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Heh... guess... it was just a bad dream...
Sick crunch of metal, blood burning with metal shards in lungs, fire eating arms, jagged glass piercing eye....
A very bad dream...
You curl up in the blankets, ignoring the unfamiliar aura of the room, ignoring the unfamiliar feeling... of your body... You can't ignore it. Your structural awareness, the sense most are unaware of, is all wrong. You're too tall, too lanky, too... made of bones. Am- Am I still dreaming?? You try to force yourself into awakeness.The eyes open, showing you that indeed, the room is not yours. I never sleep... Too busy... Someone thinks, peeved. You have a feeling you know who they are. Who he is. And the one time I do...The weight of his attention pins you. I get stuck with a parasite.The weirdest part of being two people at once is you can feel both entity's memories and thoughts, their consciousnesses, and yet be able to separate the two. For example, one is boiling with annoyance and the other is calmly excited. The two feelings coexist in the same body, building on each other like a feedback loop.
Heh... crazy dream, right?
Get out. You get out. This is my dream. The annoyance of the other... he's not just a voice so much as he's a presence, but his annoyance increases, pricking at you. You start to sit up, but the other presence overrides you and leaps out of bed. The excitement curdles into terror which you try to push down out of sight, but the other presence sees and is smug. My Body. My Mind. I'm in control.You try to scratch at your humerus viciously with a hand inside a black metal gauntlet. The other hand catches it before you can. Stop.Your terror swirls around in the ribs, pissing off the other presence. Get out and I will be merciful. You try to change the dream, give yourself a new body. You try to open a door to wakefulness. I- I can't... The terrible suspicion comes that it isn't a dream, but that's not possible. Stop trying to trick me, of course this isn't a dream. But very well, since you refuse to get out...Shields spear from the depths, cutting you off from the cold heated anger of the other presence. You don't struggle against it, hoping that if he's trying to throw you out, it'll work. And then everything is dark. And everything is silent. You're cut off completely from all senses. He even removed the structural awareness.It's a weird experience, being nothing more than thoughts and pseudo-feelings and empty awareness floating in a dark sea of subconsciousness. He... really shut you out. You didn't know dreams knew what dysphoria feels like...The spiky emptiness invades the experience that is you, filling it with not-pain and not-hatred, causing it to writhe in the sea and drown, choking on the memories that belong, choking on the memories that don't belong. Please... help... The thoughts struggle through tar and ash to be heard. His presence had kept the voices at bay, kept the emptiness at bay, you barely even realized that he was feeling emotion, you thought it was a dream, but retrospect knifes you with a keen blade and now it's too late.Fight. You have to fight. The dream is a nightmare, ash and tar and blood piercing you and dragging you into the depths of memories, horrors, that aren't yours. Focus on happy things. You remember.Remember the game. The real game. You've fallen into a perversion of it. You played it so many times, each time enjoying the torn tears while missing the feeling of any grief or pain. You wrote for the characters, so many stories, fun stories, fun worlds... Remember a story. Tell yourself a story.You try. You really do try. But you're weak. And the darkness and the voices not yours, not yours, never yours are stronger than you. And as it drags you down into torment again, you use the last of your strength to beg, please, Papyrus... mercy...####It could be infinity. It could be a moment. But however long it's been, then a light pokes down on you. Your broken tendrils of self curl towards it, grasping hope. You become aware of the body, aware of cold and walking through snow. You hear environmental sounds of screeches and cracks and a strangely familiar tune. You see trees and know there's a trap ahead of him.It's Captain Papyrus... but I suppose I misjudged you, parasite... you didn't mean to intrude. The admission warms you, giving you enough strength to raise your own shields against the darkness and the voices. sorry... I guess this really isn't a dream... Don't lie. And it's not a dream. But fear not, as long as you leave control of my body to me, everything will work out and you will be back in your own body.
How do you know?
That game. It's similar to our world. I think you must have come from an alternate universe, like the ones my brother is always going on about. When we break the Barrier... everything might go back to normal. And thanks to your knowledge of that weird game, I know how to do that. He hopes mostly to break the Barrier, he hopes... he plans to become king. You don't question his ambition.Instead, relief floods you, real relief, something you haven't truly felt in a long time. You revel in it. He has a plan. A plan that might actually work. Papyrus is filled with pride and confidence, and again the two separate presences feeling two separate things form a sort of feedback loop till it's almost unbearable and you quickly cut off your connection to the emotions. Please don't ever do that to me again... You ask, referring to being shut out of everything.Not unless it's necessary. Papyrus responds, and you can tell with him it's as good as a promise. You project a sense of gratitude and admiration and he puffs out his chest, slightly guilty that you were hurt, but embarrassment and pride caused by your sentiments.If you had a body and a face, you'd be smirking. Oh, the future king likes praise, huh...?Silence, don't distract me. He responds, projecting annoyance but is really pleased. We need to find the human and help them make friends with everyone.
They'll be coming out of the Ruins door. I think Sans usually greets them there. Not sure how different this world is, though...
Papyrus strides through the snow, floating over the traps and mazes. The trees are still, no wind to whisper in their branches.Then nausea spears you, roiling in the sternum. Everything shivers, static glitches racing across the environment, cracking the trees, sucking in the snow. Papyrus is frozen. You realize what's happening. It's all okay, it's a-
. . .
Then everything reforms. Reload. You finish lamely, glancing around at the rewinded world. You're back where you were a few minutes ago. Frisk died... Papyrus looks through your knowledge and understands, breaking into a run. Sans... He passes a sentry station, and comes to a bridge with an black metallic gate across it, stopping there. A human emerges from the darkness of the path underneath the oppressive spindly trees. They're dressed in a grey shirt with two red stripes across it and grey pants. "GREETINGS, HUMAN. I WILL BE YOUR GUIDE THROUGH THIS WORLD. DO NOT FEAR, FOR I AM YOUR FRIEND!!" Papyrus opens the gate for them and they walk unsteadily up to him.Frisk then squints up at him and signs, -Thank you,- and does a weird sign, a mixture of 'P' and 'strike'. Papyrus is confused by the sight of his name-sign, the sign only Sans and Flowey should know. But you know it's because they've done this before.-Have you met 'lazy' yet?- Papyrus signs to them. The 'lazy' is Sans's name sign. They nod. -Sans killed you?-They're frozen for a moment, then nod. -You remember?-Papyrus nods, then yells, "SAAAAAANS!!" Frisk flinches, covering their ears.Sans pops into existence beside Papyrus. Papyrus brushes a stick off his shoulder roughly. "yeah, boss?" "WE ARE GOING TO GUIDE FRISK THROUGH THE UNDERGROUND AND HELP THEM MAKE FRIENDS WITH EVERYONE."Sans blinks, his grin tightening. "what...?""YOU HEARD ME. IT'S THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK THE BARRIER. I'VE SEEN IT. I HA-MMF!" Desperately, you cut off the words he was about to say to give your presence away. His anger boils against you and you're terrified that he'll shut you back in the darkness again, but you can't let him tell anyone. If anyone knows about me, they won't give you credit and they won't make you king... You bargain weakly. Papyrus sees your attempt at manipulation and finds it lacking. Let go. He commands, his aura filling with threat and power. You feel like cowering and begging, but your pride refuses, resistance flaring like a shield. Distantly, Sans says something. You don't lose focus, refusing to let him talk, refusing to let him cast you out to the wolves. But he isn't trying to. He examines you, instead, as though you were a puzzle to be taken apart. I won't let anyone besides me kill you. He says and your defenses crumble into something like helpless grief. But even as he takes control again, he doesn't speak right away, instead, If you behave yourself, then you will not die. I don't needlessly kill people. Tears sting at the sockets, but a concerted effort between both you and Papyrus keeps them back. "SANS, I HAVE THE PLAYER OF THIS GAME IN MY HEAD. THEY WANT TO HELP FRISK BREAK THE BARRIER AND I AGREE WITH THEM." Sans just looks confused, his grin slacking. "uh... boss... you okay?" Papyrus sighs, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "YES, SANS. I HAVE A PLAN. TAKE FRISK TO OUR HOUSE. AND DON'T HURT THEM. I NEED TO TALK TO UNDYNE..." And Flowey... ####Undyne sips her golden flower tea, closing her eye to savor it. Papyrus waits for her response to the crazy-sounding story. Some details had been changed to make her believe it. You suggested that it be framed as though it were the player's fault that the game was warped into this world, and then the player got sucked in and trapped. For all you know, it could be the truth... She sips some more. "Drink, Papyrus." She says. You're ready to slam your fist on the table, but Papyrus obeys, taking a gulp of the bitter tea. She's not at all like the Undyne from the game. She's... colder. Less inclined to dramatics. The difference almost hurts, and it's not helped by Papyrus's memories and impressions, her shrugging off a broken arm and refusing to be healed until Papyrus beat her like she'd beaten him so many times when he was being rash or disobedient... Papyrus cuts off the memory and sends a pulse of annoyed anger at you, then cruelly forces you to taste the horrible tea. You retreat, petulant and ashamed. Undyne's eye pierces you, or maybe Papyrus, but it feels like she's looking straight at you. "So." She says. "You're the punk who messed this world up. Papyrus, I'm sorry." She glares, half-rising, and says the apology... like it's a threat... It is. Papyus replies ominously and then you understand with a thrill of terror and something else. "I UNDERSTAND, BUT WE'D PREFER IF YOU WAITED TILL THEY HAVE THEIR BODY BACK. THEN YOU CAN THRASH THEM ALL YOU PLEASE." Great. Thanks a lot, Papyrus... "OR AT LEAST UNTIL THEY BEG FOR MERCY." You're very welcome, but you forgot the 'Captain' part.Undyne's glare intensifies. "How do I know they're not brainwashing you..." You suggest and Papyrus agrees to say, "YOU MAKE A GOOD POINT, UNDYNE, BUT THAT WOULD BE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT INTELLIGENT OR STRONG ENOUGH TO DO THAT." Undyne narrows her eye. "They just told you to say that, didn't they." She stands. Papyrus stands as well, something rising in... somewhere that's pinpointed yet all over both at once. You feel threatened. "THERE'S NO NEED FOR THIS, UNDYNE. I ASSURE YOU, I WILL DEFEND MYSELF, SO BE PREPARED TO GET AS GOOD AS YOU GIVE." Undyne... well, you don't see her relax, but Papyrus somehow knows she's relaxed. The something... tension, maybe... it fades out of notice, still there but you're unable to examine it. That was my soul responding to a threat by preparing battle magic. Oh, cool. You resist asking if you can do magic, knowing the answer will be no. Papyrus is amused and confirms that you're right. You're still disappointed. "So... you just need me to become friends with... this human... and then your flowery friend breaks the barrier??" Undyne sits again. Papyrus grins. "PRECISELY. I SUGGEST A BAKING LESSON..." Undyne frowns, pursing her lips. "Alright. This better work..." "IT WILL. TRUST ME." Papyrus says, confident. Undyne smirks. "Yeah... YEAH!! This'll fucking WORK, punk!! And then I'll BEAT the player to SMITHEREENS!!" She stands, forming a spear and posing. "NOT IF I DO THAT FIRST, NYEH HEH HEH!!" Papyrus cheers, posing as well with a cool bone sword. Seeing the both of them... feeling Papyrus's pure enjoyment and assurance... you can almost believe that it really will work. And you almost look forward to the Barrier breaking, you being returned to your body, even being beaten up by the formidable duo... But at the same time... you're sure something will go wrong. It's just a question of who will throw the wrench into the works... and when... and how, too, you suppose. Papyrus frowns. Figure out any threats to the plan and I will make sure that they don't interfere. Yes, sire.Papyrus heads to his house afterwards and finds Sans napping on the couch with Frisk drawing mazes on the wall. Papyrus is furious for a moment, but you note the neat lines and the impressive... a-maze-ingness of the art. Not you too... he's still annoyed, but he can appreciate good art. Frisk flinches when they see him, but he pats a hand on their head. "NEXT TIME, USE PAPER... BUT I SUPPOSE THE WALLS DID NEED SOME REDECORATING... AND YOUR LOVE FOR PUZZLES IS NOTED. I SUPPOSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY SOME ACT-" You flashback to the different traps on the way to Snowdin, deadly spikes, electricity, holes with deadly spikes... none of them quite suitable for a kid who appears to be around thirteen. "O-ON SECOND THOUGHT..." Papyrus blusters, embarrassed that he doesn't know how to care for a kid, Of course I know how to care for one! "THOSE ARE... TOO EASY. I AM A SKELETON OF DISCERNING TASTES AND THESE INDOOR PAPER PUZZLES ARE DEFINITELY THE HIGHER QUALITY..." Frisk nods. -Sans said I could draw on the wall. He said you'd love it.- Papyrus shoots a glare at the snoring skeleton. "HE DID, DID HE... WELL... HE WAS... NOT WRONG. YOUR ART IS VERY GOOD." He ruffles Frisk's hair and the kid wiggles happily. Warm fluffiness curls in his ribcage. Heh, kings are supposed to be good with kids... so I guess you got that down. Papyrus puffs his chestplate out. "COME, YOU HAVE A COOKING LESSON WITH UNDYNE." Frisk shakes their head, gripping his hand. They're scared of her... which is understandable, since you might be a bit terrified of the promised beating... So you kneel down and place the other hand on their shoulder. Papyrus sees your intentions and allows it. "Hey, Frisk." Frisk freezes and then tries to struggle away. Wowie, you are not good with kids... Shut up! "Wait, wait, no, sorry, it's... the player..." They cock their head and listen. "I ruined everything. And I'm trying to make it better now." You decide to stick with the story you told Undyne. "Undyne's agreed to make friends with you to help you break the Barrier. If you can't believe me, believe Papyrus... don't tell him this, but he's the best..." They giggle and then-Their arms are around your chest, tight, their head on your shoulder- Papyrus is frozen as he battles memories and painful feelings, and you're almost sucked into them as well, but you focus on Frisk, projecting comfort, focusing on the strands of hair in your gauntleted hand. Your ribcage expands and contracts as though you're trying to mimic breathing and the tension in his soul slowly relaxes. Frisk's heartbeat pulses against your chest...Papyrus... It's all okay... they're not going to hurt you. The traitorous realization enters that you could shut him out while he's incapacitated and then you'd be in control. You frantically cover it up, hoping he won't notice. Don't have such high hopes... I'm not that weak. He ends the hug, rising. N-nobody said anything about weak... I... wasn't gonna... A flash of amusement pierces you. Really...? Nyeh, if you like the darkness so much, you should go back. He's teasing you. You realize this, but it still scares you. You're scared quite easily. Heh... guess your parasite is a coward, too... Papyrus doesn't answer, focusing on Frisk as they sign, -Are you two talking to each other?- "YES. WE ARE ARGUING ABOUT WHAT COLOR YOUR EYES ARE. ARE THEY CERULEAN BLUE? OR EMERALD GREEN... OR MAYBE OTTER BROWN..." Frisk giggles again, covering their mouth and crinkling said eyes. -they're just grey.- They say. -And I've decided. I'll make friends with Undyne and help you all break the Barrier.- "WONDERFUL!! WE SHALL BE THE... CACKLING QUARTET...?" -Sans is coming too?- "WHAT, NO, FLOWEY IS." Their eyes light up, widening with joy and revealing the cloud-greyness of their irises. -that's a wonderful idea!- They sign. A chill quivers through you, marking them as a potential threat, but Papyrus ignores your paranoia, as he should.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Papyrus drops Frisk off at Undyne's house, promising both that they'll be perfectly safe with each other as long as they don't burn the house down. Then he heads to Flowey's special secret spot in Waterfall... the spot where they... you quickly block out the memories, an unfamiliar heat flaring somewhere, the same feeling you felt alongside the terror when Undyne promised to beat you up. Papyrus is confused and tries to investigate what could have caused this weird feeling.
It's only play. He's the guardian most of the time, because it's hard for a flower to be the ward, but-
You've heard the acronym BDSM before. You've even done some research. But you weren't prepared for the emotions and intensity of the memories. Maybe that's why they were... arousing. That's what this is. Arousal. What's arousal? Papyrus inquires, innocent until he's not. Oh... It's probably different for dreemurrs. Haven't you asked Undyne? Yes, of course I did, but she beat me up for asking stupid questions. Hmph... well. You know a ghost who would be delighted to inform Papyrus. Let's go see Mettaton after Flowey. Papyrus agrees and then crawls through a tunnel which opens up into a small cavern with glowing crystals on the ceiling and glowing moss on the ground. "FLOWEY?" He stomps the ground. And then he paces. You want to plop on the ground and sleep... but he retorts, Lazy. You would stick your tongue out at him... but... It'll all be over soon, parasite. You can return to your world, and we'll be free.You haven't seen this Flowey yet, so you don't know if you can classify him as a threat like he was in the game, but Papyrus assures you he's not like the game either. And then vines drop from the ceiling and grab for Papyrus's wrists. Papyrus forms a jagged bone attack and slices through the vines. "BLUE, FLOWEY. I'M HERE TO TALK." Blue, their code word for 'stop'. "Howdy, Papyrus!" The golden flower pops up from the ground, grinning. He's about as tall as Frisk, bigger than you thought he would be. "I'M GOING TO BE KING!! NYEH HEH HEH!!" Papyrus crows instead of mentioning Frisk or the barrier. "A PLAN IS BEING EXECUTED AS WE SPEAK. FRISK IS MAKING FRIENDS WITH UNDYNE... THEN THEY WILL BEFRIEND METTATON AND MUFFET... PERHAPS I SHALL HAVE SANS INTRODUCE THEM TO GRILLBY AS WELL... I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALPHYS, EVERYBODY HATES HER." Flowey grimaces at the scientist's name. "BUT... AFTER ALL THE FRIENDSHIPS HAVE BEEN MADE... WE TRICK ALL THE CLANS THAT FRISK HAS MADE ALLIANCES WITH INTO COMING TO THE THRONE ROOM TO SAVE FRISK FROM FIGHTING ASGORE, JUST AS HE'S ABOUT TO TAKE THE SOULS OUT."AND THEN... YOU STEAL THE SOULS. AND ALL THE SOULS OF EVERY MONSTER IN THE UNDERGROUND. AND YOU BREAK THE BARRIER. AND THEN!! THEN WE PRETEND I TOOK ALL THE SOULS TO BREAK THE BARRIER AND ASGORE WAS LYING ABOUT NEEDING SEVEN!! AND THEN THEY WILL CROWN ME KING!!" It is a pretty impressive plan. Flowey frowns. "Papyrus... how do you know all this...?" You get a warning signal in the back of your mind, blaring with danger. Papyrus shoots a threat to you, if you try to take control again he won't have any qualms about throwing you back into the darkness. "NYEH HEH HEH, THE PLAYER IS IN MY HEAD... WE MADE A DEAL." Papyrus tells Flowey basically the same story that Undyne and Frisk were told. You try to warn Papyrus that vines are creeping towards his wrists and ankles, but he trusts Flowey. Flowey grins when he's done. "Golly." The vines wind around Papyrus's body, restraining him and stretching him out. Terror and heat beats in your bones. Papyrus... revels in the terror. "Papyrus, do you two have shared control? Can you... back out, for a bit?" "YOU WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO THE PLAYER? SURE!" Papyrus retreats, pushing you into full control of the completely helpless body. "H-hi, Flowey..." You start nervously. Flowey giggles. "Hehehe, howdy!" Papyrus's gauntlets are pulled off and the vines wrap themselves around every individual bone in his hands. He thrums with anticipation, but all you feel is sick fear when you realize from Papyrus's memories what the anticipation is for... bone breaking. "Papyrus, I want the player to feel this, so don't take any of it." "Wa-" The vines crush a single finger-bone. You clamp your jaws to keep from yelling in pain, terrified of telling him to wait till you have an actual body, but at the same time... Papyrus is in here too... it's his body that's being tortured. I can handle the pain, parasite. The nickname is almost an endearment. "Wait..." You gasp out, fear still swirling around but hardening.Flowey's petals shake as he cocks his... head-disk. "What?? I'm having fun, here." "I- I'm getting a real body... when the Barr-rgh-" Another bone is crushed. You gasp for air, forgetting that skeletons don't need air and then feeling suffocated. But the last dregs of fear distill and harden into steel. "S-so you can do whatever you want to me then... please don't hurt Papyrus..." Papyrus tuts. He might end up killing you or worse. You should have let him get out all his vengeance now with me present so he doesn't go too far.Flowey frowns, considering. "Whatever I want...? To a human..." The steel allows no room for fear or regret. "Yes." You idiot... the insult is accompanied with a note of sadness.Sorry... You just... don't want him to be hurt because of you. What they do together is their business. But if it's your fault... it's just not right for him to be punished for it too. But it's not your fault. We've been telling them a lie.For some reason, though... you've started to believe parts of the story. That it is your fault. That you made and controlled this perversion of someone else's world. That you really will get your body back when the Barrier is broken. Maybe you'll even be sent home. And if you are... then you don't need to worry about postponing Flowey's punishment indefinitely. I see... That would be clever... if it really works. "Deal!" Flowey's vines withdraw, dropping Papyrus, who takes back control and lands crouching on his feet. "Want me to heal you, Papyrus?" Papyrus grins at the flower, an honest blaze of gratitude. "NO, FLOWEY, I CAN DO THAT. GO FOLLOW FRISK AND BE READY TO PLAY YOUR PART." Flowey sticks his tongue out and then pops into the ground. Papyrus focuses green fire on his hands and the bones are knitted back together. It hurts slightly less than the actual breaking. ####When Papyrus returns to Undyne's, the house has miraculously not burnt down, but Frisk has left. "Yeah, the squirt felt inspired to go make friends with Alphys... I said they could dig their own grave." She says gruffly. "DID YOU MAKE FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI?" "Huh? What does it LOOK like??" She draws her spear from her cracked table and stabs at the pot of black bubbling froth on the stove. Papyrus scowls at the pot. He's tried to teach Undyne how to cook properly, but she refuses to take it slowly. "IT LOOKS LIKE A MESS... ALPHYS, YOU SAY? WHY?" "Dunno, I even warned them about her." She muses. "...They're a good kid, Papyrus. I think this plan... might actually work. And if it doesn't... at least they're making friends and going peacefully to their doom?" "OH, THEY CAN'T DIE. THEY REWIND TIME IF THEY DIE." Papyrus tells her. Her eye widens. "WE'VE ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED ONE BEFORE BECAUSE SANS KILLED THEM.""Fuhuhu..." she claps Papyrus on the shoulder and he grips her arm. "Squirt might actually have a chance...! Good thing I didn't..." her face flushes darker. "Uh, nothing..." "UNDYNE... DID YOU TRY TO TAKE THEIR SOUL??" Papyrus doesn't know whether to be amused or angry. Both works. True... "NGAH, fuck it, yeah. I did. I'm just... SICK of our people being CRUSHED by Asgore... I thought... I could beat him if I just had their soul..." Papyrus throws his arm around her neck and pulls her down to noogie her. "Hey, HEY!! No noogying your MENTOR!!" She struggles to get out of the headlock. "MY RIVAL, YOU MEAN?? BECAUSE I'M CERTAINLY NOT GIVING UP MY THRONE TO THE REVILED CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD..." Blue circles glow on the floor underneath Papyrus and you move the feet to dodge the spears that strike up while Papyrus continues to restrain Undyne."FUHUHUHU!! And I'm NOT giving up MY throne to some upstart punk who CALLS himself Captain of the Royal Patrol!! You don't even have any UNDERLINGS!!" Papyrus splutters, letting go and getting into a ready stance as Undyne leaps back and draws a spear. "I- I'M WORKING ON IT!! AND IT IS A REAL POST." "One Asgore made up!!" Undyne snarls. It sounds like an ages-old argument. Shouldn't we be looking for Frisk...? "HMPH, THE PLAYER JUST INFORMED ME THAT WE SHOULD PROBABLY GO GET FRISK. WE NEED THEM TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH MUFFET, GRILLBY, AND METTATON..." "Ugh. That toaster is disgusting.""AND ALSO YOU NEED TO DATE ALPHYS." Papyrus says, hiding a wicked grin. Undyne's spear drops to the floor, her arms limp and her eye horrified. "Wh-what... tell me you're joking..." Papyrus's grin comes out full force. "No..." She groans. "Please, no. That bitch is WORSE than Mettaton... I mean," Her face flushes, "Her PASSION may be hot, but her personality... ugh." "COME ON, JUST ONE DATE..." Papyrus is evil. You have decided. He is absolutely neutral evil. Undyne sighs. "AS PENANCE." "FINE!! I hate you!" She slams her spear into the table again. ####Papyrus calls Sans, "SANS. I WANT YOU TO FIND FRISK AND TAKE THEM TO EAT AT GRILLBY'S. NO ALCOHOL." "you got it, boss." Sans replies. "AND THEN TAKE THEM TO MEET UP WITH US AT METTATON'S HOTEL." Papyrus continues, and then hangs up. Then he heads for Mettaton's hotel to speak with the robot. You've been rather silent, haven't you. What's the matter, parasite? You retreat from his curiosity, sullen. You don't know what the matter is. Or rather, you do... but you don't want to think about it. You're scared that it won't work...?Y-eah... not really... I think the plan to break the Barrier will work, but... I've been assuming that breaking the barrier will send me back home into my body... You remember the vivid dream you had before waking in this world. The one where you died. What if that wasn't a dream... What if I can't go home... Grief wells in the ribcage and you immerse yourself in it. Papyrus is unsure what to do, but enfolds you in a sense of security. Then you get beaten up by Undyne, and then tortured by Flowey, and then you keep living. He tells you, and you're grateful that he's unsympathetic. There are memories that he's keeping from you, has always been keeping from you, but you're not letting him see every piece of yourself either, and why would either you or he be expected to share every single experience, every thought and feeling, when this forced body-sharing is a horrendous invasion of privacy from both sides... If... If I can't go back... Papyrus knows what you're going to ask. He sees the conflict between not wanting to be a burden but also wanting familiarity and comfort. He waits for you to finish without passing immediate judgement. ...Nevermind. Forget it. You're not quite brave or tactless enough to ask if you can stay with him. Very well. You are free to ask at any time. He says, reassuring you that you haven't completely blocked off that option. He reveals no inclination towards answering either yes or no, however. When he reaches the hotel, Papyrus strides straight to the receptionist and taps the counter. "I AM GOING TO SPEAK WITH METTATON ON PATROL BUSINESS. WHERE IS HE?" The receptionist picks up the phone with a rather cold glare at Papyrus and then calls Mettaton down to the meeting room. "He will meet you in conference room A." She says afterwards, slamming the phone down. "GOOD JOB." Papyrus says and heads to the stated room. Mettaton enters a good thirty minutes later. You and Papyrus amuse each other by sharing memories of your families while you wait. Papyrus only ever shows Sans, and you don't try to pry. But he seems wistful when you remember your parents. Mettaton bursts into the room with a four-armed pose and an "OO-HHH-HH YEE-EESSS-S~~" His glitchy metal voice is probably set on the highest volume..."METTATON... I MUST SPEAK WITH YOU ON IMPORTANT PATROL BUSINESS. THIS CONVERSATION MAY NOT LEAVE THIS ROOM." "YO-OU GOT I-I-IT, DA-ARLING~" The boxy robot flutters all four hands as though fanning himself. "HOW ARE BABIES MADE?" Papyrus demands. Mettaton's screens glitch grey for a moment. "NOBODY ELSE WILL TELL ME- WELL, ONE PERSON TOLD ME HOW HUMAN BABIES ARE MADE BUT THAT DOESN'T HELP ME LAND A DATE DOWN HERE..." You give a sort of mental splutter. "Oh... Darling... If you wanted to dance with me, all you needed to do was ask..." Mettaton's voice lowers, simulating a husky tone, and the glitch disappears. "But this body is unsightly. Flip my switch." He turns around to reveal the switch that turns him into his sexy form. Papyrus flips the switch, buzzing with excitement. Smoke bursts out with sparkles and covers the transforming robot. "OHHHH YESSSSS~" Mettaton Ex steps out, posing with all four arms in various ways. "Let's dance, darling." He offers two hands to Papyrus, who takes them, slightly confused. Mettaton's other two hands rest, one on Papyrus's pelvis and the other on his spine right below his ribcage. Uhhhh... I think... he's showing you. You cover up the flare of wanting, confused by it and the stab of hatred towards Mettaton. "WOWIE, YOU'RE SUCH A GREAT TEACHER, YOU EVEN USE EXAMPLES... BUT MAYBE DON'T DO THE EXAMPLE ON THE STUDENT WHO'S TRYING TO LEARN." Mettaton glitches out, confused, but you understand what he's saying. "I'VE NEVER DONE A SEX BEFORE. I'M NOT PROPOSITIONING YOU, I LITERALLY DON'T KNOW HOW SEXES FOR MONSTERS WORK." You blurt out, trying to match Papyrus's tone and volume, to hopefully clear things up. Papyrus points out your one mistake, though, he would have said 'dreemurrs', not 'monsters'. Mettaton lets go immediately. "OH. WH-WHY DI-IDN'T YO-OU SAY SO??""I THOUGHT I DID..." "Well..." Mettaton purrs, throwing himself over the table and lying there seductively. "Babies are made when two or more monsters bond their souls in a union. This often involves dancing. But the dancing can be done just as recreation, or even as a social event, it doesn't strictly translate to human sex. Does that help, darling?" "IT DOES, THANK YO-" Sans appears on the other side of the room, with Frisk in his arms. "SANS, WHAT HAPPENED?" Mettaton rises and flusters with shock when he sees the human. "they, uh, saw something they shouldn't have... alphys electrocuted them." "SANS... YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE THEM TO GRILLBY'S... NOT ALPHYS'S PLACE." Sans sweats. "yeah, boss, i did. but then they wanted to take me to meet alphys, so i figured, why not..." "O-OH MY-Y... A RE-REAL HU-UMAN..." Mettaton hums. "AFTER WE TAKE CARE OF THEM, METTATON, THE BREAKING OF THE BARRIER DEPENDS ON YOU BECOMING THEIR FRIEND." Papyrus says, kneeling beside Frisk as Sans lays them down. They groan, gripping their arm. Check for broken bones. You suggest. Papyrus removes a gauntlet and gently presses his fingers against their skin. When he reaches the arm they're holding onto, they gasp a little and cry. "I NEED YOU TO LET GO, FRISK. YOUR ARM IS BROKEN. I'M GOING TO HEAL IT... IT'S GOING TO HURT." They nod, and Sans lets them bite down on the sleeve of his coat. "sorry, kid, i didn't know she'd be that pissed... shoulda gotten you out as soon as i knew we were found out..." Papyrus covers his hand in green fire and presses it to the broken arm. "WHERE DID YOU GO??" "i took them to find alphys in the true lab, the one i used to work in all the time, but kiddo here was a bit freaked out by the experiments and we were gonna head back but alphys caught us." Sans rattles off. Papyrus notes with a jolt of affection that his brother actually cares about Frisk, but the majority of his energy is directed towards feeling pissed off that Alphys dared to hurt My human. Frisk's arm finishes being healed and they sit up.You... you're not sure, but something about Frisk's actions feels off, like, if they'd done this before, in this world, wouldn't they have known about the experiments? Wouldn't they be more wary of Alphys? Or... are their memories of this world actually from the vanilla world... Shit, we did ruin everything... "FRISK... I HAVE A QUESTION." Papyrus decides to investigate your theory. "ARE WE... DIFFERENT... FROM WHAT YOU REMEMBER?" They nod, a tear running down their cheek. Then they point to Mettaton. "Nicer." Point to Sans, "Less lazy." Point to Papyrus. "Meaner." -Only got to Undyne in this world. Then had to reset again. And then... you came.- They smile weakly at Papyrus. At you. Frisk starts to sob, then. Mettaton coos and offers a hug and they throw themself in his arms. "Miss them." They cry. Sans joins the hug, rubbing the kid's shoulder. Papyrus pauses. You don't have to. You wrap an arm around his ribcage, pretending it's a hug. You could just... pat their back, or something. That's what Papyrus opts to do, after pulling his gauntlet back on. He keeps one arm wrapped around his ribcage, though.Mettaton swears to be their friend and to help them make friends with everyone in the kingdom. Papyrus tells Sans to stay with the two and make sure nobody attacks Frisk. Papyrus himself has a lizard to fry...####"ALPHYS!!" Papyrus stomps into the lab and the door hums closed behind him. The elevator door slides open and Alphys flusters out. "What- uh, what?" She says nervously, straining her neck to look up at Papyrus as he looms over her. "YOU HURT MY HUMAN... EXPLAIN YOURSELF." Her eyes flash with anger, but she covers it in fear. "I, I don't know what, what you're ta-talking about..." For the first time, there isn't two different presences experiencing two different emotions. Instead, each one feels the same thing. Rage. A jagged attack slams from the ground behind her, narrowly missing her tail, and neither is quite sure who made it. She jumps and squeaks. "FRISK. MY HUMAN. THEY ARE UNDER MY PROTECTION AND YOU HURT THEM... ARE YOU GOING TO GIVE ME A DECENT APOLOGY OR DO I NEED TO UNCOVER YOUR ILLEGAL EXPERIMENTATION TO ALL DREEMURRS..." Remember the True Lab from the game. Extrapolate how much worse it is in this world. She looks honestly terrified now. Vindictive pleasure responds to her cowardice. "Th-they we-weren't wa-warded to y-you..." She complains. "I- I didn't kn-know!" "WAS MY BROTHER NOT JUST WITH THEM WHEN YOU ELECTROCUTED THEM AND BROKE THEIR ARM??" Snarl and grip her by the collar of her lab coat. A dagger forms in midair; grasp it and press the blade to her throat. "I WILL HAVE NO QUALMS ABOUT ENDING YOUR SAD EXISTENCE... UNDYNE WILL BE DELIGHTED..." She sags. "G-go ahead... kill me... I just..." Tears start to form in her eyes. "I just wanted to help Asgore... but even he hates me..." The dagger shudders as the shared control breaks down. Pity. Rage. Mercy. Hatred. The conflicting emotions shatter each other and the two presences are again at odds.You grab control of the hand and drop the dagger you had formed. Papyrus can just make more. She's guilty. Doesn't everyone deserve a chance to change?Papyrus growls. Not if they've already squandered all their chances. You recall the game. You recall the parts, the routes you hadn't shown him. The ones where you killed. Papyrus's anger turns on you and you quiver but hold firm. If you're going to kill her, haven't I done worse?? No. You thought it was a game. You didn't know of this world. She knows what she's doing is wrong, is his response, and with it, his anger turns away from you and onto her again. A sword forms in the air and he grasps it, dropping her onto the floor and stepping back. Wait! Maybe... making her do penance... making her live a cursed life... is a crueler punishment than death. Papyrus considers it, lowering the sword so that the point hovers over the ground. Alphys sobs, unaware of the mental turmoil going on in her executioner. "THE PLAYER IN MY HEAD HAS CONVINCED ME TO BE MERCIFUL... I WILL NOT KILL YOU. INSTEAD, YOU WILL LIVE AS A WARD, MAKING AMENDS TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE EVER HARMED. AND YOU WILL ASSIST US IN BREAKING THE BARRIER." "Wh-whose ward?" She hiccups, wiping her eyes and standing unsteadily. "I'M NOT SURE YET." He won't force Undyne to do it, not even to troll her. "FOR NOW YOU WILL... GO TO THE RUINS AND TRY TO CONTACT THE EXILES. IF YOU CAN REACH THEM, TELL THEM TO COME OVER BECAUSE WE'RE ABOUT TO FINALLY ESCAPE THIS PRISON."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Everything has fallen into place. The monsters, dreemurrs, love Frisk as they pose for interviews with Mettaton in his new form. Undyne gathers all the guards and tells them to prepare for keeping riots and rushes under control so that the cave exit isn't flooded all at once. Toriel emerges from the Ruins with her people behind her. Flowey has been stalking them as Papyrus commanded. Mettaton is prepared to help Undyne by using his influence to keep the dreemurrs under control when the Barrier breaks. And Frisk heads with Sans and Papyrus to meet the King.Each brother holds one of the kid's hands. They roll back their shoulders and stride heavily through the Judgement hall. Sans whispers to them, words that they giggle at, as they reach the middle of the hall. This is it. The final battle. It's win or die.Win or die a million times and then win. Papyrus corrects. I see you still haven't found any threats to our plan, symbiote. A thrill of joy runs through you at the nickname. Symbiote. Not parasite. Not anymore. Not after everything we've done together. You flush with happiness and respond with the threat assessment. Frisk... might be... Flowey might be. Asgore definitely will be. Other than that, I don't think anybody else has the power or desire to ruin anything. Papyrus hums, pleased with you, and a thread of pride winds through you. I think this'll really work. You clever bastard.It's his turn to be proud, now. Then the end of the hall is reached and the three friends enter the throne room. Asgore looks up from watering his plants and sighs sadly upon seeing Frisk. "Here I thought... No, nevermind..." "ASGORE, WE HAVE BROUGHT FRISK HERE TO OFFER THEIR SOUL TO YOU. WE WILL ASSIST YOU IN BREAKING THE BARRIER." "Ah, Captain Papyrus, Lieutenant Sans... I think you should leave." Papyrus grinds his teeth, angered. It's not hard to see his impressions and memories that show why. Asgore has abused Undyne in the name of training her. He's broken the people's spirits in the name of making them stronger. He has no right to be king. "WE ARE STAYING. I AM HERE TO CLAIM THE THRONE. YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO BE KING." Asgore laughs a bit, unsteadily, covering his muzzle with a heavy hand. "Papyrus... I'm the only one who could have handled the strain... You?? You know nothing of ruling." Papyrus huffs, angry, but he needs to hurry and get the souls out before everyone comes. "YEAH, YEAH, OKAY, JUST TAKE FRISK TO THE BARRIER." He's loathe to leave Frisk alone with Asgore, but they squeeze his hand and smile at him. -It'll be okay.- They say. You ruffle their hair and Sans hugs them. "yeah, it will, kiddo." Sans says. "see ya soon." Asgore leads Frisk out of the throne room. Papyrus counts thirty seconds and then follows with Sans by his side. Toriel, Undyne, and their entourages burst into the throne room right as the two brothers exit it. Asgore is in the Barrier room, standing before the barrier as it thrums with the pulse of a million heartbeats. Frisk stands before seven canisters, six of which hold human souls. Papyrus pauses, waiting. Asgore draws Frisk's soul into a confrontation. Then Toriel sweeps past Papyrus and fires at Asgore.And everything is set. Undyne, Sans, Mettaton, and Papyrus guard Frisk from Asgore's attacks as Toriel beats the hapless king up. Flowey... though.... Flowey is nowhere in sight. Neither are the souls. Finally, Asgore yields and admits he never was suited for being king. He admits that Undyne or Papyrus would make much better monarchs. The two share a glare. "I only wanted... I only wanted my children back..." Asgore sobs. Toriel relents and places a hand on his shoulder. "They are right in front of you." She tells him and then pauses. "How did we all know to come here, though..." "LET'S JUST SAY... A VOICE IN MY HEAD GAVE US THE IDEA." Papyrus crows. "AND IT'S NOT DONE YET. PREPARE TO BE AMAZED. FLOWEY! GET IN HERE, ALREADY!" Asgore turns and the shock on his face is priceless when he sees that the souls are missing. The room shudders. Vines snake from every crack, capturing everyone except for Frisk and Papyrus. "AHAHAHAHA!! THIS... IS AMAZING!!" Omega Flowey enters. "AND PAPYRUS HAS SHOWED ME A WAY I CAN GET EVEN MORE POWER!!" "AND THEN HE WILL BREAK THE BARRIER, ISN'T THAT RIGHT, FLOWEY?" You're amazed that Papyrus can trust Flowey so firmly, not considering the flower a threat for even a moment. He doesn't even think Frisk will try to stop Flowey in some belief that the dreemurrs don't deserve to be set free. "YUP!! BETTER BE PREPARED, KING PAPYRUS... THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME!!" Frisk cheers. -You can do it, Flowey!- Then everything goes white. And everything goes black. And you're lost in a sea of presences. The absence of Papyrus's mind is knife-keen, hurting with a not-pain that consumes you. Papyrus! You call out desperately, unable to feel anything now that his body has been stripped from you. You search. You search frantically for a voice, for a soul, for anything, anyone who can help you. You swim up, desperate for light, battling tar and ash. Then everything shudders. Everything starts to tear apart. Static invades you, stealing everything, your memories, your pseudo-feelings, your thoughts, your experience. And then it's silent. And a soul is before you, glowing red and brilliant, casting a shadow of darker red on the black void.
You... are the Player. You... are the Writer. You created this perversion. What will you do to it?
I want... to go home.
Frisk forms their body, glowing red around the edges. Another child is behind them. Chara. You can go home. But only by using up all the energy from this world. Your resurrection and return to normality would destroy this place and everyone in it. You're frozen in time, confused, upset, guiltily desiring still to be home with your family and your life. It's only a story. You can leave. You can destroy it, since it's your story and it's not real anyway... It's only a dream.Heh... yeah. But something makes you look back. And you see Papyrus struggling through the tarry void. Beautiful, strong Papyrus. Even though he's a perversion of the canon Papyrus, it still shines through him, through his perseverance, his ambition, his mercy. You smile weakly, sadly. Mark yourself as the one remaining threat to his happy ending. Fight me, then. Show me you want this happy ending. If you win, I will submit to whatever you choose to do with me.Chara steps forward and grasps a yellow spark from the space between. We choose to keep this world. Both of us were prepared to fight if necessary. You form a sword, knowing now how to wield the magic thrumming in your soul, thrumming all around in the void. You recall your friends and family. Their faces, their laughs, they fill you with determination. Frisk remembers their own family, Toriel's pies, Sans's jokes, and Asgore's tea, Papyrus's puzzles, Undyne's sparring, Alphys's anime, Mettaton's poses. The blow knocks you over. Papyrus wades closer. You have to end it before he arrives. So you shout and strike at Frisk with the sword. They dodge easily. You've been practicing, huh?
I learned from the best. You stole my family from me. You threw me into this world. We HATE you.
You're prepared this time and weather the thudding pain, slashing down at them again. They dodge it. I never wanted to make this world real. I didn't know! You twist the sword as it swings around and bring it back down. They duck, and you miss.
You don't care anyway! You can't even apologize because you'd be lying!
You fall to your knees with the agony of their words. Your sword clatters into the abyss. A sharp edge presses lightly against your throat. So. Papyrus's voice is deadly. You Really Would Destroy My World Just To Go Home... You Would Kill My Human... You Would Drain My People...Sorrow and terror fill you. sire, please understand that to me, none of this is real.
Frisk. Be Prepared To Reload To The Point I Signify. Hold Up A Finger For Every Time You Reload. When It Reaches Three, I Will Stop
.
You can't see what he's planning, but you understand all the same. Wait, there's no need for that! I... I won't... I won't try to destroy this, I believe you, it's real!
I Think I Remember Telling You I Wouldn't Kill You 'If You Behaved'... Nyeh Heh Heh, It Won't be Permanent
.
The pain of his fury focused on you is almost as acute as if you were still with him in the same body. Please... have mercy... I was giving them a chance... And You Were Doing Your Best To Defeat Them. You Were Trying To Give Them False Hope, Or You Wanted Them To Stop You. You Should Have Said Yes Or No. Don't Be Such A Coward, Parasite. He's not just angry, though... he's disappointed. And the spiked darkness swirls around you, digging into your mind with the word parasite. That's all you are. You bow your head. You're right. I lost. Do what you will... I apologize for my actions... and for ruining everything... The sword leaves your throat and your entire body tenses in anticipation, terror choking in your throat. And then... arms are tight around your torso, caging you in... A hug...? Wh-why don't you just punish me already...?? You- you're gonna confuse me... You sob. Teeth nuzzle your neck. I Will. He promises, still angry, but the edge is softened by sorrow. You turn to curl into his chestplate, crying weakly.Nausea fills you. The world grows staticky. Frisk smiles sadly when you look up at them. One second chance. That's all you get. You can thank Papyrus later. They say. And then you're standing in the darkness and Frisk and Chara are before you. You wipe your eyes and offer your wrists to them. You win. Do what you will. The choice is yours. It was always meant to be. Frisk throws themself at you and you barely manage to catch them. They sob into your arms. I didn't mean what I said. We don't hate you, it wasn't really your fault. Chara and I stole you from your world because we wanted revenge on you. But... you helped us get through it.
Oh, kiddo, you could have done it by yourself...
I know, but you made it so much easier! Chara nods in agreement, not hugging you but standing right behind Frisk. Papyrus comes up then, and you're heated with shame, letting go of Frisk, who backs away and holds up one finger. Sire... I... You don't know if he still remembers or not. He grins. I knew you would lose to my superior magnanimity! We can talk later. Chara steps forward. We'll need to form a new body for them and myself. Papyrus, will you help?
I will. And so will everyone else
.
Out of the darkness comes all of Frisk's friends. Toriel, Undyne, Sans, Mettaton, Alphys. Where's... Flowey?Bracken is preoccupied with his soul fragments. Papyrus places his hand on your shoulder. Scared?
No...
Chara smirks. We're going to be dreemurrs, since they can't make human bodies from magic. Try to make it a simple form. None of Bracken's nonsense.What happened to Flowey? Who's Bracken? Nobody answers you.Toriel forms fire in her paws and casts one at you and the other at Chara. You catch the burning ball of flames and pull it into yourself. I give you kindness. Welcome home, Chara.Undyne throws spears at you. You catch one and it stings as it's absorbed. You better be prepared, punks! Oh, I give you justice.Sans throws a couple bones. They bounce off the ground and land at your feet. You pick them up and give one to Chara before the other gets absorbed into your hand. Hurt my bro and we're gonna have a talk. I give you integrity. Mettaton blasts you with electricity. Well, well, Frisk trusts you, so I suppose I must... I give you love.Alphys casts a bit of electricity as well at you, less painful than Mettaton's attack. Thanks, uh, thanks for saving my life... I... give you compassion. You turn to Papyrus, warm affection and cold grief overflowing from the magic in your bones. Sire... thank you... for everything. Papyrus opens his arms and you collapse against his cold chestplate, sobbing for the home you'll never see again, for the mistakes you've made. I'm going to ask you this once. And you are going to answer honestly. Do you trust me?You answer without thinking about it. Yes.
Then pledge your allegiance to me and I will keep you safe.
I swear on the stars, my loyalty and service is yours. You intone dramatically. His sword stabs through your chest. This isn't a dream, Symbiote. This is a story. Our story.
...
Did you really think I would let you end it?
You grin through the agony of dying. No, sire...
. . .