Chapter 16: Reunion
Frisk? Thought Mettaton-neo as he fell to his knees and watched the girl in front of him struggle to free her arm from someone he couldn't see. "F-Frisk, are you there? Please help me." Begged Mettaton as he reverted back to his Ex-form.
"Chara that's enough. Let him go. He's a robot. He has no soul to steal." Cried Frisk.
Chara growled and said, "Fine, but you need to realize that what we do in this timeline won't matter in the end." Chara the walked past Mettaton, towards the exit of the judgment hall.
"Where are you going?" Called Mettaton.
"What do you care?" Replied Chara, not even turning to look at him.
"Stop. I can't let you pass." Cried Mettaton.
Chara looked at him and asked, "Why would you be trying to stop me? Frisk begged me not to kill you, you have no soul for me to steal, and I don't need your execution points. You're a performer, not a fighter, why are you trying to stop me?"
"Because what would my fans think of me if I ran away?" Asked Mettaton "What would Dr. Alphys think if I wasn't strong enough to save her friends? How could I look in a mirror, if I knew the man looking back at me was just a coward who couldn't think of anything but saving himself?"
"Ha, simple question, boring answer. Don't follow me." Said Chara as she threw a knife at Mettaton's left knee, causing him to fall over. Mettaton could only watch helplessly as Chara walked out of the judgement hall, and towards Asgore's home.
"ALRIGHT, I'VE USED THE UNDERGROUNDS EMERGENCY BROADCAST NETWORK TO INFORM EVERYONE IN THE UNDERGROUND THAT A DEMON IS COMING. AND THAT THEY SHOULD LOCK THEMSELVES INDOORS TO AVOID IT." Said Papyrus to Sans.
"Great, if things haven't reset again, then Undyne and Mettaton must have lost. So, Chara should be on her way through Snowdin town soon." Replied Sans.
As Chara walked through the underground palace that was once her home, she hardly stopped to look around as she made her way to her old room, having only one thing in mind. "Right where it belongs." Said Chara as she put on her golden heart locket. As soon as she had it on, Chara felt the necklace pulse. "Hehehe, after all this time, I still feel it beating." Laughed Chara.
"Alright, that line was creepy, even for you." Said Frisk.
"Get over it." Replied Chara as she picked up a gilded knife and a side holster made for it. Chara then grabbed her green and yellow sweater as well as a pair of brown shorts and black leggings from her closet and put them in her items menu.
"Well, may I ask why you're taking so much stuff?" Asked Frisk.
"Because I know my body will be in good condition, I've made sure of that, but as for my clothes… I may need new ones, and I'm not going to use yours." Replied Chara as she started to yawn.
"Chara… how much did Papyrus get right about you?" Asked Frisk as she tried and failed to open the pause menu for Chara.
"Your power won't work in that form." Said Chara sleepily as she opened a door to the pause menu, allowing her and Frisk to enter.
"Chara you can't ignore the question. Do you remember what you said to me, when we found that faded ribbon in the ruins? You said, 'If you're cuter, monsters won't hit you as hard.' I didn't realize it at the time, but that was a weird thing to say, don't you think?" Asked Frisk.
"Frisk… you're the closest thing to a friend I have right now, please don't press this any further." Pleaded Chara as she laid down and fell asleep.
When Chara fell asleep, Frisk noticed the yellow and black reset and continue buttons nearby. If I use a true reset right now, Sans will remember what happened and could help me. Thought Frisk as she walked over to the reset button.
"Azzy." Whispered Chara in her sleep. Frisk lifted her hand but hesitated as she held it over the button.
"WHOEVER THEY ARE, THEY REALLY NEED THE HELP OF A FRIEND RIGHT NOW, AND IF I CAN'T BE THE ONE TO HELP, THEN I'M GLAD IT'S YOU WHO GETS TO HELP THEM. AFTER ALL YOU ARE ALMOST AS GREAT AS I AM!" Cheered Papyrus. "SHE HAS CLEARLY SUFFERED A GREAT LOSS, AND SHE NEEDS SOMEONE TO HELP HER DEAL WITH IT."
As Frisk remembered Papyrus's words, she pulled her hand back to her side. Heh, Chara still talks in her sleep. I can finally give her the ending I promised, so maybe, just this once, I can afford not to care. Thought Frisk as she walked away from the reset button.
Sans and Papyrus stood guard on the edge of Snowdin town, preparing for Chara's arrival. "ALRIGHT, LET'S GO OVER THIS PLAN ONE MORE TIME." Said Papyrus. "SINCE THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE BATTLED CHARA LIKE THIS, WHILE YOU KEEP HER ATTENTION, I'LL CHARGE UP MY SPECIAL MOVE AND HIT WHILE HER GUARD IS DOWN. SINCE YOU'LL REMEMBER, WHEN SHE RESETS YOU NEED TO GIVE ME A THUMBS UP SO I'LL KNOW TO MOVE ON TO PLAN B."
"Yep, that's pretty much it." Replied Sans.
After waking up from her nap, Chara continued through the underground, being constantly disappointed that there were no monsters to fight. "I couldn't get Undyne's heart because it was crushed by the column, I couldn't get Mettaton's because he's a robot, and now there are no monsters to fight!?" Complained Chara. "Grr, I didn't even get any execution points from killing Undyne, maybe because it was her who caused the column to fall?" Chara continued like this until she finally arrived at the outer border of Snowdin town.
"Greeting's comedian." Greeted Chara as she came face to face with Sans once again.
"Heya kiddo, I see you've made yourself at home in Frisk's body." Observed Sans, referring to Chara's necklace and knife.
"Frisk? Oh! That's right, too bad she isn't going to be helping you anymore." Said Chara, pretending she had forgotten about Frisk for a moment.
Sans tried to ignore Chara's comment and said, "I take it Mettaton and Undyne won't be joining us?"
"I have my doubts." Replied Chara. "Do you know what I hate the most about you comedian?"
Sans glanced over and saw that Papyrus's large Gaster blaster was still charging. "Beats me, I'm snow much fun to be around." Joked Sans.
"I hate that you think you're so unpredictable, but really you're just a sad skeleton with an empty bag of tricks. Me on the other hand, I have a few surprises left." Said Chara as she lifted her gilded knife. Sans felt the wind seem to change, and when Chara brought her knife down, he was barely able to sidestep a blade of air that few past him.
"I've heard of a cutting remark, but that was ridiculous." Joked Sans nervously. "Listen kid, why don't you chill out and we go ava-lunch."
"Two puns in one sentence, this is a trap." Said Chara. Papyrus finally managed to fire his large Gaster blaster, which sent a large beam of energy at Chara. However, Chara jumped back, avoiding the blast which then hit the nearby river and created a blinding fog of steam.
Where'd she go? Where'd she go!? Thought Sans frantically as he held his arm above his eyes to try and see through the steam. Sans felt a hand on his shoulder and was quickly spun around to see Chara was about to bring her knife down on him.
"SNOW WRESTLING!" Cried Papyrus as he tackled Chara into the snow and tried to pin her. Undyne was right, snow wrestling really is useful in a fight. Thought Papyrus, but Chara managed to gain the upper hand and made it to her feet. Papyrus then lifted Chara up from behind and shrieked "FLATTERY SUPLEX!" As he flipped backwards, driving Chara headfirst onto the ground.
Chara staggered to her feet and quickly backed away from the two skeletons. "Plan B." Said Sans. Papyrus then encircled Chara with blue bones while Sans began charging a pink bone.
"Enough games." Yelled Chara as she smashed the blue bones with her knife and ran at the skeleton brothers. Papyrus's right eye burned red with magic as he used his telekinesis to try and drive Chara back, but she pushed through and knocked the pink bone from Sans's hand.
"Plan C." Said Sans.
"THERE WAS NO PLAN C." Replied Papyrus.
"All plans have the same plan C. Run!" Called Sans.
Chara chased the two skeletons into Snowdin town, where they shut themselves in their house. "Cowards." Called Chara as she grabbed the doorknob to the house. As soon as Chara's hand contacted the doorknob, the wooden crucifix, which Undyne had nailed to the door earlier, burst into flames. Chara felt a burning pain in her hand and quickly released the doorknob.
"Daddy can I come with you?" Asked Chara as her father was walking out the door.
"Demons have no place in churches." Spat Chara's father, Gideon, as he set off for church.
"Please… someone? Anyone… help." Cried Chara weakly as she walked through a storm, beaten and bloody. Chara fell to her knees outside a large church; she knew it was empty, but it was better than staying out in the storm. So, Chara crawled towards the building, and when she reached it, she placed her hand on the door.
There was a loud crash of thunder, and Chara woke up on her back outside the church. Chara stared in horror as she saw the church was engulfed in fire; she didn't know what to do, so Chara took off running towards Mt. Ebott. In hopes that someone there would be able to help her.
Chara hissed as she held her burned hand in a pile of snow to cool it off. I thought it was lightning that set the church on fire… was it really me? Wondered Chara.
"Good thing Undyne nailed that crucifix to the door." Said Sans.
"YES BUT LOOK AT IT NOW. I DON'T THINK IT CAN SURVIVE ANOTHER HIT." Said Papyrus as he pointed to the now severely burned crucifix hanging on the door.
"I know, that's why I brought this in from my… I mean Alphys's, lab." Said Sans as he pulled a tarp off a large machine.
"WHAT IS THAT?" Asked Papyrus.
"Well, it was a phase distorter, but now… well, I don't know what it is, but it just might be able to stop Chara from resetting. Or maybe it will scatter her atoms across all space and time. Who knows?" Explained Sans.
The two skeletons waited for Chara to try and open the door again, but they soon realized she wasn't coming. "SHE'S HEADED FOR THE RUINS." Cried Papyrus as he saw Chara running towards the ruins through a window. "WE HAVE TO STOP HER… AND LEAVE THAT 'PHASE DISTOTER' THING HERE." Said Papyrus as he tried to use a shortcut to get to the ruins, but instead he found himself just standing outside of his house with his shoulder on fire. Papyrus quickly put out the fire and Sans stepped out to see him.
"Heya, weren't you going to the ruins?" Joked Sans.
"I'M NOT GOOD AT USING YOUR SHORTCUTS YET. LET'S JUST RUN." Suggested Papyrus urgently.
"Those lousy skeletons were just wasting my time." Said Chara before she created a save point by the entrance to the ruins, placed her hand on it, and said "Determination." As all her injuries healed.
Chara walked quickly through Toriel's former home and easily made her way through the ruin's traps and puzzles, but all the creatures of the ruins fled as she approached, not letting her fight them. Until Chara arrived at the flower patch where she had been buried long before. "Howdy Chara. Howdy Frisk. Good to see you both." Greeted Young Asriel Dreemurr.
"Ah, the imitation. I assume you know why I'm here." Said Chara.
"Yes, but let's not get right to that. Look, I already dug up your coffin for you, so why don't you just grab your body, and we can talk about this." Suggested Asriel as he gestured to Chara's coffin, which sat on the ground nearby.
Chara stepped forward, when suddenly… "Chara!" Called Toriel as her, Asgore, and Alphys dropped in from the hole above.
"Chara!" Called Papyrus and Sans as they ran up from behind her.
"Asriel!" Cried Toriel and Asgore when they saw their son near Chara.
"Tori?" Called Sans when he saw the others had arrived.
"Sans!" Called Toriel, relieved to see Sans was ok.
"Frisk!" Called Frisk jokingly.
Uh oh. Thought Asriel. "Howdy mom and dad, just give me a minute and I'll explain." Said Asriel, before he turned to face Chara again. "Listen Chara, I know you're mad. I know I messed up our plan, but please let me make it up to you." Pleaded Asriel
"Hehehe, I'm not mad." Chuckled Chara. "As a matter of fact, I'm doing this to be with you. The real you." Finished Chara, before she drove her knife into Asriel's stomach.
Asriel wrapped his arms around Chara as tears ran down his cheeks. "ASRIEL!" Cried Toriel.
"H-how?" Whimpered Asgore.
"Fun fact, spirits can be destroyed by several things. For instance, an item with a powerful emotional connection to its wielder, like this knife you gave me all those years ago. I've cherished it, and now it has the power to destroy you." Explained Chara. "The real Asriel won't come out unless both of his spirits are destroyed, so tell me imitation, where is the other? And what form is it in?"
"I only know that it's on the surface, in the form of Flowey the flower." Responded Asriel weakly.
Chara chuckled and kissed Asriel's snout as she lowered him onto the ground, before twisting her knife and pulling it out of him. "Determination." Said Chara. Asgore let out a cry of anger and charged at Chara, preparing to stab her with his trident. Chara avoided the strike and cut off the top of Asgore's trident. Asgore then tried to hit Chara with a fire ball, but Chara cut the palm of his hand before he could. Chara was about to drive her knife into Asgore's chest, when a little white dog leapt up and bit her wrist, surprising her and making her stop her attack. Asgore quickly moved away while Chara tried to shake off the dog, and when she succeeded, she threw it into the rock wall of the cave, knocking it out. "I've had enough of this nonsense." Yelled Chara before she began making her creepy face and charged at Alphys, only to have the skeleton brothers short cut in front of her. Papyrus threw up a wall of blue bones to stop her approach, while Sans fired a Gaster blaster from above. Instead of stopping or dodging, Chara took the hit from the Gaster blaster and smashed through Papyrus's wall of bones. Sans and the others felt the wind change as Chara prepared to use her special attack, but then a blast of fire from Toriel stopped Chara from moving forward.
"Chara… if that really is you in there, please let Frisk go. It wasn't fair that you died so young, but it was an accident, there wasn't anything we could do, don't make her suffer for it." Pleaded Toriel.
"Accident? No, it was no accident, Toriel. Have you believed it was this whole time?" Asked Chara as she walked towards Toriel.
"What do you mean? I know when you first arrived in the underground you were depressed, it's why I hide my kitchen knives after all, but Asriel always cheered you up. Why would you have gone through with it?" Asked Toriel as she watched Chara holster her knife and continue walking towards her.
"Chara!" Yelled Mettaton as he limped into the room.
"Seriously? What do you think you're going to be able to do in that state?" Asked Chara as she turned her head towards the musical robot approaching from her left.
"Me? Not a thing." Replied Mettaton with a smirk. Chara immediately turned and caught a yellow spear that had been coming at her from her right side.
"GGGRRRAAAHHHH!" Screamed Mettaton as he entered his neo form and threw a full force punch at Chara's head. Chara barely managed to grab Mettaton's fist in time, and it took nearly all her strength to hold him back. Chara then swung the spear she had caught and used it to cut off Mettaton's remaining arm. Chara threw Mettaton to the ground and placed a foot on his head before another one of Undyne's spears was thrown at her.
Chara deflected the spear with her knife. "You should've let it kill you. It would have made this much less painful for you." Said Undyne as she emerged from the ruins in her undying form.
"Ah, the true heroine herself, eating your soul will give me plenty of power." Said Chara.
"Undyne. Get Alphys and the others out of here!" Cried Mettaton.
"Shut it, toaster." Said Chara as she applied more pressure to Mettaton's head.
"Undyne? I thought you and Mettaton were dead." Remarked Sans.
"SORRY ABOUT DITCHING YOU." Apologized Papyrus.
"Water under the bridge Papyrus. Alright kid, no, whatever you are! It's time you learn the true meaning of death." Said Undyne as she charged at Chara. Chara met Undyne halfway and they both began rapidly exchanging blows. Chara took a step backwards when Undyne landed a strong punch to her chest, but Undyne was forced to take a step back when Chara landed an uppercut on her.
I don't have enough power for this yet, but Undyne's undying form isn't as powerful as it was last time either. Thought Chara as her and Undyne continued their fight. Chara quickly jumped away from Undyne when a blue bone was thrown at her. Chara then saw her golden heart locket turn blue as she was thrown onto the ground by Sans's telekinesis. Undyne quickly threw a spear, but Chara rolled to her side to avoid it.
Now I've got her. Thought Alphys as she pulled a small ray-gun out of her lab coat and fired it at Chara's back. However, Chara easily side-stepped the blast and drove her knife into Alphys's chest.
"DOCTOR!" Cried Mettaton as he ran towards Alphys. Chara formed and threw a red knife at Mettaton's head, stopping him dead in his tracks. The last thing Mettaton saw, was Chara reaching into Alphys's chest and pulling out her heart, then devouring it without hesitation.
Toriel barely fought back throwing up as she stared in horror at the scene before her. Chara chuckled before she turned back to face the group and the two monsters she had killed turned to dust. "Hehehe, Alphys's soul may have been weak, but it feels great to be filled with the power of another again." Laughed Chara as blood trickled down her lips. Sans summoned a pink bone while his left eye burned brighter than ever before. "Something wrong, comedian? You know, the only mistake you all made was using surprise tactics. Those only work if I haven't seen them before." Explained Chara. Sans gasped as he realized the meaning of her statement.