Shift!Chara: Hey. What's goin' on? Different people are takin' over for this one.
Shift!Asriel: Howdy! Hope you don't mind us!
Shift!Frisk: Things went...mostly according to plan for the Classic versions of us. Now they're just winging it.
Shift!Chara: I think they've been winging it this entire time and just didn't notice, Mirror.
Shift!Asriel: Winging it...that's definitely what it is. Because none of us expected to get busted so soon. But luckily we have ways of smoothing this over...hopefully.
Shift!Chara: Meh. I'm sure we'll be fine...I could go for some chocolate right about now...oh by the way, this chapter name kinda sucks.
Me: I'M TRYING, CHARA! Maybe I'll change it sometime. I dunno.
Chapter Start!
(Hotlands)
"...You havin' fun there?" Classic Chara deadpanned in amusement as Asgore gently shined a light in his eye. The Ex-Royal Scientist of this timeline, Shift!Asgore Dreemurr, was doing a bit of evaluation over the three doppelgangers of his children. Classic Asriel and Frisk were already done with their own evaluations, and were simply waiting for him to be done. Shift!Undyne and Shift!Toriel were standing by, watching them with slightly confuzzled faces.
Asriel was on the higher floor, gazing around the room. Unlike Alphys's old lab, the top floor actually had a bed, blanket and pillow, along with book shelves filled with research on monsters, and how to maoe Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie. But what really caught his attention was a poster on the wall that had Undyne on it, most notably the words 'Ultimate Undyne!' which he saw on a maganize prior to this. Like himself, Shift!Asriel seemed to really admire her. Though what truly caught his attention and warmed his heart and soul was a quote seen somewhere on the poster, aimed towards Asgore:
"Thanks for being the dad I never knew could be real".
...Asriel made a mental note to team up with his father to give Classic Undyne one big, warm, snuggly hug. He had a feeling that she'd really, really appreciate it.
"Alrighty then, all done!" Asgore declared as he pulled away from Classic Chara, setting his glasses aside for a bit. "It's official...these are definitely our children. Just not our children."
"What? But...how is that possible?" Toriel asked incredulously.
"There are alternate worlds and dimensions that exist, and they tend to differ from our own, my dear. Some differences aren't that significant, while others have differences that can definitely prove to be shocking. Judging by how surprised they looked upon seeing us, it's safe to say they are definitely surprised to see how different this world is from their own." Asgore smiled st the three Classics. "At the very least, they don't look like they're here for hostile reasons. I never imagined they would be. But for the sake of assuaging Undyne's skepticism, I had to made sure."
Undyne folded her arms while rolling her eyes. "Alright. They're clean, I guess. If only because I find it pretty cool that the whole multiverse stuff is an actual thing. But what really irks me a bit is that you knew about it this entire time!" She snapped a bit at Shift!Chara. She wasn't fazed.
"I didn't have the concrete evidence to prove what I knew was for real. So even if I did tell you, you wouldn't exactly believe me." Shift!Chara shrugged. "Sometimes what people don't know doesn't really hurt them. And I do mean sometimes, which means I would have told you all eventually, when circumstances would be better for it. And these weren't the circumstances I had in mind, but it's better than other possible scenarios."
"Maybe we just got off easy because Dad is still such a nice guy, even here." Classic Chara shrugged. "We expected a change, sure. But this? This is pretty crazy. Everyone is in places they normally aren't, and they're in the most unexpected places. It's like it's randomized, everyone is just shifted into a different place just to see how many changes occur from an alteration of roles."
Shift!Chara winked. "I guess you could say that everyone's roles in the original Story Shifted around a ittle, yeah?" Classic Chara could sense some sort of pun in there...though it clicked instantly for Classic Frisk.
"...StoryShift. The name of this universe is StoryShift." Classic Frisk said. "Because it's highly susceptible to being shifted around. It can be shifted into many different patterns besides this one, right? The only person who doesn't totally change is Shift!Frisk."
"That's right. As of this moment, this is Shift One, and the only Shift currently existing. Different Shifts might come into existence via alternate timelines in this universe, though it could take a while." Shift!Chara grinned. "I can see that the Classic Pretty Mirror gets it just fine." One again, Classic Frisk couldn't help but blush slightly.
Shift!Asriel couldn't help but waddle his feet a bit as he was sitting on one of the stools near the table. There was the feeling that this wasn't one of the most fun stories he's ever heard, but the information has definitely been considered interesting. Curiosity emitting off of in at a steady flow. He can tell by the way Classic Asriel is looking at Shift!Undyne, he must be really close to Undyne in his own world.
"So. It would seem that you came here for a purpose. I'm assuming you came here for a reason." Asgore continued. "You have that strange vial in your hand. Is that significant?"
"Yeah. All things considered, we've gotten what we came for." Classic Chara nodded in confirmation. "...Except, we found out something that might pose to be a serious problem. We need to know, are you aware of some entity named Flowey, by any chance?"
"...Flowey." The Ex-Royal Scientist sighed as he oinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you run into him? What did he tell you?"
"No. We never met...not yet. We figured we'd find him before we can do anything else. It had something to do with the rather downer story about King Sans. We figured that we might be able to do something about it, while we're still here."
"...You told them about King Sans and us?" Toriel turned to Shift!Chara and Shift!Asriel.
"...we thought they should know about it, Mommy. If it would help with whatever it is they needed. And you know that the God of Hyperdeath is a helper to all!" The latter declared energetically.
"Besides, it's not like we'd be able to keep it a secret. It's supposed to be common knowledge." Shift!Chara shrugged. "We just told them what we had to."
"But did it had to be about that of all things? That's still a rather sensitive subject to touch upon." Undyne said, before sighing tiredly. "Though I guess if they really needed the information...I shouldn't be so hard about it." Her cybernetic eye flashed a bit, before she reached inti her pocket and pulled out her phone. She blushed a bit. "Oh. It's Alphys!"
"Alphys! We were wondering about her, too!" Classic Frisk said.
"Oh? Well she obviously isn't here right now, but Undyne has a picture of the both of them on the table." Asgore pointed. Classic Frisk went to pick up said picture frame and eye it carefully. Classic Chara and Asriel looked over his shoulders, also eager for a look.
The former lowered his eyes lazily in confusion. "...why is she covering herself with a bedsheet?"
"Maybe she likes to pretend that she's a ghost?" Classic Asriel wondered. A few moments later, his eyes widened. Napstablook! She shifted over to Napstablook's role! And she still really likes Undyne and vice versa! Though, that means she wonders around the Ruins a lot...
Undyne's eyes turned solemn as she read the message aloud:
Oh my god, Undyne...I didn't see Papyrus at all, today...I was growing worried, so I checked all over the Ruins for him. But...what I saw...what I saw...oh my god. I reached the entrance, all I could see was a pile of dust. There's no doubt that it's his...I honestly don't know how or why. The hunan didn't do it. I don't know...this is really bad...
Everyone's expressions turned grim at the message. Papyrus was dead here. But it certainly wasn't Shift!Frisk, she looked just as horrified as the others. They were currently running through multiple different thoughts, trying to come up with a possible explanation for this, then a realization hits Classic Chara hard.
Gaster said NOT to underestimate anyone who fills Flowey's role or anyone filling the role of who I used to be...oh man. They're playing Sans like a fool. And even if he knows it's a ploy, he probably won't care. He'll want something to take his anger out on. And that would be the humans in the room...
"...I think the humans in the here better hide. King Sans will sense that his brother his dead. That, or someone else told him. Either way, he is gonna be pissed." Shift!Chara said. "And I feel like we're gonna be the targets."
"...That's actually highly likely." Classic Frisk said quietly. He was well aware that if anything bad happens to Papyrus, Sans will be emotionally compromised. Combining that with the stress of being the King, which clearly doesn't suit his personality and mindset, they had a serious problem. "I think we'd better leave for the castle, very quickly."
"We shouldn't really teleport there. Sans will notice it, and cut us off without much trouble." Classic Asriel noted cautiously. "If we have the right suspicions...then Sans left the human souls unguarded. And if they're unguarded..." He shook his head, then turned towards Asgore. "The True Lab. We can make our way through there. But...he'll be chasing us down regardless. And he most likely won't stop..."
"...I'll have to stop him myself." Toriel sighed. "I don't know what the children have to do, but they're most likely very capable of achieving it. However, I will have to keep Sans at bay. But do not leave immediately. Wait for him to actually get here first."
"...He's already here." Classic Asriel sensed him right outside. Also, Asgore could see him heading this way, via cameras. "Of course he can teleport better than we can..."
"In that case, I'd better go out there. You children, all six of you, navigate through True Lab and get to the castle. Make sure the souls are safe." Toriel said gently. "The state he's in, he's unlikely to be talked down. But at the very least, before anything else, I can try."
Shift!Asriel looked worried about the way things were unfolding. The day was going so well, and it quickly went from well to weird, and now it's going from weird to worse. There have been plenty of days with this description, but this has to be the worst scenario of them all. Once again, Toriel had to fight her friend. Talking Sans down after his brother's death was very unlikely.
Toriel placed her paws on his shoulders. "You need to take care of your sisters. That's another major responsibility for the Absolute Deity, is it not?" She lightly nuzzled and kissed his forehead. "I need you all to go. Right now."
"...Okay." Shift!Asriel nodded strongly. With this, he grabbed onto Shift!Chara and Shift!Frisk's hands. Asgore reluctantly opened the door to the elevator leading to the True Lab, and the six children were lead into the elevator.
Asgore sighed as he turned to Toriel with concern. "Are you really going to do this again?"
"...he won't be giving me a choice in the matter." Toriel shook her head softly. Then she reached up a bit and briefly kissed his muzzle. "I'll be alright. Hopefully neither of us will reach ever desperate levels."
Asgore sighed as he gave her a soft hug. "I know you two won't agree. Especially since your ideals are clashing violently. But you both have to remember...you're still friends. Maybe you can come to some sort of understanding."
"I sure hope so." With a deep sigh, she turned around and walked outside of the Lab, leaving behind a worried Asgore and an anxious Undyne. She listened to the sound of the doors sliding closed behind her, as she slowly looked up with a calm and collected look.
Completely opposite of the seething rage demonstrated by the skeleton before her. She could sense the intense telekinetic energy swarming around him. He definitely didn't look pleased when he sensed that his brother was dead. Though she wasn't fazed.
"...I heard about Papyrus, Sans. I can understand that you're highly upset."
"...tori. get outta my way." Sans wasn't having it. Neither was she.
"Sans...you need to calm down."
"i think i deserve to be a bit angry after masking emotions for so long." Sans clenched his fists. "i've spent such a long time not caring about much about the state of the kingdom, nor about you having human kiddos in your custody. circumstances have change. can't afford not to care anymore. can't afford to keep prioritizing your happiness over the happiness of all the other monsters, even if you are my friend. sorry, tori...but i'm gonna have to kill those human kiddos...it's for everyone's one good. and i'm not going to take no for an answer this time. i don't wanna fight you, so i suggest you get outta my way."
"You know that I cannot do that, Sans." Toriel said quietly.
"...didn't i just say i wouldn't take no for an answer?" He said menacingly as the telekinetic magic swarmed around him wildly. "you don't wanna have a rematch with me. i won't be pullin' my punches this time. i'm gettin' those souls, and you're not gonna stop me."
"...I must protect my children, Sans. I'm sorry." Toriel could easily see the irony in this. Last time they clashed, she was the one blinded by rage because he seriously wounded Asriel, while he was frustrated but mostly calm. Now she was the one who was calm, and he was enraged due to the death of his brother. And she could tell that he didn't care if he was being lied to. The stress of being king has finally gotten to him, and he needed something or someone to take all of his rage, grief, and frustration out on. As a parent, she will endure those negative feelings and protect her children. As his friend, Toriel will volunteer to fill that role.
The circumstances were against the both of them. But she silently swore that wouldn't fail a second time.
[Music: Battle Against A True Parent]
Toriel took a deep breath. Then she sighed gently as flames began growing on her arms, then dual fireballs in her paws, standing defensively. Sans focused on her, raising his hand as a Gaster manifested on his right, slowly aimed towards her. There was no hesitation flashing in his eyes like last time. If Toriel was going to stand in his way, he was more than willing to force her out of the way if need be. Clearly she wasn't going to just move aside.
Sans thrusted his hand forward as the Gaster Blaster fired a cyan beam towards Toriel with harsh ferocity. Toriel waved her paws in a circular motion as a wall of flames defended against the blast, which only pushed her back slightly before she stopped. She dispared them, but spread them out so they didn't completely fade away. She was right to do so, as multiple streaks of fire shot out from the line of flames and completely incinerated all of the bone shards that were being thrown at her from where Sans stood. It didn't serve to help his mood, as he merely fired his Gaster Blaster again. She deflects it once again, this time sending it into a different direction where it couldn't harm the lab behind her.
"i can't show you any mercy, toriel. i can't just allow this entire thing to slide." Sans said darkly as more Gaster Blasters manifested above him, both of his eye sockets constantly flashing. "i can't turn the other cheek anymore. the monsrers want their freedom, they're going to get it, no matter the cost to me or you." All of them fired one at a time, which made it easier for Toriel to avoid them with carefully placed steps and dodges when the position was just right.
Despite his words, Toriel didn't respond. She just calmly manipulated the flames around her so that they could be ready to defend her or serve to become offense when she demands it. She allowed the flames to circle around her feet and gently surround her defensively. She didn't say a word, she just listened, and defended.
Sans's eyes flashed cyan as more Gaster Blasters manifested around him. "i can't just sit around and watch everyone suffer all because i chose to gave a friend a break. i was being unfair for sticking to the wants of a friend instead of the needs of the entire kingdom." The draconic skulls began firing at Toriel again. She once again uses her fired to swiftly move herself side to side in order avoid all of the beams heading her way, and deflected a few of them in different directions once again in, in places where none could be harmed. Sans glared, noticing she hasn't struck back yet. It was somehow frustrating him further.
With relentless intent, Sans' cyan glow grew more intense as he raised his hand, more bones rising out of the ground with intents of impalement. Toriel didn't allow them to do such a thing, another ring of flames decimating them in a matter of moments, forcing Sans to jump back and avoid it. They did nothing to lash out at him though, and the flames returned to her without much of a problem. Gaster blasters manifested again and continied firing ar her relentlessly. Every blast was immediately deflected by her continuous walls of flames, pushing them away from her. It grew rather frustrating for him sense she was not attacking him with nearly enough malice and force to...
"grr...tori! stop beating around the bush! i'm actively intending to kill your human children! fight me for real, dammit!" Sans demanded, his eternal smile cringing into an angry scowl.
Toriel's expression didn't change. Though she acknowledged his request and silently agreed to indulge him, if only to help in her intentions. Plus, she had a feeling that he was picking a fight with her for other reasons than what he vocally intends.
She sighed deeply as her face took on a more steeled expression. She raised her paw as the wall of flames expanded outwards, it pushed him back and sent him tumbling along the ground. Though he managed to right himself enough to avoid completely collasping. Though he had to raise another wall of bones as a speeding fireball made it's way towards him. The contact resulted in an explosion that decimated the wall and sent him scurrying further back. Once again he righted himself as he glared at her, and the fire surrounding him. She was still holding back against him. She was refusing to fight him on his terms.
I figured out what you're trying to do, Sans. And I will not succumb to such an insidious role. Toriel thought.
Sans narrowed his eye sockets. "i can't keep defending you, tori. i have to do what i need to do for the sake of all monsters. there's no way any of this can well for me at this point, so I should at least dedicate my efforts towards a cause that will help everyone else. you have to understand, tori. i never wanted this situation. i don't want to fight you. but i'm really running low on peaceful options that can benefit everyone."
"...That's only part of what this is about." Toriel responded.
"...nah. of course not. ya know me better than that. so ya know why i at least hafta try." Sans said as another Gaster Blaster fired at her. She spun quickly and deflects it once again with a stronger wall of flames. The energy dissipated on contact, while her flames stayed stable. "you're still not gonna go all-out on this, huh?"
"I do not wish to. Nor do I need to. And neither do you."
"...that's a bit wrong. all-out is all i have." Sans clenched his fists. "so the least you can do is pay me back in kind!"
"I refuse." Toriel responded calmly. Sans' attacks aren't as focused and as precise as he thought they were. Sans' blind anger and heavy grief were keeping him from truly fighting with his full power, even though he was trying to demand the same from her. And even despite all of those things, she still didn't want to fight him. Not like this, not the way he was now. Especially when she had a major role to putting him in this state.
Sans was tiring himself out faster than last time, not paying attention to his magic reserves...nor was he caring about it. "you know...you dreemurrs aren't the only ones who denied the plan." Another blaster fired Toriel's way. She narrowly spins to dodge it and shoots a streak of flames Sans way when he was still recovering. He lightly sidestepped, feeling the heat lightly scorch his chin. "papyrus was just as against it as you were. he said what i was doing wasn't right." Bones once again shot out of the ground, at a slower rate than before but still managed to be threatening. She jumped back when one nearly shot through her foot. "i tried to tell him that i knew this. I knew how wrong it was to do something like this. but I also tried to tell him that we didn't have much better alternatives. it was either the practical thing or the right thing. i continued to try and persuade him, even while he was leaving, that it was impossible for me to do both! i couldn't do both even if i wanted to! the king had to make tough choices, tori!"
Toriel was keeping her flame wall up as Sans continued to shoot a barrage of sharp bones her way. He was no longer using what was left of his tact, now he was just venting whatever he had left. This was her intention the entire time, though that didn't make this any easier to watch.
"i was already in an impossible spot. but you were able to make it so much worse for me!" Sans shouted. "i had to stand by the monsters as the king, but i didn't want to go against the strong decision of my closest friend! i know you're just being a good mother by protectin' your kids. believe me, i get it! so ya know what that this whole thing has been tearin' me apart! i absolutely hate betrayal! i don't want to be on the receiving end of it, and i don't want to be the instigator of it! there's no way for me to win here! and now papyrus is gone...so i can't win period!"
Toriel narrowed her eyes as she held her paw forward, the flame wall pushing back against his attacks, turning a majority of the bones tossed her way into mere ashes. She lowered the wall and just focused on deflecting most of the shards with her flame enhance paws. Sans was no longer trying as hard as he used to. He was tired...in many more ways than he should be able to endure. Though he kept forcing himself to try. He felt like he had to keep trying. He was being stalled here, he knew she was just making him exhaust his energy...but he didn't seem to care.
It was getting difficult to care at all. Toriel could see where this was leading him, and she wasn't going to let it come to that. She needed to reassure him that there was still somebody here for him. He's endured such heavy burdens by himself, with a position he isn't completepy duited for, but tried to hold himself together anyway.
Eventually he just stopped attacking altogether, because she reached out and pulled him into a hug. The magic around him dissipated, and his arms laid limply on his sides.
He couldn't go on. He no longer had the willpower.
[Music Stop]
Sans was obviously much shorter than she was. So she had to kneel down on one knee to manage a better position to pull him into her hug. He didn't struggle against it, he just limp in her arms.
"...heh...heh...ya shoulda dusted me back then, tori..." Sans mumbled quietly. "at least that way, i wouldn't have to deal with all of this. not only that, it would have been justified. you're just protectin' your kids...figured that i could use that to my advantage...apparently it didn't work well enough."
"I will not do that, Sans. This isn't an answer to this problem." Toriel said firmly. "You're in constant pain, with no one to help you through it. Just leaving you behind with your mistakes and not coming back because we came to a disagreement, was not something a friend like me should have done. I was wrong to do that to you when you were so vulnerable. I was completely uncaring that I had placed you in such an impossible position. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for abandoning you."
Sans just kept chuckling sadly at his predicament. Toriel just continued to hug him gently, not letting him go in fear of him doing something more reckless.
"...i know you are, tori." Sans responded. "...heh...when it comes down to someone like me...being king...REALLY sucks. i had to throw away a lot of the things that me, me. and some of those things i might not even get back. even if the kid manages to..." He sighed tiredly. "i'm just so tired, tori. the humans...the fallout between you and me...and now papyrus. i pretty much have nothing left that can keep me from crossing any more lines that'll make me hate myself even more. look at me. i've been reduced to intentionally attacking you just to have something to hit, and mayne you'll dust me while I'm at it. i couldn't land ONE decent hit on you this time, and you won't kill me. of course you wouldn't. so that stupid plan was going to be a bust from the start. heh. no surprise there. failure, thy name is sans..."
Toriel sighed as she gently pulled away from Sans for a moment, to see tears still streaming from his eye sockets. It was arguably good for him. Not being a mostly emotionless mask simply to keep others from finding out about his inner struggles. Sans wasn't entirely equipped to be King, especially in the emotional department. That's what Papyrus helped him through. And without Papyrus...he feels much colder. Pragmatic means to an end was all he could think of, and it drove his loved ones away.
It was a good thing one decided to come back.
"Hotlands is sure filled with a lot of orange." Toriel said simply. Sans looked up at her in a mix of bewilderment and confusion. She smiled before continuing: "But even so...orange you glad that we finally had a chance to talk, friend to friend?"
"...heh...hehe...hehehehe!" Sans tried to continue to look miserable, but he couldn't help but give into the much stronger urge to laugh. "heh! tori...that pun was utter garbage."
"I know. Lame puns is our special thing, right." Toriel smiled. "We sure turned up the heat this time."
"tori stahp..."
"Last time we fought like that, I was burning with rage."
"tori plz..."
"But we are still friends. I couldn't allow you to go out in what you think is a blaze of glory."
"these...fire puns...suck...so bad!" Sans chuckled holding his sides as Toriel began laughing as well. The tension between them is gone, and the road of recovery for their friendship has officially begun. "...tori. i'm...sorry too. i really gotta stop attempting to do things behind your back. i just got seriously stressed out because of what happened, and i was about to do something incredibly irrational."
"The stress of being King has finally driven you over the edge. I do not completely blame you for being so consumed with rage, my friend. So many factors have lead you to make mistskes, or irrational jugdements. Or even rational thoughts that turn irrational because of the rage within."
"yeah...i should be cool now. what i was trying to do was pretty messed up...suicide is not the way out, here." Sans sighed. "i'm really low on juice...ya tired me out pretty good. if you don't mind too much...i'm gonna need a bit of monster food so i can replenish my magic..."
"Okay. Just come inside with me. I'll take care of you." Toriel nodded comfortably.
Inside the Lab, Asgore and Undyne sighed with relief. The former wiped some sweat off his brow. "That worked out better than expected. They're not fighting anymore."
"Too bad we had to suffer through Toriel's cruddy puns..." Undyne mumbled. Dhe blinked as dhe turned back towards Asgore hurriedly. "Wait a minute, what about the punks?" Will they be alright in their own? Maybe we should try and catch up with them?"
"No, Undyne. As concerned as I am, they know whatever is going on better than any of us. So I'm trusting them to do whatever they need to do, on their own.." Asgore told her, though he still sst down and looked at the cameras with obvious concerm. "It's okay to be concerned, but the same can't be said for losing faith. It's a major factor for relationships of any kind, to end."
(Judgement Hall)
Classic Chara felt a bit of nostalgia when he first stepped through here. And it wasn't the good king of nostalgia. It's the type of nostalgia that reminds a person just how many times they could get their butt kicked without flat-out screaming with infuriation. The type of nostalgia that reminds you that you certainly were not the best person in the world.
...I forgot how many times Sans absolutely SLAUGHTERED me in here. Heh. Fun times, fun times...I'm seriously twisted. Chara thought while walking through the place. It's not that he didn't know that already...the thoughts just come and go. Luckily Frisk and Asriel still stood by him despite that.
Though he couldn't just keep thinking about those times. He and the others were on a pretty serious mission, and they should take it as such. He needed to stay on task, and to stay focused. In other words...
Don't ask about Muffet, DON'T ask about Muffet.
"...So...what's Muffet like, here?"
DAMMIT!
Shift!Chara turned to Classic Chara with a curious crimson gaze. "Well, she shouldn't be too different from the Muffet of your universe. Though...I would say it might be a tad bit of changes for yours, because I don't know much about yours."
"She's much stronger."
"I don't doubt you. You look like you can prove it." Shift!Chara shrugged as she continued to lead the way. "So what are supposed to do when we find our rather mischievous duo? They're gonna try and stop us at any cost, or something like that. Simply because they don't like us."
"We can't just assume that right off the bat." Classic Frisk said. "We need to at least try to think about this in a different manner. You can't have hatred without a reason. There's always a reason, always a cause. Very few can pull off malevolence without a trigger. So we should figure this out carefully."
"How careful do we have to be about this? We're getting close to the Barrier, we don't really have enough time for a great plan." Shift!Asriel said, lightly folding his arms. "Unless you guys have a plan and are just not telling me..."
Classic Asriel would have answered that this wasn't true, and was about to reassure him that he would be in on the plan if they come up with one. However, he was interrupted before he could do so. He stopped everyone in their tracks as something popped up from the ground in front of them. He cautiously narrowed his eyes.
"Is that you, Happstablook...?"
"Well! My guest stars are here! And seem to know who I am ahead of time! That does make introductions easier!" Classic Asriel could see a pink ghost slowly rise up from the floor. It wasn't the usual pink that any of them were used to, it was a sickly, sinister pink. Said ghost was being intangible while floating through the floor, and became visible again once he completed the phase. "I must say, this is quite an unexpected turn of events! Each of the Dreemurr Trio has a mirror. And four of you can count as double mirrors. Rather strange~"
"Don't toy with us. Papyrus is gone. Are you responsible?" Classic Chara asked sharply.
"No need to be so hostile, darling! It's all part of the show!" Happstablook waved it off. "I'm honestly going to miss him. He's been such a delight to be with. Unfortunately for him, the show required that he be left behind. Breaks my heart, really does."
Shift!Chara tilted her head in disbelief, her expression deadpan. "That was some pretty great acting. Now...shall we try that again?"
"...Hmhmhmhm...you're a smart one, aren't you?" Happstablook said hauntingly. "Alright, truth time. I really did like Papyrus, but he would only get in my way. He was pretty adamant on trying to keep me from harming you all. Key word is trying, darling. He's given me very few alternatives but to remove him from the show."
Classic Chara clenched his fists. "Show? Show? You killed Papyrus simply because he was getting in the way of your stupid show?!"
"Please understand, darling. It really was nothing personal. But he needed to go. King Sans would never leave his castle if it didn't involve his brother, since he was fresh outta friends. Well...besides Toriel. Blasted woman got in the way again. Honestly, why can't you Dreemurrs just mind your own business?!"
Shift!Asriel blinked. "Wha...what do you mean...?"
Happstablook glared at him. "You just had to make friends with a blasted human, did you?! You couldn't just stayed away from her and just let her die! That would have made everyone's lives significantly easier. But no. You had to be hospitable to a human, and postpone the monsters dramatic return to the Surface! There could have been war!"
Shift!Frisk shook her head. "You wanted a war between humans and monsters? Don't you understand that the monsters would most likely lose?"
"Exactly." The response took her off guard. "Of course I wanted the humans to be wiped out for what they did to us. However, ever since the Dreemurrs taken in a human girl and kept her as one of their own, no one has done anything about it, despite everything that's happened. King Sans must be quite a foolish ruler if he thinks the happiness of his friend takes higher priority over the whole kingdom. Both monsterkind and humanity have gravely disappointed me with their incompetence. They have no place in this world, my show. I'm afraid I'll have to cut them both off from this timeline and redo my script." Happstablook glared darkly. "They had their chance, and I'm out of patience. Time to clear the stage."
"Thinking that the entire world is your stage and that humans and monsters should just be eradicated?" Classic Chara narrowed his eyes. "Look, I'm still not a fan of humans myself. And the monsters kinda pissed me off too, though not as much. But I've at least gained the maturity to give them another chance. What you plan on doing...we can't really allow that."
"Oh...oh darling. I believe you have yourself confused...you're not the director of this show. And you're most certainly not the star." After this, they could see Flowey suddenly pop up from the ground, along with the six souls. Happstablook grinned. "Ah yes. I never go too far without my co-star. And you have the souls neatly prepared for our premiere. Very good."
Classic Asriel narrowed his eyes, sensing the large amount of magic swirling around Flowey due to the souls slowly empowering him. He's not absorbing their full power, but only enough to share between himself and Happstablook. Looks like Omega Flowey won't be taking form...maybe because he wasn't the main 'star' of this so called performance.
"...Napstablook. That's you, isn't it?"
Flowey seemed surprised, even arching back a small bit. "W-What?! How did you...?" He shook his head, quickly recovering. "Doesn't matter. It won't change the outcome! All six of you are going to perish here! Especially you!" One of his vines pointed at Classic Asriel. "I dunno what the heck is it with that soul, but I know that it'll be a huge boost for me and Happsta!"
"Sorry. It's not yours to take." Classic Chara stated strongly, standing in front of Classic Asriel protectively. "He's going to Reset this timeline in order to fix the chaos you were trying to start."
"That's all fine and dandy, but he can't do that if he's already dead, right? And the one with the highest Determination, gets control of the timeline. I'll fight you for it! Doesn't that sound lovely?"
The six souls power began flowing into Happstablook, and just a bit of it for Flowey. The ghost slowly shifting forms while glowing a bright pink. Shift!Asriel admitted that it looked very pretty. Classic and Shift Chara disagreed, especislly the former. There were plenty of reasons why the former disagreed with the former. Flowey slowly slithered onto the glowing form before it could fully finish. Classic Asriel could vaguely sense the amount of power beginning to fill Happstablook. Since it was split between him and Flowey, it wasn't as powerful as Omega Flowey. However, being a creative individual himself, Happstablook might come up with something to make up for it.
Soon, the glow stopped, and Happstablook's form was eventually revealed. It was down to the basics of Mettaton Neo's appearance, coupled with a black shirt with a pink stripe going horizontally. He was constantly emitting a pinkish magical aura, while Flowey was emitting a slight lime magical aura that didn't clash with the other. The former seemed to notice how confused the others were, and lightly swung his black hair.
"Hmph. A transformation like mine needs to be handled with delicacy. Having glamorous power like mine needs an appropriate body to hold it all."
"...there is no word in any alternate universe that can sum up just how much I don't care." Classic Chara narrowed his eyes. "You're sharing the power? Somewhat understandable. Happstablook and Nappstablook have gotten the chance to bond again. It would seem that they're going to stick together on this one."
"Happstablook...Nappstablook...we don't have to do this. We just want to make things go as smoothly as possible, here." Classic Frisk said slowly.
"We're past that, Mirror." Shift!Chara narrowed her eyes. "These two have already killed Papyrus and they don't want us Resetting the timeline in order to undo it."
"If I Reset, then most will keep the memories of what happened. That's the perk of having a Rainbow Soul. I don't know how it will affect this universe, but I have to at least try." Classic Asriel said carefully. "But...I don't think these two will allow us to do that so easily, if they're using the human souls to try and stop us."
"You aren't Resetting this timeline, darling. And none of you are leaving this hall alive."
"Isn't that a bit ridiculous...?" Shift!Asriel wondered.
"Ridiculous to you, maybe. But all six of you are too big a threat to be left alive. So do us both a big favor...and DIE." Flowey grinned sadistically. Thinking they would be too slow to react, multiple glowing vines shoot out from the ground, aiming to impale them all.
SLASH!
All of the vines were cut horizontally, and the pieces were left falling on the ground. Flowery gaped at the sudden reaction, and so did Classic Chara.
Shift!Chara's eyes were overshadowed by her hood. Behind her, six glowing red knives with a pattern slowly circled in an arc. What shocked Classic Chara was that each and every one of them was the same as the Real Knife that he used to use. He was only able to use one, he was never able to summon multiple Real Knives!
"...Rei. You okay?" She quietly asked Shift!Asriel. Just as surprised as the others, he quickly nodded. "Heh. Good. That's good."
"Oh my...you're a competent one, aren't you?" Happstablook asked condescendingly.
"...Hmph." Shift!Chara placed her hands on her hips. "I really hope you weren't expecting to kill us all with that. It was sneaky, but otherwise far too easy to predict. You want to be known as the star of this timeline. Be quite the excellent performer while also trying to kill us, right? Well...lemme tell you something. If you're that determined to kill me, you'll have to also entertain me. Otherwise, there's really no point in gathering the souls, is there?"
"...Are you calling my opening act lackluster?!" Happstablook angrily clenched his fists.
"Yep. But luckily for you, my mother raised me to at least give people a chance."
A Real Knife slowly manifested in her hand, and she held it out towards the duo, her eyes glowing beneath her hood. She was still smiling, but she was pissed that these two have killed Papyrus, who was the skeleton behind the door. And now they just attempted to murder her little brother. No way was she letting them off so easily.
"So I'll give you another chance. Before you can even attempt to kill me...you'll have to kill my boredom. =)"
Classic Asriel: Shift!Mettaton absorbed the six souls, and split the power with Shift!Flowey! They're both incredibly dangerous!
Classic Chara: And the Shift version of me just showed how much she cared. Not. One. Bit. I'm...legitimately impressed.
Shift!Asriel: I don't think those two will be glad that they made her angry. She gets scary. It's something she picked up from Mom.
Classic Dreemurr Trio: We don't doubt that.
Me: Until the next chapter, which may or may not be the last chapter of the Storyshift Arc. There might be one more, but it's unlikely. Still gotta continue the journey to put Gaster back together, after all.
