"Error! Error!" the first said.
The other looked up after a while.
"What is it?" the one called Error asked.
"I got us in. But it won't do us any good. We need to head over to MafiaTale. We can catch up with the one we are looking for." the first beaming with joy.
The one called Error hesitated.
"Fine... We better hurry then. Hopefully this AU called TemTale lets us in after our quick visit."
- UnderSwap: Somewhere on the surface -
"I'm really sorry for running away Mettaton." TT!Kathy said sheepishly.
She didn't even look at him. Technically, she disappeared in front of him. Perhaps vanishing might be a better word.
"It's fine. I am glad you are safe. It is not the first time anyone has run away from me." TT!Mettaton said with a genuine smile.
"I... got scared. I thought -" TT!Kathy began, but her mouth got covered by one of TT!Mettaton's finger.
"Let me guess. It's because I'm the head of the royal guard." TT!Mettaton stated with a heavy sigh.
"Huh?" TT!Kathy looked confused.
He put his finger away from her.
"I know how hard it is to fall hopeless in love with me. You must already be worried that I will get hurt or die on the job." TT!Mettaton said dramatically.
"What?" TT!Kathy got even more confused.
"Don't you worry darling. For I, the handsome and smart robot that I am, will always make time for you." he made a dramatic pose.
"Pfft. Ha Ha!" TT!Kathy laughed so hard that she snorted.
Immediately after the snort, TT!Mettaton began to laugh too.
"That's adorable. Your laugh! Oh my gosh! Your laugh!" He laughed hard.
TT!Kathy blushed as she tried hard to contain her laugh. Swap!Papyrus came over to sound of two laughing duo.
"I'm glad you both made up." Swap!Papyrus said with a smile.
TT!Kathy calmed herself down just enough to speak.
"I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. I'm so embarrassed that you heard me snorting." TT!Kathy said as she let out the last few giggles.
"I think that is adorable. I haven't made anyone smile like that in a long time. It's nice to know what your smile looks like." TT!Mettaton said as he calmed himself down.
"You snort?" Swap!Sans said as he joined the group.
"I... Um..." TT!Kathy suddenly got embarrassed.
"Yes she does and it's super cute." TT!Mettaton said adding a wink.
He gave TT!Kathy a hug. She flinched at first, but soon relaxed. She hugged him back. Swap!Paps noticed this.
"It is not cute. And I'm not a hugger." she said as she teasingly pushed him away.
TT!Kathy is still not a hugger.
"You don't like hugs!?" Swap!Sans is outraged.
"Is that a problem?" TT!Kathy asked genuinely curious.
"Yes! Huge! I have never met anyone who doesn't like hugs!" Swap!Sans said with a sudden expression of interest.
"Swap!Sans, in our AU, it is normal for someone to not like hugs." TT!Mettaton informed in a "matter of fact" tone.
"That is not good. TT!Kathy! I sill show you that hugs are great." Swap!Sans said beaming with joy. He is filled with determination and showed off his cuteness.
"O...kay? Good luck with that. We just need to find our friends now. I don't know how we are going to do that." TT!Kathy said ignoring him.
"I may have an idea. Lets go meet our Chara." Swap!Papyrus said.
The group began to move forwards. A while later...
"Hey kid. Can I talk to you?" Swap!Papyrus asked TT!Kathy.
"Sure." she responded.
She slowed down her pace to walk next to him. Swap!Sans waved bye and resumed chatting with TT!Mettaton.
'They won't hear us... hopefully.' Swap!Papyrus thought.
"I noticed that when TT!Mettaton hugged you... you flinched." Swap!Papyrus said in a low voice.
"Oh that..." TT!Kathy looked nervous.
How can she explain this without giving away too much personal information?
"Like I said I'm not a hugger. So when someone spontaneously hug me, it kinda of freaks me out." she said after much thought.
"I see..." Swap!Papyrus said not liking the answer she gave.
'She seems to be hiding something. But I can't prove it.' he thought.
"What about Swap!Sans? Isn't he the best?" Swap!Papyrus said changing the topic.
"I guess." TT!Kathy shrugged simply.
She wondered why the sudden change of topic.
"You don't think he is cute?" Swap!Papyrus said putting her on the spot.
"Cute?" she looked perplexed.
TT!Kathy glanced at Swap!Sans who was still chatting away. She then looked back to Swap!Papyrus.
"I suppose... Not as cute as an animal or Pokemon." TT!Kathy replied sounding unsure.
She didn't really see any cuteness. If anything, Swap!Sans looks like your average skeleton.
"You suppose..." Swap!Papyrus did not seem to like this answer.
"Yes?" TT!Kathy asked as if she was being tested.
"What about his cooking?" Swap!Papyrus asked quickly.
TT!Kathy recalls the horrible tacos they had for breakfast. Thank Arceus she doesn't need to eat. However...
"Like I told him, terrible. But, with enough practice he can get better." TT!Kathy said giving a similar answer she gave to Swap!Sans.
"(Pause) What kind of SOUL do you have?" Swap!Papyrus asked after a long pause.
"Red?" TT!Kathy answered not sure where this test was going. Is she even going to get an A?
"Red... Most people have different interpretations of what it stands for. Our Chara thinks it might stand for Purpose. You see, all humans have determination. That is the prime trait. The second trait is the color of the SOUL. Patience is light blue, Kindness is green, Perseverance is purple, Justice is yellow, Integrity is dark blue, and Bravery is orange." Swap!Papyrus informed TT!Kathy.
She listened. Where has she heard this before?
"Each of the different color SOULs does something different." someone said out of nowhere.
The group stopped to see where the source came from. It was TT!Nick! He looked badly beaten. He was carrying ArcadeAhri on his back. ArcadeSans and Swap!Chara trailed behind him.
"Nick!" TT!Kathy looked worried.
She had never seen him so beaten up. It reminds her of.. that day. She ran up to him with a worried look.
"What happened to you human?" Swap!Sans said as he looked worried.
"Ahri here tried to kill him." ArcadeSans said as his pupils disappeared. He stared at the ground until his eye came back.
"No..." TT!Kathy muttered quietly.
She couldn't believe it. She even took a step back from the shocking news. Why would Ahri try to kill one of their friends?
"Why?" TT!Mettaton questioned.
"Well... She got really mad and started to beat the cr-p out of me. So I found a way to spare an angry person." TT!Nick said with triumph.
"I have never seen a SOUL-less person do that before. I have so much to learn." Swap!Chara said as she went over to Swap!Papyrus.
"SOUL-less?" TT!Kathy inquired as she heard that world before. Probably from Little!Gaster.
She looks at TT!Nick for an answer.
"I'll explain later." he answered with a defeated smile.
- Time skip: Swap!Toriel's house -
"So.. you guys haven't seen the twins either?" ArcadeSans asked.
The group, excluding ArcadeAhri and a few others, sat at the dinner table.
"No, we haven't." Swap!Papyrus said unsure what this means.
"Maybe the twins became good?" Swap!Sans claimed with a hopeful look. He was positive that what he was saying is possible.
"Not likely. They are just waiting for us to mess up or something." ArcadeSans pointed out.
"What about this AU rock that you mentioned?" Swap!Chara asked.
ArcadeSans gave them a glare. This made Swap!Chara became uncomfortable.
"I am not sure where your rock is. We might try to use TT!Kathy's SOUL to track it down. Hopefully that works." ArcadeSans said not dropping the glare.
Meanwhile, in another room. TT!Kathy is attending to TT!Nick's wounds.
"I placed Ahri upstairs. Hopefully she wakes up with no memory of the fight." TT!Mettaton informed them.
He briefly got jealous seeing TT!Kathy taking care of another man.
"Doubt it." TT!Nick replied softly.
TT!Kathy finished putting on the wrap on his left arm. She made sure it was slightly tight.
"Take it easy. You trying to chop my arm off." TT!Nick joked feeling the tightness around his arm.
TT!Kathy did not say a word. She knew how to handle him.
"... Heh.. Look... I have my reasons for not telling you." TT!Nick began.
TT!Mettaton sat near TT!Kathy as if showing that he is on her side. TT!Mettaton just watched this exchange happen. She folded her arms. TT!Kathy began her intense staring.
"Being this way is not all that bad. Sure I can't feel your usual emotions like joy or anger." TT!Nick said trying to find the right words.
Wordlessly, TT!Kathy's stare looks like she could shoot lasers out of them.
"... I did not want to worry you with another task. Jumping from AU to AU is a bit... tough. You have to get used to their ways of life and you may bump into a version of yourself you may not even like. Or lose sleep because of the odd day and night cycles." TT!Nick tried to go off topic.
"Nick... It would be nice if you did tell me why you didn't have a SOUL to begin with. But knowing you.. you won't tell me. For whatever reason. Just... tell me when you are ready. I need you to know that I am going to do everything in my power to help you get a SOUL." TT!Kathy soft voice broke the silence.
She dropped her intense stare and replaced it with a kind one. TT!Nick became stunned. He was even speechless.
"Darling, I hope you know that what you are saying is a bit out there." TT!Mettaton said not wanting to get her hopes too up.
"I know. But I'm going to try. Plus, what if you already have a SOUL and it's only hiding? Nick... for once in my life I am going to be the positive one." TT!Kathy said triumphantly.
"Well... I shall join you darling to help your friend get his SOUL." TT!Mettaton said with a bright smile.
"Thank you." TT!Nick said with a soft smile.
It was nice to know that they were on his side. Probably not the best time he tells them how he poisoned ArcadeAhri earlier or that half of his SOUL is in his Virtual Inventory.
"But... I think it's best that your boyfriend here is the positive on of the three of us." TT!Nick said giving a sly smile.
"Boyfriend?!" TT!Kathy face became red as a tomato.
TT!Mettaton placed an arm around her. He began liking this guy.
"I hope you don't mind darling. But, I like that idea!" TT!Mettaton beamed with joy.
TT!Kathy practically died in her position. She was afraid that TT!Mettaton was being forced, but it felt nice to be loved.
"Also darling, we do have to talk about your actions from yesterday." TT!Mettaton said getting ready to be in a relationship.
"Actions?" TT!Nick looked at a suddenly pale TT!Kathy.
"Nothing happened yesterday! I plead not guilty." TT!Kathy said trying to get away from TT!Mettaton.
Her efforts were in vain. TT!Mettaton used his noodle arms to make it impossible for her to leave him.
"Nick help!" TT!Kathy said as she blushed like crazy.
"Row, row, row your ship gently down the stream." TT!Nick sang a small tune as he left the two love-birds.
He headed upstairs to check on ArcadeAhri.
"NICK!" TT!Kathy didn't know what to feel. Angry or terrified.
"So daring. Want to talk about yesterday?" TT!Mettaton asked as his voice purred.
Terrified, TT!Kathy couldn't take it. She used her Eevee powers to escape.
She transformed into a small cute Eevee, TT!Kathy ran away from TT!Mettaton. She unfortunately crashed the meeting in the other room.
"Out of the way!" she yelped as she escapes from TT!Mettaton.
The group watched as the odd creature narrowly escaped a deranged TT!Mettaton. TT!Kathy ran as fast as she could. Her breathing became uneven.
Her legs started to ache. TT!Kathy began to slow down. She felt like she just ran a marathon. TT!Kathy looked around her area. She was in a forest. The sun was setting. TT!Kathy scanned around. She tried to think. Her thoughts were fuzzy. TT!Kathy began to stumble her way though the forest. The twists and turns. Strange noises within spooky forest make it too much for her. TT!Kathy began to panic. She began to jog. Then run once she could. No matter where she went... there were only more trees.
TT!Kathy ultimately sat down on a dead log. She tried to catch her breath yet again. She tried to think. Maybe she could use her Author powers? No. She is in another AU. It may not work. TT!Kathy's ears picked up a strange sound. Thinking that it was the sound of cars, TT!Kathy dashed her way there. She did not care that her body was tired of the running that she was doing. She just wanted to get out. That is when she saw it.
It was a gray oval rock. It had four white crystals prominently sticking out of it. At the center was faint brown lines and a single purple circle. The rock was causing the strange noise. As TT!Kathy got closer, so did the sound. The rock even began to illuminate a bit. TT!Kathy changed back to a human. She fell into a trance. She reached out to pick up the rock. It did not seem that big anymore. As long as she held the rock with both hands, then it would not fall. TT!Kathy sat down without a word. She listened closely to the whispers beyond the sound.
Time passed. Swap!Papyrus was the first to find TT!Kathy. The gang got worried when they saw her run out of the house into the woods. Swap!Papyrus got close to her.
"Kid. Whew! I am so relieved that you are okay." Swap!Papyrus said as he walked up to her.
TT!Kathy did not budge. Her tail softly wagged to the tune of the rock. Her ears were twitching each time there was a high note.
"Kid?" Swap!Papyrus called her, but to no avail.
TT!Mettaton was the second to come.
"Darling! Thank goodness you are safe!" TT!Mettaton rushed to give her a hug.
Only to be stopped by a green bubble. TT!Kathy used the move Protect to shield herself. The barrier lowered once TT!Mettaton back away.
"What? What is going on?" TT!Mettaton asked before looking at Swap!Papyrus.
"Donut ask me. She was like this when I came." Swap!Papyrus said as he thought what could possible be happening.
"A pun? We do not need your humor at the moment. Let's call the others." TT!Mettaton was not pleased with Swap!Papyrus.
The duo called the others via cell phone.
"They will be here in a few minutes." Swap!Papyrus said as he put his phone away.
TT!Kathy continued to stare at the rock. TT!Mettaton did not even respond to him.
"Look... I know that you care about her a lot. Maybe you know why she flinched." Swap!Papyrus said as he decided it was best to pass the time. TT!Mettaton did not answer him.
"Hey buddy. I asked a question." Swap!Papyrus said sounding a bit annoyed.
"I don't need to answer any of your questions." TT!Mettaton said with hostility.
Swap!Papyrus raised an eyebrow.
"Wow. Are all the people in TemTale this rude?" Swap!Papyrus asked a redundant question.
TT!Mettaton did not answer him.
"Seriously? Chill -" Swap!Paps began, but was cut off.
"Don't tell me to chill, you murderer." TT!Mettaton made a visible fist. His voice changed to that of anger.
"Murderer?" Swap!Paps looked confused.
Is the Chara from their world not the one who Resets and tortures them?
"I don't need to answer anything from you." TT!Mettaton said trying to keep his cool.
"You are acting very cereal-ous. You should calm down bone-fore I have to fight you." Swap!Paps said practically waiting for TT!Mettaton to attack.
(Confession [TemTale version] plays)
"Did you know that I am one of the monsters that Papyrus likes to kill?" TT!Mettaton began as his voice became dark and demonic.
Swap!Paps was caught off guard by this. He was speechless throughout TT!Mettaton's words.
"I did not ask for this. He used to be kind like Swap!Sans. Always cheerful, optimistic, and determined to get into the Royal Guard. However, when I told him that he couldn't join the Royal Guard. He snapped. Papyrus killed me when he got the chance. And Chara... she... She simply Reset. She allowed Papyrus to kill me over and over and over again. The kid had given the monsters dark magic. This drove them to insanity. The monsters started to kill each other as a result. There were only a few monsters at first. Then practically half of the kingdom. Sans tried to stop Papyrus once he was corrupted. He was killed by his own brother when he did." TT!Mettaton informed as his voice became shaky.
He tried to stay as composed as possible. He hugged himself. Swap!Papyrus could not believe his ears.
"We both now have to keep an eye out for whenever there is a genocide. There are less and less of us that are not going insane. Soon... the entire underground will be driven to madness." TT!Mettaton ended.
The song ends. Swap!Papyrus tries to comfort the robot. But, he is afraid that it might not come off as friendly. He has never head of an AU Chara using another means to keep the "game" interesting.
"But you are all outside now right?" Swap!Papyrus broke the silence.
TT!Mettaton only nodded. He is still shaken by his own words.
"Kathy helped us escape." TT!Mettaton's voice was barely audible.
Swap!Papyrus could see a concerned look in his eyes.
"What are you so worried about then?" Swap!Paps asked wanting to help.
"... Maybe it is nothing. But, with us free... Chara might kill us even without a Reset. Plus, she does enjoy using dark magic to drive people crazy. I'm afraid that she might make the humans on the surface crazy too." TT!Mettaton said finally looking at Swap!Papyrus.
The robot felt helpless. Swap!Papyrus felt bad for him, but did not know how to help.
"Bro! TT!Mettaton! We found you. Bwahaha!" Swap!Sans said cheerfully.
Swap!Chara was behind him. They were very quiet.
"Oh. Thank goodness you two are here." TT!Mettaton said forcing himself to be happy.
He brushed his sadness away. Swap!Papyrus took a deep breath.
"You two took a long time didn't you?" Swap!Papyrus said as he lazily gestured at his invisible watch.
"Bro! I got lost. Besides, Chara was here before me." Swap!Sans pouted.
"What?" TT!Mettaton flinched.
"I need that rock!" Swap!Chara said very determined. They pushed TT!Mettaton and Swap!Papyrus out of the way.
"Hey!" both the robot and skeleton said.
Swap!Chara charged into TT!Kathy. TT!Kathy had not bothered to look up to see the commotion. Swap!Chara tackled TT!Kathy in order to get the rock.
"It's mine... It's mine!" Swap!Chara smiled victoriously.
TT!Kathy finally snapped out of her trance.
"What? Where? Chara?! Put it down!" TT!Kathy panicked and tried to get the rock back.
But it was too late.
RESET