Thanks go to Spencer The Gamer, Wingah, 10burgers, Zack Frost, Doctah Sawbones, Chara Moonstone, and Guest.

Okay so I may have fumbled my free time and ended up barely finishing this chapter in time so the proofreading might be a little shotty! I'll be sure to go back through when I have more time and fix up any errors I might not have caught in my hasty proofreading. Regardless, I think this chapter is really fun and I hope you all enjoy it enough to leave a review! Next update will be the Sunday after next, like usual. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Undertale.

Anarchy leaned forward some, his arms reaching back to the trailer that he dragged behind him like always. Max walked beside him, admiring this physical feat with much more understanding than he'd watched it with when they came out to the forest. As much as this knowledge The Anarchist had bestowed upon him might have weighed, Max had to admit it was nice to know how exactly Anarchy accomplished the things he did.

His thoughts drifted back to Anarchy's words, the answer he'd received when he asked if he and his sister were in danger. Anarchy had answered so casually, assured Max that anyone who would ever want to harm himself or his sister would have to get through him first. This thought was admittedly refreshing to Max, having went from being concerned Anthony was going to kill him to learning that Anthony was instead a body guard to some degree.

A body guard. That was certainly a funny thought. Made Max imagine The Anarchist dressed like a bouncer, guarding a door or perhaps a stage. That train of thought lead him down another winding path; he figured that once Mako achieved her dreams of becoming an idol, there wouldn't be anyone better to keep her safe from some hate-fueled assassination than Anthony. Then again, it might not be a good look for Mako if her body guard turned some stage-rusher into a red splat in front of a live crowd.

It was a silly notion, anyway. Max couldn't imagine Anarchy sticking around long enough to still be apart of their lives in that distant future, and even if he did Max doubted he'd go too far from the farm. That made Max wonder, however. How long would Anarchy stick around? Presumably until he thought himself ready to go kill The Angel, Max guessed. But then what?

"All I want is to kill Angel, and then I'm done! I'm out! Nobody else dies, and I get to go..! I dunno, watch paint dry for all eternity or some shit!"

Ah, right. Kill Angel, and then 'go watch paint dry or some shit'. Didn't exactly sound like a concrete plan to Max, but he was the one trying to be buddy buddy with an interdimensional serial killer, so he didn't think he had much room to judge other people's life choices. Either way, this left Max to ponder the thought. When would Anarchy leave, and would he ever return?

He couldn't say he would lose much sleep if he never saw The Anarchist again. He believed the possibility of friendship with the hulking albino was there, but that didn't mean the friendship was there yet. And he believed rehabilitation could be possible for him, but that didn't mean Anarchy was a good person yet. He would never demand that Anarchy go, but he also wasn't sure if he'd object when Anarchy did leave.

"Heyyyy boyyysss!"

Max lifted his head, and he smiled lightly when he spotted Mako standing in the entry of the barn the two of them were approaching. She lifted one bony hand over her head, swinging it back and forth in wide waves to greet the two of them. And while this sight initially made Max happy, in the next instant, a few worries clouded his mind.

While he wouldn't exactly call Anarchy his friend, he definitely thought Mako would. In fact, Max wondered if the two were closer than they lead on. Or, at least if Mako saw them as closer than they were. Max couldn't really be sure how Anarchy felt about anyone, other than this Angel that he ranted and raved about.

... But, when he turned his head and looked at Anthony, he watched him smile at Mako when she waved. And that made Max wonder if maybe Anarchy was getting a better idea of where he'd go after he destroyed this nemesis of his.

Chapter 61: Recollection Boulevard

Or: Memory Lane, If Y'aren't Hip

"Snowdin forest looks... Different." Monster Kid analyzed, turning his head from side to side. Snow crunching under our feet, we wandered down the pure white path. A path that, as Monster Kid was analyzing, was surrounded by a crater here, a crater there, and some overturned trees. After looking over the surrounding forest for a few moments, he turned his eyes towards me, squinting suspiciously.

"Ooh yeah." I spoke casually, hands buried in my pockets while I tilted my head back. My eyes glossed over our surroundings, bringing a small smirk to my lips. "Hey, Chara, remember when we used to spar here?"

"Yep." Chara answered quickly, probably to keep their teeth from chattering. They were doubled over slightly, arms crossed tight together while they sunk their chin into the collar of their jacket, presumably to protect their face from the occasional gust of cold wind.

The sight of them so clearly displeased put a grin on my face, and I couldn't stop myself from egging them on even if I wanted to. "Hey, remind me real quick. What's your opinion on Snowdin?"

"S-s-sucks!" Chara burst out immediately, unraveling their arms from around themself only to furiously toss their hands up in the air. They began ranting, only making me snicker as they did so. "Worst place in The Underground! Possibly the worst place on Earth!"

"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad." Frisk objected, wearing a slight smile of their own. Chara was so well adjusted these days, it was admittedly funny when they showed signs of irrational anger and reminded us that a short fuse was a permanent part of their character. Frisk continued, possibly trying to poke the bear further. "I'm wearing a skirt and I'm not cold."

"Yeah but you're weird, your opinion doesn't count." Chara's childish and nonsensical refutation got a laugh outta Frisk and Asriel both, but they crossed their arms again and pretended it didn't make them happy that their playful jab went over well.

"While I do have to agree that Frisk is weird," Asriel paused to shrug, glancing over to Frisk. They returned the shrug and gave a knowing nod, silently agreeing. "I don't think they're wrong. Snowdin isn't that cold."

"You have f-f-fur!" Chara rolled their eyes in an exaggerated motion, keeping huddled close to themself while they argued. "Your o-opinion also d-doesn't count."

"Simply grow fur." Asriel once more casually shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets and wearing a neutral expression.

"I can't just grow fur!" Chara recoiled at the silliness of Asriel's suggestion, growing more agitated as they watched a tiny smile pull at his lips.

"Sure you can." Asriel furrowed his brows like Chara was in fact being ridiculous. He rolled his eyes, lifting one hand and using it to gesture to himself. "It's literally exactly what I did. You just gotta clench."

". . ." Chara paused the moment they caught on to what Asriel was doing. Their shoulders sunk while they squinted their eyes with lethal precision at their brother, and they spoke in a low growl. "... Oh I bet you think you're real f-f-fuckin' clever, huh?"

Chara's remark made Asriel and Monster Kid both burst into hysterical laughter. I snickered more to myself than anyone, and Frisk just watched the interaction with mild confusion. Eventually they shook their head though, probably figuring it was a reference to some 'had to be there' situation.

"Angel, back me up!" Chara demanded, eyes darting from their giggling debate opponents to me. "Doesn't Snowdin suck?"

"Weeeeeeeellllllll..." I paused in thought, taking hold of my chin like I really needed to consider. I let the tension build, everyone leaning in while they waited for my verdict. And finally, once I was sure everyone was right about to shout at me to get on with it, I shrugged and slowly nodded my head. "Yeahhh, Snowdin kinda sucks."

For the second time today my words earned me a chorus of booing, Asriel even going to far as to pick up and toss a snowball at me. Somewhere in me catching the snowball on my shoulder and threatening to fire back I'm pretty sure somebody called me a simp, but I pretended I didn't hear it and hoped nobody else acknowledged it. I counted myself as lucky when nobody did, and Chara laughed victoriously, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pointing out to the others. "Oh, boo your s-s-selves! It's not our fault you can't handle the t-t-truth!"

"Snowdin doesn't suck!" Frisk shouted as they too dragged a hand through the snow, gathering it in their hand and shaping it into a ball before throwing it at my chest. "You suck!"

"Only on weekends!" I retorted without hesitation, being forced to duck out from under Chara's arm to both dodge Frisk's snowball and grab a handful of snow to throw back.

"..." Frisk paused momentarily to process my quick response, before suddenly tilting their head and raising their eyebrows at me, biting their bottom lip. "Ayyo-"

"Blerg-!" Before Frisk could complete their flirt attempt, a snowball exploded against their face, forcing them to stumble back and wipe water and ice from their eyes. My eyes darted up to Chara, who's arm was still extended after they'd tossed the snowball. A small grin curled their features; they looked pretty pleased with their direct hit.

"DEATH BATTTTTTLLLLEEEEEEE!" Monster Kid suddenly shouted, throwing his head back and breathing a stream of brass colored flames into the sky. This declaration of war left him open to three snowballs that splatted against his chest, melting quickly from his body temperature.

And just like that, the snowball fight of a century was on. It was Chara and I against those of shitty opinions, and though we were outnumbered, our acrobatic abilities were put to comedic use. We cartwheeled between barrages of balled snow, dove for cover and gathered ammunition in our arms when we rolled with our landings. At one point Chara sprinted up a tree, disappeared into its frosty branches, before diving down on our enemies while throwing a rapid fire wave of snowballs down upon them.

This, unlike our game of basketball, had no clear winner. After a few minutes, we forgot the reasons for which we battled in our bloodlust, and the teams dissolved. Everyone pelted everyone with snow, MK's tail batted the white powder from the ground in waves. Asriel gathered a huge mass of snow, big enough to be the bottom of a snowman. Then, he snuck up behind me and slapped it down on top'a my head while I was busy in my shoot-out with Frisk!

Me stumbling around with a ball'a snow covering my entire head was, understandably, so hilarious that it got everyone to stop fighting. They were far too preoccupied in pointing and laughing at me, and when I finally managed to yank the stupid thing off, I had to laugh too.

With the war at a cease fire, we made our way through the rest of the forest and into the town. Monster Kid told us a story along the way; I guess when he was a kid he got himself banned from the rabbit's shop after getting caught stealing a cinnamon bunny. Frisk was shocked the shopkeep would ban him for such a minor offense. He explained it wasn't the thievery that got him tossed out, it was the many shelves his clumsy ass knocked over while he made his desperate escape that earned him the permanent ban. Asriel said that sounded about right, and MK laughed before adding that he isn't even allowed in her store topside.

After that, somebody had the bright idea that we should all race to see who could get to the edge of town fastest. It was an exceedingly childish idea, so I was all for it. MK and I were the first off, spreading our wings and blasting off into the lead. Frisk sprinted close behind us, and ever clever, Asriel used the igloo short cut tunnel to reach the end before the three of us. Of course, by the time he poked his head out of the tunnel, he found that Chara had already used a portal to get there long before any of us. The following debate on whether or not that was a legal move was so heated that it almost brought about another brutal snowball battle.

But, eventually things did defuse when I suddenly shouted with absolute certainty "Yeah, and FUCK Snowdin!" into the debate. The randomness of my call back to our previous argument managed to catch everyone off guard and remind them of the giant snowball Asriel had previously planted on my head, which got them laughing again.

As we walked the snowy path that lead to Waterfall, however, I found my mind wandering. I disconnected from the conversation without really thinking about it, my eyes drifting out over to the icy path and the river beside it. While this was a pretty innocuous, transitional place to most... This was where I'd first been inspired to change my ways. This cold, windy, meaningless plot of land was where Papyrus had once died protecting me. Where he'd told me he believed in me, and inspired me to try and be something more. It was also where I'd first met Monster Kid, and where I'd first met Chara. The longer I thought about it, the more I realized how important this mucky path by the cold river really was to me.

"Hey, Cter." Frisk got my attention by patting my bicep with the back of their hand, shaking me from my thoughts. When I looked over to them, I found a slight smile on their face, and watched as they reached up, placing a hand over their left eye. "Remember when you gouged my eye out that one time?"

Their jovial tone made just about everyone but me swivel their heads in Frisk's direction almost immediately. I snerked at their bluntness however, a small smirk crossing my lips. It was reassuring to hear them be so casual about it honestly, it reminded me that those days were water deep beneath the bridge. "Oh, yeah. That was pretty silly of me."

"A goofy move, for sure." Frisk nodded in agreement, resisting the urge to laugh at my statement. They shrugged casually, "We shoulda just settled our differences with a snowball fight, honestly."

"Why didn't we think'a that?" I asked sarcastically, gently bopping my own forehead with my open palm. Corner of my mouth lifted in an amused smile, I shook my head and looked over to Frisk. "Honestly just RESET. This run is trash without the Underground's fate having been hinged on a snowball fight."

The heavy irony in my terrible idea finally got Frisk to crack. They widened their eyes, laughing and shaking their head. They blinked those scarlet eyes a few times, chuckling through their bewilderment. "Pfff! Geez, I do still have that button, don't I? Haven't even thought about the thing in years. Must have a foot'a dust on it by now."

"You don't even think about the RESET button anymore?" Asriel asked curiously, more than a little surprise showing on his features while he turned his head towards Frisk.

"It's just so far removed from having any level of importance in my life nowadays." Frisk shrugged, raising their hands into the air while they glanced over to the monster prince. They lifted their eyebrows some, like even they were a little surprised. "I mean, I still SAVE every week or two just in case some terrible accident happens or something, but at this stage of our lives a RESET would be a nightmare! I have nothing to gain and literally everything to lose from hittin' the stupid thing now!"

"It's... Kinda crazy to think about, isn't it?" Chara lifted their head, arching a brow over at us. They wore a thoughtful expression, hands buried in the front pockets of their track jacket. "Once upon a time, that button ruled over all our lives. Now it's barely even an after thought."

"Maybe those days do feel kinda far away, after all..." Frisk muttered thoughtfully, furrowing their brows down at the ground. They frowned a little, "To think, I was really so caught up in my one big adventure that I wasn't gonna let mine or anyone else's life go on..."

"That's, just what it's like when you suddenly have that kinda power in your hand." Asriel added as some kind of comfort. He understood after all, as Flowey he'd played the same game Frisk had for what might have been a similar amount of time. He placed a hand on their back then, and his lips curled in a reassuring smile. "But, we have more to look forward to now. There's always gonna be another big adventure."

"Heh... Yeah, I guess you're right." Frisk smiled lightly up at Asriel, looking a lot less doubtful than they had been a moment ago. I was glad; I would have felt bad if my joke had turned this conversation into an awkward silence. Frisk gestured to me then, "I mean, nothing can stay the same forever. Even when I had the same events replaying over and over, things still suddenly changed."

"Man, you're tellin' me." The corner of my mouth lifted with some amusement, and I shook my head. "I had spent months making this drawn out, meticulous evil plan back in my reality."

"Next thing ya know," I lifted my hand, snapping my fingers while I smiled over at my friends. "I'm falling into another reality, growing wings, and saving the world."

"Sounds like a pretty good trade to me." MK shrugged. I couldn't imagine he really understood what the rest of us were dealing with, he'd never exactly been in the role of ultimate power and he'd certainly never abused such a power. But, he was understanding nonetheless. He grinned, "You get to be a super hero and we get a cool new friend!"

"You got that right!" I couldn't help but grin back over at him. At this point in our march, the snow was fading to puddles beneath our feet, and we were treading onto the blue dirt of Waterfall. My grin lightened up some though, and I sighed with some exasperation, eyes glossing over to the side. "Though I am uh... I am a little excited for when this whole super hero thing is over and done with. I miss just being everybody's friend."

"Yeah I'd probably wanna hang up my cape too if that albino guy was my nemesis." Monster Kid said without even thinking, furrowing his brows and nodding casually. I had to laugh at his bluntness, shoving him playfully. He chuckled, shrugging innocently. "What? Dude's terrifying!"

"I'onno." Frisk shrugged too, glancing over at the two of us. They grinned mischievously, and I was suddenly certain that they were about to say something cursed. They confirmed my fears, "He was kinda hot to be honest."

". . ." The instant, mortified silence that followed that statement made Frisk burst into hysterical laughter. Well, the silence, and my jaw dropped, nostril flared stare. They had a bad habit of saying horrible, cringe inducing things just to get a reaction out of people, and clearly their cruelty knew no bounds. Chara finally managed to shout, "wHAT?!"

Frisk just laughed harder, nearly doubling over while they rested a hand on their abdomen. "What? You saw me date Undyne! You know what I'm about!"

"Undyne and Anarchy are NOT EVEN CLOSE to similar!" Monster Kid was quick to defend, staring at Frisk with wide and horrified eyes.

"H-hey, hey Cter..! You think, you think next time Daddyarchy shows up," Frisk struggled to speak through their giggling, wheezing when they saw how my face scrunched up and my head reeled at their use of the term 'Daddyarchy'. I reacted like the word was a punch in the nose. "You think you can get him to choke me instead?! HAHAHAHA!"

"EWWWWWW!" Chara nearly screamed, clamping their hands down over their ears. They shivered, like Frisk's words really did make their skin crawl. "DISGUSTINGGGG!"

"NEVER SPEAK AGAIN DEAR GOD!" I mimicked Chara's move, slapping my hands down over my ears in hopes that I wouldn't have to hear Frisk speak anymore. Everyone's face was slightly red from second hand embarrassment, but Frisk was only red because of how hard it was to breathe through their laughter.

"Have you no shame?!" Asriel demanded to know, reeling from Frisk's painfully horny comments. They tried to give a response that I'm sure would have been even more painful to hear, but were so busy wheezing at their own joke that all they could do was wave a hand at Asriel while they doubled over.

For another awful minute or two we all groaned quietly and avoided any and all eye contact while Frisk cackled at the pain they'd inflicted upon us. Finally, their laughter died down, and they giggled here and there while they caught their breath. Straightening out their back, they wiped a tear from their eye. "Hoooo... Listen, hehe... Listen-"

"No I think we're all done listening to you for the rest of this trip." Chara was quick to say, lifting one hand to signal that Frisk should stop their train off thought in its tracks. They shook their head, still blinking away their bewilderment.

"Listeeeeeennnn." Frisk rolled their eyes at Chara's skepticism as though it was totally unwarranted. They stumbled their way over to me, head probably still light from lack of airflow. They wrapped an arm around my shoulders, hunching forward some while they pointed one finger at me. "Alls I'm saying is that everybody we've met from Cter's reality has been hot, and no one is talking about it."

"I don't think literally anyone wants to talk about that." Asriel shook his head, looking at Frisk like it should have been obvious. Then he hesitated for a moment, before looking back to Frisk. "I also think you're the only one who thought Anarchy was hot."

"I wanna talk about it!" Frisk cried out like they were offended, succeeding in making Monster Kid laugh and Chara groan. "I mean, we're three for three! The only one we haven't met is this Gatherer guy, and who wants to bet that he's a friggin' bombshell too?"

". . ." There was an admittedly curious silence that followed, and everyone's eyes slowly glossed over to me. I looked between everyone that stared at me, immediately understanding that they were looking for my confirmation. I just groaned and rolled my eyes, even though I was smiling a little at how dumb the conversation was. I walked out from under Frisk's arm, crossing my own arms over my chest. "I'm walking ahead of you creeps."

We continued through Waterfall, talking and reminiscing all the while. We all gathered our umbrellas for the raining pathway ahead, and Monster Kid laughed after offering to cover Frisk's head with his wing now that he was almost two feet taller than them. They were less than amused. It was right about then that I brought up when Chara and I had made the trek through the mucky area after making our 'deal' way back when, and that certainly caught everyone off guard. Frisk had been the first to speak up, squinting irritably at Chara and I. "Sooo... I was being chased by a spear wielding fish lady, and y'all were just goin' on a date?"

"Wha- It wasn't a date!" Chara immediately objected, recoiling first from Frisk's bold assumption before adamantly denying it, stamping their foot and making a puddle splash beneath their heel. "We were still mortal enemies at the time!"

"Oh yeah, I take all my nemeses on romantic walks under starlight." Frisk egged Chara, nodding their head in sarcastic agreement while raising their eyebrows.

"Y'know, I never really thought about it at the time," I furrowed my brows thoughtfully, taking hold of my chin with my free hand. "But, now that Frisk says it..."

"Don't agree with them!" Chara spun around immediately, shooting me a glare. Their face had turned to a light shade of pink. I threw my hands up defensively, recoiling some. I kept my umbrella facing straight up over my head though, still stopping the rain from hitting me.

"What? Listen, we know that wasn't a date. Obviously; we'd just signed a death pact like two minutes beforehand." My eyes darted to the side, hands still raised so that Chara didn't shoot me dead with that angry stare of theirs. My ears turned just a little red, but I hope nobody noticed. "I'm just sayin' that from the outside looking in, it was uhh... A little suspicious?"

"Oh, please!" Chara rolled their eyes, shaking their head. They held their umbrella straight up over their head even as they crossed their arms, casting me a condescending glance. "What about our simple walk through Waterfall was even remotely like a date?"

"I'onno." I shrugged my shoulders casually, one hand jammed in my pocket while the other kept my umbrella upright. "The lighting, the scenery, I bought us Nice Cream, we shared an umbrella..."

". . ." Chara paused completely, forcing the rest of us to stop our march ahead to wait for them. They were wide eyed for a moment, staring into nothing at all. And everyone watched, Frisk and MK trying their hardest to not start giggling like idiots from the realization on Chara's face. Finally, Chara shut their eyes, reaching up and gently placing their free hand over their face. "... Oh my god that was totally a date."

Frisk and Monster Kid were immediately wheezing, Asriel even snerking some at the silliness of this three-year-late revelation. I just smiled knowingly, reaching out and patting Chara on the shoulder to comfort them after this devastating realization.

"Was I really so dumb and edgy back then that I didn't even realize all of that was just a fucking date?!" Chara's snap was so sudden that it even got me laughing. They pulled their hand away from their face, tensing their fingers and staring dramatically into their palm. "It was so obvious!"

"Y'know, the more I think about it..." My eyes glossed to the side while I furrowed my brows. My free hand retracting from patting Chara in the shoulder, instead pulling thoughtfully at my bottom lip. "I gave you the ink flower, the Waterfall walk, I'd sneak out to see you, you'd sneak in to see me..."

"Oh please don't say it..." Chara mumbled into their palm, once more burying their face in their hand and hiding their shame from the world.

"Chara I don't mean to alarm you," I looked over to them, wincing some at the harshness behind the next words that would leave my mouth. "But I think we might have just been dating for like the entire pacifist run."

"Shut UUUUPPPPP!" Chara groaned, throwing their head back. Everyone else was certainly getting a laugh out of this incredibly stupid spin on a very serious event from our past, and even though I knew they hated it, I could see Chara was fighting a smile of their own. That made me smile, even as they vehemently denied these allegations. "We were JUST trying to kill each other! Stop trying to make it weird!"

"Yeah, you're right." Monster Kid laughed as the rain pouring from overhead came to a slow but sure stop, and he lowered his wing from over Frisk's head. The water coating his warm scales was quick to dry, and MK hardly seemed to mind. "Nothin' weird about plotting murders."

"See, Monster Kid gets it!" Chara threw their hand out to gesture to MK, making me snerk while I folded up my umbrella. We all did, placing them in the metal can in which they were all stored without a second thought while we continued ahead. When we reached the high ledge, an eraser of mine rose a few feet from the ground, giving us all a stepping stone to reach the ledge. MK must have been glad that nobody'd have to stand on his shoulders this time around, especially with their being four people he'd of had to help up this time.

"Y'know, now that I think about it, this whole date thing actually makes a lotta sense." Frisk grinned some with their words, the ground beneath us turning to a wooden bridge. I didn't really notice, too focused on the conversation at hand. "I mean, the entire run before we entered this one, Chara would not shut up about you."

"Wait, seriously?" That got me laughing, and Chara just groaned loudly into their hands while I looked over towards Frisk, a slight grin pulling at my features.

"Dude it was constant after you got away in Waterfall." Frisk widened their eyes some, shaking their head like even they found it a little hard to believe. "Every ten seconds, 'Why hasn't Cter shown up? 'What's he planning?' 'It's been a long time since we've seen him.' 'Why's he taking so long?' 'He wouldn't just go hide.'"

"D'awww, Char-bear." I rested a hand over my chest, grinning over at Chara, who was in fact writhing. Their face was a solid red color, even though they were constantly trying to hide it behind their hands. I hid it behind my joking demeanor, but a big part of me was... Admittedly overjoyed by this discussion. Sure, it was dumb. There hadn't been anything romantic going on between the two of us in those days, we were in fact trying to kill each other. But, as ridiculous as it was, it did still make me... Oddly giddy and hopeful. I kept that hidden though, continuing to poke and prod at them under the ruse that I was just trying to get under their skin. I was known to bug Chara frequently after all, no one would be the wiser. No one would ever know that I, might have thought they were kinda adorable when they were flustered. That could go with me to the grave. "You really did care!"

"I. WAS. TRYING. TO KILL HIM." Chara shouted, throwing their head back and clenching their fists at their sides. This really got Frisk and Monster Kid laughing, which only pissed Chara off further. "THERE WAS NOTHING BESIDES THAT GOING ON!"

"Your pacifist run activities tell a different story." Asriel shrugged casually, unable to hide the grin that teasing his sibling put on his face. His quick comeback got me laughing too, my head turned to look back at the friends that I was leading down the bridge. I didn't pay much attention to the world ahead of me, instead just grinning back at the group.

Just as Chara opened their mouth to shout more refutations, however, my lower body suddenly collided with something, making my eyes snapped open wide as I suddenly tumbled forward. There was no more bridge to catch me however, and I plummeted right over the edge, disappearing into the abyss with no more than a quick "fUCK-!"

"Cter?" Everyone's heads turned forward suddenly, looking with confusion to the ledge I'd dropped over. There was a waist high sign reading "BEWARE OF DROP" that had, ironically, been what tripped me in the first place.

"HA!" With the beat of my wings I ascended back up from the dark, pointing into the shadowy hole beneath and shouting my mockery. "Suck it, drop into the abyss! I have wings this time!"

"You did it, Angel." Chara smirked lightly, crossing their arms over their chest. They watched me float there, my ink wings beating occasionally to keep me airborne. "You got one over on your real nemesis: the fall into the Garbage Dump."

"It's been a long time comin'!" I assured, grinning over to them and looking up from the middle fingers I was raining down on the drop below. "Now c'mon, who wants a ride down? We've got enough people with wings; nobody needs to jump."

"... Uhh..." There was a bit of an awkward silence following my question, and it looked like it confused Chara just as much as it did me. Frisk, Asriel, and Monster Kid all exchanged glances of worry.

"... What's up, guys?" My wings beat slowly, carrying me to the bridge, where I dropped back onto my feet. I smiled a little jokingly, gesturing back to the drop behind me. "I'm not gonna drop anybody."

"... Nobody's allowed in the Trash Dump anymore." Asriel finally spoke up, looking back to me with empathetic eyes. I recoiled a little at his words, confusion overtaking my features for a moment before he explained. "After your fight with Anarchy, the ceiling is too unstable. It could collapse at any time, and bring down a whole lake on top of the area."

"Oh! Oh yeah..!" I recoiled, smiling awkwardly. It was a little obvious now that he mentioned it; of course that fight had made the ceiling unstable. It was a wonder the whole cavern hadn't collapsed. I rubbed the back of my neck, eyes darting to the side while they winced a little painfully. "That, uhm... That makes sense, actually."

Chara stepped forward, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked over to them with eyes that were now a little less than jovial, and they flashed a smile that was both understanding and a little sad. I knew they understood how I felt about that day; everyone did. I'd never forget the way everyone tip-toed around me after I woke up from my coma back then, and how miserable and disconnected I had felt for that time. It was certainly one of the lowest points in my life thus far.

... But, those days were passed now. And that was a good thing. I was even glad that we'd been able to joke about the impermanent things; as much as Frisk's request to be choked by Anarchy had made my skin crawl, it did amuse me, and it was a more jovial spin on a time when I almost died. Talking about things like that didn't bother me, because I survived. I lived, and I'm stronger for it. But... The leveled peak of Mount Ebott. The massive hole in Waterfall's ceiling. This was damage that would not heal, and could not be undone. And that kind of permanence is what saddened me.

"C'mon, I'll portal us back on track." Chara offered delicately, and I flashed a reassuring smile their way, nodding to confirm that I was okay. This seemed to brighten everyone's attitude, and the mood seemed to lighten as Chara took a step back away from me. They cut their hand through the air, opening a rift in space that peered into the room just beyond the Trash Dump.

The general vibe got less somber as we continued through Waterfall, and by the time we stopped by Temmie Village, we were laughing and joking again. I asked Asriel about the History of Tem, seeing as none of the Temmies ever gave an answer that was even remotely reliable. Asriel responded simply, "Tem have a deep history."

After calling Asriel a smartass, we all made our way out of the village and back on track. Throughout the rest of Waterfall Frisk talked about running from Undyne, Monster Kid mentioned how cool it was when I revealed I had magic to save him from that drop. I blushed some at the story, feeling a little dorky about how cool I had tried to act when he discovered I was The Angel. MK's enthusiasm did put an undeniable smile on my face, though.

We reached the entrance to Alphys' lab by the time that conversation was through. The mechanical door still slid right open, but the lab was barren. None of the old screens or junk remained, it had all been cleared out and moved top side. It was definitely strange seeing a place usually so cluttered all cleared out; I never realized just how big the lab truly was.

And as we all wandered ahead, I came to a sudden stop. Everyone walked a few paces ahead, before they noticed that I had stopped and all turned to give me a confused stares. That confusion faded quickly when they saw the cool metal doors that I rested my hand upon, staring thoughtfully at the entrance to the True Lab.

"... Oh please don't make me go down there again." Frisk immediately groaned, succeeding in making me chuckle. Frisk wasn't laughing, though. "I hate that place! I always feel like I'm in a horror movie when I'm down there!"

"It's not that bad." I rolled my eyes at Frisk's skepticism, a light smirk on my face. I reached over, pushing the button beside the metal doors an making them slide open to reveal the elevator hidden within. I waved over my shoulder to signal them to follow, "C'mon, I was built down here. It's an important part'a the journey."

"I always forget you were a lab rat, Cter." Asriel joked some while the five of us squeezed into the elevator. Having two seven foot tall monsters - one of them having quite the wing span - made it a bitch and a half to get comfortable on the ride down. Asriel still smirked a little though, holding out his fist for a fist bump. "Experiment gang!"

"Hells yeah!" I didn't hesitate to return his fist bump, and the both of us laughed at just how dumb of a concept 'experiment gang' was. It was true though, we were both lab rats. It was how I got turned into The Angel and Asriel got brought back to life as Flowey. Regardless, Frisk scowled as we descended into the True Lab, and Chara shook their head at Asriel and I, even though they wore a slight smile.

Eventually, the elevator doors opened again, and we all slowly filtered out into the dusty halls of the old laboratory. Monster Kid shivered visibly, and it dawned on me that this iteration of MK had never set foot in this lab. I lead the way, wandering slowly into the depths of what one could call my birthplace. Everyone followed, watching me skeptically as my eyes scanned the walls and floors.

"So much of my memory is... Honestly hazy." I explained, more to myself than anyone else as we walked into the main room and the many beds it was filled with. I stepped slowly up to one bed in particular, furrowing my brows thoughtfully while I reached out, gently resting my hand on the sheets. Once again my eyes were drawn to the dull red glow of my cracked arm, and I squinted with some hard to place emotion. "... I was mostly unconscious when I was here. I'd get hit by a dose'a magic, pass out, and the moment I woke up I would hobble back for another round."

"That, must have been unpleasant." Chara figured as they walked up beside me, looking at me with some concern from their eye's corner. "Fading in and out of consciousness, in a place like this, for like two whole days..."

"Can't say I was exactly havin' the time'a my life, no." My eyes glossed over to them, and I smiled some. That looked to reassure them some, but they still looked a bit concerned. So, I kept talking, removing my hand from my old bed. "But, it wasn't a bad experience, either. It was… Kinda hopeful, actually."

"Hopeful, huh?" Chara arched a curious brow over at me. Frisk, Asriel, and Monster Kid had all dispersed some throughout the large room, each of them curiously examining something of their own and not really paying the two of us much mind.

"It's, hard to explain." I lifted my scarred left hand back towards my chest, watching as I curled its fingers back into a fist over my heart. "It just... Made me feel less lonely. Like I had all these people, standing right beside me, Supporting me."

"I saw a lot of people when I was gifted my magic. They reached their hands out to me, offered up spears and bones and fire..." Ink seeped from between my fingers, bubbling up over my hand and swirling some along my knuckles. Chara tilted their head to the side some, watching me with an intrigued expression while they listened to my story. "And when I touched it, it became pencils, pens, ink... I made it my own."

"That sounds like a pretty surreal experience." Chara lifted their eyes from my hand after watching the ink disappear back into the red cracks of my palm, looking me in the eye. They smiled softly, a sentiment that I paid back in full. "But, I think it had a positive effect on you."

"Yeah... Yeah I do too." I nodded slowly, my smile not fading as my eyes glossed down to the bed I had called home in those days. In the pleasant quiet that followed my words, I spent a moment thinking, before I shrugged to myself. Then, much to Chara's surprise, I casually climbed into that bed, eliciting plenty of squeaks and creaks from its old springs.

Chara watched, completely bewildered as I got comfortable atop the snow white sheets, grinning to myself. The bed, despite its age and years of retirement, was still plenty cozy to me. There was something familiar to the way it creaked, something comforting about the stiffness of the mattress and the dusty smell of the pillowcase. Chara shook their head as they stared down at me, letting their mouth hang open for a moment before they spoke. "... What on Earth are you doing?"

"It's comfy." Was my simple answer, cheeky grin plain on my face while Chara frowned down at me. They rose their eyebrows, as if to show that they didn't at all believe the statement I'd just made. As a counterargument, I scooted over some, patting the space by my side. "See for yourself."

"..." Chara paused there, squinting suspiciously at me while they considered my offer. And though they hesitated for a moment or two, eventually their eyes lifted from me to the rest of the room. They scanned their surroundings for a second or two, possibly making sure no one was watching, before finally shrugging to themself.

Slowly, and with some effort, Chara managed to climb into the the old twin sized bed with me. I gave them about as much room as I could, but two full grown adults hardly fit on a twin mattress. After about a minute of fumbling around, the two of us laid there belly up, like we were dead and stuffed in our respective coffins. We kept our hands folded and laying over our abdomens, and my right shoulder pressed against their left. Chara blinked a few times, staring straight up at the ceiling. They gave their verdict, "... Yup. This is, about what I expected."

"Uh oh, Chara." A small grin curled my lips, and my eyes darted over to look at them. They looked back to me, and the moment they saw my expression they scowled.

"What?" They squinted with their question, already glaring before I even explained myself. They were right to be glaring though, I was about to annoy them entirely on purpose.

"Now we're sharing a bed." Chara groaned the moment I spoke, rolling their eyes. That response stretched my grin from ear to ear, and I casually waved my feet, which nearly hung off the bed's edge. I arched a brow at them, "Has this walk through the Underground stirred up old feelings?"

"Shuddup." Chara punctuated this order by swinging their hand down and burying a quick punch in my thigh. I flinched and winced from this, but started laughing all the same. A charlie horse was a small price to pay for all the enjoyment I derived from pissing them off.

Things were quiet for another minute or two after I finally stopped giggling at my own joke, and the both of us just laid there, staring up at the ceiling. Finally, Chara exhaled slowly, breaking the silence. "It... Really is pretty weird."

"The fact that our blood feud looked at from the wrong angle looks like a weird romance story?" I questioned, arching a brow over at them. The corner of my mouth pulled up into a slight smirk, "Yeah, gotta say that threw me for a loop, too."

"Not that, dumbass." Chara rolled their eyes, but they were smiling. I knew they thought I was funny, even though I'd probably never hear them say it. "But, yes, I am deeply unsettled by that revelation."

That made me laugh, my smirk growing into a small grin. They smiled a little more at that, I figured they were glad their dry humor amused me. I turned my head some to look over at them, "But, you were saying?"

"What's weird is that you were brought here to stop me. You were given your magic so you could kill me." Chara's smile faded plenty, and their scarlet orbs narrowed up at the ceiling over our heads. I wondered if they were trying to imagine what it had been like to be me three years ago, staring up at this same ceiling. It's certainly what I was doing. "Everything we have now, all these adventures we've been on, all this progress we've made together... It's all because we were supposed to destroy each other."

"Well, I think it's more because we didn't destroy each other." I squinted thoughtfully at the roof over our heads, shrugging my shoulders some against the mattress beneath us. "Sure, a death battle was kinda in the cards for us, but c'mon. We make way better pals than we did enemies."

"..." Chara was silent for another few moments, but I think they were glad I said that. A smile crossed their lips, even though they turned their head away from me and tried to hide it. After another few moments, they spoke. "... Maybe this bed is kinda comfortable. It just takes some time to get used to."

"Told'ja." I smirked over at them, before sitting up some on the mattress. I got my elbows under myself, making the springs shift and squeak. "But, we should probably get up. I'm sure you'll never hear the end of it if those dorks catch us like this now."

"Looking out for me now?" Chara smirked a little in return as they sat up as well. They propped themself up on their elbows while I sat up straight, swinging my legs over my side of the bed and placing my feet on the tile floor. "That's awfully sweet of you, Angel. You aren't gonna ask me on another date, are you?"

"Maybe." I replied, huffing with some amusement at their joke. Now standing, I held one hand out to them. They took it without any hesitation, and I helped them get to their feet and rise from the beaten up old mattress. "Try killing me first, that'll help me make up my mind."

Chara didn't laugh at that, but they did smirk just a little, as well as give a "Hmph." Personally, I didn't know if that was a good response or not, but I didn't have much time to consider it. In the next instant, Monster Kid was bursting into the room, Frisk and Asriel not far behind him. He had goldish petals stuck to his face, as well as plenty of goopy clumps of seeds. He thrusted out his coiled tail, which held a potted, experimental flower. "YOOOO! Look at these double-weird goo flowers! I totally dare you to eat one!"

I immediately started chuckling at his enthusiasm, Chara even laughing a little behind me. While Frisk looked to be sharing MK's high energy behind him, Asriel just gave a small smirk. He shook his head, holding his own potted, droopy flower in his hands. Unlike Monster Kid, he'd managed to keep himself from getting any seeds stuck to him.

"How much ya willin' to pay me to eat one?" I challenged MK's dare, crossing my arms over my chest.

After the lengthy process of talking me out of eating one of those goopy flowers for 20G, the five of us made our way back up into Hotland. Some time in our walk through the sweltering heat Frisk recalled when me n' them fought Muffet, specifically after the fight when Muffet threatened to "wrap me up in her web and play with me again" if I came back to visit her, and I responded with something along the lines of "I mean, that wouldn't be the worst thing."

... So after about twenty minutes of vehemently denying being a spider fucker, I was opening the front doors of MTT Resort, and the subject changed to Mettaton's over the top theatrics and how fun Frisk thought fighting him was. Apparently every year the Monsters throw a big city wide celebration on the anniversary of the day they escaped the Underground, and Frisk and Mettaton reenact their battle on a big stage. They said they'd love for me to be apart of it this year, as I was there with them when they fought Mettaton and was a part of the battle as well, and I said I'd love to if I'm not busy with multiverse business when that time of year came around.

Through the CORE and into New Home, I couldn't stop myself from telling the story of when I killed Frisk/Chara by throwing a Pokeball at their head and shouting "Go, Charizard!" Monster Kid was almost in tears laughing at that tale. For once, both Frisk and Chara looked equally pissed about one of my jokes, but that just made it funnier.

... And, finally, inevitably, we made it to the top of the mountain. What was once the barrier room was now a half destroyed hovel. The overhang that had once lifted over the room was entirely leveled. In fact, the whole room was missing its second half, all of it having been vaporized by my Massive Beat Dome when I fought Anarchy. Now, grey sands littered the cracked and melted tiles. Near the uneven hole that lead to the unforgiving surface above, sand dunes had blown in.

Nobody was laughing now. The mood had been significantly worsened, and though I didn't turn around to look at everyone, I could feel their eyes laying on me. I'm sure they were worried. This part of the Underground wasn't like the others, after all. Sure, it was fun to joke about when Chara and I were at odds, because we're all friends now. It was okay to play with the flower experiments in the True Lab, Asriel hadn't been Flowey for years now. It was even funny to joke about Anarchy almost killing me, because I survived. It was fun to reminisce about problems that had once seemed like the end of the world, because we had made it through those problems.

... But Anarchy was still out there, and this problem was not resolved.

I squinted into the wind, expression tensing as I felt the glassy sands crunch beneath my shoes for the first time in over two years. My head turned slowly from side to side, examining the expansive wasteland on top of the mountain. The sands were cool now, but I remembered full well what they felt like when they were still searing hot. The way the whipping winds dragged their sharp grains into my raw flesh, the way it burned in my many wounds.

I saw the weathered pens that crumbled now. They'd once been a field of massive spikes, but now dried ink filled the cracks that formed in their plastic. They toppled over one another, the sands unable to keep their weight grounded. Still, shadows shifted eerily between the crumbling pens, like something unnatural and malevolent slithered between their points.

I saw the massive crater across the desert plateau. Sand drooped around the hole that Anarchy and I had blasted through the mountain and down into Waterfall. Looking at it now, the edges of the hole had completely glassed over by the heat of our DETERMINATION. I'd never noticed at the time; must've been too busy trying to pop Anny's skull with my own.

"... I've never seen it this close before." Frisk finally spoke up, and my eyes glossed over to them as they walked by me. They knelt in the ash, wincing some at the way it must've stabbed at their knee. Regardless, they reached down, gently scooping the grey sand up in their hand before letting it fall through their fingers. They muttered to themself, "To think, one man did all of this..."

"... Not without paying a price." I spoke solemnly, catching their attention and shaking them from their thoughts. Frisk and everyone else frowned with some concern over at me while I lifted my arm, examining the red cracks detailing my hand and forearm. The shattered scarlet pattern all disappeared up into my rolled up sleeve, where it crept up my shoulder and down to the left side of my chest.

"... Does it," Monster Kid grimaced as he looked over the scars, noting their dull glow. His ivory eyes glossed back up to me, "Does it ever hurt..?"

"... Sometimes." I admitted, my eyes narrowing bitterly into my own disfigured palm. Silently, Chara placed a hand on my shoulder, assuring me that they were right there for me. That all of them were. And though I didn't look up from my hand, I did greatly appreciate this sentiment, and it gave me the strength to go on explaining. "Usually if I think about him for too long, it starts to burn."

"Other times, it just starts to burn out of nowhere." Frown clear on my face, I turned my head to look over at Monster Kid. My eyes were distant, and devoid of their usual light. "... I sometimes wonder if that's because he's thinking about me."

"Whoa..." Monster Kid's jaw drooped with awe, his eyes drifting back down to my arm. "Spooky..."

"... Hey, Cter." Asriel looked to me from the corner of his eye. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, his body facing out towards the devastated world that surrounded us. His serious tone and expression made Chara arch a brow at him with some confusion, but he didn't acknowledge it. "Can I talk to you over here for a sec?"

"Uhh... Sure, Asriel." My eyes darted around to exchange confused glances with everyone else. I had hoped one of them might have an answer as to what this was about, but they all looked just as confused as me.

"Thanks." Asriel turned and began walking away from the group then, lifting one hand from his pocket to gesture for me to come along.

"He's being weird all of a sudden..." Chara mumbled when I glanced over at them, and I shrugged to show that I didn't really understand either. I would have liked to reassure Chara, but unfortunately I had to jog to catch up to Asriel instead.

We wandered into the desert at a less than urgent pace, towards the looming graveyard of broken pens that I had once tried to kill The Scorpion with. I was a step or two behind Asriel, squinting curiously at him the whole walk. Finally, once he figured we were far enough out of ear shot, He stopped. I stopped with him, and for a moment or two, everything was quiet. Finally, I titled my head to the side and asked, "... What's this about, Asriel?"

"... I watched your fight with Anarchy. I saw what he did to you, and I saw what he did to Chara." Asriel shifted his footing, and as he turned back to face me, another chilly gust of wind carried stinging dust by the two of us. From his pocket he lifted one hand, gesturing out to the devastated world around us. "You did all of this, and he barely broke a sweat."

"... I remember." My eyes narrowed painfully, and I felt my hands curl into fists at my sides. Asriel just squinted at me, that coupled with his frown painting his expression in a way that I'd never seen before.

"And even after fighting you and Chara, even after you dropped a Massive Beat Dome on him, even after you sent him crashing head first through the goddamn mountain..." Asriel shut his eyes, his jaw tightening while he shook his head. His own hands curled into frustrated fists for a moment... Before they relaxed, and he opened his eyes, looking back up to me. "... When all five of us tried to stop him in the Garbage Dump, he was tossing us around like ragdolls, and he wasn't even trying! He was playing with us!"

"Nobody remembers that day better than I do, Asriel." I swallowed hard, frown creasing deeper into my features. "Why are you bringing it up now?"

"..." Asriel turned his head away from me, and once more his distant eyes examined the valley of shadow and death that I'd traded my arm to create. Then, suddenly, his head turned back towards me, and the weight of that stare dropped onto me. "... I need to know if you can beat him."

I recoiled some at that, my brows furrowing with some confusion. I was almost a little offended; did he doubt me, after all the work I had put in? I guessed that wasn't unreasonable, I doubted myself plenty on this subject. "Where's this coming from?"

"I saw Chara die once, Angel." Asriel's jaw tightened, and my eyes narrowed painfully. I knew immediately what his concern here was. "I let them put themself in danger, and then I watched them die. And there wasn't a thing I could do about it."

"I saw Anarchy. I saw what he did to Chara, what he did to you." As Asriel spoke, he gestured towards my left arm. I winced some, a sudden burning sensation arising in my scars. "He's an animal, and as far as I'm concerned nobody's safe - least of all you and Chara - until he's dead."

"Problem is, I'm not sure he can die." Asriel looked ahead again, turned his body away from me. He shoved his hands back in his pockets, scowling to himself before glancing back over to me. "I've been a god before, Angel. I've had infinite power right at my finger tips."

"So when I say somebody is unkillable, it means something." Asriel widened his eyes some to emphasis his words, a deathly seriousness burning in his ivory orbs. I hadn't ever noticed before, but now that I looked at it, I realized Asriel's irises were not all white like every other monster's eyes were. There were tiny specks of other colors in the overpowering silver shade. Reds and blues, greens and purples, yellows oranges and cyans. One had to really look to see it, but a rainbow of color still tainted Asriel's now mortal eyes. "Whatever Anarchy is, it's way closer to god than it is human or monster. I just don't know if he knows that."

"Maybe I'm God, maybe I'm the Devil. I watch over you either way, my sweet little Angel."

*Hehe.

My jaw tightened with the sound of Killer's words in my head. Not that I really believed The Killer was some kind of deity, but his ungodly powerful son certainly added an interesting angle to the argument. Regardless, I shut my eyes, and I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Then, I opened my eyes, letting their KIND green shine. "... Anny can be reasoned with, Asriel. He's very sick, but he can be helped."

"... You know him better than I do." Asriel conceded with a less than enthusiastic shrug, looking forward once more with those lightless eyes. He continued, "My point is, I let Chara rush to their death once before, and I don't want it to happen again. Only problem is this time I'm not strong enough to stop them."

"... Chara can handle themself." I assured, eyes narrowing with some empathy. I could understand how he felt. I knew what it was like to lose who you care about most in the world, and it was a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone.

*Difference is, your Granny is never coming back.

... My teeth ground against one another, and I had to take another deep breath to relax. After a moment, I managed to continue. "They're strong, Asriel. Have faith in them."

"There's no amount of 'strong' that can stop Anarchy." Asriel stated with a deafening amount of certainty. It sunk my heart into my stomach, hearing someone repeat what my own invasive thoughts had been shouting at me for years now. I lowered my gaze to the sands for a moment, and another chilly wind blew by. Then, Asriel looked back over to me. "That's why I need you to make me a promise, Angel."

I lifted my eyes, looking up to Asriel from beneath my eyebrows. His hands clenched into fists and his eyes narrowed; I could tell these next words were hard for him to say. But he got them out regardless. "No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get, no matter what you have to do... Just make sure Chara makes it home. Please..."

Asriel looked away again, hid his face. I wondered how long this had been weighing on his mind, how frequently this fear gnawed on his heart. I wondered how long he had tried to keep himself from asking this of me, and I wondered if he understood the full ramifications of a promise like this. I wondered if he knew that this might mean Chara makes it back, even if I don't.

... But, then again, I was sure he understood all of that. That was why he couldn't look me in the eye in this moment, because he was sure I understood exactly what he meant. Whatever the case, it was an easy choice for me. I had already decided that I would sacrifice anything to make sure Chara did not die in my name. So, I opened my mouth, fearlessly breaking the suffocating silence.

"I promise."

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