"I have a plan to become all powerful. We'll destroy everything in this world. Everyone, everything in these wretched memories... Let's turn 'em all into dust."
Your mind immediately hitches at my threat, and I can feel you clawing against the glass. What? Are you worried? You can just reset, so they won't stay dead. Even if you think I'm up to something, you'll inevitably regain control at some point. You just need a few moments before you can send us back. So what's a little murder between friends?
Your presence shrinks back, leaving me and Asriel in peace. It's hard for me to read emotion based off a flower's face. "Why?" He asks, voice strangely meek.
"Because they owe us, Asriel," I snarl. If anyone would have understood, I thought it would have been him. "It's their fault I'm trapped in this fake human! And now they brought you back as a flower, like some kind of sick joke!"
"But... but wouldn't we be dead without them?"
"We're already dead. It's like we barely exist. So why should they exist, if we can't? Don't tell me you actually like those sad sops. Or are you really going to defend their side over your sibling?" I can feel the heat rising in my body at the thought. It wouldn't be the first time that Asriel picks some complete stranger over me.
"No! No, I would never, Chara," he protests too quickly. "I was just wondering, haha. They're all idiots."
Good. I turn from the blabbering flower, to the now open door. At least he's good for something. Alone, I wouldn't be able to leave this room without one of those prying scientists. Your body still feels strange, like I'm marionetting a puppet from afar. They would likely see the difference and start watching me like a hawk... and it would be so troublesome if they even tried to stop me.
"I want you to listen carefully," I tell him, before he can continue his incessant rambling. "Remember how the whole day reset? If that happens again, you need to meet me in that room again."
Asriel burrows beneath the ground again, popping up sporadically as I leave my prison. "Oh! So you mean like... they're not gonna stay dead?"
I roll my eyes and decide it's better not to answer. I have a very specific destination in mind.
"So who are we gonna dust first?"
Ignoring him, I open one of the hallway's doors. It flings forward with far too much force, hitting the wall with a bang. Maybe I should try to be stealthy or something, but it's really hard for me to care about something like that.
Fumbling against the wall, my fingers find the right groove for the light switch, snapping it on. The 'time machine' waits for us ominously, illuminated by the sickly pale lab light.
"There's no one in this room..." Asriel sways on his stem, looking around tentatively.
I sigh. He still doesn't get it. Approaching the time machine, I shuffle some of the surrounding drapes off of it. There's a seat inside it facing a computer-like monitor and keyboard. I flip every switch and tap every button, trying to get the piece of garbage just to start.
"How will we dust someone from here?" Asriel continues talking, watching my actions.
"Don't you remember our tour? This machine erases targets from the timeline's existence." Finally, I find the right button. The apparatus comes to life with mechanical whirs, the computer screen blipping on.
Your mind reels. Your presence claws against mine like a wild animal, spikes of pain blossoming in my mind. I gasp at your ferocity, my hands gripping my head like it can somehow cage you. I will not give up. This body is mine now and I'm not giving it back!
You figured it out a bit late! Not willing to see if your friends are still there when I delete them from the timeline?! Reset, I dare you! Think that will make them come back?!
"Chara?!" Flowey's voice calls from afar as I flail wildly against you. The mental battle has my body spasming in an effort to contain you, and I don't dare release my hands from my head lest you somehow leak out.
I know exactly who's going first! That grinning skeleton that infected you with foolishness and planted the seeds of rebellion in your mind. Life would have been so much better if you'd just kept on listening to me!
I pry my hand off my head, trying desperately to reach the keyboard. The monitor blips about choosing a target. My hand hovers above the 's', but you clog my movement like a physical weight. My whole body shakes as my breathing and heart rate increase. My vision flickers; or was it the world? We're not going back until I finish here!
Abruptly I slam my fingers down, ignoring the s completely and opting for the a next to it. Your mind slips just for a moment in shock, too slow to keep up with my change of direction.
alphys |
The computer screen blinks the name as I pound the enter key. If this thing could potentially delete the barrier, then it should have more than enough power against a monster.
The world fades, your reset dragging me away from the machine...
For a moment, your mind threatens to overwhelm mine. But that's not how this works. You thought it was the reset that made us change spots last time. That isn't entirely true.
I wake up gasping, and bolt upright from the bed. I was expecting it this time. It's different.
After all, I've managed to wrestle control away from you a few times, right? Whenever I surged with emotion, some kind of response you failed to anticipate, I was able to take control, if only briefly. The reset was just a red herring. You took over last time because the reset surprised me. Now it's your turn to watch from the sidelines. It was a theory then, but now it's a proven reality. So why don't you conserve your energy and stop your wild thrashing?
You give up, finally. Settling back into my mind the same way I used to watch you.
I sigh as my body starts to relax, stiff from constantly fighting two people's wills.
There's an audible click from the door. A few seconds of silence. And then Asriel pops from the ground. At least he can follow simple instructions, and remembered to meet me here.
"Hey..." He frowns, staring up at me. "That scientist lady. She didn't come and say goodnight to me this time." He stops talking, as if waiting for me to respond.
What? So what? I don't know what he expects me to say.
"Did we really go back in time? When you did that last time, everyone did the same stuff, except us."
"You're so dense," I sneer. There's no time for explaining this all over again. Looks like that time machine did exactly what it was supposed to do. I slide off the bed, heading towards the now unlocked door.
He burrows, popping up further along the hallway. "I don't remember her name. Do you?"
I stop. I remember who she was. But her name feels oddly fuzzy and out of place. It's like trying to remember a fading dream. What was it again...? Does it even matter?
"I don't know how I exist if she doesn't," he sniffles. "Hey, what was going on with you earlier? You seemed like you were in pain or something. Is that why you sent us back?"
I fling open the door open, arriving at the same room with the time machine. Taking a few steps forward, I feel your presence growing tense. This is going to be another battle, isn't it. You took my advice and had decided to conserve your strength, but only so that you could fight with the right opportunity.
"I don't like this plan. It... it's not very nice. They aren't mean people, are they? Even if the things they've done are wrong, or caused us trouble."
Please, Asriel. You were just asking who to dust a few minutes ago, in a different parallel universe.
"Chara, wait! At least... at least listen to your best friend, just this once, hear me out, okay?"
"Friend?" I laugh incredulously, spinning on my heel to face the pathetic weed. "You are not my friend. You're the reason we're in this mess to begin with. As far as I'm concerned, it'd be better if you didn't exist."
He visibly wilts, shrinking back. "B-but, but you said..."
"That wasn't me, okay?" My fists clench. I've been struggling this whole time not take revenge immediately. And now he thinks we're friends, thanks to you? He shouldn't have that luxury! "I gave up my life for our plan, and then you went and wasted it! And now you think I've forgiven you, like nothing happened? You're going to have to work a lot harder than that!"
"Th-that wasn't you? B-but-" Tears brim to his eyes.
"There's two of us in here, okay?!" I snarl. "My damn body roommate won't even let me breathe without permission. If it wasn't for them, I would have killed all these idiots and left this god forsaken lab a long time ago! But they mew and they cry just like you, always whining about friends and the right thing to do. I've finally figured out how to hijack this body and I'm going to erase every last one of them."
"two of you, huh. that certainly explains things."
My boiling blood freezes at the familiar voice. Asriel and I simultaneously turn towards the entrance. Casually leaning against the door frame, a certain grimy skeleton stares into my soul.
Notes: Darn villain monologues. They'll always get you in trouble.