Disassembling the broken machine takes just a few days worth of cooperative effort. Fixing it, however, is a different story. To build something no one ever attempted to build and to do so with an insanely tight schedule is a gargantuan task indeed. Yet the motivation in the form of prince Asriel and the imminent promise of freedom are equally enormous boosts for the weary scientists. They stick to the plan and the knowledge that they've managed to collect, burying their noses deep into work, vigorously following every step, and diligently running performance tests. At least as far as the capability of testing something like this can reach.
Gaster's expression radiates enthusiasm and encouragement, but his trembling eye-lights and the beads of black, tar-like sweat on his forehead tell just how much suppressed panic dwells within his head. Way too much is at stake and time is running short. There is no room left for mistakes.
The computer screens flash, switching between various programs, diagrams and indicators, casting light onto pale, yet extremely concentrated faces of the hardworking monsters. Lobo is dictating something in his deep, gurgly voice as Katter's nimble, clawed fingers are typing away at the keyboard. Sans keeps shuffling from monitor to monitor, peering at each line, watching, waiting, hoping. Up until a spike of activity catches his attention. Not taking his eyes off of it even for a second he gestures Gaster to come closer.
Not quite believing his sight, the lead scientist glances at the rest of the team. Everyone else stares back, awaiting his verdict, not daring to move. With his trembling hand, Gaster picks up a piece of chalk and scribbles down the result on the chalkboard, punctuating it with a hit across the board's surface, and then shouts the single word that he had written out loud: "SUCCESS!"
Victorious roars rumble through the empty corridors of the underground Lab.
The day of the final meeting has arrived. The scientists are taking their seats at the discussion table, buzzing with anticipation and excitement despite how worn out everyone feels. The air of mystery floats around the proverbial machine. There it is, stands to the side, tantalizing everyone with its square shapes. Not the time machine that they have attempted to build for decades, but a hand-crafted save station. An artificial bookmark in time and space that, in theory, will reassure that the world as it is now will live on despite the events that took place in the past. But even though everyone in the room is involved with its creation only Gaster seems to be aware of why exactly it remains unpowered like a mere husk.
The person in question walks around looking over the crowd of eager monsters and stops at the only human present here before asking, "Now, where is the one who we worked so hard for?"
Frisk looks down, shifting uncomfortably when everyone's gazes are inevitably glued to them.
Gaster sighs, "As per usual. I see. Well, you know what to do."
They nod and slink out of the door, following the familiar route through the unlit corridors. These lights weren't working for a good couple of days, but everyone was too busy to deal with that. The darkness only grows thicker before Frisk enters the room they were staying at and approaches a slumped figure, slouching unmoving on the floor. They softly tap the figure's shoulder and beckon to follow.
The silhouette shudders and looks up. The light from now switched on bedside lamp reveals painfully red eyes and yet an eerily calm expression of a small prince. The two dark lines crossing his face as the streams of the countless tears erode his fur are the only markings that remind of his hyper form.
"I don't want to go, Frisk," he whispers. "The souls… I can feel them wriggling. They're waking up, Frisk. I can't… I can't keep doing this." Frisk beckons once again, even more insistent this time, yet Asriel averts his gaze. "I don't want to. I'm not ready." He whimpers, quietly. "I will never be ready…"
Frisk sits down by him and the two kids sit in silence until one decides to speak up.
"They love you. Both of you. More than anything."
"I know… But these… These kids… That they remember… They are gone. What is left… What I've done…" The words drop from Asriel's mouth, not unlike tears from his eyes. "They will never forgive me..."
"They will."
"NO! How do you know!? You can't know for sure! If they find out-!" His outburst is cut short by a hug.
"Trust me."
Asriel's violent shaking slowly subsides as he soaks in the light pats and strokes on his back, as his tears soak Frisk's sweater in turn. When he gently pushes his friend away and continues to talk he's back to being morosely calm. "If they find out they will be so scared."
Frisk symbolically zips their mouth and flicks away an invisible key.
Asriel's lip twitches, a glimmer of a smile. "I know I can trust you not to tattle." He sighs. "It's myself who I trust the least…" He gazes into the maw of the open door that leads into the dark hallway. "The future scares me, Frisk... But so does the past."
"And staying in one spot proved to be extremely boring, right?"
Asriel stares up at Frisk, eyes open wide and mutters, "Chara..?"
Frisk coughs, pushing back a pained expression and nods. Then they offer him their hand yet again. Asriel looks at it, intently. Finally, he accepts the offer and pulls himself to stand up.
"I guess…" He takes a step towards the door. "I guess I don't have any other choice, but to keep going."
With everyone finally gathered Gaster holds the word: "We did it!" he proclaims with a victorious smile. " At the long last we finally did it and I'm proud of each and every one of you. It's not the time to celebrate, however." His smile wavers, giving way to a more serious expression. " The main event is at hand and I have to remind you that it will be highly dangerous not only for those who volunteer for this venture but for the entirety of our very universe. So I have to ask... Do you realize just how dangerous this is? What consequences it might cause? Speak now, while it's still not too late to reconsider."
In the farthest, darkest corner Asriel sniffs. "You really don't have to…" Frisk is physically holding him back, attempting to calm him down, but the little prince just can't contain his emotions. "Don't risk it all for me! I don't deserve it!"
"Not true!" Alphys butts in, by her eyes, that are wider than her glasses, it's clear that even she is shocked with her sudden burst of assertiveness. "The r-risk is always there! N-no matter what you do! What h-happened to you is horrible! The least we can do is to t-try to f-f-fix you up!"
A murmur of agreement can be heard from the crowd of assistants.
"Alright, it seems like mostly everyone is on board and… " Gaster stops and casts a sad smirk upon noticing his brother sneaking in a nap while standing in the middle of the room as he didn't even make it to his seat. "Sans? What about you? I know you had perhaps too much trouble with these kids and you saw just how dangerous messing with time can get, so-"
Sans shushes him by lifting his hand. He opens his very, very heavy eye sockets and replies, "s'not really a matter of what i'm thinkin' right now. i've made a promise. and i have zero intention of breaking it."
Gaster nods a few times, understandingly.
"but... what 'bout you, gas?" Sans asks in return, squinting slightly. "arent'cha afraid?"
"Well, surely I do not want to go back to not existing and, let's be honest here... I am nervous. But if everyone is up to it, including you, then how can I just stand aside from such a unique, intriguing experience!? So, ahem, yes. I'm in." He stands up and moves away from the table in one sweeping motion. " Now to the most important part." Gaster points and gestures Asriel to approach. The little monster pries himself from Frisk and reluctantly makes his way to the scientist. " Let me start by saying that I'm relieved that you've come here today." He casts a smile that possibly was intended to be friendly. "It would be all on you from now on, however… We still have an issue on our hands that needs solving."Gaster taps his chin, meaningfully. " You see, we can't all travel back in time but we can try to send you back to a certain bookmark-"
"I... I can't go alone." Asriel interrupts him, immediately catching on to what he's trying to say. "I want Ch-" He stops himself, frowning. "Frisk... To be with me."
"It would be too risky to try and pull anyone else there." Gaster winces slightly, trying to suppress his rising irritation. " After all, you are already carrying an entire daycare inside of your body! You have to do it by yourself if you truly wish to give yourself another chance. So listen carefully. You'll have to jump down to the latest point you were filled with determination before you and your sibling died and I assume as the world will be set back to that point it might be a tempting little idea to just leave it that way...Yet, in order to settle the dissonance, you will have to return back here."
"Wait up. What… What will happen if I stay there?"
"Well... I'm afraid I do not possess such information. Potentially, the world can adapt even to far greater abuse, but we can't be sure. At best you might prevent the tragedy. For the Dreemurr family that is. You might even be able to destroy the barrier with the souls you have accumulated. However. That will undoubtedly change pretty much everything! My brothers and I, and all the other people here possibly will never even be born and let's not forget a hefty chance of war breaking out as soon as monsters emerge from the Underground."
"That doesn't really sound like the best scenario…" Asriel mutters, deflated.
"Oh, but it is!" Gaster exclaims producing an unhealthy-looking, crooked smile. " For the worst case can result in shaking the balance of the entire time-space continuum, leading to an explosion like I had experienced myself... Except on a much, much grander scale!"
"Let's... let's not do that."
"It would be better not to take such a risk, yes." He grins, enjoying this little victory of wit. " That's why we will be setting an artificial bookmark here, so, after you go back there, erasing all of your current save points and possibly making new ones - which, of course, can't be ruled out - this one will always be the top priority once you're done with your mission. Yes... And here's the exact point where trouble arises."
"Trouble?"
" Indeed. With you, our beloved monarch. You have to be filled with determination in order for this bookmark to activate before we could lock you in on it."
"Bu-"
" But you are not filled with it! You are very much out of determination, your little highness. That won't cut it. And that is exactly why I challenge you... to a duel."
The monsters in the room let out gasps and murmurs of shock. Some perk up with the intent of approaching and questioning Gaster.
"Stand back." A hiss sweeps across the room. There is something eerie and even predatory in Gaster's suddenly hunched and darkened figure, like a venomous snake that's about to strike from the shadows. " I am anything, but a pacifist," he barks at the crowd, eyeing them till everyone moves away, dragging the table, the chairs, and confused Frisk with them. Then shifts his attention back to Asriel. " I'm not Frisk, I'm not your parents and, unlike my brothers, I will do ANYTHING to achieve what is needed. So." The shadows begin to grow darker, deeper. " You'll either save yourself or die here in a fight. I can live with your dust on my hands, but I cannot live without knowing that I didn't do everything I could to achieve my ultimate goal."
"B-but the barrier…" Asriels stutters, clearly feeling cornered.
" That, young prince, is merely a penultimate goal. My priorities shifted that way after I realized that you can, in fact, have another chance, just like me… But enough waffling! Defend yourself!"
"Please, stop!" Asriel shouts, covering from the incoming attack. The shadows hit him like dark waves, but wash away and fall to the ground, not doing any harm. Yet soaking in them clearly is a struggle for him. "I can't hurt anybody! I can't…"
" I know you can't use your full power. The tests are showing it fairly clearly. It's on hold or you would have torn me apart already."
"That's not what I meant at all!"
" Come on now. Don't you want to make your friends happy? Don't you want to live happily yourself? Oh, I know!" Gaster exclaims, preparing something. " You just want to run away from your past mistakes." The shadows ripple, like disturbed fog, and from the fog a figure emerges. Darker than black there's no way to discern its face, but the six petals on a snaky stem make it instantly recognizable. Shadow Flowey jovially bobs his head left and right sending black pellets at Asriel. Stunned by utter shock the prince didn't move an inch as the little black dots dig into his white fur. " You think it is too hard for you to deal with them, correct? But have you ever given thought on how hard it is for your parents?" The darkness right in front of the bewildered child gathers into distorting, smokey and yet illusorily dense figures that look very much like Toriel and Asgore stretching their opened arms to their son. " Well, I shall let you know that if you die here I will tell them about you. Everything that you've done." Gaster proclaims, walking to the figures and leans between them, as if he's about to whisper something into their ears. " In great detail."
"No…" Asriel mutters, eyes opened wide and filled with absolute terror.
"Yes! I will also tell them that they could've seen you again, but they missed that chance. They would be devastated. Of course, they will." The shadowy figures fall to their knees with a heart-wrenching howling and crying, slowly melting away till nothing, but the black mist is left. " Do you wish for that to happen?" Asriel seems paralyzed by fear, but that's clearly not the reaction Gaster is aiming for. " I will not mess around," he snarls. Bound by irritation he snaps his bony fingers, proclaiming, " Give yourself a chance, Asriel. Redeem yourself, right your wrongs, FIGHT for your LIFE!"
A line of Gaster-Blasters warps out the pocket void and into reality. One, two, ten, twelve, twenty, twenty-two, more and more. One after another, each ready to fire its beam of condensed fiery death, but before they manage to do so Frisk darts between them and their target.
" Step aside, child," comes a cold hiss, dripping with barely contained bloodlust, "or I will have to kill you as well in order to save our prince."
One of the looming skulls creeps closer, its maw slowly opening up, yet suddenly it stops dead. The lights in its sockets turn off as cracks spread across its surface. They keep spreading until the menacing weapon falls into a pile of clattering pieces. As it drops to the floor it reveals Asriel gritting his teeth and clenching two small, shining swords in his fists. Under his furrowing brows are eyes full of tears and yet, not only them. His eyes are full of determination too. Behind his back the machine is lit with a faint golden shine and is whirring eagerly, fully activated.
"Is it..? It's working?" Gaster turns to everyone after rushing to check all the displays, a crazed grin visually splitting his face into two halves. "HAHAHAHA. YES! FANTASTIC!"
"Let's go before I change my mind." Asriel pants, lowering his shoulders and his weapons. "Frisk comes with me." Narrowed eyes glare up at the mad scientist. "You will come too, old man."
Gaster hums with amusement and bows his head. "As you wish, my prince."
In hindsight, it seems like such a simple solution. Just go back. Just go there and fix all of your mistakes. What was stopping him? Why did he never think of that? Asriel doesn't know for sure. Perhaps Chara was right and eating too many snails did make him slow in the head.
He shakes off these thoughts and concentrates on the task at hand. "Try to remain unnoticed, take the souls, and only them, then immediately go back." That's what the old pile of bones said. Yet Asriel can still remember how he saw his parents frozen in terror as he stumbled through the barrier, dying right before their eyes. They saw everything. But then…
Where did the souls go..?
Looks like it's time to find out.
The paper-thin reality crumples and folds to his whims. It's so easy for him now, with the power of so many souls to draw upon. Asriel still can lull them into sleep. He's certain that there is enough time or at least he certainly hopes for that to be the case.
Just a twitch of his shoulder creates a safe place for his passengers to stay and not intervene with what must be done. Only a step takes him to where he needs to be. A single wave of his hand and the frozen time binds in place two hunched-over figures that are desperately trying to catch the dust falling through their fingers. Their faces are illuminated by the brilliant light of a floating heart, white and crimson interlocked with each other like two puzzle pieces. Asriel's hand reaches out for it and his entire being trembles as he cradles the blindingly bright heart in his palms. The thought of becoming whole again hadn't even been a dream of his for the longest time and yet there it is. His very own soul. However, it is not quite entirely his.
Asriel glances back at his parents, their expressions an indescribable mix of dread, panic and immeasurable grief as the time stopped to capture that exact moment of hope escaping their eyes. He winces from a sudden jolt of pain and tears start to blur his vision. Tears of years worth of sorrows only amplified by his retrieved soul.
The scene of nightmares shifts to the empty space of the pocket dimension where he had left his companions to wait for him. As they come out of the meditative stasis, blinking to consciousness they see him and rush to his side. Frisk is clapping their hands with utter excitement while Gaster's eyes the souls with the red color emanating from them glinting in the sparks inside his eye sockets.
"Well... Aren't they beautiful?" he whispers.
Asriel side-glances the doctor, before switching his attention back to his hands. "Our souls… They're stuck together, but… Could I?"
He pulls on two sides of the little puzzle, tugging them apart, a quiet sound, like a distant snap of a guitar string, and they are separated in two. The white soul immediately starts to tremble, prepared to break at any moment. Asriel panics for a second and sporadically pushes it into his chest. A gasp escapes his mouth as if he just emerged out of the water, starved for air.
"I'm… Am I me again?" he mutters, shaking, overwhelmed and barely comprehending what is going on.
Not giving him any time to recollect himself one of the Gaster's many palms snatches the remaining red soul out of Asriel's hands. The prince quickly shifts in expression, his teeth are now bare and the fur on his neck is standing up.
"For safekeeping," Gaster responds to the quiet growl. "We wouldn't want to lose it, would we?"
Asriel begrudgingly hides his fangs and slowly gives a reluctant nod.
The cap of the container chomps, closing down and whistles quietly, decompressing the air out of the jar. Then it disappears, swallowed by the darkness of Gaster's coat.
The scientist nods in return, but freezes mid-motion.
"No..." His eye sockets widen and eye lights shrink. " Nononono! Not him! Why is he here!?"
"What? Who? What's happening?"
"Can't you hear it!?"
"Hear wh-" Asriel is about to ask, but then he hears the sound. He's been hearing it for a while, without paying any attention. He recognizes it immediately and his stare goes completely blank.
The sound of barking is fast approaching.