Archive of Our Own ^beta

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10 paces fire.

North Star turns as quickly as he can, pulling the gun from his holster. He doesn’t waste a second to pull the trigger. His ears are ringing from the blood rushing through them.

He’s.. still alive?

He wasn’t shot, he can tell. He would have felt himself start to dust if that was the case. Holding a gloved hand to his front confirms it, no bullet hole. Was he actually able to..?

He looks up at the human in front of him. Their gun is drawn and pointed straight at him. From what he can see of their face they look surprised though it’s hard to tell with the bandana and hat hiding most of their face.

Most importantly though, a small, red mark now on their chin. Red liquid slowly started to run down it. He’d actually been able to do it, he’d been able to beat the human in a dual.

Isn’t that a scary thought, if he had been even a second later his dust would’ve merged with the sand. Gone with the wind to join everyone who had encountered the human previously.

He chuckles. If only it had been real.

“I… can’t do it.” He pauses “Not for real.”

“I’m… I’m such a fraud.” He takes his hand off the trigger, no point in shooting again.

He knew that facing the human would’ve been a bad idea from the moment the royal guard from snowdin came and warned the town. They had been ruthless, shooting anyone they came across and going out of their way to look for more.

Sure, facing a dust hungry human might not have been his smartest idea, but an even worse idea was to not grab his actual gun, settling for a bb his posse used for practice.

And now he pays the price, being next on the humans chopping block with no way to know if he ever made any difference. Maybe he was able to delay the human enough for a few more monsters to evacuate, and frankly that’s all that matters at that moment.

“Thanks for letting me feel cool for a short moment.” His gun back in his holster, he lowers his hat to hide his face. As he waits for the sound of a revolvers bang.

He hears the click of a gun preparing to shoot, before he hears a soft thud, as if something was dropped on the sand.

Did they drop their gun?

Looking up slightly, North Star could see the gleam of metal under the brightness from the dunes faux sun swelterstone.

They had dropped their gun, on purpose or by accident, North Star didn’t know. What he did know was he wasn’t going to run away like a coward.

Looking up and having proper eye contact since before the duel, bright yellow eyes meet his own glowing white. The human makes no moves to pick up the gun, only staring at him with a neutral expression.

The bandana they had over their face had slowly been stained a reddish brown, they lifted it to properly wipe the wound.

Right. Humans had, what was it called? Blood! Some of the old human movies had scenes of sand or walls painted red from whatever violent showdown went down. Always some sort of injury that would ooze for however long. It was sorta like how monster injuries would sometimes get dusty when healing.

The human is just looking at their bloody bandana, almost as if deep in thought at the sight. Maybe bleeding is a worse sign then he thought if the human is so caught off guard by it.

The human seems to snap out of whatever trance they were in and move toward the gun. Ah, so now they are finally gonna shoot him. Way to give him false hope.

Only for the human to spin it around their finger for a few seconds and put it in their holster.

What.

“Wait just a gosh darn second! Yer’ not gonna shoot?!” On second thought that might not have been the best way to word it. Don’t get him wrong, North Star was glad to be alive. But for the human to just give up? Just like that?

“You won the duel.”

Ok that’s.. confusing. Yes, Star won the dual, but if it was really that easy to convince the human to stop, wouldn't someone else have been able to earlier? And they sounded so..

Young.

Now, Star doesn’t know much about humans. The only things that he knows is either from movies or what little he was taught as a kid about the war and human souls. But it felt odd. Humans had the same average height as many different types of bipedal monsters, he knew the kind he was would be just over the human average, but average obviously didn’t mean all were around that height.

And from veterans that were still alive and had been on the surface he knew that human and monster voices were often hard to tell the difference in, which had been a source of unease when you didn’t know if the child you heard were your own or a human child.

But this human was as short as some monster toddlers and their voice sounded so light and young. Heck they sounded a bit younger than Kanako when she.. Nevermind.

“But why? Why’d you let me live if yer’ just gonna keep going as if this never happened?!” Why did they decide to go ahead and leave a trail of dust behind them just to stop the moment they lost a challenge? He was tempted to ask.

“Where would be the fairness in that? You won, so I’ll leave.”

Oh this human kid had some nerve.

“What, so your idea of fairness is killing everyone you see just to let one monster live? What sort of injustice is that, huh?” Maybe actively pushing the buttons of what could very well just be a genocidal toddler isn’t that smart, but with how bad decisions have already got him this far he might as well just keep doing it. Not like there’s any turning back now.

“The others attacked me first, it was self defence.” The kid shrugged and brought their hand to hold their bandana between their fingers. “You asked to duel and I accepted.”

“You could’ve easily convinced them to stop fighting, most monsters aren’t big on the whole ‘killing a child’ thing” Star wanted to scream at them, wanted to pull the trigger again and aim for something more sensitive than a cheek, wanted to run as far as his legs could take him. But no, he could do this.

“Like they listened to the previous humans who fell and were killed here?”

He could not do this. Humans falling down were a big event, everyone knew the details within a week. The previous humans had also attacked, they had also…

Oh who was he kidding. The most recent ones body was found in a gruesome state long after they fell by some poor monster in Waterfall, only to be identified as being a preteen at best. And eyewitnesses from when they were running around said they looked panicked as if being chased.

The only two other than the one in front of him that had weapons were barely weapons, a plastic toy and a cooking utensil. The former fell before he was born but the latter was always described by those who met them as extremely kind.

So the kid had a point. Sighing, Star continued.

“Listen to me kid, this ain’t gonna get ya’ anywhere. I don’t know why yer’ doin’ this but mindless gen-“

“Justice. And it’s not mindless.” The kid cut him off.

“Right, but this genocide isn’t going anywhere other than dust on your hands and trashed dreams of monster kind. You’re not gettin’ any sort of justice from this.”

The kid just stared. Star swore their eyes almost glowed like his own, just yellow instead. He continued.

“The previous humans are already long gone, there’s no bringing them back.” He walked forward, getting on one knee to look closer, they really are just a kid. A lost and scared kid who did what they saw as the only option. “And going to the king will only lead to you dyin’ or to their death to have been for nuthin’.”

Dealing with kids had never been Stars strong suit. Sure he did sometimes dream how it would be to have his own and he could handle Kanako with no issues. But actually acting like a parent was something he never had to do. That was what Ceroba and Chujin did when he was still alive.

But he still had the basics down. And really, how different were human children to monster ones?

The kid looked life a light breeze could make them fall, like they were being scolded for being caught with their hand in the cookie jar and not for basically committing genocide. They were desperately trying to avoid eye contact even as Star put his hand on the kids shoulder.

“But- but if I don’t help them, who will? Who will help the next human if I can’t? I have to do this.” Their voice sounded like they were on the edge of breaking down. If Star were in their situation, he probably would too.

“You are a kid, you shouldn’t have to help. Especially when there’s nothing you could do. The best thing to do is stop fighting.” Dang he really could’ve used remembering how his parents would comfort him and his brother when they were younger.

He slowly moved his arms to wrap around the kid, careful to not potentially startle them and get a bullet through his soul. Pulling the kid into a hug, he feels them go still for just a moment before he feels another pair of arms wrap around him. The kid is hugging him back.

The kid is shaking in his hold, he almost feels bad for them. But there’s no undoing what they’ve already done, and there’s no forgiving it.

“I get why you thought this was a good idea, you were scared and felt like you had to do something to bring justice. You just messed up on the ‘how’.” He started running his hand up and down their back, slowly grabbing their gun as he did.

Thankfully he had taken a few notes from Mooch on pickpocketing and was able to pull it away without them noticing, he’s not taking any more chances for now. Not when he’s already taken so many.

The kid didn’t seem to notice their gun being taken and just kept pressing against Stars hold. He wonders if blood stains? He’s probably going to get some on his poncho from their bloody cheek being against it.

Why did he have to decide on playing hero? He could’ve just stayed in the bunker with his family but no. He just had to go and challenge a human and now here he was, comforting a murderous child with a gun. This could’ve been so much easier if he just went with Ceroba and the last of the townsfolk to hide.

“They stood by as children were killed, there isn’t any other way.” They didn’t even sound sure in their own words anymore. As if they’re only really objecting for the sake of it, for this to be over.

“Yer just going to dig a deeper hole for yourself and whatever human falls next. You think that monster kind would feel better about letting humans live if any human that falls takes many lives with ‘em?”

A hiccup is heard, and the child’s grip on his poncho tightens. “I just wanted to help them.” “…I know.”

The kid starts audibly crying, and it seems that they’ve finally realised just what they’ve done on their path of ‘justice’. He’s definitely going to need to wash the poncho now, wet with tears and blood, he can even see some dust sticking to the fabric.

He’s really messed up, hasn’t he? Instead of doing what he should have done and shot the damn human he’s here sympathising with a murderer. What are the others going to think when they come back and see him covered in dust with the human in his arms? He will.. they will… he doesn’t know how to answer his own question.

“Star, everyone’s evacuated. Why are you still here? I told you to-“

Oh, right. He wasn’t the only one out in the open. He and Ceroba were looking for anyone who had yet to get away. The kid must have heard her too, he could feel one of their hands fall down to their holster before they realised their gun was gone. He just held them tighter.

He turned, Ceroba was looking at him in shock after noticing the child. “Get away from the human.” She held her hand out to summon her staff as she spoke.

“Wait! Hold up ‘Roba!” Star was NOT going to have her attack the kid when he risked his life to convince them to stop. “Put yer’ staff down, ya might scare the kid!”

“Kid? Star, that’s a human. And a human that has the dust of countless monsters on their hands.” He feels the kid shift in his hold and loosen their own grip, whether to turn towards Ceroba or away he can’t tell.

Ceroba has a point, technically speaking. Not like Star will admit it. “Human or monster, still a kid.” He puts a hand on top of their hat as if proving a point. “And I got them to stop with the whole killing spree thing.”

It’s not often he sees Ceroba completely dumbfounded, usually she is able to keep up with whatever shenanigans he and the posse are up to, sometimes even going further than them. Seeing her like this would’ve made him laugh if the situation was any different.

“You- Starlo that’s not- you can’t- what?” He takes a moment to collect herself. “Humans don’t just stop. It will just try to attack you again.”

“They’re not an ‘it’! They’re a kid. And it’s for that exact reason I unarmed them, can’t attack without a weapon.” At that Ceroba shifted her weight to the side before slowly lowering her staff, not yet putting it away.

“If the ‘kid’ doesn't kill you, either the royal guard or the king himself will.” Ceroba walked toward the two and leaned against the bell tower, wincing at the sight of dust that got caught on the fabric of his poncho. “Or maybe your parents will for risking your life like this.”

“Oh fer’ sure.”

He slowly shifted an arm to be under the kids legs, standing up and taking the kid with him. The kid didn’t seem to react to being lifted. Looking at their face, Star noticed they’d fallen asleep at some point.

Ceroba finally put the staff away after seeing them being passed out. “Being a murderer must be tiring.” She sighs. “I’ll contact the guards, you make sure they don’t go anywhere.”

“Wait.” Star raised his voice slightly, looking up at her. “Maybe we don’t need to contact the guards now? I mean, the human is just a kid and I got them to stop the whole ‘fire without thought’ thing.”

“Starlo you have to be reasonable here, what will you do when the human wakes? Or when we get the others from the shelter?” She was glaring at him, he glared back.

Star hadn’t really thought about any of that, his plan was just to confront the human and hope for the best. But all that’s been thrown out the window the moment the kid dropped their gun. Any idea of what to do after hadn’t been accounted for, he hadn’t even planned to survive.

“I’ll… figure it out. I just need a little time to think here ‘Roba.” He looked back at the kid in his arms, shouldn’t humans be heavier? With being mostly physical matter it feels like this kid is way too light.

Ceroba stood silent next to the bell tower before turning toward the saloon. “I hope you know what you’re doing here, I’ll go tell Dina it’s safe and to help bring the others out of hiding.”And as she left, Star could see her turn around to glare the kid down.

What the hell was he supposed to do now?

Ok, first things first. Probably shouldn’t be carrying a human kid around in the middle of town. The feisty(j) fives home will have to work as a temporary hiding place. The four will come back soon but star is pretty sure he could convince them like he convinced Ceroba that-

Right, like Ceroba is actually going to keep quiet about the situation, her daughter was nearly torn apart because of the last human that fell. She’s probably going to go tell the guard as soon as she checks on the townsfolk.

But he’s certain that the rest of the feisty five are more willing to listen to him. None of them have any problems with the town being based on human culture and if they meet the kid he’s sure they can see them for who they are, a scared child in a bad situation.

The home could only really count as a shack. Worn down, single room, and no storage so any items are either on the kitchen counter or the floor. But it would do for now, and it’s not like he could bring the kid elsewhere.

Moving around the hole in the floor that Ed insists on sleeping in, Star lays the kid on the couch. He would put the kid on the bed but that’s where Ceroba sleeps and Star is pretty sure she would kill him if the kid slept there. The vest the kid was wearing could be removed easily enough, same with the hat, boots and bandana. All of them would need to be cleared of dust if only for the sake of his peace of mind when he eventually sleeps there himself.

He’d rather not sleep in the dust of others, Thank you very much.

Unfortunately, he can’t really clean the rest of the dust off the kid without getting clothes they could wear in the meantime and waking them, which felt like a bad idea. So it seems that he’ll have to deep clean the couch later.

Without the hat and bandana in the way, Star could get a proper look at them. The wound from the bullet had a sort of crust over it, probably a human thing that would go away eventually. Other than that they had bags under their eyes and a few cuts that look like they were made with a fine edge, maybe it was from the royal guard that had survived the kid earlier. The kid looked so harmless without any of their things, it was unnerving.

Sighing, Star moved away from the human and looked out the window. Any other monster had yet to come back to town. Maybe he’d have time to think things through a little at least. He sat down next to the couch, facing away from the human and looking up at the ceiling.

Let’s see. He confronted a murderous human, got them to stop fighting, and brought them to his home like some impromptu adoption. And now he had to figure out how to deal with this situation he caused himself. He can’t just sit here forever, eventually the guard would come and he would be arrested for harbouring a human. Can he even go to the king at this point? He’s already brought them to his home and urged Ceroba to not tell anyone yet, he might just get arrested on the spot under treason for daring to help a human.

He can't keep them hidden, either. Both the royal guard and Ceroba already know there's a human in the underground and Ceroba knows exactly where they are. But he also can’t tell the guard about the kid being here under the guise of him having caught them, they would just kill the kid for their soul which would mean he did all this for nothing and lead to a dead kid.

He hears the sound of fabric shifting against fabric, the kid is probably moving in their sleep as there's no way they woke with how easily they passed out earlier.

Actually, does the kid have a name? He never asked and they never said. If he’s going to figure something out it might help with putting a name to them. That's how it worked, right? Naming something makes you attached, and putting a name to a face makes you more empathetic to their troubles. The vest had a label on the inside that might have their name. Reaching for where he dropped it next to the tv confirmed there was a name. In smudged, black marker, there was a single word written over whatever brand made the vest.

Clover.

No last name, no address, nothing that could hint at a life outside of their journey underground. Nothing but a single word. Clovers, he remembers hearing about the flowers that grow on the surface. Round with leaves that grow in threes or fours. Ironic that the kid is named after a lucky symbol when they have brought nothing but pain and death so far. He put the vest back down and sat back to stare at the ceiling.

Clover, the human child who has littered the underground in dust since they fell.

The one who is currently sleeping on his couch.

And the one who will wake to see Starlo, laying next to the couch, with his glasses off and eyes closed in his own rest.

Chapter Text

Some small differences in how Clover acts in the beginning of their adventure meant he could usually tell what Clover would do going forward. Killing only a few or killing everyone they saw, no matter what he tried they would always end up going back to that fool in Snowdin.

This reset had been different, apparently. Not a single monster had been left behind from their massacre, and everything was going swell. One trail of dust later and Clovers level was higher than it had ever been at this point. The panicking monsters were fleeing as fast as they could, and if anyone noticed a dropped revolver being dragged away by a vine they didn’t stop to think about it.

With how fast the news of Clovers actions had spread this time, Flowey doubted the failure of a cowboy would give anything away this time around so he’d have to make do with getting one himself. Cant have Clover fighting Asgore with a toy, that’s just ridiculous.

So here he was, sitting in a sandbox and watching the kid leave towards the Wild East. They should see the gun he left on the path there and realise it’s abandoned and all for the taking. Maybe it would be a good idea to double check that they actually took it, even with how violent they had been this time around they still decide to take the moral high ground on the weirdest things normally.

Actually, it would be fun to see if anyone else would be in the town. Maybe Clover would be confronted by a royal guard and have to fight. Seeing them fight had been so much fun, the feather duster put up a real fight that led to them even dying twice. Shame she ran away like the coward she is, there must be some way he can make sure she dies next time.

Making up his mind, Flowey went back under the sand before popping up on the path outside of the Wild East. The revolver Flowey left had been taken, with the old toy one emptied and thrown to the side. Everything is going to plan, and he could hear talking from the town. Someone was left, and he wouldn’t miss the opportunity to watch Clover kill whoever it was.

This would be really fun.

Is what Flowey thought before actually moving to look at what was happening.

That knockoff cowboy is just talking with Clover,talking! He couldn’t hear the exact words from this distance and getting closer could lead to the cowboy seeing him so he’d have to just guess until his attention was turned elsewhere.

Boring! Why can't Clover just shoot this guy already? And of course it’s the delusional one who thinks he’s able to take down the human. He can practically see how this is going to go already, some dramatic speech leading into the fight and the guy dies just for his dust to fly off with the wind.

Atleast Clover seems to share his sentiment, they aren’t answering him, opting to let him ramble. Any moment now they’ll realise that even though it’s a cowboy, he’s just like the rest of the monsters in the under-

Why are they turning away from each other?

With the cowboys' attention away from the entrance, Flowey pops back up closer to the gate. The two start walking away from each other in even steps. Oh, it’s a duel. Flowey may not have seen many human western movies, but sometimes when he wants something to do with the literal infinite time he has, they're distracting enough.

When he thought this idiot couldn’t get dumber, he just proved him wrong. A duel! Against the human who went out of their way to kill every monster they could reach. He really expects a fair fight and not to be just another pile of dust in the increasingly empty underground. Oh Please.

It’s hilarious how overconfident monsters can be, thinking they’ll survive over the rest. He came just in time, and it seems that this is about to become a ghost town. He just needs Clover to turn around and shoot him, and even if they’re too slow he can just reload for them.

He hears the bell ring, both of them draw their guns and turn.

The sheriff is still standing, so is Clover.

Is this guy serious? He brought a fake gun to a gun fight. Is he suicidal or something? What an idiot, thinking he would accomplish anything for coming here, let alone be able to defeat Clover. No matter how much intent a monster has to hurt another, they can’t make weapons do more damage. That’s part of what makes humans so much stronger than normal monsters. With the intent to kill, a toy gun can be just as dangerous as the real deal.

He can hear the cowboy chuckle. “I can't do it.” Well that makes things easier. “Not for real.”

Clover obviously has this handled: With North Star refusing to actually hurt them, and everyone else having evacuated, there is no way for Clover to need to be reloaded. “I’m… I'm such a fraud.” That's really putting it lightly.

In all the resets Flowey had made before Clover, not once had the self-proclaimed Sheriff actually acted like one. That guy always refused to listen to him when he tried to mess with him. ‘The posse will turn against me? That's just silly, we haven't even disagreed in ages! Chujin killed the last human? Don't go ‘round spreading lies, now. Kanako is a melted amalgamation kept under the lab in Hotland? Living echo flower or not, you shouldn't spread those conspiracy theories, pardner. That's just cruel!’

And when he wasn't telling secrets or predictions, the sheriff always had to hold a moral high ground. The few times Flowey was really able to bring him to the point of no return and do something truly regrettable, he'd just snap out of it and turn himself in like a coward.

In Flowey's book, the only thing worse than being a coward was being boring, and there was nothing more boring than refusing to play along with his games.

“Thanks for letting me feel cool for a short moment.” Like he was ever cool, he was way too boring to be considered cool. There’s only one monster that's entertaining enough to be ‘cool’ and he lives on the other side of the underground.

North Star puts away his gun, obviously accepting his fate. Clover has this situation handled, and there's no fun to be had if he's not even going to put up a fight. Flowey burrows down, leaving nothing but a slight bump in the sand.

——————

While Clover had been running around finding anyone left over in snowdin, Flowey had been travelling and seeing how the evacuations had been going around the underground. Waterfall had never been that populated, so things went smoothly there. With the human being in the lower section of the underground, the higher sections had not been urged to evacuate but to simply stay inside and notify the royal guard of anyone being missing. Hotland and New Home are way too densely populated to evacuate efficiently, and any bunkers they had were old and not properly equipped for the increased population.

The Dunes had never been a popular place to live or visit with the severe heat that could rival Hotland and the lack of either places to cool down or rest with it being nothing but sand for ages. But with it being out of the way all the previous fallen humans would take, it was seen as safe if you wanted to avoid a human encounter. Barely any guards kept watch, only going to ensure the mines are in a good enough condition to avoid a cave in or to keep any potential criminals in check. There were only two bunkers in the whole area, one in Oasis Valley and one outside the Wild East that started being used as a storage area.

Needless to say, the town was in no way properly prepared for any threat, and it was obvious in how chaotic it was when they received an evacuation order. Things left behind, monsters running from their homes. Bunkers having to be emptied of whatever storage the townsfolk used them for, whether that be an obscene amount of corn or stockpiled water in case of the oasis filter breaking.

By the time Clover crashed into the Dunes the towns were mostly empty, but with the Wild East being so far away the first royal guard that could make it there to warn the residents was the feather duster. By the time she made it there to warn of the human approaching, Clover was already nearing the mines.

What followed was everyone being rushed to the Sunnyside Farms bunker by the Feisty Five, with North Star and Ceroba splitting up to get anyone on the outer edges of town. It was quite the show if Flowey was asked about it. He had stayed around for a while, seeing monsters being trampled in the panic and frantically moving corn out of the bunker so everyone would fit.

He couldn't stay around forever, eventually clover nudged one of his save points and he'd have to go heal them and Save for them. But he knew where the bunker was, and when he returned he came in time to see the fox lady ushering everyone in. Only when everyone was in did she bother acknowledging anyone.

“Are we missing anyone?” Oh, he could definitely name someone who is missing. For good that is. Wonder how she will react knowing the sheriff is dead, probably going to fight Clover for vengeance.

“Where's Star?” Some fish monster asks, a monster that's part of said sheriff's gang that Flowey can't be bothered remembering the name of. Seriously, there's hundreds of monsters in the underground, you can't expect him to remember the name of everyone after he's done messing with them. “I thought he came with the last townsfolk?” The silence that followed could only be described as deafening.

“We thought he was with you?” The red guy stepped forward after putting down the kid he carried to the bunker so they wouldn't be trampled. “He's probably just looking for anyone left over, calm down.” Ace was leaning against the left wall and shuffling a deck, a nervous habit. His name was always easiest to remember in the town.

“No, we already got everyone. Other than Dina, but she promised to come here as soon as she sees the human in town.”

“Mooch.”

“Yes?”

“Are you saying both Starlo and Dina are missing?”

Flowey barely had time to dip into the dirt enough to not be seen before she turned and ran out. “Close the bunker and don't open it until we’re back!” And she was off like a bullet, leaving the others to get everyone to stay quiet as the entrance was closed and locked.

Seems like Clover might need him anyway, Ceroba was always the easiest getting to the point of killing another monster. With Clover already having killed the cowboy he doubts she will just let them walk away from the town without a fight.

Ugh, he’s going to have to listen to whatever monologue she comes up with when she sees her friend dead and dusted. Hopefully Clover will just shoot her before she rambles.

Actually, it’s been quite a while since he felt clover approach a save point, usually after a stronger foe or new area that’s the first thing they did. Don’t tell him the failure of a sheriff killed them before he turned to dust, that would be such an embarrassing way to die, Flowey would never let it go.

Actually, he should probably get moving. Seeing Clover fight her would be a first and be very interesting, he wouldn’t want to miss it and have to reload.

When he got there he realised he might have to reload anyway. Seriously, Clover just had to shoot once to take out North Star yet here their corpse was, being held up by him.

No, scratch that, Clover was still alive. Flowey could see them breathing and the grip their hands had on the sheriff's poncho was way too firm to be dead hands hanging on. So no, Clover was not dead. But why hadn’t they shot the guy?

Unless they were going for a betrayal kill.

Of course, that had to be it. Clover had never been one for dragging a battle on for no reason, usually opting to just shoot as soon as they could. But it was only a matter of time before they would give in to some more sadistic tactics, Flowey had started doing the same long ago.

Seems Ceroba will actually get to see her childhood friend turn to dust, Flowey could almost imagine how it'll go.

“Get away from the human.” Oh, he zoned out a bit there. Ceroba already had her staff out, standing in an offensive position. He could see Clover's hand reaching toward their holster, grabbing for their gun.

Where is their gun?

Oh, THAT'S why this guy isn’t dead yet. Clover had their gun earlier, so he must’ve grabbed it from them. And after he went through the trouble of getting it in the first place. Rude! He’d write a formal complaint if he had hands. Maybe he should try writing with vines again.

“Wait! Hold up ‘Roba! Put yer’ staff down, ya might scare the kid!” Yeesh, he really thinks Clover will get scared from a threat and a stare. Who does he take them for? “Kid? Star, that’s a human. And a human that has the dust of countless monsters on their hands.”

Clover shifts in his hold and looks up at Flowey. They, for lack of a better word, look terrible. Maybe after these two bozos are dead they should take a small break to recover some energy. Clover nearly look like they’re going to pass out any second at this point.

Scratch the ‘maybe’ and ‘nearly’, they are struggling to keep their eyes open and focused on Flowey, there is no way they’ll make it to Asgore like this. It might be that they are looking for confirmation that it's ok to fall asleep. Flowey nods to them and they smile before promptly going limp.

Idiot.

“Human or not, still a kid.” North Star pats Clovers head. “And I got them to stop with the whole killing spree thing.” So that's what happened after he left. Getting talked down from killing again, just a different voice. Clover really is hopeless, aren't they?

It seems even when they are more aggressive than ever before, Clover just can't avoid growing apprehensive of going forward and end up growing attached to whoever showed them kindness. There's no reason to keep listening to this conversation, and the next moment Flowey is gone.

Somewhere in The Dunes, a scream is heard.

“Are. You. KIDDING ME?!” The cactus in front of Flowey being covered in holes from being shot with pellets and stabbed with vines. “After all that they STILL just GIVE UP!” Another vine gets shot through the cactus, pulling it out the sand and lifting it high.

This timeline was such a waste of time, and it had seemed so promising. So much chaos, so much panic, so much entertainment, and a single shot from the ‘Sheriff’ and it all comes tumbling down under him.

Ugh, of course. Clover had shown so much potential and change but in the end they're the same as always. There's no reason to stick around with this worthless outcome. Dropping the cactus, its body flopping onto the sand. He pulls up his menu, hovering a vine over the reset button. Just reset and try again to get his preferred ending.

But Clover’s not even near the end yet, are they?

Usually, they wouldn’t truly give up until getting all the way to the core. They are only in the dunes right now and they usually spend quite a few hours there anyway. Maybe this timeline isn’t completely useless.

But for that he needs a plan. Clover probably won’t be let out of sight, even more so when everyone knows how violent they are. It’s also unlikely that the monster always keeping an eye on them will be anyone but the sheriff.

The only reason that the guy has taken it upon himself to keep them with him is because they see Clover as a ‘kid’ and not a ‘genocidal human’. So, the easiest way to get them out of the Wild East is to make him see Clover actually being violent.

Clearly dust covered clothing isn’t enough to turn them away, so seeing dust actually being spilled will definitely do it.

But then the question is who should he have Clover actually fight and kill?

Really any monster would do, they’ve already killed many. But even so, North Star already knows this and might not react too strongly to it. Speaking of strong, maybe a royal guard? There aren’t really any close by at the moment but that will hardly be an issue when word gets out clover is there.

Martlet already knows Clover is in the area and would probably stay nearby, but it’s not like they ever actually said no to her in the end before, doubt it would be any different at this point. So he’d probably have to find a guard in hotland, new home or-

Oh. He knows exactly who he’ll have Clover kill in front of North Star. And it’ll guarantee that he’ll be too scared to keep them here. He’ll realise just how much of a threat they really are. Sometimes he feels like all the extra time he’s spent has made him a genius.

With that he dismisses the reset button and makes his way to Waterfall.

——————

Waking up was disorienting, he hadn’t even realised he’d fallen asleep until he woke up on the floor and promptly was face to face with a human staring straight down at him.

“What in tarnation!” Yeah he wasn’t really tired anymore after that. He was still exhausted, don't get him wrong, but not knowing how long he’s been stared at in his sleep didn’t really make it tempting to fall back unconscious.

Oh right, he’d taken them to his home instead of turning them in. The kid, Clover he remembers, just kept staring as he shot up from laying and sat with his back towards the tv. The two just stared at each other for a few moments.

“How- how long have you been awake?” Might as well know now that he’s already seen they woke. Judging by the fact that their eye bags haven’t lessened it it can’t have been long since the duel.

“Just a few minutes.” That doesn’t really give him much to work with but alright, seems the kid isn’t too keen on conversation right now. Looking over to the clock it seems it’s been only forty minutes since the evacuation order, so definitely haven’t been long. Everyone should be on their way back or going to their family to check if they’re safe.

Oh god, he’s gonna have to explain all this to the posse. How the heck will he convince them the human isn’t going to kill any of them the moment they turn their backs. If he can even get that far without either side attacking.

He knows the posse are reasonable monsters, sure a human being here will put them on the defensive but he can try to start talking as fast as they see the kid. The KID however, no clue if he’s an exception now or if all monsters are safe.

Didn’t they try to pull their revolver when Ceroba showed up? He’s lucky he’d already taken it from them, otherwise they would’ve absolutely shot her. Who’s to say they won’t try again as soon as Starlo isn’t looking? He could have just left for safety. Why did he have to put himself in this situation?

His thoughts are cut off by Clover snapping their fingers in his face. They stare at him, unmoving. Their hair looks matted and dusty, he understood the dust but being without a brush for a single day underground shouldn’t make it so bad it looks like it hasn’t been washed properly in ages.

“You were zoned out.” Oh, he hadn’t even realised how deep in thought he was. “Thought I’d ask where my things are.”

“Oh, I just put them by the tv. Why do you ask?” Guess he’d have to clear the dust from their things later. They stand up from the couch and go to their things, picking up their vest first.

“Leaving.”

“Huh?” Starlo stares wide eyed as Clover just puts their vest on over their sweater and their hat on their head, moving to grab their bandana before he snaps out of it and grabs their shoulder.

“Now now, there’s no need to rush into leavin’.” He makes them turn to face him. He tries to be gentle with his hold, don’t want them getting defensive. ”It ain’t like the guard will be here any minute.”

“I’ve caused enough trouble here, might as well get out of your hair.”

”Well first of all, don’t have hair. Second of all, I willingly let you stay here.” It seems his joke didn’t land, as they just kept staring at him. They were going to say something before he cut them off. “I’ve already told you that the other humans are long gone, you can’t help them.” They seemed agitated at his words, as if he said something stupid and not entirely correct.

“I’m not going to fight the king, i'm going-“

“Starlo? Are you here?”

Their words were cut off as both of them turned to the door, which was now wide open. Moray staring right at them and locking eyes with Clover.

Before anyone could react, Ace entered, then mooch, and finally Ed. Each member staring straight at Clover, who was staring down the others right back. He couldn’t tell who was more uncomfortable in this situation, him or the posse.

“What the FU-“ “Hey how about we talk outside right now!” He didn't give Mooch time to finish talking before he started pushing everyone out the door, only turning to Clover after everyone else was out the door. “Don't move, we'll talk after.” And he closed the door after himself.

Star turned to his posse, using his body to block the door just in case. He thought he had a bit more time to think of what to say. This is going way too quickly and now he needs to figure out how to convince the others that the dust covered human in their house is safe to be around.

Crap.

He opened his mouth to talk but didn’t have time to get a word out before being punched in the stomach by Mooch.

“What is your problem?!” Huh, that is not how he expected this to go. He knew they would be mad at him but he didn't expect to be immediately punched. That hurt.

“Listen, I have a plan. The kid will stay with us for a while but-”

“THAT is NOT what we are talking about, Star!” Moray grabs his arm and practically yanks him toward the others. “Yes we will get to the fact a human is here, but not before we talk about the fact you ran after it in the first place!”

Oh. Yeah he should’ve expected this to happen, Ceroba never got the chance to lecture him on this so he guessed he could just avoid talking about it. Of course that wouldn’t work.

“You can’t expect us to just brush off the fact that you nearly got yourself killed on purpose, you knew what going after the human would entail.” Ed sighs, probably trying to keep tears out of his eyes. “You knew you probably wouldn’t live.”

As if he needed to be told this again. He’d already accepted he’d die in the name of delaying the same fate for others, in his opinion that was just what was the right thing to do.

“I know what I did was dumb, I know what I did was basically offing myself. But, I had to do it.” No going back now. “If I hadn’t then, there would be way more dust scattered in town.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you nearly went through with it.” Ace turned toward the door, leaning back from it. “Doesn’t change the fact you nearly died.”

It shouldn’t make him as uncomfortable as it does. He should have known his friends would react this way, concern for his well being and mental state.

“Well it turned out well in the end, ain’t that right?” He smiled and gestured to himself, before looking down and realising how visible the dust on his poncho was and faltered.

“Still, never do that again!” Mooch moves forward to hug him before recoiling and settling for a light punch to the arm. “You should burn those clothes.”

“Eh, it’s not that bad. A little dust never hurt anyone.” It was silent for a few seconds before he coughed and spoke up again. “Now! The, uh, human thing.”

“Right, as if we needed a reminder of the human sitting in our house.” The annoyance in Ed’s voice was clear. “You said something before Moray cut you off earlier.” Ok so they’re getting straight to it now, he can handle this.

“Yeah, the kid's name is Clover and they’re staying here for a while.” Clearly that was not the answer they were looking for as all four were staring at him like he’d grown a second head.

“BecAUSE I got them to stop the killing.” He quickly added on. He’s not having another situation where they don’t know all the details, no thank you.

“Star, sometimes I have no clue if there’s anything in your head. What do you mean you got it to stop?” Moray pinched the edge of their nose before wildly gesturing in his face.

“Well, the kid was scared and they just needed someone to talk some sense into them.” He pointed toward himself as he spoke. “A few words of reason and they’ve given up, that’s just how kids are, you know?”

“Kids generally don’t commit genocide.” Ace looked over to the door, Starlo moved to be in front of it again. “And they generally don’t show up in our house afterwards.”

“As part of keeping them from hurting more innocent monsters, I’ll try to keep an eye on them.” Not like he’d really want them out of his sight enough for them to try something. The only reason he stepped outside for this conversation was because none of the windows are able to open.

“Or we can get the royal guard and they can keep the human from harming anyone else?” Moray's suggestion was reasonable, he could just let the guard handle it at this point. Claim he never had any other plan of keeping the kid here. But didnt they already fight a royal guard and win with nothing more than scratch?

Sure he wasnt that knowledgeable on the guard training, but the guard who came here earlier was only a sentry in lower snowdin. She could barely manage to retreat, and Clover has gotten more Love since then. They might be able to actually kill a higher up if the odds are in their favour.

“The kid trusts me, it might be better to just get them away from here to Asgore without any guards ‘round.” If they're still going to fight Asgore, that is. If Clover really has changed, Asgore might not have to know exactly how it happened.

Sure, he obviously knows there’s a human who’s running around on a rampage, but it’s not like he knows it’s a kid. Starlo thinks he’s the first to acknowledge that fact, but the king had a human child once, didn’t he? He should be able to tell pretty quickly it’s a kid and to judge them fairly.

“The guards are probably the better option here, we’ll just tell them there’s a human here-“

“And I’ll get arrested under treason for harbouring said human.” They hadn’t thought about that had they? Obviously there were more pressing concerns for them but it still was annoying. “They’ve been underground for, what, a few hours? And here in the wild east around half ‘n hour.”

“Which means you'll be seen as a traitor if you turn them in now.” They all stand in silence a few moments before Mooch speaks. “As long as you just keep an eye on the human until you leave, it's fine with me. Just don't let the guard know I ever let this happen.”

“So that's one yes from Mooch. Any more concerns with my plan?” He had his own concerns obviously, he's putting his life in the hands of a murderous kid like it's a foolproof plan. This is absolutely going to backfire the moment Clover feels endangered.

The others say nothing, and it seems they've come to a silent agreement as they move back to the door. Thankful for the lack of objection, Star moves to enter the house first. The kid is still sitting on the couch, looking at something on the floor but when he checks there's nothing there. Must've just zoned out. They seem to be less on edge now at least. They seem to have something in their hand they're eating.

“Clover, you really shouldn't eat that.” They stop eating the packing peanuts when the words leave him and they turn to stare. Ah, right. They never told him their name. Suppose proper introductions are in order by now.

Chapter Text

“Did you hear there’s a human in Snowdin?”

“Everyone’s evacuating from the human.”

“If only a royal guard could stop the human, they’ve already killed so many.”

“Where’s Undyne when you need her?”

Honestly, it sometimes feels like echo flowers just grow around her house over night. Those things spread like weeds and Undyne just can’t keep up with the pruning. She’s way too busy with actually important stuff. But usually they say things that are normal, like what some random family is going to eat or just kids laughing while running by. Not of continuous rumours about a single human and mass evacuations.

Honestly, she sleeps in for one SINGLE NIGHT and she wakes only to learn a human is running rampant underground. And not only that but it’s killed monsters in the dozens.

And she learns from an echo flower! Did no one in the guard think to maybe come get her before the situation got out of hand? What did she train all of them for if they can't even do that one thing!? She swears to whatever deity is out there, if that human isn’t where the echo flowers say they are she’s going to lose it!

“The human is in the Dunes, I need to go check if my family is ok.”

That makes things easier. For once an echo flower that seems a bit more recent with how it’s louder. Usually echo flowers grow quieter the longer they repeat the same thing, but this one seems like whoever passed just did so.

Which also means the human is probably still in the Dunes. No matter how terrible the heat is there, she has no choice if she’s gonna kill that human. Maybe she can leave her armour so she won’t overheat? That should make it easier to fight, just have to make sure the human can’t hit her. Plus, without armour to weigh her down the Mailwhale should be able to get her there quicker.

—————

Introductions are always awkward, even when one of the people there isn't a murderer. So it was obvious that when one of them ARE a murderer it is much worse. Starlo is pretty sure this has been the most awkward conversation he’s ever had and will ever have.

And it was only basic introductions, he can’t imagine how much worse it would be if there had to be more than names. Even worse, Clover just will. Not. Stop. Acting like the others are a threat to either themselves or, strangely enough, him.

Half the time after all the introduction stuff was spent with Clover watching one of the tapes or staring out the window, the other half was them glaring holes into whoever was closest to Starlo at any given time.

Currently, that would be mooch, who was sitting on the kitchen counter while Star was trying to rinse off dust that had gotten in his poncho. His poor poncho, dust sticking to the fabric more stubborn than the sand.

He feels like throwing up. This is the sort of thing he’d imagine a character in some murder mystery doing to hide evidence, not something the great sheriff North Star would do. Being a criminal was never his role. But he never really was North Star, was he?

No. North Star was someone who would always be on the side of the law, the side of righteousness, the side of justice. North Star wouldn’t have hesitated to have put the human criminal in jail and bring the royal guard into it, even if said criminal was a kid.

But here he was, no North Star, no sheriff. He is just Starlo. Starlo who went against a murderous human with a BB gun, Starlo who brought a dust covered kid into his home, Starlo who is looking less and less like the great sheriff who does no wrong and more like an accomplice to a mass murder.

“Do you think that the human is gonna be here until tomorrow? I want to know if we’ll be able to sleep tonight.” Mooch was spinning a king of spades card she had taken from one of ace’s decks. A newer deck, but still worn down a lot from use.

Looking over, Clover is staring out the window and hopefully not paying attention. He holds his poncho out in front of him, most of the dust is gone at least. “They’ve gotta go at some point, obviously. But y’all can make it at least one day before we figure out what to do.”

“You mean before You figure out what to do.” Ace tried to grab the card from Mooch as he spoke, but she just kept moving her hand away before he could grab it. Clover's attention seems to have shifted back to Starlo and is glaring daggers into the back of Mooch and Ace.By how they both are out on edge, they have also noticed.

“Listen, I’ve already said I’ll keep an eye on them. When the time comes, I’ll make sure they have somewhere else so you can get your oh so important beauty sleep.” He pointedly ignores Mooch’s offended ‘hey’. “But until then, Clover is with me.” Clover very obviously heard him, judging by how they seem to have turned back around right after he said it.

Conversation seemed to fizzle out after that, the only noise was that of the tv and water running over his poncho. It was a bit less dusty now, atleast. Shouldn’t take too long to dry since it’s so hot in the Dunes. Right now though, he should prioritise figuring out what the heck he was supposed to do. He needs some sort of plan on how he should deal with Clover. And for that he needs to think.

The most obvious choice would be to turn them in, but that would just get him arrested. He might be able to convince the guard it was all a part of some grand plan but he doubts the royal guard is that dumb.

He could use Clovers trust in him to have them turn in themself. It would work, and if Clover tried to say anything nobody would believe he helped them. But he was supposed to be a righteous lawman, lying and deceiving them would go against that.

Letting Clover run off on their own is a terrible idea. If the only reason they aren’t actively fighting anyone right now is because Star is here, the moment they are on their own there is definitely going to be more dust shed.

Which leaves helping them. Helping them get to Asgore and hopefully not fighting anyone on the way there. Sure, it's not that thorough of a plan but it's all he has at the moment. Clover won't listen if he tells them to give up on their journey, so the least he can do is join them. Even then, if the two are spotted the plan falls apart.

Maybe he can get the Steamworks open? It's close enough and nobody should be inside, also Ceroba might have some passwords left over from Chujin’s time there. And add on there shouldn't be any guards between the Wild East and the Steamworks and they should be completely fine to go there, maybe stopped by his family if he gets spotted but he can outrun them easily.

Most monsters don't know what a human looks like, so if he just got them some non-dusty clothes they shouldn't be recognised by anyone as the human. Letting them borrow a poncho should be enough for others to think theyre just another Wild East inhabitant.

Step one, ask Ceroba for security codes. Step two, get Clover out of dusty clothes. Step three, reach Steamworks. Easy as cake, piece of pie, whatever.

“Hey, anyone know when ‘Roba is getting back?” She never came back after the dual, and everyone must have been let out of the bunker by now so it's surprising she isn't back yet. Maybe she's chatting with Dina or the Dune’s cafe owner, but that shouldn't take so long with how much she was against letting the human stick around him.

“Said something about getting something after letting us out, so might be a while.” …Or she's getting a royal guard.

He feels really stupid now. He had known this whole time she wouldn't let him do this yet here he is, believing she would actively help him get the human to the capitol. He's known this whole time she would be getting a guard the moment she could. Well, two can play that game. He'll just have to leave before she gets the guards here.

He looks over to Clover, they are currently enraptured with the window again. “Guess we’re leavin’ without her.” Dusty clothing will have to be cleaned later, they are kinda on a time crunch here. “Clover, I think it's bout’ time you and I get moving!” followed by confused shouts from everyone else in the home about what he is talking about.

“I thought you said there was no rush for me to leave?” Clover was barely audible over the others' complaints. He could tell exactly what they were thinking and went to snuff that out immediately. Walking over to the couch and putting a hand on their shoulder.

“You’re not leaving in that way, we’re just going to hide you somewhere else. People have probably already seen you come to town.” Even with his words they seemed on edge but ended up nodding and moving for their vest before Starlo stopped them.

“Kid, that thing is covered in dust. You’ll be stopped before we make it past town square.” Before throwing his now mostly clean poncho in their face. “Starting from this point forward and until this is all over, you are now my secret long lost illegitimate child!”

“Star you are an idiot, if the royal guard doesn’t doesn’t end up arresting you I will tell them everything out of spite.” And with those parting words from Ed he grabs Clover's hand and walks out the door. Next stop, Steamworks or the UGPS station.

—————

While walking through town it’s clear everyone is tense even if they think it’s safe now. Starlo doesn’t know what Ceroba told them when she let them out, but if the feisty five didn’t know about the human still being here other monsters probably won’t either.

The only exception seems to be Dina, who somehow seems to have known since before he even entered the saloon why he was there and spared no moment to send him a death glare.

And if he got charged more for the root beer than usual, he deserved it.

He can’t help but look over at how Clover is reacting to everything. Before he went into the saloon to get items that they can actually eat or drink they looked at everything around curiously, but it seems like the time for looking around is over as they stay right at his side the rest of the time in town.

The only real holdup in town was Blackjack, who saw Starlo with a kid wearing his poncho and immediately assumed the ‘murderous human’ must’ve killed their parents.

“I might not remember my own parents but I also lost them to the humans you know?” He’d said as he kneeled in front of Clover, way too close for comfort. “That human will pay, don’t you worry.” If Clover was free to move and still had their gun they definitely would’ve taken the shot by now, and Starlo can only do so much to keep Blackjack from getting closer.

“I’m sure they appreciate it but we really gotta move, Blackjack.” He swears he’s going to have an aneurism if Clover doesn’t stop glaring like they’re barely holding themself back.

“And for the last time their parents weren’t killed, I’m just- they- I’m helping them get home.” Blackjack obviously doesn’t believe him but that’s fine, he just needs to get moving. “Which we are doing, now.” A lot of back and forth but eventually Clover seemed to agree it was time to move and just started walking. Leaving him to catch up.

And they’re back on the move. Starlo can feel how the other townsfolk are obviously taking note of him walking with the kid, and even though he knows none of them have any context he still feels like he's being judged. Really doesn't the awkward silence between him and Clover, they haven't said anything since he went into Dina’s.

“Nothings gonna happen, you can let down your walls a bit.” If they keep acting like every other monster is a risk to their life he doesn't have that much hope for getting to the Steamworks without issue. Easiest way to deal with that is to get them to just calm down a bit.

His words obviously fell on deaf ears as Clover didn't even act like he'd said anything at all, but at least now that the two are out of town it should hopefully make them a bit less on edge. A little further and he can even see his parents' home.

Clover stops moving, they're looking straight ahead. Someone else is walking the path between Sunnyside and Wild East, he doesn’t recognize who it is but they might be related to moray if he had to guess.

“Human. Your massacre ends here, one way or another.” Oh. He knows that voice. The head of the royal guard might not show herself often around these parts, but even then when she does it's always the areas closer to Waterfall and, more importantly, with her armour on. Moray is right, they really do look related to each other.

“Wait wait wait wait, wait a moment miss!” He might not be able to convince her of Clover either not being Human or not being an issue, but he can buy time for figuring out how he can get him and Clover away from her. “If i could just say, we-”

“You! Stay out of this! Go back to your town where it's safe, I'll deal with the human!” Undyne points a spear in their direction and glares at Clover. “Just go!” Spears appear from the ground, separating them from each other.

Fine, he can play this game. Starlo might not be able to take on the head of the royal guard in a fight, but his goal isn't to defeat Undyne. Just has to grab Clover and run like his life depends on it. They seem to be holding up ok, only dodging any spears sent their way.

A quick shot with his own magic is enough to shatter one of the spears blocking his way, but before he can reach Clover he gets pushed back with a blunt spear straight to his stomach. “What don't you understand!? Get out of here before you get hurt!”

Clover’s hand is hovering over their holster, he sends them a thumbs up before getting up to try again. They shouldn’t have their gun anyway, he took it earlier and didn’t give it back so it should be safe in one of his pockets.

Undyne sees him get up and shouts in frustration before pointing at him again. “What is it you don’t understand?! Listen to me and get out of here, for your own safety!” She continues grumbling about it while throwing spears all around Clover, who doesn’t seem to be doing that well judging by the new cuts on his poncho.

Jokes on her, he has no self preservation when it comes to this. He tries to step forward and immediately gets surrounded by spears.

Ok guess he has to have some self preservation right now.

“Don’t worry Kid, I’ll figure sumthin’ out!” Clover seems much more distracted now, getting hit with a few spears before stopping to reach for their holster. Their EMPTY holster.

Any sense of control they seemed to have over the situation before is gone, Clover is getting hit by spear after spear and he can do nothing to help as they’re pierced straight through the soul.

“And for the last time their parents weren’t killed, I’m just- they- I’m helping them get home.” Blackjack obviously doesn’t believe him but that’s fine, he just needs to get moving. “Which we are doing, now.” A lot of back and forth but eventually Clover seemed to agree it was time to move and nudged him before pulling him along without letting him say goodbye.

“If i could just say, we-” “You! Stay out of this! Go back to your town where it's safe, I'll deal with the human!” Undyne points a spear in their direction and glares at Clover. “Just go!” Spears appear from the ground, separating them from each other. Clover immediately pulls out their revolver.

This is bad, but it’s not terrible. He has no clue when or how they got it back. It should have been on him, away from their or Mooch’s grubby hands. But what’s worse is Clover opening fire on the head guard. There is no way he can convince her to stop the fight now.

Plan B it is, grabbing Clover and running as fast as he can to the Steamworks.

A quick shot of his own magic is enough to shatter one of the spears blocking his way, but before he can reach Clover he gets pushed back with a blunt spear straight to his stomach. “What don't you understand!? Get out of here before you get hurt!”

She focuses back on Clover, doing her best not to be hit anywhere immediately fatal. Clover is holding up well. He can only see a few cuts on his poncho, none of which seem to be dripping red like his bullet from earlier so that has to mean something.

He tries to get back to Clover but there are just too many spears blocking his way, if he doesn't do anything-

A pained shout, the spears in front of him fade away. Undyne seems to be saying something, he can't hear. Why can't he hear? Less and less spears go towards Clover, slower and slower. All he can smell is gunpowder. Is she melting?

Before he knows it, the head of the royal guard is nothing but a pile of dust in the sand.

“Clover?” They turn to look at him, focusing on the human in front of him instead of the very recent pile of dust that used to be a royal guard, not just A royal guard but THE royal guard’s captain. If he looks down he can see sand blowing around slowly dragging along the remains.

One step forward from Clover. He steps back without thinking. They turn around.

And runs.

By the time he realises ‘hey maybe you shouldn't let the human run off’ he can't catch up. He doesn't stop when his parents try to grab him, he doesn't stop when he sees the Steamworks gate close, he only stops when he runs right up to it and can faintly hear the echo of footsteps grow distant.

Chapter Text

The screening process for royal guards is incredibly lax. But really, the head of the royal guard has GOT to be more perceptive than this. Honestly it's kind of embarrassing how easy she is to convince into running straight to the dunes. He feels like most should probably be more sceptical in general but who is he to judge. Makes things easier for him at least.

Incredibly thankful he doesn't have to clean any of this up, Flowey burrows away from the patch of echoflowers he’d hidden in and makes sure that Undyne makes it to the UGPS station before going underground again and heading to the dunes.

Popping up in the middle of the town shouldn't be too suspicious now that most monsters are moving around mostly normally, but Clover isnt even there yet so they're probably still in the phoney sheriff’s place. He takes a deep breath before breaking apart some floorboards and pops up in between the couch and another, much bigger hole. Did he really have to break in when the floor was already broken?

“Howdy Clover!” Thankfully they are already awake so he doesn't need to wake them at least. “I think it's about time you wrap up this little nap of yours, can't keep the king waiting for too long!” No answer, as is clearly becoming a theme in this timeline.

“Come on, I'm sure that failure of a sheriff can be on his own for now.” Why can't it be as easy as it usually is to get Clover to proceed at this point. They usually have to go and fight the knockoff cowboy by now but that's obviously not happening now. Plan B it is then.

“You know… I saw a royal guard on their way here earlier.” That certainly got their attention. “She obviously knows you're here so we should keep moving so she doesnt catch up to us. Who knows what would happen if you’re found here?” Clover just looks at him before nodding. Good.

“Well, I’ll be waiting outside when you need me pal! The phoney cowboy should be waking up soon so be ready to move!” Before Clover has a chance to respond he burrows back under the floorboards, it's not like they would have anything to say anyway.

Now he just has to wait for Clover to start moving, hopefully they will be back on the road before Undyne gets here and it'll be another reason to not stick around. Sooner or later, Clover will walk through that door alone with all their things and-

A group of monsters approach the shack.

Of course, nothing can ever just go his way can it? No. These idiots just always need to find a way to mess up his plans. If he wasn't so invested in seeing where this timeline goes he would have just killed them and reset by now.

Although seeing the knockoff sheriff getting hit in the stomach was very entertaining and the rest of the conversation would surely be interesting too, him being dragged out does give Flowey a chance to check why the Heck Clover is not leaving yet. If he is fast enough he can definitely get them out of there before the idiots finish talking.

This time, he breaks through the planks in the corner on the opposite side of the wall to the door, so if they walk in he should be able to get away without being seen. Clover is messing with their bandana and. Is just. Standing there.

“Come on clover. Even if this place doesn't have windows we can break through the wall to escape.” Clover points to above him, where there is a window. Well how was he supposed to know there was a window there?! Do they think he pays attention to things like that?

“Ha ha, very funny. Proving Flowey wrong and annoying him, so fun.” With how overworked the UGPS employees are right now Undyne should still be quite a bit away so time isn't too limited, but he’d still like for things to go along.

“We still need to get going though. And we don't know what is waiting for us when we get away so you should probably heal, I’ll save for you later.” Clover nods and moves towards their satchel, grabbing the closest thing in it which happens to be packing peanuts.

Humans really do have weird eating habits, raw corn and pancakes under a bench are at least technically food but how Clover manages to get HP from packing peanuts, Flowey has no idea.

“When you're done, come see me so we can make sure we aren't being followed. We will surely need to bring our A game for what's to come!” He even emphasises his words with a wink. This usually works but Clover is just staring at him while they eat.

“...Well! Just keep an eye out for anyone coming to get a hold of you and your soul! See ya pal!” And with that he burrows back under the ground, just as he hears the door opening and a voice saying something. Now back on the waiting game.

—————

He was going to skin Clover by the end of this run. Why are they taking so long?! He kept emphasising how they have to get a move on but noOO! Don't listen to Flowey! It's not like it’s thanks to him that they're even alive at this point with how many times they died to Birdbrain!

Oh how much he wants both of those cowboys dead for wasting his time with whatever it that got them held up. This is not the time for practising self restraint, at least not for him. But ohhhh he is THIS close to snapping!

After AGES of waiting, which really was only half an hour at most, Flowey FINALLY sees Clover passing by, not even looking his way, and being led by the phoney cowboy. Of course, he should have expected this.

Well he still needs Clover to know he saved so they don't think they have to repeat the last couple hours and hopefully get the memo to keep going. His bullets should only deal, what, 2hp at most? Worth it to get their attention and to get out a bit of anger.

A bullet to the head doesn't really make him feel any better, but it does make Clover turn around from the conversation between the salesman and failure of a cowboy and actually acknowledge him.

He gestures towards the save point with a vine. Clover gives him a thumbs up and turns back. Rude, they could at least come up to the savepoint like usual instead of treating him like some servant expected to just save for them.

—————

The Steamworks is someplace Flowey had barely visited before diverting Clover here most timelines, but by now he knows it like the back of his non-existent hand. Back of his..vine?

Metal is always a bit more annoying to get through, but most paths here have already rusted to the point it barely takes any effort to get through. And when he does, Clover is already there.

“Wow buddy, it only took you 32 deaths to beat that fish? How impressive!” It wasn't really, not in the slightest, but for the first time they had ever actually won against her it atleast didn't end in Clover giving up. “Sorry I couldn't talk to you by the entrance, I could tell you were a bit preoccupied with running.” It doesn't matter anyway, he already made sure the entrance is closed and no monster will follow them.

“Golly, this area sure is grim!” He makes a show of looking around. “Doesn't look like anyones been around for years.” There is a faint buzzing coming from somewhere, the generator should be off and he's made sure the puzzles to turn it on work so it should be fine.

“This machine looks mighty important though! Snoop around and-” Clover pulls out their revolver and Flowey barely has the time to move out of the way before they shoot the generator.

“Really? After everything we are back to shooting anything in our way?” Of course Clover has to be acting difficult again. Oh well, he can still work with this, just treat it like all the other times it's been just the two of them here. “There should be a way to open the door somewhere, just look around.” He winks. “You got this, pal!” And away he goes.

—————

The walk back into town is a slow one. He can tell how his parents are worried and even Orion tries to talk with him and get him to tell them what was going on. It's not everyday you see someone running after a dusty human after not showing up for an evacuation after all. He can't focus enough on any of their faces to make out their expressions, he doubts it would be anything positive anyway.

He really messed up, didn't he? He couldn't just go and comfort the kid, couldn't just take them and run before Undyne showed up, couldn't just act like a sheriff should, couldn't keep a hold of the human that trusted him, couldn't just bring an actual gun and protect those that need it instead of some random human he knew of only from panicked words and dust filled winds.

No matter what happens now, his choices have led to either a kid's death being celebrated or for many more monsters to die, probably both will happen. He doesn't know which he feels worse about.

When did he get back to town? Wasn't he by the Steamworks just a minute ago? Has he really been stuck in his own head that long? There are more monsters than when he left, most he recognises as the townsfolk and their families, some he doesnt recognise at all.

One of those he barely recognises is standing outside the house, talking with Ceroba. A bluebird with clothes more like what you'd see in snowdin, it's a miracle they haven't been cooked under the Dunes’ swelterstone. They both look worried over what it is they're talking about. The royal guard looks up at him, which makes Ceroba turn around.

“STARLO!” She runs up to him before stopping, staring with an unreadable expression. For a moment she just stands there. “I'm glad you're okay, your posse told me you left with the human and I assumed the worst. You are okay, right?”

“Yeah, im- im alright, just i'd like to sit down for a moment.” He really would. Just to have some time to wind down. If he keeps going he feels like he might just fall down. Losing hope and falling down sounds horrible, he'd never want to go through that, but it sounds pretty tempting right about now.

“Before that though, there is someone you should talk with.” Ceroba gestures towards the bluebird. “Martlet and I found eachother near the edge of Oasis valley. She was hoping to intercept the human before it got too far.”

“And You know where they are, apparently! So could you show me the way?” So she really did go alert the guards. So much for trusting he knew what he was doing.

“‘Roba I told you I had it handled, you didn't need to bring a royal guard.” Forgive him for snapping a bit but this isn't exactly the most low stress situation.

“Oh! No, no, she didn't tell anyone else, I already knew the human was around here anyway. I only had to ask if they were still here, and even if they had left already I was still gonna have to do damage control.” Ceroba moved to lean against the wall while Martlet rambled.

So the guard doesn't know exactly where Clover is. That's good, or bad, he isn't sure how he should consider it yet. Would they even still want his help if he offered it, or would they consider him a threat again? He would definitely consider himself a threat in their situation.

“The kid went into the Steamworks. You probably aren't gonna be able to catch them, the door closed after them.” More like ran from him and closed the gate after themself, but that's irrelevant. “Any chance to fight them probably wouldn't go too well for ya’ considering you failed last time.”

A beaten up royal guard running around the town telling everyone to run away and evacuate at least made people listen, so that's something good to come from that. He really doesn't think that she would survive twice, once was lucky enough and that's coming from the one the human spared on purpose.

“I wasn't planning on fighting- well not anymore at least! If you could convince them to stop, even if only for your own life, then I'm sure I could as well. And who knows? Maybe they would even give up willingly if confronted.” But that's exactly what he did.

He talked with them, made them understand that what they were doing was wrong, and got them to give up on fighting other monsters as long he was there to make sure no fighting happened. But as soon as someone came along and saw through the act and realised it was a human they just ended up as the next pile of dust on the ground, barely distinguishable from the sand.

“If just this once, they could spare an innocent life, then humans don't have to be completely evil. There could be good humans out there. And even if I had planned for the worst to come.” She grips something in her pocket, he can't tell what it is. “We might just not need to go so far if they don't fight.”

“You said you would fight it earlier, though. Why change your mind now?” Ceroba obviously seemed unhappy with that conclusion, you dont blame her with what she nearly had happen to her family last time there was a human underground.

“I'd rather not go that far if I didn't have to, there has to be a better way to end this than by fighting.” The conversation goes quiet for a couple moments.

“If there is one person who is at fault for the human still going around doing this, it would be me. I didn't stop them when I had the chance last time, so I should at least take the chance I have now.” Huh. That's one way to put it. But is she really at fault if she just did what she had to to save her own life? If anything he should be the one to… oh. He has an idea.

She turns and points to Starlo. “You said they entered the Steamworks, right? So they should show up in hotland at some point soon.” She turned to the general direction of hotland. “Thanks for the help, I'll take it from here” And she started to flap her wings to fly off.

“WAIT JUST A SEC FEATHERS!” Ignoring the questioning ‘Feathers?’ muttered from the guard, he grabs her by the shoulders and stares her down. “Let me confront the kid. They listened to me earlier, they might listen again.”

“Are- are you sure? They would probably be violent- and you've already risked your life against them once. This is my job to do as a royal guard, i've been trained for this moment to-”

“Please. I need to do this, let me talk with Clover.” She stills at their name and he feels really tense for a moment. Why would she react to the kid's name? Maybe they told her what it was. If she knows their name, she probably also has seen them for what they are, a kid.

“Alright, I trust that you can convince Clover.” Oh he feels really light. Forget all his despair and exhaustion from earlier, he has a kid to save. Before can start walking, Martlet stops him. “I have something for moments like this.”

She rummages through her pockets, pulling out multiple things (Was that a bowling ball?) before finding what she was looking for. A little box with the kingdom's insignia on it and she puts a Delta Rune shaped plastic pin from it on the front of his shirt where his sheriff's badge would usually be. In a colourful, uneven font, it says ‘Honorary royal guard’ with a smiling, one eyed face and a giant thumbs up.

Yeah he feels ready now. Before Ceroba can stop him he runs to the nearest UGPS station, leaving her dumbfounded and with a guard shouting encouragement his way.

—————

Hotland is terrible, he has decided. It’s even hotter than the Dunes, which is understandable seeing as it is filled with lava all around, but it is still just so different compared to the Dunes. Forgive him for being weirded out by the waste of water that was a decorative fountain and the fact that people willingly live in the same building as a bunch of strangers.

Oh how thankful he is that none of these are things he has to deal with on a day to day basis. He much prefers living only with people he trusts and knowing who everyone in the area is, thank you very much. Only reason to ever come here is to get to the capital or for an occasional night out.

Of all the places Clover could go after leaving the Steamworks, this is number one with one of the few elevators that take you straight to New Home. The only other close-by elevator would be the one in the core that takes you right to the castle itself, and even then they would still need to pass through here.

“Welcome to UG apartments, how can I help you?” The temptation is strong, but he must persist.

“Have you seen a kid with a- uh- sandy poncho?” Straight up saying a human in a dust covered poncho would be the worst idea he would ever have had, and what's a little white lie to prevent panic? The Handlord looks over some papers before shaking their..head? Hand? Shaking no.

“We haven't had anyone who fits that description, what type of monster are they?”

“...Yellow and blue bandana?”

“Sir, that tells us nothing.” Alright, time to spout oversharing nonsense until they let him go.

“Listen, I'm not sure what type of monster my kid is exactly, just that we don't really look similar in the slightest, not counting our clothing choices. Don't judge me, do you have any idea how hard it is to be a single father in this day and age?”

“...I can't say that I do.” Let's go, they're getting uncomfortable and almost definitely judging him. It's not like he comes here often enough to worry about what the employees think about him, so they can think whatever they want about what goes on in his private life.

“Exactly, so! If you see them, can ya’ tell them i'm on the roof?” It's a good vantage point, and he might even be able to see Clover before they enter from there.

“Will do. Is there anything else you need help with?” There isn't, so he exchanges goodbyes with the Handlord and walks off. Now all he has to do is calm down and wait, hopefully he can get Clover to stop just like he did before.

Chapter Text

If Flowey thought Clover was slow before when they were trying to exterminate every single monster they saw, or when they did a 180 and decided to just stick by the first monster that didn't fight them, they were absolutely moving at a snail's pace now.

Of all the timelines he let continue past the Steamworks, he has never had to watch them go this slow! Even when the fox lady comes with them and takes them on a worse route and keeps stopping to rant about her husband they can usually get to the other end within a few hours.

They don't stop to shout about how pink everything is and make references to human things he doesn't understand, he thinks he saw them buy something from the scammer thats been following them since Snowdin but doesn't stop to chat, and barely even passes a glance towards where those oversized froggits took over when the place closed down.

Right now? Right now Clover was barely even making progress in any meaningful way. They can't decide whether to actually destroy the robots in this place or leave those worthless hunks of metal alone. Instead opting to spare them, double back and nearly destroy them beyond repair, only to just run away.

So yes, it takes a while for them to get moving.

At least they don't take too long finding their way across the coolant lake. Flowey should probably try to find a more clear and empty path that doesn't involve any robots for future timelines, that might make things easier for him whenever the fox lady stays behind.

Any second now they will show up from riding around on the Mantabot and get chased by that robot. Or what’s more likely with how these things have been going, they will chase that robot around. Something about Clover seems to have put it into flight mode or something.

His guess? It can probably detect the amount of LOVE Clover has, it was made for protection after all. With how high it is they must have been seen as something the robot can't fight back against. He wonders how much LOVE is the limit before the thing retreats. Something to test another time, he supposed.

Right on cue, Flowey feels the tug of something touching the save point that can only mean Clover is here.

“About time you show up, pal! Talk about being indecisive huh? Those pieces of junk are below you. Just leave them alone, it isn't worth the time.” He saves for them and they sit down, guess it's break time. At least he can use this to his advantage.

“The only intelligent machinery here that's been useful so far has been that mantaray, huh? Actually getting you across and not just leaving you to swim across on your own. I'm pretty sure those things would help you even if you destroyed another mantaray bot in front of it.” They flinch at his words, good the comparison got across.

That phony sheriff really messed up Flowey’s plan earlier, he cant have Clover getting too attached and especially not now when the bird brained idiot isn't in the way! This timeline can't have been a lost cause just because of one measly Dunes monster.

“Oh well, even if those things didn’t help you across you still have me! I might not be able to carry you across but I know all the ins and outs of this place better than any other.” That got their attention at least. “When we get past these halls there is one of the intact breakrooms.” More like the only of two breakrooms that was still standing and the only one that Flowey could realistically send them to with the path he’s prepared since he started sending Clover this way.

“How about waiting to rest until then? It's only a few more minutes and you can rest as long as you want.” They stay still a few moments before nodding and standing up to move. Finally actually listening to him, only took what? Getting to steamworks when they usually listen to him back in the ruins? Yeah that sounds about right.

As he guessed, Clover doesn't get chased, but as Axis runs away they only calmly walk behind it. He thinks that he's heard something about how humans used to hunt in this way, staying just close enough to not lose their prey and letting it exhaust itself, this is what he imagines it looks like. Would that make him the predator above Clover in this chain?

Hopefully it stays that way, Flowey might just snap if it doesn’t.

—————

While Clover is resting, Flowey takes the chance to backtrack a bit. He might have closed the entrance but the widow's husband had obviously left behind some passcodes, she’s been able to open the gate every other timeline so this one wouldn't be any different if she wanted.

Nobody is at the gate, and nobody is approaching it either. It’s more like monsters are going away from the gate, those farmers are being led into town by the Undyne lookalike. Guess the sheriff needed their mommy after being left behind himself. Pathetic.

When he gets back, Clover seems to have just found out about the UGPS sign that somehow still operates here. Seriously, the one near the elevator to main Hotland he can understand working, that one still gets used but the Steamworks itself is completely abandoned. Why keep one of the mail posts operational?

“Whatcha got there pal? Some mail?” It should just be the intro letter but this timeline is anything but predictable. They take it out of their satchel and he doesn't even need to read it to note the UGPS logo at the bottom. Good, would be bad if it was from the knockoff cowboy.

Clover spends most of the time after that running instead of fighting. Axis also spends most of its time running instead of fighting or trying to do anything about clover. Any puzzles in the way are dealt with without trying to shoot through them or anything of the sort. Clover has even started acting more like they usually do, more predictable and easier to work with, if not still a bit quiet.

Gaurdener was a breath of fresh air. As much as he jokes and complains about it stealing his thing, it means that things are back in control. The bird is gone, the sheriff is gone, the fox is gone, just him and Clover. Hopefully, when they get out of here, there will be no roommates proposal from the bird and the two can actually go to Asgore this time.

Now if only Clover returning to normal didn't mean they would start drinking acid and spending half an hour on drawing an ID card that would be great.

—————

Huh.

There is little left of the robot. Very little.

Sure, he could understand Clover’s anger here. This was the one who killed that previous human, the thing that directly caused the death of one of the humans. This, however? This felt a bit like overkill. Even after the thing stopped responding they just. Kept. Shooting.

For a moment he was convinced they would figure out that magic attack they do whenever they are able to fight the fox lady, with how much their soul was literally vibrating with energy it wouldn't have surprised him in the slightest if they did.

But no. They just kept shooting and shooting, and when they ran out of bullets they got more from their satchel and kept at it. They even ended up using up the friendliness pellets he gave them before this room to the point Flowey had to just summon more.

And when they had decided that was enough, they pushed the biggest part of it into the Hotland lava that flows below and just sat there silently, staring into the molten magma. He should probably say something shouldn't he.

“That was… something.” Clover doesn't even flinch hearing him, as if they knew he would show up any second. “Glad you got that out of your system at least, wouldn't do to be so distracted when up against the king.”

“Flowey?” Oh, so NOW they talk with him. As if they had been buddy-buddy with him all this time, and not just ignoring him unless to save or he went to them first. He should have killed them over and over the moment they decided to act like they were above him before resetting. “Am I doing the right thing?”

What is the point in regretting it now when it's over? What’s done is done. Or at least from Clovers perspective. “Well it was in self-defence, and as I've reminded you this whole time, these pieces of junk are just robots.”

“Not that.” Ok, he knows what they meant now. “Have I been doing the right thing since I fell?” This Idiotic human couldn't have waited until after fighting Asgore to have their dumb little moral crisis. The nerve they have, he isn't some support animal.

“Kinda late for that, buddy.” he stays next to them and stares ahead. There should be a bit more time before any guards come here looking for the missing human, they have time to calm down. That also gives him a bit of time to think.

This is something they haven't done before, they've been doing things they haven't before this whole time. But it's also so much harder to work with them like this. It might be worth it to redo everything and make sure Clover shoots first in the duel. Maybe they might even be able to get a hold of magic this way.

“While I'm all for sticking around and hiding, we can't really do that anymore. The royal guard is gonna realise the captain is gone, that birdbrain is gonna tell the rest of the guard what she knows and the sheriff will probably come clean about where you are. We need to move.”

Clover nods and gets up slowly, reaching into their satchel and opening a pack of jerky. They could have just asked him to heal them, but whatever. They see him glaring and holds out the packet as a silent offer. This idiot really thinks he would accept whatever trash they found in a dryer of all places, don't make him laugh.

He takes a piece and disappears into the ground, better make sure there isn't anything inconvenient that would meet Clover when they leave the Steamworks.

—————

Hey.

We never met, but I am a friend of Starlo. Maybe he mentioned me or maybe he didn't, but that doesnt matter. What does is that he is looking for you. I don't know everything that happened, he left before giving any sort of context, but if he doesn't find you you should probably come back to the Wild East with him. As much as I am against it, it would make things easier for him. Don't do anything rash, human.

You may already know this, but the King won't go easy on you. None of the humans who fell previously have survived and I doubt you would be any different, even with your current approach to this. Lv can only get you so far and even if I have my reservations about the king he is a formidable opponent.

I have no control over you, at most you might have heard me back when you first met Starlo, but please reconsider your plan. He will be looking for you, probably either in Hotland or Newhome, go find him and listen to what he has to say. The most I can do is a warning from a stranger, he can give a warning from a friend. Good luck.

-Ceroba

Clover reads the letter slowly, before putting it in their satchel next to some company introduction letter.

Ceroba. They think they’ve heard that name before. Or, at least part of it most likely. There aren’t many names that could be shortened down to ‘Roba’. She must have been the one who told the fish guardswoman before.

Should they…show Flowey this? He should have some advice on how to deal with this, but..

They don't know why, but it feels like a bad Idea.

Flowey doesn't like other monsters much, that much is obvious. Even more so with Martlet and Starlo, if the way he talks about them is anything to go with. Ceroba would probably land in the more hated category since she is with Starlo.

They run a hand along the embroidery on the poncho they got. A simple design really, just teal zig zag line with dots. Even with how hot it was in the Dunes, and even more so here in the Steamworks, they never really felt too hot in it.

Grains of sand and dust fall into their hand and down onto the metal ground below.

What a weird thing, monsters turn into dust when dead and their clothes seem to go against logic with the heat. Not to mention magic, which Hurts, badly, and is an awful way to go, and can seemingly make anything. Monsters are weird.

If they knew they were just going to die over and over down here and be hated no matter what then they might as well have stayed on the surface. It might still have been awful up there but at least they didn't know what death felt like so intimately up there, that's the only thing they had going for them. At least they had someone on their side down here, even if Flowey was a bit annoying sometimes.

…

Maybe they should see if Starlo really is looking for them later. Flowey should be able to wait a few minutes longer and the king won't go anywhere Flowey can't find, as he’s already proven with how easily they can figure out where to go next. Knows the underground like the back of his stem, they can remember him saying. When was that?

“Whatcha got there pal? Some mail?” Flowey doesn't need to see the letter Ceroba sent, he would probably just get angry. They pull out the intro letter and turn it around to show him. He doesn't even read it before nodding and encouraging them to finish up their break and keep going. He barely even skimmed it, what was the point in showing him in the first place?

They can probably calm down a bit, none of the robots here are too violent and are easy to just avoid. They even see some of them get hit in the back of their head with small white seeds, it seems even Flowey agrees just avoiding them is a good idea.

—————

Why did he go to the rooftop of this place again? He could have easily just waited in the hotel lobby or even by the only elevator that still connects to the Steamworks but no, he chose the rooftop of an apartment building.

There is an elevator in there that goes to New Home, and by being up here he can keep an eye out for if Clover shows up to use it. But they can just as easily just go to a different elevator or path to New Home. Maybe it was just since this one is the biggest in the area and a good vantage point if they walk by, or maybe it was just this place that felt right.

He can see the Core in the distance, the employees that work there on maintenance are probably rushing around to make sure nothing went wrong while they were evacuating, the opposite side of the building he can see the Hotland monsters going about their day. Most seem to be celebrating surviving if the balloons and cheers are anything to go by.

The dance club is open and packed even if he doesn't see that Bailador fella, the public kitchen has people running too and from with plates and tables setting up a feast. It feels wrong seeing the people crying and grieving while still trying to be happy at being alive.

There is shouting and loud noise from everywhere, for the sanity of anyone with a proper job that this noise doesn't last the whole night or they get the day off tomorrow.

He keeps hearing the doors to the apartment building open and close, and he sees the many monsters coming in and out of the Core shuffling and doing their best to not fall in. It's a miracle that nobody has ever fallen in, that thing is an active safety risk. There shouldn't even be that many monsters in the core anyway so why are there so many going through it?

Oh now he knows why he chose this spot! There's an elevator in the core that goes straight to the castle entrance in New Home, something about the king being able to talk with the employees there easily. Clover might plan to go this way to get to the castle as quickly as possible.

Wow, he didn't even realise that, his subconscious really is a genius. Or would that just mean him being a genius? Eh, it doesn't matter. This place, no matter why he chose it, still felt like the best place to go. The perfect view to end a journey on.

Or not so much end a journey, that makes it sound like he’s gonna die! The perfect view to start a new journey with. He will need to figure out what to do about Clover afterall, sending a kid off to their death doesn't really sound so appealing.

He had already thought about it back in the Wild East, about what to do with Clover. Turning them in was a no. Using Clovers' trust against them wouldn't work, not now when he’s already broken it. He has already let them run around doing who knows what in the steamworks after killing the royal guard captain, so to keep them out of trouble while leading them to Asgore failed before he could even attempt it.

He was supposed to keep Clover out of sight of any guards yet as soon as he got moving one showed up, and that cost said guard her life. Is he to blame for her death? If he could have just made sure they couldn't get their gun back. If he went ahead to check for anyone in the way. If he had just made sure Clover wouldn't be recognised as human.

Make so Clover couldn't be recognised as human?

..That could work.

The last time there was a human underground, only a select few saw them in Snowdin and that's it. The one before that was so long ago that the only ones that might have met them and are still alive are boss monsters or other particularly long lived monsters like Blackjack. Then the ones before that have fewer and fewer that would know what a live human looked like.

Things like movies and comics from the surface are hard to come by and expensive, he practically struck the jackpot with finding 3 whole tapes, the only way to know what a human looks like are royal guard posters and rarely from libraries. The only realistic way to have a bunch of references of your own is either going to the Waterfall dump often or having way too many funds to buy it from others.

The average monster has only a rough idea what a human looks like. Skin and hair in anything from white to brown to black, but not too much hair, just on their heads and face. And they can change the colour of said hair to any colour you can imagine, or get patterns on their skin. No tails, no wings, no claws, no pincers, no horns, so on and so on.

But that is still very vague, he has heard many stories of monsters being confused with humans and getting arrested, so much so that less and less monsters actually bother with reporting anyone that ‘looks human’ anymore.

He could just. Get a mask, or a fake tail, or one of those headbands with ears on them and just stay away from places with more boss monsters, elders and guards. And if he just stays nearby to tell others that he is related to Clover if asked, he is very obviously a monster after all, then he could just hide the fact that there is a human in the first place.

How long did it take for the previous human body to be found after the Snowdin incident? Best case scenario they would have been running around in secret for months before they were killed and their soul turned in.

If there was someone covering for them, then they might have even been hiding out somewhere before Snowdin and just got unlucky with being seen. They could have been underground for so much longer, the only limit is really how old they were.

If Clover has not just Starlo, but also the rest of the Feisty Five, Ceroba, and that bluebird covering for them then couldn't they theoretically hide for much longer?

But it would only take one slipup and then all of them could be arrested or executed, the king may be kind but not That kind. If Starlo was worried about being found out after only helping them for a few hours to stay hidden could lead to being arrested and locked up for life, then he did not want to find out what his sentence would be after months or years.

Spending years with Clover, huh. The thought stays stubbornly in his head, refusing to leave. He could spend years of his life making sure Clover would get to be an actual kid, instead of the justice driven mass murderer they are right now. No kid should have to do the things they have done. He could, but would he?

He doesn't know what he should do. He doesn't know what the right answer is. All he knows is that there is only one option, and that option has the potential of ending the worst.

—————

Flowey just can't catch a break, can he?

Hotland is usually much calmer than this, smaller tight knit communities instead of being like Snowdin where everyone knows everyone else in town, or like Waterfall where everyone lives as far apart as possible yet still seem to know everyone else in the marsh.

Sure, all monsters are generally social. But in Hotland it's rarer to actually be super close to anyone living further away or someone you don't work with on a day to day basis. It seems Clover's little activities have brought out some larger sense of community that lead to everyone being out and about, celebrating and grieving with friends and strangers alike.

If it's this crowded in Hotlands celebrations, then he doesn't even want to know how crowded it is in New Home.

Clovers death total this run left a lot to be desired, with how determined the feather duster was and how erratic and desperate that pile of metal was it made sense. Even more so being forced against a proper royal guard, the amount was still not too bad, all things considered just not that impressive either.

any last minute surprises from Birdbrain shouldn't happen, she shouldn't be anywhere near here. The phony sheriff is off sulking to his parents about his mistakes, so he won't be here either. And there is no way the fox wants anything to do with Clover's soul this run. Anyone else that could have showed up in a different run is long gone.

Right now, they are spending all the money they have taken from dust piles on freshly made strudels and cupcakes. This is probably the first time they've had anything fresh this whole run, from freezer burned or leftover pancakes and popsicles to whatever expired trash there was laying around and ‘salads’ the scammer sold.

To Clover those way too sugary strudels are probably a gift from the angel above, and they are able to buy way more than any child should eat with both their dust money and the discounts. He knows humans don't really have a limit on how much monster food they can eat, but they don't need to buy them just to eat one at a time. They could at least save them in case they need to heal later.

And no, he does not want any cupcake or strudel or candy or whatever else Clover tries to offer him. What he does want is for them to Get Moving.

At last, Clover has spent roughly 500g on sweets and an extra hundred on a patch they stick to their hat. The shopkeeper expresses surprise at how much they spent even with the discounts and ‘why would your parents even let you walk around with that much gold?’, and the two can finally keep moving.

Except of course not, they still have to run around the base floor of the building. Luckily, most of the monsters seem to assume they are just lost and looking for someone so they leave them alone.

“Hey! Kid! Over here!” Of course most don't mean all, and the landlord just has to wave Clover over to help them find their parents they dont have. Does Clover even have parents somewhere on the surface? That's a question for a future run.

“You're the kid we were told about earlier, right? Sandy poncho and a bandana?” Someone asked about them, that can't be good. Someone must know what Clover is. This could be fun, Clover having to keep defending themself even with this many people around it would certainly be a dust storm. Clover nods, the landlord nods back.

“Your guardian is waiting on the roof.” What.

Clover looks equally confused as he is, but nods and walks away. Clover doesn't have a guardian, they are on their own here. There is only one other monster not counting himself who would know Clover. And he is supposed to be in the Dunes.

Supposed to, but apparently everyone here is hellbent on going against his plan. That phony sheriff WAS supposed to be in the Dunes, his parents were going towards town for what he assumed was to comfort him. He should stop assuming things in the future, it would have been so easy to just go a little further and make sure he was actually there but no.

“You're not actually planning on seeing who it is, right buddy?” Excuse him for being a bit snarky but that seems to be the only thing he has going for him right now. “It could be just some guard looking to kill you. I wouldn't bet on it being a good idea.”

They pull out a letter from their satchel. When did they go to the UGPS station again? Picking it up with his vines, he doesn't even finish reading it before knowing exactly what this is. He is going to kill that fox next timeline, and everyone else in those stupid Dunes.

Clover walks out of the building and walks towards the alleyway next to it, this stupid alley. It is always this alley that ends the run with the Birdbrained idiot spouting about being roommates in Snowdin, and even without her anywhere near this alley is just cursed and leading them right to the end.

“Come on Clover. That failure of a sheriff is probably just going to lead to your death again like with Undyne.” They arent listening to him, of course they aren't! When have they EVER listened to them in this timeline? When have they ever listened to him in any timeline?!

“How do you know he isnt the one who called out Undyne in the first place? He didn't seem all too surprised at seeing her back then.” Of course it's all the same, just a new coat of paint in the same colour as always.

“He didn't do anything for you! I did! Even now I just know he is leading you into a trap!” He should have just reloaded back when Clover lost the duel, before any talking happened, and made sure Clover shot first.

“Fine! Just don't say I didn't warn you when you end up dead again! Do what you want. After all, what kinda best friend would I be if I didn't let you do what you wanted?” With that he disappears into the ground to observe it play out the same again. Oh well, at least he can mix it up a little.

—————

At first he doesn't even realise Clover showed up, they walk so silently that if they wanted to they could easily sneak up on him and attack.

“Howdy, Clover.” They stopped walking before he turned around, and they stare at him from across the roof. They don't have more dust on them than before so that's good, no injuries either, as if they've used healing magic recently.

“Before I start yappin’, I should apologize. I'm sorry for leaving you to go through the Steamworks on yer’ own, i shouldn't have backed off.” Their eyes are nearly glowing under the brim of their hat, they flinch at his words as if they weren't expecting him to say anything about that.

“It's okay. I ran in the first place.” Oh! At least they are still talking with him. That's good. Maybe he still has a chance to convince them still.

“I don't blame ya’ for running in the slightest. If I was you I would’ve run, too.” The two go quiet for a few moments, listening to the ambient noise for a bit before he continues talking.

“Look, your journey to the king will only ever end one way. I've already told you what happened with the previous humans and I-” He stops for a second, considering his words. “I don't want to lead a child to their doom, no matter how many mistakes they've been forced to make.”

Because that's what this has all been. A child stuck in a terrible situation, being forced to do things no child should ever have to do just to stay alive. If anyone deserves to get a second chance it would be Clover, but sadly it doesn't work that way.

“I'm being such a hypocrite here, but you are still human. Other monsters aren't really gonna want ya’ runnin’ free. The human before you wasn't exactly the most… peaceful one we've had.” Did they already know that? They don't seem surprised in the slightest.

“I'm giving you a choice.” He turns and gestures towards the Core. “After the Steamworks closed down, the Core was our main source of power. It's right next to the capital, and the king often gets involved with improvements that could be made and whatnot.”

They just stare at him, they probably don't know where he is going with this. “If you want you could go that way, take the centre elevator, walk through a meeting room, and the elevator there will take you to right outside the castle.”

That certainly got their attention.

“That would likely just get you killed. Or, you could come with me.”

“I've been thinkin’, I do have an empty spot in my posse for ya. Sure, the others are gonna have to warm up to ya being ‘round, but they could deal with it.”

“It might be hard, it might even make everything worse, but I want you to have an actual chance to grow up like any other kid out there. We could hide the fact you're human, pretend like you're just my strange little kid. Some are obviously gonna know, but I can get them to help you.”

“We can just spend the days together, a sheriff and his deputy.” Are they shaking? They are. They're nearly tearing up too. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel like crying too, but he has to hold it together for now.

“What d'ya say, Deputy Clover? Sounds nice, huh?” He gets down on his knee and holds his arms open. Clover is openly crying now, walking up to him and accepting the hug. He can feel them nod as they cry against his shirt.

“Let's go home, Deputy.”

There is a sharp pain going through his chest, and he falls down.

Did.

Did Clover shoot them?

He moves back against the railing of the roof, Clover backs away too. He can't read their expression, he can't focus on anything with how blurry it is.

Looking down, there is a hole going straight through his chest. Dust is slowly falling grain by grain down to the ground. The familiar burn of magic radiating from the injury.

Huh, where did Clover get their hands on magic bullets?

Not like it matters though, he doubts Clover would show him.

Ha. he barks out a laugh. “I should have known, huh?”

Clover

isn't holding their gun.

Was it not them who?-

He can't say anything more as he is lifted from the ground by something he can't see.

Slowly the pain grows from his chest to the rest of his body.

Before he dusts, he looks Clover in the eye, before everything fades away.

They seem more shocked at his death than he himself is over it.

—————

It's quiet.

There is no wind, no monsters, no noise.

The only thing for miles is sand and sand and more sand.

They keep running though, running and running.

Why are they running? Where are they? Are they still underground?

They can't see anything above them, just darkness. They can't see anything past the sand, just darkness.

Is this the Dunes? They can't remember anywhere else with this much sand in all directions, but was it really this big?

It's cold, way too cold. The dunes are supposed to be warm, scoldering even.

There is no big, glowing rock in the distance, just darkness.

Weren't they in Hotland? Or they think it was called Hotland. They were supposed to meet Starlo on the roof.

So why are they running around in the middle of nowhere in the Dunes? Are they running from something? From someone?

Everything is foggy, and quiet, and empty.

They stop running, they start walking.

What were they doing before this?

They were talking with Starlo, he offered to have them stay with him, offered to keep them safe.

He started walking towards them, they were going to follow him home, and Flowey showed up.

Flowey attacked him, tried to take their soul, fought them.

Or did Flowey congratulate them? Why would he congratulate them? When did they start running?

Did they get separated from Starlo? If they keep walking, will they find him?

They keep walking, and walking, and walking.

Everything looks the same. The same dunes, the same path, the same fog.

“Clover!”

His voice sounded wrong. Too loud, yet too quiet. Too monotone, yet too varied. Too far away, yet too close.

“Clover! There you are partner.”

He came out of the fog, and he looked just as wrong as he sounded.

Just small things. His limbs ever so slightly too long and moving like branches in the wind, the joints moving mechanically and stiff. The colours are too dull and too bright at the same time. His poncho moving like wool and silk at the same time.

He runs up to them, drops to his knee, and places his hands on their shoulders.

Something is wrong. This is wrong. This isn't real.

“Clover. I am glad I found you.” He stares and stares and stares and his eyes are wrong and his glasses are melting and his face is melting and his limbs are melting and his face-!

He is looking at him, concerned, and he looks normal.

And he slowly moves forward to hug them. And waits. And let's go. And stands up again.

“Are you alright now?” No, none of this is alright, everything is wrong.

They nod.

“Good. Not too sure about where exactly we are. Somewhere in the Dunes? Cant see anything but sand.”

He holds his hand out, they take it, and the two start walking.

“Oh well. If we just keep walking in one direction we are bound to end up somewhere familiar.”

Nothing but sand, nothing but dust, nothing the sound of their walking.

Starlo keeps walking, and holding their hand, and holding their hand and gripping their hand and crushing their hand he doesn't let go and his arm is shifting to keep them there and sharp tumbleweed cutting into their sweater and into their skin.

There is a snap.

And they are free.

This is not Starlo. This was never Starlo.

Starlo is dead.

Flowey killed him and killed them for their soul.

And they are dead.

Their arm doesn't hurt, even as thorns are sticking into it and not Starlo’s hand shrivels up and drops down into the dust below.

What else is there to do other than walk. And walk. And walk as everything goes dark.

Their body

fades

and Flowey towers above them.