The Observer followed behind The Assistant, silently witnessing the collapse of the fell Waterfall. Echo Flowers whispered frantic, fading words as they passed, carrying voices of panic, fear, and desperation from a world aware of its impending end. The petals trembled with memories of denizens, all fighting to survive what couldn't be survived.
The Assistant, undeterred, kept walking. The Observer hovered, pausing near the shadow of a tree. A faint glint caught its sensors—something glossy, bloody, and yellow flickered before vanishing. Curious, the Observer chirped and floated closer to the tree's base, where an Echo Flower grew.
A voice spoke, low and trembling. "Don't trust that non-human... thing," it warned. "That traitor... that creature."
The Observer whirred in thought, floating around the tree to investigate.
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But there was nothing. Turning its attention back to The Assistant's impatient whistle, the Observer zipped back to her side.
"Must you always wander off?" The Assistant's voice dripped with annoyance.
The Observer crackled with static, replying with a distorted voice. "Don't criticize—So, is this true—can we att—our choices?"
The Assistant raised a brow, then smirked, glancing sideways. "What's wrong, friends? Don't trust me?" Her voice oozed with mockery. "If they weren't so objectively terrible, maybe I wouldn't criticize them so much. I mean, honestly, I saw what you already picked. Some of you must've been feeling sentimental. No other reason you'd want that cowardly little harlot."
Venom laced her words, far more bitter than Gaster's confusion when Aliza had been chosen. The Observer clicked, earning a glare as The Assistant adjusted her coat and quickened her pace.
"You know what? Doesn't matter," she continued, her tone turning flippant. "We're almost at the first one. Quit dawdling with the flowers and let's move."
They ventured into a dark stretch of path lined with Echo Flowers. The Observer, slowing down, bumped into one by 'accident,' its sensors piqued by the quiet echoes.
A voice spoke. "What do you mean, you made a mistake?" It was deep, feminine, and full of dread.
The Assistant's eyes darkened, but she pressed on. More flowers whispered as they passed.
"Alphys, I don't... Sans? I... what happened with the humans I j—?"
"Alphys? Alphys, what was that sound? Alphys? Are you still there?"
They approached a corner, the path ahead leading to a bridge where a short figure loomed, staring out over the crumbling world. Stones and shadows rose and disintegrated, fragments of reality fading away.
The Observer stopped, lingering near a flower that whispered a final plea: "H-hotland... it's... Alphys? Please... I can't handle this alone... I... I can't..."
The Assistant's knife cut through the flower, silencing it. She glared at the drone as it emitted a worried whirr."They're already dead, idiot. It's just an echo," she snapped. "They're copies, repeating their last day over and over. But hey, look on the bright side—you get to save 'one' of them."
The non-human moved ahead, the Observer reluctantly following, its focus now on the figure standing on the bridge—small, lizard-like, clad in a poncho, and armless.
Designation: Monster Kid.
The Monster Kid glanced nervously at The Assistant. "H-huh... thought everyone else fled?"
"Guess I was a bit slow," The Assistant replied, flashing a smile. "Hey, I was looking for you."
"Yeah? And why's that, freak?" The kid growled, as it was clear they were afraid.
"What's wrong?" The Assistant stepped closer, making the kid shiver. "Why so nervous?"
"I-I don't know... but... stay back!" the kid demanded, summoning a magical bullet. "O-or I'll—"
A blur of movement, and The Assistant's knife slashed through the Monster Kid, the blade drawing strange code from their form. The kid glitched, body starting to break apart.
"Good instincts," The Assistant said, her voice unnervingly calm. "Don't worry. This'll only hurt a—"
She was cut off by a burning red spear of light, crashing into her face with explosive force. The Assistant cried out, sent flying down the path. The Observer detected a heavily armored figure rushing forward as the Monster Kid collapsed.
"K-Kid. Hey, w-what are you still doing here?" the armored figure demanded, voice panicked.
"I... I'm sorry, I just—" The Monster Kid crumbled into code, leaving the warrior stunned. For a moment, she froze, staring at the fragments. Then, with a guttural growl, she turned to the Observer.
The Observer identified her: Undyne. As bits of the code were gathered by it.
The warrior's voice seethed with hatred. "What are you?" she demanded.
"Eyes," The Assistant spoke from the bridge, drawing Undyne's attention. "Honestly, I thought you'd have offed yourself by now, considering your world's falling apart." She added slyly. "Guess you wanted to spend your last moments with those you love. Oops."
Undyne stood slowly, trembling with rage.
"Why did you...what did you do to..." Undyne grew silent, watching part of the world break. "No...this was you, wasn't it?" Undyne's voice quivered, her grip on a summoned spear tightening. "All of this?"
"I might have... motivated this to happen, but no," The Assistant teased. "Blame a smiley trashbag and a shut-in freak, who should have offed herself years ago." She snickered darkly. "Guess you regret stopping her now, don't you?"
The roar of hatred filled the air as Undyne unleashed a torrent of spears into the sky, each glowing with violent intent. She lunged forward, her movements a blur, vengeance gleaming in her visible eye beneath the helmet. The Observer let out a panicked, metallic whirr as it backed away from the chaos, barely managing to avoid the onslaught.
A deafening crash echoed through the decaying remnants of Waterfall, the force of it reverberating off the cliffs. Red spears, crackling with lethal energy, poured down in a relentless barrage—first by the dozens, then by the hundreds. They tore apart the fragile bridge, warping it into a web of sharp, tangled spears. The ground below cratered and split, while parts of the cliffside gave way, collapsing into the surging waters below. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling through the already unstable terrain, shaking the foundation of this fading world.
Yet, despite the overwhelming assault, each spear missed. The Assistant sidestepped and weaved with a casualness that bordered on mockery, dodging the last of the initial barrage without so much as opening her eyes. Her face remained indifferent as she gave a small, dismissive shrug, leaving Undyne frozen for a moment—bewildered, then burning with fury.
With a roar, Undyne lunged again, her speed leaving the air around her trembling. The shockwave from her charge pushed the Observer even farther back as the monster wielded two spears, summoning a dozen more in an instant. They crashed down toward the Assistant with brutal precision.
But the Assistant merely smirked, time seeming to slow in her perception. Her eyes traced the exact path of each incoming spear, her body shifting at the last possible moment. She took a lazy step to the side, dodging the first strike effortlessly, walking backward to avoid the next flurry of spears as though it was a choreographed dance. A wild thrust from Undyne aimed for her midsection, but the Assistant avoided it with a graceful pivot, her movements almost mocking in their ease as she knocked the helmet off the warrior.
Undyne's single eye flashed with determination, summoning a dozen more spears that slammed down from every direction, the air charged with the destructive power of her rage.
The Assistant's gaze flicked over them, and she chuckled softly. Shadows clung to her like an extension of her being, and she melted into them, vanishing just before the spears hit their mark. In an instant, she reappeared ten feet to the left, her form emerging from the oozing darkness. Undyne stood, her breath ragged, watching the impossible with a mixture of dread, rage, and confusion.
"That's cheating, you know," the Assistant remarked with a casual tone, drawing Undyne's attention once more. "Tsk tsk."
"W-What... are you?" Undyne's voice wavered, her eye narrowing as she struggled to comprehend her opponent. "S-Stop treating this like some k-kind of game!"
"But it is a game. A pretty bad one, though... four out of ten, tops." The Assistant smirked, sidestepping another ferocious slash. "I mean, did you see Alphys?" She made a gagging noise, dodging again with insulting ease. "No wonder she hated herself—so much to hate, right?"
Undyne's attacks became even more frantic, spears filling the sky in an unrelenting storm. She swung a green-laced slash that missed by mere inches, her movements growing more desperate with each second. Her frustration boiled over, and suddenly, spears began to erupt from the ground beneath the Assistant's feet, forcing her to break into a run, weaving and dodging as the barrage continued.
"You're going to pay for this. For everything!" Undyne growled, her fury reaching its peak as she unleashed a sweeping arc of spears aimed to cut off every escape route 'Frisk' could use.
"Awh. What's wrong, Karptain? Did I touch a nerve?" The Assistant taunted, her voice dripping with amusement.
'Frisk' moved effortlessly, dodging one attack after another—first from the ground, then from the sky as spears rained down. But in the midst of her near-flawless evasion, a spear tore forward with unexpected speed, slicing across her arm. Black blood oozed from the wound, dripping steadily. The Assistant glanced at the injury, then let out a slow, deliberate chuckle as a malicious smile curled across her lips.
Her hand flickered, and with a sinister gleam, the red knife materialized in her grasp. In an instant, she surged forward, her body a blur of speed as she slashed upward, aiming directly for Undyne's core.
Undyne reacted swiftly, stepping back as a barrage of spears erupted from the ground and rained down from above. She braced herself behind her barrier of spears, but the impact was too much—her shield shattered under the relentless force. The shockwave sent Undyne skidding back, her heels tearing into the ground, creating deep grooves in the dirt. She collided with a weakened section of the wall, where water poured down in eerie, fading streams, the landscape around them decaying into nothingness.
The Assistant spun the knife in her hand with a twisted flourish, her gaze fixed on her opponent. Her eyes began to darken, black creeping in from the edges, leaving only the red iris glowing with malevolent glee.
For a brief moment, their eyes locked—Undyne's filled with unrelenting rage and desperation, while 'Frisk's' sparkled with sadistic amusement. The Observer, trying its best to avoid the fray, bumped against one of the Echo Flowers, emitting a soft thump that barely cut through the chaos.
The Echo Flower whispered as the two combatants clashed. "It's a shame your Undyne doesn't have any of this one's code," it murmured, its dark blue petals barely glowing. "Just imagine... how strong she could become?"
The Observer's sensors flickered as it glanced at the flower, struggling to pick up its presence. A sudden roar echoed through the fading landscape, pulling its attention away, just as the oozing dark flower sank back into the shadows, vanishing entirely.
Undyne erupted in a surge of power, a long chest wound stitching itself together as she charged at The Assistant again. Her armor had transformed—sleeker, more regal, and imposing. Her previously concealed eye now blazed with radiant light.
With renewed ferocity, she launched a rapid volley of stabs from the spears in her hands, forcing Frisk to constantly weave and dodge. The Assistant blocked one or two near hits, her form occasionally 'melting' into the shadows, teleporting unpredictably to try and catch Undyne off guard.
"You think this is enough, Undyne?" Frisk mocked, her voice dripping with contempt. "You're too slow."
With a derisive laugh, she vanished into a nearby shadow.
Undyne snarled, her patience at its breaking point. Slamming her foot into the ground, she summoned even more spears—faster, more numerous, and violent. They exploded from the earth all around her as she spun to strike, her spear laced with green energy. This time, she managed to catch The Assistant off guard, landing a blow that wrapped green magic around Frisk's torso, locking her body in place.
A grin spread across Undyne's face.
"Gotcha."
Without offering her opponent a weapon, Undyne stepped back, power surging as her arm shot forward, sending a vicious volley of spears directly toward T-Frisk's chest. The spears manifested from every direction, pouring down in a relentless onslaught. They closed in from all angles, seeking to overwhelm the immobilized figure.
Yet, even bound by the green energy, Frisk remained eerily calm, her expression unmoved. With a sickening laugh, she began to slash, block, and parry each spear with dizzying speed. Her blade danced in a blur, deflecting every attack, even as the spears teleported and struck from unpredictable angles.
Undyne growled in frustration, pouring more power into the assault. She conjured a massive ring of spears and slammed them down in an inescapable formation.
But just before the spears could reach her, Frisk gave a chilling smile. With a mere thought, she melted into the shadows once again, slipping free from the green bonds. The spears crashed into the ground where she had stood, tearing craters in their wake as the earth cracked and crumbled, an underground mountain glitching and collapsing into nothingness, just like the rest of the decaying world.
Undyne's breath grew heavy as The Assistant reappeared, slashing at her in rapid, precise strikes. Undyne barely managed to block, each hit chipping away at her armor, breaking off pieces of code that she struggled to repair. The strikes tore through her defenses, leaving her desperate to keep up with the relentless onslaught.
"You're outmatched," The Assistant's voice cut through the air, cold and distant as she reappeared behind Undyne, the Real Knife slashing forward with deadly precision.
This time, Undyne couldn't fully block it. The blade pierced deep into her side, magic fizzling where it tore through her, and she let out a low, pained growl. Her expression twisted in agony as more of her very being began to break apart. Desperation flickered in her eyes as she struggled to hold herself together—struggled to keep fighting.
Undyne's chest heaved, her attacks growing erratic, the precision she once wielded faltering. Her grip on her spears loosened, just for a fraction of a second—but enough. The Assistant saw the opening and raced forward, a blur of motion.
In a flash, the Real Knife buried itself deep in Undyne's chest. Magic sputtered and died around her as her left arm shattered into code, disintegrating before her eyes. Realization washed over her face. Her good hand lashed out, grasping the non-human's throat in a final act of defiance, but even that, too, began to fade.
"Y-you... you... creature," Undyne snarled, her voice strained. "Why?"
"If you knew, you'd find peace," The Assistant replied, her voice flat, almost bored. "Now die already. I have things to do."
The last remnants of Undyne's form broke apart completely, her essence fading into code. The Assistant watched impassively, then sighed as if dismissing the effort altogether. "That was fun."
With a flick of her wrist, the Real Knife vanished. Her gaze swept across the battlefield, falling on The Observer, half-buried beneath a pile of rubble. A section of the mountain had collapsed, partially trapping the mechanical drone. She stepped toward it, her expression unreadable.
Undyne's code flickered faintly in the air, remnants of her essence still clinging to the world, slowly fading but not yet gone.
"Alright. We've got your precious monster kid," The Assistant remarked, pulling The Observer's attention away from the dying warrior's code. "Let's get a move on. This place is about to collapse, and trust me, while the view's amazing, the sting isn't so pleasant." With that, she slashed open a tear in reality, a shimmering gash of oozing blackness leading to their next destination. "C'mon. Let's go."
The Assistant stepped through the portal without a second glance. The Observer, however, lingered, its sensors whirring as it focused on Undyne's fading code.
It chirped curiously, contemplating the situation. Could it take the code? Could it graft some of it onto the other one? Would it be wise to augment your Undyne, with what remained of this one? Would you regret not taking it later, or vice versa?
The choice was presented to it, and it was forced to try and determine. The Observer would typically ask Gaster, but with his absence, the choice lay solely in its incapable grasp. It could not choose. It was not meant to.
The drone clicked and whirred, awaiting instruction—hoping you knew what to do.
A. Leave the code?
B. Take the code?