Chapter Text
The end was nearly here for you. The grey exterior of the house made the winding steps that led up to it almost… inconsequential. Something so humble for a figure so grand as the King of the Monsters. You shambled to the front, eyeing the SAVE point with indifference. It didn’t matter… none of it mattered. There was only one thing that mattered.
Determination. The glittering star in front of the grey house shimmered in anticipation for what was to come, and you walked in to meet it with open arms. The house was familiar; dusty, old, quiet, but familiar. You walked through the dusty hall, opening up the bedroom door. There were familiar sights everywhere. Some dusty toys in a bin, some drawings and pictures, all prim and proper, as though nothing had changed from that day…
It all felt so… pointless. The only things that didn’t seem pointless were what were in the giftboxes on the ground. With practiced knowledge, you reached into them. The locket; you could feel it beating. Or was that simply your heartbeat in your hands as you clenched down? You didn’t know. But what you did know was that you finally had the real knife.
So close to the end… and this time, you couldn’t help but wonder why you were even doing this anymore. The Underground was empty. Your “friends” were dead. There was only one person who remained a constant through this journey, and now you were just tired of him. And as you walked your way through the empty, dusty hallway, you couldn’t help but smile softly as he popped up through the floorboards. The golden flowers all seemed to stare at both of you now.
“Howdy, Chara! You finally made it home. Remember when we used to play here? Hee hee hee… boy! Today’s gonna be just as fun.” You could’ve responded to him, told him otherwise, that you weren’t Chara… but why bother? Why bother when he saw you as his best friend? Isn’t that what you wanted?
No… you wanted to save him. That’s what this was about. You ignored the flower, walking over to grab the key off the nightstand and enter into the King’s bedroom. Everything was still as it was the last time… he even still had that sweater. You shuffled to and from, trying to remember the good times, why you were doing this.
Wasn’t it the ending you wanted? Everyone on the surface? Everyone happy? Everyone content? No… no, there was still one in the dark, all alone. Nobody would come there anymore. It’s why you RESET the first time. And the next… and the next one after that.
You remembered one where you stayed down here… with all of them. You had killed the flower once before, stuck underground with all your friends, just as much as they were with you. Toriel had returned to New Home, taking her title as Queen, and taking you under her care again. But it still felt empty, every time you looked back to the golden flowers in that throne room.
“I remember when I first woke up here —” Flowey said, “— in the garden. I was so scared. I couldn’t feel my arms or legs… my entire body had turned into a flower!” You watched as the little psycho went on, his expression having fallen as he relived the likely horrible memory. “‘Mom, Dad, somebody help me!’ I called out… but nobody came.” Flowey said it with sadistic glee now, as though the thought of nobody coming to help him was exactly what he’d wanted.
You knew better though. In spite of the carved expression of sadism, you could tell. It was still him deep down there. Just as much as you could tell who you were in the mirror.
‘It’s me, Chara…’ The thought was unbidden into your mind as you looked into the mirror. Was that always who Flowey saw? Who Asriel saw? It seemed like it. The times you had seen Asriel as he was, it was at the flowerbed… where Chara had been buried.
Where Flowey seemed to enjoy being around the most. As you shambled aimlessly into the living room, you couldn’t help but think that Flowey… may not have ever given up on seeing Chara again, even in you. It was all Asriel could hold onto as a soulless husk… the last feeling of being with his sibling, his best friend.
You smiled again as Flowey pushed up through the floorboards. He was now blocking your way to the kitchen. You’d gotten the story before through the videos… but it was different hearing the Flower tell it.
“Eventually, the king found me crying in the garden. I explained what had happened to me. Then he held me, Chara. He held me with tears in his eyes, saying ‘There, there. Everything is going to be alright.’ He was so… emotional. But… for some reason, I didn’t feel anything at all.” You stepped over the flower, tired of listening as you searched around for the key. It always changed its position ever so slightly around the kitchen. It was the one key that always seemed to sense a reset too.
You looked in the trashcan, full of crumpled–up recipes of butterscotch pie. There was a note on the counter, one you’d read already many times before. Finally, you opened the fridge, grabbing the key. Why it was in the fridge of all places was odd… but there was something else that compelled you to look further, as though expecting something, a treat maybe.
‘No chocolate.’ The thought was disappointing… there wasn’t any reward for this. You hadn’t gotten any knowledge on how to save him, just as much as you couldn’t find yourself a treat hiding in the fridge. Turning back, the flower was gone, allowing you to march back to the house’s stairwell. The books on the shelf held nothing useful… just dates of when Chara had fallen down… when you’d fallen down.
Descending into the hallway, you saw the flower pop itself from the stonework’s cracks to talk to you again.
‘Annoying pest…’
“I soon realized I didn’t feel ANYTHING about ANYONE,” he emphasized. “My compassion had disappeared! And believe me, it’s not like I wasn’t trying.” Oh, but you did believe. It was hard to feel compassion when you knew how everything played out. Nothing was novel or new when you could hear all the things they’d say as lines of dialogue instead of words that meant something.
“I wasted weeks with that stupid king, vainly hoping I would feel something! But it became too much for me. I ran away from home. Eventually, I reached the RUINS. Inside, I found HER, Chara. I thought of all people, she could make me feel whole again…” The flower’s expression faltered as you kept walking, practically ignoring him now.
“She failed. Ha, ha…” Flowey was pathetic. An annoying gnat that was in your way now to the real goal. You had to find a way to save Asriel… not this false thing that pretended to be him. But if Flowey could pretend to be Asriel, you could pretend, too, to be his best friend. Why shouldn’t you? After all, there was nothing to lose doing it.
“I realized those two were useless,” he kept talking, trying to get your attention as you stepped out onto the castle balcony. New Home was always beautiful to look at, even if it was a sea of grey and light, like looking at a city back up above. “I became despondent. I just wanted to love someone. I just wanted to care about someone. Chara, you might not believe this… but I decided… it wasn’t worth living anymore.”
You didn’t care…
“Not in a world without love. Not in a world without you. So… I decided to follow in your footsteps! I would erase myself from existence. And you know what? I succeeded. But as I left this mortal coil, I started to feel… apprehensive.” His face carved itself again, trying desperately to get your attention. You refused to acknowledge the flower. “If you don’t have a SOUL, what happens when you…? Something primal started to burn inside me. ‘No!’ I thought ‘I don’t want to die!’” You stopped, turning to look at him, as though expecting something else. Flowey merely recoiled slightly, as though insulted you couldn’t connect the dots yourself.
“Then I woke up… like it was all just a bad dream… I was back at the garden. Back at my ‘save point’.” You thought about it for a moment… the power to save and load. Determination. It was a power you both shared in spades. You only understood it in basic analogies. You once told Dr. Alphys about it. She likened it to a video game. Saving, loading, the turns monsters took to let you fight… it all reeked of a bad video game. You went into the next corridor down, finding the motions all tiring… exhausting. And listening to Flowey explain this to you, like you had no idea… is this how Flowey felt about everyone? Miserably apathetic?
“Interested, I decided to experiment. Again and again, I brought myself to the edge of death. At any point, I could’ve let this world continue on without me. But as long as I was determined to live… I could go back. Amazing, isn’t it Chara? I was amazed, too!” The way he kept calling you Chara… it left you feeling emptier and emptier… you weren’t Chara… Chara wasn’t a good person. You were… you were doing this for your friends, for him!
“At first, I used my powers for good,” Flowey went on… that stopped you. You almost swore you coould’ve heard him in the flower’s tone. “I became friends with everyone. I solved all their problems flawlessly. Their companionship was amusing… for a while… as time repeated, people proved themselves predictable. ‘What would this person say if I gave them this?’ ‘What would they do if I said this to them?’ Once you know the answer… that’s it. That’s all they are…” You now stood, looking over the city.
Flowey knew how it felt… he knew how the Underground felt. It was a loop in Hell. And once you knew every piece of it, there was nothing left. It was how you felt now. Sure, whenever you’d get out of the Underground, or whenever you completed the loop, things changed… but as long as you were here, keeping them trapped for him… there was nothing new; except for here at the end, when everyone was dust.
Did that mean… that Asriel wasn’t savable? That all that would be left was this miserable yellow–petalled nightmare? Your smile fell back to neutrality at the thought; it terrified you.
“It all started because I was curious. Curious what would happen if I killed them. ‘I don’t like this,’ I told myself. ‘I’m just doing this because I HAVE to know what happens.’” A purely evil rictus crossed the flower’s face as he laughed at the idea. “Ha, ha, ha… What an excuse!” His grin carved itself out, sadistic and gleeful as he kept going on to you, his best friend. His only friend… “You of all people must know how liberating it is to act this way. At least we’re better than those sickos that stand around and WATCH it happen, or read about it happening!”
Then you turned and started marching down the corridor, climbing higher and higher up the castle walls toward the End. You didn’t believe yourself. Flowey couldn’t be what was left of Asriel. He just couldn’t. Asriel was kind and gentle, the Flower was cruel and spiteful, malicious, malignant, evil. Asriel could be saved; he didn’t deserve this fate… but the Flower… Flowey did.
“Those pathetic people that want to see it, but are too weak to do it themselves. I bet someone like that’s watching right now, aren’t they?” You kept going, not even really listening. What was this idiot even talking about?! How could someone be watching you right now?! The only one who did was Alphys, but she was never doing it because of a sick curiosity… she was just lonely, and tasked with keeping an eye on humans that came past the Ruins.
“Nowadays… even that’s grown tiring. You understand, Chara.” The way that Flowey told you with such satisfaction in his tone made your sympathies falter. But you kept shuffling on. Even if you couldn’t believe that the Flower was dooming Asriel to his fate, the way he said it made it all sound so… hopeless… so tiring. And then he said what you were thinking before, how it made you feel.
“I’ve done everything this world has to offer. I’ve read every book. I’ve burned every book. I’ve won every game. I’ve lost every game. I’ve appeased everyone. I’ve killed everyone. Sets of numbers… lines of dialogue… I’ve seen them all.” Then he stopped you in your tracks, popping from the ground in front and blocking your path with vines.
“But you… you’re different. I never could predict you, Chara. When I saw you in the Ruins, I didn’t recognize you. I thought I could frighten you, then steal your soul,” Flowey grinned, only for it to fade as quickly as it came. “I failed… and when I tried to load my save file… it didn’t work.” And then his face tore itself open once again into eager sadism.
“Chara… your DETERMINATION… somehow, it’s even greater than mine! I just have one question for you Chara. How did you get back to the Ruins from here? Wait… I know! She must’ve taken you when she left, and decided to give you a proper burial, rather than hanging out in the basement forever!” The flower laughed, a callous and cold sound, as though he’d heard the funniest joke ever. The one–sided conversation was getting old, boring, like everything else. You didn’t have time for him, and started to walk off.
“But… why then? What made you wake up? Did you hear me calling you?” The shift in his voice made you stop cold. You could hear the hints of Asriel in him; your SOUL was threatening to break from the unfairness of it… he just wanted his friend back, and you were only pretending to be Chara… whoever they were. But your disgust returned as the sickly sweet tone returned to him.
“It doesn’t matter now. I’m so tired of this, Chara.”
‘You and me both.’
“I’m so tired of all of these people. I’m tired of all these places. I’m tired of being a flower. There’s just one thing left I want to do.” The flower then popped up in front of you, stopping you in your path again, as though he was pleading with you.
“Let’s finish what we started. Let’s free everyone. Then,” he grinned, “let’s let them see what humanity is really like! That, despite it all… this world is still ‘kill or be killed’!” You ignored him. You weren’t interested. Your blood was boiling from how much Flowey was wanting to talk to you. You didn’t care! You missed Asriel! Not this… facsimile of him!
“Then… well… I had been entertaining a few ways to use that power. Hee, hee, hee… but seeing you here changed my mind. Chara, I think if you’re around, just living on the surface world doesn’t seem so bad.” That stopped you once again. Why were you entertaining him?! Was it the way that he said that?! He kept sounding like Asriel, knowing it was getting under your skin… or maybe he didn’t recognize it was, and was unintentionally doing it. That filled you with hope, Determination to keep going. If he was still there, he could be saved.
“We don’t even need to leave to get them this time. The King has six of them locked away. I’ve tried hundreds of ways to get him to show me them… but he just won’t! Chara, I know he’ll do it for you!” You kept listening, as though waiting to hear more of his plan. Whenever it was Asriel’s voice, your disdain of the flower vanished. There was only warmth for the kid under it all.
“Why am I telling you this?” And then the sickly sweet tone came back. This time you had enough. You started walking back toward him, your expression unchanged, uncaring, but your blood boiling. “Chara, I said it before. Even after all this time… you’re still the only one that understands me. You won’t give me any worthless pity!” Flowey had hit the nail on the head, finally! You didn’t pity Flowey! You pitied Asriel! This was all for him! Not for this creature, this IDIOT!
“Creatures like us wouldn’t hesitate to KILL each other if we got in the other’s way.” You stopped in front of him now as he kept monologuing. “So that’s… so… that’s… why…” The flower suddenly went silent as you eyed him. Your gaze was cold and callous, just like he eyed you sometimes. Flowey meant nothing. This world meant nothing. He was right; this world was kill or be killed. But you had killed only so you could learn everything… even he was right in that as well.
“Ha… ha… w-what’s this… feeling? Why am I… shaking?” He then looked up to you, seemingly acknowledging that you were finally there. His best friend. Not Flowey’s, Asriel’s. “Hey… Chara… n–no hard feelings about back then, right?” You didn’t care what back then was. Was it the constant FIGHTing? Was it the time Asriel went out with Chara? You didn’t know. You reached for him, ready to strangle the weed right where he stood.
His reflexes were quick, and he darted under the ground before popping up behind you, down the direction you had been walking. You slowly followed, now smiling. Finally, you could put that weed down! That gave you some satisfaction.
“H–hey! What are you doing?! B–back off!!!” You reached again. He dodged and popped up further away this time, shouting at you as you walked. The combat menu was flickering into your vision now, the real knife clutched in your hand with grim Determination.
“I… I’ve changed my mind about all this! This isn’t a good idea anymore! Y–you should go back Chara! This place is fine the way it is!” Full of dust and broken dreams… yes… it was fine the way it was… but you could Reset this… you could go back when you found out how to save him! Even if you had to cut off one petal at a time from the weed to do it. The thought only made your smile grow.
“S–stop making that creepy face! This isn’t funny! You’ve got a sick sense of humor!” You swung the knife, choosing to FIGHT as soon as you were close enough. Flowey ducked only just in time. A petal was knicked by it. You could see the damage indication. You’d hit him. But the flower got away. Looking down into the golden light of the last corridor, you only had one thought as you approached the glittering star within.
‘Only 2 left.’ You felt that familiar surge of Determination coursing through you as you approached the twinkling light next to the box. The King and the Weed. Oh, you would savor Flowey. He deserved it… for all of it. For the pressure to RESET, the desire for a happier ending, for pushing you down this way… he pushed for a better ending! Was that not what you were doing?!
Then something caught your eye, stopping you dead in your tracks as you watched carefully. It was a familiar shape. Small — about as tall as you — pudgy looking, and the light shining on his skull made you realize who it was. You were wrong. There was three left. And the Comedian was now in front of you.
“heya… you’ve been busy, huh?” Your smile faltered. You had been busy. Quite busy. You almost spoke up to him, only for him to keep going. “so, i’ve got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try?” You stepped forward. You didn’t have time for the Comedian’s antics. You had to get to the throne room, get the SOULS before the Weed did; it was what Flowey was likely trying to do now.
“heh… alright. here's a better question. do you wanna have a bad time? cause if you take another step forward, you are REALLY not gonna like what happens next.” You remained quiet, startled by how quiet the Comedian’s voice was. The soft tone, alongside the dim, empty eyesocket that wasn’t eclipsed by shadow, told that something was wrong. But you’d come too far to stop now. You took another step, and he immediately shrugged with a disappointed sigh.
“whelp… sorry old lady… this is why i never make promises…” The light faded from the room, your SOUL becoming visible to the monster. You could only note how quiet it was. But there was some sound; it only made what was coming next that much more surprising.
“it’s a beautiful day outside… birds are singing… flowers are blooming. on days like these, kids like you —” You only blinked, and the Comedian was right in front of you now, startling you as you felt the familiar pull of your SOUL from your body and seeing the boundaries of the battlebox around it. “Should be burning in Hell.”
And then it began. You’d never seen a monster directly attack on the first turn! It caught you by such surprise that, when you were smacked in the ground by his SOUL magic, the bones that came and hit you did so with a ferocity you were not prepared for. Even if you had been prepared to dodge, you were not expecting so much damage to your SOUL.
You could feel it waning, your body shaking behind you as your SOUL was sent through oncoming piles of bones. And then the blasters! You didn’t know what they were, you’d never seen anything like them; but even just one hit from them was enough to make you threaten to shatter. When the onslaught was over, you could feel yourself waning, slowly but surely… as though…
“huh,” he shrugged. “always wondered why people never use their strongest attack first.” And that was when the feeling set in. You felt like you were going to have a bad time. The Comedian had made good on his threat.
You didn’t even bother to Check him when your SOUL returned to your physical body. Instead you charged him to swing the knife in your hand. It was only after throwing the wild and haphazard swing that you realized that you were in over your head. The new indicator came up as he effortlessly dodged out of the way. MISS.
“what? you think i'm just gonna stand there and take it?” Your being was once again stripped from its physical body, and between you and the Comedian, bones began to slide toward you in great columns. The gap was infinitesimally small, and you had to jump in a crouch just to avoid them hitting your SOUL. When you returned, this time you took to your items. Reaching into your inventory, you went for the instant noodles. Good food was good for the SOUL, and monster food was even better for it.
A new pattern of bones came from your rear. A small one and a tall, blue one. They came in rapid succession, making dodging difficult. A few hits to your SOUL made you think that something was clearly wrong. The attacks felt like they were hitting significantly more than they should’ve. And there was a lingering feeling in your SOUL, like something crawling down your back. You swung again, and MISS showed up again as he winked to you.
“our reports showed a massive anomaly in the timespace continuum. timelines jumping left and right, stopping and starting…” You saw more columns coming from both directions now, and took the opportunity to take the lessons you learned to heart. He could dodge, but so could you. This time, you had managed to jump through the gaps unscathed, and swung again. MISS.
“until suddenly, everything ends… heheheh… that's your fault, isn’t it?” The way that the Comedian talked to you was relaxed, but the way that his eyesockets dimmed to pitch black voids told that you weren’t getting an easy treatment from him. Without warning, your SOUL was thrust back into battle, and forced to platform.
It was like a videogame. It always had been, with how easily your SOUL could jump and move compared to your physical body. The bit of bones beneath the platforms only served as an incentive for you to keep going. But the tripup that happened was more than enough to send you tumbling in. Hitting into the bones, you felt your SOUL wane in strength until the crack formed.
Everything went black, all the sound faded, and when your SOUL shattered, you felt grave disappointment. But your Determination… it was not to be undone by the failure.
“You really hated us all this much, didn’t you?” Toriel. You looked around for the source of her voice, eyeing the dark veil around you. There was that feeling again, crawling down your back… your sins. You knew you didn’t hate them. You knew you didn’t hate Toriel especially. This was all for her… for everyone. You went back again, brimming with Determination.
You could see the Comedian now at the end of the hall, the golden light shrouding much of him in shadow.
“heya… you look frustrated about something. guess i'm pretty good at my job, huh?” The hall faded again, leaving only the pair of them to face each other.
“it’s a beautiful day outside… birds are singing…” You weren’t expecting the Comedian to even consider starting off until after he was done. The flicker of darkness between your blinking was all it took for him to slam your SOUL into a pile of bones. The prickling feeling came back as you avoided the rest of his attack. One, two, three blasts.
“anyway, as i was saying, it’s a nice day out. why not relax and take a load off?” he winked. This time, you didn’t go for the immediate swipe of the knife. You chose to examine the Comedian. Sans; one attack, one defense. The easiest enemy. Your thoughts came unbidden as you dodged his attacks: more columns of bones to hop through. He could only do one damage? Then why was he doing so much before?
It didn’t matter. You swung. You missed. He had started to repeat himself from what he’d said before. After the third or fourth swing of your knife, he finally said something new.
“you can’t understand how this feels, knowing that one day, without any warning, it’s all going to be reset.” There was a twinge of hurt in the Comedian’s tone. You kept swinging, kept missing. He couldn’t dodge forever. It was only when your SOUL was placed back into the battlebox that you fumbled again.
More of the blasters appeared, each one trying to hit where you were. You kept your SOUL going, jumping between the platforms as each blast left the smell of burning ozone in its wake. When your SOUL was finally freed, you went in for another, and another, and another. Rapid–fire swings that only clipped the edge of the Comedian’s hoodie were shadowed by another MISS. Every time.
Then it went black again. Your SOUL was back in the battlebox, your body in midswing as it collapsed face–first into the ground.
“look… i gave up trying to go back a long time ago.” More platforms, more bones. It was all becoming a repetitive, droll exercise in your Determination’s capability. Every hit was taking more from you. That’s when you realized it. This was karma for your sins… karma… legitimate karma. Most monsters couldn’t immediately hit your SOUL after an attack hit it.
But this was like a game, right? What if Sans had attacks that were like poison?! But how could they poison human SOULs? Simple… do little, inkling amounts of damage, but focusing on something that affected you, like the sins weighing down on your neck. Your thoughts had distracted you enough that your SOUL had slipped off the platform and into the bed of bones below.
Your SOUL cracked and shattered under the weight of it all.
“Y–you gave m–me hope, and m–made me feel worthwhile,” a voice choked. “W–w–why would y–you take that from me?” The scientist… Alphys. You could feel yourself frowning. There was a feeling of nausea in your disembodied SOUL in the way the quiet echoed around you now. You didn’t mean to hurt them… you could still RESET, still go back and fix things… but you needed the end here. You needed a way to SAVE him!
You went back, returning to the Comedian with a plan in mind. If he could game the system, you could too.
“hmm. that expression… that's the expression of someone who's died twice in a row. suffice to say, you look really... unsatisfied. all right. how 'bout we make it a third?” The room darkened again.
“it’s a beautiful day outside.” The attack came even more suddenly than the second time he did it. But you were ready. Your SOUL was quick, your focus complete. You were DETERMINED!
“ready? here we go.” You went to your ACT bar, and saw it. The option that you were hoping for. Taunt. Your Determination paid off, and you chose it. You reminded Sans of his brother, how he believed in you. His smile remained, but you could feel something shift in him.
“wow kid. you really know how to twist the knife, huh? guess that makes you a cut above the rest.” You frowned at how flatly his joke fell. However, it was a ploy. Just as quickly as he’d winked at his own bad joke, you felt your SOUL slammed from side to side of the battlebox, quickly forced to jump before beds of bones erupted.
Your SOUL felt like it was already breaking by the time it was over; you were doomed to karmic death. And the next swing you took only confirmed that. Instead of letting you decide on your next turn, Sans opted to trip you instead. As soon as you hit the ground, a pillar of bone came up through your chest.
The magical weapon struck your SOUL and shattered it in an instant. And just as quickly, you were smacked into the void by an unseen, and frankly understandably pissed force.
“DAMN IT! You took away everyone’s hopes and dreams! Was our happiness not enough for you?! NGAHHH! I hope you get what you deserve, punk!” Undyne’s words cut deep into the core of your SOUL… but it wasn’t enough. It wouldn’t be enough. Everyone’s hopes and dreams would be restored. You returned.
“hmm. that expression... that's the expression of someone who's died thrice in a row... hey, what comes after ‘thrice,’ anyway? wanna help me find out?” You didn’t even bother with the CHECK. Just keep attacking. He can’t dodge forever. Dodge the bones, keep going, ignore what he was saying. You just had to keep pushing.
“look. i gave up trying to go back a long time ago.” Finally! You’d gotten back to this point! “and getting to the surface doesn't really appeal anymore, either, cause even if we do… we'll just end up right back here, without any memory of it, right? to be blunt, it makes it kind of hard to give it my all… or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy...? hell if i know.” You could see Sans’s movements growing a little wearier, a little slower. Just a little more, right? You could see him taking puffs of air through his teeth with how his chest rose and fell, and knew that victory was close at hand.
“all i know is… seeing what comes next… i can't afford not to care anymore. ugh... that being said... you, uh, really like swinging that thing around, huh?” You remained silent, watching Sans warily as he took a nice gulp of air and cleared his throat.
“listen. i know you didn't answer me before, but... somewhere in there. i can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even been… a friend? c'mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you're listening… let's forget all this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and… well, my job will be a lot easier.” Sans was sparing you… Sans was sparing you. It just occurred to you how… oddly terrifying that was.
All of the times you had RESET, all of the times that you had wanted to spare other monsters, and you hadn’t… and this time, Sans was still offering out a hand in friendship. You considered his offer, CHECKing him again… and again… and again… mulling it over.
Was this the turning point that you needed? The clue that you were hoping for? Sans looked ready to fall over as you mulled the decision. It was at least worth a shot. No other monster had offered you mercy in their battles unless you acted toward them… that said, you didn’t give them a chance. At least here, perhaps you could explain yourself, and tell Sans why you were doing this. Maybe he could help. You chose to SPARE Sans.
“…you're sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know how hard it must be... to make that choice. to go back on everything you've worked up to. i want you to know… i won't let it go to waste… c'mere, pal.” Before you had a chance to even register what had happened, the battlebox flickered around you and you found yourself encased an entire cage of bones. You screamed, but no one came. Sans’s smiling skull was all you could see before your SOUL shattered.
“geeettttttt dunked on!” It took you all of five minutes to realize what had just happened. Sans had tricked you. Betrayed you. Got you when you were off your guard. This knowledge seemed to strike a chord within you. Determination flowed through you, and you reached to CONTINUE.
“if we’re really friends, you won’t come back.” The Comedian’s warning stopped you, only for a second. You were friends. But this was more important. You came back. There he was; you walked over, all ready to start as you eyed him venomously.
“woah, you look REALLY pissed off. heheheh… did i getcha? well, if you came back anyway… i guess that means we never really WERE friends, huh? heh. don't tell that to the other sans-es, ok?” This time, you didn’t wait for him to get you. You started the battle swinging wildly, letting the Comedian know just how little you enjoyed his joke. MISS… MISS… MISS, MISS, MISS! It was all misses.
“jeez kid. right to the point, heheheh,” he mused. The pun wasn’t lost on you, but the next one caught you off guard. “guess you had a bone to pick with me, huh? tibia honest, you’re, uh, pretty determined to rib me for that one, huh?” You tried to reach out in that moment. The Comedian needed to stop talking and start fighting again. However, just as you reached out, the blink that you took only left you face to face with one of those magic blasters.
You gasped as you were sent back to the Void in an instant. The laughter that mocked you, however, wasn’t the Comedian’s. It was someone else.
“OH MYYYYYYY! IS THAT ALL IT REALLY TAKES?!” Mettaton… “I THOUGHT YOU WERE A STAR, DARLING, NOT SOME B–MOVIE MONSTER! SURELY YOU HAVE BETTER GOALS THAN THIS!” No… you didn’t. You didn’t have any goal more worthy. Saving Asriel was all that mattered, and you wouldn’t let the Comedian, the Robot, the Skeletons, the Captain or the King stand in your way.
You returned.
“hmm. that expression… that's the expression of someone who's died five times in a row. convenient, huh? that's one for each finger. but soon, you'll need a cool mutant hand to count all of your deaths.” Each death made you more aware, more capable of dodging the Comedian’s attacks. No more games, no more puzzles, no more attempts to see what happened if you did something different. This was for Asriel, for all of the Underground. You needed to kill him, and then kill the King and the Flower. It was becoming easy to dodge, easy to shift
“all i know is… seeing what comes next… i can't afford not to care anymore. it's really great, right? let's quit fighting.” He was SPARING you again. You wouldn’t let him beat you or trick you again. You denied him and swung. MISS.
“welp, it was worth a shot. guess you like doing things the hard way, huh?” You blinked, and all of a sudden your SOUL was back in the battlebox, being approached by an entire cage of bones. As the cage began to close, with your SOUL jumping as high as you could make it, you blinked again and another attack was coming fast.
This was unfair, completely upending what you were working toward. You jumped through the bones. The next time you blinked, you saw a long line of them coming for your SOUL, and jumped. Next you blinked, your SOUL was back in your body. That felt like a turning point. This was where the REAL battle began. You swiped again, this time only going for one. You had to conserve yourself.
“sounds strange, but before all this i was secretly hoping we could be friends. i always thought the anomaly was doing this cause they were unhappy. and when they got what they wanted, they would stop all this.” Something shifted uncomfortably in you. The Comedian read you like an open book; he was always good at that, but this time made it feel desperately uncomfortable. You tried to say something, only for you to be brought back out from your body.
The attacks continued, blinking back and forth from ones you’d seen before to new patterns. Each time you were hit, the tingling feeling intensified in your SOUL. When you returned to your body, however, there was something else. When you returned, you could see, in your periphery, bones. Many, many bones that hit across your combat menu. Every time your SOUL was hit, it damaged it.
‘You dirty cheat!’ you thought. You swung. MISS…
“and maybe all they needed was... i dunno. some good food, some bad laughs, some nice friends. heh… but that's ridiculous, right? yeah, you're the type of person who won't EVER be happy.” You were beginning to tune him out. Attack, dodge, get hit, eat something to regain HP. It was becoming a repetitive pattern, and his voice a dull blur.
“you'll keep consuming timelines over and over, until, well… hey. take it from me, kid. someday… you gotta learn when to QUIT. and that day's TODAY.” You wouldn’t quit. You refused to! This was all for someone so special that no one could comprehend the importance! If the Comedian could read you so well, why couldn’t he see that this was all for HIM?! This FIGHTING, the dust, everything! It was all leading up to exactly what you were hoping for, what kept your Determination going!
“cause… y'see,” he panted. Sans was starting to look really tired. Just a few more swings. “all this fighting is really tiring me out. and if you keep pushing me… then i'll be forced to use my special attack. yeah, my special attack. sound familiar?” You swung, MISS. “well, get ready. cause after the next move, i'm going to use it. so, if you don't wanna see it, now would be a good time to die.” Your SOUL was careened again and again into the walls of the battlebox, beds of bones sprouting from the spots you hit. But even as your SOUL was waning, you refused to back down. You swung again. MISS…
“well, here goes nothing… are you ready? survive THIS, and i'll show you my special attack!” Your SOUL was subjected to blow after blow, careened into the sides of the battlebox and forced to deal with the bed of bones that sprouted from it. But you didn’t give up. The ascending latter of magic that tried to hit you only did inkling amounts of damage. And then your SOUL was sent careening, far from your body, all the way back down the hall through waves of his bullet patterns. If this wasn’t a special attack with all that he was throwing at you, you couldn’t even begin to fathom what he had in store.
And then you blinked. Your SOUL was back in your body! You could move! And then you saw beds of bones coming from the ground towards you, from all sides. You moved to avoid them, getting smacked by a few. They didn’t do much physical damage, but when they hit you, you could feel your SOUL wane more and more. And then he threw the blasters at you. In a ring around you, they fired.
Run was the only thought that went through your mind, compelling you to flee around the beams. You could feel them singing your SOUL, and it was only when you managed to escape the circle of blasters that you saw your opportunity. You charged toward Sans, screaming out in abject fury.
And then you were flung. Not just your SOUL, you! You were slammed across the corridor again and again and again, bruising and battering you. Sans’s eye furiously burned blue and yellow as he took you around the room. You could only hear a ringing in your ears as you tried to get your bearings. You’d only seen two, maybe three monsters directly attack your body with your SOUL still in it. The Flower, the King, and the Captain… if you weren’t in so much pain, you’d have given the Comedian plenty more respect.
“huff… puff… all right. that's it. it's time for my special attack. are you ready? here goes nothing.” You didn’t move from the ground, waiting for whatever attack was going to come. You weren’t in any condition to FIGHT. But nothing happened. There was only silence, eventually broken by the Comedian.
“yep. that's right. it's literally nothing. and it's not gonna be anything, either.” Your eyes widened at that. Nothing? That was the special attack that the Comedian was hyping? You groaned as you stood back up, looking to him with utter bewilderment as he laughed; it was all one great, big joke, and you were the punchline.
“heh heh heh... ya get it? i know i can't beat you. one of your turns… you're just gonna kill me. so, uh. i've decided… it's not gonna BE your turn. ever.” You could feel your blood boiling now as he mocked you, tricked you, PRANKED you! Your knuckles were white from how tightly you gripped the knife.
“i'm just gonna keep having MY turn until you give up. even if it means we have to stand here until the end of time. capiche?” You didn’t accept this. You refused. The battlebox was around you, yes, but your SOUL was still in your body.
“No… no… no, no, NO!!!” you screamed. You ran at Sans, knife raised as you attempted to stab him. Then you were back where you started. You didn’t even register it. You only felt your position shift. You ran again. The same thing happened. Again, again, again! It was then that you realized… he was using his magic, what little he probably had left, to keep you right there! Forever forced to fight him. You tried to run away. The same thing happened as you were brought back right in front of him. You threw the knife. It ended up right in front of the skeleton, doing nothing. Nothing that you tried was working. You’d failed… you were stuck.
“you'll get bored here. if you haven't gotten bored already, i mean,” Sans smiled. “and then, you'll finally quit.” No, you wouldn’t. Boredom wasn’t at all what you’d felt… you refused to acknowledge that. He couldn’t read you that easily. You’d prove him wrong.
“i know your type. you're, uh, very determined, aren't you? you'll never give up, even if there's, uh… absolutely NO benefit to persevering whatsoever. if i can make that clear. no matter what, you'll just keep going. not out of any desire for good or evil… but just because you think you can. and because you ‘can’… you ‘have to.’ but now, you've reached the end.” You shook your head, a smile on your face as you tried to explain it to him.
“You really are an IDIOT.” Your tone was snide and venomous. “This isn’t about me… it’s about you… them… all of them.” You told Sans as much as you wanted to… but you gave him nothing of value, just to let him stew on it. The Comedian’s grin was unfaltering, but his eyes had darted away, looking around for a few moments before settling back on you. His tone was exhausted.
“there is nothing left for you now,” he sighed. “so, uh, in my personal opinion… the most ‘determined’ thing you can do here? is to, uh, completely give up. and… and… do literally anything else.” The Comedian yawned obnoxiously. Your grip tightened as you waited. There was some way to beat him. This couldn’t be it, it shouldn’t be! There was more after killing him! He’d said it himself; You’ll get bored here. So you waited, watching patiently and taking a seat. His brows started to droop; Sans was falling asleep, standing up. Papyrus was right… Sans really was a lazybones. You could see it in his movements. They were steadying, his legs weakly swaying side to side for a few moments as he shut his eyes. When you heard him start snoring, you knew this was your chance. Quietly, slowly, you approached him.
“YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I… I PROMISE…” You could feel the effects of Sans’s attacks still. It was the last thing that Papyrus said to you before you turned his head to dust. But Sans was right. There is nothing left for you now… There was nothing to do better. You quietly picked up the knife. Sans looked so vulnerable in front of you. This needed to be quick, for his brother’s sake. You struck.
MISS… your heart dropped as you saw him immediately wake up… you should’ve known better.
“heh, didja really think you would be able to —” Sans didn’t even finish his statement as you saw a slash of red appear. You weren’t the one who swung, though… Sans’s expression was as shocked as yours was, his form shuddering as the knife — which had been in your hand, dropped to the floor in front of him. 9999999 damage.
The skeleton slumped to the ground in front of you. He looked to you confused, then to his slashed chest. Monsters didn’t bleed, and yet here was Sans, bleeding… it dribbled from his mouth and from his stomach. You felt a chill down your spine at that.
“so… guess that’s it, huh? just… don’t say i didn’t warn you…” You watched carefully as the skeleton got back up. You almost expected him to just blast you away with a gaster blaster, but you could see he was barely holding it together. Even as color faded back to the corridor, his form was becoming monochrome. You could even see the silicate dust beginning to form. But the red remained vibrant as ever.
“welp… i'm going to grillby’s.” He then began to slowly shuffle his way past you. You didn’t even bother to look in his direction as he walked past. His pace was slow though, and his hand that touched you left a dusty stain on your shirt.
“papyrus, do you want anything?” And then you heard it. His form dissipating. You didn’t even need to look to the dust pile to confirm. You felt your LV increase, and you went to pick up the knife off the floor, stained red by Sans. LV, too, was an acronym. Level of Violence; it measured someone’s capacity to hurt. The higher your LV, the easier it was to hurt someone… but you didn’t feel like it was any easier, especially as you walked out of that corridor.
“Don’t you have anything better to do?” That stopped you in your tracks just as you were approaching the throne room. You knew that voice, innocent and young, life cut too short by his best friend’s selfishness. Your heart stopped in your chest, and you turned around, halfway expecting to see him.
But he wasn’t there. He never would be. That’s when Sans’s words hit you… there’s nothing left for you now… God, you’d squandered every opportunity to stop… why were you so Determined to finish this?! It… it wasn’t you… the realization made your skin crawl as you realized that Sans was right. You weren’t doing this for Him anymore. You were doing it because you could.
You felt something different this time. Instead of a rush of DETERMINATION, you felt a something almost smother it… you didn’t know what it was, but you didn’t like the feeling. It made you sick to your stomach. Something told you to keep going, but you didn’t want to. Your Determination had brought you far enough. There was nothing left for you now… and if you went any further… well… you thought more on Sans’s warning.
You returned to the Void, with newfound Determination for something else; Asriel was right… you had better things to do. You’d leave this world behind; you’d find another way! There had to be another way! Somehow, Asriel could be SAVED and brought to the surface with everyone! You just had to find it somewhere else. You hit RESET, even as that new feeling filled you, and felt that familiar rush of air.