Random Stuff

Like, oh my god, I never realized how much of a enemy Kris is to the Fun Gang. I'm no theory expert, but if I had to guess, Kris created the dark fountain after the knight did (Asgore was already 'comfortable' in the dark world {even if he did have previous experiences with it, it was remarkably quick considering it had been like, 3 minutes?}) in order to make sure the fun gang couldn't get the shelter code, however they fumbled because of Susie walking in the middle of them trying to tear the code apart. Let's not get started on the fact that Kris did this after the knight kidnapped his dad for some sacrificial stuff that'll probably kill him. Oh before I forget, they created the dark fountain, after Rudy literally dying! Now I'm not so sure if they were awake for the part, but holy shit!

And this is only in chapter five.

...Oh yeah chapter five.

Wow, what a improvement this chapter was in comparison to the other chapters gameplay wise, it was really fun switching to the sidescrolling section and the normal section, and the secret boss for this chapter was actually really friggin hard. (The Knight doesn't count, I forgor to get the dark mantle) Oh before I forget, the 'humans'...

It was pretty much what I expected, they aren't actually the Undertale human Souls, and I'm not going to go to in depth on what I mean by that. They're basically just a singular aspect of the Undertale human, er, because they're literally from a flower and not actually human. Flowery is basically confirmation of this, if you've seen him you'll already know why. I was surprised at the relationship between Yellow and Blue, but it does make sense. Justice can't really exist if there's no integrity y'know? Oh it was also cool how we saw how Asgore broke apart his family. His obsession of proving it wasn't his fault, isolating himself, lashing out... Sounds pretty in line what happened. Er, we saw this through how he interacted with the seven Flower darkners

Hometown's festival was pretty cool too.

Susie and Noelle basically got together (in my playthrough atleast), so that was pretty cool, i mean Noelle's dad basically died right after Noelle confessed but y'know... Let's see what else... Oh yeah, Sans is like, actually from Deltarune. Like hard confirmed. The picture that Susie draws for him with the punchcard is basically the one from Undertale. I'm not sure what that means, but it probably means something.

I haven't seen the weird route version of this chapter, so I'm still curious on how Asgore would react to the weird shit you're making Kris do.

Chapter Summary:

Clover is unsure of what to expect next as he traverses Hotland with the others. But hey! He's becoming better friends with Chara and Asriel so that's good.

…

Who knew getting through a building could take so much time?

In short, Clover does not have a good time in Hotland. Like seriously, he has an awful time there.

Notes:

This chapter quite long! I really didn't mean for it to be like that… But hey! After this Chapter we'll finally be at the Castle.

Who knew a day could be so long? end notes:

Phew! A lot certainly happened in this chapter, didn't it? Let's go over what just happened.

Clover "Soul" isn’t exactly a Soul per se, but it functions similarly. Clover should technically be dead; however, the leftover Determination in his body formed an outline of a Soul to keep him alive. That said, being without a proper Soul for an extended period can lead to some… oddities in a human that wouldn’t normally occur.

Now onto Clover’s new moves that he learned:

Persistence- This should not be confused with Endure, which heals the user and increases their defense. Persistence acts as a counter-move to “negate” an attack by sending it back to the opponent. However, if it fails, the user quickly becomes fatigued, especially if they are missing a complete Soul.

Soul Bullets- This allows Clover to attack without the need for ammo. However, since it relies on the Soul's innate magic, it isn't viable for long-term battles.

4-Leafed Clovers- This healing move restores an ally’s health. Depending on how much Soul Magic Clover uses, it can heal up to a quarter of an ally’s HP.

Pretty nifty, right?

Now, about that bounty poster of Clover…

Our favorite cowboy at least gets a moment to rest before everything goes horrible for him. Talk about being unlucky!

On another note, as you can probably guess from the length of this chapter, updates won’t be frequent.

However, I won't leave you too unsatisfied, I’ll give you a sneak peek of what Chapter Four has in store…

We’ll see many familiar faces, although they won’t be quite what we remember them as. Let’s just say Asgore won’t have such an easy time managing the monsters of the Oasis and Wild East. --------

Clover was greeted by voices when he came to. “Can’t believe River Person crashed into Hotland like that,” someone said.

A voice he assumed to be Asriel's spoke next, “Right!? They’re always so careful with their passengers... Oh, I think Clover’s waking up!”

“Hey, wake up!” Chara shouted at Clover.

Clover blinked a few more times, and as his vision cleared, he saw Asriel hovering over him.

“Gee, and I thought Chara was a heavy sleeper,” Asriel said, earning a playful slug in the arm from Chara. “Ow!”

“Let’s keep moving,” they commanded.

Clover got up from the floor and looked around. It was indeed Hotland. A chill crawled up his spine. He had only been here once during his previous journey, so why did he feel so… scared of this area?

Like he had died in this area before?

‘Can’t think of that right now; I need to keep moving.’ Clover noticed the siblings starting to head off and quickly caught up to them.

...

...

...

When had he gotten his satchel back? Clover had only realized it once the trio had reached the elevator, where they were currently struggling to figure out how to get to their destination.

“I hate these elevators,” Asriel mumbled. “They’re too complicated sometimes.”

Chara scoffed. “Don’t they only change the pathways once a month?”

“How am I supposed to know that L1 goes to R2 and that R2 leads to L3, which leads to R1?!” Asriel was getting frustrated.

Chara shrugged. “Should’ve just paid attention to the mail, Azzy.”

“Why don’t you try then?!” Asriel barked.

They shook their head. “Nah.”

Seeing that they likely weren’t going anywhere anytime soon, Clover dug through his satchel. To his shock, he found a few of his items!

Though it was heavily disorganized as if someone had rummaged through it without care. Most of his healing items were gone, which was a shame; while they weren't really effective in battle, they tasted really good!

The glint of something caught his eye. Digging it out revealed it to be…

‘My deputy star? Is that also my old hat?’ Clover shakily pulled out the two items. ‘There’s no doubt about it.’

Clover clipped the star onto his vest and placed his old hat back on his head. He felt safer and a little cooler with them back on.

Now all he was missing was his toy gun. Even though he had never actually hurt a monster with it, the toy was still extremely useful for various situations, like Ceroba’s shield.

“Fine!” Asriel shouted. “I’ll just get someone to help since you don’t want to!” He shoved his flowerpot into Chara’s hands. “I’ll be back.” Then he stormed out of the elevator.

‘That’s right; I’m still here. Without them …’ Clover thought about his friends. If he was in the past, the chance of his friends roaming about was unlikely.

“...I don’t know how to use it either…” Chara stated.

‘Future Hope of Humans and Monsters, huh?’ Clover thought sarcastically.

“What? Why are you giving me that look?” they said, sounding annoyed.

“Nothing.” Clover turned his head away. It wasn't a good idea to antagonize Chara, he was still cautious around them despite the progress they’d made.

‘On second thought…’ It wouldn’t hurt to try to be better friends with Chara.

“Well, actually, why’d you keep pushing him?” Clover asked.

“I thought it was funny,” Chara replied plainly.

“That’s it…?” Clover had a feeling there was more to it.

“...”

Clover felt another shiver creep up his spine. Since when did Hotland get so cold?

“So, what’s wron—”

“What are you trying to do?” Chara interrupted, staring intently at the flowerpot.

“Whaddya mean? I’m just wondering—”

Chara cut him off again. “I just don’t get you.”

Chara didn’t understand Clover at all. How could someone go from being a violent murderer to becoming a pacifist hero? How could they shift from viewing every monster with rage to embracing one with such love? How could they go from taking all the souls needed for Monsterkind's freedom to contributing to it?

Why were they so nice this time?

What had changed between the time when he killed every monster he encountered and the time he sacrificed himself? If he didn’t have any memory of the timelines, then nothing should have changed. So why did it?

‘They’re just pretending to care. Clover isn’t different from other humans,’ a voice in Chara's mind whispered.

“What? You’re starting to worry me now,” Clover said, feigning worry for Chara.

‘He’s just using you to get to Asgore. You’re just a means to an end,’ the voice rationalized.

Chara tore their gaze from the flowerpot, ready to confront Clover when they noticed something—the same hat Clover was wearing was the one they had killed Asgore in.

That all but confirmed it. Nothing had changed; the only reason they hadn’t killed anyone yet was that they didn’t have their gun. But didn’t they have their gun the last time?

Clover nervously chuckled, “W-wonder what’s taking Asriel so long?”

‘That’s why you’ve been stalling for so long to reach New Home.’

Chara slowly walked towards Clover, determined to stop whatever Clover was planning. They inched their hand closer to the knife hidden in their pocket.

“Chara…?” It would only take one good stab, and it would all be over. That threat would be eliminated, and Chara could pursue Monsterkind's freedom the right way this time.

Yet, as they stood there, they saw Clover’s hand hovering over the empty holster at his side, shaking. Chara should have enjoyed making the genocidal maniac squirm, but something about this didn’t feel right—they felt… dirty.

Staring into his eyes, red met yellow. Clover appeared focused despite his obvious tension. He looked so… innocent.

‘He’s just a kid like you.’ Chara thought.

By the time Chara regained their senses, they were inches away from Clover, who looked incredibly uncomfortable.

“...Sorry,” Chara muttered, quickly coming up with an excuse. “I just wanted to see that star on you.” They unclipped the star from his vest.

Clover noticeably relaxed, his tension fading. “Oh! That star is a sign that I’m the deputy of the Wild East! I got it after I went through my lessons with the Feisty Five.”

“Feisty Five…?” Chara quietly asked.

“They’re the protectors of the Wild East, and their leader is the sheriff, North Star…”

Chara listened intently as Clover recounted the tale of how ‘Vengeful Vergil’ fell to the posse.

Clover was one of the strangest humans they had ever met. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing after all?

After telling Chara about the Vengeful Virgil attack on the Feisty Five Asriel had come back with another person in tow. It was a lizard-like monster.

“Sorry it took me so long—” Asriel started. “I didn’t want to bother anyone that was working.” 

“Mr. D-Dreemurr i-it’s fine!” the lizard stuttered out. “I’m sure that any of the staff would’ve been g-glad to help you.”

“Haven’t seen them around before,” Chara stated.  

The lizard was about to explain why until they saw Clover. “I-is that—Oh my Angel it’s another human.”

“Howdy.” Clover tilted his hat.

What came next didn’t seem to surprise the Dreemurrs, though it certainly did for him. A barrage of questions came out of the monster.

“How long have you been here–how’s the surface–did humans invent giant robots–Cowboy robots?!” They seemed very excited. 

Before the monster continued Asriel cleared his throat. “Alphys…”

“Are you from the Wild West—” Though that didn’t seem to stop them. “and—and-”

“Alphys!” Asriel shouted.

“O-oh right sorry.” Alyphs clicked the buttons to the Elevator. “J-just got a bit excited. Not every day a human falls into the Underground y'know?”

Clover felt dazed, he had blanked out after the second question. “It’s okay.”

‘It’s just really annoying...’

“Now, what’s the issue here?” Alyphs asked Asriel.

“The buttons…” Asriel started to explain the problem.

“...Your friends sound like quite the group,” Chara whispered.

“Mh hm, it’s weird, I’ve only known them for at most two days. But it felt like I’ve known them for years.”

The elevator shook as it started to move. 

“Finally!” Asriel shouted, relieved. “Can’t believe that took us so long…”

“Hooray.” Chara sarcastically cheered. 

…

…

…

They finally arrived at their destination, the UG Apartments. The group parted ways with Alyphs, who mentioned that they needed to return to the lab.

“It’s funny! I keep running into new monsters today,” Asriel said as they stood in front of the apartment complex.

“Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen or heard about Alphys before today. Shouldn’t a scientist like her be more well-known?”

“I guess she must be one of the more reclusive ones…”

Clover tuned out their voices as he noticed the path leading up to the rooftops. He knew he shouldn't just wander off from the group, but something compelled him to walk up there.

His footsteps, softened partly by Decibat teachings, led him to the back alley of the UG Apartments.

…

...

...

The monsters here had mistaken him for Chara, which was understandable since Chara was the only human known to be down here. Clover wasn’t going to complain, though; they had given him a bunch of dark chocolate!

The back alley looked largely the same as it did the last time they were there on other business. Since Chara had been the first fallen human and the time between fallen children was around ten years, it painted a depressing picture of how unchanged the underground was.

‘It makes their desperation to reach the surface more understandable.’ If Clover found himself in the same situation as last time, he still would have gone through with it. It wasn’t fair that monsters were stuck down here while humans got to live blissfully on the surface.

Not that it mattered now; as far as Clover knew, the only two human Souls in the entire Underground were his and Chara’s. There was no way Chara’s Soul would be taken by Asgore to break the barrier.

‘Oh?’ The path leading to the rooftop no longer had stairs. Instead, there was just a ladder that looked like it was about to break apart at any moment.

Despite his reluctance, Clover felt the need to reach the top. Carefully, he began to climb the ladder. It creaked and swayed under his weight. Unfortunately, it couldn't handle his load, and he heard a loud snap from above.

Panicking, he quickly reached the top, barely gripping the edge as he heard the ladder break below him.

‘Won’t be going down that way again,’ Clover thought to himself as he pulled himself up from the ledge.

Looking around, he immediately noticed something. The area looked the same as when he and Martlet had been there before, but it seemed out of place compared to the rest of the apartments. It appeared much newer than the rustic vibe of the surrounding area.

However, that didn’t stop Clover from approaching the spot where he and Mar—

‘What is that?’ Clover stopped in his tracks. There was a picture on the ground. He should probably give it to the receptionist inside the UG Apartments if the monster came back looking for it.

Step by step, he made his way to the picture until he reached it. Picking it up revealed that it was a photo of him and his friends. For a moment, Clover couldn’t breathe. What was a photo of his friends doing here? He couldn’t assume it was a younger version of them, as it was the same picture they had taken the night before Clover went into the Steamworks.

It had been taken on Martlet's camera…

“C’mon, Ceroba, just let it wait till tomorrow!” Starlo whined.

Clover had just won the battle moments ago. Although it took a few tries, who knew the sheriff would be the one to stop him in his tracks? Not even Dalv had managed to take him down, and he had lightning!

Ceroba sighed. “I guess you’re right. It wouldn't matter if we got to the lab if we’re all tired.”

“Exactly!” Starlo exclaimed. He then turned to Clover, “C’mon, Clover, I need to apologize to you and the Feisty Five properly .” He adjusted his hat. “And I know exactly how to do it.”

“No persona, Starlo,” Ceroba chided.

“Oh shoot, right!”

...

...

...

“Wait, so you surrendered to win?” Martlet asked skeptically. “That was such a big risk, Clover!”

Clover bashfully scratched the back of his head. He had honestly planned to use that run to die and reload to figure out another way to beat his opponent.

“How’d you get out?” Clover asked, shifting the topic.

“Oh! It turns out the jail isn’t exactly good at keeping prisoners, though Moray had already released me by the time I figured that out…”

‘Seriously? She didn’t realize that when I went through the bars to get her water?’

“But it looks like everything worked out in the end!” Martlet happily exclaimed. “The Feisty Five look like they’re having fun together again.”

Clover glanced over at them. Ed had everyone in a bear hug—was he crying?

“Can’t wait until this is all over,” Martlet whispered to herself .

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I want to try harder!”

“...Harder with what?” Clover asked, confused.

“On my puzzles! I was considering quitting the guard until you showed up.” Martlet explained. “I mean, I’m already on probation, so… Anyway! You’ve made me see again that being the royal guard can be really fun!”

‘I’ve made a difference in someone’s life?’ Clover didn’t quite know how that made him feel, but it wasn’t bad.

“Oh! I have an idea!” Martlet stood up from her chair at the bar. “Let’s take a photo!”

“With what…?” A photo? Clover’s parents weren't huge on the whole picture thing , especially for a moment he considered trivial.

“With this!” She pulled out a camera from her wings.

“Where did you even—”

“Go get the others, Clover! I'll set this up.” Martlet ran off to prepare the camera.

Once she thought he couldn’t see her, she pulled out a manual titled ‘Cameras for Dummies 101.’

Silently laughing to himself, he went off to gather the Feisty Five. “Hey.”

“Oh heya, Clover!” Starlo smiled upon seeing him. “How ya feeling?”

“Fine,” Clover simply stated.

“Of course he’s fine; he kicked your ass!” Mooch slurred out.

The group went silent. Ed was the first to speak up, “Oh boy, she sneaked an adult soda, didn’t she?”

‘Adult soda actually makes you act funny?’ Clover had taken a chug of it during their duel with the sheriff, bu t…

“Of course not!” Starlo giggled, looking woozy.

Maybe monsters reacted differently than humans?

Ace shook his head. “Don’t let Dina see her like this…”

“See who like what?” Dina, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, stood before the group with a tray of drinks in hand.

Starlo, sensing the impending danger, took the lead. “See Clover starving! Get him some Feisty Sliders, stat!”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, sheriff.”

Ed let out a relieved sigh. “That was a close one.”

As entertaining as the antics of the five were, he still needed to do what Martlet had asked. “Martlet wants a photo of all of us,” he mumbled.

“A photo, you say?” Moray looked intrigued. “Sure! It’s not every day you get to befriend a human and a royal guard.”

“A picture…? I don’t see why not.” Ace tilted his hat so it covered his face, but Clover could still tell he was a little happy inside.

“Sure!” Ed needed no convincing. If he was doing it with friends, he had no reason to question it.

“Swhuree!” Mooch was, well … being Mooch?

“Of course, Pardner! Who wouldn’t want a picture with the North Star?”

Clover pointed toward the area where Martlet was. “Over there.”

The group moved over to where Martlet had set up. She gave him a thumbs up, signaling that she had figured it out.

‘The power of skimming through a book, huh?’ Clover thought to himself.

“Looks like they’re having fun,” commented the fox lady next to him as they turned to look. “Make sure to rest well for the day tomorrow.”

Right, the retrieval of Kanako from the lab. They might face the royal guards, who would definitely be a step above what he had faced so far .

“I don’t mean to bring the festive mood down, but…”

“You’re worried for Kanako.”

“...”

Clover gave Ceroba a gentle smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll get her for sure.”

For some reason, that seemed to make Ceroba even more tense.

“Uhm…” Not wanting to spoil the mood further, he tugged her sleeve. “Come; let’s have our picture taken.”

They silently made their way to Martlet, who greeted them excitedly.

“Ceroba, you want to be in this too?”

“Hm mh,” the fox-lady replied.

“Oh man, I've been waiting to use this ever since I got it from Waterfall!” She quickly arranged everyone into position. “They said to put it on a timer…” she mumbled to herself .

“Feathers, it's the other button.” 

“Oh shush how do you even know– oh you’re right, sorry!” She turned the knob. “ Alright everyone ready?”

“Hourry annnd get over hereee~” 

“Why is she speaking like that?” Ceroba asked.

Starlo nervously chuckled. “Oh, you know her, just being herself!”

“Ok…?”

“Alright in one! Three” Martlet began to count down.

“Wait a minute, did you four give her Adult Soda?!” The Feisty Five heard Dina shout from across the room.”

“two…”

“Oh shoot Martlet hurry up so we can get–” Too late, a barrage of trays struck Starlo and his posse.

“Three!?!”

A flash captured the moment.

Clover couldn’t help but smile at the chaos around him. Even if it was a bit crazy , the memory it had created was invaluable. Clover had been smiling a lot lately , he wondered why.

But he did know one thing for certain . By the end of his journey,  these monsters will for sure get Justice .

Marlet giggled next to him. “Can’t wait to do this again sometime!”

“Yeah. We should.” Clover agreed.

Funny how things don’t always turn out like you expect them to. But why was this here? Martlet had the only copy of the photo, and she was going to make more before his... sacrifice.

Wait, that meant his friends, or at least Martlet, were here too.

He quickly pocketed the picture and started to go search for his friends! Actually, where could he find his friends?

That’s when an idea clicked in Clover’s head. Since he was already headed to the Capital, specifically to the Castle, he could just get Asriel to ask the king for help in finding his friends. It was a foolproof plan— the chances of it failing were virtually nonexistent!

Great! Now that he had it all planned out, he could get back to the others!

The others that were… likely confused about where he had gone. Uh oh.

Before he could find a way down, a voice called out to him. “✌︎ ☠︎☜︎🕈︎ ☟︎🕆︎💣︎✌︎☠︎ ✋︎☠︎ ❄︎☟︎☜︎ 🕆︎☠︎👎︎☜︎☝︎☼︎⚐︎🕆︎☠︎👎︎✍︎ ☟︎⚐︎🕈︎ ✋︎☠︎❄︎☜︎☼︎☜︎💧︎❄︎✋︎☠︎☝︎📬︎” ”

Turning toward the voice, he saw a tall figure cloaked in darkness.

‘What... is that monster saying?’ Clover tensed up, preparing for an unexpected attack. Even if he was in the past, he needed to remain on guard.

The being chuckled to itself. “Apologies for frightening you, little one. I merely wish to speak with you.”

“...Who are you?” Clover asked, focusing intently on the strange individual.

“Me? I’m Doctor Gaster, the head Royal Scientist.”

“Where is he!?” Chara fumed, clearly annoyed. Were they tricked by the human? Had they put on that innocent act to gain the upper hand?

“W-whoa, Chara, chill out,” Asriel said, worried for them.

They had noticed that Clover had vanished as soon as they clicked the button for the elevator inside the building.

“Sorry. I’m just… confused about where he could have gone.” They didn’t want Asriel to feel responsible; it wasn’t his fault. It was Clover’s.

“Clover might just be lost or something! There’s no need to fret about it!” he reassured them.

Chara rolled her eyes. “Okay, Dad.”

Asriel sighed. “Let’s just retrace our steps. It’s not like there are many places Clover could’ve gone based on how we came in.”

“You’re right. We need to be quick, though; I don’t want to run into that gang of monsters that roam around here.”

Those monsters weren’t particularly strong; they were just annoying to deal with. They had the audacity to fight her at every opportunity, citing it as ‘a test of strength.’

“What if that’s why Clover isn’t here?” Asriel suggested.

‘...Oh, that’s probably more likely,’ Chara thought, allowing the idea to linger. ‘Oh no.’

Clover, while capable, didn’t know how to handle those types of monsters—the ones who needed to fight until they couldn’t any more to be spared. With Clover’s lower stats, his chances of surviving such a foe were slim. It also didn’t help that she hadn’t Saved since the ruins. If he died...

That thought made her feel oddly uncomfortable.

“Azzy, we need to hurry and find Clover now.” Chara grabbed Asriel and pulled him toward the entrance of the apartment complex. “I’ll check outside; you search the inside, okay?”

Asriel nodded. “Okay! I’ll ask around to see if anyone has seen Clover.” He ran off.

Chara did the same.

“Okay… What do you want to talk to me about?” Clover asked the scientist.

“It’s not every day that a human falls down here. I’d prefer to gather information from you before you’re inevitably swarmed by dozens of curious monsters.”

Clover, although a little unnerved, saw no issue in answering a few questions. After all, monsters weren’t attacking humans right now.

“Alright, ask away.”

The monster grinned widely. “Very well, it has started.” Gaster cleared his throat. “Your name?”

“Clover, no last name.” His parents had always been adamant about not using last names in their family. Odd, but it never really mattered.

“Clover? A lucky name.” He scribbled down Clover’s answer in a notepad. “Now, what’s your Soul type?”

‘Soul type? Oh right! Those are the things we learned in school.’ Clover struggled to remember what his Soul was. It was yellow, but what did that mean again?

He couldn’t recall, so he offered his best answer. “It’s… yellow if that helps.”

“Ah, how intriguing. The Soul of Judgment has come to the Underground.” Gaster continued writing in his notepad. “Tsk.” He suddenly looked annoyed. “It seems our time has been cut short.”

Clover glanced around. There didn’t appear to be anyone nearby.

“Unfortunate; I was hoping to get a sample from you.” Gaster tucked his notes into his cloak and turned to leave into the darkness. “Oh, wait. Before I go…” He tossed Clover two healing items. “Try not to die, will you?”

And just like that, he vanished.

“Wait, what did he mean by—”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t our favorite human, Chara!” a monster called out. “What brings you down to the apartments?”

“I’m not—”

“Wait!” The horse greaser? Monster interrupted, eyes wide. “Could it be that you remembered our duel?”

Clover sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “What duel…?” It was just not his week, was it?

“...” They stared at each other, silence thickening the air.

“ALRIGHT!” the monster shouted, flinging his arms dramatically. “THUNDERING HOOVES COME OUT!”

“...” Nothing happened.

“Where are they?!” the horse monster looked around expecting to see his gang.

Clover couldn’t help but smirk, a chuckle threatening to escape. The idea of fighting a whole group of monsters like the one in front of him was almost comedic in itself. Though it's not like that would actually happen.

“Boss, the door is locked.” A muffled voice came from behind a door.

‘Just had to say that, didn’t you?’

“What!?” The Boss spun around, eyes bulging. “Seriously? I told you guys to stay behind the vents, not the door! What are we, a bunch of clowns? Get your act together!”

“Sorry, boss! We couldn’t catch up with you when we heard of the human that was near the Apartments, you just ran too fast,” another voice chimed in.

“Gah!” The monster leaned closer, whispering like it was the world’s worst secret, “They don’t need to know that!”

“Sorry, boss!” another voice piped in, a nervous giggle escaping. Just how many were there? This felt like a bad game show.

“It’s fine… just don’t do it again,” the boss sighed, rolling his eyes like a parent dealing with rowdy kids. He opened the door, revealing four bickering monsters, all trying to squeeze through at once.

Clover’s eyes widened, and he backed up slightly. They were blocking the only exit down from the rooftop. ‘Great. Just great.’ He thought Clover might need to fight these guys.

“THUNDERING HOOVES GET INTO FORMATION!”

The monsters, who for some reason were all horses, posed dramatically. Not as impressive as the Feisty Five, of course, but perhaps somewhat comparable.

"Seeing as you can beat us one-on-one and duos, Chara, we'll show you the power of teamwork!"

At least they weren't going to kill him.

"We'll stop holding back, just like you told us to!"

‘I really should just shut up,’ Clover thought as he prepared for the fight that was about to begin.

"I can't believe him! What part of 'not leaving my sight' doesn't he understand?" Chara mumbled to herself. She had searched everywhere for Clover but to no avail. Not that she was worried about him, of course—she was more concerned about the monsters he might encounter.

And that stupid gang that likes to hang around here wasn't making her feel any better. Every time Chara came through alone, they had to deal with that annoying boss and their ridiculous crew.

They called themselves the Thundering Hooves. Granted, they weren't really strong opponents, only having 40 ATK and 5 DF, and they were incredibly slow despite their name. However, they made up for it with their numbers, often attacking in a group.

"Tsk!" Chara kicked over a can. She'd rather not risk running into them while searching for Clover.

"Is something the matter, little one?" a voice called from the shadows.

"Hm?" Chara looked over. "Oh hey, Gaster."

He stepped out of the darkness and approached her. "You seem to be looking for something, or someone? Perhaps I can help."

She nodded. "I'm just looking for someone."

"Ah, the other human, I presume."

"Yeah, them. Any idea—" Chara paused, realizing he just referred to Clover. "How did you...?"

Gaster chuckled. "I had a nice little chat with them. Clover, quite the name, isn’t it?"

"Where is he?!"

"My my, aren’t you in a rush." Upon seeing her glare, he relented. "He's on the rooftop of the apartment building. You may want to use the stairs, though, he broke the ladder leading up to it."

"Thanks, I'll see you later." She turned to run back into the UG Apartment building when Gaster stopped her.

"One more thing." Chara halted. "Those rascals are fighting him."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

‘Oh, you've got to be kidding me,’ Clover thought to himself, sweat trickling down his brow as another barrage of horseshoes rained down.

He dove behind a vent duct, the metal surface screeching against his skin as he narrowly escaped the deadly onslaught. Just as he caught his breath, a sticky glob of snot plummeted from above, glistening ominously in the dim light.

“Remember this one?! I’ll show you what happens when you laugh at my name, Fury!” the monster bellowed, with a grin that sent shivers down Clover’s spine.

Clover’s instincts kicked in. He rolled to the side, adrenaline pumping through his veins, but before he could regain his footing, a horseshoe slammed into his chest with bone-rattling force.

“I…I can’t—” Clover gasped, pain searing through his body. He had faced far tougher foes, so why did it hurt so much? Clover was about to check his Soul to see what was going on when...!

His foot got stuck in the magic snot.

“Good work Fury! Dash ram into him now!” The boss commanded.

Clover could only watch in horror as the monster rushed towards him. Was…Was this how he died again? He didn’t even get to see his friends again! Just as Dash was about to ram into him he felt time slow down to a halt.

‘No. I refuse!’ Clover was determined to see his friends again. If he’s unable to move…Then he’ll just have to hit Dash's head on too!

Time began to move again, Clover wasn’t going to fall to these guys. Mustering every ounce of determination in him Clover smashed his head against Dash’s as he rammed into him.

Dash stumbled back clutching his snout. “Argh!”

“Crap! Dash, are you okay?” the leader shouted.

“I-I’m fine! Just hurts, that's all,” Dash replied, rubbing his nose.

“Regroup! Molly, keep throwing those horseshoes!” The leader's voice boomed across the battlefield.

Clover healed himself by eating the strange item Gaster had tossed him. He felt a little better and turned his attention back to the gang, who were deep in discussion.

Once again, Clover hid behind a vent duct. ‘ It doesn’t seem like these guys can be talked down like other monsters until I beat them in a fight.’ But that solution was out of the question—he didn’t have his gun right now. How could he—

‘Wait, I turned my pellets into ammo during my fight with Ceroba! Maybe I could make a gun too ?’

Clover pulled his Soul out to try and enact his plan, but what emerged wasn’t right. Instead of a shining yellow Soul, it was just a red outline.

‘Oh no, oh no no no no! Is that why I’ve been getting hit harder? Because I don’t have a full Soul?’

Before Clover could gather his thoughts, a thunderous voice echoed across the roof. “ALRIGHT GUYS, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!”

His heart raced—he couldn’t take on these monsters. The only option left was to escape. But where would he run?

The clamoring of horseshoes grew deafening as they smashed through the vent duct, forcing Clover to roll away just in time. He desperately scanned the chaotic rooftop for any escape routes. And there it was—the door the gang had used to reach the roof, a glimmer of hope amid the chaos. How had Clover almost forgotten?

He had to reach it and regroup with the others. But how?

Once again he didn’t have time to think as Fury started to charge up an attack. “Cover me!”

As Dash barreled toward him, Clover spotted a critical opening. Dash left himself wide open for a counterattack when running! That meant if he could grab him just in time...

The moment was almost here. With a surge of adrenaline, he began to run toward Dash, timing his moves as Molly unleashed a fresh barrage of horseshoes that whizzed past him.

“Dash, watch out!” Fury shouted, desperate to warn him.

Dash was too late though, Clover pushed his body to the limit, dodging and weaving through the chaos. As Dash slowed, Clover seized his chance. With a swift sidestep, he lunged forward and gripped the back of Dash’s leather jacket.

“Shoot! Molly, ease up on those horseshoes!” The leader’s voice shouted over the chaos, panic seeping in. “Fury, Aim away from Dash!”

“I can’t!” Fury shouted back. “Dash try to get out of the way!”

“G-get off me human!” Clover meanwhile had covered Dash’s head with his jacket, steering him.

“D-Dash, I mean it—get moving NOW!” Fury shouted, Clover on the other hand was wrapping Dash's leather jacket over his head, blinding him.

“CAN’T SEE!”  Dash cried, disoriented and fighting to break free.

Then?

Fury fired their attack, leading to Clover using Dash as a surface to jump off of. This caused him to face the attack of snot face-on, making him immobile.

“W-what! Magic can do that?!” the boss shouted, clearly shocked.

‘Just three more…’ Clover thought to himself. If he could take out one more enemy, he might be able to escape.

“Ack! Whatever! Molly, get Fury off the ground! That charged shot took a lot out of him!” the leader commanded.

Molly nodded, but it seemed she was unable to speak.

“Now,” the leader smirked as he stepped closer to Clover. “It looks like my friends here couldn’t take you down. Are you ready for our fiftieth rematch?”

Clover felt a pang of pity for Chara, it sounded like they had faced these foes many times before he encountered them.

“Or so I would say if I were a fool.”

Clover stared at the monster in confusion. "What?"

“Now, Artemis!”

Suddenly, Clover felt a sharp pain in his side.

“Let your guard down…” the shadowy horse mumbled.

At that moment, Clover realized he had forgotten about the fifth monster!

He staggered, struggling to stay on his feet. The boss stood beside Artemis. “How do you feel about a duo attack?”

“Whatever,” Artemis replied.

With urgency, Clover quickly consumed the mysterious healing item that Gaster had given him. It was his last one, so he needed to ensure that this next barrage of attacks would be the final one before he could escape.

The boss ran toward him, flinging horseshoes into the air. He then raised his arms dramatically. “Dodge this!”

The horseshoes he threw froze mid-air, then multiplied and aimed themselves at Clover. His eyes widened, there was no way he could dodge this, not with whatever move Artemis was about to make!

But he wouldn’t die here.

Clover's Soul pulsed with power as he braced himself for the attack.

The boss looked unnerved and chuckled nervously. “Heh, uh, Chara, this is the part where you do some weird human stuff and beat me?”

“Do it,” Clover replied flatly.

This caused Artemis to hesitate, stopping momentarily. “What?”

Both of them were shocked by Clover’s willingness to take the hit head-on. This gave Clover a window of opportunity to escape.

And escape he did, sprinting toward the door!

“W-wait! Was that a trick?!” the leader sputtered.

“Crap! Should’ve known!”

“Molly, throw an attack at him!”

Molly was slumped on the floor next to Fury. Weakly, they unleashed a magic attack at Clover, but it fell to the ground, missing him completely.

“No, she’s too tired!” The boss glanced at Clover, who was about to reach the door. “Screw this, take this!”

But before he could act, Clover leaped through the door.

“No!”

Chara had forgotten just how many stairs the UG Apartment Section One had. She had never needed to use them before, as the elevator was faster. However, since Clover was on the roof, she had a reason to make the climb.

He was the catalyst for many new experiences they were facing.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from above, accompanied by heavy breathing. “Can’t… believe I made it!” It was Clover.

Gaster had mentioned he was battling the Thundering Hooves on the rooftop. Since Clover was a few flights of stairs above her, it seemed he had won.

“Can’t… stop right now.” He sounded incredibly exhausted.

Footsteps echoed on the stairs, and eventually, Chara and Clover met halfway.

“I can’t believe—” She was about to scold him but halted when she noticed dark red stains on his clothes.

Monster food could heal various wounds that humans might sustain in the Underground, but it couldn’t fix everything. Blood loss was one of those limitations.

Clover stared at Chara for a moment before breaking into a huge smile. “Am I glad to see you!” He rushed down the steps and hugged her tightly.

“What… happened to you?” Chara felt a pang of annoyance at Clover's clinginess, but her concern for his injuries took priority.

“I… just had to check something real quick, and I ran into a few monsters,” Clover giggled. “I got a little hurt, but it’s not a big deal!”

'Not… a big deal? Monsters don’t normally attack the physical body like this!' Chara thought, alarmed. The only monsters that would target a human’s physical body would be the guards or the ones like the ones in the—

“Did they think you were me…?” Chara absentmindedly asked.

Clover let go of her. “How’d you know?”

Chara clenched her fists. He had unknowingly taken on a battle that was meant for them. “Wait here.” Clover raised an eyebrow but complied nonetheless.

If she had been annoyed before, she was now beyond furious. It wasn’t fair for Clover to take on her burdens, not that she cared for them, of course, but it was a matter of principle! Uninvolved people shouldn’t shoulder others' issues. Chara went up the stairs toward the roof, the monsters up there should still be around.

…

“Ah ha! You’ve come back for more, Chara! And I see you left that odd outfit!” the leader, Aaron, exclaimed dramatically.

Chara glanced around the roof; it was a complete mess, with debris scattered everywhere along with broken vents and pipes. She returned her gaze to Aaron.

Normally, Chara wouldn’t consider hurting a monster. Why would she? They were some of the friendliest creatures around. But she would make an exception for this monster.

“Well, actually, before we resume our duel…” she paused. “Are—are you okay? I mean, I played it off as a trick, but uh, you just stood there while I was about to use my strongest attack.”

“What…?”

Artemis, digging Dash out of some grime, nodded. “Yeah… During the fight, you were acting kind of weird too. You didn’t even notice me when I was about to attack you, and I’ve never seen you do that to Dash before.”

Dash rubbed his forehead. “That was a wicked headbutt, Chara… Didn’t know you had it in you to hit like that.”

“And you didn’t even try to attack Molly at all!” Fury added, sitting against a broken vent duct. “You always get her before you get the rest of us.”

Molly just nodded in agreement.

Ah, that’s right. Monsters, while capable of cruelty, aren’t evil. She supposed a very stern talking-to was in order instead of beating the Thundering Hooves senseless.

“Well, you see…”

...

...

...

“Wait, so let me get this straight: that human wasn’t you? Instead, it was another human who fell down here?” Aaron repeated what Chara had said.

“Yes.” Chara nodded.

“And they aren’t a clone of you?” Fury asked.

“Hm mh.”

“Oh gee, we feel really stupid right now…” Dash mumbled.

“It doesn’t matter how you feel right now. Fix the mess you caused,” Chara scolded them.

“Right! Alright, Thundering Hooves, commence operation fix the rooftop!” Aaron commanded.

They all replied in unison or gave a thumbs up, “Yes, boss!”

They collectively ran to… try to clean up? They were really just piling everything up and attempting to fix it with tape. Chara should probably notify the front desk before she leaves.

“Hey, Chara,” Aaron called out to her. “Sorry for attacking your friend earlier…”

“We’re not friends,” Chara quickly corrected.

“Brother…?”

She shook her head. “Not family either.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened. “Oh shoot! I didn’t know you two were like that!”

What...?

“I know it’s not much, but…” He handed her a bunch of cash and a card. “The card is our mailing address. He can send us a letter asking for help, and we’ll come running!”

“The money?” Chara hesitantly asked.

“It’s to give your boyfriend a little something extra for the trouble we put him through!”

What.

“Clover’s not—” A large crash muffled the rest of what she said.

“Oh crap! Sorry, Dreemurr! I gotta help that gang, y’feel?” Aaron quickly ran over to the commotion. “Sorry again for attacking your partner!”

“He’s not my—ugh!” Chara groaned. This was not what was supposed to happen. She sighed. “Not like them believing that will cause me problems…”

She decided to head back down the stairs and return to Clover.

And if anyone said that she looked flustered, they were lying.

Clover was sitting on the stairwell in agony. The healing items he had eaten only acted as temporary healing. And what was the deal with his Soul looking like that? Clover decided to check his Soul.

He allowed his Soul to come out of him, and yep—it still had just a red outline. It was kind of freaky seeing a hole in what was supposed to be his Soul or left of it at least.

Could it be that no longer having a full Soul meant he took more damage? But that didn’t make much sense, since he could momentarily endure a very strong attack and be fine.

‘All this thinking is hurting my brain,’ Clover groaned. It had been an eventful day, and it didn’t seem like it was going to calm down soon. He sighed, it didn’t help that he couldn’t save. Clover hadn’t realized how much he relied on saves for healing until now.

Speaking of healing… he needed to heal, but with what?

‘Oh wait, I have those chocolates the monsters gave me! I can heal using those!’ Clover hadn’t eaten those chocolates during battle because he couldn’t stop to eat as he did with the strange items Gaster had given him. They just weren't as effective at healing.

He felt much better after finishing the third box of chocolates. Looking into his satchel, he saw he wasn’t even close to reaching the last box.

Clover felt a bit strange about being mistaken for Chara and receiving gifts because of it, but dark chocolate was his favorite, so he didn’t mind.

Thinking of which, what was taking them so long? They had gone to the roof, but—Oh God, he really was an idiot. He was about to rush upstairs to help Chara when he heard the door open.

Clover waited for them to reach him, still feeling sore for some odd reason. He grimaced as he sat back down. This was just one fight yet...He felt so tired. Was Saving the only reason he could continue his journey in the first place? Clover shuddered, if he hadn’t had Flowey’s Saves during his journey in the Underground, he surely would have fallen without leaving the Dark Ruins.

Not that it mattered now, though. Clover mentally berated himself for being reckless. He often reminded himself that it was a terrible idea, yet somehow, he always found a way to get into trouble.

Funny how he kept doing that to himself.

The footsteps finally reached him, and when he looked behind, he saw a very tired-looking Chara. “Hey.” They plopped down onto the stairs next to him.

Clover munched on another piece of chocolate. “How’d it go?”

“Fine.” They handed him a card. “They said they were sorry for attacking you. They thought you were me in some western get-up.”

“I guess that’s fair. Not many monsters probably know another human is in the Underground.”

“...Aaron also wanted you to have this.” Chara handed him a bag.

Clover’s eyes widened. 'Oh my God! That’s over four hundred G’s! Wait…'

"Aaron?”

“That’s the leader of the Thundering Hooves,” Chara explained.

“Ah.” He popped another piece of chocolate into his mouth, feeling a little better.

The two of them fell into an uncomfortable silence, at least for Clover. He didn’t need to fill the empty air as his friends usually did. It felt strange, he had been talking a lot more lately compared to his time on the surface or even during his time with his friends.

‘We should get back to Asriel, but…’ Clover flexed his leg, ‘I feel too tired to move.’

“Why’d you run off like that?” Chara broke the silence. “You could’ve… You got hurt pretty bad.”

“I’m fine, really!” He was not. “But like I said, I needed to check something out on the roof.”

For some reason, that only made Chara glare at him. “There’s nothing up there.”

Clover giggled softly. “Nuh-uh.” He pulled out a picture from his inventory. “Check it out!”

Chara took the photo from him, gasping. “This is…!”

Clover smiled. “Yep! My friends! Or at least a picture of them… But that means they have to be here!”

They handed him back the picture. “What do you plan to do about that?”

He looked at them, confused. “What do you mean? Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to find them.”

“You do understand that the Underground is huge, right?”

“It’s only like…” Clover quickly counted the biomes of the Underground on his fingers. “Six areas for them to be in.”

“Wrong. There are eight.”

“...What?” Clover was shocked at the revelation. When he looked in Chujin’s lab, he saw the map of the whole Underground, and there were only six!

“The Desert and the Quarry.”

‘That’s only seven then???’

“I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, alright?” Clover rubbed his forehead. “Just let me have this, okay?”

“It’s not a bad thing that you want to find them, just be more realistic about your chances of finding what, eight monsters among the millions that live in the Underground.”

When Chara put it that way, Clover shook his head. All he needed to do to find them was get Asgore's help! Everything would be okay afterward.

"Let’s get going," Chara said, getting up from the steps. "Asriel is probably panicking, looking for us."

"R-right." Clover stood up, only to promptly fall back down. "Sorry, I'm just a little tired." Why did he feel so weak? He had eaten those chocolates to heal up and felt better as a result. So why did he still feel so… tired?

Chara sighed and muttered, "Can't believe I'm about to do this…" They moved in front of him. "I know you know about the Save Points. You've been eyeing them every time we passed by one."

What? How did Chara know about them? Only Flowey could make those. Were they suggesting that—

"Here," Chara held out their hand. "I'll…" They looked reluctant to say what was next. "Help you Save, in case a monster attacks you."

"…?" Clover was puzzled. Weren't they supposed to create a Save Point by now?

"Well? Grab my hand; it’s the only way my Save can affect you."

Clover complied. It seemed that Chara and Flowey had different ways of creating Saves for him.

"Let me just…" They held their other hand out and formed a Save Point next to them. "There! Now don’t get the wrong idea about me doing this. I just don’t want to explain to Asriel why you’re all beat up."

A familiar menu popped up in front of him, displaying his name and LV. He pressed the save button. The moment he did, he felt the exhaustion fade away, replaced by a warm sensation and an odd sense of determination.

Clover let out a sigh of relief, he felt ready to keep going!

But before he could go down the steps, Chara stopped him. "Hold on a second." They held out their hand. "I didn’t say this wouldn’t come without a payment."

"Payment…?" The only money Clover had on him was a handful of G's. It was a shame, he had that amount for only a few seconds.

"Don’t think I didn’t notice those chocolates."

‘...That’s it?’ He took out one of the boxes of chocolates.

"Here you—" Clover barely had time to register what happened before Chara snatched it. "W-whoa!"

"Let’s get going." They no longer had the chocolate, had they already eaten it?

"Where’d the—"

"Gone." Chara almost looked proud as they smugly smiled.

Clover couldn't help but smile as well, he hadn't noticed it before but they were actually kind of cute.

...

...

Wait.

‘...Is it weird to think that about friends?’ It was an odd thought, but it didn’t mean anything! His friends called him cute all the time—something that often annoyed him—and it was nothing! Why was he trying to justify this? It wasn't that complicated, and—

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Chara stared at him, looking weirded out.

"I-it’s nothing!" Clover started to walk briskly down to the lower levels.

"Okay…?"

‘Where are they!?’ Asriel had been frantically looking for Clover and Chara now, but alas, he couldn’t find either.

He had searched the entirety of the building but he had yet to find any clues about Clover’s whereabouts.

“Prince Dreemurr, waiting for someone, I presume?” a voice called from the darkness.

Asriel turned to face the shadows. “Oh, hey, Mister Gaster. I was looking for a friend, but I've lost them and Chara!”

Gaster stepped out from the darkness, holding a flower pot. “Quite the predicament, isn’t it? Though I wouldn’t worry. Something tells me your friends will be joining you very shortly.”

“What makes you so sure of that?” Asriel asked.

The man chuckled. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Now…” He handed Asriel the flower pot. “This belongs to you, doesn’t it?”

“Oh! Thanks! I thought Chara still had it, but I guess she must’ve forgotten it.” Asriel took the flower pot from Gaster.

“Yes… I have a feeling you’ll be needing it soon.”

“What do you mean?”

Gaster was a mysterious man, to say the least. Not that he had anything to hide, quite the opposite; he just tended to assume everyone understood what he meant. He was quite the joker when the opportunity arose, though those chances were rare.

“I must be off to the lab. My new assistant has come up with a rather interesting invention—‘The Undernet,’ she calls it. Quite impressive, I’d say; it uses the prototype radios that the Royal Guards use as a medium. Do tell your father or mother about this, will you?” Gaster approached the darkness once more. “I’ll be off now. Have a pleasant evening, Dreemurr.”

“Uhm, sure?” Asriel watched as the man teleported away. He called them shortcuts whenever Asriel bothered to ask.

Asriel placed the flower pot next to him and sat down. He hoped he wouldn’t have to wait long.

…

…

…

Asriel was bored. Even though it had only been ten minutes, it felt like a slow period. However, it did give him some much-needed solitude away from the others—time he used to think about that day.

He thought about Chara’s plan, which was set to begin today.

Clover’s sudden appearance caused him to completely forget about the plan to free Monsterkind from their imprisonment. It was a solid plan: Chara would get sick, lose their soul while preserving their body, he would absorb it, become powerful, and then collect the other six souls from the surface to free Monsterkind. After that, he would return Chara’s soul.

Something about that plan didn’t sit right with Asriel, but Chara assured him that it wouldn’t go wrong. So why did he feel a nagging sense that it would?

Not that it mattered right now. Chara seemed to have backed off from the plan, as she hadn’t collected the buttercups to eat.

He felt relieved knowing that Chara also seemed reluctant to go through with the plan. Asriel was glad that Clover had fallen into the Underground; he had become a really good friend, at least to Chara. Asriel hadn’t spent much time with Clover yet, but he planned to change that tomorrow. After all, what could happen overnight that would change their plans?

Suddenly, Asriel heard a loud bang coming from down the hallway. “....Are you walking so fast?” Chara was complaining about something.

“It’s n-nothing!” Clover nervously replied.

Asriel ran up to the two of them. “There you are! Where were you? Chara and I were looking everywhere for you.”

Clover sheepishly smiled. “Sorry for wandering off like that. I just had to check on something.”

‘This is his first time here, though…?’

Chara elbowed Clover in the stomach. “Maybe next time he’ll learn to be more careful.”

“I didn’t get hurt too badly…” Clover muttered.

“Golly, you got hurt?!” Asriel checked Clover’s stats, and everything seemed fine. He realized it must have just been a small human injury rather than a loss of HP.

Clover decided not to respond to that question and instead asked, “So how are we getting to Asgore?”

Asriel smiled. “Oh, that’s easy! We just have to wait for our turn in the elevator, and then we need to walk a couple of blocks in New Home to get to the next elevator.”

“Lots of elevators, huh?”

“Yep! New Home is divided into floors, but you don’t need to worry about that right now.” Asriel started to pull both Chara and Clover toward the elevator. “We need to hurry, though! I saw the elevator open earlier, and I’m not sure how long it will stay open.”

“Maybe if someone hadn’t run off, we would’ve gotten to our destination sooner.”

“It was totally worthwhile, though,” Clover replied.

Asriel blinked, wondering if he had missed something important.

A loud voice echoed through the lobby. “YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! I MISSED IT BY A FEW SECONDS!?”

The trio froze. It looked like they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Chara turned to look at Clover. “Should’ve listened to—”

“I know…”

...

...

...

Waiting in the lobby wasn’t too bad. Asriel had a few spare G’s in his pocket, so he sent Chara off to buy some treats in the shop. Although Chara was reluctant, he reminded her of what had happened in the elevator in Hotland.

This left him and Clover alone together for a little while. It was an opportunity that hadn’t happened yet, and Asriel intended to use this time to get to know Clover better.

What better way to do that than to ask about his life on the surface?

“Hey, Clover?”

“Hm?” Clover replied, sitting on the ground and playing with his hat.

“What’s the surface like? I’ve asked Chara, but they usually deflect the question.”

“The surface, huh?” Clover mused. “It’s… hard to describe.”

“How so?”

“Well, there are a lot of good things up there. Like the stars, western movies, and nature. But…” Clover trailed off.

“But?”

“Sometimes the people up there aren’t so kind to one another, forgetting those in need of help. That’s actually why I came down here—to answer their call for help.”

“You…knew Chara?”

Clover shrank back. “W-well, actually, uh…!” He was caught off guard. “No? I uh, heard some people got lost in the woods around the mountain, so I came looking for them. I stumbled into the Underground?”

Asriel raised an eyebrow. “Wait, why did you say you jumped down here then?”

“Slip of the tongue?” Clover stuttered.

What Clover said wasn’t adding up, but before Asriel could question him further…

“Yo, Azzy, catch!” Chara appeared and tossed him a Floral Cupcake. Asriel barely caught it before it fell onto the floor.

“Wow, took you long enough,” Asriel remarked. “Your prince almost died from not having his sweets! What do you have to say to that?” he said dramatically.

Chara rolled her eyes. “Sorry, Your Majesty, the line was longer than expected. I humbly ask for forgiveness.”

Asriel bit into the cupcake; it was great! “Forgiveness granted.”

Chara dug around in the paper bag. “Here, this is for you.” She tossed an item to Clover, it was a piece of monster candy. “This should be enough to heal you, just in case.”

Clover muttered a small, “Thank you,” as he placed it in his satchel.

Wait…

“You don’t know how to use healing magic, Clover?” Asriel asked the cowboy.

He shook his head. “Nope, I don’t think humans can use magic—why are you staring at me like that?”

Asriel stared at him, jaw dropped. “Of course, humans know how to use magic! Chara did when we first met. Right, Chara?”

“I…” They glanced off to the side.

Did he touch on another sensitive subject for her?

But just as he was about to apologize, they replied, “Humans don’t like it when they see the unexplainable.”

Asriel decided he would ask them what was wrong later when they got home.

For now, he said, “Uhm…those humans were just jerks! Everyone should know how to use healing magic, Clover. Let me show you how!”

Clover nodded.

‘This should be easy enough for him to learn!’

“Alright, let’s get into a battle.”

Clover finally entered a battle format that was familiar to him, at least against normal enemies. His larger fights had his friends engaging with him physically.

“Since we’re not actually fighting, your soul won’t pop out,” Asriel explained. “To perform healing magic, all you have to do is fight!”

Clover tilted his head. That didn't seem like healing...

“With love!”

‘Ah, so I just need to fight without any intent to harm?’

“Alright! Attack me with your best love hit!” Asriel encouraged.

“Wait, Azzy,” Chara interjected. “Shouldn’t you be a bit more careful?”

“Oh ho! Chara, did you forget my DEF stat is 50? I’m sure I can handle a few accidental hits from Clover.”

Chara shot a glare at Clover from the sidelines. “Those hits better not hurt him.”

‘This seems… easy enough. But how does this use magic?’

Clover prepared to attack when he suddenly froze. “Wait, I don’t have a weapon.”

“Oh right! I forgot you needed one of those to imbue magic into,” Asriel said. “What weapon do you normally use? Is it like a lasso—”

“A gun,” Clover replied bluntly.

“....”

“I—I mean a toy gun!” Clover quickly corrected himself.

“Golly, I thought you were talking about a real revolver for a second there.”

‘Of course, I wouldn’t use that… That would be insane .’ Clover silently giggled at Asriel’s reaction.

“But that creates an issue. If you can’t imbue your Soul’s magic into an object, then we can’t have you healing anything!”

“Actually,” Chara interrupted, “I found a toy gun while I was in that shop. Catch!” Chara tossed Clover the toy gun.

“How convenient! It’s almost exactly like the toy gun I had!” Clover smiled at Chara, who just turned away.

“Yep… Convenient indeed…” Chara sounded nervous. “I would like it back though, finders keepers.”

“Alright, you have your weapon now. Imbue your Soul’s magic into the gun.”

Clover took a deep breath, trying to replicate the actions he performed during his fight against Ceroba. Yet, he struggled, he didn’t feel the intense sense of justice he had during that battle. But maybe it didn’t have to be about justice? He recalled another intense feeling from that fight, one of determination.

Taking another deep breath, Clover drew strength from his desire to find his friends. Slowly but surely, he felt the toy gun fill with his Soul’s magic.

“There it is! Now, all you have to do is hit me with love or something similar!” Asriel beamed, excited to see Clover’s development.

Clover heard Chara whisper to themselves, “Why is it red? It was yellow last time.”

Clover took his stance to aim at Asriel. “With love, right?” He pointed to Asriel’s heart. “Bang!”

The red bullet flew straight toward Asriel’s chest, but mid-flight, it transformed into a bright green four-leaf clover.

+338 HP

“Whoa! Not bad, Clover! If I were hurt, that would’ve been a fourth of my—Clover?”

Clover’s legs buckled beneath him; he felt incredibly tired again. Wait…

‘It must be from using anything related to my Soul… This doesn’t seem reliable unless I get my Soul back.’

“Sorry, just a little worn out from that,” Clover admitted. “It took a lot out of me, though…” he mumbled to himself.

The battle ended with both sides conceding. The room returned to its bright colors.

Asriel approached him. “That was good for a first try!”

Chara appeared beside him. “You used up too much of your Soul’s magic. Noob.”

Clover shakily got back up. “You probably had the same issue.”

Chara’s plain expression turned into a wide grin. “Nope! I’m a prodigy, unlike you. Never had an issue like that.”

‘That’s… admittedly really cool.’

“Here ya go, pal!” Asriel shot a fireball at him, healing him.

Clover felt a bit less tired; the fireball merely calmed his trembling legs. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Asriel gave Clover a thumbs-up. “Y’know, Mom could teach you how to use magic like Chara does.”

“Psh, no way! Clover doesn’t have my Soul type, so he’ll obviously have different magic than me,” Chara said.

Asriel raised an eyebrow. “How do you know what Clover’s Soul type is? He hasn’t shown it to you, right? And even in battles, outsiders can’t see what the Soul is doing.”

Chara shrank back, “... Humans just know that when they bond…?”

‘... We’re idiots, aren’t we? I think at this point, telling Asriel about our situation would be easier than whatever we’re doing.’

However, after considering it further, Clover realized it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell Asriel that his entire family had fallen apart due to him and Chara wanting to do good, which ultimately led to the deaths of five children at his father’s hands. Children who Clover agreed to go find that landed him here in the frist place. And that the only reason Chara knew his Soul type was due to them somehow being able to see it during his journey in the Underground.

It would be a really bad idea to share that with him.

His eyes widened. “For real?! That’s so cool—wait, that doesn’t make much sense.”

“My dear brother, what doesn’t make sense? Cease your foolish thoughts and just accept this information as it is.”

“Okay?” Asriel seemed confused.

A loud ding caught the trio’s attention; the elevator was open again.

“It’s open! Hurry before it closes!” Asriel shouted as he, along with Clover and Chara, scrambled to the elevator.

It closed rather quickly when the trio entered it, the only thing they heard was the shout, “NOT AGAIN!” 

…

…

…

New Home hadn’t changed much since Clover's last visit. To be fair, he had only explored one street before making that decision.

However, that didn’t diminish the beauty of the city's nightlife. Monsters of all shapes and sizes crowded the streets of New Home, vendors opened up their shops, and colorful lights illuminated the gray streets. It would have been nice to stroll around if he wasn't in such a hurry.

“Oh, I see that the highest floor of New Home has caught your attention! It’s great to hang around here at night, though Mom doesn’t really like it when we stay out late,” Asriel told Clover.

“Almost forgot how pretty the city looked from up here,” Chara said as they leaned against the balcony. Clover moved closer to where they were standing, and the view was breathtaking.

It was a far cry from his previous time in New Home. Had monsters truly lost all hope when Chara and Asriel died?

He glanced at Chara and thought, ‘It’s not just a title after all… They really are the hopes and dreams of all the monsters down here, aren’t they?’

It would honestly be an inspiring thought if it weren’t so despairing. Chara stared at him with a confused expression. “Seriously, do I have something on my face?” they asked, wiping their mouth. “Did I get it off?”

“A-ah, no,” Clover stammered. The night scenery actually made Chara look pretty! “You look perfect,” he reassured Chara, hoping it sounded like a kind compliment.

“…”

‘Oh God, that sounded a lot more friendly in my head than it came out. Please tell me nobody heard that last part.’

Asriel was the first to catch on to what Clover had said. “Did you just say—”

Clover quickly blurted out, “Ly normal! Perfectly normal, nothing wrong with Chara's face.”

Chara blinked in confusion. “...What?”

Clover nervously laughed. “We should get going now, right?”

‘That was embarrassing, and we’re moving on from it immediately! Oh, Clover, you need to word what you say better.’

“Indeed…?” Chara still seemed puzzled by what had just happened.

“Nu-uh, you totally said that—” Asriel began, but Clover firmly interrupted him.

“To the Castle!” Clover exclaimed as he ran off in the general direction of the elevator leading to the Castle.

“W-wait, that's not the right path to it!” Asriel called out as he chased after Clover.  

—--

'What… is he using that weird compliment thing on me like he did at Home? Why in front of Asriel?' Chara felt a mix of emotions—disgust, confusion, and something else entirely.

It started with a small giggle, then a snicker, until it turned into outright laughter. Chara thought what Clover had done was incredibly bold, though he probably intended it to be just a normal compliment.

Chara couldn’t help but smile. “What a stupid human.”

But then they realized they were going to be left behind if they didn’t catch up to Asriel and Clover.

“Wait up!”

“Still no Nicecream, huh?” Clover said, looking at a closed ice cream stand. Even at this time, the vendor wasn’t there. It was a shame; he hadn’t had ice cream before, and if what the other kids said was true, it was a delightful treat.

“Yeah? It’s only an afternoon snack,” Asriel replied to Clover. “Why would he be open at night?”

“It’s not like he’s a shop vendor that stays open all day,” Chara chimed in.

Clover muttered, “Mo would.” Even though the healing items Mo provided were subpar compared to those from other vendors in each region, he was still a valuable ally.

They were finally almost at the Castle. What should’ve taken only a couple of hours for the siblings had taken them the entire day.

“Can’t wait to tell Mom who we found in the Ruins!” Asriel exclaimed.

“It’s still called Home, Azzy. And yeah, maybe she’ll cut us some slack for being so late if we show her the human we found.”

The trio reached the crossroads by the Castle elevator. Continuing forward would lead them to the Castle, but going left would take them back to where they had last left their friends.

“Hey, can we make a quick pit stop here?” Clover asked the others.

Asriel stopped walking. “What for?” He glanced around. “There’s not much here.”

“....”

“O-okay?” Asriel smiled. “We’ll be waiting for you here, I guess.”

“...Don’t dwell on what happened for too long,” Chara advised Clover.

He nodded, he'll make it quick.

…

…

…

Not surprisingly, the roof looked vastly different from when he had fought Ceroba. The tree was still young, and the floor beneath him felt much newer.

But other than that, it weirdly brought him a strange comfort to be there. Clover vividly remembered watching the others walk away after their goodbyes. He felt cold as the life force left him. It was really scary, though he knew it would be worth it in the end. It was a shame, however.

He wouldn’t be able to see his parents again.

That was his second objective after finding the missing children. The strange men had instructed Clover to search Mount Ebott after doing something with his parents.

He planned to do this after leaving the mountain with the five children in tow. After all, the strange men had assigned them the mission to find the children around Mount Ebott. Only after they accomplished that would he be allowed to see his parents again.

A small part of him had already moved on, though. He didn’t think that even if he completed his mission, the strangers would let him see them again.

Whether Clover liked it or not, he had been given a second chance to live. After finding his friends, maybe he would…

No, there was no point in thinking about a future that had yet to happen. He turned away from the scenery and headed back to the others. Clover had reminisced long enough.

He had a new mission to finish.

And even if he wanted to have fun like the others, he needed to be the mature one, as he always had been.

If Clover stayed there a little while longer, a poster would have flown into his face.

What was on it? A crude drawing of a gunslinging human.

**WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE**

**MONSTER "COWBOY"**

**FOR THE CRIME OF SLAUGHTERING THEIR FELLOW KIND WHILE DISGUISING THEMSELVES AS A HUMAN.**

Approach with extreme caution, as encounters have proven fatal.

Please alert the nearest Royal Guard upon any sightings. If unable to do so and a confrontation occurs, the use of lethal force has been authorized.

CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEE MY GOAT, I NEVER FOR A MOMENT DOUBTED HIM FOR A MOMENT!!!!! YOU CAN DELETE HIM BUT YOU CAN'T GET RID OF HIM BECAUSE HE'S HIM! Anyway... I was really surprised how good the animation was for this episode, like you could see every little detail on the characters, especially Ragatha's doll like thingies and Caine's... head mouth. I was a pretty disappointed that the focus was mostly on Jax, but the end segment with them fixed most of my issues with it, the song choice was really good! Jax is pretty confusing though, like I'm 99% sure they're trans based on the subtext (and the bow, like c'mon, it can't get more obvious then that) and the fact that Gooseworks said that the character was a self insert of her, but they still refer to Jax as a "him" when they're viewing the real world version of Jax so Idk what's up with that. Overall I thought it was fire, everyone got a happy ending so to speak. It's pretty shocking that a series like TADC actually ended, it feels like its being going on for, like, ever.

The end credits were also pretty neat, I wished we got to see more of the circus grounds though, because it grew so friggin much? I mean it's just the previous adventures being connected to the Circus but still!

Summary:

What do you get when you mix a dead guy, a human that wants said dead guy dead, and a goat?

Clover wasn’t sure, but he was sure that he was going to figure it out soon. Notes:

Leaving things off at a cliffhanger? Couldn't be me.

But here's the "Cold Feelings" chapter of Gunpowder and Cocoa Don’t Mix Very Well.

Edit 12/3/24: Another reworked chapter so soon? Wowie!

End Notes:

Something nice that I think you'll want to know is that I have three more chapters outlined with chapter 3 already being 1/4 done.

Yippe!

But for real now I wouldn't expect any speedy updates from here on out. I just thought it would be rude to leave chapter one like that by itself.

On another note, It would be pretty funny if Clover crashed this boat as well. Not like that would happen...Right?

“...Hey.”

The person standing before Clover glared at him with an intensity that made him instinctively tense up. Clover couldn’t shake the feeling that he had seen this child before. If so, they must be one of the missing children. (Not that Clover’s sketches for the missing children’s posters had been particularly accurate.)

If this was one of the lost children, they’d clearly made a home down here. The matching outfits between the two kids suggested they were close.  Clover knew he had to tread carefully; he couldn’t afford to be as reckless as before. Without Flowey around, he had to rely on himself. Keeping his tone casual, he gestured toward the puzzle behind him. “I got stuck on this puzzle. Think you could help me out?”

“Oh, for sure!” the goat exclaimed, his face lighting up with enthusiasm.

“Azzy, we still have that thing to do,” the other human interrupted, their tone sharp with reproach.

“Oh…” The goat—Azzy—frowned briefly, then brightened again with a determined smile. “Well, he can just come with us then!”

The human’s expression shifted from irritation to outright disbelief. “Azzy, can I talk to you for a second?” Without waiting for a response, they placed a firm hand on Azzy’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper.

The two began a hushed argument, their voices too low for Clover to catch. He shifted awkwardly, tugging at his bandana—his only keepsake from the journey that brought him here. It wasn’t even the golden one he’d earned from the Macro Froggit, but it was better than nothing.

Eventually, the argument ended with the human sighing in defeat and Azzy grinning triumphantly. “Alright, Clover, let’s go!” Azzy declared, his energy as boundless as ever.

Before Clover could protest, he found himself swept along, Azzy taking the lead while the other human trailed behind, their eyes fixed warily on him. Clover couldn’t help but feel that he’d just been dragged into another adventure—whether he liked it or not.

...

...

...

The entire time Clover spent with them felt like walking on glass. He didn’t know how to address the other child without risking a disastrous reaction, so he opted for silence. Asriel, on the other hand—whose full name was Asriel Dreemurr—was much easier to talk to.

“I’m Asriel Dreemur, Prince of the Underground!” he had declared with a grin.

If not for Asriel’s uncanny resemblance to Asgore, Clover might have thought he was joking. During his time in the Underground, Clover had only encountered one other goat monster in person, and that was...

“Is Toriel your mom?” Clover asked, almost without thinking.

“Yep! She’s the Queen of the Underground!” Asriel replied proudly. “Wait, how’d you know?” His eyes widened in realization. “Are you a psychic? Chara told me humans on the surface had psychics!”

Clover chuckled. “No, just a lucky guess.”

Chara, standing nearby, muttered under their breath, “A ‘guess,’ right...”

By now, the trio had arrived at the flower bed where Clover had first fallen.

“So, how long have you been in the Underground?” Asriel asked.

Clover paused to think. Let’s see... He’d spent one day traversing the Dark Ruins, a night at the resort, half a day unconscious after the crash (Flowey had mocked him mercilessly for that), then wandered through the Wild East, tackled the Steamworks the following morning, and fought Ceroba for what felt like hours.

“About three days,” Clover finally answered.

Asriel’s eyes went wide. “You’ve been stuck on that puzzle for three days? Golly, that’s awful! You must be starving!”

Clover raised a hand quickly. “I’m fine, really.”

“If you say so… but just in case—here!” Asriel pulled a piece of pie from his inventory and handed it to Clover. “Mom packed it for my snack, but you can have it. It’s butterscotch!”

Grateful but slightly disappointed (he preferred cinnamon), Clover accepted the slice. “Thank you.” He turned it over in his hands and noticed something unusual—it felt more solid than he expected.

“This is...?”

“Food made for humans,” Chara explained matter-of-factly. “You’d need a ridiculous amount of monster food to get the same nutritional value.”

“Yeah! Like when Chara first learned Monster chocolate wouldn’t—”

“Shut up!” Chara hissed, cutting Asriel off by shoving a hand over his snout.

“Mmph—sorry, Chara,” Asriel mumbled sheepishly beneath their hand.

“When did you fall?” Clover asked, abruptly changing the subject and glancing at Chara.

“...Non yah.”

Clover blinked. “‘Non yah’? Is that a Monster year or—”

Chara smirked. “None of your business.”

“They fell around six months ago,” Asriel offered helpfully.

“Dude.” Chara turned to him, exasperated.

“That was rude, Chara,” Asriel retorted.

“I was just playin’...” Chara muttered, their tone defensive.

The mood was growing tenser by the moment. Chara cleared their throat. “W-well, let’s get to what we came here to do.”

“Yeah!” Asriel chimed in enthusiastically.

Clover stayed back, aware that he had no experience with handling flowers. His mind wandered to a certain missing figure. Speaking of flowers... Where’s Flowey? He should be around here somewhere.

“GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, YOU DISGUSTING RATS!”

Flowey fought the urge to kill everyone on the spot—a terrible idea, especially since he couldn’t load his save anymore. The annoying kids kept trying to yank him out of the ground, their grubby hands reaching for his stem.

He’d been searching for Clover for what felt like ages, but there was still no sign of him. Home had never been this crowded with monsters, not since that one time when he was—

‘Wait…’

Flowey’s thoughts halted. He burrowed into the ground, zipping away from the grabbing hands as fast as he could. He tunneled forward until he hit a dead end. But there was something strange about this dead end—it shouldn’t have been here.

‘I know I made tunnels during my runs… So why are they blocked off now?’

His frown slowly twisted into a smile. “That gunslinger... I knew they were interesting! They must’ve interrupted my load and rewound the timeline to an earlier save point! Very clever, Clover. Very clever.”

But even that didn’t explain why he couldn’t load his save anymore. The only time that happened was when someone with more determination than him was in the Underground. And Clover? Clover didn’t have that kind of determination—not at his current level.

That meant someone else must have taken control of the timeline.

The question was... who?

Flowey pushed the thought aside for now. He had more immediate problems to deal with, like recreating the tunnels he’d painstakingly carved out in the Underground during his runs. It would take time—a lot of time—but if there was one thing Flowey always had, it was time.

Clover felt a growing unease as they walked, the absence of save points gnawing at him. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t had the chance to save since entering the Ruins—it was that he could see the save points, shimmering faintly out of reach. Flowey had once explained that determination played a role in the ability to load. That had been back in the Wild East.

Of course, Clover hadn’t paid much attention at the time. He’d been more focused on what Flowey was wearing than what he was saying. (“Howdy, pardner!”) That had also been their last proper one-on-one conversation before—

“I wonder what we’re going to tell Dad,” Asriel said suddenly, pulling Clover from his thoughts as they approached a house.

Clover hesitated, his curiosity piqued. “Is Chara also a Dreemurr?” he asked, glancing between the two of them. It would explain their matching outfits and sibling-like banter. But if that was true, it also meant that Flowey and Ceroba had lied to him about Asgore killing humans.

“Yep!” Asriel replied cheerfully. “They’re an official child of the Dreemurr family!”

Clover’s mind wandered. Would that have been his fate too if he’d waited for Toriel? A proper family? A proper home? He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought. There was no use dwelling on what could’ve been.

“What doesn’t sound believable?” Chara asked sharply, their gaze narrowing. They must’ve noticed his reaction. “Is it so shocking that monsters would adopt a human child?”

“No—I just—It’s not that,” Clover stammered, trying to defend himself. “It was… something else.”

“Yeah, right…” Chara muttered, their tone dripping with skepticism.

The trio lapsed into an awkward silence, the only sound their footsteps echoing off the pathway as they neared what Clover presumed was the Capital.

Finally, they arrived at the house.

“Wait here, guys! I need to grab something from my old room before we head out,” Asriel announced, already halfway down the hall. He called over his shoulder, “Play nice, Chara!”

The sound of a door closing echoed through the corridor.

Clover froze as he felt a hand grip the bandana around his neck.

“We need to talk. Now.” Chara’s voice was low and firm. This wasn’t a request.

‘It was nice living while it lasted,’ Clover thought, swallowing hard.

‘Mweheheheh, I’ll just leave them alone for a few minutes, and they’ll be friends! I’m so smart,’ Asriel thought smugly to himself.

Still, it would look suspicious if he came back empty-handed. What kind of excuse would that be?

Asriel glanced around his old room, searching for something to bring back. Chara had taught him that good pranks always needed a solid cover story. If he didn’t grab something, Clover and Chara might get suspicious—and the last thing he wanted was for his plan to backfire.

The problem was, most of the things he really cared about were already in New Home.

He picked up a small plush he’d left behind, turning it over in his hands before placing it back. ‘Nah, that’s not believable enough.’

His ears twitched as he wondered aloud, “...I wonder what they’re doing right now.”

‘Asriel, for the love of God, please come back!’ Clover’s mind screamed.

Pinned to the ground, Clover barely dared to breathe. Chara had straddled him, the knife they’d snatched from Asriel pressed against his neck. Their eyes burned with an intensity that made Clover’s heart race.

“Why are you still alive?” Chara hissed through gritted teeth, their voice low and venomous.

‘Be honest, be honest, be honest—’

“B-because I-I breathe?” he stammered.

‘You idiot!’

Chara’s grip tightened. “You think I’m stupid? You died on that rooftop. So why’d you follow me back?” The knife wavered slightly, its edge no longer pressed to his skin.

“How do you—”

“Answer the question!”

“L-look, I don’t know, okay?! I just woke up and found myself here!” Clover’s voice cracked with desperation. He cursed himself for losing his toy gun; he had tried to fight back earlier, but Chara was faster. They had him pinned in under eight seconds flat.

Chara’s glare darkened. “We had an agreement, Clover.”

“What? I’ve never met you or made any deal…”

Wrong move. The blade kissed his neck again, cold and unyielding.

“So now I’m an idiot, huh? Let me remind you of what you did…”

What they said next sent chills down Clover’s spine. He killed Flowey? Rampaged through the Underground? Murdered Asgore? That couldn’t be true—it wasn’t him. He would never harm a monster, unless they deserved it, but that didn’t mean he’d kill one!

“I didn’t do that,” Clover said firmly, but the doubt in his voice betrayed him.

Chara chuckled, a sound that quickly grew into manic laughter. “Do you honestly believe that? How many times have you been through the Underground before I woke up? How many monsters have you hurt? How many times have you made my parents suffer?”

“Once! I’ve only been through the Underground once, and I didn’t kill anyone!” Clover’s mind raced. He needed to stall. Asriel had to return soon.

But if that didn’t happen, there was one other thing he could do—a last-ditch move that Mooch from the Feisty Five had taught him. It was unconventional and, frankly, ridiculous, but it might buy him enough time.

“You’re lying,” Chara muttered, their voice low and dangerous. “Typical human. Dangerous, manipulative, scheming freaks.”

‘Asriel, where are you?!’ Stalling clearly wasn’t working.

“I’ll kill you and load to see if you’re telling the truth,” Chara continued, their grip tightening on the knife. “Unless you want to be honest with me right now.”

Clover’s chest tightened. Was he about to die?

‘No. Not yet!’

Desperate times called for desperate measures. It was time to unleash the ultimate weapon—the surefire way to confuse someone enough to escape.

He inhaled sharply. “Chara—” Their eyes narrowed, locking onto his. “Do you have a map? Because I keep getting lost in your eyes.”

“What?” Chara froze, completely thrown off.

Just then, Asriel reappeared, a flower pot in hand. He looked at the scene before him, his brow furrowing in confusion. “What?”

“What? There’s no way that works.” Clover snickered, rolling his eyes at Mooch’s advice.

Mooch leaned back against the bar, tipping her hat with a smug grin. “No, Clover, you don’t understand. It always works—even when it doesn’t look like it.”

They were at the Saloon, passing time between Clover’s so-called ‘Cowboy’ lessons. The place smelled faintly of wood and adult soda, the perfect backdrop for one of Mooch’s bizarre life lessons.

“Seriously? The best you came up with was, ‘Are you a mountain breeze? Because your presence is refreshing.’ It didn’t even—” Clover stopped mid-sentence, noticing the sly grin creeping across Mooch’s face. “Why are you smiling?”

“You didn’t even notice I took your gun.”

“Wha—?!” Clover’s hands shot to his hip, but his revolver was gone.

Mooch held it up with a flourish. “See? Distracted. Even for a second, it’s all you need for a perfect distraction, Clover.” She handed the weapon back to him.

Clover stared at her in awe, before noticing something else, “Mooch, my G!”

Mooch grinned “...How'd you know?”

“Chara, why are you on Clover?” Asriel asked innocently, tilting his head in confusion.

Clover seized the opportunity, his voice tinged with mock indignation. “Yeah, Chara, why are you on me?”

Chara froze for a moment before swiftly tucking the knife beneath their sweater. Their face remained unreadable, but Clover could sense a crack in their composure. “It’s… how humans bond?”

Asriel blinked, processing the statement. “Oh! Is that why he said that weird thing earlier?”

“Yes…?” Chara replied, clearly unsure how far they could push this excuse.

“Okay! Well, get off the ground already. We still need to head back home,” Asriel said, his cheerful tone breaking the tension as he hurried down the stairs.

Chara stood up, brushing themselves off. They turned to Clover, their expression unreadable but their tone sharp. “Not. One. Word. Got it?”

Clover nodded quickly, unsure whether to laugh at the absurdity of the situation or cry over how close he had come to losing his life. Despite their excuse, he couldn’t shake the feeling there was a sliver of truth in what Chara had said. But why would he ever do such a thing?

“Good. Now, let’s go.” Chara’s eyes narrowed as Clover moved. Before he could take another step, they grabbed his arm. “You’re walking in front. You’re not leaving my field of vision, human.”

Clover sighed and reluctantly obeyed, feeling their glare burn into his back.

Chara followed close behind, silent but watchful.

“...”

“Move it,” they commanded, their voice clipped.

And so, the unlikely trio trudged onward, heading toward the exit of the Ruins.

Clover glanced around as they walked, hoping they might run into Flowey soon. He had questions—too many questions—and no one he trusted enough to answer them.

…

…

…

"C-cold…” Clover shivered. He wasn’t enjoying the trek through Snowdin. It turned out the upper region was far colder than the lower one.

He wondered if the Honeydew Resort still existed. Clover had realized that he was back in time, considering what Chara had said.

But why him? Why was he alive? If they had gone far enough back before Flowey existed, how far had Clover really traveled?

Were his friends still… here?

He knew the answer to that, but it was a question he didn’t want to answer.

“You cold, buddy?” Asriel asked, ever-sweet and concerned. “I can lend you my sweater if you want. My fur keeps me warm enough!”

Clover shook his head. He had a feeling things would go badly if they pushed him any further. Especially with someone so close behind them.

“Azzy, don’t you know—?” Chara began. “Humans are incredibly resistant to the cold. Right, Clover?”

‘That… jerk!’ Clover nodded, not wanting to disappoint Asriel, who was staring at him in wide-eyed amazement.

“That’s so cool! But wait, aren’t you human—”

A loud crunch interrupted him.

Clover immediately dropped into a battle stance before quickly relaxing when Chara and Asriel looked at him, puzzled. “Uh, style?” Clover muttered awkwardly.

A shadow approached despite the bright lighting around them.

“U-uh, howdy, mister! What can we do for you?” Asriel asked, his voice nervous as he addressed the figure.

The dark figure didn’t respond as it continued its approach.

“d o n ’ t y o u k n o w t o g r e e t a n o l d f r i e n d?” it said, extending a hand.

Clover was the first to react, shaking the figure's hand. The monster hadn’t attacked them, and it was just asking for a handshake.

But then a loud fart sound echoed from the handshake.

“heh… the old whoopee cushion-in-the-hand trick. it’s always funny!” The figure laughed. “anyway, you're a new human in the Underground, huh? that's hilarious.”

Clover eyed the figure. It was a short skeleton, with a voice that sounded like a kid, wearing an odd lab coat.

“I’m Sans. Sans the skeleton,” the figure introduced.

“Gunhat,” Clover blurted out.

“gunhat? You don’t even have either of those,” Sans shrugged. “whatever. I’m supposed to be working down at Hotland, but I’m taking one of my mandatory breaks.”

“What do you do?” Chara asked.

“Hm... twelve jobs, actually. One of them is as an assistant in the lab.”

“Twelve...?” Clover’s eyes widened. This Sans character must really be, the words slipped out before he could stop himself, “‘working down to the bone’.”

“nice one,” Sans snickered. “really tickled my funny bone.” A short ‘ba dum tss’ echoed in the background.

Chara looked around. “Where did—”

“Oh, I get it!” Asriel giggled. “It’s because you’re a skeleton!”

“...” 

“anyway, what are you kids doing out here?” Sans asked.

(“You’re a kid too???” Chara said, bewildered.)

“We’re heading to the capital,” Asriel explained. “We found—” He patted his own shoulder, “—this guy at Home.”

“cool. Well, my break’s over. time to get to my other job.”

“What’s that?” Clover asked.

“my other job’s break time.” Sans winked, then disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

“What a strange monster. I haven’t seen him around before... and I’ve seen every monster!” Asriel exclaimed.

“Yeah… something about that skeleton rubs me the wrong way,” Chara muttered, still wary.

Clover, seizing the chance for a lame pun, said, “Guess you could say you got a ton of issues with the guy… a skele-ton.”

Neither Chara nor Asriel smiled.

“We’re moving ‘Gunhat’.” Chara grabbed Clover’s hand, pulling him along. “Why that name, anyway? You don’t even have those two things anymore.”

“It’s what they call me in the Wild East!” Clover grinned.

“What...? It’s the Wild West, you idiot.”

Asriel stood still for a moment, then realized he was being left behind. “H-hey, wait!” He hurried to catch up with them, flowerpot in hand.

Chara was freezing. The sweater didn’t help much, despite that however Snowdin was her favorite part of the Underground. It was one of the few places where she could unleash her reign of terror without her parents interfering. (What’s wrong with a few harmless pranks, anyway?)

They were still unsure what to do with Clover. Either they had called her bluff or simply didn’t remember the genocide they had committed against her people. Regardless, even if he atoned by giving up his soul for Monsterkind, it didn’t mean he was off the hook yet.

Chara had seen him at the end, right before he was about to go home. That meant someone was waiting for him on the surface—someone he was willing to kill for just to get past the barrier.

‘Tch, why the hell would he want to go back up there?’ she thought bitterly.

And that also meant that if they figured out how to access their save file—by gathering enough determination or LV… Chara shuddered. She didn’t want to entertain the thought of what could be unleashed.

“Th-think you could loosen your grip a bit?” Clover interrupted her thoughts, sounding impatient.

“Later,” Chara snapped, not loosening her hold.

They weren’t letting go for a second. Clover was a threat. His future timeline run proved it. He had blasted her father as a “punishment” for his sins. What a joke. Humans had trapped kind creatures like them down here out of pure malice.

“Chara, look! It’s those snow monsters we built earlier!” Asriel said, excitement in his voice.

“Surprised they’re still standing,” Chara remarked. “The other kids would’ve used them for target practice by now.” She couldn’t help but feel pleased that her creations had survived.

“Hey, why doesn’t Clover make one?” Asriel suggested, looking at Clover eagerly.

“No,” both Clover and Chara replied at once.

“I don’t know how to make one,” Clover muttered, clearly uninterested.

“We need to get back home before it gets too late,” Chara said firmly.

“Another time, I guess,” Asriel said, a bit deflated.

They continued walking until they were stopped by a puzzle.

“Seriously? We’ve already been through this one,” Chara groaned.

“Yeah, it was super fun!” Asriel beamed. Then, turning to Clover, he added, “Why don’t you give it a shot?”

The puzzle wasn’t that complex—just throw a few snowballs at moving targets. Chara didn’t mean to brag, but she had completed it in fifteen seconds flat. It was one of the fastest records in the Underground.

“Sure,” Clover agreed after a pause.

Chara allowed him to escape her grip, watching closely.

"…"

It was colder without him.

…

…

…

It took them twelve seconds—three whole seconds less than her personal best.

It wasn’t a big deal; really, it wasn’t. But their pride refused to let a human like Clover beat them. So, they did what any self-respecting monster would do: “Let me try.”

“Huh? Chara, you want to go again? Okay!” Asriel said, excited, as he reset the puzzle by pulling the lever on top of the contraption.

…

… 

…

Chara tried over and over to beat Clover’s record, but each time they failed.

But they were determined to outdo him, and finally, they did—by a mere 0.01 seconds.

“U-uh, can… can we go now?” Asriel asked, clearly exhausted from having to pull the lever to reset the puzzle repeatedly.

Chara smiled, triumphant. “Yes. Yes, we can.”

They scanned the area for Clover, only to find him… making a snowman? It was a simple pile of snowballs with a smiley face, nothing elaborate.

“Clover,” Chara called.

“Oh, we’re leaving? Did you finish what you were trying to do?” Clover asked, looking up.

Chara nodded, satisfied with having regained their pride.

“Alright,” Clover said, getting up from the ground. “Lead the way.”

They had let him stray from their watch for long enough. Gripping Clover’s hand once more, they pulled him along.

“Let’s go, Azzy!” they shouted as Asriel crawled down the platform.

“Coming!” Asriel called back.

“Must be nice…” Clover whispered. “To have a brother like that.”

“Yeah… it is.” Chara loosened their grip slightly—just a little.

Clover felt confused by Chara. The other human was sending him mixed signals. Every interaction seemed either friendly or on the verge of them trying to kill him.

“...”

He should honestly be used to this by now. Every friend he’d made on his journey had tried to kill him at some point, only to apologize afterward. Maybe Chara was just the same?

Speaking of which, Chara made the cold more bearable. Snowdin had certainly lived up to its name.

He snickered when he saw the sign for Snowdin Village. Monsters really weren’t that creative, were they? Except for Starlo and Martlet, of course. The Sheriff was truly his worthiest ‘foe,’ and Martlet? She made the best puzzles. Clover wasn’t kidding when he gave her a three on that questionnaire.

…He already missed them a lot.

Strange, considering he’d only known them for about two days. Clover guessed that even the smallest moments could have the biggest impact.

“What’s wrong?” Asriel asked, his voice full of concern.

“Nothing, just a bit tired.”

“…You can rest once we get to River Person,” Chara said, tugging him along.

…Monsters really weren’t that creative, were they?

…

…

…

Snowdin’s town center was filled with child monsters—so many of them. It didn’t help that they swarmed around Asriel almost immediately, eager to play with him.

“Wow, he’s popular!” Clover exclaimed.

“Yeah, a lot of monsters like him for his kindness and helpful nature. He really lives up to his title,” Chara said with a small smile.

“Title?”

“Well, it’s more like our title, but I haven’t done much to earn it yet.” They stepped in front of Clover, “The Future Hope for Humans and Monsters.”

“That’s…”

“A pretty heavy burden to bear for a child, right?” Chara answered for him, their tone sharp.

“Yeah.” Clover’s gaze softened as he looked at Chara.

Chara glared at him. “Don’t give me that look. I’m going to prove, one way or another, that I’m worthy of that title.” They sounded irritated by his ‘pity.’

“No, it’s not that. It just reminds me of something an old friend said.”

“Future Hope for Humans and Monsters, huh?” Clover read the memorial in the UG Apartments.

“Yep! What hope they were, huh? They died before they could do anything.” Flowey popped up from the ground next to him.

“What do you mean?”

“Well! There were six humans that fell before you—” Flowey began to explain.

“But there are only five on the—”

“Let me finish, Gunhat.” Flowey waited for Clover to nod. “Good. Now, as I was saying…”

“Old friend? Do you mean one of the monsters on the rooftop?” Chara asked.

“Not exactly... He told me the story of how the first human died.”

Chara's eyes widened.

“You gave up your soul for monsterkind’s freedom, didn’t you?” It wasn’t a question.

…Did it get colder?

“Yeah.” They turned away. “I did.”

“Then the whiny boy died too. Pathetic, isn’t it?” Flowey concluded, his voice dripping with mockery.

“No, it’s just… so hopeless. Is this why Asgore resorted to killing the humans down here—out of grief? This whole situation... if they only did this because humans trapped them here... it just doesn’t sit right.”

For the first time, Flowey was at a loss for words.

“And that boy didn’t deserve what humanity did to him. I think… if we had met, we would’ve been really good friends.”

Flowey let out a bitter laugh. “You really think so?”

“Yeah,” Clover replied softly. “I do.”

The laughter faltered. “Alright, Clover. Go finish this 'detour' so we can get back on track to reaching Asgore.”

Clover nodded, turning to head toward Martlet.

But before he could leave, Flowey’s voice rang out. “Good luck, partner. You’re going to need it.”

Clover paused, offering him a small smile. “Don’t worry. Whatever happens, happens.”

The two of them sat in silence, waiting for Asriel to return.

Clover cleared his throat, breaking the quiet. “So, uh… want to hear about my time in the Underground?”

The best way to break the ice, he thought—start with something personal, and hope for the best.

Chara gave a small nod, their expression hinting at curiosity.

“...It was the best time of my life,” Clover continued, his voice softening, “and the most soul-crushing.”

“Asriel! Asriel! Asriel!” The kids gathered around him, excitement bubbling in the air.

As fun as it was to be with them, Asriel couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling that he needed to get back to Chara and Clover.

“Asriel!” A reindeer suddenly tugged at his sleeve. It was Rudy, one of the few close friends he spent time with when he wasn’t with Chara.

“Yeah?”

“Is that another human?” Rudy asked, pointing toward Clover and Chara, who were deep in conversation by the ‘Flames’ restaurant. It looked like Asriel’s plan to get them to be friends was actually working!

“Yep! We found him in Home,” Asriel explained, a smile creeping onto his face.

“What’s he like?”

“Clover? They’re super cool!” Asriel’s enthusiasm was genuine. Clover’s cowboy outfit seemed to symbolize justice in a way Asriel admired.

“That’s not exactly helpful, Asriel…” Rudy sighed. “But it looks like the new human is getting along with Chara.”

Chara was laughing, though Clover appeared slightly annoyed.

“I wonder what they’re talking about,” Asriel mused, a curious glint in his eyes.

“It’s not funny!” Clover exclaimed, a hint of frustration in their voice. Chara had just revealed their wicked sense of humor beneath their usually serious exterior. “I got lost in the Corn Maze for ages until Penilla felt bad for me and showed me the way out.” Clover shook their head, baffled. Who finds someone else’s misfortune funny?

“Clover, the exit is right there ! How are you missing it?” Penilla shouted at him.

“I-I DON’T KNOW! I KEEP GETTING STUCK ON THE CORN!” he cried out as another piece of Sweet Corn latched onto him.

“You’re nothing like your name, are you?” Chara asked, clearly amused by Clover’s misadventures in the Dark Ruins.

Clover rubbed his forehead, sighing in exasperation. “You’re not the first to say that…”

“Golly, that’s like... your third big fall!” Flowey laughed as Clover stumbled over to him after falling from the river. “Hurry up, save before you die... Clover..?”

“What?” Clover said, holding out his hand to the star to save his progress.

Flowey laughed even harder. “WOW, you’re nothing like your name. You’re so unlucky!”

“He made fun of me a lot for it,” Clover said with a small smile. Even though Flowey could be a bit of a jerk, he was still one of Clover's best friends.

“Was it your ‘old friend’?” Chara asked, curiosity piqued.

Old friend? Oh, They were talking about Flowey. Clover paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, he’s really mischievous sometimes, but he’s…”

“Dude, no way that’s how humans bond!” Rudy stared at Asriel in disbelief.

“It’s true!” Asriel insisted. “Chara explained it to me when I walked in on them.” He recalled the incident from back at his old home. “It confused me at first when Clover said that line, but now it makes sense.”

“And you’re saying Chara knew his name already, even though it was his first time here?” Rudy asked.

“Yep!”

Rudy practically bounced with excitement. “D-dude… what if they’re like… long-lost lovers or something?”

“AWHA!?” Asriel’s eyes widened in shock. If they could bulge, they would’ve popped right out of his head.

“No, listen. I’ve been reading some of Carol’s novels, and one of them had a similar situation,” Rudy explained, eyes gleaming.

“Why are you reading her books? Aren’t they just romance novels?” Asriel raised an eyebrow.

Rudy gave him a blank stare. “A-anyway… What I’m trying to say is, they might be... y’know...”

Asriel frowned. Contrary to what Chara thought, he wasn’t naïve. “No way. If that were true, she would’ve told me. I’m their best friend after all.”

‘But it wouldn’t hurt to ask them later, in private,’ he thought, mentally adding it to his list of things to do.

Just then, an adult’s voice called out to them. Rudy’s parents were summoning him. “Rudy, come home! It’s almost 7 PM!”

“Aw, man!” Rudy groaned before heading toward his house. “Just think about it, dude!” he called back before disappearing.

Asriel paused, now thinking about it. ‘ It would be kind of cool if that were true,’ he mused.

“Wait, did they say seven? Oh gee, we’re gonna be late if we don’t get moving!” Asriel quickly ran toward the two humans.

Asriel hurried over to Clover and Chara, panicked. “It’s already seven! We need to hurry to the River Person!”

Chara silently mouthed, “Tell me more later.”

“River Person? Don’t you just mail yourselves?” Clover asked, confused.

“Mail yourself?” Asriel replied, bewildered.

‘Ah, right. I’m in the past,’ Clover thought, processing everything. He wasn’t sure if that meant his friends weren’t... Asriel’s concerned expression snapped him back to the moment.

Clover quickly responded, “No particular reason.”

“Okay?” Asriel replied, still looking puzzled.

…

…

…

They made their way to the River Person without much trouble.

Just as Clover was about to board, the River Person stopped him. “Aren’t you forgetting something important?”

Clover quickly checked his belongings. Everything was from his previous journey, well, aside from his items.. “I... I don’t think so?”

The River Person chuckled. “The truly just deserve their reward, don’t they?” They gestured for him to board the boat. “Come now.”

As Clover climbed aboard, the River Person tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned to look, they were staring straight ahead, their focus fixed on the river.

“What was that about?” Chara asked, eyeing Clover curiously.

Clover shrugged and sat down next to Asriel. He wanted to continue the conversation with Chara, but a sense of unease lingered around them. Despite having two other monsters nearby, he wasn’t sure his actions had convinced Chara that he wasn’t a violent murderer. So, he decided it was safer to keep his distance.

“What, afraid I’ll bite?” Chara teased.

'More like worried you’ll stab me,' Clover thought dryly.

He shook his head. “I’m just a little nervous about riding a boat like this.” Clover didn’t have a good track record with boats, even on the surface. He’d crashed more than his fair share.

“Don’t worry, Clover. The River Person uses their magic to create barriers so we won’t fall off!” Asriel reassured him with a grin.

“Yeah, check it out!” Chara exclaimed, falling backward off the boat only to bounce back onto it with ease. “Still a little scary, though,” they mumbled, sounding more uncertain.

“Well, it makes me feel a bit better, I guess,” Clover muttered. “Pretty impressive magic you’ve got, River Person.”

They hummed in acknowledgment. “Where to?”

“Hotland,” Asriel answered. “Sorry if it’s a bit far.”

They laughed. “Little one, don’t fret about it.”

“Okay!” Asriel replied cheerfully, beaming.

The trio shifted around, accidentally rearranging themselves and leaving Clover in the middle.

‘How? Just how?’ Clover wondered with a bemused frown.

“How long does this usually take?” he asked aloud.

“Not too long. We should reach Hotland soon enough,” Asriel replied.

Clover nodded, feeling the boat move swiftly beneath them. Still, he couldn’t help but think that the mailing system was far superior.

…

…

…

They had both fallen asleep on him. Asriel drooled on his left shoulder while Chara nibbled absently on his bandana. This had to be the worst timeline he could be stuck in right now.

“Tra la la, the dead rose to enact a final act of justice,” the River Person hummed softly. “Tra la la, they fall once more into the hands of another…”

Clover stared at them, oddly entranced. There was something about the melody that made him focus more, even though he couldn’t quite grasp why.

“Tra la la, the others desire thirst, yet they know not… Tra la la, foes turned into allies will soon emerge… Tri li li, the end while nigh, is not.”

“...What?” Clover mumbled, completely bewildered.

“Good luck, Clover.” The River Person’s voice echoed faintly as everything around him suddenly went black.

“And they’re going home!” Clover blasted Asgore.

…

…

…

She just couldn’t get it out of her head. Their dad, the one who had taken them in and cared for them as his own, had been vaporized by a child sitting right next to her.

Chara mentally berated herself for acting so friendly with Clover, who, along with Asriel, was sleeping. If it weren’t for Chara witnessing the human’s rampage, she might have been fooled too! But no matter how kind Clover pretended to be, he was, and still is, a threat to the Underground.

Clover had shared part of his journey in the Underground with Chara. So much had changed in just a few years. Home had been dwindling in population for a while, but seeing it fall completely into ruin was disheartening. She was glad Toriel was still around to keep things going.

Thinking of Toriel, Chara hoped she’d be understanding about their late arrival. It would be a problem if they were grounded and unable to keep an eye on Clover. Who knew what dangers he might cause?

“Tra la la…” The River Person hummed again, the same tune they had been humming throughout the boat ride. It was strangely hypnotic.

Chara fidgeted uncomfortably. It wasn’t the best seat for a long journey, and when her foot bumped into something, she looked down to see a satchel.

“Hey,” she called out to the River Person. “Someone forgot their stuff.”

The River Person glanced over. “No, they haven’t. They’re right here, are they not?”

‘What? Is this Asriel’s?’ A devilish thought crossed her mind. ‘He wouldn’t mind if I rummaged through it, would he?’

Asriel had received something similar from the royal scientist. That weirdo claimed it was just a prototype, but it worked like a dimensional box. Gaster was one of the greatest minds down here.

But never mind that. Chara remembered that Asriel kept a stash of candy in here, specifically dark chocolate. How rude of him not to share!

She began digging through the bag, feeling around for anything interesting. She pulled out the first item and—

“Oh my angel, it’s a gun!” Chara exclaimed, startled. There was no way someone as innocent as Asriel would keep one. So that meant... “It’s Clover’s bag. But how?”

“Tra la la, the crossing is soon,” the River Person hummed, oblivious.

Upon closer inspection, Chara realized it was just a toy gun—two bullets max. Still, it was dangerous for someone like Clover to have. Chara decided to hang onto it for now.

‘...It wouldn’t hurt to see what else is in here.’ And so she spent the rest of the boat ride rummaging through Clover’s things. It turned out he had collected a bunch of cool stuff, including sweets from a place called “Oasis” and a fancy holster from “Blackjack.”

She slipped the holster on and placed the toy gun inside.

“Yeehaw,” she muttered to herself with a grin.

‘What am I doing…’ She stopped and frowned at herself. ‘This is so... stupid.’ With a sigh, she placed the bag back over Clover’s shoulder, but not before finishing off all the candy he had stashed.

“I must just be bored,” Chara muttered, chewing on a cupcake as she waited for the boat to reach Hotland.

He swiftly drew his trident, poised to end the human’s life—the one responsible for so much pain to his people.

“And with your Soul, we will be free.” In an instant, he drove the trident into the Human’s blazing Yellow Soul.

But it didn’t kill him. The trident shattered upon hitting the Soul, only serving to enrage the Human further. “You killed children! Your kind revels in it! Y-you... are going to pay!”

Asgore didn’t catch what they said next, as they—

He woke with a shout, breath shallow and frantic. What had that dream been—no, nightmare?

Asgore couldn’t fathom ever harming a human child, let alone allowing Monsterkind to celebrate it. That would be cowardly—freedom at the cost of innocent life was something he would never accept.

But the dream had felt so real. Running his fingers through his disheveled hair, Asgore figured it must have been the side effect of the buttercups Chara had accidentally put in the pie. Thank the Angel he was a Boss Monster, able to recover quickly.

He chuckled at the memory, though it had terrified his family. Still, it was one he treasured. Well, he cherished every moment with them, but this one stood out the most.

Sighing, he realized he shouldn’t linger in the past right now. The CORE project was waiting. Though his presence wasn’t strictly required, it was important for formalities.

Rising from his throne, Asgore carefully stepped through the flowers to leave—or, at least, he would have, had a panicked monster not barged in.

“A-As-asog–” the Moon Monster gasped.

Asgore immediately approached. “Breathe,” he commanded.

Once the monster steadied their breath, they blurted out, “The Marshlands... the uninhabited area... has split into two towns—The Oasis and Wild East!”

“What?” Asgore’s disbelief was evident. “Apologies, but could you repeat that?” he asked, voice steady despite the rising concern.

The monster saluted shakily. “Of course, sir! Two towns have appeared in the Marshlands, in the uninhabited region. They’re called the Oasis and Wild East!”

“Are they dangerous?” Asgore’s tone was controlled, but his mind raced.

“They’re armed. They shoot at us when we try to approach!”

“Armed?” Monsters with weapons were rare, and for them to use them effectively was even rarer.

“...Guns?” the Moon Monster hesitated.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me...’ Asgore’s headache flared. Guns were virtually unheard of—any materials for them were better suited for other projects. Besides, guns were inefficient—slow to reload, something which left the user exposed.

“How many are there?” he asked, a sinking feeling in his chest.

“O-o-our scouts spotted at least ten monsters,” the Moon Monster stammered.

That wasn’t ideal, but it was manageable. Asgore could talk them down, surely. If he approached this right, he could calm the frightened monsters—likely as confused as he was by their sudden appearance in his kingdom.

A headache, but not an impossible problem. He could resolve this peacefully, if he acted quickly.

“Redirect all traffic away from the area. I’ll handle this personally.” The CORE project could wait—this was more important. “And tell Tori I won’t be home today.”

Had they lingered a moment longer in the throne room, they would have heard a sudden, deafening explosion echoing from the barrier.

----- "Kitten Around" Word Count: 1693 ------

It had become apparent to Chara Dreemurr that they had lost something invaluable.

What exactly was that?

...Their height to Clover, that was.

When they were children, the difference hadn't been particularly noticeable. In fact, it had been fairly benign. But as the years passed, their growth seemed to slow while Clover's showed no signs of stopping.

Had they accepted this cruel twist of fate?

Of course not.

They had tried everything to make up for the difference. Padding their shoes. Standing on their tiptoes whenever possible.

…Heels.

They grimaced.

That particular experiment had ended in disaster. They still refused to discuss it.

Unfortunately, determination could only carry a person so far. Apparently, the cowpoke was one of the few things in existence stronger than their own stubbornness.

Eventually, they had been forced to concede defeat.

Truthfully, they'd mostly forgotten about their grudge by now.

...At least until they spotted Clover absentmindedly patting Kanako on the head.

Something unpleasant twisted in their chest.

Was it childish?

Absolutely.

Did they want that?

Obviously not.

...

Maybe…?

Fine, they wanted it a little bit.

The admission alone was enough to make them want to crawl into the nearest hole and never emerge. 

Regardless, they weren't about to sacrifice their dignity by actually asking for it.

So, with all the grace and maturity expected of a responsible young adult, Chara shoved the thought into the deepest corner of their mind and pretended it didn't exist.

The fact that it immediately refused to stay there was entirely beside the point.

—---------

Clover had been having a strange day.

It had started with Martlet asking for help with a new puzzle she was designing.

That wasn't unusual, they always loved helping their friends given the chance.

What was unusual was that the puzzle somehow involved several bundles of yarn, a handful of wooden planks, and a concerning number of magma balls.

Clover still wasn't entirely sure what the puzzle was supposed to be or how it was supposed to work.

…Mostly because the puzzle had gone up to an inferno before Martlet could finish explaining it.

—-

—-

"Clover, do you think it's a good idea to put the magma balls near the yarn?" Martlet asked, hammering a wooden plank into a nearby wall.

Clover glanced over to the two objects that were placed on top of eachother.

Then, they confidently gave her a thumbs-up.

"Yeah! If we keep everything in one place, it'll be easier to–!"

FWOOOSH!

—-

—-

In hindsight, perhaps those materials should have been stored in separate areas. That was a lesson both of them had learned very quickly.

…And by ‘learned,’ Clover meant ‘stood there watching the fire spread for several seconds before panicking.’

Still, that had only been one part of their day.

The next incident had taken place at Starlo's.

It was supposed to have been a simple performance for the townsfolk. A harmless little play where the Feisty four and Clover would "rob the Bank of New Home" before North Star inevitably swooped in to save the day.

Unfortunately, somebody had neglected to inform a certain member of the Royal Guard that it was a performance.

—

—

"NYAAAHHHHHH!!!"

Undyne descended from seemingly nowhere and body-slammed Ed into the pavement.

The resulting impact shook the street with the remaining members of the Feisty four scattered instantly.

"N-North Star!" Clover wheezed, already running for their life. "Got any more grand ideas for us!?"

The sheriff shot them an offended look while sprinting alongside them.

"CLOVER, YOU CAN BE MAD AT ME ALL YOU WANT LATER, BUT—ACK!"

A blue blur shot past Clover.

"GOTCHA!!!"

Undyne seized Starlo by the collar and drove him face-first into the ground.

The sheriff let out a muffled yelp.

Undyne triumphantly planted a foot on his back before turning toward Clover.

A grin spread across her face.

"NOW FOR YOU!"

—

—

The fact that Clover had escaped at all was nothing short of a miracle.

A miracle that had involved a great deal of screaming.

And running.

Mostly screaming though.

By the time they finally found somewhere safe to catch their breath, their legs felt like they were about to fall off.

Still, as exhausting as the ordeal had been, it wasn't what stood out most about the day.

After that messy ordeal, Clover decided to rest at Ceroba's house.

Not long after arriving, they ran into Kanako. Who, despite being a teenager now, was still their adorable little sister as far as they were concerned. 

Naturally, as the cool and awesome older sibling that they were, they gave the young kitsune a quick pat on the head. Kanako smiled, and Clover thought nothing of it. It was such a normal interaction that they barely registered doing it.

What they didn't notice was Chara watching from nearby.

Normally, it wouldn't have mattered.

It certainly shouldn't have mattered. 

Yet ever since that seemingly innocent headpat, Chara had been acting... oddly. 

Most people probably wouldn't have noticed anything unusual, but Clover had known them long enough to recognize when something was bothering them. They kept lingering nearby, throwing glances in their direction before quickly looking away whenever they caught them. Whenever they tried talking to them, they seemed distracted, only half-listening before abruptly changing the subject. More than once they had caught them staring at their hands with an expression that suggested they were contemplating something deeply important.

Their behavior had only grown stranger as the evening went on, eventually leading Clover to the current moment with Chara.

Something was definitely going on.

The question was what.

…

…

…

"What..." Clover stared down at Chara in complete bewilderment. "What are you doing?"

"Standing in front of you?" Chara replied, sounding just as confused by the question.

"I mean, yeah, but..." Clover scratched the back of their neck. They were standing so close that they barely had room to move without bumping into them. "Why are you so close?"

Chara huffed and crossed their arms. "Is it so wrong to want to be near the person I love?"

"N-No! It's not!" Clover quickly said. "It's just... you've never done this before."

"...I suppose."

The conversation died there.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), Chara did not move.

They simply remained where they were, occupying Clover's personal space with the stubbornness of a particularly uncooperative cat.

Every time they shifted to one side, Chara shifted with them.

They weren't even trying to hide it.

And yet whenever Clover looked at them expectantly, they acted as though they were the strange one.

It had been going on for nearly half an hour at this point.

Clover was beginning to lose his mind.

They wanted something, something big if it warranted them doing this.

The problem was figuring out what.

Their first thought was cuddling.

That idea lasted all of three seconds.

Chara usually only sought that out when they were overwhelmed or upset, and as far as Clover knew, nothing had happened recently that would warrant it.

Maybe they wanted to go on a date?

‘No…’

They immediately discarded that possibility too.

Chara tended to be spontaneous when it came to dates. More often than not, they started with a mischievous grin and ended with property damage.

The statue in New Home that mysteriously acquired a fancy new mustache came to mind.

So did several other incidents that Chara insisted were "artistic improvements."

A kiss?

No, that didn't make sense either.

Chara had established that boundary early in their relationship. They wanted to give clear verbal permission before anything like that happened, and Clover had always respected it.

So what was it?

As they wracked their brain for answers, Chara quietly stepped even closer.

Clover froze.

Chara looked up at them.

"What?" they asked.

Clover stared.

"I feel like I'm supposed to be asking that."

—---------

It had become apparent to Chara Dreemurr that they were a complete idiot.

They had been standing in front of Clover for over half an hour attempting to communicate a very simple desire without actually saying it.

And Clover, somehow, still hadn’t understood.

Which was infuriating.

Because they wanted it.

Obviously.

They had been certain it was obvious.

Apparently, it was not.

“U-um… is this about me calling you a shorty a day ago?” Clover asked nervously.

Chara blinked.

Shorty?

Yesterday?

Their mind went back to yesterday to a memory that it would make the most sense.

The upper cabinet with the bread.

A completely unnecessary struggle to reach something that Clover had, without thinking, simply grabbed for them.

So that’s what they called them.

How unfortunate.

That meant their carefully curated indifferent silence had been interpreted as being offended by height-related humor.

“I’m sorry if that hurt your feelings, do you–?”

Chara let out a long, silent sigh.

This was going nowhere.

They were going to have to sacrifice their dignity.

Again.

“—I’ll get the chocolate brand you—?” Clover blinked as Chara suddenly grabbed their hand. “Want...?”

Chara didn’t answer them.

“What are you—?”

“I’ve had enough of this.”

Before Clover could react, Chara pulled their hand up and placed it directly on top of their head.

They stared at them.

Waiting.

Clover stared back.

“…Uh.”

Chara’s eye twitched.

“Hurry up.”

“I’m so lost right now.”

“Do the thing you did with Kanako.”

That landed.

Clover froze mid-thought. “...You want me to pat your head?”

Chara narrowed their eyes.

“I feel like you’re asking too many questions.”

“A-ah sorry.”

A pause.

Then, cautiously, Clover gave a small pat.

Pat. Pat.

...

It was warm.

Comfortable.

Safe.

Infuriatingly so.

So this was what Kanako had reacted to.

Ridiculous.

Simply ridiculous.

Completely undignified too.

But… they understood it now.

Chara immediately stepped back as if burned, releasing their hand in the process.

“I will request more later,” they said flatly, already turning away. “I will notify you when.”

Clover blinked. “S-sure…?”

Without waiting for any further questions Chara briskly walked away, they needed to get away from whatever this was before their own heart exploded.

—---------

Clover stood there in stunned silence, staring at the empty space where Chara had just been.

“Did… did that just happen?”

------------------------------------------- Oh yeah, I've been starving to do some oneshots prompts, so when I saw this pop up in my feed I did it as fast as I could!

------------------------- Chapter 1 of Gunpowder and Cocoa Don't Mix Very Well "A Journey's End..." Notes:

Ta-dah! I reworked chapter 1 so it made the rest of the chapters make more sense!

I basically tweaked this one while fixing major issues that this chapter had. Chapter 2 hasn't been reworked but I'll just do that at a later date.

The battle raging on the second-highest point of New Home was going surprisingly well for Clover.

Well, aside from the fact that he had to die—a lot—to make it this far. Whether struck by lightning or pierced by a bullet, he had been revived time and time again by a close ally. Something about ‘loading his save file,’ whatever that meant.

“Why won’t you die!?” The Kitsune in front of him hurled another barrage of fireballs, her voice a mix of rage and desperation. Clover weaved through the onslaught and retaliated with a charged soul bullet. The shot pierced through her fiery attacks and struck the barrier, cracking her shield.

Clover said nothing. As usual, he fought in silence. Words had rarely been necessary on this journey; he only spoke when information was needed—or when someone else forced him to.

The Kitsune’s hands glowed as she flung paralyzing magic his way. He failed to dodge this time, his body freezing up just as she summoned a geyser beneath him. The scalding water sent him sprawling. “Don’t you understand what’s at stake here?” she shouted. “The future of Monsterkind!”

‘One more…’ The thought burned in his mind as he forced himself to move. Ignoring the ache in his limbs, he took aim and fired another soul bullet, breaking through her shield and leaving her momentarily stunned. He fell to his knees, panting but resolute. He couldn’t stop now. Not when he was so close.

He had to finish what he started.

The Kitsune stumbled back, conjuring a fragile barrier in her panic. Clover’s eyes narrowed, immediately picking out the weak points. His shots were swift, each one finding its mark. Her barrier splintered under the onslaught, and she trembled.

“What did you expect when you came down here?” she spat, her voice strained. “That the human children would be living peacefully with us?”

Truthfully, Clover hadn’t expected peace. He had jumped down here knowing there would be some sort of conflict, but not like this. Her words stirred something deep within him—Justice. For the children. For what needed to be done.

“You living will only prolong our suffering!” she cried, her voice cracking as she unleashed a desperate barrage of fire and water from beneath him. “Just... just die already!” But Clover could tell she didn’t mean it. Despite her words, there was hesitation, even pain. They had traveled through the Steamworks together. That bond, however strained, could not be erased.

Dodging the last geyser, Clover took aim one final time. His shot shattered her weakened barrier completely, and she collapsed to the ground. This was his chance. He moved swiftly toward her, reaching for the mask that radiated with her borrowed power.

But the mask didn’t break. It only cracked.

And as it did, the world around him was consumed by an overwhelming, blinding light.

A male fox lay on the bed, his body wracked with violent coughing. His voice was faint but determined as he rasped, “Ceroba… p-promise me... you’ll finish my r-research. Even if Asgore b-becomes a god…”

Ceroba nodded, her expression heavy with sorrow. “He won’t be able to defeat humanity, will he?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Chujin gave a weak, bitter smile. “I-I know their cruel nature. Th-they wouldn’t hesitate to p-put us back down here… after killing Asgore.” His breath hitched, and his body shuddered as his soul flickered and cracked. “The only way for—” He cried out in pain, his words breaking as the fracture in his soul deepened. “Argh!”

“Chujin!” Panic surged in her voice. Was this it? Was her husband truly about to…?

He forced himself to speak, his words labored but resolute. “The only way for monsterkind to secure their freedom… the only way to keep Kanako safe… it’s in my lab. U-underneath our table…” His soul cracked further, dark blue spreading across it like an unstoppable tide. His gaze softened, the fight within him fading. “Tell… Kanako… I’m sorry.”

And then, in an instant, his body dissolved into dust before Ceroba’s eyes. She sat frozen, her trembling hands clutching at the air where he had been. Words failed her. All she could do was stare at the empty space, her mind struggling to grasp what had just happened.

The sound of hurried footsteps broke through her haze. Kanako burst into the room, her small frame shaking with sobs. “Mommy! Is Daddy—?!”

Ceroba turned to her daughter, tears streaming down her cheeks. Without hesitation, she pulled Kanako into a tight embrace. “I… Daddy… Yes, he…” Her voice faltered, but she forced the words out, her tears falling onto Kanako’s fur. “He’ll be gone… for a while.”

Kanako’s cries grew louder as she clung to her mother, and together they sank to the floor, holding one another as grief enveloped them. The room felt impossibly quiet, save for the sound of their shared sorrow echoing in the stillness.

“What… RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO SEE THAT!?” Ceroba’s voice rang with fury, her grief boiling over into unrestrained rage. Clover had accidentally seen her husband’s death, a memory that wasn’t his to witness.

Her anger poured into her attacks, making them faster, stronger, and more relentless. Clover could barely dodge her strikes, each one leaving scorch marks across the battlefield. When her attacks landed, they hit with devastating force. He winced, silently thanking his past self for taking the time to collect all those Golden items. Without them, he would’ve been ash by now.

“Are you satisfied!?” she screamed, hurling another barrage of fire blasts his way. “Satisfied with making me relive one of my worst memories!?”

Her anguish should have enraged Clover, pushed him to strike back harder. But as he dodged her flames, what he saw wasn’t an enemy. It was a grieving widow, desperate to honor her husband’s dying wish. Her pain radiated with every spell, every fiery lash aimed his way.

‘...No. She’s wrong. Isn’t she?’

But then, unbidden, a memory surfaced—words from Starlo, spoken with bitter resignation during their fight:

"But now I've realized the truth... This sheriff stuff? It's worthless. We all tout justice, but... True Underground status is only secured through pain. Monsterkind's Hero is a title soaked in blood. In the end... we're nothin' but bandits."

The thought pierced through Clover like an arrow. ‘They’re desperate for freedom,’ he realized. ‘Freedom that we… that I’ll take away from them.’ If Clover succeeded—if he took the souls back to the surface—he wouldn’t just save the children. He’d condemn his friends to be unable to see the surface, the sun.

‘And that… that ain’t what a real Cowboy would do.’

His soul pulsed with newfound strength as Ceroba unleashed her next move—a blazing ring of fire meant to trap him, an inescapable inferno. But Clover didn’t flinch. With a burst of speed, he dashed straight through the attack, the flames parting around him as if the fire itself recognized his resolve.

The real fight had begun.

Despite the storm of conflicting emotions swirling within him, Clover pressed forward. His soul beat like a drum, pounding with Determination to see this through. Ceroba staggered under the intensity of his counterattacks, forced onto the defensive. She conjured a barrier, but Clover shattered it with unerring precision, forcing her back to her knees.

He knew what he had to do.

Charging his weapon, he focused his soul’s energy—not just power, but something deeper. A blast not of rage, but of Justice. The shot hurtled toward her mask, striking with enough force to send cracks splintering across its surface.

For a moment, it seemed like this was the end.

But as the mask cracked, a blinding light engulfed the battlefield, cutting through everything.

Ceroba rifled through Chujin’s file cabinet, her hands trembling with urgency. Papers and folders cluttered the floor as she searched. “The tapes said it would be in… Aha! Found it!” Her voice was a mix of triumph and dread as she pulled out a syringe filled with a glowing substance. She knew the grim truth—she’d never gain access to a Boss Monster subject. Her only hope was to modify the serum to work on normal monsters.

“Mom?” A small voice startled her from behind. Ceroba turned sharply, finding Kanako standing in the doorway, her wide eyes filled with curiosity. “What are you doing?”

Panic flared in Ceroba’s chest. She instinctively hid the syringe behind her back. “N-nothing, sweetie. Just go back to bed.”

Kanako tilted her head, her expression unwavering. “It’s about Daddy, isn’t it?”

Bullseye. Kanako’s intuition was as sharp as ever—just like Chujin’s. Ceroba sighed, lowering her head. “Yes, but it doesn’t—”

“I want to help!” Kanako interrupted, her tone insistent. “I watched the tapes. You need a Boss Monster, right?”

Ceroba’s heart sank. No, no, no, not you. Her bold little girl had always been fearless, but this… this was too much.

“I have the genes,” Kanako continued, stepping closer. “Let me help!”

Ceroba’s instincts screamed at her to refuse. Kanako was her child, not some experiment. But logic clawed at her resolve. Adapting the serum for normal monsters could take a lifetime—a lifetime they didn’t have. Still, her maternal instincts refused to budge.

“No,” she said firmly.

Kanako didn’t flinch. She crossed her arms and planted her feet. “I’m not leaving until you agree.”

Stubborn. Ceroba almost laughed at the bitter irony. “This is really our child, isn’t it, Chujin?” she murmured under her breath. Kanako’s determination mirrored her father’s, and it broke Ceroba’s heart. Her daughter, so young and full of promise, was willing to risk everything for Monsterkind—a desperation that reflected the dire state they were all in.

Ceroba’s resolve wavered. “...Fine,” she relented, her voice barely above a whisper. “But promise me. The moment you feel anything strange, you tell me. Do you understand?”

Kanako’s face lit up with a smile. “Okay!” she chirped, her enthusiasm piercing through Ceroba’s guilt.

Adorable, Ceroba thought with a heavy heart. She knelt down, gently taking Kanako’s arm in her hands. “Promise me again,” she said, her tone more serious. “If anything feels odd, you pull away. No matter what.”

“I promise,” Kanako replied, her voice steady.

With trembling hands, Ceroba injected the serum into Kanako’s arm.

At first, everything seemed fine. Kanako felt no pain, no discomfort. That night, Ceroba stayed up monitoring her, watching over her as she slept. For the first time in weeks, hope glimmered in Ceroba’s heart.

But the next day, that hope shattered. Kanako collapsed, her body trembling as her soul began to crack. The human soul within the serum was fighting back.

Panic overtook Ceroba. She sent Kanako to the lab, hoping Alphys could save her. It was the only solution she could think of. It was also her biggest mistake.

Ceroba never saw her daughter again.

That day, she learned a harsh truth. To save Kanako, and to secure Monsterkind’s future, she would need more than science. She would need a pure-hearted human, someone who could endure the burden of dying and allow  monsters to become equal in terms of power without succumbing to it.

Just like what Chujin would have wanted.

When the two of them came to, neither spoke. The silence between them was deafening, filled only with the tension of what was left unsaid.

Clover noticed it almost immediately—Ceroba’s attacks were growing stronger, each strike more ferocious than the last. It wasn’t just raw power; it was something deeper. Was this the strength of a mother’s love? The unrelenting drive to see her child again? That was her goal, after all—the reason she had braved the perils of the Steamworks.

And the cruelest irony? Her husband had been right all along. Even if Asgore became a god, humanity wouldn’t hesitate to obliterate him and his kingdom with all the force it could muster. Monsterkind’s freedom, their survival, wasn’t guaranteed by power. Yet Ceroba fought on, clinging to the only hope she had left.

And there Clover stood, the one obstacle between her and that hope. Not just hers, but his friends’ freedom too—the friends who had given him the best days of his life. The ones who had shown him kindness, who had laughed with him and made him their deputy. Friends who had trusted him, who had believed in him enough to bend the rules, to risk their own safety for him.

And now, here he was, in their way.

The realization hit him hard. His heart ached, his mind raced, but there was no hesitation. He knew what had to come after this battle. What had to be done, not for himself, but for them.

His soul surged, no longer pulsing with Determination, but something stronger—something clearer.

It pulsed with JUSTICE.

…

…

…

Clover weaved deftly through the chaos, reloading his revolver with soul bullets as he moved. This was it—it was over for Ceroba. Justice would be served. He steadied his aim at her barrier and fired, the shot piercing through her shield and shattering her mask.

“N-NO!” Ceroba screamed, clutching the crumbling remains of her mask in her hands.

She fell to the ground unceremoniously, her body limp with defeat.

“My love… my child… all gone.” Her voice cracked under the weight of her grief. “Why wouldn’t you just… I swore I had the key. Saving Monsterkind from their demise… carrying on his legacy… It was worth the risk to me. But now? Now my life is over.” Her words were laced with bitterness and regret. “I have done unforgivable things. I let my husband work himself to death... I put my precious little girl through hell…”

Her gaze lifted weakly, scanning the battlefield.

“And… Oh god.” Her eyes locked on the two monsters slumped against the wall. “Star… Martlet…” Her head fell forward again, trembling with sorrow. “All for a chance to make a difference. A chance. I don’t think I can bear this weight any longer.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You won this battle. Do what needs to be done.”

Clover approached her slowly, gun in hand. Ceroba shut her eyes, bracing herself. For a fleeting moment, she welcomed it—the thought of finally reuniting with her family in peace.

But instead of the cold finality she expected, she felt warmth. Clover wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.

“It’s okay,” he said softly.

Ceroba’s eyes snapped open, stunned. “Why?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

Before Clover could respond, another voice broke the silence.

“Ceroba.”

She looked up, her breath catching. Starlo was on his feet, leaning heavily against the wall but alive.

Clover stepped back, giving them space as Starlo took a shaky step forward.

“You beat me up… pretty b-badly, huh?” Starlo said with a weak smile, his voice strained but unmistakably kind.

“S-Star, I—” Ceroba stammered, her eyes glistening with tears.

“Don’t sweat it too much,” he interrupted gently. “I reckon I deserved it for the Wild East fiasco.” His cowboy drawl faded, replaced by the soft timbre of his true voice.

Ceroba remained silent, too ashamed to meet the eyes of the two standing before her.

Starlo broke the tension with a small smirk. “Heck of a hit, though. I didn’t know you had that in you.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” Ceroba whispered, her voice trembling.

Before anyone could respond, Martlet groaned and stirred. The trio looked on in shock as she slowly sat up—she had taken Ceroba’s magic head-on, and yet, here she was.

“Wh… Where am I?” Martlet muttered, her head spinning. But as the memories returned, she quickly turned and grabbed Clover by the arm. “Clover! We gotta get out of here! Hu—”

Ceroba interrupted her, her voice low and steady. “No, it’s finished. Clover… Clover won.”

Starlo’s jaw dropped. “Y’all had a fight? And the deputy won?” He tilted his hat down over his face, muttering, “My lessons worked…”

Martlet, still trying to piece everything together, blinked in confusion. “Wait… How much did I miss?”

Ceroba shook her head, at a loss for words. “I—I don’t know what to do. Nothing I do will change reality. I did something inexcusable. And for nothing…”

Starlo stepped forward, his voice gentle but firm. “Hey. Where was I a few hours ago?” Ceroba glanced at him, confused. “In this same situation,” he continued. “My judgment was clouded, and I screwed up. But you know what you did? You forgave me. The posse did too. We both did bad things—no sugar-coating that.”

Clover watched quietly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Maybe it was safe now to do what was needed. Yet a part of him hesitated. Why?

“But there is hope,” Starlo added, his tone unwavering. “At least, that’s what I believe.”

Martlet, still groggy but sharp, chimed in. “I… I can’t begin to grasp what you’ve gone through, Ceroba. But this? This was an absolutely horrible way of dealing with it.” Ceroba remained silent, her shame deepening. “You can’t change what happened. You’re right about that,” Martlet said. “But you can control what you do from here. Your actions matter.”

The weight of their words began to sink in, but Ceroba clung to one final defense. “Chujin… His legacy, his final wish. It will never be fulfilled.”

Martlet’s expression softened, her voice somber. “Chujin might not have been the perfect monster I thought he was. But even his darkest choices came from a place of love. And that? That’s his legacy. Not some serum to ‘save the world.’ It’s everyone he helped—that’s what matters.”

Clover’s thoughts drifted back to Chujin. ‘He didn’t mean for Axis to blast that human… Even he looked disturbed when he recounted it.’

“Martlet’s right,” Clover said, stepping forward. “He made life down here so much more bearable. And for that, he has my respect.”

Ceroba’s defenses crumbled at last. “I never thought about it like that…” Her voice cracked as tears began to fall. “What the hell was I thinking? I was so tunnel-visioned, so… lost…”

Starlo placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “We can work through this,” he said softly. “We’re here for you. And we always will be.”

‘This is it! This is the run!’ Flowey’s grin stretched unnaturally wide as he watched from the shadows. ‘Clover’s about to reach the king after this little detour. And the souls… oh, the souls… they’ll be mine!’

He had been glued to Clover’s fight with Ceroba, his petals practically trembling with glee. That power-up Ceroba had pulled off? Deliciously dramatic. It had made her nearly half as strong as Asgore himself. And yet, Clover didn’t die. Not even once.

‘Impressive,’ Flowey thought with a dark chuckle. It meant Clover could actually beat Asgore, and that was perfect.

But now? Watching them have a heartwarming little reunion was nauseatingly dull. Flowey’s vine curled into the dirt as he let out an exaggerated sigh. ‘Touching, really,’ he thought, rolling his eyes. Still, this outcome had its perks. Martlet hadn’t asked Clover to be her “roommate” during that rooftop heart-to-heart, which meant Clover had no reason to stick around.

Flowey giggled to himself, his laughter echoing faintly. The adults were already starting to argue, their voices rising and falling like a bitter symphony. It was just as he liked it—messy and chaotic. ‘After so, so many runs, this is finally it. I’ll get what I deserve!’

But then his laughter stopped cold. His eyes widened as he noticed something strange. Clover had pulled out his soul, holding it in front of him with an uncharacteristic stillness.

‘Wait… what is he doing?’ Flowey’s grin faltered, and unease crept into his voice. 

“No, no, no. He wouldn’t. He’s so close to the goal!”

Flowey’s vines twitched restlessly as he stared, his mind racing. For the first time in what felt like forever, dread slithered into his chest.

Clover blocked out the noise. The arguments—it all faded into the background. They were his friends, yes, but… he needed to think. The echoes of their voices swirled in his mind, reminding him of what had to be done.

"You probably want to go home, don’tcha?" Flowey’s sly, ever-present voice slithered into his thoughts. His companion throughout the journey. His guide.

"Humanity already won by trapping us down here, yet they keep twisting the knife." Ceroba’s voice was heavy with bitterness, grounding him in the harsh reality.

"You must have places to go, correct? The Castle… The Barrier." The words reminded him of his desire to live, to move forward.

"I did everything in my power to entertain… so monsters wouldn’t have to worry about being stuck down here." Starlo’s wistful tone echoed the Underground’s collective despair.

"Anyway, we’ll bypass the Royal Guard and plead your case to Asgore!" Martlet’s hope-filled words replayed in his mind, a memory of that pivotal boat ride that had brought him to this moment.

"Remember your real mission, Clover." Flowey’s desperate voice cut through, insistently pulling him toward his goal.

"Asgore only needs two more Souls to shatter the barrier." Ceroba’s grim reminder struck like a hammer blow. Asgore wasn’t just a king—he was a threat.

"What a world it would be if I had two whole friends." Dalv’s warm smile when they reunited in Snowdin surfaced in his mind. The dreams of everyone down here depended on him.

"Most might act cheerful, but life down here… it’s hopeless." Starlo’s quiet confession lingered, heavy and undeniable.

‘It’s time,’ Clover thought, his resolve crystallizing. ‘If it’s for my friends’ freedom…’

He manifested his soul in front of his body, its glow steady and purposeful.

"...The five children you set out to find in the first place…"

"Despite its ups and downs, our little adventure was a blast."

"Asgore’s still out there threatening human lives!"

"I MUST THANK YOU FOR OPENING MY EYES."

"Keep your head in the game!"

"Turns out you’re a pretty damn good leader, Clover!"

"Come on, Clover!"

"You are a kind soul. One of the best I’ve met."

"C l o v e r!!!"

Their voices called out to him, louder and louder, their faith and dreams intertwining with his own. Clover’s grip on his resolve tightened.

“Clover!” Starlo’s voice broke through the rising tension, filled with shock.

“Clover, what are you doing!?” Martlet’s concern was clear in her tone.

“Hey…!” Ceroba’s wide-eyed gaze locked on him, her voice trembling with disbelief.

“Clover… w-what’s going on? Y-you’re scaring us here.” Martlet’s voice trembled, her eyes wide with the realization of what was about to happen.

“It’s time,” Clover said simply, his tone unwavering.

Martlet’s face drained of color. “W-what does that mean?”

Clover’s lips curled into a soft, bittersweet smile. “It’s time to go.”

Starlo and Martlet’s eyes widened, their protests quick and desperate. They spoke of a plan, of something, anything to prevent him from sacrificing himself. They didn’t want him to die.

But Ceroba’s voice broke through their frantic attempts to reach him. “You’re serious.”

Clover nodded, his resolve unshaken.

Starlo and Martlet were barely holding it together. Ceroba's voice faltered as she whispered, “...I understand.”

Starlo turned to Ceroba, breathless. “Ceroba…”

“We’ve been selfish this whole time, haven’t we?” Ceroba’s words were laden with regret. “Dragging him around without Clover having a say... Selfish.” Her gaze softened as she looked at him. “They came here of their own volition… They deserve to leave on their own terms too.” Her voice shook at the end, heavy with emotion.

“But—” Starlo’s voice cracked, but Martlet spoke before he could continue.

“As much as we want to stop you…” Martlet’s eyes met Clover’s, filled with understanding. “I can see it in your eyes. It’s about our freedom, isn’t it?”

‘Spot on as always, Martlet,’ Clover thought, a quiet acknowledgment of her insight.

“Clover,” Starlo said, his voice softer now, knowing this would be their last moment together. “You are the bravest, most selfless human I’ve ever met. Of course, I only met one… But if I ever meet another, I hope they’re like you. I’d promote you to sheriff… but lord knows you deserve so much more than that.”

Martlet stepped forward, her arms wrapping around Clover in a tight bear hug.

Starlo joined in, pulling both of them into the embrace. Noticing Ceroba standing apart, he gently urged her forward. She hesitated but then joined the hug, the quiet understanding of the moment passing between them all.

They stayed like that for a few moments, no words needed. Their feelings had already been expressed.

Before Starlo could leave, Clover handed him back his gun, the weapon no longer necessary for his rest.

Starlo smiled, though his expression was bittersweet. “Heh, you got a receipt for that?” His smile trembled. “Thanks, Clover.”

Clover then beckoned Martlet over and handed her his hat.

“You truly changed my life, you know that?” Martlet’s voice was hollow as she spoke, her eyes clouded with sadness. “How am I supposed to know you’re human now, huh?” She furrowed her brows, trying to smile despite the pain. “I’m sorry that the world is like this. But people like you make it a better place. Thank you.”

“We’ll… We’ll be waiting outside,” Starlo said, his voice barely above a whisper as he left with Martlet.

And just like that, the duo walked away, leaving Clover and Ceroba standing there.

Ceroba approached him, a Soul container in hand. “You’ve earned my respect. I mean it.”

Clover gave a silent nod, his pulse weakening but still steady. The vibrant yellow of his soul swirled with red as she placed it gently into the container.

Then, Ceroba faltered, unable to look at him. “Do… Do you want me to stay?”

“…It’s okay. Go on.” Clover’s voice was weak, the weariness seeping in, but he wasn’t ready to collapse just yet. “I’ll… I’ll be okay.”

“Very well…” Ceroba’s eyes welled with tears again. “This won’t be forgotten, Clover. Goodbye.” She left, joining the others.

Once she was gone, Clover collapsed onto the ground. Was this what it felt like for the other humans? He didn’t know, and it didn’t matter now. True Justice had been upheld. The next human might change everything. He had done his part.

Flowey suddenly appeared, rising from the ground with his usual smirk. “So, this is it?”

Clover struggled to lift his head, trying to see the familiar face one last time.

“All that work, just to become another cog in the machine?” Flowey’s voice oozed mockery. “Heh, you’ve grown so predictable! I could undo all of this right now—”

‘No! Don’t—’

“But… Maybe you’ve earned your rest. After all, there’s always another. Can’t say it’s been fun, so… I suppose this is where we part ways.”

Typical. Flowey couldn’t even be open with him at the end.

“Oh, who am I kidding?” Flowey’s fake grin melted into something genuine. “Until we meet again… Friend.” And with that, he sank back into the ground, leaving Clover alone.

Clover crawled over to the wall, trying to make himself comfortable. He gazed at the sky above, taking in the beauty of the world outside, knowing that his friends would someday see it too.

Funnily enough, it was high noon.

Why did it have to be like this? Why did he have to be like Chara? Out of all the humans, it had to be him. Flowey wasn’t lying, though. He really did see Clover as a friend. Even if Clover was just a tool to him, Flowey had started to enjoy the unpredictability of Clover’s actions. Each run had been... interesting.

But, of course, everything had to come to an end. The next human would eventually appear. To keep himself from being tempted to undo all of it, Flowey knew he had to overwrite Clover’s file.

He pulled it up, his roots and petals swaying in anticipation, the save button right in front of him. Just as he was about to press it—

“H E L P M E !” Martlet’s scream echoed as she finally  dissolved into dust. True Justice had yet to be upheld though.

Flowey was livid. Clover had given away his position, and now the Underground would be on alert, with Asgore’s castle defenses up. “What were you thinking!? The castle’s defenses are going to be up now!” If Flowey had his hands, he would’ve been strangling Clover on the spot. 

“You—YOU BETTER BREAK DOWN THOSE DAMN WALLS AND GET ME MY SOU—”

‘Uh oh.’

“Your souls, I mean,” Flowey quickly corrected himself, trying to cover his mistake. Clover stared at him, unfazed. “W-wait, why are you looking at me like that? I meant your souls. Really!”

Clover didn’t respond. He just pulled out his gun and aimed it at Flowey.

“They don’t belong to you. They never will,” Clover said flatly, his voice unwavering.

“Ugh! Another dead end… Fine, whatever. I’ll just try again,” Flowey muttered, pulling up his save file, but nothing happened. “What? WHAT?!” He glared at Clover. “So you’re really going to backstab me now? I’m no stranger to that!”

Flowey lunged to attack Clover, but Clover reloaded. He tried to take the gun, but Clover reloaded again. He tried to escape, but Clover reloaded.

This was it. “...Hah,” Flowey chuckled bitterly. “I hated every moment we spent together! The only times I ever felt joy were when you died a painful, horrible death! Over and over again. I know how this ends.”

Clover’s hand never wavered, he kept his aim steady.

“That castle might as well be your grave!” Flowey screeched, fury filling his voice. The first bullet hit him squarely. These weren’t friendliness bullets anymore. No, these were yellow bullets of vengeance.

Flowey’s laughter died in his throat as he saw her.

Chara. It was faint, just a shadow lingering behind Clover, distant and hazy. “C-c-cha—” And then, Flowey died.

And that’s where his memory cut off.

“What the hell? W-was that Chara?” Flowey recoiled, his tendrils twitching as he pulled away from Clover’s save file. “Why now? What was that?”

He blinked, confusion mixing with a spark of curiosity. He couldn’t recall a run where Clover had actually killed him. Sure, he’d managed to scare him a bit when he hit LV 12, but nothing that would give him control over the timeline—unless...

‘Oh, that gunslinging–!’ Clover had allowed him to take control of the timeline. But wait, what... If it was Chara who had reset. It made sense now. They must’ve witnessed the carnage Clover caused and decided to step in before it went too far. They did have the red soul, after all.

Flowey smirked. This was his chance. All he needed to do to bring Chara back was to...

“…Get Clover to LV 19,” he muttered, the plan solidifying in his mind. And of course, not die in the process.

He chuckled darkly. “Sorry, pal. But I want my best friend back. You can rest afterward.”

With a flourish, Flowey erased Clover’s save file. In its place, a reset button appeared. His grin widened.

“What a wonderful idea,” he whispered, pressing it eagerly.

Chara hadn’t expected to wake up after their death. They weren’t planning to reset, after all.

But of course, a human had to ruin everything. A cowboy entered the Underground, and from what Chara could gather from his LV 20, he was slaughtering everyone in his path. The chaos began when they woke up to see him shoot a defenseless flower—no reason, no mercy. They instinctively reached for their save button, only to find it out of reach.

They were powerless, watching in helpless silence as the cowboy tore through the Royal Guard, one by one. No need for a battle; a single shot was enough to take them all down.

The captain fared a bit better than the rest. Chara had seen them engage the Cowboy in a fight, but even she couldn’t last long. After two turns, she fell.

With each kill, Chara’s desperation grew. They needed to stop this cowboy. They had to reach their save button. But it remained out of reach.

Finally, the cowboy entered the castle, the air thick with dust as he walked down Judgment Hall. Chara recognized his soul. Justice. It was almost ironic.

Instead of heading straight to the throne room, the cowboy ventured deeper into the castle, down a corridor and into a basement. Chara had never seen this part of the castle before—it hadn't existed when they were alive.

The Cowboy stopped in front of a row of coffins. The first one caught Chara’s eye. “Chara Dreemurr 2011” was engraved on it. The rest were marked with names of other humans. The cowboy moved silently from one to the next, inspecting each grave as if searching for something.

“He’s going to pay,” the cowboy muttered to himself.

Chara’s heart skipped. Had their father been killing humans? It didn’t seem so bad now that they thought of it. He probably absorbed their souls, and maybe that’s how he could defeat this threat.

The cowboy didn’t linger. Wordlessly, he moved toward the throne room. He created a save point before entering.

The familiar sound of their dad whistling drifted into Chara’s ears. It was soothing, a distant memory of when he would hum while tending to the garden with her and Asriel.

“Hey.” The Cowboy spoke aloud, catching Asgore’s attention.

Asgore tore his gaze from the window and turned toward the intruder. “The Underground is filled with beauty. Friends… families… hopes… dreams… Or at least… it was.”

The Cowboy’s grip tightened around his gun, ready to draw on the King. “A false hope. One built on murder.”

“I had to do what was necessary for the betterment of our kind,” Asgore replied, moving toward the Cowboy.

Suddenly, the Cowboy’s stoic demeanor shattered, replaced by pure rage. “Necessary? Necessary!? They were just children.” He whispered the last part, his voice raw with emotion.

“I had to do it,” Asgore repeated.

‘What?’ The thought raced through Chara’s mind. Surely her father hadn’t killed those children. And if he did… they must’ve been violent, like this Cowboy, right? Why hadn’t he absorbed the Souls yet?

The Cowboy clenched his teeth, his eyes burning with fury. He was determined to end Asgore’s life. 

“Wait, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this!” But her words fell on deaf ears.

“Though valiantly they fought, nobody could stop you, could they?” Asgore sighed, his gaze shifting away. “I had hoped this day would never come. Retaliation was inevitable, but I believed we could handle it as we always have.” He turned to the window, lost in thought.

“My dear friends, I am sorry,” Asgore said quietly, his gaze locking with the Cowboy’s. “I understand why you are here, but I fear it’s too late. Your goal is beyond reach. I do not take pride in Monsterkind’s plight…”

Chara wordlessly floated between them, drifting as a ghost.

“But it is a conflict not of our making. One thing is certain, however: your violence has ensured this war will never end. Many more, of both our kinds, will perish because of this day.” Asgore closed his eyes, a heavy weight hanging in the air. “Such is the path you’ve chosen…”

Asgore reached inside his cape.

“But even if you chose differently, the unfortunate truth is…” In an instant, he drew a trident and took a battle stance. “Your fate was sealed the moment you entered my kingdom. We will rebuild. With your soul and the others, we will be free... Goodbye.”

In a blur, Asgore threw his trident toward the Cowboy’s soul. It shattered on impact, and the Cowboy, eyes blazing with fury, shouted, “You killed children! Your kind reveled in it! You... you’re going to pay!”

His soul morphed into a gun, charged with raw power, building energy until it reached its peak.

“And those children… are going home!” He fired.

Chara watched in horror as the blast vaporized her father. The shot left a hole in the wall, revealing the shimmering barrier behind it. Asgore’s soul floated before her for a moment, then faded as the Cowboy stepped forward, grabbed the soul, and absorbed it.

The Cowboy’s LV shot up to 21. Chara, now able to access her save file, hovered over where their father had stood—nothing remained.

‘What… What just happened?’

The Cowboy pressed forward, dragging Chara along, both heading toward the barrier.

“Sorry, it took me so long,” he muttered. The Souls began to rise from the ground. “Let’s… let’s go home.”

One by one, the Souls left their containers. The Cowboy took each one, stepping through the barrier. He ascended the staircase that led to the surface.

Clover stepped outside, feeling as if he'd been trapped underground for years. He breathed in the fresh air as the souls left his hands and soared into the sky. His journey was finally over.

Looking for a way down the mountain, his gaze wandered to the distant city. The view was breathtaking, but he had no time to linger. He needed to get home. His parents—while overbearing— in their own way cared deeply for him.

He didn’t resent them, but being around them for too long was draining. They had a tendency to argue, and their insistence on him taking on adult responsibilities had worn him thin. (Seriously, why was he doing their taxes while they went out and partied?)

Shaking off his thoughts, he found a path down the mountain and started his descent. But before he could get too far, a voice called out to him.

“So that’s it? You killed all the monsters and now you’re going to just go home?” The voice scoffed. “Typical of a human.”

Clover spun around, his hand instinctively going to his gun. Had a monster followed him from the underground? He scanned the area, but all he saw was—was that a ghost?

“Hey... are you one of the lost?” Clover asked cautiously.

The ghost’s eyes widened in surprise. “You can see me?”

“I saw six coffins… But only five souls were freed. Did I leave you behind?” Clover murmured, almost to himself.

The ghost stared at him, its form flickering. “No. You didn’t.”

Clover hesitated. “Then... why are you here?”

The ghost’s voice turned bitter. “Why’d you kill them?”

Without missing a beat, Clover responded, “For justice.”

The ghost scoffed. “You killed my family just for wanting freedom? You're despicable.”

“What...?” Clover was taken aback.

The ghost clapped, though no sound came from it. “Great job. You killed defenseless monsters in your crusade. Must feel real proud of yourself.” The ghost floated closer, its presence unnerving. “Do you even know what monsters are made of?”

Clover took a step back. “Dust?”

“They’re made of love and compassion,” the ghost hissed, “something you wouldn’t understand. You’re nothing like a monster. You’re a MONSTER.”

“They killed children! They celebrated it!” Clover snapped, desperate to justify his actions.

The ghost’s voice softened, but its words were sharp. “You killed monsters who weren’t involved in the killings, didn’t you?” Clover fell silent. It was true—he had killed many innocent creatures. But he did it in the name of justice.

“That’s not justice,” the ghost spat. “That’s just some sick, perverted—”

“Shut up!” Clover shouted, his hand pulling his gun in a flash. “I did what I had to!”

The ghost’s eyes widened with fear, but then its expression twisted into mocking calm. “Pulling a gun on a defenseless individual. What a brave hero.”

“I... I didn’t mean to—” Clover’s words faltered. The gun slipped from his trembling hands.

The ghost’s voice was cold and sarcastic. “Doesn’t matter if you didn’t mean to. You thought about shooting me. Some paragon of justice you are.”

Clover stood frozen, his breath coming in short gasps. Had he really pointed a gun at someone innocent? That’s what he’d been doing throughout his journey—taking lives, believing it was for the greater good.

His mind flashed back to the words of Flowey, who had told him at the start that Asgore, the king of monsters, celebrated the deaths of human children. He had convinced himself that it was justified, that all monsters were complicit. But now, in the face of the ghost, those justifications felt hollow.

"Clover, was it?" The strange flower in front of him spoke, its voice dripping with mock concern. "It's dangerous for humans down here in the Underground," it warned.

"Dangerous?" Clover echoed, unease creeping into his voice.

"Yes!" the flower responded, its tone almost gleeful. "The monsters down here love to hurt humans, especially ones like you."

That was all Clover needed to hear. A cold resolve settled over him. He knew exactly what he had to do.

But the human in front of him had said otherwise.

"W-what do I...?" Clover stammered.

"What you're going to do is reset." The ghost mimicked taking steps toward him, leaning in close. "And you're going to fix it."

That sounded right. He had to atone for his sins. Even if he freed the children, the way he did it wasn’t right—it wasn’t just. “Y-yeah, okay…”

The two of them stood in silence, waiting for something to happen.

“Are you going to reset or...?” they both asked in unison.

The ghost scoffed. “I can’t reset. I can only load my save, which is from long before you fell down.”

“How do I reset?” Clover asked.

The ghost sighed. “C’mon, follow me.” They were already close, and Clover gave them a confused look. “Pull up the save menu.”

Clover did as instructed, the menu appearing before him: LV 21. He could hear the ghost muttering under their breath, likely something unflattering.

“Swipe right. The reset button should be right there.”

“I see it. So, do I just press it and... I’m sent back to the beginning?” The ghost nodded. “Uh, before I do this, who are you?”

“I don’t give my name to weirdos,” the ghost shot back quickly, dismissing the question. Which, honestly, was fair.

“Alright... Let’s do this again.” Clover pressed the button, and the world around him erupted in a blinding flash.

Chara had awakened during a fight Clover was in. It seemed that his determination had triggered her return. The important detail was that he was at LV 1, with 0 ExP—meaning he hadn’t killed a single monster.

Clover’s opponent was a strong, fox-like monster wielding both fire and water magic. Realizing he was about to lose to her relentless, unavoidable attacks, Chara intervened. She shone her soul onto Clover, allowing him to phase through the assault unscathed.

In the end, Clover won the fight, sparing the fox with a hug. It was a touching moment—if not for the fact that he gave up his soul afterward.

 —-

"Chara, are you sure your plan will work?" her brother asked, concern evident in his voice.

She weakly raised a thumb in response. "It’s for monsterkind’s freedom. It has to work."

—----------

What they hadn’t expected was for the flower Clover had killed to be in control of the timeline. They had always believed that only humans possessed the determination to alter it, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

When they saw Clover had died, they immediately set out to find the flower. Tracking him down was easy—he stood out like a beacon, bright yellow in a city of gray.

They could only catch fragments of his words, but the message was clear: “Get Clover to kill everyone again.” Chara checked their save file, relieved to see it was still accessible. A heavy sigh escaped them as they realized there was no other choice. If things continued on this path, 

Clover would be trapped in an endless cycle of violence—unless they intervened.

They pressed the load button at the same time Flowey hit the reset button.

Clover gasped out for air. Why wasn’t he dead? Is this the afterlife? 

He got up and checked his soul— “Actually I think I am alive, no use in checking that.”

Clover then looked around. ‘Isn’t this where I first landed in the underground?’ Realizing that sitting there wouldn't help, he decided to get up and search for his friends.

He walked for a while until he reached the spot where he’d first encountered a monster—a Froggit, if he remembered correctly. Clover shook his head in disbelief. How could he almost forget? His journey through the Underground had lasted over two days, yet it felt like it had been so much longer.

This time, however, he wasn’t attacked as he passed through the area and moved into the Ruins. To his surprise, he found a save point. Eagerly, he approached and pressed it, hoping for Flowey to appear. But to his dismay, no one showed up.

Okay, what’s going on here? Clover wondered, continuing forward until...

He reached the room where he had fallen into the Dark Ruins. It wasn’t all bad—he had met Dalv, after all—but he could’ve done without the fall.

Hesitantly, Clover pulled the wrong lever, bracing for the familiar fall. But nothing happened. Confused, he reset the puzzle and tried again. Still nothing. Reluctantly, he decided to take the intended path.

That is, until he reached a room where the only path was lined with spikes. “Great,” Clover muttered to himself. Without a way to revive after dying, he was stuck. His only option now was to wait for someone to come, maybe the Goat lady.

So, he sat down and waited, hoping for help to arrive.

She had loaded her save near the old house. This was the moment they had gathered the buttercups to enact their plan to save all of Monsterkind. Of course, someone hadn’t followed through—the monster standing next to her, holding her hand.

“C’mon, Chara, we’re almost there! Stop staring at the corner,” Asriel, her brother, urged as he pulled her toward where they first met. They had been tasked with tending to the flower bed while Toriel was buried in work. If Chara remembered correctly, it was something about a place called the “Steamworks.”

“Stop pulling so hard...” Chara muttered. She had grown used to not being able to physically touch things as a ghost—strange, considering she had only been a ghost for about an hour at most.

“Sorry!” Asriel relaxed his grip, but still tugged her along. “But you know how Mom is about time.”

Chara hummed in agreement. Their mom was very particular about punctuality. “Punctuation is key to being a monarch. That includes everything,” she’d once told them, as she lectured Asriel on his schooling.

A chill ran down Chara’s spine as she recalled a time they had arrived home extremely late. Toriel had lost her cool, thinking they had been trapped somewhere. It was almost funny to see Toriel—of all people—lose control. Unfortunately, they had ended up grounded as a result.

Wordlessly, they continued through Home. This time, Chara wouldn’t eat the buttercups. It hadn’t gone well the first time. If they were going to fulfill the Delta Rune prophecy, they’d need a new plan.

“Howdy!” Asriel greeted every monster they passed, cheerfully asking his usual question, “How are you?”

Monsters were so friendly—almost to a fault. Chara feared that their kindness would be their downfall. That’s why she needed to make one of the Boss Monsters a god. Humans were ruthless, capable of wiping all of monsterkind out, as Clover had proven. Even if he redeemed himself in the end with his sacrifice, he had committed an entire genocide, unprovoked. It would be disastrous if someone like him—

“Chara, do you own a Western costume?” Asriel’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

She looked at him, puzzled. “No? Azzy, we share the same wardrobe. Where else would I keep it?”

“That’s what I thought too,” Asriel said, looking thoughtful. “But the Froggit mentioned a cowboy human running around Home. And, well... you’re the only human down here, so...”

Chara’s blood ran cold. ‘There’s no way he followed me back…’

She let out a light chuckle to mask her unease. “Asriel, the Froggit probably mistook a monster for a human. 

‘I do vaguely remember a monster who looked like a cowboy during Clover’s death.’

“If you say so, Chara!” Asriel grinned, trusting her completely. It was almost endearing how much faith he had in her. She could probably get him to do anything with the right amount of persuasion.

‘Not that I’d ever do that, of course. I’m not a human, after all.’

Humans were evil. Beyond saving. The orphanage they’d grown up in had proven that. Cruel adults taking advantage of little kids just for a laugh. They would kill every monster if given the chance. Just like that Cowboy.

…

…

…

 They passed through the Hallway of Independence, which was really just a long corridor. Chara remembered the time Asriel had helped her after her fall. The journey back to New Home had been a nightmare, especially with her fractured leg.

That was also when she learned about healing magic.

Incredibly useful, if used by the right hands. Chara had hoped to learn it one day, but for now, her focus had always been on offensive magic, especially under the training her dad had given her.

“Wait, how does the spike puzzle work again?” Asriel muttered to himself.

Chara sighed dramatically. “Oh, dear brother. It seems that I, the superior puzzle solver, will have to take care of this for you.” She got into a running stance.

“Wait, Chara, don’t---!” Asriel called out, but it was already too late. She sprinted across the puzzle with ease.

Reaching the other side, Chara struck a playful pose. “Not bad, right, Azzy?”

“Mom’s going to be mad you did that!” Asriel shouted from across the room.

Chara scoffed. “Not if you don’t tell her, she won’t.”

“But that’s lying!” Asriel whined.

“Are you coming over here or not?!” Chara shouted back, raising an eyebrow.

“I am!” Asriel grumbled as he carefully made his way through the puzzle. He finally reached her side. “See?”

Chara stuck out her tongue. “Slowpoke!”

“Aw, come on! You didn’t tell me we were racing! That’s not fair!”

“It’s implied,” she replied, slipping into her old Underground routine. Her sharp wit had always been second nature.

Asriel pouted, his arms crossed. “Whatever. Let’s keep moving.”

But before they could go any further, they heard snoring. It wasn’t unusual—probably just another Froggit—but as they turned the corner, they froze. There, lying in front of them, was... another human.

“C-Chara? It’s...!” Asriel stared in shock at the cowboy, his voice trailing off.

“...Azzy, hand me the knife.” Chara’s voice was cold, her tone leaving no room for argument.

“What for?” Asriel asked, confused.

“Just hand it to me.”

Without questioning further, Asriel passed her his knife. It was worn from use—mostly from gardening—but he’d always been careful with it. He often reminded Chara that if it wasn’t handled properly, it could hurt someone.

The noise they made roused the human. His eyes fluttered open as he rubbed them groggily.

Asriel froze, unsure of what to do. Chara, on the other hand, was desperately trying to hold the knife properly.

The first words out of the human’s mouth were, “Do I know you?”

Chara’s mouth formed the word silently. “Clover.”