Rootin' n' Tootin'

by Veloo

Summary:

After defeating Ceroba, Clover takes a moment to think about what to do.

Starlo joins them and the two talk. Clover asks something that changes their fate.

Notes:

This chapter is only 1000 words as this is only a prologue! Please keep that in mind.

Chapter 1: Prologue

"I mean, it's plausible but won't the royal guard be on the hunt?"

"After so many encounters, Clover just disappears?"

 

"It wouldn't be the first time."

 

"Ohh yeah! They would probably think the same thing happened again!" Starlo smiled.

 

"But... what about the others?" Martlet asked.

"You know, the next humans. Clover gets to live happily but they have to die?"

 

Starlo's smile faded into a frown. "Oh."

 

"...We don't know their hearts. Maybe they-"

 

Martlet cut Ceroba off before she could continue.

 

"What? Deserve it? Have you learned anything?"

 

"I'm just weighing our options! We're backed into a corner here, alright?"

 

Starlo tried to de-escalate the situation. "Hey, calm down, guys."

 

"You know, I really thought this tonight's fiasco was enough! We all talked it through and things were going well."

"We all talked it through and things were going well. But you immediately suggest giving future children up to-"

 

Ceroba grew annoyed.

 

"I didn't mean it like that! Get off my case!"

 

Clover turned around and headed towards the SAVE point that Flowey had put just before they fought Ceroba.

 

With a sigh, they sat down by the building on their left. What were they gonna do? They didn't have many options. Maybe they could... no, that would.. that would bring his friends pain.

 

Clover's train of thought was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They looked up, only to see Starlo. He sat on the cold concrete next to them.

 

That sparked an idea in his head. What about asking Starlo if they could live in the Wild East? They would enjoy not freezing to death in Snowdin, no offense to Martlet.

 

"Hey deputy. Watcha' doing?" He asked with a smirk.

 

"Oh, nothing, just.. thinking."

 

"About?"

 

"Well, thinking about everything that happened. I.. I don't know what to do, Starlo. About- about anything."

 

"It's about what you're gonna do here, right? Ya don't know whether to face Asgore or live in the underground."

 

"..Yeah."

 

"Well, you could try.. thinking about what to do now. It's just the two of us, and I won't judge your decision."

 

That gave Clover the confidence boost they needed.

 

Okay, here goes nothing.

 

"..Starlo?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I, uhm.."

 

Clover suddenly wasn't so sure, but continued.

 

"Do you think I could live in the Wild East with you and The Feisty Four?"

 

"..Me? Darn, I really thought you woulda' chose feather's, y'know?"

 

"I.. is that a yes?"

 

"Of course!"

 

Clover got up and tackled Starlo in a hug instantly. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

 

The two were in a comfortable silence until Clover stopped hugging Starlo, a smile on his face.

 

"We gotta tell the others, c'mon!" Clover took Starlo's hand as he stood up.

 

Ceroba and Martlet were still in their spots, but they had stopped fighting. The two heard the oncoming footsteps and looked at Clover and Starlo.

 

"Alright, Clover decided that they want to stay in the Wild East."

 

Martlet crouched down to be at Clover's height. "Clover, are you really sure about this?"

 

"Yeah, I'm sure."

 

"..okay then. If you're sure, then I'm fine with it!" Martlet smiled.

 

Ceroba sighed. "It's settled, then. Martlet, I think you should head home. Me and Starlo are gonna head to the Wild East with Clover and help them prepare."

 

"Are you sure? Shouldn't- shouldn't I help as well?-"

 

"No, you deserve some rest after everything that's happened."

 

Martlet nodded and took off, flying to Snowdin.

 

Starlo motioned for Ceroba to follow him. "Well, let's go!"

 

The walk to the Wild East was peaceful. Most monsters were already asleep at their homes, so it was just Starlo, Ceroba, and Clover.

 

And yet, Clover couldn't help but feel like someone was watching their every move.

 

Once they had arrived at the Wild East, Starlo put his hands on his hips.

 

"Alright, first of all," he turned to Clover, giving them a little boop on their nose, "you need to get to sleep, pardner. For now, yer gonna have to sleep in my posse's house. You okay with sleeping in the couch?"

 

"Yeah, I don't mind."

 

"Okay! I'll get some pillows and blankets for ya, be back in a sec!"

 

Starlo ran off to his house, leaving Clover and Ceroba.

 

"..Clover?"

 

They looked up at Ceroba.

 

"I.. thank you for everything. Truly. I don't think I would ever find peace without you."

 

They smiled. "Anytime."

 

After a couple of minutes, Starlo arrived, holding two pillows and a blanket.

 

"Alright, c'mon Clover."

 

Clover walked by Starlo's side as they entered The Feisty Four's house. All of them were sleeping like babies.

 

Starlo neatly placed the pillows and blanket onto the couch.

 

Clover took their hat off, which is something he doesn't regularly, and placed it on top of the TV. He climbed onto the couch and covered himself woth the blanket.

 

"Uhm, Starlo?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Could you.. tuck me in?"

 

"Of course!"

 

Starlo did as was asked, tucking Clover in. They seemed happy.

 

"Sweet dreams, pardner."

 

Starlo walked out, silently closing the door behind him, leaving Clover alone with his thoughts.

 

That was, until a familiar flower popped out of the ground, despite the ground being made of wood.

 

"Psst, Clover, hey."

 

"F- flowey? What are you doing here?"

 

"More importantly, what are YOU doing HERE??"

 

"Look, I.. Flowey, I'm sorry. But I found a place where people actually love me, and I- I'm scared, okay? I'm scared to throw it all away."

 

"..urgh." Flowey disappeared into the wood floor, not even leaving a scratch.

 

Clover closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

 

~~~

 

Flowey emerged from the ground in New Home. There was nobody there, so he could talk as loudly as he could.

 

"Damn it! Why does NOTHING end up going my way for once?! I reset countless times for them, just for that to happen!"

"I should reset again. There's nothing left for me here.. but.."

 

Flowey shook his head.

 

"Come on, why is this so difficult for me..."

 

Flowey stared at the reset button, which was highlighted in yellow.

 

"Damn it. I- I can't do it. Whatever, there's.. always the next human, right? However long that may be, I'll wait."

"Urgh, can't believe I got attached to them.."

 

Flowey sank back into the ground.

Chapter 2: Can't Sleep

Summary:

The one where Clover goes to Martlet's house at night.

Clover awoke with a gasp, his hand touching his chest. They hated nightmares.

 

They sighed, tearing the blankets off their body and sitting up. The Feisty Four were still asleep. They should check what time it is.

 

He hopped off the couch and walked outside. The massive Swelterstone was still dark, meaning it was still night. However, they weren't tired, so they would have to find something else to do.

 

Maybe Martlet's awake? She dozes off a lot, so maybe she doesn't sleep that much at night..

 

They took a quick look around the Wild East. Nobody was outside.

 

He headed towards Starlo's farm, as there was one of those UGPS things there.

 

Once they arrived, they sneaked past Starlo's house, and rang the bell.

 

With a yawn, the Mail Whale flew down. "Hello – greetings – hip hip hooray! What can I do for you today?"

 

"Uh.. travel."

 

"Where in the world would you like to fly? Just choose the place and the UGPS sign!"

 

The Mail Whale was probably tired right now, Clover would apologize later. They climbed into the basket which perfectly fit them.

 

"..Snowdin."

 

The Mail Whale nodded and took off with Clover. They nervously gripped the edges of the basket. 'It didn't exactly make sense for a deputy to be afraid of heights, right? Starlo probably isn't scared of them..' They thought.

 

After what seemed like hours, when in reality it was only fourteen minutes, Clover arrived at his destination. He got out of the basket and waved goodbye to the Mail Whale.

 

Shivering from the cold, he passed the Honeydew Resort, snow crunching beneath them. They probably should've brought something to counter the cold.

 

Clover glanced at the spot that Ava was supposed to be at. Seems like Martlet hadn't repaired her yet.

 

He crossed the newly rebuilt bridge and found himself in front of Martlet's door, the smell of sawdust from the nearby workbench attacking their nose. They knocked on the door.

 

Clover listened closely for the sounds of bird feet coming closer to the door. They did eventually come, with the occasional crashing and tumbling sounds for some reason.

 

Martlet opened the door without seeing Clover. He poked Martlet, which caught her attention. "Oh, Clover! Wait- Clover? What are you doing here?"

 

"I- I woke up and I don't really want to go back to sleep so.. could I come in?"

 

She smiled. "Of course!"

 

Martlet stepped back as Clover walked into the house and took off their shoes.

 

"Sorry if it's a little messy, I haven't had time to clean." Martlet sheepishly smiled.

 

Clover looked around the house in awe, as they haven't seen the inside of her house yet.

 

"Do you want some food? I've got some leftover instant noodles, if you want some."

 

Clover nodded. "Sure."

 

"I'm not actually sure where the TV remote is, but if you find it, feel free to turn it on!"

 

Martlet went over to the kitchen and began making the instant noodles for Clover.

 

He walked over to the strange, purple jiggly couch. They sat on it and reached in between the cushions.

 

With an epic melody crescendoing in their head, they pulled out a dusty remote. They pressed the left-most button on the remote, turning it on.

 

The TV displayed some kind of action movie, one of Clover's favorites. He scooted up to the corner of the couch, hugging his knees out of habit.

 

After a couple of minutes, Martlet came back with a bowl of instant noodles and a fork.

 

She giggled. "Do you usually sit like that when watching something?"

 

"Huh? Oh."

 

They shifted to sit on the couch normally.

 

"Here ya go!"

"Enjoy, Clover."

 

Martlet sat down next to him, seemingly invested in the movie as well.

 

Clover grabbed the fork and spun it around, before digging in.

 

"Wait- Clover, stop you're gonna burn yours-! wha.."

 

Clover looked at her with a confused expression.

 

"Did.. did that not burn you? Are you okay??"

 

"Yeah. I'm okay. I'm used to eating stuff like this."

 

"But- I just made that! I don't want you getting hurt, just- put that fork down and wait a little, please?"

 

Clover dropped the fork back in the bowl.

 

"Haha- jeez, you kinda scared me."

 

"..sorry."

 

Martlet put her wing on Clover's back. "It's okay! Really! I just don't really understand how that's, uh, normal to you. Is it just a human thing?"

 

Clover shrugged.

 

"Oh, right, you're like.. a kid, you probably don't know everything. Say, Clover, how old are you?"

 

"I'm twelve."

 

"That's- so you came here to look for the missing children because you were the oldest out of all of them?"

 

Clover nodded.

 

"Oh.."

 

The two sat in silence for a while watching the movie, before Martlet suddenly had an idea.

 

"Clover! I know something we can do!"

 

Clover looked at her. "Mm?"

 

"How about I show you how to do some woodworking?"

 

"Uhm.. are you sure? I don't really wanna mess up anything you made."

 

"I'm sure! And don't worry, I'll walk you through the steps, okay?"

 

"Okay."

 

"Just wait here for a second!"

 

Martlet rushed upstairs to her room, only to come out three seconds later holding a sweater. She walked downstairs and handed it to Clover.

 

"Here! So you don't get cold out there. I can't really wear it anymore since I grew up, but I'm sure it'll be good on you AND protect you from the cold."

 

Clover stared at the sweater. "Oh, uh, thank you."

 

Clover took off his hat and took the sweater from Martlet's hand- er, wings, putting it on over their normal clothes.

 

"Wow, I really can't recognize you without your hat, y'know.."

 

With a giggle, he put his hat back on. The two walked back outside into the cold.

 

Martlet walked over to the wood working bench. "Alright, something a beginner can do.."

 

She turned to them. "How about I help you make a wooden doormat?"

 

"Okay, that sounds good."

 

"Great!"

 

Martlet turned back to the wood working table and grabbed the equipment needed. "Let's get started, then!"

 

~~~

 

"So now.. we have to sand the edges and we'll be done."

 

Clover tilted his head. "Sand the edges?"

 

"Yeah! So- there's this thing called sandpaper, really useful for wood! Wait here for a second, I'll be right back."

 

Martlet walked back into the house, leaving Clover alone with their thoughts.

 

He was actually.. glad that he fell into the underground. He came here for one reason, and one reason only. Find the missing kids. And yet, now that he knows they're.. gone, maybe it just be better for them to stay here for good.

 

They really hope that another kid doesn't fall down anytime soon. They don't want another dead child..

 

Clover's thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of Martlet's door opening. 

 

"Hey! I got the sandpaper, sorry it took so long. I couldn't find it at all.."

"Here, how about we both do it?"

 

She sat down next to Clover, offering them to join her in sanding the edges of the doormat. They obliged, and the two started.

 

After a couple of minutes, the doormat was done.

 

"Wow! That looks awesome for a beginner!" She pat his head, a smile emerging from her face.

 

Clover was uncertain. "Something's missing.. do you have any crayons?"

 

"Oh! Yeah, I do, here."

 

Martlet grabbed some crayons from her pockets that she, for some reason, had. She handed them to Clover.

 

He began drawing a cowboy hat and a feather next to eachother below the welcome text.

 

Once he was done, he proudly presented it to Martlet.

 

"Awe, that's so cute! Thank you so much, Clover!" Martlet grabbed the doormat and placed it in front of the door. She also may or may not have super glued it to the snow.

 

"Oh, I should probably get going soon."

 

"Aww, really? Well, you should go finish your food first. You don't wanna leave on an empty stomach after all this work!"

 

The two went back inside. Clover sat back on the couch while Martlet prepared her own food.

 

The TV was off, but it was fine. Clover silently ate the noodles while hearing Martlet's humming.

 

Once they were done, they went up to Martlet, who had finished her food and was waiting for it to cool down on the kitchen counter.

 

"Martlet?"

 

She turned to look at him and kneeled down.

 

"Yeah, Clover?"

 

He hugged her tightly. "Thanks for being a really good friend."

 

She returned the hug. "Of course!"

 

Clover eventually stopped the hug. They waved eachother goodbye, and Clover walked out of the house.

 

They went back the way the came from, ringing the UGPS bell, and going back to the Wild East.

 

"Oh, right."

 

He placed his hat onto the floor of the basket and took off the sweater Martlet gave him, putting it into the dimensional satchel.

 

"Don't wanna burn up in the heat.."

 

They put the hat back on and stared at the dark Swelterstone, meaning it was still night. Did they wake up at 5am?

 

Once they landed, they sneakily went back into the Feisty Four's house. Thankfully, they were all still sleeping. He climbed into bed, AKA the couch, and covered himself in the blanket.

 

He slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

———

 

Martlet grabbed her leatherbound book and a pen.

Entry 56

So I just finished work on a doormat with my friend Clover! Oh, did I mention that they're a human? Probably not buuut..

They drew a nice little hat and feather on it in crayon for me! Isn't that so cute?? If it's not, I don't know what is. =v=

I can't help but think about what happened witht hem earlier, though.. I really don't like talking (or writing in this case :v) about people behind their backs, but..

They just started eating instant noodles the moment I put them on the table.. isn't that bad for humans? Don't they have to wait for food to cool down like us?

Anyways, I hope they returned safely to the Wild East! ^v^

 

———

 

Clover woke up with a yawn. At least they finally got some good sleep after all.

 

They sat up, not even realizing that the blanket was on the floor. The Feisty Four were gone as well, so that means they at least slept for a good couple of hours.

 

Clover stepped outside, only to be blinded by the Swelterstone. He blocked the light from it by covering it with his hand.

 

Starlo ran up to them. "Clover! Where- where were ya? We were lookin' everywhere!"

 

"I.. took a walk?"

 

"Oh." Starlo facepalmed. "I should've thought about that, urgh.."

 

A giggle escaped from Clover as they covered their mouth.

 

"Well, nevermind then, do you wanna go to the saloon with me and Ceroba? Just for fun! I would'a invited the Feisty Four as well but they're probably doing something else right now."

 

Clover nodded, slightly adjusting their hat to block the Swelterstone without their hand.

 

"Well, let's go, deputy!"

Chapter 3: Bad Eating Habits

Summary:

The one where Clover eats two things they shouldn't.

Notes:

This takes place two days after 'Can't Sleep'

Ceroba was done cleaning up the house. It was a hell of a long chore, but it was finally finished.

 

Ceroba looked at the old cookie jar. They had most lilely gone stale by now, she should probably throw them out.

 

She emptied the cookie jar, throwing all of the stale cookies into the trash outside. She'll get to dumping it to that one place in Waterfall tomorrow. For now? She needed to rest.

 

Although, she couldn't help but shake the feeling of being watched for some reason. Oh well, it's probably just her mind playing tricks on her.. She walked back into her house.

 

Clover sneakily emerged from the bush on the right of Ceroba's house. They needed to eat, and they kind of felt bad asking Starlo.

He checked around one last time before opening the trashcan. Ceroba wouldn't mind.

 

After rummaging through the trash for a second, he noticed the stale cookies. Eagerly, he picked them uo one by one.

 

SLAM!

 

The door opened and Clover froze.

 

"Clover?? What- what are you doing??"

 

They didn't really understand why she was so concerned. "..I'm hungry."

 

"But that's the trashcan??"

 

"What's wrong with that?"

 

"Clover, don't tell me you did this regularly on the surface."

 

"Wouldn't that be lying?"

 

"I- Clover, come in. Please. I'll make you some actual food instead.."

 

He sighed. "..fiinee."

 

"Sit down near the kotatsu, food will be ready in a moment." They did aa she asked.

 

Ceroba walked into the kitchen and began making the usual, corn chowder. She should relearn how to make some other food soon..

 

Once she had finished, she brought it over to Clover, placing it on the kotatsu.

 

She sat down at the kotatsu as well with a stern expression. "Clover, we need to talk about the stuff you eat."

 

"What's wrong with the stuff I eat?"

 

"..you eat things that you really should not."

 

Clover tilted his head at that. Ceroba sighed. "What I mean is, there are certain things that you eat which are really unhealthy for you, okay?"

 

She hadn't had this kind of talk ever since Kanako was born.

 

"You can't eat trash, alright? You also can't eat stuff like packing peanuts, alright?"

 

Clover slowly ate the corn chowder while listening to her.

 

"And I'm probably not the first one who's mentioned this. Have Starlo or Martlet said anything?"

 

Clover shook their head. Figures. "Well, either way, you still shouldn't eat stuff like that."

 

"I guess I'll try.."

 

"Thank you. Now, enjoy your corn chowder. And once you're finished, just place it in the sink. Er- if you can reach." With a smile, she stood up and walked into her room. She hoped that Clover understood everything she said..

 

Once he was done with the corn chowder, Clover stood up with the empty bowl in hand, and stood on his toes to reach the sink. Thankfully, he managed to drop the bowl in.

 

He left the mansion shortly after that. What was Ceroba talking about again?

 

~~~

 

"Alrighty! Just go ahead and load yer revolver with some ammo."

 

Clover pulled out some silver ammo and stuffed them into the revolver's chamber. With a click, the chamber was back into its usual spot.

 

"Remember, we gotta be pretty careful now. These are live bullets, not some rubber ones. Go ahead and shoot that dummy for me, will ya?"

 

Clover nodded. They put their revolver closer to their face, and shut their right eye.

 

"You can do it, pardner!"

 

He squeezed the trigger. It was a perfect headshot.

 

Starlo pat the kid on his back. "Great goin'! Now, you're left handed, right?"

 

Clover nodded. "Yeah."

 

"Alright! So, lesson two is- wait. Oh darn it, I completely forgot about the farm! Clover, we're gunna have to stop here for now. When I get back, we'll continue."

 

"For now, juuust... go into Blackjack's store and ask him stuff about guns and- and revolvers especially! That'll be useful, I think."

 

Starlo ran off to his farm, and Clover decided to do what was asked of them.

 

They walked inside of Blackjack's store, waving at him.

 

"Oh, hey Clovr'. Need more ammo for yer trainin', I suppose?"

 

Clover shook his head. "Starlo needed to do something at the farm. He'll be back soon, but he told me to come to you so you can tell me more stuff about guns and stuff."

 

"Ah, I see I see! Well, get comfortable, because I got many things to share!" Blackjack mentioned for them to sit down. They did as they were asked.

 

He pulled out a large book and dropped it onto the counter with a resounding THUD. He readjusted his glasses and began flipping through the pages at an alarming rate.

 

"No, no, not that.. there!" He stopped at a page. "Gunpowder. So, let's see here... Gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms, pyrotechnics, and so much more! I personally-"

 

They weren't actually listening to him. Instead, they were staring at the actual jar of gunpowder which was sat alone on the top shelf behind Blackjack.

 

How would that taste? Hm, maybe like.. licorice? They didn't exactly like licorice, buuut..

 

"And that's all! You happy with my explanation?"

 

Oh- QUICK, THINK DUMB!

 

"What explanation?"

 

NOT THAT DUMB!

 

"I- I mean, uh.. yep! I'm definitely happy with it, yeepp. I have a question though."

 

Blackjack smiled. "Ask away!"

 

"How much for that jar of gunpowder?"

 

"Tryna' do some experimenting on yer own, eh? Well, seeing as you're so young, I'll undercharge ya. Don't think I'll do this everytime, though! 25G, please!"

 

Clover grabbed the 25G from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

 

"Pleasure doin' business with ya, kid."

 

Clover walked out of the gunshop, the jar in hand. Here goes nothing.

 

They removed the lid with ease and grabbed a handful of the gunpowder.

 

He raised his hand and dropped the gunpowder into his mouth. Tastes.. bitter. Oh well, at least he learned something ne-

 

"DEPUTY TAKE THAT OUTTA YOUR MOUTH??!"

 

Clover began violently coughing at Starlo's sudden voice.

 

"OH DARN IT- Me and my stupid mouth!"

 

Starlo rushed over to their side. "This'll sting for a second!"

 

He hit them firmly on their back with the heel of his hand, which thankfully stopped their choking. Clover dropped the jar of gunpowder, and it somehow didn't break.

 

The remaining gunpowder which was in his mouth was gone. Tears welled up in his eyes.

 

"Y- you okay, Clover?"

 

"Yeah, I'm.. I'm fine."

 

"Why would ya eat gunpowder?? That's not safe for you to consume, y'know!"

 

"It's not?"

 

"No???"

 

Clover slightly looked down. " 'm sorry, I was just curious.. I wanted to know how it tasted.."

 

"Deputy, I know you were curious but.. okay, have ya ever heard of the sayin' Curiosity Killed The Monster?"

 

"K- kinda?"

 

"Just.. promise me you won't do that again, alrighty?" He asked, kneeling down on one knee to match Clover's height.

 

They frowned. "mm, I guess.."

 

"Thank ya kindly. Anyways, that's enough trainin' for today. I'll probably ask Blackjack to NOT give gunpowder to kids next time.. anyways, you should get some shuteye. Swelterstone's settin' pretty soon, and I gotta be prepared for more farm work tomorrow."

 

"Okay, see you tomorrow, dad." Clover walked away without realizing what he had just said.

 

"Did- did he just call me dad???.."

 

~~~

 

Ceroba had finished eating, and was about to head outside for a walk. The cafe wasn't closed yet, maybe she cou-

 

Suddenly, the front door burst open. A Starlo with wide eyes was on the other side.

 

"Wh- Starlo, are you okay?"

 

"CEROBA."

 

"Did something happen to Clover?? Are they alri-"

 

"CL OVER  CALLED ME DAD."

 

"Ah."

 

~~~

 

The realization of what they had just done slowly sank in. They were sat on the couch with a horrified look on their face.

 

He called Starlo DAD.

Chapter 4: Catching Up

Summary:

The one where Clover catches up with Axis.

(Suggested by Readingagain)

Notes:

This chapter takes place a few hours after "Bad Eating Habits"

Clover watched in horror as Martlet's dust scattered and flew away. Flowey emerged from the floor.

 

"You gotta be kidding me! I just knew something like this would happen! And after all we've been through..."

 

"I tried for so long. I tried to uphold a friendly persona but wow..."

 

"You really brought me to my limit! Though, I gotta say, it did feel good to finally SNAP, ya know? She never saw it coming! Best of all, she thought YOU betrayed her in the end! What an IDIOT!"

 

"I bet she even-"

 

Their soul started appearing, but it just... vanished.

 

"Nuh-uh-uh! Trigger-happy, are we? We had a nice run didn't we? Too bad I won't miss it."

 

The white pellets surrounded Clover, slowly closing i-

 

Clover's eyes snapped open, tears glistening in them, though he quickly wiped them away.

 

They stared at the wooden ceiling, hands on their chest. Nightmares. Again. It's definitely night, too... They're definitely not gonna go back to Martlet, though. They didn't want to annoy her.

What if she started to hate them if they kept coming to her? That's not something they wanted. But would she really be annoyed? It's Martlet, not a stranger.

 

He just wants to sleep normally. Why does this keep happening?? Is- is there something that keeps giving him those nightmares?

 

They sat up, gripping the cushions tightly. Maybe.. maybe they just need something to take their mind off it. They need someone to talk to. Someone who wouldn't mind, someone like..

 

Axis! He could go to Axis! He runs off love, right? That means he essentially stays up all night. All right, good plan. Clover grabbed his hat and jacket, quickly putting both of them on as he exited the Feisty Four's house.

They wondered if Starlo had decided a place for them to live, yet. Not that there's anything wrong with the Feisty Four, they're just curious.

 

They snuck past Starlo's farm- wait, Starlo- They completely forgot that they called him dad.. okay, they'll just HOPE that he forgot about it, or didn't even notice that they called him that.

After a couple of seconds running, they were at the entrance to the Steamworks.

 

How should he get in.. he would need that code, right? But only Ceroba knows it. Clover put a hand on their chin.

 

It could, theoretically, open if Clover.. no, that's too risky. Surely someone would notice, right..? They needed someone to talk to though. Decisions..

 

Alright, enough thinking already! Clover drew their gun and fired it at the keypad. The entrance to the Steamworks slowly opened.

 

"Clover one, universe zero." They thought out loud. He walked in and the entrance shut itself. No turning back now.

 

They walked past the large generator in the middle of the room, and continued forward. The pink liquid below them was.. incredibly hot, even with the clothes they were wearing.

 

He glanced at the large 'STEAMWORKS' sign. He wondered how work actually was in this place. Probably extremely boring though..

 

They walked up the metal stairs to the raised path, and walked into the actual building that they met Axis in.

 

Maybe they would meet him back the- is that a literal house.

 

Sure enough, it was. There was a one-story house made of brick in front of them. Did Axis do some remodeling or something??

 

They knocked on the door, awaiting a response. Axis opened the door.

 

"AXIS MODEL 014 READY TO GUARD AND PROTECT. INTRUDER SPOTTED. STEAMW- OH. IT'S YOU! HATTED HUMAN. WELCOME TO MY HOME. WHAT BRINGS YOU HERE?"

 

"I was hoping we could just.. talk a little? As friends?"

 

"OH, OF COURSE. COME IN, MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME."

 

Clover walked inside with a smile on his face. "I, uhm, like what you did here. Nice house."

 

"THANK YOU. ME AND DAISY WORKED HARD TO MAKE THIS PLACE EXACTLY HOW WE WANTED IT."

 

"I forgot, is Daisy your-"

 

"SOULMATE, LOVER, CURV- WAIT NO I SHOULDN'T SAY THAT. I ONLY REALIZED YESTERDAY THAT YOU'RE A CHILD."

 

"But I met you four days ago?"

 

"YES. I KNOW. LIKE I SAID, I ONLY JUST NOW REALIZED THAT. ANYWAYS, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT?"

 

"Well.."

 

"OH WAIT, BEFORE YOU START, I RECOMMEND YOU SIT ON THE COUCH."

 

"..oh, right, yeah." They sat down on the gray sofa, which was really comfortable.

 

"NOW, SPIT IT ALL OUT, I'M A GREAT LISTENER."

 

"..I've been having these.. weird nightmares. In them, it's like.. I see things that never happened." His breath hitched, "Like- like me dying and being scared while it happens, o-or someone close to me dying and-"

 

"HUMAN, CALM DOWN. YOU'RE CRYING."

 

"..sorry.

 

"IT'S OKAY."

 

Clover wiped their tears away with their hand.

 

"WELL, MAYBE IT'S SOMETHING OR SOMEONE THAT'S CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN. OR, ANOTHER POSSIBILITY, YOU'RE VERY STRESSED."

 

"I- I don't know, Axis.."

 

"DO YOU WISH TO SEE MY BABY?"

 

"Huh??-'

 

"MY BABY. IT COULD KEEP YOUR MIND OFF THINGS."

 

They weren't exactly sure how a robot could have a baby. Wait- how DO babies even, well, happen? They should ask someone later.

 

He got off the couch. "..sure."

 

"GREAT. FOLLOW ME."

 

Clover followed Axis into their bedroom. There was one big bed, a charging station in the corner, and a.. crib next to the bed.

 

The two peeked into the crib. Inside was a little square robot.

 

"Father, I request that you feed me post haste as I am quite hungry."

 

"ISN'T SHE JUST THE CUTEST."

 

He wasn't even gonna lie, she actually was pretty cute. "Yeah, she's- she's really cute!"

 

"I KNOW RIGHT. OH YEAH, I SHOULD FEED HER. BE RIGHT BACK."

 

Axis glided out of the room, leaving Clover and the baby.

 

"Hello stranger. What is your name and your affiliation with my father?"

 

"I'm Clover, and I'm friends with your dad."

 

"Ah, so I am guessing you're the 'Hatted Human' my father talks about regularly based off your hat. That is good to know."

 

"Yep. Sooo.. what's your name?"

 

"The name father and mother have given me are Amy. An exquisite choice, I may add."

 

"That's a nice name."

 

"Indeed. Say, Clover, are you a human?"

 

"Yep! Flesh and blood. Wait, you probably don't know what flesh and blood is.."

 

"Yes, I do not know. But that matters not. It is nice to meet a human."

 

Clover slightly nodded. "Mhm."

 

Axis glided back in with a battery in his hand. He outstretched his hand towards Amy.

 

"HERE YOU GO."

 

He dropped the battery onto Amy, which seemed to be feeding her.

 

"SO, HATTED HUMAN, WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO?"

 

"Well, I.. I'm living in The Wild East now. I'm a full-part deputy, and I've been talking to my friends. I would've visited you sooner, but there was no way for me to actually get in here without asking for help, and since it's currently night, I don't really want to wake up my friend for this.."

 

"SO HOW DID YOU GET IN NOW?"

 

"Uh.. I- found a secret way..?"

 

"OH. OKAY. WELL, YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE."

 

Clover hugged Axis tightly. "UH. HATTED HUMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

 

"..'m hugging you."

 

"I DO NOT KNOW WHAT A 'HUG' IS, BUT I WILL ASSUME THAT IT IS GOOD."

 

The two sat in a comfortable silence before Clover pulled away.

 

"AH, WAIT, HUMAN, I THINK I KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH YOUR DREAM."

 

"You do..?"

 

"YES. YOU ARE SCARED TO LOSE YOUR FRIENDS. IS THAT IT?"

 

"I.. I guess, yeah.. that's probably it."

 

"WELL, DO NOT WORRY, WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE FOR YOU."

 

"..thanks, Axis."

 

"NO PROBLEM. OH, WAIT.. I FORGOT, ME AND MY FAMILY HAVE A CONCERT TO GO TO."

 

"A concert? In the Steamworks?"

 

"YES. MANY BOTS ARE ATTENDING, SO I WILL BE TOO. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO CUT OUR TALKING SHORT."

 

"It's fine, I don't mind."

 

"THANK YOU. I WILL ESCORT YOU TO THE EXIT, AS THERE IS A WAY TO LEAVE THIS PLACE THROUGH THE ENTRANCE ITSELF, AND I DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET HURT ACCIDENTALLY. LET US GO."

"GOODBYE, DAISY." He yelled out.

 

The escort was silent, with the occasional humming from Clover. Once they were back at the entrance, Axis hit a certain part of the wall which opened up an electrical box.

 

He flicked open three switches and the door slowly opened. "THERE YOU GO."

 

Clover stepped out of Steamworks with a smile on their face.

 

"Bye, Axis." They started walking back to The Wild East.

 

"WAIT WAIT." They stopped dead in their tracks and turned around. "Yeah?"

 

"WHAT ARE YOUR AND THE TALL LADY'S NAMES?"

 

Oh right, they never actually told Axis their names. "..it's Clover, and the 'Tall Lady' is Ceroba."

 

" [CHANGED 'HATTED HUMAN' TO 'CLOVER' AND 'TALL LADY' TO 'CEROBA'.] "

 

"GOODBYE, CLOVER." The entrance to the Steamworks closed.

 

They.. really needed this. Clover turned around again and made his way to The Wild East.

 

~~~

 

Ceroba made her way to the saloon. It would be open in about seven minutes, so why not wait.

 

She suddenly heard the sound of footsteps to her right, and it was.. Clover. They hadn't noticed her yet. What were they doing up at this time? And why were they over there in the first place?

 

She walked towards them. "Clover?" She startled them, causing them to jump.

 

"C-Ceroba, what are you doing up?"

 

"The better question is, what are YOU doing up? You're a child, you should be sleeping so that you can grow, and more importantly, not be tired."

 

"I'm already short enough as is, I don't think sleep is gonna fix that." They dodged the question.

 

"You never know, it might." She smirked, but then sighed. "Well, are you gonna go to sleep?"

 

He shook his head.

 

"Well, then come on, we'll wait for Dina to open up the saloon. I'll get you something, my treat."

 

"Are you sure..? I have some G if that's what you're worried about."

 

"No, I insist."

 

They were uncertain, but weren't gonna say no again. "Mm, okay.."

 

"Just, one question. When's your birthday?"

 

Clover slightly tilted his head at the question. "Uhm, I mean, I don't know why you're asking, but.. November Eighth."

 

'Hm, that's soon..' Ceroba thought.

 

"And how old are you?"

 

"Twelve."

 

Ceroba nodded. "Mm, okay. Thanks. I'll keep that in mind. Oh, also, is it true that you called Starl-"

 

He stared at Ceroba. "Do not."

Chapter 5: Pats and Overexcitement

Summary:

The one where Clover meets a royal guard they haven't seen yet and also talks with two people they haven't seen in a while.

(Suggested by Joeyjumper94)

Notes:

This chapter happens straight after "Catching Up"

Warning, ANGSTANGSTANGSTANGSTANGSTANGST + dog

(The Honeydew Shopkeeper is the same age as Clover and uses She/Her)

Dina opened up the saloon doors with a smirk. "Hey, you two. Didn't expect to see either of you here so early."

 

"Well, it was supposed to be just me, but then I bumped into Clover on the way."

 

"Mm, I see. Well, what are you doing standing out there? Come in!"

 

The pair walked in and sat down on the stools. Ceroba ordered just a root beer and Clover ordered an ice water and a feisty slider. While Dina was their orders, they talked.

 

"So, how do you like it here in the Wild East, Clover?"

 

"It's nice. I like having this many friends."

 

She smiled at that. "Has Starlo found an actual place for you to sleep yet?"

 

They shook their head. "No, but I don't mind. I'm used to sleeping on couches."

 

"Sleeping on a couch? Did you not have a room..?"

 

Clover opened their mouth to say something but quickly shut it. Ceroba picked up on the fact that it was probably a touchy subject.

 

"I see.. I'm sorry, Clover."

 

"..'s okay."

 

Dina had placed their orders in front of them.

 

She smiled at Clover. "Dig in, kid."

 

Clover happily obliged and started eating the slider. Ceroba took a sip of the root beer and talked a little with Ceroba. Clover began thinking again.

 

'Scared of everyone leaving you.. is that really it? I.. feel like there's something bigger going on here.'  They thought.

 

Once he finished the slider, he started drinking his ice water absentmindedly.

 

'There has to be something wrong with me. I.. have all these friends, and I keep thinking that they're gonna leave me! They wouldn't. They wouldn't do that. I think..'  Without noticing, Clover began biting down on his lip. Hard.

 

'Maybe they would, I just- maybe I'm not good enough for them. I came to the underground to find those missing kids, and now that I'm here, I just decided to stay here?? What is wrong with me, I just.."

 

Clover's lip began bleeding, and tears threatened to fall.

 

'What if I-'

 

clover.

 

'Then they wouldn't be trapped-'

 

Clover.

 

'And the last kid wouldn't have to di-'

 

"Clover!" Ceroba yelled out.

 

Clover was startled by her voice and accidentally dropping the glass cup, causing it to shatter on the ground.

 

"I- I'm sorry I'll clean it up right now-" Clover got off the stool and kneeled down to grab the glass.

 

"Kid, stop! Don't- don't touch the glass, it's fine! I'll clean it up."

 

"Are you sure? I don't-"

 

Ceroba stood up and nodded. "She's sure. Come here Clover." He cautiously took a few steps forward and Ceroba kneeled down on one knee to match his height. "What's happening? You've been acting strange recently."

 

"It's nothing, I just.. could I have some time to myself?"

 

Ceroba put a paw on their cheek. "..of course."

 

They ran out of the saloon, leaving a worried Ceroba and Dina.

 

He wiped away his tears, but they kept coming no matter what he did. He wasn't sure where to go.

 

He rushed to the UGPS sign and rang the bell. The Mail Whale lowered down.

 

"Hello – greetings – hip hip.." The Mail Whale dropped its rhyming. "Oh dear, you don't look too good."

 

"Just- get me to Snowdin. Please." Clover climbed into the basket and hugged their knees.

 

They lifted off and soon arrived in Snowdin Forest. Clover got out of the basket and started heading to the entrance of the Ruins.

 

"Take care, okay?" The Mail Whale flew up.

 

'Why am I doing this? I should be happy. Why do I always ruin everything..'

 

They balled their fists. They didn't care where they were going, they just needed time to think.

 

Suddenly, he heard a distant bark. Were there dogs in the underground? Like- non monster dogs? He.. should check.

 

Their expression changed from anger to curiosity as they trudged through the thick snow.

 

Then there was another bark. This time it was behind them? Did they accidentally miss the dog?

 

Clover stopped in his tracks and turned around, though he couldn't see anything. It was decently foggy in Snowdin today.

 

'Wait, fog? How does fog exist in the underground?' They thought to themself.

 

Then he heard another bark behind him. Okay, this was just getting ridiculous. He turned around to see a-

 

Now he's seen everything. A dog. In armor. WHAT???

 

Their yellow soul appeared. The dog knew that Clover was a human already, not good.

 

They squinted their eyes to look at the little nameplate on the dog's steel breastplate. Lesser Dog? That's a weird name.

 

Clover didn't have time to think though, as the dog lunged towards Clover, hoping to strike them with his sword.

 

He thankfully dodged to the right just before it could pierce him. It was his turn now.

 

'What do dogs like, what do dogs like, uhm... oh, I got it!'

 

They outstretched their arm towards Lesser Dog. "H-hey buddy, want s-some pets?" The cold was really getting to them. They should go to the Honeydew Resort after this.

 

Hearing the word pet, Lesser Dog became excited. Clover swore that his neck became slightly longer..

 

The dog panted and threw two spears at them. Clover managed to quickly sidestep the first one, but the second one managed to slightly scrape their cheek.

 

He lightly pet the Lesser Dog, and his neck is DEFINITELY getting longer. Clover backed away as he raised his sword again, though.

 

Lesser Dog threw another spear, and Clover narrowly dodged it.

 

They try to pet the Lesser Dog again. His neck became longer so that Clover could pet his head easier.

 

He no longer tried to fight Clover, instead eagerly awaiting more head pats. It seems that they won, but...

 

He continued petting the dog.

 

Pet.

Pet

Pet

Pat

Pat

Pat

Pot??

 

They had been petting the dog for so long.. but they couldn't stop. They had to keep going!

 

Pet.

Pet

Pat

Pat

Pot

 

He smiled. "Who's a good boy?"

Wait, when did they start sitting on the ground? Why is Lesser Dog on their lap?

 

Eighty five,

Eighty six,

Eighty seven,

Eighty eight,

Eighty nine..

Ninety!

 

Clover had successfully pet the Lesser Dog ninety times. They felt.. at peace. Why did they come to Snowdin again?

 

He shrugged internally, slowly and carefully pushing Lesser Dog off his lap, since he was probably asleep. They stood up from the snow.

 

"Okay, I should proooobably go warm up at the Honeydew Resort before calling the Mail Whale again. See you buddy."

 

They gave the sleeping dog a little wave and turned around, heading for the Honeydew Resort.

 

Once they entered, they practically melted inside from how nice the heating was. They approached the counter.

 

"Hey there."

 

"Oh, hi again! I haven't seen you ever since you walked in that one time."

 

"Sorry, I was.. busy. How are you?"

 

"Well, ever since that Dalv guy returned, business has been going great! So, I'd say I've been doing great too."

 

"Oh, that's nice. I should probably go visit him later.."

 

"..hm, say, I know this is a weird question, but.. are you a human?"

 

Clover nodded. "Mhm."

 

"W-wow! That's really cool. Oh, right, I never introduced myself! Haha.. why didn't I introduce myself?? My name's Honey, Honey Honeydew! My- my parents aren't exactly the best with naming.."

 

"No, I like it. It's a nice name."

 

"H-Huh? Really? Thank you! What about you? What's your name?" She asked.

 

"It's Clover."

 

"Just Clover? Do you.. not have a last name?"

 

"I, er- I don't.. know actually. Might sound stupid, but.."

 

"Oh, nono! It's- it's not, it's not. Oh jeez, why did I mention that.." She nervously whispered the last part to herself.

 

"Could I just get a, uhm, pancake?"

 

"Oh, y-yeah yeah! Of course, that'll be uh.. 18G."

 

They pulled out the 18G and handed it to her. She put the G into the register and pulled out a plate containing a large pancake with a generous amount of syrup (or honey?) ontop with a fork by it from under the counter.

 

"H-here you go!"

 

Clover slightly fumbled with the fork in their hand as they tried to cut the pancake. Once they had done that, they poked their fork into it and put it in their mouth.

 

Clover let out a huge sigh, relishing the sweet flavor of the pancakes. "I combletely forbot how good the foob is here.." They said with their mouth filled with pancaked.

 

Once they had finished swallowing the pancakes, they asked a question. "Hey, why are you the shopkeeper here, anyways? You're like.. the same age as me, isn't this a little too much responsibility to have?"

 

Honey gave a nervous smile.

 

"Aha- well, my parents wanted me to be more c-confident, you know? So they decided to make me the shopkeeper for a bit! It's, um, really boring, but.."

 

Clover silently finished eating their pancakes, nodding. "I can tell. There's- there's not much you can do other than just sit behind the counter, right?"

 

"W-Well, I get the occasional break, but yeah, I don't really do anything."

 

He chuckled a little. "How long is that break?"

 

"Four minutes.." She sighed.

 

"I think you're the most mature person my age I've ever met my entire life in the underground, isn't that funny..?"

 

They tilted their head. "Really? Nobody else?"

 

"N-Nope!"

 

"Huh. I mean, there's.. always a first time for anything, I guess."

 

The two sat there for a while talking while other people placed their orders and others left. Honey glanced at the clock before realizing it was almost time to close.

 

"O-oh, we've been talking for, um, so long that it's almost time to close."

 

Clover looked at the second actual working clock they've ever seen in the underground. How did they not notice that it was there before?

 

"Well, it's been fun talking to you."

 

"S-same to you! Goodbye, Clover..!"

 

Clover stood up from his seat and walked out of the Honeydew Resort. Maybe.. maybe he could ask Dalv if he could stay there for the night?

 

They didn't really remember if Dalv had told them where his house was, but they would find it eventually.

 

~~~

 

The knock on the door startled Dalv. Who could be knocking at presumably night?

 

Dalv opened the door to see Clover out of all the people he expected.

 

"Clover? Is.. that you?"

 

"In the flesh. Uh, sorry for coming in unnanounced, but.. I was just wondering if I could stay the night."

 

"Oh, of course! I have a guest bedroom, so it's all fine. We can talk in the morning, if you'd like?"

 

"That.. sounds nice."

 

"Come in, make yourself at home." He motioned for them to come in with a smile on his face.

Chapter 6: Something Unexpected

Summary:

The one where it's Clover's birthday

Notes:

This chapter happens seven days after "Pats and Overexcitement"

Ceroba had finished adding the birthday decorations in the saloon. She was so glad Dina was okay with emptying out the saloon for Clover..

 

She had spent a LOT of G buying them, but it didn't matter. It was Clover's birthday today, after all. She took a step back to admire her work.

 

Starlo came in next, holding a cake. "Everything ready?"

 

"Mhm, everything."

 

"Great! Just gotta find a place to put this cake.." 

 

"How about just- under the bar?"

 

"Oh, great idea!" Starlo hurdled over the bar counter and placed the cake under it.

 

"Hey, you DID send out the invitation letters, right?"

 

"Mhm. All of 'em."

 

Dina came in next with balloons. "You two are so lucky I like the kid."

 

Starlo chuckled. "Yeah, yeah.."

 

Next, The Feisty Four arrived, holding everyone's presents that were given to them yesterday, then Martlet arrived.

 

Dina had finished placing the balloons and Ed hid all the presents.

 

"Alright, so do we wait for Clover now?" Ceroba asked.

 

Starlo shook his head. "Not yet, there's still someone we're waitin' for."

 

Martlet raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

 

Dalv stepped through the saloon doors.

 

"Right on cue!"

 

"Is, uhm, this the place?"

 

"Yep! Welcome to the Wild East, pardner."

 

~~~

 

Clover twiddled with his thumbs as he paced back and forth. He woke up with a note attached on his forehead. One that read 'come to the saloon, it's urgent - Starlo'

 

Did something happen?? Or was did Starlo want to just hang out there? No, he wouldn't just put 'urgent' for nothing..

 

Their heartrate rose as they stared down the saloon doors. It was now or never.

 

With a deep breath, they entered the saloon. The atmosphere changed when they realized the place was pitch black. "H-hello? Anybody here?"

 

He heard a few whispers, but couldn't see who was talking. "Uh.."

 

Suddenly, the lights turned on, revealing the decorations and the large banner that said 'Happy Birthday' with a clover below it.

 

Starlo, Dina, Martlet, Dalv, Ceroba, and The Feisty Four all went out of their hiding spots.

 

Starlo smiled. "Happy birthday, Clover!

 

Clover's eyes widened. "Wait, wh- huh?"

 

"Today IS your birthday, is it not?"

 

They looked at Ceroba. "Hold on, you.. you remembered?"

 

"Of course, why wouldn't we?"

 

"I-.."

 

Clover tipped the brim of their hat down slightly, just enough to cover their eyes. They began rubbing their eyes furiously as tears built up in their eyes.

 

'Big kids don't cry.' They thought. 'They don't cry..'

 

They felt a hand- no, a wing on their shoulder. They slowly looked up at Martlet.

 

"Clover, are you okay..?"

 

They nodded. "Y-yeah, I'm.. I'm okay. I just- I.."

 

Without hesitation, he pulled Martlet in for a hug.

 

She was slightly taken aback by the random hug. "Clover, are you sure you're okay?"

 

"..yeah, I'm fine now."

 

He pulled away from the hug and wiped a stray tear from his right eye.

 

Mooch cleared her throat. "Sooo, is Clover gonna open up the presents?"

 

"Wait, you got me presents as well?"

 

Ed smiled. "Sure did!"

 

"Before they do, ain't we gonna give the kid their cake?" Dina asked.

 

'And cake??' They thought.

 

"Naw, that can wait later! Now, let's see, who should go first.."

 

"Could I?" Dalv asked

 

"O'course!"

 

Dalv walked over to where Ed hid everyone's presents. He picked up his and handed it to Clover.

 

"I.." He gave a slight smile. "I hope you enjoy it."

 

Clover curiously unwrapped the present, revealing a drawing.

But it wasn't an ordinary one, no.

It was..

 

 

It was amazing..

 

"I.. I really like it! Thanks, Dalv."

 

Dalv blushed slightly. "Thank you.."

 

Clover pocketed the drawing. They would probably hang it up or something.

 

"Oh, me next!" Martlet grabbed her present and handed it to Clover.

 

She handed it to Clover with a smile. He opened it, and inside was one of those cube ball puzzles.

 

They spun it around a little. "Ooh, that's cool.. thanks, Martlet!"

 

Martlet let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She was glad that they liked it.

 

"My turn." Dina handed Clover her present with a smug look on her face.

 

Inside was a pair of fingerless, brown gloves. They shoved them into his pockets. "Thank you!"

 

"No problem."

 

Ceroba grabbed her present. "I know how much you like the, uh, 'western aesthetic', so I got you this. Just wait until you get your last present, then put it on." She handed it to him.

 

Inside was a poncho, closely resembling the one Starlo uses, just with a different color scheme. Clover stared at it with wide eyes.

 

Ceroba smiled at their expression. It.. reminded her of Kanako. "Based on your expression, I can tell you like it. You don't have to say anything."

 

"Oh! Oh! Our turn!" Mooch said.

 

The Feisty Four all brought out their presents. Clover unwrapped them one by one.

 

In Ed's was a.. dumbell?

 

Moray stared at the dumbell. "Uh, Ed, I don't think Clover is strong enough to actually use it."

 

Ed smirked. "He'll be fine! Trust me."

 

In Moray's was a brown hard hat.

 

Ace squinted his eyes at the choice. "A.. hard hat?"

 

"So that if they ever visit the mines again, they wom't be hurt by the Rock Tumbler's." They explained.

 

"Ah."

 

In Mooch's was a much fancier, cooler looking satchel.

 

"I spent quite a bit of money on that!"

 

Ed gave her a death glare. "WHO's money."

 

She giggled. "I dunnooo."

 

And lastly, in Ace's was a card deck.

 

"Do they even know how to play Poker?"

 

Starlo waved her off. "If not then we'll teach 'em someday! Anyways, it's time fer yer last present, deputy."

 

Starlo gave Clover the final present which was from him.

 

Inside was a brand new hat, another holster, and...

 

Is- is that a sawed off shotgun.

 

"Wh- Starlo! You agreed that you would ONLY get Clover the hat!"

 

"Well- I wanted to give 'em something better with the hat!"

 

"..a SHOTGUN."

 

"Yep!"

 

Clover stood up with the present in hand. "I'll be right back."

 

After a few minutes, Clover came back into the saloon with a new look.

 

They wore the new poncho, hat, satchel, and gloves. The holster on their left still contained their wild revolver, but the new holster on their right contained the sawed off shotgun.

 

Starlo approached them, a tear in his eye. "You look like a true cowboy, pardner.."

 

He wiped away the tear befkre retuening to his usual smile. "Alrighty then! That wraps up the present opening part. Now, what am I forgettin'.."

 

"...the cake." Dina asked.

 

Starlo snapped his fingers. "Oh, right! The cake!" He hurdled over the counter again and took out the birthday cake.

 

The cake was covered in a western theme, which made Clover smile. It also had two candles, which spelled out 13.

 

All of their friends began singing happy birthday, and once they were done, Dina cut the cake into slices for everyone and placed them all onto plates.

 

The eight sat around the bar, talking to one another. Starlo had decided to sit next to Clover, though.

 

"Enjoy, deputy."

 

Clover poked his fork into the cake and put it into his mouth. This taste.. is it? Could it truly be..?

 

Starlo let out a small chuckle as he watched his eyes widen. "Ya like it?"

 

"How did- how did you know I love banana cakes??"

 

"You mumble in your sleep, y'know."

 

Clover practically inhaled their slice of cake. "It's so good.."

 

"I'm glad you like it! Me and Ceroba spent a while trying to perfect it.."

 

"..Starlo?"

 

"Yeah, Clover?"

 

"..thank you. I.. never really got any presents for my birthdays. Or cake."

 

"I-.. no problem, pardner." He flashed a smile.

"Now, c'mon, let's enjoy ourselves, alright?"

 

Clover nodded.

 

~~~

 

Flowey watched as Clover walked back into the Feisty Four's house with his friends. He finished talking, and he and the Feisty Four entered the house.

 

Flowey grumbled as he watched from afar. What wqs he even doing? Why is he even BOTHERING to watch Clover.

 

A stray thought wandered into his mind.

 

'Those idiots don't know what a real present looks like' He thought. Wait, why did he care about that??

 

This didn't make any sense. Why does he even CARE. That shouldn't be possible, not without a soul.

 

"Urgh, I would probably get them a better present anyways. No, I WILL get them a better present! Yeah! I'm not gonna sit here and let those morons be better than me! I'll get something like- like- oh! A necklace of clovers! It'll obviously be hard since I have vines, but still.'

 

~~~

 

Clover stared at the ceiling with a smile. This had to be one of the best days ever for them.

 

Suddenly, they heard a noise from beneath the floorboards.

 

"Wait. WHY AM I- Wait, gotta be quiet. Why am I doing this?? They don't matter to me! But- urgh.."

 

Flowey emerged from the floorboard with a necklace made of clovers and noticed the actual, living human Clover. "OH. Heeey, Clover. Why. The hell. Aren't you asleep? Haha-.."

 

"I was.. about to? And what's that thing in your mouth?"

 

"Just- just take it, damn it! Birthday gift or whatever."

 

Flowey dropped the necklace and quickly sunk back into the ground. Clover got up from the couch and grabbed it.

 

They put the necklace on. "Thanks, Flowey. I really like it." They yawned after saying that.

 

"Yeah yeah, don't get used to it." Flowey said from under the floorboards. Clover climbed back into their couch bed and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 7: Bad Influence

Summary:

The one where Clover and Mooch try to steal adult soda.

(Suggested by xander1009)

Notes:

This chapter happens one day after "Something Unexpected

(This chapter probably has VERY inaccurate drinking descriptions)

Clover readjusted their necklace Flowey had given them on their birthday.

 

It was oddly surprising. Out of all the people they met, they didn't expect Flowey, even though he's been there since the beginning.

 

He got up from his couch bed and walked outside, covering the top of his vision so that the Swelterstone didn't temporarily blind him.

 

They hadn't noticed Ceroba walking up to them. "Good morning, Clover." They were slightly startled by her voice.

 

"Oh- sorry, didn't mean to scare you." She chuckled. "How was your sleep?"

 

"Hi Ceroba! I'd say I slept well." His voice was slightly raspy. 

 

She smiled. "That's good to hear. Say, Starlo has to help the farm all day, and I'm busy with my own stuff today.. you hang out with the Feisty Four? I'm sure they would appreciate it."

 

"Sure. Do you know where they are?"

 

"Ah, they're in the saloon. They're not doing much, so.."

 

He coughed and cleared his throat, which returned his normal voice. "Okay, got it. Thanks, Ceroba."

 

"Anytime, Clover. Have fun, okay?"

 

Clover nodded and  waved goodbye to her before making their way to the saloon.

 

They pushed the entrance open. It was pretty quiet inside.

 

Dina finished cleaning her glass and Clover approached her. Only then did she seem to notice them.

 

"Oh, hi Clover! I really like the new look, y'know. It suits you."

 

"Really? Thanks! Oh yeah, do you know where the Feisty Four are?"

 

"Far right table in the corner." She pointed her thumb behind her.

 

"Oh, right, why didn't I think of that??" Clover went over to them.

 

Ace noticed him first. "Hey, Clover's here." The others turned their attention to Clover.

 

"Oh, hello Clover!" Moray waved to them.

Ed waved as well. "Hey, Clover."

"Clover! Hi!" Mooch ran up to them and booped their nose, then sat back in her chair.

 

"What're you doin' here?"

 

"Starlo's at the farm and Ceroba was busy, so she said I could join you four in whatever you're doing. Soo.. can I..?"

 

"Oh, of course you can! You don't even have to ask!" Moray smiled before looking back at the venter of the table.

 

Clover looked at the cards in their hands, except for Mooch, who had none. "What's happening right now?"

 

Ace spoke up. "..Ed's losing in Poker."

 

"I am not!"

 

"Yes you are.." He sighed.

 

"Okay- maybe I am, but Mooch was the first one out! So I'm at least better than her."

 

"Wh- hey! What have I done to you?!"

 

Ed began counting on his fingers. "Theft, theft, stealing, the-"

 

"I didn't mean it like that!-"

 

Moray turned their attention back to Clover. "Clover, how about you and Mooch do whatever you want while we finish up this Poker game? I would invite you, but I'm pretty sure you're not exactly allowed."

 

"Yeah, sure. I'm not really into card games anyways."

 

Mooch got up from her chair, mumbling something about Ed, and went to Clover's side. "Alright, whaddaya wanna do, Clover?"

 

"I.. don't know, what do you wanna do?"

 

"What do I wanna do, huh? I'm glad you asked! And, y'know, I'm probably a bad influence buuut.."

 

She leaned into Clover's ear and whispered. "Let's try to sneak some adult soda from Dina.."

 

"Really..?"

 

Mooch stepped back from them and nodded. "Yep!"

 

"Uhm, I mean.. I tried it before from a trashcan, and it didn't really taste like anything."

 

"You've had it before?? Okay- well- how much did you drink?"

 

"Like.. a sip or two? I threw it away after."

 

"Well, a sip or two is too low!! C'mon, I know what to do." Mooch walked out of the saloon with Clover following her closely.

 

"Oookay so... if I'm correct, it should be where Ed sleeps!"

 

"As in-"

 

"Mhm!"

 

~~~

 

"Yeowch- Mooch, be careful with your legs!"

 

"Sorry, sorry!"

 

The pair were dressed in a long, purple trench coat with an old fedora on top. Clover served as the legs while Mooch would do the talking.

 

"Alright, are we in front of the saloon?" Clover asked.

 

"Yeah, just head straight."

 

"And you're absolutely sure we'll b-"

 

"Yes! C'mon, Clover, liven up a little! You never do anything dangerous!"

 

"Mooch, if I never 'did anything dangerous', I wouldn't be here."

 

"Just- walk in already!!"

 

Clover entered the saloon carefully, just in case so that they didn't fall from the added weight of Mooch on their shoulders.

 

Dina raised an eyebrow. "Hey there. I don't think I've seen you before?"

 

Mooch cleared her throat and tried to do her best 'manly' voice she could.. "Ah yes, I- uh- I'm from Snowdin."

 

"Oh, so you're just here to see the Wild East?"

 

"Yyy..yes! I also wanted to try the 'adult soda' you have here. Preferably two bottles of it. O-one for later."

 

"Ah, the alcohol, gotcha." Dina kneeled down and began grabbing the adult soda, somehow not realizing the stranger is Mooch and Clover.

 

She placed the two bottles of adult soda onto the bar counter. "40G, please."

 

"Wait, Clover- do you have 40G?"

 

"Don't you have your own??"

 

"I like saving them for other occasions!"

 

Clover sighed and handed Mooch 40G. She carefully placed the G onto the counter, making sure that her hand didn't stick out, then grabbed the adult soda.

 

"Will that be all?"

 

"Yyeep. Have- have a nice day!"

 

Clover backed away into the saloon entrance. Once the two were in a safe distance from it, they took the trench coat off. Mooch pocketed the fedora forater, though.

 

Clover was confused. "How did she not figure it out??"

 

"There's no time to think about that, c'mon!"

 

Mooch grabbed their hand and ran into their hideout / house. She handed Clover the adult soda and pulled out her own. "Okay, we chug on one, okay?"

 

"Okay..?"

 

"One."

 

Mooch began drinking the adult soda slowly. Clover was a little taken aback by the suddenness, but they weren't gonna back down! They started chugging the damn thing.

 

Mooch lowered the adult soda. "Uh, Clover, I'm pretty sure you're not meant to chug it."

 

They didn't listen, however, and nearly drank the whole thing, but stopped near the end of the bottle. They put it in their satchel with a confused look on their face.

 

"I mean.. still tastes like water."

 

"Hmp, I guess this was for nothing.. what's so good about this anyways?" Mooch put the rest of her adult soda.. somewhere.

 

"Wait, maybe it's like... we have to wait?"

 

She slightly tilted her head to the right. "For what?"

 

"Uhm.. well- it could be where you have to wait for 'good' part to start."

 

"Ooh! Okay, so lets wait like ten minutes!"

 

Clover and Mooch sat down on the couch. "Hey, is it even comfortable to sleep on here?"

 

"It's okay. I'm used to it, anyways."

 

She didn't question further.

 

~~~

 

"Okaaay, should be ten minutes.. now!"

 

"Do you feel anything different?" Clover asked.

 

"Nope, do you?"

 

Clover shook his head.

 

"Awe man, guess this really was a bu-"

 

As if on cue, the pair started feeling weird.

 

"Woah.. do you-"

 

"Uh- uh huh." Mooch nodded.

"Let's get outta here.. I need some air."

 

They went outside and the realization dawned on Clover.

 

Adult soda.. was alcohol.

 

He locked eyes with Mooch and began shaking her violently.

 

"MOOCH- We- we drank alcohol! Like, a lot of alcohol!"

 

"Whaaat is that?"

 

"We're gonna be.. be throwing up and falling 'n stuff!"

 

"Oooh.. so we're not gonna be able to lie our way outta this, huh?"

 

Clover let go of her. "Maybe this wasn't a good idea." Mooch sighed.

 

"Okay, hold on, I have an idea. We just.. go somewhere! Like, somewhere that isn't the Wild East. They'll look for us, sure, but they won't know we drank alcohol!"

 

She gasped. "You're right! Okayokay, uhm.. we could go to the mines?"

 

"Yeah! Let's go." They grabbed her hand and rushed out of the Wild East.

 

~~~

 

The two sat in an awkward silence as they sat in a silent corner of the mines for the effects of the adult soda to go away.

 

"Clover, I still feel really sick.."

 

"I- I know, I do too. Even after we threw up.."

 

"It'll be over eventually, right?"

 

"Y-yeah, I think so."

 

Clover took their hat off and held it in their arms.

 

Mooch glanced at him for a second before looking down at her feet. "You- haha- look dumb without a hat."

 

"Well, excuse me for not caring about my hair when a hat is on my head eighty percent of the time." He smiled.

 

"...man, I'm sleepy."

 

"Then sleep?"

 

"Oh, gotcha." Mooch instantly fell asleep the moment they said that.

 

"I-.. how do-.." He sighed and leaned against Mooch, slowly falling asleep.

 

After what felt like a few minutes, they opened their eyes to see an annoyed Ceroba.

 

Clover quickly jumped up., but regretted it due to ab oncoming headache. "Ceroba- we were just, uhm.. exploring."

 

"Clover, were you drinking?"

 

"Wh.. huh?"

 

"Were you and Mooch drinking alcohol."

 

"...noo? Why would you ask that?"

 

"Because Dina had only realized that was you two in that trenchcoat after you went to the mines."

 

"Oh. But-"

 

"No buts! We're gonna have a talk when we get back alright?"

 

They stared at the floor, not wanting to look Ceroba in the face. "Mhm."

 

Mooch slowly woke up soon after, and when she also noticed Ceroba, she quickly stood up. "Hey Ceroba! Wait.. Ceroba?? What are you doing here? We weren't- we weren't doing anything suspciou-"

 

"She knows, Mooch."

 

"Oh."

 

Clover awkwardly put their hat back on.

 

Ceroba crossed her arms. "Mooch, you're a seriously bad influence. Letting Clover drink when they're only thirteen? Seriously?"

 

"I knooow, but I'm sorry! We wanted to know how it tasted like!"

 

She sighed and grabbed Clover's hand. "Come on, you two."

 

After a short walk, the three were back at the Wild East. "Mooch, you go back to the saloon. I'll talk with you later."

 

"You don't have to treat me like a child, y'know! I'm old enough, I went to high school with the others!"

 

"Still young enough to not be able to drink alcohol."

 

Mooch sighed in defeat. "Yeah, by like a year or two.." She entered the saloon.

 

Ceroba turned to Clover. "Clover?"

 

"..I'm sorry, I was just curious."

 

"You're not in trouble, but you should know better than to get something that isn't allowed for you."

"I did something like that when I was young too, you know?"

 

Clover raised their head and locked eyes with Ceroba. "Really? You?"

 

"Yeah. Believe it or not, me and Starlo stole a drink or two back when were children. The look on his face when he realized he was drunk.. priceless, I'm telling you!" She chuckled.

 

"Then we also ran off and hid somewhere. To be honest, I don't remember where, but it was somewhere close by."

"I have so many stories to tell you, but maybe when you're older, okay? Now, c'mon, let's go to my house instead. I'll cook some food for you, and maybe we'll do something fun!"

 

"Didn't you say you were busy?"

 

"Weeell.. not anymore! Let's go. Oh, and try not to drink anymore alcohol before you're old enough it actually buy it."

 

He slightly winced at the pain from his headache.

 

"You got a headache?"

 

Clover nodded. "Mhm.."

 

"First hangover at thirteen, crazy.."

 

"How old were you when you bought those drinks with Starlo?"

 

"..nine."

Chapter 8: Memories of Something Different

Summary:

The one where Clover visits Starlo's farm and has memories where their fate is different.

Notes:

This chapter happens two days after "Bad Influence"

Warning, MOREANGSTMOREANGSTMOREANGST

Also includes Clover's first ever swear word.

Clover decided to help Starlo with some farm work for the first time. Their clothes they got for their birthday weren't exactly made for farm work, but it's fine.

 

Starlo and him were both holding a box of corn. "I'm surprised you can lift that box like it's nothing, deputy! When I was your age, I couldn't even lift a feather.."

 

He chuckled. "Okay, maybe a feather, but.." Starlo looked at Clover, who seemed zoned out. "Hello? Underground to Clover?"

 

He shifted the box to be in his left arm as he brought his right hand in front of their face. When that didn't work, he snapped his fingers. "Hellooo?"

 

They blinked a few times before locking eyes with Starlo. "Y-yeah? What's up?"

 

"Everything okay, Clover?"

 

"Nothing, I'm just.. thinking."

 

"Do you want a break?"

 

"No, I just uhm.. need to go the bathroom."

 

"Ah, gotcha. Here, gimme your box. I can carry both."

 

Clover handed Starlo the box of corn and went back to his house.

 

He opened the door and was greeted with a little wave by Crestina, Starlo's mom. "Oh, hello! Back so soon?"

 

"Just wanted to go to the bathroom really quickly, if that's okay."

 

"Why, of course! You don't have to ask, Clover."

 

"Okay, thank you! Wait, I- I don't think I've ever told you my name, how did you.."

 

"Starlo talks about you quite frequently!"

 

"Ooh, that makes sense." They did wonder what Starlo says about them, though.

 

Clover slowly walked up the stairs and turned left into the bathroom. He shut the door and locked it.

 

With a sigh, he walked over to the sink and looked at himself in the mirror.

 

"What is wrong with me? I can't stop thinking about those.. dreams." They tightly gripped the edges of the ceramic sink.

 

"Why won't they stop.."

 

"Go on. I'll.. be okay."

 

"Very well. This won't be forgotten."

"Goodbye, Clover." She began walking away with their soul.

 

They didn't want to die, but this was for the future of his friends.

 

They fell onto their knees.

 

Stop it.

 

"So, this is it?" Was that.. Flowey?

 

"All that work just to become another cog in the machine?"

 

"Heh, you've grown so predictable."

 

"I could undo all of this right now but... maybe you've earned your rest."

 

"After all, there's always another."

 

Shut up, damnit.

 

"Can't say it's been fun so... I suppose this is where we part ways."

 

"Oh, who am I kidding?"

 

"Until we meet again... friend."

 

Clover crawled up to the far back wall, propping themself up against it. They felt the soft petals under them.

 

Stop. It.

 

He was... glad he made friends.

 

People that.. cared about him.

 

This was justice. For monsterkind.

 

With their last remaining ounce of strength, they smiled.

 

And took their last breath.

 

STOP!

 

Clover shattered the mirror with a punch. The glass shards were lodged inside their left fist, and it was bleeding heavily.

 

His breathing was shaky. He glanced at the mirror, then at his hand.

 

"Oh, f- fuck!" They held their hand in pain. "That was so stupid, why did- why did I do that??"

 

"Okayokay, calm down, I can- damn it!"

 

They heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Clover, you there?" It was Starlo.

 

"I came back for some food but uh.. I heard something break, is everything alright in there?"

 

"Yeah! Everything's fine in here, da- Starlo! Nothing's wrong here, nope!"

 

Starlo became even more concerned. "You don't sound fine."

 

"W-well I am! I didn't smash a mirror! Wait."

 

"You did what?? Okay, I'm comin' in there!"

 

Their eyes widened. "Wait, don't!"

 

Starlo barged into the bathroom with a shoulderbash. He stared at Clover and the small puddle of blood which started to form on the ground.

 

He ran to his side and grabbed his arm. "Shit.. okay, we gotta go get my mom, she knows healing magic."

 

"O-okay. Starlo, I'm so sorry, I jus-"

 

"Clover, it's fine! You're not in trouble, I promise. Now c'mon, give me your other hand." He held out his hand.

 

They shakily put their right hand onto Starlo's, and he began rushing outside with them.

 

He quickly opened the door and looked at his mom. "Mom, quick! Clover's hurt!"

 

With a gasp, she ran into the house and settled Clover down onto the couch.

 

She grabbed a pair of tweezer and wiped it with what seemed to be rubbing alcohol. Slowly and carefully, she used the tweezers to lift up the glass shards.

 

Crestina gently took Clover's left hand and closed her eyes. His breathing got slower as he got more calmer.

 

There were some slight scars left from the glass shards.

 

Starlo put his hand on Clover's shoulder. "Clover, what happened up there?"

 

Crestina shook her head. "Starlo, honey, don't. Leave Clover with me for the time being, okay? I'll make sure they're fully healed. You worry about the corn."

 

"I-.. okay. You can tell me in yer own time, Clover." With a sigh, Starlo left the house, closing the door behind him.

 

"..I'm sorry I broke your mirror."

 

She smiled. "Oh, it's fine, sweetie. Seriously. Don't worry about it."

 

"Uhm.. could I ask you something?"

 

"Of course!"

 

"Is it.. weird that I kinda.. think of Starlo like a dad to me?"

 

She was surprised by the question. "Wh- whuh?"

 

"Wait, no, that was too straight forward, uh.. okay, so, Starlo takes care of me. Like, a lot, in the Wild East. He was also the first person that I talked to about living there, right? I- I'm not gonna outright admit it to him but-"

 

"I- nono, that's not weird at all! That's actually quite normal."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"Positive, sweetie."

 

"Mm.. okay. Thank you."

 

"Say, how about you take the day off today? You can rest in Starlo's room, if you'd like."

 

"A-already?? But-"

 

She put up a finger. "No buts! You still need time to properly heal, despite my healing magic. I've studied human anatomy.'

 

"I- finee... I'll take you up on that offer, though."

 

"Great! You know where Starlo's room is, correct?"

 

"Mhm."

 

Crestina let go of Clover's hand and he went upstairs. He glanced at the bathroom door, before shaking his head and walking into Starlo's room.

 

He closed the blinds and looked at the stars on the walls which now illuminated the room.

 

They climbed into the bottom bunk of the space themed bunk bed and sat up. They pulled out unfinished mail they had been writing.

 

To all my friends. Thank you for always being there for me, but I don't think still think that it's not fair for the next human that falls.

Not fair at all.

I've left this  here so you all can know that I'm giving up my soul to the ki

 

Clover tore the note in half and put it in their satchel. "I don't think I can do that anymore." They sighed and closed their eyes.

 

"I'm selfish, and I'm not afraid to say that. But.."

 

"I've finally found people that care for me."

Chapter 9: Confrontation

Summary:

The one where Ceroba, Starlo, and Clover spend time together, and the two find something Clover discarded.

Notes:

This chapter takes place nine hours after "Memories of Something Different"

Clover had gotten a fair amount of rest. They opened their eyes and sat up, instantly hitting the top bunk. With a yelp, they rubbed the spot on their head.

 

"Urgh, stupid.." They mumbled. They got up from the comfortable bunk bed, checked their outfit just in case something was missing, and walked out of the room.

 

They carefully walked down the stairs, Crestina noticed them. "Oh, hi sweetheart! Did you sleep well?"

 

He rubbed his eyes. "Mhm. Wait- where did Starlo and his brother sleep?"

 

"Oh, Starlo slept on the couch and Orion slept on the ground next to him. They were both fine with it, though!"

 

"Are you sure..?"

 

"Positive. Now, I just need to ask, is everything alright, body wise? Any scars, missing limbs, nothing?"

 

"No, everything's where it should be."

 

"That's great to hear. Starlo should be somewhere in the Wild East, in case you were wondering."

 

"Alright, thank you ma'am."

 

"Please, call me Crestina! I'm not one for the 'ma'am' talk anymore, haha.."

 

"Got it, Crestina. Again, thank you."

 

"No problem, dear."

 

Clover stepped out of the house and took a deep breath. They looked at their left hand and took off the glove, revealing small scars from the glass shards. That 'healing magic' seemed to also work physically. That's.. cool.

 

The walk back to the Wild East was quiet. Very quiet.

 

Clover made it to Blackjack's store, who had a very concerned Starlo, who was back in his North Star outfit, in front of it. He was pacing back and forth, when he suddenly noticed Clover.

 

He ran up to them and gave them a tight hug on one knee. "Clover! I'm so glad you're okay!"

 

"S-Starlo, it was just my hand, you're acting like I almost bled out."

 

"Well- you just had me worried, 'kay? Mom told me to go outside, so I thought she could sense that something bad happened to you or something like that! I'm just-"

 

He pulled away from the hug and stood back up. "I'm glad you're okay. Uhm, quick question, do you have any plans today ooor.."

 

Clover tilted their head. "Whaddaya mean?"

 

"Me and Ceroba were gonna spend some time together. We were wonderin' if you wanted to join us."

 

"Sure! Where though?"

 

Starlo thought about it for a second. "First, we're goin' to Café Dune, and then uh.. anywhere in Oasis Valley, I guess. I haven't really put much thought into it. Now, c'mon, let's go to her house."

 

The two left the Wild East and began making their way to Oasis Valley.

 

"So what's the special occasion?"

 

"Just figured we'd spend time like the old days! But it would feel kinda weird without my favorite deputy there, y'know?"

 

"I'm the only deputy though?" They raised an eyebrow.

 

"Exactly! Which means yer my favorite."

 

They stiffened a laugh. "Uh huh..!"

 

"What's so funny?"

 

"Y-you wouldn't get it, pfft.."

 

"Mm, okaaay.." He was a little skeptical, but decided to let it go.

 

The pair made it to Oasis Valley and took the path up to Ceroba's house. Starlo knocked on the door with a specific rhythm.

 

He stepped back and waited besides Clover.

 

"So, ya likin' the shotgun?"

 

"The- the what? OH! I.. completely forgot that I even had it, sorry."

 

"Naw, it's fine! I know you would never intentionally hurt anyone, but it's still great to have just in case you wanna scare someone."

 

Clover turned his head. "Mhm.."

 

"Something on yer mind?"

 

"No, it's nothing."

 

After a few seconds, Ceroba opened the door.

 

"Oh, Star! I was beginning to wonder when you were going to arrive. I see you brought Clover as well?"

 

"O'course! I hope you don't mind, but it would feel kinda weird to leave 'im out."

 

"Of course I don't mind! Now, have you settled on a place to go?"

 

"Weeell, not exactly, but I was wonderin' if we could go to the Café first and then just.. do whatever!"

 

"Sounds like a plan, then." She stepped out of the house.

 

Starlo took the lead while the other two followed closely behind. Once they finally reached the Café, Starlo opened the door for the two.

 

After they had entered, he went in as well and closed the door behind him.

 

"Alright, what do you two want?"

 

"Eh, I'll just take what I usually get here. What about you, Clover?" She looked at Clover.

 

"Huh? Oh, uhm.. just water."

 

"Got it. How about you two sit over at that table?" He pointed to the table in the lower right corner.

 

Ceroba nodded and sat down at the table with Clover. Starlo walked over to the counter and started the order.

 

She sighed. "Clover, could you tell me what happened in Starlo's house? He was.. really concerned about you." Her tone was serious.

 

"I-.. I broke their mirror by accident. There was a lot of, uh, glass lodged in my hand, so Crestina had to take it out. When she did he healed me with that weird, green healing magic and told me to take the day off and sleep in his room for the day."

 

"You're okay now, right? Everything healed?"

 

Clover nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine now."

 

"That's good to hear." She should change the topic..

 

"So, I noticed that you grew a little."

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "By, what, an inch?"

 

"An inch is still good, it means you're growing, even if you think it's slow! What are you, like.. 4'11 now? You were 4'10 before. Just slightly below the average height, I believe."

 

Clover turned away. "I guess."

 

Eventually, Starlo came back with their drinks. He placed his latte, Ceroba's latte, and Clover's cup of ice water on the table, then sat down.

 

"What were you two talkin' about?"

 

"I was just telling Clover that it's fine that he's growing slowly."

 

"How tall is he now?"

 

"From the looks of it, 4'11. Slightly below the average height for a thirteen year old, based off of Chujin's old human studies."

 

"Mm, I see." He took a sip from his latte. "Well, maybe someday you'll get a growth spurt. You never know."

 

Clover's eyes widened. "Oh, wait! I completely forgot about something, I'll be back soon!" He hurriedly got up and ran out, leaving his satchel on the chair.

 

"..well then. Wonder what that's about." Ceroba shrugged and started drinking her latte, when something caught her eye. A wrinkly paper, which looked like it was ripped in half.

 

Curious, she grabbed the paper and searched inside of their satchel to find the other half.

 

"Uh, Ceroba, what're you doing?"

 

"I know I shouldn't, but.."

 

After a few seconds of digging, she found the other half of the paper and took it out. She placed the two on the table and brought them closer together, then started reading it. Starlo got up and went to her side.

 

"To my friends... next human that falls.."

"I've left this here so you all can know that I'm giving up my soul to the ki-.."

 

Starlo was confused. "Wait, what? Give up their soul? But why would they.."

"Are- are they not happy with us? I thought-"

 

Starlo was cut off by the sound of the door opening. The two locked eyes with Clover, who had just realized that they were reading the note.

 

"W-wait, give me that!"

 

They ran up to the table and snatched the paper away. "Did- did you-"

 

Ceroba closed her eyes. "We read it, Clover."

 

"..shit." He balled his fists up.

 

"N-now, c'mon pardner. You don't gotta swear, but- why? Are you not happy with us?"

 

"No, you two don't understand," They stared at their feet. "I.. it's not fair that another human has to die because of me. I said I to myself that I wouldn't do it because I know you all care about me, but.."

"It's not just. I don't even know what 'just' really means anymore. What's right, what's wrong.. I just don't know anymore. I only really have two choices. I stay here and wait for the next person to meet their fate, or I give up my soul so that you all can be free."

 

Ceroba tried to speak up. "But.. Clover-"

 

"To the law, it's probably selfish that I'm living here anyways. And- and all I can do right now is ask myself why. Why did I hesitate that time up in New Home? Why did I.. hesitate to sacrifice myself for the greater good of monsterkind. I'm just- irrelevant, anyways, aren't I?"

 

Ceroba stood up from her chair and stood in front of Clover. "Clover."

 

Clover didn't dare to look her in the eyes.

 

"Clover, listen, okay? Think about this. What.. good would it do for us? If you gave up your soul, if you gave up your chance to grow up just for us.. I don't think we could handle it that well. You're not irrelevant, and you never have been."

"You're a child, and yet you've done more than any one of us could." She kneeled down to match Clover's height. "Please. Think about this, about us."

 

Starlo finally stood up and went to Ceroba's side. "Yeah, deputy. Please."

 

"I-.. I need some time."

 

They wiped a tear off their cheek and walked outside.

 

Starlo sighed. "Fuck. What're we gonna do?"

 

"I don't know. We- we have to convince them. I don't think they're in the right headspace at the moment."

 

He opened up the Café's door. "Clover?"

 

They were gone. "Damn it, we gotta find them, Ceroba."

 

Ceroba stood up. "I'm right behind you."

 

~~~

 

Clover's head hurt as they ran, visions plaguing their mind.

 

Why did the things they said feel so.. familiar?

 

"I don't know what 'just' means anymore. What's right, what's wrong... who cares."

"All I know is that I... I lost my best friend tonight."

 

His breathing became shaky. "Not- not again, stop it."

 

Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly turned around with his left hand hovering over the holster containing his revolver.

 

"Woah, kid! Slow down there! What's a young'n like you doing out here?"

 

It was an elderly looking olive green.. tortoise monster? His hands were up in a surrendering manner.

 

"S-stay back, please.. I'm not in the mood for fighting."

 

"I'm not tryin'a hurt you. C'mon, me? Ol' Gerson?"

 

Clover slowly dropped their defensive stance, but kept their eye on Gerson at all times.

 

"What are you doing here?" Gerson asked.

 

"I- I ran away."

 

"..mm. Alright. You a human?"

 

Clover hesitantly nodded. "Yeah."

 

"Okay, just.. calm down first. Deep breaths."

 

They did what was asked of them, taking deep breaths.

 

"There we go! Feel better?" He asked, Clover nodded.

 

"D'ya wanna talk about it? The reason you ran over here, I mean."

 

"I.. yeah. I do." Gerson sat against the wall and patted the ground next to him. Clover sat down next to him.

 

"Alright, lay it on me!"

 

"Alright so.."

"I was, uhm, going to spend time with two of my friends, Ceroba and Starlo. We went to that one Café in Oasis Valley, and then once we got our drinks, I went out because I forgot to do something. Then one of them must've found the.. the letter."

 

"Letter?"

 

"Yeah, I was- I was gonna give up my soul. For monsterkind. I feel like.. it would be selfish of me to live my life down here. It would be selfish for the next human to die because I was too scared to do something meaningful, I.."

 

"Ah, so you're.. I see. Well, kid, trust me. I know you may think that it's unjust, but think about it. Would your friends be okay with this?"

 

Clover opened their mouth to speak but quickly shut it. They weren't sure what to do anymore.

 

"Your life means.. everything to them. They wouldn't be happy knowing that you died trying to be 'just', okay? I know I'm 'The Hammer of Justice! ' and whatever, but c'mon, kid. Rethink your choice."

 

'I know I said I wouldn't do it back at Starlo's house, but- but what about.. no, Gerson's right.'

'The others would be heartbroken.'

 

"Okay, yeah I'm.. I guess I won't go through with it after all, then.."

 

He smiled. "Thank you. What's your name, kid?"

 

"It's Clover."

 

"Well, Clover, it's nice to meet ya."

 

The two heard more footsteps coming from the mine entrance. Clover immediately knew who's they belonged to.

 

They stood up, hat slightly tipped forward so that the two couldn't see their face.

 

Starlo frowned. "Deputy?"

 

Clover tackled Starlo in a hug. Starlo was slightly taken aback and looked at Ceroba, then looked back at Clover. He returned the hug with a smile.

 

"Ah, well I guess that's my cue to leave."

 

"Gerson..?" Ceroba asked.

 

"In the flesh! How have you been holding up?"

 

"I'm better than before, that's for sure."

 

"Well, I hope we can see each other again in the future. I have to go restock my wares back in Waterfall."

 

"I hope that too. Safe travels." She smiled.

 

"You too!" Gerson walked out.

 

She looked back at Clover, who was sobbing something about being sorry and how he won't give up his soul. Starlo was returning the hug.

 

"There there, Clover." He pat their back.

 

"I'll be outside, okay? You two take as much time as you need."

 

"Gotcha."

 

Ceroba left and waited outside for them. Clover pulled away from the hug and rubbed their eyes.

 

"A-alright, I'm- I'm good now.."

 

Starlo reached his hand out. "C'mon, we don't wanna keep Ceroba waitin', right?"

 

They chuckled and grabbed his hand. "Yeah, you're right."

 

"Hey, bet I can beat you at that Mew Mew game back at the Café!"

 

Clover flashed a determined smile. "Oh, it's on!"

Chapter 10: Do You Believe in Wishes?

Summary:

The one where Clover thinks about wishes.

Notes:

This chapter takes place three days after "Confrontation"

Warning, EVENMOREANGSTEVENMOREANGSTEVENMORE ANGST WITH NO COMFORT

(I'M GIVING CLOVER A BREAK FROM THE ANGST AFTER THIS CHAPTER DON'T WORRY)

Clover leaned against the outside of the Saloon. He again, he couldn't sleep. How many times was this going to happen? He hoped nobody saw him out this late.

 

He sighed, tipping his hat forward slightly. The Wild East was quiet. Well, obviously it would, everyone's sleeping.

 

They grabbed their revolver and spun it around with their left hand, eventually stopping mid-trick. They put the revolver back in their holster.

 

'If I'm not gonna sleep, I might as well just... go somewhere. Maybe where I fought that El Bailador guy?' They nodded.

 

They nodded and made their way to the entrance of the Wild East.

 

He passed by the abandoned wagon, and walked through Oasis Valley. Much like the Wild East, everyone was asleep. It was peaceful.

 

They glanced at the gift shop, remembering that they still have those glass shards.. somewhere in the satchel.

 

He walked onto the wooden elevator, the boards creaking below him. The rope carried the elevator off, and when it reached its destination, stopped.

 

Clover stepped off the elevator and felt the cool breeze brush past their skin.

 

Slowly, they made their way to a specific spot. The one where Flowey had told them that Asgore was a 'Boss Monster'.

 

Once they had reached the spot, they took a deep breath and sat down, legs dangling off the edge.

 

The view was.. really nice. The only downside was the fact that he still had that fear of heights.

 

He looked down at the seemingly bottomless area below.

 

'That is.. a really long drop.'

 

They shook their head and looked up at the 'sky'. "Don't think about stuff like that.." They thought out loud.

 

Then they heard it. A voice they could recognize.

 

"Hey buddy!"

 

They quickly stood up and turned around. There he was.

 

Flowey had a smile on his face. "Miss me?"

 

"Flowey, hey! What are- what are you doing here?"

 

"Oh, y'know, just wanted.. to see my pal! What are you doing?"

 

"Oh, I uhm... can't sleep. I never really go here, and J remembered the view here, so I.. wanted to see it again."

 

Flowey sank into the ground and then reappeared next to Clover. He stared at the view.

 

Clover went back to sitting on the edge with their legs dangling off.

 

"Wow, that.. is a pretty nice view. Kinda forgot about it!"

 

"...hey Flowey?"

 

Flowey looked at him. "Mhm?"

 

"Do you.. believe in wishes?"

 

"Well, not particularly, no. What about you?"

 

"I do. A wish is the whole reason I'm here, anyways."

 

"Oh?"

 

"Yeah. I always wished to have friends. To live in a town where people liked me. And-" his breath hitched.

 

Flowey tilted his head to the right. "You okay, Clover?"

 

"My.. Flowey, can I tell you something?"

 

"Anything!"

 

"..my little sister. She always wanted me to live happily, for some reason. It's funny, isn't it? I was the older one, yet she always managed to be the one who cheered me up."

 

"Oh. Well- do you think that she's still waiting for you up there?"

 

"She's dead, Flowey."

 

Flowey went silent.

 

"She.. she always wore this, uh, tutu, and usually wore ballet shoes along with it. She really liked ballet."

 

"Wait.." Flowey started to piece things together.

 

"The human with the integrity soul? That was your sister?"

 

"Yep. Adopted sister. I-.. she was the best sister anybody could've asked for. But- but then she went missing one day, and.. you know what happened next. Her name was Melody."

 

Despite lacking a soul, Flowey tried his best to be sorry for him. "Mm.. I'm really sorry that the underground took her away from you, Clover."

 

Clover wiped a few tears off his cheek. "It's- it's not your fault." Their breathing became shaky. "I hope that I can.. find something that ateast belonged to her, someday."

 

"Maybe you will. You never know. I could.. help you find it, but I'm not really sure where I would start."

 

"It's fine, Flowey. You don't have to. I- I know who killed her, though."

 

Flowey raised an eyebrow.

 

"Yeah. It was.. Axis. I found a tape behind Ceroba's husband's grave. Apparently, she attacked Dalv and their child. But.. she would never hurt anyone, it had to be self defense!"

"She was chased by Axis to Waterfall, then.." Clover winced at the thought.

 

"Clover?"

 

They locked eyes with him. "Y-yeah?"

 

"I'm sure she's happy for you, that you're living a good life. Who knows, maybe she's watching over you as we speak."

 

Clover's mouth was slightly agape. "I- yeah, I'd like to think that." They looked up at the 'sky' again.

 

The two were silent for a while, admiring the view once more.

 

Clover's grip tightened on their poncho. "I hope it was a quick death. I- I don't think that she suffered, at least."

 

Flowey nodded. "..yeah. I don't think she suffered, either."

 

"..thanks for always being here for me, Flowey."

 

"Of course!" He smiled. "That's what friends do, after all."

 

Clover stood up. "Well, I think I should go back. If I spend all night here, someone'll probably find out."

 

"Alright. Safe travels, buddy!"

 

"Thank you, Flowey."

 

He tipped his hat forward and began making his way back to the wooden elevator, leaving Flowey alone with his thoughts.

 

'So Clover's sister was the Integrity human.. hm, despite me having no soul, I feel.. sorry for him. I don't think I could tell him that she was alone and scared before she died.'

 

Flowey sighed. "Can't believe I'm warming up to him. I'm not sure how, but.."

 

He went back to staring at the view. "I guess it doesn't really matter 'how'."

 

~~~

 

Deep down, they knew Flowey was lying. "Why couldn't it have been me? She was probably scared. What if- what if she was crying for me? I-.."

"I wish I could see her."

 

The walk back to the Wild East was quiet.

 

Very quiet.

 

When he made it back, the thoughts came rushing back.

 

'She was  scared.'

'She was begging.'

'She was alone.'

'I couldn't save her.'

'I should've went looking faster.'

 

"Clover?"

 

They looked in the direction where the voice was coming from.

 

"Clover. It's me."

 

His breathing became rapid, and he started shaking his head. "No no no n-"

 

"It wasn't your fault."

 

"But I-"

 

"I still love you."

 

With that, he rushed over to Melody and hugged her.

 

"It was never your fault I left."

"The flower was right. I've been watching over you."

"And I always will."

 

"P-please don't leave me.."

 

"I'll never leave you, okay?"

"Even if I'm not physically there, I'll be by your side."

 

"I love you."

 

And with that, she was gone. Clover was hugging thin air.

 

His arms dropped to his sides.

 

"It should've been me."

Chapter 11: Flowers Can't Shoot, Dummy

Summary:

The one where Clover gets Flowey to shoot a gun.

(Suggested by Mocklate)

Notes:

This chapter takes place four days after "Do You Believe in Wishes"

Sorry for the delay!

Flowey waited in the area just outside the Ruins. "Urgh, this is boring. Can't another human fall down here already?"

"..I guess l'll check up on Clover really quickly then go back here. Not much else to do."

 

He sank into the patch of grass.

 

~~~

 

Clover stood next to Starlo outside of Blackjack's shop, using his hat as a fan to keep himself from basically melting. For some reason, the Wild East was extremely hot today, but the others, not including Ceroba, didn't seem to acknowledge it.

 

"This heat will be the death of me.."

 

"What are ya talkin' about? This is the perfect heat, Clover! Yer actin' a lot like Ceroba."

 

"I don't- I don't think I can handle the heat as well as you. And- and Ceroba has fur, s-so.. I kinda get why she doesn't like the heat either.."

 

Starlo patted Clover on their hat. "Eh, you'll get used to it eventually!"

 

He walked up to Blackjack's door and knocked on it, then went back to Clover's side. It was early, so Blackjack hadn't opened up yet. That won't stop training, though. 

 

Starlo fidgeted with his fingers, giving awkward glances to Clover, which they noticed.

 

"You okay, da- Starlo?"

 

"..Clover, who's Melody?"

 

They stiffened up. "I-"

 

"Ever since like.. four days ago you've been mumbling in your sleep about 'em."

 

Clover kept silent, avoiding eye contact with him.

 

"I'll- tell you later."

 

"Mm, okay.. so, yer probably wonderin' why we're in front of Blackjack's shop, right?" They nodded.

 

"So! Today, we're gonna be doing some more lessons about quick drawing, but first, I need to stock up on some more rubber bullets so that we don't get hurt. I never actually learnt where the old pack went, soo..."

 

"I ate it." He mumbled.

 

"Huh?"

 

"What?"

 

"What did you say?"

 

"Nothing."

 

Starlo raised an eyebrow. "Uhm, alrighty then."

 

The pair waited for a few more minutes. "Okay, where is he? I know we're super early, but c'mon! Those bullets ain't gonna restock 'emself.."

"..y'know what? Clover, you can go do your own thing for the time being. I'll find you once he's opened up the store.

 

"Okay." Clover went over to the middle of the Wild East, and stood in front of the bell.

 

He readjusted his hat slightly. 'What to do..'

 

Suddenly, a familiar flower rose out of the ground in front of him, causing him to yelp.

 

"Woah! Gee, sorry Clover! Didn't mean to scare you like that, haha."

 

He put a hand on their chest and took a deep breath. "It's- it's fine. Uhm- how are you doing today, Flowey?"

 

"Eh, about as good as can be expected. Though, I will say, it's nice being able to talk to you again!"

 

"Likewise, pal! Just here to check up on ya!"

 

"Mm, so what've you been doing since we last met four days ago?"

 

"Oh, nothing much. Just some more lessons and hanging out with my friends. Oh! You should hear Dalv playing the organ sometime, it's really nice!"

 

"Organ as in- as in the thing in your body?"

 

Clover shook their head. "No, it's like.. it's kinda like a piano."

 

"Oh, I see. A- anyways, I should get going now."

 

"Huh? But you just got here?"

 

"Yeah, buut.. I got some stuff to do."

 

"Can't you stay just a little longer? There's not much to do while waiting for Blackjack to open up his shop."

 

Flowey sighed. "..fine, fine! I'll stay a little. Whaddaya want to do, pal?"

 

"Well.. I was wondering if you wanted to actually meet Starlo? Face to face?"

 

"What."

 

"Yeah! I, uh, noticed you never showed up when I was with someone back when I was going to Asgore."

 

"Clover, that.. that has got to be the most stupidest idea I've ever heard."

 

"Wh- why?"

 

"Don't you think people aren't gonna find the ONLY living golden flower strange?" He asked.

 

"No, not really."

 

"Urgh, forget it. I'll catch you la-"

 

"Come on! You never even TRIED talking to them."

 

He said something under his breath, then reluctantly agreed. "F- fine! Damn it, fine. Where is he?"

 

Clover pointed behind them. "Just over there, waiting for Blackjack."

 

"Great.." Flowey shot back into the ground. Clover smiled and walked back to Starlo.

 

Starlo glanced at him. "Back so soon?"

 

"Yeah, I was gonna ask if you, uhm, want to meet one of my friends?"

 

"Well, sure!"

 

Two stood in an awkward silence, before Clover looked down at the ground. "That was your cue, by the way."

 

With a groan, Flowey popped out of the ground, scaring Starlo slightly.

 

"Urgh.. ahem, howdy!"

 

"Is- what- is that yer friend??" Starlo asked.

 

Clover nodded. "Yeah, this is Flowey. Flowey, this is Starlo. Flowey's been helping me ever since I fell into the underground."

 

"Really? well, it's a pleasure to meet ya, Flowey!"

 

Flowey nodded slightly. "Likewise.. that it, Clover? Can I go now?"

 

"Don't you wanna do something fun? Like.. try shooting a gun?"

 

"I- what?" Flowey squinted his eyes.

 

"That's a great idea, Clover!" He looked down at Flowey. "If you haven't tried shooting with a revolver yet, we could teach you how to."

 

"That is, like, the most stupidest thing I've ever heard."

 

Clover tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? Why?"

 

He locked eyes with Clover. "Flowers. Can't. Shoot."

 

"I-.. uhm.."

 

They swore that Flowey had some way of being able to handle a gun. Something that those memories showed.. oh, right!

 

"Don't you have vines?"

 

"I- huh? How do.. I mean, yeah but-"

 

Starlo nodded. "Great! You can uh.. use yer vines to pull the trigger..!"

 

"Here, Flowey." Clover put their revolver onto the ground, giving it a light pat.

 

Flowey sighed, and carefully rose a thin vine from the ground, picking up the revolver. He awkwardly shifted the vine to have a similar hold on the revolver like Clover's.

 

"You got a good grip on it?" They asked.

 

"Yep."

 

"Now you just gotta pull the trigger. Aim for that dummy over there. It ain't alive, so don't worry!" Starlo said, pointing a finger at the nearby dummy, who had a cowboy hat on.

 

The vine moved to make the revolver point at the dummy, then another thin vine rose up from the ground, making its way to the trigger.

 

Once it reached the trigger, it pressed down on it, firing a shot which caught Flowey off guard, causing him to drop the revolver.

 

Starlo smiled. "There ya go!"

 

Clover flashed a thumbs up.

 

"That was.. okay, I guess." Flowey shot his vines back into the ground. "I don't know WHY you two like doing this so much, but.. I guess it isn't that bad."

 

"If you'd like, I could teach you some more stuff later." He asked.

 

"Yeah! Clover could teach you some more when they're not busy with anythin'."

 

Flowey thought for a second before imitating a shrugging motion. "..we'll see."

 

Blackjack finally stepped out of his store with a sigh, Starlo being the only one who noticed. "Yes, yes, 'course.. come on in, North Star."

 

"Alright, I'll be back in a minute, you two. Those rubber bullets ain't gunna buy themselves!" Starlo and Blackjack both entered the store.

 

After a moment of silence, Flowey looked up. "..Clover?"

 

"Mhm?"

 

"Why are you.. so nice to me?"

 

"Well, why wouldn't I be?"

 

"I-.. hm.. gotcha. Well, I have to go, I still have stuff do to! But I.. I'll take you up on that offer."

 

They smiled. "Tomorrow?"

 

"Sure."

 

He waved goodbye to Flowey, who then sank into the ground. He walked over to his revolver and picked it up.

 

"I wonder what he does all the time.."

 

~~~

 

Flowey shot up back to the patch of grass. With a sigh, he began thinking.

 

'Weeell.. I was GOING to try a different approach to this next human that falls. Be an actual harm to them, buut.. after hearing what they said..'

 

"Well, why wouldn't I be?" Clover's voice replayed in his head.

 

Clover stared at the giant, purple door. "Maybe I could try being nice to them like I was with Clover..?"

 

"If I want to get the souls, it'd be a good idea to piggyback off of them.. oh!"

 

He grinned.

 

"Maybe.. maybe I could get Clover to help! I've grown a liking to them, and I'm not afraid to admit it. Maybe I could even convince them to willingly join my plan after I take everyone's souls!" He manically laughed.

"Just you wait, Chara. Our plan will finally come true! I just hope you aren't mad at me for sorta replacing you in it, heehee..!"

 

"Hello? Who's there?"

 

"Argh, damn it. It's her." Flowey quickly hid in the ground as Toriel entered the room.

 

She observed the area carefully.

 

"..must've been my imagination. Oh well, It's time to take care of the flowers anyways."

 

With a slight smile, she made her way to the room with the flowers.

 

She carefully kneeled down next to them.

 

"..I hope that.. that child with the hat. I hope they're alive."

Notes:

SO.

Quick disclaimer, there will be a massive time skip next chapter.

Clover will be 15, and the real plot will start. There will be short notes about every character and what they've been and are doing!

They'll be meeting someone soon! Can you guess who?
It's a certain human you play as.

By the way, once the plot is done, I will continue doing suggestions!

Chapter 12: The Fallen

Summary:

Someone falls.
They meet a flower.
The flower tells a friend.

Notes:

Clover - Age 15

Owner of the "Mew Mew Love Blaster Champion" title.

Wears a poncho closely resembling their polka dot bandana, brown fingerless gloves, two holsters (revolver in their left holster, sawed-off shotgun in their right), an inter-dimensional satchel, and a blue feather nestled on their hat.

Had a growth spurt, is now 5'7. Never moved out of the Feisty Four's house.

Martlet - Age 26

Got a wood working job in Snowdin which she loves.

Recently got slight hair (feather???) extensions, and has a faded gray streak in her hair. Wears a white vest, dark blue jeans, and goggles which are usually just on her forehead.

 

Starlo - Age 29

50% North Star, 50% farm worker.

Hasn't changed North Star's look at all, except for a four leafed clover pin on his hat.

 

Ceroba - Age 30

Sometimes helps Dina in the saloon.

Has managed to move on from her familiy deaths, and comfortably living in her house. Wears a white and red kimono with a floral pattern.

 

Dalv - Age 30

Full-time organ player, draws with Penilla whenever he gets the chance. Made Pops his own room.

Has grown more accustomed to the harsh weasther of snowdin, and doesn't require big, puffy clothes, and is trying to wear more casual clothes. Wears purple pants and a white hoodie.

 

Dina - Age 28

Still working at the saloon with her snakes.

Usually wears a maroon sweater with black jeans with pieces of it manually cut out. Appreciates Ceroba coming in to help her.

 

Feisty Four - Ages 29 (Ed), 27 (Ace), 26 (Moray), 23 (Mooch)

Still help Starlo with work when he's being North Star.

Ed wears a large, pink tank top.
Ace still wears the same clothes.
Mooch no longer wears a hat and her green jacket, instead opting for a plain, green shirt.
Moray wears the same clothes as well.

 

Honey - Age 15

Full-time Honeydew Resort worker. One of Clover's best friends.

Wears a beige scarf, tan sweater, and beige jeans. Has grown more confident, and doesn't stutter as much.

"Come on, where is it.."

 

"T-there! Finally.. my legs are sore."

 

"Wow, this place is.. really pretty."

 

"It's.. a shame this has to be the las- woah!"

 

THUD!

 

"O-ow.."

 

The human fell onto the soft, golden flowers, which had somehow cushioned their descent.

 

They slowly sat up, wondering how they were alive. That fall should have killed them, how were they alive?

 

"There's no time to think about that. Keep going."

 

"H-huh? Who's there?"

 

...

 

"..okay then, I- I guess I should go."

 

The next room was like the one they had been in. Almost pitch black. With the exception of a patch of grass in the middle and a flower with.. a face?

 

They cautiously approached the golden flower.

 

"Howdy! I'm Flowey, Flowey the flower." It smiled. "Hmm, you're new to the underground, aren'tcha?"

 

It.. was talking? Were they hallucinating?

 

"Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!"

"I guess little old me will have to do. Ready? Here we go!"

 

A red, vibrant heart appeared in a white box.

 

"See that heart? That is your soul. The very culmination of your being! You're pretty weak right now, and you can grow stronger by getting LV."

"What's LV, you might ask? Well.. haha, it's best you don't worry about that."

 

They raised their eyebrow. That's.. a strange thing to say.

 

"Now, let's try dodging! Here."

 

A white, vibrating pellet appeared above the box.

 

"It'll hurtcha, be careful!"

 

The human side stepped to the right, making the pellet miss.

 

"Great job, you're a natural! Now, I would teach you more, but I'm sure a certain someone will be here soon. But before I do.. what's your name, pal?"

 

"..i-it's Frisk."

 

"Frisk, eh? That's a nice name! How old are you?"

 

"I'm eight."

 

"Ah, good to know, good to know! Well, Frisk, I'll be seeing you around."

 

Flowey shot into the ground, leaving Frisk alone. Shortly after, a strange, tall goat person entered the room.

 

"Hello...? Are you alright? You must be so lost and confused.."

 

Frisk took a step back, tightening the hold on their stick.

 

"A-ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through here every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the forst person to come here in a.. long time."

"I will do my best to protect you during your tike here. Come! I shall guide you through the catacombs."

 

Toriel turned around and went through the purple arch. Hesitantly, Frisk followed.

 

Flowey reappeared once the two were gone with a sinister smile.

 

"Heehee, this'll be fun. If only they weren't so determined, however.. oh well, it'll make things interesting at least."

"Now to tell Clover!"

 

He shot back into the ground with a chuckle.

 

~~~

 

The sounds of tumbleweeds filled the air.

 

Today had been a regular day, in Wild East terms. Clover idly span his revolver on his finger, bored out of his mind. He was waiting in front of Starlo's house.

 

Cerona stood next to them, an annoyed expression plastered on her face. "He was supposed to be here an hour ago."

 

Clover stopped spinning the revolver. "You think he just slept in?"

 

"No, it's not like Starlo to sleep in. He never does." She sighed.

 

Eventually, they noticed a familiar silhoutte of a certain sheriff running towards them. Once he was close to them, he stopped running and gasped for air.

 

"H-hey! Sorry I'm-" huff "late, I had to quickly-" puff "d-do something.."

 

"Okay, so, what are we doing again, Starlo?" Ceroba asked.

 

"Well, I'm glad you asked! It's, uhm, been quite a while since us three have talked like this, soo.. I wanted us to go to the saloon for some drinks!"

 

She squinted her eyes at Starlo, who quickly noticed.

 

"N-non alcohol, of course!"

 

Clover shoved their revolver into their left holster. "Okay, let's go then."

 

The short walk to the saloon was nice, and Clover even managed to find a spare 2 G on the ground.

 

Ceroba opened the saloon doors, the distinct creaking felt nostalgic to her.

 

Dina looked up from the glass she was cleaning. "Oh, you three! Haven't seen ya'll together like this in a while."

 

"Well, what's a better time than now?" The three sat down on the wooden chairs.

 

She placed the glass under the counter. "The usual?"

 

Ceroba nodded, and Dina got to work.

 

"Uh, hey, you two?"

 

Starlo and Ceroba looked at Clover, who had a nervous expression on their face.

 

"I've been meaning to ask, if.. if another human ever fell down here, do you think I could.. help them?"

 

"Absolutely not!"

"Of course, deputy."

 

Starlo and Ceroba locked eyes. "What do you mean 'of course', Starlo?? It would be insanely dangerous!"

 

"Well, okay sure, but Clover has proved that they're capable enough. The fact that they got to New Home should be enough!"

 

"Asgore is ruthless, and you know that!"

 

"I'm not saying he isn't, but-"

 

Clover raised their voice. "Stop it already, damn! It was just a simple question.."

 

"..sorry, pardner."

 

"Well- look, it's more of a 'what if', anyways. We don't know if another human would even want to fall down here, considering that there's been six children so far, including Clover, who haven't made it out."

 

They sighed. "I guess you're right."

 

After a while, Dina handed out the orders. Ceroba got a root beer and a slider, Clover got an ice water and a slider, and Starlo got the same as Ceroba.

 

Dina flashed them a smile. "Enjoy."

 

Clover dug into the slider, while the other two talked while sipping their root beers.

 

Once he had finished the slider, he sat there, thinking.

 

'I wonder what Flowey's doing..' They thought, putting their hand on their glass of water.

 

They drank it slowly. 'Where does he even go? He never told me.'

 

He finished the glass of water, placing it back onto the counter.

 

Ceroba looked at Clover. "So, Clover, how has Martlet been? I haven't seen her in a while."

 

"She's doing fine. She got a job that she likes. Does.. wood working stuff, I think."

 

Starlo smiled. "A job she likes, eh? That's good to hear. What about yer other friend in Snowdin, Dalv?"

 

"He's like.. a full time organ player. His drawings are really good now, too."

 

"I see, I see." Starlo said, taking a bite out of his slider.

 

"..uh, Dina? Could I have the key to the bathroom?"

 

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Here ya go, kid." Dina passed the key over to Clover.

 

Clover hopped off their seat and made their way to bathroom, locking the door behind them.

 

He walked up to the mirror and stared at himself. "Why can't you just ask them already? I deserve to go out and explore the rest of the underground, don't I..?"

 

He sighed, readjusting his hat.

 

Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him. "Howdy, pal!"

 

Clover's eyes widened and he turned around instantly. His shock turned into a smile. "Flowey!" He kneeled down.

 

"Did ya miss me?"

 

"I'd be lying if I said no."

 

"Haha, yeah, yeah.." He sighed.

 

"Everything okay?"

 

"..Clover, I'm gonna cut to the chase. There's a new human."

 

"Wh- huh? How do- how do you know?"

 

"Because I met them just now. Their name is Frisk, and they're preeeetty young. Eight."

 

"..shit, I didn't- I didn't actually think that it would-"

 

"Happen? Yeah, me neither! But you know what you have to do, don't you?"

 

"Yeah," They stood up. "but.. how do I even tell everyone?"

 

"Well, you could eitheeer.. tell them face to face, or just write a note down."

 

"I- I think I should tell them face to face. I'll, uhm, start with the three in the saloon and ask them if they can also tell Ace, Mooch, Moray, and Ed, then I'll go to snowdin and tell Martlet, Dalv, and Honey."

"Uh.. I don't know how I'm gonna tell Axis, since the entrance to the Steamworks is currently blocked."

 

"Leave that to me, bud! Oh, by the way, you should head to Snowdin Town, because that's the best place you'll be able to pin-point their location."

 

"Oh, okay. Do you think the UGPS Whale can even go to that part of the underground, though?"

 

"Eh, probably. If not, I know you'll be able to convince 'em somehow!"

 

Clover nodded, and with a sigh, he walked over to the door and grabbed the handle. "See you later, Flowey."

 

"Before you go.. you're sure you can do this, right?"

 

"..yeah. I'm- I'm determined to protect that kid."

 

They opened the door and walked through, shutting the door behind them. They balled their fists up and walked over to the three, then put the bathroom key on the counter, which Dina took.

 

"..okay, you three. I- look, I have to go."

 

Ceroba and Starlo looked at them with confused faces.

 

"Go? Go where?" Starlo asked.

 

"Another kid fell in."

 

"Wh- how do you know that, Clover?"

 

"Do you remember Flowey? He.. he saw them. And it's not a prank."

 

The silence was loud, Ceroba and Starlo exchanged looks.

 

Dina sighed. "I'm not sure if I should say anythin', but.. you wanna go after 'em, right?"

 

Clover nodded, nervously fidgeting with their fingers.

 

"I- Clover, you.." Ceroba stumbled on her words.

 

"I say we let them go after 'em, Ceroba."

 

"Wh- what?? Star, we just talked about this. And- and what if the human deserves to-"

 

Clover shook his head. "Deserves to what? Die? I'm not taking that chance."

 

Starlo tipped his hat forward and stood up from his chair, and grabbed his lasso from.. somewhere.

 

"If you're really going to go.. I want you to have this."

 

He grabbed Clover's hand and placed the lasso onto their hands.

 

He tried his best to hold back his tears. "Th- this thing has saved my life a lot, s-so.. I'm sure it'll help you too."

 

Clover shoved the lasso into their satchel, and looked up at Starlo, then gave him a tight hug.

 

"Thank you."

 

Starlo tried to get Ceroba's attention. "..psst, Ceroba."

 

She sighed and also stood up, joining the hug. Dina smiled at the scene.

 

After a while, the two let go. "Okay, I'm gonna uh.. go to Snowdin and tell the others."

 

"Be safe, kid." Dina said.

 

"Thank you, Dina."

 

"Anytime."

 

"Thank you, Ceroba."

 

Ceroba was trying her best to hold in her tears as well. "O-of course."

 

"And.. thank you, Dad."

 

Starlo's tear came pouring out when he heard that word. "Y-yeah."

 

Clover made his way to the saloon doors and went through them.

 

Starlo wiped away his tears once Clover was gone. "Heh.. he- he intentionally called me Dad."

 

~~~

 

They rang the UGPS bell and looked at the Mail Whale as he slowly floated down. Before he could begin his usual rhyming, Clover got into the basket, which somehow still fit them.

 

"S-sorry, but uh.. I'm kind of in a hurry. Could you just take me to Snowdin?"

 

With a simple nod, the Mail Whale flew up into the sky while carrying Clover in the basket.

 

Eventually, they arrived at Snowdin. Clover hopped out of the basket and waved goodbye to the whale, then started to go down the path to Martlet's house.

 

He passed the Honeydew Resort, remembering that he has to tell Honey as well.

 

They went right, and after some more walking, made it to her house.

 

They knocked on the door twice and waited for Martlet.

 

"C-coming!"

 

Martlet opened the door with her blue notebook in her left wing, and smiled when she saw Clover. "Clover! Hi!"

 

"Hey Martlet, uh.. look, I just wanted to tell you that I'll be gone for a bit."

 

"Gone?"

 

"A- another kid fell in. And, uh, y'know how I am. I'm gonna.. go and protect them. Help them get to, and hopefully, defeat Asgore. N-not kill, just.. beat him, I mean."

 

She dropped her blue book, a thud sound emanating from it once it hit the floor. "W-wow, uh, you.. really cut to the chase there, haha-.."

 

"I wanted to tell you since I told the others like.. a couple minutes ago."

 

"Wow. Okay. Uh. I- I don't even know what to say really.. are- are you sure you want to do this?"

 

"Certain."

 

"Mm.. okay, give me just a second." Martlet went into her kitchen and grabbed some trail mix from the counter. She rushed back over to Clover and handed it to them.

 

"I-it's not much, I know, but-"

 

"It's fine, really! At least I won't go hungry, heh.." He said, pocketing the trail mix.

 

"Well, if this will be the last time I see you then.."

 

"Hug?"

 

Martlet sighed, nodding. "Y-yeah."

 

Clover initated the hug, with Martlet returning it soon after. The two stayed like that for a while, before Clover pulled away.

 

"I'll be sure to tell the kid how much of a good friend you are."

 

"Don't forget to tell them about yourself, of course! Bet they'll be interested to learn what you've been up to."

 

"I will, I will. Stay safe, Martlet."

 

"You too, Clover! O-oh, wait a second! Before you go, I should tell you something?"

 

Clover raised an eyebrow.

 

"You're probably headed to Snowdin Town, so.. there's this person there. His name is Sans, and uh.. he's- he's a literal skeleton. But- tell him you're human. And uh.. tell him to promise that he'll keep you safe for me. Trust me."

 

"I-.. alright, gotcha."

 

Clover waved Martlet goodbye, then turned back and started heading towards Dalv's house.

 

'Alright, one down, two to go.' He thought.

 

~~~

 

Clover knocked on Dalv's door, and after a second or two, he had already opened it.

 

"O-oh, Clover! Hello! What brings you to my house? Do you want some, er, food? I recently bought some so.."

 

They shook their head. "No, thank you though. I came here to tell you that I'm gonna be going away for a little. Apparently a new kid fell down here and.."

 

"You want to protect them, don't you?"

 

"Yep."

 

"Well, I am.. glad to hear that you told me about it, haha. Ah, hold on."

 

He walked over to his kitchen and cut a piece of cake off, then placed it into a brown bag, securing it.

 

He walked back to Clover and handed him the bag. "I recently found out how to cook an actual cake, and I don't think I was ever gonna finish it anyways."

 

They put on a western accent, and placed it into their satchel. "Thank ya kindly."

 

"Be safe out there, Clover. I.. don't want anything to happen to one of my friends."

 

He smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Dalv."

 

Dalv patted Clover's hat, then closed the door.

 

'Alright, that was quicker than Martlet, so juuust.. one more to go.'

 

~~~

 

Clover opened the door and walked into the Honeydew Resort, closing the door behind him.

 

Honey looked up from the counter, which she had her head rested on. Upon seeing who it was, she quickly straightened up. "Clover!"

 

"Hey, Honey." He walked over to the counter and sat down on the comfortable seat.

 

"So, what'll it be?"

 

"Er, actually, I came here to tell you something."

 

"Oh?"

 

"Look, I'm leaving for a while. Might not even be coming back."

 

"Huh? Why's.. why's that?"

 

"A friend told me that there's a new kid that fell in, and, well.. I always told you how if another person fell in, I'd help them defeat Asgore.

 

"O-oh, I.. wow, that's- I always thought you didn't mean it, but.. hah, that was kind of stupid for me to assume you wouldn't go through with it."

 

"Nah, don't say stuff like that. But uh- I just.. yeah, I just wanted to tell you that."

 

"So.. this is the last time I'll see you?"

 

"I think so, yeah."

 

Honey sighed. "Well, I.. you know, I never really told you how much I value our friendship."

"You've helped me become more confident, more.. me. Thank you for everything, Clover."

 

"Yeah, anytime."

 

"But.. there's something you should know. Something that.. only my mother and I know."

 

Clover tilted his head in confusion.

 

"There's.. a reason why I have a last name. Have you noticed that only boss monsters have last names?"

 

"Wait.. you're-"

 

"Yeah. I'm a boss monster. And.. I never really tell this to anyone, but.."

"Before I was born, my dad and my mom were living happily on the surface. That was, until my dad decided to.. kill a human child. He wanted to take their soul, but was caught in the act."

 

Clover blinked rapidly. "W-what?"

 

"Yeah. He's- he's the reason why that stupid war started in the first place. Not because humans were afraid of our potential, no, it was all because of him. Then, many years passed, and I was born. But only then did the king find out the real reason of why the war even started, and exiled my dad. I don't know if he's alive but.."

 

"Wow, that's.. wow."

 

"Mhm. You're.. really the only person I can trust with this info."

 

He chuckled. "Well, I'm flattered."

"I uh.. but- a kid?"

 

She put her paw onto the counter. "Listen, I- I despise him for it. I hate how he's reason we're all stuck here. I hate how- how he killed a probably innocent child just for nothing, I.. I hate that he's related to me.."

 

Clover gently grabbed her paw and placed his other hand onto it. "Do you want me to stay a little? So you can uh.. let it all out?"

 

"..no, I think.. I think I let it all out just now. Best to not keep you from your journey to Asgore, haha.. uhm.. I'll miss you, though."

 

He let go of her paw. "..I'll miss you too."

 

After a second of thinking, Honey dipped down beloe the counter, and brought out two pancakes.

 

"It's on the house."

 

"Really? That's.. thank you." They said, and placed the two pancakes into Dalv's brown bag from before.

 

"Well, I should go now. Goodbye, Honey."

 

"..bye, Clover."

 

Clover left the Honeydew Resort with a sigh. 'Alright, that's all of them. Flowey probably told Axis already, so I should.. ask the Mail Whale if there's a way to Snowdin Town.'

 

Clover trudged through the snow with his hands in his pockets, and eventually made it to the UGPS sign once again.

 

He rang the bell, and the Mail Whale descended.

 

"Okay, so, I was hoping you could take me to Snowdin Town. I- I don't know if there's a UGPS sign there or not, but.. if there's not, please, could you take me there anyways?"

 

"I- of course!" The Mail Whale said, dropping the rhyming completely. "You're one of my favorite customers, anyways, haha..! Wait, maybe I shouldn't say that. Oh well! Off we go!"

 

The two flew up into the sky once more.

 

~~~

 

Clover got out of the basket. "Thanks for taking me here even though you're not really supposed to."

 

"Of course!" The Mail Whale said, then flew up, leaving Clover's line of sight.

 

They were by some kind of big house with mailboxes outside. One was overflowing with mail, while the other was seemingly empty.

 

He looked at the town in the distance. Monster children played in the snow, and-

 

"heya."

 

Clover nearly jumped at the sound of the deep voice. He looked back at the house next to him, and saw a skeleton that wasn't there before.

 

"Howdy."

 

"you don't look like you're from these parts. where did you come from, kid?"

 

"Uh.. the Wild East. But uh, if by 'around these parts' you mean upper Snowdin, then yeah, I've never been here. I've only been to lower Snowdin."

 

"ah, makes sense. i never really go to either of those places, but they look decent."

 

The skeleton's white lights in his eye sockets looked Clover up and down.

 

"you're a human, right?"

 

"It was that obvious..?"

 

"nah, most of the others wouldn't be able to tell, despite you having that hat. but uh.. say, are you friends with another human kid? pretty short, blue sweater?"

 

They shook their head. "No..? Wait, is that how they look like?"

 

"mhm. wait.. kid, show me your soul."

 

"I- okay?" Clover did as they were asked, summoning their soul, which levitated in front of their chest.

 

"you're the kid that asgore never found, huh?"

 

"..yeah. I've been living in here for the past two years."

 

"heh, you've got some skills, huh? hiding out here? with no royal guard being able to find you? that's impressive."

 

He awkwardly scratched the back of his hair. "Thanks."

 

"anyways, what's your name?"

 

"It's Clover. And you?"

 

"sans. sans the skeleton."

 

"Wait.. Sans, that name sounds.. o-oh, right! Listen, do you know Martlet?"

 

"martlet? the blue bird lady? yeah."

 

"Alright, so, she told me to find you, and to tell you that I'm a human but- y'know. And to uh.. promise her that you'll keep me safe. And- and another friend told me to come here anyways, since I qould be able to find the kid here easier."

 

"mm, well.. i don't exactly like making promises, but seeing how she seems to really like you, i guess i can make an exception. already made a promise anyways, so what's another? how about you go into my house, don't want you freezing out here. i still have to help my bro with some puzzles, anyways."

 

"Uh- sure! Thanks."

 

"don't worry about the snow on your feet."

 

Clover opened the door and walked in. The heating was good, but not as nice as the Honeydew Resort. They shut the door behind them.

 

"What to do.."

 

He walked over to the TV and pushed the on button, but only static came through. "Of course.."

 

He pushed the button again, turning the TV off. With a sigh, he sat on the couch, which was really comfortable.

 

"Well, might as well get some sleep. Hopefully Sans can wake me up when the kid arrives.."

 

With a yawn, they got into a comfortable position on the couch.

 

He closed his eyes and drifted away to sleep.

 

~~~

 

Flowey impatiently waited for Frisk to finish fighting Toriel. Based on their actions so far, it was pretty obvious that they were going to spare her.

 

Suddenly, he felt a weird sensation. A sensation like when he felt his powers being taken away from him by Frisk.

 

Clover was.. extremely determined. To a point that was strange.

 

'Interesting.. I feel like.. Clover's extremely determined to protect them. Maybe not as determined as Frisk, but more determined than.. me? Oh. Ohohoho.. this could mean that whenever that brat saves, loads, or resets, he'll remember! How convenient. I'll have to watch from afar to make sur-'

 

His thoughts were cut out as he heard the sound of the exit to the Ruins being opened.

 

He put on a fake smile as Frisk approached them. "Howdy, Frisk!'

 

He discreetly checked them. LV 1, 0 Execution Points, he knew it.

 

"Seems like you managed to get through Toriel pretty easily, huh?"

 

They nodded. "Y-yeah."

 

"Great! Well, I'll be honest with you, Frisk. The next area will be more challenging than this one. You might die a lot!"

 

"Die.. a lot? Wait, do you know about the-"

 

"The yellow stars? Yup! I was the one who could save before you, y'know? But I'm glad that a human like you is more determined than me. Just shows that you'll truly be able to defeat Asgore and get home safely!"

"Anyways, I better not keep you any longer. Bye bye!"

 

Flowey sank into the patch of grass. Frisk sighed, looking at the toy knife in their hand.

 

"I'm not gonna use this, but it'll be safer to have just in case I want to scare any monsters away."

 

They continued forward and through the last purple door.

 

The frigid air hit them instantly. "H-how is there snow here..?"

 

They pulled their sleeves up to hide their hands completely. Frisk trudged through the snow, the uncomfortable feeling of someone watching them still being there.

 

Just who was that.. weird voice that kept telling them stuff?

 

They made sure to not trip on the large branch in front of them, and-

 

CRACK

 

They turned around, the grip on the toy knife tightening.

 

"H-hello..?" They called out.

 

No response. They looked at the branch, which was now split in half.

 

Shaking their head, they turned back around and continued down the path, ignoring the sounds of feet behind them.

 

Frisk reached a strange bridge, and as they stepped foot on it, they froze upon hearing the footsteps once more.

 

'Move. Move. Move. Ple- please, move!'

 

Despite the pleas, they still couldn't move.

 

"H u m a n ."

 

"D o n ' t  y o u  k n o w  h o w  t o  g r e e t  a  n e w  p a l ?"

 

Their breathing became shaky.

 

"T u r n  a r o u n d  a n d  s h a k e  m y  h a n d ."

 

They reluctantly did as they were told, turning around. They stared at the figure, who was offering a handshake.

 

They reached their hand out and squeezed the figure's hand.

 

Pffffffffffttttttt...

 

The mood quickly changed, and a slight giggle escaped from Frisk.

 

The light on the figure shifted, revealing how it looked like. It was.. a literal skeleton.

 

"heheh... the old whoopie cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny. anyways, you're a human, right?"

 

They hesitantly nodded, and the skeleton's grin widened.

 

"that's hilarious. i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but... y'know... i don't really care about capturing anybody."

"now my brother, papyrus... he's a human-hunting FANATIC. hey, actually, i think that's him over there. i have an idea. go through this gate thingy."

 

They looked back at the bridge. Gate? Now they weren't too sure.

 

"yeah, go right through. my bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone."

 

Frisk did as they were told, walking over the bridge with Sans following behind them.

 

"quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp."

 

They looked over to the right, and sure enough, there was a conveniently-shaped lamp that looked just like them. They quickly speed-walked over to it and hid behind it.

 

They heard the sound of new, heavy footsteps coming in.

 

"sup, bro?"

 

"YOU KNOW WHAT 'SUP', BROTHER!"

 

"Aurgh- loud!" They heard the ghostly voice say.

 

"IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T... RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES! YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

 

"staring at this lamp. it's really cool. do you wanna look?"

 

"NO!! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!!" They heard the sound of stomping.

 

"WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE?! I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN!"

"THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS... WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT... RECOGNITION... I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK TO BE MY FRIEND!"

 

'So he's.. lonely?' They thought.

 

"I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING!"

 

"hmm... maybe this lamp will help you."

 

"SANS!! YOU ARE NOT HELPING!! YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AROUND AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERY DAY!!"

 

"hey, take it easy. i've gotten a ton of work done today. a skele-ton."

 

Frisk suppressed a giggle. "Seriously? You found THAT funny? I'm seriously concerned about your pun standard."

 

"SANS!!"

 

"come on. you're smiling."

 

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" He sighed. "WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION..."

 

"wow, sounds like you're really working yourself... down to the bone."

 

Frisk snickered. "Don't give yourself away!"

 

"UGH!! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES.. AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE.. BACKBONE INTO IT!! NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!!"

 

...

 

"HEH!"

 

The ghostly voice began laughing, but the pun didn't really stick with you. "N-nothing?? You almost give your position away because of the short one, but you don't find the tall one funny?? Wooow, I see how it is.."

 

"ok, you can come out now."

 

Frisk went out of their hiding spot.

 

"you oughta get going. he might come back. and if he does... you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes."

 

With a smile, they nodded, and started to walk to the next area.

 

"actually, hey... hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?"

 

They stopped and turned around.

 

"i was thinking... my brother's been kinda down lately. he's never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day. don't worry, he's not dangerous, even if he tries to be."

"thanks a million. i'll be up ahead. oh, and also, there's someone that you're gonna meet at the end of snowdin town, that won't just be my brother."

 

Sans started walking to the direction where Frisk came from, which weirded them out.

 

"Snowdin Town..? Do, uhm, you know what that is, strange ghost person that narrates stuff?"

 

"Well, it'll be at the end of Snowdin obviously, but uh.. I believe before Snowdin Town there's iiiikee.. a big bridge. That's all I can remember."

 

"Remember?"

 

"..nevermind, let's just go."

 

"Mm.. okay."

 

They continued to the next area, and walked towards the glowing star, teeth chattering in the cold.

 

They reached out, feeling its warmth.

 

"The convenience of that lamp still fills you with determination."

 

FILE SAVED.

 

"Say... why's my 'file' name Chara?"

 

"I.. that's my name..?"

 

"Your name's C-Chara? Well, that's a nice name."

 

"Uh.. thank you. I'm not sure why your file name is my name, but it might just be a result of me following you."

 

"M-maybe."

 

They walked over to a strange looking box, and next to it was a sign.

 

It read,

 

This is a box.

You can put an item inside or take an item out.

The same box will appear later, so don't worry about coming back.

Sincerely, a box lover.

 

They opened the box, and inside was a single leather glove. They placed the toy knife into the box, and equipped the glove onto their right hand.

 

"I wonder why these two weapons were just.. thrown away."

 

"I.. I'll tell you some other time."

 

"Uhm.. okay?"

Chapter 13: Howdy, Pardner

Summary:

The humans meet each other, but one of them has to go to a house for a date with a skeleton.

Notes:

This chapter went through mutltiple iterations because I couldn't figure out what Clover should do while waiting for Frisk, sorry for the wait again!

Frisk cautiously approached the two skele-bros, who were talking to each other.

 

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE..."

 

Suddenly, the tall skeleton looked at Frisk.

 

Then back at Sans.

 

Then Sans looked at them.

 

Then...

 

"What... are they doing?"

 

Frisk shrugged, still freezing due to the weather.

 

Finally, the two skeletons stopped and turned their backs toward Frisk, and began 'whispering' to each other, although Frisk could hear every single word coming out of them.

 

"SANS!! OH MY GOD!! IS THAT... A HUMAN?!"

 

The two turned around to face Frisk. "uh... actually, i think that's a rock."

 

Frisk looked over their shoulder, only to see a rock on the ground. "That- wasn't there before." They mumbled.

 

"OH." Papyrus sighed, despite not having any lungs.

 

"hey, what's that in front of the rock."

 

Papyrus checked again, and actually saw them this time. "OH MY GOD!!"

 

He turned to Sans. "IS- IS THAT A HUMAN?"

 

"yes."

 

"OH MY GOD!! SANS, I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL... I'M GONNA... I'LL BE SO... POPULAR, POPULAR, POPULAR!!..."

"AHEM, HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!! I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN... THEN!"

 

Papyrus scratched his skull. "I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT. IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE... ONLY IF YOU DARE!!!"

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!"

 

Papyrus turned around and ran forward. Sans chuckled, looking at Frisk.

 

"well, that went well. don't sweat it, kid. i'll keep an eye socket out for ya."

 

They giggled, and Sans took that as his cue to leave as well. "Still don't get how you find HIS jokes funny."

 

Frisk continued down the path, passing the sentry statio-

 

"Did something move? Was it my imagination? I- I can only see moving things. If something WAS moving.. for example, a human.."

"I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!"

 

Frisk's soul appeared in front of them. "Good luck."

 

~~~

 

Clover woke up with a gasp, then placed their hand where their soul is.

 

"D-damn nightmares.. two years later and I still have them."

 

They sat up, rubbing their eyes. "I don't think I slept long. I'm definitely not going back to sleep, that's for sure.."

 

With a stretch, they got up from the couch. "Mm, well.. I'm obviously not gonna go snooping around, that's not what a good guest would do. I guess I'll uhm.. look around Snowdin."

 

He walked outside, the cold hitting his face. "These are really not good clothes for this place.."

 

Clover silently began walking to his right, where most of the citizens of Snowdin were.

 

None of them really paid attention to them, other than just waving as they passed by.

 

What caught Clover's eye was the building labelled as 'Grillby's'. "Reminds me of Dina's saloon."

 

He pushed the door open and walked inside. The door somehow shut itself, and Clover breathed a sigh of relief when they felt the heat touch their skin.

 

There was a big, empty table in the middle, a bar, and some more tables to their right.

 

A drunk, bunny-like monster who had her head rested on the table seemed to notice him. "H-hey! Come 'ere for a second.."

 

He walked over to her. "Yeah?"

 

"Are you, uh, new around here? I don't think I've seen you before."

 

"Yeah, I come from the Wild East."

 

"The Wild East, hm? Cool! Anyways, it's good to see new faces! I swear, every time it's the same old menu, same people.. I  want new drinks an' h-h-h-hot guys!"

 

Clover awkwardly nodded. "Uh huh.. uh, you mind if I sit next to you for a bit?"

 

"Huh? Oh, n-not at all!" She scooted over to the far right of the table, and Clover sat down.

 

"So, what brings you here?" She asked.

 

"Oh, uh.. a- a friend."

 

"I see! So, how's it like in the Wild East?"

 

"Well, it's.. really hot there. Only time it gets colder is when it's night. I'm friends with a lot of people there."

 

"So you're an e-extrovert, I assume?"

 

"I- yeah, I think that's the word for it."

 

"Well, then you'll have no trouble making friends here!" She said, hiccupping at the end.

 

"..wait, are you drunk?"

 

She sighed. "Mm, a little, yeah.."

 

"You should go home and sleep."

 

"Pfft, no way! I'm waiting to see Sansy and the dogs here, anyways.."

 

"Well, your choice. I've only gotten drunk once."

 

"O-oh really? You look preeeetty young to drink."

 

They chuckled. "Well.. I was thirteen when I drank alcohol for the first time. I'm fifteen now."

 

"You're fifteen?? Wow, I thought you were younger.."

 

"Genetics, I guess. So, I've told you a little about me. How about you tell me some stuff about you?"

 

"Mm, if you insist.."

 

~~~

 

"That Snowman was nice, right?"

 

"Mhm."

 

Frisk squinted their eyes more, trying to make out what the letters on the sign said.

 

"..Frisk, can you seriously not read that?"

 

"I- of course I can! I just.." They trailed off.

 

Chara sighed. "North: Ice. South: Ice. West: Ice. East: Snowdin Town... and ice."

 

"Hey, I was just about to say that!"

 

"Sure you were.. anyways, you really died twice to the dog?"

 

"In my defense, I didn't know what those blue attacks meant."

 

"He outright said, and I quote, 'I can only see moving things', Frisk."

 

They sighed and slid to the right. Once they were off the ice, they continued down the path.

 

"You know, Sans was probably watching me talk to you."

 

"What about it?"

 

"..Chara I'm the only one who can see you."

 

"Oh, right. That.. would look pretty weird, talking to air."

 

"Well.. maybe we cou-"

 

"YOU'RE SO LAZY!!

 

Frisk stopped instantly upon hearing Papyrus's voice.

 

"YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!!"

 

"i think that's called... sleeping."

 

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES!"

 

Papyrus and Sans both turned to face Frisk. "OH-HO! THE HUMAN ARRIVES! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU... MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES!"

 

'Puzzles, my worst enemy.' They thought.

 

"I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE... QUITE SHOCKING!!! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE ELECTRICITY MAZE!"

 

"Oh, I get it! Shocking, electricity.. classic."

 

"WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP! SOUND LIKE FUN??"

 

They shrugged.

 

"BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE.. IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL, I THINK."

"OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW."

 

Frisk took a single step forward, and Papyrus began getting electrocuted. After a good two or three seconds, it stopped, leaving a Papyrus covered in charcoal.

 

He began stomping, shaking the charcoal off him. "SANS!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

 

Sans's grin widened."i think the human has to hold the orb."

 

"OH, OKAY."

 

Papyrus began making his way to Frisk, leaving shoe imprints on the slightly differently colored snow.

 

"HOLD THIS PLEASE!"

 

He threw a cyan orb into the air and quickly retraced his steps. The orb gently floated down and landed on Frisk's head.

 

"OKAY, TRY NOW!"

 

Frisk carefully followed the shoe imprints, making sure to not accidentally get zapped.

 

After they made it, they breathed a sigh of relief. "INCREDIBLE!! YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY... TOO EASILY! HOWEVER!! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE SO EASY!"

"IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!"

 

Papyrus slid backwards, out of view. Frisk raised an eyebrow. "What does confounded mean..?"

 

"It's, uh, used for emphasis. Like.. to express anger, annoyance, that kind of stuff."

 

They walked over to Sans, who's grin went back to normal. "hey, thanks. my brother seems like he's having fun. by the way, did you see that weird outfit he's wearing?"

 

They nodded. "we made that a few years ago for a costume party. he hasn't worn anything else since... keeps calling it his 'battle body.' man. isn't my brother cool?"

 

~~~

 

She took another swig of beer. "S-so then I told him to back off!"

 

Clover's eyes widened. "Really?? And what did he do after that?"

 

"Oh, nothin'! Literally just ran away! Funniest stuff I've ever s-seen."

 

He chuckled. "Dang. And I thought lower Snowdin was weird.."

 

"Mm? Lower Snowdin? There's- there's a place below us?"

 

"Mhm. A lot of my friends live there. Like uhm... Martlet! Martlet's like a- she's a bird, and like.. she's really cool. There's also Dalv, he's.. a vampire, I think? Honey, who works at Honeydew Resort, uhm.."

 

"Sounds like you go to other places frequently."

 

"Yeah, you could say that."

 

"I wish I could be like you, exploring places I haven't been to.. shame I've wasted a lot of my life here."

 

"Wait, how old even are you?"

 

"S-seventeen."

 

"Hey, it's not too late then. You only live once, so who's to tell you that you can't go explore, and- and do your own thing? Waitwhyareyoueveninabaryou'reseventeen.."

 

She smiled. "I guess.. I guess you're right. Say, I didn't ask you for your name.."

 

"It's Clover. What's yours?"

 

"P-Pepper. Nice to meetcha, Clover!"

 

"Likewise. Anyways, uhm, you look.. really drowsy. You sure you don't need any sleep?"

 

She yawned, resting her head on the table again. "Noo, I'm fine.."

 

"You're- I'm pretty sure you uh.."

 

"No, no, I'm.." She went quiet, and a few seconds later, soft snoring emerged from here.

 

"..well, sweet dreams, partner. I think I'll go explore Snowdin some more, get to know the people here."

 

They stood up, slightly readjusted their hat, and walked out the door.

 

~~~

 

"I don't think buying that 'Nice Cream' was a good idea. You'll be colder if you eat it here."

 

"Yeah, yeah.. I felt bad for the rabbit guy."

 

Frisk glanced at the spaghetti and the microwave, then reached out to the save point.

 

"Knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti..."

"It fills you with determination."

 

They saved the file. "Why do you do that uhm.. determination talk, anyways?"

 

"Motivation! You gotta have a reason to keep going, that isn't just, y'know, not dying."

 

They smiled. "..can't argue with that."

 

Frisk continued forward, looking at the spikes in the distance.

 

"As much as I like seeing you worm your way through puzzles, you'll probably need help with this one. See the differently colored snow over there? There's a switch hidden in it."

 

"O-oh, thanks!" They walked over to the snow and dug their hand through it. After a few seconds of digging, they felt a switch, and pressed it.

 

They heard the sound of spikes shooting back into the floor. "..I'm gonna be honest with you, the switch thing was just a lucky guess."

 

They giggled, and made their way to where the spikes where, when suddenly, their soul appeared.

 

The world went black and white, and a dog in armor, a shield, and a sword ran in, stopping in front of Frisk.

 

"Is- is that a dog in armor?"

 

"Now I've seen everything.."

 

Frisk pressed the act button, Lesser Dog's name, then looked at the options. "Why are- why are most of the options pet?"

 

They barely lifted their hand to initiate the petting, and Lesser Dog's neck grew.

 

"You barely lifted your hand and Lesser Dog got excited."

 

"Aw! That's adorable!"

 

"THAT is adorable to you?? Urgh.."

 

Frisk quickly jumped out of the way when Lesser Dog leapt towards them. After the attack was finished, Frisk lightly pet the Dog on the head.

 

"You lightly touched the Dog. It's already overexcited..."

 

A blue spear came rushing at Frisk. They stood still, but were hit in the back by a normal, white spear.

 

They pet the dog once more.

 

"You pet the Dog. It was a good Dog."

 

The dog leapt towards Frisk again, but they sidestepped the attack.

 

They quickly pet the dog again.

 

"You pet the Dog. It's excitement knows no bounds."

 

The attacks had stopped. Frisk pet Lesser Dog.

 

"..Frisk, could you just spare the Dog already? I don't really wanna narrate EVERYTHING, you know?"

 

"Then just don't narrate!" They jumped up to pet the Dog.

 

"Frisk-" They didn't even pet the dog, but its neck grew.

 

"Frisk, come on.."

 

Frisk watched as Lesser Dog's neck grew on its own, their face in awe.

 

"...I don't think there's a way to stop this madness anymore."

 

Eventually, Lesser Dog's neck began curving around, then lowering just enough for Frisk to pet it again.

 

"Frisk!"

 

They continued petting. "Urgh.."

 

"Gotta.. reach fifty pets." They mumbled.

 

~~~

 

"Forty eight.. forty nine.. fifty!" Frisk stopped petting the Dog.

 

"Is.. are you done?"

 

They nodded, sparing Lesser Dog.

 

"Finallyyyy... you were petting the Dog for so long.."

 

They walked over a small bridge, then stood still as they heard the sound of footsteps.

 

"Do NOT tell me that this enemy is a-"

 

"What's that smell?"

 

They smiled. "Two dogs!"

 

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!"

 

~~~

 

"HUMAN! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE!"

"BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!"

 

Many deadly objects lowered and raised themselves into view.

 

"Is.. that a dog?" They mumbled.

 

"WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!!! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN!!!"

 

"..I think you might die here a lot."

 

"ARE YOU READY?! BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!"

 

There was an awkward minute of silence, before Sans turned to his brother. "well? what's the holdup?"

 

"HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!? I'M... I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT RIGHT NOW!"

 

Another awkward minute of silence. "that, uh, doesn't look very activated."

 

"WELL!!! THIS CHALLENGE!!! IT SEEMS... MAYBE... TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMAN WITH. YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE!! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS!!"

 

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, nevermind then!"

 

"MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL!"

"AWAY IT GOES!"

 

The deadly objects went away. "PHEW!"

 

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS!! NYEH!! HEH!!... HEH???"

 

Papyrus ran out of view. Frisk crossed the bridge, then walked up to Sans.

 

"i don't know what my brother's going to do now. if i were you, i would make sure i understand blue attacks."

 

Frisk began walking to the distant town.

 

"oh, actually?" They stopped. "remember how i told you that you'll meet someone in snowdin town? uh.. let's say they're gonna meet you after you fight papyrus."

 

"Wait, fight him?"

 

"oh, didn't i say that before?"

 

They shook their head. "oh well, could'a sworn i did. anyways, best of luck to ya, kid."

 

Frisk walked into Snowdin Town. The change in atmosphere was.. nice.

 

They went over to to the save point.

 

"The sight of such a friendly town fills you with determination."

 

They saved the file, then entered the shop. A purple rabbit greeted them as they opened the door. "Hello, traveller. How can I help you?"

 

They dug into their pockets, and placed 129 G onto the counter.

 

"C-could I get that uhm.." They pointed at the bandana on the shelf behind her. "Bandana and some Cinnamon Buns, please?"

 

"Course! Here 'ya go." She went under the counter and pulled out some fresh Cinnamon Buns and a Bandana with abs drawn on it.

 

"Thank you!" They grabbed the Bandana and the Cinnamon Buns, stuffed the food into their pockets, and left.

 

They quickly checked the Bandana that was still in their right hand.

 

"Manly Bandana, armor defense seven. It has seen some.. wear. It has abs drawn on it."

 

With a smirk, they tied the Bandana around their forehead.

 

~~~

 

"kid? you up?"

 

They felt their side being poked by.. something.

 

Clover slowly opened their eyes, only to be met with Sans's own eyes. Er, eyesockets?

 

Sans quickly backed away. "heya."

 

"S-Sans? Uhm, what- how long was I asleep for?"

 

"eh, like a good thirty minutes. just waking you up to tell you that the kid's here, and they're fighting my bro right now."

 

They sat up. "Wait, fighting?! I need to stop them, I-"

 

"woah woah, chill out for a moment. look, i was gonna ask you if you could let my brother fight the human."

 

"Sans, I can't just let them get hurt! Or worse, possibly die!"

 

"don't sweat it, kid. my bro wouldn't kill them. he's smart enough to lower the amount of damage his attacks do."

 

He put a hand on his shoulder. "look, could ya just do this for my brother?"

 

"I.. fine, okay, sure. You're- you're sure he won't kill them?"

 

He plopped down on the couch next to Clover. "positive."

"anyways, you wanna watch some tv?"

 

"..sure."

 

Sans searched in between the cushions of the green couch, eventually pulling out a remote.

 

He turned the TV on with the remote, then cycled through some channels. "y'know, it's funny, we didn't have any actual channels other than mettaton's until like.. a few days ago."

"it's probably not like the channels you humans have up there, since you have, well, humans doing everything, but it's.. nice. you probably already know, though."

 

"I, uh, actually didn't. The Wild East doesn't really have TV's that display channels. They're more for like.. tapes, games, and stuff like that."

 

"really? huh."

 

Sans flicked through some more channels, before eventually settling on a comedy channel.

 

"oh, this is one of my favorites."

 

"..who could'a guessed."

 

The two watched the comedy channel for what seemed like hours, laughing and snickering at most of jokes.

 

"oh man, that was good."

 

"You said that this is one of your favorites, right? What are the other ones?"

 

"oh, here, lemme show y-"

 

"SANS!"

 

The door swung open, and Papyrus marched inside. "SANS, I HAVE SOMETHING TO CONFESS."

 

"what's up, bro?"

 

"I, ER, FAILED TO CAPTURE THE HUMAN. B-BUT! EVERYTHING IS FINE! THE HUMAN WILL BE COMING OVER LATE-.." He looked at Clover. "OH! MY GOD?? IS THAT.."

 

"another human?"

 

"SANS, THERE WAS A HUMAN HERE THIS WHOLE TIME??"

 

"uhh, yeah, i think so."

 

Papyrus put his skeletal hand on his chin. "HMM.. WELL, I WOULD USUALLY CAPTURE YOU, BUT! SEEING AS YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH MY BROTHER, AND PROBABLY FRIENDS WITH THE OTHER HUMAN, I SHALL LET YOU GO!

"ER, I WOULD COOK YOU SOME FOOD, BUT I HAVE SOME STUFF DO TO FOR NOW. GOODBYE!"

 

Papyrus rushed into his room, gently closing the door behind him.

 

"well, i think that's your cue to talk to the kid, pal. good luck."

 

Clover hopped off the couch and left the house, putting his bandana over his nose and tipping his hat forward.

 

"Gotta nail this introduction.." He mumbled to himself.

 

~~~

 

Frisk sighed, rubbing their shoulder. "That... battle lasted way longer than it should've."

 

"Agree.. hey, on the bright si- uh.. Frisk? Possible enemy approaching behind you."

 

The area around them became reminiscent of how it looked like when they first saw Papyrus there.

 

Frisk whipped around instantly, scared. They looked at the figure walking towards them in the distance. "Oh, no no.. why now?! I just wasted all of my good healing items on Papyrus!"

 

The figure came to a halt when they were close to Frisk. "Howdy, pardner." Their voice was similar to those old, western movies.

 

"Apologies if I scared 'ya."

 

"Don't let your guard down, Frisk. They could be trying to fake it."

 

The figure took a step forward. "Now, I know this'll be, uh, awkward, or just weird, but.."

 

They took another step closer, just enough for the figure to not look pitch black anymore.

 

Frisk looked the figure up and down. "The name's Clover. What's yours?"

 

"F-Frisk."

 

"Pleasure to meet 'ya, Frisk. Ready to see something cool?"

 

They braced themself for an attack.

 

Clover took the bandana off their nose and slightly flicked their hat up so that Frisk could see their eyes.

 

Frisk's eyes widened. "Wai- wait, wh-"

 

"Is that another human??"

 

He dropped the accent. "Ta-da! Like I said, the name's Clover, and I'm a human, just like you!"

 

Frisk dropped their guard "But- but how are you.."

 

"I came searching for the five missing humans two years ago. I'm assuming you met Toriel, right? I, uh, met her too, but the room with the switches? The floor caved in under me."

"I went through a different part of the underground. I met a lot of friends there, and.. and I decided to live here. Or, well, not in Snowdin, in the Wild East. You obviously don't know what that is, though."

 

"H-how old are you?"

 

"Fifteen. Came to this place when I was twelve, but my birthday was soon."

 

"And- and this isn't a trick? You're not a monster pretending to be a human?"

 

"Nope! I'm a kid. Just like you! Well, I'm a teen, but you know what I mean, and I'm here to uh.. protect you! Help you through the underground, and stuff. I know you might not trust me at first, but uh.."

 

Frisk ran over to Clover, hugging them. It was slightly awkward due to their height. "W-woah, okay then."

 

"F-Frisk, be careful!" Chara yelled.

 

They pulled away from the hug after a short moment. "S-sorry, I'm uhm.. glad that you're here to help me."

 

"Yeah, 'course! I'm, uh, gonna warn you, I don't.. know much of this path. Like I said, I went through a completely different part of the underground. But that doesn't matter, I'm still gonna help you."

"Anyways, let's g-"

 

"Wait, uhm.. I still have to do something. C-could you come with me?"

 

"..oookay?"

 

The two walked back to Sans and Papyrus's house, which now had Papyrus standing by the door

 

"SO YOU CAME BACK TO HAVE A DATE WITH ME!"

 

Clover blinked rapidly, looking at Frisk. "Excuse me?"

 

"I kinda.. flirted with him."

 

He locked eyes with them. "Frisk, you're eight."

 

"I- I know, but-"

 

"OH, I SEE YOU'VE BROUGHT YOUR FRIEND FROM EARLIER OVER AS WELL! HMM... WELL, IF THEY'RE GOING TO COME WITH US, THEN I'LL HAVE TO TAKE THE THREE OF US SOMEPLACE REALLY SPECIAL..."

"A PLACE I LIKE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME!!!"

 

The two followed Papyrus as he began looped around and went back to his house again. "MY HOUSE!!!"

 

"Oh. Well, uh, y'know what? How about I... wait for you in the next area while you two.." they sighed. "have a date."

 

"U-uh, okay! I'll just.. tell Papyrus that you had to do something, then." Frisk walked inside of the house, shutting the door behind them.

 

Clover silently walked to the next area. They remembered Martlet talking about it.

 

'This place was called.. Waterfall, right?' They glanced at the ice cubes floating in the water next to them.

 

In the next room, a certain skeleton caught their eye. "Wh- Sans?"

 

"heya." He lazily waved at them.

 

They went up to the sentry station. "Weren't you just in.."

 

"my house? yeah. neat shortcut, right?"

 

"I.. guess? A-anyways, Frisk is on a date with your brother right now, so I'm just waiting here for them."

 

"cool, cool. hey, i'm on my break right now, you wanna go to grillby's?"

 

"I- I mean, won't Frisk wonder where I am?"

 

"nah, my bro'll keep 'em company for a while."

 

He sighed. "Okay, let's go."

 

"follow me, i know a shortcut."

 

The pair took a step forward, and in a blink of an eye, were in Grillby's.

 

"How did- wh-"

 

"fast shortcut, huh? hey, everyone."

 

"Hey, Sans."

 

"Hi, Sans."

 

"Greetings Sans."

 

"Hiya, Sansy~ oh, hi Clover!" Clover waved at her.

 

"Hey Sans, weren't you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?"

 

"nah, i haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour. you must be thinking of brunch."

 

The place exploded with laughter, and after a couple of seconds, it died down. "here, get comfy."

 

Sans sat down on one of the seats. Clover stared at the smaller seat, looking at the obvious whoopie cushion. They tossed it to their right and sat down.

 

"yeah, you should watch out where you sit. sometimes weirdos puts whoopie cushions on the seats." He chuckled.

 

"Uh huh.."

 

"anyways, let's order. whaddaya want?"

 

"How about.. just a plain burger?"

 

"gotcha. i think i'll get the same thing as well. grillby, we'll have a double order of burgers."

 

With a nod, Grillby headed into the backroom. Sans combed his skull with a teal hair comb. "so, what do you think of my brother?"

 

"Well, I.. I mean, I haven't really talked to him that much. He's on a date with an eight year old, though, so.. that's kinda weird? I don't really have an opinion on him right now. Maybe when I get to know him more."

 

"he's pretty cool once you get to know him. i mean, he's the coolest guy i know, that's for sure. y'know that outfit he's wearing? he never takes it off unless he absolutely has to."

"at least he washes it. and by that, i mean he wears it in the shower."

 

Grillby came out of the backroom with two burgers on plates. He placed them in front of Clover and Sans.

 

"say, you got any place like this in the wild east?"

 

He nodded, taking the burger in his hand. "Yeah, we have a saloon."

 

"really? well, you think grillby's has better food?"

 

"I'm about to find out, but I doubt it."

 

"you want some ketchup, kid?"

 

"No thanks."

 

Sans shrugged. "well, more for me."

 

He chugged the entire bottle, stuffing the empty bottle into his right pocket.

 

Clover took a bite out of the burger.

 

After a second of thinking, they shook their hood. "..nope, sorry, not better than the sliders in the saloon."

 

"well, that's unexpected. thought you'd like it more, heh."

 

Sans glanced at the revolver and shotgun in Clover's holsters. "say, are those real?"

 

"Huh? O-oh, uh.. I mean, they're real, but I'm pretty sure they're not designed to be lethal. You can stuff basically anything in them and use it as ammo."

 

"really?"

 

"Yep. Both of them are unloaded right now, but I usually use silver bullets for my revolver, and old cans for the shotgun. I, uh, barely actually use them, though. They're more like.. if I need to scare a monster that's attacking me, y'know?"

 

"i see, i see.. anyways, ya know, i can tell you haven't hurt anybody here, despite having that justice soul and staying here for two years."

 

They raised an eyebrow. "What about my soul?"

 

The world seemed to freeze in time, a light cast on the pair.

 

"kid, i don't know if you knew this but.. each human soul trait always corresponds to the personality of the human. for example, a kindness soul? obviously, the human's gonna be kind. that sorta stuff. you get me?"

 

They nodded. "good. so, most humans with the justice soul tend to, well, kill people. bring justice, y'know? but you. you're different. you never hurt a single soul, despite your soul. why?"

 

"I- well.. I came here to avenge the kids that never made it back to their homes. I guess that just.. changed when I encountered my first- er, second monster. His name was Flier.

"I understood that monster's had their own feelings, I guess. Their own lives. Not all of them were responsible for the.. deaths of the kids that fell."

 

Sans stared at his burger. "so, uh, i have one question. why didn't you go to asgore?"

 

"The whole plan that Martlet had was to plead my case to Asgore, about how I didn't hurt anybody. My friend, Ceroba, told her that it wouldn't matter. Asgore would.. probably kill me anyways."

"The two fought about if I should hide for the rest of my life, wait for the next kid to fall, that stuff. I'm not gonna lie, I was debating if I should just.. give up my soul. It would help you all in the long run, anyways, but.."

 

Clover smiled. "My other friend, Starlo? He.. he talked to me, when the others were still fighting. I decided that I wanted to stay with him and his posse in the Wild East. He's.. basically my dad now. And, well, here I am."

 

Sans chuckled. "sounds like you had quite the adventure then, huh?"

 

"..yep."

 

"welp," Time started to move again, and Sans hopped off his seat. "that was a long break. i can't believe i let ya pull me away from work for that long. oh. by the way. i'm flat broke. can you foot the bill?" He asked,

 

Clover started to dig through their satchel. "Uh, sure. How much?"

 

"10,000 G."

 

"Wh- huh??-"

 

"just kidding." Clover sighed. "grillby, put it on my tab."

 

"cya, kid." Sans waved at him, then left Grillby's.

 

Clover got up from the seat, closing their satchel.

 

"See you later, Pepper."

 

"B-bye, Clover!"

 

~~~

 

Papyrus hung his head in shame. "HUMAN I... I'M SORRY. I DON'T LIKE YOU THE WAY YOU LIKE ME. ROMANTICALLY, I MEAN."

 

"Oh, that's a relief."

 

He snapped his head up, looking at Frisk. "I MEAN, I TRIED VERY HARD TO! I THOUGHT THAT BECAUSE YOU FLIRTED WITH ME... THAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO GO ON A DATE WITH YOU."

"THEN, ON THE DATE, FEELINGS WOULD BLOSSOM FORTH! I WOULD BE ABLE TO MATCH YOUR PASSION FOR ME! BUT ALAS... IM THE GREAT PAPYRUS... HAVE FAILED. I FEEL JUST THE SAME AS BEFORE."

 

He rubbed his neck. "AND INSTEAD, BY DATING YOU... I HAVE ONLY DRAWN YOU DEEPER INTO YOUR INTENSE LOVE FOR ME! A DARK PRISON OF PASSION, WITH NO ESCAPE."

"HOW COULD I HAVE DONE THIS TO MY DEAR FRIEND..?

 

Frisk smiled. "Papyrus, it's okay, reall-"

 

"NO! WAIT! THAT'S WRONG! I CAN'T FAIL AT ANYTHING!!! HUMAN!!! I'LL HELP YOU THROUGH THESE TRYING TIMES!!! I'LL KEEP BEING YOUR COOL FRIEND... AND ACT LIKE THIS ALL NEVER HAPPENED."

"AFTER ALL, YOU ARE VERY GREAT. IT WOULD BE TRAGIC TO LOSE YOUR FRIENDSHIP. SO PLEASE... DON'T CRY BECAUSE I WON'T KISS YOU. BECAUSE, I DON'T EVEN HAVE LIPS."

 

Chara stiffened a laugh.

 

"AND HEY, SOMEDAY, YOU'LL FIND SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME WELL, NO. THAT'S NOT TRUE. BUT I'LL HELP YOU SETTLE FOR SECOND BEST!!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!" Papyrus slid out of the room.

 

After a short moment of silence, he slid back in. "OH, AND IF YOU EVER NEED TO REACH ME, HERE'S MY PHONE NUMBER. YOU CAN CALL ME ANY TIME! P-PLATONICALLY. WELL, GOTTA GO! NYEH HEH HEH!!!" He slid out again.

 

"Well, that just happened."

 

"Mhm.." They stepped out of the room.

 

They walked down the stairs. "Say, Chara, why do you.. not like Clover so much? You were telling me that you didn't trust them when I was having that date. Papyrus, uh, probably thought I was weird, talking to myself.."

 

"Well, don't you think it's weird?? A human, living down here, not dead??"

 

"Not.. really? Like he said, he lived in the Wild East, right? Maybe, uh.. people don't go looking there?"

 

"Urgh, look, I just don't trust him. I- I saw two guns in those holster things!"

 

"I doubt that he's ever used them to actually kill a monster, though." They exited the house, and headed to Waterfall.

 

"Hmph, you put your trust into people too easily.."

Chapter 14: Definitely Not Moray

Summary:

The humans continue through Waterfall, and at the end, have a hangout with a certain fish.

Notes:

Guess who's baaaaack? Sorry for the long wait! I've been constantly rewriting this chapter, but I think I'm happy with this end result.

P.S. if there are any inconsistencies or mistakes, please let me know!

Clover awkwardly stared at their naked hands, with their gloves rested on the ground next to them.

 

"you good, pal?" Sans's deep voice slightly startled them. They quickly picked up their gloves and put them on, then turned to him.

 

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just, uh.. hoping that your brother kept Frisk there long enough. Would be kind of awkward if I was waiting here for no-one."

 

He chuckled. "true. don't worry, though. i got eyesockets everywhere, they didn't come through here."

 

"Mm, if you say so." He readjusted his hat, then leaned against the wall next to Sans's sentry station.

 

From what Moray talked about, Waterfall was nice. It was serene, had a beautiful atmosphere.. basically a place you could just relax in.

 

The sound of footsteps alerted them, causing them to quickly look at the direction the sound was coming from.

 

It was..

 

"Frisk! Glad you're alright." They walked up to them.

 

They smiled. "Hi, Clover!"

 

"How was your uh.." They cringed. "date with Papyrus?"

 

"Oh, that? He didn't actually like me that way."

 

He smirked. "Well, I'm glad. Would beee.. kinda weird for an eight year old to date a skeleton. A-anyways, c'mon, let's go."

 

The two waved goodbye to Sans, who lazily waved back, and continued on their journey.

 

They passed by the box, stepping into the water. The feeling of Clover's boots being filled with water was.. unpleasant, to say the least.

 

Frisk sprinted across the water, narrowly avoiding the falling rocks. They waited for Clover at the end of the room.

 

Clover stood still in the water, though. Their eyes were set on something completely different. The actual waterfall itself.

 

It looked like.. something was behind it? He walked through the waterfall, the water somehow not even touching him.

 

"What's he doing?"

 

Curious, they followed them through the waterfall. Once they walked through, they noticed Clover silently staring at the tutu on the ground. They looked like they had just seen a ghost.

 

"..Clover? Are- are you okay?"

 

His breath hitched at the sound of Frisk's voice. "Y-yeah, yeah, I'm okay."

 

He slowly walked towards the old, dusty pink tutu on the floor, and gently picked it up.

 

"I- you mind if I just.. store this in my satchel? I know you kind of need it since, uh, for whatever reason, the things that we find can be used as armor, but.. please?"

 

"Wh- no?? Don't just let-"

 

They nodded. "Okay."

 

"..thank you, Frisk. This means a lot to me, more than you can imagine."

 

With that, they put the tutu into the seemingly bottomless satchel, and left through the way they entered. Frisk followed, deciding to not ask about it.

 

"That was stupid. You need the defense, Frisk."

 

They shook their head.

 

"Wh- what do you mean no??"

 

"It clearly means something to them." They whispered to Chara.

 

"Urgh, you're the worst.."

 

The next room had tall grass covering what was in the distance, so the two would need to go through it.

 

The pair stepped into the grass, pushing it out of the way with their arms, when all of a sudden, they heard the sound of moving above them.

 

"H... HI, UNDYNE! I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT... UH, REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER."

 

"Papyrus..?" Frisk mumbled.

 

...

 

"...HUH? DID I FIGHT THEM? Y-YES! OF COURSE I DID! I FOUGHT THEM VALIANTLY!"

 

...

 

"...WHAT? DID I CAPTURE THEM...? W-WELL... NO. I TRIED VERY HARD UNDYNE, BUT IN THE END... I FAILED."

 

...

 

"...W-WHAT? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF... BUT UNDYNE, YOU DON'T H-HAVE TO DESTROY THEM! YOU SEE..."

"Y-YOU SEE..."

 

...

 

"...I UNDERSTAND. I'LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY I CAN."

 

From the sound of it, Papyrus ran away, leaving whoever was above Clover and Frisk alone.

 

The two took a singular step forward, the grass rustled as they moved, however, something in both their minds told them to stop,  so they did.

 

Clover looked up again, and saw a monster in armor overlooking the area, a spear in their hand.

 

After a moment of silence, the monster back away, sinking into the shadows.

 

Frisk breathed a sigh of relief, and stepped out of the grass with Clover.

 

The two heard the sound of the grass rustling with movement behind them, and quickly turned around. Clover hovered his hand over the revolver in his holster.

 

After a second of silence, the same armless kid from before ran out. They looked around, before turning back to Frisk and Clover.

 

"Yo... did you see the way she was staring at you two...? that... was AWESOME! I'm SOOOO jealous! What'd the two of you do to get her attention? C'mon! We gotta go watch her beat up some bad guys!"

 

They started to run, but tripped over.. something, and went faceplanting face-first onto the ground. They pushed themself off the ground, leaping back onto their feet, and continued running until they were out of view, leaving the pair confused.

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "I.. don't remember seeing that kid come with us."

 

"Mm.. me neither." Frisk walked up to the save point.

 

"Why are you.. staring at the wall like that?"

 

"Huh? O-oh, uhm.. no reason?"

 

"..oookay then."

 

Clover walked over to the writing on the wall in the next room.

 

"When four Bridge Seeds align in the water, they will sprout..?"

 

Frisk picked one of the Bridge seeds up, examined it, then tossed it in the water. They picked another one up, and Clover picked the last two up.

 

Clover pushed the two into the water. "Hey, once we're in a safer area that doesn't have any monsters, maybe I'll uh.. tell you some stuff about my friends."

 

"O-okay." Frisk gently placed the last one in the water, and the Bridge Seeds sprouted, providing a path for the two to cross on.

 

They cautiously crossed the now sprouted seeds, and entered the next room. They made quick work of the next seed puzzle, and upon reaching the blue doorway, Frisk's phone went off.

 

"Is- is that a phone?"

 

They nodded. "Yeah, Toriel gave it to me back in the Ruins!"

 

Clover hummed, watching as Frisk took their phone out of their pocket.

 

They pressed a button on the cellphone, then placed it up to their ear.

 

"HELLO!" On second thought, maybe putting it straight up to their ear wasn't a good idea... "THIS IS PAPYRUS!"

 

"HOW DID I GET THIS NUMBER...? IT WAS EASY!!! I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER SEQUENTIALLY UNTIL I GOT YOURS!!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!! SO... WHAT ARE YOU WEARING...? AND IS YOUR FRIEND STILL WEARING THE SAME CLOTHES?"

 

"Why are you asking?" Frisk asked.

 

"IT'S, ER, FOR A FRIEND. SHE THOUGHT SHE SAW YOU WEARING A BANDANA AND YOUR FRIEND WEARING, WELL, THEIR STRANGE COWBOY OUTFIT. IS THAT TRUE? ARE YOU TWO WEARING THAT?"

 

Frisk scratched their hair. "U-uh.. yeah."

 

"SO BOTH OF YOU ARE WEARING THAT... GOT IT!!! WINK WINK!!! HAVE A NICE DAY!" Papyrus ended the call, and Frisk shoved the cellphone back into their pocket.

 

"I'm.. not sure if that was a good idea to tell him that." 

 

Clover crossed their arms. "Well, that was.. weird, to say the least."

 

The two continued through the doorway. Clover walked up to the writing on the wall. "A wishing room?"

 

Frisk walked up to the cyan flower that was as tall as them, then touched it. A voice they hadn't heard before began talking.

 

"A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling..."

 

The duo looked up simultaneously, a feeling of nostalgia washing over the two as they stared at the stones.

 

Chara gasped. "Woah.. I don't think I've ever noticed those before."

 

"Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that."

 

"C'mon, sis! Make a wish!"

 

"I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday..."

 

Clover's breath hitched upon hearing the last flower. It brought back.. bad memories of the thoughts they used to have. They shook their head, then looked over at Frisk.

 

They were.. still staring at the stones on the ceiling. "Frisk? You coming?"

 

Frisk blinked rapidly, snapping out of their trance. "H-huh? Oh, yeah, I'm- I'm coming." They speed-walked over to Clover, slightly embarrassed.

 

He smiled, looking around, before noticing that there was literally no way out of the room.

 

He put his hands on his hips. "How are we supposed to get outta here..?"

 

Frisk curiously checked the telescope behind them, and looked through the scope. They looked at a bright section of the ceiling, which revealed the words 'check wall', with an arrow point up.

 

"Hey, Clover? It says.. check wall. I think.. it means the one you're looking at right now?"

 

"Huh.." They quickly drew their shotgun and fired it at the wall, revealing the passageway, then quickly placed it into their right holster. Frisk hurried over to their side.

 

"J-jeez! I did- I did not expect them to use their shotgun for that.."

 

The duo walked through the newly opened doorway. Ancient writing covered the walls in the next room.

 

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "The War of Humans and Monsters.."

 

"W-wait, how are you able to read that when you weren't able to read the sign back in Snowdin?!"

 

Frisk shrugged. The two continued down the room, with Clover reading the writing.

 

"Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the soul of nearly every monster... just to equal the power of a single human soul."

 

"We're.. that strong?" Frisk asked.

 

"Apparently. From some old human books that my friend, Ceroba, keeps around, I learnt that uh.. just by having the intent to hurt someone, you can kill a monster with something that would be harmless to us."

 

"Huh.."

 

He continued reading the writing on the wall. "But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their soul. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death."

"If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul. A monster with a human soul... a horrible beast with unfathomable power."

 

Frisk somehow felt when Chara balled their fists up. "You okay, Chara?" They whispered.

 

"..I'm fine."

 

Clover ignored the illustration at the end of the room. He looked down at the strange 'raft', and stepped on it. Frisk managed to squeeze themself onto it as well.

 

The raft began to move forward. After a short moment, the raft reached the other side of the room.

 

The bridge creaked with each step the two took.

 

Clover cleared their throat. "Sooo.. Frisk."

 

"Hm?"

 

"Why did you come here?"

 

They chuckled. "It's a funny story, really. I was curious about the-"

 

Suddenly, a spear landed in front of the two. They turned their heads to where the spear came from, and the same monster in armor from before was staring right at them.

 

Clover hurriedly grabbed Frisk's hand and began running as fast as their legs could go. The monster in armor threw more spears, but thankfully, the two managed to dodge them.

 

The two ran into the tall grass in front of them, and crouched down.

 

They heard the sound of metal footsteps coming closer, and then sound of.. someone being picked up?

 

Frisk looked at him with a confused expression. After a few seconds of silence, the metal footsteps were heard once again, this time, they were going away from the pair.

 

Clover let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding. "That was.. way too close for my liking."

 

The duo walked out of the grass.

 

"Let's hope we don't run into her again.." Frisk said, frowning.

 

"Yeah. I think we're probably close to the end of Waterfall anywa-"

 

"Yo... did y'all see that!?"

 

The two quickly turned around.

 

"Undyne just... TOUCHED ME! I'm never washing my face again...! Man, aren't the two of you unlucky. If y'all were standing just a LITTLE bit to the left...!"

"Yo, don't worry! I'm sure we'll see her again!"

 

Before Clover could say anything, M.K began running to the next room, but quickly fell flat onto their face again.

 

They leapt back up onto their feet, and continued running until they were out of sight.

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "I-.. where did they even come from?"

 

Frisk shrugged. "Maybe like.. they can just do that. Magic and stuff, right?"

 

He shrugged, moving into the next room. Frisk speed-walked over to the mouse hole, and kneeled down.

 

They put their finger into the mouse hole, and a small squeak emerged from it. They giggled.

 

"You're really keen on this mouse thing, huh?"

 

Clover watched as they giggled with a smile. After a short moment, they walked up to them.

 

"You gonna continue poking that mouse oooor..?"

 

"O-oh, right, hehe." They stood up.

 

Clover readjusted his hat, then continued onward with Frisk. The next room was a hallway with.. Sans?

 

"oh, heya. water you two doing here? never mind, don't answer that question. pretty obvious why you're here. this telescope, right?"

 

Sans pointed at the telescope next to him. "i'm thinking about getting into the telescope business. normally it's around 50000g to use this telescope, but since i know ya, you can use it for free. howzabout it?"

 

Frisk stepped up and looked through the telescope. "It's.. just red?"

 

"cool, right?"

 

They moved their face away from the scope, and looked at Clover. "Well I mean.. red's a nice color at least."

 

Clover stiffened a laugh. "More of a neon green guy."

 

"Really? I thought you'd like yellow more."

 

"Eh, yellow's my second favorite."

 

The next area was.. big. And oddly really tranquil. The water was a bright cyan, and the ground beneath them was strangely squishy.

 

They ignored the talking from the echo flowers, deciding to instead be more focused on finding a way out of this 'maze'.

 

Eventually, the two find a room with some tall grass in the middle of it. There was an echo flower in the room as well.

 

Curious as to what could've happened in this room, Frisk touched it.

 

"I- I can't run any further.. please, somebody, anybody.."

 

Clover's heartbeat shot up instantly upon hearing that voice. "N-no, it can't.."

 

Frisk looked back at Clover, who was almost hyperventilating. He quickly sprinted into the tall grass, and after a few seconds, he returned with a pair of ballet shoes in his hands.

 

He closed his eyes. "She suffered before she died. I- I knew it.."

 

Frisk tugged at his poncho, causing him to open his eyes. "Clover..? Are you okay?"

 

"I- yeah, I'm- I'm okay." He opened his eyes and wiped a tear off his cheek.

 

"Okay, NOW you should definitely ask." Frisk nodded.

 

"..Clover, what's wrong? Those shoes clearly matter to you.."

 

"Frisk, those- those shoes, they belonged to my little sister. Th-the tutu as well, I-.."

 

"Ah. That.. explains the reaction, then."

 

Without another word, Frisk hugged Clover tightly. They were slightly taken aback by the sudden hug, but hugged them back.

 

"Do you.. wanna talk about it?"

 

They sighed, pulling away from the hug. "..not now."

 

Frisk nodded. "Okay."

 

Clover silently placed the ballet shoes into their bottomless satchel, and the two began trying to find a way out of the maze once more.

 

Frisk's phone began ringing again.

 

"HELLO! THIS IS PAPYRUS!!! REMEMBER WHEN I ASKED YOU ABOUT CLOTHES? WELL, THE FRIEND WHO WANTED TO KNOW... HER OPINION OF YOU IS VERY, WELL, MURDERY."

 

"Who would've guessed.."

 

"AND BECAUSE YOU KNEW THAT... I TOLD HER WHAT YOU TOLD ME YOU TWO WERE WEARING! A BANDANA AND COWBOY CLOTHES! BECAUSE I KNEW, OF COURSE, AFTER SUCH A SUSPICIOUS QUESTION, THE TWO OF YOU WOULD OBVIOUSLY CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES!"

 

Clover pinched his nose bridge and sighed. "Great.."

 

"YOU AND YOUR FRIEND ARE SUCH SMART COOKIES! THIS WAY YOU'RE SAFE AND I DIDN'T LIE!!! NO BETRAYAL ANYWHERE!!! BEING FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE IS EASY!!!"

 

Click... Papyrus ended the call.

 

Suddenly, a pair of Moldsmals appeared. Both Frisk's and Clover's souls appeared in front of them, initiating the fight.

 

"..huh. LV 1."

 

Frisk smiled. "Oh, these guys are easy! They don't do anything."

 

They quickly spared the two Moldsmals. Clover hummed. "Wow, you weren't kidding."

 

Eventually, the two found the exit to the maze. Clover walked up to the writing on the wall.

 

"The power to take their souls. This is the power that the humans feared.. so that's what Honey was talking about."

 

The next room was pretty long. As the two walked down the bridge, strange tentacles rose up from the water, then quickly went back into it.

 

"Hey, maybe you two should like.. run?"

 

"Why?" Frisk whispered to them.

 

Before Chara could provide an answer, a strange onion-like monster rose from the water.

 

"Hey... there... noticed you were... here... I'm Onionsan! Onionsan, y'hear! You two are visiting Waterfall, huh! It's great here, huh! You love it, huh!"

 

The two quickly nodded silently continued walking while Onionsan was talking.

 

"Yeah! Me too! It's my Big Favorite. Even though, the water's getting so shallow here... I, have to sit down all the time, but..."

"He-hey! That's OK! It beats moving to the city! And living in a crowded aquarium! Like all my friends did!"

 

Onionsan sank their face slightly in the water. "And the aquarium's full, a-anyway, so, even if I wanted to, I..."

 

They looked at Frisk and Clover again. "That's okay though, y'hear! Undyne's gonna fix everything, y'hear! I'm gonna get out of here and live in the ocean! Y'hear!"

 

The duo finally reached the end of the room. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief.

 

"Hey... there... that's the end of this room. I'll see you two around! Have a good time! In Waterfalllllllllllllllllllllll...."

 

Onionsan sunk back into the water, leaving Clover and Frisk alone.

 

"That 'Onionsan' talked way too much for my liking."

 

The two entered the next room. Clover sighed, readjusting their hat. "Wonder how much is left of Waterfall."

 

Clover and Frisk's souls appeared, and a fish-like monster encountered them.. from the corner.

 

"Shyren hides in the corner but somehow encounters you anyway,"

 

"You wanna go first?" Clover asked.

 

"Sure!"

 

Frisk opened up the act menu, and chose hum.

 

"You hum a jazz ballad. Shyren follows your melody."

 

Shyren began singing, and music notes emerged from her mouth. The two dodged any which came their way.

 

"Shyren seems much more comfortable singing along."

 

Then, it was Clover's turn. Chara noticed that they had completely different acts.

 

Clover thought for a moment, before deciding to use the whistle act. And so, they whistled a tune.

 

Shyren seemed happier once she heard the whistling, and sang some more. Monsters began to circle the three.

 

"Monsters are drawn to the music."

"Suddenly, it's a concert..."

 

Out of the corner of their eye, Frisk spots Sans selling tickets made out of.. toilet paper. They giggled, dodging Shyren's attack at the same time.

 

Once the attack was over, they selected hum again.

 

"You hum some more. The seats are sold out. You feel like a rock star."

 

Chara wasn't lying, as there were now no more monsters trying to buy tickets from Sans.

 

Shyren's notes began speeding up, but the two managed to dodge all of them anyways. Monsters began throwing clothing at the three.

 

"The crowd tosses clothing. It's a storm of socks."

 

Clover selected the whistle act once more. Shyren aggressively began singing more, and some notes even managed to hit the two.

 

Determined, Frisk selected the hum act for the last time.

 

"You, Clover, and Shyren have come so far, but it's time. You and Clover have to finish your journey. You hum a farewell song."

 

Shyren's notes had become incredibly fast, and the attack was long. Once the attack was over, she was spared automatically, and all the monsters which surrounded the three disappeared in the blink of an eye, including Sans.

 

All that was left was the peaceful sound of water.

 

Clover smirked. "Well, that was pretty fun."

 

They nodded. "Mhm! Uh, say, do you know why we haven't encountered that many monsters? I mean.. we've only encountered two now."

 

"Mm.. could be because I'm with you. Two humans side by side would be pretty scary if I was a monster."

 

Frisk scratched the back of their neck. "Maybe."

 

Clover walked up to the writing on the wall. "This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul. When a monster dies, its soul disappears, and an incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster."

"There is only one exception. The soul of a special species of monster called a Boss Monster. A Boss Monster's soul is able to persist after death, if only for a few moments. A human could absorb this soul, but this has never happened. And now it never will."

 

They frowned at the last bit of text. Brushing it aside, the two continued forward.

 

Clover stopped at the strange statue. "Hey, wait.. I remember this statue, it was at UG Apartments. what's it doin' here?"

 

"UG Apartments?" Frisk raised an eyebrow.

"UG Apartments..?"

 

"Oh, yeah, it's near the end of the underground. I've been there once."

 

The next room had a sign and, what looked to be, a trash can full of umbrellas.

 

Clover walked up to the sign. "Please take one.. mm, okay then. How about instead of taking two, I just take one and you stay close to me?"

 

"Fine by me!"

 

He took a yellow umbrella and opened it. Frisk walked over to his side.

 

The two went into the next room, which was extremely waterlogged, and had multiple waterfalls. The two silently walked forward, taking in the sights.

 

"Yo, you got an umbrella?" Clover was startled and nearly dropped the umbrella.

 

Clover nodded. "Yep! You wanna come with?"

 

"Sure!" They walked over to Clover's unoccupied side. "Let's go!"

 

The two continued forward as Monster Kid began talking again.

 

"Man, Undyne is sooooo cool... she beats up bad guys and NEVER loses! If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha..."

 

Frisk forced out a laugh. "Mhm.."

 

Monster kid glanced at the echo flower which was above them.

 

"So, one time, we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king - we had to call him 'Mr. Dreemurr' - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking.."

 

They paused. "Yo! How COOL would it be if Undyne came to school!? She could beat up ALL the teachers!!"

 

They paused again. "Ummm, maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers... she's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!"

 

Clover opened their mouth to say something, but decided against it. The three all stopped at the same time to look at the castle in the distance.

 

"Ah, the castle.."

 

Frisk opened their mouth in awe. "Woah.. so that's.."

 

Monster Kid nodded. "Yeah! That's the king's castle. I take it you haven't seen it before?"

 

"It's a nice view, right?"

 

The three (four) stared at the castle for a few more minutes, before Clover cleared their throat.

 

They readjusted their hat. "We should, uh, get going."

 

"O-oh, right!" Frisk giggled.

 

They walked into the next room, and M.K sprinted off. They came to a halt at the wall which blocked their path.

 

"Yo, this ledge is way too steep..."

 

Clover put away the yellow umbrella, and Frisk walked up to Monster Kid's side.

 

"..yo, you two wanna see Undyne, right? M-maybe uhhhm.." They turned to face Frisk. "Climb on my shoulders."

 

M.K kneeled down. "C'mon!"

 

Frisk cautiously got onto their shoulders and hopped onto the area above. Monster Kid got up from their knees and looked back at Clover.

 

"Er, you're pretty tall. You think you can just like.. jump up there?"

 

"Gotcha."

 

Monster Kid moved out of the way, and Clover sprinted up to the wall then jumped up, and grabbed the ledge. They pulled themselves up and stood up.

 

"...I'll admit it, that was pretty cool."

 

"Nice moves! You two go on ahead. Don't worry about me, though! I always find a way to get through!"

 

They began running the opposite direction, but then, as per usual, tripped. They quickly leapt back onto their feet and continued running.

 

Silently, the two made their way into the next room.

 

"This room's awfully dark.. shame you didn't bring a flashlight with you when you were up on the surface."

 

"Oh, more writing on the wall! Let's see here.."

 

They cleared their throat. "The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly and without mercy."

 

Frisk reached out to their save file as Clover finished reading, which earned a strange look from him.

 

"..okay, what's up with you and reaching out to the wall?"

 

"I think I should tell him." They whispered to Chara.

 

"I don't think-"

 

"I-.. uhm.. okay, look, you- you don't see anything there, right?" They pointed where the save point is.

 

"Okay then, just ignore me.."

 

"Nope."

 

"Okay, so.. I.. whenever you see me just randomly staring at the wall, it's.. because I'm saving. I-I know that it might sound weird to you but-"

 

They blinked with a blank expression. "Oh. Oh! OH! That- that explains a lot, actually!"

 

"Wait, what?"

 

"You see, when I fell into the underground at the age of twelve, Flowey actually saved FOR me! Wait, you've met Flowey, right?" They asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

Frisk nodded. "Mhm!"

 

"Alright, good to know! Now I'm wondering, though.. why can't I see them? Flowey could just plop 'em down for me whenever he wanted to."

 

"Maybe I could like.. do something to make you see them!"

 

"Like what?"

 

"I dunno, maybe I need to think of you seeing them, or something like that.. it could what Flowey did so that you to be able to see them."

 

"Well, it's worth a shot."

 

With a smile, Frisk closed their eyes.

 

'Okay, think about Clover.. think about him seeing the save points.'

'Think about him touching it.'

'Think about..'

 

"Oh darn!"

 

Clover's surprised voice caused Frisk to quickly open their eyes.

 

They walked over to the save point and reached out to it. A save menu opened up in front of them.

 

"Woah, it actually worked??"

 

Frisk pumped a fist into the air. "It worked! I knew it! Er- can you like- save and load? Or can I only do that?"

 

Clover stared at the save button, which had their yellow soul and Frisk's red soul next to it. They pressed it, and.. the file was saved.

 

He turned to Frisk and ruffled their hair. "Nice job! This'll help us in the long run.. probably. Not sure if I can do the whole loading thing, though.. I think only you can. Now- uh- c'mon, we still have to find Waterfall's exit."

 

The two walked onto the bridge, with Clover taking the lead as per usual.

 

Suddenly, Clover felt a tug on their arm. They looked back with an eyebrow raised. "Something wrong?"

 

Frisk frowned. "..something doesn't feel right."

 

"Doesn't feel right?" 

 

"What do you mea-"

 

The two stopped as they saw a strange, cyan circle appear on the ground in front of them.

 

More cyan circles faded in, surrounding the two, and after a moment of silence, blue spears shot up.

 

"W-we gotta run! Come on!" Frisk sprinted off as they finished their sentence.

 

Clover ran after them. "I'm right behind you!"

 

...

 

'Why does this feel so familiar?'

 

'Running.. from someone.'

 

'As spears shoot up from the bridge..'

 

Faint memories of running through places they haven't and have been to began filling their mind.

 

Vines shot up from the floor. Spiky vines.

 

'No- not again, this is NOT the time for these visions or- whatever they are. Focus.'

 

~~~

 

Flowey watched the three from afar with a frown on his face.

 

"Hm. I remember this place.. Clover was stuck on a pretty nasty death loop here because of Undyne."

 

He looked down at the floor and sighed.

 

"I still.. don't get why I care for them. Hell, I'm even deciding to replace Chara in my plan and use them instead! That's not.."

"I don't know anymore."

 

~~~

 

Frisk looked at Clover. "It's.. it's a dead end."

 

Clover looked at the seemingly bottomless abyss below them. "I-.. okay, we're- I think we're gonna have to fight her. There's.. not really any other choice."

 

With a sigh, Clover turned around. "You comin'?"

 

"..mhm."

 

The two silently continued back to where they came came from, when suddenly, Clover stopped. Frisk stopped next to them and heard the sound of.. clanking. Feet, probably.

 

Undyne came out of the shadows and stared at the two humans. The two got into their fighting stances, when three spears came down from the sky, slicing through the bridge.

 

Their side of the bridge quickly collapsed, and the two went plummeting into the darkness.

 

...

 

...

 

"Clover..? Big brother?"

"Wake up.. you have to wake up."

"For me. For them. For everyone."

"You can do this."

"I believe in you."

 

Clover awoke with a gasp, clutching at their chest. They looked over to their left, where Frisk was.

 

"Hey, you okay? No broken bones?"

 

They nodded and got up. "Yeah, I'm- I'm okay."

 

Clover slowly sat up and grabbed their hat which was thankfully right next to their leg, then glanced at the flowers which cushioned their fall.

 

"This is like.. the third time a patch of golden flowers cushioned my fall."

 

Frisk chuckled, and the two got up. They continued forward, passing the piles of garbage.

 

"Oh hey, save point!" Frisk rushed over to it and saved.

 

"The waterfall here seems to flow from the ceiling to the cavern. Occasionally, a piece of trash will flow through... and fall into the bottomless pit below. Viewing this endless cycle of worthless garbage with your friend by your side.."

"It fills you with determination, and fills him with a sense of justice."

 

"Including Clover in your speeches now, huh..?" They whispered, a smirk growing on their face.

 

"Shuuut it.. I guess he's not THAT bad, considering how low his LV is.."

 

As Clover walked into the next room, Chara spoke up.

 

"Uhm, speaking about Clover.."

 

"Mm?"

 

"When you two got knocked out from the fall, I could've sworn I.. saw someone. Like- like another ghost, I mean."

 

Frisk blinked rapidly. "..huh?"

 

"Yeah, like- I couldn't make out some of the words for some reason, but what I DID hear was the voice telling Clover to wake up, and how it.. believes in him or something like that."

 

"That's.. hm. I-.. I'll ask him about it later. Maybe he heard something as well."

 

Frisk entered the next room and walked up to Clover, who was taking out some freeze-dried space food bars from an orange cooler.

 

"Who were you talking to back there?"

 

"Oh, just- uh- nobody."

 

Clover hummed, shoving the food bars into their satchel.

 

The two walked passed the old dummy to their right. "Wonder where we are.."

 

Suddenly, the two heard water splash behind them, and quickly turned around.

 

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Hey, where did that dummy go?"

 

Another splash of water alerted them, and they turned back around, only to be met with.. a floating dummy.

 

"Hahaha... It's just like you to run away. I am a ghost that lives inside a dummy. My cousin used to live inside a dummy, too. Until... YOU CAME ALONG!"

 

Frisk pointed a finger at themselves. "..me?"

 

"YES, YOU! When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat... but the things you SAID..! Horrible. Shocking! UNBELIEVABLE! It spooked them right out of their dummy!"

 

"But I only-"

 

"SHADDAP!"

 

The dummy turned their attention to Clover. "AND YOU!!!.. you haven't actually done anything, but you're a human too, sooo.. I'LL SCARE YOU TWO RIGHT OUT OF YOUR BODIES!"

 

Frisk and Clover's souls both blinked in, and the world around them dimmed.

 

"Mad Dummy blocks the way!"

 

Frisk decided to use their first turn on checking Mad Dummy.

 

"Mad Dummy. Seven ATK, minus forty DEF. Because they're a ghost, physical attacks will fail."

 

"Futile. Futile! FUTILE!"

 

Mini dummies appeared on the walls, and began shooting at Frisk.

 

They quickly dodged the.. weird, circle things, which end up actually hitting Mad Dummy.

 

"OWWW, you DUMMIES! Watch where you're aiming your magic attacks!"

 

Clover smirked. "Oooh yeah! Only magic attacks would work on ghosts, wouldn't they?"

 

"N-no! Not at all! Just- forget I said anything about magic!"

 

"Mad Dummy is looking nervous."

 

Clover opened up his act menu, and selected ask.

 

"So, why exactly are you doing this again?" He pointed over to Frisk with his thumb. "I really doubt they said something horrible to your cousin. I mean, look at them!"

 

"That's what they WANT you to think! But they're just lying! They must've said something to my cousin to get a reaction like THAT out of them! Eurgh, you- you know what?! When I defeat you two, I'll take your souls!"

 

The same attack from before began again, this time, focusing on Clover. They managed to dodge the attacks easily, and once again, the magic attacks hit Mad Dummy.

 

"Mad Dummy is bossing around its bullets."

 

Frisk selected their act menu and pressed talk.

 

"You talk to the dummy."

 

Frisk scratched the back of their hair. "W-well maybe-"

 

"SHADDAP!"

 

"Oookay then!"

 

"It doesn't seem much for conversation. No one is happy with this."

 

Mad Dummy began floating around the arena. "I'll take your souls to cross the barrier! I'll stand in the window of a fancy store!"

 

Yet again, the same attack began, only this time it targeted both of the humans. And yet, they skillfully dodged anyways, and hit Mad Dummy with the magic attacks... again.

 

"Mad Dummy is hopping mad."

 

Clover frowned. 'I doubt it'll answer anymore of my questions.. guess I'll just spare even though the name's not yellow."

 

They pressed the spare button and skipped their turn.

 

"THEN EVERYTHING I WANT WILL BE MINE! And, uh, I guess that'll avenge my cousin."

 

After a few more turns of the magic attacks hitting the Mad Dummy, they completely stopped moving around.

 

"HEY GUYS!"

 

Dummies emerged from the walls of the white box.

 

"Dummies. Dummies! DUMMIES! Remember how I said NOT to shoot at me? Well..." They began rapidly shaking. "FAILURES! YOU'RE FIRED! YOU'RE ALL BEING REPLACED!"

 

The dummies sank back into the white box with annoyed expressions.

 

"Hahaha. Hahaha! HAHAHA! Now you'll see my true power..."

"WHICH IS RELYING ON PEOPLE THAT AREN'T GARBAGE!"

 

"Mechanical whirrs fill the room."

 

Frisk sighed, skipping their turn again by sparing Mad Dummy.

 

"DUMMY BOTS! MAGIC MISSILES!"

 

Robot dummies emerged from the box, and turned into missiles, which targeted Clover.

 

They quickly ran in circles, and after a few seconds, the missiles stopped locking on, and hit Mad Dummy.

 

"DUMMY BOTS! TRY AGAIN!"

 

Frisk ended up getting caught off guard again, and getting hit by the missiles. Surprisingly, they weren't dead!

 

Clover quickly pulled out the space food bar from their satchel and threw it to Frisk, who quickly ate it, restoring their HP back to full.

 

Yet again, after a few more turns and the 'final attack', Mad Dummy came to a halt once more.

 

"N...no way! These guys are even WORSE than the last guys! Who cares. Who cares! WHO CARES! I DON'T NEED FRIENDS!!!"

 

A knife appeared next to them. "I'VE GOT KNIVES!!!"

 

They throw the knife at the two, which.. completely misses them. Mad Dummy stops shaking and stares at them.

 

"I'm... out of knives."

 

Chara giggled. "That was funny."

 

They began shaking again. "BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER!!! YOU TWO CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU! YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME... forever. Forever! FOREVER!!!!"

 

Mad Dummy began maniacally laughing, sending a chill down Frisk's spine.

 

Suddenly, white rain began falling onto Mad Dummy's head, which seemed to actually hurt them. "Wh... what the heck is this!? Ergh, acid rain!?! Oh, FORGET IT! I'm outta here!"

 

They slid out of view and disappeared, leaving Frisk and Clover confused. After a moment of silence, a ghost which Frisk recognized floated down.

 

"...sorry, i interrupted you, didn't i?"

 

Frisk shook their head. "Nonono! You didn't!"

 

"but as soon as i came over, your other friend immediately left... oh no... you three looked like you were having so much fun... oh no... i just wanted to say hi... oh no..."

 

Frisk and Clover's souls disappeared, pulling them out of the battle.

 

"well... i'm going to head home now... oh... umm... feel free to 'come with' if you and your friend want... but no pressure... i understand if you're busy..."

"it's fine... no worries... just thought i'd offer..."

 

The ghost floated into the next room while still staring at the two.

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "Who was that?"

 

"Oh, that was Napstablook! I met them in the Ruins. I like them!"

 

Clover hummed and walked into the next room with Frisk by their side.

 

Napstablook turned around and looked at the two. "hey... my house is up here... in case you two want to see... or in case... you don't..."

 

They floated out of view once more. Frisk walked up to the save point and saved. "You wanna go visit them?" They asked.

 

Clover quickly readjusted their hat. "Sure, why not."

 

The two walked over to where Napstablook went to, and went inside their house.

 

Once they were in, Clover shut the door, which attracted the attention of Napstablook.

 

"oh... you two really came... sorry, i... wasn't expecting that. it's not much, but make yourself at home."

 

Clover cleared their throat. "Hey, uh, hate to ask, but.. you got any food? I have some in my satchel, but I'm trying to save them in case we get into a fight."

 

"hm... i'm not sure... let me check."

 

They floated over to the fridge and took out a.. white sandwich. At least, that's what it looked like.

 

"this is a ghost sandwich... do you want to try it...?"

 

"Uh- sure!"

 

Napstablook handed Clover the ghost sandwich, only for it to phase right through him.

 

He placed both of his hands on his hips. "..uh huh."

 

"oh... nevermind... umm.. after a great meal i like to lie on the ground and feel like garbage... it's a family tradition... do both of you want... to join me...?"

 

The two nodded. "okay... follow my lead..."

 

The three walked over to the center of the room and lied on the ground. "here we go... get ready..."

 

...

 

...

 

The room didn't.. look like a room anymore. Clover could've sworn it looked like.. space.

 

'I guess this isn't too bad. This does feel.. nice. Calming, as well.'

 

'Wonder how my friends are holding up.. they're probably missing me, knowing them."

 

"Starlo's definitely missing me the most, though. Hehe.. heh.. hm.'

 

'..this is oddly.. making me wonder.'

 

'Why do.. why do I sometimes get the feeling like I'm not meant to...'

 

'Be... alive? For some strange reason, it feels like my journey should've.. ended the day I entered the underground. Is that.. weird?'

 

'Those.. visions. They all have one thing in common. They're all focused on the day that I fell in. Whether it be.. me dying to Martlet, or.. whatever, it's never focused on like.. the day AFTER I decided to live in the Wild East.'

 

'I still don't get why they keep happening. Why.. do those visions keep reappearing?'

 

...

 

...

 

Clover slowly got up from the floor, flicking a hair away from their eye.

 

Frisk and Napstablook got up after. 'well, that was nice... thank you..."

 

"Well, I reckon we should get going now. This was fun, though."

 

"oh, okay. feel free to... come by any time you want..."

 

The two waved to Napstablook and walked out.

 

"Uhm.. Clover? Are you.. okay?"

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "Why're you asking?"

 

"Well, it's just that.. when we were on the floor, I noticed that you were really.. lost in thought, I guess. Like you were thinking about something that was.. comforting at first, but then.. like it also hurt."

 

"I.. it's nothing, Frisk. Don't worry about it."

 

"..well that's suspicious."

 

"...okay."

 

The two went back into the main area, but this time, they went east.

 

The duo stopped in front of some kind of.. doorless doorway, and entered inside.

 

Clover's eyes widened at the sight of the old man on the other side of the counter. "Wait.. Gerson??"

 

"Woah there, kid! Been a while since I've seen ya! You've grown so much!"

 

They chuckled. "Yeah, had a lil' growth spurt. Nothing much other than that, though. O-oh, right."

 

Clover pointed at Frisk with their thumb. "This is Frisk! They're, well.."

 

"Another human! Wa ha ha, so I'm guessin' you're going to King Fluffybuns then?"

 

Frisk giggled. "Fluffybuns? Why do you call him that?"

 

"Oh, that's a great story!.. I don't remember it. But if you two come back much later, I'm sure I'll have remembered by then. Anyways, I got some junk I wanna sell. You two interested?"

 

Clover shrugged. "Sure, why not."

 

Gerson reached under the desk and pulled out a box of items, then dumped them all onto the counter. "It's not much, but I hope it'll suffice!"

 

Frisk's eyes gravitated towards a pair of glasses and an old, torn notebook.

 

"Cloudy Glasses.. Armor, 5 DF. Minus 5 DF, makes you invincible longer. Torn Notebook, weapon, 2 AT. Minus 5 AT, makes you invincible longer."

 

Frisk pointed at the glasses and notebook. "What about those?"

 

"The glasses and the notebook, eh? Sure!"

 

Clover hummed. "How much are they?"

 

"Well, together, they'd typically be 85 G, but since I know ya, I'll drop it down to 60!"

 

Frisk dug into their pocket and pulled out the exact amount, placed it on the counter, and took the two items.

 

Gerson smiled. "Thanks! Wa ha ha!"

 

"Hm.. I think that'll be all for now, actually! We've got a lot of items in my satchel.. I think."

 

"Alright, well, I'll see you around, kids!"

 

The two waved goodbye to Gerson and exited the shop. Once they were out, Frisk equipped the glasses and the notebook.

 

"Nice glasses, you big dork!"

 

Clover chuckled. "Those glasses suit you."

 

The duo continued east, with Clover reading the writing on the walls in the next room.

 

"Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave."

 

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "So.. only we have the power to leave, huh?"

 

Clover nodded, then continued reading. "There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls, attacks the barrier, it will be destroyed."

"But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever."

 

Chara sighed. "Why did the humans even start a war with them in the first place.."

 

Just before entering the next room, a weird.. dog-cat hybrid jumped down from above, starting a battle.

 

"Special enemy Temmie appears here to defeat you!"

 

Frisk pointed at Temmie. "What- what is that??"

 

"I.. have zero clue." Clover crossed their arms.

 

Clover selected the act menu, and pressed the talk button.

 

"Uh.. hi there, cat-dog hybrid thing!"

 

"hOI!!! i'm tEMMIE!"

 

"Pleasure to meet you..? I guess?"

 

Clover's soul appeared in the battle box, underneath another Temmie with.. freakishly long legs.

 

The Temmie began moving, and Clover rushed to stay underneath it.

 

Once the attack ended, it was Frisk's turn.

 

"Temmie is doing her hairs."

 

They selected the talk act as well.

 

Frisk cleared their throat. "So, Temmie! Could you, uhm, let us through, please?"

 

"awwAwa... anythINg for cute hooman!!"

 

Temmie's turn was skipped, allowing Frisk to spare it.

 

"You won! You earned zero xp and.. zero gold."

~~~

 

Clover held Frisk's hand tightly as the two stepped into the water. Once they were out, they noticed an echo flower at the end of the room.

 

Curious, Frisk gently touched it.

 

"Behind you."

 

The two quickly turned around as the darkness in the room faded away, revealing Undyne behind them.

 

Clover's hand hovered over their revolver's holster. Their fingers itched for their gun. They wouldn't actually hurt her, obviously, but..

 

Undyne took two steps forward. "...seven. Seven human souls. With the power of seven human souls, our king... King Asgore Dreemurr... will become a god. With that power, Asgore can finally shatter the barrier. He will finally take the surface back from humanity... and give them back the suffering and pain that we have endured."

 

She sighed. "...understand, humans? This is your only chance at redemption. Give up your souls... or I'll tear them from your bodies."

 

She switched into a fighting stance, summoning a cyan spear in her hands. She took multiple steps forward, now being only a few feet from Clover and Frisk.

 

Their souls began to appear, and the world started to dim around them, until suddenly..

 

Monster Kid came rushing out from the tall grass next to the three. "Undyne!!! I'll help you fight!!!"

 

They turned around and looked at Clover and Frisk. "YO!!! You two did it!!! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you!!! You've got front row seats to her fight!!!"

 

They looked back and forth between Undyne and the two, then stopped.

 

"...wait. Who's she fighting???"

 

Undyne quickly grabbed M.K by the cheek, and started walking the opposite direction.

 

"H-hey! You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"

 

Clover's left hand dropped back to his side. "..okay then. That takes care of that then."

 

"You and Clover should probably get out of here before she comes back."

 

Frisk nodded, then looked at Clover. "H-hey, come on, we gotta get out of here."

 

"Oh, yeah, you're right! Let's go."

 

The two sprinted back to the water portion of the room, then turned right and headed forward into the newly lit path.

 

As the duo stepped into the water and began moving forward, the echo flowers suddenly began playing a passing conversation.

 

"...hmmm... if I say my wish... you promise you won't laugh at me?"

 

"Of course I won't laugh!"

 

"Someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around... that's my wish."

 

The person laughs. "...hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it!"

 

"Sorry, it's just funny..."

"That's my wish, too."

 

"...that was a nice conversation."

 

At the end of the room, there was some more writing on the wall. Clover read it.

 

"However... there is a prophecy. The Angel... The One Who Has Seen The Surface... they will return. And the underground will go empty."

 

"Strangely enough, I never heard about this prophecy when I was alive."

 

The duo walked onto the bridge, and just as they were about to step off it at the end of the room, they heard a voice from behind.

 

"Yo!"

 

The two turned around, and looked at Monster Kid. Clover smiled. "Oh, hey!"

 

M.K slowly and carefully walked up to them, just in case they accidentally tripped.

 

"Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you two something."

 

They paused. "Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before... umm... yo, you guys are humans, right?"

 

Both of them nodded at the same time.

 

"Man! I knew it!... well, I know it now, I mean... Undyne told me, um, 'stay away from those humans', so, like, umm... I guess that makes us enemies or something. But... I kinda stink at that, haha.."

 

They cleared their throat. "Yo, say something mean so I can hate y'all? Please?"

 

Frisk shook their head. "Yo, what? So I have to do it? Here goes nothing... yo, I... I hate your guts.. man, I.. I'm such a turd."

 

"Don't say that about yourself, kid! Maybe you just.. don't want us to be enemies?" Clover scratched the back of their head.

 

"Yeah! You don't have to hate us just because Undyne told you!" Frisk said, smiling.

 

"I.. heh, maybe. I guess I'm uhm.. gonna go home now."

 

Monster Kid began running the other way, but at the halfway point, tripped, causing them to have to bite on the bridge itself to not fall.

 

"Yo, w-wait! Help! I tripped!"

 

Undyne emerged from the shadows and looked at Monster Kid, then back at the two, and slowly started making her way forward.

 

Without another thought, the two humans rushed over to M.K and pulled them up. Once they were back up on their feet, they looked at Undyne.

 

They shook their head and took two steps forward. "Y-y-yo, dude... if.. if y-you wanna hurt my friends.. you're gonna have to get through me, first."

 

After a moment of silence, Undyne backed away, leaving the three.

 

M.K turned around and looked at the humans. "She's gone... yo, you guys really saved my skin. Guess you were right, being enemies was just a nice thought. Haha... we'll just have to be friends instead!"

 

The two gave a thumbs up. "...man, I should REALLY go home.. I bet my parents are worried sick about me! Later, dudes!"

 

Monster Kid ran the other direction.

 

Clover put a hand on their hip. "Well, that's that, then!"

 

The two turned around and headed into the next room, which had nothing of value, so they quickly passed through it and entered the next area.

 

Frisk tugged on Clover's poncho. "Hm? What's up, Frisk?"

 

Frisk looked up, which caused Clover to look up as well. "It's.. she's up there."

 

"Seven. Seven human souls. and King Asgore will become a god. Five. That's how many we have collected thus far."

 

She turned around, summoning a spear in her hand. "Understand? Through your final souls. this world will be transformed. First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far... I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people."

 

"It all started, long ago..."

 

She paused, her grip on her spear tightening. "No, you know what?"

 

Undyne began to focus, causing intense music to start playing. "SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE?! NGAAAAAAAAAAH!"

 

A bright flash caused the two humans to look away, and when the flash disappeared, Undyne no longer had a helmet on.

 

She looked over her shoulder, her yellow eye, glowing.

 

"What the.. is that Moray??"

 

"HUMANS! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys's history books made me think humans were cool with their giant robots and flowery swordwomen... BUT YOU?! You two are just cowards! Especially the one with the cowboy outfit!"

 

"Wh- why me??" Clover said, crossing their arms.

 

"Two years ago, we had reports of a human with terrible fashion sense in New Home.. AND GUESS WHAT! BASED ON THE DESCRIPTIONS WE HAD, YOU LOOK JUST LIKE THEM! YOU ran away like a COWARD and went off to live with those 'friends' of yours that you BRAINWASHED!"

 

"Okay, yeah, definitely not Moray."

 

"And let's not forget how BOTH of you hid behind that kid! You two are such.. GOODY-TWO-SHOES! Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers! You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF BOTH OF YOU WERE DEAD!!!"

 

She smirked. "That's right, humans! Both of your lives are a crime! Your lives are all that stand between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together!"

"Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose! Now, humans! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready! Fuhuhuhu!"

 

Chara cleared their 'throat'. "Psst, Frisk, a new save point just opened up behind you."

 

"Oh, th-thanks." They whispered, and quickly rushed over to the save point.

 

"The wind is howling. You're filled with determination, and they're filled with a sense of justice."

 

"SO!" Clover yelled, "Before we battle, I just have one question. Do you know anybody by the name of 'Moray' by any chance?"

 

"Wh- NO??? Why would I???"

 

Clover hummed. "Okay, just checking."

 

Frisk walked up to Clover's side with a frown on their face.

 

"You ready, partner?"

 

With a sigh, Frisk nodded. "Yeah. I'm ready."

 

The two took a singular step forward, which caused Undyne to cackle.

 

"That's it, then..! No more running away! HERE I COME!!!!"

 

She jumped down and landed in front of the two, causing them to enter a battle.

 

Undyne swiped her spear at Frisk's and Clover's soul, which turned Frisk's soul green, but-

 

"En gua-... why isn't your soul green."

 

Clover shrugged, looking at their soul. "Guess I just.. don't wanna turn green?"

 

"Urgh, fine then! You'll just have to use.. that dinky revolver of yours to shoot my attacks, or whatever!"

 

She summoned another spear in her left hand and broke it in half, then threw it over to Frisk.

 

They caught it, and got into a defensive stance.

 

She cleared her throat. "Like I was saying.. EN GUARDE!"

 

"Undyne attacks!"

 

Frisk started off by checking Undyne's stats.

 

"Undyne. Seven ATK, zero DEF. The heroine that NEVER gives up."

 

Slowly, small spears approached Frisk's soul, which they blocked with the spear Undyne had given them.

 

Once the attack had ended, Clover took a look at their act options, eventually settling on pleading.

 

"Look, er, Undyne, we really don't wanna fight! I get that-"

 

"Fuhuhuhu! You get nothing! Now, you better find a way to block these spears!"

 

The small spears began speeding up and started coming from the left and right side as well.

 

"Think, Clover.. what could-.."

 

They looked at the shotgun in their right holster. With a smirk, they grabbed it and blocked the incoming spears.

 

"Undyne bounces impatiently. I don't think acting is gonna do anything, Frisk. Your best bet would be to skip your turns and wait for.. some kind of opening."

 

Frisk nodded and spared Undyne, taking a mental note of the fact that they can't flee yet.

 

"For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending..."

 

Frisk blocked the sets of spears, but got hit by the last one, which hit them from behind.

 

'Probably nothing I can do.. guess I should skip my turns as well."

 

"And now, sunlight is just within our reach! I won't let you snatch it away from us!"

 

Clover spun around in a circle twice, then shot the four spears in front of them, which caused them to completely fall apart.

 

"I'm so glad that those cans can pierce through stuff.."

 

"NGAAAAH! ENOUGH WARMING UP!"

 

Frisk continued blocking the spears which came their way, and after the attack ended, Undyne swiped her spear at Frisk's soul again, causing it to return to being red.

 

"Frisk! Your soul is back to red, you can flee now!"

 

Frisk quickly grabbed Clover's hand and began sprinting away, running through the mountain that Undyne was once on.

 

"DON'T RUN AWAY FROM ME!"

 

Clover glanced at the big sign to their left which read 'WELCOME TO HOTLAND'.

 

"COME BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE PUNKS!"

 

As the two continued running, Frisk's phone began ringing. They quickly picked up.

 

"HEY! WHAT'S UP! I WAS JUST THINKING... YOU, YOUR FRIEND, ME, AND UNDYNE SHOULD ALL HANG OUT SOMETIME! I THINK YOU THREE WOULD BE GREAT PALS! LET'S MEET UP AT HER HOUSE LATER!"

 

Click... Papyrus hung up, and Frisk stuffed their phone back into their pocket.

 

The scenery drastically changed, with the blues and purples of Waterfall turning into the oranges and reds Clover had once seen in Hotland two years ago.

 

Not even paying attention to Sans, the two sprinted over the bridge, and once they stepped off, they turned around and stared Undyne right in the face.

 

Her movements began growing slower and slower. "Armor... so... hot... but I can't.. give up..!"

 

She took a few more steps forward, before collapsing in front of the two.

 

Clover sighed. "I.. darn, now I- I feel bad for her."

 

"Uh, there's a water cooler behind you, you could use that if you want to uhm.. not cook her alive."

 

Frisk ran over to the water cooler and took a cup of water, then sprinted back over to Undyne and poured the water on her.

 

After a few seconds of shaking, Undyne stood up and stared at the two with hatred in her eyes, but despite that, she turned around and started walking away.

 

"You're, uh, welcome." Frisk mumbled.

 

The pair entered the next room and saved, then walked up to the two guards which were guarding a pathway.

 

"Sorry... Undyne, like, told us there were two humans in the area. So, like, us Royal Guards are blocking off the elevators for now. Ngah! Even if the elevators aren't working anyway, we'll do our best, Ms. Undyne!"

 

The other guard stayed silent.

 

"Alright, soo.. I guess it's time to go to the la-"

 

Frisk held up their hand. "Hold on, we should heard what Papyrus said, right? We should go hang out with them!"

 

"..you wanna what."

 

~~~

 

Clover sighed. "I'm gonna be real with you partner, this is a terrible idea."

 

"Clover's right, this is a bad idea. She was JUST trying to kill you a few minutes ago."

 

The pair approached Papyrus who was staring right at them.

 

"OHO! THE HUMANS ARRIVE! ARE YOU TWO READY TO HANG OUT WITH UNDYNE? I HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE YOU THREE GREAT FRIENDS!"

 

Frisk nodded, a smile on their face. "OKAY! STAND BEHIND ME, HUMANS!"

 

Papryus knocked on the 'door', then looked back at the two. "MAKE SURE YOU TWO GIVE HER THIS!"

 

He pulled out a yellow dog treat with a red ribbon on it. "SHE LOVES THESE!"

 

He knocked on the door again, and a few seconds later, the door opened up, with Undyne on the other side.

 

"Hi, Papyrus! Ready for your extra private, one-on-one training?"

 

"YOU BET I AM! AND I BROUGHT SOME FRIENDS!"

 

He quickly ran to the left, revealing Clover and Frisk.

 

"Hi! I don't think we've..."

 

She gritted her teeth and looked at Papyrus, who still had the same, goofy smile on his face.

 

Through closed teeth, she started talking again. "Why don't. You three. Come in?"

 

Excited, Papyrus ran into her house. Clover readjusted their hat with a frown.

 

"Well, at least she didn't like.. try to kill you right then and there. As long as Papyrus doesn't leave you two alone with her, I'd say you'll live through this!"

 

"After you."

 

Frisk nodded then walked in, with Clover following behind them.

 

"HERE, UNDYNE. MY FRIENDS BROUGHT A GIFT FOR YOU, ON THEIR OWN!"

 

He pulled out the yellow dog treat and handed it over to Undyne.

 

"Uh... thanks. I'll, uh, put it with the others."  

 

She walked over to her kitchen counter and opened up a drawer full of the same dog treat, then placed it inside and shut it.

 

She walked back over to the three. "So, are we ready to start?"

 

"WHOOPSY DOOPSY! I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!! YOU THREE HAVE FUN!!!"

 

Papyrus leapt out of the window, completely shattering the middle of it.

 

"..me and my big mouth." Frisk giggled at Chara's comment. 

 

Clover looked at the window and snickered. "Nice."

 

"...so why are YOU TWO here? To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? IS THAT IT?"

 

Both of them shook their heads. "Then why are you here?"

 

She paused, thinking. "...wait, I get it. You think that after everything that happened, we're just gonna be friends, huh? Right???"

 

"Yeah!"

 

"Yep!"

 

"Really? How delightful!! I accept! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship!" She said, a smile forming on her face.

 

"Oh , well that was-"

 

The smile quickly turned into a frown. "NOT!"

 

"Ah."

 

"Why would I EVER be friends with some HUMANS!? If you two weren't my houseguests, I'd beat you up right now! Both of you are the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND. Now get out of my house!"

 

Papyrus ran back to the shattered window. "DANG! WHAT A SHAME... I THOUGHT YOU THREE COULD ALL BE FRIENDS. BUT I GUESS... I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE."

 

He sprinted away from the house. "CHALLENGE!? What!? Papyrus! Wait a second..! Darnit! He thinks I can't be friends with some HUMANS!? Fuhuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with some wimpy losers like you any day! I'll show him!"

 

She flashed a determined smile. "Listen up, humans. We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be BESTIES. I'll make you both like me so much... you won't be able to think of anyone else!!!"

 

Frisk and Clover both looked at each other, then back at Undyne.

 

"Fuhuhuhu! It's the PERFECT REVENGE!!"

 

She paused and clasped her hands together with a smile.

 

"Why don't you two have a seat?"

 

Clover looked at the singular stool next to them. "There's.. only one."

 

"..ah. Excuse me."

 

She barged into her room and returned with another stool, then threw it next to the other one.

 

The two walked over to the stools and sat down.

 

"Comfortable? I'll get you two something to drink." She went over to the fridge and opened it, then placed down four items onto the counter.

 

"All set! Now," She looked at Frisk. "You. What would you like?"

 

As Frisk began to stand up to pick their drink, Undyne threw a spear directly through the table, which completely broke it in half.

 

"HEY!!! DON'T GET UP!!! YOU'RE THE GUEST!!! SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!!!"

 

She paused, clasping her hands together again and putting on a smile. "Um, why not just point to what you want? You can use the spear!"

 

Frisk picked up the spear, which was surprisingly light, and after thinking for a moment, pointed at the tea.

 

"Yeah, tea's uh.. probably the best choice."

 

"...tea, huh? Alright! And what about you?" She looked at Clover. "Just uh.. choose with that revolver of yours."

 

Clover took out his trusty revolver and aimed it at the tea as well.

 

"Tea as well, huh? Okay! Coming right up!"

 

She went through the process of making tea, then placed the two cups in front of the two humans.

 

"Here we are." With a nervous smile, she walked over to the other side of the table and sat down. "Careful, it's ho-"

 

Clover already took a sip of it, despite it being dangerously hot.

 

"Er.. okay then."

 

Frisk quietly took a sip of the tea as well, which slightly burnt their tongue. They did like it, though.

 

"It's pretty good, right? Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIENDS!!"

 

She paused, glancing at the cups. "Hey.. you know, it's kind of strange you both chose THAT tea. Golden flower tea..."

 

"That's Asgore's favorite kind. Actually, now that I think about it..."

 

She looked at Frisk. "You kind of remind me of him. You're both TOTAL weenies!!!.. sort of."

 

"Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore." She sighed, smirking. "Emphasis on TRIED. I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back!"

 

"I was so humiliated.. but, afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy. 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' I said yes, and from then on, he trained me."

"One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt... bad. But he was beaming. I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked! Anyway, long story short, he kept training me... and now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight!... like, uh, Papyrus."

 

Frisk smiled slightly. "That's.. nice."

 

"Yeah, it is..! But, um, to be honest.. I don't know if.. I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard. Don't tell him I said that, though! He's just.. well... I mean, it's not that he's weak. He's actually pretty freaking tough!" She flashed a smile, revealing her sharp teeth.

 

"It's just that.. he's.. he's too innocent and nice!!! I mean, look, he was supposed to capture the tiny one," She said, pointing at Frisk. "and he ended up being FRIENDS with them instead! I could NEVER send him into battle!"

 

Undyne looked at her hands. "He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds. That's part of why.. I started teaching him how to cook instead. So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life. Wait, uh, sorry, I was talking for so long... you two are out of tea, right?"

 

Clover and Frisk looked down at their cups, and sure enough, without even realizing it, they had already drank all the tea.

 

"I'll get some more." She stood up and started walking over to the counter, when she suddenly stopped. "Wait a second. Papyrus... his cooking lesson."

 

"Okay, I'm worried again." Clover whispered to Frisk.

 

"HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!!! And if HE's not here to have it... YOU TWO'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!"

 

She jumped into the air and landed onto the counter, kicking all the drinks (and the sugar) off.

 

"That's right!!! NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I have to give you two his lesson... WE'LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOUR MINDS CAN EVER IMAGINE!!! Fuhuhu!!! Afraid!? We're gonna be best friends!!!"

 

"Let's hope you two make it out of here in one piece." Chara said, chuckling.

 

She jumped up into the air again and landed on the broken table, grabbed Clover and Frisk, then jumped to the right-most counter.

 

"Let's start with the sauce!!" She stomped her foot, and some vegetables dropped from the ceiling and fell in front of them.

 

"Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy! Now!! Pound them to dust with your fists!!"

 

Frisk gently pet the vegetables.

 

"You pet the vegetables in an affectionate manner."

 

"OH MY GOD!!! STOP PETTING THE ENEMY!!! YOU, COWBOY HUMAN, DO IT BETTER THAN THEM!"

 

Clover grabbed his shotgun and shot the vegetables, blasting them all over the counter and the walls.

 

"YEAH!! THAT'S BETTER! We'll, uh, just scrape this into a bowl later. But for NOW!"

 

She stomped once more, and a pot and a pack of noodles dropped from the ceiling and fell onto the stovetop. "We add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best, BUT I JUST BUY STORE-BRAND!" She laughed menacingly.

 

"THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST!!! NGAHHHHHHHHHH!! Uh, just put them in the pot."

 

Frisk placed the noodles into the pot one at a time.

 

"You place the noodles in one at a time. They clank against the empty bottom."

 

Undyne looked slightly confused. "Nice??? Alright, now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir, THE BETTER IT IS! But, uh, maybe the cowboy one should do this one."

 

Clover ferociously stirred the noodles, with some even flying out of the pot.

 

Undyne grinned. "Fuhuhuhu! That's the stuff! Alright, now for the final step. TURN UP THE HEAT! Let the stovetop symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into burning fire!"

 

"Maybe you should do it instea-" Frisk was cut off by Undyne.

 

"READY? Don't hold anything back!!!"

 

Frisk began to turn up the heat as Undyne yelled 'hotter'. She placed a hand onto Frisk's shoulder, moving them out of the way. "Ugh, let me do it!"

 

The fire reached the ceiling. "See? This is how you-"

 

A bright flash caused Clover and Frisk to shut their eyes, and when they opened them again, the entire house was on fire. The two looked at each other, then back at Undyne, who was covered in soot

 

"Ah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking. Ahem- so what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?"

 

"Uhm.. Undyne?" Clover spoke up.

 

She sighed, looking down at her feet. "Oh, who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn't I? I couldn't force either of you to like me, humans. Some people just.. don't get along with each other. I understand if you two feel that way about me."

 

"Undyne, it's fine, rea-"

 

"And if we can't be friends... that's okay. Because.. if we're not friends.. IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY BOTH OF YOU WITHOUT REGRET!"

 

Frisk took a step back. "W-wait, what?"

 

Undyne summoned a spear into her hands, and started a battle with the two.

 

"I've been defeated. My house is in shambles. I even failed to befriend some lousy humans. That's it. I don't care if you two are my guests anymore."

 

Her grip on the spear tightened. "One final rematch! All out on both sides!!! IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!!! NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU GOT!"

 

Clover stepped in front of Frisk. "We are NOT doing that, Undyne.

 

"Why?! Because you're too AFRAID!?"

 

"Because this isn't just! We're not just gonna attack you!"

 

"Ha! And what would you know about justice?!"

 

They sighed. "I know enough about it. Listen, okay? I.. have you thought about.. how heartbroken the friends we've made have been?"

 

"Like I said, you probably brainwashed all of the-"

 

"What about Papyrus."

 

She frowning. "..what about him."

 

"Have you seriously not considered how distraught he would be to hear that someone he considered his friend killed someone? A child, no less?"

 

"I-" She stammered, thinking of something to say.

 

"Killing someone for 'hopes and dreams' when they haven't even hurt a single soul, it's just- it's NOT justice. Not at all."

 

Her grip on the spear loosened, causing it to drop onto the floor. She went into a more standard stance.

 

"You're.. damn it, you're right. I think. I- I don't even know anymore, heh. Look, at first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick, but... I don't actually want to hurt you two anymore. Our thoughts about justice might not be the same, but.."

 

She sighed. "But you're right about the killing part. And- and Papyrus. And.."

 

She looked down at her feet, thinking about something. After a few seconds of silence, she looked back up at the two. "Listen, humans. It seems you two and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him... he probably doesn't want to.

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here... and I'll take THEIR soul instead. That.. would be just, right?"

 

"..yeah. I guess it would be."

 

"Oh, and if either of you DO hurt Asgore... I'll take the human souls.. cross the barrier.. and beat the hell out of whichever one of you hurt him! That's what friends are for, right?"

 

Frisk giggled. "Mhm."

 

"Fuhuhuhu! Now let's get the hell out of this flaming house!"

 

Undyne rushed over to the two, grabbed their hands, and ran out of the house. She let them go once they were a safe distance away from it.

 

"Well, that was fun, huh? We'll have to hang out again another time! But, uh, somewhere else I guess. In the meantime, I guess I'll go hang with Papyrus. So if you two need me, drop by Snowdin, okay?!" She said, grinning.

 

The two nodded. "OH! And if you ever need help, just give Papyrus a ring, okay? Since we're in the same spot, I'll be able to talk too! Well, see ya later, punks."

 

She sprinted away, leaving the two alone.

 

"..wow. I-.. that went really well!"

 

"Well. That takes care of that! We, uh, need to go back to that river person, don't we?"

 

"I think so. As usual, lead the way, Clover!"

 

...

 

'But knowing him... he probably doesn't want to.'

 

Those words looped in his mind like a broken record. They annoyed him.

 

'Doesn't want to, she said..'

 

'Asgore's already killed five children.'

 

'What's stopping him from trying to take two more souls?'

 

'I've forgiven monsterkind for the death of those children, but..'

 

'I can't forgive Asgore.'

Chapter 15: Too Hot For A Cowboy

Summary:

The humans venture through Hotland, meeting a certain lizard and killer robot.

Notes:

Just a quick note if it wasn't obvious already, some monster attacks are either in the actual world or in the battle box.

Clover looked at the lab entrance, wiping the sweat off of their forehead.

 

"Aren't ponchos supposed to keep you warm in the cold and keep you from getting too hot when it's warm outside? You're sweating a lot." Frisk asked, looking up at Clover.

 

"I don't- I think? But- uh- we're literally surrounded by lava, so.. here, let me just-" Clover took off their poncho and stashed it away in their bottomless satchel, revealing their white long-sleeved t-shirt and dark brown vest, which had a deputy badge on it.

 

"They're a deputy?? Wow, okay then."

 

The two ventured inside the dimly lit lab, their footsteps echoing with each step they took.

 

They stopped in front of a large screen, which was.. actively displaying them.

 

"It's.. you and Clover..?"

 

Clover crossed his arms. "What in tarnation..?"

 

"..you know, that does kinda remind me.. I could've sworn when I first left the Ruins that there was a camera sticking out of the bushes to my left."

 

"You think someone's been watching us?"

 

"Maybe.."

 

As the two reached the middle of the lab, some strange shuffling noises alerted the two.

 

A few seconds later, a yellow lizard emerged from the door, and turned the lights on. She began walking over to the two, and noticed them.

 

"Oh. My god." The lizard lady began frantically looking around. "I- I didn't expect you two to show up so soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, it's all messy, and-"

 

She stopped and looked at the duo. Frisk waved over to her and Clover tipped his hat.

 

"Umm.. H-h-hiya! I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's Royal Scientist! B-b-but, ahh, I'm not one of the 'bad guys'!"

 

The humans looked at each other, then back at Alphys.

 

"It was uhm.. kinda obvious, not gonna lie.." Clover mumbled, scratching the back of his neck.

 

Alphys nodded. "That's good that it was obvious! I-I think? B-b-but, uh, ever since the short one stepped out of the Ruins, I've, um... been observing your journey through my console. But uh.."

 

She looked at Clover. "S-say, where did you come from? I-I know that you're that human that went missing, and you've obviously been living here for the past two years, so..."

 

"I mean.. since you're one of the 'good guys' I guess I'll tell you. So, in the Ruins, I fell into like.. a deeper version of it, I guess? I ventured through the different portion of the underground, made a lot of friends, and in the end, I decided to stay in the Wild East."

 

"Wild.. East. O-oh! I think I know where that is! Er-" She cleared her throat. "E-e-enough getting side-tracked. So like I was saying, I've observed everything that both of you have d-done! Your fights, friendships, everything. I was originally gonna stop you two, but... watching a duo on a screen really gets you rooting for them, hehe.."

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "Uuuh huh."

 

"S-so, ahh, now I want to help you guys! Using my knowledge, I can easily guide the two of you through Hotland! I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!"

 

Frisk perked up. "Really?"

 

"Y-yep..! Well, actually, umm, there's just one tiny issue."

 

"Oh, great.."

 

"What is it?" Frisk asked.

 

"A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot."

 

Clover's interest was piqued. "Entertainment robot?"

 

"Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star or something. Did you, like, n-not have TVs in the Wild East or something?" She said, chuckling.

 

Clover shook their head. "Nope. I mean- yeah, but we only really watch tapes on them. Gotta stay true to the Wild West aspect, even if Starlo's focusing on farming as well."

 

"Oh. O-okay, well, do you at least have a phone..?"

 

"Nope, no phone. They do, though." They said, pointing at Frisk with their thumb.

 

"J-jeez, how have you managed to survive so far without the internet..?" Alphys whispered to herself, looking away from the two.

 

She cleared her throat and looked at them again. "Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments."

 

"Small practical adjustments..?"

 

Frisk crossed their arms. "How small?"

 

"Like, um... anti- anti-human combat features?"

 

Clover blinked. "Excuse me?"

 

Chara hummed. "Well, that's just great.."

 

"Of c-course, when I saw you two coming, I immediately decided that I have to remove those features! Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake while doing so."

 

Frisk sighed. "..how teensy?"

 

"Ehhh.. unstoppablekillingmachinewithathirstforhumanbloodteensy?" Alphys blurted out.

 

Clover pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh, you have gotta be kidding me." 

 

"Ehehehe.. heh. But, ummm, hopefully we won't run into him!" She smiled.

 

A loud crashing sound came from the wall, shaking the entire place.

 

Alphys looked confused. Another crashing sound happened, shaking the lab once more.

 

"Did you hear something?" Alphys asked.

 

Clover stared at her. "Of course we di-"

 

Five more crashing sounds came from the wall. "Oh no."

 

"Oh no?"

 

The entire lab was engulfed in a bright light. Once the light was gone, the entire place was pitch black.

 

"OHHH YES. WELCOME, BEAUTIES..." A spotlight appeared, revealing Mettaton. "...TO TODAY'S QUIZ SHOW!"

 

Music began blasting, and two disco balls and a neon sign with the words "GAME SHOW" on it lowered from the ceiling.

 

"OH BOY! I CAN ALREADY TELL IT'S GONNA BE A GREAT SHOW!" Mettaton twirled the microphone in his hand.

 

"What kind of Axis rip-off is this..?" Clover mumbled to themself.

 

"EVERYONE GIVE A BIG HAND FOR OUR WONDERFUL CONTESTANTS!"

 

Mettaton began clapping, causing more confetti to fall onto the two.

 

"NEVER PLAYED BEFORE, I PRESUME? NO PROBLEM! IT'S SIMPLE! THERE'S ONLY ONE RULE. ANSWER CORRECTLY..."

 

The music came to a halt. "OR YOU DIE!!!"

 

The two's souls blinked in and the world around them dimmed. Alphys nervously stood next to Mettaton.

 

"Mettaton attacks."

 

Clover started off their turn by checking Mettaton. "His metal body renders him invulnerable to attack.. okay, makes sense."

 

"LET'S START WITH AN EASY ONE!!" Mettaton exclaimed, moving to the side.

 

"WHAT'S THE PRIZE FOR ANSWER CORRECTLY?"

 

The duo stared at the newly added letters in the battle box.

 

Frisk scratched the back of their head. "Uh.."

 

"Psst, Frisk." Clover whispered. "Look at Alphys. I think she's gonna tell us all the answers."

 

Frisk glanced over at Alphys, who was making a D sign with her hands.

 

The two moved their souls over to the D, which was more questions.

 

Confetti shot out and Alphys gave a thumbs up towards them. "RIGHT! SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!"

 

"The quiz show continues."

 

"HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE! AHEM, WHAT'S THE KING'S FULL NAME?"

 

"Oh, well this one's easy." Clover said, maneuvering his soul over to the letter C, which had the name 'Asgore Dreemurr' to its side.

 

"CORRECT! WHAT A TERRIFIC ANSWER! NOW, LET'S TALK ABOUT ME! WHAT ARE ROBOTS MADE OF?"

 

Frisk looked at Alphys, who was making a B with her hands. They looked back at the battle box and moved to the B in the top right.

 

"TOO EASY FOR YOU HUMANS, HUH??? HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE! AHEM. TWOTRAINS,TRAINAANDTRAINB,SIMULTANEOUSLYDEPARTSTATIONAANDSTATIONB.STATIONAANDSTATIONBARETWOHUNDREDANDFIFTYTWOPOINTFIVEMILESAPARTFROMEACHOTHER.TRAINAISMOVINGATONEHUNDREDANDTWENTYFOURPOINTSEVENMILESPERHOURTOWARDSSTATIONB,ANDTRAINBISMOVINGATTWOHUNDERDANDFIFTYTHREEPOINTFIVEMILESPERHOURTOWARDSSTATIONA.IFBOTHTRAINSDEPARTEDAT10:00AMANDITISNOW10:08,HOWMUCHLONGERUNTILBOTHTRAINSPASSEACHOTHER?"

 

"Excuse me, what."

 

Clover blinked, looking back at Frisk. "Did- did you catch any of that?"

 

"U-uh, no.."

 

Clover looked at Alphys once more, and thankfully, she was showing Clover the letter D with her hands.

 

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou.." Clover mumbled as they moved their soul over to the bottom right corner.

 

Mettaton asked a few more questions, with the two answering them all correctly due to Alphys's help. Finally, it seemed as if the quiz show was bound to end soon.

 

"TIME TO BREAK OUT THE BIG GUNS!! IN THE DATING SIMULATION VIDEO GAME 'MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE', WHAT IS MEW MEW'S FAVORITE FOOD?"

 

"..what's a Mew Mew Kissy Cut-"

 

"OH! OH|! I KNOW THIS ONE!!! IT'S SNAIL ICE CREAM!!! INTHEFOURTHCHAPTEREVERYONEGOESTOTHEBEACHANDSHEBUYSICECREAMFORALLOFHERFRIENDS!!BUTIT'SSNAILFLAVORANDSHE'STHEONLYONEWHOWANTSIT!!!IT'SONEOFMYFAVORITEPARTSOFTHEGAMEBECAUSEIT'SACTUALLYAVERYPOWERFUL..message.. about.."

 

She looked at the two and Mettaton, who were all staring at her. "f-friendship and... uh.."

 

"ALPHYS, ALPHYS, ALPHYS. YOU AREN'T HELPING OUR CONTESTANTS, ARE YOU?"

 

She furiously shook her head with a nervous expression. "OOOOOOH!!! YOU SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME. I'LL ASK A QUESTION... YOU'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!"

 

Alphys started sweating. "WHO DOES DR. ALPHYS HAVE A CRUSH ON?"

 

The two stared at the options they were given.

 

"Undyne, Asgore, the humans, and don't know.." Frisk mumbled, scratching their head.

 

"How funny would it be if it was you two?"

 

Frisk snickered and whispered to Chara. "That'd just be weird."

 

"True."

 

Clover looked at the four options. "I'm gonna go on a whim here aaand.."

 

He selected Undyne, causing Alphys to cover her face in embarrassment.

 

"SEE, ALPHYS? I TOLD YOU IT WAS OBVIOUS. EVEN THE TALL ONE FIGURED IT OUT. YES, SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGIN OF HER NOTES. SHE NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER."

 

Clover crossed his arms. "Wow."

 

"THAT'S NOT ALL! SHE EVEN WRITES STORIES OF THEM TOGETHER... SHARING A DOMESTIC LIFE. PROBABILITY OF CRUSH, ONE HUNDRED AND ONE PERCENT. MARGIN OF ERROR. ONE PERCENT."

 

"Hehe, nice."

 

"Awe, I definitely ship them!" Frisk said, smiling.

 

Clover looked over to them and raised an eyebrow. "..Frisk, what does that even mean?"

 

"..I dunno, I heard it like once on-"

 

"WELL WELL WELL. WITH DR. ALPHYS HELPING YOU TWO... THE SHOW HAS NO DRAMATIC TENSION! WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS!!"

 

He paused. "BUT. BUT!! THIS WAS JUST THE PILOT EPISODE!! NEXT UP, MORE DRAMA! MORE ROMANCE!!! MORE BLOODSHED!!! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS..!!"

 

Mettaton's arms and wheel retracted into him, and he blasted off, going through the ceiling.

 

Clover whispered to Frisk. "I'm gonna be honest, I do not like that guy already."

 

The world's colors came back, and the two's souls went back inside them.

 

Alphys looked at them. "Well, that was certainly something."

 

The two walked around Alphys and headed for the door.

 

"W-wait, wait!"

 

They turned around and looked at her. "L-let me give the short one my phone number. Th-then... m-maybe.. if you need help, I could..."

 

Without another word, Frisk pulled out their phone and handed it to Alphys. She grabbed it, then looked at it. "Wh.. where'd you get this phone!? It's ANCIENT! It doesn't even have texting. W-wait a second, please!"

 

She ran off with the phone and came back a few seconds later. "Here, I upgraded it for you! It can do texting, items, it's got a key chain... I even signed you up for the underground's number one social network!"

 

"They have a social network here? Since when??"

 

Frisk smiled, taking the phone. "Cool!"

 

"Now we're officially a trio! Ehehehe! Hehe... heh.."

 

Alphys's eyes darted around the lab. "I'm going to the bathroom."

 

She quickly rushed into the bathroom, and the door automatically shut behind her.

 

Clover chose to ignore the very visible yellow feet seen in the crack under the door. "Come on, let's get going."

 

The two turned around and exited the lab. Frisk tugged at their sweater due to the heat.

 

"..hey, Frisk? I'll just be honest with you, I don't have a good feeling about her."

 

"Why's that?"

 

"Well.. a friend of mine. Before I even fell down here, her daughter 'fell down'. Which, in other words, means she's in a coma. I remember her saying something about a lab, and well.. you know." They pointed at the lab behind them with their thumb.

 

"Oh. W-well.. I mean, it could be a different lab..?"

 

Clover sighed. "..maybe."

 

As the duo took a step forward, a loud sound emerged from Frisk's pocket. Startled, they quickly took their phone out and looked at the notification.

 

[ ALPHYS updated status.

just realized i didn't watch undyne fight the human v.v ]

 

"What happened?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow,

 

"Nothing, just a status update from Alphys."

 

Clover hummed, and the two began walking again, until the same, loud sound came from Frisk's pocket.

 

"Turn that damn thing off! ..please."

 

Frisk quickly did as they were told to, putting the phone on silent.

 

"I never really got the hype for cell-phones."

 

They hummed. "Me neither."

 

The two continued onwards, stepping onto the left conveyor belt. Cyan flames emerged from the pipes nearby. As soon as they stepped off the conveyor belt, an enemy attacked.

 

A small, volcano-like monster strolled in with a happy expression on their face.

 

"Vulkin strolls in."

 

Clover started first, checking the monster.

 

"Vulkin, eight ATK.. minus ten DEF. Huh. Mistakenly believes its lava can help peop- WOAH!"

 

Clover and Frisk narrowly dodged the several lightning bolts which came from the cloud above them, which sported the same face as Vulkin.

 

He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Eugh, I'm getting PTSD from Dalv.."

 

"Smells like a lava lamp."

 

"You can smell stuff?" Frisk whispered to Chara.

 

"Uh, duh? Why didn't you think I could?"

 

"..nevermind."

 

Frisk selected the encourage option in the act menu. "Hey, Vulkin! You're doing a great job!"

 

"You tell Vulkin it's doing a great job. Its attacks become extreme..."

 

"Ahh! Ahh! Does my best!" It exclaimed, its smile becoming bigger.

 

Fireballs quickly came in from the sides, threatening to burn the two to a crisp. Thankfully, they didn't get hit at all.

 

Finally, once the attack was over, Clover spared the Vulkin.

 

"Nice going! You and Clover both got 40G."

 

As the two stepped onto the next conveyor belt on the left, Clover couldn't help but wonder..

 

"Hey, Frisk? Could I ask you something?"

 

They nodded. "So.. I've started to notice that you're uh.. whispering to thin air."

 

"Oh, you BETTER not tell-"

 

Frisk smirked, crossing their arms. "I've been talking to a ghost."

 

"FRISK, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU???"

 

He locked eyes with them. "..a ghost."

 

"Yep, a ghost!"

 

"..well, can I meet them?"

 

"WHAT THE- HE BELIEVES YOU??"

 

Frisk shrugged. "I dunno if they can talk to you. As far as I know, only I can see them. But they're like.. uh, well, they narrate most of the stuff I do, and their name is Chara. But, uhhh- why do you believe me exactly?"

 

"Frisk, I've been living in the underground for two years. Nothing really surprises me here anymore."

 

"..okay, you know what, that's fair."

 

As the duo continued down the path, Clover glanced at Frisk.

 

"Sooo.. Chara. Are they nice?"

 

"Yeah! They're pretty nice. Helped me through some puzzles back in Snowdin."

 

Clover couldn't help but smile at that, and they watched as Frisk ran up to the save point in the distance.

 

"The wooshing sound of the cogs... it fills you with determination, and it fills Clover with a sense of justice."

 

File saved. Frisk looked at the deadly hot magma below and wiped the sweat off their forehead.

 

"It'll be worth it when we reach UG Apartments. They have some REALLY good food there." Clover said, motioning for Frisk to go right.

 

The two looked at the strange vent on the floor. Clover decided to step on it first, which bounced him to the other side, but not before doing a complete 360 mid-air.

 

He looked back at the vent. "Oh, that's cool."

 

Frisk stepped on it afterwards, bouncing them to the other side as well. The duo continued using the vents to get to the exit, but not before taking a quick detour and grabbing an old, dented pan which lay on the rocky floor. Clover placed it in their satchel, and the two went back to the exit.

 

As soon as Clover and Frisk's feet hit the floor, Frisk's phone began ringing, but it quickly stopped.

 

"Huh, wonder who that was."

 

The duo progressed into the next room, and stopped in front of a bright, orange laser. Something about it was.. familiar to Clover.

 

Frisk's phone began ringing once more, and in case the person hung up again, Frisk quickly picked up.

 

Alphys cleared her throat. "H-hi! So, the blue lasers... Uhh! I mean, Alphys here! HI, YOU TWO!! Er- The blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move! O-orange ones, um... y-you have to be moving, and they..."

 

She paused. "Um, they won't, um... move through those ones!.. uhh, bye!"

 

Click... Alphys hung up. The duo began moving through the orange lasers and stopping at the blue ones, just like Alphys said, and got to the end of the room. Clover flicked the switch on their left, which deactivated the lasers.

 

They moved into the next room, halting just in front of the vent which switched arrows constantly.

 

Frisk took out their ringing phone and put it on speaker.

 

"A-A-Alphys here!!! Th... the northern door will stay locked until you two s-solve the puzzles on the right and left! I... I think you two sh-should split up and take care of them at the same t-time!" Click...

 

"Oo, Frisk, let's go to the right first."

 

Frisk nodded. "I'll go to the right one, Clover."

 

They stepped onto the vent when the arrow was facing the right direction, which bounced them to the right.

 

Clover waited for the vent to show the left arrow, and when it did, he stepped on.

 

Once his feet touched the rocky ground, Clover headed forward, only to be met with a blue laser right in front of him.

 

"Oh. Guess I can't-"

 

The laser cut him off as it switched off with a click.

 

Clover hummed. "Well, thanks, Alphys.."

 

They walked up to the two monsters which were standing near the edge.

 

"Finally! Someone turned off that laser! Now that we're free we can..."

 

She paused. "Well, uh, I guess we'll just keep standing here."

 

"I wonder if they'll cancel school for this. Oh, I hope they do!!" The purple girl next to her exclaimed.

 

"Isn't school on break?"

 

"..oh yeah, it is!"

 

Smiling, Clover walked into the building which had an upside down soul above the doorway.

 

'Gotta say, I missed meeting new people.' They thought to themself.

 

They walked up to the paper on the ground next to them and picked it up.

 

"Shoot the opposing ship. Move the boxes to complete your mission.."

 

Moving back to the center of the room, they pushed the weird touch pad thing on the wall, which lit some kind of game up.

 

He swiped up, which moved the boxes. "Ooh, I get it."

 

After some trial and error, Clover eventually got all the boxes in a good position, then fired twice.

 

Cyan text saying 'Congratulations!' flashed above the game. Feeling accomplished, he went back to the middle room and hopped onto the vent, bouncing him to the northern door.

 

He watched as it slowly opened. After a few minutes, he heard the sound of feet hitting the ground, and glanced at Frisk.

 

"Dang Frisk, you kinda sucked at that."

 

"Shaddap, Chara.." Frisk whispered to them.

 

Clover smirked. "Was 'bout to die of old age, y'know?"

 

"Coooome on, let's just go already.."

 

The two continued forward, only for Alphys to begin calling once more.

 

Frisk picked up the phone. "Uuuh, I think... umm... hey! About the puzzles on the left and right...! They're a bit difficult to explain, but..."

 

"We, uh, kinda already did that." Clover said.

 

"O-oooh. A-Awesome! Yep! Haha..." Click...

 

The two stepped onto the vent, with Clover (as usual) being the one in front. Three 360's later, the two landed on the differently colored floor.

 

"Eughh.. how are you two enduring that?? I'm getting sick just by looking at you do that.."

 

As the two continued forward, the place began getting darker and darker, until it was completely pitch black.

 

The ringing of Frisk's phone startled both of the humans. Frisk quickly picked up and put the phone on speaker again.

 

"H-hey, it's kind of dark in there, isn't it? Don't worry! I'll hack into the light system and brighten it up!"

 

'Does she have cameras everywhere or something..? How did she know it was dark in this room?' Clover thought to himself, slightly readjusting his hat in the process. He has no idea how it hasn't completely flown off his head due to the excessive amounts of 360's he's done recently, but he's definitely not complaining.

 

A few seconds later, the lights in the room switched on, revealing a kitchen.

 

Alphys gulped. "Oh no."

 

Casual music began playing from.. somewhere, as Mettaton slowly began rising up from the floor.

 

"OHHHH YES!!! WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!!! COOKING WITH A KILLER ROBOT! PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY!"

 

Clover and Frisk both looked at each other, then back at Mettaton.

 

"WE'RE GOING TO BE MAKING... A CAKE!"

 

"A cake?"

 

"Oh, that's.. not that bad." Frisk muttered.

 

"MY LOVELY ASSISTANTS HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS. EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!!!"

 

Mettaton began clapping as confetti spewed from above.

 

"WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS. GO FOR IT, SWEETHEARTS!"

 

The two walked over to the back counter and grabbed the ingredients, then placed them onto the counter Mettaton was at.

 

"PERFECT! GREAT JOB, BEAUTIES! WE'VE GOT ALL THE INGREDIENTS WE NEED TO BAKE THE CAKE! MILK... SUGAR... EGGS... OH MY! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET!!! WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!"

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. 'We are?'

 

Mettaton slowly raised a chainsaw up into view.

 

"IS THAT A-"

 

He nodded. 'That makes more sense."

 

"TWO HUMAN SOULS!!!"

 

Mettaton began slowly making his way to the two humans, only for a call to interrupt him. With a sigh, he picked it up. "HELLO...? I'M KIND OF IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING HERE."

 

"W-wait a second!!!" Alphys yelled.

"Couldn't you make a... couldn't you use a... c-couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?!

 

"...A SUBSTITUTION? YOU MEAN, USE A DIFFERENT, NON-HUMAN INGREDIENT?... WHY?"

 

"Uhh, what if someone's..."

She paused. "Vegan?"

 

"...VEGAN."

 

"Uh well I mean-"

 

"THAT'S A BRILLIANT IDEA, ALPHYS!! ACTUALLY, I HAPPEN TO HAVE AN OPTION RIGHT HERE!!! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS-CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE! A CAN OF WHICH... IS JUST OVER ON THAT COUNTER!!!"

 

The two looked at the can behind Mettaton. "WELL, DARLINGS? WHY DON'T YOU TWO GO GET IT?"

 

Without another word, the two walked over to the counter, only for it to start.. going up. Really high up.

 

"BY THE WAY, OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF NEITHER OF YOU CAN GET THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE... WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!!! SO... BETTER START CLIMBING, BEAUTIES!!!"

 

"Yeah, we're not doing this." Clover said, grabbing Frisk's hand and walking into the next area.

 

As soon as they were back at the same, rocky ground, Frisk's phone went off.

 

"Wow! G-great going there! That was- uh- that was a good move! Just walking away like that! I'll uh.. yeah! Good work team!" Click...

 

"Yeah, great work, you two."

 

The two stared at the structure in the distance. The air seemed.. still for a moment.

 

Snapping out of the trance, Frisk walked up to the save point and reached out to it.

 

"An ominous structure looms in the distance... you're filled with determination, and Clover's filled with a sense of justice."

 

As the duo continued forward, Frisk's phone began ringing again.

 

"S-see that building in the distance? That's the Core. The source of all power for the underground. It converts geothermal energy into magical electricity, by..." She trailed off.

 

Clover raised an eyebrow and looked back at Frisk, clearly not understanding whatever Alphys just said.

 

"Uhh, anyway, that's where we're going to go. In the Core is an elevator directly to Asgore's castle."

 

"You mean in UG Apartments? That's how I got close to Asgore's castle, anyway."

 

She paused. "U-uh.. yeaaah.. UG Apartments.. sure. A-anyway- from there.. the two of you can go home." Click...

 

"Yeah.. home." Clover sighed, scratching the back of their head.

 

Frisk looked at Clover. "Is.. something wrong?"

 

"..look, Frisk. I'll be honest. I don't.. really have a home up on the surface. But.. as much as I want to stay here, I.. feel like I'm responsible for you, you know? So, uh, I've decided, that.. if- no, WHEN we defeat Asgore.. I'm coming with you to the surface."

 

"Are.. are you sure? You don't have to do that, I-"

 

They nodded. "I'm sure."

 

"..okay."

 

The two walked into the elevator which had the letters 'R1' above.

 

"Let's see here... I think.. I think we need to go to the second right floor."

 

Clover pushed the button labelled 'R2', and the elevator doors closed. After a few seconds, the doors opened up, and the duo stepped out.

 

A short, flame monster waved to them. "Heh. I'm Heats Flamesman. Remember my name!"

 

The two gave a quick thumbs up to Heats Flamesman, and continued heading right.

 

They walked past the two monsters who were enjoying their hotdogs, and went over to Sans, who was at his station, which.. had snow on its roof somehow.

 

"hey buddies, what's up? wanna buy a hotdog? it's only 30G."

 

"Sure," Clover dug around in their bottomless satchel, and pulled out 60G. "we'll take two."

 

Sans grabbed the 60G and put them in his pockets. "thanks, kids. here's your 'dogs."

 

"..'dogs?" Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"yeah, 'dogs. apostrophe-dogs. it's short for hot-dog."

 

Frisk nodded. "Uh huh.."

 

Clover put the two 'dogs in his satchel, and the two continued forward.

 

Taking a quick detour, Clover grabbed an apron that was on the floor.

 

'Definitely belonged to one of the kids..' He thought, sighing.

 

He placed the apron in his satchel and went back on the normal path with Frisk. Halting in front of two conveyors, Frisk's phone rang.

 

"H... hi...! It's Dr. Alphys. This p-puzzle is kinda... um... timing-based. Y-you two see those switches over there? O-one of you will have to press all three of them within three seconds. I'll t-try to help with the rhythm!" Click...

 

Clover stepped onto the conveyor and Frisk followed after them. They hit the first switch, then the next, and finally-

 

Ring... "Okay! Now press the third one!!!" Startled, Clover and Frisk both forgot to hit the last switch. Clover stared at the phone in Frisk's hand with an annoyed expression on their face.

 

After a very awkward moment of silence between the three, Alphys spoke up. "H-h-hey! Looks like you two!!! Only needed to press! Two of them!!!" Click... The two looked at the spot where the cyan barrier was, and sure enough, it was gone.

 

Clover sighed. "..she's definitely hiding something from us."

 

"No kidding."

 

Heading into the next room, Clover and Frisk stared at the scene laid before them. The ENTIRE room was a vent puzzle.

 

"..I think I'm gonna throw up. Can ghosts even throw up??"

 

Frisk's phone began ringing again. "Uh, h-h-hey! I'm going to the bathroom, so I'll be MIA for a bit. I'm... I'm sure you two can handle this puzzle yourselves!"

 

"Great.." Frisk said, fighting the urge to rip their hair out.

 

After what seemed like an hour, even though it was actually only three minutes, the duo finally managed to find the correct path and were back to heading forward.

 

"PLEASE. NEVER DO THAT AGAIN."

 

Frisk quickly walked up to the save point, completely ignoring the mouse hole next to it. "Oh- uh- ahem. Knowing the mouse might one day hack the computerized safe and get the cheese..."

"It fills you with determination, and it fills Clover with a sense of justice."

 

Continuing forward, Frisk glanced at the pipes to their right. "Huh, wonder where-"

 

"Hey! You two! Stop!"

 

The two stopped and turned around.

 

"We've, like, received an anonymous tip about a human wearing a striped shirt and a human wearing a hat. They told us the two were wandering around Hotland right now..."

 

Frisk and Clover glanced at each other. "I know, sounds scary, huh? Well, just stay chill. We'll bring you two someplace safe, okay?" The guards turned around, then the second guard muttered something to the first one. 

 

"Huh? What is it bro?"

 

...

 

"Their clothes?... like, what about them?"

 

The two guards faced the duo once more. After a few seconds of silence, the first guard looked at the second one.

 

"Bro. Are you thinkin.. what I'm thinkin?" The second guard nodded his head.

 

"Bummer. This is, like... mega embarrassing." The first guard looked at the humans again. "We, like, actually totally have to kill both of you and stuff."

 

The two's souls blinked in, and the world around them dimmed. Clover noticed how dirty the second Royal Guard's armor was. "Royal Guard attacks!"

 

Clover started off by checking the act menu, and selected the clean armor act.

 

"Like, perish and stuff."

 

"...getting.. warmer.."

 

A small, green breastplate appeared in front of the two souls. The two chased after the breastplate, avoiding the white stars that fell from above. After a few seconds of chasing after it, the breastplate turned into a yellowish-green, and the attack ended.

 

"...can't... take it. armor.. too... HOT!!!" RG 02 took off his breastplate, which made RG 01 look nervous. "...much better."

 

"RG 01 looks bothered by something."

 

Frisk furrowed their brow, and went into the act menu. They selected the whisper act.

 

"You should be honest with your feelings, you know?" Frisk whispered over to RG 01, who managed to hear them. "I... I..."

 

The carrots which started falling from above started to shake. After the attack ended, the music which resonated from the two suddenly stopped.

 

"D-dude... I can't... I can't take this anymore! Not like this!!"

 

The second Royal Guard looked at the first, confused. "Like, 02! I like... I like, LIKE you, bro! The way you fight... the way you talk... I love doing team attacks with you. I love standing here with you, bouncing and waving our weapons in sync... 02... I, like, want to stay like this forever..."

 

RG 02 stayed silent, and RG 01 began nervously shaking again. "Uh... I mean, uh... Psyche! Gotcha, bro!!! Haha!"

 

"...01."

 

He paused. "Y-yeah,  bro???"

 

"...do you want to... get some ice cream.. after this?"

 

"Sure, dude! Haha!"

 

"01 and 02 are looking at each other happily."

 

The humans smiled, then spared the two lovers. "That was.. kinda sweet. Uh- you won! You each earned zero XP and fifty gold."

 

The duo entered the next room, which was.. also pitch black. Frisk picked up their ringing phone and put it on speaker.

 

Alphys cleared her throat. "Okay, I'm back! A-another dark room, huh? Don't worry! My hacking skills have got this covered!"

 

The lights switched on, revealing a dog, a basketball, and other items which were scattered around the room. There was also a camera which faced the two, and.. some kind of fake news thing with a square cut out in the middle of it?

 

"Äre you serious?" Alphys asked.

 

Clover squinted. "What are you talking abou-"

 

"OHHHHHH YESSS!!!"

 

The two humans quickly looked around the room to find Mettaton, only to realize that he's behind the fake news cutout. "GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON, REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS! AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDENTS ARE OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE!"

 

"Wait- you mean like- everyone in the underground can see us??" Frisk yelled out.

 

"WHY, OF COURSE!"

 

Clover hummed. 'I wonder if Martlet and Dalv are watching.. if only everyone in the Wild East had actual, functioning TV's with channels..'

 

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!"

 

The two humans walked up to the dog. "WHAT A SENSATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR A STORY! I CAN SEE THE HEADLINE NOW! 'A DOG EXISTS SOMEWHERE.' FRANKLY, I'M BLOWN AWAY."

 

"Reporting a dog, eh? Nice."

 

"ATTENTION, VIEWERS! OUR CORRESPONDENTS HAVE FOUND... A DOG! (CUE AUDIENCE AWWS). THAT'S RIGHT, FOLKS! IT'S THE FEEL GOOD STORY OF THE YEAR! LOOKS AT ITS LITTLE EARS, TINY PAWS, FLUFFY TAIL..."

 

The news channel music came to a halt. "WAIT A SECOND."

 

"Heeere's the twist..."

 

"THAT'S NOT A TAIL! THAT'S... A FUSE!!!" The dog's tail lit on fire.

 

Clover blinked rapidly. "What??"

 

"Fuse as in-"

 

Mettaton cut them off. "THAT'S RIGHT... THAT DOG.. IS A BOMB!!! BUT DON'T PANIC! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!!!"

 

The cutout of the news station dropped into the fiery magma below, leaving a floating Mettaton. "OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT PRESENT'S A BOMB!"

 

The present to the left of Clover and Frisk opened, revealing a bomb.

 

"THAT BASKETBALL'S A BOMB!"

 

The fuse of the basketball popped out.

 

"EVEN MY WORDS ARE!"

 

'Even my words are' dropped from above and exploded in front of the two.

 

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS... IF YOU DON'T DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS..." Mettaton flew up to the pink bomb behind the two humans. "THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TWO TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WON'T BE REPORTING 'LIVE' ANY LONGER!"

 

"..that sucked."

 

"HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS! GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS!!" With that, Mettaton flew off.

 

Ring... "D-don't worry! Press the green button on your phone!"

 

Frisk did as they were told to and pressed the green button.

 

A strange, small device popped out of the phone and fell into Clover's hands. "That's a device for er- defusing bombs! I also installed a bomb-defusing program in your phone. Use the 'defuse' option when the bomb is in the defuse zone! N-now, go get 'em!"

 

~~~

 

Martlet placed some soda onto the table and sat down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in her left wing, and her remote in the other. "Alrighty then.. what do we have here?"

 

"Cooking show.. nope. Romance.. nope." She muttered, skipping through some channels. "Darn, there's nothing good on. Guess I'll have to use my last resort.. Mettaton."

 

She sighed, turning on the MTT channel. She took a drink of her soda, only to spit all of it out as she realized who was on the screen.

 

"I-is- IS THAT CLOVER?? Holy sh- wai- WHERE'S THE PHONE??"

 

Martlet hurriedly dug through the cushions and pulled out her phone, and dialed Ceroba's number.

 

Ring... Ring... "C'mon, c'mon.. pick up, pick up!"

 

Click. "Martlet?? Oh, it's so good to hear from you again! How have you bee-"

 

"CEROBAYOUHAVETOGOONTOTHEMTTCHANNELNOWPLEASE"

 

"..Martlet, I don't have a TV."

 

"W-WELL THEN GET OVER HERE QUICKLY! AND- AND BRING NORTH STAR! AND THE POSSE! AND DALV AS WELL!"

 

"Er.. okay?"

 

Click...

 

~~~

 

The tension rose as Clover waited for the perfect moment to strike the extremely agile glass of water. It looped around the area twice, before Clover managed to defuse it just as it entered the defuse zone. Funky music began playing as Mettaton floated back into view.

 

"WELL DONE, DARLINGS! YOU'VE DEACTIVATED ALL OF THE BOMBS! IF YOU DIDN'T DEACTIVATE THEM, THE BIG BOMB WOULD HAVE EXPLODED IN TWO MINUTES. NOW IT WON'T EXPLODE IN TWO MINUTES!"

 

Frisk scratched the back of their head. "Yeah, we uhm- we know?"

 

"INSTEAD IT'LL EXPLODE IN TWO SECONDS!"

 

"Wait, what?" The two said in unison.

 

"Big shocker.."

 

"GOODBYE, DARLINGS!"

 

Dramatic music filled the room, before it eventually died down. "OH. IT SEEMS THE BOMB ISN'T GOING OFF."

 

Ring... Frisk's phone automatically picked up. "That's b-because!!! While you were monologuing... I...!!! I f... fix.. um.. I ch-changed.."

 

"OH NO. YOU DEACTIVATED THE BOMB WITH YOUR HACKING SKILLS."

 

"Yeah! That's what I did!"

 

"CURSES! IT SEEMS I'VE BEEN FOILED AGAIN! CURSE YOU, HUMANS! CURSE YOU, DR. ALPHYS, FOR HELPING SO MUCH! BUT I DON'T CURSE MY EIGHT WONDERFUL VIEWERS FOR TUNING IN!!! UNTIL NEXT TIME, DARLINGS!" Mettaton flew off once more.

 

"W-wow... w-we really showed him, huh?"

She nervously chuckled. "H-hey, I know I was kind of weird at first... but I really think I'm getting more... uh, more.. m-more confident about guiding you two! S-so don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot... I-I'll protect you guys from him! A-and if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn..." She trailed off, leaving the two confused.

 

"Turn what?" Clover asked.

 

"Um, never mind. Later!" Click...

 

The duo continued forward into the next room, which had another view of the Core. After a few seconds of walking, Alphys began calling again.

 

Ring... "Um.. so.. hey..! I just um.. wanted to ask you two something. Are either of you w-worried about meeting Asgore..?"

 

Frisk and Clover both opened their mouths to speak, but nothing came out. Alphys picked up on their silence. "..w-well, don't worry, okay? Th-the king is a really nice guy.. I'm sure you two can talk to him, and... w-with your human souls, you can pass through the barrier! S-so no worrying, okay? J-just forget about it and smile."

 

'..yeah, nice. The guy who killed five innocent children is nice..' Clover thought to himself, clenching his fist in anger.

 

The two reached another elevator, this time, with the words 'L2' on it. Clover pushed the button, and the two walked in. He then pressed the button labelled 'L3', and the elevator went up. A few seconds later, the elevator stopped, and the door opened. The duo stepped out and looked at the scenery.

 

"Woah.. look at all that machinery."

 

Heading into the next room, Frisk walked up to the monster that looked like a spider. "Welcome to our parlor, dearie~ Interested in some spider pastries? All proceeds go to real spiders~"

 

"No thanks. Me and Clover already have a good amount of food, but thanks for offering!"

 

"Hmm.. well, suit yourself~"

 

Clover went over to the monster who was looking at their donut with a distressed expression. "I... I... I ended up buying a donut... I... I... I didn't want to, but that girl... even though I told her no, she... kept staring at me in this creepy way and licking her lips. N... now I'm outta cash. I- I wonder why she isn't doing the same to that kid over there.."

 

The two proceeded into the next room, which.. was full of vents. Again. "Eugh, I feel sick just by looking at them.."

 

Ring... "Hi, Alphys here! This room is like the room we saw before. There are two puzzles to the north and south... you'll have to solve them both to proceed! I-I recommend that you two split up so it's quicker."

 

She paused. "A-also... I'd like to say! I don't really... like giving away puzzle solutions. But if you need help, just call me, okay? Actually, wait, I have an idea! Let's be friends on UnderNet! Then you can just ping me when you need help!.. wait, we're already friends, aren't we? I signed you up for a duo account, didn't I? You've been reading my posts the whole time... well! I hope! You two agree with me! About Mew Mew 2!" Click...

 

Clover hummed. "UnderNet. Huh. Well- uh- anyways, I'll take the north puzzle."

 

"Okay!"

 

Clover took the path to the north puzzle, and once their feet hit the ground, they began walking over to the puzzle room, only for their soul to blink in.

 

A blushing airplane and another Vulkin appeared. "Tsundereplane attacks. Not because it's jealous Vulkin is paying attention to you.. hm. So its name really is true. It's a tsundere.. thank you Martlet for telling me about that kind of stuff, heh. wait how does she even know what that- o-okay, never mind, gotta focus on the battle!"

 

Clover checked the act menu, went into Tsundereplane's acts, and selected approach. Slowly but surely, Clover got close to Tsundereplane. Just not too close.

 

"E-eeeeh? H-human?"

 

Airplanes with a green outer glow around them fell from above as fire spewed from the sides of the room. Careful, Clover managed to hit three of the airplane's outer glows, which made Tsundereplane blush intensely. A small little victory jingle played in Clover's head.

 

Clover went back into the act menu and decided to encourage the Vulkin with a (decent enough) cowboy accent. "Uh- 'ey, partner! Yer doin' a great job!"

 

"Ahh! Tries the hardest!"

 

Fire began to spew from the sides once more, this time with small bombs dropping from above. Clover got once by a stray fireball before the attack ended.

 

He waved goodbye to the two monsters and spared them, sending them on their way. He entered the puzzle room, and after a few failed attempts, managed to complete it. Heading outside, he noticed that two kids were now there. He walked up to the red one.

 

"My fave Mettaton Moment(TM)? Right when everything looks the baddest he poses dramatically. Like when he's on a cooking show and the eggs don't turn out right."

 

'Yeah, I'd rather not want to see anymore of his cooking shows.' He thought to himself, frowning. He went up to the green kid on the other side of the room.

 

"My fave Mettaton Moment(TM) is when he beats up the heel-turning villains! Even if it's during what's supposed to be a quiz show."

 

Clover hummed, stepping out into the previous vent area. As he bounced vent to vent, something in him, for some reason, felt like he had already been here once. Like he had come into this very room when he was still twelve.

 

Brushing it aside, he watched as the giant door fully opened, and waited for Frisk. A minute later, Frisk walked up to his side.

 

"Uhm- Alphys wanted me to ask if the three of us could like.. watch a TV show together sometime. Something called Mew Mew Kissy."

 

"I mean.. I dunno, TV shows aren't really my thing. You could go, though!"

 

"Mmm.. I'll think about it!"

 

"Ugh, I just realized that if you go, I'll have to go too.."

 

Frisk quietly giggled at Chara's comment, and the two headed through the giant door. Clover stared at the cobwebs in the distance as Frisk walked up to the save point and saved. They both reached for the save point.

 

"The smell of cobwebs fills the air. You're filled with determination, and Clover's filled with a sense of justice."

 

The two moved through the purple building, avoiding the cobwebs which were on the floor.

 

Frisk tugged on Clover's gloved hand. "Hey, do you think this is where that spider lady-"

 

"Ahuhuhuhu... did you hear what they said?"

 

Clover hummed. "Well, there's your answer."

 

"They said a human wearing a striped shirt and another human wearing a cowboy hat will come through. I heard that they hate spiders."

 

Clover looked down at the unavoidable cobwebs which covered the floor. With no choice, the duo continued forward. The cobwebs instantly latched onto their feet, making them move slower.

 

"I heard that they love to stomp on them. I heard that they like to tear their legs off."

 

Their movement speed came to a crawl as the cobwebs engulfed their legs.

 

No matter how hard Frisk tried to pull them off, they wouldn't budge. "What kind of cobwebs are these??"

 

"Well, they're definitely not the normal type. that's for sure."

 

As they came to the center of the room, a strange sound came from their left, and they turned to face it.

 

"I heard..."

 

The spider lady appeared from the shadows, sitting on a giant cobweb. Purple spiders came from every corner, eager to observe the fight.

 

"...that they're awfully stingy with their money. Ahuhuhuhu... both of you think your tastes are too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearies? Ahuhuhu... I disagree with that notion. I think your tastes... are exactly what this next batch needs!"

 

She laughed, and the battle began, causing the cobwebs on the floor to let go of the two just enough so that they could move. Their souls appeared in front of them, and the world around them dimmed out. Music began playing as Muffet focused on the battle.

 

"Muffet traps you!"

 

Frisk started off the turn with checking Muffet. "Muffet. Eight ATK, zero DEF. If she invites you to her parlor, excuse yourself."

 

"Don't look so blue, my dearies~" She poured two teacups filled with a strange, purple liquid into the battle box, which filled it up completely. A few seconds later, it dissipated, revealing Frisk's newly colored soul. Like in Undyne's fight, Clover's soul wasn't affected.

 

"Ah, that's.. strange. Your soul should have changed.. oh well, it matters not! Ahuhuhu~"

 

"What's with those lines?"

 

"I dunno.." Frisk muttered to themself. Frisk tried moving diagonally, but it only move the soul up a line and slightly to the right.

 

"Oh, that's weeeird.."

 

"Feeling really lucky right now that my soul can't change colors for some reason." Clover said, smirking.

 

Clover entered the act menu and tried struggling to escape the web, which only made Muffet laugh in their face. Their souls appeared, and giant spiders began coming in from the sides.

 

With their limited movement area, they dodged most of them, but got hit by two.

 

"Smells like freshly baked cobwebs."

 

Frisk spared Muffet, as there were no other options, other than giving her money.

 

"Proud that you two are going to make a delicious cake~ Ahuhuhu~"

 

This turn was focused on Clover, as spiders diagonally came in, completely ignoring Frisk. Clover dodged out of the way of the spiders, which was way easier considering they didn't have to worry about staying on the lines.

 

"All the spiders clap along to the music."

 

"W-why can't you just let us go?" Frisk asked.

 

"Let you go? Don't be silly~"

 

More spiders came in from the right and the left, focusing on Frisk this time. They were all in a pattern, which made avoiding them not so bad.

 

"Muffet does a synchronized dance with the other spiders."

 

"Your souls are going to make every spider very happy~"

 

The spiders grew aggravated, focusing on both of the humans this time. They were faster and were more sporadic with their placements, which got Frisk hit. After they were all gone, three donuts bounced around the room, which didn't hit either of them.

 

"I have a bad feeling that she's gonna bring something out."

 

"How can you tell?" Frisk whispered to Chara.

 

"Oh, how rude of me! I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet~"

 

Clover's eyes darted around the room. "Your what now?"

 

"It's breakfast time, isn't it? Have fun, you three~"

 

The entire building seemed to move as spiders came in from the right again, but their attacks were fairly easy to dodge. Once the place stopped moving, however, a giant, cupcake-like spider monster emerged from the shadows.

 

Without hesitation, Clover grabbed Frisk's handed and began bolting it, despite their soul being a slight hinderance. Muffet's pet was right behind them as they dodged the incoming spiders. Eventually, after eating enough spiders, Muffet's pet retreated into the shadows.

 

"Heck yeah! Nice going!"

 

Wiping the sweat off of his forehead, Clover skipped his turn. "The person who warned us about you two... they had such a sweet smile~ and... ahuhu~ It's strange, but I swore I saw them in the shadows... changing shape...?"

 

"Who's she talking about..?" Clover muttered.

 

Frisk ducked and dodged the barrage of croissants which acted like boomerangs. "I- I don't think croissants-"

 

"Oh, it's lunch time, isn't it? And I forgot to feed my pet~"

 

Clover gritted his teeth. "Again??"

 

The two went through the same charade again, dodging the oncoming spiders and running away from Muffet's pet as even more spiders rushed towards them. Once the pet had eaten enough spiders, it backed down once more.

 

"With that money, the spider clans can finally be reunited~"

 

The two humans looked confused. "Neither of you have heard? Spiders have been trapped in the Ruins for generations!"

 

Before the duo could react, two donuts hit them square in the face. As soon as the attack ended, Clover dug around in their satchel and pulled out the slice of cake Dalv had given them, then threw it over to Frisk, who caught it perfectly in their hands. As Frisk scarfed down the cake, Clover pulled out the trail mix Martlet had given them and ate it as well.

 

Muffet watched as the two ate their food, then cleared her throat. "Even if they go under the door, Snowdin's fatal cold is impassable alone."

 

Clover quickly ducked as a croissant went over their head and flew back to the direction it came from, then moved out of the way of another croissant that was heading their way.

 

"But with the money from your souls, we'll be able to rent them a heated limo, or, best case scenario, two heated limos~ And with all of the leftovers...? We could have a nice vacation~ Or even build a spider baseball field~ But enough of that... it's time for dinner, isn't it? Ahuhuhu~"

 

"I mean.. I guess it's nice that she cares for her spiders? Wait did she-"

 

'Oh, you have gotta be kidding me.' Clover thought to himself, frowning.

 

Yet again, Clover and Frisk moved out of the way of the spiders, then booked it as soon as they saw the pet emerge from the shadows. Once Muffet's pet relented, she looked surprised.

 

"Both of you are still alive? Ahuhuhu~ Oh, my pet~ Looks like it's time for dessert~"

 

A small spider (somehow) holding a telegram ran into view, and handed Muffet the telegram. She picked it up, and examined what it said. "Huh? A telegram from the spiders in the Ruins? What? They're saying that they saw the one in the striped shirt, and... they helped donate to their cause! Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding~ I thought they were someone that hated spiders~ And, while I don't see anything relating to you," she pointed at Clover. "in the cowboy hat, seeing as you're the striped one's friend, I'll let you pass. The person who asked for those souls... they must have meant a DIFFERENT human in a striped shirt and a DIFFERENT human wearing a cowboy hat~"

 

She giggled. "Sorry for all the trouble~ Ahuhuhu~ I'll make it up to you two~ Both of you can come back here any time... and, for no charge at all.. I'll wrap you two up and let you play with my pet again!"

 

Frisk nervously tugged at their sweater. "Uh, w-we-"

 

"Ahuhuhuhuhuhu~ Just kidding~ I'll spare you two now~"

 

With no hesitation, Clover spared Muffet, causing Frisk's soul to return to normal.

 

"You won! You each earned zero XP and.. zero gold. Jeez, and she said you guys are stingy.."

 

"Ahuhuhuhu... that was fun! See you again, dearies!"

 

"Yep, yep.. uh- bye!" Clover said, quickly grabbing Frisk's hand and running out of the building. Instantly, Clover recognized where the two were.

 

"Oh, hey! I recognize this place! This was where those spiders were renovating, so UG Apartments is really close now! Wonder where that guy that bought that house is, though.."

 

The two continued forward, glancing at the poster that was to their left. As they reached the center of the next area, something in them told them to stop, and so they did.

 

"OH? THOSE HUMANS..."

 

'Oh, seriously??'

 

Mettaton peeked out of the top of the wall. "COULD IT BE...? MY TWO TRUE LOVERS?"

 

He lifted his skirt up while he descended the stairs, as a song began playing in the background. Once he was at the bottom of the stairs, he inched closer to the two, before stopping.

 

"OH MY LOVE, PLEASE RUN AWAY.. MONSTER KING.. FORBIDS YOUR STAY. HUMANS MUST.. LIVE FAR APART! EVEN IF.. IT BREAKS MY HEART..! THEY'LL PUT YOU TWO.. IN THE DUNGEOOON. IT'LL SUCK, AND THEN YOU TWO'LL DIE A LOT. REALLY SAD, YOU TWO ARE GONNA DIE, CRY CRY CRY.. SO SAD IT'S HAPPENING."

 

The music stopped. "SO SAD. SO SAD THAT YOU TWO ARE GOING TO THE DUNGEON."

 

Clover looked at Frisk, then back at Mettaton. "Wait, what?"

 

"WELL, TOODLES!" He pulled out a device and pressed the singular button on it, which caused a trap door to open beneath the two. Thankfully, they stuck the landing, and Mettaton floated down.

 

"OH NO! WHATEVER SHALL I DO! MY LOVERS HAVE BEEN CAST AWAY INTO THE DUNGEON. A DUNGEON WITH A PUZZLE SO DASTARDLY, MY PARAMOURS WILL SURELY PERISH!"

 

The three looked to the left, where a strange, colored tile puzzle was. Something about it seemed.. familiar to Clover, though.. something like..

 

'Wait.. where's El Bailador's club??'

 

"O, HEAVENS HAVE MERCY! THE HORRIBLE COLORED TILE MAZE! EACH COLORED TILE HAS ITS OWN SADISTIC FUNCTION. FOR EXAMPLE, A GREEN TILE SOUNDS A NOISE, AND THEN YOU MUST FIGHT A MONSTER. RED TILES WILL... ACTUALLY, WAIT A SECOND. DIDN'T WE SEE THIS PUZZLE ABOUT A HUNDRED ROOMS AGO?"

 

"In Snowdin? Yeah!" Frisk yelled, making sure that Mettaton heard them as he was above the two.

 

"THAT'S RIGHT. THE SHORT ONE REMEMBERS ALL THE RULES, DON'T THEY? GREAT... THEN I WON'T WASTE YOUR TIME REPEATING THEM! OH, AND YOU TWO'D BETTER HURRY. BECAUSE IF NONE OF YOU DON'T GET THROUGH IN 30 SECONDS..."

 

A giant wall of fire appeared to the right of the humans. "YOU'LL BE INCINERATED BY THESE JETS OF FIRE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHAHA... HA... HA! MY POOR LOVERS! I'M SO FILLED WITH GRIEF, I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING! GOOD LUCK, DARLINGS!"

 

Mettaton began singing the same song from before, although at a much faster pace, and with different lyrics. With no other choice, Clover and Frisk pushed through the conveyor belt which was moving the opposite direction, and stepped onto the first pink tile.

 

"O-okay, uhm, we gotta move fast, so-" Before Frisk could finish their sentence, Clover quickly grabbed their hand and began moving through the puzzle, somehow getting the correct path. Eventually, the two reached the end, and a little victory jingle played.

 

"How did we-"

 

"Yeah, how the heck did you and Clover just.."

 

Clover smirked. "Well, my name's not Clover for nothing."

 

"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU TWO MADE IT THROUGH THE PUZZLE!!! AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, THE FLAMES WILL BE DEACTIVATED! NO! MORE! FIRE!"

 

Just like Mettaton said, the flames deactivated. "...BUT IT'S AS THE PHRASE GOES. 'OUT OF THE FIRE, AND INTO THE FRYING PAN.' THAT'S RIGHT, DARLINGS! EVEN IF YOU MANAGE TO BEAT THE HEAT... YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND MY HOT METAL BODY!"

 

"..pause."

 

"PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR MY-"

 

Ring... "Watch out!! I'll save you guys!! Flames, deactivate!!.. huh?"

 

"THE HUMANS FINISHED THE PUZZLE. I ALREADY TURNED OFF THE FLAMES. IN FACT, I WAS ABOUT TO FIGHT THE HUMANS."

 

"Wh-wh-what? TH-THAT puzzle? I mean, uhh... great job! We've got him on the ropes, now!"

 

"ON THE ROPES? HA! I ONLY DEACTIVATED THE FLAMES KNOWING THAT ALPHYS WOULD HAVE ANYWAY... NOW, WHERE WERE WE? OH YES. I WAS GOING TO ERADICATE YOU TWO!"

 

Mettaton floated down, starting the fight. "Mettaton attacks!"

 

"THIS IS IT, DARLINGS! SAY GOODBYE!"

 

Frisk's phone began ringing. "IS THAT THE SMALL ONE'S PHONE? THEY BETTER ANSWER IT!"

 

They answered the call and put it on speaker. "H-hey!! Th-this seems bad, but don't worry! Th-there's one last thing I forgot to mention! You two know how nothing can damage him, right..? W-well, there's one thing that actually CAN! Erm- Cowboy human, your bullets can damage him! Give it a shot!"

 

Clover hummed and quickly drew his revolver, firing six rounds straight into Mettaton's rectangular body.

 

"OOOH! OOOOOOOH! YOU'VE DEFEATED ME! HOW CAN THIS BE, YOU WERE STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT, ECT. WHATEVER." Mettaton rolled away, leaving the three, and exiting the battle.

 

"Wow."

 

"That's pretty convenient, Clover!"

 

He stared at his revolver, before putting it back into his holster. "..I dunno, something didn't.. feel right when I did tha-"

 

"L-looks like you beat him!" Alphys's voice slightly startled him. "Y-you two did a really great job out there."

 

"All thanks to you!" Frisk said, smiling.

 

"What? Oh no, I mean... you two were the ones doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phone and made a bomb defusal device. I-it's, uh, kinda funny t-too! hehe.. i-if, er, the cowboy wasn't alive, I would've been able to just find a way to put their soul trait into the phone!"

 

Clover narrowed their eyes. "What?"

 

"U-uh, nothing! Nothing! But, umm.. h-hey, this might sound strange, but... c-can I tell you guys something?"

She paused. "B-before I met you two, I d-didn't really... I didn't really like myself very much. For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn't do a-anything w-without...  w-without ending up letting everyone down. B-but...! Guiding you two has made me feel... a lot better about myself. So... thanks for letting me help you guys... uhhh, anyway, we're almost to the Core. It's just past MTT Resort. Come on! Let's finish this!" Click...

 

"..MTT Resort? What's that?" Clover muttered to themself.

 

As the two went forward, Clover looked at the grayed out tiles.

 

"Why're they staring at the tiles like that?"

 

"Something wrong, Clover?" Frisk asked.

 

"It's uh.. it's nothing. A friend of mine used to own this area. Called it Club Danza. You should've seen me, I had a killer dance move!"

 

Frisk giggled. The two walked up the staircase, and were greeted by the two very clearly in love Royal Guards and a bunny guy who seemed to be selling ice cream. They walked past them, heading to the right.

 

They walked up to the small flame guy from before. "Hey, hey! Did you guys remember my name?"

 

"Yeah! Heats Flamesman, right?" Clover asked, pointing a finger gun at him.

 

Heats Flamesman's mouth was wide open. "Wh-WHAT!? You REMEMBER!? How could I be so easily defeateeeeeeeeed!?"

 

Chuckling, the two went back to the room they were in before and headed up the stairs. Clover furrowed his brows as he looked at the building in front of him and Frisk.

 

"What.. the hell..?" Clover clenched his fists. "What is- What did he do to-"

 

Frisk tugged on his vest. "Hey, maybe.. maybe they just.. sold it? That could be a possibility, right? Worst case scenario, we could just.. really kick Mettaton's butt for it! We're going to defeat him anyway, right?"

 

"..yeah. Yeah, we're going to kick his a- I mean- butt! Let's just- what's this?" He picked up the piece of paper that was on the floor.

 

Hey! Go up to the creepy alleyway on the right for some great deals!

 

"Huh. Someone set up a shop there. Let's see what they have! C'mon, Frisk."

 

The two headed into the alleyway, and were met with an alligator and a cat.

 

"Hey! Check it out!"

"Yeah! Check it out!"

 

Clover and Frisk looked at the items that they were selling. and decided that they should stock up on some healing items, as the stuff that Clover had was close to running out (somehow).

 

"Luckily I saved up a lot of G back in the Wild East. We'll take, uhm, eight junk food, please." They said, placing 200 G on the counter.

 

"Bratty! We're gonna be rich!"

 

"I'll take four." Frisk said, grabbing four of the junk food, while Clover grabbed the other four, and instead of placing it in their bottomless satchel, they actually placed it into their non-bottomless pockets.

 

"Say, is your hat and revolver for sale? We could pay you a lot!"

"Yeah, like, we'd probably get the money back anyway!"

 

Clover scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, they aren't for sale."

 

"Aw bummer! Well, it's fine!"

 

"Well, uh, that's it. Thanks, ladies!" Clover and Frisk both waved goodbye and walked out of the alleyway.

 

"Like, see you later!"

"Like, later and stuff!"

 

The duo headed over to Sans, who didn't seem to mind at all that they walked past him without saying anything. "hey. i heard you two're going to the core. how about grabbing some dinner with me first?"

 

Clover crossed their arms. "What do you say, Frisk?"

 

"Sure! Dinner sounds nice."

 

"great, thanks for treating me. over here. i know a shortcut."

 

The three went to the left alleyway, and in a flash, they were all sat at a table. Slow music played through the speakers. "well, here we are. so. your journey's almost over, huh? you two must really wanna go home. hey. i know the feeling. though... maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you."

 

He absentmindedly played with the fork on the table. "down here you've already got food, drink, friends... i know you," he pointed at Clover. "know especially what i'm talkin about."

"so is all of this that you two are doing.. really worth it?.. eh, forget it. i'm rootin' for ya, kids."

 

"..it's nice that Clover's throwing this life away for you, Frisk. I wouldn't do the same since I- uh never mind."

 

"now, originally, i was gonna tell a story, but.. seein' as the cowboy one's already basically done what i promised for free, i wont bore ya with it. now, random question, but how's your undernet page doing?"

 

"Uh, lemme check.." Frisk said, pulling out their phone. They pressed the UnderNet button and looked at their page.

 

Clover shuffled closer to Frisk, and looked at the phone. "Wow, that's.. a lot of friend requests."

 

"you're quite the popular type, eh? that's nice."

 

Frisk went into their messages and began scrolling through all of the chat invites, before Clover stopped their finger, and looked closer at the screen. "..Clover, I remember your jaundices?? What does that mean??"

 

They shrugged, putting the phone back into their pocket. "anyways, you two have been doing pretty well for yourselves, huh? i mean, look at you. neither of you have died a single time.

 

Frisk opened their mouth to say something, but quickly shut it, and copied Clover's skeptical look at Sans. "hey, what are those looks supposed to mean? am i wrong...?"

He chuckled, looking to the side, before taking a few steps forward. "heh. well, that's all. take care of yourselves, kids. 'cause someone really cares about you two."

 

And with that, he walked off, disappearing within a flash. Frisk hummed. "I wonder how he does that.."

 

Clover gave Frisk a quick tap on their shoulder. "Hey, you know what? This is could be a good time for me to tell you about my friends. I did say that I'd talk to you about them once we got to a pretty safe place, right? Here, we still have those hot dogs that we got from Sans. We can eat them if you're hungry."

 

"Sure!"

 

"..hm. Kinda interested to hear what kinda things they did with their friends."

 

~~~

 

Martlet rushed over to the door as soon as she heard the doorbell, and let everyone in.

 

"So, what's this about, feathers?" Starlo asked.

 

"OKOKSOIWAS-UH-IWASWATCHINGTHETVRIGHT??ANDTHEN-UH-THE-I-"

 

Ceroba put her paw on Martlet's shoulder. "Breathe, Martlet."

 

"O-okay, okay, so.. I was watching TV, and I was flipping through the channels, right? And there was nothing good on, so as a last resort, I went onto the MTT channel, and, well.."

 

She grabbed the remote and rewound the program, stopping on a frame which showed Frisk and Clover.

 

Moray's mouth was slightly open. "Is- is that-"

 

"Clover.." Dalv finished.

Notes:

If there are any inconsistencies or errors, please let me know in the comments! That goes for all chapters as well.

Chapter 16: You're Filled With a Sense of Justice

Summary:

The humans travel through the core and face Mettaton then travel through New Home, meeting a familiar face at the end of a hall.

Notes:

Hey, been a while, amiright lads or amiright lads?

So, where have I been? To be honest, nowhere really. I'm so sorry for the long wait between chapters, but it was honestly just a mix of burn out and kind of getting out of my UTY phase.

I'm back though, and while I may not be in the UTY fandom as much as I used to be, I promise that this story WILL be done. I will never leave this story unfinished.

Stepping through the doors and shutting them behind them, the two humans found themselves staring at two shadowy figures quickly running away into the Core.

 

Ring... "Huh? Who are they? N-nobody else is s-supposed to be here..."

 

"Weird.." Frisk commented, putting their hand on their chin.

 

Alphys nervously chuckled. "Oh well! We can't worry about that now!"

 

When Alphys ended the call, Clover looked down at the bottomless abyss below. "Wonder how big this place is."

 

Frisk walked over to Clover's side, crossing their arms. "That's a big drop.."

 

"I know, right? Sucks that the elevator is jammed, or.. whatever's happening to it. That's how I got to New Home when I first found myself in Hotland, anyway."

 

"Of course we gotta go the long way though.." Chara grumbled, mimicking the motion of kicking a rock.

 

The duo crossed the bridge and entered through the doorway. The Core was.. incredibly blue, to say the least. There was an elevator in front of the two, which had some green text written onto a panel above it.

 

Ring... "Ready? this is it, guys! Take the elevator to the top of the Core!"

 

The humans promptly walked up to the elevator, and Clover gave the down button a quick press, only for it to not do anything. Raising an eyebrow, he pressed the up button, which didn't do anything either.

 

Clover walked back over to Frisk and leaned closer to Frisk's phone speaker. "Uh, Alphys? The elevator isn't working."

 

Alphys quickly rummaged through what sounded to be papers. "What? The elevator should be working... w-well then! How about you two go to the right and keep heading up!"

 

Doing as Alphys told them, the two walked into the room on the right, only to be met with a large pit. "Wooah, fire in a pit! Awesome!"

 

"Wh... where'd this pit come from? You should be able to cross here..." Alphys said, a tinge of nervousness in her voice.

 

Clover tapped Frisk's shoulder and motioned for them to follow him. The two headed back into the room they were previously in and went to the room on the left.

 

"Okay, you guys should be able to make it through here.. wait- w-watch out!"

 

Before either of them could react, a monster with two strange orbs floating around it encountered them.

 

"Madjick pops out of its hat!"

 

Clover began the turn by checking the act menu. After a few seconds of thinking, they decided to select stare, and stared at the Corner Orb.

 

"The intimidating 'Corner Orb'  was weakened by Clover's glare."

 

"Please and thank you."

 

The corner orb appeared in the top left corner of the battle box, and spat out multiple cross symbols, before switching to the top right corner and resuming. Clover rolled out of the way of the oncoming crosses, while Frisk cautiously moved and ducked out of the way of the attacks.

 

"Madjick does a mysterious jig."

 

Frisk selected the same act that Clover had done, except they stared at the Chaser Orb. "The unrelenting 'Chaser Orb' was weakened by your glare."

 

"Alakazam!!"

 

Three orbs began chasing the two, and bounced off of each other every time they made contact. The attack was much easier to dodge than the Corner Orb's one.

 

"Madjick's orbs are incapacitated."

 

Clover spared the enemy and crossed their arms, smiling. "Forgot I could roll like that! ThankyouStarlo."

 

"You won! You each earned zero XP and sixty gold."

 

Once the world's colors came back, Alphys came back to the phone. "Th-that was close... wh... why are there so many monsters here? I mean... it's no problem, r-r-right?"

 

Frisk nodded. "Yeah! We'll just spare them like we always do!"

 

That seemed to lighten up Alphys's mood. "W-w-we've just got to keep heading forward!"

 

Click... "..is it me, or is Alphys acting.. a little weird?" Clover asked, turning to Frisk.

 

"Whaddaya mean?"

 

He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. "Never mind, let's just uhm.. keep going."

 

Heading through the doorway, the duo were met with a giant, cyan laser in front of them, and a switch to their left. 

 

Ring... "Looks like you guys can't proceed until you hit the switch. B-but, those lasers will activate when you do."

 

'Lasers? Plural?' Clover thought to themself, only to look up and notice that, indeed, there were more of those blue and orange laser.. things.

 

"Umm..." Yet again, the sound of papers rustling came through the speaker. "Looks like they'll come in this order. Orange. Orange. Blue. G-got it? Move until the third one!" Click...

 

Frisk moved over to the switch and went back to Clover's side, only for them to get damaged by the first blue laser, causing them to fall to the ground onto their knees. When they were hit, the other lasers became transparent, and passed through the two without damaging them.

 

"Hey- wh- the colors were flipped??"

 

Clover, startled, quickly kneeled down in front of Frisk, putting his hand onto their shoulder. "You okay, partner?"

 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just hurt a little.."

 

He nodded and stood back up, helping them back up to their feet. Once the two crossed the bridge, Frisk's phone started ringing again. "Oh my god... are- are you two okay?? Are one of you hurt? I... I'm so sorry. I... I gave you guys the wrong order... b-but, uh, everything's going to be fine, okay? L-let's just keep heading to the right."

 

The duo walked into the next room, which was a crossroads.

 

"A crossroads... uhhh..." she paused. "tr-try heading to the right!" Click...

 

As soon as Clover took a single step, Alphys began ringing again. "W-wait! No, I think you should h-head up!"

 

"Oookay then."

 

The two headed into the room to their left only to be met with a giant, knight looking monster. "Knight Knight blocks the way!"

 

Frisk started by using the sing act, causing Knight Knight to look sleepy. "You sing an old lullaby. Knight Knight starts to look sleepy..."

 

A ball floated down into the battle box, and in a flash, its shape changed to a crescent. Small meteorites began falling from the top left of the box, which hit Frisk and Clover twice.

 

"Knight Knight watches quietly."

 

Clover went into the act menu and selected their whistle act, which made Knight Knight fall sleep.

 

"Knight Knight is snoring."

 

Quietly, Frisk spared her. "You won! You each earned zero XP and seventy gold."

 

Ring... "Sorry... I... I...  I thought that... let's try the right path instead."

 

In the next room, Frisk and Clover were met with even more lasers. "M... more lasers... okay, I... I won't mess around this time. I'll just deactivate the lasers and let you through."

The sound of frantic button pressing was heard on the phone. "They're... they're not turning off... I can't turn them off, I..."

 

"Alphys, it's fine! Calm down, okay? You got this." Clover reassured.

 

"Y.. yeah! yeah, I.. I got this! I'm going to turn off the p-power for that whole node. Then you two can walk across."

 

A few seconds of silence later, the room became darker, and the lasers turned off. "Okay, go!"

 

The two sprinted down the bridge, and as they neared the halfway mark, Alphys's voice rang out from the phone. "W-WAIT! STOP!"

 

"STOPSTOPSTOPSTOP-"

 

Clover and Frisk stopped in their tracks as the power suddenly turned on. "Phew.."

 

"Th-the power... it's turning itself back on. D-damn it... th-this isn't supposed to... I- I'm gonna turn it off again. When it turns off, move a little, and then stop. Okay? Y-you guys won't get h-h-hurt."

 

When Alphys ended the call, the power turned back off. Slowly but surely, the two made their way to the other side of the room, stopping whenever the power turned back on. As the two stepped off the bridge, Alphys began calling.

 

"S-see? I've got everything under control. Everything's under control!"

 

Clover and Frisk headed into the next room, which branched out to three directions.

 

"Okay! Y-you should... you should... I don't know? This doesn't look like my map at all... I'm sorry... I... I..."

 

Frisk smiled. "It's okay, Alphys! We'll find the exit!"

 

"..okay. I- I have to go." Click...

 

"..yeah, Clover's right. There's something weird about her."

 

"Mhm, I.. I noticed that too." Frisk muttered to themself.

 

They walked over to the save point in front of them and reached out. Its warmth was.. somewhat comforting, now that the two were so close to the end of the journey.

 

"The air is filled with the smell of ozone... it fills you with determination, and it fills Clover with a sense of justice."

 

Clover walked over to the panel on his left and read it. "North, the warrior's path. West, the sage's path. Any path leads to The End.. huh. Let's- let's take the sage path."

 

"Yeah, warrior path sounds.. kinda scary, hehe.."

 

"Pssshh, wiiimps..."

 

Frisk looked at the general vicinity of where Chara's voice came from and gave them an annoyed expression. "..okayokaysorry."

 

The two passed the conveyor belt to their left which carried several large ice blocks, and went over to the panel which split off from the path.

 

Clover hummed. "Solve this puzzle, and The End will open. Ominous.."

 

"You should probably let Clover do the puzzle since, weeell... you know."

 

Frisk sighed. "..yeah okay. Uhm- I'll wait by the panel while you do the puzzle."

 

Clover chuckled. "Okay then, partner. I'm gonna guess Chara told you to let me do the puzzle, judging by the tone of your voice. Be back in a second."

 

He entered the room that contained the puzzle, which had the same red floor as the puzzle rooms in Hotland. After some trial and error, he found the solution, and shot the white arrow twice. Once the victory jingle finished, Clover went back to Frisk.

 

Frisk frowned. "Cloooveeer, teach me your ways! How does one get so good at puzzles??"

 

"I dunno, partner. I guess I was just born with puzzle solving skills, hehe. You should've seen the puzzles in the Steamworks! That passcode one took me.. way too long."

 

The two continued forward, entering a room which had a singular trash can in the middle. Clover placed their hand in, and after a few seconds of trying to feel the inside of it, they pulled out a burger.

 

"Oh, score!" Both said in unison.

 

"..you two are weird."

 

Heading back and taking the route to their left, the two found themselves at another crossroads.

 

Clover walked up to the panel once more. "Traverse the northern room, and The End will open."

 

The duo walked into the northern room, which was, for some reason, extremely long. Clover noticed a switch at the end of the room.

 

Taking a few steps onto the bridge, two monsters encountered them. A Whimsalot and a Final Froggit. "Whimsalot and Final Froggit appeared."

 

After a few turns of acting and sparing the two, they took yet another couple of steps, only for more monsters to show up.

 

Clover squinted his eyes. "Oh, don't tell me we have to go across this bridge while encountering a load of monsters.."

 

"I think that's exactly what you two are gonna have to do."

 

~~~

 

After finally sparing the last monster on the bridge, Frisk flipped the switch, turning it from red to green. Heading all the way back, the two found themselves back at the Core Branch save point.

 

The two went east this time, which, as the panel on the wall said, led to The End. Going forward and taking a right, Clover and Frisk both looked at the bridge with a nervous expression.

 

Clover looked at the panel to their left. "I cannot fight, I cannot think. But, with patience, I will make my way through. Oookay then.."

 

"You know, I.. I can't believe we're this close to the end of.. well, the underground, I guess. It.. feels like it's only been a few minutes since we were in Waterfall." Frisk said, tugging at their sweater.

 

Clover put their hand onto the top of their hat. "I know, right? It's, uh.. kinda crazy."

 

"You could say that again.."

 

Clover paused. "..wait are we gonna have to fight a bunch of monsters on that bridge??"

 

"Oh mY GOOOOOOD!"

 

~~~

 

Frisk and Clover both let out a sigh of relief after stepping off the, albeit much cooler looking, bridge. Clover stopped in front of the large door, which had a strange symbol above it, while Frisk saved for them.

 

"Behind this door must be the elevator to the King's castle. You're filled with determination, and Clover's filled with a sense of justice."

 

"You know.." Clover began, prompting Frisk to look back at him. "This whole thing has been going.. really smoothly. Too smoothly. And.. darn, I dunno, I guess.. I feel like something bad's about to happen. Gut feeling I guess."

 

Frisk walked up to his side. "Well, whatever happens.. I know we'll get through it anyway!"

 

A slight smile formed on Clover's face. "Yeah.. yeah, you're right. Let's go."

 

"..good luck."

 

As Clover and Frisk stepped through the door, the atmosphere drastically changed. The room was almost pitch black, with the only thing visible in the middle being..

 

"..Mettaton." Frisk and Clover said at the same time.

 

"OH YES. THERE YOU ARE, DARLINGS. IT'S TIME TO HAVE OUR LITTLE SHOWDOWN. IT'S TIME TO FINALLY STOP THE 'MALFUNCTIONING' ROBOT."

 

He paused. "NOT! MALFUNCTION? REPROGRAMMING? GET REAL. THIS WAS ALL JUST A BIG SHOW. AN ACT."

 

Clover squinted his eyes. "Wait, what??"

 

"Y-yeah, what??" Frisk added.

 

"ALPHYS HAS BEEN PLAYING YOU TWO FOR A FOOL THE WHOLE TIME. AS SHE WATCHED YOU TWO ON THE SCREEN, SHE GREW ATTACHED TO YOUR ADVENTURE."

"SHE DESPERATELY WANTED TO BE APART OF IT. SO SHE DECIDED TO INSERT HERSELF INTO YOUR STORY. SHE REACTIVATED PUZZLES. SHE DISABLED ELEVATORS. SHE ENLISTED ME TO TORMENT YOU BOTH."

 

Clover tried to speak, but no words would come out. They looked at Frisk, who looked back at them.

 

"But-.. so- so she was.." Frisk stammered out.

 

"..dang."

 

"ALL SO SHE COULD SAVE YOU FROM DANGERS THAT DIDN'T EXIST. ALL SO YOU TWO WOULD THINK SHE'S THE GREAT PERSON... THAT SHE'S NOT. AND NOW, IT'S TIME FOR HER FINEST HOUR. AT THIS VERY MOMENT, ALPHYS IS WAITING OUTSIDE THE ROOM. DURING OUR 'BATTLE,' SHE WILL INTERRUPT. SHE WILL PRETEND TO 'DEACTIVATE' ME, 'SAVING' YOU TWO ONE FINAL TIME. FINALLY. SHE'LL BE THE HEROINE OF YOUR ADVENTURE."

"YOU TWO WILL REGARD TO HER SO HIGHLY SHE'LL EVEN BE ABLE TO CONVINCE YOU BOTH NOT TO LEAVE... OR NOT."

 

Mettaton emitted a robotic chuckle. "YOU SEE, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS PREDICTABLE CHARADE. I HAVE NO DESIRE TO HARM HUMANS. FAR FROM IT, ACTUALLY. MY ONLY DESIRE IS TO ENTERTAIN. AFTER ALL, THE AUDIENCE DESERVES A GOOD SHOW, DON'T THEY? AND WHAT'S A GOOD SHOW... WITHOUT A PLOT TWIST?"

 

The entrance behind Clover and Frisk shut, causing the place to slightly shake. Frantic knocking came from the other side of it.

 

"H-hey!!! Wh-wh-what's going on!? Th-the door just locked itself!" Alphys yelled.

 

With a snap of Mettaton's fingers, the room was engulfed in a vibrant red. A bright light cast upon Mettaton, as he continued to hold his hand high in the air for dramatic effect. "SORRY, FOLKS! THE OLD PROGRAM'S BEEN CANCELLED!!! BUT WE'VE GOT A FINALE WHICH WILL DRIVE YOU WILD!!"

 

The floor shook, then began ascending at a rapid speed, causing the two to stumble before taking their battle stances.

 

Mettaton stretched out his arms as his screen flickered violently between yellow and red. A high-stakes version of his theme blasted from the walls as the audience began fading in. "REAL DRAMA!! REAL ACTION!! REAL BLOODSHED!! ON OUR NEW SHOW... ATTACK OF THE KILLER ROBOT!"

 

Taking a deep breath, Clover's hand hovered over their holster, itching for their weapon. They squinted as their eyes locked onto Mettaton's screen.

 

'Here goes nothing. I really hope that Alphys wasn't lying about my revolver working on him as well.."

 

As usual, the world dimmed out, covering (mostly) everything in black and white.

 

"Mettaton attacks!"

 

"YES, I WAS THE ONE THAT RE-ARRANGED THE CORE! I WAS THE ONE THAT HIRED EVERYONE TO KILL YOU TWO! THAT, HOWEVER, WAS A SHORT-SIGHTED PLAN. DO EITHER OF YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD BE A HUNDRED TIMES BETTER?"

 

Mettaton stopped, waiting for the two to answer. Instead, they just stood there, not moving out of their battle stances. Mettaton imitated a coughing motion, quickly glancing between the cameras and the two humans.

 

"AHEM, KILLING THE BOTH OF YOU MYSELF!!"

 

Just as Mettaton finished talking, Clover quickly drew their revolver, firing all six rounds straight at Mettaton, which.. bounced straight off him.

 

"THAT WORTHLESS PEA-SHOOTER WON'T WORK ON ME, DARLING. DON'T EITHER OF YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT ACTING IS!?"

 

Clover sighed, reloading his six-shooter. "Oooof course.."

 

"Mettaton."

 

After Mettaton's 'turn' had ended, Frisk curiously entered the act menu. With a grin, they selected the burn act.

 

"Uh- maybe you shouldn't- uh.." Chara hit their chest a couple of times. "AHEM! This is probably what you'll do if things continue in this manner."

 

"Awe, bummer.." Frisk muttered, crossing their arms in disappointment.

 

"LISTEN, DARLINGS. I'VE SEEN YOU TWO FIGHT." The two smirked. Clearly Mettaton knew how- "YOU'RE WEAK. BOTH OF YOU." Their smirks instantly turned into an angry frown.

"IF YOU CONTINUE FORWARD, ASGORE WILL TAKE YOUR SOULS. AND WITH YOUR SOULS, ASGORE WILL DESTROY HUMANITY."

 

White boxes slowly floated down from above, prompting Frisk to run over to Clover's side as he began shooting the boxes until none were left, quickly reloading his revolver afterwards.

 

Once the turn had fully ended, Clover entered the act menu and selected the drown act. He began to rummage through his satchel, before suddenly stopping and pulling his hand out, realizing that it was a terrible idea, and also the fact that there was literally nothing water based inside his satchel. "On second thought, I probably shouldn't do that."

 

"BUT IF I GET YOUR SOULS, I CAN STOP ASGORE'S PLAN! I CAN SAVE HUMANITY FROM DESTRUCTION!"

 

Chara chuckled. "And how exactly does he plan to do that?"

 

"THEN, USING YOUR SOULS, I'LL CROSS THROUGH THE BARRIER... AND BECOME THE STAR THAT I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED OF BEING! HUNDREDS, THOUSANDS, NO... MILLIONS OF HUMANS WILL WATCH ME!"

 

"Oh, 'kay then."

 

"You want our souls just to be famous??" Clover yelled out.

 

"WHY, OF COURSE! GLITZ, GLAMOR! I'LL FINALLY HAVE IT ALL! SO WHAT IF A FEW PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE? THAT'S SHOW BUSINESS, BABY!"

 

Before Clover could speak, a call from Frisk's cellphone interrupted. "Is that-"

 

Frisk looked at Clover. "Do we.. answer? We just found out that everything before the Core was set up by her, so.."

 

"I, uhm..." The Deputy paused, putting their hand on their hat. "..yeah. Yeah, answer."

 

"You sure..?"

 

They nodded. "Yup."

 

Click... "U..uh... I can't see what's going on in there, but... d-d-don't give up, you guys! Th... there's o-one l-l-last way to beat Mettaton, which makes him vulnerable to the bullets you have. It's... um... it's... this is a work in progress, so don't judge it too hard..."

 

Frisk raised an eyebrow. "Ooookay?"

 

"But, you know how Mettaton always faces f-f-forward? That's because there's a switch on his backside. S-so if one of y-you can  turn him around... um... and, um... press th-the switch... he'll be... um... he'll be... vulnerable. Y-you gotta shoot his heart..! Anyway, gotta go!" Click...

 

"Seems like a good time to turn Mettaton around."

 

Frisk entered the act menu and pressed the turn option, then tugged on Clover's arm.

 

"After I tell him, we're both gonna run over there and switch the.. switch!"

 

"Gotcha."

 

Frisk cleared their throat. "H-hey, Mettaton! There's a mirror behind you!"

 

"OH??? A MIRROR??? RIGHT, I HAVE TO LOOK PERFECT FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" He turned around, revealing a large switch with an arrow pointing to it, and just above it was the word.. switch.

 

The two dashed over to Mettaton and flipped the switch, which emitted a loud sound as it snapped to the other side. Out of pure shock, Mettaton's battle music came to a halt, and so did his erratic movements.

 

"..DID YOU TWO. JUST FLIP. MY SWITCH?" Mettaton quickly spun around as he held both of his hands on his box shaped body. His screen began displaying various colors as he himself began shaking violently.

 

"..what did we just do?"

 

A blinding light was unleashed, causing both Clover and Frisk to shield their eyes. "..oooh no."

 

"OHHH YES."

 

The light dissipated, revealing the nearly pitch black room, and two stage lights which came from the ceiling. A few seconds later, the two lights turned on, and an ominous fog was cast over the place where Mettaton stood. His new body faded in from the darkness, only really being visible due to the lights in the back.

 

"Ohhhh my. If you two flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. Both of you are desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude.." He giggled.

 

"I'm strangely.. really interested in this." Frisk whispered to them.

 

"So am I.."

 

"But, you two are lucky. I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you two a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments..."

 

In yet another bright flash, both the stage lights and the fog disappeared, revealing his new body to the underground. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

 

Mettaton danced to his new battle theme, as a large graph with the ratings of the show appeared next to him. The numbers began going down in a matter of seconds.

 

"Mettaton EX makes his premiere!"

 

'If Axis could see this guy, he'd be foaming with anger.'

 

~~~

 

Martlet, Starlo, Ceroba, Dalv, and the Feisty Four were all huddled up on Martlet's couch, which was close to collapsing under all the weight.

 

The MTT channel had been pitch black for forty minutes, with a countdown on the bottom left showing how much time was left until the grand finale.

 

"Ceroba, the suspense is killing me.." Starlo whispered, which was immediately followed up by a 'shh' from Martlet.

 

Ed pointed at the countdown. "The countdown's about to end, just wait a few seconds!"

 

As the countdown reached zero, Mettaton's new and improved voice blasted through the TV.

 

"ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

 

The TV displayed a camera shot from behind Clover and the fallen human.

 

"L-look, it's Clover!" Martlet yelled.

 

~~~

 

As per usual, Clover's first move was to check Mettaton's stats. "Mettaton EX. Eight ATK, one DEF. His weak point is his heart-shaped core.. okay, so Alphys meant that literally."

 

"Lights! Camera! Action!"

 

Clover shot the oncoming legs heading their way, which once shot, switched colors and began moving, providing big enough spaces for the two to go through.

 

Frisk tapped their chin as they looked at their acts, before eventually deciding on boast.

 

With a grin creeping up their face, they yelled. "This is nothing, I bet we aren't gonna get hit at ALL this turn!"

 

"Ratings gradually increase during Mettaton's turn."

 

Mettaton fake gasps, putting his hand over his mouth, before dropping it to reveal a smirk. "Drama! Romance! Blood-shed!"

 

Small Mettatons with umbrellas and bombs floated down from above. Clover raised an eyebrow, shooting the small Mettatons just before they could throw out their attacks.

 

"That was supposed to be a hard attack?" Clover yelled over to Mettaton, not a hint of boastfulness in their voice.

 

Clover awaited a response, but only got a single scoff from Mettaton, who was awaiting the next act. Clover glanced over at the ratings, and then looked back at his acts, before he decided to pose for the audience.

 

With a twirl of his revolver, he stuffed it back into his holster, before turning to the audience and tipping his hat and putting his hand on his shoulder, holding the pose for a few seconds. One hundred points was added to the ratings as the audience cheered for him, causing him to slightly blush from the attention. He quickly grabbed his revolver back from the holster and turned to face Mettaton.

 

Chara looked at the ratings. "Must be the cowboy thing. Monsters really like that, apparently."

 

"I'm the idol everyone craves!"

 

Frisk pointed at the legs above them. "Legs incoming! I never thought I'd say those words in my life.. ever."

 

Clover shot one of the legs, and it began moving back and forth. Gears moved in Clover's head, as he soon realized what he had to do. He shot the other legs behind the first one, and shot them again once they were moved back enough, stopping them in their place.

 

The attack ended with dodgeable white blocks and even more legs, unsurprisingly. Once it was Frisk's turn, they decided to choose the heel turn act.

 

They turned to the audience and scoffed, causing the audience to boo in a joking manner.

 

"You turn and scoff at the audience. They're rooting for your destruction this turn!"

 

"Smile for the camera, because it's time for a pop quiz! This one's an essay question!"

 

A keyboard suspended on a large, metal wire, dropped down in front of the two.

 

"Ahem! Essay prompt: what do you love most about Mettaton?"

 

Clover and Frisk both looked at each other, before nodding. Clover quickly typed the word 'legs' before the time limit ran out.

 

"That's right. Legs was the correct answer!" Mettaton exclaimed, striking a pose while doing so.

 

The two glanced over to the ratings, which got three hundred and fifty points added.

 

"Mettaton is saving your essay for future use."

 

Clover checked their act menu, deciding on the show off act. With a smirk, Clover began spinning their revolver around their fingers, switching the hand their gun was on constantly, before ending with a little pose. Another one hundred points was added to the ratings.

 

"Your essay really showed everyone your hearts. Why don't I show you mine?" Mettaton winked, before a white, mechanical soul flew out of him, causing the audience to become a barrage of ooo's and aaa's.

 

"Woah, I didn't expect THAT!"

 

The mechanical soul flashed the opposite colors for a second, before sending out three waves of lightning bolts out. Mini-Mettaton bots accompanied the bolts, throwing out heart bombs to the two humans.

 

The duo dodged the lightning bolts as Clover landed a couple of hits on it with their revolver with relative ease, only for the two to walk face first into a bomb half a second later, knocking out half of their health. They backed up once the turn ended.

 

Clover quickly rummaged through their endless satchel, pulling out the two 'dogs from earlier. They threw one of the 'dogs over to Frisk, who caught it mid-air and shoved it into their mouth. Clover smirked at the instant eating of the 'dog, and did the exact same thing.

 

Feeling replenished, Frisk did their pose act, throwing their stick up, only to catch and do a little twirl and bow.

 

"You posed dramatically. The audience nods."

 

The audience quickly ate the act up, giving out one hundred and fifty points for the dramatics.

 

Mettaton put his hand on his hip. "Ooooh, I'm just warming up! But, I just have one question, dears. How are you on the dance floor!?"

 

A disco ball gently floated down from above, with blue light eminating from it. The duo stood still for the blue lights, only for the next couple of lights to be pure white. On a whim, Clover shot the disco ball, causing the white lights to switch to the previous blue ones.

 

"Can you keep up the pace!?"

 

The disco ball started picking up the pace, like Mettaton said. Clover focused, quickly shooting the ball anytime one of the lights got too close to the two of them.

 

The two breathed a sigh of relief once the turn ended, glad that it was over. Clover looked at his acts, before deciding on a failed show off. Once again, he took out his revolver and started spinning it on his fingers, and just as the audience was getting bored, he 'accidentally' hit the trigger, causing him to flail about and throw the gun into the air, only for it to hit his head.

 

The audience erupted in giggled as the ratings got two hundred points added. Clover smirked, picking up their gun from the ground.

 

"Was that on purpose?" Frisk whispered over to them.

 

Clover dramatically gasped, before tousling Frisk's hair. "You think I would mess up something like that?? Maybe two years ago, but definitely not now!"

 

Chara jokingly scoffed at the two, trying to hide their smile tugging at their lips, despite them being a literal ghost.

 

"Aww, how nice! Make sure to get that on camera, folks. Now, enough with the warm ups, it's time for Lights! Camera! Bombs!"

 

A string of bombs with alternating blocks next to them began to approach the two. Clover raised their gun, and shot the bomb. Its colors starting inverting, and before it could explode, they grabbed Frisk's arm and stepped behind the block next to the bomb before it could explode.

 

The two repeated this until it was their turn again, no acts left to do, they decided to keep sparing Mettaton to skip their turns.

 

"Things are blowing up! But, oh wait, what's this!? It's time for our union-regulated break!"

 

The two humans looked confused, as a large sign saying 'Happy Breaktime' dropped from above, with no attacks to be seen.

 

"Welp, can't argue with a freebie."

 

Frisk chuckled, whispering back to their ghostly friend. "True."

 

As the turn ended, Mettaton began posing faster than before. "We've grown so distant, darlings... how about another heart-to-heart?"

 

Mettaton's mechanical soul popped out of him once again. This time, surrounded by breakable blocks. Clover began shooting the blocks with Frisk close by, narrowly dodging the lightning being sent their way. After enough shots, Mettaton's arms blew off, leaving him shocked. The soul quickly went back into him.

 

"Owch, that's gotta hurt... assuming the fact he can feel pain."

 

Clover and Frisk also looked shocked, but quickly shook their heads, determined to finish this fight as peacefully as they could, even if it meant destroying Mettaton's limbs.

 

Mettaton's smile waivered. "A.. arms? Wh... who needs arms when you've got legs like these? I'm still going to win!"

 

Bombs with destroyable blocks next to them began piling in. Clover quickly shot the destroyable blocks, going through them with Frisk, before the attack suddenly stopped, and began reversing itself. The duo's eyes widened, and they quickly retraced their steps, until the attack fully ended.

 

"Come on...!" Mettaton said through gritted teeth.

 

The same attack started, this time faster. Knowing what was in store this time, the two handled it easily. "The show... must go on!"

 

A barrage of bombs and destroyable blocks flew in, causing Frisk to quickly go behind Clover. He skillfully only shot the destroyable blocks, making a narrow path to the end of the turn.

 

Mettaton ended his posing on the splits. "Dr... Drama! A... Action! L... lights... C... camera... Enough of this! Do you two really want humanity to perish!?... or do you really believe in yourselves that much?"

 

Clover and Frisk stood determined, their battle stances unwaivering.

 

"Yeah, we do!" Frisk yelled out.

 

Mettaton sighed, standing up from the floor. He stared at the two humans with a look of uncertainty on his face, before a new, cockier smile took over. "Haha, how inspiring! Well, darlings. It's either me or you two. But I think we three already know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!"

 

Mettaton EX's theme raised in volume as his soul appeared, this time, with two bombs rotating around it. Clover took out the bombs with ease, dodging when he shot them to avoid the beams.

 

Frisk quickly grabbed Clover's hand as the left side of the arena flashed red, pulling them over to the right side, just before a group of large legs appeared from nowhere.

 

Clover did the same as the same thing happened again, this time, on the right side. He began shooting the soul as it spewed out lightning bolts. Eventually, the soul began shaking, and a split second later, Mettaton's legs exploded, leaving only his body and head. The soul quickly went back into him afterwards.

 

Mettaton looked down, and after a moment of thinking, looked back at Clover and Frisk. "...then... Are YOU two the stars? Can the both of you really protect humanity!?... heh. Well then... prove it. Prove to me, prove to the underground what you can do!"

 

A larger disco ball began lowering from the ceiling, before turning on, causing the entire arena to be engulfed in lights. Clover tried shooting the disco ball like he did before, only for the bullet to richochet straight off the ball and into the abyss below the arena.

 

The arena grew larger, and so did the space between the two and Mettaton. With a smirk, he released his soul back out, and it instantly started shooting out bigger lightning bolts than before.

 

The duo ducked and dodged, making sure not to touch any of the lights. CLover began shooting at the soul, only for it to move last second every single time. Frisk frowned, unsure of what to do next.

 

Frisk turned to him. "Clover... what do we do now? You're too far away to get any hits on him!"

 

Clover seemed lost in their thoughts as they thought about how to deal with Mettaton. While they did so, Chara put their hand on their chin.

 

"Mmmmaybe you guys could shoot the lights out?" Try to sneak outta here?"

 

"Well, I mean, knowing Mettaton, he probably made them indestructible, or something like that." Frisk whispered back to them.

 

"..well, maybe you cou-"

 

Clover readjusted their hat. "I got it."

 

They turned to Frisk, with a smirk on their face. "We dance."

 

"...what."

 

Noticing the look of confusion on Frisk's face, Clover tousled their hair once more. "Just follow my lead, partner."

 

Clover did a quick stretch, before sliding under a line of light, and began making their way over to Mettaton, dancing along the way to avoid any beams of light from the disco ball.

 

Frisk's mouth hung agape as they watched Clover, before shaking their head to snap out of it. Frisk began making their way to Mettaton as well, using their own dance moves.

 

Chara narrowed their eyes, before a slight grin formed its way onto their face. "I genuinely can't believe that this is working."

 

Frisk quickly caught up to Clover, who had a smile on their face. "There you are! I had a feeling you'd get the hang of it instantly."

 

Frisk giggled. "Well, I do know to dance a little!"

 

Another wave of lightning bolts rushed at the two. Clover quickly slid under them while Frisk dodged out of the way. As the two got closer to Mettaton, a wall filled with white block fell in front of them.

 

"This way, c'mon!" Clover motioned Frisk over to the right, and they resumed dancing and dodging the beams of light from the disco ball.

 

Once the two got close enough to him, another barrage of bombs appeared from behind Mettaton, and they quickly rushed over to the duo. The disco ball suddenly stopped emitting light, giving the two the space they needed to put on a real show.

 

Clover and Frisk looked at each other before nodding, and stopping to a standstill. As the barrage of bombs approached them, the two began dancing once more, perfectly dodging the bombs but not destroying them.

 

~~~

 

Starlo jumped up from his seat. "YEAH, KICK HIS ASS, CLOVER!"

 

"Siddown, Starlo!" Ed exclaimed.

 

"Oh, whoops."

 

~~~

 

Clover grabbed Frisk's arms and started spinning them around, before throwing them closer to Mettaton. As the bombs homed in on Frisk for being the closest to Mettaton, Clover grabbed their lasso and double-barreled shotgun, holstering their wild revolver in the process.

 

Frisk suddenly took a right, causing Mettaton to have a confused look on his face, only for Clover to jump out of the shadows and throw their lasso over to Mettaton's soul, making it move sporadically.

 

Frisk turned back around and started heading back to Clover, bombs still hot on their tail. Once they did, they slid under Clover's legs, giving him the bombs.

 

The mechanical soul started growing tired, giving Clover the opportunity to start swinging the soul into the bombs, dealing substantial damage to it every time it was hit. Once the last bomb was hit, Clover tightly gripped his shotgun, and pulled the lasso closer to him. Frisk quickly ran over to him and began helping him.

 

Once the soul was close enough, Clover aimed his shotgun at it...

 

And shot it.

 

The part of the arena where the duo were at engulfed in smoke, and as Mettaton EX's song began to end, the duo stepped out of the smoke, causing the audience to start cheering and ratings to start (literally) going through the roof.

 

Mettaton looked at the two in shock, before looking at the ratings. "OOH, LOOK AT THESE RATINGS!!! THIS IS THE MOST VIEWERS I'VE EVER HAD."

 

The duo smiled, walking over to Mettaton. "WE'VE REACHED THE VIEWER CALL-IN MILESTONE! ONE LUCKY VIEWER WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO CALL TO TALK TO ME!... BEFORE I LEAVE THE UNDERGROUND FOREVER!! LET'S SEE WHO CALLS IN FIRST!"

 

"Forever..? Did we overdo it?" Clover whispered over to Frisk.

 

Ring... A viewer began calling. "HI, YOU'RE ON TV! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ON THIS, OUR LAST SHOW???"

 

"...oh. hi.. mettaton.. i really liked watching your show. my life is pretty boring... but..." They paused.

"seeing you on the screen... brought excitement to my life... vicariously. i cant tell, but... i guess this is the last episode...? i'll miss you, mettaton... oh... i didn't mean to talk so long... oh....."

 

"NO, WAIT! WAIT, BL..."  Click...

 

Mettaton sighed. "H... They already hung up... I-I'LL TAKE ANOTHER CALLER!"

 

Ring...  "Mettaton! Your show made us so happy!"

Ring...  "Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you."

Ring... "Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart."

 

"...Ah. I... I see," he smiled. "everyone... thank you so much."

 

His eyes locked onto the two humans standing in front of him. "Darlings. Perhaps... it might be better if I stay here for a while. Humans already have stars and idols, but monsters... They only have me. If I left... The underground would lose its spark. I'd leave an aching void that can never be filled. So... I think I'll have to delay my big debu-"

 

Frisk latched on Mettaton's body, their grip on him, tight. Clover chuckled, walking up to them and joining the hug.

 

Mettaton smiled at the two. "Besides... you two've proven to be very strong. Perhaps... even strong enough to get past Asgore. I'm sure you two'll be able to protect humanity."

 

The duo backed up with a slight smile on their faces, as Clover holstered the lasso and shotgun.

 

Ha, ha.. It's for the best anyway. This form's energy consumption is... inefficient. In a few moments, I'll run out of battery power, and... well..."

 

Seeing the look of concern on the two's faces, he chuckled. "I'll be alright. Knock em' dead, darlings. And everyone... Thank you. You've been a great audience!"

 

The entire place lit up in a bright, white light, causing the twk to quickly shield their eyes, before dropping their hands to see a disabled Mettaton. The arena was gone, and they were back in the Core.

 

Alphys opened the door. "I... I managed to open the lock! Are you three..."

 

She entered the room, before noticing Mettaton's disabled body. "Oh my god.'

 

She ran up to him. "Mettaton! Mettaton, are you..."

 

She opened a compartment on his chest, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank GOD it was just the batteries. Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have... I would have..."

 

"Alphys..?" Clover said, a slight frown on his face.

 

Alphys turned to the two "I m-mean, h-hey! It's n-no problem, you know? He's just a robot, if you guys messed it up, I c-could always..."

She looked down. "J-just build another."

 

Chara sighed. "...she's really attached to him, huh?"

 

"Why don't you guys go on ahead? I-I just need a moment." She said, turning back to Mettaton.

 

Clover motioned for Frisk to follow him, and the two walked out of the room, continuing their journey once more.

 

As the two were halfway through the hall, Alphys walked up from behind. "S... sorry about that! L-lets k-keep going."

 

The three continued walking as Alphys spoke. "S-so you guys are about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be... y-you must be... pr... pretty excited about all that, huh?"

 

Frisk hesitated, before slightly nodding. "..mhm."

 

"You guys'll f-f-finally... you guys'll finally be able to go home!" Alphys exclaimed, a hint of fake excitement in her voice.

 

The three got to the end of the hall in an awkward silence. Clover walked up to the elevator and pressed the call button, and just as they were about to step into the elevator...

 

"W... wait!" Alphys yelled, stopping the two in their tracks.

 

They turned to look at her, a confused expression on their faces. She paused. "I mean, um... I... I was just going to... um... say goodbye, and..."

 

Her smile waivered as she avoided eye contact, before turning away from them. "...I can't take this anymore. I... I lied to you guys."

 

Clover raised an eyebrow. "About the puzzles and stuff? Yeah we know, and we forgive you, Alphys! It's fi-"

 

"No." Alphys cut them off.

"A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone. It might be different with two humans, but I doubt it. It takes at least a human soul... and a monster soul."

 

She turned to face them "If you two want to go home... You'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore."

 

Alphys began walking away, before pausing.

 

"I'm sorry." She ran away, leaving the two in a stunned silence.

 

Clover sighed, readjusting their hat. "..come on, Frisk. We're almost at the end."

 

"Y-yeah... yeah, okay." Frisk choked out, clenching their fists.

 

The duo walked into the elevator and Clover hit the up button. The two stood in an uncomfortable silence as the weight of what they were about to do.

 

'...now that we're actually close to the end, I'm... just realizing what we're gonna do. We're going to kill... no, serve justice, to Asgore. The thing I've been trying to do ever since I fell into the underground, and yet...'

 

Clover's eyes locked onto Frisk. Their hands were trembling.

 

Clover kneeled down on one knee. "Frisk."

 

They turned to face Clover, clenching their hands even more. "Clover, I don't... I don't think I can..."

 

"Listen, I... I have my feelings about Asgore. I don't.. like him, and I think that much was obvious, considering my whole thing about justice, and his whole... killing children thing. But... we'll try to solve this peacefully, okay? We'll only resort to.. that, as a last resort."

 

"..y-yeah. Yeah, okay. We'll solve this peacefully, like we always do!"

 

"That's the spirit, partner." They said, patting Frisk on the shoulder.

 

'...maybe I can't forgive him, but... I can at least.. try to solve this peacefully.'

 

Once the uncomfortable tension in the elevator was settled, Clover stood back up. A few seconds later, the elevator door opened with a ding, and the two stepped out of the elevator.

 

As the two began walking, they look to their left to see buildings upon buildings, all caked in a strange, gray color like everything else there. After a few more moments of walking, they stumbled upon a house, which Frisk raised an eyebrow at.

 

"Wait... this looks like Toriel's house..?" They said, turning to Clover.

 

He hummed. "Well, I never saw Toriel's house, but that's pretty weird either way."

 

"Yeah.. what do you think, Chara?"

 

Frisk waited for an answer, but none came. "...Chara?"

 

"Huh- wha? Uh, nothing, nothing. I think it's uh... maybe this is like... his old house or something like that, yeah.."

 

 "Everything okay with them?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"..Tell him I'm fine."

 

Frisk frowned. "Uh.. they're fine, yeah.."

 

Clover could tell something was up, but decided to not pry further. Clover took the lead, as per usual, and reached out to the save point in front of him. Once the file was saved, the two entered the house.

 

A strange sense of nostalgia filled the air as, despite never being here before, it all felt so... familiar to both of them. Clover walked up to the chains that blocked the way to the stairs, and read the note on it.

 

Clover cleared their throat. "Howdy, I'm in the garden. If you have anything you need to get off your chest, please don't hesitate to come. The keys are in the kitchen and in the hallway. Okay, uh... let's go to the hallway first."

 

The duo went over to the hallway and entered the first door on their left. It was.. a child's bedroom. Actually, childREN's bedroom, considering the two beds.

 

Frisk walked up to the two gifts in the middle of the room and opened them. Inside them, was a heart shaped locket and a.. worn knife.

 

Chara frowned, looking at the items. "..you'll need those if you wanna defeat da... Asgore."

 

Frisk picked up on what Chara was about to say, but decided not to say anything, instead just opting to equip the items silently.

 

Clover looked around the room, and picked up a family photograph. Their eyes widened as they looked at a key part of it. "..hey, Frisk?"

 

Frisk stopped staring at the knife with a sad expression, and looked up at Clover. "Yeah?"

 

"Did you know Asgore was with Toriel and had kids? And, more importantly..." They handed the photograph over to Frisk, pointing at the human in the picture.

 

Frisk's mouth hung agape. "Woah..."

 

"...that's me."

 

Frisk blinked rapidly, looking at the general vicinity of where Chara's voice came from. "Wait, what?!"

 

Clover looked confused. "What's up?"

 

"Chara just told me... that's them." They said, pointing at the human.

 

"..huh." Clover grabbed the photograph and stared at it, before putting it back where it was. "Well it's... nice to put a face to a disembodied voice you can't even hear."

 

Chara chuckled. "Har har."

 

'...Asgore had a human child?' Clover thought, glancing back at the family picture.

 

The two left the room, and Clover spotted the key they needed for one of the padlocks on the chain. As they moved towards it, they passed by a room with a 'room under renovations' sign on it, and just as they were inches away from the key, froggits appeared out of nowhere. They seemed... friendly, though.

 

"A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins."

 

"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help."

 

The froggits hopped away, leaving the two surprised. "That human would be.. Chara, right?" Clover asked, turning to Frisk.

 

"..mhm."

 

They nodded. "Yeah, I.. guess so."

 

Clover picked up the green key nearby and placed it in their pocket. Making their way inside the second room, the two began searching it.

 

Clover walked up to a large trophy in the corner of the room and swiped away at the dust that caked the front of it. "Number one Nose-Nuzzle Champs '98, nice!... seems like they really loved each other."

 

Frisk opened the clothes drawer in the top left corner of the room. "It's a clothes drawer. There are robes, button up shirts... and a pink, hand-knit sweater that says 'Mr. Dad Guy'."

 

After some more researching, the duo exited the room and made their way to the end of the hall. The two stopped in front of the mirror and looked at themselves.

 

"Despite everything, it's still you two."

'Despite everything, justice must be served.'

 

"One way or another." Clover muttered to himself.

 

As the two began making their way to the kitchen, more monsters began showing up.

 

Whimsums.

 

"Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call."

 

"He brought the human back to the castle."

 

Moldsmals.

 

"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings."

 

"The King and Queen treated the human child as their own."

 

"The underground was full of hope."

 

Once they entered the kitchen, Clover spotted the second key and grabbed it, then picked up and read the note next to it.

 

"Howdy, help yourself to anything you want!" Clover read, before putting the note back down.

 

"Don't mind if I do.." Frisk said, giggling as they opened the fridge.

 

Chara cleared their throat. "The fridge is full of unopened containers of snails."

 

Frisk slammed the fridge door shut. "..on second thought, never mind."

 

Clover chuckled and motioned for them to go. The duo walked back to the room with the padlocks and unlocked them, then went down the stairs to be met with a basement full of monsters.

 

As the two walked through the basement, the monsters continued the story.

 

Migosps.

 

"Then, one day..."

 

"The human became very ill."

 

Vegetoids.

 

"The sick human had only one request."

 

"To see the flowers from their village."

 

"But there was nothing we could do."

 

Looxes.

 

"The next day."

 

"The next day."

 

"The human died."

 

Snowdrakes.

 

"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul."

 

"He transformed into a being with incredible power."

 

Ice Caps.

 

"With the human soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier."

 

"He carried the human's body into the sunset."

 

"Back to the village of the humans."

 

Woshuas.

 

"Asriel reached the center of the village."

 

"There, he found a bed of golden flowers."

 

"He carried the human onto it."

 

Once the two were out of the basement, they were met with a beautiful view of the entirety of New Home. The monsters continued.

 

Shyrens.

 

"Suddenly, screams ran out."

 

"The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body."

 

"They thought that he had killed the child."

 

Dummies.

 

"The humans attacked him with everything they had."

 

"He was struck with blow after blow."

 

"Asriel had the power to destroy them all."

 

Knight Knight and a Madjick.

 

"But..."

 

"Asriel did not fight back."

 

"Clutching the human..."

 

"Asriel smiled, and walked away."

 

Final Froggits.

 

"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home."

 

"He entered the castle and collapsed."

 

"His dust spread across the garden."

 

Whimsalots.

 

"The kingdom fell into despair."

 

"The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

 

"The humans had once again taken everything from us."

 

Astigmatisms.

 

"The king decided it was time to end our suffering."

 

"Every human who falls down here must die."

 

"With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."

 

A Moldsmal, a Loox, and a Migosp.

 

"It's not long now." The Loox started.

 

"King Asgore will let us go."

 

"King Asgore will give us hope."

 

"King Asgore will save us all."

 

A Pyrope, and two Vulkins.

 

"You two should be smiling, too"

 

"Aren't you excited?"

 

"Aren't you happy?"

 

And lastly, a Froggit.

 

"You two're going to be free."

 

With that last line, the Froggit hopped away, leavimg the two in silence.

 

"..yeah. T-that's basically it."

 

"Clover?" Frisk said, turning to Clover.

 

"...yeah?"

 

"Is.. what we're going to do truly right?"

 

Clover sighed, readjusting their hat. "I... well, it.. certainly beats Asgore taking our souls and waging war on humanity again."

 

Frisk paused. "..you're right. Let's- Let's go."

 

The duo took a right, and entered a large hall, with giant windows and pillars on the sides. Clover walked up to the save point and reached out. They took a deep breath and saved the file.

 

The two made their way down the hall, too preoccupied with thinking about the fight that will soon go down to pay attention to the hall itself, that was, until they stopped, seeing a familiar figure caked in shadow appear out of thin air.

 

Three bell sounds echoed throughout the hall, and the stare off grew tense, until Sans finally started speaking.

 

"So you finally made it." His voice was... strange. It wasn't the same, lazy sounding voice that they were used to hearing come out of him.

 

"The end of your two's journey is at hand. In a few moments, you two will meet the king. Together... you two will determine the future of this world. That's then."

 

He paused. "Now. Both of you will be judged. You two will be judged for your every action. You two will be judged for every EXP you've earned."

 

Clover and Frisk looked at each other in confusion, before looking back at Sans. "What's EXP? It's an acronym. It stands for 'execution points.' A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'Level of Violence'."

 

"That must be why Flowey didn't wanna tell me what LV was..." Frisk muttered to themself.

 

"A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt." Sans continued. "The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. He more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

 

He paused, and the light in the room subsided a little, revealing Sans's face as a faint ambience filled the hall.

 

His voice returned to normal, and the tension in the hall completely disappeared. "...but you two. You two never gained any LOVE. 'course, that doesn't mean you guys are completely innocent or naive. just that you kept a certain tenderness in your hearts. no matter the struggles or hardships you two faced..."

 

He side eyesocketed the window next to him. "you two strived to do the right thing. you two refused to hurt anyone. and when you guys ran away, you did it with a smile. you two never gained any LOVE, but you gained love. does that make sense? maybe not."

 

He closed his eyesockets. "...now."

He opened them. "you two're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your guys's actions here... will determine the fate of the entire world. if both of you refuse to fight... asgore will take your souls and destroy humanity. but if you two kill asgore and go home... monsters will remain underground. what will you two do?"

 

He chuckled. "well, if i were you guys, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but neither of you got this far by giving up, did you? that's right. you two have something called 'determination.' so as long as you two hold on... so as long as you two do what's in your hearts... i believe you two can do the right thing."

 

Sans paused once more. "alright. we're all counting on you, kids. good luck."

 

He winked, before disappearing within the blink of an eye. Clover looked back at Frisk, who seemed more confident. Seeing this, he smiled, before ruffling their hair.

 

"Let's go. We got this." Clover said, winking to them.

 

"Yeah we do." They winked back.

 

Clover took a deep breath. 'Now let's take this guy down a peg. Whether it be peacefully, or by fighting, I know we'll do the right thing.'

Notes:

If there are any inconsistencies or errors, please let me know in the comments! That goes for all chapters as well.

Notes:

If you have any ideas for one shots, please put them in the comments!