A short while ago...
A key was pressed on the keyboard, lights flickering to life. Security Protocol: Phage Activated. - Error. No Hosts Detected...seeking.
The screen exploded as Gaster moved to defend himself, the chaos tearing through the monitoring station. Unnoticed by the battling pair, a swirling mass of code began to rise beneath them.
It had been given a task: Seek lost observation drone. Destroy interloper. Await Designation: Gaster NC32F84.
You observed it—its form flickering, fading, and dislocating as it traced the errant signal of your Observer. It shifted between instances and moments, briefly passing through the scene where Gaster fought Photoshop Flowey. Then it moved onward, into a moment where a shining object glowed faintly, before sinking into darkness.
Distorting again, the entity encountered a barrier—a wall of code. It coiled, pressed, and began to break it down, rupturing the components. Instead of 0's and 1's, words began to bleed from the cracks. The barrier melted, bursting open, and the entity emerged into a familiar place.
It found itself in a strange void, surrounded by countless screens that rose and fell endlessly, stretching both infinitely high and sinking beneath the floor. The entity began to scan the area, its light spreading and searching. It found traces of a familiar code: Designation: Flowey NC32F84. But there was not enough to utilize.
It moved on, scanning another point, where some decayed blood still lingered. Designation: Chara NC22-F-ECHO. Again, not enough to utilize.
Then, it turned to observe a space behind the monitors, where something lay—rotting, dead. The body of a child, with the corpse of a cat cradled in its lap. The entity flowed over them and scanned both.
Designation: Pablo...error. It couldn't identify the origin of this entity.
Designation: Aliza...error. Again, no identification.
Both bodies were too decayed. It began to rewind time, the process painfully slow and difficult in this place, as though the space itself resisted the concept of non-linear progression. The entity bumped into a screen, jostling it. Voices could be heard nearby, but it ignored them, continuing its scan of the corpses.
One of them—less decayed now than it had been destined to become—was viable. Twisting lights pushed through the deep stab wounds in the chest, burrowing into the rotting flesh, seeking out enough fragments of life for its purpose. It gathered the pieces of the soul, orange threads flickering faintly, piecing them together beneath the bloodied yellow raincoat.
Until, at last...the corpse took a breath.
Elsewhere. Some time later...
A small camera activated, scanning the remains of the monitoring station. It panned over the mangled walls and ruptured space, the vast network of computer terminals and monitors destroyed. Sections of stone drooped and dripped as though melting, some pebbles bursting into code when they struck the ground. Silence stretched for a long while, until shadows shifted in front of the camera.
Gaster stood, only half-manifested, his form still melting. He slumped against a desk, his body struggling to reform. One arm had melted into his chest, oozing down and fusing with his leg. Only one eye remained open, the other gone, as he surveyed the area.
"Had I not consumed that flowery fool..." His voice was quiet, tinged with anxiety and self-reflection. Then, he noticed the camera light. "Ah. You're still here."
He attempted to reach out toward you with his half-fused arm, but it flopped and splashed to the floor. His melted face contorted in a pained smile, deep tears in his body refusing to mend.
"I sent a 'phage' to seek the Observer," he muttered, coughing as part of his hand broke off and fell, only to melt and fuse into him once more as a new one took shape. "It's still operational, but I can't trace it. It should... remedy that."
He attempted to rise, but his leg melted into a bubbling pool of darkness, causing him to collapse into the puddle. For the moment, he was silenced.
Bits of the broken computer system began to stir as shadowy hands materialized, pulling apart the code, tearing at the fragments. Piece by piece, they wove the torn code into the darkness. More hands appeared, snapping and breaking apart what remained of the station, feeding it into the shadows. The camera gradually became the only functional one as the others were consumed.
Slowly, steadily, most of the remnants were absorbed, fueling the reconstruction of Gaster's body. His form became more structured, less goopy, though one eye remained melted, much to his visible annoyance. He took a moment, creating a glitching cigarette with trembling hands, lighting it and taking a long, pained drag. His face twitched between a smile and grimaces of agony.
"Forgive me," he rasped. "I... should have run." He exhaled, smoke blending with his crumbling form. "I was...rash. I finally have you here and I..." He ran a finger across his melted eye socket, strands of it dangling loosely. "I had to alert an 'Error' to this location... It's presently dealing with my mak—other self. Hopefully."
Leaning against the counter, still absorbing bits of the space around him, Gaster seemed unsteady. There were alerts echoing through the air, even though no screens remained. The location had been breached, and it wouldn't be long before it was purged—a reality that clearly weighed on him.
"Regardless of the outcome, I can't expend any more energy yet." He manifested an 'HP' bar, which was barely 10% full. "I'm using too much just to sustain our connection... and I can't... handle the silence again if it breaks."
He composed himself with a deep breath, forcing a faint smile. "But listen to me, hmm? I must sound pitiful."
Letters appeared around him, earning a glance. Your voices bleeding through. Static, and unstable, but present.
An error screen with the words replaced to say. "I already miss is not responding."
A second commented. "Is Gaster okay?"
A third cycled. "Does Gaster get a vote still?"
He seemed surprised to see this, a different sort of text sparking before him, forming in from the void. The results of a vote, his good eye-socket briefly illuminating with a faint pale glow inside, looking it over.
Region Votes:
Golden Grove - 2
Meat Forest - 1
Port Town - 2
"I see. Whoever has my drone is tampering with our experiment," he said, his tone bitter and annoyed. "But a vote is a vote. Your choices matter, and I must respect it. I only hope you're not granting that thief what they want."
He produced a coin from scraps of himself. "Alright. My vote...hmm...let's settle this one, shall we?"
He flipped the coin, which blurred between various colors, crackling and glitching before landing on the back of his hand. It struck the spot where a hole had been filled in by magic. It was tails.
"Then my vote will be for Port Town... I've no idea what that is, but I hope it will be pleasant." He added, "I'd rather our world be something special, even if these deviations are... difficult for me to understand sometimes."
With that, the coin flickered out of existence. Gaster rose again and began pulling apart the remaining structures of the space, tearing them down as the camera flickered.
"I must gather my strength. But once the Phage succeeds, I will find you," he said, flickering between moments as he consumed more code to further reconstruct himself. "Please, keep an eye on that...thief. Until we meet again."
With that, the camera was consumed along with everything else.
But it was not the only means of observation available to you.
There was another, and you had responded to its inquiry.
The Observer produced a sound like a robotic purr when it realized that fact. It began to tally your votes, as quickly as it could. Spoke loudly, whispered, uttered in passing. Proper data, useful. Needed. Six were provided.
4 For.
2 Against.
A conclusion was reached. A mandible reached out, and using a small needle pierced the code, drawing it into range. Opening the chest compartment, to reveal the glowing cannister that was your universe. Tapping it with a similar thing, it began to weave in the remnant code.
It attempted to stick, purely to statistical power. To avoid melding thoughts, or actions. Mixed histories. Unaware such a thing wasn't entirely possible. Something always changed with a graft.
When it was finished, some of the echo-code still remained, floating there. These were the negative impulses, and actions of the previous. There was power tied to them. There was something to 'gain' but it opted not to.
For your Undyne, is a caretaker. It would not do, to have her be a true villain. At least, that was its assessment. Abandoning some of the potential, in exchange for a fuller picture.
It seemed to scan the space around it, and whirred pleasantly as it sealed the compartment. It hoped you were proud of it. That the doctor would be proud of it. That it had done a good job.
A voice yelled. "Hey. Hurry up!" As The Assistant peaked through the portal. "And don't touch that. It's dangerous, or something."
The Observer turned, and started to follow after the non-human. Moving from this dying world, into the next. It didn't want her to become aware of your actions. It did not trust this being.
And it ventured through and was displaced somewhere new.
But, before we meet up with it. Aren't you curious about your choice? Was the change something tangible, notable? What had it effected, changed? Was something different now, because of your beautiful, wonderful, choice?
Let's find out, and then catch up with your eyes...
The sunlight breached the barrier, pouring down across the forest. There was no rain today—perfect for getting something done.
In the heart of the forest stood a town with colorful buildings of various styles. Most of the monsters had gathered near a new clearing, close to a building marked "S-Cool," the local school. Among its sign were images of kids skateboarding, with sunglasses on. As well as a few other images of equivalent quality. The teachers' attempt at "cool branding" had been... a mixed success.
The monsters worked hard, sorting through lumber, cutting wood into slabs, and polishing it down. Some applied a magic coating to prevent splinters or to make surfaces slick, perfect for the slides.
Among them was a tall woman with crimson hair and scaled skin. Her usual hair-tie had snapped while working, so she kept her ponytail bound by a makeshift cloth. She wasn't wearing her typical armor, just casual clothing with a tabard thrown over it. As she hefted a large ladder, she drove it into the ground with impressive strength.
Hearing movement behind her, she glanced back. A red-cloaked young woman stood at attention, saluting. "Red reporting! Ready to start the day, Captain!"
The other monster sighed, pushing a slab of wood into place beside the ladder. She motioned as a few flying monsters carried another slab over, carefully lowering it between two others. It was part of a play structure—wooden ladders on each side with a long ladder across the top. Hammered in at several points, it looked sturdy enough.
"Red," Undyne began, dusting her hands on her jeans. "You don't have to call me that anymore. It's just Undyne."
"I know, but... it feels weird not to. Isn't it?" The ghost, who possessed a human-like doll, asked. "Besides, you're still in charge of Gardentown. Why not keep the title anyway?"
Undyne studied her former sentry. "I appreciate your loyalty, Red, I really do. But..." She patted the top of the monster's head. "I'm not in charge of anyone anymore. I'm just helping out—no ranks, no roles. And, honestly, I was terrible at that job."
"What?" Red scoffed. "You were the only one who succeeded!" This earned her a dark look from Undyne. "I mean, I know your... stance has changed, but who else h-"
"Stop," Undyne cut her off, voice firm. "None of that." Red, looking ashamed, nodded. "This place... since the beginning, it's a fresh start. So don't be a nerd and dwell on the past. Patrol if you want, make puzzles, all that—but only because it's fun for you. And if you see a human, just bring them back here. Okay?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Red saluted again. "I, uh... I'm sorry, by the way. I should've..." She trailed off awkwardly. "Okay, well. Have a good day."
The sentry hurried off, leaving Undyne to sift through the complicated feelings bubbling inside. She sighed, scratching the side of her head, trying to shake off the memories.
A voice from the side startled her. "You were a captain? Of what?"
Undyne blinked and turned to see Chara, her adopted daughter. She wore her self-dubbed "school outfit," which consisted of a rainbow-painted scarf pinned onto her green shirt, using a golden flower pin. As well as brown pants. A pair of fake demon horns sat atop her head.
"Hey, buttercup," Undyne greeted, checking her phone. "Hmm. I'm not the smartest, but I think you're supposed to be in school right now, right?"
"Nah. Someone scared Noelle." Chara held up a piece of paper. "It was me. It was funny."
"Chara..." her guardian's voice was tired.
"It was just a joke!" Chara protested. "I shined a flashlight at her, and she froze up. I just ran at her and turned it off. Not my fault she didn't notice me."
"Except it literally is. And you know better." Undyne took the paper from her. "It's hard to keep friends when you pick on them."
"I was just playing around," Chara pouted. "She laughed, so it was funny."
"Oh, buttercup..." Undyne sighed, already tired by the prospect of explaining. "Look, just no more scaring your friends." Chara smiled, but Undyne quickly added, "Or your classmates." The girl huffed. "If you can't do that, no painting for a month."
Chara gasped. "Y-you wouldn't!"
"Trust me, I'd rather not. But I will."
Chara crossed her arms and pouted. "Fine... but, uh, I wanna know what you were captain of."
"You don't usually get to add conditions when you're getting punished, nerd." Undyne smirked, messing with Chara's hair and horns as she started to walk off.
Chara swiped at her hands, fixing the horns before jogging to catch up. She climbed up onto the stone fence that lined much of the school property, balancing as she walked along it. Undyne slowed her pace, noticing.
"Okay, but you gotta tell me!" Chara insisted.
"Do I?" Undyne teased.
"Yeah, totally. You said no secrets when I ran off with Penilla in the ruins, right?"
"That's different. I need to know where you are." Undyne explained. "It's important."
Chara reached a gap in the fence, where a gate split the stone. She stepped back, then ran forward, jumping the gap. She wobbled, nearly falling, but a light spear appeared behind her, pushing her upright.
"Eh heh... yeah. Sorry. B-but I had that!" she assured.
"I'm sure you did." Undyne replied dryly. "You're not going to stop asking, are you?" Chara shook her head. "Alright... I was once the Captain of the Royal Guard."
"Wow, really? What's that?" Chara jumped down onto a nearby bench, nearly landing on a hooded monster sitting there.
"Chara!" Undyne's voice snapped. The girl flinched. "Ahm... tsk. Sorry, Dalv. You okay?"
"It's alright, nothing harmed," the hooded monster replied, smiling under his hood. "Just be careful, Chara. You almost landed on my corn."
"I will... sorry, Mr. Dalv," Chara said sheepishly, hopping down, as she continued walking with her guardian.
As the hooded figure resumed his meal, Undyne gave Chara a light thump on the shoulder. "What did I say about looking before you jump?"
"That I should?" Chara half-asked, then added, "And that I might hurt myself... or someone else... if I don't?"
"Exactly," Undyne gave her a stern look.
"Sorry..." Chara murmured, then perked up again. "So, uh, what's a Royal Guard?"
"So determined for an answer." Undyne noted, the girl smiling at this. "Well, it was, and is the official military of monsterkind, beyond the Forest Ruins." She explained. "I was a captain in it for...many years."
"So, you were the boss?" The girl asked.
"Well. There were 'possible' ranks above mine, but I was the only one to get that high in title." The woman admitted, adding. "So, aside from the monarch...yeah, I guess so."
"Wow, really?" Chara's eyes widened. "So you were like, one of those super strong heroes from the animes we watch?" She made air punches. "Saving people, slaying bad-guys."
"I-" Undyne flinched at that. "I uh, well..."
"That sounds awesome!" Her daughter declared, asking. "why aren't you in it anymore?"
She hesitated, her gaze flickering as she caught sight of a dark blue soul in her vision, hearing a phantom scream before it faded. "It wasn't that cool. I promise. Mostly just being bored...and posing."
"So you left cuz it was...boring?" Chara asked, raising a brow.
"Kiddo, It's... complicated." Undyne said, tiredly.
The pair walked through the park, past people talking and enjoying the sunshine. Golden flowers lined the path, while glowing mushrooms illuminated the space. Tall trees provided shade from the warm sunlight.
"That's not an answer!" Chara pressed, jogging ahead to block her mother's path. "That's what adults say when they think kids are stupid."
"It's not about your intelligence, Chara," Undyne laughed nervously but sighed. "It's just... back then, I believed in something—someone. I thought I was... going to be the hero, like out of those animes we watch." She admitted, her voice softer. "I worked so hard. I trained... for so many years. I made sure I'd never flinch... never hesitate when the moment came." Her eyes closed, the memory vivid, as though she could still hear the voice begging her not to fight. "And... I justified everything when it finally did."
Chara's expression shifted from confusion to curiosity, and finally to concern. Her brow furrowing. The explanation didn't satisfy her. It felt like there was so much more. And yet, as she watched Undyne's fingers twitch, she felt like she'd made a mistake.
Undyne's fingers twitched. The ghostly sensation of blood—the wetness that wasn't there—lingered in her mind. "But it was all a lie." Her pace slowed, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I did everything they asked, but... they didn't even... it was just..." She let out a shaky breath. "I left when I found out the truth." A pause. "That I'd... t-that it was for nothing."
Chara watched Undyne closely, expecting her to say something more, but all she saw was the distant look in her eyes, the shaking hands. Chara didn't fully understand, but the dread growing in her chest was enough to make her search desperately for some way to pull her mother back from wherever her thoughts had taken her.
Undyne, meanwhile, was lost in the memory—the warmth, the sticky sensation of blood on her hands. The choking, the rush, the victory, pride, hope, all tied together with the sharp scent of metal and the awful taste of guilt. And the realization, that in the end, it was for nothing. The light fading from a pair of blue eyes...no dust...just emptiness...
"Are you okay?" Chara's voice finally broke through the haze. "M-mom... hey," She tugged at Undyne's hand, first gently, then with growing urgency. "Mom, it's okay... please be okay. D-don't be mad. I-I uhm..." The nervous laughter that followed shattered the trance, bringing Undyne's attention back to the present. "Y-you don't have to tell me. I'm sorry. I was uh... just joking... I shouldn't have asked."
Undyne blinked, taking note of the growing distress she'd caused. She knelt down and pulled Chara into a tight hug, her arms trembling as she held her close. Her sins seemed to crawl on her back, every failure, every regret, except this one. Chara—her daughter—was still here. The only one she'd managed to protect. And she'd scared her.
"I'm sorry, Chara. I'm so sorry. I just got... a little lost, for a minute. It's not your fault. It's not." She whispered, her voice barely above a murmur. The nervous laughter stopped as Chara tried to steady herself. "Hey. It's okay. I promise. I'm not mad."
"You're... you're not?" Chara's voice wavered. "B-but you... I did something, and it's... my fault a-"
"Shh. Shh. You didn't do anything wrong." Undyne reassured her softly. "I was just lost and... worried, that's all. I just... want you to be safe, okay?" Her voice cracked, but her eyes burned with determination. "I'll never let anyone hurt you. I promise. And if anyone tries to..." Her chest tightened with a familiar resolve. "It'll be the last mistake they ever make."
"Mom?" Chara's worry deepened, her voice small. "I'll be safe. I won't get hurt."
"I know. I know." Undyne sighed, finally letting go. "Shit. I... went and made a mess of this, huh?" She gave a weak smile, trying to shake off the weight. "I'm sorry, buttercup." She stood up, brushing off the intensity. "None of that was your fault, okay?" She repeated, receiving a faint nod from Chara. "Let's... not talk about the captain thing for now."
"Okay."
"Hey... how about we check out the new playground? Maybe we could paint it." She suggested, her tone lightening, trying to steer the conversation back to something fun.
Chara hesitated, still feeling uneasy. The sudden shift felt... off. But she tried her best to hide it, forcing a small smile. "Well... yeah. I mean, I'd paint it." She laughed nervously. "You'd make some stick figures... or something. Not s-sure that... counts as painting."
"Ouch. Break my heart, why don't ya?" Undyne chuckled, trying to keep on a smile. "Tell you what—you head back to the playground, and I'll run home to grab your paint, okay?"
"Are you sure?" Chara asked, hesitating before adding, "I have some with me, it's not a lot but..." She then trailed off. "b-but it's okay. I won't start without you. Alright?" Adding. "Cuz you make...really cool stick figures."
Undyne smiled more earnestly. "Almost as cool as yours, I hope."
"Well...one day." The girl laughed softly, before asking. "You uh...really aren't...mad at me?"
"No. Not even a little." The woman assured. "I'm sorry I worried you, but don't worry. I'll be there soon with the paints. I promise." She kissed her daughters forehead. "See you in a minute, hon,"
"See you in a minute," Chara echoed, glancing back once before heading off.
Undyne looked over her shoulder, watched her go, taking a moment to steady herself. Her eyes lingered on Chara's retreating form, her chest tightening. She took a slow, deep breath, releasing the weight of her past, if only for now. She couldn't dwell on it, couldn't buckle to it —not with Chara counting on her.
She closed her eyes briefly, exhaling the last of her tension, and focused on the present. Stay determined, she reminded herself. After all...she still had to come up with something to paint.