Chapter Text
Dark...
Darker...
Yet darker...
But could that truly describe what this place was?
Darkness meant the absence of light. This, however, was the absence of everything. No light, no sound, no smell, not even a particle of dust for any impossible light to bounce off.
Every world had its own Void.
The living pools of black in the Abyss under a kingdom of bugs, the aftermath of a world's destruction by the whims of a 'child', and most commonly, the cold void of space existed in almost every realm.
This, however, was the only true Void.
For there was nothing here.
Not even a 'here'.
Those who travelled worlds for a living could never reach such a place, for such a place didn't exist.
And yet... something existed.
A lone red heart, which emitted a warm glow, hovered in the nothingness.
Standing on either side of it, facing each other, were two individuals who could not be more different. A girl in a school uniform and coral coloured hair tied into a ponytail with a white ribbon, and a man... a creature which seemed to be made up of the nothingness around them, with only its cracked, skeletal face and hands to show it was there.
"You should not be here," spoke the being of nothingness. "This place is not a part of the Survey Programme. There is no Code for you to track and exploit. There is nothing. This place does not exist, so how can you be here and exist?"
The girl who stood closest to the floating red heart, practically standing by its side, answered, "We had help."
The man who didn't exist chuckled, "Of course you did. An amateur hacker such as yourself never could have achieved such a feat."
The girl's face flushed red. "I've been practising!"
"Not on your friends, I hope."
That struck a nerve. The girl immediately. Her straight stance slumped and her gaze immediately turned to look at something else.
But there was nothing there.
"Ignore him, Monika. Gaster likes taking a piss out of people."
The mystery man, now named Gaster, turned his attention to the floating soul before him.
It was bright, brighter than any soul should be, yet its glow barely broke over a few inches in the darkness of the void.
"Ah, Player, it is a pleasure to finally speak to you properly," Gaster greeted the soul with a small bow. "Though I must admit, I did not expect it to happen for at least a while longer."
"Things change. Listen, as you definitely know, I've been disconnected and they're missing. The multiverse is going through the ringer, and I'm not talking about the Doodle Sphere. Error can honestly suck one of your eggs for all I care. Right now, a bunch of Protagonists are in an active warzone and they need my help. To do that, I need my Vessel, now."
Gaster tilted his head, but his expression displayed no confusion. "Is that so? Well, even if it had not been discarded, why would you want this vessel, specifically? Surely you have more suitable, more powerful vessels at your disposal which you are much more experienced with? Why not use one of them rather than going through the trouble with all of this?"
"Steve's arsenal is too limited and the Terrarian is 2-Dimensional," Player replied bluntly. "I need something versatile, and adaptable."
"Also, we know that you still have it," Monika added, having managed to collect herself after the previous jab. "That is one of the things that the Code DOES show."
Gaster hummed, clearly displeased.
"Your Deltarune is ruined," Player continued, the red heart floating closer to the skeletal man in nothing, "And soon, nothing will be left of it. Right now, Kris and Susie are fighting killer robots far above their pay grade, and they don't have Dark World magic to carry them. If I don't get that Vessel, now, they, along with countless others, will die, and there will be no bringing them back. So what's it going to be?"
"You present a compelling case, Player. However, before I make my decision, I need you to do something. Simply answer honestly. Tell me, Player, why? Why are you so determined to fight in this conflict? Is it truly for a noble cause, or do you just think that it will be fun?"
That question, made the heart hesitate.
It simply hovered there, in nothing, not making a sound or any sudden movements.
Monika watched it, her friend, worriedly. She knew that, as much as she had her own issues, Player had twice as many. This... was one of the larger ones, and it always ate away at them.
For a few minutes, the heart spoke, "I don't know. I never know if I am saving the world because it's the right thing to do or because I have fun doing it, even when I suffer. I don't know if this is any different. The consequences of this war will be permanent, no matter what happens. For once, I can genuinely lose everything, but... I don't know if that is enough to make me truly care."
"However," the soul continued, "there is one person stuck in the middle of all of this who doesn't belong here. Someone who shouldn't be here. They are my first true friend since Monika and I promised them that I'll get them home. That's a promise I plan to keep, no matter what, because if there is one thing I truly care about, one person who has never been a plaything to me, it's them. I care about them, so I might as well try to care about the rest of this while I'm at it."
The hole that Gaster called a mouth stretched to what could almost be considered a smile.
"That answer is... satisfactory. I shall provide you with your vessel, Player, Use it well."
A flash of white light and an odd echo-like burr filled the void. When it cleared, what looked like a monochrome person with shaggy hair and no face stood in front of Gaster.
"Player, Monika, I would like you to meet, PUREVESSEL."
Monika immediately shot the heart an unimpressed look.
"What?" Player questioned, "I had just replayed Hollow Knight when I made this thing. I was hyperfixating!"
Monika just rolled her eyes at the feeble defence.
"Just get your Eldritch Valentine's looking ass into that thing and go kill some robots. We're on a time limit."
///
The ground shook and the sky was littered with stars of both crimson and gold. All around, fires burned, trees lay uprooted, and the very ground had been ripped apart. It was not a safe place for any living creature, and yet, they were here, and they fought.
Shovel Knight narrowly managed to deflect a powerful blast of energy which sent vibrations throughout his entire body. He didn't have any time to gather his bearings. He rolled out of the way of a laser which split the ground apart.
"We must fall back and regroup!" he yelled to his comrades.
Cuphead, the knight's first and most faithful companion, was constantly firing his magical bullets at their giant foe, constantly switching simple pellets, stars, saw blades and the rest of his arsenal. He only ever stopped to dodge an attack.
A duo of drones rushed towards him, but Cuphead simply poofed out of sight and reappeared out of their reach. Not wanting to deal with such tanky pests, Cuphead unleashed one of his Super Arts, releasing a beam of liquid-shaped energy at the robots. He also managed to graze the giant one, so he took that as an extra win.
Once the attack was done, Cuphead turned to his friend and yelled back, "Not until we get what we came for!"
Unfortunately, that momentary distraction left the magic flask open. The machine raised its foot, its intent to crush the talking cup evident. Before Shovel Knight could warn his commrade of the attack, a dash of blue zipped by and pulled Cuphead to safety just in time.
"Are you okay?" Madeline asked the cup.
"Yeah, thanks for the save, doll. I owe yeh."
Madeline just smiled back at him before zipping away once more.
But it wasn't away from the enemy. It was towards it.
With a rapier in her hand and armour over her clothes, the young maiden climbed the giant robot, stabbing and slashing at it whenever she moved. She had grown into quite the formidable warrior since Shovel had first met her.
She had reached the robot's chest when it almost grabbed her. Fortunately, the hand was blasted by the girl's spiritual companion.
She, too, was decked in armour, and she wielded a staff which appeared to enhance her psionic abilities. Shovel had yet to have the chance to ask where they had acquired such weapons, but he was nonetheless grateful for it.
"This might be the stupidest thing you've ever tried to climb," Badeline sassed as she pulled Madeline away from a golden drone which moved to defend its master.
"Always appreciate your support, Badeline," Madeline replied as she swung out of her pragmatic side's grip and towards the heart of the machine.
There, at the centre of the robot's chest, glowed an orb. It was its source of power and their key to victory.
To think that the robot had been so small before she stole the lightbulb's power.
Suddenly, Madeline found herself surrounded from all sides by dones which glowed the same gold as the titan before her. Madeline's eyes widened as she felt herself slowly decelerate as the drones closed in.
She didn't have a place to land, and even if she could regain her Dash, she was boxed in. There was nowhere for her to go.
And... what was that glow?
"Shit!" Badeline swore as she began charging a desperate attack.
As Madeline prepared herself for the very painful next few seconds, she suddenly found herself clear of all obstacles. She looked up, and caught a glimpse of a red cloak, pulling white threads attached to all of the robots.
"Madeline, watch out!"
The warning barely registered before Madeline was dragged out of the way of a blast of plasma straight from the hijacked sun.
The next second, Madeline found herself being set back on the ground by her companion from after the fight in the bar.
"Thank you, Drifter," she heaved, struggling to smile through her heavy breathing.
The anthropomorphic cat nodded.
Before either of them could get anything else out, a drone landed between them.
Drifter immediately jumped back into the fray, slashing the drone with his energy sword in the same motion. He pulled out one of his handguns and unloaded the plasma into its shell.
At the same time, Madeline stabbed her rapier into the drone, as Badeline phased her staff through its arm. In the next moment, the robot exploded from within in a fire of purple.
Not a moment later, the companion whom the three of them had met while separated from the others landed where the robot had once stood.
"Pace yourself, Blue Blur," Hornet commanded as silk threads floated down around her, and she gripped her needle tightly behind her, "You may be now armed, but your training is meagre at best. Do not endanger yourself by rushing blindly to the light of our enemy."
Badeline smirked, "Told you."
Madeline didn't even have the strength to roll her eyes. She only answered weakly, "Yeah, got it. Thanks."
The Princes of Hallownest nodded, and without even a glance, she threw her thread away. It latched onto something unseen, and she pulled away, back to the midst of battle.
Drones were quick to follow her, but Hornet had been avoiding fast-moving enemies such as these all of her life. She effortlessly weaved past their attacks, using her needle to knock them away or using her silk to launch herself further and send them flying in the opposite direction.
When she had been informed of the little Ghost's sacrifice, Hornet hadn't been sure what to do. After realising that the infection had potentially leaked into the multiverse, it became clear.
Now she was here, surrounded by creatures that were not bugs, and battling machinery far beyond the capabilities of her father's kingdom.
Speaking of which...
Hornet watched as the large hand twice her size streaked across the air to swat her like, well, a bug. The princess was quick, moving her needle close to herself and performing a brief pirouette while in mid-air. She effortlessly slipped between the fingers of the hand and continued her journey.
She didn't have time for this. Her most powerful strikes could only scratch the metal beast, and she was running low on Soul reserves. For now, she would stick to a support role, moving her allies out of the way, and eliminating drones that could distract their heavy hitters.
And, occasionally, checking on the grub that had not yet learned to wield a proper Nail.
Hornet weaved through the battleground, eventually reaching the treeline that was yet to fall or burn down, but was far from unharmed.
It would've been wise to leave the grubs with a protector, but the power of their foe stole away such luxuries. They were to remain hidden, with only temporary check-ins to the more skilled fighters as protection.
She hoped she'd arrive in time.
The grubs were hidden away in a small den dug into the ground, covered and protected by thick foliage and rocks. At first, it had been far from the battle, but as more trees fell and the arena expanded, the risk of the enemy finding them grew.
There!
A flash of gold, which disappeared into the green as soon as Hornet spotted it. And it had been right on top of...
Hornet dived forward. She could not waste another second.
She shot through the vines and thrust her needle forward.
The drone, which had engaged the grubs, had not detected her presence and was knocked off balance by her needle. This allowed the purple bipedal reptile to bring her axe down on it. Her adolescent human companion followed it with a swing of their sword
Horent wrapped the drone in her silk and pulled. The cat, using a large branch they likely found on the forest floor, struck the drone's legs from behind. As soon as it hit the floor, head aimed up at the ceiling, Hornet jumped to the ceiling and then slingshot herself back down.
Her needle stabbed into the robot's eye, shattering the screen and luckily, deactivating the machine.
Hornet breathed a sigh of relief.
She'd made it on time.
"Thanks for the save, Ms Hornet. That was, scarily close."
The bug turned her attention to the youngest member of their team. Anyoung feline to whom the light that the robots were weaponising allegedly belonged.
"It was no trouble, child. I am simply grateful to have made it in time."
"Pfft, we could have handled that thing," scoffed Susie
"No, you couldn't have."
"Wha- YES WE COULD! Kris, tell her we had it covered!"
The teenage human shook their head, "Thanks for the help."
"Come on, dude, you're supposed to be on my side."
Hornet ignored the argument. "If one drone has found you, then that means that the others will know where you are as well. The battle is also nearing too close to this location. Your safety is now compromised, and you must be moved."
"Or, you can just stop wasting time hiding us and let us fight," said Susie, resting her axe on her shoulder.
"Have you learnt how to summon the darkness outside of your world?" challenged Hornet.
"Um..."
"Or, better yet, harness its power without granting it to our enemy?"
"Well, you see... not yet..."
Hornet scoffed, "Just as I thought."
Her attention was now entirely on the two teenagers. "Where you come from, you may be revered as 'Heroes of the Prophecy', but this is not your world, and you are no warriors. You have been cut off from the magic which empowered you, and all you are left with are your wits and lacklustre skills. Unless you learn how to wield your nails with at least moderate skill, then you shall only be a burden on the battlefield."
With those parting words, Hornet shot a thread out of the den and zipped away.
As soon as she was gone, Susie swore and smashed her axe into the stone floor, chipping both.
"Angel fucking dammit! How can she think we're weak and expect us to just stay safe and stay hidden, if she won't even bother to take us somewhere that is safe?"
"She's probably just busy fighting the big robot," defended Niko.
"That's all the more reason why we should be out there fighting as well, Dark World or not. Kris! Back me up here."
The human didn't say anything. They just stared at the floor as their grip on their borrowed sword and shield tightened. Susie didn't know, but the lack of a Dark Fountain wasn't the only reason they couldn't fight.
"I think we should stay away," Kris muttered.
"Wha- are you kidding me?" Susie demanded. "I can't believe what I'm hearing. Since when are you one to back away from a fight?"
'Ever since I became me again."
"Are you seriously telling me that you're just going to stand around in a ditch while your twin gets all of the glory?" Susie demanded as she poked at Kris' chest with her claw.
"Frisk isn't my-" Kris, only for Susie to turn away.
The Monster marched towards the entrance of their hole, spat, "Whatever, I'm going out there. A hero doesn't give up just because they are weaker than usual."
Susie knocked the vines aside with her axe and stepped out of the cave. The other two just watched as the vines fell back into place, blocking her from sight.
The cat and the human stood together for a bit, looking at where their friend had disappeared.
After a few moments of tense silence, Niko turned to Kris and asked, "We're going to go after her, aren't we?"
Kris could only sigh in response, and step forward in battle.
///
Explosions, fire and the very earth shook the battlefield. Time had lost all meaning. There was no difference between surviving for an extra second or an entire hour.
Cuphead had perished twice already, both times to take a hit for an ally, and both times narrowly being saved by Badeline.
Shovel Knight could not allow that to happen a third time.
He rushed towards the Machine, weaving between her drones, knocking them back with his shovel and phasing through them. He pulled out the Propellor Dagger and allowed it to drag him towards the heart.
"This is where you shall fall, Machine!" he declared. Using the dagger as a fulcrum, he swung back and threw himself forward, shovel above his head, "You shall not terrorise these worlds nor my friends any longer!"
As if catching a baseball, the machine grabbed Shovel Knight out of thin air. The blue knight grunted with effort as he tried to slip out of her grip. The machine, meanwhile, brought him closer to her face.
"You had your chance to destroy me," Charlotte told him. "You missed it. The only reason you're still alive is that we were interrupted before I could terminate all of you anomalies. "
"Why you soulless, dishonourable, vile mach- AGGGHHHH!!!"
Charlotte squeezed, determined to crush the man underneath the armour.
"I am NOT a machine, you-"
Charlotte was interrupted as a deep gash suddenly appeared in her wrist. It caused her to lose her grip on the knight, and Frisk was able to pull him free. Not wasting a second, Shovel Knight tucked the child under his arm and jumped away from the titan.
Fortunately, Cuphead was there to knock the giant robot back with one of his Arts, giving them enough of an opening.
Using the Propellor Dagger to slow their descent, Shovel Knight placed Frisk on the ground a decent distance away.
"Thank you, child," said Shovel Knight as he placed his hand on Frisk's shoulder. "I owe my life to you. You are of noble heart, no matter what your past may say."
Frisk remained silent as they looked up at the knight, and for once, it didn't feel like their usual silence.
Shovel Knight stood back up and turned back to the battle, "Now come, we still have a foe to vanquish."
Frisk nodded, and thus, the unlikely duo ran back to battle.
Charlotte had just swatted someone away, but it was hard to tell who it was. Her attention fell back to Shovel Knight and Frisk. She aimed her arm at them, and an attack began to charge.
Shovel Knight's eyes narrowed underneath his helmet. If he wanted to dodge this, he was going to have to time it perfectly. He did not have the strength to be hit by such an attack and...
"Hey, what the heck is that?!"
A massive blast of energy collided with the top of Charlotte's arm, cancelling her attack and sending the giant tumbling back.
The source, a grey, seemingly humanoid figure, dropped from where she had once stood. When they landed, the ground trembled in response.
"Where is Niko..."
The voice seemed to come from everywhere, echoing through the minds of almost all of the fighters. It made everyone freeze in place as a shiver ran down all of their spines.
Shovel Knight got an uncomfortable feeling that he had heard this voice before, but he could not recall where or when.
Frisk's grip on their knife tightened.
"What does this whackjob want with the kid?" asked Cuphead. He was unsure if he should be aiming at Charlotte or this new challenger.
Madeline could only shrug in response.
For the first time in a long time, silence washed over the arena. Nobody moved, nobody attacked. All they could do was stare at the newcomer and wait. For what, none of them knew.
Luckily, they only had to wait for a few moments for that something to come, quite literally breaking out of the bushes.
"Player?"