Chapter 17: Anger

Well, this had been not only interesting, but extremely irritating. The stupid Deku Princess wouldn't shut up about the whole teleporting predicament. Sans wondered why he had to be the one stuck with this brat. Dealing with royalty really wasn't his specialty.

Speaking of Royalty, he was doing this on his own. Link had run off to search for Asriel. Being that the boy knew the area better than Sans himself did, the skeleton decided just to bring the princess back. It was proving to be quite the hassle. And he was put in charge of protecting a mask they had picked up after talking to that weird giant…

When the Deku Princess had heard about the monkey being punished, she became a whole new person. Sans had been lucky at first, but then she was getting angry with her father. This was not going to be a very nice reunion… It wasn't even that long of a walk for the princess to cool off before she got to the palace.

However, Sans being Sans, decided to make life easier and teleport. The Deku Princess was disoriented immediately, spinning around dizzily. "W-What is the meaning of this?" She questioned through dazed eyes.

"Took a nice shortcut." Sans explained with a small wink. The joke was funny for newcomers, and the expression she wore was priceless.

Taking her hands of her hips, the Deku Princess decided to just shake it off. "Remind me to never take one of these "shortcuts" ever again." She proceeded to skip off towards the palace, calling back only once. "Hurry up skeleton, we haven't a moment to lose." Much to her immediate surprise, he was on the other side of the wall of the Deku Palace already, with a grin on his face. "Wha- how?"

"Shortcuts."

She inhaled deeply, shutting her eyes in major annoyance, "I am not even going to try with you anymore." The two walked forward towards the two guards that sat waiting. When the two of the guards saw the princess and Sans, there were two immediate reactions.

Both popped out of the ground, spears raised. The first reaction was, "Princess! You have returned." The second was slightly different. Actually, that is an understatement. Their spears pointed at Sans's neck, keeping him in range. "YOU! What did you do with our princess!"

That was until a moment of absolute hilarity ensued. Sans thought he was only imagining that this princess would destroy anyone who got in her way, but he was oh so wrong. A glint of fury sparked in her eyes. The guards were, no pun intended, caught off guard when she jump-kicked them both off of the edge. Two splashes were heard as the guards struggled to get back to shore.

"Get your heads straight and stop listening to the hasty actions of my ignorant father!" She yelled at the two drenched guards. Sans honestly felt quite bad for them, being that Deku Scrubs were not built for swimming. Although, his gaze instead followed the princess who sternly walked by him, no words being spoken.

He made a mental note not to get on her bad side… Walking at a pace with formality, the two entered the chamber where even more Dekus were circling around a burning cauldron. Sans hadn't actually seen the inside of this place yet, but by the looks of it, this was barbaric. What did these Dekus hope to accomplish?

The Deku Princess's face turned a deep shade of enraged red as the King caught sight of her. He seemed overjoyed, "Oh, my princess! My darling princess! You are all right? I was so worried." It wouldn't last for very long…

"Foolish… you foolish father!" And thus, the Deku Princess body slammed her dad to the ground, asserting fear amongst the guards. Sans tried to hold back a snicker when she whirled around on the Deku Guards, eyes narrowing. "WHAT are you doing?! Let that monkey go this instant!" She even was trembling with anger.

Without question, the guards immediately dispersed, untying the monkey and bringing it to safety from certain doom. All the while, Sans just watched, taking in how weird this world's inhabitants could be. He had accepted his fate that there were going to be many ridiculous things for the rest of the journey.

The monkey was set to its feet, breathing a sigh of relief that it would not be tortured. All anger in the room had ceased. One thing that just begged Sans's attention was there were two things he had noticed from ClockTown and Woodfall, the inhabitants had a general mood. Being the judge, he could notice these small things. Patience and Justice were his two main attributes, however, perseverance was a third, weaker one.

When looking to the inhabitants of both areas in the past, it just seemed like the people in ClockTown didn't want to believe the moon was falling. Denial. The people of Woodfall pointed fingers at whatever was closest to ventilate. They did not know what to turn to… Anger. The course of emotions was all too familiar to Sans.

These were the first two stages of grief. What this meant? Sans was trying to work it out in his head. This world was strange, but there had to be a meaning to this. Symbolism seemed to just scream out in this world. He put the idea in the back of his skull, trying to focus on the task at hand.

The high-pitched voice of the Deku Princess brought him back to reality in the palace. "Oh, Mr. Monkey, I am truly sorry. Father does such rash things when he's worried about me." Anger.

Waving a dismissive hand, the monkey shook off nearly being tortured like it was nothing. "I understand, Princess. Forget about that." It's hard to forget nearly watching a friend being boiled. Sans noted. "Has the temple been returned to normal?"

"Why yes, thanks to Mr. Skeleton and that green clad boy from before. I am very, truly grateful."

The monkey's interest was turned on Sans himself. "Really? I did not tell you how to open the temple. Did you help the boy, Mr. Skeleton?"

"It's Sans." He stated, "And yeah, he had to go do something…"

"Well, tell the boy I said thank you for keeping the promise. And that flower and you as well… We owe a great deed to you…" The monkey gave a bow of reverence to Sans, much to his surprise. "As a symbol of our gratitude, our butler has prepared a little something for you. Please accept it. You'll find it in the shrine that will be to your right when you leave the palace."

"Got it." Sans lazily responded. He may be able to go over there if he made it quick. The monkey and princess seemed to take their place in the room. It seemed it was time for him to take his leave.

He waved, gaining a bow from all the Dekus and the monkey that were present in the room. Being respected like this was so strange for him. When he walked out, the notice of the two Deku Scrubs alive and well put him slightly at ease that no one was killed in the water. Although, when he looked for the shrine, all he saw was Lily Pads stretching out around the palace.

With a sigh, he realized what he would have to do. Mass teleporting over lily pads would be quite interesting, being that he would have to time it perfectly if he didn't want to get wet. This would be annoying...

At the beginning of the time loop…

Chara had expected to get wrapped up in Toriel's embrace immediately. That was what she would do in a circumstance like this. The motherly figure would have done the same thing even if either of her children simply scraped their leg.

However, that didn't happen. Toriel was unmoving, expression unreadable. Never before had Chara seen Toriel like this. Even when dying, she was normal. Except for if… genocide was committed. Which, in this case, it was not. What would spur this emotionless lack of action from her?

The silence was sending chills down Chara's spine. This was so out of character for their mother to do. They tried acting, "Mom? Are you-"

"Ha...ha…" As soon as they tried to talk, Toriel quickly had interrupted what they were trying to say. Now, at least she was speaking. However, it was words Chara did not want to hear. "What are you? Is this some filthy trick?" A malevolent gaze that was set on the human made them shiver.

Toriel wouldn't act like this. This was not something that was taken slightly in Chara's mind. If anything, it made them feel an emotion they had not been able to experience in a long time. Fear. It was faint, but it was surely there. Pains of having emotions again… "Listen, I don't know what you're on about mom. I'm your child…"

"My child died long ago." Toriel was trying to keep a stern composure, but the tears in the corners of her eyes betrayed her. "I thought I had moved on from my children's death… but I suppose I am not as strong as I thought."

Did she really believe they weren't there? That this was some sort of hallucination? Had the death of the two of them really affected her that much? After all, the possibility was not off the table. It had yet to be explored what Toriel would react to if either of them came back. Sure, it had been tried while Chara was with Frisk. However, the mother would just shake it off, and ask them never to use that name again.

In retrospect, this should have been expected. But, seeing how broken Toriel was, it finally brought forth feelings of emotions. Guilt and sympathy arose from their soul, or what they thought was a soul. "Mom… I'm right here."

Fire began igniting above the boss monster's head. "Stop calling me that." More came into life around the darkened room, increasing the temperature of the surrounding air.

Their soul began emerging from their chest. What they saw unnerved them. The soul came out of their chest, full and red. However, as soon as it was fully visible, the red on the outsides began turning completely black. The edges grew darker and darker. It was as if the soul was depleting itself…

The mother did not notice, looking right through Chara. In this situation, Chara would immediately strike anyone who threatened them. They were more inclined to fighting than sparing. However, that was when they did not have a soul and were tied to Frisk. Now, they actually felt guilt for even considering attacking their mom.

However, the emotions seemed weak. Granted, they were feeling compassion which they hadn't felt in forever. It just didn't seem all there. They decided to ACT. Reason seemed like the best option. Toriel wasn't properly thinking. Scratch that, she was thinking properly. Who would believe that their child had been resurrected when it had not happened before?

Taking a step forward, they tried to reach the monster. "Mom, please, I know you don't believe I am really here. Just stop fighting and we can talk."

No response of words came from her. Instead, she raised her hand to the air, lines of fire crossing each other in the air before flying upon Chara. They had seen this attack many times over various resets. They stood still as the fire nearly touched them, but curved outwards and then back in behind them.

What they were not expecting was a line of orange fire on the left and blue fire on the right. They panicked, moving slightly. The orange passed through, but they were hit head on by the blue. They swatted at the flame on their shoulder, trying to put in out.

4/8 HP

Their eyes widened, realizing the gravity of what this smaller soul had upon them. Their HoPe was lower. And… what was that attack from Toriel? She had never done that… This was going to be bad. They tried ACTing again. This one was more of a plea. "Please, stop fighting! This isn't solving anything!"

This had not worked before. Even with Frisk, ACTing never worked. Maybe if they just kept refusing to fight… A still fireball manifested in Toriel's right palm. She swung her arm to the side, many individual fireballs spawned from it, flying towards Chara. Once again, whips of fire began swinging from the sides. Recognizing the pattern, they dodged the initial fire, running through the orange. The blue narrowly passed through them when they froze on instinct.

Boss Monsters truly were powerful. Yet, Chara could still tell she was holding back. How strong could this monster really get. They did not want to find out. Their whole instinct was urging them to fight. It was just stupid emotions that were getting in the way. "I won't fight you mom." Curse this soul. They thought.

"You are nothing but my mind playing tricks on me." The harsh words stung. "Do you believe this has not happened before? I know what you are… You are a reminder of how I failed Asriel and Chara. So please, leave me alone." Fire began falling from the ceiling, swinging back and forth in an unpredictable manner. Blue and orange flames began erupting from the ground below them. Unable to predict where they would pop up they took a direct hit from an orange flame, followed directly by a regular one.

0/8 HP

Had Toriel really just…? She wouldn't, this was not possible. They had to be dreaming. Was this some sort of dream Frisk was having on the surface? They looked down at their hands in disbelief, red glitches appearing all over their body. Toriel held her hand over her snout, realization striking her. Chara wouldn't die. It couldn't end like this.

They refused.

They stood up, legs trembling under them, before falling right back onto the rocky floor under them. Black engulfed their vision, the figure of Toriel trying to shake them awake.

When they woke up, all they could see was a blur. They tried to make out different shapes in the haze of vision, but it just seemed impossible to comprehend anything around them. The only thing they knew was they had to wake up.

The small fragment of a corrupted soul that they had left pulsed with life above them. They had to hold on, that's all Chara knew. It just seemed so far away to wake up… Calls of despair could be heard above them, pained yells that were calling them back. They tried to reach out, to say something back, but nothing worked.

Above the screams, and above the pain, they heard one familiarity. It was that song. It was as if it was calling out to them, begging them to accept its healing. They offered their being, for their soul to be saved. They wanted to go on.

The undefined images around them began coming into focus. Hearing became more distinct. Chara could finally feel their body again. And with that, they could hear the same voice they had heard before. It was Toriel, their mother. Her warm arms were wrapped around the human. The wet feeling of tears could be felt dripping onto the back of their shirt.

Her faint voice came out, wracked with a mixture of joy and sadness. "M-My child… I'm s-so so s-sorry…" The mother sniffed, trying to stay strong and speak. "I… I… how? I hurt you… I-"

Chara found themselves sinking further into her embrace. They couldn't deny that the feeling of her embrace reminded them of the many times before they died. It felt so surreal to be back. "Mom… please, I'm all right."

"There… t-there is no e-excuse for what I d-did to you." Toriel protested, wiping a tear from her eye. "You t-tried to tell me, and I was s-so blind."

"Mom, you just went through your child coming back to life… Please, calm down." They tried so hard to make her calm down. However, it did not seem possible to calm the motherly monster. "And how are you supposed to take this and Asriel being back alive as w-"

Toriel jolted upright, putting a finger over their lips. Her expression was completely and utterly surprised. However, there was a sternness to her composure. "You did not just say…" Chara simply nodded, and the expression on Toriel's face was priceless. She leapt up from the bed Chara had just acknowledged they were laying on, crazed eyes darting everywhere. "WHERE?" She turned to the human, giving them a shake reminiscent of the Happy Mask Salesman. "WHERE IS MY SON?"

"Woah, mom, calm down." They said for the fiftieth time, removing her hands off of their shoulders. "He… he's in good care on the surface."

She came to a grinding halt, arching a brow. "T-The Surface? How?"

"That's compli-"

A loud crash shook the whole entire Underground, interrupting the half explanation. A feeling of dread creeped into both of their souls. In unison, they both forgot about the ordeal with Asriel, but focused on what the hell had the strength to shake the mountain like that. "What… was that?" Chara questioned in shock.

Link gasped for breath, running up the path to Snowhead. This was the only place he could think of since Asriel was not in ClockTown. Tatl was flying right behind him, a trail of white light trailing behind her. They were both trying so hard not to stop at all.

Not to mention, Link was never the best runner. If only he still had the bunny hood, this would be much easier. But, he couldn't be complaining now.

It scared him, knowing that he could have passed the remains of the boy at any moment. A pile of dust could easily have been swept away in the wind. However, he refused to believe Asriel had allowed himself to die. The monster would be able to fend for himself, hopefully. But, he knew he didn't have much time.

Asriel was too kind for his own good. While he would fight back, he could never see the boy straight up killing someone without hesitation. That hesitation could be the time needed to an attacker to strike. Link shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts.

He was running down the path to Snowhead Mountain itself. That was when something horrible shook the ground under him, causing instability. Tatl hid in his hood when the winds began shifting because of the powerful force acting upon them. Link was forced to get on the ground, clinging on for dear life.

What had just happened? Link asked himself this when it finally stopped. There were only two times he felt a quake close to that. There was the moon crashing down, and Goht's awakening. And, since the moon was not falling, that only left one thing. Goht was loose.

Getting to his feet, Link still tried to get to the top of the mountain. The snow hindered him slightly, but he mustered the courage to fight through the cold environment. He finally reached the peak, instant relief and regret washing over him. Asriel was laying in the snow, eyes closed and small shreds of ice sticking to his fur.

He was not dust, but his condition did not look good. Link was at a loss of what to do. He didn't have anything to warm him up with. Tatl was already looking at his stats, her expression not giving any good hopes for Link. "A-Asriel… he's going to freeze. Someone definitely attacked him."

He rushed over to Asriel's side trying to locate anything in his inventory that could help. Much to his dismay, he could not find anything. He noticed Asriel was twitching, but couldn't get up. He was going to die from cold.

Link placed a hand on Asriel's head. His body was so… so cold. Unable to know what else he could do, Link tried to use his own body temperature for warmth. He wrapped his arms around Asriel, one reaching for the Ocarina.

If Asriel wasn't able to make it, Link wanted to give him peace. He began playing the Song of Healing, praying Asriel would not freeze. He hoped Asriel would be able to hear the notes playing through his head, to know he would be all right.

A glowing purple fairy flew aimlessly through the void. He was trying to find his way in the endless darkness. Skull Kid had betrayed him, abandoning him to this endless despair. He would never be able to see his sister again, because he trusted his corrupt friend.

A shiver wracked his being when he ran into a body hand. He had to readjust himself, groaning in pain. When he looked up at who he had hit, his wings lowered as he cowered away. A skeleton with a grinning cracked smile gazed upon him. "Hello… Tael. You appear lost."

Little did the fairy know that he had just run into one of the most powerful monsters in existence.

The plot thickens.

Goht battle may be next chapter, or at least the intro to it.

I had an interesting time executing this chapter. I hope I did well. ^-^

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BadDRUMMERboy15 Signing Off