Guess who's back from the dead!
...yeah, I know. This took way too long to make. A six month hiatus, golly...
Chara: You suck.
That's rude. Anyways, here's the long awaited sixth chapter. As always, I don't own anything, even the music. Enjoy!
"Howdy, I'm Flowey!...do I have to keep saying this all the time?"= Normal Conversation
'Oh boy, this is gonna hurt'= Thoughts
"Stronger than you!"= Lyrics
"Why? Why would you do this?"= Flashbacks
This is the last song from TryHardNinja I'm going to be using for now. I really, really didn't want to use another TryHardNinja song for this chapter but, well, I was out of ideas.
Chapter 6: Mercy Or Genocide
Gaster smiled as he watched Frisk and Chara make their way through Snowdin Forest. He was currently sitting in a swivel chair, sipping a cup of steaming hot coffee as he watched Frisk pet Lesser Dog over and over again on the monitors, Chara giving encouragement. He chuckled as Lesser Dog's head buried itself in the snow, and then popped up next to an unwary Snowdrake, startling the young monster. He was taking a break from monitoring the code of the universe, and decided to see how his two favorite humans were doing.
He adjusted the brown and black striped scarf around his neck, a gift he had gotten from Chara last Christmas. Now Chara was an interesting case. After he, Frisk, Sans and Flowey had purified Chara of any LOVE, he noticed that some things didn't match with his records of the previous resets, mostly concerning the fallen child. So he asked Core Frisk (who was visiting at that time) to distract his counterpart, while he and Chara investigated the missing links. The end results were…interesting to say the least. It also made him reevaluate his opinion on Chara Dreemur.
So far, everything seemed to be going according to Frisk's plan. He supported the pacifist child's ambition, and had complete confidence that one day, they might return Asriel to his original form. However, he was also completely sure it would take a lot more resets for them to find the perfect way. Nevertheless, he would help the human and his friends from his end.
It was the least he could do, after all.
He took a sip of his well-earned coffee…
"Heya SOM! Gaster."
..and promptly did a spit take, spraying coffee all over his shiny desk. He turned around, glaring at a smiling Ink! Sans. The Alternate Universe protector still looked as energetic as ever, with his large brow muffler wrapped around his shoulders, and his large paint brush on his back.
Gaster turned his chair to look at Ink, his left eye twitching.
"I already get that when my Sans and Chara visit. I don't need an alternate version of my son doing the same."
"Sorry." He shrugged back, not sounding sorry in the least. He moved closer to the screens as Gaster swiveled again to look at the screen.
"So…it's finally happening, huh?"
"Indeed. The events you foretold are finally in motion. By the way, why did you name our universe after events that will only happen now?"
Ink shrugged again. "Don't blame me. Blame the author of this story."
"The WHAT now?"
"Nothing!"
Gaster sighed, chalking it up to more Ink Sans antics. "So, how have you been Ink?"
"Oh, you know, same old same old. Alternate Timelines have been popping up more and more recently, so it's becoming incredibly stressful trying to keep an eye on all of them. Thankfully, Core Frisk and Dream! Sans are more than willing to help me…..though Core Frisk is still giving me the cold shoulder…."
Ink laughed awkwardly, and then winced as Gaster gave him the gimlet eye.
"This is because of that X-Event, right?"
"…..yeah. But hey, I mean, everything turned out alright in the end…..mostly."
"Mostly."Gaster said dryly. He had heard Core Frisk ranting about the insensitivity of certain boneheads, and thus didn't feel the need to pry more details from Ink. They watched Chara and Frisk taking on the Dog Couple, Frisk putting his petting skills to good use as Chara snarked behind him.
"So….are you sure we can't do anything to help them? Chara's long since gotten over it, but I'm unsure if Frisk remembers what truly happened. Not to mention how Sans' might react to this revelation…"
Gaster was quite worried for his son, and the two he considered his nephews. Over the Resets, the four of them had built something akin to a family, and he was worried that his and Chara's discovery might shatter whatever friendship Sans and Frisk had created. While Sans liked Frisk, and Chara to an extent, he didn't trust Frisk enough to NOT do something stupid, like Reset another thousand times.
Ink grinned at Gaster, somehow radiating more cheerfulness than mentally possible. "Don't worry about it. I'm confident that they'll get through it! We just gotta believe in them!"
Gaster sighed, giving a small grin of his own.
"Indeed."
"Hey Chara…"
"Yeah Frisk?"
"What do you want us to do when we get out of the Underground?" Frisk casually stepped on the pressure plate on the ground, completing the first 'X and O' puzzle. Chara tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, what I want us to do is to gather all the chocolate in the world…..and eat it." Chara replied solemnly. Frisk raised an eyebrow at him.
"That's…a lot of chocolate. Wouldn't that give us Diabetes?" Chara scoffed in return.
"Oh hush you! You can never have too much chocolate! Besides, there is no such thing as 'Diabetes' when you have Determination!" He declared.
Frisk was about to reply (something along the lines of 'It doesn't work like that'), when he noticed Papyrus walking towards them.
"WHAT?! HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP?" Papyrus asked/yelled. "AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY….IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME?"
"What do you tell Papyrus about his inedible (Bleep)—I mean, awesome 'ten out of ten' spaghetti?" Chara hastily corrected himself, noticing that Sans had appeared behind his brother and was giving the child the death stare.
Frisk flashed Papyrus two thumbs up and a dab. Papyrus proceeded to ignore the meme. Ahh, if only he knew the many memes he created just for existing…..
Papyrus looked amazed, and a little touched. "WOWIE…..YOU ATE MY HOMECOOKED PASTA….BUT MADE SURE TO LEAVE SOME FOR ME? FRET NOT HUMAN! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS, WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEHHEHHEHHEHHEH NYEH!" He then ran off.
Frisk turned to Chara once more, opening his mouth to speak, when Chara interrupted him. He looked oddly melancholic.
"Hey Frisk….do you remember….the first Genocide Route?"
Frisk groaned loudly at this. "Chara, we've been over this already. Killing is bad, and genocide is NOT the answer we're looking for." Whenever Chara mentioned 'Genocide Route' and 'remember' in the same sentence, it usually ended up with Chara trying to convince the pacifist child that they needed to kill and then kill some more. Though, Chara had been supporting his 'kill indiscriminately' ideals less and less. Frisk chalked it off to continuous successful therapy on his part.
Chara sputtered. "But…that's….
"….all I knew how to do before you met me and was reformed by the power of Mercy? Exactly, that's why we're doing this for you!"
"I….don't…"
"…believe I could do this?" Frisk smiled at Chara, who had gone suspiciously red in the face. "I believe in you! Gaster believes, and so does Sans and Flowey to an extent."
"Wha….I…."
"…still have my doubts?" Frisk sighed and pulled out his trusty microphone, the light melodic tune of Snowy dying away. A beat had already begin to build up in the background. "How about a song to help convince you?"
"WAIT WHAT!?" It was too late for any protests; Frisk had begun to sing.
A stranger in our home.
Will you honor their spirits or become
The judge, the jury, and the executioner all in one?
"Frisk? FRISK?" Chara sighed. Either Frisk was too wrapped up in his singing to notice him, or he was deliberately ignoring him. Possibly both. Chara gave up and just walked alongside his friend, plainly ignoring any actions Frisk was doing involving him. What did Frisk think he was in, a music video?
Mercy or Genocide,
Violence or love,
Which do you decide?
"HUMAN!" They reached the next area.
Mercy or Genocide;
Their fates ready to be sealed.
"SANS SAID YOU MIGHT BE SINGING, SO I'LL KEEP THIS BRIEF. DO THE SAME THING YOU DID IN THE LAST PUZZLE!" Papyrus said cheerfully, nodding his head to the music.
You've taken the fall.
Decisions take toll.
Waiting hearts that need your help,
Frisk nodded and started dancing around the puzzle area, quickly completing it. Meanwhile, Papyrus was rambling about Sans' sock collection.
Are trapped Underground.
The monsters abound,
But will you spare their souls or drag them with you into hell?
"WOW! YOU SOLVED IT! AND WITHOUT MY HELP TOO, INCREDIBLE! I'M IMPRESSED."
Mercy or Genocide!
"YOU MUST CARE A LOT ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO! WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN. NYEH HEH HEH!"
Mercy or Genocide!
With that, Papyrus ran off. Sans winked at the two before teleporting away. The music momentarily stopped, giving Frisk enough time to head into the next area. The moment he saw the Tiles puzzle, the beat dropped back in with more grace than Papyrus jumping out a window.
The climb is long and to the top,
Determination guides your will.
"HEY THERE HUMAN! YOU'RE GONNA LOVE THIS PUZZLE!"
But can you rise up
With your friends
Or their own blood, will you spill?
"IT WAS MADE BY THE GREAT DR. ALPHYS! YOU SEE THESE TILES!? ONCE I THROW THIS SWITCH, THEY—"
"hold up Papyrus. I already told them instructions."
"OH." Papyrus was a bit put out. "PROCEED"
Mercy or Genocide,
Violence or love,
Which do you decide?
The arrangement of the Tiles puzzle was random, even amongst the Resets. This made for some interesting patterns and attempts to solve them. This run was no different.
Frisk sprang into action, expertly navigating across the puzzle.
Mercy or Genocide;
Their fates ready to be sealed.
You've taken the fall.
Decisions take toll.
Waiting hearts that need your help,
Are trapped Underground.
The monsters abound,
But will you spare their souls or drag them with you into hell?
Papyrus clapped as Frisk finished the puzzle. "WOWIE! YOU'RE AMAZING AT SOLVING PUZZLES! AN ABSOLUTE NATURAL!"
He then somersaulted away. Sans and Chara chuckled at his antics. Frisk grinned, and pressed on, heading towards Lesser Dog's stand and snowdogs.
'It doesn't have to be dangerous.
Out there is to treacherous.
You are home!' is what she said.
A pang of guilt and remorse hit Frisk. Leaving Toriel, even if only until the end of his run, was always one of more bittersweet things he does.
'This will be the last run'. He reminded himself, now looking at the Ice Rink puzzle.
'Please spare, don't be murderous.
Could be just the two of us.'
Her voice echoes through your head.
"And done!" Frisk shouted, the path to the next area appearing. He had a reason for sounding rushed—actually, he was rushing. There's only so much of his song that he could stretch after all.
He paused his walking, and the music, to knock off all the gifts on Gyftrot. When he first met the deer-like monster, he was a little shocked at the constant bullying it experiences. He was even more shocked when he learned that this monster was the entire reason the Underground experiences Christmas, or at least a version of it. And when he learned Asgore was masquerading as Santa Claus…..well…he wondered how Asgore managed to avoid getting sued for copyright infringement until now.
"Thanks kid." Gyftrot said, feeling grateful towards the human child.
You've taken the fall.
Decisions take toll.
Frisk looked up at the towering form of Greater Dog, and prepared to pet.
Waiting hearts that need your help,
Are trapped Underground.
The monsters abound,
Pet capacity at forty percent. Frisk ducked as a bunch of BARKs flew over his head, and reached out to pet Greater Dog again.
But will you spare their souls or drag them with you into hell?
Mercy or Genocide,
Which do you decide?
"Heh, good boy!" Frisk giggled as the dog jumped out of his suit and licked his cheek.
Mercy or Genocide,
Which do you decide?
"Frisk?"
Mercy or Genocide,
Which do you decide?
"Friiiiisk?"
Mercy or Genocide,
Which do you decide?
"FRISK FOR GOD'S SAKE LOOK OUT!"
Chara, who had been silent for the duration of the song, took the time to observe any changes into the environment. So far, there were no such changes. But when they got to the 'bridge'…..
Papyrus, when asked, would admit that the bridge was simply a rock formation painted over. But it didn't seem to be the case here. Believe or not, the rock formation this run…wasn't a rock formation. Chara gasped as he realized that it was an actual bridge hanging over empty air.
A rickety, dangerous looking old bridge.
Frisk took one step on the bridge….and the old wood gave way.
"Frisk!"
"HUMAN!"
"kid!"
Two skeletons and one ghost child shouted in horror as Frisk plummeted towards the cold, hard ground. He called for help, as darkness overtook his vision…..
"What's your name?"
"….I'm Chara…"
"My name is Frisk! Seeing as you're going to be stuck with me for quite a while, let's be friends!"
"…I'd like that."
'What…'
"Frisk, what are you doing!?"
"Relax, don't you trust me? It's just for this run."
"Oh my god….you…..why would you….? You killed…"
'What am I seeing?'
'It doesn't make sense.'
SAVE
Omake: Sleigh Bells
"hey kid, what cha got there?" Sans leaned against the wall, looking at the bells Frisk was holding. They were currently in Judgment Hall, experiencing a Neutral Run since Frisk had killed Jerry.
Dammit Jerry.
"Oh, just something Ink gave me last Christmas. He told me to 'have fun', and disappeared."
Frisk checked the info on the sleigh bells he was holding, Chara helpfully narrating the text. "Sleigh Bells.A Christmas decoration. Pour Determination in here and ring for all the leather items you could want."
"huh, well isn't that neat-o. i could use some leather armor myself. they're great for sneaking, since they're made of hide." Sans winked, hiding his confusion. He wasn't the only one feeling that.
"Chara, what does that mean?"
"I…..actually don't know. I just read the text box. Why not give it a try? I could use a new knife sheath." Frisk poured his Determination into the bell, and rang it twice.
A moment of silence passed…
Just as everyone was sure nothing happened, a loud shriek that suspiciously sounded like Asgore was heard. The kids shot a concerned glance at the exit of the hall. Before anyone could do anything, however, a faint rumbling noise filled the air. Sans tensed, turning around as the noise grew louder and louder when suddenly, a wave of brown burst from the exit of Judgement Hall. Sans hesitated for a fraction of a second, before grabbing the two children and teleporting away. They landed on the roof of one of the buildings in the Capital, letting them see what exactly the bell had called.
Reindeer. The bell had summoned reindeer. The three could only gape as deer after deer (one of them even had a red nose) galloped out of the hall and into the streets of the Capital, causing chaos as the poor monsters tried to avoid getting trampled. A Whimsun screamed in fear as she was accidentally caught by the antlers of one reindeer, taking her along for the ride. Flowey popped out of the ground, took one look at the unfolding chaos, and burrowed himself back into the earth. He did not want to deal with whatever Frisk had done this early in the morning. Not after what he did last time.
He still couldn't look at a pineapple in the eye without shuddering.
Amidst the sounds of terrified monsters and prancing reindeer, Sans slowly turned to look at children.
"…kids? I've decided to re-open my hot dog stand. It's gonna have a new kind of meat."
A Gaster Blaster appeared behind him, glowing menacingly. "I'm thinking VENISON."
Omake: Santa For A Day
"Mettaton...I would like you to take over my Santa duties this Christmas." Asgore said to the robotic idol one day.
Mettaton practically shrieked with glee, then posed dramatically.
"Fret not, my dear king~ For I, Mettaton, shall exceed expectations! I'll give them a glamorous Christmas they'll NEVER forget!"
One day later...
"Um, Asgore?"
"Yes Alphys?"
"I'm not sure if appointing Mettaton as the Secret Santa was the best choice."
"Whatever makes you think that?"
"..." Alphys looked at her recently unwrapped present. Inside were a large pair of shiny black and purple boots. Or at least, that's what they appeared to be at first glance.
"WOWIE! I GOT METTATON'S LEGS FOR CHRISTMAS!"
"i think we all did, bro."
Toriel looked annoyed at her present while Frisk giggled. Flowey humphed in annoyance, Chara shook his head in amusement, poor Blooky was at lost on what to do with his gift, and Monster Kid complained at having received the legs ("I already have my own!").
Meanwhile, Undyne was the first to find a practical way of using her gift.
She proceeded to beat Mettaton over the head with it.
Merry Christmas! This chapter is a bit shorter than the others.
Also, a touch of mysterious visions.
Ink! Sans is owned by Comyet.
Next Time: Bonetrousle! This should be fun! Also, Frisk and Chara talk about mysterious visions. Ciao!
