DISCLAIMER; I ran the simulations, and unfortunately, there is no possible present where I both write this fic and own Undertale or Doctor Who. I'll be crying about it later.


The radius of bullets closed in and stole our final execution away from us. The culprit made itself known, cowardly shaking among its buttercup brethren. Even when given a second chance at life it chose to remain a crybaby, how disappointing. Our triad ignored the flower's pleas as we approached, I was the one who reared our vessel's weapon. Through borrowed eyes I watched us hack apart the wailing aberration until all that remained was a heap of scraps.

Reveling in our earned emptiness I became aware of an abrupt solitude. Our unseen accomplice's attention had momentarily withdrawn, and the human's aspect had been entirely subsumed by my own - even the shattered echo that lived beyond the boundaries of the world had departed. Brief as it might have been, I found myself truly alone. Still, I had a penultimate task to carry out.

The human's skin split open and their attire ripped apart as I pulled myself from them. I felt what was shed sag and begin to disintegrate around my boots as I emerged fully formed like a moth from its chrysalis. I indulged myself in the warmth of dying sunlight, mindful that once our partner returned we would forsake this world together.

I was naive to think they would wish to move on as I did. Soon enough destroying the world would become as routine of a task as saving it.


Eyes wide, Chara bolted upright in bed. They gasped for air and clutched their sheets tightly as if letting go would cast them back into that recursive nightmare. The lucid night terrors had gripped them tighter than a vice, exasperated by the darkness they awoke to. It took Chara moments to regain their bearings, even longer for their eyes to readjust to their unlit bedroom. The horrible moment of clarity began to dwindle away as more recent memories started to trickle back in, little by little.

UNIT were the ones who salvaged Chara from the wreckage of the other world. The months-long hospitalization began when they gave Chara a uniform that matched the monotone of their cell. A rotation of their psychologists and researchers spoke to them and all worked under a common assumption; Chara couldn't have been responsible for that world's damnation. There had been no trace of either the unearthly obsessive presence nor the other child's body that it had commandeered so both were justified as illusions. UNIT, in their infinite wisdom, revised the spiraling complexity Chara had presented them and repackaged it into a mental breakdown following an apocalypse they apparently survived but struggled to fully comprehend.

As an accomplished liar, Chara saw this diagnosis for what it was, a falsehood built on a lack of evidence with a foundation of disbelief. But, like the name they gave Asriel so long ago, it made existing all the more bearable. Soon enough, Chara would let themself believe it too, sometimes lies were more useful than truths. All they had to do was reinforce this falsehood until the nightmares stopped, until it became indistinguishable from fact.

With effort Chara released their sheets, shut their eyes and attempted to override what they knew to be real with what they wanted to be real.

Knock knock

Oh it was just like him to cut in.

"You may intrude," They called out promptly. The Doctor poked his head in as the door squeaked open.

"I heard a yelp," Claimed The Doctor.

"You're observant." Chara said, attempting to sound as irritated as humanly possible.

"Did you have a nightmare? Are you alright?" He asked, concerned. Chara clicked their teeth in response.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

"You've been crying," The Doctor pointed out. Chara was taken aback once they noticed the sensation of tears rolling down their cheeks. They turned their head to face away from him, "Listen if you really want me out of here that's okay, just know that you can talk about this sort of thing with me, Chara. I promise."

Chara didn't respond for a moment.

"Do… I have to look at you?" They kicked themself, asking that outloud made them feel like such a child.

"Nope! Whatever makes you more comfortable," The Doctor answered, almost sounding jovial.

"Fine," Chara agreed to these terms. They looked up, out their window as they heard the Doctor's footfalls grow closer. Once they felt the Time Lord seat himself on the edge of their bed, Chara began.

"I dreamt about the end of my world," Chara started. The key to a good lie was always to start with a half truth.


Author's Note: I re-wrote this single vignette several times. It is alot shorter than I would have liked it to be and fairly exposition heavy, but I'm happy I decided to stick with my self-imposed deadline. I think the other scenes I had in mind would probably work for a separate vignette anyways. Writing was particularly difficult because I went through some stuff this month. Thank you so much for reading.