"... I won't ask her what she's done," Andi replied. She wasn't whispering, but her voice was low; a warning. "If she wants to tell me, she can, but I won't say anything if I don't have to. Now I'll make this clear, and I'll say this only once. If you're trying to pressure me into killing, to betray Frisk and my friends, then you're out of luck. It isn't going to happen. Now leave me alone." The bag was pulled closer to her, one arm wrapped around the worn material.

"Leave?" The weed repeated the word, giving a slight giggle. "Nah, I don't think I will."

"What do you mean, you wo-?" Something was holding her down, pinning her to the dirt. Quickly looking away from Flowey, Andi saw the vine wrap around her feet, looping around and holding them to the ground from where it came from. Abandoning the bag, she grabbed hold of the plant, yanking at it to try and loosen its hold. "Flowey!?" Come on! Budge!

"So, you won't fight. Hehe. Looks like little old me will have to show you how then." Flowey winked, a ring of bullets forming around him and fanged smile stretching. Two white pupils were visible in his eager black eyes, and Andi wished she had followed Undyne's example and taken the ferry. "Now then... are you ready?" She really... wished she had.


"What do you think, Chara? Slow or fast?" The children got out of the broken elevator, Frisk squeezing through the gap between the doors to get into the lab as Chara drifted through the door itself. Why it ran out of power, she never really knew. Flowey affected the elevator ride up, so was it him there too, or just poor electricity?

Taking your time should be fine. Chara closed her eyes, mumbling numbers under her breath. A habit, the two noticed, she shared with Alphys. Hour max. She looked around the dreary room, eyes trailed down to look at the long hallway to their left, and waved the other girl onward. Come on.

This was the final step to a pacifist ending. Explore the True Lab, and learn Alphys' secret and the truth behind Flowey. A burst of nervous butterflies erupted in her stomach at the reminder, and she bit her lip. This-it would work, her plan. She... she would bring back Asriel. Everyone would get their happily ever after, and the resets would stop. They'll stop... I promised.

Do you want to read the signs? Frisk snapped to reality, seeing Chara drifting backwards as she walked, keeping an eye on the computerized screens that lit up as they passed by, bathing the hall in a green glow. If you want, I could. Just like old times.

"No, I-I'm good." Chara shrugged, turning around and continuing down the path, pausing at the turn in the corridor to wait for her. The room they stepped into was one they were familiar with, a few plants, a vending machine, and a door that would remain locked until they rounded up the keys. And of course, a save point. Her fingers dipped into the warm light, and she gave a small smile at the bookmark in her progress. "Left or right?"

... left. The two progressed to the side, keeping next to each other the entire way. Frisk, may I ask you something? The living child looked up at her, head tilted curiously. Are you worried about your friend?

Andi? It was the Underground, so a part of her was always worried. For her safety, and now for Andi's too. But what worries were there now, when they had almost reached the end? "Chara, is this about finding out-?"

She cut her off. It's not. Chara looked down at the tiled floor. I know, what you're aiming for. Wanting to bring him back, to keep her safe. But we are almost at the end of your journey; to meet dad, and face off with Asriel. Frisk, even though you know he won't meet you until the end, are you certain that Flowey wouldn't try something with Andi with you down here and out of the way?

Frisk's came to a stop, almost falling forward with the sudden lack of momentum. "Flow-do you think?" She hadn't thought about that. When she dashed away after briefly visiting Undyne, Andi was still there. Undyne would have gone to Papyrus' house until she and him went to check on her and Alphys. She figured she would have just stayed with Sans until then. But hearing Chara's words... it left a knot in her stomach, and the air felt a lot cooler in the dark room, the dust much more thick. Suffocating. "Sh-she must've followed Undyne back. She's probably in Snowdin." That was it. She was hanging out with Sans, and would meet with me when they reached the hall in the Capital. Flowey wasn't with Andi. H-he wasn't.

Hmm. Chara nodded at her words, and looked over to another sign, mounted just above several medical tables. The lab always gave her eerie vibes. When she first 'woke up', when she learned of what had happened down there after her death, she almost hurled. Though, how a ghost could do so could be debated. The feeling was there, but nothing would happen. Near-corpses being injected with determination, and their beings breaking down-melting, fusing together to make some Frankenstein's monster. Everyone's personalities were still there, their memories, but it... it wasn't right. It wasn't natural.

"Ch-Chara?" She looked back to Frisk, who was now staring at her with terrified eyes. "Can you go check on her? Please?"

Me? She pointed to herself. No, the other spectre haunting me! Chara frowned at the sarcasm, but looked back the way they came. Were the two of them just being paranoid? After all, what were the chances that he actually went after the older human? Yet... yet this was the Underground. Chances... usually were never that good down there. Can you handle the rest by yourself?

She'd be doing this so many times she'd lost count! Of course she could! "Yes, now go!" Frisk went to push Chara, only for the concept of a ghost to slip her mind, phasing through the girl's torso and running into the wall on the other side. "Oomph!"

Hehe. Alright. I'll be right back. If her concern was justified, she couldn't do much if he found Andi before she did. What would she be able to do as a spirit? I'll have to make a stop first. Be back soon. She flashed a quick, hopefully reassuring smile to Frisk, and teleported away from the lab.


His feet dangled almost a foot off the floor, absentmindedly swinging back and forth. It was a waiting game now, judging in his mind how much longer until he would have to move to the hall to judge the kid and her friend. yep. any time now.

Frisk... was true to her word. No one got hurt, no one was dusted. Everyone was happy, and the Underground was peaceful. At that point, it was just a matter of making sure she never reset. Again. Ever. and what then? what's after that? He... wasn't sure. The longest they usually stayed on the Surface, when they did reach there, always varied. The longest was almost two months, the shortest wasn't even a week. Sans never really figured out what to do when he got there, because it never lasted. However, if he had to guess... maybe a job at Grillby's? Or perhaps he'd work in a lab with Alphys. He had some non-existent brains in his skull. May as well start using them. heh. then again, paps might start expecting more of me.

Papyrus... perhaps he would take online courses. Earn his own degree, or maybe even start taking cooking courses and work in a restaurant. There was a lot he had to start planning. Sans. Each reset, living conditions usually varied too. If they had enough money at the start, he would get them their own house. If not, he and his brother would live with Toriel. Sans.

And what then, with the kid and her guardian? Frisk always stayed with Toriel, her room across the hall from his own if they ended up living with them. With the proximity, and his difficult sleeping, he would sometimes hear her talk at night. There would be faint choked sobs, and when it started happening too often... reset. Frisk, she... she really didn't want to bring them back, he knew that. But she did it anyway. can't you get it through your head that there's no point in tryin', kid? Skeleton!

Then there was Andi. Now that was a mystery. Even at the end of this timeline, Sans still couldn't figure out her purpose in being down there. True, Frisk had said it was because she didn't want to be alone, but was that really it? The kid never was bothered before travelling solo, and even then, she had that cursed demon child hovering over her shoulder. so... why are you he-?

HEY, COMEDIAN!

Sans straightened up at the loud shout, the closeness rattling through his head, and looked around his lab in alarm. Nothing. Nobody was in there, and as far as he was aware of, only the kid was aware... of... the kid. "eh... hehe. wow, ghosty. you sure know how to make an entrance." A small scoff, and with a quick flare of his magic, he could make out the faint outline and details of one deceased human child.

He... Sans never really knew how he could detect the Chara. Maybe it was due to his ability to check people; read their LV and EXP. He did only start becoming aware of her presence once Frisk's LV started rising, seeing a shadow hover behind her with glowing red eyes. does it matter? Whatever it was, it certainly paid off in the long run. "so, where's the kid?"

Not important. Where's the human? Sans blinked, put off by the question. Andi? Wasn't she with Frisk?

"i thought she was with you," he told the phantom, keeping a steady eye on her silhouette.

Yeah, well, you thought wrong. Undyne didn't stick around long here before taking Papyrus to the dump. Andi was never with us, and they never said anything about her either. We just thought she arrived after that and hung out with you, but... Chara's voice dropped for a moment, and if he wasn't studying for her appearance so closely, he could've sworn she had vanished altogether. Are you certain that she is not in the house?

"pretty sure she's not." He hopped off the counter, fuzzy slippers hitting the ground with a soft thud. "... you think the weed got to her."

He knows something's up. Somewhere from Undyne's house to yours, not on the main path. Chara zoomed closer, about a foot from his face, and he had to force himself not to step back. Without Frisk, the girl was pretty much harmless. She couldn't touch anything, and while her words could get to him, get into his mind, that was all she had going. Think, comedian. What areas would most monsters not be aware of?

Areas that no one knew...? "i can think of a few places. you can teleport, right? i'll start where you last saw her. if you find her, come get me."

Get you? And how am I supposed to do that? Waterfall isn't exactly a small area. His sockets narrowed at the sass.

"you got any ideas? i don't trust you any more than i can throw you." And he had thrown her, right across the hall before the throne room. ergh... "but you hangin' over me won't make progress. find her, then find me. now go." Chara made a small noise, not happy with how he phrased it, but her form vanished from his view after a few seconds. and... she's gone. "phew."

Sans glanced around the lab, eye lights staying on the draped machine in the corner. Never, as far as he was aware, did Flowey ever attack Frisk. That was before, though, before another human soul was put into effect. Before another human fell into the Underground. The timeline being different, what was once something of a good thing, had finally caught up them. "hang on, andi. we're comin'." you better hope she's in one piece, flower.


"Golly, you sure are stubborn! Not as determined as her, though, but you're hanging on a lot longer than Frisk did when she first started."

And how many times would that be? Andi hissed, gripping the hiking bag to her chest. Stubborn? Perhaps. Determined? She did not want to die again. Even if her feelings towards Undyne had improved, the feeling of being struck down haunted her, and motivated her to keep herself out of harm's way. Her body, and her soul. Even now, after being pelted with those stupid bullets of his, the red and blue swirling heart still managed to keep itself together. Countless tiny cuts covered her arms and legs, tearing through her sweater and jeans; the bag protected her torso.

The hiking pole lay abandoned on the other side of the room, one of Flowey's vines ripping it away. Why? If he was so persistent in making her attack him, then why take away her weapon? "Y-you...!"

"Hmm? What's that?" He burrowed under the ground, popping back up closer to my head. "I didn't quite hear that."

"Y-you... won't make... me crack. I-I won't... m-murder anyone!" The blood loss was starting to get to her, words coming out in gaps. "I p-promised!"

"Promise, huh? And how's that going for you?" How she wanted to wipe that smile off his face. "You think you've figured out as much as you deemed necessary, but you're still wanting the full picture. Defending her when you don't know what she's capable of." The white face twitched violently, and Andi had to hold back a shriek as the facial features contorted to mimic Frisk. Same eye shape, same borderline neutral smile. "You don't know anything about me." His voice... oh, god, he even sounded like her.

"St-stop it! Stop sounding like her!" Another violent twitch, stem contorting in sharp jagged movements, and Flowey's face returned to normal. "I know, I know nothing. I know that. And I-I am fine with that. But I will defend her..." fighting... was a last resort. It was. It was from the beginning, and even then, she refused to go back on her word. However... "a-and I will keep her safe. Never killing, but defending... that's another matter." One arm still holding the bag close, she reached inside and pulled the knife out, its plastic blade faintly reflecting the light of the crystals in the room. Flowey only cocked a brow at the action, until he gave a pleased laugh.

The hiking pole, my only weapon... he wanted me to do this. He wanted her to use the knife all along. "Now we're getting somewhere!" He commended, diving back into the dirt and popping back up several steps away. Hand still holding the knife close, she used her other arm to push herself up, supporting her body against the rock wall and stood on shaky bent legs. The bag lay forgotten on the ground near her, as all attention was on Flowey now. "Hehehe! Now, are you ready to play for real this time?"

Her fingers tightened on the handle, not giving a verbal answer. Frisk, you better be safe, wherever you are. Whether it was with Undyne, Alphys, or some passing monster, anywhere was better than right there. Bullets fired at her, and steadying her feet, she swung forward with the knife, the attacks deflected with a solid 'ding' on impact. "Not bad!" Flowey repeated the attack, over, and over, increasing the amount of bullets from five to ten. Each movement hurt, arms ached, and she had no monster food on hand to heal. There was the quiche, but that was far too awkward to reach for; tucked away in the bag. How many more hits can I take? She flinched as a stray bullet swiped at her shoulder, stepping out of the way to avoid having it hit her soul dead-on.

Frisk, he said she had done this before. Fighting him. Was it similar to this, bullets and vines? Or was there something else she was missing? Ugh! Her head hurt, and she wasn't sure it was from the attacks, but rather how her feelings of the matter were starting to get to her. She trusted Frisk. She loved the kid. But why!? Why wouldn't she say the entire story!? "Aah!" Giving a frustrated shout, she swung at the bullets with more force than before, sending them back at Flowey.

"Hehe." He dove into the dirt, missing his own attacks as they hit the ground where he once was, and reemerged with a smug smile. "What was that about being fine with not knowing everything?"

Her grip on the handle was hard enough to make the plastic break, a tiny crackling sound. She-he really was getting to her. How much longer, mentally or physically, would she last? I should have just followed Undyne. I should have taken the b-

Close your eyes and get out of the way. Andi almost missed the attacks aimed at her head, the voice taking her by surprise. You again? She hadn't heard from them outside of saving except for the artifact room. How or why were they there, now, of all moments?

Close your eyes and get ready to get ready to move. The words changed, but the order remained clear. Get out of the way, and... close her eyes? Why did she have to do that? You have five seconds.

"Five?" She whispered, the question hardly loud enough for herself to hear. Four. Fo-oh, s-so they were really doing this. What, she didn't get a chance to really register what was being said? Or have the voice explain why?

Three. Andi was not being forced to stand in one place. She could easily jump out of the way. Why she had to cover her eyes, she had no idea why. Even with all of that, there was the fact the strange, disembodied voice was ordering her to do this. Something she still had no idea who, or what, it was. Frisk knew though, because Frisk always knew, so it must have been good, right? Two. She could listen, throw caution into the wind, and see what would happen, if the voice actually had a plan to get her out of there. If it was wrong, and she made a false belief in the voice, the end results... probably wouldn't be very pretty. On the other side of things, she could ignore it. Continue fighting with Flowey, where she would either make it out of the small cave alive... or not, and have Flowey take her soul before it shattered before her eyes.

Overall, it was clear what the better of two unsavory options were. I am going to hate this, aren't I?

One.

The final warning given, Andi closed her eyes, and threw her body to the side towards the wooden bridge. "AAH!" A blast of heat erupted behind her, and she felt pieces of the cavern's rock wall break away, striking her back as she hit the ground hard. The sound was loud, ear-piercing, and her hearing was muffled from how close it was. Dirt was smeared over her face where she hit the dirt, the knife still held in her hand. What... the hell was that?

She rolled her head to the side. The bright light dying down, leaving only a humming noise echoing around the small space, she found what had attacked. Jaw slowly closing, the massive dragon skull stared down the wall where had stood mere milliseconds ago. Yellow eyes slowly shifted to white, but they did not leave their target. Their target, who had managed to throw himself under the earth to save his stem.

"Hehe... hehe... ha ha ha!" The laughter was borderline unhinged, and he stared through the cloud of dust still occupying the room. "Looks like someone finally decided to show his true colors. Oh, well. I might not have gotten a soul, but it looks like I got something just as good." The skull gave a low growl, mandible threatening to open further and unleash another hot beam of energy. Flowey, not bothered by the threat, threw a small wink and burrowed into the ground without another word.

Her breathing was shaking, staring at the spot where her attacker once stood. That... that was it. I-it was all over. "Heh... h-heh... heh..." Andi looked back to the skull, and flinched. The floating head was staring at her, its own breath still warm from the blast. Scrambling upright, and giving a sharp cry at the pain that raced through her body-her soul still out in the open-she held the knife outright, clenched between her two trembling hands. "St-stay back! Get away from me!"

"lower the knife." Footsteps, crunching the dirt and rocks, broke through the air from behind the skull. If the woman was not certain she was going to pass out from before, now was a very good chance she would. No...

Sans, with left socket flaring with the same blue energy she witnessed days ago, stared her down with an emotion she couldn't place. One hand buried in his pockets, the other, held out and fingers posed mid-snap. Sans? "put down the knife. now." The skull next to him growled, sharing the same barely veiled anger as the skeleton, eye lights narrowing at the threat in front of them. Threat. She... she was the threat? B-but why was he threatening her after Flowey-oh, no.

The knife fell, alright. Along with the rest of her, sideways, and Andi's head cracked against the ground as her injuries finally got the best of her and her adrenaline having run out. "... eugh..."

Eyes falling shut, her last moment of consciousness was of Sans walking towards her, the view of the skeleton tilted along with the rest of the world. The knife in front of her face lit up in a blue light, and floated away from view. "... nope." The weapon went soaring across the room towards the water, and another blast of light lit up her vision.

White, a flash of heat and noise, and then... darkness.


I figured since Chara is almost always with Frisk, while the thinking is done by her, the focus falls equally on the two of them. They've already been through a lot together, so it seemed to make sense.

Until next time!

Angel