Asriel: So...what's gonna be in this one?

Frisk: Not much. Though with Gaster back with a physical body, we might as well get a few answers from him.

Chara: They'd better be good answers ,and not a complete waste of time.

Muffet: Not every chapter is completely filler, dearie. Just look at this one~

Frisk: Fluff, AND plot. Who could resist?

Chara: I probably could.

Asriel: That depends on the plot...*blush* G-Golly...

Red and Muffet: Oh hush up!

Chapter Start!


"Alright, Frisk. Let's go over the Soul Modes again, just to make sure you're able to utilize them properly." Gaster instructed, his hands behind his back. "First, the Soul Of Integrity."

"Okay." Frisk nodded as he focused in his soul, willing it to change colors. Soon enough, his soul turned blue, and he began to gently float in midair. "The Soul Mode of Integrity, or Jump Mode. Associated with ballet, dancing, hopping, jumping, music, and integrity. Allows some degree of control over gravity, and even slight telekinesis. Papyrus and Sans have the skill to do this to others, though Sans is more skilled because his skill of telekinesis is superior. And obviously you are skilled with it as well."

"Good. Now, the Soul of Kindness."

Frisk's Soul slowly shifts to green, and a green shield manifested around his entire being. "The Soul Mode of Kindness, or Shield Mode. Associated with frying pans, shielding, healing, and kindness. It used to only be able to manifest a green spear, but has been enhanced to shield in many other ways. A dome is an example of my enhanced control of this mode. It's also the Soul Mode used for my healing magic, which has been my main focus. Undyne is known to use the aspects of the green soul mode from time to time."

"Excellent. Next, Perseverance."

Frisk's Soul shifted to Purple. Purple glasses manifested over his eyes and a notebook appeared in his hands. He adjusted said glasses while turning to Gaster. "Soul Mode of Perseverance, or Trap Mode. Associated with traps, problem-solving, analysis, intellect, and perseverance. This soul mode can help me think faster and work more efficiently to come up with a solution to certain problems. Muffet uses this in order to trap others, and it was enhanced so that she could cut off someone's magic should she will the webs to do so. Karmic Retribution is also related to this soul mode as it leaves long lasting damage that traps someone into focusing on healing, leaving them open to attack."

"The Soul of Justice."

His Soul now shifting to a bright yellow and shifting upside down, Frisk manifested a Toy Gun in it's holster, and a cowboy hat on his head. "The Soul Mode of Justice, or Shooter Mode. Associates with guns, bullets, sharpshooting, accuracy, and justice. My accuracy is enhanced to a significant degree, to the point where I can shoot from a very long distance and not give away my position. Hence the sharpshooting aspect."

"Very good." Gaster nodded. "Now, as I'm sure you've known already, there isn't a soul mode for Bravery and Patience. They instead mostly serve to enhance your overall power and defense. But I'm sure the humans that allowed you these enhancements meant for future as Patience allowing you better blade skills, and Bravery allowing you better melee. Eventually you would acknowledge just how severe situations could become when they can't be settled peacefully. And I don't believe I need to explain the soul of Determination."

"I get it." The human nodded, his soul reverting back to red.

Gaster nods, as he begins turning to yet another subject worth mentioning. "I believe you also realized that the battle system has been abolished due to your actions."

"Battle system...? You mean...?"

"I understand your confusion. It's been such a long time since it's even been mentioned, or even interacted with." Gaster said as he began pacing. "Remember what Error Sans said? The codes of this world being immensely altered? Well, this was one of the things he meant. That was how our world used to work. ATK. DEF. HP. EXP. LV. You and Asriel have had enough of those stats. They limited your overall potential, you felt that you wouldn't get far if they remained as your obstacles. And the last two continued to corrupt your eldest brother with no room for pause. So through sheer Determination, without even realizing it, you've mostly gotten rid of them, or at least altered them to such a degree that they are no longer a serious hindrance. Destroying the True Reset made sure that system stayed gone." Gaster nodded. "You've made combat...pure again, in a sense. It's why training has become much more beneficial than it would have been before all of the changes."

Frisk tilted his head. "So in a more basic sense, like we've all said already...we're no longer playing by the old rules. And instead playing by our own that we created by defying the status quo?"

"...Sure. We can go with that." Gaster shrugged as he playfully rustles Frisk's hair. "Alright, Frisk. That should be enough for the time being. Your connection to those Soul Modes are in fact as strng as ever. It truly is a wonder to behold when it comes to tapping onto your unlocked potential. We've already seen what Asriel and Chara can do with theirs. Eventually we shall see how deep yours is."

"Hm. Thank you for helping me out with this, Gaster. It really means a lot."

"There's no need for that, child. Call it a generous gesture. And if you don't believe that, then you can call it repayment for risking yourself to save me, when it should have been impossible." He shook his head with an amused smirk. "What am I talking about? Science can't predict you Dreemurrs. And believe me, I tried. Your father is...quite something."

"I know~"

"Your brothers are even more so."

"Again, I've noticed."

"Your mother...is actually pretty civilized compared to the rest of you, but she still has her quirks...and her temper." Gaster sweated lightly. "It's quite legendary."

"Yeah...I...noticed that too."

"...Although her pie is still quite extraordinary."

"I know right?!"

Gaster looked down on him. "Though you're probably the strangest one of all. As peaceful and kind as you are, aside from those traits, you're not as predictable as everyone else."

Frisk tilted his head. "How do you figure?"

"Most of the time you view dangerous situations with a rather neutral expression and a calm demeanor. You tend to casually eat whatever we monsters eat without much hesitation, which probably applies to that Dreemurr appetite of yours. And let's not even get started on your flirting."

"Of course we like to eat. Eating is great. Chara is mostly into chocolate, while me and Asriel are mostly into cinnamon. Though we can eat a lot of other foods too." Frisk smiled. "Also...you're looking rather amazing today. There aren't a lot of scientists that can look good AND be highly competent."

"And there you go with that flirting...thank you by the way." Gaster chuckled. "Frisk...the scar on your chest when Error forced Shamir to attack you. It's a rather telling symbol of irony when it comes to you."

"Huh? How so?"

"When you used to pull up the 'Mercy' option to choose whether to Spare or Flee, there is an X symbol next to it. That same mark has been sliced into your chest, and now it solidified your Determination to fight to defend others." Frisk gently raised his hand up to his chest, feeling the mark for himself. It was rather telling. A very painful telling, but one that he'll definitely remember.

Waiting outside for him, Asriel, Chara, Muffet, and Red were standing a bit far from the door. Frisk leaned a bit closer so he could better hesr what was going on before moving on towards them. It seemed that Red was rather excited about something, something that was sitting in Muffet's hands.

"...What...is in...that bag...?" Red said blankly, staring at the bag in Muffet's hands. She was smelling something rather delicious from it, and had to force herself not to jump Muffet to tear the back away from her and see what it is. She did this, even while she tried in vain to ignore her loudly growling belly. Asriel could smell what it was as well, the familiar smell of cinnamon.

"Oh? You'd like to know what's in here, Red?" Muffet said with a sly smile.

"Yeah!"

"You really wanna see what's inside, hm?"

"Yeah yeah!"

"Are you surrrrre?" She was having too much fun with this, waving the bag in front of Red's nose, allowing her better chsnces to smell.

"Yes! I wanna see! I reeeeaaaally wanna see! Bark bark!" Red yipped, on her knees with her paws raised, early wagging her tail. She was aware that Muffet was taking enjoyment out of teasing her, but her belly was doing the thinking for her at the moment. She'd take it in stride so she could get her prize more quickly.

"Hmmm..." Muffet placed a hand on her cheek, pretending to ponder over her decision, teasing Red further. "Weeeellll...okay! I'll show you what I have here, dear Ribbon Buddy~" Muffet said as she reaches slowly takes the item out of the bag. "Tadaaaaaaaa~"

"What...what is it...and why does it smell so good?!"

"It's a pretzel, my dear. Not just any pretzel, though. A soft cinnamon-sugar pretzel!" Muffet beamed with a slight giggle. "I know how you and Asriel really like cinnamon. So I took an example from the humans with one of these special treats of theirs, and baked it myself! With magic~" She held it in front of Red, and waved it around, giggling when she sees the canine eagerly following the treat with her nose and eyes, her tail eagerly wagging and her belly continuing to growl. "Ooooh...ya want this, don't ya?~"

"Yeaaah..."

"Ya really want it?~"

"Yeah yeah!"

"Ya really really really really really really want it?~"

"Oh for the love of doggy treats! I'm a good girl, Muffet! Please! Stop being cruel and lemme have the pretzel!"

"Okay~" Muffet then hands her the preztel with no further problems.

Red holds the preztel in her paws, slowly sniffing it and looking at it curiously. She takes a daring bite out of it. She then mentally gasped. It was...soft. Soft and chewy. And the cinnamon and sugar were definitely there. With a hint of magic, signifying that Muffet really meant that part. She's able to bite into it rather easily, her canine teeth ripping certain parts away from it with ease. When she was officially done tasting, she didn't waste anymore time.

"Oh my flipping gosh! Monch! It's so soft! Monch! So chewy! Monch Monch! The sweetness of the cinnamon and sugar, the magic replenishing me!" Red said, nomming the great with a sense of euphoria, her eyes sparkling and her tail wagging faster. "Why were you holding out on me, Muffet?! This. Is. Delicious!"

"I knew you'd like it. You've got quite a lot of space in that canine tummy of yours. So I figured, why not give her ways to fill it?" Muffet smiles, her lower hands on her hips. "I have no problem baking products that aren't spider-based. I got into the practice after having baked for Chara-Dearie and his brothers for so long. They've got quite the sweet-tooths~"

"Hey. I like my chocolate, what can I say?" Chara shrugged, casually biting into a fully chocolate donut. Asriel tilted his head at him. Before he could even ask, Chara slapped his paw away. "No. My chocolate. Mine."

"You're such a food hog." Asriel pouted.

"I'm the food hog?! I don't think you've seen yourself eat, Asriel! Frisk and I can admittedly eat a lot in one setting by ourselves. But when the opportunity presents itself, you put away twice more than both of us together! Sometimes even more than that!"

Asriel threw his paws up. "I can get pretty hungry, okay?!"

"That doesn't explain anything! That small fuzzy belly of yours can hold MUCH more food than it should be able to!" Chara then swipes his hand towards Red, still nomming her pretzel. "And of course, your girlfriend is someone who just as big an appetite as you do! She literally wolfs down whatever food we give her!"

"That pun was terrible!"

"That's the idea!"

Asriel huffed as he folded his arms and turned his back on Chara, puffing his cheeks. "Well, whatever! I like to eat, Red likes to eat, we all really like eating! So there's no use in complaining about filling our bellies, Chara!"

"Alright, alright. You're right, little brother. I'll lay off." Chara waved his arm as he turned around himself.

"Thank you. Now, Muffet. Do you have liiiiike ten more of those cinnamon preztels? I would totally give them a couple noms!~" Asriel said, an eager glint in his eyes.

Chara huffed. "You're only proving my point. Among the four of us, you and Red get the most wide-eyed and drool over food. You're just as bad as Dad, if not worse. Hmph." He tilted his head. "Though considering monster food and human food, don't really work the same way, and considering you're monsters...I guess we can chalk it up to the most basic of explanations."

"What explanation is that?"

"...Maaaaaagiiiiic!~"

"Of course you would use that...you've been spending time with Sans, haven't you?"

"*Burp!~*" Red completely wolfs down the cinnamon pretzel, and burps shortly afterwards, licking the cinnamon off of her lips. Muffet snickered at the sight.

"Ahuhuhu!~ My my, dear Red! That wasn't very ladylike at all!"

"Since when did I care about something like that?" Red rebuffed, placing her laws on her hips.

Muffet blinks as she tilted her head with a wide smile. "Hmmm...good point~"

"Ah, youth. So...unbelievably strange." Gaster said with an awkward chuckle. Frisk shrugs as he makes his way towards the group in stride. Once they noticed him, they gathered around him for a bit.

"You done with Gaster yet? Did he give you a decent evaluation of your Soul Mode manipulation?" Chara asked curiously.

"Yes, I did. Gaster was pretty helpful in helping me regain a deeper understanding of the Soul Modes, and the other soul powers in general. I believe I might be able to accomplish much more at this rate, if I just keep it up!" Frisk nodded strongly.

"Great. The more you grow, the more peace at mind we'll be. Soon you'll become quite a competent fighter yourself...ya know, when ya want to be...and when you need to be...you know what I mean!" Chara eventually concedes, not finding an accurate enough description to properly match Frisk's growth. Chara rolled his eyes. "So, Gaster. Are we done here?"

"Almost." Gaster turned towards Red with a calculating stare. "Red. I need you to do something for me. There's something I need to be certain of."

"Certain of what...?"

Gaster nodded, placing a floating hand on her shoulder. "I need you to summon the Royal Guardians."

"Royal Guardians...oh!" Red gasped, remembering what he was speaking of. With a flash of pink in her eyes, she raised her left paw, magic swirling around it. Delta Rune symbols formed slowly, until they fully manifested into the Royal Guardians, levitating on both sides of her. She could barely remember the last time she used this, in the Flowerfell verse. She hasn't used it since.

"What the heck are those?!" Chara gaped in awe at the Guardians above her.

"I believe those are the Royal Guardians. And as the names imply, they are specifically exist for that purpose. To guard and protect the Royal Family. They house untold amounts of power, and they're an excellent representation of the users willpower. As powerful as they are, very few were able to actually use them, and they were all from the distant past. It turns out Red is one of those few. How she came to obtain them, I do not know myself. But it is clear that she is far more powerful than she believes herself to be. The same goes for Frisk, and Asriel. In fact, it's especially clear for Asriel."

"It is?"

"Of course. You have the soul of Geno Frisk, and the other six souls graciously a significant portion of their power to you before leaving for the afterlife. Like Red, you're significantly more powerful than you believe yourself to be, Asriel. However, you don't have an innate desire to hurt others, which is why you both consciously and subconsciously hold back the deeper aspects of your power. I honestly do not see a foreseeable limit to your potential."

"Hmph. What can I say? Asriel is quite an awesome customer." Chara grinned, wrapping his arm around his shoulder.

Gaster tilted his head. "Chara. You realize that me and Alphys can quite easily construct you a prosthetic arm, right?"

"Yeah...thanks. But I'm good." His limbless arm leaked darkness as it once again formed a shadow arm, waving it around playfully. "This is much cooler to have than some cruddy prosthetic." It vanishes away the next moment, as he sighed deeply. "Besides...it isn't like I slowed down at all when it comes to fighting. I took on Dust!Sans with one arm. I would have completely defeated him on my own, even without Shamir's help. The dude has much more raw power than our Sans, but at the heavy cost of his skills and technique."

"...Woooaaah. That's right!" Asriel beamed with awe. "Chara...you're so cool!"

"Ooohhh yes he is~" Muffet wraps her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek, then smooshing her own against it. Chara's blush brightened as he turned away, rubbing his neck. "It's like you said, you're the cool one~"

"Yeah!" Asriel beamed. "Awesome Asriel! Fantastic Frisk! And Cool Chara!"

"I'll also accept Charismatic Chara."

"As if!"

"I'll definitely emphasize the Charismatic, Chara-Dearie~"

"Like I said. Youth is a strange time. Yet it is also quite amusing." Gaster chuckled. "As I was saying, Red. The Royal Guardians, they're meant to help the user protect the Royal Family." Ge takes a closer look at the both of them, then down to Red again. "Oh! And it looks like they've become even stronger, to coincide with your improved control over them. This is definitely a rather fascinating development."

"Wait...they got stronger? And more easy to control? How?" Red asked.

"Well, I'm just going to take an educated guess and say that it has something to do with...oh...I don't know. It probably has something to do with your...'improved' relationship with Prince Asriel Dreemurr." Red and Asriel's faces flashed bright pink at the mention. Gaster chuckled at their embarrassed faces. "Oh yes, Red. It truly does, as amusing as it is. But it's also very touching. Asriel risked everything for your sake in his duel with Error Sans. He basically both told you and demonstrated firsthand how he felt about you, how much he truly cared. He defended you without hesitation, and was Determined to succeed. This Determination to save you, and his feelings for you in general, has truly touched the deepest parts of your soul. As a result, your devotion and loyalty to him is stronger than ever, thus it gives you much more control over the Royal Guardians and their innate powers, because you wish to do what you can to protect Asriel, just like he protected you. To put it simply, you have more control because of how much you genuinely want to protect him, instead of feeling like you have to."

Chara snickered as he turned towards the blushing duo with a amused smirk. "Hear that, Azzy? Red is really into you. Looks like that canine devotion is really kicking in."

"G-G-Golly..."

"Hrmm..."

Asriel and Red both covered their faces as best as they could. Asriel clumsily grabbed his floppy ears and covered his eyes with them with an embarrassed groan. Red grabbed her cowl and pulled it over her face, letting out a very shy whine, her tail hanging limp behind her. It was unbelievable. The more devoted she is to Asriel, and his family by extension, the stronger the Royal Guardians become and the more control she has over them. It truly was baffling, and slightly difficult for her to process. And yet despite this, it felt accurate to her. Just right.

Muffet clasped all six of her hands. "She's becoming much stronger in order to have the power to protect her precious Prince! This is absolutely adorable!"

"Totally adorable!" Frisk said, hands also clasped.

Gaster once again chuckles while slowly shaking his head. "Well...I guess I'll leave you youths to your shenanigans. Do try not to cause a ruckus like Undyne tends to do. That'll definitely result in less than cordial events. I'll see you later." He waved to them as he suddenly teleports out of the area.

Red and Asriel eventually get over their initial madly blushing faces, shaking their heads to somewhat clear them. They then turned towards each other...and instantly began blushing again. Welp, that rendered that maneuver pointless. Asriel softly rubbed his neck while laughing nervously. Red also looked towards her while her paws gently smoothed out her skirt, and her tail shyly wagging. They were somewhat able to properly gaze at each others eyes despite their blushing fluffy faces.

"Golly...so...your Royal Guardians got stronger...because you want to be able to protect me better. They're...they're somewhat connected to your emotions..." Asriel began.

"O-Oh. Yeah. I guess they were." Red sheepishly twiddled her paws while looking at him. "When I first began using them in the Flowerfell verse, I couldn't get them to work. It was only when I began thinking about you, and how much I wanted to help you, that they actually responded to me. It was...really weird at the time. I mean sure, it was because I said that Royal Guardians should be helping out the Royals...but they're mostly an extension of my willpower...my willpower to keep the promise I made to you, when I promised you that I would be fine."

Asriel smiled. "So...you got motivated to keep yourself safe...so I wouldn't worry..."

"Yep...that's pretty much how it went down..."

"Golly..."

"Yeah... "

Chara looked amused at how awkward the two of them were acting towards one another. So as the eldest brother, he decides to make the situation much more amusing. He placed an arm behind his neck and grinned. "Hey Azzy...kiss her."

"W-What?!"

"What the golly, Chara?!"

"The first couple of times, and I'm pretty sure from then on up to know, she was the one giving the kisses with you on the receiving end. Time for you to flip the script for a change and return the favor for once. You are a Prince, after all."

"What does that have to do with anything?!"

"…Not much. I just really wanna see it." Chara shrugged.

Red couldn't live up to her name more than she did now, her entire fluffy face turning a shade of crimson. It was true. She's been the one giving the kisses to Asriel...but he hasn't kissed her ONCE. And now Chara was asking him to do it now? How was he supposed to do that?!

Asriel turned towards Frisk. "Frisk? Muffet? Say something about this! Anything!"

"Kiiiiisssss!~" Frisk and Muffet cheerfully chirped, hands on their cheeks. Asriel's expression turned deadpan in response. They were all rooting for it. This was not a good time at all. They were both traitors.

"Asriel." Red said with a tone of finality, blushing furiously. "They're gonna bug us about this all day, and neither of us have time for that. So...let's just give them what they want, okay?"

She's actually okay with this?! "Red, we don't have to-"

"Asriel! Look at me!" She grabbed him by the shoulders and made him face her. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner they'll shut up about it. It's not that hard. I'll just...stay still. And you just...you know..." Red growled slightly, shaking her head a bit, before pulling her cowl off of her head and tightly closed her eyes, puffing her cheeks. "W-Whatever! Just...just do it, Asriel!"

Asriel gulped under the ferocity of her tone. He lowered his rainbow scarf a bit as he wrapped his arms around Red. Both of them were a blushing mess, realizing how awkward this was for the both of them. Red must be quite embarrassed to be on the receiving end of this. Though she was asking for it. Frisk, Chara, and Muffet were asking for it. He supposed he would just have to give into their request and just get it out of the way, like Red said. He looked at how her canine ears wiggled a couple times under her rose colored hair.

Asriel took a deep breath. Okay...I can do this...I can do this...golly what if I can't do this?! I don't know if I can! I guess I really am a fluffy pushover, if I'm more comfortable with HER kissing ME than the other way around... He thought about it for a few more moments, then shook his head. ...Golly gosh darn it, Asriel! You're only gonna make it more awkward by prolonging it! Like she said, just get it out of the way!

Red groaned. "Come on, Asriel! All you have to do is-mmph?!"

She was greatly caught off-guard when Asriel just accepted things as they are and captured her lips in a kiss. Her eyes were wide, her tail became stiff, and she shivered slightly at how new this was to her. It really was a lot different from when she kissed him first. He was unprepared for it, and left in a daze in the aftermath. Though with him kissing her...it was different. Definitely not a bad kind of different...it's one she can definitely appreciate. She holds onto his shoulders a bit tighter and her eyes returned closed with her ears softly flattening against her head, gently melting into the kiss as her tail wags with delight. Asriel seems to relax a little and enjoy the kiss as well. Red smells a lot like dandelions, he noticed once again. He's really beginning to enjoy the scent of dandelions.

With this, they pulled away from one another, still blushing brightly as they once again looked into each others eyes. Asriel broke their silence first. "Golly..."

"...That was nice. That was really, really nice." Red smiled. "Something about being on the receiving end of a Prince's kiss...just feels really amazing. Of course I prefer to be the one giving them. But...I'm not really against this, either."

Asriel smiled. "Y-Yeah...it is pretty nice..."

Frisk and Muffet were still beaming over the kiss the fluffy pair shared, still having their palms on their cheeks. Chara grinned mischievously. "There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Frisk smiled at them. "You two are so fluffy and cute!"

"It's lovely!~"

Red's eyes widened as the gravity of the event catches up to her. She blushed brightly as she tightly closed her eyes. "Grrrrr! S-Shut Up! I'm not cute!" She barked as she suddenly grabbed Asriel more tightly.

"Red, what are you-YAAAH!"

SLAM!

Red, entirely on impulse, grabbed Asriel and threw him over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground. She breathed heavily for a couple moments, then gasped and placed her paws over her muzzle as she realized what she's done. "Oh my god! Asriel, I'm sorry! Are you okay!?"

"...I think so...hey...Chara...is it possible to taste your dreams while you're wide awake...? They taste like pie..."

"Wow. You really knocked him for a loop." Chara clicked his tongue as he placed his hand on his hip. "...I'm sure he'll be fine. Azzy is tough."

Muffet clapped delightfully. "Ahuhuhu!~ Nice throw, Red! You almost dented the ground!"

"I'm pretty sure that isn't something to be supportive of, but okay." Frisk said with a rather worried tone of voice. While Asriel really wasn't hurt that much, he was still knocked for a loop. It took him a moment to notice, but Red is exceptionally strong. Both in magic, swordsmanship, and her physical strength. The last, while not on ridiculous levels, is quite impressive. All in all, she's becoming pretty powerful. Powerful, and as big an eater as Asriel. Maybe the latter is the reason why she was developing more...in some places. Asriel didn't notice too much, but Frisk certainly did. And the thought made him blush. Chara already noticed that the same goes for Muffet, who was admittedly quite an eater herself, and it made him blush heavily as well. He blamed Shift!Chara for those thoughts coming up more often since their talk about her. Red and Muffet were becoming quite impressive...but it was clear that Toriel and Undyne were at the top, and for good reason.

Red gently helped Asriel up as he held his head in a daze. It was strange. He gives her a kiss that they both enjoyed, and then he gets slammed into the ground a moment later. He's sure that his parents went through something similar. Asriel shook his head a little when he recovered enough to process Red kissing his cheek. She pulled back a bit, ears flat against her head, softly whining with remorse.

"Sorry about that, Asriel. I acted mostly on impulse there." Of course he knows when she decides to playfully harm him and he just calmly takes it with a smile. This really was an accident.

Asriel sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Hehehe! It's okay, Red. I'm alright." Red smiled softly at his reassurance, and proceeded to hug his arm. It was true. Something about strong women simply drew male Dreemurrs to them. And in return, something about the male Dreemurrs being big fluffy pushovers brought said females to them.

It helps that those fluffy pushovers are some of the biggest sweethearts around.

(Waterfall)

Gaster warped onto the specific path of Waterfall back in the Underground. He calmly moved forward as the glowing blue hue of the echo flowers lights the path for him. He hasn't been down here in a very long time, not without his physical body. Only shown up as a visible, yet simultaneously invisible ghost. Existing, yet not existing. That kind of life is hardly fun, watching las the world go on perfectly without you, as if you never even truly mattered, and everyone simply forgot about you...that was a terrible feeling. An utterly awful feeling that no one should be forcibly out through.

...and he forced that young soul to go through that hell. At the very least, she wasn't conscious throughout her absence. But that's entire centuries being trapped in the Artifact, and he had the Annoying Dog keep it from being touched, no matter the timeline. But now it was done. The Artifact was shattered, and Red was free. Though at what cost? She thought she was a member of the Royal Guard, she thought she had a happy family, training to be as strong as she could be to defend against humans, should they attack monsters.

All of those memories...deception of his own creation. All if it was complete falsehood. Nothing but utter lies. And he knows how she hated finding comfort in lies instead of the truth, especially when it comes to her life. Red doesn't know what her past was. Not even he knew what her past was. But one thing is for certain...her previous life wasn't entirely happy.

He stopped in front of the plaques in Waterfall and placed his hand in it, slowly sliding it to the side:

"A monster with a human SOUL...A horrible beast with unfathomable power. The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy."

Gaster closed his eye sockets. "Red...this timeline has dealt you a very grave burden...and I have no one to blame but myself. If only I had paid more attention to the changes...if only I had acted sooner...I could have..." He gently placed his hand over his face. "I completely disregarded how you felt about the situation...I just sealed you away because you were a threat to the timeline's stability. Asriel made sure that was no longer an issue. With this in mind, I hope that she can forgive me."

"...Ya ain't the only one who sinned, ya know." Gaster slowly turns around. Gerson was standing behind him, walking on a cane with a squinted eye. "Ya give yourself too much credit. Ya did the job of weakening her. I did the actual dirty work of sealin' her away." He closed his eye. "I can still feel my soul clench at the confused and mortified look on her face when I did so. Gaster...she looked like a helpless cub. She had no idea what was going on, and yet we did this to her anyway."

"True, it is very grave...but I wish to think that if I had intervened sooner, I could have prevented it."

"Nothin' we can do about it now, Former Royal Scientist. She may be back, but the damage is done. The past is behind us, but we still have to deal with it's ghosts. Poor child... I wonder if she has enough compassion to forgive two foolish elders? Wa Ha Ha..."

"Tra La La. Regret courses through both your souls. She will acknowledge this, and eventually she will forgive you. But that forgiveness is slow moving." River Person said, slowly walking up to them. Gerson nodded in agreement. Hell, he actually HOPED she'd be angry with them and not instantly forgive them out of the kindness of her heart. That's the Dreemurr's thing.

"Bark! Bark!"

The Annoying Dog slowly walked up to Gerson and nestled against his leg. The aged tortoise smiled as he gently pets the canines' head. "I know, ya mutt. Ya can finally stop absorbin' that petty Artifact. Ya kept sayin' it made ya feel sick afterwards." He looked back towards Gaster. "Red will surely be in for quite a shock and filled with disbelief when she discovers the truth in it's entirety, and not just the end result. Even we don't know what brought her to this point."

"That is for her to willingly tap into. Hopefully she will find the power, and the will. It will be a great mental obstacle for her to overcome." Gaster sighed. "I think I would like to leave. You can come with me, if you're done reminiscing."

"...Yeah. I'd like to get home soon. I have tea time with Asgore and Undyne." Gerson nodded as Gaster began leading the way. Gerson didn't move for a couple moments. He stared back at the plaques again, recognizing one on sight. He squinted his eyes as he remembered the words more than vividly. He was there when it happened, after all. Of course he was there to see it. Gaster didn't even look towards this plaque, because he wants to be wrong about this. But if he wasn't wrong...then everyone was going to be in for a struggle.

Considering who they were, he wouldn't be too surprised if they really were still alive after all this time. But despite this, he sincerely hoped he was wrong. Because it spells serious trouble for everyone. With this, Gerson turns around and begins moving again. He really did hope that this specific loose end would stay just that. A loose end. Unfortunately he knew that luck was rather fickle, so there was no use in trying to control it. The plaque he read was:

"Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell..."

Gerson sighed as he pinched his nose in aggravation. "I'm gettin' far too old for this nonsense..."


Gaster: I do believe we may be heading into the next arc now...and most certainly into one of the more serious aspects of this story.

Gerson: Wa ha ha...I never thought that I would have to look at those plaques again to reassure myself that it couldn't happen. It can indeed happen.

Gaster: People will probably be wondering how you remember me despite me having just been revived. Even to other monsters, memories of me are fuzzy at best.

Gerson: *Winks* Sans isn't the only one with secrets, youngin's.

Gaster: Indeed.

Gerson: Well youngin's, the next arc starts in the next chapter. Be prepared.

Gaster: Indeed. Probably not to your expectations, but things will most certainly get darker this time around. Darker...Yet Darker...