Unmei Force Shattered Heroes: X-Changed Will

Chapter 3: Blood in the Water

Entry Number 0, Timeline Number 4

I'm starting to lose hope…

X-Gaster has shown no signs of getting better at all, but instead, he just simply turned eerily silent, ever since our last talk.

The timeline was fairly decent for the time being… But somehow, I feel like he has something cruel planned.

I only hope that I can stop it in time… Frisk and Chara are teetering at the edge of hatred at this point… A push strong enough… could scar their minds permanently.

They don't deserve any of this, no-one deserves any of this.

So why… Why this, X-Gaster?

Is this worth the price of what you consider 'perfection'?

Frisk immediately laid a bag of coins on the counter table of the Spider Bakery, as it was occupied by a white spider-lady by the name of Muffet, as her five black eyes filled with glee, dressed in a female baker's outfit, with mittens on her six-arms, and short ruffled black hair peeking out under her bonnet.

"Good morning, Muffet." Frisk greeted the female spider woman. "The usual, please."

Muffet then immediately slid the glass doors to the glass display open, taking a pair of donuts with webbed patterns on the glazing with some tongs, and dropping them into a paper bag, which she handed to Frisk on the counter.

"Two Spider-Donuts for my favourite human! That'll be 14G." Muffet stated, before she then produced a box with a chocolate cake slice in it. "Also, I made this for you, and your two brothers. It's my special Teraphosa Chocolate Cake."

"Really? But you only make it once a year…!" Frisk asked with shock on his face.

"You've been very kind to me, Frisk. And I know you two have been somewhat down…" Muffet answered back. "...I want my best clients to feel better! Even if your ugly brother is rude to spiders…"

"Muffet, you shouldn't have… Chara will be so happy indeed… and I feel that Richard would feel the same as well…" Frisk admitted with a grateful tone, before he then fell deep into thought. "...Oh! I have an idea!"

Frisk then produced past-Asriel's heart locket, showing it to Muffet. "This locket is very special to me and Chara. It's more valuable than money." Frisk stated, as Muffet picked it up. "I really wanted to give you something in return, so… you can take it."

Muffet examined it, before she then blushed slightly with affection, a cute look in her eyes. "Okay, okay, you cute dork. I'll take care of it. But still, you don't think that your brother, Richard, would be happy if you did something like that?"

"I'm sure that he'd understand." Frisk stated with a fairly sad tone and a faint nod.

"You better be careful with my cake too. Have a nice breakfast, dearie!" Muffet stated, waving goodbye to Frisk, who left with a wave of his own. "...Another satisfied customer. My my, business is really booming these few days."

Richard then entered the bakery, as he was holding his wallet in his hand, as he brought out a pouch-bag to pre-emptively store the coins for payment into it, and finished just in time when he stopped before the counter.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mr Royal Guard Instructor Himself?" Muffet chuckled. "So what brings a handsome one like you here so early?"

"Oh my, do I dazzle you with my charisma?" Richard remarked with an elegant tone, striking a dramatic pose for emphasis. "I never thought that there would be one day when such a cute itsy spider like you would fall for me? I thought that you're in love with your business."

"Ahuhuhu~ Oh, you…" Muffet remarked with an embarrassed blush and cheeky smile on her face. "You always make me feel a bit hot on the face. So, what are you buying?"

"So, the usual please." Richard remarked, placing the coin bag. "I'm sure that you're acquainted with me enough to predict what I want at this time?"

Muffet's only response was to scoop up a pair of muffins, one chocolate and one vanilla for Richard, as she handed it to him in a paper bag, while taking his payment with another arm.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Ms Muffet." Richard bowed, taking the food bag into his hand. "So, since I'm around here, let's talk a little. I have some time to burn before I go set up practice for the recruits."

"Go on…" Muffet stated, leaning against her tables, with a pair of arms under her chin with a curious look in her eyes.

"So, I assume that your more diminutive cousins appreciated the donations I made to the funding efforts for elevated rights and privileges for spiders, didn't they?" Richard asked back. "At this rate, I think that I'm one of the major donors. I think that you should start plastering my name as an attempt to draw fame to it. 'Richard, expert instructor of the Royal Guard, endorses the rights of spiders world-wide'. I bet you a pretty pile of G that you'll get a lot more donors quite quickly."

"Oh, but where's the pride in that? We got to advocate spider rights by our own race, to make the efforts genuine." Muffet chuckled lightly. "But still, you're right about being the top donor. We're thinking of naming one of our bakery products after you. The 'Elegant Strength' Cake, a cake that is only fitting for those who want to go down the path of a Royal Guard instructor."

"I'd imagine how kids would react to such a cake." Richard laughed heartily. "But still… I have two important issues to address, and none of them are fairly… light-hearted."

"What's one of them?" Muffet asked back.

"I request that you join as a reserve for the Royal Guard." Richard stated. "...Now, I'm not forcing you. I know how much this business means to you, and to devalue it before you… it is akin to spitting in your face as a cruel insult. But I promise you that your business ventures will be fairly unaffected in taking my offer. I can even provide you with strong financial support, as per one of my responsibilities."

"And why would you want someone who doesn't like to fight, and has not much drive?" Muffet asked back with a slight frown.

"You're not going to be a front-line fighter, or security detail. You're likely going to be part of the scouting unit, or even intelligence considering your connection with spiders around the world, and your renowned agility." Richard stated. "Not to mention that power of yours, where you can stop time momentarily. I've seen several uses of it when you're busy. It's a neat power with many uses… You could stop an attack before it hits its intended target, you could ambush your enemies before they even know what's going on… the list goes on… I'll be truthful, such an ability is of great value for the Royal Guard."

"...I don't know…" Muffet answered back. "...As much as I appreciate the effort to persuade me, I'm going to have to politely decline for now."

"...That's fine. I respect your decision as a proper citizen of the society." Richard nodded back. "Let's move onto the second thing… Did Frisk give you a golden heart-locket?"

"Oh, you knew?" Muffet asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I had suspicions, and now you confirmed them. Geez, that's what I expected from him, considering that you would have tried to give them your one-of-a-kind annual cake treat to them." Richard remarked. "...I'm going to need it back, despite what Frisk might have told you."

"And I knew that you're going to ask it back." Muffet remarked. "...Such a sad thing to do, since it's a pretty piece of jewellery. But I had no intention of holding it, unless Frisk or you wanted me to keep it truly."

"Thank you for the honesty." Richard stated. "...If Frisk told you that it was very special… he wasn't wrong. That thing is a part of their past. However, it isn't good things that are related to this, but pain and misery. That's why he sold it to you so quickly, because it would be more than enough to pay you back for the cake, and also remove a part of the grief in their life."

"So that's how it is…" Muffet frowned, holding the heart locket in front of her with an arm. "...If it's really that terrible… why would you want it back?"

"As much as it is tied to memories of grief and pain… It also belongs to a promise of hope, that they tried to forget. I can't let them do that… They deserve to be better." Richard answered back. "I refuse to let that promise go to waste, by letting Frisk and Chara wallow in their misery. So please, I ask that you return it to me, for it hold sentimental value for the three of us. If I cannot convince you with words alone…"

Richard then produced a silver spider pendant, adorned neatly with amethyst jewels on the borders. "...Then I believe that this is a far greater item in both beauty and monetary value." Richard stated. "So… Ms Muffet, do you believe that this business deals of ours is a beneficial trade from your view?"

"...Certainly." Muffet nodded back, as the two exchanged jewelry, with the heart locket back into Richard's hands, and Muffet satisfied with her new trinket. "Now then, I suppose that it's time for you to go off."

"Ah, almost forgot." Richard stated, before he then turned to leave with a wave of his hand. "...See you later, Muffet."

Richard then left the bakery, before he then walked down the street, as he scarfed the chocolate muffin first, bite after bite, as the taste of it was beautiful, which made him hum with joy.

However, along the way, he bumped into a troubled Alphys, as the latter collided with Richard, causing him to stagger back, while Alphys fell onto her bottom.

"Argh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-" Alphys remarked, before she then took a look to see Richard. "...Oh."

"Alphys, are you alright?" Richard asked, putting a hand out to lift Alphys back up. "...You look like you're a bit distressed. Much more so than the last timeline… My work can wait for a while… your health is a priority to me."

Richard quickly opened his phone, as he fired a message about his likely tardiness due to a crucial situation, and slowly guided Alphys to a table, sitting them both down.

"Here, have my other muffin." Richard offered Alphys the vanilla muffin he bought. "...You should eat some to help calm yourself down. It works quite well, you know."

Alphys eyed the muffin, before she then gingerly took it from Richard, and biting into it slowly, savouring it, as her face lit up slightly, picking up the pace.

"I'm glad that you enjoy it, Alphys." Richard smiled at Alphy's improving mood, as the latter finished her food. "Alright, now that you're a lot calmer than before… What's bugging you this time?"

"...X-Gaster is going to do something terrible." Alphys admitted firmly.

"...Again? Does it involve killing someone close to the two, like the second timeline? Or is it something far worse…" Richard asked with a serious expression.

"I… I don't know. He never said the specifics about it… But he said that he was going to test the OVERWRITE on someone, and the way he said that… with that terrible smile… it's nothing good." Alphys answered back with sweat pouring from her head in fear.

"Alphys…" Richard stated with a sympathetic look, before leaning forward to pat Alphys's shoulder. "It's alright, you don't have to say anymore. That's enough for what I need to know. You're a great help already."

"...Richard, why do you care for me so much?" Alphys asked back. "...I'm not a good assistant compared to you, and I'm an utter mess… so why…?"

"...Because you are a mess… and someone needs to help you. X-Gaster is only making you worse, so the only choice for you is to confide with me… and I understand that, and I'll welcome you with open arms, no matter what." Richard answered back. "Besides, you're a good person, Alphys. Even when you're stuck with X-Gaster doing and seeing things that you don't want to think about again, you did your best, and that's all I want from you. Plus, you're a shy yet cute one, so a friend like you does good for my mental health through all of this. You could say… we're supporting each other, but in different ways. So you're my partner in this… just as I'm yours in this. Never let that fact change."

"Richard…" Alphys stated, with eyes glistening with emotion.

"...Well, I suppose that's enough from me. I might end up making you feel more bad, if I keep on trying to comfort you." Richard said, getting onto his feet. "But always remember… you're not alone in this world, because I'm here for you."

Richard then left, as he headed towards his current line of work.

It wasn't long into the night, until Richard heard that there was a terrorist attack occurring currently into the city, as there were already multiple casualties, including several squads of the Royal Guard who were dispatched to handle the situation. From the dying words of his colleagues, and the witness reports in the news, it was said that the perpetrator was Frisk himself, which made Richard pale, and moved him into action.

"X-Gaster… What… What have you done…!?" Richard remarked, as he stomped across the streets, before he then saw the blood-stains and monster dust scattered on the streets, reminding him of the slaughtered. "Damnit… I can't deal with him now… I need to stop Frisk and undo whatever manipulations have turned him into this…!"

Suddenly, Richard met Chara, who was just as frantic as Richard was, as the two of them stared at each other.

"...Did you know?" Richard asked Chara.

"When I came back… All I saw was a disturbed house, a splattered cake, and dropped spider donuts… Something is very wrong…" Chara answered back.

"My clients… my bakery… what did we do…?" Muffet's voice rang out, as Richard and Chara reacted, rounding across the street corner, finding Muffet among a crowd of monsters, huddling in the ruins of her bakery, with a betrayed expression on her face.

"Muffet… Thank god, you're alright!" Richard exclaimed with relief. "What happened? Where's Frisk?"

"He lied to me in the worst possible way… I… I will never forgive him." Muffet sobbed, as Chara looked with a disturbed expression on his face. "I thought he was different, but now I see his soul is rotten like all humans…"

Richard suddenly sensed an attack coming, as he pushed Chara back, as a red wave of energy sliced across the ground, just in front of Muffet, stunning her, and leaving a red trace line on the ground. Suddenly, the line of red exploded violently, into spikes of torn earth, kicking up a storm of dust and debris, combined with the frightened and terrified cries of the monsters.

"MUFFET!" Chara shouted, before Richard covered him, as debris fell around them, with some of it plinking off the metal Royal Guard armour he was wearing, as Chara watched the situation with horror in his eyes. "No…"

"Oh, so you finally left your room, Chara." X-Gaster declared, as both of them turned towards him, Alphys, who was trembling with fear, Frisk, who was standing beside him, held a knife of red-light in one hand. "What a pleasure, we have been worried about you lately."

X-Gaster smirked, as Frisk raised his head, showing that his eyes were purple with black sclera. "Frisk really wants to play with you." He declared. "As for you, Richard… It's best that you stay out of this."

"X-Gaster, you…!" Richard exclaimed with anger, before he then turned towards Chara. "Leave Frisk to me, get the others to safety!"

"But who knows what-" Chara tried to say.

"I SAID GO!" Richard screamed, shoving Chara away, before summoning his weapon. "...X-Gaster… what… what the fuck are you doing!?"

"I'm simply testing something. Whether their DETERMINATION can allow them to ignore my orders, in an altered state." X-Gaster bluntly admitted. "What could happen if I involve them during the development of my perfect world?"

"What, that's just…" Richard remarked, utterly in disbelief at X-Gaster's reasons. "That doesn't justify a damn Genocide run out in the blue!? You could have just been able to use less radical means to test that theory."

"Oh, but it's necessary." X-Gaster remarked. "Now move aside, I would like you to allow this to run its course. I need to understand the data behind it, after all. It would be unwise to put yourself in harm for such a illogical reason."

"...I can't allow this." Richard responded back, raising his blade. "...I'm terminating this experiment where it stands. You already got enough proof that their DETERMINATION is not enough to resist the OVERWRITE effect, judging from the hue of his eyes. There's no need to go further on this. If you insist, then Frisk will have to go through me."

"...Regrettable." X-Gaster scowled back, as Frisk darted towards Richard at hyper-speed, as the latter barely managed to block the knife construct as it caused a shockwave to emerge.

"Open your damn eyes, Frisk! This isn't you!" Richard shouted, before pushing Frisk off.

Frisk then immediately raised his blade, before firing a series of red blade waves at Richard, who dodged and parried them away from the trapped survivors, all while Chara snuck towards them, avoiding the attacks in the battlefield that strayed his way.

Chara then managed to find Muffet, who was trapped under some debris, as Chara slowly tried to lift it off.

"Hang on, Muffet, I'm going to help you up!" Chara shouted back.

Muffet only groaned, as her eyes flickered slightly, before she then notice one of her spider siblings, who was terrified with the shaking in their body, carrying a torn piece of glowing paper, from X-Gaster's log. Chara saw it, as he then looked towards X-Alphys, whose paper was missing the same piece that the spider held.

As Chara lifted the building piece off Muffet with all of his strength, Muffet took the paper, as she read its content, causing her eyes to widen, and her body to tremble.

Richard and Frisk continued to duel with each other, as they parried each other's attacks and blow, although Richard's experience and strength won out in the end, as he knocked the knife of red light out of Frisk's hand, as the latter collapsed on the ground, while Richard pointed his blade towards him.

"It's over." Richard declared. "...Stay down, and let me fix you up. Whatever X-Gaster did to you, I'm going to get rid of it, and then we can have spider donuts together. I know you're in there, just give me a sign."

Richard then slowly knelt down, as X-Gaster's face grew a nasty scowl, before he then summoned the OVERWRITE button, pressing it, as reality bent to his will. In almost a flickering instant, Frisk had his knife back, as he stabbed right right through the stomach with it, causing him to freeze with wide eyes, and hack up blood.

"...What…?" Richard wheezed, before he then fell backwards, the knife in his stomach, before Frisk pulled it in a splash of blood, and raised it over Richard's heart, in an attempt to kill him.

"FRISK!" Chara shouted, as he tried to rush over to stop Frisk, only for Muffet to raise her hand, creating a set of purple magic webs that shot from it, wrapping around Frisk's arms and restraining them, before she then held him in an arm-lock. "Muffet…?"

"... Now I understand everything... How is it possible that you three have been holding off for so long?!" Muffet shouted. "Do you want to lose your brother or what?! WAKE UP!"

Chara then looked towards X-Gaster who was walking away, then back at Richard, who was trying to cauterise his wound to treat himself. What Chara didn't notice, was that she was looking back with tears in her eyes, out of regret.

"He never cared about you three in the first place! You should do something about it! You were never meant to be part of his plan." Muffet declared strongly, as Chara's fists clenched tightly enough that they drew blood, as he grit his teeth as well. "You three don't deserve this..! Nobody should decide what is best for you and nobody should have power over you!"

Richard then slowly rose up, as Chara arched down into a running stance, with his eyes back to the rageful red.

"STOP HIM NOW, GODAMMIT!!" Muffet let out in a wail of desperation.

Chara then let out a guttural roar of rage, as he surged forwards towards X-Gaster, as the entire world turned black-and-white for a moment, as X-Gaster slowly turned around to see a vengeful Chara collide with him, hitting him in the stomach with a powerful hook-shot to the liver, that made X-Gaster double over with a stunned expression, as Alphys was horrified, when she heard the sound of cracking bones from the punch, as saliva leaked from X-Gaster's open mouth, from the gagging that resulted.

As Richard rose up, his vision blurred for a moment, before he saw that in place of Chara and X-Gaster, was himself and Yorihime herself, with the same positions and expressions, right down to the expression of murderous rage on his face. The very vision shocked Richard briefly, as it faded back out into reality.

"I'm fucking done. YOU HEAR ME! TO HELL WITH YOU!" Chara screamed, as he summoned a yellow button with the words RESET on it, smashing his other hand on it.

The moment his hand touched the reset button, Richard felt time unravel around him, as his consciousness faded out quite quickly.

Richard suddenly woke up with a long gasp, with cold sweat on his face, rising up from his bed, as he was in his sleep-wear. He began to pant for a while, as he slowly calmed down.

"What… What was that…? Was that… the effect of a RESET…?" Richard remarked, before he then looked around, and then at himself, as he was intact, unlike his immediate memories of being critically wounded.

Richard then slowly slipped his slippers on, as he rushed towards Frisk's and Chara's room, pushing the door open, and gasping, when he found that Chara was giving Frisk a comforting hug, as the latter was crying with his hands over his mouth.

"Frisk… Chara…" Richard asked with a soft and worried voice. "Are you…"

"Make it stop… Please… make it stop…" Frisk sobbed with grief.

"It's okay, Frisk… Everything is back to normal…" Chara comforted Frisk with a gentle voice. "You never done any of this, and you never will have to again…"

Richard slowly walked forward, before wrapping his arms around both of the children with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry… I'm so very sorry for being a failure of a guardian…" Richard stated, as silent tears ran down his eyes.

Chara looked up, seeing Richard's pained expression, as he shed tears as well, easing into Richard's embrace.

Muffet waited in the counter of her bakery, as she seemed to be fairly bored, since Frisk didn't come for a few days, as she tapped a clawed finger on the table, with a hand to her cheek.

Eventually, she heard the sound of a bell rattling, as she lightened up upon seeing that it was Richard.

"Oh, it's you, Mr Royal Guard Instructor-" Muffet started with a beaming tone, which faded quickly, when she saw the distressed face on Richard. "...Himself?"

"Muffet…" Richard stated, before he then leaned towards the counter, and embraced Muffet with a tight hug. "...I'm glad that you're fine…"

"Woah, what's wrong!?" Muffet stated, as she slowly eased Richard off her, as her voice had concern in it. "...Did something terrible happen?"

Richard paused for a moment, as the fresh memories of X-Gaster's deeds rang in his head. "...You could say that." Richard nodded back. "...I had a terrible nightmare about you… About you being cut to pieces before my eyes."

"Oh my, that's horrible…!" Muffet declared, with shock, and her hands over her mouth. "...I never thought that such a thing would cause you to worry about me so much."

"Say… Do you have the Teraphosa Chocolate Cake." Richard asked back. "...Frisk's also losing it himself, and I'm not much better. If you want some payment for it… I'll gladly pay it off with a fortune if you demand it. Just please… We need that cake to lift our spirits, even if only slightly."

"...No, I can't take advantage of a customer in distress." Muffet shook her head, as she put out the cake box. "...Here, you can have it on the house… Consider it a favour returned for all of the donations you gave for spider rights…"

"...Thanks, Muffet." Richard stated, taking the cake. "...You're a good woman. I'd cry terribly for you… if anything were to happen to you."

Richard then left, as Muffet watched him leave, with sadness in her eyes.

"...Richard… I never thought that you would have thought so fondly of me… Perhaps…" Muffet remarked to herself. "Just perhaps…"

Entry Number 1, Timeline Number 4

It still hurts.

The wound that Frisk gave me before the RESET, still hurts like a phantom pain. I can feel the physical pain from the blade stabbing through my abdomen…

And I can still feel the emotional agony of being betrayed. Not to mention that it vividly made me remember something I didn't want to recall again.

Is what I lost really memories that I should have kept away? Should I really be allowing all of this to happen again?

It's not like I can do anything… I don't want to be around X-Gaster… not until I can make peace with myself after what he did to me.

I still can't believe it… From premeditated murder of Asgore and Sans, right into making Frisk kill countless people out of control for a sick purpose.

I repeated this before in my previous log entries… and I will repeat it again for my own sake… I should have stopped him from knowing about the Doodle Sphere… From being obsessed with the fruit of sin that is 'perfection'.

Even if it meant that X-Gaster had to despair longer… The alternative outcome would have never led to something like this, and the bleak future I imagine coming with X-Gaster's escalation of matters.

I felt like there was something lost from both Frisk and Chara… all semblances of their former love and care for their 'father' have been lost from that single act. All that's left is a burning hatred for him and his actions.

I can sympathise with them… And it's fortunate that they didn't turn their wrath towards me, because of my ineptitude. In fact, this entire debacle somehow made them more reliant on me, for better or worse.

Ink Sans… What are you trying to do with all of this…? What is your justification for pushing X-Gaster down this dark, dark path…?

I won't give up… I failed so many times before, because I was a coward to face the truth… and I will make sure that I succeed once in my life in stopping someone's fall to darkness.

It's what… someone in the edges of memories, would have wanted.

Someone like.. Koishi?