Chapter 1: Start of the idea
Chapter Text
Oh: In which Blueberry finds out earlier (through Error, in the Anti-Void) that his genetic material was used to build new beings: Nightmare and Dream.
He's in shock and overthinking until he concludes that, hey, he wants to meet them. He succeeds, not in the conventional way, but he does... Now, we'll accompany Blueberror on his journey out of the Anti-Void, to observe his practically children.
No one told him his children wouldn't be within his reach, but he already imagined it; anyway, he's a spectator in their lives. That is, until he stops being one. Because someone can tell him, why do even adults, the elderly, and children hurt his two babies for existing? Oh, just wait until Blueberry does something.
Them won't like that...
No tree or anything, Blueberror will let them be children, because that's what they are in his eyes.
Chapter 2: Sans is Blueberry
Summary:
Sans was kidnapped from his world, from his alternate universe.
He didn't even know there were infinite versions of him and his brother, basically his entire world.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Sans was kidnapped from his world, from his alternate universe.
He didn't even know there were infinite versions of him and his brother, basically his entire world.
As a former intern and assistant to the royal scientist, Gaster, could only surround himself with papers, theories, practices, and random thoughts his laid-back father would occasionally dish out. He told them like a story, often causing Papyrus, his younger brother, and even Sans himself to fall asleep. —Which was fine for baby bones back then—.
Over time, they were just that, tales, and a possible theory for most of the strange things that happened in his adult life in the Underground. But nothing more than that. One example that comes to his mind, while Error yells in his face that everyone shouldn't continue to exist, is... the event in which they lost Gaster, a very strange event for everyone, even Sans. And for the simple answer to be based on the central universe, for everything that makes up his life, is... fair, but at the same time, very unfair.
—Why did they have to remove their father from their lives just because a core version of him originally disappeared in their world?—
Now he knew it and it saddened him more than before.
Because Sans would be the only one who would know.
Because Sans is in the Anti-void and can't return home just because he wants to.
He couldn't offer comfort to his younger brother, for... for everything, frankly, everything.
It didn't help his spirits, trapped in his captor's strings, knowing that even if he wanted to help, he couldn't... the resets, the timelines, and not being able to remember anything about the events... He'd only hurt his brother even if he didn't know why. If he wasn't already, with himself missing and no way out.
Error kept explaining, and explaining, explaining the injustice. He... he wanted to break his 'Papyrus code,' as Error called it; in a way, it was funny. Because being optimistic was a part of who he was. And he was still Sans, because that was his name, and Sans was his own monster. Not someone else he had to keep molding.
Sans was… "An anomaly, an anomaly who doesn't listen to good things." Okay, that was rude, but right now he was also being rude by not listening to Error. It was very contradictory.
"S-Sorry!" He said, trying to pay more attention than he couldn't in all his shock at being recently kidnapped.
Error... Error kidnapped him, but in doing so... he didn't know what to do with Sans, or Underswap Sans, as they called him. Why did even his name have to have a label?
Error didn't call himself Sans, and Sans could see a clear picture of why he didn't anymore. He had to walk on metaphorical eggshells around him just by talking to him. Almost everything seemed to be a trigger for Error, and Sans couldn't ignore it because otherwise he'd start acting like a little kid just for attention.
Like now...
Tremendous stomping on the ground, from the place of total silence, startled him from his thoughts. Involuntarily, he trembled in place, tightly entangled by blue, magical threads in the nothingness. He couldn't help but watch with some fear as Error began to... fail, again.
That was all too frequent, since he saw him looking and moving his head towards the sky and different areas of the whiteness of the place.
The Anti-void.
They didn't even know how long they'd been there together; it all happened too fast for Sans.
Processing it would take time, and with Error filling him with more information about his world and others... it would take even longer to swallow it all.
Before, Sans's worries were at the normal level of worry for being an older brother, for Papyrus. For life in general and his aspirations to be an official royal guard like Alphys. Now, he can't even think about that... Sans had to tread very carefully from here. Outside of his comfort zone.
Starting with what he can accomplish at that moment, try to be Error's friend. By being his friend, Sans could, in time, be freed from his captivity. And perhaps, with a touch of optimism, he could make a friend and ensure his world wouldn't be erased from the game if he were eliminated by Error.
"Blueberry? Hey, you're calling it that... Fine!" Error shrugged, then used his right arm to tear open space and pulled out what looked like a chocolate bar from... somewhere .
He had to keep his feet on the ground, even if he was now nicknamed Blueberry.
…
Blueberry couldn't filter out all the negative emotions and feelings that were so revealingly expressed on his face. He tried, but he couldn't, he just couldn't do it.
He felt like every time he learned something new about Error, the feeling of learning something new and interesting quickly turned into something disturbing and traumatizing to hear.
He didn't feel well.
And the "voices" Error used to hear encouraged his behavior, leaving Blueberry in a dangerous and favorable position. Even though they seemed to appeal to him.
Luckily for them, the only thing they've done in the Anti-void so far is learn each other's tastes: Eating chocolate, teaching each other how to knit, and watching soap operas like normal monsters do with their friends.
—And yes, Blueberry is covering up his memories of seeing Error eating chocolate with the sealed wrapper—.
Not counting Error's "work" as a World Destroyer and Anomaly Cleaner, Blueberry believes they're on the right path to redemption.
"Do you believe in second chances?" He doesn't ask anyone in particular. Because his thoughts would always end up in the same place. "Because I do, everyone deserves one, even someone like Error." He meant it, because he sincerely believes it. Despite everything.
He looked pointedly at Error as he said this, his body and soul still imprisoned by the threads. Waiting for some reaction. Which soon came. Error stood still for a moment, failing slightly at first, his vision filled with the words "ERROR."
That was a moment that felt long, but on the outside it wasn't.
Blueberry crushed his nerves and doubts with the thrill of anticipation, gnawing at every part of his bones. His words held weight, and he knew it.
Did it bother him to have to use words as a method of persuasion and passive attack against Error? Yes, but the only justification he had was that Error's mentality was already shattered given his current living conditions.
He didn't blame him; Blueberry didn't hate him.
Hatred was an intense feeling, one he wouldn't let win. It would feel like poisoning his own soul and losing himself.
—Although Error forced him to fight with his younger brother—.
Blueberry was very strong.
Strength came not only from physical training, but also from mental training. And he braced himself for it, just in case his words exploded against him.
He watched as Error slowly came back to his senses, looking at Blueberry, his eyes confused and somewhat dazed. He frowned more than he already had, listening to something beyond him. Finally, he nodded expressively to himself.
"It's okay, you're no longer a threat, not to me." And so, with his confirmation spoken aloud, Error moved his strings with a gentleness that surprised Blueberry, untying them from Sans's entire being.
He was free.
He was free, but still a captive.
And that was okay; the Underground didn't finish expanding in a single day. Blueberry could still have faith in the good person and monster that Error could become in the future.
"Thank you. I'm glad I'm no longer being held. That was a bit awkward for me." "My soul ," he left unsaid. But it was understood. Blueberry allowed himself a brief, bone-rattling shudder, to shake off the nagging feeling of being tied up twice in his life.
He hoped not to have a third time.
With great care and affection on his gloved phalanges, he guided his soul into his bony chest and let it return to its appointed place, within him.
He breathed a sigh of relief, completely relieved this time, regaining some peace of mind in his mobility.
—Paf—
He opened his eyes, which he didn't know what was keeping them closed, as he felt something foreign hit his face, more specifically, his eyes. He blinked to adjust his vision, which was being attacked by a pair of surprisingly large red glasses, with prescription lenses that made it impossible to see Error's thoughtful face.
"Mmm... no, it looks better on me." He finished his inspection.
Blueberry looked at the dark spot that was Error and said:
"... Alright?"
Fortunately, he didn't have to say anything else. And the coexistence continued.
Blueberry didn't know things could get worse, worse than they already were. But hey, he can learn new things every day!
Even if they are scary things that make the audience uncomfortable.
…
"Blueberry, did you know that they used your character base to form two more beings, and that they have a sad story, despite their originality in the multiverse?"
Error spoke out of nowhere, looking just as confused as Blueberry. They'd gotten back to knitting and crocheting, respectively, after the awkward situation with the glasses.
"Oh, uh, what?" He tilted his skull, and both internally and externally, he was confused.
"Something about... apple twins?" Error translated the voices' words for him.
Blueberry looked at Error, once again sharing his confusion and frustration with what the voices were saying. Of course, until Error spoke again.
"Twins? You have twins?" He squinted at him, and for added drama, he pulled the same red glasses out of his hoodie pocket again, looking at Blueberry with fresh eyes. "Yeah, I think I can see that." Satisfied, Error returned to his work with the blue fabric, which was slowly taking shape as a scarf.
Well, Blueberry couldn't see what Error saw in him, especially since that question came out of nowhere.
They caught him off guard.
Twins?
Character material, like... genetic material? Maybe.
…
Wait, wait a minute...
Did he make Papyrus an uncle indirectly?
But... The basis could also be the many "Underswap" Sans universes that existed. Although they wouldn't know it. Like Blueberry, until he found out.
And just thinking about that, he felt the information make his soul beat.
Alright.
Alright.
Blueberry can deal with it.
He can just remember them, right? Because they're not within his reach. Yet, and he doesn't know if they ever will be.
He can only remember them, and that's enough for now.
Before continuing with the work of knitting some gloves, Blueberry drinks the chocolate shake that Error got them and collects his confused thoughts.
Remembering them, eh, he hopes it's enough for his troubled soul.
…
Blueberry found himself unconsciously taking up knitting again, but with new measurements for the gloves.
...
Eventually, it had to happen... Error discovered Blueberry's tricks. And, angrily, he left the Anti-void.
Error is gone.
And Blueberry was left in oblivion, with the determined soul of his human in his hands.
He tried to see if the human soul of determination could open a door for them out of the Anti-void.
It didn't do it; the soul could do nothing.
He just thought that... Blueberry thought that if he could rescue the human soul , the 'restorer of his world and its possible savior,' then everything, everything would finally be alright...
It didn't do it.
It took Blueberry a while to realize that nothing he did would change that.
He walks in circles, in a loop of walking until he gets tired.
He got angry, yelled, and let the press of his frustrations go into nothingness.
He screamed, and screamed, and screamed until he was tired.
—If Paps heard someone say that Sans got tired of screaming, got tired of being energetic at that instant... he would dismiss the assumption—.
After some time, Blueberry begged.
He prayed for the presence of the destroyer.
He was starting to lose his cool, again.
It killed him not knowing how much time had passed.
Blueberry was angry with the human soul; he blamed it for his actions. He regretted it, and then he blamed himself. Because it was true.
He apologized for his explosive behavior, to the red and expressionless soul.
It felt strange to say Sans's name out loud. To say it to himself . Was he detaching himself from his name?
It was true.
He knew that Sans, his old self, would not have behaved the way Blueberry was currently doing.
He felt sad about that fact.
So much so that he began to hear a ringing in his nonexistent ears, which he didn't have. It was as if he heard his living room television fail in the middle of a live Napstatton broadcast.
Blueberry covered himself with his blue scarf for the second time, to alleviate some of the unfamiliarity. His left eye socket was starting to feel strange. For a moment, he lost vision on that side.
It scared him.
He thought of Error once more; his throat was too dry and tired. He didn't vocalize anything this time.
He repeated this action until he felt it go away. It came back, and Blueberry covered himself again to block his vision of the whiteness of the void.
He mentally wondered, in the terrible silence of space, what else he could have done wrong in his life and good for others.
If karma existed.
If he could have treated Error better.
If they could have had better circumstances.
If his brother would be fine without him.
If someone could help him.
If there was someone else out there, besides Error, who could break the laws of time and space.
If he would ever meet the children.
If— , Blueberry didn't have time to think about the 'what ifs'… because the feeling of icy breezes hitting his back startled him.
He quickly turned around from his designated spot on the ground.
—Maybe... Error came back for him?—
Just to see...
... to see a white, glitched skeleton emerging from a portal formed out of thin air.
His body was failing constantly, much more than Error's...
It wasn't the person he'd expected, but it was someone. Someone who had arrived in the Anti-void. Suddenly, Blueberry felt less alone than before.
Because, there was someone there!
He felt... really, he didn't know what to feel at that moment. He settled for trying to find something positive in his misery.
Well, there was someone there, and Blueberry had to make a good first impression of him.
“Oh, hello! I'm glad to see someone new here!”
Notes:
I did a lot of drawings while I had free time at university.
I already have some for the next chapter.
Chapter 3: You are an ERROR
Notes:
In the Anti-Void:
Me: Ladies and gentlemen! Admire the original commenter #1 who asked and shared information with Blueberry. Also known as Mysterious Voice #1!
-Imaginary applause was heard from different places-
Me: Thank you, thank you. I couldn't have done it without all of you and your well wishes! *Says goodbye and disappears again.*
--Meanwhile, in the other corner of the Anti-Void--
Blueberry, our resident Blueberry in the Anti-Void, was very confused by all of this. He looked around, but couldn't see anyone, neither the author nor the comments. Finally, he looked at the human soul in his gloves and asked, "Did you hear that too? Or am I going crazy?"
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
What's he doing wrong?
Blueberry would like to know.
Was being too friendly and positive in the Anti-void forbidden? Or was it a behavior that glitches were prevented from developing when they were created?
He doesn't know, he doesn't know, and nothing he tries to do pleases the other skeleton. Instead, the whiteness of the Anti-void seems to be able to calm him. Strangely, as long as he doesn't look at Blueberry, his body shape relaxes, with much less tension.
…
He still didn't know his name.
…
The strange, bleeding skeleton, dressed in black and white, was inspecting the place, asking no questions, just another silence.
A silence that was too calm, overwhelming Blueberry.
The conversation topics that had been running through his head vanished as soon as a pair of pupil-less blue and red sockets glared at him from the start.
Offering Error's normal pastimes wasn't going to help, he was sure. Especially when he heard the venomous whispers the newly arrived monster occasionally hurled into the air. They always came down to one thing: "Annihilate Error."
What had Error done in his absence? Blueberry didn't know.
The only thing he could gather from all those spewed words was that Error had held someone else against their will; something happened, and it was a total disaster. A total disaster if that skeleton could have reached Error's house without much effort... although, come to think of it... the guy had been thrown from the other side.
So there were two options available: a) Error had succeeded; b) They gave Error a fight, and he couldn't handle it, ultimately throwing an angry skeleton at the Anti-Void. As if the Anti-Void were his second dumpster. —Underfell was the first.—
Could Error have destroyed another timeline, another alternate universe? And if he did... who knows if he didn't do the same to his own... No... No!
Blueberry refused to be pessimistic. If this place was playing with him, Blueberry wouldn't let himself be defeated so quickly. Not like this. He would feel it... at least, he thinks he could if his world were outside the game. His code wouldn't allow him to feel anything else.
With his spirits lifted, Blueberry decided to face the skeleton across the room. He was determined. He approached the other glitch, telegraphing his movements, because if his coexistence with Error's hermit had served him well, it was being very careful. As if he were dealing with a scared, feral cat. Be very careful.
It paid off, as he didn't see the other move away from his position on the floor. He stopped at a safe distance and continued from there, engaging in light conversation.
"If you're looking for Error, I'm sorry to tell you he left here a long time ago." He spoke softly, having previously worn out his voice. The conversation didn't have to be too light. Clearly, the other skeleton was looking for Error, and Error wasn't here. It had to be direct. "My name is Sans, but my presence here made that name no longer matter." Surely, if there was a multiverse, there were too many Sans to count until sleep.
A slight nod from the glitch let him know he was listening.
"I'm Blueberry." And only out of habit, Blueberry struck his old pose, asserting his presence. Gaze up, one hand to his chest and the other ready on his hip.
No direct contact.
Not all monsters could be friendly. That's something that was clearly instilled in both Blueberry and the stranger, too late or too early.
It no longer mattered here.
A few tense minutes later, the other monster spoke in a somewhat... robotic tone of voice?
. . . aA FaAatalll ErrroOorrr hAss OcccUrrrED . . .
The monster looked down at himself and frowned, annoyed. He made a gesture of clearing his throat and voice, only for it to fail. He gave up, and with his voice full of slurred speech, he continued.
JuuuUust, FaAataal . . .
So... well? Did he at least get a name?
Blueberry had a feeling that... their time together was going to be something... special. Especially since Fatal's intentions were clear. He wouldn't try to verify it; he had a feeling his new guest in the void wouldn't like it.
—He wasn't wrong.—
He ignored the itch that started gnawing inside his left eye socket. Anyway, it seemed like they'd both be there for a long time, trying to wait for Error. Blueberry sat down on the ground; he wasn't tired, he was just going to stay closer to the whitish ground. And as his lazy brother said, "Treat it as a way to stay grounded." Even if there weren't any there.
Error will come, won't it?
He wouldn't forget it there, would he?
Their own voices wouldn't let him... Blueberry hopes not.
…
—Unknown day number, unknown times—
Fatal, the new tenant in the Anti-void, wasn't paying rent and was already building a cozy house with some red threads that appeared out of nowhere —Blueberry doesn't want to think about what they were made of; his curiosity wasn't enough to try to traumatize himself.—
Blueberry would be jealous, except that he didn't actually still feel comfortable being inside the Anti-void, like Fatal, who was at home, in his natural habitat. No, he didn't envy him, not at all.
But the boredom continued. Once he finished watching, lying on his back, like Fatal finished building his little house made of red threads next to Glitch's things and blue threads. A little further away, but so that the Glitch could see enemy territory without being too close to it.
Something about Glitches being territorial and unsociable with each other?
Fatal only started talking to Blueberry when he realized he wasn't a threat to him, which gave Blueberry a tremendous déjà vu due to how similar Fatal and Error were in those ways.
No.
Enough with the comparisons.
They were waiting.
Blueberry could wait, even though his anxiety was getting the better of her. But he could calm his soul if he thought about the infants—strange, right? Well, it was something to think about later.—
...And Fatal?
Fatal was too temperamental to follow the laws of Error's house. At those times, Blueberry would leave his territory only to go to Error's and hide behind Error's blue beanbag.
Clearly something was going on that Blueberry couldn't see...
But that didn't matter, as long as he could talk to his neighbor.
—True? True? True? True? -TttrrrrruUeeeeEe?—
…
He felt sick.
Skeletons rarely got sick.
Especially if it was Sans, Papy—'s older brother— Wait... Who was Papy—? Was it Paps? No... more importantly, who was Sans?
Blueberry's head started to hurt, so he thought he was feeling sick. His magic was starting to act badly, really badly. He felt warm, but there was no sun or warm lights; he felt cold, but there was no moon or wind.
"Paps, Paps, Paps, Paps, Paps, Paps, Paps..."
It seemed fun and warm to say. So much so that Blueberry found himself saying it out loud, because it seemed the name made him happy to hear it.
Fatal from above in his hive of threads, he listened, looked at him, and stared at him with a disturbing static for a few minutes before speaking to Blueberry about Paps's role in Blueberry's life and his own. It made Blueberry sad, but he preferred feeling sad to knowing he was forgetting his little brother. Besides, Fatal seemed a little happy to be able to talk about Paps.
Blueberry had a little brother!
And just like that, her mood changed from sad to happy.
Then from happy to sad, and so on.
Blueberry felt like Queen Toriel back then.
How did he know?
Fatal told him about what little he remembered about them, and from there Blueberry was able to remember the rest so he could repeat himself. And so, Blueberry found himself talking to himself again, this time about them, but even more importantly, about little children he had no image of to remember.
It frustrated him to know that he could barely remember the faces of the closest monsters but little to nothing about the children.
…
The hollow of his eye began to hurt again.
Once again, the word ERROR appeared in his vision.
That at least reminded him once again who had left him there in that inhospitable place.
A check of his gloves showed him that they were also beginning to change...
He felt strange.
Instinctively, he seemed to know that this wasn't how he should look.
He felt sick and didn't know how to stop it.
Moronically, he could only watch as ERROR's words grew in his body, happily, for this time outside his eyes.
…
Fatal wasn't at all happy when Blueberry showed them to him.
He blinked slowly and didn't know what to do about it.
He was angry, but, hey, Blueberry could smile for both of them.
He smiled, but it made Fatal angry.
Blueberry simply didn't understand his humor.
And like the "Annoying Dog" being scolded, Blueberry crossed to the other side and stayed there until Fatal calmed down. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with that skeleton. That's why he knew he had to hide the red soul he carried with him everywhere, for safety and because he knew it was important.
He closed his eyes and started thinking about more positive things, like... his twins!
. . . YOU ARE ANn EEERRROOR. . .
Fatal spoke, being very direct with Blueberry.
Blueberry listened but didn't care. He liked knowing that his friends saw him as someone they could talk to with such confidence. It always cheered him up.
Youuu shouuuld knooow thaat youou are a ERROR. . .
Okay? Was that a thought, or did he really think that way about Blueberry…
Anyway, he was okay with it.
He knew it; he didn't want to know.
—Why not? Why him? NO, NO, NO, NONOONo—
He preferred to focus on Fatal.
Attentive, always attentive if he wanted to aspire to be a guardi— No, no more.
Blueberry refused. That wasn't more important than now. He had to focus...
This is NO JOKE...
Fatal felt frustrated, and Blueberry didn't understand.
"It's okay?" No, he wasn't okay, not at all; he wanted to scream.
"NOOO!!! IT'S NOoT OoKAYy AND YOouU KNOwW IT. . .
…
Yes, he knew it, and he wanted to continue living in ignorance.
He knew it all too well. The itch wouldn't let him forget.
And Fatal looked very murderous up there.
Just to appease him, Blueberry nodded.
It wasn't until he sensed Fatal was trying to make his point by attempting to draw them into a full-blown fight that Blueberry put his foot down and quickly shook his head.
—NonoNOnonONNonnonnNn—
It wasn't the time yet, and Blueberry didn't want to just leave.
He sensed it, but he wanted to live in ignorance.
Just a little while longer...
Just a—
"Stop, stop, StoOp." He continued to refuse. "I get it, please." Desperate, he pulled out his final empathy card. "I HAVE CHILDREN!" he blurted out.
He stopped backing away.
"I... I have children!" He repeated more softly, seeing Fatal's genuine bewilderment at hearing such a confession.
Blueberry didn't think that conversation would turn out that way, but there was always a first time for everything, right? He sighed in relief when he saw that Fatal was no longer pushing for a fight. Instead, a circular loading bar was rising above the glitch's head, a sign that he was trying to grasp that idea or pick up on the signal.
And when he did, he said words that Blueberry wouldn't forget, not even in his madness.
No one will care about that, especially if you're an ERROR.
With surprising coherence when thinking about infants, because Fatal didn't doubt Blueberry's words. He had already read his opponent's codes to see any previous lies. But finding none... he decided he would give Blueberry the last compassion and mercy that Fatal's being had, formerly Geno, Aftertale #1 Sans, from a timeline separate from the Original, and from its branch derived from the true, missing Geno.
Despite his surprised expression, Blueberry slipped the determined soul behind him; he'd forgotten to place it inside his blue handkerchief...
Just when he felt he could find his voice again, his eyes failed him again, and with that, the ERROR signals mobilized more than usual. All he could hear was a painful buzzing reaching his nonexistent ears.
What was happening to him? Why at that exact moment?
He brought a hand to his skull, trying to silence something or someone that seemed to insist on his attention. And not just his; Fatal could hear it more clearly than Blueberry, and that was why he let Blueberry suffer his painful fate at the hands of the Anti-Void in silence.
Of course, until, finally, he could finally hear it.
He heard them.
He heard them.
Among them, someone stood out whom Blueberry assumed was the voice demanding his attention.
To Blueberror:
Heeellloooooo, Bloopie, can I call you Bloopie? It’s my nickname for you, very fun to say, Bloooooooopeeeee. lol anyway, very nice to meet you, I heard you found out you have some children? Out there. Very bright kids, they have lots of potential. I would suggest you take them home sooner rather than later, their current living situation is extremely abusive and something bad might happen if they stay too much longer. As for advice I have, don’t trust a happy face, Both twins have a bad habit of hiding their troubles from their loved ones, Dream even more so than Nightmare.
Good luck and good day, Mysterious voice #1 Out!
…
… What?
No.
Who?
No.
More importantly... Was Blueberry going crazy?
He looked at the red SOUL in his hand and asked, with far too much sincerity, someone who was no longer alive and had no body of his own.
"Do you... do you hear them too?"
Notes:
* Lol.
- What I imagined it would be XD... that question.
If you notice that Blueberry seems to forget his family and friends more quickly, it's because you don't know how much time he spent in the Anti-Void, and I don't know either. At least I can tell you that Fatal's silent but powerful presence made him feel a sort of "Hey, someone else, I'm not alone" security, which made him lower his guard with his memories. Blueberry, subconsciously knowing who his family and the rest of the monsters were, just forgot to keep remembering them, since he was already used to knowing who they were. But as for the children, he had promised to remember them. Especially since he didn't have a face to remember.
* Oh sure, please let me know if you want it (their questions) to appear as text only or as an image, so I can change it instantly.
Chapter 4: Anti-void Syndrome
Notes:
Well, I wasn't planning on writing this, but, well, here we are.
Enjoy and thanks!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Blueberry was starting to hear voices.
He was starting to hear voices, and there was no one in the Anti-Void other than himself he could ask about it. He didn't know if he was going crazy or if that place had already had an effect on him. Did it even matter to ask? Yes and no. At some point, Fatal was gone. Blueberry didn't blame him. Strangely, he knew that sooner or later the other would return to the whitish void —like Error.— But for now, Blueberry was alone, just him, his thoughts, and the voices he was starting to hear...
Normality didn't exist here, but Blueberry wanted normalcy for once in his life. Desperately, very desperately, before he forced himself to calm down. He didn't want to break the SOUL in his hands out of sheer panic. Accidental or not, he knew he would lose it if something bad happened to that human soul.
Breathing very heavily, he managed. He closed his eyes, and for a few seconds, the darkness that this closure provided, along with his face hidden in the blue scarf, gave him the comfort he most longed for before returning to his reality and staring with tired eyes into nothingness once again.
Calmer within himself, Blueberry began to consider whether hearing voices was good or bad. He knew Error listened to them and spoke to the voices, good or bad. Boredom was a heavy feeling to feel; perhaps that was why he couldn't ignore them if his home was there. Previously, Error himself had told him he was trapped in the Anti-Void before managing to escape and eventually returning...
The nature of ERROR calling to the source?
…
Well, that wouldn't be so bad if he could hear someone else without feeling the boredom and intrusive thoughts that dampened his optimism. Determined, Blueberry turned toward the direction he'd heard the voice. His old self would be disappointed in him if he ignored the calls directed at his new self. And Blueberry knew he would retain the legacy of his former self, complete with the basic manners all normal monsters are supposed to have. Yes.
He faced the empty space and tried to recall the message he'd heard in his previous failed state. Clearly, he'd been asked something and given information in the form of suggestions. Something important... something... something... something about the children?
Yes!
It was about them and their situation?
...Situation?...
He... he couldn't remember more through the pain and shock of being abandoned.
...Situation?...
...Blueberry found himself lost and confused... Suddenly, he wished he could remember that message from his announcer better...
That, that... wasn't fair to both of them.
Blueberry couldn't respond if he didn't remember!
And, as if sensing the frustration of its latest glitch, the Anti-Void, not oblivious to its new young resident, reconnected the first voice line that had crossed its nonexistent, clean, and colorless walls. Only for the shattered and reassembled codes of its young protégé to hear it, fulfilling the only wish the Anti-Void could grant the skeleton at that moment.
A familiar, cheerful voice, with no indication of knowing the speaker's gender, startled Blueberry from his spot again. But this time, Blueberry was prepared; he heard them and listened intently. He wouldn't let it slip away again.
He couldn't reread what was said, but he could hear them clearly. That's why, despite not seeing them, he starred in the empty direction of the sound's origin, not wanting to be disrespectful to anyone. As he continued to listen to them, his feelings and mind began an internal conflict that Blueberry struggled to keep up with because he was so focused on analyzing the words spoken.
He could respond; he could respond.
He sighed and ignored everything that would interrupt his concentration.
He answered.
"Uh, hello? Nice to meet you too!" He greeted cheerfully, with a hint of genuine joy. He was still ignoring the conflicting, unexplored feelings that threatened to burst forth within him. Not yet at the boiling point. He smiled.
"Bloopie?" A new nickname for him? It amused him that they were already comfortable enough with him to grant him a new nickname upon their first interaction —a friendly nickname?— And if you think about it that way, it has a positive meaning for both of them and Blueberry. Okay. He'll allow it. "Sure! You can." He pointed at nothing and gave a thumbs-up, confirming his words.
"Wait, how did they know that?" Outwardly he was calm; inwardly he was very worried. Although... he should have anticipated it, Blueberry was sure that the discomfort he felt upon entering the Anti-void wasn't just that; Error had made it obvious by chatting with their own voices. It wasn't okay... but it will be, since apparently, they will accompany him in his solitude. He sighed in resignation. Blueberry had accepted his fate when he allowed himself to be kidnapped for the second time.
Okay. "Yeah, Error told me, and afterward, he didn't say anything else we didn't already know." Or at least, that's what Blueberry hoped. Error looked as surprising as Blueberry felt. Although that was... well, what felt like a long time ago. It left Blueberry very thoughtful. Having children? The thought of it... generated an endless stream of emotions and feelings that begged to be addressed, but above all, too much happiness, strangely enough. He doesn't know them, and he already wants them—no, he loves them.
Feeling his soul warming to their feelings and throbbing with the warm emotion of the news and the now... Blueberry decided to sit down, or else he'd end up exploding with emotion. Because, now that he remembered, he had told Fatal loudly and clearly that... he had children. Blueberry had said it, and by saying it out loud... it made everything he felt real. He would end up unable to respond if he got lost in the pleasant, weightless feeling that emerged from remembering it. He shook his head to both sides to clear his head; he would continue with it.
Or he would, if the lines of conversation hadn't spoken of his children, intelligent children whom the voices saw as having so much potential.
Blueberry had to fan himself with both hands to cool his face. He put the human soul aside and quickly began to breathe. Heavens, he even felt like the scarf around his neck wasn't helping with the heat. He decided he should keep listening, despite the heat on his face. Which... he suddenly stopped feeling upon hearing the next sentence.
Why, what? What about them? Situation... That, that was the situation they were talking about!
Now he felt cold.
He ignored the ERROR signals that were beginning to flood certain parts of his body. And he felt.
He felt it.
He had reached the boiling point.
The pain didn't matter this time, at the mere thought of the extremely ABUSIVE SITUATION. What those words made him feel... feel EVERYTHING.
Everything came crashing down on him at once.
And Blueberry, who thought he'd already gotten rid of most of those emotions, had his first physical reboot. It was semi-ERROR, not yet fully formed, but somehow, it happened. The white and dark glitches fluttered around his senses and hid his body from everyone. While frozen, he could only process one thing... he, he HAD TO FIND THEM, HAD TO GET THEM OUT OF THERE.
HE HAD TO—
*SYSTEM REBOOT*
.
.
.
.
.
.
…
The Anti-Void and the voices would be the only ones to notice this event. For a brief time, Blueberry rebooted, and he wouldn't remember it or what had made him explode in anger in the first place.
"Hello?" Confused, Blueberry regained his faculties. "What was—" He felt the loss of something, but he didn't know what. He looked at his physical condition for a few moments and saw nothing out of place. Strange, but he was fine.
Perhaps nothing had happened?
He put a hand to his skull and scratched his doubts, his gaze lost, before other imminent noises assaulted his hearing.
Oh, right.
The voices.
The voices!
Blueberry could hear two more voices demanding his attention.
And like a good host, Blueberry calmly dismissed the mysterious voice number one to take charge of the other voices.
Hi blue! How are you doing? Too well? Too crazy? Jajaja! Anyway! Dont forget about the twins! I promise they are cute beans!!!
"Hi! I'm... I'm okay? As okay as one can be, being trapped in the Anti-Void." He answered, being sincere, and this time he knew it was true. "Not that okay, but okay. Insanity is subjective to everyone. I just know I'm not as crazy as Error or Fatal." Still, he didn't say it.
He continued listening. "Beans? It's... Are you talking about my children?" For a moment he didn't understand. A moment that didn't last long, since he knew the comment was positive. Happy, he gave the commentator another smile.
He said goodbye when he didn't hear anything else from that other direction to go answer the third voice.
Hey blue maybe some advice but give some space to your new friend, they are a bit....bone crushing
"Are you talking about Fatal?"
Blueberry certainly remembered the feeling of imminent danger from the aura and presences surrounding the dangerous skeleton in the red scarf. If only he hadn't shut down Blueberry's energy to befriend him early on, it would be a different story.
He knew it; he knew it all too well.
He couldn't help but wince at that last word.
"Yes, thank you. I know now more than ever. I appreciate the concern." He winked at the voice that seemed to return to another place, having already fulfilled its purpose.
Another thunderous sound replaced it.
They were screaming!
He covered both sides of his head, but he still managed to hear what the voice was saying.
For Blueberry:
KILL THEM. RIP THEIR BONES AND DRINK THEIR MARROW! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD AND SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE! THEIR MARROW MUST BE SPILT.
Oh.
"...You're a little late, friend." He looked somewhat apologetically in that empty direction. But, inwardly, he was relieved because no one could force him to do something he didn't want to do; it was just another voice, a voice overly enthusiastic about... wanting blood from the bone marrow...
He patted his forehead, wanting to clear the feeling of fighting from the memory of Fatal inducing a fight. The words were clear; Blueberry didn't need another reminder.
And finally, what seemed to be another voice, more animated and calm than the last, flowed out.
for bluegrass or whatever his name is: hey there babygirl howzit goinnnn!!!!😝😝😝 Congrats on the solitary confinement!!! remember to STAY SILLY despite the horrors (there will be many) 👍👍 be urself or something idfk. Maybe do some fun little campfire songs with your new bestie!! BUT MAYVE UH DONT KILL ANYONE xP
"Everything's... normal?" Hesitantly, he stared at the human soul on the ground for a moment, still. He turned his attention to understanding the rest of the words. "I guess... thanks?" He didn't consider it an achievement, but if anyone else saw it that way... Well, Blueberry wasn't going to say anything; he didn't see the point here in the Anti-void. "Of course! CHEER UP!" He jumped up and waved his arms in the air in encouragement. "Yes, I will. I know I am right now." And it was true; he was more active than he had been in previous times.
"Pfff—!"
Blueberry had to cover his teeth at the imminent laughter that threatened to burst out of him.
Those sentences, those last sentences, were killing him.
Imagining Fatal singing campfire songs with Blueberry... yeah, no. His friendship points still weren't that high. Besides, they'd sound terrible singing together, and Fatal would get angry for not being able to control his own tone of voice.
He had to look away when he heard the word "KILL" again in another comment. Yeah, it was either too early or too late for Blueberry to be thinking about that kind of thing.
—Too much.—
Strangely, he felt himself starting to go numb every time it was mentioned. Well, that was another thought for another time.
…
Notes:
Guys, I'm really looking forward to writing the Dreamtale-focused chapter, and what's more, I've already drawn about it. But I can't show it yet; it's not the right time...
Chapter 5: Time goes on
Chapter Text
Lately, he's been wondering... How is everyone out there? How was his little brother coping with being the only living monster in the Underground, aside from Queen Toriel? What activities are Error and Fatal up to? Why does everyone seem so far away? Did they leave him knowingly? How could that whitish place affect him so much, changing the pigmentation of his hands and feet? Were the voices linked to the Anti-Void, or were they just something he developed through trauma?
So many questions and no convincing answers.
Blueberry sighed in defeat.
While it was nice to be able to hear someone other than his solitary thoughts, it was also counterproductive to be okay with it, as he was now.
A normal monster wouldn't be hearing voices in the first place —from who knows where.—
A normal monster wouldn't be hearing voices coming out of nowhere and arguing amongst themselves.
“Hehehehe
Ignore that guy Bloopie, you don’t need to murder anyone (unless they hit children then you can murder) We have enough murderous Errors already!…..Mysterious voice 1 out”
NO. THE MARROW MUST BE SPILT. KILL THEM ALL. THEY CANT HURT YOUR FUTURE CHILDREN IF THEIR DEAD. THE MARROW AND DUST MUST FLOW!
Blueberry shouldn't have been amused the way it was. They were just voices, but the grace and fun of it were still there. They were still there, filling the silence. The stormy silence.
He was grateful; he was sad.
His mood was very changeable, and meditation wasn't something he was looking for right now, with the heaviness of his mind overthinking everything. It would ruin the concentration of his calm state with silent panic. He was trying to get used to it. As well as getting used to hearing voices.
There was no schedule for it, but his stay with them for the moment was good. He wasn't lying. It soothed his SOUL to have invisible but latent company there. It was strange, and he didn't want to dwell on it too much.
Therefore, he continued with his seemingly normal "day," alone, but with the company of voices curious about his current state.
“Oop, Bloopie deeep breaths. You’ll be ok, despite what fatal says becoming an Error is not the end of the line, just focus on happy thoughts and you’ll be a nice error. And don’t worry we are real, we are the commenters, readers, anons, we go by many names but the point is we watch, usually the most interesting thing going on.
Remember we’re rooting for you Bloopie! Mysterious voice 1 out!”
That was the same initial voice he'd first heard in his near-failure state. Having his condition checked made him feel a warm sense of importance mixed with concern. It was nice.
He took another deep breath; he needed it. He felt like he needed to focus on himself all the time, but his protective nature didn't allow him to rest. He had too many things on his mind. Papyrus and the children. His whole world, usually said unspoken.
He blinked, shaking off the drowsiness he didn't feel but that for some reason hit him harder in that place. —Would it be okay if he just slept for a little while? A short nap?—
He felt tired...
"Hmm..." He pretended to stare at a fixed point because of the presence the voices radiated. "Happy thoughts?" And if he thought about it... it would be for the best; focusing on the positive in things was something he usually excelled at. "A good... Error," true... his general condition already gave him away. His colorful appearance was beginning to take on new meaning, much more similar to the original Error.
It was just another thought, one he'd have to face sooner or later.
… "That's good." Blueberry now had one question answered, despite his existential doubts.
Blueberry must be feeling very tired if he couldn't respond with the energy corresponding to such warm words. He was tired. He felt fatal. Involuntary giggles escaped him at the absurd thought and wordplay that came out of nowhere.
He groped the ground for a moment, considering whether he was allowed to sleep now. Could they wait? He hoped for a positive answer... which he didn't get. However, he sat down, and hearing nothing more, he lay down. He set the human soul aside, close to his vision. He had to see it —otherwise, he'd be scared again— despite how strange it was to observe a soul outside its owner. Home. Lying on his side, he curled up, distantly hearing the well-wishers of commentator one.
So, Blueberry slept, with the final thought that his younger brother had finally infected him with his strange sleeping habits. Sleeping anywhere but at home.
Blueberry woke up.
The first thing he saw when he woke up was the red soul. He blinked, and yes, it was still there.
He wasn't in a dream. It was good to know.
He had... he had dreamed; he had had some good, sweet dreams. They were all there. Blueberry could look at them, almost touch them, and talk to them. It was a good dream, even though he noticed that some of his friends' faces were blurry. That their voices were muffled, as if they were walking through Waterfall together, amidst eternal rain. Full of laughter, jokes, and wordplay. It was... a good dream fabricated by his subconscious.
It gave him hope.
It gave him what he most wanted to achieve. But couldn't obtain it; their distance from him was too far. No, even that word didn't describe it properly...
…
The second thing he noticed was... Was it some colorful pieces of paper scattered on the floor?
Yes, it was.
Just to be safe, he summoned a bone and touched them with it. Seeing nothing or feeling the drop in health, Blueberry allowed himself to touch them more freely.
His question: Where did they come from?
His answer?
Another enthusiastic voice...
Congrats on having twins! *throws multi-colored confetti* And for finally breaking down the wall :3
-Fork
He admits it, and he couldn't help but be moved as well.
And what monster wouldn't be?
—Queen Toriel used to celebrate the season of births, of good wishes.—
Blueberry was happy too.
He settled the soul snugly within his handkerchief and followed the path of the multicolored confetti. The little pieces of paper seemed to come from above, with no sender, but from above, they also seemed to be waiting for him to be kindly contemplated and admired by the various well-meaning congratulations highlighted by that new voice.
He could only say, "Welcome!"
His rise in esteem was appreciated.
"Thank you, even if it was for Error." And as if summoned for that moment, familiar comical drum and cymbal sounds emphasized the word 'Error.' His brother would be amused by it too, if it weren't for the fact that for the other monster, 'Error,' he is a life-and-death enemy for taking his older brother away from him.
Blueberry decided to think more about the other voice's words.
Yes, he has children, twins.
And apparently the wall of voice communication had been torn down, so Blueberry could now hear them? Either way, he was happy, and it showed in his eyes; he knew it.
And while Blueberry enjoyed the confetti and the congratulations...
The first fallen human, Frisk, was startled by the large amount of confetti that seemed to fall on the smiling blue skeleton. But none of it was noticed... Frisk was still a DETERMINED spirit, tied to the SOUL of Chara, his debtor, and another human half alive in his world. Who, unfortunately, no longer had a body. He was just another wandering soul, like the others after them.
Blueberry was able to offer a genuine smile that "day." He had energy, and now... He could smile and pay attention!
"Thank you!"
He said goodbye to the voice.
Frisk looked at him as if he were crazy, because, on the outside, that's what he looked like. "And then I'm the weird one," they whispered. Thinking of the many times Monster Kid had pointed out that detail of his. They sighed. They couldn't hear anything, but they could feel, sense, that they were being watched by an external entity. That... bothered him—scared them.— They wanted to leave—wanted Mom.—
“Heeey hi!! Apparently mysterious voice #1 called you Bloopie so that’s what im calling you, too. Nickname robbery. I guess. We are very much real (at least we think we are??) but just in case you’re freaking out, we can’t see EVERYTHING that happens to you, and we can’t hear ALL your thoughts. We can only see what’s shown to us, which is… enough for us to wanna help you. You can think of us as weird disembodied friends!! Yippie!!!! -Larry or something”
"Hello!" In the same spirit, he greeted. He hummed and listened —he was getting used to hearing.— At the mention of voice number one, he smiled slightly and snorted… at the nickname theft? Well, how bold, anyway; Blueberry had already decided he was fine with the nickname. So, well, he was fine.
And although Blueberry wasn't hysterical anymore, it was reassuring to know he had some privacy for himself. "Good to know... Thanks for clearing that up!"
He had privacy on one hand; on the other hand, he also didn't know how much they knew and weren't telling. For the moment, they seemed to be good. And with... good intentions? Okay. They also seemed to want Blueberry to smile more.
And just because they genuinely seemed to care for their well-being... Blueberry gave them one more big smile before hiding it behind his blue scarf once again. For safety, he had to hide it from the Anti-Void.
Frisk continued searching for what "Sans" was apparently hearing, and finding nothing, they concluded the skeleton was crazy. They felt a chill as they looked at the human souls in the "sky" of that infinitely white prison. For some reason, those souls resonated with them; their nonexistent self knew it.
DEATH MUST BE FED. THE WORLD MUST DIE. EVERYTHING MUST BURN. DUST SHALL FLY AND MARROW SING.
Thus, abruptly and with too much energy for the Anti-Void, another familiar and memorable voice made its dramatic appearance.
Blueberry just stared at them.
Frisk looked at him, seeing the skeleton's eyes darken, curious about the reason for such an action. What could he have heard to leave him in that state? They didn't know.
Only to feel their resolve wane when the skeleton said the following:
"Why do you... you remind me of... anyone else?" Blueberry narrowed his eyes, closed them, mentally sized them up, weighed the words, opened his eyes, and all he could think of was a... puppy/kitten with hair? Yeah, he was lost. He couldn't remember. "I think it started with T, Te, Temmm... something?"
The human could only slap themself because, "Really?!" They couldn't think of anything but the other soulless being besides them. They backed away from "Sans," and at a safe distance, pretended that being dead was a salvation from the madness of the bag of bones over there. Surely they wouldn't be the next to imagine voices. Frisk pretended not to care, pretended not to care about Chara's soul loose out there, at the hands of a crazy skeleton. Unimportant.
"Surely it's nothing..." He hoped not. He said goodbye to the voice with that lingering doubt.
After a while, another voice appeared, and with it, echoes in the Anti-void.
Do you Remember your children’s names; were you even Told?
Have a cookie
"I have a feeling they did tell me, but no, Error didn't tell me; I'm sure of that." He shrugged; he couldn't say much with so little information.
The echo in his mind told him, "You love them, you love them, you love them, you love them!" Without a doubt, because their mere existence was enough to make him love them. They seemed like the only constant in his family. Sans had a younger brother, yes, and Blueberry did too, but they weren't the same anymore. They were growing apart; more than physically, it was the mental struggle. Being another ERROR didn't help.
…
At the mention of the word "cookie"... Blueberry turned to look at the voice, again looking confused. Because the voice clearly said, "Have a cookie." Blueberry couldn't tell if that was serious or just an expression they were trying to get him to understand.
Like a form of positive encouragement.
"Have a cookie? Cookie?" Blueberry knew that even a cookie cheered up the monsters, of course, in addition to giving them a few health points for eating it. Cookies were comforting.
But then again... "Cookie?"
And just in case, he searched in all directions until he came across a sound of apparition. "Pop!" An almost silent sound behind Blueberry indicated the appearance of... A cookie? The promised cookie!
No rush, because the cookie was still suspended in the air, as if someone on the other side, an external force, was holding it for Blueberry to reach. Very considerate of him. Blueberry held it in his gloved hands; that gesture alone didn't make him consider using his blue magic. And with a cookie in his hands... he didn't know whether to consume it or save it. Which decision would be most appropriate given his circumstances?
While the skeleton named Blueberry was trying to decide...
Frisk, who had watched the whole event live but without being alive, stared blankly at the fourth wall and looked at them, like someone saying with their expression, "What the hell?!" repeatedly. Why did a cookie even appear out of thin air?! Then he considered that... "Sans's" madness had stuck to him like Chara had to her contract.
They stared, their eyes closed, gaining some determination from the interesting nature of the event. It silenced Chara's faintly twinkling soul as they looked at the afflicted state of... Well, that couldn't be Sans anymore. Sans wouldn't be crazy. And that madman was already calling himself by another name... that name was... a fruit, original.
They know.
"Blueberry, huh." Thoughtfully, they looked at it from different angles.
Finally concluding that it was appropriate, given the asylum's location.
"Fine, since I have no other choice."
*Frisk decided to hand over the care of Chara's SOUL to Blueberry.*
*This fills you with DETERMINATION.*
Of course, Frisk noticed this.
And of course, Blueberry didn't, distracted by the cookie half in his hands, the other half tucked away in his space pocket.
That's why Frisk sighed, closed their eyes more, and said, "He says, 'Thank you.'"
Not knowing why they said it, but knowing it was the right thing to do.
Frisk stood guard, though if you asked them, they'd say Frisk had already been doing so since they got there.
In another place called Underswap...
A tense silence hung over the decision of a tall skeleton, with a tired expression and dark circles under his eyes that he shouldn't have without skin, standing alert to an invisible danger he knew existed, wearing worn orange clothes. He looked at a child with dark, shallow eyes and gray scales from head to toe.
That was a single decision, the only important one in the face of such a genocidal timeline disaster. They both knew it.
Papyrus wanted to refuse.
He didn't know if his older brother would return with the other genocidal skeleton to their world again. He didn't know if leaving gave the green light to the ERROR of killing Sans. If they were doomed from the start and there was no salvation.
Any god, whoever.
…
But then that boy came, giving him a choice.
With facts and logic that he couldn't ignore.
His inner judge prevented him from doing so, prevented Papyrus from ignoring the damned facts.
Core Frisk raised an arm toward Papyrus and looked at him neutrally, as any emotion could be detrimental to his decision. Despite the very action of offering a hand, a bone, flesh and bone.
…
In moments like these... Papyrus couldn't help but think, "What would Sans say to this?"
Something, some support?
He knows that's what his brother, Sans, would say, thinking of Papyrus.
But Papyrus wanted to be selfish at the worst possible moment.
This... this wasn't funny at all.
Notes:
Look at the before of Sans (Blueberry) and Dream.
That's Sans and Dream before they knew each other. Before Blueberry became Blueberry, and no, Dream doesn't stay that size for long…
Minor fact:
I stopped typing when I got to the word "cookie" because I was hungry and I still hadn't had dinner. Ha, and by the time I started typing again, with a full stomach, my brother came in quickly and handed me a cookie without saying anything. Lol.
Chapter 6: Break the fabric of reality
Notes:
I think I just wrote more words than I usually do.
Hmm...
Well, enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He felt the glitches and errors creeping through his body again, freezing him in the act of walking and trying to do any kind of constant movement exercise. It wasn't new, but it scared him nonetheless. He couldn't see himself, only constant pain, then a state of numbness. It left him very, very, very tired in the end. Why? He didn't know; the only guess he had was that the transition from becoming an ERROR was taking its toll on him from staying in the Anti-Void.
His body was adapting to the Anti-Void, and his mind was trying to leave it.
He refused to change much about himself.
While Blueberry couldn't stop the self-imposed color palette of that place, he could hold on tightly to his memory and recollections. He would fight himself if necessary. —Which is what he does very often every time the bursts of failures occur in his body.—
The change left behind was already noticeable in his gloves and boots, even extending to his clothing and precious blue scarf, now reddened. —He doesn't know if he wants to know how his bones are beneath his armor and clothes.— Blueberry blinks urgently, not wanting his vision to begin to degrade and fail like the other errors. He knows very well that sooner or later the change will be completed, and eventually he'll be able to leave. He doesn't know how everyone would react to seeing him; he doesn't know if he wants them to know.
He shakes his head at both ends. Either way, Blueberry would like to check on his loved ones once he can get out of there...
With a deep breath, Blueberry stands up once more. No one but himself could continue to endure this. There was no one else to help him get up on his own two feet.
No one.
No one but... the voices.
The voices!
And if that wasn't a normal thought among monsters, it was because it truly wasn't a normal thought. Unless they were already having personal problems before arriving in the Anti-Void... Which Blueberry wasn't.
The Anti-Void was making his stay a problem.
Feeling somewhat gloomy, Blueberry looks again at the human soul in his hands, lifts it up, and, just to be thorough, inspects it well, not wanting any flaws to taint the world-saving soul.
The restorative SOUL for the world of... "Underswap #11."
Error hadn't called his world that, but it's what Blueberry can assume from being previously introduced to the voices as "Blueberry Sans #11."
The format of his introduction was curious. At least for Blueberry, since it might make him think about the other worlds derived from his own... or from the "original Underswap." Those who don't yet have the discomfort of having the Destroyer in their sights and close to "the abomination" radar. He'd be jealous of them, very, very, very jealous. But Blueberry had decided in his nature not to be like that. It wouldn't do him any good to dwell on that feeling.
He sighs and moves again.
Frisk watches him, always in silent company. They couldn't hear them; technically, they shouldn't exist. But they were the only variable to observe. Not counting the rest of the SOULS up above with their possible Charas there with them, Frisk wouldn't go there, not voluntarily. It was enough for them to follow the soul to whom they are already bound by an idealized commitment in a "good" friendship.
…
Compared to Paps, Blueberry was not a lazy skeleton at all. Whether in a confined space or not, he would move around because of the vast amount of energy he has, which is distributed throughout the Anti-void. He'd start to get depressed if he spent his entire stay there tired and sleeping forever.
Besides, the voices were good for cheering!
Blueberry wouldn't let them down by doing nothing. Error or not.
And just to give himself a good obstacle course, Blueberry summons his arsenal of bones; what were once attacks are now his training course. He steps on certain parts of the ground and summons the bones there, placed in different sizes. He places them like a ladder. He climbs on top of them when he's finished, jumping from one to the other until he reaches the top, believing he can see the rest of the human souls in the sky, with millions of threads decorating certain parts of the Anti-Void. The Error section.
Blueberry can't get any further than that.
Somehow, he knows he'd be repelled if he touched them.
Perhaps that's why he was able to keep the human soul he has, currently lying near the ground. That soul resonates with his being, echoes of the multiverse knocking at his door? Blueberry only knows that that soul truly resonates and belongs to her world, her universe, and the correct timelines. Genocide or not, Blueberry will return them where they belong.
Marking that promise as yet another determination that... Frisk can feel.
Still shocked, they knew they made the right decision. They could rest in peace... or they would if they weren't worried about the whole situation. Frisk knows Chara would cry if they felt abandoned, fellow spirit or not. Sometimes, they don't know what to think or feel about that strange human.
Blueberry jumps down, feeling a brief nudge from someone invisible and no, that invisible someone wasn't Frisk. It was the Anti-Void warning them about possible calls waiting on the other end.
And since Blueberry didn't want to leave them hanging, he answered.
"Hello?"
Hoi Bloopie, You seem to be feeling better already now that you have some friendly company. I’m glad you like the nickname! You seem to have crashed out earlier and forgotten our conversation so Hello, I’m a girly from beyond time and space but you can call me mysterious voice number 1 or M1 for short since I was the first one to reach out.
Also uh yeah like I said your kids are in an ahem abusivesituation… But don’t freak out because Bright side! Being able to hear the voices means you’ll probably gain the ability to make portals soonish
And remember no matter what happens remember not to lose yourself. After all you are THE magnificent Bloopie and nothing can take away your integrity! Now go make the world a brighter place! ……. As soon as you get out of the white void that is..
M1 out!
"Hello, Mysterious Voice Number One!" And while Blueberry listened to them, the energetic skeleton set about gathering the rest of the bones scattered on the floor. Being in a vacuum wouldn't make him a messy living being, no sir. However, he nearly broke the long bone he was holding at the mention of "company." He pushed away the intrusive thoughts about his current life and replaced them with the positivity the voices imposed. He hummed silently, letting the only sounds he could hear and that were available to him drown out the loneliness. "Oh no. Thanks to you!" He smiled, thinking of his recent nickname, which they were already starting to refer to him by.
"Forget?" Blueberry didn't know he had forgotten. He tried to recall even a little of the previous conversation. Nothing. Nothing came to mind, nothing but the first visit and a pleasant greeting. And when Blueberry tried to pry through the locked memories, trapped in visions of glitches and errors in vision, he was momentarily stopped by the words "unknown storage limit, do not pry," which, confused, he didn't delve into. He didn't know what would happen if he touched that. He apologized in advance. The frustration he felt with himself... Was this, was this how his brother once felt every time he looked at Blueberry?
And no, he didn't want to get lost in that train of thought again. He continued.
"M1." He pronounced it and found it sounded fine to distinguish the first voice that spoke to him. They were fine. He wouldn't mind continuing with the long title, but they were fine pronouncing the abbreviated version as well.
Hearing the next line of conversation, he halted his actions. Because... apparently, they were rehashing lost time... over... the abuse? And before he could even begin to fail over it, Voice Number One stressed to Blueberry not to panic, even though he wanted to, and it was a natural reaction for skeletons who have a child in danger, at risk of danger.
He took a deep breath, controlling his breathing, controlling what he could of himself. And within sight, he dispelled the Anti-Void's bone artillery, the excess magic energy threatening to explode. Trying to focus on the positive side, the positive side of the message, he listened to them. Because the mention of PORTALS stunned him.
It was true, Blueberry could hear them, and later, during this interaction, he could... he could make portals soon! And if that wasn't a positive thought, he didn't know what was. "Thanks, M1!" Blueberry needed someone else to tell him, well, the thought was there, but he wasn't necessarily a scientist like his father. With that said, he absentmindedly agreed with the Mysterious Voice 1 before beginning his multiple attempts at making a portal.
"I will, because I am... The Magnificent Bloopie!"
Blueberry's voice resonated with himself, and with it Frisk's spirit as well. Frisk, now accustomed to it, vocalized the determination projected in the words and continued as if nothing had happened. Sensing a change, they sat down near Chara's soul and waited to see what "Bloopie" would do.
"Attempt number 59, the skeleton Blueberry, also known as Bloopie, hasn't stopped trying to summon a portal and has continued for hours through sheer force of will," Frisk told the spectators. They looked down at Chara's wandering soul on the ground and pitied their misery. "Well, at least you can't watch them fail, Chara. You'd have fun watching and cheering them on, wouldn't you?"
Yes, Frisk knew that.
Every so often, they glanced at Bloopie, observing his failures, his complaints, and his frustrations, occasionally commenting when they saw him collapse from exhaustion, which wasn't often, since the skeleton seemed to have and store infinite energy.
"Do you think he'll ever give up?" They consulted Chara. But no one answered them. Frisk snorted and pretended to imagine Chara's merciful responses. "Oh, come on, Frisk! Don't get caught up in that mentality. If we could fight all the monsters in the Underground, and then with Photoshop Temmie, Sans can do it too! They look as determined as we do." They could already imagine them cheering loudly for Blueberry beside them, saying words of comfort at the skeleton's attempt, even though no one could hear them. And Frisk would say, "Not you too, Chara," while thinking that Chara has already fallen into the orbit of the Anti-Void madness.
They would feign disappointment while internally having a contradiction. Because it was true... "Bloopie looks as determined as we do..." Frisk couldn't help but recognize them. But for the moment... "Portal attempt, total count 84 so far, and he still won't give up." They whistled softly.
"Attempt number 9—"
They stopped when they saw Blueberry pause for a split second, tilting his skull in an unknown direction. That seemed to be a recurring occurrence.
Also might as well ask something to Blue: Hey Bloo! What's your favourite kind of joke? Do you like puns?
"Oh! Hello!" Blueberry greeted briskly, sweat beading on his forehead. He paused to answer the voice, of course, still moving one arm to activate a portal. He tapped the ground rhythmically, sparks of blue magic on his fingers, again trying to open an exit door in the Anti-Void.
"That's an easy one, bone jokes." Generally, anything that involved skeletons was a good joke or pun. "Puns are my favorite." Paps loved jokes the most, as much as "Sans"/Blueberry loved puns. That was a fact she still hadn't forgotten.
Frisk could confirm that, too. They didn't bother nodding. It seemed like a normal conversation, one they couldn't overhear.
Blueberry continued searching for the long-awaited escape door.
He knew they existed; the resident errors had been able to open it.
He continued searching as another voice made an appearance.
Hey Blue! I know the Anti-void might be a bitch, but trust me, your two precious children out there need you. When you get out of where you are, trust me, you'll understand everything. And if you don't... Well, very bad things will happen to your children.
That only made Blueberry a little more desperate.
"And... the skeleton started clawing at the ground." Just what they needed, despair knocking at their door. Frisk frowned and pretended to glare at the Anti-Void's sky for explanations they wouldn't get. Finally, Frisk lay on the ground, face up and with their hands to their chest, pretending to be inside a coffin, only to say, "Chara, we've already lost him."
Chara's soul flickered faintly, empathizing with their plight.
"No... I can't let that happen!" Bloopie muttered to himself on repeat. Seeing himself as a mess on the ground. The gloves they wore and the clean floor of the Anti-Void prevented him from harming himself by clawing at the ground, as if he had dirt to dig.
Frisk looked at the viewer and said, "We'll resume attempts in..." He tapped his wrist, like someone checking the time on a nonexistent watch. "...I don't know how long." They ended up being honest; there was no one to lie to. The situation didn't get any easier with time, and Blueberry started glitching again.
-Unknown day number, unknown times-
He felt the change.
Blueberry felt the change and couldn't help but giggle wildly at the whole situation.
His physical change was complete.
As for his mental state... superficially, it seemed the same.
The skeleton hadn't stopped finding an outlet for that madness. His soul pounded madly to protect— protect whom? Protect his loved ones. And only then could he stop the suffocating pain he felt for not fulfilling his role.
Frisk could speculate all this over time and couldn't help but watch with phantom pain the change from Sans to Blueberry and from Blueberry to Blueberror . They became more comfortable with the name "Bloopie" because of the pleasant tone they conveyed to everyone.
At some point, they stopped finding it funny to see so much misfortune in such a confined place. Because, at least, Frisk's loneliness was compensated by being able to observe how their loved ones in life lived the lives they couldn't share. They were alone, but they could see them. Blueberry was alone, like, truly alone. That's what both Frisk and Chara hated the most.
…
Blueberry remembered teaching Error how to knit at some point in the past. And Error had shared his crochet hobby with them.
It was easy for Blueberry to understand and follow the steps to crochet properly. The ease of it also lay in the threads; they were and are magical, especially because they were directly from the throwing monster itself. Many things could be done with those threads. Back then, Blueberry directed them to knitting lessons.
Deep down, he hopes Error hasn't forgotten them.
They were good lessons...
Oh, and why does Blueberry think of them? You might be wondering... Well... This can only be taught to you, and only you... Do you understand?
"Look..." Blueberry pointed at something invisible to human and monstrous eyes. But, wow, the voices could see them. Threads, many colorful, thin threads intertwined neatly, parallel to each other. It looked like what one would see on their computer screen if they zoomed in to see the tiny pixels that made up the monitor screen. Bloopie chuckled softly. And with a mischievous smile, he touched the threads with his dark gloves, giving them the sensation of a strong but fickle structure to be touched. "That's the fabric of reality."
The error slid his finger in a random direction, and soon, unexpectedly, an image was projected onto it. On the other side, despite the colorful threads, one could glimpse a solitary skeleton resting under a snowfall, a snowfall that collided with the skeleton's hood. What characterized this character were his reddish eyes, with hints of cyan toward one eye. Dusty clothes and a striking red scarf.
The skeleton seemed to be talking to itself.
He looked lonely... something... familiar resonated in his soul...
But Blueberry couldn't stop just because of that.
He had to find his children!
"Attempt number 615841, and counting. I think he can do it this time." Now, Frisk was the positive one, the tables had turned, and Chara was doubtful. "This time he can do it," they emphasized.
And he searched.
Blueberry still hadn't opened a portal. But it wasn't because he'd stopped trying. It was because in the midst of his chaos trying to open a portal, in a burst of desperation, he dug deep until he found those threads. He could see them. He experimented, just to see where they might lead, and he found multiple paths he'd never dreamed of seeing before. Because if that was what Error saw... yes, Blueberry now understood what was overwhelming them.
Because they went from seeing nothing to seeing everyone and the entire multiverse.
His feeling was contradictory, especially when he saw some lines, intertwined threads, and thin, wanting to break each other. The signs of errors and mistakes in the weaving made him want to eliminate them, erase them, or redo them himself.
Strange, right?
Blueberry only knew that he was new and that he didn't yet have a defined role in this multiverse.
And as he serenely slid through the spinning, Blueberry felt another call directed toward him.
He heard them; he hadn't heard them for a long time, trapped in his attempts to escape his confinement as quickly as possible.
HAHA! IM HERE BEFORE MYSTERIOUS VOICE #1! Unless they are sneaking past as I speak… in which case, im a lying liar who lies. ANYWAYS! I didn’t know we could summon things! …I don’t have anything interesting to give you so take a uhhh uh uh.. jar of salsa! Deploy!!! -Larry (again)
"Uh, I'm pretty sure you're first this time." Blueberry conceded the number one spot to this other voice. He still had to respond to the other voices left in the Anti-Void's inbox, but they'd get there. So, "Hi! It's nice to hear from you again." Better late than never.
"That mode was new to me, too." It was a surprise, a pleasant surprise that manifested itself in confetti and cookies. Cookies he still kept, tucked away in his pocket, still contained HP.
"Yeah, well —wait!" And since Blueberry was still busy sorting through possible alternate universe candidates for the kids' stay, he directed his magic to another arm, only to catch the jar of salsa thrown his way.
It was just a jar of salsa, but they already had his full attention…
He waited patiently for the rest of the voices to start speaking. His attention was still divided between them and him.
HURT THEM. BREAK THEM AN- *Loud coughing noises as a fly enters my mouth and I begin to choke... after a moment the voice goes silent...*
Oops My jar of flies got opened, however did that happen 🙃
*Inchoerent noises of rage*
You give off *sips hot chocolate* chihuahua energy.
Frisk watched as Blueberry stood still for a few seconds, the circular information loading bar hovering over his shoulder, staring blankly at something in the sky. He only then threw part of his body to the ground, repeatedly hitting the ground with one arm, laughing with the freedom of someone in a state of madness. Something had amused the skeleton, but Frisk didn't know what or who. They resigned themselves, "Is this my death now?" and pretended to dismiss Chara's imaginary response.
"Why... why are you all like this?" Blueberry complained between giggles. It was unfair; they had distracted him from his self-imposed quest. The fabric returned to its normal state, invisible to everyone except Bloopie's eyes. He made a gesture of wiping away an invisible tear and settled back on the ground.
They had distracted him, but it was a good distraction.
Hello Bloopie! I bet the white void is a bit eeeeehh understimulating, so here’s a puzzle to keep you busy! *A very colorful 1000 piece puzzle poofs in front of him*
Oh and I have a little note for the determined human soul there too friend!
Mysterious voice number 1 out!
"Hello! M1." And since he couldn't help it, Blueberry covered the Cheshire grin that was threatening to appear only to say, "Don't worry, you weren't late to the party, Voice 1—3." Because yes, Blueberry quickly realized that someone, and it wasn't always the same person, arrived before others. He welcomed them in the order they arrived.
And just because he didn't want to hurt anyone, he quickly apologized. Because, despite the voices keeping him good company, Blueberry realized he no longer knew how to interact with other living beings besides them. He wouldn't know how to behave appropriately around others... and just the thought of it made him feel nervous about himself. He wondered, would his current appearance scare them? Blueberry didn't want to be seen as scary...
He sighed, somewhat discouraged, despite the previous amusement now forgotten, now merely an echo of his former self. "...You have no idea." Unconsciously, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his teeth. He didn't last long when he was interrupted by the unexpected magical appearance of a puzzle near his feet. This made him jump in fright.
Blueberry hadn't expected it because he hadn't paid attention to the warning.
If he were a cat, Blueberry would feel his fur bristling all over his body.
But without hesitation, he picked up the 1,000-piece puzzle, ready to complete it and return it to the finished package. He whispered a thank you, and as he was about to open the box, he noticed a piece of paper attached to it. Confused, before accidentally reading it, he noticed the recipient's name.
And he became even more confused, as the note was addressed to someone named... "Frisky Froo?" No, he hadn't misread it; that was the sender's name. He pondered it, only to discover he didn't know anyone named that.
The note wasn't for him, so he absentmindedly moved it away from himself and placed it next to the almost forgotten human soul beside him. He quickly forgot about it when he took out the puzzle pieces and realized they were colorful. Blueberry already wanted to know what image these pieces formed.
On the other hand, Frisk debated whether to read the note or not.
The note was addressed to them, and they didn't know why. By that point, Frisk knew their story was somewhat forgotten. Only the monsters knew of their existence, and they didn't even want to think about humans anymore. Sometimes it was just the mention of "human," but not their name. Every time they approached New Home.
… No one else should know about them… What the hell was that place? ...
As the saying goes... "Curiosity killed the cat." But Frisk couldn't die again; they didn't have the body for it, let alone their soul, because they no longer had it. The only thing they could truly lose was Chara's soul. "But the satisfaction of satisfying their curiosity brought him back." Frisk had nothing to lose by reading it. If anything, Bloopie could take care of Chara.
Shrugging, Frisk came down from their perpetual floating state and peered at the contents of the letter.
(Hello, yup hehe we know you’re there frisky froo. You may know me as one of the many voices talking to Bloopie but you can call me mysterious voice number 1 🤗. Don’t worry moooost of us are friendly, besides I have a feeling things will get much more interesting soon…. 😉. Also Chara, mind if I call you Cocoa? Your gonna need nickname now that you’ve breached the ✨wider multiverse✨. Whole lotta Chara’s out there, gets confusing.
Stay Determined! Mysterious voice number 1 out!)
They reread it, blinked, and reread it again. "You've got to be kidding." Was this the reason Bloopie seemed to hear something else out of nowhere? Voices? This was... suspicious. Either it was something else, or it was a state of insanity Frisk was escalating from. "Of course. Why would I believe they're anything more than friendly?" Call them on their distrust, but that was well-earned if it was Frisk.
They wouldn't speak of their past to anyone other than their subconscious.
... "I can see this." Literally, since they seemed to be at the epicenter of the change. Frisk knew it. The game's readings told them so.
"No, don't make me think about the multiple Charas out there running around." Possibly even dead. One Chara was already enough for Frisk's psyche; they weren't counting the rest... but still. "Ha! They're calling you Cocoa!"
Frisk couldn't help but childishly point a finger at Chara's soul, who lay prone with no intention of moving, processing the nickname from the depths of his being.
"Pfff—" No, you won't hear them laughing. And whoever heard them is lying. A first-class liar, saying that a spirit no one can see laughs.
Their transparent being trembled in place for a few seconds, quickly recomposing itself to say:
*Knowing about the voices, after so much time, fills you with DETERMINATION.*
—Omega Timeline—
"Is Papyrus still undecided about coming to Core Frisk's Omega timeline?" Underswap Sans, a recent resident of the Omega timeline, asked somewhat bewildered. Worried, he unconsciously invaded Dancetale Sans's personal space. His sad blue eyes were about to search the room.
"It seems so. He's still in Core's waiting line." Dancetale Sans gently guided the other skeleton out of his space, conveying discomfort and pity. He felt himself sweating in his place. He was only present when Core arrived empty-handed after declaring that someone needed his help.
And the fact that the guy still hadn't received that help... made them feel melancholy in a strange way that hurt them to know.
"Damn, and I thought the Boss was the toughest monster of us all." Underfell Sans spoke up, joining in on the conversation upon hearing his brother's name mentioned. The Boss was on the other end, Papyrus of Underfell accompanying one of the classic Papyrus for a puzzle-trap debate.
"Well, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose." Dancetale Sans said goodbye to them, sliding step by step from the spot until he followed the little dancer who was snooping around with Paps about the Outertale brothers' old place. Their little feet vibrated in place, wanting to dance, and this was their alternate universe reaching the source of their nature. Dancetale Sans relaxed from the proximity.
Meanwhile, Underswap Sans continued to recap what had happened with Underfell Sans.
"Sorry, guys." Core Frisk's voice echoed through everyone.
—In another, another place... toward the far end of the Anti-void—
–CRACK–
. . . Ha-ha haa, HA...
Fatal had already found his target.
Error should have expected it; however, he doesn't expect it to be today.
The genocidal error had broken his arm. He deserved it. He knew it, but it didn't make losing a limb any less painful.
He breathed raggedly; he had emerged from a lost battle because of someone else's colorful distraction. It's worth saying that this was his opposite when it came to "work." When he was caught off guard arriving at his "home."
That anomaly had sought him out and waited for him.
... that broken arm, worth two...
The wretch laughed, cackling, before tying him up with the bloody red threads and once again throwing him to the ground like a rag doll.
Notes:
*Blueberry is now Blueberror.
*Chara gets a new nickname, Frisk ignores theirs.
*Error is found and has his first encounter with Ink.
*Fatal gets his revenge.
*Core and Swap Sans are worried.
*And the twins? They'll be on the scene soon...Just a few more questions to answer.
Chapter 7: Cookies and storm
Summary:
Everything was a disaster...
Notes:
Sorry, but I've been more respectful of my sleep schedule this week. For that tough week, and the tremors and quakes that happened when I woke up...
Yeah... well, here's a chapter, started last night and finished the next afternoon. (I'd like to add more drawings, but that depends on the day and what I'm doing on my phone.)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“There!” He had finished completing it. Blueberry had finished completing the image that formed that puzzle. “Finished.”
Proud of himself, he admired his victory for a few moments before proceeding to carefully hold —and with much practice in assembling and disassembling traps— the precious puzzle gift M1 had given him.
Blueberry placed it back in its packaging. Not wanting his effort to be in vain by accidentally summoning a bone where it shouldn't, only to destroy the beautiful image that emerged from those pieces. Although he knew that was the purpose of the puzzle—to be put back together, to be built.
He needed to do something else, like speed up or find a way to find the children. The search… for the moment, wasn't yielding good results…
It was as if the place where the children were was restricted to Blueberry.
He couldn't locate it.
He didn't have enough information about the children to know where to look... anyway, he wouldn't give up. There were two children out there; who were his, and who were in danger.
According to normal monster rules and by decree of the Queen, that was a punishable offense. Those who committed it —cases of such magnitude being rare— would be judged by the mysterious judge in the courtroom.
Which, in his case, wasn't so mysterious anymore. Since it was only by Error that he had the shocking discovery of learning that his younger brother, Papyrus, was the mysterious judge who handed down those sentences... yes, Blueberry knew that position was very important and that, therefore, the chosen monster had to be hidden from everyone. Anonymity helped them live freely and without worrying about the weight of their position, without riffraff like them judging him for his final decisions.
—Blueberry wanted to apologize for knowing that—
But nothing prepared him for the events that followed. That's why his current life was the way it was.
He… was getting off topic…
Well, the point was that threatening the monsters' offspring was punishable, and he had to be judged for it. And if the children were in danger…
It was Blueberry's duty and role to ensure the protection of his offspring. And even more so with the reduced population on his world… He could deal with the threat as he saw fit. And if the queen knew, he was sure he'd have her support.
There was a reason why his versions outside of "Underswap," the vast majority of whom were and held the title of judge. It was interesting to learn about that detail. It gave weight to his courage and what he would do once he learned about the threat level the baby bones were under.
Because yes, Blueberry was certain the children hadn't yet reached the maturity milestones of adult skeletons. Plus, the voices emphasized the danger and abusive environment the children were in.
It made a little piece of his soul ache with them.
It killed him not to know anything about them.
The anxiety was prominent. Blueberry knew Sans would have handled it better than he had. But he also knew that Sans's roots didn't begin apart from his known reality and familiarity...
That's why Blueberry was the way he was, an ERROR of what Sans shouldn't be. Because now he was Blueberry, an ERROR, almost as if his destiny was shattering his identity to turn him into... into Blueberror.
...
... Existential crises were surely abounding because of the Anti-void...
...too much.
Blueberry, because he was Blueberry and felt that way, practiced his breathing exercises.
It wouldn't do him any good to get lost again.
One, two, three in.
One, two, three out.
No, not like someone he knows is likely to find. And the one who would have to speak out to calm the wild waters swirling in the universe of Underswap #11.
One, two, three in.
One, two, three out.
He'd have to fix it.
Blueberry wanted to fix it.
Of course, once he got the children out of the dangerous situation. —Somehow, he knew he'd have his younger brother's support if he told him—. He could finally restore his world with the help of the human soul in his hands. With the human's help... they could finally have their happy ending.
-...And Blueberror? He couldn't stay to taint that happy ending.-
Then he could... he could...
"...!"
He could pause to analyze it more deeply and lose himself in his thoughts once he answered the call of the voices that flooded the Anti-void with curiosity and welcome distractions.
"Wait we can summon things? Lemme try something! *Gives Bloo a picture of Nightmare and Dream* If this works then you officially know what your twins look like! See any resemblance? :D"
“In fact…” He did see it.
And he didn't think so because of the feeling of disorientation that swirled through his mind as he was attacked by the most mesmerizing image his eyes glimpsed. No. This was something more.
With a delicacy that didn't quite know what lay within his silent, inner panic, Blueberry carefully held the photo that was given to him with such underlying emotion at the voice.
He scanned every detail he could capture in the picturesque image.
It wasn't just seeing the image of two skeletons enjoying each other's company that captivated him enough to make his soul react. No. It was something else peeking through the well-built protective feelings next to the word "children."
These... these were his babies.
His baby bones.
Vaguely, he had the impression that the ERROR signals throughout his body stopped, only to reorganize into something equally different in Blueberry's system.
*Parental controls activated.*
Frisk said, also stunned and confused by the whole thing. At the same time, Blueberror's system filed it under Blueberry's character.
Blueberry continued looking at the photo.
His eyes traced the differences between the twins and their comparisons with his own.
Both children wore clothes similar to his first choice of clothing, the most formal option for the royal guard, without armor. Short- and long-sleeved shirts, bright and muted colors. Those baby bones seemed to embody day and night. They wore boots similar to his own, with representative colors on each twin. And what stood out most about them were the crowns on their heads, their shapes, and the belts that caught the attention of those who saw them.
The little sun seemed to enjoy tending to the little moon. And the little moon seemed to enjoy the little sun's company.
Because while they resembled him and looked like genuine skeletons, the boys had already built their autonomy.
Perhaps Blueberry didn't specifically father them, but knowing of their existence before their other versions... made him aware that they, these little ones, were—no, are—his.
Belonging throbbed in his soul, like an enchanted song of discovery.
… Now if only he knew more about them… Maybe from the photo he could figure out which universes to discard to better find them?
He hoped for a yes.
Error and Fatal share some traits that might be related to be glitches, they can do things that sanses more grounded to their reality probably wouldn't be able to. What's that saying? If theres a will theres a way? Keep your will and you'll find your way love.
-Fork :3
“Thanks for the good wishes!” That buoyed his spirits a little more. As the voice said, “where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Blueberry would eventually find the right path to everything, to them.
He already had the previous errors as an example. And if he had learned anything from them, it was… the things he could do, as well as the things he himself didn’t want to emulate.
Their determination and resolve within him relied on him to guide them down the right path.
Blueberry could do it.
hi blue!! Try to think positive thoughts It may help with your situation even if it only helps a bit I believe in you!!
Angel out!
He was getting the idea behind all this. Positive reinforcement might help him, eventually.
"Hello!" he greeted effusively, because every positive encouragement encouraged him to surpass himself. Again, on impulse, Blueberry resumed his search for the children. One hand on the photo and the other searching for a connection that gave him the feeling of that photograph. He searched the background image, only managing to highlight the prominent figure of a tree. Something seemed different about that detail. "Think positive," he murmured to himself repeatedly.
And upon hearing the words "I believe in you" from that new voice... It was that vote of confidence that filled him with a realized vigor, which drove his magic to dig deeper into the threads of reality.
If someone believed in him... he could believe in himself too. Suddenly, it wasn't so hard to see.
So your children have unique names. The Golden one is Dream and the purple one (soon to be teal) is Nightmare. Nightmare is bullied with force and Dream is peer pressured in to help the stupid villagers. They manipulate Dream away from the tree and beat Nightmare. Nightmare cant take it for long so hurry please. (Also here is a bag of cookies for when you meet them, the cookies have edible glitter!)
Blueberry repeated and memorized that information. Because it was totally worth much more than the gold of all the monsters in the entire Underground combined.
“Dream and Nightmare.” That totally fit the description he had of one of them. Except for the name Nightmare, because who names their child the wrong way without expecting… possible repercussions? Children were and are a blessing!
He listened to him, and the situation didn't paint a pretty picture compared to the photo in his hands. The human soul lay snug and hidden beneath the red scarf of error.
Frisk could only nod, visibly curious, already constructing the loose, context-free sentences Blueberry spoke aloud.
He took a deep breath, held it, and returned to exercising calm. The storm could come later.
…
Blueberry knew there was something suspicious about that tree in that photo, but he didn't know what, and he still doesn't. But he doesn't rule out that it was something unimportant. It was definitely important if... villagers? Did he hear that correctly? ... if they took one of his children away from the tree.
Thinking of multiple strangers, of the crowds of people harming the children, his children...
It caused involuntary lapses that threatened to obscure his vision of the anger he felt under the weight of the reality of the words.
At no point did he wrinkle the photo he was holding. Even though his hands itched with the urge to defend the precious smiles in the photo. His other hand stopped searching, unwilling to make a mistake in case his rage took him to the most distant or "bad" universes, according to what he felt at that moment.
Blueberry quickly stored the cookies with edible glitter inside his dimensional pocket.
Except it won’t be teal because you’re gonna stop the bad thing from happening, Right Bloopie! (And don’t worry Dream isn’t helping with the bullying, he’s just busy being exploited for unrelated child labor.)
Hehe think happy thoughts Bloopie, like COOKIES!!!!!!!
*20 bags of cookies fall on the ground*
Mystery voice 1 out
“Teal?”
That mention without context forced him to assume the worst of the situation. Even more than it already was, what he'd been taught could get worse.
… The clarification was a tremendous relief given the circumstances described.
It never occurred to Blueberry that one of his twins would hurt the other. Even if the image he saw there said something positive. He knows that brothers, no matter how angry they are with each other, will always love each other no matter what.
At least, that's what Blueberry wants to believe. Based on the previous relationship between Sans and Papyrus. The history between brothers was based on mutual protection.
It was evident that—
Blueberry stopped, as the voice's farewell brought a breeze that shouldn't exist in the Anti-Void, due to the lack of ecosystems in the soil and skies, and flooded the place. And when he looked up... he had to put away his precious photo just to brace himself for the avalanche of bagged cookies raining down from the sky.
Once he was able to chew some of the cookies, he let the sweetness flood his senses a little before finally thinking positively again.
Hey Bloppie! Your kids are incredibly strong! You'll love them, just like we do! By the way, hello Frisk! Yes, we see you too!
With more sugar in his system, Blueberry answered. “Hello!” He greeted effusively, somewhat apprehensive about having real food this time, even if it was just cookies. Error seemed to be living off chocolate anyway.
“I don’t doubt it.” Even if it wasn’t, Blueberry would still love them. With all his failing soul.
Yes.
And no one would change his mind—wait… What?
“Frisk?” His voice echoed throughout the Anti-Void.
Why would they… Why would they mention the first fallen human?
Frisk reacted to the call, bristling in place at the mention of it. They shouldn’t—
The devastation the queen felt was strong enough for all her people to feel it with her. At the time, Sans didn't know what all the fuss was about, busy concentrating on being a good older brother to little Paps... until he met the queen some time later, and upon becoming her friend, he finally understood what had happened so long ago.
But... why... why were they... mentioning him as if the human were alive? Dead? What were they seeing?
The skeleton looked around again. Finding nothing.
Frisk looked away. Blueberry wouldn't find him in his current dead state.
"Frisk," he repeated more insistently, realizing that he still had a human soul with him. "Frisk!" There were some secrets with the information gleaned from human souls and the existential plane that doubled in willpower. "Frisk! If you're here, answer!"
It had to be a joke.
Frisk couldn't help the call of their name. Names were powerful, even if you knew the names of the dead. Frisk looked at him.
And repeated until he managed to feel the silent presence of someone staring at him.
It was strange; there was no one to look at, but he felt a presence staring at him.
…what if…?
Oh, no.
Kid…
“You… you’re really here.” It wasn’t a question anymore, just a statement. He kept looking until he managed to decipher where that feeling was coming from. Staring into nothingness, but knowing that’s where the feeling was coming from. “You’re here.”
Blueberry didn’t have to point at the void for Frisk to know they’d found them. Blueberry found them.
“…gee, kid… I’m not usually the joker here, but… this situation… this situation is a hume-rous.” The kid saw him in all the stages of madness, and Blueberry didn't know it. They heard him talking to the voices...
It was a real disaster.
Everything was a disaster.
—DREAMTALE—
It had started as a gentle warning drizzle. A signal for businesses to close early. It was a signal for the people of the newly built central plaza to go home and take shelter, to take their children so no one would get sick from the rain that would follow.
Everyone knew it as soon as the drizzle turned from light to a heavy, non-stop downpour. Monsters and humans alike took their families to their homes, not thinking twice as they watched the storm clouds begin to emit thunder and lightning. No one wanted to be attacked by the terrible weather that was sweeping through Dreamtale.
The businesses and merchants closed quickly and without complaint. No one wanted to relive their past situation, with the housing already established. They breathed a sigh of relief at getting out of that situation in time.
None of them even considered for a moment whether the guardians of the center of the village would seek shelter from the storm in time.
...
The few people who had "visited" the Tree of Feelings didn't have enough time to do anything in the absence of one of the guardians. As soon as the first thunderclap sounded, they fled, not wanting to be caught in that mess just to get the magic apples.
Nightmare could breathe a sigh of relief when that was over. Trapped among the roots the tree provided for the guardians' convenience, they were also part of its creation.
The small, purple-clad guardian waited patiently for his opposite number to return. They had to protect the tree, regardless of the climate and conditions they had lived in since the beginning of its creation.
They were aware of their purpose in life.
That was what they were created for in the first place.
To protect the Tree of Feelings and the apples it contained.
They didn't have the same laws or needs that applied to monsters and humans for living.
Nightmare and Dream knew this very well.
Despite this, they couldn't help but be curious about the objects and customs the people carried, trying to trade them for the golden apples. Dream's domain.
Negativity observed them for what they were: greedy beings who couldn't hide their intentions from his eyes and their dominance behind those "sweet" words. Somewhat annoyed with them for this, he could only formally decline for both of them. Positivity seemed about to suffer again from his need to help and bring joy to people. Another nascent obligation that neither of them wanted but that was rooted in their nature.
Nightmare pushed away the following memories that threatened to torment him like the storm that was steadily increasing in intensity. He felt his clothes already soaked from so much rain, and while the rain was beneficial to nature and the tree... Nightmare wasn't necessarily proof against these kinds of climatic changes. Neither of them was.
They didn't have the use their body containers should have.
They weren't skeleton monsters.
They just had to endure it until it passed.
...
It was when another aggressive thunderclap sounded that Nightmare could hear his twin hurrying towards him.
Dream seemed scared stiff until he saw Nightmare sitting on the ground and looking for comfort from the tree. He didn't think twice and sought comfort. A few steps from Nightmare's personal space, he launched himself into the air, automatically curling up when he bumped into his chest, trying to find body warmth despite the shared dampness of their clothing.
"Cold..." The combination of their wet clothes didn't help the chill Nightmare already felt there, sitting on the grass and wet ground. Still, it didn't dampen the feeling of protection he felt having his twin huddled against his shivering body. Nightmare returned the hug, though he couldn't stop his mind from projecting thoughts of hugging a river fish in very cold waters. He pulled Dream closer, whispering comforting words amidst the combined sounds of rain and thunder.
Dream's behavior didn't surprise him; they treated each other like brothers, twins. Besides, he knew very well that Dream was afraid of thunder and lightning, especially storms with thunder and lightning. The sound of these, plus the sudden illumination of the already nighttime sky, had him like a scared bunny thinking about his end.
He rocked them both, thinking of a way to end the tremors and some of Dream's fear. Because if Nightmare weren't by his side, who would Dream turn to? Nightmare didn't know any other people or support systems for Dream in his absence.
He visualized the rain and the tranquility he felt looking at a landscape clear of everyone, despite the sound of thunder roaming the skies. There was no one outside besides them. The tranquility was comforting to him. On the other hand, he didn't know what Dream thought of all of this. He seemed to enjoy being around people...
No, he backed away from it.
He still had to find a way for Dream to lean on something other than Nightmare.
He turned his gaze toward the tree, toward Mother. Trying to find a possible temporary solution. However minimal. He at least wanted some advice or guidance, which they didn't have, having been trained only to be guardians. The protection in the title that came with that had to be of some use... Seconds and minutes passed until he looked at the yellow cloth they'd used to cover the wound on the tree.
That... gave Nightmare an idea.
Gently, he directed Dream—despite his silent complaints about being taken from his safe place—to the spot where Nightmare had previously occupied. Loudly calling out assurances of safety as he circled the tree, only to untie the knot of the cloth that hugged the wood. With some difficulty, since he couldn't reach the height of the knot, standing on his tiptoes, he successfully untied the knot.
It was with the rehearsed serenity and confidence in mind that he bent down, approaching Dream, to say the following words that would change his younger twin's outlook:
"Don't be afraid of lightning, this cloak will protect you from everything."
Emphasizing the word "protect," Nightmare covered Dream with the "cloak" —flag— over Dream's entire body, covering him well so that no gust of wind would sweep away his words and intentions.
And as if by magic, Dream stopped shivering, looked into Nightmare's eyes, and at the —at that moment— warm fabric around him, processing the intention of everything. He felt safe, as if it were healing magic. Dream finally smiled at his older twin with excitement and happiness.
He was no longer afraid.
Nightmare sighed in relief before Dream pulled him to his side, also covering him with the protective cloak from fear and lightning. Amidst giggles and reassuring expressions, Dream snuggled back into Nightmare's chest. With a final smile, they were finally able to rest despite the storm surrounding them.
That day, Nightmare decided that stormy days were pleasant.
—Doodle Sphere—
He studied them carefully, with a clinical gaze, while carefully inspecting the illuminated life sheet. Everything seemed correct with the development of the script in that story.
Ink nodded, satisfied with himself for the steady course the narrative of that ancient universe, semi-separate from the multiverse, was taking. That universe was very important to the development of the other alternate universes, as well as to the Original world. They contained three important laws for their formation.
"Good, that universe follows the course dictated by its creator." The ink being looked at him for another moment before shifting his gaze to his constant companion behind him. "All is well, don't you think, Broomie?"
Yes, all was well in the Multiverse, and Ink could inspect the growth of the other nascent universes. Those were equally interesting, as they varied in story and began to detach themselves from the Original, of course, retaining the same characters but with different growth paths.
Although the separate timelines within the central universe were fine too!
Those were interesting to him too.
"Ah, how I love my job."
He did.
He really did.
Thanks to that, he got to meet them all.
All of them and him.
Ink briefly snooped around the rest of the floating papers in the scribble sphere.
"Hmm…"
It was an exciting encounter.
It was someone outside the system, someone not tied to universes in the normal way. No, another skeletal monster, someone similar to Ink. His opposite!
Wasn't that good news?
There was someone out there who would remember Ink no matter what! Wouldn't forget him! And it gave Ink a reason to be recognized within the Multiverse!
It was fleeting and exciting.
"Oh, Error~, Where are you, my friend?"
Ink was looking forward to their second encounter and the rest of their encounters.
He hummed to himself, already imagining it.
—Omega Timeline—
A chilling feeling washed over Core Frisk as soon as they looked back at the state of the Multiverse. Everything seemed calm, but they knew that not everything was as the Multiverse seemed to want to reflect.
If only they knew what this was...
They didn't know what kind of event would occur, but they knew something would happen.
Good? Bad? That remained to be seen.
Core Frisk just hoped it wasn't something relatively bad for the Multiverse. They wouldn't know what to do if it was.
They only knew that the Omega timeline was safe for the moment. They didn't know when that would expire.
Notes:
* Blueberror learns of the existence of the ghost Frisk.
* We see the appearance of the apple twins, before the rest of the catastrophic events.
* Ink makes an appearance to inform us about the review of the creation and status of Dreamtale with its canonical event.
* Core Frisk gives us a hint that something is going to happen.
Chapter 8: Determined Souls
Notes:
Hi! So, sorry for the delay (although I don't have a time to post), all I can say is that I got stressed out about college exams :'3
...Well, I hope you like it, because I lost my way there.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
There was a kid in the Anti-Void.
To be specific, they were Queen Toriel's adopted human child.
And Sans—Blueberry didn't know, didn't know, but... How do you know about someone you can't see? Can't you hear? Can't you speak? Practically a ghost whose only free will was to simply wander the earthly plane. Unable to be seen, and not like the living situation of ghostly monsters. It was simply... lonely. Like their current situation... Frisk had it worse than Blueberry in this case.
—Though you wouldn't really know who, with the infinite number of universes and timelines open to multiple outcomes just by existing.—
It was something to be carefully processed in the studies of human souls. Because they remained a mystery, no matter how much basic information everyone had. And given Frisk's case, being a ghost-spirit, plus the human soul at his disposal but of no use in the Anti-Void... No.
While he had previously allowed himself to be influenced by certain aspects of his life, with the scientific vision of his work, having previously been Sans... Blueberry wasn't going to start considering unraveling that now, especially not in his current state of error. —He wouldn't know what to do with himself if he ruined the human soul's chance of returning to its former home—the universe.—
He sighed, defeated.
"You know..." he had lowered his gaze to the whitish ground, "... Frisk, somehow I feel less alone, despite not being able to see you." Relatively, it was true; another weight of loneliness had been lifted from him that he had accumulated since his arrival in the Anti-Void. "I just... wish I could hear you, like the voices... You know them, right?"
Was that the madness speaking? Or was it current events crashing down on him all at once? Either way, there was no one but them to judge him. —"What would his little brother think of him?"— He quickly denied that thought; his mind didn't need to gather all the bad things about his current state. He could leave. Blueberry could leave.
His changing "skin" could tell him they could get out of there now. And his ever-changing, almost calm mood was the only force that refused to change, for the sake of his mind.
He had to be firm. If he fell, he had to get up. His loved ones wouldn't want Sans to start losing any more life expectancy than he already had. Because no, he wasn't stupid. He'd only had one health point at the beginning of his previous life. And now... now he didn't know if those stats had changed... the signs of error in his bones prevented him from knowing.
Blueberry, in his pre-present-day panic, decided not to check his status box. And so it remained. That's why he didn't know.
His eyes shot open, feeling a call for help/attention. He didn't know from which direction, but someone was calling for help. He felt suffocated, a plea to be seen. But Blueberry couldn't see them. So he could conclude that the signal was from Frisk. Astute. He pulled Blueberry out of his failed, one-sided conversation, which was starting to focus only on himself. Selfish... and starting to do it again.
He let out a growl of frustration and couldn't help but return to his habit of repeatedly stamping his feet out of impatience. Returning to old habits... again.
He answered the call with his own. "Sorry, Frisk." Vaguely, he thought he glimpsed a brief shrug in the air. Yes, he wouldn't know what to do with himself if he were the ghost, which would be unlikely but not impossible. "I wish I could do something..." Although he knew his limitation was self-imposed.
It wasn't fair, but it was.
It was unfamiliar territory, one he tried to avoid stepping into as much as possible. It was just a stroke of luck and recklessness on his part to search for the way out until he tore at reality. And thus, finally, to see it.
What was that based on? His will? Because if that were the case... he could work with it... So, Blueberry, perhaps he would start testing the waters once he felt confident in tackling it...
Meanwhile, he lay on the ground, on his back, visualizing the blue and red threads, observing the contents from afar. Since he didn't have Error's myopia, he could see things more clearly, as long as his vision wasn't covered by errors.
Frisk watched, still confused by absolutely everything. They reflected on themself when they saw the skeleton lying on the ground. Anyway, they knew that this conversation wouldn't last long if the recipient didn't have the determination to see it. Like a certain inert SOUL, it was demoted to occupying a place in the red fabrics of said skeleton due to their current state. Pitiful, indeed.
Congratulations, Your free!!! 😊
I knew you could do it. Most people tend to lose themselves in the errorfying process but as expected the void of insanity is no match for the magnificent Blooper!
Now you can save your twins from a horrible fate 😊. And don’t forget to restore the determinated human soul once the twins are situated, after all your kids deserve to know their extended family.
"...Yay..."
Yes, he couldn't muster the energy to celebrate that event. Well, in the Anti-Void, it felt like weeks of inactivity had passed since Blueberry had managed to listen to them, with the added bonus of being able to answer them. Possibly leaving the questions and encouragement hanging before they reached him to answer. Still, he was glad to hear from them. Loneliness wasn't as prevalent these days. And yes, Blueberry now included both of them in it; Frisk was clearly there.
"Thanks, M1." A slight smile graced his face for a few moments before tensing at the next bit. A nervous chuckle emerged from the worry he felt. And confusion hit him as he gathered the sense of loss in the air he didn't breathe, inside his whitish cage. Competing with his own confusion, before his eyes guided him to Frisk's unseen presence above, starting from his left beside him.
True...
Only Blueberry could hear them, as far as he knew. As for Frisk? Within the range of her dead state, they could prevent her from hearing them, especially if they were disembodied, filtered voices from the Anti-Void.
Awkward...
It was, but that didn't mean Blueberry wouldn't offer a bone for understanding their confusion. Just to dignify them with the proper attention of someone sane and not lost, Blueberry sat down, about to be someone else's translator. Because of the so-called language barrier, like Error once did with Blueberry. For them.
"...So," he addressed his phantom audience, not at all feeling odd about the belated thought, "that voice I answered is M1, a friendly voice. You may see me answering her more often, along with the other voices."
"M1 congratulated us and encouraged us on our freedom, she offered a few details or warnings here and there." He moved his arms, trying to convey a broad understanding of what that meant to him. Finally, he decided to hug himself because of the warm feeling the interaction generated. "It's been a constant since I was able to hear it, and the first voice to be heard."
Well, that could largely sum up his interaction with M1.
Frisk nodded, as if they partly understood what Blue was talking about. It's not as if they expected a better explanation than that. Knowing about voices, they recognized it, since it was the ones who had also greeted Frisk as soon as they heard about them.
Well Bloo, while here I'd like to give you a handful of puns so you don't feel...bonely? (Work in progress–) I feel it's important for you to know something about us voices, mechanically. As much as I think we'd all appreciate a quick reply, we voices are unfortunately on some kind of delay. Our messages are sent in "Batches" and so our "reaction time" will be a bit delayed from your point of view. Best way to put it is that we watch you respond to us from batch one and based on that we'll react and send more, but you won't see those responses till batch three. Sorry if this is a bit of a brain bend, explaining things aren't my strong suit–
Pfff—
Okay, they started well and lifted Blue's spirits.
"Oh, no, it's fine." It really was. That went some way to explaining their first interaction, which had been a bit confusing for him. "I had a feeling it would be like that, eventually." It had been strange that one of them spoke in the present tense to him when the event described had already been in the past tense for Blueberry.
And this clarification was a mystery solved by the voices for Blueberry. With a smile on his face at his lifted spirits, Blue turned to Frisk to explain the topic at hand: More about the Voices of the Anti-Void.
Hi I was probably muffled but here are some cookies! And I hope you find the twins, soon!
"They react to my situation in the present tense accordingly, but I can't know what they're thinking about in the present tense yet, since they come in batches. This would be the previous-current batch for me. But for them, it would be the third-previous-past batch answered by me, as soon as I get to that point." Although, Blueberry also felt like he was getting lost in the explanation. He hopes that explanation reaches Frisk.
He can't think about it for too long because, while he was speaking, another voice filtered another delivery for him. More cookies...
He activated his magic by inertia, capturing all the cookies, suspended in the sky before they were taken back to his infinite pocket where they would be better preserved.
"Hi! Uh, and also thanks for the cookies and your well wishes." They were very much appreciated. "That's also another function of them, represented mostly in cookies, Frisk." The lesson about the voices concludes for the moment.
Because, for some reason, they want to give him cookies, and possibly tooth decay... He'd have to distribute the sugar for himself, or even share it if necessary, eventually...
He shook his head and waited for another surprise, just in case.
“im so mad right now. M1 got here before me. This is so sad…. sigh…….. I need to step UPPPP. on a better note, you can do stuff now! Congrats!!! And even if that means you’re uhhh… different now, you’re still a cutie pie, trust n believe. 🙏 Later! -Larry”
With the coast clear for the moment, he relaxed, just listening and enjoying the ongoing race that Blueberry didn't know about.
"Oh, a race against time, and two possible rivals." Who will win? Well, whoever it is, they'll be happy to find out. And like the other congratulations, Blueberry is grateful.
He glances down at his blackish clothes at the word "different" to his being. And he can't argue with it. He looks different. But he doesn't think he's a cutie pie... He sighs to himself and pushes away another thought. Maybe, one day, Blueberry will be able to think the same. Unless he can do something with himself before—
...
Actually, it wasn't a bad idea... and the only one who would be hurt would be him...
"See you later..."
It was something he could work on, aside from tracking down the kids.
The endless white void looks cold :(
Don't stress too much love, we're all worried about the little ones but it'll be no good if you feral from stress.That aside, seeing as some of the others are, I reckon I should introduce myself aswell, I am Fork, uhhhh... I like throwing crustaceans at people :3
🦞🦀🦀🦀🦞
It's an underappreciated art.
"If I weren't a skeleton... actually, I wouldn't know what to say." He shrugged. Blueberry could only simulate a pseudo "skin, flesh" to cover his bones, and that would involve feeling, simulating feeling what the sense of touch would do to skin. Like feeling cold or heat, with many more nuances than being purely bone.
The Anti-Void wasn't exactly the most inhabited or ecosystem-rich place Blue could feel. If it was cold, Blueberry wouldn't feel it. Benefits of being a skeleton monster and all that. He doesn't feel the need to form pseudo skin there. Rather, the sight of the Anti-Void might give him the sensation of the coldness of perpetual solitude.
He doesn't want to throw another problem at his spine.
"I'll try, I guess; it wouldn't help to become wild and uncivilized." Therefore, he'll have to discover other, healthier defense mechanisms for himself, and possibly for the children as well...
He clears his mind of the bad omens, shaking himself in place, and with a bit of nervous energy, he gets up. To hear one more presentation, like three out of three... He thought. Well, it is welcome.
"Hi, Fork!" He greets, before being metaphorically attacked by the sounds of—crustaceans?—circling Fork's words... Oh, forget it, they weren't just sounds!
He dodges the little critters in succession, all five of them, while hearing an excited "It's an underappreciated art" from above.
He sighs in relief when he sees no more coming.
…
It's when he sees the crustaceans on the ground, moving very much alive outside their habitat, that Blueberry doesn't know what to do with them.
He... he can't fit them in his pocket, can he?
No.
It's alive.
He can't.
He could, but it would be frowned upon.
Blueberry even thinks he feels the weight of Frisk's gaze on the back of his neck, the weight of judgment.
Still watching them, he steps away from them, quickly researching possible universes so as to leave them there, since it would be animal cruelty to let them wander through the Anti-void.
He thinks of blue, deep blue, seas, like the marine descriptions in the books Snowdin's library used to have. Because certainly, you couldn't find those little creatures in the Underground, with the monsters; only on the Surface would it be appropriate to see them.
He digs until he feels a line pointing to a watery surface, blue and fresh. Blueberry checks it and glimpses an endless sea of blue dyeing the entire Surface. "Oceantale?" He checks it two, three times, and even sees his alternate version cruising on a real pirate ship across the seas.
He feels a bit of magic build up in his eyes with positive emotion.
Momentarily stunned by this, because he hadn't seen them for so long, Blueberry snaps out of his state to open a gap in the ground, close to the soil of both lands, to finally place the little animals outside the Anti-Void.
Safer outside than inside.
…
He... had to keep finding them.
What was the skeleton searching for so insistently? Its children.
Why didn't they just stop in their home universe? They simply didn't know.
They couldn't grasp it, and it only left them confused until they could once again remember the teachings their mother instilled in them.
There were different rules and regulations between monsters and humans, although more diverse among the monster races, similar to those of humans. Also, they knew that monster offspring are very important to the offspring, like, too much, and their wild state confirmed this.
Either way, Frisk was patient and very determined on their own. They could wait, they even waited for innocent Chara to finally abandon their pacifist path. Because the genocide path didn't happen on its own.
Their weapon? Curiosity, curiosity worked against them, and that's why Frisk emerged from their eternal rest to disembodiedly observe Chara during the mid- and final hunt.
Could it be completed? Well, there's a reason Chara's soul belonged to them, spirit or not.
And Blueberry? Sooner or later, he'd get what he wanted, completing his mission, and finally returning them home. Frisk and Chara's domain.
Restoring was necessary.
Although Frisk knows that deleting was also an option...
They wouldn't let that account, and the protection of their own, be forgotten. Even if they did, Frisk couldn't forget it even if they wanted to.
They didn't have the necessary body for it.
Chara would forget, but Frisk wouldn't.
...
It was while they watched the skeleton trying to explore its glitchy state that it simply happened. It released its magic aimed at itself, and began to fill with errors, glitching in every possible direction, and was about to restart. It didn't seem normal.
Something... something was happening.
And for a moment, putting aside the error letters, she thought she saw a spot of white there... on the bones.
Only to be enveloped by them again and return to his two-colored state.
That... seemed like a temporary personal breakthrough...
*Fills you with DETERMINATION.*
It was a good sign.
I don't believe it! Blue heard me! Ooh, hello Bloppie! Hello human! Congratulations! You're starting to enter the multiverse, but be careful, not everyone is good, nor are they all bad. Watch out for the painter and the villagers! There are bad people out there, one might be very close...
Blueberry listened to them, somewhat dizzy from pulling that trick with the "skin" swap. He saw double before closing his eyes and listening properly to the voice.
"Hello! And yes, we hear you! Loud and clear." He opened his eyes and answered, clearing the protruding glitches from his bones.
Maybe... did he have to do something else? What would help?
"Painter? Uh, thanks for the warning and good wishes." Calmer than before, he turned that information over in his head, making sense, but not making it. "Is he a dimensional traveler?" Possibly.
The mention of bad people didn't discourage him from continuing to find the children.
If so, Blueberry would fight for them.
…
Oh, right.
Those were two greetings.
"Frisk, a voice greets you."
Out of courtesy, Frisk returned the greeting.
*You decided to return the greeting... you say, "Hello..." You feel strange, but your determination doesn't diminish; instead, it increases at being acknowledged.*
*You are full of DETERMINATION.*
A warm light emerged from his invisible body, more translucent and visible than before, due to the tinge of determination. Soft red. Latent and something that clung to Frisk no matter the difficult situations.
Now, it was more visible.
Blueberry watched them, feeling the sparks of soul and nature being redirected to a source.
Both had gained some determination in between.
Wonder emerged, stars decorate the lights of his feeling.
*You acquire REALITY VISION. You can see more numbers! And perhaps a reach to the dead.* Frisk read it, read Blueberry's unlocked mechanism.
And that confirmed them.
A sneak peek.
"Greetings."
(What does it mean that a skeleton can see the dead? I don't know; ask Reaper Sans.)
—DREAMTALE—
They were pushing him away.
They were deliberately pushing him away from Dream.
They wanted the apples!
Nightmare couldn't stop both at the same time. And only one of them was the most accessible. Protect the Tree, protect Mother. He knew that.
He knew Dream couldn't stay still in one place, not like before, with so many new and interesting things the villagers taught him to win his favor.
Dream might be able to go out and explore on his own, but Nightmare couldn't just do it. He had to stay and guard the Tree. It was too important to everyone. The teachings Mother had instilled in him told him so. That's what he was made for.
He strengthened his resolve when he saw the friendly faces leave when Dream left.
"Kid, we just want the golden apples."
He watched as the adults stayed while the children ran away from their parents to distract Dream. Until... he didn't know how long.
Nightmare sighed but still refused to budge.
"I am Nightmare," he repeated. "The Guardian of these fruits and Tree." He shifted uncomfortably under the elders' scrutiny. "I can't let anyone touch them. Nothing good comes from doing that." That was his line, and he would stick to it until the end of time and beyond.
He listened, a little hurt, as they whispered his name, as if it were a bad thing to say and not a proper noun for their autonomy. "What does this mean?" "It sounds wrong." "It seems to be protecting the wrong side of the tree..."
Another round of demands awaited him before they proceeded to leave. Always murmuring behind his back and spreading bad rumors.
Tired of this social activity, he almost missed a contemplative action from one of them. "...!" One object, from one of the books, was a wad of paper crumpled and compressed into a small ball. It pained him to see them tear out a page, from a distance, just because they didn't understand what sentence it said. Around it, the human's fist trembled before relaxing and declining.
He definitely didn't raise his arm, but he considered something.
That couldn't be good if the guy looked so bad.
…
They... they wouldn't consider hurting him to get the fruit, right?
The stagnant thought left his mind as soon as dusk fell and he saw Dream approaching him.
Notes:
A dialogue was supposed to come with this drawing, until I realized it didn't really make sense... I blame the Anti-Void for this.
Blue had a good memory before entering the error mentality.
Chapter 9: Information overload... *reboot initiated*
Summary:
Lost inside his mind, he feels his end is coming when a reboot pops up, luring him back into blissful unconsciousness.
Notes:
Hello <3!
*sigh*. Straight to the point... well, I'll start by saying that I really, really didn't want to delay updating, no, because delaying too long wasn't in my plans, nor were the bad events that have happened to me this year. At least the least of my worries was catching pharyngitis again.
Continuing! I'm sorry for the delay. I've read your messages, whether they're about the fanfic or about me. I really wanted to update this, but I'm getting writer's block again. And I'm telling you the truth when I say that knowing it's August doesn't help my block any more. That Facebook notification... nothing good, just news from last year.
Anyway! To keep this short (it's already gotten personal), I managed to get a few drafts done before this :D. I was trying to write (you'll know more when you check out the recent fanfics I've been posting), but only a few sections and this one survived for you to read. Yes... <3 Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
(Last thoughts before the catastrophe, and to not delete these drafts)
Dreaming was... sometimes it was Blueberry's only way to escape reality.
The only way to keep his mind off it was to not feel like his sanity was slipping away. Although most of the problems trapped in his mandatory confinement were revealed to him through these same dreams. Sometimes he forgot them when he woke up, and other times he remembered them so clearly that it hurt to remember them. —His family, his friends, and acquaintances within his world.— Other times, he felt like he wasn't resting at all. —Or simply... not feeling anything—
The first few times... He'd have mixed feelings about his sleep schedule, between sleeping too much or taking short naps... They reminded him of the daily lectures he used to rant about to his younger brother. When he didn't fully understand the enormous tiredness in his spine that Paps used to carry around with him... now, Blueberry could say that... they, well, now share their own burden of conscience in this whole mess.
It shouldn't amuse him to find humor in this; in a way, it does.
Asking for a dreamless sleep wasn't wrong, right?
…
Sometimes, he wishes things had been different, perhaps with other resolutions. Perhaps with his universe at peace at the cost of his own life. Because none of them... he can't even imagine any of them experiencing the loneliness Blueberry once felt inside the Anti-Void. He wouldn't wish it on ANYONE.
TO. NO. ONE.
His SOUL trembled with pain for those SOULS caught in the threads of Error. He didn't know who they were or who they would be. If they had ever gone through the same experiences or circumstances as them. If they had been good or bad in life. If...
…
Somehow, the Anti-Void desensitized him to seeing them daily, and he no longer felt anything for them when he saw them again. It frightened him a little, and he continued to turn it over in his mind until he was mentally exhausted.
The only reaction he could feel in his being was that of the only SOUL that resonated with his codes. That small, reddish SOUL that fit in his hands. Blueberror could DESTROY IT if he wanted to, but that contradicted the last wishes and hopes that "Sans" and Blueberry used to have. Besides, instinctively, he knows that... he would feel empty if he executed it despite everything. Everything that happened, everything that happened to get to where they are now.
He sighs and stops the automatic search he performed in the absence of his own mind. He felt... tired, and it caused him tremendous frustration. He knew things weren't like this before. Skeletons could set their own limits. But Blueberry had to adapt to a different environment, about which he couldn't guarantee anything. Nothing basic.
Time, space. The physics of time and space didn't exist there. But, of course, there was mental exhaustion.
(Okay, now let's focus on the present)
He opened his eyes so abruptly that he had to close them again. He opened them again, only to see the images around him blur, and the unfamiliar —and familiar— colors begin to attack his tricolor lights.
The world was spinning. No, wait... his vision was spinning. The dizziness that accompanied the cold didn't leave him much room to maneuver to discover the place in its current state. He was extremely disoriented.
He felt like everything was spinning. Everything and everyone.
He tried to get up from his position on the floor, and it only worsened the nausea he'd already felt since long before all this began. He stopped. He did nothing more to overwhelm his senses. He felt exhausted—tired of what? He didn't even know. The last thing he remembered was working, searching for paths, threads, lines, toward the twins.
Blueberry felt it close, too close... Of course, until F--- intervened, which was when everything became a combination of infinite darkness, with the only nuances of the universe's central colors in the tangle of threads he touched between his phalanxes, so as not to miss his chance to-
And as if he'd been thrown from the Waterfall, he couldn't help the twitch his body gave when he remembered what that same event had caused to his already stressed body. Similar to the electricity of a long-forgotten trap.
He felt the shock of the moment.
"Ouch..." Frisk hissed from their position in the sky, happy to just be dragged out of the Anti-Void with their only familiar of universal origin nearby. "That had to hurt..." They offered a sympathetic grimace before looking up curiously at the change in environment. They were alert, their guard up.
Only to spot... Snowdin? Their home? When?
“Hey, Blue, I think you should see this…” No, Frisk wasn't tense; they weren't. But… Hearing the beautiful sound of the eternally cold city of Snowdin, now withered? Yeah, that didn't bode well. And that was coming from Frisk, who mostly makes an appearance in these timelines…
Blueberry made the waiting sign, took a deep breath, exaggerating, to ward off the feeling of heaviness and weakness that had momentarily plagued him upon arriving at that place.
That gloomy, dusty place.
The skeleton tried again, encouraging and comforting itself, while Frisk covered their backs. He opened his eyes; this time he didn't close them immediately. No, because how could he? Looking at the soft, majestic whiteness of his home, or what it was, a tiny piece of what had once been his home. His beloved home, the one that screamed belonging to his inner being.
Like a song calling him from the depths of his being.
Amazed and driven by an energy that seemed his own, but not his own, Blueberry sank back into the snow, only to let out a genuine, liberating laugh from the depths of his soul. In his astonishment, he could barely comprehend the dampness in the air, the liquid oozing from his eyes and running down his cheeks to touch the old snow of his previous life.
Tears.
It felt pleasant, strangely pleasant. To feel what was around him. Despite the overwhelming beginning of his move. His painful move.
Ouch!
He ignored it.
Instead, he did what he vaguely thought was bone memory. He moved his limbs, all of them, touching and touching the snow, in a repetitive action, until he reached a few inches lower on the ground. Leaving an imprint of his existence elsewhere.
Frisk let them have his moment. For they already knew what the liberating action of simply being felt like. When they woke up, they felt everything. The good, the bad. It was cathartic for their being, no longer having any soul container; they were one with their world. The limits of life were gone, at the cost of their lives, but gone. At least they could now say they weren't fully human…
The culmination of determination.
They would call them if Chara summoned them.
Chara…
Chara!
Their lips moved faster than their own mind, and the unseemly nervousness uncharacteristic of Frisk Dreemurr surfaced in the space of the living. “Our-Our SOUL!... Is Chara okay?” Their tone faltered, half-opening the soft, clear eyes they possessed by birth. Now redder with determination, only to detect signatures, soul imprints.
Detecting, to their relief, Chara's protected soul, snuggled up beneath Blueberry's wrinkled red cloths. Said skeleton pulled them out, helping them with his gloved hands only to further soothe the concerns of Frisk's determined spirit.
Cocoa clinked a greeting, with a much more... Healthy glow? In that wide but lively space that was... the place they definitely had to explore to see if it was safe to relax...
Wow!
Now they had the advantage of observing the fast walk from the other side, the monstrous side that neither the player nor the programming allowed them to see…
It would be interesting.
Very interesting.
…
IF ONLY THEY WOULD STOP THE BLINDING GLOW THAT CHARA WAS STARTING TO EMIT FROM THE DARK HANDS OF HIS PROTECTOR!
“Oh. No.” Frisk looked at them in disbelief. “No, you can’t do this to us now, Cocoa.” They waved their arms in denial as they looked toward the skeleton, pleading, just because, pleading for it to do something, before they had to act in a universe they didn’t yet have dominion over, much less HOME.
Yes.
“Kid?” Blue whispered nervously to them as well, switching his gaze between Frisk and… Cocoa.
The new glitch acted.
He hugged the soul, whispering assurances of protection and comfort, before placing them in the internal storage he had, separate from the cookies. It definitely wasn't a fusion, but it was better than one. They wouldn't know how their SOULS would resonate with each other. And they didn't want to find out, either.
Two sighs were heard leaving the plane of existence before moving on.
Because no.
They wouldn't endure another RESET.
This wasn't their Snowdin.
Even if it looked familiar…
No.
Blueberry shook his head from side to side before jumping up and standing, heading for independence within the multiverse. Because he felt it, something had changed, and it wasn't them, it was their surroundings.
"Dust, this is it, again, dust. Nothing new you haven't seen before." Frisk recited, knowing their lines by heart.
Perhaps, later on, they might vary them, just out of boredom.
“Hmm… Doesn’t this look very familiar? Because, honestly, it feels like another déjà vu.” Bloopie spoke into the air. He was carefully assessing a familiar guard post that he knew wasn’t what it seemed. At first glance, he might associate it with his little brother’s workplace. But no, things weren’t that simple. Circling the post and immediately turning his gaze to the ground, Berry managed to find a clue about the owner of the place. It was a sheet of paper filled with handwriting and blank spaces from an unsolved crossword puzzle, thrown and crumpled violently, hidden in the welcoming and not at all judgmental snow.
Familiar, like the monster who owned that position. Which, of course, is a version of him, and no, that wasn’t a surprise.
Honestly…
…!
“Hide, now.” Frisk’s firm voice left no room for discussion, and Blueberry obeyed. “Damn, we were near a camera earlier, why didn't we see it?” They angrily said to themself.
And… that was new.
Behind the foliage of the trees, blended by the darker bark, from their vantage point, they managed to make out some figures that… were slowly approaching their old direction.
Close.
It was close.
Too close.
If the glitches of his nervousness had anything to say about it, his accelerated heart rate was something else.
“Can Cinderella finish looking for more ashes in his house? I don't see the emerging situation. Unless you want to clean up what characterizes you,” a mocking voice complained from behind shadows one and two.
By their damn luck…
“Also, Horror started imagining the smell of chocolate chip cookies in your empty home. Do you want to explain to the boss who made Horror act weird? Yes, because I don't.” And the guy was playing with a very, very sharp knife, worrying about absolutely nothing.
"...cookies...?" whispered the tallest of the three. Probably Horror.
"No. Stop getting Horror's hopes up, Killer..." He snapped, Cinderella? Cutting to the root of the problem. And with a hint of annoyance in his voice, he said, "You know you didn't have to come with me, right?" Irritation in his voice.
"Mr. Schizophrenic says so." Killer object immediately.
"You're not doing any better, idiot." Was that a game for them? Because that's what they looked like.
"...cookie?" Horror's soft voice tried to be heard. It didn't work. And Blueberry felt sorry for the big guy in the back, left behind by his companions because of a pointless argument.
His mind was made up.
He searched, found it, and fumbled with the cookie bag he'd taken out of his pocket for a moment before making sure the product was sealed, then tossed it in the opposite direction.
"...Great, more smiling skeletons. Who doesn't ask for one of those for Christmas?" Frisk whispered, despite knowing that no one else besides Blueberry would hear them. "I have a feeling none of them would be pleased to see Cocoa, or even me." And yes, that was a thought.
The multiverse was confirmation.
Blueberry was beginning to relax, watching the monsters circling, while Horror followed the scent of the cookies from across the room.
And that's why he almost missed the excitement of another voice. A very familiar voice, and one Blueberry was beginning to expect to hear from.
Hoi Bloopie!
Lots to say lots to say
I come baring good news, and a status update. Firstly we saw the little Moonbean and Sunnamon roll (sunshine + cinnamon roll) And they’re doing Great! Well ok not great their situation still sucks but they are not currently close to any Apple incident situation so that’s 👍. Oh right I should probably explain what I mean by Apple incident,...
Blueberry... could he hear them from outside?
And... that was a relief he didn't know he needed to feel.
He waved.
Whispering and thinking, even pondering whether his thoughts would reach the voices. Because he and Frisk were in no position to give their position away any more than they already had with Horror...
Well, he took a leap of faith.
"Apple Incident?"
The emphasis on it sounded important. And if it wasn't... well, it was better to keep listening.
He became one with nature again, narrowly avoiding Killer and Cinderella's prying eyes. Horror wasn't a problem, though he already had confirmation of someone alive out there. He didn't give it away.
Won over by the food.
see when we act like you’re on a timer that’s not just because we want the twins in a better situation as soon as possible, there is a point of no return where Nighty gets himself killed and Dream life is miserable for the next several centuries fighting his twins possessed goo corpse (long story), BUT that’s actually where my good news comes in because while we haven’t had an idea of the timeline in Dreamtale so far the Moonbean has not yet become depressed and withdrawn which means that by my estimation you should have at minimum at least a few months before any potential apple incidents, probably longer!
Blue… made a blue screen, and he knows it.
Frisk, in the background, waved a hand over his face, getting no reaction other than Blue's horrified silence.
Because… What the heck!
How does one react to this—this revelation?!
Blueberry doesn't know what a normal reaction would be for monsters to this situation. Whether the situation is actually presented or not, it's not beyond the infinite possibilities the multiverse can produce. But he's very sure that his current reaction is entirely justified. From going from a genocidal environment to an isolated one, then with the possibility of parole... to rebuilding himself for a much more solid freedom... yes, no one can blame him for his intense feelings at that news.
Because, God, the situation or event they were talking about included the situation of those Blueberry already considered unconditional family, family on the level of the unconditional affection and love he used to shower his younger brother with. That meant a lot, or something, to those who knew their brotherhood and kind of monsters. It should be noted that it meant the whole world to him.
Die? Be miserable? Fight continuously?
That's something little children didn't have to worry about or (in the worst, unimaginable case) experience.
Blueberry could endure all of that. They couldn't.
Blueberror would endure it all and more, again, if that includes children—his children—won't go through all of that. Not them.
His racing mind, faced with that thought, does not hesitate to reaffirm that thought; no, he does not, he already knows the answer.
He'd give everything for them.
Even if he didn't know their situation. The fact that they only have each other is enough to make their big brother-father senses go into overdrive. Drilling warnings of "stay away, stay away, stay away," "mine, mine, mine," and "protect, protect, protect" into his magic and soul, in ways that no one who looks at him or feels him can ignore.
Even if that means it can be detected by others.
Like now.
From his labored breathing, blurred vision, compromised hearing, he was just listening to the aching heartbeat of a lost and strange soul, his own. Red in his visions and completely white in the distance of shattered memories that lie at the back of his disorganized mind. He fails to observe in his vulnerable state (or even fully process the information rushed to calm him down) as someone tries to get his attention (who isn't Frisk, already ignored again by something out of their hands), shaking him in place, trying to get his attention. Useless.
It's useless.
All he can see is black and white in his vision, followed by the word "ERROR." He knows he's babbling something repeatedly and with no explanation to anyone who can see him. He knows he's not helping anyone. But, at that moment, he feels that he has already failed, theoretically or not. It doesn't feel theoretical. Well, rationality abandons him when he feels like he can't even feel the touch of his feet against the ground.
Lost inside his mind, he feels his end is coming when a reboot pops up, luring him back into blissful unconsciousness.
...
With a worried ghost following them in silence and silent panic as they watch the group of three unknown (not unknown) monsters take (steal, kidnap) their only family member who can see them. Moving to another place much more unknown and gloomy than the previous one. Worrying them every second, they continue without getting any reaction from them.
The only thing they can do is follow him. And by the miracle of the unknown code, they can follow them, follow them from what appears to be a dimension repellent to living humans in terms of emotional or psychological activity that could affect the living, from a dark and terrifying castle transformed from the Dreemurr into a nightmare. A heavy nightmare that can suffocate one to the point of exhaustion, rendering one completely nonfunctional.
It's… not something they want to go through again.
Frisk already had too much on their plate, pushing away the HATE that Chara instilled in them from the genocidal lines toward their absurdly determined selves. It left a bad taste in their mouths to be the bearers of bad news, even more so when their skeleton (family) wakes up from whatever a being of darkness and hate induced in them.
It didn't give him a good feeling.
Especially, even more so when they watched how the skeleton of "tear" liquid, purely from corruption by hate and determination, grew uneasy as it passed from their side to their most well-known relative, more unaware of everything that goes on behind the scenes.
Frisk wasn't happy.
They hated feeling alone.
(The voice projection stopped as soon as it felt no one was listening, waiting for the moment to continue sharing the good news that its resident didn't hear.)
Notes:
What a conclusion :P, well, it was either this or delete it and take longer. But don't worry, I have some ideas on how to continue from here.
Coming soon:
- Blueberror will answer you from behind the bars of the basement of the former Haventale Castle. (Bloopie is doing his best; after dropping that information bomb on him all at once, he'll answer the next questions better <3)
- Another Error will make an appearance. (He'll freak out when he sees Bloopie, wondering if he caused another abomination, again, lol.)
-There will be confusion between Blues, yes, between Blueberror and Blue of the Star Sanses (from the other universe). (The murder trio thought they "captured" their sworn enemy Blue, and didn't question him much, thinking he looked weird for cosplaying as Error. Ha.)
- Oh, and don't worry, in case you haven't noticed, Bloopie is in another Multiverse. How did this happen? Well, Fate happened. And since Bloopie was nearing the edge of his multiverse, F took advantage and took him away from his Dreamtale.((xd don't let it be noticeable that I was drawing in class, damn morning classes, I'm not an early riser))
Chapter 10: (Blue) So Confusing
Summary:
(Would they see him or Error?)
He doesn't know.
And now, unintentionally, he's going to have to find out.
"By the stars of Outertale..." he whispers, looking up and seeing a bright red eye staring back at him from the other side of the bars.
Frisk looked at them, still standing in front of Blue.
Notes:
Also known as: The Case of Mistaken Identity
The title was inspired by a song I was listening to at the time.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
.
.
*Loading...50%*
.
.
*Loading...65%*
.
.
*Loading...79%*
.
.
*Loading...85%*
.
.
*Loading...96%*
.
.
*Loading complete...100%*
Blueberry woke up abruptly for the second time…
The feeling of disorientation never went away with each restart, leaving him with a slight memory problem that he was constantly trying to remember. Blue wanted to think that, over time, he'd gotten better at knowing what actions or words had triggered a reboot. He needed to know. Why… who knew when it would happen again?
Of course, it's only when the feeling of overwhelm fades that he manages to grasp the remaining fragments of memories that led him there in the first place.
With a gloved hand partially covering his face, he tries to breathe deeply. He channels all the feelings that want to escape in the form of screams or protests to the universe, just to breathe, breathe, and try not to cause another reboot. Leaving himself vulnerable in an unfamiliar place wouldn't be good for anyone, least of all his children.
Blueberry wanted to think there was still hope, hope that the good news would outweigh the bad news. It was the only thing he could have (try to have), of course, until he lost hope and lost himself. (Which is what he is trying to avoid, since he has, he HAS reasons to keep getting up.)
He inhales and exhales.
Another gloved hand reaches for his handkerchief. Knowing full well he can't untangle it with just one hand, he settles for pulling at one side of the fabric until he feels he's reached the knot. He doesn't leave it there, as the purpose of reaching that side of the fabric was to allow him to use the large excess fabric to wear it as if it were a hood. He lifts it and finally removes his right palm from his face, confident that he's covered for greater comfort in times of crisis. (His old habits never completely abandoned him.)
Letting out a sigh of relief, he collapses near a wall. Feeling his legs tremble, he sits on the floor and stares at what it is… Safety bars surrounding the room he's in? When?... Oh, right, some strangers took him with them to… wherever this place is… —Next time, he'll have to be very careful with himself and his surroundings.—
Very similar to a security booth or being detained in a human prison, Blueberry feels like… he doesn't understand why he's there. He's not worried about himself; he knows he can escape from there, locked up or not. He's a glitch in the system, of course he can escape from a simple room with bars. They won't easily hold him there. It's not like this is the Anti-Void.
Although… checking his magic carefully… he knows he'll have to wait a little longer to be able to create an exit portal. Thanks to the Voices, Blueberror has plenty of cookies to restore and fuel his magic. So the only thing that would keep him there would be curiosity. And what... well, they'd gotten him involved in the narrative. First, Blue needed to make sure he wasn't affecting an alternate history or timeline with his interference, right there…
Things could get complicated… He just hopes this situation isn't one of those.
“—with me, here, Bloopie?” Speaking in a soft, careful voice, the spirit of determination speaks to him. Floating, most likely, near him.
Blueberry turns to look at them, staring at them before blinking and giving a status confirmation with the hint of a shaky smile.
“Good,” Frisk murmurs. “That's the best I can get given the current situation here.” Determinedly, they doesn't point to the bars or the room in general. They didn't need to point out the obvious.
Determination had already quickly deduced from the skeleton's behavior—previously distressed—that something had happened, because something the Voices said had upset him enough to reach the breaking point of a new reboot. And those kinds of reboots were rare since he started trying to understand his "new" magic again. They know it and don't resent it. For it was the fact of having to transform into a spirit full of DETERMINATION that brought him to his present moment, and over time, they allowed him to develop some trace of PATIENCE within spaces without present time. Well deserved, despite not noticing the cyan of patience behind his closed eyes. Frisk was in zen with the world, as the herald of destruction had already awakened.
(Whatever role his family takes, they know they'll be satisfied. Even if they know Blueberror hasn't realized it yet, he will eventually.)
They leave a comforting impression as they stand before Bloopie, trying to protect him from possible incoming enemies, even if it means no one but him can see them. For now, they remain on guard.
And that action? It makes Blueberror feel better, seeing and feeling that he's not alone in this whole ordeal.
He takes a few moments to simply exist...
...
That is, until someone finally comes down to check on them, after a few precious minutes of composure.
The calm, collected smile Blueberry was beginning to adopt slowly stiffened with nervousness as he noticed some shadows on the floor. Along with the sounds of footsteps approaching his cell. He still didn't try to look up. Face-to-face recognition would be the last thing he'd see to let his mind know that no, he wasn't being played a trick on him.
Was it hard to believe he was free of the Anti-Void right now?
His response?... Uh, sort of.
As far as Blue could remember... ever since he learned he could create an exit door from that unsettling place, the first thing he did was keep looking for the children. He didn't leave the Anti-Void. He hadn't left at all.
He wasn't ready for that...
Blueberror could still remember Error's "story time”.
It left him with a bittersweet feeling, and it lessened his sense of freedom knowing that... he wasn't the same anymore. He'd definitely changed; no one could hold that against him. And... that's why he fears how others might react to his... physical appearance (in general?).
It gets worse knowing that the Destroyer is—by this point—very well known in the multiverse. What would they see when they saw him, being "tainted" with glitches and errors? Would they see yet another threat?
Fatal had already told him his most sincere opinion on the matter. Nothing nice about it. About exactly how they would see him. That no one would take too seriously the fact that Blueberror, before becoming a Glitch, had a whole life built for him, a single life before "Anti-Void Syndrome."
(No one will care about that, especially if you're an ERROR.)
So yeah, he still didn't interact with anyone else about it.
(Would they see him or Error?)
He doesn't know.
And now, unintentionally, he's going to have to find out.
"By the stars of Outertale..." he whispers, looking up and seeing a bright red eye staring back at him from the other side of the bars.
Frisk looked at them, still standing in front of Blue.
Moments ago...
Horror had carried his prey.
He'd already had practice carrying the little blue one, one of Nightmare's three biggest pains in the neck. So, this scene was nothing new to him. No. What was new was that when carrying it, Horror felt that the weight of the skeleton was not adequate for the battles they always had.
That hammer that always seemed to accompany him in battles rivaled the lethality with which Horror used his axe. The Swap Sans was brimming with energy as he fought for his life. Even while standing still or being captured by them.
...So, why was Horror noticing the weight right now? (Why did he care?)
Starvation, his mind quickly spoke. Without hesitation.
"...He's lost... weight..." And when he said it out loud... it angered him.
"Oh, no." Killer, on his left side, recognized the tone Horror usually used when something was wrong, very wrong. "Dude, how do you even notice that? We don't have flesh or skin, just pure bones." And to punctuate his words, Killer tapped his skull, sounding how hollow it was inside.
He and his logical argument.
Horror grunted.
His dusty companion on his right side snorted, surely thinking what Horror would think of Killer's words. "..." However, he also looked back at his prisoner in Horror's arms.
"Are we sure it's Blue? No, maybe a Swap variant?" he suggested, his normally calm, but not sane, companion. Dust shrugged as he felt the glare of his professional butcher.
"Seriously, what makes you say that?" Killer decidedly didn't point out everything that was wrong with the Swap Sans' signature design. But he smirked at Dust's "die" look.
"He... smells the same." And... Horror really hoped they understood. Sadly, none of them ended up developing Horror's hunter instincts enough to fully understand him. The only thing he was glad about was that they hadn't experienced the hellish levels of starvation Horror had.
Instead, they continued theorizing based on Horror's comment. "Do you think Error mistakenly forgot him back in his personal hell?"
"Uh..."
...Well. Just because they didn't sense it doesn't mean Horror would ignore it just because. (He'd feel an itch in his skull before he dared ignore even that.) Still, he felt chills spread to his ribs, giving him a queasy feeling in his stomach (which... magic?).
He doesn't like it at all.
And Blue was unwittingly provoking him…
Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on the unarmored skeleton. Which is another point that brings up other, unfounded, concerns for the Murder Time Trio. Well, they shouldn't care.
He does it anyway.
At least Horror knows what the first thing he'll do when he returns to the castle.
—Present—
Blue froze in place.
Immediately upon seeing him, he knew the monster before him came from a branch of the neutral-genocidal lines. (Exploring infinite possibilities within an original branch—sound familiar?) Even if not, the monster's character codes highlighted his massive figure.
This was him, but it wasn't him either. Not entirely. (Although, maybe it would have been if his world went through the same events as his. Even so, the monster's role in the plot wouldn't be the same. He knows that.)
His file betrays "swap.exe," and the rest of its variants or similarities to his alternate universe would indicate the same thing. No matter how fused or corrupted their characteristics are. He also knows that with those keywords and essentially everything about him, they can anchor them to his world. The compatibility is still there. Different, but still there. On the other hand, the presence of the wounded skeleton in front of him emphatically screamed "neutral," adding to the "genocide" character, which is what runs later in the story of this alternate version. And... if they wanted to be more clear on the matter, Blueberror would have to perform a *check* on him, but that wouldn't be a normal status check. That would be a *Background Check.*
(And no, normal monsters don't have that kind of "magic" or "knowledge" to know all that. In every sense, he wasn't normal anymore.)
Whether he wanted to or not, he knew he'd have to use it at some point. Would it be too much to pry, even if it was an alternate of his? Yes. Having someone know your entire life story... would make them uncomfortable. (That's how he felt when they captured him.) It was that feeling F left him with when he violently expelled him from the children's world. Compared to the Anti-Void... he didn't know which of the two was worse.
At least the Anti-Void wasn't speaking to him (not like Error). As for the Voices... they're a different story... Complicated? Yes. Do they try to comfort him? Also. Although their beginning was born of loneliness.
And that became normal, somehow. He got used to dealing with disembodied Voices. There wasn't a single face-to-face situation he'd faced since his "liberation."
Not like... now.
Because—his train of thought is stopped by the sudden movements of the monster on the other side of the cell. Large arms are extended to their full length, just to shove it right in his face. Monster food?
...What?
Blueberror blinks at the one-eyed skeleton (whose name he has to check to find out...), looking at him with confusion on his face. Trying to grasp some kind of answer in the Other's expressionless face.
Nothing.
Nothing but furious intentions dictating "Eat."
"... please..." His single red eye narrows, as if saying, "It hurts to look at you; eat."
...
Does... does he look so pitiful that he deserves such mercy?
Still, it baffles him.
Because Berror lies in the background, pressed against the wall and sitting on the floor. While the Other stands too close to the bars, giving him food, his arms outstretched and his hands trembling... just because he looks pitiful?
No, Blue doesn't know what to feel about it... Embarrassment or amusement? ... Is he seriously considering accepting that olive branch while he can? (Can he?)
Although more supplies wouldn't hurt, his pocket only contains several sweets to snack on during the Queen's tea party.
Would he...?
"Eat"/"Don't eat it!" Two voices speak at the same time.
And... that's right, it wasn't just the two of them in the room.
Blue tilts his head at Frisk, who (without hesitation) jumped forward just so they could verify information about the monster entering the room for themselves.
"Behind him," they point at them with all the impudence they possess. Among the shadows in the corners and the door itself, other individuals are resting, without seeming to have any bad intentions, although the entire image tells a different story on its own.
"The Cyclops is nicknamed Horror," Frisk accuses them.
"Blue?" Horror sweats when he doesn't get an answer from Blue (or from whoever he thought it was.)
"Cinderella over there is nicknamed Dust." The kid looks at him suspiciously, highlighting the dustiness of the other skeleton's clothes with reddish lights, betraying nervousness.
"..." Dust observes him carefully, with a more thoughtful look.
"And the worst of all. With the nickname "Something New," however, the nickname Killer fits him perfectly." They don't think about it, and they say it without filters. "Nicknames give them away."
"Lost star, this way." Killer greets, not noticing the change in the atmosphere.
All located, counting more skeletons than necessary in the cells. Blueberror doesn't know where to look. Left, middle, right, or—
"No, I'm lying. There's someone else..." They blurt out without sounding so annoyed with themselves. Frisk scans the room again, only to find a part darker than the others. An aqua-green, almost toxic eye peers out from the shadows. "Here."
They back up until they reach Bloopie's side.
"A mass of darkness or... Negativity?" They don't flinch at the slightest movement. Determination doesn't fall for mercy again, not now, not this time.
Danger, they say.
The dark mass slowly reveals the silhouette of a skeleton with more limbs than arms in between. The white of a sharp-toothed grin instills fear in those who see it. But—no.
No.
It only makes Blueberror feel that something is wrong.
The smell of rotten apples wafts through the room, wanting to collapse him.
"As if your own nightmare were staring you in the eye."
"...Do I know you?" from somewhere? doesn't say it completely.
There was a missing piece there.
And with the withering look they return to him, they all chant together, saying, "Eat."
Origin Multiverse
Underswap #11
This... This had to be a nightmare.
A nightmare from which Toriel will soon be able to wake up. (She hoped so.)
Her ever-tired gaze couldn't fully process everything she saw from one of the windows of the Dreemurr house. She had to leave.
She didn't care about guarding the barrier anymore if that little stuffed animal named Temmie told her the truth. That her people, her village... eradicated, a genocide... had happened right under her nose.
What kind of Queen was she who would let her people deal with a threat of such magnitude?
She...
Oh, no.
If everyone is...
"Asriel," she whispered.
No.
Please, no.
"Asriel!" She raised her voice.
For whatever the angel of prophecy wants most, don't allow her son, her Asriel, to be...
He's-
"No, no, no—" Not again.
"Asriel!" she shouted.
Accelerating at a brisk pace, almost running, the weight of her armor limiting her hasty steps. Toriel abandoned all the queenly composure she once had. Only to run, run. Clearing a few pieces of damaged structures aside with her royal staff.
Because, how is it? —she didn't notice—
She wants to wander, but Asriel's safety and life mean everything to her right now.
Toriel could still feel that thread of magic that connected him to the core of her little son. Faintly, because he was far from her. She couldn't see or know what was happening on the other side, not yet.
Those passages seemed too long for her.
Too eternal.
Dust flies and dissolves from the drifts of air only to disperse further.
Toriel feels nauseous, and that fact alone makes her nose itch.
(She doesn't even know how her missing husband is doing right now.) —Perhaps the pain have merged enough that she doesn't feel them as well.—
"Asri—!"
She stumbles over a small piece of rubble in the path, almost falling face-first onto the hard ground. And that's what would happen if only the laws of gravity, which she can't feel at that moment, would do their work.
She opens her eyes, only to see and feel... a familiar orange magic?
...How?
"Your Majesty?" Incredulous, the brother of her trusted staff speaks. It was as if... as if he thought she wouldn't leave his cursed castle sooner or later (late, too late).
She looks up, confirming the conclusions her mind had made.
"Papyrus?"
And for the first time, Toriel sees someone alive.
(Well, as alive as a skeleton can be.)
She sobs, not caring if her vision blurs or if anyone else sees her bawling her eyes out.
"Papyrus... Please help me find Asriel," Toriel pleads.
Because if Papyrus is here, in the Hall of Judgment... there would be some survivors with him too, right?
(She hopes so.)
...
"Oh." Their deep, dark eyes widen. "This is new," Frisk thinks.
Or maybe they said it out loud, because it's followed by a:
"What's new?" from someone meddling in other people's business.
"...Ink." After a few tense minutes, Core Frisk answers him.
Notes:
At first, I wanted to do a chapter with just one of the boys there, and in the end, they all came together in this one. Lol. I also wanted to keep answering the questions, but I realized I didn't know how to continue from here. Queen Toriel crossed my mind rescuing me in the end. (The questions should appear in the next chapter, I hope. Error, no doubt yes, and maybe some other Star sneaked in there)
Also, this is me trying to write more often. (Although I did a random roulette to "update on a certain day," and it told me it would be on Saturday, I couldn't; I wanted to keep writing...) I was a little bit delayed because my translator translated the paragraphs I put in English into Spanish :'3. Well, at least I'll sleep knowing that the notification for this chapter arrived in your email.
Pages Navigation
SombraDarl on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 02:11AM UTC
Comment Actions
Frikisbits231 on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 02:17AM UTC
Comment Actions
AtleastIwasntboringright on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 07:30AM UTC
Comment Actions
Frikisbits231 on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 01:32PM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 05:00PM UTC
Last Edited Sun 01 Jun 2025 05:01PM UTC
Comment Actions
Frikisbits231 on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 05:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 07:32PM UTC
Last Edited Sun 01 Jun 2025 07:32PM UTC
Comment Actions
Frikisbits231 on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 07:43PM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 1 Sun 01 Jun 2025 08:15PM UTC
Comment Actions
PonyJein on Chapter 1 Mon 09 Jun 2025 12:38AM UTC
Comment Actions
SombraDarl on Chapter 2 Tue 03 Jun 2025 05:20AM UTC
Comment Actions
AtleastIwasntboringright on Chapter 2 Tue 03 Jun 2025 09:54AM UTC
Comment Actions
NamiroBossNil on Chapter 2 Tue 03 Jun 2025 07:42PM UTC
Comment Actions
TheAkashicRecords on Chapter 2 Tue 03 Jun 2025 10:51PM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 2 Sat 07 Jun 2025 03:56PM UTC
Comment Actions
TheAkashicRecords on Chapter 2 Sat 07 Jun 2025 09:27PM UTC
Comment Actions
Silly Larry (Guest) on Chapter 2 Thu 05 Jun 2025 03:02AM UTC
Comment Actions
PonyJein on Chapter 2 Mon 09 Jun 2025 12:43AM UTC
Comment Actions
Blueberror on Chapter 2 Tue 22 Jul 2025 05:47AM UTC
Comment Actions
NamiroBossNil on Chapter 3 Sat 07 Jun 2025 12:47PM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 3 Sat 07 Jun 2025 03:51PM UTC
Comment Actions
AtleastIwasntboringright on Chapter 3 Sat 07 Jun 2025 08:00PM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 3 Sun 08 Jun 2025 03:56AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 08 Jun 2025 04:03AM UTC
Comment Actions
AtleastIwasntboringright on Chapter 3 Sun 08 Jun 2025 04:08AM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 3 Sun 08 Jun 2025 04:16AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 08 Jun 2025 04:42AM UTC
Comment Actions
Twospoonsandafork on Chapter 3 Sun 08 Jun 2025 02:40AM UTC
Comment Actions
Sillier Larry (Guest) on Chapter 3 Sun 08 Jun 2025 03:02AM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 3 Sun 08 Jun 2025 04:49AM UTC
Comment Actions
PonyJein on Chapter 3 Mon 09 Jun 2025 12:48AM UTC
Comment Actions
PonyJein on Chapter 4 Mon 09 Jun 2025 12:53AM UTC
Comment Actions
TheAkashicRecords on Chapter 4 Mon 09 Jun 2025 03:47AM UTC
Comment Actions
TheAkashicRecords on Chapter 4 Mon 09 Jun 2025 03:49AM UTC
Comment Actions
TV_Z0M813 on Chapter 4 Mon 09 Jun 2025 04:48AM UTC
Comment Actions
Frikisbits231 on Chapter 4 Mon 09 Jun 2025 02:55PM UTC
Comment Actions
TV_Z0M813 on Chapter 4 Mon 09 Jun 2025 09:31PM UTC
Comment Actions
Wouldntyouliketoknowthat1357 on Chapter 4 Mon 09 Jun 2025 09:29PM UTC
Comment Actions
Pages Navigation