S1-171
Translating reality

1:13 PM
06/19/3273

Yionus's moon, Zuter - IMC testing site Echo-918
Chamber 137

Music
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption - Briefing Room & Ambience Theme

It was another new day. Michael, Samus, and Spyglass brought Ada-1 back to the IMC's testing site on Yionus's moon of Zuter, where the World Gate was located.

Floating just outside the World Gate chamber was the Shadow's Darkscythe. "Is... Is that normal?" Ada-1 wondered, pointing at the hovering weapon.

"Only if the Shadow leaves it there." Michael replied.

"The what? Who?" She'd never heard of the Shadow.

Upon entering the chamber, Ada-1 spotted a hooded figure at the World Gate's console. "Yo, Death!" Michael called.

The Shadow turned around, revealing his Ascendant black and blue skull face. "Michael! Samus! Spyglass! How have you all been?" He asked happily, noticing Ada-1 just after. "Eh... Who's this?"

"Death, meet Ada-1, the curator of the Black Armory. Ada, meet the Shadow, the Taken King, and my other half. He calls himself Death." Michael introduced them.

"It's a pleasure, and an honor."

"Likewise."

They exchanged greetings and a handshake.

"I've been looking into the division of realities, and I think I managed to perfect the dual-reality crossover. I just needed an identical sample from both ends. I also needed a Mote of Light, which I used rubber gloves to hold so that it wouldn't reduce me to Ascendant cinders again. You'll find that the World Gate will now perfectly translate travel between realities." The Shadow explained, holding a familiar Dimension Key.

Michael turned to Ada-1. "Care to see the dimension we visit the most?"

"Sure...?" The Shadow opened the portal and vanished into a Taken rift. "He's not coming?"

"Well, as the ruler of the Ascendant Realm, having stolen it from the Hive, he has more urgent matters to attend to. Our schedule is clear for the week." Samus stated.

"Well, today's Thursday, so it's not like you have much of the week left."

"True."

With that, they entered dimension 9.

Dimension 9 - Undertale
Planet Earth - Mt Ebott
The Ruins

Music
Undertale - Ruins

Upon entering the dimension, Michael noticed an excavation crew digging out the stone wall. Apparently, the Titan Tunnel had begun construction.

"This is the dimension you visit the most?" Ada-1 questioned.

"We're underground." Michael pointed out, heading to a buzzer on the wall. He pressed the button, then leaned on said wall to wait patiently.

Just then, a familiar voice was heard. "Heya. You've been busy, huh?"

They turned to the source, seeing a certain Monster. "Sans the skeleton. Good to see you again."

"Good to see you too, Michael. I see you brought Samus, Spyglass, and... whoever that is."

"This is Ada-1, the curator of the Black Armory, and the newest addition to our ranks." Spyglass introduced her.

Sans stuck his right hand in his pocket, then pulled it back out and offered a handshake. "Put 'er there, Ada." Hesitantly, Ada-1 grasped Sans's hand. A startling noise was briefly heard. Following that, Ada-1 awkwardly pulled back her hand, not knowing what just happened. "The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. Gets 'em every time." Sans laughed, revealing the whoopee cushion in his hand. Ada-1 chuckled nervously.

"May we have a 'shortcut'?" Spyglass asked.

"Sure thing. Right this way." Sans lead the group through a dark corridor, bringing them topside by unknown means.

Dimension 9 - Undertale
Planet Earth - Mt Ebott
The Surface

Music
Super Mario Sunshine - Bianco Hills

"Well, here we are." Sans announced, vanishing back into the mountain without a trace.

Ada-1 was having serious trouble comprehending what just happened. "What the... How did... Uh..."

"Don't think too hard on it." Samus said.

While Samus, Spyglass, and Ada-1 went off to explore the town, Michael headed to the skeleton residence, where Papyrus was sparring with Undyne in the backyard. "Papyrus! Undyne! Great to see you again!" He called out.

They turned to face him. "Hey, punk! It's been a while!"

"Greetings, Michael! How have you been?!" Michael flashed them a thumbs-up.

With the greetings now said and done, Michael filled them in. "This time, I came with Samus, Spyglass, and someone new. She's an Exo named Ada-1, and she's the curator of the mysterious Black Armory. She's also the newest addition to the Pilot ranks, having linked with a Legion-class Prime Titan ID'd RS-4373."

"As an Exo, she's a human mind in a mechanical body." Papyrus surmised.

"That's right. Despite that, she is of no design I've ever seen. Then again, the same could be said for Cayde-6... and Banshee-44... and Lakshmi-2."

"Hold up. Why do Exos have a number in front of their names?" Undyne questioned.

Just then, Rocco appeared. "{That number after Banshee's name isn't for show. Amanda told me he really has been rebooted 44 times. How would he have had anything for that Simulacrum memory cortex capacitor we installed in his head to keep for him?}"

Undyne came to a conclusion. "Essentially, Ada's only ever been rebooted once."

"Yes, upon her human mind being transferred." Michael added. Thinking over a few more details, he shared the most recent one. "In other news, the Shadow managed to unlock perfect reality translation with the World Gate. I think I'm now under the effects of your reality."

Music
Undertale - Nyeh Heh Heh!

"Only one way to find out!" Papyrus proclaimed, readying up for a fight.

"Seems like you're excited."

"Nyeh heh... Of course I am!" With Papyrus raring to go, Rocco gave Michael his helmet, allowing the Pilot to don it as the Ghost vanished.

Music
Titanfall - OST 01

The helmet's visor was retracted, so he pressed the button to close it, activating the combat HUD. Following this, Rocco applied the Pilot's armor, weapons, and other equipment.

Papyrus went from confident to nervously unsure REAL fast. "Seeing you in that armor makes me rethink my decision."

"You're not chickening out now, are you?" Michael questioned, prompting Papyrus to regain his composure.

"Eh- NO! Let's do this!"

"Don't hold back."

Music
Titanfall 2 - A Glitch in the Frontier

What looked like bone towers jutted out of the ground, sliding right toward Michael, who effortlessly avoided them with the Marksman's Dodge. Another bone tower hurdled right at the Pilot, but Michael used his Grapple to slingshot himself around it, landing right behind Papyrus.

Papyrus turned around, only to find himself at the receiving end of Michael's Spitfire. "Checkmate, Papyrus." Michael proclaimed.

"I don't think so."

Without warning, Michael was mysteriously thrown at the fence by some unseen force. He opened his eyes after having sustained minor damage, seeing a strange heart shape hovering just beyond his chest. It was blue, and it was glowing.

Music
none

Michael curiously eyed the heart shape, holding it between his left thumb and index finger. "What the heck is this...?" He faced the skeleton in front of him. "Papyrus, what's with this heart shape? Where did it come from? What is it?"

"That is your soul."

Michael looked back at the shape. "My soul, huh? I always imagined a soul to be this invisible essence, not a floating 3D heart shape."

"That must be how it is in your world. You did say the World Gate can now translate reality perfectly across dimensions, right?"

Michael shrugged. "That was the Shadow's work, not mine."

"I see. Well, your soul has this sort of aura around it. That's not normal."

Looking at the 'soul', Michael took notice of the glowing aura around it. "Hmm. I wonder..." With that, Michael summoned the Daybreak, a flaming sword appearing in his right hand. To his surprise, the aura around the heart shifted to a fiery orange, even flickering like actual fire. He resorbed the Solar Light, watching as the aura reverted to a pure white. Upon summoning the Sentinel Shield, the aura turned to a darkened purple fog. With the Arc Staff, the aura became a light blue, taking the form of raging electricity. "This aura... is the Traveler's Light! More specifically, it's MY Light!" Without warning, the heart shape of the soul began shifting between seven different colors at random with each passing millisecond.

Just then, Gaster appeared. "Huh. I don't think I've ever seen a soul like THIS before. It's all seven traits: Justice, Patience, Integrity, Kindness, Perseverance, Bravery, and Determination. Incredible!"

Music
Destiny - Guardian

"So, how do I... put it back? Where does it go?" Michael wondered.

"Try putting it to your chest, toward your actual heart." Gaster suggested.

"Heart and soul. Fitting." Michael pressed the soul toward his heart, watching as the manifestation phased right into him, and he didn't even feel it. "OK then. I guess that's another way of how this dimension works, and I've just experienced it firsthand."

Without warning, Sans arrived, using a toothpick to clear out what looked like watermelon chunks from his teeth... before eating said chunks. "What's going on here, guys?"

"We've just seen Michael's soul." Gaster replied.

Sans then used his power to make Michael's soul reappear as the Pilot in question removed his helmet, prompting Rocco to store his weapons and armor. The soul appeared blue for only a few seconds before returning to its rapidly and randomly shifting color cycle. "Now that is fascinating."

"Sans, the aura around it is my Light!"

"Wow... That's incredible! The World Gate actually translated your Light between realities?!"

"Yeah." Suddenly, Michael vanished, reappearing behind Sans, having used the Blink. "I'm getting kinda hungry. Is there a good restaurant nearby?"

"I'm sure Undyne would be thrilled to fix you something." Sans stated.

Undyne grabbed Michael's right arm and tried to drag him along. "YEAH! Let's head to my place!"

Michael stood firm, yanking his arm out of her grip. "There's really no need to pull me around like a luggage bag. I'll just follow you."

1:35 PM
06/19/3273

Music
Undertale - Home

Michael had followed Undyne to where she resided, taking a seat as the amphibious Monster departed into the kitchen, after which there was some clattering, followed by his Ghost appearing. "{I guess we've finally perfected dimensional crossing.}"

"Yeah." The clattering in the kitchen momentarily intensified. "Rocco, think you could check up on Undyne and see what the heck she's doing in there?"

"{Sure thing.}" The Ghost then floated into the kitchen.

Just then, Samus and Ada-1 arrived. "Lemme guess... You got hungry." Samus surmised.

"Woke up late. No breakfast. Small lunch. What do you expect? I asked about a restaurant, and Undyne brought me here."

"I don't really understand all this, but I think I'm getting there. That World Gate? Simply amazing."

"Thank you. The Shadow made the parts, I only put them together."

With that, Undyne peeked back into the dining room. "Oh! Welcome, Samus! Who's this?"

"Ada-1, the curator of the Black Armory. She... can't eat."

"I don't really have a mouth."

"I see. I'll finish up in here, then Ada and I can get to know each other, alright?"

"I... think I'd like that."

What Undyne served up was beef fajitas with a Caesar salad on the side. While Michael and Samus chowed down, Undyne and Ada-1 sat on the couch and had themselves a civil conversation. "So, you didn't trust Guardians back then?"

"Back then, they weren't known as 'Guardians'. They were Risen. They were rogue, looking out for only themselves, taking whatever they pleased. They were Warlords. They killed the Black Armory's founder as they attempted to take the Obsidian Accelerator for themselves."

"The... The what?"

Suddenly, Rocco joined them. "{The Risen, now known as Guardians, were blessed with power, but not wisdom. The Risen were on the wrong road. The establishment of the Iron Lords and the Last City ensured that all new Guardians were directed to serve humanity and the Light, instead of only themselves.}"

"Wow..."

Michael's voice was heard back from the table behind them. "If I were alive back then, the Warlords would've never happened. I would personally make sure of it."

"Thank you for letting us know of your noble intentions."

"It just feels right."

"What's this 'Obsidian Accelerator'?"Undyne wondered.

"Michael brought it back from the Niobe Labs in the southern edge of the EDZ."

"Huh?"

"The European Dead Zone, occupied by Fallen and Cabal. The Obsidian Accelerator was a device that allowed me to modify weapons into something deadlier through an on-the-spot phase transition. Essentially, it turned me into a walking, talking forge. It was... a part of me."

"{She attached it to the back of her head, and now she's glowing with that Radiant energy.}"

"Don't you have a Guardian to go back to?"

"{We're not in any danger here, are we?}" Rocco had a point. The place was safe.

Eventually, Michael and Samus finished lunch, while Undyne and Ada-1 bid farewell to each other.

As the group looked for Spyglass, Samus noticed Michael poking at his chest. "Michael, what are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out this whole solid, heart-shaped soul thing."

"{Michael met up with the skeleton family and a heart shape appeared from him, which Papyrus detailed as his soul.}"

"Yeah, and I'm trying to figure out how to bring it back out."

Without warning, a voice was heard from behind them. "I can help with that." They turned around, seeing a certain short skeleton.

Music
Undertale - sans.

"Sans, if you're gonna keep doing that, I might as well bring a Pulse Blade." Michael stated.

"A throwing knife that emits a radar pulse? I've never seen one in action, but I've read up on what it does. Anyway, you're trying to figure out how to bring out your soul, right?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Imagine being connected to it through one of your 'neural links'. Just think it out."

"A neural command. Huh. I'll give it a shot." Michael briefly focused his thoughts, causing that aura-surrounded, seven color-shifting, 3D heart shape to appear. "That's what appeared." Samus and Ada-1 looked on in awe. "What were those traits again?" Michael asked.

"Justice, Patience, Integrity, Kindness, Perseverance, Bravery, and Determination." Sans replied.

"Unlike anyone else in this dimension, I have them all."

Music
Super Mario Sunshine - Bianco Hills

It was then that Spyglass rejoined them. "Where have you been?" Samus asked, wondering where Spyglass headed off to.

"I have been assisting Dr. Alphys in an experiment. I notified her of the World Gate's most recent update, and she wished to test the effects of the Light on artificial spatial constructs." Spyglass reported.

"Alphys wanted to see what the Light would do to magical manifestations?" Sans questioned.

"Correct. The results were promising. Derezzolution is no longer a possibility." This was good news.

"I should check on the Black Armory. There might be a Pilot requesting an elite weapon."

"Got it, Ada. Let's head home." Michael said, taking out the Key.

CH171: COMPLETE!

We're paying the Eliksni House of Judgment a visit in the chapter after the next one. See you there.