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promisedangel · 3 years

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Fresh Meat: Confinement- Chapter 28

First

Chapter 28- Delusions

Alphys set another tray of food before she spoke, “I'm glad you got the lockets back.” Chara held both lockets tightly. The other hand was used to eat. “And now he threatens the second I take a single step out of line... he will shatter them both.” Alphys sighed as she settled in her usual spot, “I... figured he'd do something like that.”

Chara ate in silence. Their gaze shifted to their bed every once in a while. A full minute of silence and slight glances. Alphys turned towards Chara. She went to speak with a smile but stopped before she could utter a sound. Her mouth closed. She raised a confused brow. “Chara?” “Hmm?” Chara let out a questioning noise, preoccupied. Alphys continued, “Is something wrong with your bed? You're... not hiding something dangerous again, are you?” Chara set down their food before they glanced up at the cameras. They'd stared up at them many times since they've been relegated to this new prison over a month ago. The way the cameras were designed suggested they only record visuals. No audio devices within or attached. Alphys let out a confused voice, “The cameras? I don't like them either, but I can't get them removed.” “I already guessed that. No. I do not want him to know just yet.” “Know what?” Chara met Alphys's gaze with a serious, yet dead expression. “That I know what he did to me.” Concern grew in Alphys's voice and expression. “Chara, I um... I-I don't... I don't understand what you mean.” “This- everything that's happened in this lab- everything he's done, this is all a dream. A figment. A curse.” Alphys paled in worry. She began to curl in on herself. Chara said many things in their depressive state that would often scare and worry her. This was different. This was said as a matter of fact with a straight, serious face. Nothing was real? She gave a nervous laugh, “Chara... it... it sounds like you don't believe I'm... real...” Chara's expression melted into uncertainty. They were quiet for a moment. “I... am not certain with you. Whether you are a figment, or a victim, like me.” Alphys relaxed her shoulders a little. “What do you mean, a victim?” Chara went to speak before they stopped themselves. A grave expression dawned. Could they even tell her about Asriel and waking from this nightmare? What if she was a figment and reported this to him? What would he do to them? To Asriel? Chara's panicked mind stopped. What if... she didn't have to know the details? Chara looked back at Alphys. “If I tell you how I know, you must swear you will not tell him how I know.” Alphys nodded and smiled. Her voice became gentle again, “Of course, Chara. I swear.” “You swear...” “Oh! Right! Sorry. I swear I won't tell him how you know that you're in a dream. Or, a curse, or... whatever... this is...”

Chara took a deep breath. They had to choose their words carefully. “When... I finally saved Asriel from him... I... I fell asleep clutching the lockets. I... I woke up... back with my... family. Yet, I was barely able to move. I felt so weak. So exhausted. H- my family tried to get me something to eat... but I asked... them to stay with me. They told me I was asleep for a long time. They tried so much to wake me, including talking to me whenever they could. He-they were the whispers I kept hearing!” Chara paused for a moment. They knew the next part would be tricky. They mulled it over and decided the bare-bones explanation would be enough. “We caught each other up on everything. I told them about the nightmare. They told me everything that had happened while I was asleep. When we talked... they noted something strange. Nothing could wake me. Nothing. It was as though I was forced to sleep indefinitely.” Chara's tone soured, “Then... I felt exhausted. I couldn't move. I could barely hear... them. They tried to call to me and keep me awake... but it failed. They tried to fall asleep with me and... I was... back here.” Alphys blinked. They were so hesitant to say who was in their dream. Was it Asriel? Alphys pushed that thought aside. No. Chara was very open to talking about Asriel with her. No. There was one topic Chara had put strictly off-limits in their discussions. The surface. Their birth family. Their life before they fell into the underground. Was them telling her about this dream the closest she'd get to knowing about Chara's birth family? Besides the admission that Chara's birth mother had abused them somehow. Wait. That didn't explain how the events of the lab were only a dream. She questioned, “That... That's a strange dre- experience. But, um, that-that doesn't really explain why you think-know! Know that this is all a dream.” Chara's tone evened, “When they told me how long I was asleep and how nothing they could do would wake me, I knew it could only be his doing.”

Alphys mused aloud, “I don't know... I don't think Gaster knows that kind of magic. And if he did... it would take a huge amount of magic to keep you... under the spell for this long. With how we are... no monster would be able to sustain it- or even cast such a spell! Maybe... for an hour or so... but... then they'd Fall Down before long...” Chara raised a brow. “What makes you so sure this kind of curse needs to be sustained?” “Well... complexity, really. Not only does it need to be cast to put you to sleep and keep you asleep, but it also needs to create a constantly changing scenario. The spell would have to be crafted with the entire underground in mind!” Chara smirked. “He doesn't need the entire underground. His lab would be sufficient enough. Or, even smaller. The lower laboratory. That is why he was desperate to keep me here. To maintain the curse.” They chuckled, “My escapes must have strained him since I was able to break free for a few minutes.”

“Okay... um... what about me? You said you didn't know if I was a figment or a victim. What did you mean?” “...I need to ask you a question to aid in determining that.” “Okay...” “Why did he chose you to be my caretaker? What are you to him?” Alphys scratched her head. “Um... I'm just an intern. Really. I've only been working for him for a few months. I'm... not sure why he chose me. All I know is he said he couldn't trust his assistant with the task.” “His assistant?” Chara eyed Alphys with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. “He has an assistant named Sans. He's a skeleton, too.” Chara's eyes widened. They remembered. The skeleton that took Asriel away when Gaster confronted them in Snowdin Forest. They gritted their teeth for a moment. “I have seen him before.” Panic encompassed Alphys for a moment. “Y-you have?! When? I-it wasn't here, was it?!” Chara instinctively grasped the lockets. “He helped Gaster kidnap me by separating Asriel and I. Anyway, why was he not selected?” Alphys calmed with Chara's explanation. “Um... I think Gaster said something like... um... he's useful elsewhere? Or something like that? He didn't elaborate.” “It sounds as though he wasn't suited for the task.” Chara shrugged. “He probably would have eaten me, rather than take care of me.” Alphys chuckled nervously, “Y-yeah... knowing Sans... that's... probably right. I don't see him much, but... I think he's a lot like Gaster.” “A psychopath?” Chara curtly cut in. Alphys shook her head. “Well... I couldn't confirm that.” Alphys counted out silently on her fingers. “Um... but, I mean... the two are short-tempered. And... I think have similar powers, from what little I saw. And... I sometimes hear rumors of them talking to each other in a different language.” Chara was quiet for a moment. They had a serious expression on their face as their mind raced. Could they be... related? Chara thought. Disgust grew on their face. It would make sense, from what Alphys said.

Chara shook off that train of thought. They sighed, “Well, all that tangent proved is that he thought you could be trusted not to devour me.” Alphys frowned. “So, you still need to think about it. Whether I'm a victim or a figment, I mean.” Chara nodded. They pushed the empty tray of food back under the force field. Alphys collected the tray silently. She heard Chara speak quietly in confusion, “Asriel?” Alphys blinked at the name. She looked back at Chara and saw something strange. Chara had their gaze locked onto their bed with shock. Their eyes quickly darted between the cameras before Chara's gaze fell onto her. A fearful gaze. Alphys locked eyes with Chara for a moment before she looked over towards the bed. Nothing was there. Chara quickly looked back at the bed and shushed at... something. Alphys gave Chara a confused and concerned gaze. “Is something wrong?” Chara gave a suspicious glance at Alphys. It soon melted into confusion. They looked back at the bed briefly before they finally relaxed. Chara had a nearly even tone, but Alphys could tell they were still nervous, “No... everything is fine.” Alphys frowned. She knew this conversation wouldn't continue. She smiled. “Okay... I... should give you some time to think about this whole... curse... nightmare... thing. See you tomorrow.” Alphys walked away without another word.

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Alphys felt her concern grow as she went back to her makeshift kitchen. Conversations with Chara were heavy at times, especially when they were hurt or grieving. But, this was different. There was an unsettling calm with how Chara spoke. How Chara was certain their entire reality was false. There was no hesitation in the majority of their reasoning, and anything Alphys said seemed to strengthen that delusion. She couldn't leave it alone. The only thing she could do was report it.

Once done with cleaning the dishes, she dug out her phone. She dialed Gaster's number by memory. She waited. Two rings sounded before her boss answered, “Yes?” “Um... it's Alphys. I-I need to talk to you about Chara. Are... are you busy?” “No. I'm doing some paperwork in my office currently. I do need to discuss something with you as well. Come by, I assume you are done with your duties for the night?” “Yes, sir. I'll be there soon.” The call cut without another word. Alphys sighed. She began to walk, nervousness encompassed her throughout the walk. Her mind raced on how to phrase what had just happened with Chara while also fulfilling Chara's request. Not to mention that he had something to say to her as well. Was it bad? Maybe not; he didn't sound angry with her on the phone. She still had to proceed with caution on what they both wanted to talk about.

Alphys quietly knocked on the door to Gaster's office before she entered. There were two enormous stacks of papers on Gaster's desk. Gaster put a paper he had been attending to on the stack to his right before he looked up at Alphys. She sat down in a chair in front of his desk as he spoke, “What happened?” Alphys twiddled with her thumbs and spoke hesitantly, “Um... I-I know you don't want to talk about anything regarding Chara's mental health... but... they said something that... I just... I just can't shrug off this time.” Gaster relaxed in his chair. “Actually, the human's mental health is tangential to what I wanted to speak with you about.” Alphys sat upright in her chair. Shock grew onto her face. “R-Really?” Gaster motioned for Alphys to continue. “But, I will hear what you have to say first.” “Oh... okay...” Alphys took a deep breath before she continued, “Chara... doesn't believe that this is reality anymore.” Gaster raised a brow and said nothing before Alphys continued, “Well... they told me that they think-well, they're certain they 'know' you... cursed them to uh, sleep indefinitely and that this-everything that's happened to them in the lab... is just some nightmare... caused by some curse you cast.” Gaster held back a snicker. One sputtered chuckle escaped. He couldn't help but show an amused smile at the idea. “And... how did it come to such a ludicrous conclusion?” Alphys's expression dropped. “They wouldn't tell me... but... I think it could have something to do with Asriel, or at least his locket.” Gaster pulled out a notebook and began to take notes. “Then, today is the first time hearing of such things?” “Yes. Just now when I uh, gave them their dinner.” “Hmm... then it is reasonable to assume that giving the human Asriel's locket is the trigger for this.” “I think so.” Alphys sighed. “I... I don't know if this kind of thinking could harm them or not. I just... to see them broken and then so sure of something...” Her voice became more frustrated, “So... unbelievable! I just...” She deflated and held her head. “I... I don't know how I can help with this sort of thinking.”

Gaster looked up from his notes curiously, yet coyly. “Are you implying you are no longer fit to care for the human?” Alphys paled. Her mind raced. No. He can't think that! She can't get separated from Chara. No one would help them. No none would want to. And, Chara wouldn't trust anyone else, especially with how long Alphys has helped them. All of this blazed through Alphys's mind in a second. She sat straight in her chair. A determined look filled her face. She roared out in worry, “NO!” Gaster's eyes widened momentarily at Alphys's shout. A perturbed expression was struck across his skull. Alphys quickly realized what she'd done. She panicked and waved her arms nervously. “I-I mean! I-I uh, um was just...” She took a deep breath to calm herself. “...This was far removed from what I've... helped with so far... I... I thought I should get a.. second opinion to address it.” She went on a nervous tangent. “B-besides! It would be really bad to change caretakers at this point! W-with all Chara's been through, I don't think anyone else would be equipped for the task. Or even want to do it! And-and Chara! I don't think they'd trust whoever would replace me!” Gaster kept a calm expression as Alphys stammered. He waited until Alphys was finished. His expression turned serious. “You do have a point.” “I... I do?” Gaster rested his hand in his lap, away from his notes. “The task of replacing you would be difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. Especially concerning what I wanted to discuss with you today.”

Alphys was surprised. Her boss didn't anger at her outburst. Perturbed, yes, but no external signs of anger. Somehow, this sent more of a chill up Alphys's spine than the expected possibility. She shook off those thoughts as Gaster pulled out a different notebook and flipped to a page. She was now curious. “Um... what did you want to talk about?” Gaster spoke nonchalantly as he took out two papers that had been put into the notebook, “Today, I was able to test the new soul scanning device on the human.” He extended the two pages to Alphys. “It was a basic scan, but considering the first scan from the old machine was interrupted, it was the first real look into the human's soul.” Alphys gently received the pages from Gaster and looked over them. “Is this... the data from the two scans?” “The summary of it. Take notice of the stability of the soul from each scan.” Alphys scanned the pages, quickly able to find it. Both stability reports... soul damage. Her head snapped up. “Wait... did the first scan capture the stability of Chara's soul as the crack happened?!” “Surprisingly, yes. But, that is not all. Take a look at the second scan.” Alphys scanned the second report for the value. She paused. Her eyes widened in shock. Her eyes darted back to the first report to confirm it. She looked back to her boss in worry. “What... does this mean that the crack in Chara's soul has grown?!” “To a small degree, yes.”

Alphys put the reports back onto Gaster's desk. Dread and worry encompassed her expression. Gaster smiled, “You should be happy. Now there is a small amount of data to support your hypothesis.” Despite the worried expression, Alphys had a small bit of hope in her voice, “Really?” Gaster collected the pages and returned them to his notebook. “It is a start. There is still far more research to be done on the matter for it to be a solid theory. But, the soul scanning device has revealed the possibility.” He looked back at Alphys calmly. “If your theory holds true, then it will cement you as irreplaceable in regards to the human's care. If not...” He smirks, “I'm sure someone else would be suitable for the task, should you... slip up, that is...” Alphys nodded but said nothing. Gaster returned to his calm expression. “Good. Now, in regards to his new delusion, I suggest continuously cementing that this is reality. If the human believes this is not real, it could either become reckless or even rebellious once more. Find the holes and contradictions in its logic, and the problem should sort itself out.” Alphys nodded, “Okay... but... what if they don't respond to logic? What if they drown out any of my logical explanations? They aren't sure whether I'm real or not, too.” Gaster hand waved. “Then play on its emotions.” “Okay...” Gaster motioned towards the door. “With that, I believe we are done, for now. Correct?” Alphys hopped out of her chair. “Yes, sir. Thank you for hearing me out... and for researching my theo- my... hypothesis.” Gaster had already begun to dive back into the mountain of paperwork at his desk. He practically ignored Alphys at this point. Alphys quickly left without another word. Gaster waited a few moments before he pulled out his journal and began to write.

An expert from the journal of Dr. W.D Gaster With the soul scanning device's completion, research on the human's soul has finally begun. The first scan brought the troubling fact that the crack in the human's soul has grown a small amount. The soul is still stable, but I can only theorize that if the crack continues to grow, it could lead to the soul shattering. Now, I must look into whether this growth is a natural progression, or caused by the repeated punishments the human has brought upon itself. Psychological included. I decided to bring this to Alphys's attention. Her hypothesis now has some merit, after all. She also had something to report. The human has the delusion that they are trapped in a false reality. Supposedly, this was triggered when I gave the human the lockets. It is unknown how the human could react to such delusions, as this could evolve into the human attempting to harm itself again. Something that I can never risk happening again.

#predatortale #undertale predator au #undertale au #undertale fresh meat #Confinement #fresh meat confinement #chara #alphys #gaster #w.d. gaster

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pokeprism · 4 years

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Altered End Chapter 1 (Prologue)

The seventh human has fallen down two days ago. The human, Frisk, has made it through the Ruins, Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hotland. On the other hand, this is not their first time through the Underground. This is their second time through the Underground, and this run through has been the one with no mistakes. No one harmed, killed, or otherwise led to believe this child has done something wrong. They’ve befriended every monster they’ve encountered. The one monster that Frisk hasn’t encountered during this second run is the Underground’s king, Asgore Dreemurr. Frisk has braced for this moment since the end of their last run. During their first run through, Frisk had thought they must kill Asgore, and acted accordingly. After defeating Flowey’s omega form on top of sparing him, Frisk had thought they had realized their mistake, and had started this run, intent on not screwing up. Little does Frisk know, Flowey’s impatience & brash actions will make Frisk tumble down a completely different path, one seen as inconceivable with this world’s current setup. An altered end for all involved.

Frisk, in the current moment, is just outside the barrier, staggering toward the entryway for the seventh time. Frisk is on the verge of being annoyed, but quickly puts the thought of their annoyance away. Frisk sees their goal as clear as day, and they are not going to let their six deaths to Asgore get in the way of that. Frisk shuffles through their inventory to get it ready for the fight ahead, then activates the save point again, just in case of yet another death. Frisk thinks to themself, I’m hoping I get it this time. All I need to do is lower his stats, then take him out. Frisk dutifully walks into the final room of the Underground, ready to take on Asgore. The six human souls softly glow with their respective colors as Asgore, who is looking away from the Barrier’s entryway, hears Frisk’s footsteps, and reflexively turns to face the child.

“Ready?” Asgore calmly asks.

“Yes, I’m ready Asgore.” Frisk answers as they draw their knife.

Asgore summons his trident, and magically flings it at Frisk’s MERCY button. The MERCY option breaks, and its shards scatter on the floor, which fails to phase Frisk at this point, seeing as they’ve this happen more than a dozen times across both their runs. Frisk flies through their menus and opts to go for the TALK option right off the bat.

“Asgore. I don’t want to fight you.” Frisk calmly says.

Asgore’s hands tremble for a moment as it becomes his turn. As Asgore fires off his first attack at Frisk, Flowey, who has been quietly watching the battle unfold at a distance behind Frisk, decides to go into the floor & pop up behind Asgore to get another angle on the fight, as well as to start the process of absorbing the six souls. Flowey thinks back to the last run Frisk did, as well as the words he said to them after his defeat. Flowey remembers Frisk’s almost instant reaction to his comment about Maybe sparing the king next time, and thinks to himself, Hmm. I’m sure this coward is trying to spare this old fool… Should I let them do it?. Flowey continues to ponder this as Asgore’s turn finishes up, which left Frisk with three burns scattered throughout their limbs. For all the protection the temmie armor provides, it leaves Frisk’s limbs fairly unprotected in exchange for their mobility staying the same. Frisk opts to select the TALK action again once it’s their turn.

“Asgore, I just want to spare you.” Frisk says in a more clear tone.

Asgore’s breathing becomes uneasy for a moment, then is back to normal as Asgore steels his nerves to ready another attack. Frisk dodges Asgore’s smaller fireballs just fine, but ends up tripping directly into one of Asgore’s bigger attacks, leaving Frisk with six hit points remaining. Frisk shakily gets to their feet, reaches into their pocket and pulls out the slice of Toriel’s butterscotch pie, then quickly eats in front of Asgore. Asgore’s stats drop as the pie’s smell reminds him of Toriel, then prepares his next attack. Flowey rolls his eyes as he thinks Oh gee, lowering his stats before actually fighting him. What a wonderful strategy. Just get this over with dammit!. Flowey’s vines snake into the souls’ containers as Frisk selects the TALK option once more.

“Asgore! Stop fighting!” Frisk says with perfect clarity.

Recollection flashes in Asgore’s eyes, resulting in his second stat drop. Asgore fires up an attack as Flowey, still watching the exchange, is at the end of his rope. Grrah! At least cut to the chase with your dialogue Frisk!, Flowey thinks to himself as his vines pause momentarily.

“Why won’t you-”

Flowey stops himself as he realizes he spoke at a noticeable volume. Asgore and Frisk have stopped their battle, their expressions engulfed in either pure confusion, in Asgore’s case, or pure terror, as in Frisk’s case. Frisk immediately snaps into action, announcing their charge at Flowey with an angered growl as they get ready to swing the worn knife. Flowey, in the split second he gets to react, extends his vines fast enough to both trip Frisk and grab the contained souls in a single snappy motion. As Asgore saw what this stranger had done, Asgore attempted to ask what this stranger planned to do, but his question was cut short by a stray vine going straight through his chest armor.

“Asgore!” Frisk exclaimed as they looked over and saw the damage.

“Don’t… Worry… About me… Human.”

Asgore shakily smiles as his body dissolves into its dustlike form. Frisk then quickly turns back to Flowey with a look that would make a demon wince, then begins to charge at Flowey again. Being overloaded from the energy from the six souls, Flowey doesn’t get an opportunity to react, resulting in Flowey taking a slash from Frisk’s knife. On the other hand, Frisk ended up missing Flowey’s face and instead slashing half of Flowey’s middle left petal off. After this semi-successful attack, Frisk turns back to Flowey with DETERMINATION in their eyes.

“Flowey!” Frisk yells with distinction. “You made me come all this way JUST to kill him in front of me?! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

A moment after Frisk’s tirade, Flowey mutates into his omega form, making the space they were in turn pitch black. After coming back into awareness, Flowey ensnares Frisk in vines, with his answer prepared.

“You IDIOT. Didja think this part was going to be any different? You know, I WAS going to give you an opportunity to have your happy ending after this battle, but you’ve pissed me off!” Flowey angrily shouted. “You know what? Let’s make this even more fun for you!”

Frisk has been attempting to struggle out of Flowey’s vines since first being ensnared, but to no avail. Flowey takes one of their limbs and slashes into the blackness of this space, which results in a glitchy tear forming in the space he slashed. Flowey then triumphantly laughs as Frisk examines the newly formed tear in reality. Frisk looks back at Flowey as he begins to reorient his vines.

“Ehehehe… You remind me so much of an old friend. See ya later, Frisk! Have fun in the Void!”

Frisk winces as they are bluntly tossed toward the tear, unable to move enough to escape being flung face-first into the Void. Unlike the space they were just in, the Void made Frisk feel almost weightless, thanks to the lack of clear-cut rules in its plane of existence. Due to the weightlessness, Frisk ends up wheeling around enough to see the tear close behind them. That about closes the book on Frisk for now, but back in the non-zany reality, Flowey is pondering some things. What more can I do?, Flowey thinks, Do I just-. Flowey interrupts himself with another thought: Wait. I can go back! Back to when Chara and I were alive. I just need to find the right button…. Flowey begins his search through his menus, just as something, or rather someone, began to stir. As Flowey tapped through all his menus in an attempt to find his reset button, the six human souls embedded in him were attempting to contact him. Their six voices were underwhelming at first, something Flowey could easily ignore as he continued to search his menus. But then, the hushed voices of the souls greeted what seemed like another one of them. The six souls and this new one in their midst kept talking at a volume slightly above a whisper, and this irritated Flowey, for multiple reasons. For one, Flowey was still tapping through his menus, two, these souls were being a slight annoyance, but simultaneously three, he wanted to listen in. The souls continued to converse, and they kept a level volume, for they all were forming a plan. The voice that joined the conversation, as well as the one with the plan, was someone important to both Flowey and Frisk, the one and only Chara Dreemurr. Unlike most, Chara had been transformed into a spirit-like being and floating around the Underground since Asriel had dusted long ago. On top of that, Chara had attempted to aid the other fallen humans by using their knowledge to get them through. Obviously that hadn’t worked with fallen humans one through six, but Chara came through for Frisk. Chara was not about to let Flowey take that happy ending away from both of them. So Chara devised a plan with the six souls. It was simple, the six souls would distract Flowey, and Chara would mess with Flowey’s menus to get Frisk back. At the same moment, Flowey is at the end of his patience. These souls were still talking, but at such a low volume he couldn’t clearly make out what they all were saying. So he decided to address them directly.

“What are you IDIOTS talking about?! And why haven’t you involved me?!” Flowey boomed.

At first there was no answer, but after a moment, one of the souls piped up with a “Let us out.”. The other souls, seeing their opportunity, began to repeat the phrase to Flowey’s dissatisfaction, increasing their volume as Chara left their company to go through Flowey’s menus. Chara quickly surged through the menus, taking a different route than the chaotic flower had, and actually managing to find that seminal option. Surprised they found it, Chara marvels at the reset button for a moment just before they touch the glistening button, just as Flowey loses his patience with the chanting souls. Flowey prepares to scream at the six souls when he hears a button press coming from the direction of his menu, resulting in him turning to see an activated reset button with a soft red outline over it. A moment after the reset option's activation, a supernatural golden light engulfs the inhabited space, blinding everyone involved and drowning out any sound. Then, like that, a soft thump echoes through the Ruins, like nothing ever happened. Despite this, there is something odd about Frisk's fall this time. Something VERY odd.

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So that’s the first chapter! As always, if any of you have questions, feel free to ask me! At time of writing, Chapter 2 is close to halfway done. Enjoy your day!

#Jamie W. (Pokeprism)#altered end #chapter 1 #undertale #undertale au #prologue #3/14/2020

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spaghettiappletater · 7 years

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Welcome Home

Quickly and silently did he appear in the pitch black depths, suspended and disoriented without so much as an inkling of what was up and what was down. He didn't care to make a grand entrance, taking his base form in hopes that his creator might still recognize it. They hadn't met face to face since he was a child of less than ten. Despite that his soul still felt the old doctor, and with that he drifted in what he knew to be the right direction, if there were directions at all in this nonsensical place.

The silence, while deafening, definitely did not mean Sans was alone in this realm. Quiet, but not uninhabited. Hushed tones spoken in languages lost in time. One might hear the shifting of feet on occasion if they were particularly perceptive. While darker than any monster had ever thought possible, the void was indeed bustling with life the likes of which not many have seen and survived to tell the tale. The whispers of creatures unseen died out and the presences of countless monsters seemed to part like the red sea when the god-monster appeared before them. Some were frightened, others were on guard, prepared to defend themselves in any way they can. The bright glow of Sans's red eye wass foreign and frightening to the community. The only one of which that does not attempt to hide, was easily found after a small bit of searching. He stood at his monstrous height, looming silently over the shorter skeleton. Fear and confusion contorted his face for a moment before a small amount of recognition flickers in his expression. " .͏..̛ ͟Saņs...͟?͞”

"yeah." The compact skeleton murmured as flatly and nonchalantly as he would have were he simply acknowledging a stranger in passing. The feelings would come later, he supposed, once the job was done. That objective coldness had served him well in the past and made for a tough habit to break. "glad ya know who i am. kinda figured you would, but... fear's a funny thing." He remembered his promise, the one he'd made during their last long-distance encounter. The need swelled inside him until he found himself clinging to his creator's "legs", unable to reach much higher than that. He really got the short end of the stick when it came to height, didn't he? "you ready to go home?" There should have been tears but his eye sockets were dry with heavy lids. A dull ache in the back of his skull seemed to suggest that there was something. He was so close to knowing what he was supposed to feel.

His voice was soft, almost a whisper. " It's been... So quiet... " The touch had startled him, but was not unwelcome. For a long time he stood there, squinting down at the red glow. It'd been so long since he'd seen light of any kind. Brief bio-luminescent flashes from various void dwelling monsters were all he'd see on occasion, but most left him alone. The light burned his eyes, causing them to drip. The squeeze from the vaguely familiar monster caused emotions to swell in his soul he thought it impossible to feel now. He needed this feeling. He'd do anything to make sure it stayed. He crouches down, doing his best to wrap his large arms around the smaller skeleton, closing his eyes and listening to the rapid sound of his many souls beating together. " ... I'm a҉f̢ŕaid... I've been here for so long ..." He trailed off, his voice but a murmur only Sans could hear. His eyes, dripping and sunken, downcast. His son was so small compared to him. He reeked of rot and several other scents that were extremely foreign to this realm. Fear gripped his soul as he began to feel his train of thought leaving him, and in a desperate attempt at keeping in touch with this reality, he squeezed tighter. What is left of his soul, aching. "... W͝ha͟t́ if͘ I̕ d̶on͜'ţ su҉r̴vive̕ o͞ut͝si͢d͞e ...?"

Unsurprisingly nothing about Gaster's altered form bothered his equally warped creation. The scent of rot was so familiar to him that it was almost a comfort and the dripping of his eye sockets... well perhaps it eased him a little to know that one of them was capable of tears, as thick and black as they were. "nothing to be afraid of, old man. i'll take care of ya. sorry it took me so long." There was, perhaps, a trace of guilt on his face as he backed out of the hug made awkward by their immense size difference. "i tried. i really did, but i just couldn't get that damned machine working. i had to do... something else to get here, but i know i can get us both back in one piece. or, well, as many pieces as we're in now." His rhythmic wheezing that passed for a laugh slipped through his teeth as he turned his eye back up to his father's face. "you'll survive. i promise. haven't broken a promise to ya yet, have i?"

Whether or not he could remember if the other had broken a promise to him in the past, something about the look in his single glowing eye told the dripping monster that he could trust him. After all, he is his son. If anyone could quell his fear of the outside it'd be the one he'd created when he was of clearer mind and better constructed body right? Of course. He draws in a breath, the sound congested and wet as if he'd been breathing water for the whole of his time in the void. There's a moment where he tries to think of something to say, but nothing comes to him. All this time alone and finally a chance to speak his mind, yet he hasn't enough of it pieced together to form proper words. That was fine though. He knew it was fine. And in an attempt to convey his emotions, he reached out toward Sans, his large claw-like fingers delicately cupping the unharmed side of his son's face. He stood there for what felt like ages. Time stood still and the whispers around them grew completely silent. Dripping eyes stared down at the other, and for a moment, one could swear there was a flicker of what he once was. But as soon as it'd been there, it vanished in a slightly glitched out twitch. His hand slumped off of Sans's face after some time had passed and he nodded without a word. It was time to go home.

Sans stared blankly up into his father's face, or what passed for his face anyway. Despite the melting, glitching and general distortion he recognized that familiar spark. With or without it there was no doubt in his mind that he was perfect. Just the same as Papyrus, the son was blind to the man's many flaws. "eh heh. i wasn't sure how much of ya was left down here. there's definitely somethin'. you're gonna do great, doc." He reached up and out again, taking Gaster's elongated hand and giving it a firm squeeze while taking one last look around where ever they'd wound up. The void, he'd been told, but that word barely seemed to do the place justice. It was surrealism incarnate, and under different circumstances he might have been curious enough to explore. "i've got questions... but they can wait." With a flash of his eye and a unified pulse of his souls he poured every bit of energy he had into the other monster, intensely focused on keeping him whole while tearing their way through space and time back to the house in Snowdin.

Gods if there was a time before this moment that he'd been more simultaneously frightened and filled with adrenaline addled excitement he could not recall it. The jump from the void across time and space back to the underground had been a shock to his entire system, though he could swear he'd felt it before. When they land, his eyes are snapped shut and face covered. It's bright. It's bright and the acoustics are already noticeably different. It's so open here compared to the claustrophobic tightness of the void. So open and full of sounds that he'd forgotten the familiar melody of. His eyes remained closed for a time, squinting in the soft light of the underground. To many, it was a dark and empty place similar to the void. But to the decrepit doctor it may as well be as bright as the overground. His hands cover his face, posture lowering in a way that shouldn't be possible. He appears to be partially melted. Anxiety and a slight sting on his eyes. This was a new sort of pain he was not used to, yet could easily identify. "... H̀o҉m̶e ..." his voice is soft as his eyes finally begin to adjust. Hands moving away from his face slowly and taking in the desolate and drab scenery. Silent as the void.

#ok. - [DRABBLE]#long post #cowritten with @redactedoctor

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