Early 197X...
"Semi. It's just not possible!" W.D slammed his hands on the console.
"It IS possible, and you know it!" I shouted back at him.
He clenched his fists and bent over the console. He was stalling, I knew he was. He didn't want me near those controls. He didn't want me to use the Rift because of the risks it presented when being used for time travel. I don't know why. It couldn't even do it at the moment without the magical energy convertor installed into it; which he has told me he destroyed! What was his point in fighting me off anymore? Why wouldn't he just give up?
"Just step aside W.D!" I summoned a bone sword in my hand.
"Semi..." he growled in anger. "I'm not having this argument with you again!" he turned to me.
"Neither am I!" I shouted, summoning magical attacks around me at the ready.
"You. Idiot." he angrily swung his tail behind him. "How many times will it come to this brother? How many times must I strike you down-" he summoned his magic around him in attack. "with my own hand?!" he yelled out.
"As many times as it takes until I can save them." I readied myself for attack.
His eyes narrowed at me.
"If you keep this up much longer Semi, you will lose everyone else." he calmly said. "Think of Arial!" he kept me from speaking. "Do you plan to keep tearing her life apart with these pointless resets?" he asked me. "You have already driven everyone else away, or killed them!" he shouted.
"I DIDN'T KILL THEM!" I yelled back in anger.
"You might as well have brother! All the resets you have caused —that we both have— has erased too many lives from the timeline! From reality itself!" he told me emphatically. "Will you keep this up until you lose what is left of your family as well?" he threatened me.
What family? I've already lost Calibri because of you!
"You're the one keeping this war going!" I corrected him.
"In your eyes perhaps." he stood ready to launch his magic.
"Enough of this." I gripped my sword tighter. "None of that will happen if I end this here! And even if it does happen, I can still reset—"
"Thing like that cannot be reset Semi! You know this as well as I do!" he interrupted me, his voice cracking. "Now, please, stand down." I noticed him shiver in fear. "You know why you are this way, why we both have killed each other over this." I sensed his defenses drop.
KILL HIM AND TAKE THE RIFT! HE CANNOT OVERPOWER YOU!
I got ready to charge at him with my magic. But... he wasn't even...
His magic disappeared, and his eyes told me he didn't want to fight. But he had pulled this trick before! So had I. I wasn't sure what to make of it this time though, something was… different…
I just... I just wanted them back… I didn't want to have to lose anyone else...
I had to look away from him. I couldn't stand seeing his expression.
"Semi..." his voice softly called, him suddenly kneeling down to me with his hand on my shoulder. "You have to let them go. Going back in time— it's just too dangerous I have come to realize. And with the Dark Soul Monster..," he took a slow breath. "Just giving the Rift the capability to time travel, to utilize Time Magic... It was a mistake." he glanced over at the Rift in the center of the room. "But I have not given up hope on finding a way to make it work without the risks." he looked back at me. "Even thoug.h.." he hung his head low.
"Even though that monster will always exist in the past." I finished.
W.D began to cry, holding my shoulders with both his hands. He grabbed me in a hug, and I felt him trembling. This has never happened all the other times we were here.
"There may well be no bringing them back..." he told me.
I recalled all my magic. And hugged him back.
"We're so close though...!" I began to cry myself.
"We have to accept our losses... and move forward to make the future better than the past." he managed to say through his tears.
That couldn't be true... It shouldn't have to be true...!
W.D held me tighter.
"Once we are past the Barrier, we can leave this all behind." he told me, his voice straining to come out clearly.
I wanted to believe that...
He let me go, and I stepped back from him. When I looked up, I saw him smiling. It was a genuine smile. He gently pat my head, as he often did before. I reached out and pat his knee, as I had often done before. Somehow, in this timeline, we didn't kill each other at the Rift. And I was glad for it... I really was tired of fighting... but still... I wanted to change things... I wanted to...
"Instead of changing history, let's try making history." he suggested.
"That... probably a good idea." I sighed. "Let's start, by promising..." I hesitated. I was conflicted on whether or not I really wanted this. Of course you do. "Promising neither of us will reset again. For any reason." I held my hand out to him, forcing myself to make this deal with him.
"Seeing as our WP is now evenly matched, I do not believe that is even possible for us." he stated.
"Promise that won't change?" I asked of him.
He took hold of my hand, and we shook on it.
"Promise." he said in an honest tone.
As soon as we let go, I began to shiver in fear. What have I done? I can't go back on that. I've trapped myself in a corner. In THIS timeline. Where Calibri was... would she ever...?
Electricity suddenly shot through the circuits in the room, igniting the Rift. The lights within the power generating cylinder below signaled its intake of power from the CORE, and I could hear the rest of the electricity above us being converted into magical electricity. W.D and I turned to the console, and we found Mystrium there, having activated the entire array to jump-start the Rift.
"How did he—!?" I winced.
"We're not the only ones who play each reset differently..." W.D growled, whipping his tail behind him.
I wasted no time charging forward at Mystrium. He stood unafraid of me as I rushed at him, he looked no better than the last time I had to face him. His eyes were pitch black, his clothes damaged, and the old scar he had on his left eye bleeding black magic. Before I reached him, he summoned his magic in attack. His now black colored magic broke into shards and pelted me, knocking me backwards onto the floor. W.D was quick to summon a Gaster Blaster to block his next attack while I recovered. He didn't fire it in a counter for whatever reason.
"You two fools are doing exactly as he predicted you would." Mystrium smiled at us, stepping away from the console as its screens flickered with data. "Now, I present you with a life deciding choice to make." he stopped mere feet from W.D's blaster. "Not that I expect you to make the right one and join the true king of all monsters." he stated, eyeing us with distrust.
"You mean that blob of magic you serve now? Never." I summoned my sword back and stood beside W.D.
Mystrium smiled and muffled a laugh.
"He will regain his true form in time." he summoned hollow diamonds as weapons in his hands.
The Rift began to build up static, getting ready to splice electricity and magic to create an artificial magic spell that could tear through space.
"That—! How did it charge so quickly?" W.D gasped at the sight.
The energies were cast, and they collided between the generator pit below and the conductors above. As soon as they connected, reality was torn apart, creating a way between worlds. The rift soon stabilized, and out of it came a bright light.
"T-The Void..." W.D stuttered in fear.
"The soul of Callousness shall be imprisoned no longer." Mystrium walked towards us.
Dread.
Dread flooded the room as it seemed to grow dark around us.
In the Rift appeared the shadow of a tall figure.
"A human...?!" W.D gasped under his breath.
"The human half of Mastic Monstar's soul. Together, no soul will be safe from their grasp." Mystrium explained.
Mystrium tried to pin us down with his magic as he spoke, but he only got W.D, as I managed to dodge the sharp diamond coming down on me. W.D tore his coat getting loose, and quickly fired back at Mystrium with a barrage of bones.
I had to decide what we were going to do, and fast. We had little time before this human soul came out of the Rift.
Me and W.D regrouped and stood side by side. W.D was quick to whisper something down to me, and I accepted his plan without question, I didn't have time to.
We had to shut the Rift offnow!No matter what it took...!
Late 197X...
"Seriously Daddy?!" Arial shouted at me from the door step.
"Yes seriously! Now scoot your boot or you're gonna be late!" I shouted back at her.
She groaned and huffed down the steps, and right past me. I snatched her hand and started walking her down the street beside me.
"Dad!" she whined.
"I'm not letting you go alone Arial." I told her, keeping a look out around us for trouble.
"I don't ever go to school alone Dad! I meet up with the other kids at the corner!" she argued.
"That's not safe enough for me." I told her.
"You just don't want me hanging out with Tahoma! Why do you hate him so much?" she argued.
"That boy is not someone you should be hanging out with Arial. He's a clumsy, no good, Serif!" I told her sternly.
"OH MY GOD DAD! You need to chill!"
"And you need to quit being so defiant young lady!"
She tried to pull herself from my grip but I held on to her tight. I wasn't going to lose her, not to some random violent monster, not to the Dark Soul Monster, and not to that Tahoma boy! She was staying with me as much as possible.
When we reached the school I made sure she got in safe. And made sure Tahoma got a stern stare from me when he tried to walk over to Arial.
"I'll be back right at 3. I expect you out here—"
"I know I know! Right at 3!" she snapped back at me as she walked to class.
"Arial—!" I held back as some other kids walked past me.
"Oh hey! Groovy! It's Arial's Dad!" one of them said.
"Cool! He's, like, the Royal Guard CAPTAIN!" another stated.
"He's even got his armour on!" another got excited.
I better leave before I get mobbed by these kiddos for autographs...
"And we've got a team looking into the incident in Hotland right now." one of the guards read me last night's report.
"They got anything on it yet?" I asked.
"T-they have yet to discover anything significant." they told me.
"Well tell them they can't quit until they do. We can't let whoever committed that crime get away!" I told them, holding back my anger.
"Y-yes Sir!" they answered.
"Anything else to report?" I asked, trying to rub a headache away.
"N-no Sir, that's the full night watch report." they stated.
"Alright. Return to your normal duty's then. And let me know when they find something in Hotland!" I told them.
"Yes Sir!" they saluted before running out of my office.
I sat in silence for a moment...
THERE IS STILL MUCH WORK TO BE DONE...
I ignored the feelings pulling me back to the CORE. I couldn't work on rebuilding the Rift today, I needed to get paper work here in the office done, it was really starting to pile up. I had no idea there was this much to go through on a daily basis as Captain of the Royal Guard. I slipped one out from the middle of the stack and glanced it over. It was a request to search an old mineshaft that was still owned by a family. The Guard who was requesting the permission suspected there were stolen goods hidden in the shaft, no evidence was given to convince me it was even remotely true though. This is probably how the rest of the reports went. It's how they always went...
I tossed the paper aside and got up from my desk.
Maybe I will go work on the Rift today.
The moment I walked into the CORE I was caught by some of the new-blood scientists that had been put in charge of it, scientists I had trained for some years to make sure they could keep this place running without me constantly guiding them. I'm not sure if being a head scientist was better or worse than being in charge of the Guard. I'm just glad Asgore let me quit that and leave these kids in charge.
"Doctor Gaster—"
"I'm not the Royal Scientist no more kid, so cut it." I growled at him.
"O-oh! Yes! Of course! Sorry Sir Gaster!" he nervously apologized.
"Now what is it? I'm kinda busy." I asked.
"W-we were j-just wondering if you may be able to help with a slight 'glitch' that has appeared in the CORE's steam systems, but, if y-you are busy I—"
"Show me what it is..." I sighed.
After solving their simple problem I made my way to the center of the CORE. Past all the maze like halls and puzzle locks was what I was constantly coming back to each day. I kept a quick pace through the corridor before it to avoid bad memories. The automatic door was still busted, so I just side-stepped the part of it sitting dislodged in the entrance, right into the room, that once held the Rift. A big gaping hole was where the entire system used to be, where only parts of it had been rebuilt so far. Minor parts. It wasn't looking too much like what W.D had on his blueprints. I wasn't much of a repairman it turns out. At least I knew enough to repair the CORE itself after what happened…
I walked over to the gutted console and connected its power cables to the CORE's power. It turned right on and had nothing to report, because nothing else was connected to it yet, because I still hadn't translated the rest of W.D's blueprints I found. Why did you have to write it all in Old Mons De?
Sadness overtook me as I thought about him. The last I saw of him was his tail... falling into the generator below... My sadness soon turn to hate, and I struggled to hold it in. In a rage I summoned and tossed bones across the room, all of them striking a sheet of metal that was propped against the wall. The bones struck it like nails and cracked it near to pieces.
"Calm down Semi..." I told myself. "This will work... You can figure it out..." I assured myself, glancing at a blueprint lying rolled out nearby. I didn't recognize a single word on it. "I will figure this out..." I growled. "I will save at least you."
Three'o'clock. Or as my old watch says; 7:37. Old thing's been stuck at that time and date since the incident at the CORE. A constant reminder of my mistake and what I lost...
"Well?" Arial's voice snapped in an annoyed tone at me. "It is 3, are we, like, going home or what?" she asked me.
"Watch your tone there girl." I warned her.
"Bye Arial!" Tahoma shouted as he ran by.
"Bye Tami!" Arial replied with a wave.
"Tami? Since when do you abbreviate names?" I asked her.
"He is my friend and he likes it." she said with a tinge of defiance in her voice. "Besides, I think it fits him better." she fondly watched him run off.
I knew that look. Come high school they'll be having fancy dinners downtown behind my back. She'll probably pay for it with MY money too...
"I'm sure it does..." I forced myself to calmly say.
I took her hand and we made our way home. It was a calm evening compared to most, which only made me more nervous. I decided to ignore it and get some talking time in with Arial. With how busy I had been, I barely got to even take her to and from school like this. I should try and make more time for at least that, so she will be protected.
"So..." I cleared my throat. "Anything interesting happen at school today?" I asked her.
"Not really." she replied. "Except, Tahoma got picked on again." she stated.
"That boy's always bein' picked on." I thought back to the other instances she had told me about.
"But I helped him out! You should have seen me! I gave those bullies a good one two, just like you taught me!" she proudly proclaimed.
"You got in a fight?!" I stopped and gasped at her in shock.
"I just tripped them Daddy! I didn't hurt them!" she quickly explained.
"Thank the stars..." I groaned with some relief.
"If they mess with Tahoma, or anyone else again, I'm going to call the Guard on them, and then you can come book'm and throw in the slammer!" she said with a bit too much excitement.
"Or you could just tell a teacher." I reminded her.
"I already have; none of them believe me!" she replied.
I laughed, thinking of myself back in my own schooldays. I did the same thing for De when others picked on him for being such a bookworm in a class of athletes, except, I did get away with calling the Royal Guard in to handle it. Heh, Mystrium had his hands full that day when he found out the problem wasn't as big as it was made out to be.
"Your coat is all dirty Dad." Arial suddenly stated.
I looked myself over and saw my coat was covered with grease stains from working on the Rift. It was torn in a few places too. So much for making this old rag last I guess...
"Good thing mom taught me how to sew..." I tried to straighten it out a bit.
"Did you work on the Rift today?" Arial asked me.
"A bit." I admitted, getting us walking again.
I hated how she knew about that. I still have no idea how, and I was genuinely afraid to ask, as she might ask more questions about it. Which, I'm sure she will anyway, and will probably find her own answers too. Girl's too smart for her own good...
"Are you ever going to quit working on it?" she asked in a pleading tone.
"What do you mean by that?" I replied.
"I... I just wish you were home more..."
I sighed as we came to the door of the house. I turned and looked over at her, seeing her looking down at the ground with a somber expression. I pat her head, then turned to unlock the door.
"When I get it done Arial." I answered her. "It means a lot to me." I said. I opened the door and let her in first, then locked it behind us. "You got any homework?" I asked.
"I already finished it." she informed me.
"Really? It must not have been much than." I replied impressed.
"No, just really easy." she told me.
"Smarty pants." I noogied her skull on my way to the kitchen.
That got her smiling finally.
"Tahoma is the smart one, you should see the puzzles he creates!" she hopped a bit.
"I wouldn't be surprised. His Dad designs puzzle defenses for the Royal Guard." I told her as I searched the kitchen for something for the both of us to eat.
I wasn't going to add the fact that Mister Serif was a total— I'll keep the words to myself. He and I didn't get along well. Period.
"I still cannot solve that one maze he made, it's tough! And, like, comes in three parts!" she comemnted.
"Alright Dot." I pulled out a box and a small pot. "Instant noodles or reheated soup?" I asked her.
"We are not making dinner?" she asked in surprise.
"Not with the paper work I got to go through tonight." I told her, shaking the dry noodles and the cold soup.
"I guess the soup..." she answered disappointed.
The longer I worked on these pointless reports, permissions, evidence— the more I wanted to just slap it all off my desk. I took a break and looked at the clock on the wall, realizing it was 10. No wonder I was cranky. I shoved everything on my desk to one side and headed upstairs to see if Arial was still awake. She usually was, even though I've told her hundreds of times not to stay up this late. I walked into the living room and found her asleep on the couch, the night news on the tv ending just as I came in. I sighed at the sight and picked her up to take her upstairs to her room.
I quietly kicked the door to her room open, and got her tucked into bed. I gently pat her head before leaving the room as quietly as I could. That girl...
I went back downstairs and collapsed on the couch myself, tried, irritated, angry...
I waited for someone to come calm me down...
But no one came...
i was alone...
Later 199X...
"Dad... Dad..." a voice softly called to me.
"Wake uop granpa!" Papyrus voice shouted out loudly.
I jolted awake in a fright, nearly falling off the couch.
"Papyrus dear! Quietly! You can't just shout someone awake like that!" Arial laughed at him.
I didn't find anything funny about this...
"That'sow you woke Dad and Sans uop." Papyrus replied.
"That... That is different." she told him.
Papyrus looked up at her confused.
"Mom! Where's my socks?" I heard Sans shout from upstairs.
"Oh good grief..." she lamented. "They are not in the drawer where they belong?" she shouted as she headed upstairs to help him.
"Nope!" I heard Sans shout while laughing.
I relaxed and tried to fall back asleep, but Papyrus' heavy stare on me kept me awake.
"What'cha want Papster?" I asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders at me in response. I groaned and sank into the blankets and pillows I had slept in all night here on the couch. With Arial and Tahoma taking my old room upstairs I had only the option of the couch or the barracks. I found the couch less comfortable, but also… less lonely… Before I could get too comfy though, Tahoma walked in from the kitchen. I peeked an eye open at him and saw he had two cups of tea in hand. Papyrus grabbed his leg as he walked in and nearly made him trip.
"Papyrus! No! Bad son!" Tahoma scolded as he managed to hold his balance.
"Daddy!" Papyrus squealed as he rode on his leg.
"Here Mister Gaster." Tahoma carefully placed a cup of hot tea on the coffee table for me.
"No work today?" I asked him as I sat up.
"Can I has sum Daddy?" Papyrus asked him as he took a sip.
"Son, knowing how wild you get after eating sugar, I'd hate to see what caffeine does to you." he told him. "And no, the whole office was given the day off for today." he then told me.
"That's right. You already told me that." I recalled. I picked up my tea, blowing it a bit to cool it before getting a good sip. It wasn't too shabby for Tahoma.
"I also told you we were going to Snowdin for the day as well." he reminded me. "Did you ever decide if you were coming with us or not?" he asked, keeping his annoyance with me in check.
I nearly choked on my tea when he asked me that. I had... forgotten all about this family day out... Splinters. Guess I could call the barracks and have someone cover for me, I doubt anything huge would happen today anyway.
I hope.
"Here bro!" Sans came running in, slapping a wool knitted hat on Papyrus' head.
Papyrus began to panic due to the hat being over his eyes, but Sans was quick to fix it for him, then picked him up and let him ride his back as he ran around the room.
"Save your energy you two." Arial laughed at them when she walked in. "Dad? Are you coming with us?" she then asked me, noticing me unprepared.
"Uh, yeah, I just gottuh, get someone to cover for me at work first." I was afraid to tell her.
"You forgot didn't you?" she crossed her arms, leering at me to make her annoyance clear.
"Yes." I admitted.
"Alright. We will meet you at the elevator to Hotland then." she sighed, holding back from snapping at me I could tell.
Tahoma quickly finished his tea and handed the cup to Arial, tapping his skull to hers in a kiss before racing upstairs to get ready himself.
"Ewwww! Heh!" Sans laughed at them kissing.
"Eww!" Papyrus mimicked him.
Arial glanced down at them with a sinister smile.
"Ah! She's after us!" Sans laughed, running off with Papyrus.
Arial set the tea cup down and pulled them up into her arms with gravity magic. She nuzzled her head against theirs as she cuddled them.
"No! Not the mushy stuff! Stop!" Sans laughed as he tried to escape, while Papyrus was soaking it up like a dry sponge.
I got myself up off the couch, setting my tea cup with the other on the coffee table, and started out of the room to go get my coat and boots from my office downstairs. Arial knelt down and grabbed me into the group hug as soon as I was within reach, cuddling me up along with the boys.
"Ah! Not the mushy stuff!" I shouted as I was cuddled from all sides by the three of them.
Later in Snowdin, Arial did exactly what I expected her to do. This is why she wanted me to come so badly. While Tahoma had the boys busy, Arial walked me around the outskirts of town, getting me all to herself. It was calm and quiet at the edge of the snow covered woods, too peaceful for my tastes, and after some casual conversation to get me relaxed, she finally got to the meat of the issue.
"Did you work on the Rift last night?" she asked as we walked through the snowy woods.
I was right. It over this. Again.
"Why else would I come in so late?" I replied.
She stopped and sighed at me.
"I know, I know." I I turned to her with my hands up in surrender. "'What's the point?' 'Why not spend more time with your grandsons?' 'Stop showing Sans how to sharpen his bones!" I quoted her from pervious talks like this.
"I know the family you lost means a lot to you Dad, but, do you think you could enjoy the family you have now? At least for a while?" she asked me, with the same pleading eyes she always used against me.
"It's kinda hard not to, seeing as we all live in the same house." I chuckled.
"That is not what I mean and you know it." she narrowed her eyes at me.
"Look, I'm REALLY close to finishing it! I can't give up on it now!" I told her.
"I am only asking that you take a break from it!" she raised her voice. "You have always been doing too many different things at once, you are going to run yourself into the ground if you keep this up." she told me. "Your bones are not exactly as bright as they used to be." she brought out.
I looked at my hand and saw scuffs and cracks in the bone that made it up; signs of old age for a skeleton monster like me.
"I'll admit I'm wearing myself thin, but I am not old." I made clear.
She knelt down to me, and looked intently into my eyes. Just like W.D would from time to time, to check...
"Promise me you will take a break?" she asked.
You really trust me to keep that, huh? Her searching eyes were filled with hope, and determination, how could I ignore her? I took a long, deep, breath before answering.
"Promise."
"And to spend more time with the boys?"
"Sure thing."
"And be friends with Tahoma?"
"Heck No!"
"Dad!"
"I'm kidding I'm kidding!" I assured her. "Well okay, not really." I quickly retracted.
"Oh my god..." she lamented, rolling her eyes.
"He's still clumsy, you must admit." I muffled a laugh.
"This conversation is over now." she stood up and faced away from me.
"Hey! I can say good things about him!" I told her as she walked away. "He's— Well..." I realized something terrible about myself as I thought about Tahoma. "He's a better father than I ever was..." I admitted. Arial stopped and looked back at me. "Stars, I've been a terrible everything haven't I?" I said out loud.
"You are just still hurt Dad." she walked back to me. "Taking a break from the past will help you heal. I guarantee it." she told me.
"Heh, you should know I guess." I replied.
"I do know." she smiled.
We shared a quiet moment smiling at each other. She looked so much like her mother, and was a lot like her when it came to dealing with me, heh. I was still in disbelief that this was my little Dot... I was so proud of her. She kept up with her family, taking care of them in everyway possible, and held a stable job. But I was mostly proud of her because she had done the one thing I couldn't...
Move on...
"There he is!" I heard Papyrus shout suddenly.
He came running at me so fast that I instinctively dodged him, and he went flying by me. I caught him by the neck of his shirt and pulled him back before he fell in the snow.
"Hey Ma." Sans greeted Arial.
Tahoma winced at Sans, and Arial took a sharp, uneasy breath. She knelt down to Sans, putting her hands on his little shoulders as she got serious with him.
"Sans. Dear. Honey. You can call me Mother. You can call me Mom. You can even call me Mama..." she began to tell him. "BUT DO NOT EVER CALL ME MA." she firmly stated.
"ok..." Sans replied in a state of fear.
I slung Papyrus up over me and got him on my shoulders. He cheered and pat my head before grabbing hold of it. I snatched Sans up and got him on my back as well, forgetting I wasn't exactly as young as I used to be. I wasn't old, but I'll admit I'm not exactly young either.
"Boy you boys have gotten bigger. What's your mother been feedin' you?" I strained to carry them both.
"Milk!" "Vegetoids." they replied.
"Good she's keeping it balanced..." I began to stagger.
"Dad, I don't think you should—"
"I got this Dot. I may be... older, but I'm not so frail I can't carry two kids!" I quickly told her.
I then tripped and fell face-first into the snow, crushed under the boy's weight.
"You got snow on your face Gramps." Sans chuckled.
I groaned in pain...
"Come on, let's go visit the store and see what we can find to take home." I heard Arial say, lifting Papyrus off my back.
Sans got off of me and poked my head.
"You comin' Gramps?" he asked.
I got up on my elbows and wiped the snow off my face. When I looked up, I saw Tahoma reaching down to help me up. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Arial glaring at me, watching closely to see what I would do...
Fine... For you Dot...
I grabbed Tahoma's hand and let him pull me up onto my feet. I quickly brushed the snow off my clothes, pretending what just happened didn't happen.
"Alright?" Tahoma asked me.
"Yes." I looked away from him. "Thanks..." I forced myself to say.
"Con oun! Let's go!" Papyrus shouted at us.
"We're coming Paps, chill out." Sans laughed.
Papyrus and Arial both sighed heavily. I pat Sans head to show my pride.
"Ha! I like that one." Tahoma smiled.
"Do not encourage him! Either of you!" Arial warned us.
"Sounds like you're on thin ice Sans." I nudged at him.
"Don't flake out dear." Tahoma laughed at her.
She promptly turned away from us and headed towards town, Papyrus giggling in her arms at our jokes.
"Aw come on Arial, don't give us—" I started the joke.
"the cold shoulder!" all three of us said and laughed at.
Tahoma's got that going for him at least, he can pull a few good jokes now and again.
I scooped Sans up and tickled him before racing up to Arial with him on my back. I could manage just him at least given his light weight. We all made our way to town together. As... a family...
For the first time in a long while...
I felt relaxed...
I had everyone here. Everyone I needed.
Maybe... Arial has been right all these years...
200X...
I stood before the Rift, staring at it with intense hate that filled my very soul.
A promise is a promise.
But I can only keep one…
I walked over to the main console and checked the Rift's status. Everything was okay and ready to go. It was ready to begin charging power from the CORE and tear through space to W.D's theorized "Void" dimension. There, WP could be used to reappear in this world, but on the other side of the Barrier. If only the other half of that monster wasn't waiting in there. If only I knew what W.D did with the Star Blade! I had no way to defend myself if I ran into the human soul in there. I had no way of knowing if I could even come back to this world using WP. A lot of the research that I found on the subject was all... It had no solid facts to back it up. If there was any truth with it, it died with W.D.
Pointless... All of this work was pointless, and I knew it, but never wanted to admit it. I held on to the hope that I could go back and save W.D. Save anyone really… I was so…
Why'd you do this to yourself Semi?
You lost Calibri. Lost Arial. And now Sans.
No way would that boy ever trust me again after I'd thrown him in the dungeon for that vigilante incident of his a few weeks ago.
Maybe it's time I came clean about all this to Asgore. If he would even know what I'm talking about. Mystrium's still out there somewhere, along with the monster that controls his soul. That's where I'll turn my focus. Stop this time traveling nonsense and start saving the future. I can't travel back without the converter anyway, and I may not live long enough to finish that and get it installed. What the heck are you saying Semi? With all the WP you have you may live another 20, 30 years.
I began turning everything off concerning the Rift, I would get it shut down and disconnected from the CORE so no one could use it while it sat here. 'Course, only me and Mystrium, and Arial I guess, knew about it and how to operate it. So it's probably pretty safe. Better safe than sorry though. And I'm already sorry enough...
As I was shutting everything down, I had a hard time making out some of the letters on the screen. I had to really squint my eyes to see them clearly. Dang it, Arial's been right about my vision failing me, but NO WAY was I admitting that! Or wearing glasses! No way no how! I can still see well enough to get things done. I will just... have to constantly squint. "No biggy" as they say these days.
I reached for the last switch to disconnect the Rift from the CORE— but a hand reached out and stopped me.
It was Mystrium.
"Semi..." he breathed my name.
"Mystrium...!" I tried to pull my hand free from his grasp.
Of course he showed up, after 30 something years!
He crushed my wrist in his grip and threw me away from the console. I went tumbling across the floor and had a hard time recovering from it. It had been some years since I got in a real fight, and I had no idea how much of a chance I stood against someone like Mystrium now, who, as a Boss Monster, showed no signs of age. Unlike me and my pathetic self.
"Perfect timing as always Rimmy." I staggered up. He switched everything back on and I heard the Rift begin to charge. "Splinters." I gasped under my breath.
Well... Here goes nothing I guess. I can't let him get away with this regardless of my chances!
I summoned a Gaster Blaster to fire at Mystrium, and hopefully destroy years of work and keep the Rift from activating, but the moment it was summoned ahead of me, Mystrium cut it down with black magic. The magic shot through me and nearly paralyzed me. As soon as I saw Mystrium move, I used gravity magic to dodge an attack as he dashed towards me. His next dash got me though, slashing at me with a black hallow diamond that he used as weapons. I let the force knock me back against the wall, and recoiled off of it surrounded by sharp bones. He dodged me, and all the sharp attacks of mine, and quickly came around behind me. I expected to be cut down instantly, but I escaped death somehow.
I landed and quickly turned back to see him standing poised to attack, but he was paralyzed. His face was one of shock, cringing in frustration and fear.
"Semi...!" he called in a different tone of voice. "You must live!" he strained to say. Or... was that the human soul he had? "Go! And return when the time is right!" he told me.
"W-what do you—"
I heard the Rift open behind me, filling the room with a bright light, and I knew who was about to come out of it if I didn't stop it now. I turned to the console to destroy it, but Mystrium, or the human really, destroyed it with magic before I could. Mystrium shouted at himself as the two fought for control.
"Do not fear Semi—!" the human called, gaining some control. "A good ending will come of all this!" he added, as Mystrium summoned diamond weapons.
"Wait!" I cried, just before he threw the magic at me, knocking me backwards.
The attack didn't hurt me, only shoved me back, right into the active portal that was slowly collapsing as it lost power.
It would no doubt collapse instantly as I passed through it, leaving this world for another; The Void. Unless I ended up like W.D, in which case, I'd be shattered across time and space as I always suspected had happened to him.
W.D...
Arial—!
By the Stars if she thinks I used this thing on purpose—!