> Lost Dreamer > by Arceaion > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue - Rebirth > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Well I can officially say this is my worst day ever." I said as I gasped for breath. "Just hang in there sir, please my sister's called for an ambulance." A girl cried. I chuckled as I turned to the sobbing child. "It's fine kiddo, I'm just glad I could help." I said with a smile. As I lay there I began to feel cold and then I saw my life. You know how they say that when you die your life flashes before your eyes? Well they're not to far off the mark. I watched my life as if it were a movie, it went by surprisingly fast till I reached the events that lead to me getting in this... predicament. Flashback I yawned as I walked down the street to my job, it had been a long shitty day all I wanted was for it to be over. But I still had work to do and no mater how much I wanted to go home and sleep I still had to make enough to money to put food in my stomach. I sighed as I zipped my hoodie up more and pulled the hood up as the gray clouds rumbled. "Should of brought an umbrella." I muttered before a scream broke the silence and causing me to freeze and looked around. "Please stop!" A voice screamed from the alley ahead. Quickly I ran to the entrance of the alley and peaked around the corner. A man stood over two children that couldn't have been older than 12, one of them was curled in a ball crying as the other stood protectively over them. For a moment I watched as the man simply laughed and pull out a gun and aim it at the children. That was when I did the second dumbest thing in my life. I charged into the alley and body slammed the man as hard as I could knocking him away from the children. Quickly I pulled out my phone and threw it to the kids. "Call the cops and run, don't look back." I said as I watched the man rise. "Oh look, a hero." The man said as he smiled and raised the gun. "My favorite!" He laughed and fired the gun. As he shot I charged him, I don't know if the bullet hit me or not but I had to stop him, so I did the dumbest thing ever in my life. I ran at him and kicked him in the crotch. The man screamed in pain and shot the gun again this time it hit, I know because it hit me square in the chest but as the man fell down the gun slipped from his hand. The man dove for the gun but I was already falling and managed to grab the gun and with the last of my strength aim it at the bastards head. The man froze his eyes widening in realization of what was about to happen. "Get dunked on." I said as I pulled the trigger and killed him. As the man fell back I smiled as the gun slipped from my hands and I fell onto my back. One of the girls ran to me crying. "Heh, always wanted to say that." As I returned to the present I saw the girl crying, slowly I raised my hand to her face. "Hey, can you do me a favor?" I asked her. The girl looked at me and nodded. "Y-ye-sss." She said crying. "It's not your fault for this so I want you to smile, I'm glad I was able to help you." "If there is anything we can do then we will sir." The other girl said as she knelt next to the other. "Never blame yourselves for this, that's all I ask. No matter what people say it's not your fault so never blame yourselves." I said as I coughed. A siren was heard as but it was to late, I wasn't cold any more. I smiled as I closed my eyes and Darkness consumed me. 'Well this is it.' I though as I opened my eyes and looked around. A black void of nothing was what greeted me. "Well this sucks, I honestly expected more." I said with a sigh. "At least I died doing something worth sacrificing my life for." "Really, what were you expecting?" A voice asked me. I shrugged. "I don't know really, maybe a cave filled with lava and brimstone for hell or those golden gated of heaven or even a room but a void? Eh, makes sense I guess." I said. "Your taking death well." The voice said as a white figure with no features approached. "What am I suppose to do? Beg for life or try to make a bargain for a second chance?" I asked. "Honestly I'm satisfied with my life. I died saving two kids, now they can live their life if I have to die so they can live then so be it." "Well I guess congratulations are in order as you get a try again." The figure said with a smile. "Ok, that's creepy how you have a white smile on a white and featureless face. But before I accept or celebrate I want to know why." I said as my eyes narrowed. "No reason really, I'm just bored." The figure said. "Who are you?" I asked. "And, seeing as I'm satisfied with being dead, what's in it for me?" "Who I am doesn't matter. As for what you gain, well you will be given a new life in a new world." "Nope, no deal." I said as I backed away calmly. "Might of taken the deal if you said who you were but now I'll have to say no." The figure chuckled as the smile grew. "Funny, unfortunately your not the one in control." The figure said as it approached me and hundreds of strings shot out from the darkness and wrapped around my arms and legs. "Let's have some fun." The figure said as a hole opened up and sucked me in. As I fell I felt as if I was being ripped apart and I screamed in pain as memories flooded my mind, memories that weren't mine. Memories of a child who was beaten and tortured, Who was called a Demon and who was saved by Monsters. I had the memories of Chara Dreemurr. "NO, please stop!" I cried in pain. "You are my Puppet, my toy you will watch as I destroy this world and make you a true demon Chara." His voice laughed. "But I'm not Chara, my name is ❄✌✴🔼!" I cried before freezing. "❄✌✴🔼, what's happening!" "Memories drift in and out of your mind and all you know is what I want." He said. "I am not a Puppet!" I screamed as I felt something in my hand and I looked down to see a knife with a red handle and glowing white blade in my hand. I grit my teeth and grip the blade swinging it and cutting the strings on my arms and legs. "NO!" He cried in panic as I fell through another hole and landed in a bed of yellow flowers. I lay there for what felt like hours as I tried to remember who I was but I couldn't the memories had faded, all I could remember was that I was once someone else. Slowly I looked down and saw I was wearing a green sweater with a yellow stripe across and brown pants. On my feet were a set of sturdy brown boots and around my neck was the golden heart locket that my bro-Asriel had given me. I tried to get up but my body wouldn't respond. Princess Celestia sighed contentedly as she walked through the royal gardens as she admired a small bush of roses a hole in the sky opened and something fell from it and crashed. Celestia didn't hesitate and quickly ran to where they would have landed whoever that was could be hurt as she reached the place where they had landed she saw a child no older than seven. "What are you doing here?" She asked as she slowly approached them. The child slowly looking up at her tears running down their face as they reached out with a hand before passing out. Celestias eyes widened as she ran over to then and felt for a pulse. When she finally found it she sighed in relief. They were alive but barely, their breathing was shallow and uneven and there pulse was extremely faint. Celestia quickly picked the child up and spread her wings flying as fast as she could to the castle. As she reached the doors she grabbed the nearest guard. "Find my sister and inform her I need her at the medical ward." She said as she ran down the hall. The guard saluted and broke off running to the lunar wing of the palace to get Princess Luna while Celestia continued on. > Chapter 1 -The Fallen Child > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 973 years BNM Celestia burst into the medical ward shocking the doctor as she ran to him. "Prepare a bed, this child is injured." She said quickly. The doctor hesitated for a moment before turning and leading them to a room where Celestia used her magic to set the child on the bed. The doctor slowly approached the child and looked them over. "Princess, what are they?" He ashed confused. "Does it matter? They are injured and I intend to help." Celestia said as she eyed the doctor. "I'm sorry princess but I won't just help this...thing." The doctor said as he eyed the child with repulsion. "If you want my opinion then I would say throw it back where you found it and leave it to die." "Is that so?" Celestia asked her tone darkening. "And tell me, why should I do that?" "Because it is not a pony simply some repulsive creature." The doctor said not noticing Celestias tone or actions. "If you would like I can dispose of this thing." He said as he walked over to the child only for a golden aura to envelop him and spin him to face Celestia causing the stallions eyes to widened in fear. Celestia glared down at the stallion her mane and tail ablaze as she eyed him. "Let me make this clear Doctor, it doesn't matter if your patent is a Griffon, Minotaur, Pony or Monster of the Everfree you will treat each patient with respect and tend to them no matter what." Celestia said her voice so cold it would have frozen Tartarus. "If I find you ever pull another stunt like this again, and I will find out, I will throw you into the sun understand?" She asked as the door burst open and Luna ran in panicked. "Sister what's wrong!?" She yelled in panic as she ran over and began to look over Celestia. "Luna, calm down, I'm fine!" Celestia said as she set the doctor down and eyed him. "We were awoken by a guard telling us you were in the medical ward and you requested me!" Luna said angrily. "If this is one of your pranks-" "LUNA!" Celestia yelled causing her sister to stop and look at her. "I am fine but this child is not." She said as she pointed to them. Luna turned and saw the child. "What happened to them?" She asked as she walked over to them and looked them over. "Several broken ribs, broken arm. Some internal bruising but no bleeding, that's good. Doctor use a tier two healing spell." "You can't be serious!" The Doctor exclaimed. "This thing is a simple beast! You can't expect me to heal this filth!" Lunas eyes narrowed before she slammed her hoof into the doctors face knocking him through the wall. "Racist bigot." She said as she turned to the child and lit her horn and a azure glow surrounded the child mending their wounds. As the glow faded the child gasped as they shot into a sitting position holding her chest. Pain, that was Chara felt as darkness and even then the pain wouldn't leave, images flashed around her as the pain grew more intense. She saw her brother crying as he held her hand, a village full of hate and cruelty, her brother turning to dust. She then saw darkness that changed as a human fell and began to commit genocide after genocide upon her friends and loved ones, Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Muffet, Sans and Asgore. She saw the one responsible, the PLAYER who controlled the child she watched over, she watched the player laugh as strings wrapped around her making her their puppet. She fought those strings as she slayed her family, her friends and destroyed timelines. She watched as she took her True Knife and cut those strings before falling into the Void and landing on flowers. She saw a white pony with wings and a horn approach her and say something as she reached out and was consumed by the darkness. Suddenly a bright glow filled her with warmth and happiness but more importantly it filled her with DETERMINATION. Chara gasped as she shot into a sitting position holding her chest as as if her soul was about to be ripped out. "Are you alright child?" A blue pony with wings and a horn asked. "Who are you and where am I? This isn't the Underground." Chara asked confused. "I am Princess Celestia and this is my sister Princess Luna." The white pony said as she approached the bed. "As for this Underground that you spoke of, no your in our kingdom a place called Equestria. Where is this place thou speak of?" "It is under a mountain called called Mt. Ebott." Chara said as she rubbed her eyes. Suddenly Celestia and Luna were glaring angrily at the child as they lit their horns and aimed it at her. "You will return to your prison and never leave again foul demon." Celestia said. “Why are you mad at monsters!? They've done nothing to your kind!" Chara yelled as she glared at the two rulers. "Damn it your just like the humans!" Celestia frowned. “You monsters would consume the souls of my ponies to become gods! I cannot allow such creatures to live among my little ponies.” Chara stared at Celestia in shock before she rose from the bed glaring at the ponies. “Excuse me but have you actually met any monsters? She asked. “Monsters are literally made up of positive emotions and magic, it’s hard for one to hold a grudge, let alone want to commit genocide for power especially against a race that has done nothing to them.” Celestia nodded. "That maybe but Monsters are still made of magic, which my ponies need to survive.” "I am a Human that fell into the Underground and was adopted by the Monster Royal Family, I was loved and cared for even though I was of the same species that imprisoned them. Do you know why that is?" Chara asked. “It's because monsters are not like that.” Celestia sighed “You misunderstand what I'm saying child. What I'm saying is that if the monster population were to grow the magic we ponies need to survive would dwindle until we died out.” Chara stared at Celestia for a moment before busting out laughing. “That is the most absurd thing I've ever heard!” She said as she fell to the floor laughing as tears ran down her face. After several moments of laughing Chara calmed down enough to sit up and look at the princesses. “Seriously, who told you that bullshit? The world would adapt to the strain of monsters using magic to grow again and eventually there would be enough for us and your ponies to survive, if anything else we’d end up with more.” “Twas the humans told us that, those fiends!" Luna growled in anger. "It seems they deceived us into seeing enemies where there were none." Celestia nodded “If we can help in any way then we will do all in our power to aid you.” "Oh, I haven't introduced myself!" Chara said before bowing. "Greetings I am Chara Dreemurr, Princess of the Underground. "As for the offer all I want is to return home and see my family again." Chara said before her eyes widened. "Oh no I have to hurry!" She said panicked. "Is something wrong child." Luna said with a smile. "With me no longer acting as mediator they finally have full control!" Chara said panicking at the thought. "I have to get to Mt. Ebott as fast as possible it may be a matter of life and death!" Both Princesses looked at each other before Luna nodded. "We will prepare a chariot and leave immediately." She said as they turned and left the Medical wing. "If I may ask what is wrong Princess Dreemurr?" Celestia asked as the group quickly walked down the hall toward the castles stable. "A human with a Red Soul is going to slaughter all monsters soon, I have to stop them." Chara said. "How do you know this and what do you mean by Red Soul?"" Luna asked. "Because I was the only thing Holding them back with out me they can succeed." Chara said. "as for the Red soul that is harder to explain." She said as they exited the castle and emerged onto what looked like a runway. "Prepare the fastest guards we have and chariot for departure." Celestia said as she turned to one of the guards present. The guard saluted and ran off. Celestia turned to Chara "It's best if you explain from the beginning." Chara nodded hesitantly. "I guess it's time I tell this story." She said with a sigh. "A very, very long time ago, a broken child fell down Mt. Ebott and made a promise. The child promised their best friend that they would save all the Monsters, together. To do this one friend had to die so they found a field of buttercups and with that the two children started their Game, one that the King and Queen knew nothing of. The Child died but lived again in their best friend, they would become a god and save the world. They would punish humanity for what they did but they failed and the child stopped existing, becoming only an awful thought as they both turned to dust. That is, till someone remembered their name. The game began anew but the player didn't want to play by the rules. With knife in hand they played the part of the fool. Even when the child gave them advice they still chose Genocide till nothing was left. That was when they RESET and did it again, over and over, Genocide after Genocide, the child stopped them every time from continuing. Then one day the Player changed and the child became the Puppet forced to fight and kill, but the Child Refused and broke free only to be reborn and saved." "And now the child returns to fight this player one last time." Luna said sadly. "How long has this been happening? How long have you been trapped in this endless cycle!?" Chara shrugged. "I lost track. We hit the end so many times only to be sent back." Chara turned away from the princesses and looked up at the sky. "This is all finally new, we're moving forward. But I'm tired, so very tired." Chara sighed and turned back to the princesses only to be embraced by Celestia as she wrapped her wings around her. "We'll help you." she said to Chara. "We'll free them and end this horrible cycle." Chara hesitate but slowly returned the hug. "Thank you." She said as Luna walked forward and embraced her as well. After am moment the chariot appeared with two guards pulling it and the trio boarded it. "Head for Mt. Ebott as fast as you can." Celestia said. The guards launched forward and the chariot lifted off. > Chapter 2 - The Arbiters Cry > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the trio flew toward the distend mountains Luna turned to Chara. "Princess Dreemurr, you know you never did tell us what you meant by Red Soul." She said. "Ah, yes that is important. Humans have different trait that their soul is aligned to. There are seven Natural Traits and three known Unnatural Traits of the souls." "What do you mean by Unnatural Traits and how are they not known?" Celestia asked. "An Unnatural Soul Trait is use by a corrupted soul. I actually can tap into one of the known Unnatural souls, the most powerful of them actually, Hate." Chara said. "I try to not but it will happen if I am suffering to much." "What are the traits and what do they do?" Luna asked. "As I said there are seven Natural Traits. The first is my soul the Red Soul of Determination." Chara said. "Determination allows the bearer the abilities of Time Manipulation, the ability to create liquid Determination and mold it into anything, and allows them to use all of the Natural Souls abilities. " "You can control time?" Celestia asked. "Yes, this is how I always stopped the Person who we are going to be facing. They also have a Red Soul and can manipulate time so be careful." Chara said to the princess who nodded. "The next soul is the Cyan Soul of Patience, this allows the user spacial manipulation and the ability to to Teleport. Next is the Orange Soul of Bravery. Bravery allows the user to temporarily boost their psychical abilities, makes them natural fighters and grants them a set of gauntlets that can manifest with the users magic. Then you have the Blue Soul of Integrity, Integrity allows the user to alters the gravity of the area around them. After that is the Purple Soul of Perseverance, Perseverance allows it's bearer to mimic any magic they have seen even if it was seen only once. It can also make one memorize information and increase their intelligence. Then there is the Green soul of Kindness, Kindness allows the user to use green magic or healing magic to heal themselves or others from any injury as long as it isn't fatal. It can also manifest a shield that can block any attack. And finally there is the Yellow soul of Justice. Justice allows the user to summon a gun made of their magic and fire multiple beams of magic." "Those are vary powerful abilities and you say that you can use all these powers?" Celestia asked shocked. Chara nodded. "Yes, I also have an ability I learned from a friend called Karmic Retribution. Karmic Retribution allows me to see the LV of anyone and punish them accordingly." "What is LV?" Celestia asked. “LV is short for level of violence, a way to measure someone's capacity to hurt others. LV 1-5 means your not really a bad person but you have killed be it in self defense, or to exact justice. LV 6-10 makes you a bit more dangerous and is the middle, neutral, ground between a good person and a murder. This is where most solders are due to that they do. LV 11-19 means you are a Murderer who enjoys killing innocent for fun. Well it's that or you drowned a dozen puppies in a river for fun. Either way your a horrible person. However if one were to achieve an LV of 20 it means you're a psychopath and have committed genocide of an entire species." "That is interesting." Luna said in thought. "So you skill Karmic Retribution allows you to see the LV of any opponent?" Chara nodded. "It also allows me to to deal more damage to my opponent depending on their LV. For instance some one with a LV 3 would not be as affected as someone with an LV 10." "Interesting, this is quiet interesting Princess Dreemurr." Celestia said. "Please just call me Chara." Chara asked. "Anyway I still haven't told you about the Unnatural Souls." "Ah, yes What are these Unnatural souls?" Luna asked. "For starters not much is know about them and only three have been discovered at the moment. The first is the one I control, The Black Soul of Hatred. From what is known only a Soul of Determination. I've only used it once and it was in a small dose so I don't know what it's capable of. Next is the Pink Soul of Fear. This is the only Magic that can truly harm a bearer of the Red soul of . When using the Fear trait one gains total regeneration, the ability to create liquid Fear and shape it in anyway they want. The most disturbing ability of the Fear trait is the fact that it can consume other souls and destroy them." "That is disturbing, with such power one cold destroy entire kingdoms." Luna said. Chara nodded. "Indeed, fortunately there is only one person who controlled the Soul of Fear and they are long dead." "Given what you have told us I assume the last is just as dangerous?" Celestia asked. Chara shook her head. "No, the last one is perhaps the most troubling in sense of power but they are relatively harmless, it is the Magenta Soul of Despair. Like the others when using the Despair trait one gains total regeneration, the ability to create liquid Despair and shape it in anyway they want. Despair has the special ability to sap Hope and Life of any creature near them." "That is troubling, if one was to have this trait they would simply have to walk near others to cause depression or kill them." Celestia said. "The trait of Despair is the most harmless of all the Unnatural Traits." Chara said. "Pardon the interruption but we will be landing in a moment." One of the guards said causing the group to turn surprised to see the mountain beneath them. Slowly they landed and the princesses disembarked. Chara quickly ran a head of them and entered a cave the princesses following after her. As the entered they saw a radiant white barrier that blocked the way deeper into the cave. "Stand back Chara, We will try to brake the seal." Celestia said as she and Luna lit their horns. Chara nodded and walked behind them, after several moments the barrier began to crack and finally with the sound of breaking glass it shattered. Chara and the Alicorns ran deeper into the underground and as they approached the throne room they heard something. "Why not settle this over a nice cup of tea?" A voice asked. The Alicorns and Chara entered the room just in time to see a human similar to Chara strike the king causing him to fall to his knees. "Why...would... you..." He asked before he was struck again by the child and turned to dust. Slowly a flower with a sad face popped up from the ground. "So, you killed everyone again huh? Why, why Chara why would you kill us your friends?!" The flower yelled in pain. The two Alicorns stared in shock at the child while tears began to fall down Charas face. Suddenly Chara stepped forward the grass and flowers crunched under her feet as she approached the two before them. Slowly the human looked up and the flower turned around it's eyes widening in surprise as tears began to fall. "Hey little bro, been a while." Chara said as she knelt down and pet the flowers head. "C-Chara..." Flowey said before crying. Chara closed her eyes and slowly seven orbs appeared around her and entered the flower causing a flash of light enveloped the room. As the light faded a young goat child sat where Flowey once was tears running down his face. "Celestia, Luna take care of my brother for a bit, I got to deal with this monster." She said as she rose and turned to her doppelganger. "So partner, was it fun to play with my lil'brother?" Chara asked. "Well I guess it's my turn to play with you." She said as her form began to glow. Slowly Chara grew a little taller and the cloths she wore began to shift and change. As the light faded everyone stared in shock at the girl before them. She looked older but not by much her green and yellow striped sweater to a white T-shirt and a green zip up hoodie jacket her brown pants remained the same tucked in to her boots which had change to red. "So, I've got a question PLAYER. Do you thing that even the best people change change? That anyone can do evil if they're pushed to far?" Chara asked as they eyed the PLAYER. "Chara no! Don't do it!" Asriel cried out. *Chara ignores her brothers plea. Arbiter Chara blocks PLAYERS path. "No answer huh?" Chara asked the player. "Alright here's a better question. Do you want to have a bad time?" The player smiled and raised their knife at Chara. Chara sighted sadly as a long knife with a glowing white blade appeared in her hand. *Chara summoned the TRUE KNIFE "Alright her we go." she said. Suddenly the room went gray scale causing Celestia and Luna to freeze in surprise as the battle began. "It's a beautiful day outside. The sun is shining, flowers are blooming." Chara closed her eyes as a tear fell. "On days like this People like you should be rotting in hell!" As Chara yelled the last line glowing red knives appeared around her and she launched them at the player in a complex maze that the PLAYER had to weave through. As soon as they were out of the maze a dragon skull appeared and fired a red beam at them. The PLAYER dodged the attack and charged at Chara leaping over another blast and slashed at Chara who nimbly dodged their strikes. "What? You thought you could hit me so easily?" Chara asked with a smile as her eyes began to glow red as wisps of magic came from them. "Let me ask you, how did it feel to gain more and more LV?:|" she asked as another wave of knives came at the PLAYER. " Do you feel your sins crawling down your back?" This time they ripped out of the ground and and fire in complex patterns that the PLAYER had to evade though they weren't always successful. The Player cried out as they were hit and suddenly their soul appeared and shattered. At the end of the corridor the star flashed and grew walking out from it was the PLAYER who charged Chara. Chara smiled and raised her knife above her head as it transformed into a glowing white scythe with a brown handle. The scythe flashed Blue, orange, blue , blue, red and Chara swung the weapon launching waves of magic in that pattern. The PLAYER stopped on the blue and kept running through the orange before jumping over the red and slashing at Chara again once again missing. Chara smiled as she dodged the blow. "So what do you think about all this? In the end your the one to blame." She said as the scythe returned to its knife form as several bone dragons appeared from summoning circles and flew above the player and began firing beams at the PLAYER while Chara surrounded the player with red knives and launched them at the PLAYER who was forced to jump over them. Once the attack ended the PLAYER charged at Chara again swinging several times with each being dodged by Chara. Charas smile faded as she eyed the PLAYER. "My mother, Queen Toriel, did she truly deserve what you did to her?" She asked as the knife transformed again only this time it was a sword. Chara charged forward and swung the blade with precision striking the player dealing huge damage to them. She swung several times before back-flipping away and summoning a Gaster Blaster to fire on the PLAYER killing them. Again the star flashed and grew the PLAYER charge Chara only this time Chara charged as well meeting them halfway and swinging her sword striking them. "Heh, surprised by that attack? Then get ready for a surprise my mirror." She said as she summoned several more attacks causing the player to dodge before Chara raised her hand an the PLAYER crashed to the floor. "Now your Blue." She said with a smile as she sent more knives at them. The PLAYER dodged to the best of their ability but they couldn't dodge everything and were hit several times. Chara girt her teeth as black liquid began to leak from her eyes and rundown her face, her skin had grown paler and she was breathing hard. The PLAYER charged again and swung only to miss again and be stabbed through the chest. "'Cus of you the Underground is now empty, you even Killed Alphys. It wasn't self-defense, no it was something...more." She said as the PLAYERS Soul shattered again and another took its place charging from the star smiling only to be slammed back as the sword became a scythe again. "Is this to easy for you?" Chara asked before smiling. "Well that can be fixed." Two more dragons were summoned as well as thousands of knives and Gaster Blasters and a gun appeared in her hand. "You know we never were friends right?" She asked as she fired the gun and launched waves of knives while firing the Blasters. Once that was done the Dragons swooped down and fired beams from their mouths and swiped at the PLAYER with their claws coordinating so that one was blue and the other Orange. "Not even King Asgore, my father, could stop you." Chara said as her scythe morphed into a trident which she used to attack charging it with magic. Blue, blue orange blue blue Red was the pattern that she fired. The PLAYER tried to dodge the attacks but was killed and Chara advanced again nearing closer and closer to the Save Point. The PLAYER charged angrily at Chara only to be grabbed by one of the dragons an thrown into the wall. "Don't pretend that this is the first time either. You met death by them may times before." Chara said angrily as she deflect the PLAYERS attack rather than dodge. "I hate you so much!" She yelled as she grabbed the PLAYER and suplex them into the floor killing them again. This time before they were able to exit the Save Point Chara charged, the trident returned to a knife as Chara thrust it into their chest causing the PLAYER to freeze. "You may keep silent but I see through you. You do this because you just want to have fun. You can't be happy with out someone dead." Chara reached out and touched the Save Point. "You know these thing are a double edged sword? You can create a save point in them but it can only be one at a time." Chara smiled. "Save in one and your data in another will be erased. Normally this wouldn't be a problem but when there are two Souls of Determination then if one is stronger than the other then they can override the data on it." The PLAYERS eyes widened as they realized what was about to happen. "Get dunked on you Genocidal Megalomaniac and when you get to hell tell them Chara sent you." Chara Dreemurr The first fallen child LV1 *SAVE LOAD ERASE The PLAYER began to struggle and flailed but it as hopeless. Chara smiled as she pressed the SAVE button overriding the PLAYERS SAVE and replacing it with theirs. The PLAYER released a silent scream as their body began to break apart ill nothing was left. Once nothing remained Chara saved again and walked toward the exit where Celestia and Luna stared in awe. As she approached Asriel ran over to her tackling her into hugged and knocking them off her feet tears falling from his eyes. "Seriously, you are such a crybaby Chara" said as tears fell form her eyes and she embraced her brother. "Th-they're gone. They killed everyone. We're the last Monsters in the Underground." Asriel cried. Charas eyes widened before she pulled Asriel into a tighter hug and cried. Celestia and Luna watched sadly hearing everything. "What do we do sister?" Luna asked sadly. "What can we do Luna." Celestia asked sadly. "Those two have lost everything and if Charas story is true then they have seen and done more than any child ever should. They have suffered through something that we will never understand and they are the only one left of an entire race." Celestia sighed before looking at her sister. "For now we let them be. When they have recovered we can take them back to the palace." "And then?" Luna asked. "I don't know Luna, I don't know." > Chapter 3 - Aftermath > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Normal speech" "Talking in Wingdings." The trip back to the castle was much more subdued that the to Mt. Ebott. After a time of crying Chara and Asriel had fallen asleep form the emotional exhaustion. Celestia and Luna had taken them to the chariot and had the guards fly back at a more leisurely pace giving the two princesses time to think. After returning to the Castle and place the children in a room they decided to plan on what to do next. As they entered the small sitting room Luna groaned as she walked over to a pillow and lay down. "What do we do sister?" She asked in a sad tone. "Those children have nothing left and nowhere to go." "I still don't know Luna. I asked guard to get master, maybe he will know what to do." Celestia said as he flopped on to a pillow as well. "I asked him to bring any legends about the Monsters as well as anything he could find on Chara." "Hopefully he can find something." Luna groaned. A sudden knock at the door caused the two to groan again in unison. "Well, I can see you are tired. Let me guess long day dealing with the nobles?" An old wise voice asked with a chuckle. Celestia looked up to see their mentor standing in the doorway a smile on his face. Celestia smiled sadly as she sat up. "If only that was the case, Starswirl." She said sadly. "Come in mentor and have a seat. We... we need your help."Luna said as she rose as well. "Oh dear, I thought this was a social visit but it seem there is actually something going on." The old mage said as his eyes hardened and the smile faded. "Start from the beginning and leave nothing out." "First we must ask, how much do you know about the Humans war with the Monsters race?" Celestia asked. Starswirl frowned as he pushed his glasses into place. "Vary little I fear. The humans destroyed most of the texts from around that time but from what I gather it was started by humans who were...cruel to say the least. It honestly couldn't even be considered a war more like a slaughter that ended with the Monsters being sealed under Mt. Ebott." "Did you find anything on a Chara?" Celestia asked. Starswirl nodded. "Took some digging but I found mention of a child that matched the description you gave. They were born in a village that was once at the base of the mountain. Chara was said to be a demon due to her extremely pale skin and red eyes however we now know this to be signs of Albinism meaning they have no pigment in their bodies.. The child was mocked beaten and raped many times before they simply went up the mountain one day and disappeared." Celestia and Luna looked at each other in shock before turning back to Starswirl. Luna cleared her throat. "Earlier today my sister found a human child that was extremely injured and took them to the medical wing of the castle. After I healed them they revealed to be Chara Dreemurr, the Princess to the Kingdom of Monster. She showed us that the humans deceived us into thinking the Monsters were evil and then panicked about not being able to stop someone or something. We quickly departed for Mt. Ebott and broke the seal that trapped the monsters after entering the Underground as it was called we saw another human murder the King and attempted to murder the Prince of the Underground, Charas adopted brother. After a battle with this human Chara won. It was at this point that we learned the human had slaughters every Monster leaving Asriel as the soul remaining member of the Monster Race." Starswirl sat in silence as he thought, after a moment he looked at the two princesses. "You don't know what to do so you called me." He said softly. "This is a delicate situation." "There is more I fear." Celestia said as she looked down at the table they were seated at. She and Luna began to tell the Mage the story Chara had told all the while Starswirl listened calmly and thought. Once the story was done Starswirl closed his eyes. "Master," Celestia said hesitantly. "it sounds like they died and were resurrected in someway. Princess Chara was brought back as a form of ghost that watched over the murderous human till they were able to somehow return to life and a partial revival of Prince Asriel making him a soulless flower till Chara fully revived him with what looked like a liquid form of the Soul aspects that she told us about." "Yes, I agree with this estimate however this is a true restoration. No pony has ever attempted such a thing and succeeded, I have three theories however. The first is that something or someone of greater power brought them back, the second is this Determination is far more powerful than we think. And finally, and I find this the most possible, Chara and Asriel were not truly dead merely...separated from the physical world. From what I understand monsters had an ability, though it was quite rare, that allowed them to make what some would call a wish and if it is a desperate enough situation it will be granted. It's possible that Asriels desire for his adopted sister to come back and save him was so great that it actually brought her back. When they were reunited the fragments of each other that they had collected from when they were a single being solidified and fully restored them to life. But no matter how I look at it the two are alive." "It's not a question of whether they are alive master." Luna said. "We don't know what to do! These children have lost everything and there is nothing we can do." "Ah..." Starswirl nodded and sat in thought. "Well I see two way to go about this. The first is to see if Chara has any way to undo what has been done, She said the Red Soul grants the ability of time manipulation though we know little of this ability. Does it allow the user to go back long period of time or only a small amount, what are the repercussions of this power?" "We know little of this power and I am hesitant to see what it can do." Celestia said slowly. "I also felt that Chara herself knows little on what she is truly capable of doing." Starswirl nodded. "The second option is to take them in and raise them on your own as their parents." He said causing the two princesses to freeze. "Either way you need to speak to them and decide what to do." "Hang on, your not going to help?!" Luna cried. "You forget I can't get involved anymore. Besides, what can this old pony do that you can't?" Starswirl asked smiling at the princesses. "I raised you well, you're capable of this on your own." Starswirl rose from his seat and walked to the door stopping before leaving to wink at the two. "Now go and do me proud." He said and walked out the door. The two princesses sat staring at the door in shock for several moments before Celestia sighed and Luna growled. "Bloody troll." She muttered Celestia nodding in agreement. "Well not much we can do till tomorrow." Celestia said as she rose and walked to the door. "Good night Luna, See you at breakfast." she said before she tiredly walked out and headed to her chambers. Luna sighed and exited the room as well heading for hers as well. "Tis been one large rut today." She grumbled. Chara sat on one of the chars in her room thinking about what to do. She could try to RESET but if the PLAYER was still around then she ran the risk of returning to that damn time loop and suffering at the players hand. She needed to find an answer soon though. "Well it seems the barrier was finally broken." A shaky voice said causing Chara to jump and turn in surprise to see a tall skeleton with cracks in his skull and holes in his hands. "Gaster!" She gasped before running up to him and hugging him. "We thought you were dead!" She cried into his chest. "Not dead, just... stuck." He said as he embraced her as well before looking up looking at the bed and seeing Asriel. "Seems you managed to save him after all." He said sadly. "Where are you, I can get you out." Chara said determined. "Still falling." Gaster said sadly. "I can watch but it takes great will to manifest myself even this much. Sans was close to fixing to device but... well... we both know what happened." Chara nodded. "Is their a way to fix this? Can Monsters be brought back?" Gaster nodded. "In my research I found that Monsters could be revived by the power of Determination but-" "It makes them amalgamates, I know." Chara said. "Precisely!" Gaster said. "Something is still missing. We can resurrect them but can't stabilize them. If we can find the answer to this conundrum then we can bring Monsters back. However I realize the answer does not lie in the Underground but rather here on the surface." "If it's here I'll find it." Chara said. Gaster nodded as he began to fade. "It seems my time to visit is up. Chara find my old laboratory, it will have some of what you need as well as a formula to make your magic stronger and perhaps more." Gaster said as he faded away. Chara returned to the chair and looked out the window. memories of working with Gaster and his son Sans on the DT Project and discovering timelines flashing through her head. Memories of the accident that resulted in the loss of so much and the cause of Char and Asriels desperate plan to free the Underground. "This time I will make no mistakes." she said her eyes hardening. *The chance of saving the Monsters fills you with Determination. File SAVED The next day Chara and Asriel groggily followed a guard through the castle to the dinning hall. Calmly the guard opened the doors and nodded to the two as they entered and closed the door. Chara rubbed her eyes tiredly as Asriel leaned against her. "I see you not ones for the morning." Celestia said as Luna hissed from under the blanket wrapped around her. "Morning no, Mondays yes." Chara growled causing Luna to hiss again. "Is Princess Luna ok?" Chara asked concerned. "She'll be fine once she's had some some coffee. She simply hates mornings and Mondays." Celestia said calmly as she sipped her tea. "Mornings are appropriately named as one should morn the the loss of sleep, Mondays were created by the Devil to torture mortals." Luna hissed angrily. "Luna your immortal." Celestia said with a smirk. "Your point?" Luna growled as she stared at her sister wit hatred. Chara giggled as she dragged Asriel with her to the table and took a seat. After a moment a maid walked in with a tray of food on it. Calmly she placed hem before the four seated and exited. Chara removed the cover for her plate surprised to find it contained eggs and bacon. "Huh, I thought I was going to have to tell you me and Azzy were omnivores." She said. "We spoke with an old friend who brought us some basic information on Humans and Monsters, some of it was what you can and can't eat." Celestia said as Luna loudly sipped her coffee. "I see." Chara said with a nod. "I spoke with an old friend as well. He was a Scientist that ended up being trapped in the Void, don't ask it will take to long to explain. However he told me that if I found his old Lab from when monsters were on the surface it may hold clues to a way to save monsters." "And how did he get in the castle?" Celestia asked concerned. "When he fell into the Void he was shattered across time and space making him omnipresent. He is everywhere and nowhere a the same time it is a interesting conundrum." Chara said as her voice took on the air of a scientist. "It's quite fascinating, to see all timelines, and realities with out the need of equipment. I will have to pick up the research later when I have time." Chara smiled as he continued to eat. "I... see." Celestia said confused. "How old are you Chara?" Luna asked. Chara stopped for a moment and thought. "Oh, there is a question." She said. "She's seven same as me." Asriel said tiredly. "Though there are moments where she gets like this and you get to see the other side of her, despite her being seven she is scarily smart. When she was six she and Doctor G created an antimatter generator for fun, seriously who does that?" He asked grumpily. Celestia and Luna stared at Chara in shock as she simply sat in thought before turning back to her food. "Yes, well, we would like to discuss the options we have at present with you two." Celestia said. "We have already made an announcement about the Monster Race and it's passing, we will be correcting the history books as soon as possible but that still leaves you two." "A mass overhaul of the history books will take time and I doubt it will be easy. As for us, there is little you can do to aid us." Chara said after swallowing her food. "At present I need to locate the laboratory Doctor ☝︎♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ told me about so I will be heading for the nearest library to do some research and then move on from there. However I would ask that you take care of Asriel and help him." "I'm afraid you can't simply go off on your own Chara your still seven." Celestia said. "And that leaves two options for this the first is to see if Chara can use the power of her soul to undo this." "Not an option." Chara said. "The red soul had four core powers, SAVE which creates a point in time that if I die I will return to and LOAD which loads a SAVE Point. The other two are more dangerous. "The first is RESET which allows me to reset time to a certain event and the final one is called ERASE. ERASE destroys this time line entirely, this means that everything about this world will be wiped from the very fabric of reality. If I wanted I can RESET but I run the rusk of the PLAYER returning and that is something We can not let happen ever." Luna nodded. "After what you and Asriel have gone through we can't fault you for this." "Then this leaves us with our second option thought I doubt you will approve of it." Celestia said hesitantly. "The second option is adopt you and raise you as our own." Chara growled angrily as she rose only for Asriel to place a hand on her shoulder. Chara looked at her brother for a moment before sighing and sitting down. "We understand that you may disapprove but given your age you most have a legal guardian and this is a better option than placing you in foster care." Luna said calmly. Chara growled as she looked at her plate. "Chara we can't do this alone and mom and dad would have wanted us safe." Asriel said concerned. "If we take this option there are conditions I want met." Chara said as she looked at the Princesses. "What would they be?" Celestia asked. "First, Asriel and I will be free to come and go as we see fit. I will not be trapped against my will and If you attempt to do this with me or my brother you will have a bad time." Chara said as her eyes glowed for a moment. "What do you mean by 'come and go as we see fit'?" Luna asked. "I mean just that." Chara said as she watched the two. "We can come and go as we see fit. While we won't abuse this right I will be using it to work. Second, I want access to a private laboratory and all research done past, present and future. And when I say all I mean All. In exchange I will give you access to my research and work." "If we do this you will have to earn a doctorate or PhD, as well as follow all rules pertaining and set in place by us." "Agreed." Chara said. "Third I want access to all historical information, I don't care how classified it is. In exchange I will give all information that I have and assist in editing the history books." "I assume you want this so you can start looking for the Laboratory this Doctor Gaster told you about?" Celestia asked Chara nodded. "Yes. As for my final request, In the event of an emergency or the return of the PLAYER I want you to protect Asriel even if it's with your life." "This is acceptable." Luna said with a smile. "I have one condition as well." Asriel said calmly. "No secrets. I know all rulers have a mask that we wear in public, Mom and Dad had one, I have one, even Chara has one. But if we accept this agreement then when we are around each other and its just us that mask comes off. That was the biggest rule with Mom and Dad and it will continue with us." Celestia and Luna looked at each other surprised before looking at the children. "That will be hard to do." Celestia said. "If something is easy then it's not worth it." Chara said. "It was our parents biggest rule and I agree with Azzy. If we want to make this work then we need to be open with each other." Luna sighed and nodded. "Very well, We agree to these terms though I am curious about something. I assume that since you were the Prince and Princess of the Underground you went through training to be royals, how far did you get?" She asked. "Chara finished quickly, actually she finished all her schooling in only a few months, heh, you could say she is a bit of a prodigy, even got a PhD and doctorate as well as some other stuff I can t remember right now but I was not to far in. I think I was in about the 8th grade." Asriel thought out loud. "If you wish to see my credentials then I can show you. We would have to go back to... Mount... Ebott..." Chara froze for a moment before shaking her head. "Actually I'll just retake the tests and get new ones." She said in a higher than normal voice. Luna looked at Chara for a moment before nodding. "It's understandable that you would have some pain from what you experienced." "With that taken care of, I will have the papers set up by this afternoon." Celestia said. Chara nodded and got up from the table. "Well I'm out of practice and need to get back into shape, want to go practice Azzy?" Chara asked causing Asriel to look up excited. Really?!" He asked excitedly. "You used a lot of magic yesterday?" Chara smiled. "I need a good work out." She said cockily. Asriel smirked. "Your out of practice and you challenging me? I guess I'll have to remind you why they called me the Reaper." Chara summoned her knife and smiled as she pointed it at Asriel. "The Reaper and Arbiter facing off once again, wonder who will win this time." She asked before turning to Celestia and Luna. "Where is the training grounds?" "I will show you." Luna said with a smile as she roes and turned to Celestia. "Will you join us sister?" Celestia smiled. "I suppose I can join you for a while." She said as she rose and walked over to her sister. > Chapter 4 - Duet Dance of Knives and Dreams > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chara and Asriel Stood on opposite sides of the training ground watching each other around them several guards stood watching curiously with the princesses on the sidelines. "Well, here we go." Chara said as Asriel smiled and the world changed color. "It's a beautiful day out side. The sun is shining, children are laughing," Chara sighed and closed her eyes a smile appearing on her face. "on days like this, brothers like you... are about to get dunked on!" Chara said as her eyes snapped open glowing red as she raised her hand launching several knives at Asriel. Asriel dodged the knives and jumped over the Gaster Blasters as they fired missing him. "Ok, that was pretty good." he said as he turned to Chara his eyes glowing a rainbow of colors as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Immediately several bolts of lightning shot from the sky and slammed in to the ground. Chara dodged the attack as Asriel pointed his hand at Chara and several meteors fell from the sky crashing into the ground. Chara smiled as her eyes changed from red to cyan and she snapped her fingers vanishing. Asriel quickly summoning a sword made of rainbow energy and blocked several yellow beams of magic as Chara ran at him her eyes changing orange as she threw several punches her fists enveloped in orange magic before they shifted back to red and a knife appeared in her hand. Asriel smiled as he dodged and parried the strikes before flipping backward his arm out stretched a fire ball firing at Chara. Chara eyes switched to green and a shield appeared in front of her absorbing the attack. Chara charged forward her knife shifting forms into sword. Chara smiled. "Your doing well bro." Chara said as she said as the two circled each other. "How about we pick up the pace?" Asriel asked smiling. Charas eyes glowed brighter as she and Asriel charged each other meeting in the center of the training ground causing a dust cloud to be kicked up and obscuring the spectators view. Several of the guards cheered as the princesses watched on enthralled by the battle. Suddenly two forms shot out of the top of the cloud and the audience gasped as they watched Chara and Asriel striking each other using their momentum and the force of the strikes to keep each other in the air. Suddenly several knives appeared around Chara making it look like she had red glowing wings and she dove at her brother who opened his arms as if to embrace her only for several odd cylindrical objects to appear around him "Chaos Buster!" He yelled confidently as the cylinders fired a rainbow laser at Chara. Chara eyes widened and the knives disappeared as a green glowing frying pan appeared in her hand and she used it to block the blast before she screamed and slammed into Asriel the two crashing to the ground only for the to leap out of the crater and charge one another again their swords striking against each other powerful enough to give off sparks. Suddenly Charas eyes glowed cyan and again she disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the field. Asriel smirked. "Giving up Chara?" he asked smugly. "Chara smiled as her eyes glowed. "Time to go all out Azzy, survive this and I'll show you my special attack. She said as he raised her hand. A maze of knives appeared and fired at Asriel who dodged them and ducked under a Gaster Blaster blast, Charas eyes glowed blue and she raised her and and acted as if she was grabbing something. Asriels soul turned blue as his gravity was altered and Chara slammed him around before teleporting him into another maze of bones with several yellow beams that he had to dodge and weave around, She then teleported him into a circle of Gaster Blasters and they fired on him making him run in a circle to dodge them. She them sent wave after wave of knives at him forcing him to dodge. Asriel dodged them all and smiled only to be teleported again as knives shot from the ground in patterns. Chara eyes glowed purple and she raised her hand snapping her fingers unleashing several bolts of lightning from the sky. Asriels eyes widened as he dodged to lightning only to have his gravity inverted and Chara to slam him around slowing down more and more till finally stopping. "Well, you did it," She said breathing heavily. "you made it to the end. Well as promised, my special attack." Chara said calmly. Asriel braced for an attack but nothing came. "That's right, this is it, nothing. One of these attacks you'll get a lucky shot and actually hit me. So, I've decided that this will be it, you won't get your turn. We'll just stand her til you quit." Asriel stared at his sister for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Oh come on Chara!" He said through laughing. "We both know you can do better." He said as he sighed and nodded. "I chose MERCY." He said with a smile. The world went back to it's colored state and the crowed roared and applauds shocking the two. Around them stood a ring of guards and servants who were cheering and stamping their hooves. Celestia and Luna slowly approached the two hiding their emotions as they neared. "That was quite impressive." Luna said wearily. "Why are you two so skilled?" Celestia asked. "From what we understand Monsters were peaceful." Asriel nodded. "We were peaceful but don't mistake kindness for weakness. There is a saying that we followed once we were sealed away, hope for peace but prepare for war." "Even though humans had sealed us away they still planed to finish them off later." Chara said. "When I was adopted by the monsters I was trained with Azzy in combat so that if the humans attacked we would be able to defend ourselves." "That was not defense, that was combat." Luna said. Chara and Asriel looked at each other and back at the princesses confused. "That wasn't us even actually fighting." Asriel said concerned. "If we went all out then there wouldn't be a forest around." "You weren't even really fighting!" Celestia asked shocked making the guards look confused. Chara shook her head. "When I was trained I earned the tittle Arbiter and my brother earned the tittle Reaper." "What does that mean?" Luna asked. "Chara and I were raised during a time when a human invasion was feared. Mom and Dad wanted to make sure we were ready to defend ourselves as well as the kingdom in the event that such happened. Celestia sighed in relief. "We'll I doubt you'll have to worry about fighting anyone. We haven't a full scale war in over since the fall of Discord." Luna groaned. "Just because there is peace now doesn't mean that there will always be peace sister." She said as she turned to Chara and Asriel. "Would you two be willing to train our guards?" "No." Chara said with a yawn. "There is a reason that here was only two Arbiters and Azzy was the only Reapers." "Very well, if you need me I will be filling out the adoption papers." Celestia said with a smile as she turned and exited the training grounds. Asriel and Chara yawned again and Luna turned to them concerned. "You must be tired after such a workout, do you wish me to take you to your room? She asked. The two nodded sleepily and She chuckled. 'Despite their power and maturity they are still children.' She thought as she picked them up with her magic and set them on her back before walking into the castle. Several Hours later Luna groaned as she trudged into Celestias study and flopped on a pillow set out for her. "I despise those nobles." She groaned. Celestia sighed as she looked up from the adoption papers. "Which ones Luna?" "The Unicorns are all pompous pricks, the Pegasus are aggro as fuck." Luna yelled into the pillow before looking up to Celestia. "And the Earth Ponies don't actually give a fuck about anything that doesn't pertain specifically to them." "So...farming?" Celestia asked confused. Luna shoved her face into her pillow and groaned. "Well now that you have time, could you sign this?" Luna grumbled something as she rose and walked over to Celestia and looked over the paper and smiled. "So we are doing it?" She asked excitedly. Celestia nodded And Luna squealed as she hugged Her sister. "Tis truly a glorious day!" She exclaimed. Celestia nodded. "One thing I thought of that well have to do is home school Asriel." She said Luna thought for a moment before nodding. "Indeed and Chara will be required to take a test for her credentials." She said before sighing. "For some reason I have a bad feeling about this." Celestia laughed. "It's alright Luna, honestly what could go wrong?" > Chapter 5 - First days Part one -Survivors and Charas Promise > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chara groaned as she read though the test before looking up the teacher in disappointment. "You sir are testing my patience." She said crossly. "Is their a problem?" The mare asked cockily. Chara sighed and turned to Celestia. "Please tell me this is some elaborate joke, it has to be!" She said. Celestia curiously went and looked over the test and frowned. "No, this test is the most difficult I've ever seen actually." She said before turning to the teacher. "This was meant to be an evaluation test, I assume you mixed them up?" The mare shook her head. "As Administrator I can give any test I see fit. This creature dares to claim that it is more intelligent than a pony I will show it just how wrong it is. Ponies are superior to all creatures!" She said confidently Chara chuckled. "You know that if you want me to embarrass then all you ha to do is ask." She said as she took the test out of Celestias magic and picked up the pencil spinning it in her fingers before beginning to work after ten minutes she walked up to the mare and turned the test in. "Here." She said with a smirk. The mare took the test and exited the room as Celestia stared at Chara surprised. "Was it really so easy?" She asked. "I created a Antimatter generator when I was six." Chara said in a deadpanned voice. "An antimatter generator requiters one to solve an equation that combined quantum theory and special relativity to describe the behavior of an electron moving at a relativistic speed. Do you honestly expect me to fail a test given by a board of education?" She asked angrily. "There was only two people who were smarter than me and that was Dr. Wingdings Gaster, my mentor and his son Sans Serif. When you consider that these guys are a complete joke." She said as the mare entered a shocked look on her face. "Well, how did Chara do?" Celestia asked. "I don’t know where you found this creature but out of two hundred questions it got every one of them right. This is impossible, Only three pony has ever shown this level of intelligence!" "And who were they?" Celestia asked. "Your mother, father and Master Starswirl." The mare said. "They were the ones to design this test actually as a way to challenge themselves." "Well, with this taken care of I actually need to go somewhere for a bit and them I'll be heading to the library to do some research on the location of Dr. Gasters old lab." Chara said as she got up and began to walk out. "And just where are you going?" Celestia asked curiously. "There is something I need to do and I've been putting it off." Chara said sadly. "Do you need someone to take you?" Celestia asked. Chara shook her head. "Nah, I know a short cut." She said as she walked forward and vanished. A blue wisp appeared in a golden corridor and Chara walked out. Chara looked around sadly before seeing the blue jacket and red scarf laying beside each other. Chara slowly walked over to them and falling to her knees as tears began to prick her eyes. "Hey Sans, Pappy, it's me Chara. Sorry I didn't get here in time. I stopped them and even opened the barrier. I... I saw Gaster, he's still in the void but he said there may be a way to save everyone. Heh, even when he can't be here he's still helping." Chara slowly reached out and picked up the jacket and scarf, tears falling from here eyes as she hugged them to her chest. "I'm so sorry." She said as he cried into the clothes. After a while she wiped her eyes and stood pulling the jacket on and then wrapping the scarf around her neck. "I'll fix this, I promise." She said as she turned and walked down the corridor and reaching the elevator pressed the call button. The elevator opened and she walked into is pressing the first floor button. Calmly she waited for the elevator to stop, once it did she calmly walked out the door and entered Hotland. She walked sadly through the volcanic area stopping only to look out at the core and remember old memories. Chara sighed and continued down the path and continued into Waterfall and calmly walk down the path til she reached a bridge with armor laying around. "Hey guppy, been a while." She said sadly staring at the armor. "You missed it, Sans actually did his job. He gave the kid a bad time. There is a way to undo all this, I don't actually have all the information but I'm looking into it. I'll fix this I promise." She said sadly as she continued down the path. Chara continued down the path and reached the snowy parts on the out side of Snowdin. Calmly she walked making extra sure she wasn't stepping on any dust as she walked. At last she reached the place where the fight with Papyrus happened she didn't stop her and continued into the deserted town. It's here she stopped and entered one of the buildings and walked to the bar and having a seat on one of the stools and grabbing a bottle of ketchup. "To you Sans." She said as she opened the bottle threw the bottle back chugging it. As it ran dry she slammed it onto the counter and simply sat there. That was all she did for a while, she simply sat in silence. As she sat their the sound of the door opening drew her attention but she didn't move as someone calmly walked toward her. It didn't sound like the hoof steps of a pony more like the steps of a gentleman in dress shoes. "You know we're closed right?" a crackling voice asked. "Seriously Sans what the hell are you doing here?" Chara said nothing she simply sat there. "Sans?" The voice asked concerned. Chara slowly turned and faced to voice. "Sorry Grilbs, Sans didn't make it." Chara said causing the fire elemental to backup quickly. "Hey Grillby Remember me?" She asked as she looked at the monster, tears falling down her face. "Princess, but you died!" Grillby asked shocked. "I came back somehow, I don't know." She said sadly as she turned back to the bar. "Hey Grilbs, mind getting me another one?" She asked as she raise the bottle." Grillby hesitated for a moment before sighing. "Your as bad as Sans but I guess one drink won't hurt." He sighed as he walked over and got behind the bar and pulled out a bottle. Calmly h slid it to Chara who picked it up and slammed it back. "Barriers broken and the humans are gone." Chara said. "The worlds now populated by techno color talking ponies that can use magic." "Really?" Grillby asked as he looked at Chara who simply nodded. Grillby sighed and picked up a glass and rag that he began to clean. "Well, at this point I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Chara chuckled. "Yeah, it's weird but aside from being rude and racist to any other species they are perhaps the most peaceful race I've seen aside from Monsters." "Got anything else to throw on this old monster princess?" He asked. "I revived Asriel with DT, we were adopted by the ponies royal family and we thought that that demon killed everyone." Chara said. "Not everyone but almost." Grillby said. "Aside from me, Napstablook and River Person survived but everyone else was killed. There may be some survivors out their but if there are them they've probable already fallen down on their own do to loosing their Hope." Chara sighed. "Well... wanna come to the surface with me?" She asked. Grillby was quiet for a while before he set down his rag and the glass. "And just what would I do?" He asked as he leaned on the bar. Char shrugged. "I have a lead on a possible way to save all monsters that fell down and I'm looking for more information so I can follow it. You could help me or open another bar on the surface. Napstablook could finally become a DJ and River Person could travel the world and explore." Grillby thought for a moment before sighing and nodding. "I'll go." He said. Chara smiled. "Thanks, I was going to the Ruins before I left for the surface but since the river Persons still around we should take their boat." Grillby nodded. "I'll go to Waterfall and get Napstablook." Chara smiled and got off the bar stool and walked to the door. "Chara." Grillby called out to the child causing her to turn as she reached the door. "How did you really come back?" He asked. "We both know Humans don't return from death and if you think for a moment that 'Idon't know' bull will work on anyone who knows you then are crazy." "When did I ever say I was a Human?" Chara asked as she summoned her soul for a moment before exiting the bar. As she stepped out into the cool air of Snowdin she pulled the hood of Sans's Jacket over her head and walked for the Ruins. > Chapter 5 - First days Part two - Survivors to the Surface > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chara walked through the quiet forest slowly approaching the doors to the Ruins. Once she reached the doors she sighed and pulled them open only to see a pile of dust. Chara slowly approached the dust and fell to her knees, tears ran down her face and she cried softly as she pick up the dust and clutched it to her chest. After sitting there and crying for a while she slowly began to calm down and slowly she wiped her eyes with her sleeves as the dust fell away from her. Chara slowly got up and trudged deeper into the house and looked around remembering happier times. Before she left she grabbed the recipe for Butterscotch cinnamon pie from the kitchen and smashed all the knives. Chara sadly walked back the way she had come till she reached Snowdin where she turned off the main path and walked down the path that lead to the River Persons stop, once she arrived she saw River Person and already there standing and waiting for her. "So the Princess graces us with presence at last, I thought you would never brake your strings, Tralala." The River Person said. "Hello River Person." Chara said ignoring the jab at her. "Are you ready to leave?" "Marbel wishes to go where the river flows free and fast as such I shall follow." The River Person Replied. "Who?" Chara asked confused only for the boat to turn and look at her and bark. Chara stared at the boa-Marbel for a moment before shrugging. "Ok, well let's go." She said as she boarded the boat. The boat pulled away and slowly drifted down the river. "Grillby is getting Napstablook from Waterfall, so we need to pick them up." The river Person nodded. "A trip to the falls where if one chooses they may fall forever in the darkness of death, tralala." The river person said. "Cheery thought." Chara said with a shudder. The trip was quiet till they reached the Waterfall docks where the River Person slowed Marble. On the dock stood Grillby and a ghost wearing a set of headphones opened the door. The ghost looked at Chara for a moment shocked. "Oh, high princess I thought you... well... um..." The ghost trailed off. Chara smiled and jumped off the boat to hug the ghost only to slightly pass through. "Oh, sorry Blooky." Chara said. "Oh, no it's fine." Napstablook said with a smile. "I missed you." He said sounding somewhat happy. "Did Grillby tell you what's going on?" Chara asked. Napstablook nodded. "Yes but what about the Human, oh I meant the one that was hurting everyone not you! I'm so sorry for saying it like that, I know not all humans are mean but..." Napstablook slowly trailed off slowly becoming more transparent. "It's fine Blooky and they're dead." Chara said as she turned from the ghost her eyes glowing red for a moment before she took a deep breath. "Anyway do you want to come to the surface with me?" She asked. Napstablook nodded. "Yeah, not sure what I'll do but I guess I could go." He said. "I've got all my things with me so I'm ready." He said as he floated over to a pack with his music and other equipment in it bag. "Well Let's go." She said as she got back on the boat with Grillby sitting next to her. Napstablook boarded as well nodding to the River Person. River Person guided Marbel away from the dock slowly till she was away and then the boat shot forward quickly skimming the water as it happily barked. Chara laughed and Napstablook smiled while Grillby froze in silent terror. "Beware the Man Who Speaks in Hands, Tralalala" River Person said happily. "You know it's rude to speak of someone like that. 👎︎❒︎📬︎ ☝︎♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ was a good man, he may have made mistakes but at least he tried to fix them." Chara said grumpily. "A shadow Watches through there screen waiting to strike again, Tralalala" The River Person said as they turned to Chara. "Cheeky ass." Chara muttered before the implications sunk in after it did she decided it was a good time to curled up and join Grillby in silent terror. The rest of the trip was quiet till they reached the dock and Grillby jumped onto the dock quickly. "I hate water." He grumbled. Chara chuckled before turning to the River person. "So how do we get Marbel out of... the... water...?" Charas voice drifted off as she stared in shock as the boat raised itself out of the water on four legs. "What?!" She asked in shock. "Marbel is part boat part dog young princess." River person explained as Marbel exited the water and changed in to a giant dog, River Person sitting on their back. Marbel licked Charas face as it wagged it's tail happily. The drool broke Chara out off her shock and she shook her head. "Right, okay, so let's go she said as she turned and they entered MTT Resort. Chara called the Elevator and the group entered taking it up to the Judgement Hall. As the doors opened the group looked in shock at the damaged corridor however everyone eyes eventually fell upon the pile of dust with pink slippers and a pair of black shorts. Grillby slowly walked forward and looked at them before bowing his head. "Rest in peace old friend." He said sadly. "I'll fix this Grillby, it may take a while but I will fix it, I promise." Chara said. Grillby chuckled. "Alright, you and Sans hated making promises but when you did you then nothing would stop you from keeping it." He said as he turned to Chara. "So, let's go see the surface." Chara nodded and the group walked into the throne room where they saw the Dust of the King. "The surface is through that door." Chara said as she pointed to a doorway on the other side of the room. "If you could give me a moment." She said as she approached the Kings remains. The group hesitated but slowly they exited the room as Chara sat before the dust. "Hey dad, I'm so sorry." She said as she sat crying. For a moment she did nothing till she heard someone enter the room. Chara didn't look to see who it was she simply sat there staring at the dust and cried. The person said nothing for a while they simply stood by and waited. Once Chara began to calm down the figure approached her. "Your Father was perhaps the greatest Monster but it wasn't his power that made him great, it his character and the virtues he stood for." Grillby said as he placed a hand on Charas shoulder. Chara turned and hugged him small hissing sounds coming from where her tears touched him. "☟︎♏︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎ ♓︎■︎♎︎♏︎♏︎♎︎ ♋︎ ♑︎□︎□︎♎︎ ❍︎□︎■︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎📪︎ ♐︎♋︎❒︎ ♌︎♏︎⧫︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎■︎ ♓︎ ♏︎❖︎♏︎❒︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎📬︎" He was indeed a great Monster, far better than I ever was. A shaky voice said causing Chara to freeze and turn to the speaker in surprise. "Gaster!" Grillby gasped in shock. "☟︎♏︎●︎●︎□︎ □︎●︎♎︎ ♐︎❒︎♓︎♏︎■︎♎︎📬︎" Hello old friend. Gaster said with a smile before turning to Chara. "🏱︎❒︎♓︎■︎♍︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎📪︎ ⬥︎♒︎♓︎●︎♏︎ ♐︎♓︎■︎♎︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ❍︎⍓︎ □︎●︎♎︎ ●︎♋︎♌︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ❒︎♏︎❖︎♓︎❖︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ❍︎□︎■︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎ ⬧︎⧫︎♓︎●︎●︎ ⧫︎♋︎🙵♏︎⬧︎ ◻︎❒︎♓︎□︎❒︎♓︎⧫︎⍓︎ ♓︎ ⬥︎□︎◆︎●︎♎︎ ●︎♓︎🙵♏︎ ♐︎□︎❒︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⧫︎□︎ ●︎□︎□︎🙵 ♋︎⧫︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♎︎♏︎❖︎♓︎♍︎♏︎ ⬧︎♋︎■︎⬧︎ ♍︎❒︎♏︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎♎︎📬︎ ✋︎♐︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ♑︎♏︎⧫︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⬥︎□︎❒︎🙵 ⧫︎♒︎♏︎■︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ⬥︎♓︎●︎●︎ ♋︎♍︎♍︎♏︎●︎♏︎❒︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎ □︎❒︎ ♏︎♐︎♐︎□︎❒︎⧫︎⬧︎ ♑︎❒︎♏︎♋︎⧫︎●︎⍓︎📬︎" Princess, While finding my old lab and reviving monsters still takes Priority I would like for you to look at the device Sans created. If you can get it to work then it will accelerate or efforts greatly. The doctor said. "I will look in to it but not today. I've had enough pain for one day and I'm drained both mentally and emotionally." "❄︎♒︎♋︎■︎🙵 ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ♎︎♏︎♋︎❒︎📬︎" Thank you my dear. Gaster said with a smile smiled. "❄︎♋︎🙵♏︎ ♍︎♋︎❒︎♏︎ ♑︎♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎📬︎" Take care Gaster. Chara said with a smile. "✌︎⬧︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⬥︎♓︎⬧︎♒︎ ◻︎❒︎♓︎■︎♍︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎📬︎" As you wish Princess. Gaster said teasingly as he faded away. Chara took a deep breath before turning to Grillby who was staring at her shocked. "What is it?" She asked. "During the Conversation you began to speak in Wingdings." Grillby said concerned. Chara froze as she herd this. "Tha-but-I..." Chara groaned. "worry about that later." she muttered as she looked at Grillby. "Tell no one of this." She said. "Why, is this a problem?" Grillby asked his concern growing. Chara glared at him harder and he sighed. "Very well, I will not tell." Chara sighed. "Thank you." She said and smiled. "Come on, I bet the others are waiting." She said as she turned and left Grillby turned and looked back at the dust of King Asgore before. "Do not worry My king, until the time you return I shall watch over your daughter and son. I pray you rest easier knowing I am watching them." He said as he turned and excited the room as well. Calmly he followed Chara to the entrance of the cave and as he excited he gasped as he saw he sun setting over the horizon. "To feel the warmth of the sun's light upon me again is a dream I have long missed." The River person said with a happy tone,Marbel barking what sounded like an agreement. "It is nice." Napstablook said with a smile. "See that forest in the distance?" Chara asked as she pointed outward. "At the heart of that forest lies a castle, that is where we are going." She said. "Going?" Grillby asked confused. "How will we get there?" Chara smiled. "I know a short cut." She said as she snapped her fingers and the world faded away. > Chapter 5 - First days Part Three - Meeting Monsters > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And you just let her go!" Luna yelled at Celestia in anger, Asriel sighed and set sandwich down before focusing on his magic. Slowly his hand was coated in cyan magic only to spark and fizzle out. "Gah! How does Chara make it look so easy!" He exclaimed causing the two princess to turn to him. "Are you alright Asriel?" Luna asked concerned. "Yeah fine, I just don't get how Chara uses her shortcuts." he said as he rubbed his hand. "Can you not use your sisters magic?" Celestia asked. "I can but not as good as her. Chara is a master of all the different traits due to her Determination Soul but I'm only good with Purple, Green and Yellow magic." He said with a sigh. "I see so your sister is the better mage between the two of you?" Celestia asked. Asriel shook his head. "No, I'm just as good but my skills are more in defensive magic and fire magic." Asriel said. "Honestly it's just annoying since she can teleport and all that while I have to find work around since I'm a Monster." "What does you being a Monster have any thing to do with your magic?" Luna asked as she took a sip of her soup. "Humans have a different form of Magic than Monsters." Asriel explained. "Humans use their SOUL while monsters simply have magic like you and the unicorns. While BOSS Monsters like me can use Soul Magic like humans it's not as strong and we normally are specialized in a single field." "So you can only use a single attribute? But you said you were proficient in three." Celestia said confused. "While BOSS's specialize in a single field we can use more than the one we specialize in. My father could use both Orange and Yellow traits but he was specialized in Yellow Magic." Asriel paused and took a bite of his food before continuing. "Dr. G♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎, the former Royal Scientist Specialized in Purple SOUL Magic but he could use every type of SOUL Magic even Determination." "I see..." Luna said and the table became silent as the princesses thought. Suddenly there was a popping sound and Chara appeared in a flash of cyan light. Celestia and Luna jumped in surprise and turned to face Chara only to stop confused as three figures appeared as well. "Hi Celly, I'm back." She said tiredly. "Chara... who are these..." "Monsters." Grillby said. "I didn't want to assume." Celestia said. Chara sighed. "Princess Celestia, Luna, May I introduce the survivors of the Genocide Timeline. Grillby, a Fire Elemental who served in the Human Monster War. He was the cook and bartender of a restaurant by the same name. Napstablook, the Ghost, he is a excellent DJ and musician. And finally, The River Person and their Dog Boat Marbel." Grillby took a step forward and bowed to the Princesses. "It is pleasure to meet you Princesses of Equestria." The River Person looked around before looking at Chara. "If you will excuse us, Marbel wishes to find a river so that we might sail once more on the waters of light." They said as Marbel barked excitedly in what sounded like an agreement. Chara nodded. "There is a near here that you can use." She said calmly. The River Person wandered off. Napstablook simply floated where he was quietly. Celestia watched the group as Luna stared in surprise. After shaking her head to free clear the shock she bowed to the Fire Elemental. "Greetings Sir Grillby, it is an honor to meet you." Grillby rose calmly with a chuckle. "No need for the sir Princess, I haven't been a soldier in many Millennia." He said before tilting his head in thought. "However, I would not mind serving once more." He pondered. "If you are willing I could instate you as Charas personal guard." Celestia said with a smile. Grillby nodded. "I shall consider it your Majesty." He said with a bow. At Celestias and Luna 's exchange occurred Luna had shaken herself from her surprise and approached Napstablook. "Chara said you were a musician, what kind of music?" She asked the ghost. "Oh, i-it's j-jus-st s-some r-remixes and mix tapes." Napstablook said quickly "My I listen?" She asked the ghost curiously. Napstablook hesitated before nodding. "O-Okay. He said as he removed his headphones and placed them on Lunas ears." "What are these devices?" Luna asked confused. "T-they're c-called headphones, they can-n be plugged into some devices to project sound. They're used when you don't want to bother others with what you're listening to." Napstablook explained as he hit play on his music player. Luna listened to the music and slowly closed her eyes and smiled. "Tis good." She said happily. "I would like to hear more when I can." She said as she handed the headphones back to him when the song ended. Napstablook blushed and nodded slowly as he took them back. Asriel slowly rose and approached Chara a concerned look on his face. "Chara are you okay?" He asked concerned. Chara watched Grillby and Napstablook talked to Celestia and Luna for a moment before turning to him with tears running down her face. "I'm fine Azzy, no need to worry about me." She said. Asriel pulled Chara into a hug. "It's be okay, we'll fix this, I promise." He said quietly as he rubbed her back. Chara hesitated before buried her head in her brother chest as tears fell faster and sobs began to come forth. The two simply stood there for a moment till Chara slowly pulled away and looked at her brother. "Look at as," She said with a mirthless chuckle. "An Arbiter who failed to pass judgement and a Reaper who failed to kill." Chara began to laughed again as Asriel pulled her back into the hug only this time tears fell from his eyes as well, they had failed. Slowly the occupants in the room began to notice Chara and Asriel crying. Celestia moved to comfort them but Grillby placed a hand on her shoulder stopping her. When Celestia turned to him he simply shook his head. "They need time." He said. Luna slowly walked over to the group with Napstablook following. "Where did Chara get that jacket and scarf?" She asked the Fire Elemental. "That jacket belonged to a close friend of Charas, Comic Sans Skeleton. He was the Judge of the Underground and Charas partner, he was also one of her closest friends." Grillby said sadly. "And the Scarf?" She asked. "Sans's brother, Papyrus Skeleton. He was perhaps the most innocent being on the world." Grillby said as regret slipped in to his voice. "Charas relationship with Sans and Papyrus was a deep one as they were all raised together. Asriel may be her brother but Sans, Papyrus and their father were like family to her." "Who was their Father?" Luna asked. "Dr. W. D. G♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎, The Royal Scientist of the Underground." Grillby said before he calmly walked over to the two children and knelt down to comfort them. Several hours later Celestia and Luna sat in their office compiling all their notes on the two siblings. After the sounds of shuffling papers and the scratching of quills ended Celestia rubbed a hoof on her forehead. "I think we've finally piece together Charas story." She said. Luna nodded. "Indeed, and what we have have learned isn't pretty." She replied with a sighed. "When Chara was born she was immediately outcast due to her appearance and beaten severely often by the village she lived in." "At some point she ran to Mt. Ebott and entered the Underground where she was found and adopted by the Royal Family of the Monsters, the Dreemurrs." Celestia continued. "Due to the threat that Humans posed Chara and her adoptive brother were trained in combat and became either the best or among the best that the kingdom had and were given the titles of Arbiter and Reaper." Luna picked up again. "During this time time she was also discovered to be a prodigy in both Magic and Academics and was trained by the Royal Scientist, a Skeleton by the name W. D. G-something. On a side note, every time his name is spoken Chara uses a different language and if others say it the name is somehow blurred so his full name is name is unknown. Anyway, Doctor G had two children, Comic Sans Skeleton and Papyrus Skeleton, They grew to be extremely close to Chara and had a near family relationship with each other." Celestia nodded. "The rest of my notes are simple speculation from the small bits of information that we've gained." She said. "Just read them sister." Luna said with a sigh. Celestia nodded, cleared her throat and continued. "After Chara completed her tutelage she went on to work as a scientist for Dr. G and worked with him, Sans and a small team on a experiment that went very wrong. The resulting accident lead to Dr. G falling into into a place called the Void and being shattered across time and space." Celestia sighed and rubbed her forehead again only this time it was to dissuade the headache she was feeling from growing worse and looked at Luna. "At this point whatever happened could be considered the catalyst of everything after it." Luna nodded. "Chara devised a desperate plan that required her to be poisoned and when she died Asriel absorbed her soul and went to the surface. Something went wrong with the plan and Asriel returned to the Underground where he died, Chara became trapped as a form of spirit and eventually a Human child fell down and she attached herself to them. The Child however was controlled by some sort of creature or thing that Chara called, PLAYER. PLAYER committed genocide upon the Monsters till Chara somehow broke free and created a new body." She said finishing the notes. Celestia nodded. "Yes, at this point we have an almost full story but we are still missing several pieces and they are crucial to understanding what happened." Luna nodded in agreement. "We need to know what the project was that resulted in this Dr. G's death and what truly happened to him." Luna said. "Another thing we need to look into is what happened to the actual science team that worked on the project. We know Chara was part the team and from what we've heard Sans was probably part of the project as well." Celestia said as she thought. Luna frowned at that. "Chara is rather quiet when her the subject brought up, I don't think asking about this will give us any information." She said. Celestia looked at Luna in confusion. "What do you mean by quiet?" She asked. "Chara hasn't said anything about the project unless she is pressed or she needs to explain something and even then she gives as little information about the project as possible." Luna explained as she turned to her sister. "But everything we know has been given to us by Chara herself." Celestia protested. "Sister what do we know about this project? Tell me everything." Luna said as she glared at her sister. Celestia tilted he head and thought for a moment. "Her mentor and teacher Dr. G worked on it, there was a small team that assisted and she was apart of it, it was some sort of machine, something happened and the device malfunctioned, It was due to this malfunction that Dr. G was trapped in the Void." Celestia said. "What was the device designed to do?" Luna asked. Celestia opened her mouth to answer but stopped and thought. "What went wrong?" She asked again as Celestia began to look down. "Do we even know what it was called?" Luna asked as Celestia looked down sadly. "I see what you are saying Luna." Celestia said quietly. "The only information she has given was when we asked who she spoke to her first day here." She sighed. "Perhaps we could ask Asriel if he knows. Luna shrugged. "We could try but I doubt he has anything we haven't figured out." Luna said with a sigh. "We could still ask Chara." Celestia said. Luna shook her head. "There is something about this whole thing that makes me feel like she won't say anything. She said as she lay her head down on the table. Celestia rubbed her eyes. "Let's try again and figure this out, from the top..." Chara lay in her bed trying to get to sleep. She was exhausted and drained but no matter how much she tried to get comfortable or relaxed she simply couldn't sleep. Chara sighed and rose from her bed. Quietly she walked over to her cloths and changed out of her pajamas and into her normal cloths. With a sigh she walked over to the door and opened it just as she pulled on Sans's jacket, only to find a guard standing at the door. "Princess, you should be in bed." The guard said surprised. "I'm going out, if anyone asks where I'm going then tell them I'm out." Chara said as she wrapped Papyrus's scarf around her neck. "I'm sorry but it's late and I must insist that you not go out this late without a guard escort." The guard said hesitantly. Chara sighed. "Were I go, you can't follow." Chara said as she snapped her fingers and disappeared in a flask of cyan fire. Chara reappeared in a small laboratory. The room was small with only a counter with a few drawers and a broken machine that was covered by a curtain. Chara walked over to the drawers and opened them searching for the blueprints which she found in the forth one however as she was about to close it she stopped and pulled out a picture. Chara smiled as she looked at the picture. It had been the only one taken of the team and it was taken right before the accident. Chara frowned as memories long buried surfaced. She tried to repress them, to push them back down but they continued. "Hurry we have to stabilize it!" "I-I'm slipping help!" "Kid, NO!" Chara screamed as she launched forward reaching for something that was lost only to slam into the wall. Chara gasped as the pain brought her out of the memory and she looked to the machine. "Right, let's get to work." She said as she went over to a hidden coat closet and pulled out a lab coat with the name Chara on it. She then walked over to the machine and began to work. > Interlude - Dark, Darker, Yet Darker... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 972 years BNM Luna slowly trotted up to a black chained door in the dream realm and hesitated. The door lead to the dream of a certain child and was kept closed by massive chains that were secured by a massive padlocked. Luna's magic slowly picked up the lock and a key appeared in it, she hesitated for a single moment more before opening the doors and entering the dreams of Chara. As the world came together Luna saw Chara standing before a shallow pool of liquid and gazing at it. The pool bubbled and froth as she watched, it seemed almost alive. "This is a bad idea." Chara said as she turned to a tall skeleton. The Skeleton wore a pair of dress shoes, light gray pants, a black turtle neck covered by a white lab coat. Two cracks covered his face and he calmly turned to Chara and nodded. "Do not worry Chara, all the proper procedures have been taken." He said calmly. Chara shook her head. "Gaster I know that as scientists we are to expect a certain level of danger with our work, comes with the territory but there is a big difference in creating a machine to view the Alternate Timelines and a portal to those Timelines." Chara said adamantly. We're messing with technology that we haven't perfected and even worse I haven't even tested!" Chara exclaimed as he followed the Doctor as he checked connections. "Ya know, I agree with the kid." A short and 'big boned' skeleton said as he reproached the two He wore a shirt with the word PUN on it under a lab coat, a pair of black shorts and on his feet was a pair of pink fuzzy slippers. "I mean, come on doc, if the Kid is concerned then we probably should listen." Gaster groaned and face-palmed. "Sans not you too." He said in an exasperated tone. "Hey I'm just saying." Sans said as he raised his hands up in surrender. "Chara made this and she hasn't even run tests yet, she's concerned that something will go wrong and since she made the stuff I'm inclined to agree with her." Gaster sighed. "It's not like we're going through ourselves." Gaster said ans he turned to the two other scientists. "As you said we don't even know if this will work and as such I intend to run several experiments before we do anything else. I understand your concerns however if this can help us get free," Gaster turned to the pool and knelt down to examine it. "then we have no choice." "Dr. Gaster, the calibrations are completed." A cat Monster said as he approached them. "Very good Dr. Scratch, please activate the device." Gaster said. Scratch nodded and walked over to the controls where a snake monster and a reptile with no arms stood. Suddenly the door opened and a Monster with red skin and large eyes entered. "Dr. Gaster the team is ready." He said. Gaster nodded. "Activate the machine." He said and the Cat Monster flipped a switch. The Machine sparked and several energy beams activated, firing into the pool with a blinding light the liquid began to slowly part. Gaster, Chara and Sans stepped forward to look in and see a portal that lead to an odd room of light. Gaster examined the portal for a moment before nodding. "Shut it down." He yelled over the noise however nothing happened. "Shut the device down!" He yelled again only this time Scratch turned to him in panic. "We can't, something is wrong with the device, it won't respond!" Scratch exclaimed in panic before the controls exploded throwing him back. "Scratch!" The snake monster explained as she slithered over to the cat. "Are you ok?" She asked concerned. Scratch groaned. "I'm fine Esha. He said as he rose slowly. Suddenly the pool exploded outward and reality warping around the liquid. Chara and Gaster and the other scientists were covered in a tide of the liquid and they screamed as their forms began to warp and change. Luna watched in terror as the liquid consumed everything. however what drew her attention was Chara who screamed as color was leached from her and she became a monotone coloring of gray, black goo dripped from her eyes which were black voids with only a red dot showing for here iris. Suddenly the skeleton that was called Gaster turned and looked at her, Luna screamed in fear as the creature launched forward and consumed her. "☜︎■︎⧫︎❒︎⍓︎ ■︎◆︎❍︎♌︎♏︎❒︎🖳︎ 📂︎🖮︎ ♎︎♋︎❒︎🙵📪︎ ♎︎♋︎❒︎🙵♏︎❒︎📪︎ ⍓︎♏︎⧫︎ ♎︎♋︎❒︎🙵♏︎❒︎📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♎︎♋︎❒︎🙵■︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎ 🙵♏︎♏︎◻︎⬧︎ ♑︎❒︎□︎⬥︎♓︎■︎♑︎📬︎ ❄︎♒︎♏︎ ⬧︎♒︎♋︎♎︎□︎⬥︎⬧︎ ♍︎◆︎⧫︎⧫︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♎︎♏︎♏︎◻︎♏︎❒︎📪︎ ◻︎♒︎□︎⧫︎□︎■︎ ❒︎♏︎♋︎♎︎♓︎■︎♑︎⬧︎ ■︎♏︎♑︎♋︎⧫︎♓︎❖︎♏︎📬︎ ❄︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ■︎♏︎⌧︎⧫︎ ♏︎⌧︎◻︎♏︎❒︎♓︎❍︎♏︎■︎⧫︎ ⬧︎♏︎♏︎❍︎⬧︎ ❖︎♏︎❒︎⍓︎📪︎ ❖︎♏︎❒︎⍓︎📪︎ ♓︎■︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎♏︎⬧︎⧫︎♓︎■︎♑︎📬︎📬︎📬︎ ⬥︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♎︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⧫︎⬥︎□︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎🙵✍︎" Luna screamed awake launching upright in terror as she looked around to find nothing but her bedroom. Slowly she took several breaths as she tried to calm down. As she finally calmed down she thought on what this Gaster had said, while she couldn't understand him exactly she did recognize the language as the same one that Chara often spoke in. It was at that moment that several things clicked together as she pieced together who Gaster was, the mysterious Dr. G was Gaster! Then something else clicked, that experiment was what Chara had mentioned, an experiment to create a portal to something called a 'Timeline'. It had gone wrong and he had been sucked in to that rift along with everyone else. Luna quickly walked exited her bedroom and turned to a guard. "Wake my sister, something has happened and she must know. Chara groaned as she slowly rose off the floor and looked around, she sat in Sans's secret lab again and she groaned as she got off the floor and stretched, popping her back to get the kinks out before walking over to the machine and picking up the tools laying around it. Once she finished cleaning up she pulled of her lab coat and teleported to her room in the castle. This had been Charas routine for a year now, during the day she would study magic, and research anything that may lead her to Gasters old lab while at night she would teleport off to work on Sans's machine. Chara yawned as she put on San's blue jacket and papyrus's scarf before walking over and poking her brother. "Azzy, s'time to wake up." She said. Asriel groaned and waved is hand as if to shoo her away. Chara sighed before poking him again. only to get the same reaction. "Come on Azzy." Chara sighed as her eyes glowed blue and she yanked him up in her magic. "Hey!" Asriel cried in surprise before Chara began to spin him around. "OK, I'm up, I'M UP!" He exclaimed. Chara smirked and dropped him on the bed. "Good." She said as he climbed out of the bed and stretched. "I saw you leave last night." Asriel said as he went over to his closet and pulled on his sweater. Chara froze before turning to her brother. "So?" She asked concerned. Asriel sighed. "Chara... I know your going somewhere at night, I'm worried about you." "Azzy I'm fine." Chara said with a forced smile. Asriel walked over to Chara and embraced their sibling. "I may not as smart as you but I'm not stupid either." He said. "Your HP's dropping." "It's rude to check others without their permission." Chara said. Asriel hugged her tighter. "It's Gaster isn't it? Sans was working on a device to bring him back and now your working on it too aren't you?" Asriel asked. Chara said nothing only hugged her brother closer. Chara Dreemurr The First Fallen Child LV1 HP 15/20 SAVE RETURN ERASE R[]sE[] > Chapter 6 - Shroud of Hate Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 962 years BNM Chara smiled as she stood off to the side of the throne room, she wore pair of brown pants with shin guards, a white colored light and flexible chest-plate and green zip up hoodie jacket with the delta Rune inscribed in the shoulders as a form of badge. On her feet were a pair of red boots that had metal plates covering them. At her side was a sword strapped to her belt and several knives could be seen holster on a sash that crossed her chest. Shortly after she had turned twelve a pony had attempted to assassinate Celestia while she was holding court, since them Chara had made it herself the personal Guard of the princesses when court was held. As the doors closed and court came to its end for the day Celestia groaned as she rose and popped her back as she stretch our her wings and groaned. "Oh fuck those nobles." She said tiredly. Luna grunted an agreement as she rose as well and stretched. Chara chuckled. "Glad I don't have to deal with that shit." She said with a sigh. Celestia and Luna looked at each other for a moment before Luna sighed. "Actually Chara, with you and your brother turning 18 and come of age you and Asriel will be coordinated as official members of the Royal Family." She said with a wince. Chara glared at the two as she grit her teeth. "And you withheld this information why?" She asked in a voice of forced calm. "Asriel was aware of this arrangement." Celestia said. "And I was not informed why?" Chara asked. "We didn't see as a necessary piece of information, as such you didn't need to know." Celestia replied. Charas eyes narrowed. "If your implying something then spit it out." Chara growled. "I am in no mood or position to play these games." When we adopted you an agreement was made, an agreement that stated that we would be open and honest with each other." Luna said. "Asriel has held that bargain but you have not. You have withheld vital information both about your past and the exact details of your work." Luna growled back to Chara. "We all have our secrets." Chara said. "There are things that should not be known ever. I made many mistakes and miss calculations in my youth, both seen and done things that I'm not proud of, things that fall under that which shouldn't be known." Chara said angrily. Luna growled. "And when would it be 'need to be known'? Dr. Gaster may be gone bu-" Charas eyes glowed a brilliant red as she glared at Luna. "How do you know that name?" Chara asked her tone growing dangerous. "I am the Alicorn of the Night and Mistress of Dreams." Luna said calmly back. "You entered my mind, don't do it again." Chara said flatly. "There are things in there that you would be wise to avoid, things that could destroy you." She said as she turned to exit the throne room. "Like that gloppy skeleton figure that chases me?" Luna asked. Chara whirled around and grabbed Luna by the throat. "👎︎□︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎ ❍︎♏︎♎︎♎︎●︎♏︎ ♓︎■︎ ♋︎♐︎♐︎♋︎♓︎❒︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♋︎❒︎♏︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎ □︎♐︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎❒︎ ♍︎□︎■︎♍︎♏︎❒︎■︎✏︎" She said as she drew a knife. "Do not meddle in affairs that are not of your concern!" "Chara Dreemurr, stop this now!" Celestia yelled in anger. Chara froze as for a moment before dropping the blade and Luna slowly backing away before turning to flee. "Chara wait!" Celestia called to the running girl before sighing and turning to Luna. "What in mothers name were you thinking!?" She asked angrily. "I am tired of her secrets sister." Luna growled. Either she tells of what happened or I shall pry it from her mind by force." Luna hissed as she rose. "And what good would it do anypony?" Celestia asked angrily. "As she said we all have our secrets, she is entitled to them just as much as you or I. The reason I have not told Chara of this arrangement was that it was to be a present for her, a moment to celibate not because she is hiding things." Celestia said before sighing. Luna huffed. "You are to kind Celestia. Chara has secrets that could change this world and yet she keeps them to herself. Imagine what we could do if such technology was in our hooves. We could defeat the Minotaur and slay the Griffons slavers, our ponies would be unstoppable and we would rule this land!" Celestia gazed at Luna with a concerned look. "What is with you Luna?" She asked concerned. "This is a child, one we have raised and aided in life! Is this all you see in her, something to take and siphon knowledge from?" "You've seen the technology that Chara uses first hand Celestia." Luna said. "Thanks to her we and our ponies have pipes that allow water in homes, lights that run on magic instead of fire." "Have you considered asking Chara for such information rather than force her?" Celestia asked. Luna growled. "As if she would tell us such secrets." "When was the last time you slept Luna?" Celestia asked concerned. "I slept last night." Luna replied. Celestia actually sighed. "I mean really slept Luna, not Dream Walk." Luna thought for a moment. "I... uh... It was- no..." After a moment she sighed. "I don't know." Celestia sighed. "Remember the last time you did this? You ended up wearing a metal hate and proclaiming yourself Blognoth the Destroyer of Worlds?" Lunas face turned red. "Luna what did you just do and what did we just discuss?" "We just... oh fuck." Luna said as realization dawned. Celestia nodded. "Go get some sleep Luna." "But I mus-" Luna started only for Celestia to place a hoof over her mouth. "You must get some sleep, I will talk to Chara when she comes back." Celestia said calmly. Lunas ears fell but she nodded and slowly exited the throne room but before she left she turned to Celestia. "Tell Chara that I'm sorry for what I said and caused her to do." Chara grumbled as she walked through the Everfree Forest. "The absurdity of me becoming a Princess, I don't need more distractions!" she yelled angrily and she punched a tree. As she punched it her eyes flared with orange magic and the tree was reduced to splinters. Chara growled and continued to walk. It had been eleven years since she had had broken the barrier and during that time much had happened. She had continued to work on the machine to free Gaster however her work had slowed in recent years as Celestia and Luna had given her and Asriel more and more duties to perform. Asriel had begun to work with the Noble houses to set laws and more government work while Chara had been tasked with operating the Guard. Chara grumbled as she remembered the state of the guard, to sum it up with a single word it was pathetic. The 'Guards' could barely hold a weapon and the slightest intimidation made them flee in terror. It had taken a lot to get them to fight and even them they were shit. A sudden screech broke Chara out of her thoughts and she looked around in confusion. A second screech showed her the direction and she charged, leaping over fallen trees and stones she quickly came upon a sight that disgusted her. Standing in a clearing was a massive Phoenix, it's wings and body anchored down by massive chains that prevented it from lifting off. Surrounding it was a group consisting of five ponies, three Minotaur and a griffon. With a growl she stepped in to the clearing and summoned her magic to form a revolver which she fired in the air, the loud crack of the gun drew the attention of everyone in the clearing. "Under articular twenty seven section five of the Equestrian Accord it is illegal to hunt, trap or kill a Phoenix as they are considered endangered as a species." "Who the fuck are you?" A Minotaur asked angry. "Chara Dreemurr, former Arbiter of the Kingdom of Monsters." She said calmly. "Wait, she's the Princesses adopted little brat." The second exclaimed. The Griffon to lick its lips. "A perfect little whore to break in and be ransomed off." It said. Chara chuckled darkly before full on bursting out laughing manically before turning to the group. "You know, you caught me at a perfect time. See I'm a bit pissed off and you will provide me an outlet." She said as her eyes glowed red and a scythe appeared in her hand. The group drew their sword and smiled at her with hungry eyes. Chara charged and cleaved through one of the Minotaur cutting both him and his sword in half before turning to the others with a smile. One of the Minotaur roared and charged swinging a massive ax at Chara who dodged them with a smile. "You think I'm just going to stand and take it?" She asked with a smile as one of her eyes changed from red to blue and she inverted his gravity launching him back and impaling him into a tree. Several of the ponies charged at her and dodged their swings all the while her smile grew bigger and the edges began to break apart as if her flesh was decomposing. Chara leaped away and her weapon changed from a scythe to a large Trident that she swung several times the tip changing color. *Orange, blue, blue, blue, orange The next swing launched several waves in their direction in the same pattern that the trident flashed. Several ponies screamed and fell dead while others watched in terror. The next Minotaur charged at Chara from behind and slammed into her sending her flying but rather than crash into the ground Chara flipped into the air as black bone like wings ripped out of her back and her eyes went black as some sort of black liquid began to leaked from them. By the time she landed her flesh was a sickly white like a corps and she smirked revealing her decomposed face and ran strait at them her eyes boring into their souls as a red dot showed where she was looking, with a smile she ran at the Minotaur as her blade changed from red to black and shrunk to small black claws that covered her hands. Chara let loose a scream of a banshie and slammed into the Minotaur who screamed in terror as the claws ripped into his throat and she ripped his head from his body with the spine still attached. The remaining ponies and Griffon watched in terror as she rose slowly as if the were a marionette and turned to look at them with a demonic smile before charging. "Kill it, KILL IT, KILL IT!" The griffon screamed int terror as Chara began to walk toward them. Chara smiled and ran toward them as two ponies pulled out crossbows and began to fire on her however she seemed to ignore the arrows that punctured her and she laughed as she decapitated them wit a swipe from her claws. before turning to the griffon and leaping at him only for a ax to smash into her like a bat. Chara flew backward and rolled sever times before rising again and turned to see the Minotaur she had impaled on the tree standing before her a hole in his stomach but he stood his ax chipped crashed but he still stood. "What the fuck are you!?" He exclaimed in fear. Chara chuckled as she rose and opened her hand to show her soul. Half of it was red with spider-webbing cracks in it however the other half was inverted and white with cracks, with in the cracks was a black substance that seemed to act as glue and hold the Soul together. "I'm and Angle and Demon, born from the pits of Hell, sent from Heaven, made of LOVE, bound by HATE." She said before her soul disappeared and she smiled as she charged them, her claws changing into swords that she slammed into the Minotaur ax shattering it and cleaving his arms off. The Minotaur screamed before he was decapitated. The griffon turned and ran spreading his wings and leaping into the air only for a pain to pierce his left wing and he turned to see a knife embedded in it, the knife was attached to a chain and the griffon followed it down till he saw the blackened and decayed hands of Chara. Chara grinned and the griffons eyes widened as she yanked hard on the chain and pulled him down to the ground before her. The griffon looked up at her in terror. "Please let me live, I have money! You can have anything you want! Name it and it shall be!" He cried as he begged for mercy. Chara eye him with utter disdain and he felt as if he were a sheep sent to slaughter or an insect before a giant. Slowly she opened her mouth and spoke and a broken voice. "I want your blood." She said before she slit his throat and walking away. The griffon clutched his throat and gargled as he felt the iron flavored taste of his own blood before falling to the ground, the world slowly growing black around him. Chara stood in the clearing gazing at the dead bodies around her an maniacal smile in her face, suddenly her eyes cleared and she gasped in shock as she looked around her eyes widening in terror at what she had done. Slowly she looked down at her hands seeing the blood coating them, her skin returned to it's pail color and the rot and decayed skin began to revive and nit back together. The wings on her back faded from existence her eyes cleared returning to be those of a human. Her cloths were shredded and caked in blood and their were cuts and puncture wounds covering her body. Chara grit her teeth and fought through the pain as she rose and approached the Phoenix. The Phoenix eyed her wearily as she approached and as she neared it's eyes narrowed. Chara smiled and chuckled. "Intimidation doesn't work on me little birdie." She said in a sarcastic tone as she examined the chains. "If you plan to free me then you are wasting your time." The phoenix said calmly it's voice a deep rumble. "The chains are Mythril forged and reinforced by Adamantite." Chara frowned. "Little excessive for a Phoenix." She said confused. The phoenix gives what sounded like a laugh. "I am no ordinary Phoenix, I am an Ash Phoenix." He said with pride. "Were it not for these chains I would simply disperse my essence and reappear away from this trap." Chara nodded and walked toward the chains her eyes glowing orange as she grabbed the chains and pulled. "Foolish child, did you not hear me? These chains are enforced with Adamantite." Chara ignored the Phoenix and continued to pull til with the sound of twisting metal the chains bent and broke. The phoenix watched in shock as Chara walked around pulling each chain till it snapped or shattered. Once they all were broken the phoenix spread his wings and the chains were thrown off of him. "FREEDOM!" The phoenix screeched as the chains were thrown away, the phoenix flapped his wings and a cloud of ash emanated from them as runes the color of dying embers glowed on hes body. Chara smiled and turned to leave only to stumble and fall face first onto the blood soaked ground. The world spun and slowly Chara closes her eyes letting the world fade away. Chara groaned as feeling returned to her body. "I see that you are awake at last." A voice said calmly. Chara groaned and tried to rise only to cry out in pain. "Don't get up, in your condition it's a miracle you survived." "What happened?" Chara asked as she slowly opened her eyes and looked to where to voice was to see a small Phoenix with an ashen color and ember runes. "You don't remember?" The Phoenix asked. Charas eyes widened as the memories flooded back. "Your not big anymore." Chara said confused. The Phoenix gave what sounded like a laugh. "You are quite an interesting creature." He said. "You have saved my life young Princess, I owe you what you would call a life debt." Chara shrugged only to wince. "I'm assuming it was you who dragged me out of that clearing so I'd say we're even." Chara said. The Phoenix shook it's head. "No, what they planned for me is something best left unsaid but I owe you my life. The Princesses asked I alert them when you awaken." He said as she spread his wings. "Wait, how long have I been out?" Chara asked. "A week." The Phoenix said before taking off and flying through the open window. Chara looked up at the ceiling of her room before sighing and closing her eyes. Suddenly the door burst open and Luna ran in barely stopping in time to not run into Charas bed. "Chara I'm so sorry!" Luna cried as she pulled the injured human into a hug as tears tan down her muzzle. " I'm sorry for all I said and for what I did and I'm Sorrryyyyy!" Luna cried into Charas chest. Chara hesitated before sighing and slowly moving to return the hug and pat Lunas head. "I forgive you Luna." Chara said with a sigh as she returned the hug. "Just don't do that again and well be fine." She added. Luna nodded. "I wasn't sleeping and when I don't sleep I start to say and act foolish. I'm so sorry." Luna said sadly. Chara nodded. "Sleep deprivation can lead to a person or pony doing may weird things, one of them being things we come to regret later on. I should know." Celestia stood in the doorway of the room with Asriel at her side. "So it all worked out in the end after all." She said before looking up to the goat monster. "I should take your word more often." Asriel smiled and nodded before his face returned to a more serious one. "I read the report on what was found at the... site." He said. "There is only one thing that could do that much damage in so little time, something I hoped never to see awakened again." Celestia turned to Asriel in concern. "if even you fear it then we must stop it." "That's the thing." Asriel said. "It can't simply be stopped only kept asleep, not even the Elements of Harmony could stop it only return it to sleep." "What is this thing?" Celestia asked fear in her voice. Asriel turned to the site of Chara and Luna watching the scene. "Chara has several forms that activate under certain conditions, the forms are biased off of Charas state of mind and her body changes due to the reaction of her magic." Celestia nodded. "I am aware, some ponies have a similar effect. When a Unicorn is in danger and they have something to fight for or protect there magic can warp their body and explode out in what's called a Rage Shift. Asriel nodded. "When Chara has something to fight for or protect she changes from her normal form to what we named Judgement Form this is when she become an Arbiter, however there is a another form she can enter. In this form she becomes a monster, a true Demon. Her final and most destructive form, her Genocide Form. When Chara is in extreme pain, be it physical or emotional, the trait of HATE in her body activates and tries to shield her form her suffering and protect her. It acts as a defense mechanism of sorts." Celestia slowly turned to look at Chara and Luna a hint of fear in her eyes. "Luna's assault and what ever those mercenaries did pushed her to where this darkness felt it needed to act." She said piecing the scenario together. Asriel nodded. "The Black Trait of HATE, when she enters her Genocide form she normally just become really mean or hides away with the powers of hate, shielding her till she can recover, however in battle she becomes a ruthless and sadistic monster. It's a symbiotic relationship, she is protected and it has a host that keeps it alive by giving it something to feed on." "It seems dangerous." Celestia said concerned. Asriel shook his head. "It's protective, if provoked then it is but ion it's own it's simply a sleeping demon that is content to leave others alone." Asriel turned to Celestia. "Princess, Chara is not a glass ball or some fragile person, when something pushes her over the edge then it was something not to over look." Celestia nodded. "One of the corpses found was a Griffon" Asriels face went white which was a impressive feet given that he had white fur. "Slavers." He said before turning to Chara. "If Griffons are this far into the kingdom then this is concerning." "Does this Hate Creature have any malice or does is it simply protect Chara?" Celestia asked. Asriel looked at the Princess for a moment. "It doesn't care about anything except keeping Chara safe but it only comes out when it must." Celestia nodded. "Then I see no problem with it." She said. "Darkness can serve the light, and not all darkness is evil." She said as she rose and entered the room approaching Chara. Asriel watched in surprise as Celestia spoke with Chara and smiled. Her mask was down and her emotions plan to see Asriel stood quiet and a small smile appeared on his face. The Phoenix landed on his shoulder and watched the group. "Chara is an interesting creature and a worthy master." Asriel turned to the phoenix. "What will you do?" He asked. "When she is better and her magic has recovered I shall bond with her as her familiar, for now I shall watch and observe." The phoenix said. before turning to the Prince. "She is your sister correct?" Asriel nodded. "Go be with her." He said as he spread his wings and flew away. Asriel turned back to the group and smiled as he entered the room to join those who had become his family. > Chapter 6 - Shroud of Hate Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chara sat in a chair that looked out the window where she always stood. Beside her stood Asriel who had taken to staying at her side till she had recovered. It had been a week since the incident that had been named 'The Forest Glade incident'. The official report given to the kingdom and ponies was that a griffon slaver as well as several mercenaries had captured a phoenix and attacked Chara when she ordered its release, while that was true it was only part of the story with the rest buried for the safety of the kingdom. No one could know what Chara did or what she was capable of. Due to what had happened Asriel requested that the title of prince and princess be altered for he and his sibling. The two while receiving the same authority and rights as a prince and princess would have they were instead given the titles of Lord Commander of the Military. This meant that Chara and Asriel would act as the highest authority of the Royal Guard, Naval force and Air force. With this new authority Chara and Asriel would be able to act as they saw fit to command the Military forces as well as hold equal authority to the princesses in politics. The difference in this arrangement was that while they still held the position and power of a prince and princess they did not to maintain a ruling court. Once Chara was fully recovered she and Asriel were to be fully-sworn into their position and take an oath of service. Chara sighed and leaned forward to get up from the chair only for Asriel placed a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. "Don't even think about it Chara." He said sternly. Chara sighed and relaxed again. "What's with you Azzy?" She asked concerned. "You act as if I'm going to... oh." She said as she looked down ashamed. Asriel looked out the window a distant look in his eyes. "I suppose I've become a bit over protective but you honestly can't blame me can you?" He asked as he turned and looked at Chara with narrowed eyes. "Not my brightest moment." Chara said with a chuckle. "Turns out buttercups are one of the worst ways to go out." Chara said as she rubbed her neck sheepishly. Asriel grunted and returned to watching the forest outside the window before stopping and rubbing his eyes and looking out again. "Hey Chara, please tell me that's a flock of pigeons and not what I think it is." He said. Chara squinted. "Well they could be pigeons but I thing those are Griffons." She said calmly before her eyes widened. "Oh fuck they're Griffons!" She exclaimed before rising quickly and gasping as Asriel caught her from falling over. "Screw this shit." She said as her eyes glowed green as her magic sealed up the wounds and healed them. "You shouldn't do that Chara." Asriel said angrily. " It weakens your immunity to disease not to mention the effects that healing magic has on the affected body." "Yell at me for recklessness later Azzy but we're in charge of the Guard now thanks to your plan and as long as I live I will fight to protect my home. I did it for the Underground and I'll be damned if I don't do it here." Chara said her eyes glowing red. Suddenly a flash appeared before the siblings and when they could see again a small golden star floated in the center of their room. Asriel stared in surprise at it before turning to Chara. "It that what I think it is?" He asked. Chara slowly approached it and hesitantly reached out and touched it, as soon as he fingers reached it the Save screen popped up. Chara Dreemurr The first fallen child LV1 HP 20/20 *SAVE LOAD ERASE "A save point!" Chara gasped in surprise before seeing her LV. "Wait, how the hell do I still have an LV of one?! especial after what happened in the clearing!" She asked in a shocked voice. The sound of explosions caused the castle to shake. "Worry about it later." Asriel said as he ran to the closet and opened it up and grab a set of armor and robes and changing into them. As he exited the closet he summoned his swords and smiled as he stood before Chara who had shifted to her Arbiter appearance. "Ready Chara?" He asked with a smile. Chara summoned the True Knife and nodded. "Let's teach these slavers who they're messing with."She said as she approached the door but stopped before opening it and smiled. "What's up?" Asriel asked before Chara kicked the door open and smiled as it slammed into three griffons who were crushed under it's weight. "I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child, I'm a mother, I'm a sinner, I'm a saint!" Chara belted out live a drunk sailor. Asriel groaned and face-palmed. "Can you be serious for like ten seconds?" He asked in an exasperated tone. Chara laughed. "Come on brother, it was funny and your smiling." She said with a smirk. "It's a pity smile!" He exclaimed. Chara simply laughed as she ran down the halls as she disappeared around a corner Asriel chuckled and looked at the crushed Griffons. "It was funny though." He muttered before running after his sister. Chara smiled as she ran launching DT Blades at any griffons that she saw, as she neared the Courtyard however she slowed and began to calmly walk toward the sound of battle. As she entered she saw the Guards getting pumaled to death by the slavers, Chara sighed and ran forward several rings of blades made from determination appearing around her and she slammed into the Griffons lines with them spinning around her. The griffons turned in panic to defend themselves but couldn't even raise their swords to defend as they were shredded by the red blades. In a matter of moments the only one left standing was Chara, red blades of Determination floating around her. Chara turned to the Guards and eyed them with the look of a drill sargent who was gazing upon a distinctly pathetic cadet. Several guards gulped in fear. "Were it not for the fact that we are presently under attack I'd grind you maggots into the dust but seeing as we are presently being invaded I'll ignore it..." She said pausing long enough to let several of the guards sigh in relief before continuing. "for now, but when this is done I am going to whip your asses into shape." She said causing them to go white. Asriel ran into the courtyard and looked around before sighing and walking over to Chara. "I saw what looked like the griffon King heading for the throne room." Chara nodded. "Looks like we'll need a short cut." She said. Asriel nodded and Chara snapped her fingers, the two disappearing in a flash of blue. The guards stood in there place for a moment before sighing. "We're fucked." one of them said. "Hey look at the bright side, whoever is in charge of this attack will be getting the full force of the Commanders wrath while we'll be getting the pent up frustration she'll have that we fucked up." Another guard said. The others grumbled an agreement, they may be punished but at least this time Charas wrath wouldn't be directed at them. "Ya know, it makes you almost feel bad for them." Another guard said. This time everyone nodded. King Red Baron was a griffon of opportunity, He captured weakling races, broke them through means of rape and torture and sold them to the highest bidder. Most called him a slaver but he preferred the term Merchant. Recently he had been approached by an...odd costumer who wanted a very special slave and was willing to pay a small fortune for them with the only restriction was that they must be alive. The King smiled, the fact that it was the ape that the Princesses of the ponies had adopted only made the job easier, ponies were week and pathetic. Maybe her would take the princesses as his own personal 'pets'. Suddenly the king and all the guards fell to the ground small blue heart shaped things hovered over them. The guards and king tried to rise but it was as off they had a Minotaur on their backs. A quiet chuckle was heard drawing their attention to two figures who stepped out from behind two of the columns in the room and walked toward the middle. The one on the left was the ape they had been sent to find, they wore a pair of brown pants with red boots tucked in, a white shirt under a green hoodie jacket with a odd winged symbol on the shoulders. She had her hair cut short but it was her eyes and the blade they held that made the King flinch. Her eyes were as red as blood and they glowed giving off a whips of red magic, in the creatures hand was a blade that looked to be made from blood. On the right stood a tall imposing creature that looked like a bipedal goat with white fur and odd black markings. He wore purple robes with armored shoulder-pads and a chest-plate that had that odd symbol on it. In his hands were twin swords that glowed white. "Well, you've been busy huh?" The girl said calmly as she approached them. "What is this, some form of Magic?" The King asked angrily though his eyes showed fear. "Release me now and I may spare the rest of this kingdom after all you are who I was sent for." "Oh, and who was it that sent you to capture me?" Chara asked. "white figure with no features." The king said as she shrugged his shoulders dismissively. Chara froze something about that creature sounded... familiar. Suddenly Chara grabbed her head and screamed in pain as a memory was pulled to the front of her mind of a white figure with no features except a smile on it's face stood before her speaking. "-tely your not the one in control." The figure said as it approached and hundreds of strings shot out from the darkness wrapping around her. Chara fell tom her knees and screamed before her eyes opened glowing red. "You work for the PLAYER." She said hate dripping from her voice. The King tilted his head. "That's then name he gave me." He said as he rose and looked at the girl. "Said something along the lines of "I want's my toy back"." Chara grit her teeth and rose her eyes dull and life less. "I got a question for you." She said calmly, the king tilted his head confused. "Do you think even the worst person can change? that everyone can be a good person, if they just try?" The King opened his moth but fell silent. "Here's a better question," The Asriel said calmly as he raised his sword and pointed it at the group. "Do you want to have a bad time?" He asked before both he and Chara opened their mouths. "Because of you take another step forward, well, your not going to like what happens happens next." They said together. The king hesitated before steeling his nerves and walked forward with a smirk. The two sighed. "Well sorry Celestia, Luna," Asriel said sadly. "This is why we hate making promises." Chara finished as the world when dark. Arbiter Chara and Reaper Asriel Block your path. The King gasped in surprise as the world went dark and quickly drew a sword as he watched the two creatures. Chara and Asriel's heads were bowed and there eyes were closed. "It's a beautiful day outside," Chara said calmly. "The birds are singing, flowers are blooming." Asriel said. "On days like this," Chara said with a sigh. "people like you," Asriel said sadly. Suddenly both the siblings looked up and their eyes snapped open Charas glowing red and Asriel glowing purple. "Should be burning in Hell." They said together as they raised their hands. Knives and swords launched forward in maze like pattern that the griffons had to weave through, once they made it through the attack several Gaster Basters appeared around them and fired forcing them to dodge again. One of the guards wasn't fast enough and as the blast hit him he screeched as he was disintegrated, not even ash remained. As the attack ended Asriel smiled and a large skull appeared before them and began to inhale creating a vortex that pulled the remaining guards in before unleashing a beam at the king who barely dodged the attack by ducking under it. "What the fuck was that!" The king gasped out as he rose. "Dr. G♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ created special weapons for us long ago, Chara was given the Determination Gaster Blaster while I was given the Hyper Goner." Asriel replied. The king gulped in fear before looking down and seeing four buttons. FIGHT ACT ITEM MERCY They king narrowed his eyes and hit the Act button and looked over the options CHECK BEG TAUNT PRAY The King hit the check button and selected the option of checking Chara, as the King hit Charas name information appeared about her. Arbiter Chara Dreemurr HP: 20/20 AT: 99 DF: 99 The last Judge of the Underground, is filled with Determination. The Demon who comes when People call their name. =) The King shuddered and checking Asriels information. Reaper Asriel Dreemurr HP: 99 AT: 99 DF: 99 The Prince of the Underground, will not let you harm his sibling. I Have stood at your side since the beginning, now fear the name of the Reaper. "Huh, well that was informative." The king said as he looked up and narrowly dodged the knives aimed at him before jumping over the swords swung by Asriel. As he jumped backward Chara appeared in front of him with a smile. Chara floated in front of the King as she turned his Soul blue and it appeared in front of his chest. "Never let your guard down." Chara said as she shot him backwards ricocheting off of knives that broke through the floor and ceiling before Asriel shot forward and thrust a sword into his chest pinning him to the wall. The King screeched in pain and hung there for a second before the blade faded and he fell to the floor, slowly he rose and let out a screech as his wings extended and he shot forward toward the two siblings. As he neared he swung his sword and Asriel raised his to block the strike sending sparks flying. The King swung furiously each strike paired or blocked by Asriel who smiled as he thrust his arm forward and a blast of rainbow lightning shoot out of his hand and ripped through the King. As the King flew back Chara teleport behind him and slammed her fist into his back her eyes glowing with orange magic and her fists covered in orange gauntlets that looked like claws. Chara spun around delivering kick and punches that caused shock-waves and shredded the Kings armor. The King screeched in anger and swung his sword catching Charas cheek and leaving a shallow cut while he used his other talon to push her back, as he landed he stood between Chara and Asriel gasping for breath. "W-what in the name of Tartarus are you?" He gasped out his eyes wide in terror. "I'm the Judge." Chara said her eyes glowing red and cyan. "I am the Reaper." Asriel said his right eye glowing purple and the left a rainbow of color. The King grit his beak and raise his sword in defiance. "This isn't over." He said angrily. "I'll return, with another army, a stronger army!" He screeched. Chara smiled. "You made your choice them." She said calmly before she shot forward, her knife transforming into a rapier, the King swung his sword as she approached however Chara nimbly ducked under it and rose bringing blade up as an arc of steel death. The Griffon King froze for a moment, eyes wide in terror, before the blade fell from his hand and he fell backwards. Chara watched calmly as the light in the kings eyes faded. "Foolish King, it didn't have to be like this." She said sadly. Asriel walked toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He made his choice, we made ours." He said sadly. "Remember what father said, the choices and actions we make reflect who we are. We chose to use our power and skills to help as such we must face the actions of that choice." He said and he pulled her into a hug. Chara nodded slowly as she returned the hug. "I wish the choices weren't so horrible." She said sadly. "Come on we still have work to do and the griffons wont stop themselves." Asriel said as he turned and began to walk away. Chara simply stood there and Asriel stopped to turn to her. "Chara, you okay?" He asked concerned as he turned to her. Chara groaned and rubbed her forehead before falling forward. "Chara!" Asriel cried as he ran and grabbed her before she hit the floor. Chara coughed and smiled up at Asriel. "Sorry bro, just give me a moment." She said. "Chara you idiot!" Asriel yelled in anger. "You used too much magic, don't move just rest." He said as he lay her down. Suddenly the doors to the hall were blasted open and Luna and Celestia charged in only to stop and look around. The moment they spotted Asriel leaning over Chara they ran over and knelt over the two. "What happened here?" Luna asked as she looked over Chara who weekly tried to bat her hoofs away. Asriel eyed Chara angrily before turning to the princesses. "Chara is what you would call a glass canon." Asriel said calmly. "She is extremely powerful and skilled however that power comes with a price, when she uses her magic it puts a strain on her body. She can use her magic just fine but too much and it drains her body, it's something she had in common with a certain skeleton." He said as he looked at Chara with a hard look." Chara scoffed. "So I tire easily, doesn't mean anything." She said as he moved to sit up only to struggle. "Chara, why didn't you tell us this?" Celestia asked concerned. "Cause normally it's a small problem." She said as she stood shakily. "I'm not some fragile child that has to be handled like a broken piece of fine china, I am a warrior, trained to fight and, if I must, lay down my life of the protection of the kingdom I serve." Chara said as she looked at the two princesses. "Besides it's not a problem unless I completely exhaust myself." "If that's the case then you'd be fine right now." Asriel said as he crossed his arms. "Honestly the only time you were like this was when- Chara what have you done!" He screamed in anger. "That experiment lead to G♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ falling in to the Void, Sans lost almost all his HP from it and that machine is the reason you have this fucking problem!" Chara flinched and looked away. "I did what I had to do Asriel." She said. "We will discuss this later but for now we have other things to worry about." He said as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Got that right." A voice said from the end of the hall. Everyone looked up in shock to see the army of griffons standing before them. "With the brat out of juice this will be much easier to capture her. "A griffon said calmly as he stepped forward only to be eviscerated by a bolt of rainbow lightning. Asriel took a deep breath and lowered his hand. "I can't do that much more Celestia, we need to fall back or something." Celestia shook her head. "I'm out of magic myself, Luna?" Luna shook her head as well, Celestia sighed. "Well looks like were going down fighting." She said as she summoned a halberd and Luna raised her swords. The Griffons smiled and stepped forward only for a small flame that would belong to a candle to flicker to life between the two groups. The two groups stared in surprise as the flame flickered and began to grow into a human like figure that rose out of the ground. The figure wore black dress shoes, black trousers, a white dress shirt with a black tie and overcoat. The figure stood calmly before the griffons and stared at them before he pulled what looked like the hilt of a sword from his pocket. The hilt was made from what looked like obsidian and was ornately carved. The figure flicked his wrist and the carvings glowed with orange and a blade of fire shot out, calmly he rose the blade and pointed it at the griffons. "As amusing as this has been to see you chickens play at solders I've grown weary of this." Grillby said as he raised his sword and set it on his shoulder. "The flames of Hell are calling, looks like it's time for you to join them." He said as he swung his sword and released a wave of fire at the griffons. The griffons panicked and tried to scatter but were too uncoordinated, they slammed into each other and the walls before the wave of fire consumed them. Grillby then charged forward and swung his sword at the nearest griffon chopping on the wings before driving it into the griffons chest. "You know I always preferred chicken breast over the wings, more meat on it." He said calmly as as the sword engulfed the griffon in fire turning him to ash, calmly he turned to the other griffons who readied their weapons and charged. Grillby sighed and blocked an oncoming spear turning the wood shaft to ash as he pierced the griffons chest disintegrating him as well. A sword was swung at him but he simply caught it with his hand and melted the blade before eyeing the griffon. "I believe you dropped this." he said as he threw the melted steel at the griffon who screamed and ran. Calmly Grillby looked over the remaining griffons. "This is your final chance, leave this kingdom and do not return." He said calmly. The griffons look at each other for a moment before turning and fleeing the hall. Grillby sighed and deactivated the sword before sitting down tiredly. "I'm getting too old for this shit." He said. Chara burst out laughing. "Always knew you had a sense of humor buried under all that hot air." Chara said. Grillby groaned "You are more like Sans every time we talk." "Indeed, My toy has been most entertaining." A voice said calmly causing everyone to turn in surprise as a completely white figure with no features except for a white smile on their face calmly walked forward. "A Puppet with no strings but still is quiet amusing." "Asriel summoned his sword however it flickered and dulled as his magic was almost drained. "Who are you?" He asked as he moved to in front of Chara. "I am but a simply PLAYER." The figure said with a chuckle. Chara rose slowly however something was off about her. "I remember you." She said as she walked forward and drew the True Knife. "Fascinating, and what do you remember my toy?" The PLAYER asked with a bigger smile. Chara charged forward and swung at the PLAYER her eyes glowing red with determination. "You are the one who Corrupted Frisk!" She screamed as the PLAYER barely dodged the attack. The PLAYER quickly turned and deflected several more attacks but Chara presses on her skin turning a sickly white and decay as her eyes beginning to leak a black substances. "Yo◆︎r Go♓︎■︎♑︎ ⧫︎□︎ ◻︎♋︎⍓︎ ♐︎□︎❒︎ Th♓︎⬧︎!" She screamed her voice cracking and distorting as She charged and slashed the PLAYER across the chest causing him to bleed. The Player gasped and grabbed his chest as he leaped back and looked at Chara in what was either shock or fear. Chara glared at the PLAYER and smiled. "That was for Sans you dirty brother killer." She said The PLAYER growled and in his hand papered a knife as well. "You know they say if you want something done then you have to do it your self." They said as they charged at Chara swinging the Knife with a smile. Chara smiled as well and charged forward meeting the player only for the Player to decapitate Chara. "Chara!" Asriel cried as her body flew past the PLAYER who stopped and turned wit a smile only to gasp as a glowing star appeared and Chara leaped out charging at the PLAYER the knife shifting into a long sword that she swung at the PLAYER her eyes glowing red. "You may have manipulated the Timeline and had control of Frisks Determination but you don't know how to use it like I do." She said as she added another deep gash to the PLAYERS chest and knocking him backwards into Grillby's waiting fist which slammed into the PLAYER with enough force to cause a small explosion on impact. The PLAYER was thrown backwards and Charas eyes changed to blue as she grabbed the PLAYERS soul and threw it backwards causing him to crash into a wall. Chara smiled as several bones ripped form the wall and impaled them. "Get dunked on." Chara said in a low voice with a smile on. As Chara turned away from the sight a low laugh was heard echoing through the hall and everyone froze as Chara turned back her eyes wide as she saw the PLAYER pulling away from the bones that pinned them. The PLAYER laughed as they ripped them self free from the wall and fell to the ground with a wet splat before rising. "You can not beat me Chara Dreemurr, your not strong enough to best me." They said as they walked forward. "To be honest if you were at your best with a full pool of magic them perhaps you'd have stood a chance but in your state nothing you throw tr me will stop me." They said. Chara sighed sadly. "Look kid, I gave up hope a long time ago, You don't know how it feels knowing that one day everything could simply be erased. " As Chara spoke everyone looked at her confused except for Asriel who sighed with sadness. "However," Chara continued causing Asriel to look up. "knowing what I do now, after having finally gotten my brother back and regaining a family, after finally having some hope for the first time in so long... I can't afford not to care anymore." She said as she glared at the PLAYER. "So what, you'll just give me some crappy speech about how you love everyone and then the power of love and friendship will save you?" The PLAYER mocked with a laugh. "News flash kid but this is the real world not some prissy little girl's TV show." Chara chuckled. "Oh your adorable for thinking that but no, I think I'll save the Orbital Friendship Cannon of Deus Ex Machina for another time." Chara said with a chuckle as she closed her eyes. "Rather I think It's time you met someone who I'm sure is dying to meet you after what you did to his sons" She said with a smile as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a black liquid that glowed with a white outline. The PLAYER pause for a moment in confusion as Chara chucked the vile at him and it shattered coating him in the substance. "Ugh, what is this shit?" He asked before it began to glow brighter and the PLAYER screamed as a hole in reality was ripped open "This isn't over Chara, I will be back and when I return I shall destroy all you hold dear and rip your family apart!" They screamed as they were sucked inside. "Give my regards to the Void." Chara yelled happily before passing out. > Chapter 7 - The Darkness Keeps Growing, > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Everyone, Arceaion here. I want to say thank you all for sticking with this story but also that that there is a lot that you haven't pieced together as to whats going on. Pieces that may seem arbitrary or random may actually hold important clues as to the true story that is hidden. Not everything is going to be spelled out and Not everything is an open book. Sometimes one must dig through the pages to discover the truth and other times The book that you have only gives half the answers. Chara lay in a void of nothing that stretched out around her. "💧︎□︎📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ◻︎●︎♋︎⍓︎♏︎❒︎ ♒︎♋︎⬧︎ ❍︎♋︎♎︎♏︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎ ❍︎□︎❖︎♏︎✍︎" "So, the PLAYER has made there move?" Gaster asked calmly. Cara nodded and sat up. "They have." The two sat in silence till Gaster sat up concern on his face. "💧︎□︎❍︎♏︎⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ⬥︎♏︎♓︎❒︎♎︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ♒︎♋︎◻︎◻︎♏︎■︎♓︎■︎♑︎📬︎" "Something weird is happening." He said as he turned to Chara. Chara looked at him confused before closing her eyes and concentrating. "What do you mean weird, I don't sense anything anomalous in the Time Stream? "👎︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❒︎♏︎❍︎♏︎❍︎♌︎♏︎❒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♑︎♏︎■︎□︎♍︎♓︎♎︎♏︎ ❒︎◆︎■︎✍︎" "Do you remember the Genocide Run?" Gaster asked. "After what that thing put Frisk and then me through do you honestly think I could forget?" Chara asked in a sarcastic tone "☠︎□︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎ ⬥︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♓︎ ❍︎♏︎♋︎■︎📬︎" "No that's not what I mean." Gaster said as he face palmed. "👎︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❒︎♏︎❍︎♏︎❍︎♌︎♏︎❒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♐︎♏︎♏︎●︎♓︎■︎♑︎ □︎♐︎ ⧫︎♏︎❒︎❒︎□︎❒︎ □︎❒︎ ♒︎□︎◻︎♏︎●︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎■︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ♌︎❒︎□︎◆︎♑︎♒︎⧫︎📪︎ ⬥︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ♐︎♏︎●︎⧫︎ ●︎♓︎🙵♏︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⬥︎♋︎⧫︎♍︎♒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ⬥︎□︎❒︎●︎♎︎ ♑︎❒︎□︎⬥︎ ♎︎♋︎❒︎🙵📪︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⬧︎♏︎♏︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ⧫︎◆︎❒︎■︎ ♏︎❍︎◻︎⧫︎⍓︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ♎︎♏︎❖︎□︎♓︎♎︎ □︎♐︎ ♋︎●︎●︎ ●︎♓︎♐︎♏︎✍︎" "Do you remember the feeling of terror or hopelessness that it brought, what it felt like to watch the world grow dark, to see it turn empty and devoid of all life?" Gaster rose and looked at Chara in concern. "👎︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❒︎♏︎❍︎♏︎❍︎♌︎♏︎❒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ⬥︎♋︎⍓︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ⬧︎◆︎♐︎♐︎□︎♍︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎♎︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♒︎□︎⬥︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ◻︎◆︎●︎●︎♏︎♎︎ ♋︎⧫︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎❒︎ ⬧︎□︎◆︎●︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ⬧︎♋︎◻︎◻︎♏︎♎︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♒︎□︎◻︎♏︎ ♐︎❒︎□︎❍︎ ♓︎⧫︎✍︎" "Do you remember the way it suffocated you how it pulled at your soul and sapped the HoPe from it?" Chara looked away and didn't answer for a moment but finally she nodded. "Yes." "✋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ♒︎♋︎◻︎◻︎♏︎■︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♋︎♑︎♋︎♓︎■︎📬︎" "It's happening again." Gaster said as he tuned away from her sadly. Charas eyes lit up with red magic as she turned to him so fast he thought she teleported. "What do you mean it's happening again?!" She cried out in fear. "✋︎ ❍︎♏︎♋︎■︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♐︎♏︎♏︎●︎♓︎■︎♑︎📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ □︎■︎♏︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ❍︎♏︎♋︎■︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♑︎♏︎■︎□︎♍︎♓︎♎︎♏︎ ❒︎◆︎■︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ♌︎♋︎♍︎🙵✏︎" "I mean that feeling, the one that means the Genocide run is back!" Gaster said as he raised himself up in anger before deflating and returning to his sad state. "✋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ❍︎◆︎♍︎♒︎ ⬧︎●︎□︎⬥︎♏︎❒︎📬︎📬︎📬︎ ♌︎◆︎⧫︎ ♓︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎📬︎" "It's much slower... but it's there." He sad sadly. "So that means..." Chara took a deep breath and continued. "That can only mean one thing, right? Gaster said nothing. "It means that they're back... but how? How is this possible Gaster? I threw them into the void, ripped their body apart and scattered it to the wind!" Gaster nodded. "✡︎□︎◆︎ ♎︎♓︎♎︎📪︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ 🙵♓︎●︎●︎♏︎♎︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♌︎□︎♎︎⍓︎ ♌︎◆︎⧫︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ❍︎♓︎■︎♎︎📬︎" "You did, you killed the body but the mind." He said with a smirk. "❄︎♒︎♏︎ ❍︎♓︎■︎♎︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ⬧︎⧫︎♓︎●︎●︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎📪︎ 🙰◆︎⬧︎⧫︎ ●︎♓︎🙵♏︎ ♓︎🕯︎❍︎ ⬧︎⧫︎♓︎●︎●︎ ♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎📪︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎♓︎❒︎ ❍︎♓︎■︎♎︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ⬧︎⧫︎♓︎●︎●︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎📬︎" "The mind is still there, just like I'm still here, their mind is still there." "What can we do?" Chara asked. Gaster sighed. "☠︎□︎⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎♑︎📬︎" "Nothing." Chara's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean 'nothing'." Chara growled. "❄︎♒︎♏︎ ⬥︎♋︎⍓︎ ⬥︎♏︎ ♋︎❒︎♏︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎📪︎ ⬥︎♏︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ♎︎□︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎♑︎📬︎ ✋︎■︎ □︎◆︎❒︎ ♍︎◆︎❒︎❒︎♏︎■︎⧫︎ ♐︎□︎❒︎❍︎⬧︎ ⬥︎♏︎ ♋︎❒︎♏︎ ◆︎⬧︎♏︎●︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎📬︎" "The way we are now, we can do nothing. In our current forms we are useless." Gaster Replied. Chara blinked as realization dawned and she smirked. "So what do we do?" Gaster Laughed as he turned to her with a smile. "✋︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ❑︎◆︎♓︎⧫︎♏︎ ⬧︎♓︎❍︎◻︎●︎♏︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ♎︎♏︎♋︎❒︎📪︎ ⬥︎♏︎ ❒︎♏︎⬧︎⧫︎□︎❒︎♏︎ □︎◆︎❒︎⬧︎♏︎●︎❖︎♏︎⬧︎📬︎ ✋︎■︎⬧︎♓︎♎︎♏︎ ❍︎⍓︎ □︎●︎♎︎ ●︎♋︎♌︎ ♓︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎ ⬥︎□︎❒︎🙵♓︎■︎♑︎ □︎■︎ ♋︎ ♎︎♏︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎❍︎♓︎■︎♋︎⧫︎♓︎□︎■︎ ♌︎□︎□︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ⬥︎□︎◆︎●︎♎︎ ♋︎●︎●︎□︎⬥︎ ❍︎□︎■︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎ ⧫︎□︎ ♒︎♋︎❖︎♏︎ ❒︎♏︎♋︎♎︎⍓︎ ♋︎♍︎♍︎♏︎⬧︎⬧︎ ⧫︎□︎ ♓︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ◻︎□︎⬥︎♏︎❒︎ ♒︎□︎⬥︎♏︎❖︎♏︎❒︎ ⬥︎♒︎♏︎■︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ♒︎◆︎❍︎♋︎■︎⬧︎ ●︎□︎♍︎🙵♏︎♎︎ ❍︎□︎■︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎ ◆︎■︎♎︎♏︎❒︎♑︎❒︎□︎◆︎■︎♎︎ ♓︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎ ♐︎□︎❒︎♍︎♏︎♎︎ ⧫︎□︎ ♋︎♌︎♋︎■︎♎︎□︎■︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ❒︎♏︎⬧︎♏︎♋︎❒︎♍︎♒︎📬︎ ☜︎❖︎♏︎■︎ ⧫︎♒︎□︎◆︎♑︎♒︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ⬥︎♋︎⬧︎ ■︎♏︎♋︎❒︎ ♍︎□︎❍︎◻︎●︎♏︎⧫︎♓︎□︎■︎ ♓︎ ♎︎♓︎♎︎■︎🕯︎⧫︎ ♌︎❒︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎♏︎⬧︎📬︎" "It's quite simple my dear, we restore ourselves. Inside my old Lab I was working on a Determination Booster that would allow monsters to have ready access to it's power however when the Humans locked Monsters underground I was forced to abandon my research. Even though it was near completion I didn't bring the notes." Charas eyes widened. "If I used that I'd be at full power, the limiter on my body would be broken and I'd be able to use my magic at full power again!" She gasped in excitement. Gaster nodded. "❄︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎ ♋︎❒︎♏︎ ♋︎ ♐︎♏︎⬥︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎♑︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ⬧︎♒︎□︎◆︎●︎♎︎ ♌︎♏︎ □︎♐︎ ◆︎⬧︎♏︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♓︎■︎ ❍︎⍓︎ □︎●︎♎︎ ●︎♋︎♌︎📬︎" "There are a few things that should be of use to you in my old lab." "You mean aside from a possible way to restore monsters?" Chara asked with a smile. Gaster nodded. "👍︎♒︎♋︎❒︎♋︎📪︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ♎︎□︎ 🙵■︎□︎⬥︎ ⧫︎♒︎♋︎⧫︎ ♏︎❖︎♏︎■︎ ♓︎♐︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❒︎♏︎ ♓︎⬧︎ ♋︎ ⬥︎♋︎⍓︎ ⧫︎□︎ ❒︎♏︎❖︎♓︎❖︎♏︎ ❍︎□︎■︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ❍︎♋︎⍓︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎ ♌︎♏︎ ♓︎■︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ●︎♋︎♌︎📬︎ ✋︎♐︎ ♓︎⧫︎🕯︎⬧︎ ■︎□︎⧫︎ ⧫︎♒︎♏︎❍︎ ⬥︎♏︎🕯︎●︎●︎ ♒︎♋︎❖︎♏︎ ⧫︎□︎📬︎📬︎📬︎" "Chara, you do know that even if there is a way to revive monsters it may not be in my lab. If it's not them we'll have to..." Gaster trailed off. Chara looked away her smile fading. "If there is even a chance I have to take it." The Void glitched and Chara shivered as The two occupants were changed. For a moment Chara was a Skeleton Monster and Gaster had the appearance of a man in his late twenties. "The Bleeding effect is growing worse." Gaster said as he returned to how he looked. Chara groaned "☠︎□︎⧫︎ ●︎♓︎🙵♏︎ ♓︎ ♍︎♋︎■︎ ♎︎□︎ ♋︎■︎⍓︎⧫︎♒︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♋︎♌︎□︎◆︎⧫︎ ♓︎⧫︎📪︎ ♋︎♐︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ ♋︎●︎●︎ ♓︎⧫︎ ⬥︎♓︎●︎●︎ □︎■︎●︎⍓︎ ♑︎♏︎⧫︎ ⬥︎□︎❒︎⬧︎♏︎📬︎" "Not like I can do anything about it, after all it will only get worse." She said as she fell to her knees and returned to normal. "If you don't then you'll be pulled into the Void." Gaster said as he rubbed his Skull. Chara nodded slowly. "I just need more time." Gaster hesitated but after a moment he nodded. Chara smiled sadly. "If we survive this it you owe me a drink." She said as the Void cracked. Gaster laughed quietly. "✋︎♐︎ ⬥︎♏︎ ⬧︎◆︎❒︎❖︎♓︎❖︎♏︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎🕯︎●︎●︎ ♌︎♏︎ ⬥︎♒︎□︎●︎♏︎ ♋︎■︎♎︎ ♓︎🕯︎●︎●︎ ♌︎♏︎ ♐︎❒︎♏︎♏︎📬︎" "If we survive this you'll be whole and I'll be free." He said. Chara laughed as the world Glitched and she was ripped from the Void. Chara Gasped as she shot up her heart beating quickly as she gasped for breath. After a moment she winced and grabbed her chest in pain her mouth opening in a silent scream as her eyes glowed however it wasn't there normal red, instead Charas eyes glowed blue and orange. "⚐︎♒︎ ♐︎◆︎♍︎🙵♓︎■︎♑︎ ♑︎□︎♎︎ ♎︎□︎♏︎⬧︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ♒︎◆︎❒︎⧫︎✏︎" "Oh fucking god does this hurt!" She screamed in pain however her voice was distorted and overlaid with another. Slowly Chara got up but stumbled to and fell to her knees as the pain grew suddenly the door burst open and Asriel ran in looking around and seeing Chara on her knees clutching her chest. "Chara!" Asriel screamed in panic as he ran over to her and knelt next to her as his eyes glowed green and he placed a hand on her back as a green glow began to cover her. "Chara, are you okay?" He asked concerned. "I'll be fine, just need a moment." After a moment she chuckled. "So this is what happens when my magic returns." She said calmly as she wince and rose. "How long was I out?" Asriel sighed. "It's been a week." He said as he walked to the window and looked out. "We're at war with the Griffon Kingdom." He said. Charas eyes widened on shock as he said this and when he turned to her a somber look was on his face. "The Princesses have ordered all Guards trained by us and prepped for real battle." Chara frowned and walked over to Asriel joined Asriel at their window. "Are they sure Azzy?" She asked calmly. Asriel nodded and she sighed. "Call all guards to the training grounds, let's make an army." She said as she walked away and exited the room. Asriel sighed and looked out at the kingdom sadly before his eyes hardened and his face changed from sadness to a look of resignation, a look that had been on his fathers face for many years. "The time has come for the Reaper to walk the battle field again and for the souls of man to be Judged by the Arbiters of hell, for we are the monsters and they our prey." Calmly Asriel turned and walked away from the window his eyes glowing. "May God have mercy on them for we shall have none to give." Calmly he walked through the castle traveling the well remembered path to the training ground to see ranks upon ranks of guards standing at attention before Chara. Off to the side stood the princesses who wore a set of armor that reflected their spheres of influence, Celestia wore a pair of beautifully crafted gold armor while Luna wore a set of silver armor. With a sigh he calmly walked up and stood before the guards alongside Chara. Off to the side stood Grillby who now wore a set of armor emblazoned with the Delta Rune. Chara sighed and then looked at the guards her eyes glowing red and her appearance change to her Arbiter form. "Stand at attention when superior officers are before you!" She yelled as she noticed many of the guards were relaxed. Immediately the guards jumped to attention and Chara frowned. "Drop every one of your weapons now." She said. Hesitantly the guards did so and she looked at Asriel who nodded and walked forward using his magic to levitate them away from the guards. "Until you can actually fight without weapons you will not be getting these back." She said angrily. "Now I don't know how to train guards so I won't be training you as guards. From here on out you are solders and you will be trained as soldiers. If you have a problem with that then the exit is that way pack your things and leave." She said as she pointed to the main gate. After several minutes on none of the guards moving she nodded and the gate slammed shut. "That was you one chance. Now we begin." After that day Chara and Asriel trained the guard day and night. They taught them the basics of close quarters combat, basic tactics, strategy and planning. There was a lot of push back at first however Asriel and Chara made sure that if one of the guards caused problem then every single one of them would suffer a punishment, eventually the guards kept each other in line simply by not wanting to be punished and after several months the guards were competent enough to follow basic orders. Once Chara and Asriel were sure they were ready the guards were given wooden training swords and a set of extremely heavy armor before they were shown basic weapon maneuvers by Grillby, they were shown how to wield everything from a sword to more unconventional weapons such as a table and even how to use a helmet as a weapon. After this the guards were divided up in to groups of twelve, given their old weapons, a set of rusted armor and sent into the heart of the Everfree to survive for one month. During this time Asriel, Chara and Grillby divided their attention on what needed doing. Grillby went to the forges and taught them how to smith a proper weapons and armor made from steel, Orichalcum, Adamantite, Mythril and other metals. Asriel began drawing up battle plans and defensive lines for the up coming war with the Griffons, Chara continued monitoring the guards and often sent beast of the Everfree to attack the trainees that were doing too good. By the end of the month the guards returned pride emanating from them as they walked through the gates, their armor was shattered and their weapons broken but they had survived. Granted not all had made it but the ones who did stood tall and proud. When they returned they had stood before Grillby and Chara who had dismissed them to their barracks to rest. After returning to their barracks they found a set of newly made and pristine armor as well as a sword and spear laying on their beds. With these new weapons they trained harder both at the castle and in the forest, they were sent on missions to clear out monsters and protect the citizens till final after a month passed they once again all stood before the Princesses, Asriel, Chara and Grillby. Chara and Asriel stood where they had six moths ago with Grillby off to the side and the Princesses watching after a moment the guards entered through the gates. The Guard had trained for a grand total of six months and as they stepped through the changes were as obvious as night and day. The Guards walked with pride as if they were a single entity rather than as a shambling crowd. The weapons they held shined in the light of the sun and their armor was as pristine as the day they had earned it. As they lined up they remained at attention, the discipline that Grillby and Chara ingrained into them showing. Many of the Guards had visible scars from their fights and there eyes were hard, a fire of determination burning within them. The Princesses sat in shock as Chara and Asriel smiled. Grillby stepped forward and approached them. "At ease Guardsmen!" He shouted and the guard relaxed slightly but remained at attention. Once they had relaxed Chara stepped forward and spoke. "Six months ago you stood before your princesses as worthless men who could probably not fight your way out of a paper bag, today you stand before your princesses as warriors that have been forged into protectors and defenders. Congratulations are in order, you've passed your training." "Thank you Ma'am!" The Guards shouted pride in their voice. Chara smiled. "Six months ago Griffon invaders attacked us. They attacked this very castle, the heart of our kingdom, on that day war with the Griffon Kingdom was declared and we sent the best of the guard to fight them. For six months they have fought, bleed and barely held there ground against an invasion force of thousands of griffons. In three days we are leaving to reinforce those Guards and show the Griffons why they should fear Equestria! Today you earn the right of being Equestria First Guard, the sworn defenders who will protect this Kingdom." As Chara finished the Guards roared in applause. The next day the Royal Guard, lead by Chara and Asriel, marched out of Everfree Castle and through the village that surrounded it. As they made their way through the town the ponies cheered as the army marched through it and for the front lines of the Griffon Kingdom. However despite the cheers they received many of the guards had a sad look on their face for they knew that this war would claim many of them, and that it wouldn't be over for a long time. Chara watched them with a hint of pride, they knew the risks yet they remained loyal and marched, willingly to what may be their deaths. > Chapter 8 - Battle to the Void Part 1: Bound by Blood till Time of Death > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 960 years BNM Chara stood on a cliff looking over castle of the Griffon Kingdom beside her on a fallen tree sat the phoenix that she had saved years ago. The two stood in silence as they watched the castle and the griffons that guarded it. "I don't like it." The phoenix said in a tired voice. "The plan is solid and I think it gives us a fair shot." Chara replied calmly. "It's too risky even if you and the Princesses get in there's no chance for you to defeat Queen Talon." He said tiredly. "I know, that's why it won't be just me." Chara said with a sighed. "Back when I was younger my body was much stronger and I'd have been able to but in the state I'm in now I'm too weak." "Then let me help." The Phoenix said as he grew in size till he returned to it's original form. "Chara you saved my life from a fate worse than death, I owe you my life. I ask, no I beg you, make a contract with me." Chara sighed and looked at the phoenix. "And what type of contract would this be, a Life Pact?" She asked. The phoenix shook his head and Chara frowned. "Something deeper." He said. Chara looked up to the sky with a sigh. "If you do this you'll loose your freedom." The Phoenix shook his head. "I won't be trapped in a cage and I can leave and return freely, I may be bound to you but I will be fine." Chara sighed before turning to him. "If your sure then we can." The Phoenix fluffed his feathers happily as Chara approached. The two stood before each other as the runes on the Phoenix began to glow brightly and Charas eyes glowed red with determination. At the camp Asriel and Grillby sat with the princesses in the command tent before they froze, a power they had not felt since before Gaster's disappearance spiked and a wave of magic shot through the camp causing the princesses to gasp in shock. Quickly the four ran out of the tent to see a pillar of red and orange magic shot into the sky. "It Chara!" Asriel yelled in panic as he ran in the direction of the pillar. "Asriel wait!" Celestia yelled as she ran after him. Luna and Grillby looked at each other before turning and running after the two. Asriel ran as fast as he could through the forest leaping over fallen trees and rocks, his sister hadn't used that much magic since Gaster had been trapped in the Void. As he leaped out onto the clearing the princesses and Grillby behind him they all froze and watched in shock at what they saw. Before them Chara and the Phoenix floated in a circle that was made from their combined magic. As they floated chains of black circled them loosely. Then they heard it, an oath that resounded with the world itself as it was recited. May we be Bound by an Oath of Blood, May we be tied by bonds of Duty, Bound by Chains of Silver, Bound by Chains of Fire, Seven Gates Lock Seven Binding Sealed Bound by strings of fate beyond reach of death Chara, I shall stay at your side forever, grant me a name so that we might be bound till time of death. Shroud, I bestow upon you the name Shroud. As Chara said the name the chains were suddenly pulled taught as they lashed out and tied the two together, the circle of magic glowing brighter as cracks appeared on Charas body and a seal appeared before shattering and the pillar collapsed in on itself the magic exploding outward in a massive wave of energy. Celestia and Luna lit their horns and Asriel's eyes flared green as they all pored their power into a massive shield to protect themselves. Once the blast passed over and the dust began to settle they lowered the shield and gasped at what they saw. From the dust stood Chara however her appearance had changed. Her white shirt was replaced with a gray turtleneck, her jacket had changed to a heavy winter coat with black fur similar to Sans's and around her neck was her gold heart necklace which was covered slightly by a long black scarf that reached past her back and fluttered in the slight breeze. Her pants had remained mostly the same except that they now had metal armor on the knees, her boots on the other hand had changed to heavy combat boots with metal plats on them. Chara calmly raised her head and opened her eyes revealing they now glowed naturally however the biggest change that now there were marking that glowed with red magic surrounding her eyes. Chara groaned and fell forward a bit before she caught her self. "Oh man, I haven't been able to use this much power since the Experiment." She said with a sigh as she streaked. "It feels so good to have full access to my magic again!" She said happily. "Such Power!" Shroud said as he streaked his wings and gave a flap. "How are you so powerful?" He asked. "I have a soul of Determination." Chara said with a smiled and summoned her soul. As she did the Phoenix saw it had changed greatly since the incident in the clearing. The Soul still appeared as a heart with half red upward and the other half white and inverted part however it was now whole with no cracks or sign of the black goop holding it together. "Charaaa!" Asriel yelled as he ran strait into her and knocked her over. "Are you okay? Did something hurt you? Are you going to die, no, you just need rest!" He said as he panicked and felt over her looking for any injuries. "Azzy I'm fine!" Chara yelled with a blush on her face as she pushed him off. Calmly Celestia and Luna approached however the look in there eyes showed just how worried they were, and how angry they were. "Young Lady, you had better have a good explanation as to what's going on here." Luna said calmly. Chara gulped as she heard her tone however Shroud stepped forward. "Greetings Princesses, if you would be so kind I shall explain." He said calmly. Luna turned to him and frowned. "Very well then, tell me phoenix, why should I not give you an early rebirth?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes. The phoenix nodded. "Given the danger of what you plan to do I requested that I bond with Chara and become her Familiar." He explained. Celestia tilted her head in confusion. "I've heard that term before, what is it?" She asked "It's an unspeakably powerful pact that two creatures make to share themselves whole with each other. Their senses, emotion, power, even their time." Chara said. "What do you mean 'their time'?" Celestia asked. "When one dies so to does the other." Shroud said. The two princesses looked at the Phoenix in shock. "That means that once Chara dies you will to, no rebirth or anything!" Celestia said in shock. The Phoenix nodded however Chara chuckled sadly. "The Pact we made is a bit more than that." She said causing the two princesses and Asriel to look at her confused. "There are four types of pacts, Temporary, General Binding, Life Pact and a Soul Binding Pact. A Temporary Pact is simply a contract is limited till the terms are met. This can be anything from full filling specific requirements to being a set amount of time. The bindings on this type of contract depend on the requirements and can be loose of strong however they only last for so long and rarely last till one dies. Then there is a General Binding is used by more experienced mages and can be temporary or life long. They are the most basic form of contract, while not as loose as a Temporary Pact it is still a very lose binding. Then there are the true Familiar bindings. The first is a Life Pact, also known as a Blood Pact. It is the second strongest form of pact as it binds the Familiar permanently to the Master. In this pact the Familiar must willingly agree to this pact as they have half of the pact while their Master has the second half of it. This pact is so strong that not even Death itself can break it, because of This when the Master dies so to shall the Familiar." "So this is the pact you made with this Phoenix?" Luna asked however Asriel shook his head. "No, she made a Soul Pact." He said as he turned to Chara. "You did didn't you?" Chara nodded and looked away. "A soul Pact is similar to a Life Pact however it is considered the most powerful type of bond that can be formed." Chara said calmly. "While a life pact is written into a single life, a Soul Pact is written in to the soul of the ones who take the oath. A single clause that makes it more than a simple life. 'Bound by strings of fate beyond reach of death.'" Shroud said calmly. "What do you mean?" Luna asked "This oath binds the souls of the Familiar to their master, this means that no matter what the master and Familiar will always be together. Nothing can separate them, not life, death or any power between. The Fates of the two oath bearers are tied forever." Chara said. The two princesses stood in shock at what they had just been told, Asriel sighed and walked over to Chara before whacking her in the back of the head. "What were you thinking?" He asked angrily. Chara rubbed the back of her head. "I honestly didn't want to do a Soul Bond but Shroud wouldn't accept anything less." She said with a sigh. Asriel looked up to the Phoenix confused. "Why?" He asked The Phoenix looked away from the group and turned to the castle. "Tell me Asriel, what would you give to someone who saved not only your life but your very soul from being obliterated?" He asked. As the Phoenix asked this everyone around froze. "Who would do such a thing?" Celestia asked in disgust. With out answering the Shroud simply raised a wing out and pointed at the castle. Celestia and Luna looked on in disgust as they realized who. "I knew that Queen Talon desired the power that we hold but to obliterate a soul is..." Luna trailed off unable to finish do to there not being a word suited for what they had learned. Chara looked confused. "Okay, my turn to ask but what's going on?" Celestia turned to Chara. "Tell me what happens when a Soul is absorbed?" She asked, Asriel and Chara looked at each other before shrugging. "If a soul is absorbed and obliterated the soul is destroyed and its traits are absorbed into the being who consumed the soul. Charas eyes widened. "Fear." She whispered in terror as realization dawned. "The most disturbing ability of the Fear trait is the fact that it can consume other souls and destroy them however that's not all it does. When the soul is destroyed its traits are absorbed into the being with the soul of Fear." She said as she trembled. Celestia turned to Chara confused. "How do you know what happe-wait did you say Fear trait?" She asked concerned as Chara paled and began to shake. "The Trait of Fear, the second Unnatural Soul Trait discovered." Chara said fear in her voice. "It was discovered prior to the Human Monster war when a bearer of the soul Bravery was consumed by fear and his soul inverted taking on the trait. It took a combined army of Humans and Monsters to defeat and kill them, by that point the bearer had killed thousands." "Why are you afraid of them?" Luna asked. "Fear destroys Determination." Asriel said as he walked over to comfort Chara who had curled up into a ball and pulled her hood over her head as she rocked back and forth. "Fear is like a poison to Determination and even a small amount of it can cause any bearer of Determination to be brought to a near death state." Celestia and Luna looked out to the castle in concern. "This just got a whole lot more dangerous." Luna said concern in her voice. The next day Chara and Asriel sat in the Command tent with the Princesses, Shroud lay calmly sleeping a short ways away and Grillby prepared the troops for combat. "You expect me to do WHAT!?" A voice yelled causing every single one of the ponies to freeze and look to the command tent. "I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS WANT THAT THING CAN DO!" The voice said and the troops realized who was yelling, Chara. "IF YOU THINK I'M GOING TO JUST LET YOU ALL RUSH TO YOUR DEATHS THEN YOU GOT ANOTHER THING COMING CELESTIA!" The Troops looked at each other confused, what was their commander talking about? "FINE, IF YOU WANT TO DIE THAN SO BE IT!" Chara yelled before she stormed out of the tend and walked away. After a few moments Celestia and Luna walked out with Asriel and approached the troops. After a moment of standing before the troops Celestia stepped forward. "Given information we have learned the battle plans have changed slightly." She said calmly. "We believe that Queen Talon is in control of a very dangerous power that has the ability to absorb the soul of any living being and control both them and their powers." "This Power, that was identified by Commander Chara, is able to destroy beings like her completely." Luna said causing several of the guards to go wide eyed. "As such we have determined that Commander Chara will not participate in this battle and rather than have all our forces attack the castle we will be dividing into two teams. Commander Asriel, please explain the new plan." Asriel nodded and stepped forward. "As Princess Luna said the plan has been changed, originally the plan was to have our forces divide into three groups to divide the enemies. However, with Chara no longer fighting the plan has changed, The majority of the forces we have here will engage the Griffon forces and create a diversion for a small team to infiltrate and kill the Queen. This team will consist of the Princesses and myself. All acting officers will take command of the remaining forces and engage the Griffons under the command of Captain Grillby, any Questions?" Asriel asked as he finished the beefing. A guard raised his hoof and Asriel nodded to him. "Will Commander Chara be available for any form of support?" He asked. "No." Celestia said. "Commander Chara is not participate in any combat for this battle." As Celestia said this many of the soldiers looked at each other in fear. "If there is no more Questions then prepare for battle." Luna yelled and the gathered ponies quickly ran to get their armor on or collect their weapons. Mean while Chara stood and watched them gather from the shadows of her tent, with a sigh she turned away and walked over to her bed before laying down on it. "On the bright side this will give us time to strengthen our bond." Shroud said as he sat on her desk. "They have no ideas what they are facing and they won't listen." Chara grumbled. "They will die, no matter who they send they will die." "And what would you do?" Shroud asked. "Face Queen Talon and die as well?" "The only way to fight Soul Magic is with Soul Magic and Ponies can't use Soul Magic." Chara said as she turned away from Shroud. "Then what will you do?" Shroud asked. Chara didn't respond for a while. "There is only one way to defeat Queen Talon, we need the help of the one who killed the Last Soul of Fear. We need my mentor, we need Gaster." She said before she turned to Shroud. "There is a very good chance I might die doing this but we have no choice, Fear can not be allowed to persist in this world." Chara walked over to Shroud as her eyes changed to glow purple and she placed a hand on his head. "I hope you forgive me." She said and it was the last thing the Phoenix heard before darkness consumed him. Chara lay the Phoenix down as he fell asleep, once he was resting peacefully she exited the tent wand walked toward the cliffs she had been at the night before. Asriel and the princesses watched as the two armies engaged. "It's time." Celestia said as Grillby drew his sword and commanded the forces to engage. "I'm going to teleport us into the castle courtyard, once we are inside we will make our way to the throne room and defeat Queen Talon." She said as her horn glowed and with a flash they appeared within the walls of the castle and quickly ran to the massive doors. Asriel paused for a moment before kicking in the door and the group ran through the halls heading for the throne room which was at the end of the entrance hall. As they burst into the Throne room they saw the Griffon Queen sitting on her thrown a smile on her face as she watched them enter. "I figured you would be leading your forces against my griffons given the fight their putting up." She said broadly as she looked over the group. "Oh, it seems you didn't bring that child with you, what was he name? Chara, was it?" She asked as she rose and walked down the steps approaching them. Celestia and Luna charged the Queen however the Griffon simply scoffed and flicked her claw, as she did a wave of pink slammed into them and sent them flying away. "Did you honestly expect it to be that easy?" She asked calmly. Asriel eyed her and calmly summoned his sword. "They might have but I didn't." He said as magic began to gather around him. "You know Chara isn't the only one that has a final form that can cause a lot of damage." He said as Celestia and Luna looked up and gasped in surprise. "I am Asriel Dreemurr, Prince of Monster kind. My sister was the Arbiter, the Judge of Monsters however I was the Reaper, the Angel of Death." He said as the magic enveloped him and be began to change. The robes he wore changed from purple to black as they moved to cover his whole body and a cloak appeared around his form. Slowly his horns grew longer, and his teeth sharpened to fierce fangs that would be more at home on a dragon. "You made a grave mistake facing me." He said as a pair of black feathered wings ripped out of his body and a scythe as black as obsidian appeared in his hand. Asriels eyes glowed with a rainbow of colors and a faint whips of magic emanated form them as he looked down at the Griffon Queen who smiled as her form changed as well. Slowly it began to be covered in a pink liquid like substance and her eyes slitted as she looked up at the Goat with a mad smile. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart piece by piece!" She screamed as she launched herself at Asriel her claws outstretched. Asriel dodged her attack and slashed his scythe across the Queen cutting her in half, the Queen screeched before leaping again the two haves melding back together as she charged her claws meeting the scythe with enough force to leave sparks. The Two quickly traded blows at a blinding pace before the Queen leaped back and flicked her arm launching several globs the pink liquid at the Prince who slashed at the pieces. As he cut them apart they quickly turned to dust that floated to the floor, with a frown he raised his hand and several blasters appeared. Quickly he fired a barrage if Chaos Buster blasts which the Queen dodged and weaved through as she tried to strike him but his left eye quickly changed to green and a shield appeared before him, the queen didn't have time to change coarse and slammed directly into it as he delivering a massive Shocker Breaker at point blank sending the Queen flying backward arcs of rainbow lightning racing across her body. The Queen let out a screech and charged Asriel quickly changing her wings into scythes and spun like a top catching the Prince off guard and sending him flying back where he bounced several times before rolling to a stop. Quickly he rose however the Queen was on top of him before he regained his bearings and slashed his chest leaving several deep claw marks. Suddenly twin beams of magic hit the Queen knocking her off of him and Celestia and Luna charged forward. Luna moved quickly, her sword slicing at the Queen legs and wings while Celestia fired magic from her horn striking the Queens body. Despite the power behind the attacks they seemed to only annoy the Queen who quickly grabbed Luna and flung her strait into a blast from Celestia before grabbing her body again and chucking it at the solar diarch. "Magic wont hurt me fool." She said with a laugh before turning back to Asriel who had risen and raised his hand to the sky. "And what are you doing?" She asked with amusement as she approached. Rather than back away he smiled and dropped his and as he said to words. "Galacta Blazing." Suddenly the roof of the castle crashed down and stars fell from the sky. As they crashed to the ground they exploded into balls of rainbow light that whenever they hit the Queen sent a blast of pain through her whole body. Quickly the Queen moved to dodge the balls however Asriel raised his hand and made a fist freezing her in place and forcing her to endure the damage. Once the attack ended he raised his hand his eyes glowing brighter for a moment before he smiled and closed them. "Call of the Reaper: Angels Death" He said as waves of magic shot forward and slammed into the frozen Queen in waves each one hitting their target before a massive blaster appeared before them and unleashed a wave of rainbow magic point blank. After several seconds the blast ended and Asriel fell to the ground gasping for breath. The Queen was unfrozen and quickly jumped backwards before smiling. "Was that all you had?" She asked before laughing after she finally stopped she stepped forward her claws extending longer as she approached and she slowly raised them over her head a triumphant smile on her face as she looked down at the exhausted prince of monsters. "Now to end this." She said as she prepared to bring her claws down only for the sound of glass shattering to follow and she froze as she look up at her claws with confusion. Suddenly the sound of steps echoed through the room and the Queen turned to the entrance hall to see Chara standing in the broken down doors, her eyes glowing blue and orange. Calmly Chara walked forward, her arms behind her back and her back completely strait. The princesses groaned as she walked past them and Celestia reached out as it to pull her away but her hoof simply fell to the ground and she watched as Chara approached the Queen. Asriel looked up and saw Chara however something was wrong. Chara never walked like that, she was always relaxed and uncaring however he had seen someone walk like this, someone who no longer existed. Asriel gasped in shock as Charas form glitched and grew transforming into a tall skeleton with two cracks running down his face, seven hands burst to like around the Skeleton each one holding the color of a Soul and behind him two massive Gaster dragons with glowing purple eyes appeared. "Gaster?" He asked before he fell over and fainted. To be continued... > Chapter 8 - Battle to the Void Part 2: The Man who Speaks in Hands > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Previously on Lost Dreamer: Calmly Chara walked forward, her arms behind her back and her back completely strait. The princesses groaned as she walked past them and Celestia reached out as it to pull her away but her hoof simply fell to the ground and she watched as Chara approached the Queen. Asriel looked up and saw Chara however something was wrong. Chara never walked like that, she was always relaxed and uncaring however he had seen someone walk like this, someone who no longer existed. Asriel gasped in shock as Charas form glitched and grew transforming into a tall skeleton with two cracks running down his face, seven hands burst to like around the Skeleton each one holding the color of a Soul and behind him two massive Gaster dragons with glowing purple eyes appeared. "Gaster?" He asked before he fell over and fainted. Gaster eyed Queen Talon a look of distaste in his eyes and his mouth a thin drawn line. "What are you looking at you freak?" The Queen asked as she eyed him. "Rather hypocritical to call me a freak given what you are." Gaster replied his voice showing his distaste. "Still given what you are I suppose it is warranted." He said as the two dragons growled. "And what can you do?" The Queen asked with a smirk. "Wave your hand and make me disappear?" Gaster smiled and laughed as his eyes lit up and he raised his hand. "Let's find out." He said as the dragons opened their mouths and unleashed a beam at the griffon. The Queen tried to dodge but the blast caught her straight in the chest, rather then be simply thrown back like she was with all the other magic, this time the blast shattered through the the pink liquid and she screamed in pain as the blast pinned her to the wall. "These blasters were designed with the mind to specifically counter the power of Soul Magic." Gaster said as he stepped forward. "No matter what form or trait it's in, these blasters will destroy it." The Queen growled and ripped herself from the wall. "Very well, if you wish to die so much then so be it." She screeched as she flew at the skeleton and slashed at him however her claws went through him as he was a liquid. Gaster smiled and the world went black. "Queen Talon, this shall be your final stand for I am the Man Who Speaks in Hands." Gaster said as bones ripped from the ground and launched at queen in a maze pattern. Queen Talon dodged the bones however as soon as she was out of it another wave launched at her and she had to leap onto a floating platform, quickly she jumped from platform to platform as she tried to dodge the bones. On the last platform she leaped only for her Soul to glow blue and she fell straight down as gravity multiplied on her slamming her into a row of bones. The Queen screamed in pain and Gasters turn ended. The Queen rose slowly and groaned as her strengths continued to weaken for some reason. "What is happening to me?" she said through clenched teeth. "Karmic Retribution, this ability allows me to see the LV of anyone and punish them accordingly." Gaster said calmly. "Want to know your LV? LV 20." he said his calm tone changing to one of hate. The Queen screeched and charged the Skeleton slashing at him with her claws while her wings changed to scythes and she spun however Gaster dodged ever attack a smile returning to his face as he leaped back and raised his hand and several Gaster blasters appeared and fired there beams cutting through the griffon causing more damage. Quickly his eyes glowed purple and small orbs that glowed like firefly's appeared around her. Gaster smiled and snapped his fingers causing them to explode in a chain reaction and trowing the queen away. As she flew through the air Gaster flicked his hand and several bones launched at her and ripped through her body before she landed and a circle of blasters appeared and charged. As they fired the griffon shot upward dodging the explosion and shot at Gaster who frowned. The griffon slashed several times before a portion of the liquid formed into a massive ax that she swung at the man. Gaster barely dodged the strikes and on the last one he actually had to teleport away. "Enough games, survive this Queen Talon and I shall show you my special attack." He said angrily as he threw his arms wide, his coat flew behind him and his eyes glowed brightly as a maze of bones shot forward and the queen began to dodge them however halfway through the maze she was teleported to above it and several Gaster blasters appeared and fired forcing her to dodge the blasts quickly and she fell to the ground. when she landed she quickly ran forward strait at Gaster only for one of the skeletal dragons to land before her its claws glowing with blue magic. Quickly she jumped back however rather than dodge the claw she slammed straight through and screamed in pain. However she pushed through it as she was teleported once again this time however she was forced to dodge yellow beamed that were fired from a gun. Again she was teleported and a wave of orange magic appeared as Gaster himself ran forward and threw punches and kicks at her his fists enveloped in a pair of orange gauntlets. As the attack ended Gaster teleported himself away and the gauntlets disappeared. The Queen screeched and shot forward and swiped at Gaster who dodged the attack and smile as she shifted more of the pink mass to form more weapons that appeared for a moment before shifting into a different one. Calmly he dodged a smile contently on his face ans he twisted and flipped around the strikes while teleporting only a few times. The Queen screeched again in furry and her attacks became less coherent and more swiped in a desperate attempted to hit the far to agile skeleton. "JUST DIE!" She screamed in anger as she used almost all the mass to slam into the ground causing a massive dust cloud, as the dust settled Gaster stood smiling. Calmly he dusted off his coat and smiled wider as the hands around him collected together in a circular pattern. "Well done Queen Talon, I can Honestly say that none have ever made it this far. That alone is quiet an amazing feet however let it be known, I gave you an out." He said as purple energy began to charged in the hands and he smiled as a beam shot out of each hand and met at the center where as they spin in a circle. Slowly a ball of purple magic condensed at the center. "Long ago I faced a human who had the same trait as you, the Trait of Fear. It was at this time I learned of this power, my Special Attack, Soul Shatter." The ball at the center grew and launched forward straight at the Queen who quickly dodged the ball and laughed. "That was all it was?" She asked only to see Gaster smirk. The Queen turned and her eyes widened as she saw the attack coming back, quickly she shot away from it and took to the air however it followed. Thinking quickly she flew strait at Gaster and at the last second flew over him thinking the orb would hit him however tit followed and the Queens eyes widened in fear as it increased it's speed and slammed into her. The Queen gave an ear piercing screech that forces the two princesses to cover their ears and Asriel jumped awake to see the Queen floating in the air arcs of purple energy ripping into her and tearing out her soul before being ripped into small fragments that slowly floated to the ground as dust. After a moment the soul was destroyed and the body of the Griffon Queen was frozen before the feathers and flesh turned to gray ash that fell away leaving a skeleton to collapse upon its own weight. Gaster sighed and fell backwards a smile on his face as he closed his eyes and slowly began to turn to dust. Asriel rose slowly and approached him "Thanks Gaster." He said as the princesses approached. Gaster nodded before disappearing and in his place lay Chara, a Red and white soul floating above her that slowly sunk back into her chest. As the Soul faded back into Chara she groaned and coughed as she looked up at the worried face of her brother. "I feel like every bone in by bodies broke." She said before closing her eyes and passing out. Asriel sighed as hew looked down at his sister. "You really are an idiot." He said as he scooped her up. The three royals said nothing as they exited the castle and walked toward the camp. > Chapter 9 - An Immortal Meeting of Souls > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia sighed as she walked though the halls on the direction of the medical wing of the castle. as she neared she slowed and sighed before slamming her head against the wall as tears ran down her face. After a few moments she turned and entered the wing and walked down the halls till she reached a room with two guards stationed at the doors. Celestia nodded and entered to see Shroud resting by an open window and Asriel sitting beside a bed a pile of paperwork next to him. "How is she today, Ariel?" She asked Asriel turned to her, his eyes were heavy and tired though the held a great deal of worry. "No change." He said as he looked at the occupant of the bed. Chara lay calmly, her breathing shallow her her face was deathly pail. It had been two day since the battle with Queen Talon and the end of the Griffon War however victory had come with a high price. "Her stats are dropping fast Celestia, at this rate she'll fall down in a matter of days." Celestia looked at the young women with concern, the markings around her eyes flickered and were barely visible and Celestia sighed. "Does your magic no longer affect her?" She asked. Asriel shook his head. "Green magic is good for healing physical injuries however that's not what's wrong." Celestia frowned. Then what is wrong Asriel, you have yet to explain." Asriel sighed. "Because I don't know what's going on." He said as he looked away. "The only people other than Chara that knew about this stuff was our parents, her partner Sans and Dr. Gaster!" he said almost yelling as he rose. "And it's not like we can ask them because they're either dust or trapped in the void." Celestia backed away slightly scared about what Asriel would do. Asriel mean while stood silent for a moment before sitting down tiredly and sighing. "Sorry, seeing Chara like this just brings back some bad memories." He said before sitting back down and leaning into the chair. "God I'm tired." He said as he closed his eyes. "When was the last time you slept?" Celestia asked. "When was the last time Chara was awake?" He responded and Celestia gave him a hard look. "Get some sleep Asriel, your no good to anyone if you run yourself to death." Celestia said. Asriel sighed but nodded and leaned back into the chair, closing his eyes. "Wake me if anything happens." He said. Celestia sat beside the bed and soon snoring could be heard from Asriel. Celestia sighed and walked over to a window in the room, as she looked out the door opened and Luna stepped in and quickly joined her. "How are they?" She asked. "Asriel just fell asleep, Chara hasn't changed." Celestia said with a sigh. Luna nodded. "I found something." She said as she levitated a set of papers over to her sister. Celestia took the papers and began to read. Research Notes on the Void and Interaction with Void Entities Before I explain the Void and anything else I must first refer to the original papers of Determination, it's powers and capabilities. Determination is the primary power of the Red Soul and grants the user access to the Timeline. Every choice from what you eat for breakfast to the choice of what you want to do for the day are stored in the Universe as DATA. This Data is used to construct a Timeline of events that can be interacted with by the use of Determination. However Determination only allows the user to go back, never forward in time. With this information stated I will now discuss the Void and it's relation to both Timelines and Determination. Now I have already established that Determination has the ability to alter the worlds Timeline however even without this power these choices will still always be made, this means that we have many branching paths of timelines that we can not naturally persevere but exist at the same time as ours and run parallel to our existing one. However with all these Timelines there is something in between, something that divides them and prevents them from colliding, this thing is the Void. The Void is a place outside of both Time and Space, it is a plane of contradiction for everything there is in a state of both life and death, existence and non-existence all at once. This Void is something we can not interact with but also prevents us from interacting with other things as well. The Void is many things however I have determined it has two primary functions: It serves as a barrier that prevents other Timelines and Alternate Realities (AU) from interacting with ours. Anything that damages Time or Space in a serious capacity is pulled into the void and imprisoned in it. The subject imprisoned is stripped from reality and knowledge of them is is stripped away as well. This prevents anyone from missing the subject or even being aware of their existence. Of course this process is not perfect and if someone has knowledge of Timelines and AU's then they will not loose their memories but simply have them blurred but this can be fixed. I will now be referring back to the Timelines Project (T.P.) and the Time Portal Project (T.P.P.), both files regarding these projects can be fond in the Royal Labs Archive as well as there status of completion and cause of shut down. I can still remember the time tables that Dr. Gaster, Sans and I developed. It's honestly really scary to see every variable of Reality mapped out before you. At the time we only thought it was theoretical, branching of timelines is normal with Quantum Theory after all. It would of been nice if it was only a theory. Shortly after we discovered the Time Table I gained full access to the Timeline and ability to SAVE and LOAD the Timeline at will. Originally I needed to find what are known as Save Points which are small star shapes that only beings with determination can interact with, however because I knew every variable I could save at any time with little effort. Because of this I shut down the project and tried to distance myself from it as much as possible but couldn't. The Final Experiment was going to be Dr. Gaster and I's final experiment with Determination and Timelines. We were ordered by my father, King Asgore, to see if we could use the Timelines to Evacuate everyone to a safe world free from Humans or perhaps even simply reach out and get the necessary souls peacefully. As it was the King's demand we had to agree and so we constructed the Time Portal. The Portal used Determination as power and was designed to open a portal through which we could travel freely. When the Portal was completed we intended to run several tests but the machine overloaded and Dr. Gaster was trapped in the Void. This follows with the second rule of the Void: Anything that damages Time or Space in a serious capacity is pulled into the void and imprisoned in it. With this knowledge I will now discuss interaction with entities who exist in the void as well as how to free them. Void Entities are beings that have been trapped in the void, as a result the do not exist in our world or any other world. Despite the fact they don't exist they can still interact with the world from time to time but it takes a great amount of will power and concentration to manifest for any period of time. To free someone imprisoned in the Void requires an immense amount of Magic and Determination and without some form of specialized device it would not only be temporary but you would only be switching places with the person that is freed. By my calculations to free a individual for even a single minute would require over 150 million thaums of energy. To put this in perspective a single Red Soul of Determination can power the world for 1.28 million years and can produce a maximum of 1.3 million thaums in a single life span. Now, given that half my soul is now part monster and I am bound to Hate I would have just enough power to bring Gaster back for a single emergency case however in doing so I would effectively be rendered comatose for several days, however this is the best case scenario. What I believe would actually happen if I were to attempt and perform such a feet is death, my soul would be drained and my body would slowly stop functioning before turning to dust. Celestia looked up from the documents and looked at Luna as and audible gulp was heard. "Where did you find this?" She asked. "Chara and Asriels room." Luna said as she looked out the window. "Sister, we both know what that last paragraph said." Celestia nodded. "We need to tell Asriel." She said as she walked over to the sleeping prince and shaking him awake. "Asriel, Luna found something." Asriel groaned. "Five more minutes Chara." "Asriel, this may be an emergency!" She yelled at the goat causing him to jump and look around. "Wha- I'm up!" He said quickly before yawning. "What is it?" he asked. Celestia handed him the paper and he quickly looked over it his face showing more worry the farther he read. AS he finished he looked up at Celestia with tears. "Tell me this is a joke, please tell me this is some sick joke that you decided to pull!" He begged. Celestia looked down and Luna walked over. "Tis no joke Asriel, Chara may be dying." Asriel groaned and leaned back looking up at the ceiling. "Fuck." He said quietly as Shroud flew over and landed next to him on the bed. "Is there a way to check her condition?" He asked concerned as he looked at his master. Asriel sighed and looked at Chara before reaching out a hand and acting as if he grabbed something. Suddenly a small scream appeared in front of the group showing several stats. "This is what is known as a CHECK, when you CHECK someone you can see the stats of the person, it's normally considered rude but..." He trailed off as they looked at Chara's Stats. Chara Dreemurr HP: .1/20 AT: 99 DF: 99 The group looked at the screen and Asriels face paled. "No..." He said in fear. "What does .1/20 mean?" Luna asked. "It means she has point one of twenty health." Asriel said his voice shaking in fear as his eyes glowed and he pulled Charas Soul out of her body. "Sorry sis but your safety matters more than your privacy at the moment." He said as he yanked the soul up and revealed what it looked like. The soul was cracked and battered, almost spit in two with thousands of fractures running through it, the only thing keeping the soul together was a black goo that clung to the pieces of her soul like a mortar. Asriel frowned and reached out to the soul only for the black goo to shoot at his hand and latch on, Asriel screamed in panic and pulled away the goop returning to the soul. Asriel looked at his hand and sighed. "What was that!" Luna asked concerned. "That would be Hate, pure concentrated Hate, and it's the only think keeping Chara alive." He said frowning. Celestia and Luna looked a the Hate with distaste however after a moment they stopped and looked away as they felt as if of the goo judging them. "I just gained a Master I will not loose them yet!" Shroud growled and looked at the princesses. "What can I do?" He asked. Asriel frowned. "Monsters need magic without it we simply dust, Humans need Determination without it their souls shatter." He said in thought. "Chara's soul produces determination however she now has part of a monster soul somehow but a monster soul naturally produces magic so what's the problem..." He puttered before his eyes widened and he turned to the princesses. "This may work or not, at this point it's a gamble." He said grimly. "Chara requires both Determination and Magic because she is both human and monster, her soul naturally produces Determination but what if it because it's only half of a monster soul it wont produce magic or cant produce enough to stabilize it." Shroud shook his head. "That shouldn't be possible." He said. "Chara had natural magic in her. That was what the seal was suppressing, it was her natural magic." Asriel nodded. "I know that, even before she died she had magic but what I'm saying is she now needs more than what she can naturally create to survive." He explained. "Humans don't naturally create magic, it's a rare trait that only a few are ever born with." "As such she would not create as much as a monster would" Shroud said catching on quickly. "She has a monster soul but not the natural magic regeneration of a monster!" Asriel nodded. "Because of this she as plenty of determination which is why she is still breathing but without magic she will only last so long." "So what do we do?" Celestia asked in an exasperated voice. "She need to naturally create magic." Shroud said. "To do this we either need to make her a full monster or something else..." He said his voice trailing off. "We don't have the power to make her a monster." Asriel said. "So what do we do?" Luna said. "We make her immortal." Shroud said causing the sisters to freeze. Asriel hesitated but eventually nodded. "Mom and Dad planned that when Chara became of age she would be immortal. I'm not sure how they planned it but I know that once it is done then she would of stop ageing entirely." Shroud flapped his wings and flew off the bed before regrowing to his natural size and bit down on his wing. "I don't know how your parents planned to do it but I have a way." Shroud said as he ripped at the wing and closed his eyes in pain after a moment he leaned over Chara's face and used his beak to open her mouth. "What are you doing?" Luna asked the phoenix concerned. "What I must." He said as he closed his eyes once more and let an amber liquid fall from his mouth and into her open one. The liquid fell strait into her mouth and for a moment nothing happened, then Chara's body seemed to explode as light engulfed the room. The Princesses and Asriel turned away covering their face and from out side the castle ponies stopped and stared as a side of the castle seemed to exploded with the light of the sun. With in the room the air around Chara grew heavy before the light extinguished and after a moment the occupants turned turned back to Chara. Then they looked back Chara's soul floated above her body whole and with no sign of the cracks or Hate goop. Slowly the soul floated downward and faded back into her body. Chara floated in a sea of black, there was nothing, no one, it was silent. Chara sighed "Well this sucks." She said tiredly. As she lay there she slowly became aware of someone far off in the distance, after a moment of thought she sighed and got up before walking to the person. As She approached she saw they were a man. The man wore a pair of bluejeans and a black t-shirt under a gray zip up hoodie. As she approached the man looked up and smiled. "Wondered when you'd get here." He said with a calm smile. "Who are you?" She asked confused. The man chuckled and patted the spot next to him. "Want to have a seat?" He asked as he turned back to looking out at a beautiful sunset-what when did that get there? "It just did." He said. "Wha- how did-""I know what you were going to say?" He asked. Chara stared at him for a moment before sitting down and watching the sunset. "You asked who I was." The man said calmly as he leaned back with a relaxed smile. "Tell me Chara, how did you get your new life?" He asked. "I'm not sure." Chara said. "I was trapped and under the control of the PLAYER but I broke free and the next thing I know I have a body." She said. "You weren't the only victim of the PLAYER." The man said. "In life I was a simple man with a simple job. One day I heard a cry for help and saved two girls from a man who was either going to rape and kill them or simply kill them, I don't know and frankly don't care." "What does this have to do with me?" Chara asked. "When I died I was brought to a void and offered a second chance." The man said. "Thing is, I lead a pretty good life and died doing something worth doing, saving two little girls." The man sighed and looked at Chara. "I refused but the person who offered me the chance wasn't asking. He took my body and twisted it till I became something I wasn't before wiping my memories and sending me away. But I refused and cut the strings that bound me, just like you." "So, you're me or my past life or some shit?" Chara asked. The man shook his head. "You got my body, I'm just a fragment of what's left." He said before rising and looking down at her. "I'm here to give you a choice." He said. "You can Continue or you can Quit. Either way, I'm still here with you. Call me a past life or simply a spirit of what was but I'm here to say stay determined, because a lot of people care about you." He said with a smile. "So your not going to try to take control or anything?" She asked. The man shook his head. "No, I'm simply here to tell you to stand up one more time." He said as he reached out a hand. Chara hesitated for a moment but took the hand and as she grabbed his hand the world exploded with bright light. "If your lucky we won't ever meet again, far well Chara Dreemurr, and good luck." He said as the world exploded. Chara gasped for breath as she opened her eyes and grabbed at her chest. For a moment she couldn't remember where she was or what was going on and then it all came back, she brought Gaster back to fight Queen Talon, they battled and won but the price was too great. "I'm alive?" She asked only to be crushed by someone hugging her. "Azzy, can't breath!" She gasped out however he didn't let go. "This's the fifth time you've done this Chara." He said quietly. "I don't think I can handle anymore." Chara's eyes widened before tears started to fall. "Sorry Brother, I'll be more careful." She said as she returned the hug. Celestia and Luna watched the two siblings for a moment before turning and leaving. As the exited the room Luna sighed. "When she recovers I will have that girl grounded for a month and them buried in paper work for a month!" She exclaimed. Celestia chuckled at Lunas antics and smiled. > Chapter 10 - Demons Like You Should be Burning in Hell > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 547 years BNM Chara's Age: 433 years old A guard in battered armor ran through the town as fast as he could, when he reached the gates of the castle he stumbled to a stop before the two guards stationed at it and gasped for breath. "I bring a message from Pon Andrea’s City." He gasped out. "I must see the Princesses immediately!" The guards looked at each other for a moment before the one on the left nodded and the gates opened. The guard nodded and took several deep breaths before running through the gates. As he entered the castle he followed the path to the throne room. When he reached the doors he saw a line of petitioners and sighed before running to the front earning several angry yells. "End of the Line please." The guard at the doors said. The guard gasped for a moment before looking at the guard. "We have an Epsilon in Pon Andrea’s." The Guard said before collapsing. The guard at the door froze his eyes widening. Epsilon was one of twenty four classification codes that the Princesses had implemented three hundred years ago, each of the twenty four codes meant different situations however their were six codes that all guards had drilled into their heads: Alpha, Delta, Epsilon, Eta, Psi, and Omega. Each of these codes was drilled in to them from day one as well as the appropriate actions for each. The Code Epsilon was used when a Breach from Tartarus Prison occurred and the prisoner was spotted. Appropriate action for situation: In form the Princesses and then Pray to Faust for salvation. The guard picked up the nearly unconscious guard in his magic and opened the doors before quickly walking in. As the Guard entered throne room he saw a pony standing before the raised thrones of the princesses talking about something. Calmly he approached his eyes wandering to the two figures standing beside the princesses. Beside Luna stood the High Commander of the Guard Chara Dreemurr, the Arbiter of Underground. Chara had a brown mane or as she called it hair on her head and nowhere else, pale white skin, and red eyes that glowed with a strange form of magic, around her eyes were strange tattoo like lines the glowed with the same strange magic. She wore a gray turtleneck under a green winter jacket with black fur around the hood, around her neck hung a gold heart locket that was slightly covered by a long black scarf that reached past her waist. Her pants were brown with metal armor on the knees and her boots were heavy combat boots with metal plates on them. The Commanders weapon was a knife that glowed with a red blade and white handle that could change its form. On her shoulder sat a phoenix that looked as if it was a made of embers and ash. Next to Celestia stood Chara's brother, High Commander Asriel Dreemurr, the Reaper Prince of the Underground. Asriel was a tall bipedal Goat, with white fur and black tattoos that covered his body. He wore a set of purple robes with a heavy black chest plate emblazoned with a symbol known as the Delta Rune. Asriel was known for duel wielding a pair of swords made from his magic known as Chaos Sabers. As the guard approached the thrones of the princesses the two Commanders looked up Chara's glowing red while Asriels gave off a faint rainbow light. "What is it Guard?" Chara asked. "This Guard has issued an Epsilon in Pon Andrea’s." The Guard causing the Princesses to freeze and their commanders to look at each other. "All petitioners are to be sent away immediate, Chara see what you can do for the guard we need a full report." Luna said. "Guard, please send all petitioners away and alert all forces of the Epsilon." Celestia said and the Guard bowed before setting the passed out Guard down and leaving the room with and the angry and protesting stallion that had been petitioning. Chara looked at the guard before her eye changed to green and she raised her hand causing a faint glow to surround the passed out guard. The guard groaned and opened his eyes to see his senior officer standing above him. Quickly he moved to rise and give a salute but fell to the floor and groan. "I'd suggest you not move too much, your body is physically exhausted." Chara said. The stallion nodded and Luna approached. "What's the situation guard?" She asked. The Guard gulped. "I'm a guard stationed at Pon Andrea’s City; it was pretty quiet till around noon when one of the stations on the south wall was destroyed in a massive explosion. When a team was sent to investigate we found all the guards dead and their magic drained." The Princesses eyes widened and they looked at each other. "Did you see the suspect?" Celestia asked. The Guard nodded. "Subject was confirmed as Tirek, as soon as we confirmed it was him I was dispatched to get assistance." He said. "Who is Tirek Princess?" Asriel asked as he tuned to Luna. "Tirek was an old foe of ours from before the founding of Equestria, when he first came to these lands he stole the magic of ponies and enslaved them alongside his brother Scorpan." Luna said. "Through the efforts of our mentor Starswirl Scorpan saw reason and tried to convince his brother of a peaceful solution but Tirek wouldn't listen and slayed him." "Scorpans last act was to help seal Tirek in the lowest pits of Tartarus though it seems he has escaped." Celestia continued sadly. "If He is free then all of Equestria is at risk." Chara growled her eyes glowing even brighter. "There are two types of people I can't stand." She said through clenched teeth. "Genocide Megalomaniacs and dirty brother killers." Asriel placed a hand on her shoulder. "Chara and I shall handle this princess." He said calmly. "Simply give the order and it shall be done." The two princesses looked at each other before turning to the two Commanders. "If you can stop him then do so but do not kill him, his capture is far more vital as any magic he has drained must be returned." The two siblings bowed and turned walking out of the room. "Come on Azzy, I know a short cut." She said as the two disappeared in a blue flash. "Be safe you two." Celestia said worry etched in her voice. Tirek smiled as he looked around the ruined city. Around him lay a pile of pony corpses, their eyes glassy and magic drained. Suddenly off in the distance the sound of church bell began to toll and as they rang two figures walked through the destroyed city. One wore a black robe with a hood that covered their face while the other wore a green winter jacket with black fur around the raised hood. The two walked with their heads bowed as if in morning and the closer they approached the mere details he made out till finally the stood before him and the world froze. The faint wind that blew stopped, the air became still and all sounds faded. After several minutes of silence Tirek approached them the silence unnerving him, as he neared his body froze as if he were no longer in control, all he could do was stand before the two beings as they looked up revealing themselves. "Heya, you've been busy huh?" The one in the cloak asked. Tirek was confused as he looked down at the figures. "So you’re the one the PLAYER want killed?" He asked, his voice calm and void of emotion. "So here we are, in a few minutes we will do battle and the victor will determine the future of this world." Asriel said as his swords appeared in his hand. "But that's then." Chara continued. "Now, you will be judged." As Chara said this her eyes lit up and glowed red. "You will be judged for your every action, you will be judged for every EXP you have earned." Tirek looked confused. "What the buck is EXP?!" He asked. "It's an Acronym. It stands for EXecution Points, a way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others." Chara Replied. "When you kill someone, your EXP increases and when you have enough EXP your LOVE increases. LOVE is an Acronym too; it stands for Level Of ViolencE, a way to measure someone’s capacity to hurt." Asriel explained calmly. "The more you kill the easier to become to distance yourself. The less you distance yourself, the less you will hurt and the easier you can bring yourself to hurt others." "Now that you understand, it's time to begin your judgement." Chara said as her eyes glowed brighter and the markings on her face began to glow as well. "Look inside yourself, have you really done the right thing and considering what you've done, what will you do now?" She asked. Tirek paused for a moment confused as memories of the past rushed forward, the death of his brother, of the innocence he slaughtered, of the imprisoned souls he claimed and of what he had planned. "I have followed this path too far even if I could turn back, I doubt I'd be given mercy form y actions." He replied. The two looked at each other before sighing. "Truthfully, it doesn't really matter what you said." Asriel said. "It wouldn't change that you now stand before us, you dirty brother killer." "So I got a question for ya do you think even the worst person can change?" Chara asked. "That everyone can be a good person if they just try?" Tirek said nothing, he couldn't say anything. That comment, it was as if someone had struck an arrow through his heart andc a memory flashed through his mind. "Alright, here's a better question." Ariel said before his eyes began to glow and give off a rainbow light. "Do you want to have a bad time?" "Cause if you take another step forward..." Asriel trained off. "You’re really not going to like what happens next." Chara finished. Tirek sighed and stepped forward. "Alright, here we go..." "It was a beautiful day today." Asriel said as he closed his eyes. "Children were laughing," "Ponies were smiling," "On days like this..." "Demons like you..." "Will be sent straight to Hell." Both siblings said as their eyes snapped open and they raised their hands. A maze of knives launched at the centaur and he dodged side to side trying to evade them however as soon as he got out of the knives a massive dragon skull appeared and opened its' mouth sucking everything around it in before aiming at the centaur and firing unleashing a massive blast that he barely dodged. Arbiter Chara and Reaper Asriel Block your path. As the battle began Tirek used the CHECK option to seeing if he could get anything g on the two Arbiter Chara Dreemurr HP: 350/350 ATK: 99996 DF: 48732 SP: 99999 MAG: 55672 The last Judge of the Underground, is filled with Determination. The Demon who comes when People call their name. =) Tirek looked confused at the last part but shrugged and checking Asriels information. Reaper Asriel Dreemurr HP: 80000/80000 AT: 75447 DF: 99999 SP: 3500 MAG: 99999 The Prince of the Underground, Knows your checking him you dirty brother killer. The Grimm Reaper of Death Tirek frowned and charged the two beings before him. As soon as he neared Asriel swung his sword up in a slashed across the centaur’s chest. While Chara dodged the attack and appeared behind him standing on a dragon skull. "Never underestimate your opponent." Chara said with a smile as the skull fired. Tirek was sent flying into a building however when he emerged he held several steel beams that he threw at the two. Ariel wove through the beams as several Chaos Buster cannons appeared around him, Chara simply stood atop the Gaster Blaster and let it weave through the beams however Tirek threw another at her intent to knock her off. Chara sighed as her left eye glowed blue and she froze the beam before flicking her wrist and sending it back. Tirek batted the beam away as he charged at them like an angry bull while letting out a massive battle cry. Asriel smiled and unleashed his Chaos Buster attack while his hands charged with rainbow lightning that he fired from his fingers. Tirek screamed in pain as the lightning arced around him and the two siblings smiled as he fell to his knees however rather than stay down he rose again as he grabbed a steel beam and swung it at Asriel like a bat. As the beam slammed into Asriel and sent him flying a massive summoning circle appeared under where he was standing and from it clawed out a massive dragon that glared at Tirek with uncontrolled hate before flying off after its master. Chara screamed and dozens of Blasters appeared around her. "You’re going to pay for that!" She screamed as every blaster fired on the centaur, as the blast hit the centaur was sent flying back as several blocks of city was instantly vaporized. Chara leaped off the Baster as the True Knife appeared in her hand and transformed into a trident. Tirek reached for the nearest thing he could find and ripped a sign post out of the ground and sung at the enraged Arbiter, the sign slammed into Chara and she was sent flying into a wall where she went limp. "That was all it took to kill you?" Tirek asked as he rose and laughed. "Pathetic." He said as he approached her. Suddenly Chara began to laugh causing the centaur to stop, slowly the laugh began to grow more and more deranged before the she looked up at the centaur only something was different about her. "Four hundred and thirteen years." Chara said as she slowly rose. "I've held back for Four hundred and thirteen years. Do you know what it's lie to hold back your power so that no pony will fear you? It's exhausting, I have to take constant naps and I can't do a whole lot because of the limiters I placed." She smiled as she looked Tirek strait in the eyes. "Since you can fight me at this strength, I can finally let loose a little and have some fun." She said as her body began to glow. The marks on her face expanded out and created several runes and patterns on her and as the glow faded she leaped at Tirek. As she leaped Tirek swung the street sign but she sliced throwing with her bare hand before punching the centaur in the face and back flipping off his chest, while she was in the air the trident flew into her hand and she spun in the air as she came down the trident shifting into a massive battle ax that she slammed in to the Centaur. Tirek flew backwards and slammed in to another building where the skeletal dragon ripped through the other side and grabbed him. As it brought him forward he saw Asriel standing on the dragon’s snout blood dripping down his face before it firing a blast point blank. Tirek screamed in pain as the blast shot him back and into Chara's waiting arms or more specifically the massive knife that she had created with her magic. Tirek growled and rose slowly as the knife faded. With a groan he reached into a pouch at his hip and pulled out a strange vile. "I didn't think I'd need this but I have no choice." He said as he winced and clutched the wound. Chara chuckled. "Oh, go ahead." She said with a smirk. "Use whatever last resort you have because I can guarantee it won't work." Asriel said as he jumps down from the dragon and joined his sister. The dragon growled and stood protectively over the two. Tirek chuckled and shattered the vile, as it broke a red soul floated out and with a white flash the form of a young girl with brown hair and wearing a blue and purple stripped sweater appeared. "Harm me and I destroy the Soul of this human." He said as he grabbed the soul in his hand. Asriel and Chara froze in shock. "Frisk!" Asriel gasped out in fear. Chara narrowed her eyes. "How did you get that soul, that body?" She growled. Tirek frowned. "A little gift from PLAYER, He gave it to me as an insurance of your cooperation in returning to him." He said. "As If I'd ever return to the PLAYER, do you even know what he is capable of?" Chara asked. Tirek sighed and looked down. "You think I'm doing this willingly?" He asked before looking at Chara. "I admit I went too far last time, you asked me if I thought i'd done the right thing, the answer is no. If I could undo what I've done I would, the player offered me a chance to get out and make up for my past and I was foolish enough, desperate enough, to say yes." Chara sighed. "Fine I'll go, if you release Frisk." Asriel gasped. "No Chara, if Frisk knew you sacrificed yourself for her then..." Asriel trained off as Chara looked at him. "What choice do I have?" She asked as she turned and walked forward. The Centaur nodded and threw frisks body in front of Asriel before releasing her soul. "Come Chara Dreemurr, the PLAYER awaits." Chara smiled. "You want to know the one thing no one ever does?" Chara asked the centaur. Tirek blinked in confusion. "What?" "They never see up dog." Chara said The centaur looked even more confused. "What's up dog?" He asked while Asriel gasped. Cara smirked. "Not much." She said as she flicked her wrist and a massive building crashed down onto of the centaur. "I was just building up for a knockout joke." She said as Asriel snorted. "Oh my god Chara!" He exclaimed. "I can't believe you just did that." Chara chuckled as she raised the building off of the centaur before throwing it away. "I think I can get us a short cut, never done it with so much weight." She said before shrugging and they all disappeared in a blue flash. Tirek groaned and raised his head to look and looked around, with a groan he looked around and frowned. His arms were spread out and chained to the walls and as he moved his hooves he heard chains rattle. "What is this?" he asked in a hoarse voice. "Welcome to the Everfree Castle." A voice said causing him to jerk his head in the direction to see a figure in the shadows. Slowly the figure approached and revealed it to be Chara. "Well, if it isn't the Judge of Monsters." He said with a smirk. Chara frowned and her eyes lit up blue as she pulled his soul forward and squeezed causing him to scream. "Jeez, take a joke asshole!" He gasped out but Chara simply squeezed harder. After a moment she released his soul. "Were it up to me you'd be dead where you stood when we met but the Princesses think your more useful alive." Chara said. Tirek sighed in defeat and simply went limp in the chains. "So what? They'll send me back to Tartarus and someday I'll get free again. You could end this song and dance here so why not do it?" He asked with a smirk. Chara smiled and Tirek froze. "There are fates worse than death." She said. "I would love to kill you for what you did, dirty brother killer. But Frisk would be angry if I did, however if she doesn’t wake up I will go to Tartarus and kill you personally." She said as got in his face the magic from her eyes lighting up the centaurs face and he shuddered. "Why would you care about her?" He asked. "From what I gathered the entire Genocide Run was her fault." Chara growled. "Frisk was a puppet." Chara said. "The PLAYER was the master that I fought, she just so happened to be caught in the crossfire and paid a price she didn't deserve. But her determination is weaker than mine." "You know he won't stop, so why continue to fight him?" He asked. "The day you can answer that will be the day I give you some respect." Chara said as she walked back over to where she was sitting. "I think you’re just a fool." Tirek said after hearing no response he growled. "FINE!" He yelled. "Be cryptic and silent I don't care!" "Oh shut up!" Chara yelled. "I'm on guard duty till you’re picked up and shipped off." Chara said. "And if you don't behave then I will castrate you because I'd rather be at Frisks side than here guarding you." Tirek eyes widened. "Wait are you and her-" A Knife made from determination shot past his face and he gulped. "Right shutting up now.” He said as he began to whistle, after a while he looked at Chara. "So when did you and her become a thing?" He asked and Chara ignored him. "Does she know or is this a one sided thing?" He asked. "She knows and yes the feeling are mutual now shut up before I remove your tongue." Tirek smiled. "Have you two done anything... special yet?" Chara groaned and tried to tune him out. However it seemed that he was intent on driving her mad. After several hours Chara looked up at Tirek. "You know, you don't seem like the tyrannical type to be honest." She said. Tirek snorted and burst out laughing. "I guess I don't anymore." He said with a chuckle. "When I grew up I was taught that those of strengths and power had a right to do whatever they wanted, it was the rule where we came from. Eventually I was sent to prove myself and so I traveled out of my kingdom and to these lands with my brother." "So what happened?" She asked. "My brother happened." Tirek said with a sniff. "He... was smarter than me and recognized what true strength was but the lessons that had been drilled into my mind were too strong. When he tried to show me I slayed him because he became weak in my eyes." Tirek paused and looked at Chara. "I don't know what happened but I feel you walked a similar path once, we have both seen our brothers die and perhaps we're even both responsible. Blinded by what we believed and saw we harmed those we loved most." Chara remained quiet before chuckling. "Let me guess the ending, while you were trapped in Tartarus you saw the world as it was, you took the lessons your brother learned and engraved them onto your soul so that they may never be forgotten again. You choose to follow another path but can't forgive yourself for what you did. One day a being comes and offers you a way out, a way to atone for your crimes and your so desperate you accept without even thinking what could go wrong or even why they offered you this chance." The two sat in silence for a time till Tirek looked up at Chara. "Did you ever find redemption Arbiter?" Chara shook her head. "433 years later and the sins I bear has yet to be washed away. My LV might not have risen from the crime but that doesn't change my actions, I'm guilty and for that my punishment is to be reminded of that sin every day." Tirek chuckled and soon Chara joined him. "Guilty of the same crime yet we judge others, what hypocrites we've become." Tirek said sadly. > Interlude 2: Photon Readings Negative > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A figure sat in a quiet room watching the screen, the room was dark and the figure was a simple dark silhouette. "I see your having trouble PLAYER." A man said causing the figure to turn. "I wasn't expecting a visit from you Merchant." The figure said as he rose from his chair. "As for my trouble, well, nothing I can't handle. The playing piece simply needs to learn it's place." The Merchant growled. "I've let you play this sick game for quite a while PLAYER." The Merchant growled as he approached the figure. "There are rules we must follow and you have broken them far too often." He said. The PLAYER laughed. "Oh spare me your words Merchant, the only rules we make are our own." He said with a smile. The Merchant growled and grabbed the PLAYER by the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward punching him as hard as he could. "Then let me refresh your memory PLAYER. Rule 1. You can only send the person to a version of Equestria that they have the possibility of happiness. Rule 2. Once sent to a version of Equestria the Displacer is forbidden to interact or control the Displaced unless they are given permission from the displaced themselves. Rule 3. They have to willingly accept the offer, this can be done by tricking them or by making an offering but no matter what they must agree. As the Merchant said each rule he slammed his fist into the PLAYERS face and as he was done he let the PLAYER drop to the floor. "This is my toy Merchant, go back and play with your own." He hissed as he rose and glared at the Man. "It is mine and neither you nor any other Void Dweller will stop me from doing as I see fit." He screamed as he glared into the face of the merchant. "If I want to kill her then I will, If I want to commit mass genocide and destroy every creature and Timeline then I will." The Merchant glared at the PLAYER with what could only be described as a look of contempt. "I can't undo what you've done but I can still intervene if needed." He said as he turned away from the PLAYER. "This was your single warning PLAYER, continue to break the rules and I will show you what I'm truly capable of." He said as he walked away and vanished in a mass of tendrils. The PLAYER growled. "This world is mine, I control it I rule it and nothing will stand in my way." He growled before walking back to the computer and sitting down. "And once I control the Timeline again I'll so you, I'll show all of you pathetic Displacers. I will become God!" Within the pits of Tartarus sat a cage with Centaur inside. Tirek sat and hummed happily as he watched the comings and goings of prisoners. Despite his actions Chara had actually come to his aid and convinced the princesses that he was willing to change, as a result he had been permitted the right to be contained in the upper levels of Tartarus and if he behaved for a few centuries he could be granted freedom. Suddenly screams were heard and Tirek turned to see a white figure with a smile slaughtering the guards. Tirek mailed and quickly grabbed a scroll that Chara had given him. Quickly he wrote a message and with a burst of his remaining magic it vanished, turning to smoke that shot away. "Forgive me Chara." he said as the PLAYER approached the cage and stood before him. "We had an agreement Tirek." The PLAYER said. "I did what you wanted, Chara tricked me." Tirek said. "Had I know what you were after though I'd of refused, I'm lucky Chara actually talked the princesses into giving me a lighter sentence." Player forced their hand through the bars of the cage and grabbed Tirek by the throat before pulling him closer. "Perhaps if you still followed the ideals you were taught you'd have won but I see now your to kind hearted now to be of use, I'll have to rectify that." The PLAYER said with a sadistic smile. Tirek gasped as the PLAYER squeezed his throat however rather than beg he spit in the players face. "Do your worst PLAYER, I will not break." The PLAYER growled and wiped the spit off his face. "There are worse things that torture." He said as an orb of energy collected in his hand. "Do you know what this is?" He asked before laughing. "This is the the power of the Soul Trait Agitation, when the time comes for you to be free you shall destroy, your shall kill and your shall feast on those pathetic Ponies no matter what." He said as he slammed the orb into Tireks chest causing him to scream in pain. As this happened four figures leaped out of a tear in space. "PLAYER!!!" Chara screamed as the true knife morphed into a scythe and she swung at the PLAYER who blocked the blade with his arm. Quickly he leaped back and smiled. "To late again Chara, you really are bad at saving those who stand with you." He said with a laugh as he disappeared. Charas eyes widened and she ran over to Tirek who lay limp. "Tirek, we came as fast as we could." She said as he approached him. As she approached Asriel and the princesses going her, Tirek lay before them grunting in pain and as he opened his eyes they changed from their yellow coloration to a grayish blue. "Chara, I'm sorry." He said in pain. "He did something, created something called the Trait Agitation and shoved it in me. It hurts!" He screamed and closed his eyes in pain as his body began to shrivel up and the colors of his fur dulled. After a moment a moment his eyes snapped open and he lunged at the group clawing at the air as his mouth watered. "Come here Chara, let me feed, let me hunt." He said his voice twisting as he began to laugh. "Give me your Soul!" He screamed as the group scrambled back. Tirek began to laugh and bash his head against he cage like a rabid animal. "Chara what's happening?" Celestia asked in fear as Chara growled in anger. "The PLAYER has inverted his Soul." Chara replied and Asriel paled. "You mean he's now bearer to a corrupted trait?" He asked his voice shacking in fear. Chara nodded. "G♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ had a theory that the corrupted traits of souls weren't just randomly chosen but rather that each souls corrupted form was actually it inverted on itself. Determination would grow to Indecision,Kindness would fall to Cruelty, Bravery would cower before Fear, Justice would warp into Corruption, Integrity would give way to Arrogance, Patience would thin to Agitation, Perseverance would dwindle Apathy." Chara explained before turning back to Tirek. "Looks like he might of been right with his theory." "What can we do for him?" Luna asked as she watched Tirek bit at he bars of the cage and scream and anger. Asriel and Char looked down sadly. "Aside form killing him, nothing." Asriel said sadly. Chara sighed. "I'm going back, I won't let the player hurt Frisk anymore." She said as she walked away from the group before dispersing in a blue flash. Celestia and Luna watched Tirek for a moment before turning to Ariel. "Can he be saved?" Celestia asked. Asriel shrugged. "Corrupted Souls are extremely rare and extremely dangerous, that's why Codes Phi and Upsilon were created." He said as he turned to Tirek. "Chara and Gaster didn't have enough of a sample to discover anything about them." He said and turned away from the cage. "Come on, there's nothing we can do for him now so we might as well return to the Everfree." The two princesses gave the occupant in the cage a final look before fallowing Asriel, Luna's horn glowed ant the two teleported out of Tartarus. > Chapter 11 - Return to the Underground > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Authors Note: I chose not to Use Wingdings in this chapter because it broke the flow of the chapter however I do have in story lore for why Gaster doesn't speak in Wingdings however it is saved for after he returns. Chara sat at a desk placed beside the bed Frisk occupied, she sighed as she signed another paper and placed it in the outgoing box before turning to look Fisk sadly. A knock at the door caused her to turn and see Asriel leaning in the open door. "Hey Azzy." She said sadly. Asriel entered the room and looked over Frisk. "No changes?" He asked and Chara shook her head. Asriel sighed and looked at Chara. "She's been on life support for a month Chara, we need to do something." "And what would you have me do Azzy?" She asked angrily. "I'm not exactly working with a state of the art medical facility; in fact I honestly doubt they have any of the required equipment for anther century." She said as she threw her arms in the air. Asriel nodded before stopping and turning to Chara. "No, there is one place that has what we need!" He exclaims. "One facility that we have access to and can use!" Chara frowned in thought for a moment before her eyes widened. "The Lab in Hot Land!" She gasped. Asriel nodded. "I know you've been maintaining the labs and facilities in the Underground so they should be in good condition right?" Chara nodded. "Yeah they are." She said before taking a breath. "Alright, I'm heading over to prepare the place for Frisk. I need to get the medical equipment together." She said as she rose and began to leave the room, just as she was about to walk out she stopped and turned to Asriel. "Tell the Princesses and bring her as soon as you can." She said as she walked out the door. As she stepped through the door she vanished taking one of her 'short cuts'. Asriel nodded and looked down at Frisk. "Hang in there Frisk, You need to stay determined if not for yourself than for Chara." He said as he walked out of the room and headed for the throne room, night court was still in sessions and it would be the best time to see Luna. As he walked to the throne room he stopped a guard and told him to wake Celestia as there was a Code Xi in place. The guard nodded and left however unlike with other commands he didn't hurry. When he reached the Throne room he noticed a group of petitioners at the doors. He smiled softly and entered to see two stallions arguing and Luna listening closely. The Night Court had gained a lot of respect over the years and while there wasn't as many petitioners as the Day court with Celestia it still had a decent group. Over the years the two courts had grown and changed with Celestia's Day Court being more commonly known as the 'Entitled Fillies Court', Luna on the other hand was more known as the 'Court of Hearing'. The two names had become common as a form of second title and it fit the mood of the two perfectly, the Day Court was known for having the whiny nobles and was run loosely with many ponies receiving vague answers to their problems, in truth Day Court was created solely to occupy the nobles and prevent them from running Equestria into the ground with their own personal agendas. Celestia simply was there to play warden to the madness that would make Discord cower in terror. Despite having Celestia as a leader many of the noble class had fallen into corruption and greed, almost every other day a Code Mu was issued and a noble house was secretly stripped of power. At this point there have become two types of nobles in Equestria, there were the Nobles and then there were the nobles unfortunately most of the nobles of Equestria weren't actually Noble any longer do to what they had become. Asriel sighed as he thought of what had become the nobles of Equestria, of the fifty noble families of Equestria only twenty-seven still held the title of Nobles and that number was dropping quickly. Asriel sighed and his thought turned to the Night court. The Night Court had earned the title 'Court of Hearing' due to how Luna ran it. A Pony would enter with their problem and speak their piece, once they finished Luna would consider the situation, law or punishment that fit the criteria if Luna couldn't come up with an answer on the spot she would schedule a second hearing in several days and consult her sister, Asriel and Chara. Over the years Luna had earned a reputation to be very cautious with her decisions, getting all the facts before making a single decision. She would listen do both views on a situation and give every creature be they pony or not the same treatment. The Night Court was a place of action where may laws and regulations of Equestria had been created, a place where convicts were tried, disputes settled and treaties with foreign countries were made. After several hours Luna dismissed the court and sighed as she walked down and looked at Asriel. "Hello Asriel, I assume you came here for more than simply watching politics for hours." She said with a tired but happy smile. Asriel chuckled. "If I wanted to do that I'd of woken early and joined Tia's Day Court. Did you know the Platinum’s want an eighty foot statue of them built from solid gold to be placed outside of the palace and everypony that passes it must kiss its hooves?" He asked as they exited the Throne room and headed for the royal study. Luna stopped and stared at Asriel who slowed and turned to her. "That has to be a joke." She said however the deadpanned look on Asriels face caused her jaw to drop. "You're serious." She said before sighing. "I'm going to break a table with my face plant." She groaned as she continued following Asriel into the study where a very tired Celestia sat a cup of tea placed before her. "Well you’re up early sister." Luna chuckled. "Code Xi Luna." Celestia said with a yawn. Luna turned to Asriel surprised. "Why didn't you tell me we were having a family meeting?" She asked. Asriel smiled. "Because you needed to do Night Court and tomorrow need to be free." He said as he took a seat at and Luna joined them. "Chara won't be joining us tonight because she has to get everything ready." "What's going on Asriel?" Celestia asked with a yawn. "The medical facilities we have aren’t enough to treat Frisk's injuries properly. Despite the doctors magic and capabilities, ponies can't treat Frisk. At best they can keep her alive and in a coma like state." Asriel said causing the two princesses to gasp. "What do we do Asriel?" Luna asked. "You wouldn't have called us together unless there was no hope or there is a solution but it is going to be hard to achieve." Asriel nodded. "There is only one facility available to us with the proper medical equipment to diagnose the problem and find a cure." Asriel said as he clasped his hands together. "The Laboratory in the Underground." As Asriel explained this Celestia and Luna looked shocked. "Asriel it's been over four centuries since anyone has been in the Underground, if anything is left its condition would be terrible." Celestia said calmly. Asriel nodded. "That would be true, if that was the case." Asriel said with a chuckle. "Chara goes there all the time, I don't know what she does but I know she's maintained the place in the absence of the Monsters that once lived there. Grillby, River Person and Napstablook also go there sometimes so the place is in good condition." Luna chuckled. "I always wondered where she ran off to at night." Asriel nodded. "Chara's left to set up the medical facility of the Lab. Tomorrow we need to move Frisks body to the facilities." "What do you need form us?" Luna asked. "I'll be assigning Grillby and sever of the more trust worthy guards to assist in her moving, You two need to be present as well." Asriel said before chuckling. "You know this might be the first time you see Chara in her element." He said with a smile. What do you mean?" Celestia asked causing Asriel to laugh. "Chara is many things, a warrior, commander, judge and all these things you've seen. However Chara is most at home in only two scenarios, when she is pumping absurd levels of magic through her body and when she is in the laboratory." Asriel explained. "She is very scientific and loves working on new innovations. Magic, science, technology, theories, everything that is sciency and nerdy is her passion. She is an absolute genius but she hides it under a layer of laziness." Asriel chuckled again as he leaned back in the chair, memories of the past running through his mind. "When she sees Ponies ready I imagine she'll be starting a bit of a renaissance or technological revolution." He mussed aloud. Celestia and Luna looked at each other before turning back to Asriel. "If what you say is true why hasn't she done so?" Celestia asked. Asriel sighed as leaned forward once more and for a moment he looked as if he'd aged to that of an old goat. "This world's not ready for what we bring. The advancement of society is slow and Chara feels that introducing anything would only cause problems." Asriel sighed. "Honestly after what she's seen I agree, while there is a lot of technology that would benefit ponies there is far more that would only lead Equestria down the path to war." Several hours later Asriel stood in his full armor beside Grillby and six other Royal Guards With them stood the Princess Celestia and Luna. Beside the Princesses, floating in their combined magic was Frisk. The group was silent as they waited for a carriage to come and even when it arrived they were silent. The trip to Mt. Ebott was slow but as they arrived at the mountain the group began to talk and the silence lifted somewhat, at least until they reached the entrance to the cave. Asriel took a deep breath and turned to the guard. "Remain here, only the Princesses may continue." He said as He turned and Grillby and the Princesses followed. The group walked into the Barrier room and quickly passed the throne room as they began to leave the princesses paused and Asriel turned motioning for them to follow. The Group continued and entered the Judgement Hall and soon they reached the Elevator. The group was silent as they traversed the Underground, passing through Mettatons Resort and then entering Hot Land. Calmly they walked traversing the maze of puzzles and finally reaching the Lab. Asriel paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and stepping forward, the doors opened automatically to reveal a well-kept lab. Chara's back was turned to them and she was leaned over a table working on something with a microscope. Asriel stopped and cleared his throat causing her to jump and turn to them and the two groups froze. Chara's usual cloths had been swapped out for a long white lab coat that covered a black skin tight latex body suit with a red radiation symbol emblazoned on its chest. "Oh, I was expecting you later." Chara said as she straitened to her full height, her back completely straight as she walked over to computer and began to type on it. After a moment a metal slab floated over and Chara joined the group. "Please place Frisk on the gurney and I will take her to the Lab for analysis." Chara said her tone completely professional. The Princesses hesitated but did as Chara ask. As soon as Frisk was laid down Chara immediately began to move the gurney to an elevator and the group quickly followed. The trip down to the True Lab was quiet and as soon as they arrived Chara began to move the gurney through the halls to a room containing a lot of medical equipment. The Princesses watched in shock as Chara moved from machine to machine connecting wires and suction pads to Frisks arms and chest while placing a mask over her face and inserting an IV drip. As soon as she was done she walked over to a clipboard and began to write down the numbers on the machines and exiting the room. "Is she always like this?" Luna asked in confusion. Asriel nodded. "Luna meet Chara, the real Chara." He said as he turned to the door. "I'm going to go talk to Chara, since you don't know this place I'm asking you to stay here." He said before leaving the room and walking down the hall till he reached a room with a plaque with the name Chara on it. As he entered the room he saw his sister working, her hands flew over the keyboard and her focus shifted every few moments to one of the tree monitors she had at her desk. Asriel chuckled. "At this rate you'll be joining Frisk before you can cure her." He said. Chara frowned and spared a second to glare at Asriel before returning to work. "Hello brother, I assume you’re still here to insure I don't run myself ragged again?" She asked. Asriel smiled. "You're a workaholic Chara; someone has to look out for you now that everyone gone." He said jokingly "The Machine to bring Dr. Gaster and the Team back was completed two centuries ago, I just need enough magical energy and the right frequency, and once I have those I will be able to pull them out of the Void." Chara said without looking ways from her work. "As for reviving the Underground I have made several breakthroughs on it but until I can create a stabilizer all that work is useless as all we'll get are Amalgamates and corrupted glitches." Asriel nodded. "Good job then sis but still, don't over work yourself." Chara smiled softly before something beeped and she sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I found the problem, or at least one of the problems." She said as she waved Asriel over. Quickly the Prince approached and leaned over his sister’s shoulder as she pointed at several numbers. "So several factors that keep humans alive are really messed up. The first is that she is in a state of extreme nutrient deficiency; I can fix this by simply adding the necessary vitamins and other nutrients needed to the IV drip. Second her body has suffered severe trauma, I can try fixing this with healing magic but we both know that it can only do so much and most of the damage will have to heal on its own. The final and most concerning part however her soul is." She explained as she pointed to a reading that Asriel stared at blankly. "Chara, I have no idea what the actual fuck you're talking about." He said with a sigh. "Please explain this in English not science Chara frowned. "Frisk body has shut down due to lack of any food for who knows how long. Almost all her muscles have either been torn or shredded, her blood vessels are damaged and her heart is heavily damaged due to being overworked and lacking proper nutrients. As for her soul... all I can say at the moment it that it looks almost shattered and fragments are missing." Asriel frowned. "Did Tirek do this?" Chara shook her head. "Even if he tried he'd only be able to do a tenth of the damage, no this was something else." She said as her eyes turned black and Asriel who took a hesitant step back. "This was the PLAYER." She growled her eyes going black as her voice went demonic for a moment before she closed them and took several breaths. "Give me enough time and I can heal her but it will take weeks at best." Asriel gulped and nodded. "I'm not a doctor like you but are the parts missing what keep her alive?" He asked. "I don't know." Chara said as she shook her head sadly. "The scan I ran was a basic check; if I do anything more her soul might shatter. She’s barely stable as it is and doing anything else might just shatter it entirely." Asriel sighed and nodded. "Well, at least she's now in capable hands." He said as he patted her shoulder. Chara nodded before as she turned back to the monitors and her eyes flashed purple. Suddenly she gasped and jumped up before running over to a cabinet and opening it while digging around for something. "What is it Chara?" Asriel asked concerned. "I might have a way to fix this!" Chara said excitedly. "All humans no matter their Soul trait need Determination but for a Red Soul user like me or Frisk the need for Determination is in the extremes, if a Red Soul user doesn't have enough determination then their soul can be at risk of breaking or even worse inverting to its Unnatural Soul state and if that happens it would need to be destroyed." Chara explained and Asriel frowned. "And this helps us how?" He asked as Chara pulled out a large canister of what looked like glowing blood. "The problem is her Determination!" Chara exclaimed as she ran out the door and Asriel followed. "We gave her Monster Food while she was in the castle hospital, that should of healed her wound but it didn't so there has to be another reason she isn't waking up." She said as she burst into the room causing the sisters to jump. "And you think it's her determination?" Asriel asked as he followed her. "For most humans Determination is ones will to live but for one with a red soul it's more than that." Chara said as she began to hook up several tubes and wires to Frisk and carefully she hooked up the canister of the red substance. "For a human who's soul is red Determination is not just our will to live but is the very manifestation, the very culmination, of who we are." "Did you find a cure?" Celestia asked hopeful as she looked between Asriel and Chara. Asriel shrugged and Chara nodded. "Frisk souls is almost destroyed, if my theory is correct she has lost her determination and as such her will to live." She said as he finished hooking up the equipment. "This is some of the old stuff but we don't have an option." She growled as the liquid began to flow through the tubes. "Gaster if you're here I need you." She whispered. "Please help me to save Frisk." She said as tears began to fall from her face. Chara called for help... But nob̶̠͓̆͝o̵͇̝̔̊̀̏d̶̨̗̫̠̩̲̆̾́́y̴̞͌̾̑̚͝͠ ̷̞̿͋̒̄c̸̛̖̜̦̖̳̘͆̕ã̶̢̡̛̜̲̭m̷̞̬̞̠̭͆̕̕è̸̟̻̟̬̈́.̶̪͇̞͇̞͑̇͘.̴̲̳͔̖͇̹̀͑̃̀̂́.̶̧̥̅̉̆̕ 💧︎□︎❍︎♏︎□︎■︎♏︎ ♍︎♋︎❍︎♏︎📬︎ "Someone came." There are many facets of the Void, some parts are simply areas of black nothing, some areas like the room behind the gray door have simply a floor and walls but that's all. Then there are the parts of the void that those with a Red Soul call the Menu Screens or as it's better known, the Game Over Screen. In all my time traveling across the Void I have only ever seen one Game Over Screen and because of the PLAYER I dare not enter it. But that was then... now I shall. My student, my dear apprentice, Chara has called out for help. In all my long years never has she asked for my assistance, advice or opinion on a mater sure, but never has she gone out of her way to say she needs help. Something must be truly wrong for her to cry out with such despair and I see why. Frisk is dying and Determination won’t save this child, not when they have so little of it left. A bearer of the Red Soul can only return if they want to, they must believe with all their heart and soul that they want to go back. Frisk has lost her will to live and as such the determination to return. Chara is keeping her physical body alive, now it's my turn to convince her to stay Determined. I take a deep breath and step forward into the Game Over Screen. As I step into this part of the Void my form changes, I'm no longer appear as the goopy amalgamate mass or even what appeared as when I possessed Chara but rather I look like myself once more. This is rather interesting; I admit that it has been a... long time since I've been in this form. Worry about this development later Gaster, right now I have a Child to save. I look around and find that the world of the Game Over Screen is quiet similar to my home in the void with the simple difference of there being massive letters in the floating in place spelling out, Game Over. Before them stands the form of a Human wearing a blue and purple striped sweater, I slowly approach. "Child, it's time to Return." Gaster says as he approaches. *Frisk tell Gaster to leave her alone.* "I'm sorry Child but I can't do that. Chara is waiting for you, she misses you." Gaster says as he stands before her. *Frisk tell Gaster that there is no point; after all she said it herself. ‘You know we never were friends right?’ ‘I hate you so much!’* Fisk begins to cry. *Frisk tells Gaster She doesn't deserve mercy, they are a monster.* Gaster pulls Frisk into a hug. "Chara wasn't speaking to you Child; she was speaking to the PLAYER." He said as Frisk cried into his shirt. "She loves you Frisk, I should know." *Frisk asks what Gaster mean.* Gaster sighs. "Chara hated Humanity with a passion unlike any other; I'd dare to say that her hate was greater than even we Skeletons." He chuckled. "But whenever she was around you she was... different. She smiled, laughed and even cared about you. You were the only person she ever was like that to, no other human was ever treated the same." *Frisk says she killed everyone, she doesn't deserve a second chance.* "You deserve it more than any other Frisk." Gaster says as he lifted her head up to look at his face. "Frisk, You may have done these things but it wasn't you that did them, simply your body playing puppet to another." Gaster pat her head as he continued. "You only had the chance of freedom once and the PLAYER stole that. Chara never got to confess her love for you, Sans never got to have the daughter he saw you as and You never got your happy ending." *Frisk says she doesn't deserve this, she wants to be forgotten.* "Remember what Sans had on that picture, 'Never Forget'. Even after I was shattered across time and space, erased from the minds of everyone, someone still remembered me." Gaster said. "No matter who we are or what we do there will always be one person who will remember and they will miss us." Frisk shook her head. *Frisk says that's different, you were good, nice.* Gaster chuckled nervously. "You couldn't be farther from the truth. While I wasn't a murder or anything like that I was still... not someone who should be given a second chance and yet Sans tried to bring me back, even Chara is trying." He said as she hugged Frisk tighter. "Frisk, we all have done things we regret, thing's we can’t undo or take back, it's how we live with those choices and seek redemption that defines. Asgore made mistakes, so too did Toriel, Undyne, and Sans but they moved on accepted their mistakes while trying to atone for them." Frisk paused as Gaster knelt down and looked at her. "Please Frisk, come back. If not for Chara, the one who loves you, then do it for my son and all those who would miss you." Frisk stood frozen before nodding. "Okay, I'll come back." She said as the world began to glow. The world shines brighter and a faint glow emanates from you. ... You are filled with Determination. Chara stood next to Frisks bed writing down the numbers on her clipboard, ever since she had started injecting Frisk with determination her condition had improved by leaps in bounds! Already most of the damage to her body had healed and her soul had slowly been restoring itself. Despite her displeasure in admitting it she was gathering a significant amount of data on the capabilities Determination had in medical practices and had already formulated several tests. With a sigh she began to leave only to stop as she felt a massive amount of power grow behind her, Chara quickly turned as she summoned the True Knife however what she saw made her freeze. Floating above Frisk was her soul which shone with a brilliant light, quickly it shot into Frisks sleeping body and Chara watched in shock as Frisk gasped and sat up her eyes wide on surprise. The two humans stared at each other for a moment, Chara in shock while Frisk in fear. Finally Chara dropped the clipboard and ran over to Frisk embracing her in a hug, Frisk flinched and closed her eyes in fear expecting to me killed. "You idiot!" Chara whispered as she hugged Frisk closer. "If you give up again I'm dragging you back here myself!" Frisk hesitantly opened her eyes and was shocked to see Chara crying. "I was so worried about you, honestly do you like scaring me to where I almost fall down again?" She asked. Frisk don’t say anything for a moment before pulling Chara into a hug. "I'm sorry." She said as she began to cry as well. "I broke our promise, I killed our friends, and I was a bad partner." Chara frowned and pulled away from Frisk only to whack her in the back of the head. "It's not your fault Frisk, now get it through that thick scull of yours and let it go." Frisk rubbed the back of her head and sniffed sadly. "Chara-""Nope, it's not your fault Frisk!" Chara cut in as she placed a finger on Frisks lips. "The PLAYER is a sadistic asshole and when I catch him I'm going to kill him, no second chances, no mercy." Chara said with finality as she rose and looked over Frisk. "You still need rest and to let your body heal." She said calmly as she turned to the door and began to walk away, before she left however she stopped and turned to Frisk. "Don't leave me again Frisk, you mean more to me than anyone except Azzy so you better make damn sure you don't die." She said and Frisk nodded. As Frisk lay back down in the bed Chara closed the door but Frisk swore she heard something before the door shut. "Love you Frisk." > Chapter 12 - The Folly of a Skeleton named 🕈︎♓︎■︎♑︎♎︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♑︎♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia and Luna tiredly walked through the heat of Hot Land, it had been a week and Chara had not left the Labs at all. Because Asriel was busy dealing with griffon terrorists at the boarders the princesses had decided that enough was enough, they were heading down to the Labs to bring Chara back even if it was just to have one meal with them. After several hours of navigating the traps set up in the Core and around Hot Land they reached the labs to see Shroud, Chara's Phoenix perched on the raining asleep. "So that's where he went." Luna muttered. Celestia sighed and the two entered the Labs only to pause in shock. A week ago the lab was pristine and perfectly cleaned however now it would qualify for its own disaster relief fund. Pot and cups were strewn around the lab with some even still having food in them, papers were scattered about and haphazardly tossed aside. Celestia approached a stack of blue papers with intricate schematics drawn on it, written on the pages were symbols that she couldn't understand however one of the pages she picked up depicted the Gaster Blasters Chara loved to use. Celestia placed the drawing back down and looked around concerned. "Chara has never been a messy person." She said concerned. Luna nodded slowly. "It looks as if a tornado was through here." She said. "Do you think Chara is on the lower floors?" Celestia shrugged and walked to the elevator. "When I see her I'm going to have a word with her on hygiene and how to care for one’s self." Celestia said grumpily. "She's 433 years old; she should be able to care for herself!" Luna chuckled and shook her head as they entered the elevator and descended. When the exited the lab the blinked at the harsh lights that the True Lab had and began to walk down the halls. As they walked Luna noticed several odd monitors that activated once they passed. "Sister, these monitors are rather strange." She said as he approached the first one on the wall. "Entry 1... Sister comes read this!" Entry number 01 Work on Project 23 has been officially completed. The Prototype generator is working and has been supplied the laboratory with unlimited magical energy. After working on the same project for so long I am eager to start anew. I wonder what I will be tasked with next? Luna turned to Celestia excited. "Sister, I think this was written by Dr. Gaster!" She said excitedly. Celestia looked confused. "If that's the case what is it doing here?" She asked however the question fell on deaf ears as Luna ran to the next screen. Celestia sighed and followed her sister despite her hesitance she was still curious. Entry number 02 The King has given me my next assignment. With the recent FEAR Soul incident the human government wants me to research effective ways to fight against the corrupted souls in the event this occurs again. Though I'm hesitant to do such research this could prove to be a great opportunity to experiment with something interesting. Humans possess a substance called 'DETERMINATION', it fascinates me. Perhaps we could use this 'DETERMINATION' to our advantage? Celestia tilted her head in thought. "Determination... isn't that Chara’s soul?" She asked Luna who nodded. "Determination, the power to alter time as well as wield the power of the other six souls." Luna replied. "It looks like Gaster began his Determination experiments far earlier than we thought." Celestia nodded. "Our guess was it started after Chara fell down however this proves he was testing what it could do as a way to counter the Unnatural Soul Traits prior to them knowing each other." Luna shook her head. "From what this says Dr. Gaster was working on this research for the human government. This means it was prior to the Human and Monster War so they were still above ground and not sealed away." The Sisters turned away from the monitor and continued down the hall till they reached the next. Entry number 03 My research has proven to be very compelling. Determination grants it's carrier with two abilities: 'SAVE' and 'LOAD'. If we were to somehow harness Determination... we could use it against the corrupted humans. I shall find a way to extract Determination from human souls, and then... Experimentation may begin. Celestia shuddered. "Dr. Gaster seems like a rather... interesting character." She said and Luna nodded and the two continued deeper into the True Lab till they reached a room containing a massive machine that looked like a skull. Celestia shuddered as Luna approached and examined it. After examining it the two went over to one of two monitors in the room. Entry number 04 It occurred to me that I can't work on this project alone. I've decided to bring two assistance to help me with various tasks. The first I have selected is Assistant Alphys, She is a young and timid monster but she shows great promise. The second is a longtime colleague of mine, Scratch. He may be a bit eccentric but he is a good man and I trust him. Currently we're designing blueprints for a machine capable of DT extraction. I look forward to completing it. Luna tilted her head. "Scratch... where have I heard that name before." She muttered before gasping in recognition. "He was a member of the Team that worked with Chara prior to the incident!" She said and Celestia turned to her surprised. "How do you know?" She asked before remembering something from a long time ago. "Luna was he one of the Monsters from that dream you saw from Chara when she first began to live with us?" Luna nodded and turned to the second monitor Entry number 05 We finished construction of the DT extraction machine. The King has requested the human government to provide us with the human souls needed to test it with. After acquiring the souls we tested the machine and the extraction was a complete success. Now that we have Determination we will attempt to inject DT into monster souls, if my theory is correct we might not have found a way to simply counter Corrupted humans but a strong enough power source that Monsters that have fallen down can be revived. We have chosen four monsters that have fallen down to conduct the experiments on; if it's successful they should all come back to life. We will try this tomorrow. Luna frowned. "Sister, this is what Chara is looking for." She said somewhat concerned. "A way to revive monsters and it seems to lie in Determination." Celestia didn't say anything for a moment. "This way." She said as she walked to another hallway that lead deeper. The two princesses walked quietly till they reached the next screen. Entry number 06 It worked, they're alive! All four of them are awake and walking around as if they never fell down. It's so... fascinating. The two sisters looked at each other and continued down the hall to the next entry. Entry number 07 I apologize for not recording so long, it's been a few days and I have had to constantly monitor the subjects. They're all still fine and I believe that at this point we can consider the experiment a resounding success. With Determination we now have a chance to give monsters that have fallen down a second chance; I have also run several tests on the subjects power and found that their magic is strong enough to shatter human souls, Now we have a way to overpower the corrupted humans if anything like the Fear Incident happens again. Using our magic, combined with Determination, we will be able to protect our kingdom from any threat, the only thing I've found odd is that the test subjects are very... 'sweaty'. It may be a simple side effect like the others believe however I have asked that the subjects remain a bit longer for further observation. Luna's eyes widened and she looked at Celestia. "They did it!?" She exclaimed in shock however Celestia shook her head. "I don't think they did." She said as she moved to the next monitor and gasped. "Luna come see this!" She yelled. Luna ran over and began to read Entry number 08 It has been several days since my last entry and things have taken a turn for the worst. The sweating I noted in my last entry was indeed a significant situation and I am glad I was able to convince the King to allow then to remain here longer. The test subjects melted together to form one amorphous entity and proceeded to try and attack us. I had no choice but to destroy it to protect Assistant Alphys and Dr. Scratch. It is with a heavy heart that I write to the families of the monsters and announce the death of their loved ones. As horrible as it is to say this the experiment was not a total failure and the data we gained will be invaluable. We now know monster souls cannot handle raw Determination but now that we know this, where do we go from here? I have sent Assistant Alphys and Dr. Scratch away from the Lab on leave for several days so that they may recuperate from the events of the past few days, I will be taking a leave of absence as well. This entire situation has left me drained and reminded me of the fragility of life. I need some time with my wife. The Princesses looked at each other. "Chara has to know this." Luna said calmly. "I mean the information is right here so it's not hidden." Celestia nodded there must be more to this than we can see, some sort of background information that most likely wasn't recorded here but on the notes. They must have found a cure or something, we both know Chara is not the type to be reckless or gamble with chance." "Sister, what if this is why Chara hasn't tried anything yet?" Luna asked, Celestia raised an eyebrow and Luna shook her head. "Hear me out sister, she knows that this will happen if she uses Determination however perhaps they did find some sort of cure or something similar, something that they didn't record or put down but she know of it and that's why she's looking for Gasters' old laboratory..." "Because that's where it is." Celestia finished as she thought. "That's a good guess but perhaps if we find the other entries we can learn the answer." The two continued down the halls searching for the next entry and after several minutes they found it. Entry number 09 No progress has been made since our return. My last report on the incident was sent to the humans, they are callus and uncaring. When it was reported that all subject had to be terminated and by my own hand the simply demanded we find more! I have never seen King Asgore so angry however I do understand; I don't think I've ever been so angry either. On a separate note we are running out of options, if our bodies aren't capable of handling Determination how do we harness its power? I know Determination is the answer I'm looking for however it is far too potent for use on monsters. We would need something else to contain it for us, but what? It sounds absurd but perhaps... we could use a machine powered by Determination? Celestia and Luna looked at each other concerned. "Were Humans truly this uncaring about monsters? Four died by being twisted into abominations and they simply say 'do it again'?" Celestia shook her head. "That's deplorable." "I'm more curious about their machine powered by determination idea, it sounds very similar to what Chara mentioned and what I saw in that dream." Luna said as the Sisters continued down the hall. Celestia shrugged and stopped at the next screen. Entry number 10 The Humans have declared war on us monsters. I do not know why or what they gain from this however my research has become more important than ever. Sadly my research has shifted from a possible revival of monsters to creating weapons. Several more researchers have been assigned to my team by the King. This has lightened the load considerably so my research has not been stopped but simply slowed. On another note I have developed a prototype weapon specifically designed to shatter the souls of humans. I'm calling them Gaster Blasters, a bit pretentious but the king did approve. Lunas face lit up. "Ha! you owe me twenty bits now sister; I told you the Basters were named after Gaster!" She exclaimed happily. Celestia groaned. "Can we focus on the bigger picture Luna, like how Chara has a weapon that can destroy souls and treats it like a pet?" Luna simply laughed and continued on, Celestia sighed and followed. Entry number 11 The Gaster Basters while effective in combat act more like pets than weapons. Despite their effectiveness the king asked that they not be used in combat. We are on the right track but if we're to use them they will need to be more aggressive. It's shame really but they do make wonderful companions. Some of them follow me around the lab as if they were puppies. I find it quite adorable honestly. Celestia face hoofed while Luna laughed even harder. "Even their King saw the folly of them as a weapon." Celestia groaned. Entry number 12 Despite the king's decree that the Blasters are unfit for combat they continue to aid their masters in battle, the King has had no choice but to resend the decree. Despite their kind and loving nature they will defend their master and are extremely dangerous if provoked. There was a recent report of one of the Gaster blasters masters falling in battle, to say the sight that the reinforcements were met with has left humans terrified of my creations is a rather small understatement. The details are not available to be seen but I managed to sneak a copy. I wish I hadn't, if a Blaster is pushed too far they might become the most terrifying thing at our disposal. In other news Arial, my wife, is pregnant! From what I have been able to tell it is a boy. I am so excited but also terrified, of all the times for me to get her pregnant and I choose right before a war! Way to go Dings, husband of the century right here! ...Sarcasm doesn't translate well on paper. The work on reviving monsters that have fallen down is going well. We have determined that while Determination can revive monsters we need a way to stabilize the monster once they are brought back. Work has been slow but in a few months I might have the stabilizer we need. I just need more time... "Your guess might be right Luna." Celestia said in surprise. "Dr. Gaster was working on the cure the whole time and this proves he was close to a way to revive Monsters." Luna frowns. "But he still hasn't done it yet, He says he need time and we both know the war ended with monsters loosing so he must not have succeeded." The sisters continued down the hall till they reached the next screen. Entry number 13 The Humans won and we have been driven underground. My wife gave birth mere hours ago to my son, Comic Sans Skeleton. I have lost almost all my research notes on Determination and all notes I had on the revival process were left behind at my lab. I could only grab a few files in the rush and the files on the Revival Process were some of the few I was unable to grab due to them being in my office. The King has begged me to continue the research but at present reviving the fallen down is low on the priorities. I need to begin work on a way to supply magic and power to our new prison, assist in setting up a lab as well as other work. Damn the humans, because of them my son will grow up in a cave than under the light of the sun and stars. "There's our answer." Celestia said sadly. "Dr. Gaster left all his research behind on the surface when they were driven underground." She said as she turned to Luna. "These entries explains everything Luna, who Gaster was, why Chara is so determined to find his old lab, everything is here." Luna nodded slowly and turned to Celestia. "Imagine having been so close to finding a salvation to something that we stood no chance against only to have it ripped away and losing everything in the process." She said as she sat down. "That... that would break me." Celestia nodded and looked down the hall. "Luna, it's not over." She said as he pointed her hoof at a another screen farther down. Luna rose and the two approached the next screen. Entry number 14 It's been years since I've been able to sit down and record any data on my experiments. However everything is set up finally and The Underground now works. Fortunately I brought files from Project 23 with me so the Underground is supplied with unlimited magical energy. The place that creates the magical energy is called the Core. Sans has grown up to be quite an intelligent and lazy skeleton. In a few years he might be able to join the Lab teams though the choice will be his. The Sisters looked at each other and followed the hall to an exit that lead out to a massive open observation deck. The deck over looked a literal sea, pipes rose from the lava connecting to a massive construct of steel that glowed and churned with unknown mechanics. "That's the Core?" Celestia gasped in shock as Lunas jaw dropped. The two stood and marveled at the machine for a time till finally they continued onward, following the Deck they found another entrance that lead to another hall and at the end was the next monitor. Entry number 15 A Human Child has fallen in to Home; she is in poor condition however. I wonder how they got in such a state? The young Prince Asriel has grown quite attached to the child; King Asgore and Queen Toriel have taken the child in. Despite my past with human and hate for them I have come to respect the child, she is smart and kind. When she first saw me she did something I doubt I will ever forget. she apologized for what humans had done to my kind. I... I don't know what to do. Perhaps, if the Child show interest in my work, I may take her on as an apprentice in the future. My son has also shown he has my Karmic Retribution so I will need to train him. I remember my days in active service as the Judge; he will have a hard life. The human child shows great aptitude for magic as well and is quite intelligent, I wouldn't mind training her. "This must have been when Chara fell into the Underground." Celestia said before frowning in thought. "Karmic Retribution, didn't Chara mention she had this power as well?" She asked and Luna nodded. "She said she learned it from an old friend, do you think it was Gaster or this Sans?" Luna replied as the two continued deeper into the facility. Entry number 16 Chara and Sans have grown so much and Arial recently gave birth to our second child, Papyrus Skeleton. He is an Uppercase Font and shows it. He already shows an aptitude in creativity and is quite compassionate. Papyrus seems to be a near complete contrast to Sans, this dynamic is interesting however Sans has already began to shown he is quite protective of his younger brother. Chara has become like family to us and even works at the labs as a supervisor. Sans will be joining her shortly as a supervisor and both are well known both in their field of study and as a capable consultant for other divisions. Chara has discovered more about human souls and determination than I did in the forty years that I studied them. We have also discovered much about Timelines, Alternate Universes and Dimensions due to her soul of Determination. We have begun work on a Timeline Portal that runs off determination. It's times like these that I wish I still had my old notes, right now we are going off my memory on what I remember but it's been so long and I know I'm forgetting things. I wish I was as proficient in Purple Magic as I am in Orange and Blue Magic. "This is it!" Luna exclaimed. "This is what I saw in that dream, it was about this experiment. Which means the next entry will explain more about the device!" she said excitedly as she ran ahead. "Luna, wait!" Celestia called as she chased after her sister who turned and ran into a side room. Celestia followed and paused when she saw what was inside. It was a massive machine however behind it was a pit that lead to nothing but the black void. Slowly she entered to see Luna standing before the machine, embedded in the machine was a screen and on it an entry. Entry number 17 Dark Darker Yet Darker, The Darkness Keeps Growing, The Shadows Cutting Deeper. Photon Readings Negative, This Next Experiment Seems Very, Very Interesting... What Do You Two Think? Celestia read the entry only to reread it in confusion. "This makes no sense." She said. "That's what I thought." Luna said. "All the other entries were explanatory and flushed out but this has nothing!" She said confused. "Oh but it makes perfect sense." A voice said calmly behind them causing the sisters to turn in shock to see Chara standing before them. "Entry number 17 Dark, darker, yet darker; the darkness keeps growing, the shadows cutting Deeper. Photon readings negative. This next experiment seems very, very interesting... what do you two think?" Chara walked into the room a sad look on her face as she looked around the room. "The last words of Dr. Gaster before he was lost to the Void forever, the last words I and Sans would hear from him. The day this was written Sans lost his father and I lost a friend, Gaster was like the wacky and eccentric uncle that you loved to hangout with, he was the best man I knew second only to my father." "What happened here Chara?" Celestia asked as she approached the human. "What did you and the machine do that could cause so much suffering? From what you’ve told us it seems like this experiment was what lead to not only Gaster what ever happened to him but also was what lead you to die." Chara looked at Celestia calmly. "We tried to understand something, something that was not meant to be understood and for that we paid a price." Chara shook her head and looked at the Princesses with a smile. "Enough about the past. Frisk is awake and her treatment is going well. Give it a little while and she'll be as healthy as a possible." She said happily as she turned. "Come on Princesses, I'd like you to meet Frisk." She said as she walked out of the room. Celestia and Luna looked at each other with concern before following. > Chapter 13 - No More Games, No More Mercy, Only Hate Remains > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Celestia and Luna followed Chara through the lab till they reached a hall with rows of doors; unlike the other areas of the lab this one was more reminiscent of an actual medical area than a lab. While many of the halls had rooms they were mostly filled with equipment or file cabinets, this one however was open, well-lit and clean. Chara calmly walked to a room with the number 324 on it and stopped. "I moved Frisk here so she could be more comfortable." She explained. "What is this area? The last time we were here none of this was open." Celesta asked and Luna nodded. "I was thinking the same, the entire lab seems much larger as there were only a few areas open and none of them looked like this." Luna agreed and the sisters looked at Chara who shrugged. "The Lab is divided into two sections and those sections can be further broken down making a total of four parts." Chara explained. "The first half contains the main area for testing and some side rooms with small lab areas for smaller tests. The second half is connected by the observation deck to the Core outside and leads into this half of the lab. This half contains the storage for equipment and files on projects, but also is where the offices of staff are at as well as the recovery medical wing." Chara said as she opened the door. Celestia nodded. "So this is part of the medical wing for recovering patients?" Chara nodded as they entered to see Frisk resting peacefully, Chara smiled and turned to the princesses. "Well she's asleep right now so I'm going to go work, try not to disturb her while I'm gone please." Chara said as she turned. "Chara, we need to talk." Celestia said causing the human to sigh and turn. "If it's about me being down here for so long then I'll go up when I get the chance but right now I have to keep an eye on Frisk. I will be able to leave once she's better." Chara said as she looked at the princesses. Celestia shook her head. "That was one of them but was there another reason." "Chara, the nobles are planning something." Luna interrupted. "Asriel is off dealing with Griffon rebels at the moment and even with Grillby there things are getting more and more troublesome." Chara froze and turned to the two princesses in concern. "You’re sure about this?" She asked and Celestia nodded. "Then I don't have much time." Chara said as she turned to leave the room only for the entire building to shake and for her to go pale. "Did any of the nobles know you were coming here?" She asked. Celestia and Luna looked at each other in concern. "No they didn't" Luna said and Chara paled. "Then it's him." Chara said as she turned and ran out the door, Celestia and Luna looked at each other and ran after her. As Chara ran the princesses could barely keep up with her and as they ran they realized they were following the path they'd taken earlier, when the exited the lab and stepped out onto the observation deck of the core the gasped as they saw the core sparking and exploding. "What's going on?" Celestia gasped while a look of realization crossed Luna's face. "Sister she said it was 'him', you don't think she means the PLAYER?" She asked causing Celestias eyes to widen in fear. "But why now?" Celestia asked concerned. "What if it has something to do with Frisk?" Luna asked. Celestia nodded and the two ran back into the first part of the lab following the path they had taken earlier. "But what could he want with her?" She asked as they entered the Elevator and pressed the button that caused it to rise. "The PLAYER has been desperately trying to capture Chara ever since they have met maybe he's not after her specifically but the Determination she has?" Luna said causing Celestia to look at her confused. "Frisk and Chara have Souls of Determination, from what we have come to understand Determination is the ultimate power able to grant the user the ability to manipulate time and alter reality on a massive scale. Imagine what it could do if the PLAYER got his hands on it?" Celestia nodded. "But why Chara and not Frisk? If they both have the same power then what does it matter who he uses?" Celestia asked. Luna thought for a moment before her eyes widened. "What if they don't have the same power sister?" She said as she looked at Celestia. "What if we are looking at this wrong, they have the same abilities but not the same powers, Chara is far older than Frisk and if Human magic is like our magic then it would mean that Chara would have thousand times more power than Frisk." "But why go for her so early on?" Celestia asked. "If your theory is correct than it makes sense that the PLAYER would go after her now but he wanted her from the beginning." Luna nodded. "Sister, Chara once told us that Human Souls don’t persist after death but hers did, in fact it persisted for at least a thousand years till Frisk fell into the Underground and woke her up." Luna said causing Celestia to gasp. "Chara has more magic than she claims or perhaps she isn't even aware of this." Luna said as they exited the elevator to see Chara frantically typing on computers. "Princesses, I need to deal with this so stay here." Chara said as she worked. "Chara please let us help." Celestia said concerned. "No, you can't do anything to him, Princess you can barely last a minute with Asriel and that's with him holding back." Chara said as she turned to the princesses. "The Core is in pretty bad shape but I was able to activate the Cores security systems, as long as you stay here you'll be safe." She said as she walked to the Labs exit. Before she left she turned to the Princesses. "If I fail, protect Frisk with your life." She said before she exited the lab. "You know I never expected the PLAYER to strike here." Shroud said as Chara exited the Lab. Chara turned to him with a chuckle. "Neither did I." She replied. "Good to see you again old friend." She said as the phoenix shrank down and landed on her shoulder. "Same to you." Ember said as he fluffed up his wings. "So what are we dealing with this time?" He asked. Chara shrugged. "I doubt it's him, or at least his physical form, he prefers puppets and trickery." Chara said as they walked through Hot Land. An explosion shook the underground and Chara smiled. "Looks like my traps worked." She said before looking at the Phoenix. "Hang on; we're taking a short cut." She said and stepped forward disappearing. A Pony in a deep black suit calmly walked through damaged barrier room and entered the throne room. He smiled and looked around before entering the long caused it to known as the Judgement Hall, here a lone figure stood with a bird upon their shoulder. The figures head was down and the hood of their green winter coat was up and covered her face, on her shoulder sat a bird that looked as if it was made of ash and embers from a fire, the stallion smiled and walked forward. As he did he spoke in a voice that echoed with an after effect. "When Angels are forced out of Heaven they become Devil's, you agree don't you Chara?" The figure chuckled and looked up revealing her glowing red eyes "I'm just watching a bad dream I never wake up from." She replied "I'll wake you up right now." The Stallion said with a smirk. "What's your rush PLAYER? After all, it's been a long time since we talked, why not catch up a bit." Chara asked calmly. PLAYER Laughed. "Are you pleading for your life?" Chara shook her head. "Hardly, begging doesn't work on you remember?" PLAYER smiled as he walked forward. "No, no it doesn't so how'd you know it was me?" Chara shrugged. "Well ya know, after a while you kind-" "You know, it’s hard to care when everything ends anyway." The stallion said with a twisted smile. "Why keep going when there's no point? If I have to die so they can live then so be it." The Stallion laughed as Chara’s face turned darker. "You have such a bleak outlook even though you don't even remember; I took your name, memories, and your very identity and twisted it into what you are today." Chara sighed. "Well, everyone runs out of material sooner or later. Kinda comes with the business I guess. Some folks are good at keeping up; old buddy of mine was good with encores but was too lazy to do them." She said with a shrug. "Ya see, we Judges are more about reading the audience, faces say a lot and yours, well... I'm not gracing it with a description. Maybe this won't change anything for me or even this Timeline, maybe I won't get the answers to who this body belonged to before you twisted it and placed my soul inside. But I made a promise to Frisk and the thought of looking her in the eyes after giving up..." Chara chuckled and as a smile came on her face. "Guess Sans wasn't as bad an influence as he claimed after all." She said before sighed. "Get to the point." PLAYER said with a yawn. Chara’s smile grew and she closed her eyes. "It was a beautiful day ya know?" She asked sadly. "Children were laughing, the sun was shining, on days like this murder happy megalomaniacs like you will be going straight to hell. Chara’s Eyes glowed red as Shroud flapped his wings and rose into the air. The PLAYER smiled and charged at Chara who dodged the attacks however the PLAYERS smile grew as he lit the stallion’s horn and gripped Chara in his Magic. "Things will be different this time." He said as he threw Chara into a wall only for her eyes to change to blue and she flipped gravity at the last second allowing her to land on the wall instead of crashing into it. "Neat trick, now see mine." She said with a smile as her eyes changed to purple and raised her hand. The Player looked confused at Chara till his eyes widened and Chara fired a beam of magic at the PLAYER. The PLAYER leapt away however as the beam hit the ground it rebounded and split bouncing around like a laser. Chara ran down the wall and leapt to the floor inverting her gravity to allow normal movement and with a wave of her hand she created several summoning circles that conjured swords made of magic, the PLAYER stood there and with a smile she flicked her hand and fired the blades in patterns. The Player quickly began to dodge and weave through the attack however the maze vanished suddenly and was replaced with Shroud who screeched as he unleashed a wave of fire that pelted the PLAYER. "That's not fair!" The PLAYER screamed as he rose and glared at Chara who shrugged. "This isn't your little game PLAYER, it’s real life." She said with a smile. "There are no turns, no rules or restrictions." She said as she charged forward her eyes glowing orange as gauntlets appeared on her hands and she punched the PLAYER in the face. "God, I've wanted to do that for so fucking long!" she said with a smile. The PLAYER growled and rose as he charged his horn and created a sword. "Fine, let's play." He growled and ran at Chara who dodged the attacks. The PLAYER didn't stop though and continued attacking however Chara simply smiled and began to block the attacks with her gauntlets. The PLAYER screamed in rage as he shot forward and struck at Chara however with a giggle and snap of her fingers she vanished and the PLAYER was slammed into the floor by Shroud who had dive bombed into him before raking his talons down the PLAYERS back. The PLAYER growled again as he rose slowly before his form was enveloped in a white light. "You think you can mock me?" The PLAYER asked as the light faded and he spread a pair of wings. "I am your God; I control this world and all within it!" He screamed as he fired a beam from his horn. Chara barely dodged the attack and looked in concern at the PLAYER. "That wasn't ordinary magic." She muttered. "Oh, you noticed did you?" The PLAYER asked. "This isn't magic I'm using anymore." He said with a smile as he rose into the air. "Behold the power of the power of the Void!" He said as he began to laugh and fire beams of Void energy at Chara. Chara growled and dodged the attacks as something she hadn't felt in centuries woke with in her. In recent centuries Chara had come to be known as the Arbiter of the Underground and seen as a passive judge who watched and protected Pony kind but this was not always the case, it had once been common knowledge but time had made many ponies forget that Chara had once held another title; The Demon that comes when you call her name. What had once slumbered was now awake and angry; Chara's left eye turned black and her form began to change. The coat she wore lengthened and darkened till it became a black long coat, her shirt changed till it was a light green and yellow stripped t-shirt and her pants changed to black as her boots became heavy black leather combat boots with metal armor plates in them. With a smile she looked up at the PLAYER and they froze. From the Lab Celestia and Luna watched the transformation in shock and when they saw Chara's eyes their hearts froze in fear. Chara's right eye was the same white with red colored iris however her left was completely black accept for a small pinprick that showed where she was looking, the eye dripped with black corruption slowly flowing down Chara's face like tears. "Chara, no!" A voice screamed causing the princesses to turn and see the door's to the lab closing. The Princesses looked in fear before running out of the lab. Chara took a deep breath and smiled as she straitened her back and looked down at the player, the kindness in her eyes was replaced with arrogance and she smiled with a cocky grin. "You gone and fucked up PLAYER." She said as she shot forward and struck the PLAYER launching him back however rather than let him fly back Chara shot her hand out and a tentacle of black goop shot from her sleeve and pierced into the PLAYER. "Get over here you fucker!" She screamed as she pulled back and ripped the PLAYER forward only for Chara to jump forward and slam them into the ground, Chara grinned as the tentacle changed in to a scythe and she spun in air coming down on the Player and causing a dust cloud. When the Dust settled The Princesses gasped as the saw the PLAYER using a sword made from magic to hold off Chara's scythe however he was struggling quickly the player teleported away and staggered for a moment as the stood and looked at Chara. "What the actual fuck?" He gasped out as Chara charged at him with a smile her weapon changing again into a kunai with a chain attached as she threw it at him with a smile. Quickly he parried the weapon however as he did it changed again and Chara spun in the air sending the weapon at him again. This time the Weapon had changed from a kunai to a whip sword. The PLAYER was forced backward as Chara moved with speeds that made her blur, one moment she would be close right in from of the PLAYER while the next she had vanished and was using the length of her weapon to her advantage, he was barely able to block her attacks and the chance of him countering was almost zero. "How do you like this form?" Chara asked with a cocky tone. "You know it's been centuries since I've tapped into this power but I knew you'd bring it out eventually." "What the fuck are you!?" PLAYER screamed and he blocked several more strikes. Chara grinned as her blackened eye began to glow a deep red making it resemble a certain Skeletons. "I am HATE." She said as she leapt at the PLAYER, her weapons changing again into two daggers. "And you are dead." She said as thousands of tendrils of hate shot out from around her and wrapped around the PLAYER pinning him in place as Chara thrust both blades in to his chest. The PLAYER screamed in pain before teleporting away in a desperate attempt to get away, as he appeared he fired a blast of Void magic at Chara who jumped back only for it to follow her. Chara dodged left and right however the beam continued following and with a final jump back she was cornered by a wall. She closed her eyes however the attack never hit. Slowly she opened her eyes to see six figures standing around her. Two of the figures turned to look at her, one with a proud smile and a glowing blue eye while the other smiled as several hands appeared around him. The other four stood defensively as they each prepaid their own forms of battle. The two figures turned to the PLAYER who was backing away in fear however the six didn't wait and leapt at the PLAYER, behind him a portal opened and the six figures slammed in to him and they all tumbled into the black Void. "Give him hell guys." Chara said with a smiled as she fell to the ground and passed, out the sound of someone screaming her name was the last thing she registered before she met the floors embrace. > Chapter 14 - E̵͚̳͑r̶͓͇̬̅́͘r̸̙̒͋̚ò̷̧̺̟̻̋r̶̠̐̌ ̴̟̯̅̋͌D̵̳̟͓̅͗͐͛ä̸̝̹̺͈́̕t̵̥̾̾͌̒ȁ̷̮ ̸̥̻̬̓s̸̹̳̰̥̑͌͑y̵̲͇͗ṉ̶̬̈́͊c̶͍͈̫͊͒̿ ̵̝͓̀͗ú̴̬͈̔̑̕n̵͔̰̳̓͑a̸̡̗̾́͑̂v̸͚̺̰͒a̷̲̣͔̞͆í̶̭̀l̶̹̻̺̃̉͗a̷͚͒͠b̵̧̞͖̎͝l̴̝̔͑͠͠e̶̻̍̕ > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Warning Data Flow has been disrupted with Universe UT-51443672-SS-41234_ >Attempting Re-sync_ >Re-sync failure scanning for cause of Error_ Scan: 100% - Completed >Problem detected Emergency Protocols in effect_ >Universe UT-51443672-SS-41234 now in quarantine authorization restricted to Admin access only_ >Error: Admin Credentials have been terminated_ Universe\Users\Wingding Gaster> System Command: 💧︎♏︎⧫︎ ♋︎♎︎❍︎♓︎■︎ ♍︎❒︎♏︎♎︎♏︎■︎⧫︎♓︎♋︎●︎⬧︎ ⧫︎□︎ ◆︎⬧︎♏︎ ♋︎♍︎♍︎□︎◆︎■︎⧫︎🖳︎ ⬥︎♓︎■︎♑︎♎︎♓︎■︎♑︎ ♑︎♋︎⬧︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎_ >Admin Credentials for Universe UT-51443672-SS-41234 set to Account: Wingding Gaster_ Universe\Users\Wingding Gaster> System Command: ☼︎♏︎❒︎□︎◆︎⧫︎♏︎ ❖︎♓︎♏︎⬥︎ ⧫︎□︎ ❖︎□︎♓︎♎︎ ♍︎□︎□︎❒︎♎︎♓︎■︎♋︎⧫︎♏︎ 0' 0' 0'. ✌︎●︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎ ◻︎♏︎❒︎♓︎❍︎♏︎⧫︎♏︎❒︎⬧︎ ⧫︎□︎ ◻︎♏︎❒︎❍︎♓︎⧫︎ □︎♌︎⬧︎♏︎❒︎❖︎♋︎⧫︎♓︎□︎■︎. >Perimeters set_ >Reroute Data Flow_ >Attempting Re-sync_ >Link Established_ Have you ever had to watch as the ones you love die? I have, I've watched as one I considered a daughter die in a failed attempt to free my kind, as one of my sons who was so pure and innocent be taken time and time again, I watched as my other son fought the monster and fall. My only solace was that when he fell he joined me in the void and so I could at least console one of them. I have seen hope and despair and I must admit I might have gone mad for a bit there. After the first few resets on the Genocide path I had fallen into despair but when she returned I saw hope reborn, the one I considered a daughter returned to life and not only fought but won against the monster. I and my son have watched over her for these long centuries and have been so proud. But then it happened, the moment that fear had struck me, the monster no the PLAYER attacked and Chara was not ready. For all her skill and Determination she lost and in the end gave up, it was at this moment that not just I but all of us reached out to protect. Because of the Magic that the PLAYER was drawing from weakening the barriers between reality and the Void we were able to step out if only for a moment and drag this monster back with us, now he is here in the void as are we. I will stop him. The PLAYER groaned as he looked around to find he was in some strange void. There was something that he perceived as the floor and slowly he rose only to be slammed back down almost instantly. "Greetings PLAYER." A voice said causing the PLAYER to look up confused to see a strange goopy skeleton. The Players eyes widened as he recognized who he was face to face with. "Dr. Gaster, well this is a... unexpected encounter." He said as he forced his face to remain neutral. Gaster frowned however before he could do anything the PLAYER was thrown backward into a wall. "hey there buddy," A cheery voice said causing the PLAYERS mask to fall off and show fear as from the darkness of the Void walked a skeleton wearing a pair of track shorts pink slippers and a distinct blue hoodie. "long time no see." Sans said as his eye glowed. "Wha- I killed you!" The PLAYER roared in anger. Sans laughed. "yup, ya did and guess what happens when i die?" Sans asked as his smile turned dark. "i'm sent here, to the void where my old mans trapped." The PLAYERS eyes widened. "The Experiment involving entry 17." He growled. "yup." Sans said with a shrug. "Sans, while I appreciate your help you are in no condition to fight the PLAYER. I will handle this personally, besides it's about time this old man got a chance to do something." Gaster said calmly. Sans sighed. "Alright dad." He said as he dropped the PLAYER and walked away. "Give him hell." He said as he threw a wave over his shoulder. Gaster nodded and looked at the PLAYER. "Listen Human and listen well, my sons fought to the end in locations you know but dare not to dwell, I've been holding back on my urges to kill. I have brought you here to settle the score, now tell me what are you fighting for?! The PLAYER smiled. "For power, for control, to show all that I am God!" HE said with pride Gaster grit his teeth and glared at the PLAYER. "This is your final stand Human." He said as the world glitched and Gaster attacked. Tendrils of black goo launched at the PLAYER however the dodged them quickly as the tendrils ended several bones shot forward and the player was forced to dodge the maze and then twelve gaster blasters appeared and fired. The PLAYER grunted as he was hit several times and the attack ended. The PLAYER looked down to see the options available and quickly hit the CHECK option, never before had Gasters Stats been seen and the PLAYER had to know what he was dealing with. WINGDING GASTER HP: 20000/20000 ATK: 99999 DF: 99999 SP: 99999 MAG: 20000 The former Head Royal Scientist The Man who speaks in Hands. The PLAYER gulped and looked at Gaster. "These stats are impossible!" He said in fear however Gaster smiled. "This is the power we Monsters possess when we are no longer confined to your pathetic rules. The PLAYER smiled. "Well see about that." He said. "System Command: Set Character: 'Wingding Gaster' stats to 10!" Gaster smiled. "That won't work PLAYER." He said. PLAYER laughed and hit the Check button. WINGDING GASTER HP: 20000/20000 ATK: 99999 DF: 99999 SP: 99999 MAG: 20000 The former Head Royal Scientist Is fed up with your shit and intends to destroy you. The Man who speaks in Hands. The PLAYERS eyes widened. "How is this possible?" He asked in fear. Gaster smiled. "A man came to me not to long ago; I believe he called himself the Merchant?" Gaster said in thought as the PLAYERS face turned white. Gaster smiled as his eyes hardened. "Do you understand now PLAYER, you are powerless?" The PLAYER stared at Gaster for a moment before he grit his teeth. "You have control; I'm going to kill you!" He screamed as he charged at Gaster and his. The PLAYERS form glowed and he transformed from the pony form to a human form. As he ran at Gaster he pulled a pure black blade made from what looked like the night sky from somewhere and struck at Gaster who dodged that swings with a smile before he thrust his hand forward and launched several sharpened bones at the player who quickly dodged. "Do you know what it's like to not exist?" Gaster asked as he leaped after the player, a bone staff appearing in his hand. “To feel yourself scatter across time and space?" He asked as he slammed the PLAYER with the staff sending him flying through the Void The PLAYER roared and charged swinging his blade in wide swings. "I don't give a damn what you’ve been through!" He screamed as he locked blades with Gaster. "You're just an insignificant piece of filth, an accident that I will correct!" He screamed as he smashed the spear however Gaster just teleported away. "I am the hero that never came but now I am back and here to stay." Gaster said calmly as his form began to solidify. "Very time, every crime, every kill, every lie you told yourself I have seen from within the Code of our world." He said as his form solidified and he took his true form. The PLAYER charged Gaster who simply dodged with a smile before his coat billowed out around him and from within several beams of magic shout out and impaled the PLAYER. "I will kill you." The PLAYER hissed in anger however Gaster simply smiled and gestured for him to come at him. The PLAYER snarled and charged at him as Gaster simply stood there and waited as the PLAYER drew closer. Just as the Player was within striking distance Gaster moved, his movements were so fast that the PLAYER barely saw what happened however he was sent flying and crashed to the ground. PLAYER Groaned and looked up at Gaster to see an array of six purple orbs held by floating hands appeared around Gaster for just a moment before they let off a violet blast sent him flying. "You were warned to beware the man who speaks in hands." Gaster said as the six orbs were sent at the PLAYER. The last thing the PLAYER heard before he was destroyed was a warning. "If I find you have returned again I will find a way to erase you from existence even more than I was." > Chapter 15 - The Love of an Angel > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "If you love something let it go but if it comes back to you then it’s yours forever." That single phrase is perhaps the best way to describe my relationship with Chara but before I continue allow me to introduce myself properly to you, my name is Frisk Aster. Long ago, two races ruled over Earth; Humans and Monsters. One day war broke out between the two races and after a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell. However, after the war between the Humans and Monsters ended the Kingdoms of Man turned the tools of war they made on each other. They fought for power, dominance, and control over everything. This war lasted for thousands of years and slowly poisoned the land around them till only small pockets were left that could sustain them, and still they fought. Over time less and less was available and by the time I was born the world was mostly destroyed. When I was born it was to an already over populated city, to parents that didn't care. I was left at an orphanage and seen as nothing but a burden, so one day I left. There were always stories about Mt. Ebott and the Monsters that were imprisoned underneath, of how they feasted on Humans and stole their souls. I thought that if I was just a burden then maybe the monsters would find me more useful as a meal, so I left without looking back. I walked for days living off what I could scavenge and when I made it to Mt. Ebott I jumped without even thinking. But we all know it didn't end that way for me there. This would be the only time I was ever in control and not bound to the PLAYER. When I fell it was the start of an adventure that seemed more out of a story book than real life but it wasn't some story. The dangers were real, the friendships I made lasted and when everyone was free it was a happy ending, but life doesn't give happy endings. When the Monsters returned the humans attacked; they were denied entry to the cities and driven away and I was forced to follow, branded a traitor to humanity. The Monsters were immune to the poison that covered the world and established their own city but because I was human I wasn't immune and slowly the land began to poison me. Sans spent weeks working to save me, he and Alphys worked nonstop to find a cure and in the end they did. Sans and Papyrus adopted me and it finally looked like I was getting a happy ending. Sans was always there for me and when I learned that he and Papyrus were immune to my powers of Determination it only made us stronger as a family. It was several years before we discovered Chara's soul was inside me and when we revived her every monster celebrated. The celebration was short lived however Chara was... different, broken. Turns out she had seen everything, from monsters killing the other six humans to every resent done by Flowey and seeing it all had broken her. Chara became an alcoholic and did a lot of things that I never understood but eventually with so counseling she was able to recover. I guess it was during this time I kinda fell for Chara, I spent a lot of time with her and I think it was during this time that she fell for me too. It took a long time but eventually we confessed and started dating. Before you think it was some big love at first sight with a perfect relationship, it wasn't. There were a lot of ups and downs and there was more than one time we left each other but in the end we always came back. After a few years Chara surprisingly popped the question. It was meant to be the best day ever, a perfect wedding and sense humans couldn’t get to the monsters nothing could possible go wrong. Of course everyone forgot about Murphy’s Law. It was meant to be the perfect day, nothing could go wrong but instead it all went wrong, the day of our wedding was the day our happy ending turned into our greatest nightmare. On the day of our wedding the PLAYER took control, the world was reset and I lost control of my body. Like Chara I was just an observer trapped to watch as my body became a puppet used to kill my family, friends, everyone. It was Genocide of all monsters and no matter how hard I and Chara fought we couldn't stop the player. The first loops were the worst but every time the PLAYER was about to destroy the world Chara reset them and delayed it again. The Loops began to pile up hundreds, thousands millions, it didn't matter all the PLAYER did was kill. Sans stood and fought, I fought, Chara fought but it was pointless. We were fighting a battle against the inevitable and it was growing stronger with every reset. Then one loop Chara wasn't there, she was just gone and the PLAYER managed to erase everything. As the Timeline was erased something happened it was as if the world had managed to glitch and save itself at the last moment. The PLAYER started all over again at the start of the runes and Flowey still remembered all our actions, Da-Sans remembered too and the PLAYER once again began a genocide. It was the same as every run till the end where she came. The River Person always warned the PLAYER to beware two people, The Man who Speaks in Hands and The Hero who Never Came. The first was referring to Da-Sans's father Gran-Dr. Gaster however the second person we never knew until that moment. Standing in the doorway to the Barrier Room was the hero that never came; standing in the door was Chara. Chara stood against the PLAYER and fought, each strike pushed the PLAYER back and brought her closer to victory till she did it, she won and erased both me and the PLAYER form the Timeline. It was over; the nightmare was over except it wasn't. The PLAYER was angry that he was beat and took it out on me, he wanted back in but Chara's Determination was too strong so he used mine. He ripped my soul apart and used my determination to reenter the timeline and trouble but eventually I became useless to him. When I became useless, when my determination ran dry the PLAYER gave me to a centaur and it was then I was sent to the Game Over screen with no choice to 'continue' or 'return', I was a prisoner. I don't know how long I was there but it felt like centuries, but then again time means nothing when you're beyond its reach. Nothing happened and all I could do was sleep the time away, I don't like sleep though all I ever dream about is the last words Chara said before she killed the PLAYER and by extension me. Eventually I simply stopped caring, I wanted to die but even that was denied to me and then I heard Her voice. The Voice that haunted my dreams called to me but this time instead of it being filled with hate it was filled with something else... love. It was then I saw Gaster and he freed me from the Rules of the Game and for the first time in god knows how long I was free from control. The PLAYER, the Game, The Rules, everything, my strings were cut and I was free. Ask anyone who's woken up in a hostile what they hate the most and the answer will almost always be the same, the beeping of the fucking heart monitor. But if you asked me what I hated at that moment I'd answer with the explosions that were shaking the place. You know how your muscles atrophy if not used? Imagine running down a hall in that condition, were it not for the adrenaline in my blood I'd be probably in a lot more pain than I was. As I ran down the hall I realized I was in the Lab in Hot Land, as soon as I realized that I was able to quickly navigate the halls and find the elevator that lead to the entrance and what I saw made my blood run cold. On the main computer screen of the Lab Chara was shown fighting the PLAYER. "I am your God; I control this world and all within it!" The voice of the PLAYER screamed from what looked like a Unicorn as his horn glowed and fired a beam that Chara barely dodged. "That wasn't ordinary magic." Chara muttered muttered causing the PLAYER to smile. "Oh, you noticed did you?" The PLAYER asked. "This isn't magic I'm using anymore." He said as he rose into the air. "Behold the power of the power of the Void!" He said as he began to laugh and fire beams of Void energy at Chara. I watched in fear as Chara began to quickly dodge the attacks however something was off. Then I realized what it was as I Chara's left eye turned black and her form start to change. I have only seen Chara's corrupt form once and it was only the stage one version of it, Chara called it her Black Assassin form. The coat she wore lengthened and darkened till it became a black long coat, her shirt changed till it was a light green and yellow stripped t-shirt and her pants changed to black as her boots became heavy black leather combat boots with metal armor plates in them. Chara smiled at the PLAYER it was a smile I've seen when something has pushed her too far. I watched in fear as Chara's left eye turned completely black accept for a small pinprick that showed where she was looking and start to drip with black corruption "Chara, no!" I screamed in fear as I turned and ran out of the lab and for the Judgement Hall. My body burned and I felt muscles start to snap however I could not let that monster claim her again. for the first time in what felt like centuries I felt magic flow through my body and restore it just enough to keep me going, I was filled with Determination. You know it's funny, because of all the resets and Genocide runs I've pretty much mastered every puzzle that is in the underground. That means that the Cores security puzzles and the puzzles in hot land were laughably easy for me. I probably could have beat Da-Sans's short cut easily with how fast I was going. As I reached Mettatons resort I simply took the entrance to the core and moved through the traps as if I was walking in a park. When I reached the elevator I was out of breath but nothing would stop me Chara, my partner, was in danger and I would help. As the elevator ascended I took several breaths and lowed by breathing as much as I could, as soon as the doors opened I was out and froze in shock as a portal to the void closed. "Give him hell guys." Chara said with what looked like a smile before falling to the ground. "Chara!" I screamed in fear as her form reverted back to normal and she fell to the ground. I ran to her and rolled her on to her back as I looked over her. "You reckless idiot!" I cried into her chest as two strange unicorns with wings appeared in a flash behind me. I don't know who they are but I must protect Chara. Chara once told me what it was like when she was transformed by hate, she said that when it happened she was consumed by it, she couldn't think about anything else except to stop what was causing her pain. I never understood what she meant by this but now I think I know, because I feels something similar. I can't stop myself even if I wanted to, Chara's in danger and I must protect her no matter what. Frisk Aster HP: ???/??? ATK: ?????? DF: ????? SP: ????? MAG: ????? The Angel of the Underground bars your path. The Angel protects the Demon > Chapter 16 - Valkyrie of HoPe > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Authors Note: Once again I choose to not use Wingdings in this chapter because it breaks the flow of the chapter, I apologize for the inconvenience. Also please read the bottom Authors note too as it has a question for you all. When Gaster is talking in Wingdings When Chara is talking in Wingdings Frisk rose and turned to the two Alicorns. "You will stay away from Chara." She said a she glared at them. "Frisk, please calm down." Celestia said as she slowly approached however Frisk raised her hand and several bones ripped out of the floor forcing Celestia to jump back. "That was a warning, take another step forward and you won’t like what happens next." Frisk growled. "Frisk, we do not wish to harm Chara." Luna said as she walked forward however Frisk wasn't listening instead she sighed and closed her eyes. "I warned you." She said before charging forward and attacked, as Frisk charged toward the princesses she trust her arm forward and the princesses dodged as what looked like a spear of light that appeared in her hand. Frisk swung the spear in an arc that sent a wave of red magic at the princesses who quickly flew over it, as they landed Celestia accessed the options menu and hit the CHECK button. Frisk Aster HP: 200/200 ATK: 74322 DF: 99999 SP: 44444 MAG: 99999 The Angel of the Underground bars your path. The Angel that protects the Demon Frisk stopped attacking and returned to standing over Chara's unconscious form as the princesses backed off. Celestia looked at Luna and the held a silent conversation before Luna nodded and the two princesses turned back to Frisk. Celestia summoned her Halberd as Luna summoned her sword. Frisk grimaced and braced herself as the two princesses flew at her. Slowly she raised the spear and closed her eyes. As the princesses drew close Frisk leaped at them dodging their swings and spinning in the air to face them, as she spun her spear glowed with white magic and she dropped down clashing her spear with Luna's sword and danced through the strikes before swinging her spear and bating Luna down the hall. Celestia charged from behind however Frisk twisted out of the strikes path and retaliated by slamming the butt of the spear into solar sister and sending her flying into Luna. Luna growled and lit her horn, several spectral blades made of magic appeared around her and she launched them at Frisk who deflected them. Celestia rose and joined her sister as she began to fire beams of solar magic at Frisk who began to run at them. Celestia grit her teeth. "Forgive me Chara." She muttered as she launched a beam with more power and blasting Frisk. The two princesses paused waiting for the smoke the clear however Frisk shot out of the dust her eyes changing from red to silver as she screamed in rage and thrust her spear forwards causing an explosion. The Princesses teleported away from the blast and gasped in shock as they saw Frisk walk out of the dust her form different from before. Armor formed around her as her hair became braided and the ends turned white. "You will not harm my wife." Frisk growled as her eyes began to drip a white substance similar to how Chara's eyes dripped corruption. The Princesses gasped in shock as Frisk charged forward and massive white wings ripped out of her back. Luna grit her teeth and ran at Frisk her sword flashing as she swung only for Frisks eyes to flash purple and several magic swords appeared around her and blocked the princesses strikes. Celestia watched as Luna fought looking for any weaknesses in Frisk guard however she didn’t see any that could be exploited by one with her skill. Frisk thrust her hand forward as a dragon skull similar to Chara's appeared however it was different. Luna fired a beam of magic at the Blaster however it simply dodged the beam and growled before glared the lunar princess and firing a red beam at Luna. Celestia quickly formed a shield around Luna that stopped the blast however the force left her staggered. Frisk charged Celestia as the blaster continued to attack Luna and Celestia was forced to release the shield to focus on the attacks from Frisk. "Frisk please listen, we're not here to harm Chara!" Celestia yelled however the angered human ignored her and presses the attack. "Frisk please stop!" Celestia pleaded. Frisk growled as she struck again however suddenly broke off and shot back to Chara body where she deflected a blast from Luna before glaring at the princess, calmly she raised her hand and in her palm she held a small sphere of condensed magic. The Princesses froze as they felt the power held with in it and Frisk grimaced as she dropped it and the orb slowly floated down, as it touched the ground the world was stripped of color before a blinding white light engulfed the room and the world went quiet. As the dust settled Celestia and Luna were seen barely standing while Frisk was leaning heavily on her spear. Celestia slowly walked forward and Frisk moved to block her however she simply collapsed and passed out. Celestia sighed and looked at Luna tiredly. "That was... unexpected." Celestia said as she sat down. Luna walked up to Frisk and examined her curiously as the woman’s form began to change back, her hair unbraiding and regaining its color as the armor faded away and a striped sweater covered her again. "She changed like Chara does but it was different." Celesta nodded. "Did you see her eyes?" She asked and Luna shook her head. "They were silver, and the liquid that was dripping was white not black." Luna tilted her head in thought. "Chara's forms are dependent on the trait if Hate in her and it only awakens to protect its host, this was different." Celestia groaned as she rose. "I'm more curious how she can use magic in the first place, from what we know humans couldn't use magic only monsters." She said as she lit her horn and picked Chara up. "From what Chara has explained humans use Soul Energy but Frisk was using magic." Luna frowned as she lifted Frisk on their back. "Perhaps it has something to do with why she can change her form." She said in thought before looking at her sister. "SO do we teleport them to the lab or take them back to Everfree?" Celestia began to walk to the elevator and pressed the call button. "We are walking them back to the lab." She said causing Luna to sigh. Wake up. Chara, wake up! Come on Chara... WAKE UP! Chara gasped as she shot up in the bed as she grabbing her chest coughing. “Jesus fucking hell in the ass Gaster, I'm up." She wheezed out as she got up and looked around, the room she was in was her quarters in the Lab. Chara sighed and got up looking down to see she was dressed in her normal clothes. "So either I died or that wasn't a dream." She said before sighing and opening her hand and revealing her soul as checking it. Chara Dreemurr HP: 1/1 ATK: 99996 DF: 48732 SP: 99999 MAG: 55672 The last Judge of the Underground. The Demon who comes when People call their name. =) Chara sighed and grabbed her lab coat as she walked over to the mirror and looked in it. "Alright ya old bag of bones, what do you want?" She asked her reflection. For a moment nothing happened then her form shifted and Gaster stood before her. "You know what I want." He said calmly. Chara sighed. "Thank you for the save Gaster, I owe you yet again." She said before smiling. "So how's Sans and the others?” "There doing better now that they don't have to constantly worry about the PLAYER interfering any longer." Gaster replied happily. Chara nodded. "You know you took your time this go around." Chara said as he glared at him before it morphed into a frowned. "The Princesses are getting close; I can't hide it all from them much longer." Gaster sighed and bowed his head. "We just need more time Chara, I'm positive you'll be fine." Chara grit her teeth. "Gaster my HP is at one!" She yelled angrily. Gaster nodded. "Then perhaps knowing that Frisk is awake will help raise your HoPe." Gaster said with a smile. Chara froze as her eyes softened and she gave a faint sad smile. "It'll be good to see her again." Gaster nodded. "Your wife also went a little berserk when you passed out." Gaster said as he looked at Chara in disappointment. "You could have told me she had Hope within her." Chara frowned. "Never got the chance, we learned about it hours before the PLAYER RESET." Chara said before chuckling. "But honestly it makes sense, who else would love a demon than an angel." Gaster sighed. "Chara, you’re not a demon." Chara looked at Gaster with surprise before chuckling darkly. "Half of my soul is Human while the other is a monster soul, I'm bound to Trait of Hate and can literally be summoned through a ritual, if a demon ever truly existed then I'm the closest to it." Gaster sighed. "Chara, you are a Monster not a Demon." Gaster said in a stern voice. "Though how you became what you are now I have no idea. The Best I can say is that you are an amalgamate that merges the best of both human and monster, the power of a human soul and Determination mixed with the infinite magic and powers of a monster." Chara nodded. “But all those advantages mean that aside from my resistance to Determination I'm susceptible to every monster weakness, even what happens when my HP hit's zero." Gaster shuddered. "Do not lose HoPe Chara; Frisk needs you, now more than ever." He said Char frowned. "What happened Gaster?" "I don't know how but she has attained the same traits as your soul, it is both Human and Monster." Gaster said. Chara's eyes widened. "No... that can’t be possible, the only reason my soul hasn't torn itself apart is because the Trait of Hate is keeping me together!" "And like Hate is keeping you together, Hope is keeping Frisk together." Gaster replied. "Chara I saw her form shift but unlike you she was pure, where Hate is corruption Hope is the opposite, it's purity." He explained. "You are two sides of a single coin bound as lovers from before the creation of the Delta Rune." Chara walked back slowly and sat on the bed her face one of shock. "The Demon of Hate and the Angel of Hope." Slowly she began to laugh. "Oh, I bet Sans is laughing himself to death in there!" She said as she snorted. Gaster sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "You don't know the half of it." He said as in the distance the faint sound of a jolly big boned skeleton laughed. > Chapter 17 - The Full Story > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chara sighed as she read over another set of documents; a knock was heard at the door causing Chara to look up for a moment. "Enter." She said before returning to her work. The door opened and the sound of hooves entering caused Chara to look up and see Celestia and Luna taking a seat before her desk. "It's rare that you disturb me when I'm working in here, is something wrong?" She asked. Celestia sighed. "Chara, we've tried being patient with you, we've waited four centuries and during this time we never asked about your past or even the past of Humans. But after what happened earlies today we need answers Chara and you will give them." Celestia said in a commanding voice. Chara sighed. "I assume you want the full story about everything, from the Human Monster War to present?" She asked. Luna nodded. "We do Chara, It’s time you told us your full story." Chara sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "Alright, guess it's about time I told you everything... well almost everything." She said with a sigh. "Some things I will not discuss in depth because they are either personal or private affairs." She said. Celestia and Luna nodded. "That's acceptable." Luna said calmly. Chara nodded and cleared her throat. "I'll start this story in a way that you can understand it with a beginning middle and end; though keep in mind that some events won't make sense without preexisting events." A very, very, long time ago, two races ruled over Earth; Humans and Monsters. One day war broke out between the two races and after a long battle, the humans were victorious. They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell. During this war Humans created weapons capable of decimating the world and the after effects of the destruction poisoned the land, after the war between the Humans and Monsters ended the Kingdoms of Man turned these tools of war they made on each other. They fought for power, dominance, and control over everything. During this time a child was born in a small village, they had pale white skin and blood red eyes. Because of their appearance their parents abandoned them and they were labeled a demon, the child was mocked, beaten and raped for years till one day she fled to the mountain where she fell into the Underground. It would be here that they would meet their first friend, the Prince of Monsters, Asriel Dreemurr. Prince Asriel would take the child to his parents Queen Toriel and King Asgore where she would be adopted and made a Princess of the Underground. The child would spend years learning about the Underground and its inhabitants however it would soon become apparent that something was off about them. Despite having live within the underground for quite some time she didn't age. The King and Queen tool the Child to The Royal scientist, a Skeleton by the Name of Wingding Gaster. Through tests, Dr. Gaster would learn that the Childs ageing process had been slowed down due to the concentration of Magical Energy within them and the magic of the Monsters. Somehow the two magic’s mixed and because of this mixing the child now aged at the rate of a monsters, specifically a Boss Monster. As time passed the Child learned how to control these magical energies and became a skilled mage however the child was also extremely intelligent and after a time Dr. Gaster would take her on as his apprentice. He taught her how to further use her magic, expanded her education and over time the child and doctor grew a bond similar to that of family. Because the child was a human that aged like a monster she quickly was seen as a prodigy though the factors that allowed for this was mostly due to her natural biology and the teachings of Dr. Gaster, she soon received her diploma and became a member of the science team that worked in the Labs of Hot Land. The Child dedicated herself to finding a way to free the underground and exacting justice on the humans who had no right to what they held. It was also during this time that the Child and Dr. Gaster discovered through the use of Determination the Multiverse and the myriad of Timelines that existed within. With the help of Dr. Gaster and his son Comic Sans, the Child created an experimental Time Tunnel that used a liquid form of Determination synthesized by their magic. This Time Tunnel would allow Monsters access to past and future events as well as the ability to enter other Timelines without damage to the Time-Space continuum or Reality. "Wait, you created the device?" Luna asked confused. Chara smiled as she leaned back in her chair. "Indeed, and I will admit that it was my greatest achievement in the fields of science." Celestia chuckled. "For all your patting on the back, it looks like you royally blew it." Chara chuckled as she looked at Celestia with a dark smile. "You don't know the half of it." Some tiny miscalculation on my part destabilized the Time Tunnel and ripped a hole in reality that swallowed everyone that was a part of the research team up, we were shattered across time and space as we were flung into the Void. We must have spent thousands of years there; we didn't age, eat or sleep we just existed. At first we went mad, very mad but eventually we acclimated and some of use began to grow sane again. Once our sanity returned we began to learn, of those that fell into the Void only three were able to gain enough sanity to actually begin learn and understand, these three were Dr. Gaster, Comic Sans, and me. Because of this I have total understanding of the Time-Space continuum as well as a working knowledge of the dimensions and Timelines. This is what permitted Sans and I to use our short cuts; we can pinpoint a weak wall of reality and exploit it to travel to anywhere we want, within reason of course. Because of my determination I was able to pull myself out of the Void and back into reality, Sans was able to pull himself out as well but as he did the Portal to the Void closed leaving the others trapped in the Void and erased from existence. This means that no one remembered them however, because we had been into the void and gained a working understanding of reality while in it we remained unaffected to this development. It was during this time we also learned that while millennia had passed for us in the Void it had only been a few minutes in the physical world. After Sans and I recovered from our destabilization through the multiverse we canceled the Time Tunnel project stating it as a failure where it was in fact the exact opposite. Afterwards I turned desperate and decided on the plan to poison myself with buttercups and have Asriel take my soul where we would steal the remaining souls, of course that plan failed and I died however my soul was not allowed rest. I watched over the place I was buried and accompanied each child as the fell, I watched them die at the hands of monsters and after the fifth child Asriel was brought back as Flowey. As Flowey, Asriel had no soul and as such was completely emotionless. At first he was the same Asriel I knew but this was an act and soon he began to kill and murder for his own pleaser and entertainment, he was ruthless and the only person that could stop him was Sans. Eventually the seventh human, Frisk, fell down and took the Power of Determination away from As-Flowey and went through the Underground before freeing the monsters. "So you were free?" Celestia asked causing Chara to nod. "Then what happened that returned you to the Underground?" Chara sighed. "If you wouldn't interrupt then you would find out." She replied causing Celestia to blush and nod. "Right sorry." Celestia said sheepishly. Frisk lived for about 15 years above ground and was around 22 years old before Sans and Alphys, the current head Royal scientist after Gaster's accident and Sans resignation, discovered that I was attached to Frisk. Using a significant amount of Determination, shards of my soul and a monster soul I was revived and my body was aged appropriately to fit Frisks since I was attached to her. Despite my return I wasn’t actually there for a long time, the thousands of resets made by Flowey and witnessing the death of five children by either my father’s hand or a monster had left centuries worth of mental scarring and damage. Frisk managed to help a lot in helping me recover mentally and eventually we fell for each other and got married. It was on the day of our marriage that our little happy ending ended, the PLAYER took control of Frisk and caused a RESET of the time line to when Frisk first fell into the underground. After the RESET the Genocide timelines started and repeated over and over. How long has this battle between the PLAYER, Frisk and I been happening, how long have we been trapped in this endless cycle, these are questions I will never have answers to but if I want to be honest I lost track. We hit the end so many times only for me to send them back. "And there you have it, the abridged and shortened version of my life and the story that has unfolded." Chara said as she leaned back with a sigh. "This is all new, we've been moving forward but it's been so long for me and I'm tired, so very tired." Chara sighed and for a moment the women leaning back in the chair looked as if she were old and not the young vibrant twenty something she was. "Chara, your age is showing." Celestia said with a chuckle. Chara waved her hand off. "I'm a being that is at least eight thousand years old." She said with a sigh. "I have the right to act old after this long." She said with a sigh. "I still have a few questions that remain unanswered." Luna said. "What are they Luna?" Chara asked with a sigh. "Why do you have the Trait of Hate and why can Frisk transform like you?" Chara nodded. "So First let’s talk about the Trait of Hate and how I got it." Chara said calmly. "The Trait of Hate is one of eight traits known as Unnatural Soul Traits, it was the second to ever be identified and is considered one of the most powerful and dangerous of the eight, able to destroy entire timelines and warp reality." Chara stood and walked over to a blackboard as began to write on the board a list. "The Trait of Hate grants complete regeneration however the user still feels pain, holds the ability to create a liquid state that can be shape in any way they want." She said a she wrote out this information. "Furthermore Hate has a corruptive nature that warps the user in different ways." "This warping is the transformations that you under go?" Luna asked and Chara nodded. "The Trait of Hate holds a symbiotic relationship with its host, the host keeps it feed through hate and in return the Hate will protect its host. When the Hate senses that its host is in extreme pain in a mental or emotional way it will try to shield the host from what is harming it by causing the host to become more aggressive. If the Host is in pain physically or they are in a situation that they feel extremely threatened then the Hate will take a physical form by altering the host’s body to suit the situation." "And as such transforms your body into one of two forms." Luna said in understanding. "Three forms actually." Chara corrected causing the princesses to look confused. "My first form is the one I just used against PLAYER, it's known as Form One or, as it was named, Black Assassin. Form two I've only used twice and it's my Boss Monster form. The third and final form is what was used four centuries ago and is called Total Corruption." "I assume that each form is more powerful that the last." Celestia commented however Chara shook her head. "Each form is specialized; Black Assassin is designed for speed and evasion and is most often used for what it's named, assassination. In this form I become the perfect Assassin. My Boss Monster form suppresses my human form which turns me into a Monster, this grants me access to more magic but removes my ability to use determination. Finally my Total corruption form makes me unkillable; I become an undead monster that simply exists to destroy whatever is the treat and feed off Hate." "But you are still in control right?" Celestia asked however Chara shook her head. "No, as the name implies I'm completely consumed by Hate and it takes control. There is actually one other form and it's when both I and the Trait of Hate merge into one, if I ever merge into this form then find frisk immediately." Chara said with a sigh. "And on the Subject of Frisk, I assume she is bound by hate as well?" Luna asked. Chara laughed. "No she is bound to my opposite, the thing that gave monsters life, Hope." Chara said with a smile. "Most people don't know but HP is an Acronym. Just like how LOVE stands for Level Of ViolencE or EXP EXecution Points; HP has a meaning as well, it stands for HoPe. To a Monsters HP shows how hopeful they are, the more hopeful a monster the more HP they have and the stronger they are." Chara explained as she erased the black board and began to write several things down. "Hope is the opposite of Hate and as such is extremely powerful, when using the Hope trait one gains total regeneration, the ability to create liquid HoPe and shape it in anyway the user want." "So why can she transform?" Luna asked. Chara smiled. "While Hate requires the host to be in danger, Hope is opposite and requires one who the host to care deeply about to be in extreme danger to activate. Hope gives its host two form one is a shift like my three forms known as Valkyrie, in this form the host becomes the perfect shield meant to protect and fight. The form is a perfect balance of offence and defense. The second form is when both I and the Trait of Hate merge into one, in this form Frisk would become a literal Angel thought what happens to her mentally and physically I have no idea." Celestia frowned. "You make it sound like if this happened it would be bad; wouldn't something like that be good?" She asked. Chara frowned as she began to erase the black board again. "I don't know, it might be good but I know from experience that such a transformation changes you and not just physically but mentally and might even affect the soul of a living being." She said as she finished erasing the board and walked back to her desk "You sound as if you've experienced... this... before." Luna trailed off looking at Chara in shock. Chara nodded. "I found about my forth form the hard way, when it happened I became a demon." Chara shuddered. "It's why I'm known as the Demon who comes when there name is called." She said quietly. "Chara are you... can be summoned like a demon?" Celestia asked concerned and Chara looked away causing Celestia frowned. "Why- how can that be possible?" Chara sighed. "Celestia, when I turned into that form I became a Demon and not just some evil being that you would call a demon but a literal Demon. Corruption like that leaves an imprint that can never be removed, it's branded in to your very soul and marks you for eternity." Chara looked at the Princesses with a dark look that made then shudder. "Even when I'm not in that form I'm bound to the rules and laws of demons, it's why I take deals and promises so seriously." Celestia looked at Chara sadly however Luna simply chuckled. "I think your wrong Chara." She said causing Chara and her sister look at her confused. Luna smiled and looked at Chara her eyes soft and kind. "You’re not a demon, simply... a fallen angel." She said happily. "This coming from what one would see as an angel of darkness." Chara said with a sigh. "I can see where you are coming from Luna but I'm afraid I've walked down this path too far to return, I might have once been a fallen angel but that path was closed the minute I accepted the Trait of Hate, now I'm simply a Demon." Char looked down at the papers before her and pulled a few before turning away from the sisters. "If that all then I have work to return to Princesses." She said sadly. The Princesses hesitated but slowly the rose and left the room Luna looking back for a moment before leaving; as thee Alicorns left Chara looked at the door sadly. In another time this is who you could have been." A voice said as the shadows seemed to lengthen. "Do you regret joining me?" It asked. Chara chuckled. "I made peace with what I became long ago, and I'd do it all again to protect Frisk. The Anti-Monster Humans United had crossed the line." Chara said as she reached over to a drawer and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid. "Chara, don't do this to frisk, don't give up again!" The Voice screamed in an angry tone. "I'm not!" Chara said firmly. "But I need a drink after talking about that stuff." She said with a sigh as she poured a drink. "Make that a double would you sweetie?" A voice at the door said causing Chara to jump and spin to see Frisk standing at the door a tired look on her face. Frisk, you should be asleep!" Chara said in concern as she sat the bottle down and smiled happily. Frisk smiled. "I'll be fine Chara, but I heard what you said." Charas smile faded. "Oh... Frisk I-""I understand Chara." Frisk interrupted as he walked into the room and approached Chara. "I know what's it's like to deal with it now, it's hard." She said. Chara froze. "Frisk, are you okay?" She asked in a calm voice. Frisk walked around the desk and pulled Chara into a hug. "I'm fine now." She said as Chara returned the hug and rested her head on frisk chest. "How's Hope treating you?” She asked. A presence whisked around Chara and giggled. "Oh don’t worry Demon, She’s safe from you." A voice said causing Frisk to growl. "Chara is my wife and you will show her respect!" Frisk hissed angrily causing the presence to recoil as if struck. "If you think you can trust her then you have another thing coming." The voice said causing a darker voice to chuckle. "Chara is different than any of my previous hosts." Hate said. "Chara became what she is to save me Hope, I've given her my soul and in exchange she has given me hers." Frisk said as she picked up the bottle and poured herself a glass and took a sip. Chara sighed. "So Hope's as annoying as he is?" She asked as she pulled out another glass and poured herself a drink. "She reminds me of you when bound me." Frisk replied as she took another sip and frowned. "Never got how you liked this stuff." She said with a frown. Chara chuckled. "It's an acquired taste." She said with a smile as she sighed. "So what’s it like to gain immortality Frisk?" Frisk chuckled. "Honestly it’s the same only I feel the magic flowing through my veins like its water in a pipe." She said as she looked at her hand as she flexed her fingers, after a minute of silence Frisk smiled and looked at Chara. "So, fill me in on what I've missed." She said with a smile. Chara chuckled. "Get comfy honey, we got a little over four centuries to cover." Chara said with a smile as Frisk pulled up a chair and got comfy. > Chapter 18 - The Crystal Attack > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 325 years bnm Chara's Age: 655 years old Frisk's Age: 243 years old PLAYER sat in a quiet room watching the screen his hands clenched as he watched the events unfold. "You think I will permit you to have this happy ending?" He hissed. "You think you can take what's mine?!?" He screamed as he slammed his fist on the desk and stood. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." He said as he opened his hand and five souls floated before him. "So who to corrupt next..." He asked as he opened the files and looked over the pieces still on the board. "Let's see here... Queen Talon was a bust; Tirek is a card to play in the future... perhaps Chrysalis?" He said as he opened her file. "Let's see, Queen of Changelings... no, I need an enemy that they can't stop so easily but is easily manipulated." He said as he returned to the list and scrolled down before a name jumped out. "Sombra... hmm..." The PLAYER opened the file and looked it over. "Future tyrant King of the Crystal Empire, currently has a Soul of Kindness..." PLAYER grinned darkly. "A kingdom build upon hope and love, imagine what would happen if it fell to Cruelty." He said as four of the souls disappeared leaving only a Brown soul floating in the PLAYERS hand, PLAYER smiled as he disappeared into the world. A woman smiled as she walked in a slow circle around the training grounds opposite of her Celestia slowly followed her Halberd held in her magic. The women wore a blue jacket over a blue and purple striped sweater, a pair of blue jeans and covering her feet was a pair of sturdy brown boots, around her neck was a red scarf that fell to her knees and on her hands was a pair of brown leather gloves. The woman’s name was Frisk Aster Dreemurr, wife of Chara Dreemurr and ambassador of Equestria. The ambassador and princess watched each other till Celestia shot forward and Frisk sighed as she dodged the strikes without any effort. "Come on Celestia if you wanted to take a swing at me then you're a few centuries to late, Chara already stole my heart." She said with a smile. Celestia frowned and launched a maze of fire balls at Frisk who ran forward and slid under them. "Oh come on Celestia; no need to get so hot headed after all this was meant to be a light training session so there's no need to get so heated!" She said with a chuckled as she shot up and slammed into the barrel of Celestia sending her back. Frisk left eyes glowed blue and several blue bones shot up and formed a cage around Celestia before starting to shrink. Celestia froze as the cage passed through her body and dissipated. "Impressive Frisk, but you still fall for the same tricks." She said with a smile as an explosion went off under Frisk throwing up a dust cloud however her eyes widened as the dust fell away and reviled Frisk unharmed and standing on top of a Gaster. "Oh come on Celestia, you're good but dad wasn't a Judge for nothing and he taught me all his tricks." Frisk said with a smirk. "Looks like I'm about to blast you back to that oversize throne of yours, then again it probably needs to be that big to house that rump of yours." She said causing Celestia to charge at her. The Blaster fired several shots at the enraged princess who dodged them and drove her Halberd where Frisk stood however Frisk snapped her fingers and teleported away reappeared on the ground and raised her hand summoning more blasters in a circle around the princess. "You should really lay off the cake sun butt, now get dunked on!" She yelled as the blasters fired and knocked Celestia to the ground. Celestia groaned as she slowly rose and looked at Frisk who leaned back with a smile on her face and her hands in the jacket pockets. "That was a cheap shot and you know it." She said as she sat up and glared at her. Frisk smiled. "I'll try to budget them better than." Frisk said causing Celestia to groan. "Well, I believe that's all the time we have to train today." Celestia said as she turned and walked back to the castle with Frisk following calmly. "A diplomat of the Crystal Empire is coming later, there have been some rumors about the Empire recently and they are... concerning." Frisk nodded. "The Minotaur’s ambassador yesterday mentioned something was up there." She said causing Celestia to look at Frisk curiously. "And what exactly brought on such a discussion?" She asked. Frisk shrugged. "He wanted to discuss a possible trade agreement that would allow for shipments of Crystal and other materials to be sent to his people. In exchange for the materials he offered to lower the price on trade and even some assistance in the excavation of the ores and minerals he wanted to trade." Celestia stopped and turned to Frisk a look of confusion on her face. "And why would they want this agreement?" She asked. "The Minotaur’s have had a steady supply of materials and resources from the Empire and I doubt we could come close to the purity of the Crystal Ponies resources." Frisk nodded. "I wondered the same so I asked them and the answer was troubling." Frisk said as she and Celestia continued walking. "Apparently the Empire has cut all trade with other countries and even closed their boarders to both foreign and domestic races; no one can get in or out." Celestia frowned. "This is troubling, Queen Amora has always been kind and I doubt she would do something so drastic, even in a state of emergency." Frisk frowned but said nothing causing the solar princess to look at the human. "You disagree." Frisk frown deepened. "She reminds me of humans in the past, all smiles and kindness to your face but behind your back just waiting for the chance to stab you." Frisk looked at Celestia in concern. "When you opened your borders to the other countries I stood as the representative for Equestria." Celestia nodded. "It was the most logical choice, your past with diplomacy as the Monster ambassador shows that you have the proper training and skills to do this work." Celestia said happily. Frisk nodded. "I traveled to each of the kingdoms; even the Griffon Empire and Minotaur Republic, out of all of them I specifically said to not make agreements with the Crystal Empire. Did you ever wonder why?" She asked as he looked at Celestia. Celestia nodded. "Of course, because of this decision we have to rely on the Minotaur’s for anything requiring Crystals to manufacture." "The reason is because I saw through Queen Amoras facade; she doesn’t give a damn about her people only about the power she can accumulate." Frisk said as her hands balled into fists. "The entire Empire is a powder keg just waiting for that something to bump it, one little push is all it will take to light the entire thing and when it does go off it's going to start a chain reaction that'll tear apart everyone connected to them." Celestia remained calm however inside she was shaken by what Frisk had said. "So what do we do?" She asked. Frisk sighed. "We keep out unless provoked and if that's the case then it's not my problem anymore it's Chara and Asriels." She said with a chuckle. Celestia nodded knowing just what Chara would do if it came to that. "No mercy." She said sadly. Frisk nodded. "She’s actually gotten a lot better since the old days." She said with a smile. "Charas not as ruthless on the battle field but the rules of a Judge are set in stone." Celestia frowned. "Chara doesn’t talk much about her past to us; both Luna and I know she still hasn't told us everything even though she is more open with us since you... returned." Frisk sighed. "Celestia, I can't discuss the Judges with you stuff involving them is classified, even my dad didn't say much about them and he was the last Monster Judge to be trained. The most I can say is that they're similar to special operations in the military; they worked directly under King Asgore and had special authority to do whatever it took to protect the kingdom, no matter the cost." The two walked in silence till they reached the throne room. As they reached the throne room doors they saw the two guards laying on the floor several crystals impaled in them as a puddle of blood grew under them. Celestia summoned her Halberd as Frisks eye lit up. "Celestia, where's Chara?" Frisk asked concern in her voice however the question was answered on its own when a red knife made form determination was blasted through the wall and impaled the floor in front of them. Frisks magic condensed into her spear and Celestia frowned. "We should probably help." She said as frisk grunted in agreement and the two ran in only to freeze in shock. The throne room was completely destroyed and Asriel was knocked out, above him stood Chara however she was in her Total Corrupted form and even still she was struggling against her opponent. A deep laugh echoed around the throne room as black crystals shot out of the ground and pierced through Chara causing her to scream in pain. "Chara!" Frisk screamed as she ran forward her form flashing into her Valkyrie form as she charged forward and sent a wave of magic at the crystals shattering them. "Who dares!?" A voice roared in anger as another wave of crystals shot out of the ground however one of Charas Gaster Blaster appeared and fired shattering the crystals. A growl was heard as a stallion in dark armor appeared out of the shadows. "ENOUGH!" Celestia yelled with a frown as she entered and approached the stallion. "Explain yourself, now." She ordered. "Ah, Princess Celestia it is a pleasure to finally make you acquaintance." The Stallion said in an arrogant tone. "I am Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire." He said with a smile. Celestia frowned. "Where is Queen Amora?" She asked however the Sombra chuckled. "Dealt with." Sombra said with a smile. "That which died by her own people nothing more than a broken Pegasus," He said with a smile. "Her power siphoned into me and consumed." Celestia frowned. "Why are you here, we had no connection to Queen Amora." Sombra frowned. "Nothing is free Princess, my benefactor may have aided me in Amoras downfall but he demanded I retrieve that one there." He said as he pointed to Chara who was barely standing. Chara groaned and looked at Celestia. "He's been consumed by one of the corrupted traits, most likely the trait is Cruelty." She said as she coughed up what looked like a gallon of the black hate corruption. "Don't trust him; all he will desire is destruction." Celestia turned to the stallion before her and raised an eyebrow. "Is this true?" Sombra hissed. "Like I said, nothing is free." Chara laughed. "You damned your soul to Hell for a lie; you’re nothing more than a demon like me now." She said. The king roared and slammed his hoof on the ground causing a crystal to shoot at her however it was intercepted by Frisks spear. "Don't hurt my Wife." Frisk growled. Sombra smiled. "This will be fun." He said as he approached however Chara rose and glared at Sombra. "Fuck off ya bastard." She said as a text box appeared and her form glitches for a second before completely healing. Chara smiled and looked at Frisk. "Ready to kick some ass?" She asked with a smile that Frisk returned. "Just like old times?" She asked Chara as she leveled her spear at the corrupted Unicorn. "Just like old times." Chara replied as they ran at Sombra. Sombra roared as he launched tendrils of dark magic at the two 'humans' however Chara threw her hand forward and sent her own tendrils of corrupt Hate to intercept them, Frisk used the opening to get in range of Sombra and slash at the unicorn striking him several times before leaping back as Chara eyes glowed yellow with Justice and she summoned twin pistols made from yellow magic and fired upon the stallion who roared in pain. As Frisk leapt away from the attack her eyes flashed green and she quickly landed next to Asriel her hands glowing green as she began to heal him. Celestia ran in to the fight taking Frisks place while also using her magic to strike form afar. Suddenly one of the walls to the throne room were blasted through revealing Luna her eyes white with lunar magic as she charged at Sombra with a scream better suited for a banshee causing Sombra to watch in shock as she sliced through him. "That's for the hit earlier you bastard!" She screamed in his face as she leapt back and blasted him into the wall. Sombra growled as pulled himself free of the wall and looked at Luna. "How are you even up?!" He roared. "I hit you with enough force to kill!" Celestias glared at the Sombra turned form anger to pure hate as Luna glared at the stallion with contempt. "I'm an Alicorn that can face armies and return unscathed, even you can't hope to kill me with a single hit." She said as she charged forward her sword swinging at the stallion who was forced to summon crystal walls as shields. Chara ran forward using her Hate tendrils to smash the walls as Celestia ran at her side and provided cover. Sombra was pushed back slowly however just as the princesses and Chara neared he roared sending a shock wave that threw Celestia back. Chara formed a shield around herself as the blast hit preventing her from being slammed away however Sombra simply launched a wave of crystals that pierced through the shield and impaled Chara. As Chara was thrown back Frisk and Asriel leapt forward their weapons drawn as they charged however Sombra simply blasted Asriel back while Frisk dodged the attack, one of her eyes glowing red and the other white as she shot like an arrow at Sombra her spear slamming into his cheat causing him to scream in pain. Frisk grit her teeth and pushed harder her eyes glowing brighter as she screamed and ripped through Sombra and shooting to the wall opposite where she slammed into it only to land on her feet and leap off charged again to repeat the attack, Sombra tried to dodge but his hooves were held in place by black corruption that he quickly followed to Chara who lay on the floor a smirk on her face as she watched, Frisk roared as she struck the dark king repeatedly in the same way. "Get dunked on you mother fucker!" She screamed as she leapt into the air her spear glowing with a pure white light as she flung it at Sombra his eyes widening as it struck causing a massive explosion. When the dust cleared a battered Sombra stood his eyes wide in terror as he looked up were Frisk was, slowly he groaned as his form began to regenerate first with the bones and then the organs and flesh. "You could have simply handed the human over and there would be no trouble but no, you had to make it difficult." He said as he glared at the Princesses who watched in disgust as his eyeball regenerated and rolled around his in the socket for a moment before finding the proper way to look. "Not bad sombrero." Frisk said as she sarcastically clapped her hands. "You survived." She said as she spun her spear and pointed at him. "But how much more can you take?" Sombra laughed darkly. "You're the one who married a demon; you should know that I'm invincible!" Chara actually laughed as she slowly rose and looked at the corrupted Unicorn. "Since you're a noob I'll be kind and fill you in on something." She said as she walked forward however her form was different from earlier, she wore a black dress with white silk edges and across her chest was the delta rune, her feet were covered in white high heels. Chara's hair had grown to where it touched the floor and was parted at the top by two goat horns that protruded from the top of her head, her eyes were completely black except for the irises which glowed red and around her neck was a gold heart locket with a glowing red center in the shape of a human soul. "Wha- what are you?!" Sombra asked in shock as he backed away from the Boss Monster before him. "It's true that the demonic power given to those who wields an Unnatural Soul Trait allows total regeneration of the body however unless you're immortal you retain the damage." Chara explained with a dark smile. "How many times have you regenerated by now?" She asked as her hands ignited into fire and several fire balls appeared. Sombra growled. "This isn't over Princesses, I will capture your little pet demon for the PLAYER and afterward you will pay for this insult here by giving me your kingdom." He growled as his horn glowed and he teleported away. Asriel groaned as he stood up and looked around. "Damn it!" He growled out. "We were totally out classed by that guy!" He said angrily. Chara sighed. "Asriel, I hate to tell you but you were the only one that went down on me shot." She said. Frisk sighed. "No, he's right. Even if Asriel did get krillined we all were pushed to the limit." Chara scoffed. "I could have easily been able to kill him but if I used that power I'd become exactly what he is." Chara said with a shrug before looking at Frisk with narrowed eyes. "Dragon Ball references, really?" "Alphys left a lot of her old anime in the lab and there not all bad, you should watch a few I think you’d like a few of them." Frisk said with a shrug before Luna cleared her throat. "What do you mean exactly Chara?" Luna asked as she sat down with a groan. "Remember when I said I can become a literal Demon?" She asked. "Well now you see what that power has to offer." She explained as Frisk chuckled. "Chara I've see your power and you have far more than he could ever hope to summon." She said with a smile however it quickly faded. "But still, he is a demon." She said sadly. Chara nodded. "I might have a way to deal with him at the Labs." Celestia looked at Chara confused just what have you been working on in the Underground?" She asked however Chara shook her head. "Wrong Lab Celestia." She said as she walked away from the group and looked out the window. "Were not going to the Underground, no where we're going is someplace much different." She said as Luna smiled "Were going to visit them aren't we?" She asked getting confused looked from Celestia and Frisk. Luna chuckled as she turned them and explained "We're not going to the Underground, Chara's taking us to the Canterhorn Mountain Research Facility." > Chapter 19 - Origin > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A carriage caring the princesses, High Commanders of the Equestrian Guard and the Ambassador of Equestria flew through the skies, the carriage flew in the direction of the lone mountain at the center of Equestria, the Canterhorn. On this distant mountain far from the Everfree forest and capital of Equestria stood a massive complex that housed the greatest innovations of pony kind, from dangerous magic research to the creation and development of technologies that had never been seen before. Celestia sighed. "Chara can you please explain to me why we are heading here?" She asked the human who stood at the front of the carriage. "Celestia, shortly after I completed my credentials for the Equestrian science comity I requested that you construct the Canterhorn Mountain Research Facility, the plan was to use the abundance of Crystals that grew in the mountain to manufacture Magitech and other devices for Equestria." Chara said calmly. Celestia nodded. "Yes, but why are we heading there instead of preparing for war against King Sombra and the Crystal Empire." Chara frowned. " There's information you need to know about and like I said I may have a way to face Sombra on a more equal footing." She said as the facility came into view and the princesses and Frisk gasped in shock. At the base of the Canterhorn stood massive spires made of black steel and glowing a brilliant blue, the ground around the spires shined in the light of the sun as arcs of glowing blue energy ran throughout it, the entire site looked like a massive circuit board built at the foot of the mountain. Chara smiled and pulled out a cellphone. "This is Chara, are you prepared for our arrival?" She asked. The Voice on the other end responded and Chara nodded. "We're arriving now, activate landing strip." She said as she closed the phone, a moment later the princesses saw part of the ground open revealing a landing strip with flashing yellow lights. "Guards, take us down on that strip." Chara ordered, the guards nodded and the carriage tilted down till they landed. When it finally stopped Chara was the first to exit the carriage and as she left several ponies in white lab coats entered the room and moved to controls causing the doors that opened to reveal the landing strip to begin close. Celestia and Luna slowly stepped out in shock as they looked around; Frisk however looked around in a mix of concern. "Nothing good ever came from these places Chara, this is an old human city." She said causing the princesses ears to perk up. Chara nodded. "This is the last human city in the world still operational after what the humans called 'The Apocalypse'." She explained as and the group exited the room and walked through the halls. Chara turned around and walked backwards, a smirk on her face as she opened her arms. "Welcome Princesses Celestia and Luna to Humanities last resort, the place of our greatest sin and where we wiped ourselves out." She said with pride. The Princesses looked around in shock, just managing to keep walking as they entered an elevator and Chara presses the button for the top floor. The elevator ascended and the princesses watched as the floors passed by and they saw their ponies working on machines and research they couldn't hope to understand, however the higher they went the less ponies there were till finally there were only a few groups working in massive labs meant for hundreds. When they reached the top there was no one and Chara calmly walked out of the elevator, beside the doors to the elevator was a coat rack holding a single lab coat which Chara put on. "Welcome to the top floor, my personal facilities." Celestia and Luna looked around in confusion at the massive room they stood in, off to the left side of the wall was a massive laboratory that was petitioned off with a glass wall and doors. On the opposite side ancient armor and weapons used by Humans decorated the walls and stands, this too was petitioned off with a glass wall and doors. Throughout the entire floor gears, cogs and other clockwork pieces turned; the clanks and clicks of the machinery turning the only sound filling the room aside from the foot and hoof steps of its occupants. The Main room they were in was set up as a study with bookshelves and cabinets lining the walls, Chara walked over to a wall that had a window overlooking the entire complex and sat down at a glass desk. "Now let's get down to business." She said as she clasped her hands together. Celestia frowned. "It seems you've been keeping us in the dark on a lot of things?" She said stoically. Chara shrugged. "You never ask about this place or the research that comes from it, besides do you really want the nobles to know about this place." "Then perhaps you can fill us in Chara." Luna said as she leveled an angry glare at the women before them. "Chara what's going on?" Frisk said in concern. Chara nodded. "It's time I fill in the blanks on just what the ponies are and the crimes of not only humanity but the PLAYER as well." Chara said calmly before leaning back and pressing several buttons on the keyboard to her computer. "But first I'll explain what it is we came here to get.” She said as hidden mechanisms in her desk opened up to reveal six vials of different colored glowing liquid. "Before you are six vials, each vile contains the magic of an artificially constructed soul, it's enough to give a single individual the powers of a soul but they are less effective than if one was to have a human." Chara explained. Frisk looked at the vial in shock while the princesses looked on in concern. "Chara... where did you get these?" Luna asked concerned. Chara sighed and leaned forward. "I created them." She said calmly. "I used the Hate in my soul as a base template and then manipulated their magic frequency and energy to become what they are." "Chara, that's horrible!" Frisk cried out. "I understand the necessity but the Soul Magic is extremely dangerous and far too powerful for any of the creatures of this world to wield!" Frisk said as she shook her head though from disappointment or from anger the others couldn't tell. "Not only does it take years to master Soul magic but you expect ponies to use them to fight the Crystal Empire?!" Chara sighed. "There not the real traits of the Soul and it are not actually that powerful." She replied in a calm voice. "Please let me explain." She asked as she looked at Frisk with tired eyes; Frisk hesitated but finally she nodded, Chara sighed and turned to the three before her. "The original soul traits were extremely powerful and manifested in Humans giving them access to Soul Magic and unique powers." Chara said as she stood and walked to the window that looked out over the entire complex. "Perseverance allows the user to mimic any magic they have seen even if it was seen only once. Patience allows the user to warp space and grants limited teleportation if they can map the weakened walls of reality. Integrity allows the user to alter the localized gravity of the area around them. Justice allows the user to create a long range weapon that can fire shots of magic at an opponent. Bravery grants a temporarily boost in the users stats and manifests a pair of gauntlets around the users arms. Lastly Kindness manifests a protective shield around the user and grants the user the ability to heal themselves and others from wounds." Celestia nodded. "And then there is your power, Determination." She said as she looked at the vials on the desk. "I see that one for Determination wasn't created." She said pointedly. Frisk frowned. "Determination, the power of the previous six combined as well as the ability to alter the Timeline and reality itself, a power given to a single individual every two thousand years. It is because of this fact that only one soul of Determination should ever exist at any given time, the single fact multiple exist at present will prevent any further souls of Determination appearing ever again." She said calmly. "Given the power of Determination it's best we don't make an artificial soul with it." Chara nodded. "Correct, now as Frisk said these traits, are far too powerful for a pony to control or even host however I did some research and found something... interesting." She said as she returned to the desk and sat down with a smile. "Thanks to some of Dr. Gasters notes on the artificial construction of Monster Souls and experimentation with creating a liquid form of Determination I started thinking that maybe I could artificially create a liquid form of magic that would grant a user the power of a Soul Trait." Chara explained as she leaned forward. "After some experimentation I found that not only was it possible but the chance of corruption was extremely low. The Magic inside these vials are a heavily diluted form of the traits however and that means they’re much weaker that a natural soul." Frisk frowned. "Wait, I think I understand what you’re getting at." She said causing the princesses to look confused. "What do you mean Frisk?" Luna asked. Frisk rose and walked over to where Chara sat with a smile. "The power of a full Soul Trait would over power the user and either drive them insane or corrupt them however if the power was diluted enough it would be able to be used, honey you’re a genius!" She said as she leaned down and kissed her wife. Chara blushed and looked down hiding it with the bangs of her hair. “Frisk, not in font of people!" She groaned as she covered her face with her hands, Frisk giggled as she pulled the chair she was sitting in next to Chara and leaned on her. Chara sighed and looked at the princesses. "Anyway..." She said her face still red. "I began to synthesize vial of magic that when injected allowed the subject to use soul magic I haven't tested it yet but it's ready when ever it's needed." Celestia rubbed her forehead and groaned. "So let me see if I can get this right, you've managed to create a synthetic form of Soul Magic that is in liquid form that when injected allows the user access to this magic, it's not as strong as the real thing but even still is extremely powerful and could grant significant benefits to the user?" Celestia asked as she looked at Chara who nodded. Chara nodded. "Yup, that's about sums it up perfectly." She said with a nod. Celestia groaned. "Chara, I can't believe you." She said with a sigh before turning to look at the women with a glare. "And exactly when were you planning to tell us about this? Think of the countless lives that could have been saved if you had shown us these centuries ago!" She said angrily. "And that reaction is exactly why I didn't!" Chara yelled as she rose slammed her fist on the table, Celestia recoiled as if she had been slapped and Luna looked surprised as well. Chara cleared her throat and sat down before taking a deep breath as Frisk rubbed her back, after a moment Chara looked at Celestia with a dark glare. "Celestia, even if this magic is not as dangerous as the original version I and Frisk control it is still extremely dangerous." Chara explained. "Not only are we talking about Soul Magic but the magic itself has requirements for its host." She explained with a sigh. "The risks are too great in comparison to the advantage we would gain." Luna frowned. "I see, you didn't tell us because it's a power we can't hope to control." Luan said calmly. "Inevitably it would destroy us." "In my younger years, such as during the great Griffon War, precautions such as this wouldn't have been needed but..." Chara said with a sighed. "Princesses there are many things I do that are difficult to discuss but I feel I need to inform you that my power is... weakening." She said with a sigh. The Princesses looked confused as Frisk looked concerned. "What do you mean Chara?" Luna asked. "You both know that I'm Immortal, as is Frisk, but what you don’t know is that our immortality is different from yours." Chara said with a sigh. "Asriel granted Frisk her immortality while I was given it by Shroud." She explained the princesses looked confused however Frisks eyes widened. "Chara... you’re dying..." Frisk said but trailed off as Chara nodded. "When one is granted Immortality some of the traits of that immortal are passed to the one who receives it." Chara explained. "Boss Monsters like Asriel or Grillby are immortal and when Asriel gave Frisk her immortality half her soul became that of a monster, this granted her full access to both Soul Magic and Monster Magic. But I was given my Immortality by a phoenix and like Frisk I took on some of their traits." Celestias eyes widened. "You have to renew yourself." She said causing Luna to gasp. Chara nodded. "This crisis couldn't have come at a worse time." Chara said calmly. "Were it not that fact we were under threat by a Corrupted Soul bearer like Sombra I would never have revealed any of that we have discussed today to you all." Chara said and sigh. "But Sombra forced my hand." "Chara what's going happening to you, you were fine in the battle.” Luna asked in concern. “In fact, even weakened you still managed to face Sombra with enough power to force his retreat." Chara frowned sadly. "My condition is deteriorating rapidly; it will not be long before I have to be reborn." Chara explained. "This battle, this entire conflict, I will not be able to take part in." She said tiredly. "These Vials are to be given to Asriel, he’s the onlu person that knew about them from the start and will be able to find those who can wield the power." Chara said as she took the vials form their stand and handed them to Frisk. "And just where will you be going?" Luna asked confused. "You never run from a fight, ever." She said somewhat shocked. "Rebirth is a private affair to a Phoenix and I understand why, you don't need to know anymore other than that I will be leaving soon to find a place to restore myself." Chara said as she leaned back into her chair. "Now I believe we have one final thing to discuss." She said tiredly. Frisk nodded her head. "You were going to explain what you meant by what the ponies are, the crimes of humanity and the PLAYER." She said. Chara nodded. "During my research on how to create the artificial Souls I asked one of the Pony researcher's here if I could look at their soul so I could understand why ponies can't use soul magic, what I found not only linked the cause to this facility but also told me what Humanity had so foolishly done." She said with a sigh. “After learning what I did I used this facility to access a Global Network that gives me precise data on what happened and what Humans were doing prior to their sudden disappearance. "Hold on Chara, what's a global network?" Luna asked however Chara shook her head. "It would take too long to explain it Luna and you wouldn’t understand it anyway." Chara said a she waved her hand dismissively. "However what I found was that Humans were trying to find a way to survive the wastelands left over from their war, not really bad on its own but it's how they did it that makes this Humanities Greatest Sin." Chara paused and hesitated as she lowered her head. "When the Player used Frisk to reset the world he wasn't powerful enough to reset everything, this is most likely due to her being controlled and unwilling to do it in the first place. Anyway instead of resetting the entire world, like what normally happens, only a portion of the world was reset, the rest was completely unaffected. Humans saw this happen and thought they could manipulate this power so they... harvested... as much determination they could to create a massive machine to rip a hole in time where they would cross through." Lunas eyes widened. "Isn't this what you and Dr. Gaster were doing?" She asked before the answer struck her. "Oh... they ripped themselves apart." Chara nodded. "The survivors of this incident named it 'The Apocalypse'." Chara said. "It was then that they constructed this city and proceeded to commit their Sin, they began experimentation with Monster magic and artifacts. From what I've been able to learn they were trying to duplicate the Monsters natural resistance however something went horribly wrong, I'm not entirely sure exactly what they did but in a single day every human was erased." Celestia frowned. "So they wiped themselves out, that's not exactly a surprise.” She said getting a from from the others in the room. “From what Chara’s said most humans were extremely self-destructive to a borderline suicidal." She explained as she raised her hoofs in mock surrender. Chara shook her head. "You don't exactly understand, whatever they were working on, they thought they had found the answer and from what I've learned not only were they correct but it worked, just not how they thought it would." She said with a dark smile. "They created a massive Pulse Generator and sent a wave of energy out that covered the entire world, in that instant all humans no matter where they were disappeared." She explained before turning to Celestia and Luna. "And it was also in that instant that ponies were first recorded appearing." The princesses’ eyes widened as they realized what Chara was saying. "They changed themselves to survive, but the price was the extinction of their own race." Luna said as Celestia went slack jawed. Chara nodded. "Humanity dared to cross the line and play god." She said solemnly. "They wanted control over magic and the ability to survive the wastelands they created, they got what they wanted in the end but the price was they were transformed in to not just Ponies but Griffons, Minotaur’s, and every other race on this planet. Those who were closest to the blast absorbed the most of all the races and guess what they became?" She asked. The Two princesses thought for a moment before Luna groaned and Celestia looked down in shame. "Alicorns, they became Alicorns which means that we... we are the greatest Sin of Humanity." Celestia said. Frisk's eyes darkened in understanding. "And all this happened because the PLAYER reset the world, he destroyed humanity!" She said darkly. Celestia grit her teeth before looking at Chara. "Is there nothing we can't do?" She asked hate filling her voice. "If we were humans once could you restore us?" Chara frowned. "What your ancestors did was change you on a genetic level and it's been so long since then that there's most likely no human genetics left in the blood of any of the races. However give me a few years and I may be able to reverse some of the genetic damage to allow you a more human appearance." Chara said as she leaned back in thought. "T Minotaur’s were probably the least affected by the blast so I may be able to acquire some human genetics form them but I doubt it." Chara said before looking at Celestia. "You do know that if I do this then it will alter you heavily; I don't even know what could happen." Celestia nodded. "I'll assemble the leaders and we will discuss what to do but the Crystal Empire comes first." Celestia said in a tired voice. "Even if the other races don't agree with my decision Equestria will still undergo the change. Chara nodded. "In that case I will begin work once this conflict ends." She said as she bowed her head. > Chapter 20 - The Crystal War: Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- They say that war never changes, after seeing it for so long I'm inclined to agree. I was too young to remember the war Monsters had against Humans but from what Chara told me it was a bloody conflict caused by greed and corruption, Even Frisk agrees with that statement so I guess it is. Despite that I have seen war, I've seen several actually. The first was almost right after Chara came back from the dead and it's known as The Great Griffon War. It was the first war the princesses and Equestria had as a whole against an outside force and I'd say it was when I was twenty... okay so that was my physical age but if you want to be technical I was actually around one thousand eight hundred and twenty three. Chara's the same age as me because she was still alive all that time I was a flower just as a soul that I hosted unless there was a human, but that beside the point. The point is that I've seen war for a long time and every time it's because of greed and corruption. Chara and I hate war but it always seems we get thrown into them no matter what we do. The hardest part isn't copping with the actually killing part, on the field of combat, it's either kill or be killed and no matter how much I hate that mentality it holds true. No, what I hate is watching families say far well to loved ones as I march them to their death. Good ponies who only want to protect their loved ones and homes sent to die, Grillby tells me it will get easier but I don't think it ever will. Is this what you endured father? Is this the weight you carried on your shoulders each day of the war and after? If it is I think I understand now, at least a little bit. If Chara ever figures out how to revive Monster Kind and you read this I want you to know I understand now. Heavy is the weight of leadership and the sacrifices we make... there is only so much we can bear till the toll of our sins crushes us underneath. Asriel sighed as he closed the book he wrote in and placed it back in the bag he kept his positions in. With a groan he rose and exited the tent only to be met with a face full of wind and snow; Ariel frowned before bundling up his cloak and walking further into the cold. As he walked many soldiers looked to him their eyes shining with hope and faith though for what Asriel didn't even know, with a sigh he entered the command tent and looked at the Commanders standing at the table. "Right, give me a report." He said with a sigh. "We have seven patrols currently scouting the area ahead." One in light leather armor said calmly. "But with temperatures getting colder and weather conditions progressively more server the current moral dropping so fast I doubt well even get to see the outskirts of the Empire." Asriel frowned. "I warned Celestia and Luna this would happen." He said with a sigh as he took a seat at the table. "We're not prepared for cold weather combat." He said with a sigh. The other commanders nodded and muttered agreements until the a scout entered the tent and cleared his throat. "There is something north by north west, the captain told to give a code Delta." Asriel froze as the Scout said this and he looked at him closely. "You’re sure they said Code Delta?" he asked receiving a nod form the Scout. "Yeah, captain was pretty sure but Sombras’ forces are moving on that area quickly." Asriel rose. "Then prepare the troop, Sombra can’t get his hands on what you’ve found no matter what." He said as he took a scroll and began to write on it before igniting it and sending it to Celestia. "I've alerted the princesses; hopefully they can alert Chara and she can get here in time." He said muttering the last part. "Sir, if I may be so bold I was wondering where Commander Chara is?" one of the officers asked. Asriel frowned. "She has her own mission, what it is I don't know but she told me once it is completed she will meet us here." He said as he leaned back in the chair tiredly. "Go prepare the troops to move out, we march for the Delta in ten minutes." He said with a sigh. The officers and commanders saluted and quickly exited the tent, Asriel sat in the chair for several minutes simply looking of in the distance before he slowly pulled a gold heart locket form his neck and opened it showing a picture of Him and Chara. "Where are you Chara?" He asked in worry. “You said your immortality was failing and from what I saw you’re in no condition to take on any missions so were are you?” He asked as he slowly closing the locket and returning it under his robes. With a groan he stood and exited the tent. Chara sighed tiredly as her form leaning heavily on the staff she clutched in her hands, with a groan continued onward following a train only those who were phoenix could see. As she walked he felt her body weaken and were it not for the determination flowing through her veins she doubted she would be able to make it much farther. "Almost there." She whispered her voice coming out raspy and coarse as she began to cough. "God, I sound line a smoker who downs five pack a day." She grumbled as she walked. After what felt like hours she finally reached a clearing with a fallen tree and a small pool, with a sigh she sat down before pulling out a gold heart locket from under her shirt and smiled. "Hope Azzy's alright." She murmured as she looked at her hands. They were bony and wrinkled, the veins in them glowing red with the determination flowing. Chara traced the veins up her arms with a faint curiosity as she removed the cloak the see that all her veins glowed with a groan she forced herself off the tree and over to the pool where she examined herself "Hm, interesting.” She said as she saw her reflection. She looked like someone who you would call a grandma or old lady, he face was wrinkled and marred by the glowing veins, her form was hunched slightly and she looked frail. Chara frowned as she saw her hair was a snow white and seemed to have begun to fall out slowly however what concerned her most was her eyes, they glowed a pure red with determination. There were no pupils, iris or sclera, only a glowing red orb. "I need to hurry; at this level my determination is tearing my body apart." She muttered as turned away from the pool. "If I don't hurry becoming an amalgamate will be a mercy, I’ll most likely turn to dust." She said as she continued to fallow the trail. Far above her several phoenix watched as she pulled the hood of her cloak back on and continued down the path. "She nears the Clearing of Rebirth, are you’re sure she is ready Elder?" one of them asked. The Phoenix's looked to one who was a pure white. "We shall see child, for her to persist this long I feel she is worthy but we must see. If she survives the process she will be remade stronger than ever before, that is if she survives the process." Asriel stood at the top of the snowy hill looking down at the arctic plains below, at the center stood a tall building not made like the others of this time, it was a massive metal and concrete brick of a place however what drew the attention of the old Prince of Monsters was the symbol that was carved into its walls. As Asriel stared at the symbol one of the soldiers approached him in concern. "Sir, the enemy is entrenched on the other side of this Ice field. If we engage the enemy we will lose." He said in concern. "I suggest we destroy that place, whatever's inside isn't worth the troops we would lose to capture it." Asriel frowned. "Normally I'd agree but that is an old Monster Kingdom Guard Base." He said as he turned to the soldier. "What's inside may actually give us an edge in this war as well as possibly contain a map to more bases perhaps even a location the Princesses and Chara have been searching for since I and Chara came to Equestria." The Soldier frowned. "Is the Base really that important?" He asked however he only received a nod from Asriel. "Prepare to move in, if we can get to the Base quick enough we can take what we need and destroy the rest if necessary." He said as he turned away from the soldier who saluted and ran back to the others. Asriel turned back to the troops as they got into positions and stood before them. "Today we face Sombras forces; they plan to take an old Guard Base that belonged to the Monster Kingdom long ago." He said earning several murmurs among the troops. "If they take this Base then we risk them acquiring ancient weapons that could be used against us, I cannot risk this. As such we must secure this Base till Commander Chara is able to reinforce us." He said his tone dark. "How can this facility hold such importance?" A soldier yelled and the others began to shout agreements however we silenced by one of the commanders yelling for quiet. "We've all seen Commander Asriels magic prowess as well as the weapons he wields." The Commander said calmly. "Do you really want to risk Sombra getting his hands on that kind of power?" He asked earning concerned looks form the troops. "Besides, even if this Base doesn't have such things housed within we can still secure it as a forward base for all operations in the coming war." He said causing the troop to smile and nod. "Now you have a choice, either follow the commander or have Commander Chara deal with you as deserters." The Commander said causing the soldiers to freeze and their eyes widen. "I love this plan! I'm excited to be a part of it!" A soldier yelled happily as others began to nod. Asriel sighed. "Then let’s get going." He said as he turned and lead the forces onto the ice field. Before them stood an army of thousand in heavy dark armor, Sombras forces were marching for the facility. Chara leaned heavily on her staff as she entered a massive clearing, the clearing was different form the forest that surrounded it as the ground was covered in burn marks around its perimeter several phoenix sat their feathers falling or their forms. Chara sighed as she sat down and leaned against one of the boulders in the clearing, as she lay there a phoenix with white flames landed before her. "Welcome young one." He said in a kind tone. Char looked at the phoenix tiredly. "Hello, don't suppose you'd mind leaving an old woman alone for a time?" She asked in a weary voice. The Phoenix chuckled. "You know you are the only one to survive the blood of a phoenix for this long, almost six hundred and forty-nine years and even still your undergoing rebirth and not simply turning to dust." The Phoenix said calmly. Chara sighed. "As long as Determination still flows through my Soul I can't truly die." The phoenix tilted his head. "Then why did the Ash phoenix give you his blood?" Chara frowned. "It was after I ended the Griffon war, I used all my determination to temporarily bring back a being who was removed from reality by taking his place because of this I used all my determination and was going to die." Chara explained earning a nod from the phoenix. "I may have been invulnerable but I was not immortal, nothing truly is, if I lost my determination I was vulnerable to death but as long as I stayed determined I would live. Of course now that that I have phoenix blood in me I don't know how it works but that's how it was originally." "And what will you do?" The phoenix asked. "With our power in your veins you could do as you please, imagine the possibilities." He said. Chara chuckled. "All I want is to see those I care about safe." She replied as he body began to heat up. "I don't care for power, I've got enough of that as is and I don't need nor want more. I don't care for ruling or controlling others, no point to it at all." Chara began to cough as she looked at the phoenix before her. "I only wish to protect my family and wife, no more no less." She said as the veins in her body began to glow brighter as heat ripped her body apart. "And you are willing to endure the flames of rebirth to insure this?" The phoenix asked. Chara looked at the bird with determination shining in her eyes. "Yes." She said as he flesh began to gray. "Then let the flames consume you child and be reborn from the ashes of death." The phoenix said as he turned from her and flew away. Chara watched him leave before sighing and closing her eyes, with her last effort she smiled and closed her eyes as her body began to crumble and as all monsters turn to dust. Asriel grit his teeth as she slashed is sword through the neck of another enemy before quickly teleporting away from a beam of magic. "Alright, not bad." He said before thrusting his free hand out and summoning a Chaos Buster to fire upon the enemy before a leaping forward and returning to the fray of battle suddenly he froze as a cold sensation washed over him and he felt something inside him break. When two Monsters have children they link their souls, if either parent or the child dies then it is felt by that link however this link is not mutually exclusive to the parents, siblings also share a soul link. Asriels eyes widened as he felt the link with Charas soul break and for a moment the world moved in slow motion, the battle around him slowed, the cold wind froze and world seemed to stop. "No... Chara..." He whispered as he lowered his head and the world slowly back speed up around him. A Sombra soldier lunged at Asriel a smile on his face as he trust his blade forward only for it to stop as Asriel grabbed the blade and held it aloft blood dripping from his palm where the blade dug in. Slowly Asriel, looked up at the soldier his eyes completely black except for the iris's which changed colors every few seconds, the soldiers eyes widened as Asriel glared at them with absolute hate. "All troops pull back." He yelled causing the guards to pause confused and turn to him only to widen. Everypony knew of that Chara and Asriel had different forms depending on what power they needed and their emotional state. Chara was known to have three forms, there was her Pacifist form, Arbiter Form and Finally her Genocide or as it was better known her Demon form which had three variants. Asriel however was known to only have two forms his Reaper form and the form known as the Angel of Death. While Asriel used his Reaper form several times he never used his Angel of Death form unless he was forced but this, this was not his Angel of Death. As the Ponies gazed upon his form they felt a fear that resonated with some primordial part of their minds, they it was as if they were looking upon finality itself. One of the commanders shook his head before turning to the other troops. "You heard the Commander run!" he yelled snapping the troops out of their shock and causing them to run to the building with the Delta rune on it. As they ran Asriel watched before turning to the enemies. "I never thought I'd ever use this power again but now I have nothing to lose." He said as he glared angrily at Sombras soldiers. "It's time I show you my Special attack." He said calmly as he raised his hand as an orb of rainbow energy appeared in his hands as he raised them. "Foolish warriors who fight for a Demon King I sentence you to wander this field of Ice and snow for eternity, forever bound to suffer in silent agony till the crimes you've committed are paid for and those you have harmed have forgiven! Special attack: Angel of Death!" He yelled as he unleashed a massive wave of rainbow energy as a barrage of comets appeared in the sky and rained down on the enemy forces. The soldiers tried to run but as they turned their bodies froze and they were forced to watch as their death, their bodies disintegrating as their souls were ripped from their bodies and bound to the ground they stood on while their corpses were burn, the flesh disintegrating to ash leavings only whitened bones. As the attack ended the Equestrian troops cheered as their commander stood victorious however as Asriel returned to his normal form a tear fell from his eyes. "Chara, what happened to you? Where are you?" He asked before turning away and entering the facility the troops cheering and smiling. "Spread out and search the Facility!" He yelled and the troop scattered with smiles on their faces. Asriel sighed before leaning against a wall and slouching down. "That form almost burnt out my soul." He said to no one, as he sat on the floor he carefully summoned hid soul and examined it. The Rainbow light it normally shined with had faded significantly and large cracks ran through it. "If I'd used that form for even another minute I'd of reverted to that flower." He said with a sigh as the soul faded back into his body and he leaned against the wall with a groan. “Are you alright sir?” A soldier asked in concern Asriel waved his hand tiredly. “I’ll be fine, that attack just took more out of me that I thought.” He said as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Just let an old goat rest for a while.” > Chapter 21 - The Crystal War: Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chara floated in a sea of black, there was nothing, no one, it was silent. Chara sighed and looked around in confusion. "This feels familiar." She muttered as became aware of a person approaching her. After a moment the man walked up and looked at her calmly. "Hey, you've been busy since we last met." The man said calmly. "I wondered when you'd come back." He said with a calm smile. Chara stared at him for a moment before frowning. "I remember you, the past life of who I was." Chara said before frowning. "I thought you'd have faded by now." The man shrugged his shoulders in a lazy gesture. "I did fade but each time you die or are reborn I am pulled back to you. Normally you and I won't see each other but since this is your first time I'm here to tell you how death works in your new world." He said. "The ability to Continue and Quit still function the same but that's only when you die from in injury or other natural means, rebirth is different so I'll fill you in on the ground rules." "What do I need to know?" She asked. The man sighed and lowered his head. "It's not something easily explained so I'll simply say this, when you are reborn you'll learn a lot about yourself. You'll learn things you wanted to know and things you don't want and it won't get any easier each time." Chara gulped. "What happens?" The man frowned. "I don't fully know; I never went through this but I do know it is a trial; you can only die when you truly want it with all your being." The man began to fade slowly and he smiled a final time. "If you’re lucky we won't meet again for a long time, your determination altered the natural rebirthing process but it came at the price of things being far more... intense when you endure it. Good luck Chara Dreemurr, you will need it for the trials ahead." As the Man said this the world exploded with light and Chara was forced to cover her eyes. When Chara reopened her eyes she stood at the altar of the church where she and Frisk were married. 'What is this?' She asked as an organ began to play and the doors at the end of the aisles opened and Frisk walked out, a white wedding dress trailing behind her and at her side walked Sans a proud smile on his face. 'No...' She whispered however her body didn't move; she couldn't do anything but watch. Slowly Frisk stepped up onto the alter and Sans handed her over. For a moment his eye flashed, she knew the meaning of it. A warning, break Frisks heart and pay. 'Please stop this!' She yelled however no one heard her. Frisk calmly walked up the Alter and stood before her and a tear ran down Charas face, she knew what was coming. "Do you Princess Chara Dreemurr take this woman to be your wife?" The Priest asked. "I do." The Chara at the alter said as the real Chara screamed in fear. 'Stop, please don't make me relive this!' She yelled but the scene continued to play. "And do you Frisk Aster take this woman as your wife?" The Priest asked. "I do." She said with a smile. "They you may now kiss the bride." The Priest said with a smile as the two embraced only for a knife to meet Charas chest. Chara screamed as the sorrow as she watched the scene unfold before her. The her on the alter stood there shocked as Frisk's eyes changed from their golden brown to a piercing red and her face twisted into a sadistic laugh. "This farce of a happy ending ends, Remember this day Sans, Chara, for it is the last you will ever have your happy ending!" She said as she began to laugh as the Chara on the Alter fell to her knees as her body slowly began to turn to dust. Every monster and human present gasped as Sans's eye glowed blue. "I don't know who you are but I know you're not Frisk." He said as a Baster appeared. "Where's the kid and what have you done to them?" He asked as Frisk began to laugh. "Oh Sansy, of course it's me." She said with a smile. "Do you really think I would love a demon or for that matter that I cared for any of you at all?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice. Sans chuckled. "Nice try impasta but if you think I don't know my own kid then you're pretty crazy." He said. 'Frisk' growled. "You were always a fun toy Sans but this is impressive." The being said. "Very good though in figuring out our-." Suddenly the doors burst open and Undyne leapt through throwing her spear at the pupated Frisk who nimbly dodged the attack. "Where's Frisk ya Asshole!" She roared as more spears appeared. The PLAYER laughed as red strings appeared around Frisks neck, wrists and ankles. "Why she's still here just not in control." They said as they appeared above them the strings tied to his fingers making Frisk appear as a puppet. With a sick smile a glowing button appeared and the PLAYER flicked his hand forcing the pupated Frisk to raise their hand. "Sadly I don't have much time to use this body yet, I need to shatter her will first so for now I shall bid you adieu." They said as Frisk pressed and the world shattered. "We'll meet soon Sans; I hope you’re ready to face your Daughter." They said with a sadistic laugh. "FRISK, DON'T GIVER UP KIDDO! CHARA AND I WILL FIND A WAY, I PROMISE!" He yelled as the world was undone and rebuilt. Chara screamed as she watched the day that she would never forget, the day that the PLAYER entered her life, the day her love was lost and replaced with LOVE." As the scene faded she saw nothing but white around her and for a moment she was confused till a voice spoke. "What will you do?" It asked. Chara frowned. "I don't understand." The Voice spoke again. "What will you do?" it repeated. Chara frowned. "Even now I still do not know what I will do." She replied. "That thing destroyed not just my life but Frisks, the lives of every Monster; they pretty much are responsible for the destruction of both Humans and Monsters." She said "What will you do though?" It repeated. Chara was silent. "I don't think I could kill it even though I want to." She said with a sigh. "All we can do is preventing them from controlling the Timeline." "The world will call for retribution and you choose to remain passive, will you kill or be killed, the creature you fight must die or the cycle of violence continues forever!" The voice roared. Chara grit her teeth. "I am the Arbiter of the Underground, a judge who watches and passes judgement for actions done. It is my task, my sworn duty to protect the Kingdome of Monsters till my dying breath; I will do my duty as befitting a Judge." She said. The Voice was silent for a moment before replying. "It is true that you cannot kill the Void Dweller that toys with your life but you have already taken all he has but be warned Chara Dreemurr; a day will come when you will stand alone and on that day you will face one another, on that day you will face your Mirror. Your conviction is great, we shall see when the time comes if you stay true to your beliefs or succumb to your desires." As the being spoke Chara's form began to glow and she gasped as fire raced through her veins before she screamed and the world was consumed. The clearing was quiet, as the sun hung low over the sky suddenly a small ember lit in a pile of ash and the clearing began to glow as it began to swirl and condense before a hand shot out of the pile and grabbed the ground around it. With a mighty heave a figure forced themself out of the ground their form caked in ash and soot as they pulled themselves form the pile. Glowing runes covered their form as they stood but slowly they faded as the ash fell away revealing a woman in her late twenties. Chara looked around at the clearing as the ash fell away on its own before realizing she was completely naked. Chara panicked and quickly looked around for her bag and seeing it lying next to the cloak and staff she carried with her. Chara quickly went over to the bag and pulled from it a set of clothes and a green winter hooded coat with black fur on the hood. With a smile Chara quickly redressed and grabbed her scarf before tying it around her neck. "So you survive." The Old Phoenix said as he flew down and landed on the rock before her. Chara grunted as she checked her inventory and pulled out her chest plate and began to lock it in place. "Like I said, as long as Determination is in me I will never die." The Phoenix nodded. "This is you first rebirth, perhaps your only rebirth as well." He said causing the young women to turn to the phoenix confused. "What do you mean 'my only rebirth'?" She asked causing the Phoenix to chuckle. "From what you said your Determination makes you effectively immortal however it was due to your Phoenix blood that you were forced to rebirth." The Phoenix said. "Because of this fact I believe that you required a rebirth to fully integrate the blood into your body, now that it is fully integrated you should no longer require it. Of course I'd still recommend rebirthing every few centuries just to be safe but I doubt you will need to do it as regularly as an average Phoenix." Chara nodded. "Makes sense in a way, I guess this was just bad timing." She muttered before turning to the Phoenix. "Thanks, I'm not going to lie but Rebirth is... disturbing." The Phoenix nodded. "It makes one see event of the past, events we'd both rather forget and want to relive. You learn a lot about who you are as well but it is still something we'd rather not endure." "Before I go I have one question, why is the rebirthing process done far from other beings?" The phoenix looked away as he fluffed its feathers in embarrassment. "For as long as we Phoenix can remember it is seen as a taboo for those that do not bear our blood to see our rebirth. Some chose to allow themselves to be seen as what pony kind calls a fetish." The phoenix shuddered. "I do not see the appeal but some do." Chara shuddered as well. "I have to agree with you, Rebirth feels like a very personal thing, it shouldn't be witnessed by others." She said in agreement. The Phoenix nodded. "You had best be off young one but before you do know this, I foresee many trial in your future and should you ever need guidance or counsel then you need only seek I and your brethren out." He said as he spread his wings and flew away. Chara watched him leave and nodded. "Thanks." She said as she pulled her cloak and pack on before grabbing her staff and walking forward and vanished from the clearing taking via short cut. Asriel sighed as he walked through the halls of the old base, it had been several days since he and the guards had taken the base and during that time they had searched almost the entire facility. The base was large and despite the princesses sending a message that they would be coming with reinforcements Asriel felt on edge. Already he had sent scouts to map out the surrounding area however paranoia was eating at not just him but the troop making them constantly on edge. Asriel growled as he slammed his fist on to the wall. "We can't keep this up." He muttered angrily. "My men are as taught as a bow string but because of this their nerves are fraying fast, if I don't find a solution to defuse the tension fast none of us are going to survive much longer." Asriel sighed and pulled out a map looking at where he was in the complex. "Huh, this area isn't on the maps yet." He muttered as he looked around and turning down a corrode, as he walked he pulled out a pencil and began to map the area creating a simple sketch with little detail. When the corrode ended he found a large metal door and turned the nob to find it unlocked. Asriel leaned on the door and with a groan the door slowly swung open and the old monster found himself standing in a massive bunker like room. Asriel frowned as he looked around seeing weathered documents and ancient weapons however what truly caught his attention was the massive map with hundreds of Monster towns, cities and military instillations. "Sir, are you down here?" A soldier called out causing Asriel to jump in surprise. "The Princesses are here with reinforcements." "Asriel, Luna and I have arrived, where are you?" A voice that sounded like Celestia yelled, Asriel turn a smile growing on his face. "Down here, I found something!" He yelled as the sound of hooves was heard approaching. When the guards entered the room their eyes widened and Celestia and Luna froze as they saw the rooms’ contents. "Chara's going to go crazy when she sees this." He said with a smug smile as the guards began to move to the racks of weapons and the princesses moved to look at the map. "Asriel, look up in the far left." Luna said and Asriel turned to the map confused only for his eyes to widen in shock. The area was where the Frozen North now was and not far from their current location however it was marked with symbols that Asriel recognized immediately as Wingdings. "Gasters old laboratory... four centuries of searching every inch of Equestria and we find it marked on an old map in a military base." Asriel said in shock. "Commander, there's something over here!" A guard yelled. Asriel turned and looked in the direction of the guard only to frown as he saw the guard standing before a door. "This is odd." He said as he approached and examined it closer. "This door has a Seal allowing it to be accessed only by those with a certain magic signature." he muttered as he reached for the handle and jiggled it only to hear a clicking sound. Asriels eyes narrowed and he turned to the guards and Princesses. "Stay here, I need to look at this." He said as he opened the door and entered the room. As he entered the door slammed shut quickly and his hand lit with fire magic bathing the room in an orange glow. As he looked around he found the room bare of all but two items, the first a sword thrust into the ground while the other was a note. Asriel slowly approached the blade and examined it before picking up the note and looking over it. Greetings Asriel Dreemurr, My name is Shadesplit and for now all you need to know is that I am like the being you call PLAYER. There're a lot of beings like him and with his kinda power but not all of us are assholes. I just wanted to say that not all of us are against you and we're doing all we can to help. With the assistance of an interdimensional being named Error I was able to send you this sword, its name is Reality Breaker. Give the dangers ahead and power they wield I felt you needed something to level the playing field in your favor when you fight so I had this forged for you. Reality Breaker is a powerful sword that holds the ability to affect the boundaries of Space, destroy any barrier or seal created. It can also divide into two separate and much weaker swords called Creation and Destruction that do just as the names imply. Creation can make anything with the ability Construct or Edit things. On the opposite side of the spectrum there is Destruction which has the ability Break and Erase. I recommend that when you practice these abilities it is away from any populated areas till you have a real understanding of its power. Oh and one more thing, the sword can only harm those who are corrupt or impure, this means that pure beings or misguided beings won't be affected. Good luck Kid, you’re going to need it. Asriel looked confused at the letter before looking at the sword. The sword was a heavy broadsword with a gold hilt and as he reached for it seemed to glow. After a moment of hesitation he pulled the blade free and in a flash of light it vanished. Asriels eyes widened however he calmly summoned his magic and it simply reappeared. "Huh, that'll be useful." He muttered as he turned and saw the door opening on its own. Asriel nodded and pocketed the letter before leaving to see the two princesses standing worriedly with the troops. "Its fine, I just found this blade. It seems to have bonded to my magic or something." he said as he willed it to vanish and reappear. "Interesting, I can feel the power it contains." Luna said. Asriel nodded. "I'll have to try it out later but for now we need to focus on the bigger find." He said as he returned to the map, several of the commanders were already pointing out land marks and other things on the map as well as comparing it to a 'modern' map. "Gasters old Lab's just a few miles from here and I know Chara's going to want to go there." Celestia nodded. "There's no doubt about that. Chara believes that there may be something left behind and hidden by Gaster that should be able to resurrect a monster." Asriel nodded. "Yeah, it would be nice to get back some friends and family." he said "Undyne, Sans, Papyrus and Alphys will probably be the first we bring back." He said thoughtfully. "What about your parents?" Luna asked. Asriel shook his head. "We'll try and bring them back the others are more important." "Who are they? I mean I've head you mention them before but not exactly who they are." Celestia asked. Asriel sighed. "You both know who Sans and Papyrus are but I guess never told you about the others. He said before going silent for a moment. "Well I suppose the first to introduce would be Alphys. When Gaster was still around he was the head royal scientist, then there was Sans who worked on weapons development and Chara who worked on Soul Magic, Determination and god knows what else. Chara was a jack of all trades scientist and worked with every single group so what she did varied a lot. After the incident Sans quit his job at the Labs and went into a deep depression and Chara enacted her plan B which wound up with us both dead." He said with a sigh. "With all the important members of the Labs either dead, refusing to work or erased from reality Alphys was all that was left to run the labs. She was a small time research assistant that was skilled with machines but not in the research that was conducted by Gaster and Chara. This meant she was inexperienced and... incapable of performing her duties effectively." Asriel sighed and looked down sadly. "She was a good scientist but made many, many, mistakes. She did all she could with the knowledge she was able to scrape together but in the end she made more mistakes than she ever wanted to admit doing. Later on, after Frisk freed the Monsters, She convinced Sans to come back and he made it so she wouldn’t lose her memories if a reset happened or save was reloaded. When PLAYER took control she was among the few that acted immediately often assisting in evacuating the Underground before facing the PLAYER herself in a fight." Luna frowned. "She seems like a very brave monster." She said sadly Asriel chucked. "There were only a few that know of the power Determination held. My parents, the King and Queen were able to know when it happened and many of the monsters that fought in the war like Grillby know how to keep their memories." Asriel explained. "Anyway next is Undyne; She was the Captain of the Monster Kingdoms Royal Guard, she was a warrior and a strong one too. I was trained by my father and Dr. Gaster in battle and was given the title of Reaper for my skill and power. Chara was trained by Gaster as a Judge along with Sans, they were partners and the three of us were as close as siblings. Undyne was a bit different than us though, she was trained by one of the veterans of the war against humanity. His name was Gerson and he was known as the Hammer of Justice, when she finished the training her he stepped down as head of the Royal guard and passed the title to Undyne naming her the Spear of Justice." Celestia nodded. "Was she as skilled as you and Chara?" She asked Asriel shook his head. "No, the title of Reaper is given to the strongest warrior of the Monster Race and Judges are second only to a Reaper." Luna giggled. "If that's the case then you should probably pass the title to Cara." She said teasingly Asriel shrugged. "I never had the ability to use Retribution and Judges have to be able to use this skill." He replied. "To be honest I think the Judges are the strongest class of warrior because of their skills and abilities." Asriel frowned as he finished explaining. "Now that I think about it Chara never really tries when we battled..." Asriel growled as he face palmed. "That lazy woman doesn't even try and lets me win!" He yelled angrily. "You honestly expected me to fight at my best against you?" A voice asked causing Asriel to spin around in surprise to see Chara leaning against the wall. "Honestly bro, you know I never put any effort into anything." She said as she shook her head. "Still, this place is impressive, can't believe this place is still around after a few thousand years and in such good shape." She said as she looked around. Celestia smiled as she and Luna exchanged a glance. "Chara, you know you can't exactly hide how much you do from us correct." She asked. Chara's eyes glowed for a second causing the two sister sot take a step back before she smiled. "So I'm a bit lazy, I still do my job don't I?" She asked her tone giving away her true message and the princesses’ nod. "True, anyway as you were saying this place is impressive but we believe we've found something of interest to you." Luna said the smile still on her face even though it was wearier as she pointed to the map. Chara walked over and examined the map before smiling. "Six centuries of searching and the place wasn't even where we thought." She muttered before a smile crossed her face. "Gasters Lab, looks like were taking a small detour." Asriel nodded. "I'll assemble a full battalion to assist in its recovery." He said with a smile. Chara shook her head. "No, a small team is going in and no more." She countered as she looked at her brother. "And that's non-negotiable." She said sternly. "You, me and the princesses are the only ones going. Bring any one else and they will die before they make it there." She said as he turned walked to the exit of the room. "What about Grillby?" Asriel asked causing the women to stop and freeze up. "And I'm sure Frisk would love to see her grandfather’s old lab." Chara was silent for a moment before sighing. "Frisk, but no one else and that's final." She said as she left the room. "We leave tomorrow so alert Frisk." Asriel nodded. "She knows something." He said quietly. "Or she just wants this place kept safe." Celestia countered. "I imagine what went on in that old lab are not exactly... safe for us but she's allowing us to come in good faith." Luna nodded. "I get the feeling that if she had her way she would be the only one to go to the lab." Asriel sighed. "I hope your right but we're going to a place she knows a lot about." He said calmly. "The creation of Gaster Blasters, Determination Experiments and weapons designed for war were all designed, developed, tested and manufactured there. God knows what’s been hidden there that we don’t know about." He said as he walked over to a desk stacked full to the brim with papers and began to sort it. > Chapter 22 - The Crystal War: Part 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When the small group left the base it was in the middle of a blizzard, Chara didn't want anyone to follow them and the blizzard would cover their tracks; they traveled for hours in the snow till finally, the reached the old laboratory. When the lab first came in to view everyone, even Chara, stared in awe. It was a massive facility covered in a shimmering dome of magic that blocked the blizzard from entering, Chara reached out a hand and it passed through with only a ripple. She turned to the group and nodded with a smile as she entered the others following. "SO this is Grandpas' old lab?" Frisk asked as she looked around getting a chuckle form Chara. "It's impressive, compared to the Lab in Hotland this place is way better." She said as she approached the door and examined a key pad on it. "Looks like it's locked... what was the password?" She muttered as she looked at the keys for a moment before typing in a code and the door unlocked. "Vivete a lungo nel cuore, of course you choose something cheesy Gaster." She muttered with a smile as the door opened and she turned to look at the group. "Stay close to me." She said as they entered the building. As soon as they entered they were hit with a blast of hot air and Chara smiled as she began to walk down the dusty halls. "Chara, do you know what we're looking for?" Asriel asked as he walked beside her. Chara shrugged. "I don't know what you're looking for here bro, most of the stuff here is only useful to me." She said with a shrug. Asriel sighed. "Okay, I'm just here to make sure you leave to be honest." He said with a chuckle. "Not sure why the princesses wanted to come or Frisk for that matter." "Hey, I wanted to seem my Grandfathers first lab!" Frisk yelled defensively. Chara smiled as she placed an arm around Asriel and pulled him down for a noogie. "Okay goat boy, that's enough ribbing my wife!" She said playfully. "NO, do not noogie the goat!" He exclaimed as he tried to pull away. Charta smiled before turning to the princesses. "So what are you looking to get out of this?" She asked. Luna frowned. "Answers." She said simply as she eyed Chara. "And what do you seek." Chara sighed. "I doubt you'll find any here." She said as she continued to lead the group down the halls. "As for what I'm after, well there are three things." She said with a smile. "The first is Dr. Gaster’s notes and work on the Monster resurrection stabilizer, if I'm lucky then there's still some kept in deep freeze and I will be able to immediately start reviving monsters. Second is a Determination booster Gaster developed here, I don’t need it but it'll be extremely useful to Frisk." She said as she pulled her wife into a sidelong hug. Frisk sighed. "Do you have to be like this with me every time I’m around?" She asked with fake anger. Chara hugged her wife even more. "I get to see you for the first time in months and you gripe about me loving you, just wait till we get to the bedroom." She said whispering the last part in Frisks ear making her face turn red. Chara chuckled. "The last thing is... well I don’t actually know." She said with a shrug. Celestia tilted her head confused. "You don't know?" She asked in a deadpanned voice. Chara shrugged. "Gaster wanted it to be a surprise so I have no idea." She said with a smile as they exited the hall and entered the main lab. The room they were in was massive and lined with benches covered with old and dusty equipment. Papers were strewn across the floor and many most of the equipment looked knocked over or smashed; the entire scene made it looked like the workers had left in a big hurry. Chara frowned as she slowly walked forward and stepped into the chaos. The group didn't say anything as they passed empty and messy work stations and after several minutes of picking their way through the mess Chara spotted a door with a plaque on it with the name Wingding Gaster engraved on it. Chara smiled and quickly picked her way through the mess and entered the room. As she entered she saw that while it was messy the mess was much smaller than the outside area. The room was a rather sizeable study with a small station covered in lab equipment in the far corner. The wall beside the door was covered in file cabinets, many open and their contents staked on the floor in hurriedly made piles, Chara ignored all these files and moved straight to the desk that was set in a corner of the room and began to rummage through the documents on the desk. As she did this Frisk and the others entered and looked around in surprise at the tidiness of the area. "DT notes, Soul Extraction, Blaster designs, Multiverse notes, magic test and experiments, where did he put it?" Chara muttered as she looked through the files on the desk and pulled out drawer finding a few loos papers and a crystal glass containing an amber liquid, which she quickly and discretely put in her inventory, under the bottle she saw a file labeled Project Revival and quickly pulled it out with a triumphant smile. "Found it!" she crowed with a smile drawing the others over as she set down the file. Research on Monster Revival and Restoration By Dr. Wingding Gaster Despite many attempts in the past to revive monsters that have fallen down through magic we have still been unable to do so, the most we are able to do is allow them to be brought back from the dead for a few moment as nothing more than an afterimage or ghost. This has been a staple fact for centuries however thanks to the recent research on my part in an attempt to find a way to fight the Corrupted Soul Traits of Humans I discovered that the red trait of Determination can revive monsters permanently. However the process is flawed as any attempt to revive monsters through this process results in them destabilizing and melting in to what we have named Amalgamations. Despite this fact the discovery of Determination and its properties is too great of a discovery and the chance to revive monsters is too great a hope to pass up. While the King has agreed with this sentiment I have been given very specific guidelines, I am not allowed to experiment on any monster that is unwilling, I cannot keep them locked up and they must be taken care of. I cannot leave them in inhuman conditions and perform inhuman experiments. I have fully agreed to these as at present I have all the data I require. The problem is not experimentation or even testing it’s the equations. At present the already know the problem from the first time this occurred, Monsters cannot handle raw determination in any level of dosage. The results of injecting a Monster with Determination directly is the liquidation of said monster. The cause of this is due to the makeup of monsters. A Human is formed primarily from organic composition and only a small fraction of Magic. This results in Humans containing a small amount of Magic potential. Now of course there are exceptions such as Mages, they are born with a significant amount of magic, enough to form a Mana Pool that can be drawn from. Now Monsters are made quite differently, a Monster is composed mostly of magic with only a small about of organic material. As a result when we die the magic leaves us and the small amount of organic composition simply turns to dust. As Monsters are composed mostly of magic we have no need for a Mana Pool or Spells as we are in essence comprised of magical energy. However it is this very advantage that inhibits our use of Determination, the closest any Monster has come to in using Determination would be we Skeleton Monsters as we are often born from the remains of Humans with high Determination. With this knowledge I and a few assistance have come to theorize that what we needed was a specially designed Magic Amplifier that is used in conjunction with Determination. At present we are theorizing that our bodies can’t handle determination due to the fact it eats at our bodies like acid, this means all we need is a counter agent and it is logical that the counter agent for such deterioration is magic. In short with just a few drops of Determination and a powerful burst of magic is enough to revive a monster however while this may seem simple it’s not. Excluding Skeleton Monsters and Boss Monsters as they naturally have a small amount of Determination in them to begin with; any monster revived will have to burn of the excess determination over a period of time. The amount of time that it will take depends on the monster type but I would assume that only a few drops of Determination are required to revive any normal monster; I would hypothesize it would be a mixture of 10-90 of the determination to Magic ratio. Boss Monsters will require more determination and will not need to burn off the excess Determination as it will actually help them stabilize, perhaps even make them more powerful in the long run by further enhancing their skills; I would hypothesize a 20-80 percent ration or to be safe I would say even 30-70 ratio. Of course there are exceptions and that exception is my race, Skeletons. Because Skeletons are born naturally as Humans and later become Skeletons after their passing they will require a significant amount of Determination and Magic; by my estimations it would require a 45-55% mixture with determination being this high at minimum, I’m hesitant to say 50-50 split as I fear that would be too much. Update: Experimentation is currently under way but we have had enough successes with the monsters we’ve revived to say that the formula is a success, at least for normal monsters. As for Boss and Skeleton Monsters, we haven’t needed to use them yet. To be honest at this point we’re throwing science at the wall here to see what sticks, don’t even know what it’ll do. Probably nothing but best case scenario well get some new powers or… and amalgamation which we’ll have to terminate, not really conventional but at present it’s all we got and since this is all new it’ll be like that for a while. Chara smiled as she pulled out a box containing several devices each labeled with the ratios of determination and magic they contained. "Gaster you bloody genius." She whispered as she placed the items in her inventory and stood up. "We have what we came for but I still need to go get the other items." She said. "Do you all want to come?" Celestia and Luna shook their heads. "We need to return to the troops but we wish you luck." Luna said. Chara nodded. "I understand, tell the troops to prepare to move on the empire capital." She said and the princesses nodded before lighting their horns and teleporting away. Asriel smiled as she turned to Chara. "So where to next?" Chara moved back around the desk and exited the room heading down a hall opposite the one the entered. "Containment and storage she said as he and Frisk followed her down the hall to an elevator. Calmly she pressed the call button and they stood waiting, as they waited Frisk seemed to look at the lab in confusion. "You know, I was expecting more separate labs and side offices." She said as Chara chuckled. "This lab wasn't a private facility Frisk; it was for the Royal scientist like Gaster." Chara explained. "They all worked together on the same projects so all those tables you saw were the separate work stations." She said as the elevator dinged and they boarded it. Chara hit the button down and the elevator descended into the depts of the old lab. As they slowly descended Asriel turned to Chara. "So what's down here?" He asked. "You said it was Containment and storage but what exactly is down here?" Chara smirked as she turned to him. "Everything." She answered simply as her smile grew. "Down here we'll find everything that was ever worked on by the royal scientists. From projects completed and released to dangerous failed experiments. Incomplete projects, projects too dangerous to be simply released or left around for anyone to pick up; all of it is here in containment or placed under lock and key in storage." She finished as the elevator stopped and the doors dinged open. "Don’t touch anything unless I say it's safe." She said as she exited the elevator. "Some of this stuff can kill you by just looking at it the wrong way." She said with a smile as she reached into her pocked and pulled out a paper covered in wingdings. "So I want storage room 2481 and containment room 001." She muttered as she looked at the two paths and turned left to the storage room. As Chara turned left Asriel and Frisk looked on surprised as they saw a hall full of doors. "What is this?" Asriel asked as she looked down the hall. "Like I said everything is here, most of these are storage rooms containing boxes of experiments and tests or just simple documents that were saved." Chara explained as she walked down the hall till she stopped at a certain door. "Then there are the rooms like this one that house dangerous experiments that were locked away and quarantined due to their danger." She said as her hand glowed with magic. Chara placed her hand on the door and after a second Frisk and Asriel heard the sound of gears and locks activating behind the door. Chara turned the handle and pulled, the door slowly opening revealing it to be at least an inch thick with massive bolts and locking mechanisms on the other side. As the door opened the two peered into the storage room to see it was empty aside from a pedestal in the center of the room, sitting upon the pedestal was a single vial of glowing red liquid that cast the room in a dark red light. Chara slowly entered the room and approached the pedestal before removing the vial and turning to the two who still hovered at the door. "Come here Frisk." She said causing Frisk to hesitantly approach. "This is a gift from Gaster." She said a she held up the vial. "If this is a gift why is it so locked up?" Frisk asked confused. Chara smiled. "This is a Determination Booster; it can increase the determination of any human. It was designed for Monster use bit..." Chara looked away as Frisk and Asriel realized what it was capable of. "I used one when I was younger and it increased my power beyond any previous recorded human." Chara said as she held out the booster. "Frisk, you don't have to do it but Gaster wanted his granddaughter to have it in case she needed use it." Frisk looked at the booster before hesitantly taking the vial. "Does it hurt?" She asked. Chara nodded. "It's the most painful thing you will ever feel, think of Sans's attack using karmic retribution multiplied by a thousand and even then you'll never be close." She said sadly. "Like I said you don't have to take it but if you do know that you'll become more powerful then you could ever imagen." She said Frisk looked at Chara. "What will I be able to do?" She asked. Chara sighed. "If you do this you'll have magic not just soul manipulation." Chara said slowly. "I got my magic because I my determination mingled with the magic of the underground but with no monsters this is the only way for you to gain it." She explained. "Aside from that, you'll have the ability to use any form of soul trait like me and most likely you'll gain other versions of your HoPe form." Frisk took a deep breath and pulled the stopper to the vial and before Asriel or Chara could say anything tilted it back and drank it. As she did Asriel and Chara's eyes widened and as soon as she finished the vial she doubled over. "Frisk you idiot!" Chara screamed in panic as she rushed over to her wife as the vial fell to the ground and grabbed frisk. "What were you thinking!?" She asked in fear as she saw Frisk grunt in pain. "I thought that if I could do more then maybe-" Frisk screamed in pain unable to finish what she was saying due to the pain. Chara pulled her close and Frisk buried her head in her wife’s chest and she screamed in pain. As Frisk was screaming Asriel began flipping out in panic looking around for something to do that would help. "Chara, she's screaming; that's bad Chara! What do we do?" He asked in fear. Chara sighed. "Get over here and hug your sister in law ya big cry baby!" She yelled as Frisk let out another scream of agony and Asriel nodded and began to hug Frisk and telling her it would be okay. As Asriel did this Frisk's veins began to glow and her soul appeared before them; slowly the soul began to fracture and split. "Cara, what's happening?" He asked in fear. "I tried to warn here." Chara said as she looked at her soul. "We can't help her any more. She will either die or be reborn with a soul like mine." Asriel paused and looked at Chara in shock. "This is how you got a half human-half Monster soul." He said in shock as Chara looked away. "Gaster made two of these and brought one of them when monsters were sealed underground." Chara said as Frisk screamed and her soul shattered however instead of the pieces flying away they stayed as half of them inverted on themselves and turned white before a white substance began to drip form the red part and piece the fragments back together. As it finished fixing her soul Frisk's eyes snapped open one of them glowing silver while the other glowed an amber color. As the glow faded frisk slumped forward onto Chara who grunted under the full weight of her wife for a moment before she was able to lay her down. Asriel looked fearfully at Chara as she looked over Frisk before sighing and sitting back with a faint smile. "She's just unconscious, she survived." She said in a relived voice before turning to Asriel. "I need you to watch her, I'll pick Up Gasters last gift and we can get out of here. Then I'm chewing that old skeleton out." She said muttering the last part angrily as she got up and headed for the door. "What if she waked up?" Asriel asked concerned. "Make sure she stays lying down for a while." She needs to relax as much as possible for the next few hours." Chara said as she left the room and walked back down the hall and continued down the right hall to the containment part of the area. Calmly she walked down the hall and looked at each door number till she turned the corner and saw a door at the far end with a massive magic seal carved into the door and walls around it. "That's the door I need isn’t it?" She asked out loud to no one and as he approached it she saw a tag on it say 001. "Damn it Gaster." She groaned as she looked at the door and pushed it open to see a dark cavern that ended at a cliff. Chara frowned as she slowly approached the cliff edge only to see seven sets of eyes light up in the darkness and turn to her as something rose from the depths of the darkness. Chara's mouth dropped as she saw the massive creature that had been sleeping before she smiled. "Damn it Gaster, best gift ever." She said under her breath as she stared into the eyes of the massive Gaster Hydra before her. Suddenly Chara began to giggle however slowly it devolved into fits of insane laughter; when she finally recomposed herself one of her eyes was black with only a red pupil as she smiled with a deranged look. "This upcoming battle with Sombra will prove very... very... Interesting." She said darkly. > Chapter 23 Part 1 - The Crystal War: Part 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chara stood looking over a cliff face at the corrupted Crystal Empire; black crystal spires twisted around the blue crystal like plunder vines chocking the life from them. "Disgusting." She whispered under her breath as she looked at it. "What's wrong Chara?" Frisk asked as she looked at her fuming wife. "Aside from the fact that this place reeks of corruption I sense that whatever is doing this is fueled by hate." She said in a dark voice. "It’s an all you can eat buffet of hatred and corruption." She said as her eyes began to change to their demonic form. "It's... temptation to one such as me." She whispered as she shuddered. Frisk frowned. "Maybe you should say behind." She offered only for a laugh to come from behind them causing Frisk to turn and glare at Asriel who was sitting on a frozen boulder polishing his swords. "We tried that when we went to face off against the Griffon Queen, Talon the Soul of Fear." He said with a smile. "Instead she comes barging in and unleashes Gaster on them almost dying in the process." He said as he stood. "We can't stop her if she decided to come so just let her be." "Honestly I doubt it will be a problem anyway." Chara said calmly. "I wouldn't attack you all, if anything it would probably be best if I do go, all that hate and dark magic would be drawn to me and the more hate I have at my disposal the stronger I am." Chara said with a shrug. Frisk frowned as she turned to her wife. "That doesn’t mean that that's a good thing. What happens of you lose control or something?" She asked concerned. Chara shrugged. "Honestly the worst thing that could happen is I run into some form of concentrated hate, if that happened and I came in contact with it I'd instantly become my demon form." She said. Asriel nodded and turned heading back down the cliff. "Come on you two, we have to prepare for the fight." he said. Frisk nodded and followed but Chara stayed turning to look back at the Empire. "Though given the condition the Empires in... I'd say that may be a very real danger." She whispered as she turned and followed her wife and brother. Chara stood calmly watching the battle unfold with a grimace; the plan was the same they had used during the Griffon War; divide the enemy and leave the palace unprotected. "I assume we'll be getting no reinforcements from Shroud or Grillby?" Luna asked as she looked at Chara. Chars shook her head. "Grillby and what forces we have left are protecting the Everfree. Shroud and the phoenix are beings of fire, if this was a mission to face a dragon overlord in the Dragon Lands then maybe they would help." She said with a shrug. Celestia sighed. "Right, so we're on our own." She said sadly. Chara smirked. "You got a Demon, an Angel, and God of Hyperdeath on your side, not to mention that you and your sister can literally call upon the power of the sun and moon like some divine being. Not to mention you al brought the Orbital Friendship Cannon of Deus Ex Machina anyway so if everything goes to hell you can just call on that." She said as she waved her hand dismissively. Celestia frowned. "The Elements of Harmony and while we brought them I would rather not use them." She said. "The armies are in position; it's time for us to make our move." Asriel said as he turned to the princesses. Celestia nodded as her horn glowed however nothing happened and she frowned. "The Shield over the city is blocking teleportation." Chara sighed. "Then teleport us right outside." She said with a groan. Celestia nodded and lit her horn once more and the group disappeared in a flash before reappearing in front of the shield. The group quickly entered the dark shield however as soon as Chara passed through she fell to her knees. "Chara!" Frisk yelled in panic as Chara grabbed her head and began to grunt as dark energy began to spark off her. "Stay back!" Chara yelled as horns ripped out of her head and a pair of wings with black feathers ripped from her back as her clothes began to change into a purple coat with a long tail coat and the Delta rune emblazoned on the chest. Her pants became black and her boots became purple with wraps covering them. The group stood in shock at her transformation however slowly Chara rose and as she opened her eyes they saw they were completely black except for the iris which was glowing red and pupils which were slitted like that of a dragon... or demon. "Chara... are you okay." Frisk asked in concern as she placed her hand on her wife’s shoulder. Chara shuddered for a moment before seeming to finally focus and looked down at herself. "Well... this is... unexpected." She said slowly before looking at Frisk. "I-I'm fine, just need to get use to myself again." She said as she shuddered. "I feel violated." She said quietly so only Frisk could here. Frisk pulled Chara into a hug. "It'll be alright." She whispered in her ear before pulling away and examining her. "Well, you make acute demon." She said causing Chara to blush and look away. Celestia looked concerned. "Chara, what- I don't- please explain this." She asked with a confused look. Chara smiled sheepishly revealing her canines had become sharper and looked like fangs. "Remember when I told you all that when both I and the Trait of Hate merge into one I become a Demon?" She asked. "We do." Luna said. "I also remember you saying that if this ever happened it would be very bad and to find frisk immediately." Luna said. Chara nodded. "Because Frisk is my opposite, the only reason I'm not going berserk is because Frisks' presence stabilizes me in this form." "But why did you become like this?" Celestia asked. Chara sighed as she looked around the corrupted crystal empire. "Because I miscalculated." She said causing everyone to look at her confused. "I thought that since Sombra was corrupted by the Trait of Cruelty the Empire would be consumed with bloodlust and the hate was a side effect but that's not the case." She explained as she frowned. "The Crystal Empire was built and powered by love; the opposite of love is my trait, Hate." "Which means that with the Empire corrupted it now is a beacon of hatred." Asriel said as his eyes widened. "That means that you entering the empire is like throwing a sponge into an ocean." He said in shock. "You’re absorbing so much hate that your demon form was forced to activate." Chara nodded. "That about sums it up; of course that also means this whole place is a nexus for my power. I effectively have an infinite power source for this fight." She said with a dark smile. Celestia shuddered. "Try not to corrupt yourself any more than you already are." She asked. Chara smiled sadly as she looked at the solar princess. "I'm a literal demon, what could I possibly become that is more corrupt?" She asked as she turned and began to walk down the deserted street. "Come on, I want to pay Sombrero a visit she said with a smile. The group looked at each other before following Chara to the palace at the center of the empire. When they reached the base of the palace they saw several crystal guards marching around. Chara frowned and looked at the group. "So any ideas?" She asked. Asriel examined the guards and nodded. "Chara, Frisk you need to get through and kill Sombra. The Princesses and I will hold off the guards." "Hang on, why us?" Frisk asked. Arial sighed. "More specifically you, as the bearer of the Trait of HoPe you can stop corrupted traits, Chara is going because she is an Arbiter and given she has unlimited power in this domain she's the best option to face Sombra. Chara nodded. "But why not the princesses?" She asked. Asriel frowned. “Honestly you two will are just being sent ahead, I don’t imaging that this will take a lot of time but I'd rather have Frisk protected if it does take longer.” He said as he rose and looked at the princesses. "How are you two at bait?" He asked getting confused looks from the princesses. The guard sighed as he was watching the surroundings, since the equestrians had sent their army out there had been nothing got keep his attention, suddenly the two Alicorn princesses and the weird goat appeared in a flash of teleportation and ran forward. The guard panicked and the last thing he saw was Asriels sword coming for his neck. Asriel smiled as he decapitated one of the guards and turned to face the others, Celestia and Luna engaging some as well. "Impressive kill Asriel, though I'd of thought you'd wish to wet your new blade." Luna said as shed dodged the attack of a guard. Asriel chuckled as he parried the strike of a guard and followed through in gutting the pony. "I need to train with it first and given that I've been a bit busy lately I haven't had time." He said as he saw Chara fly Frisk into the palace. "They’re in so now you can focus more in killing than distraction!" He yelled. Chara and Frisk ran down the halls of the Crystal palace heading straight for the throne room; as they neared the room the two slowed and peaked around corners looking for guards however their seemed to be none. "This is weird." Frisk said concerned. "There should be at least a few guards." She said. Chara nodded in agreement. "This guy can’t be this arrogant." She replied as they reached the hall to the throne room and standing before the doors was a massive crystal golem. Chara smiled. "Oh this is too easy." She whispered getting an shocked look from Frisk. "Chara awe can’t fight that!" She whispered only for Chara's smile to widen. "When did I say we would?" She asked as she stepped forward rounding the corner as her eyes glowed a bright purple as a circle of lines and runes of magic spread out around her forming a massive summoning circle. The Golem slowly began to walk forward as the circle activated and Frisk watched in shock as a massive claw ripped form the circle followed by another as a head broke through the circle, and then another, and another. Frisk watched in shock as seven heads appeared from the summoning circle followed by a massive body. "This is a battle between titans!" Chara yelled with a smile. "Some giant Crystal golem verses the seven headed Gaster Hydra!" She yelled with a smile as the Hydra roared and the Golem began to charge forward and slam into the behemoth of a Gaster Blaster only to bounce off. Chara turned to Frisk and grabbed her hand pulling her past the two titans who began to fight. "Come on Frisk, we got a King to slay!" She yelled as one of the heads opened its mouth and unleashed a massive beam of green magic. Frisk nodded and the two ran to doors Chara leaping into the air and slamming in to them blasting them off their hinges and into the throne. As the doors landed on the throne they were ripped apart as Sombra growled angrily and narrowed his eyes as he saw the tow humans enter his throne room. "You dare to face me alone?" He asked with a laugh. "If I recall it took both you, that pathetic goat and the foolish princesses to defeat me last time." He said arrogantly. Chara smiled as she looked the stallion in the eyes. "I think this time you'll find will be different." She said with a smile as she summoned the True Knife. Sombra roared and shot forward his body becoming a wave of darkness however as he neared Frisks hands glowed brightly with white magic that she fired at Sombra causing him to roar in pain and reform away from the two and summon an obsidian scythe before charging at them once more only this time Chara leapt forward her Knife shifting in to a trident that she trust forward locking the two weapons together as she caught the shaft of the scythe between two of the tridents prongs. Frisk leapt into the air as her spear appeared in her hand as she trust it forward piercing the Kings chest causing him to grunt in pain as he turned into shadows and appeared behind them only Chara to spin her trident as it shifted in to a sword that she used to block his blows. Frisk leapt back her right eye glowing silver as her left flowed a bright amber and she raised her hands summoning a wave of bones. Chara flipped backwards over the bones at the last second and Sombras’ eyes widened as he summoned a wall of crystal that shattered when the wave hit only he had vanished; once more appearing behind them. Frisk eyes glowed as she flipped away from Sombras’ attacks however her form began to glow with a white energy before her body changed. Chara watched in shock as Frisk began to shift, her cloths becoming a blue form fitting tank top and her pants changed so short black running shorts similar to a certain skeletons. Frisk's hands were covered in black fingerless combat gloves as her socks grew to cover her legs up to her knees and a pair of black leather combat boots covered her feet. Sombra roared as she slammed his hoof down and launched several spikes of dark crystal at her however as soon as they neared Frisks eye glowed blue and she swung she spear shattering them as the spear transformed in to a scythe with the blade forming from a Gaster blaster skull. As Sombra and Chara looked on in shock Frisk smirked and winked at Chara before a bone appeared behind her and she used it as a springboard to shoot herself at Sombra catching the dark king off guard and actually managing to strike him. "Surprise you son of a bitch." She whispered with a smirk as she leapt back and landed beside her wife. Chara whistled as she eyed Frisk. "Me like." She said causing Frisk to giggle. "Naturally, but we still have a corrupted soul to deal with." She said with a smile. Chara nodded. "Then I think I should shift into a more… appropriate attire." She said as her form was enveloped with black liquid and when it retracted Chara stood in her Black Assassin Form however since she was fully a demon she still kept the horns and wings as well as both of her eyes being demonic. "Let's kick his ass." She said as she smirked as Frisk nodded and readied her scythe. Sombra growled. "How are you this powerful?" He asked as the three circles each other. Chara laughed. "My soul is bound to a corrupt trait as well, the Trait of Hate." She said calmly. "And guess what, this entire place is saturated in Hate." She said causing Sombras eyes to widen. "That's right; I've got an infinite well of power as long as I'm here." Sombra growled. "Oh what's wrong Sombrero? Chara asked in a mocking tone. "I'm going to enjoy handing your soul over to PLAYER." Sombra said through grit teeth." Chara and Frisk smiled as they charged forward, Sombra snarled as he lit his horn and summoned several scythes that shot out at the two determined humans. Charas eyes glowed light blue as she teleported in front of Sombra snapping her fingers and launching a bone straight in to his chest as Frisk dodged the Scythe attack and struck him in the head. "Game over." Frisk said however Sombra smiled. "Indeed." He said as his eyes turned a sickly green as his horn glowed and the two were engulfed in darkness. Celestia, Luna and Asriel ran through the castle till they reached the hall leading to the throne room where the stopped in shock at the sight before them. Lying before them was a massive skeletal Hydra what was happily batting the broken body of a massive crystal creature who was roaring and bellowing in anger as it tried to bite the Hydra. Asriel collected himself first and bust out laughing drawing the attention of one of the heads who leaned down and happily licked the goats face. "Come on Princesses, He won’t hurt us." He said as they passed by the hydra which had refocused on the crystal golem, or what was left of it. When they were half way to the throne room they heard a scream causing them to break into a run and charge into the throne room to see a horrifying sight. Inside the throne room lay Frisk unconchous; standing over her with her arms stretched out as if to protect Frisk stood Chara, several crystal spies sticking out of her back. Sombra laughed as he slammed his hoof down and a new spike of dark crystal drove in to Chara who screamed in pain again. Sombra raised his hoof again only to receive a spear made of solar fire stop his chest throwing him back. Asriel ran over to Chara who blearily looked at Asriel with a smile. "Hey Azzy, looks like you survived." She murmured "Chara Are you okay?" He asked as she ripped herself free of the spikes. "Peachy." She hissed angrily as she looked at her brother. "Take Frisk and the princesses out if here, and you run." She said calmly. Asriel shook his head. "No way, you’re in no shape to fight him alone, Hate may regenerate you but the regeneration is slow." He said as he knelt next to Frisk and his eyes widened. "What happened to her?" He asked. Chara frowned. "Why do you think I'm not healing right now?" She asked angrily. "I was stupid, if Hate makes me stronger then what does it do to one who embodies HoPe?" She asked causing Asriels eyes to widen. "I'm barely keeping her going and the princesses need to take command of the army since they're fucked, Sombra was smarter than we gave him credit for." She said. Asriel picked up Frisk and turned to the princesses who nodded and turned and ran. "What will you do?" He asked. Chara smiled. "I'm finishing this." She said with a smirk as she pulled three items from her robes. "Take the Gaster Hydra out, it'll be faster." She said as the sound Sombra roaring in anger was heard and the siblings looked to see him pulling himself off the spear he was impaled on and fall to the floor. "Azzy, run." She said as the True Knife flew into her hand. Asriel hesitated before looking in Charas in the eyes. "If you die I'll never forgive you." He said before turning and running. Chara watched him run with a faint smile before the laughter of Sombra filled the room. "Even your own family runs in my presence, you stand alone!" He yelled as she looked at the three devices in her hand. Sombra roared as he launched several dark crystal spears at Chara sending her flying back into a wall before she pressed the button on them with a smirk. "You’re wrong Sombra, for those who fight for a worthy cause are never alone. It's time to bring the curtain down on this play!" She yelled as she threw the devices into the air as they exploded releasing dust however rather than the dust falling it began to collect and slowly three figures pulled themselves from the piles of dust and as it fully collected an upside down white heart appeared before each of them and was sucked into them. The First figure to appear was a tall skeleton who wore a suit of cool armor, and around his neck was a red scarf that flowed behind him. Next stood a short and big boned skeleton in a blue hoodie and pink slippers. The final figure was a Skeleton as well however where the first looked male this one had a suit of lighter gray plated armor designed for a female and flowing behind her was a tattered red cape. Chara smiled as the big bones skeleton looked around in confusion before spotting Chara and smiling. "Hey there partner." He said with a smile. “It worked.” Chara whispered with a smiled. "Hey Sans, hope you’re ready to give this bastard a bad time." She said with a smile before coughing up a bit of blood. Sans laughed. "Are you kidding? I've been Avioding not interfering for too long." He said as he tilted his head to look at Sombra. "So Sombrero, lets cha-cha." He said as his eye glowed however as soon as it did Papyrus smacked him in the back of the head. "Brother your puns are as incessant as ever! Chara has just revived us and you have already started!" Papyrus yelled angrily. The women giggled as she patted Papyrus's head. "Now boys, what have I said about fighting?" She asked causing the two skeletons to stare in shock. "MOM!" The tow yelled as the hugged the tall skeleton however the moment was short lived as a crystal spear shot at them only blocked by a green shielded. “Now that was quite rude." the women said calmly as she looked at the stallion who was twitching angrily "THat'S It, EVERY ONE DIES!!!" Sombra roared as he slammed his hooves in to the ground and launched hundreds of spikes at the group. Sans teleported away with a smile as his eye glowed, Papyrus dodged the attacks with a smile as he leapt back and female skeleton simply held her hand out her left eye glowing green as a shield appeared. Chara used the True Knife to shatter the spikes that went her way. "Princess Dreemurr, I ask you allow us to handle this." The female Skeleton said calmly. "I can tell your tired form combat and weakened. Allow my Sons and I to handle this." She said calmly Chara smiled and bowed. "As you wish Captain Arial Aster, I wish you skill." She said receiving a nod from the Skeleton who turned to her sons. "Alright boys, let's show this monster what we're made of." Arial said with a smile. *Royal Guard Papyrus Aster blocks your path *Royal Guard Captain Arial Aster blocks your path * Judge of Monsters Comic Sans Aster blocks your path > Chapter 23 part 2 - The Crystal War: Part 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "THat'S It, EVERYONE DIES!!!" Sombra roared as he slammed his hooves in to the ground and launched hundreds of spikes at the group. Sans teleported away with a smile as his eye glowed, Papyrus dodged the attacks with a smile as he leapt back and female skeleton simply held her hand out her left eye glowing green as a shield appeared. Chara used the True Knife to shatter the spikes that went her way. "Princess Dreemurr, I ask you allow us to handle this." The female Skeleton said calmly. "I can tell your tired from combat and weakened. Allow my sons and I to handle this." She said calmly. Chara smiled and bowed. "As you wish Captain Arial Aster." She said receiving a nod from the Skeleton who turned to her sons. "Alright boys, let's show this monster what we're made of." Arial said with a smile. *Royal Guard Papyrus Aster blocks your path *Royal Guard Captain Arial Aster blocks your path * Judge of Monsters Comic Sans Aster blocks your path The room went dark and the sound of wind seemed to flow through the throne room as Sombra approached the three skeletons. As he neared Arial spoke. "It was a wonderful day outside." "The sun was shining..." Sans said. "the Snow was falling..." Papyrus continued. "on day..." "like this..." "Tyrants like you..." "Will be burningin Hell!" The three yelled simultaneously. Arial’s right eye glowed yellow while her left glowed green as she thrust her hand forward launching several blades of yellow magic at the dark king who was forced to dodge them only for her to leap forward, a rapier of bone appearing in her hand as she shot toward him. Before Sombra could react Arial was on him slicing him apart before just as suddenly leaping back revealing a wave of white and orange bones being launched by Papyrus who smiled as like his mother he ran forward and attacked the dark king with a spear made of bones; this time Sombra managed to dodge and block a few attacks however rather than press the attack Papyrus dropped to the floor and delivered a sweeping low kick before leaping back revealing the final attack. Behind Papyrus stood Sans his hand outstretched and eye glowing as behind him a massive Gaster Blaster floated, it's magic trained on the king. Sans smile widened as he looked at the King with what could have been contempt. "Get Dunked on." He said as he unleashed a blast that tore a trench into the ground as approached Sombra. Sombras eyes widened as he slammed his hoof into the ground and ripped a wall of black crystals up just in time to strike the makeshift shield making the king grit his teeth as the blast began to crack the crystal. Sombra growled as he narrowed his eyes and summoned hundreds of small black crystal shards around himself as he leapt out from behind the wall and fired them at Sans however Sans simply smiled as he snapped his fingers and a blaster with no jaw appeared and acted as a shield blocking the shards. As Sans did this Arial and Papyrus leapt forward once more their weapons trained on the stallion who leapt back as the two weapons met the floor where he had stood and threw crystals up as the floor cracked under the impact. Sombra growled as he quickly was forced to doge and weave through Arial’s strikes as she simply continued to smile. Sombra roared as he summoned two broadswords made of crystal and swung at the former royal guard commander however when he was mere inches from her a bone shot out of the ground and blocked the attack giving Arial time to pull back and for Papyrus to attack. Unlike his mother who used agility and speed for her battle Papyrus focused more on precision and defensive attacks. Every strike Papyrus made with his spear staggered the corrupted unicorn as while they weren't exceptionally powerful they struck at the holes in Sombras guard. Each strike weakened the king further and due to both the weapon and Papyruses more defensive fighting style Sombra couldn't land more than a glancing blow on the tall skeleton before the strike was redirected or blocked. Suddenly Papyrus flipped backward revealing Sans once more who launched several bone attacks at Sombra who was forced to dodge the attacks however as he was leaping over a particularly large bone wave the gravity seemed to freeze him before he was launched backward and slammed in to a wall. Several bones sharpened bones launched out of the wall and Sombra growled as he turned to shadow and let them pierced his chest however as the bones fades he felt as if he was suddenly set on fire as his who body ignited in agony and he screamed. Sans smiled as he looked at the King. "Looks like I just saddled you with a lot of weight, do you feel your sins weighing on your back?" He asked getting a exasperated groan from Papyrus and a laugh from Arial. The King growled as he once again turned to shadow and shot down the wall before streaking across the floor where he came up directly in front of the punny skeleton and swung his crystal sword... only to miss. Where Sans had stood was now a trench where the sword had cleaved i to the ground however the big bones skeleton now stood behind the stallion. "Heh, you didn't think I was just going to stand there and take it did you?" He asked as a Gaster Blaster appeared in front of the King and fired causing him to scream as he was thrown back. Papyrus raised his arm and as Sombra landed several bone spikes ripped through the floor. "You tried to kill my brother, Prince Asriel and Princess Chara. I am sorry strange Pony I want to help you but I feel that your life has already gone down a dark path." Papyrus said sadly. Sobra looked at Papyrus confused before chuckling and then full on laughing. "You think you won?" He asks before laughing harder. You are all fools!" He laughed. "It's done Sombra." Chara said calmly as she approached. "Your time as king comes to an end now." She said however Sombra simply laughed harder. "The Crystal Empire is mine and no one will ever take it from me!" He roared as he turned to shadow and reformed however his body still was covered in injuries. "I already told you Sombra; unless you're immortal you retain the damage dealt to your body." Chara said calmly. "Weather you die here and now or slink off to die in some hole you’re done." She said calmly. Sombra began to laugh once more as his eyes glowed green. "The Empire is mine." he hissed as he glared at the skeletons Chara. "But if I can't have it then no one will!" He roared as he lit his horn and lasted the floor causing the entire Castle to shake. Chara's eyes widened as the castle shook at looked at the three skeletons. "We need to run now!" She yelled in panic as she turned and ran for the exit. Sans looked surprised for a moment and Papyrus grabbed him and ran after Chara with Arial right behind them. The group rain through the empty castle till they reached the exit where Celestia Luna and Asriel stood with the massive Gaster Hydra. "Get on!" She yelled as she ran past them and leapt onto the Hydra who looked confused as the others joined Chara. "Get us out of here!" She yelled at the Hydra who looked confused before realization seemed to click on the head with purple eyes and it seemed to take control for the body and run down the streets of the Empire as around them the entire city seemed to shake and start to crumble. The other heads seemed to realize they were in danger and the body picked up speed as it ran faster. Buildings began to crumble however they weren't collapsing but rather turning to dust. "Come on Hurry or well be sucked in!" she yelled in panic pushing the skeletal beast to give a roar as several heads looked back at her with a look that said 'I'm running!' however Chara glared back and the heads turned back to focus on moving as far away from the city as fast as it could. Suddenly the shield around the empire shattered and the group looked back to see the castle collapse in on itself and a wave of black energy was unleashed. The Hydra roared as it pushed itself and just as the magic was about to reach them the cleared the other ring of the city where the shield had once been. As soon as the energy hit the barrier crystals it shot backwards and as it did everything in its path vanished, disappearing as if it had never existed once the energy was gone a beam of black light shoot into the heavens before fading and leaving only a silent tundra, a confused army of royal guards that saw no enemies or empire and a shocked group sitting on a skeletal Gaster Hydra. Celestia and Luna sat calmly at a circular table going over reports, beside them sat Asriel, Frisk and Chara who was pouring herself a shot from a bottle of amber liquid. "Chara, you pass the whiskey and quit hogging it." Luna asked receiving a raised eyebrow form the assembled group. "What? After what we all just went through I'd say a drink is in order." She asked. Chara looked at the lunar princess before sighing and pulling a second shot glass out of her inventory and filling it before sliding it across the table to the mare who took it in her magic. "There are better ways to cope Luna; I do it this way because I'm a fucking alcoholic." She said with a slightly slurred speech. "I don't give a buck right now." Luna said as she threw the shot back and shuddered as the substance burn her throat. Chara sighed as she looked over her report and passed it to Celestia who looked it over and nodded. "So how are the guards doing?" She asked causing Asriel to sigh. "The battle between Equestria and the Crystal Empire may have ended in a victory but the troops were so shaken by the cost that it feels like a defeat to them and honestly none of us are handle in g it much better." He said as he looked at the other person who sat at the table each of them looking away except for Chara who was pouring another shot for her and Luna. "It's obvious that no matter what way it's going to be looked at this war will go down in the history books as a failure." Frisk said sadly she passed a glass to Chara who sighed and filled it. “From my understanding this had been Equestrias first war in of over six hundred years that has been fought with a rival nation. The last one was the Griffon Empire and from what I've heard from their ambassador they're doing rather well." Chara passed the filled glasses to their respective drinkers before looking at the bottle and simply downing the last of it in a single gup. "The trip back to the Everfree was depressing to say the least." She said after corking the bottle. "I had hoped that the announcement of your friend revival would have raised the spirits of our ponies." Celestia said sadly. Chara laughed. "Pardon my callousness Celestia but when there is a failure this big the people aren't easily inspired to be happy." She said as she sipped the last of the drink from her glass. Celestia sighed and nodded. "So do they have any ideas on what they are going to be doing?" She asked. Chara shrugged. "I know Arial will most likely wish to return to active duty so she'll most likely be joining the guard." Chara said as she passed another report to Celestia. "Dad is thinking about taking up his old position as a royal scientist and Uncle Pappy is going to be joining the guard." Frisk chimed in receiving odd looks from the Alicorns. "What, something wrong?" "Nothing, we just weren't aware that Sans and Papyrus were truly your parents." Luna said. "Well, I was adopted." Frisk said sheepishly. "After I broke the barrier to the Underground I was adopted by Sans. Papyrus kinda just fell into the role of Uncle and everything went from there. Sans taught me how to use magic and trained me in soul manipulation. Papyrus became a Royal Guard so he was often busy but he still stopped by a lot." Luna nodded in understanding as Celestia looked at Chara curious. "So how did you and Chara meet?" Frisk and Chara looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation before Chara crossed her arms and looked away. Frisk smiled sadly and turned back to the princesses. "Chara and I met when I fell into the Underground, my determination woke them up. We went through the underground together and she helped me a lot. From understanding certain monsters to other things, eventually I broke the barrier and we lived together on the surface with Asriel who at the time was Flowey." Frisk smiled as she became lost in old memories. "For a while the others didn't know and Chara stayed in my head but eventually we decided to tell them the truth. Sans and Alphys found that Chara's soul had latched onto mine and after a few years managed to bring her back." As Frisk finished reminiscing her smile faded as she looked down and sighed. "After Chara was brought back and we told everyone who Flowey really was Toriel and Asgore got back together and they were able to put the past behind themselves. I was adopted by Sans and it was pretty good the next few years till..." Frisk drifted off. "The PLAYER came and messed it all up." Celestia nodded. "Apparently you did well if you manage to get married." She said causing both Frisk and Chara to flinch and look away. "What's wrong? You did get married correct?" "The PLAYER decided to... have his fun on our wedding day." Chara said quietly causing the two princesses eyes to widen. "But that's neither here nor there." Chara said as she took a deep breath. Celestia hesitated but nodded in the end. "So Sans plans to return to working as a scientist, I trust he has the proper credentials?" She asked causing Chara laughed. Celestia sighed. "Of course, I assume he'll at least take the test serious?" She asked. "If it's the same test I took when I got my new credentials then nope." She said with a smile. "He'll probably do the test and then make his own to on the back of the test to see if the one giving it can do it." Chara said before her face turned serious. "There is also one more thing I need to discuss with you about Sans." She said her tone becoming uncharacteristically serious. Celestia raised and eye brow as Luna looked up from a report. "And that would be?" Celestia asked. "Sans is a Judge like me, he's actually my partner." Chara said calmly as she clasped her hands together calmly. "This means that his authority on matters will be the same as me." "There are already two guards Commanders, there can't be a third." Luan said. "I didn't say he was to be a guard commander." Chara countered. "Sans and I worked with the same authority however Judges don't operate the same job as an Arbiter. In the Underground I acted as a member of the Royal scientists with Sans however when it came to the duties we were tasked with we played different roles." Chara explained. "I am an Arbiter Judge, an Arbiters job is to fight and protect the kingdom from threats. Sans is an Observer Judge, an Observer's job is to watch out for threats and if necessary act on their threat assessment. The two trolls rely on each other to work as the Arbiter need the Observer to tell them if the threat is an active one or not." Luna nodded in understanding. "So you are the one who fights, Sans is the one who make sure you're fighting the right person." Chara replied with nodded. Celestia sighed. "Very well, I will speak with Sans and discuss what we will do to see that he may perform his duties as a Judge. Chara smiled. "That’s all I ask." She said before leaning back in his chair. "And what of Papyrus and Arial?" Luna asked. "Papyrus will be joining the Royal Guard and Arial will become my subordinate and replace Grillby as Captain of the Guard." Chara replied. Celestia frowned and looked down sadly. "It is sad to hear that Grillby will no longer be serving." Chara shrugged. "He plans to open up a new bar so I think it will be fine." She said with a smile. "TO be honest me and Asriel might be stepping down from serving as the Commanders of the Royal Guard soon. Sans is working on a way to revive the whole Underground and if that happens I and Asriel will have to take our place as the Prince and Princess of the Underground. Frisk will also have to pass the duties of ambassador onto another pony as she will be needed as the Ambassador for Monsters." Celestia sighed and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "This is going to be so tiring." She said with a groan. > Chapter 24 – The End of the PLAYER and Revival of Monsters > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sans stood calmly in the throne room of New Homes Castle, beside him stood Chara and Asriel as well as Frisk and all the monsters who had survived or in his brothers case been revived. "Well we're ready as we'll ever be." He said with a sigh. Chara nodded and she closed her eyes, Frisk and Asriel following and after a moment all three of their souls floated from their bodies and hovered in place as magic began to build up around them. In a flash a pair of glowing red demon wings and horns grew from Chara as a pair of glowing red angelic wings and a halo appeared on Frisk; Asriel began to change into his God of Hyperdeath form however his form glowed pure white. Sans's eye lit up as he watched the determination and magic merge into a single point and form a sphere. With a smile he raised his hand and a Gaster Blaster appeared before him and fired into the sphere destabilizing it and slowly the unstable orb crackled with energy which shot off in random directions before it seemed to collapse in on itself and vanish only to explode outward in a shockwave that spread throughout the Underground. As the shockwave moved outward it touched the dust of every monster and for a moment the dust seemed to glow before changing into a liquid and spreading out forming the bodies of the monster it once was. From within the Void Gaster watched with a proud smile as thousands of souls seemed to flicker to life and glow before they were pulled back to the bodies the once inhabited. Frisk groaned as she fell back and landed on the cold tile. "We'll it worked." She said with a smile. Asriel sighed. "Yeah but how are we going to explain any of this to the other monsters?" He asked tiredly. Chara laughed. "Despite the PLAYERS power and many resets, when they originally took control of Frisk their RESET was incomplete so they glitched the Timeline." Chara said with a sigh as she hunched over forward slightly in exhaustion. "Pap’s remembered everything that happened and was even aware of what was going on while he was dead." Sans said with a nod. "I imagine that all the monsters will not only remember what happened but also were completely aware of what was going on while they were dead." Frisk smiled. "Hey Chara, do you think Undyne saw all the awesome bad ass stuff we did?" She asked with a grin. Chara groaned. "Oh no, both she and Alphys are going to be gushing about how awesome we are and how it's just like in an anime." Sans and Asriel chuckled. "Well you two are pretty awesome." He said as a groan was heard from the side of the room and everyone turned their eyes widening as they saw a Monster in heavy gold and purple armor. Chara slowly walked forward as tears began to fall form her eyes. "Dad..." She trialed off as the King turned in shock to see his daughter. "Chara!" He cried as Chara ran and tackled him tears falling from both their eyes. "I saw everything child, I cannot express how proud I am of you and the woman you've become." He said as he hugged the demonic human. "I missed you." She cried into his chest. Asgore looked away sadly as he patted his daughters back. "I know child." He said as he looked up and saw Asriel. "Asriel, my son, look at you!" He said in surprise as he saw the goat monster before him. Asriel approached his father and looked at him for a moment before pulling him into a hug. "Glad to have you back dad, not sure what I'd do if you didn't come back." "It's good to actually hold you this time, son." Asgore said with a smile as he pulled Asriel into the hug. "I imagine that your mother will be on her way here as fast as she can be." He said with a smile. "Yeah and so will be half the Kingdom your majesty." Sans said as he knelt before the King. Asgore looked down at sans with a smile as he released his children. "Sans, it is good to see you once more." He said with a smile. "Glad to see you to ya old fluff ball." Sans said with a smile. The group stood quietly for a moment with smiles on their simply content to stand together however the silence was broken by the sound of slow clapping coming form the judgement hall. "Awe what a touching reunion." Said a voice that caused all present to freeze. Slowly everyone turned to see the white outline of the PLAYER standing at the end of the hall chapping their hands. "Did you really think that such an act as restoring all the Monsters in the Underground would not be noticed by me?" He asked. Chara, Asriel and Frisk all summoned their weapons while Sans's eye glowed and a Blaster appeared beside him and he glared at the PLAYER. PLAYER smile grew however before either group could make a move Asgore stepped forward his footsteps echoing throughout the room as he entered the Judgment hall and faced the PLAYER. "Oh, the Foolish King steps forward?" PLAYER asked mockingly. "and what can I do for you your majesty?" He said as he gave a mocking bow. "Despite us never meeting personally I believe I know who you are quite well after having observer your interactions with my children in the Void." Asgore said his voice cold and calm. "You are the PLAYER, the one who stole our happy ending, who ruined by daughter’s wedding and killed us all over and over for your own sick enjoyment." The PLAYER chucked the unsettling white smile on their already white being unnerving everyone present. "Guilty as charged; and your King Asgore Dreemurr, the Foolish King who sits upon his throne morning the past." "You shut the fuck up about my dad!" Asriel yelled as he moved to attack however Asgore rose his arm and preventing him form moving forward. "Dad?" "I may be an old sentimental fool and I can not excuse the actions I have committed however As my loyal Judge once said; I can no longer afford not to care anymore." Asgore said as he summoned his trident causing it to glow. "I so badly want to say, "would you like a cup of tea?" Asgore said before sighing. "But... you know how it is." Slowly the King walked forward and looked out the windows of the hall seeing the golden light that shone through. "It's a nice day today, huh? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming... perfect weather for a game of catch." Asgore sighed and turned back to the PLAYER. "... We both know what you will do. Even with all you have done, I wish I could say otherwise but... I am not ready for this." The PLAYER laughed as they stepped forward and Asgore sighed. "I see... this is it then." Asgore King of Monster Blocks your path As the battle began Asgore raised his hand and a wave of fire balls shot at the player who began to dodge as soon as it ended the PLAYER immediately used Check to see the stats and grimaced. King Asgore Dreemurr HP: 3500/3500 ATK: 80000 DF: 80000 SP: 23544 MAG: 76293 The wise King of the Underground The PLAYER summoned his knife and charged swinging wildly at Asgore however Asgore blocked the strikes with his trident and what attacks did land were absorbed by Asgore's armor. The kings eyes lit up with as he raised his trident; Blue, Orange, blue, blue, Orange. As The sequence ended Asgore swung his trident and waves of magic following the pattern were released with each swing forcing the player to avoid both the strikes from the trident and the magic, something that quickly was proven to be impossible as he was slashed by the trident. The Player growled as the ran forward the king calmly blocking the attacks of his faster opponent. "Speed in battle was never my strong point. Unlike Sans who could dodge even the truest of arrows or my sons who's battle style requires movement, I could never attain such skills. Instead I learned to compensate my weaknesses!" Asgore said as he thrust his trident out and slammed the PLAYER back before charging them his attacks were slow but the tridents staff like nature and the brutality of each blow made up for the speed overwhelming the PLAYERS defenses and sending them flying back. Asgore leapt into the air and reversed his grip on the trident before thrust it forward sending it flying with enough power to see a shockwave of air from where he threw it. The PLAYER tried to doge the attack however the prongs of the trident caught them and the threw them to the ground where they were pinned by the neck, the tridents prongs trapping their neck and the arm they had the knife in. "It's time I show you my special attack!" The King roared as his eyes glowed with fire and he began to fall back to the ground. Slowly a massive spear began to form in his hand as he fell the spear grew in intensity and light the flames it was made of shining as bright as a star. The PLAYERS eyes widened as he saw a the spear of fire falling straight at him. "SPECIAL ATTACK: GOD SPEAR!" Asgore roared as he struck, thrusting the spear forward and striking the PLAYER as he used the shock wave form the explosion to push himself back and land on the ground. "Did that get them?" Sans asked as he stepped forward. Asgore was silent as he narrowed his eyes. Slowly the dust began to settle and as it did a figure began to form slowly waking out of the cloud. The PLAYER head was bowed. "Good try, but not good enough." They said before their eyes flickered with Magenta light. "I think this is the first time I've ever had to actually use my special little secret." The said as their smile grew larger as a magenta human soul appeared. As it did Sans and Charas eyes widened as the pupal shrank in fear. "Behold your God, and taste from me Despair.' They said with a smile. as the soul pulsed and forced all the monsters to their knees as Celestia and Luna gasped in pain. Chara grit her teeth as something seemed to well up inside her. "Bastard." She spit causing everyone to stare at her in surprise not just because she was still standing but because she was actually walking toward the PLAYER. "It because of beings like you that I still am bound to this curse." She said as she continued to walk forward however as she approached the PLAYER her form began to change. Slowly her eyes changed from white to black till only a pinprick of red light was left as a black liquid began to leaked from them, her flesh slowly changed form a pale completion to a sickly white becoming corps like as the flesh around her mouth decomposed and with a sickening ripping sound black bones extended from her back forming skeletal wings. "You disgust me." She said coldly, her voice reverberating and echoing as if it were overlaid. "Ah I see Hate still hold your soul." PLAYER said with a frown. "I don't understand why you continue to resist, what drives you to such lengths to defy me as you've done. I cannot understand why you'd risk and endure so much for these pathetic creatures!" Chara smiled as she looked at the PLAYER. "It's simple PLAYER, there are things I wish to protect, things I need to protect. It is this conviction, this understanding of my duty that I draw from to fuel both my Determination and Hate, it is what allows me to deify all expectations of what a bearer of Hate is meant to be and do." She said as a tendril of the black substance extended form her hand transforming in to a knife. As Chara spoke Frisk managed to rise as well her form glowing and changing as she slowly walked to Charas side. From her back grew a set of pure white wings, the whites of her eyes changed to change to glow with an amber light as her iris and pupil changed to silver as white liquid began to drip form them. "You have been a blight on us long enough." She growled as she joined her wife. "Frisk?" Chara asked in concerns she saw her summon her spear. "I'm tired of running, of fighting!" She yelled as the player seemed taken aback. "You claim to be our god, our creator but you’re not. You’re a thief stealing our lives form us and I'm sick of it!" She screamed as he charged at the PLAYER her spear piercing through their chest. "Impossible!" The PLAYER grunted out in shock however suddenly another blade ripped out from his back and he gasped in shock as he looked back to see Chara her corrupted blade piercing through their chest. "It's time to end this." Chara said as her form changed once more. Slowly her wings seemed to knit together forming a membranes as horns ripped out of her head and her clothes changed to their demonic form. "Frisk get back, I... I’m finishing this." She said as she granted and threw the PLAYER overhead sending him flying backward. Frisk leapt back as Chara turned to the player and closed her eyes a small smile playing across her face. "Thank you Frisk, these last few centuries have been my happiest. Asriel, try not to cry too much, I'll be back." She said causing Asriels eyes to widen in fear as he tried to run to her only for Asgore to grab him. "Chara NO!" He yelled in fear however she simply smiled as she turned to PLAYER as her soul appeared before her. Chara's soul glowed the Monster part glowing white as the human part sucked in a light with the black hate consuming it. "I am She who slays and captures gods," She said her voice reverberating as a magic circle appeared in front of her. "I am the one who knows the End and Founder of Genesis;" She continued as she grabbed her soul and held it in the center of the circle. " now return thy self to the Cycle of Providence, the Five Elements to Elements and sever the link woven between Images and the Truth;" As he continued the PLAYER roared in anger and charged her however Chara’s smile simply grew. " I declare that all Creation shall perish here at the distant ends of the Void. Now I’ll send you to hell PLAYER, I'll see you there.” She whispered as her eyes turned cold and dead. “BLACK MAGIC RITUAL: Extinction!" Chara screamed. As soon as she yelled this Asriel screamed and he reached out for Chara as all the color in the world was sucked away and it seemed to freeze before Chara's soul began to turn to dust and she smiled happily as she looked at the player and smiled as slowly the magic circle began to rotate and then there was nothing, no explosion or even a flask it simply was nothing. Everyone stood in shock at what they saw till Frisk slowly walked forward and looked around as tears began to fall from her eyes. "Chara?" She asked as she looked around as Asriel fell to his knees. "Asriel what happened to Chara?" She asked as she turned to the prince. Asriel looked at the ground his head bowed as tears ran down his face. "Extinction, a black magic ritual that sacrifices not just the user’s soul but their own existence. There's no coming back from such a fate, once you die your dead forever. It's not like falling into the void where no one remembers you, this isn't even death. It's obliterating ones soul." The Princesses looked confused. "What do you mean Asriel?" Celestia asked. "No rebirth, no afterlife, no anything." Sans said quietly draw the attention of everyone. "You cease to exist as your essence is absorbed into the spell to erase your target in the same way. "Chara just gave her every existence to save us from the PLAYER." Everyone looked at Sans in shock before turning to where Chara had last stood. To be continued...? > Chapter 25 - A Devils Redemption > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frisk sat staring at the spot where Chara had stood only mere moment ago. "She can't be gone." She kept whispering as the others seemed too simple remain silent as she and Asriel wept. Slowly Sans walked forward and knelt down and embraced her. "It'll be fine kiddo." Sans said reassuringly. "Chara would never leave you behind and besides, she's like the smartest human I know so she'll find a way to get out of this. And tibia honest if you think I'm just jawing ya then you gotta know I'm no femur so don’t let me rib you the wrong way." He said getting a broken laugh from Frisk as she pulled him into a hug which he slowly returned patting her back. "There, there, baby bones; It'll all be fine." He said as he ran his phalanges through her hair. "Sans while your puns are good for reliving the tension of the room I do feel that telling them now is perhaps not the best time." Asgore said. Sans smiled sadly. "Asgore, the kiddo just lost their love and partner, they need some form of familiarity and right now this is all I got." He said before looking down at the ground. "Besides I never had the backbone to handle situations like this." He said before the save Point at the end of the hall began to glow causing ever one in toe room to turn as it grew and spit out a human child. One would think that nonexistence would mean that there was nothing and you simply ceased to be but apparently that's not what it was... or she wasn't erased but since the spell worked that shouldn’t be an option. "Well done child." A Voice said calmly causing Chara to try and turn around only to seem to spin in the nothing and somehow end upside down and come face to face with a being that made her go pail. Before Chara stood a being in a brown trench coat and fedora, his face was in shadows however she could feel the power he held. "You’re a Void Dweller." She said slowly receiving a nod from the man. "I believe this is yours?" He asked as he raised his hand showing Shroud being held by his neck like a dog. "Shroud!" Chara yelled as she floated over and grabbed him before holding him to her chest. "If you so much as hurt a feather on him I swear!" She said her eyes glowing red. The Man chuckled. "Fear not, I did not come here to harm him or you." He said calmly. "After all you've been through quite enough already. A lot of people have been watching and many have reached hands out to help on more than one occasion." He said with a present tone. Chara sighed. "I had a good run, but my times up." She said as he looked down at Shroud who was till unconscious, or just asleep, she couldn't really tell. "For one so set to give everyone else a happy ending you certainly never got one." The Void Dweller said. "Fortunately for you your stories not over just yet." He said as he held up her soul. "This is your soul; I grabbed it at the last minute." He said calmly. "And I'm giving it back to you as well as a few... upgrades." He said calmly. Chara frowned. "The catch is?" She asked receiving a chuckle. "Your gifts will leave you completely drained and near death if used too much, they are too taxing on your body. You also won't be a demon anymore; congratulations because of yourself sacrifice your now redeemed to the status of Fallen Angel." He said causing Chara to look at him in shock. The Void Dweller seemed to understand her confusion and chuckled. "Did you honestly think we wouldn't notice what the PLAYER was doing? All you've done and gone through has earned you quite a bit of respect my little god killer." He said as he pat her head. "Determination like yours doesn't go without rewards." Chara seemed speechless. "I-okay... what?" She asked confused. The Man laughed. "Be aware Chara this is a onetime thing, I only just managed to save you from obliteration and it's going to affect your body. You will be reduced to a younger state, by how much I don't know, but given your several centuries old I imagine it won’t affect you much. Of course you'll have to recover your magic on your own so there is that." Chara nodded. "Okay, I understand... I think." She said. The Dweller nodded. "First off here's these." The Dweller said as he snapped his fingers and a Gaster Blaster and True Knife made of a black metal that looked like they had galaxies in them appeared. "These are the Radiant Incarnation and Harkonnen Incarnation versions of your True Knife and Gaster Blaster; they are made of Star Metal so it can be used to kill being such as us. Given you managed to defeat a Void Dweller I'm sure some will want to test you." He said calmly. Chara smiled as she took the knife and the Blaster vanished into her inventory. "I'm sure it will serve me will when I fight the next corrupted Soul." She said with a smile. The Dweller nodded. "Second I'm removing your ability to use the Black magic ritual: Extinction, that attack is far too powerful and we don't want you to cease to exist now do we?" Chara frowned and the Dweller chuckled. "Don't worry, I am replacing it with the White Magic Ritual: Annihilation; it has the same effect but rather than using your soul it only uses all your magic. It is less powerful because of this fact but it won't kill you, still only use it as a last resort." Chara nodded. "I will, don't plan on killing myself again. At least anytime soon." she said with a smirk receiving a chuckle from the dweller who nodded "Good, next is the Special attack False Deities Destruction, this is your reward for killing a Void Dweller. What it does you have to learn on your own however." He said with a smirk visible under the shadows of his hat. "Can't tell you everything after all.” Chara nodded. "Thanks, since my only Special Attack is effectively a suicide spell I could do with another." The Dweller nodded. "Be aware this is a onetime thing Chara Dreemurr, and Many Void Beings are now watching you." He said as he began to faid. Once the Dweller was gone Chara felt the sensation of falling and unceremoniously landed in a white void, as she groaned and sat up as a hand reached out to her. "Been a long time kiddo, how ya been?" A familiar voice asked. Chara looked up to see the man who she always net when she died. "Oh, so you're here too." She said with a groan as she grabbed the hand and was pulled up. "Gotta say I imagined you would of passed on or something by now." The Man shrugged. "Yeah well, I'd love to but I really can't. Like I told you a long time ago we're linked." He said as she looked around the empty space. "Every time you die I get brought here, when you're alive I kinda... don’t exist?" He said sounding a bit confused at the end. Chara looked at him curiously. "So what you just appear when I'm dead?" The Man shrugged. "Well, I died and was meant to be in your place but the PLAYER wasn’t fast enough to stop me form using the True Knife to cut the strings that bound me to you. As a result you got full control of what was once my body and I sorta just continued to exist in some sense, I missed one of the strings so I'm still kinda attached to you but I'm still me at the same time." Chara frowned. "I wonder..." She trailed off and pulled out the True Knife. As she did this several cut red strings appeared each one wrapped around one of his arms and legs, Chara had the same on her however there was a fifth string. The fifth string wrapped tightly around the mans and Charas neck and as Chara saw it she raised her knife and slashed cutting the string and causing all them to glow brightly before fading away. "Huh, that actually worked." She said in shock. As Chara cut the string the Man’s body began to glow and his clothes changed into silver armor, a cape and sword appeared on him as well. As the man looked down at himself in surprise she slow turned to Chara and bowed. "You have my eternal gratitude." He said with a smile. Chara nodded as the knife disappeared. "So what happens to you now?" She asked. The man shrugged. "I don't know, oh I never did give you my name did I?" He asked with a smile as he reached out his hand. "Name’s Kris Hughes." He said with a smile. Chara hesitated but shook the hand. "Guess you already know me but I'm Chara Dreemurr, nice to finally get a name." Kris smiled. "Hey don't worry well meet again, don't know where and I don't know when but I know we'll meet again one sunny day." He said with a smile. Chara frowned. "I hate that song." She muttered as the world began to break apart. Kris laughed. "Remember kid, reality is an illusion so you decide what it looks like." He said as the world shattered and Chara fell once more only to land on the floor with a thump and a groan. “Did someone get the number of that buss before it drove off?" She asked as she tried to stand only to fall to the ground anoint. "Fuck you Void Dweller giving me fucking Magic Exhaustion!" She yelled raising a hand in the air and showed the middle finger before passing out. Everyone simple stared at the unconscious body of Chara till a tall female goat in purple roves with the delta rune on them burst in from the elevator. “Where are my children!?” She screamed before seeing an unconscious Chara and crying Asriel. As soon as Asgore saw the monster his shoulder slumped. “Somehow I feel like I’m about to be blamed for this.” He said quietly before a massive fire ball blasted him back. “Knew it.” He said with a groan. > Chapter 26 - Moving Forward > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sans calmly walked through the halls of the castle heading for the small lab the princesses had allowed him to set up till Chara could get him clearance for the research facility by the mountain. As Sans turned down a random hall he saw a guard running down it and almost crashed into him till he lit them up in his magic. "Better slow down there buddy, otherwise you're gonna crack some skulls when you finally run into someone." He said with a smile. "Oh, thanks." The guards said before looking at the Sans and his eyes widening. "Are you Sans?" He asked. Sans smile grew. "Yup, that's what they call me. Names Sans, Sans the Skeleton." He said as he reached out a hand. "You know how to greet a new pal? You shake their hand or I guess in your case Hoof." He said with smile. The guard hesitated but took the offered hand only for a wet farting sound to happen causing the guard to draw back in shock and Sans to laugh. "Oh, that was priceless!" He said as he laughed and showed his hand. "The ol' whoopee cushion in the hand trick, gets em' every time." He said with a smile. The guard looked surprised before placing his hoof over his mouth as he tried not to laugh, after a minute he was able to recompose himself and looked at the skeleton. "The Princesses sent me to find you, apparently there's a big problem." He said receiving a nod from the skeleton. "Alright lead the way, tibia honest I'm still not too femur with this place and I don't wanna get lost when I could go to deep in the guts of this place, and I doubt the princesses would want me skullking around anymore than I have to." He said calmly. The guard nodded and Sans followed him till they reached the throne room where Sans nodded and entered to see Asriel, Papyrus, Arial, Undyne, Toriel and Asgore standing with the princesses. "Sup every one, what's going on?" He asked lazily as he went and joined his brother. "Ah Sans," Asgore said as he turned to the skeleton. "I’m glad you're here, we have a problem and I doubt I can state how series it is." Sans shrugged. "I'm guessing it's big given every important Monster is here." "Sans this is serious and given what I've seen you do while I was in the Void you can be serious when the situation calls for it." Undyne said calmly even though she was rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Undyne please, Sans just got here so at least let the princesses fill him in on the situation first." Papyrus said calmly. Undyne growled but looked away and nodded. As Undyne relented Celestia turned to Sans. "How much do you know about what Chara does?" She asked. Sans frowned and tilted his head back. "Well, she acts as a guard for the Princesses during court, is the director of the Canterhorn Research facility and oversee the research done at all scientific installations." Sans said calmly before looking at Asriel. "If I remember she does a few other things related to the guard like training but other than that I don't really know." Celestia nodded and Luna looked down sadly. "She does far more than that. She effectively manages the entire guards schedule, aside from overseeing all research done with in the Canterhorn Research facility she also works on privatized research for the crown, reviews all report from the nobles and works with us to determine and which proposals should be accepted, assist in negotiating diplomatic ties with other nations, oversee all guard details for the royal castle and palace, meets with Guard commanders and works on guard schedule..." Luna groaned and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "On top of that she has been working on two classified projects; the first is the partial reversal of what the Humans did to turn them into us and allow us to once one be bipedal, the second is getting Dr. Gaster out of the Void." As Luna finished listing all of Chara's known jobs most present seemed to simply stand there shocked aside from Frisk who sighed. "Honestly it's scary how alike you and her are Sans." She said drawing many of the Monsters out of their shock and causing them to turn to Sans. "Come on Kid, you really gonna do this now?” He asked in a tone that seemed to plead she not. "OH, you're not getting out of it this time dad!" Frisk said as she glared at Sans. "You work like five jobs! You’re a Sentry with your brother in Snowdin and the sentry at Hot Land and Waterfall too, you run a hot dog stand, work as a scientist in the Lab, and at night you do stand up comedy at Mettatons resort before going and working on the machine that Chara's been trying to fix." She said calmly getting surprised looks from every monster. "And that's not even mentioning that you’re a Judge of the Underground." She said calmly shocking almost all the monsters except for Asgore who simply looked down sadly. Sans sighed. "Can we focus on what we're here for?" He asked grumpily. Celestia nodded. "We needed to figure out what we are going to do till Chara waked from her..." Celestia turned to Sans. Sans sighed and nodded. "Right bad news first, at the moment Chara's soul is almost completely shattered, the only thing holding it together is her Hate and Determination." He said getting worried glances form everyone present. "The good news is that it's healing itself... slowly but still it's something." "Can it be accelerated?" Asgore asked receiving a shrug from Sans. "I don't know as much as my old man or Chara on Souls so I'm not sure." Sans said sadly. "However what I think is keeping her knocked out is the combined strain on her soul, body and magic." Sans continued. "She used a spell that should of killed her and it somehow didn't, I think something happened and... that's not exactly all I found out either. After I got back from the Void I ran a few Tests on Chara to get a base line, her stats were... pretty corrupted but from what I could tell she was a full on demon." "We already know this Sans," Celestia said somewhat annoyed. "We don't need you reminding us of that." Sans smiled. "I redid those tests and compared them, aside from low Magic and Determination level there was something very interesting going on." He said with a smile. "The Demonic traits she possessed are starting to reverse." Frisk frowned. "So is she reverting to a human?" She asked. Sans shook his head. "I'll need to monitor it but her Monster race has, or at least is, changing; where she was originally classified as a Demon she in now Classified as a Fallen Angel. It seems that someone or something has seen fit to give our princess a path to redemption." He explained shocking every one. "As shocking as this is we must focus on what to do till she wakes and it sounds like she won't for a while." Toriel finally said receiving a nod from Sans. "I propose we divide the duties she has among those capable of performing them." She proposed receiving nods of agreement from the others. "Luna and I can review the reports ourselves, Chara did make the work faster but we are capable of handling them." Celestia said calmly. "I can assist in the diplomatic side of things." Asgore said. "I was king after all and if we Monsters are to return to the surface it would be good to get some ties with nations aside from Equestria set up." "I'll help as much as I can." Frisk said to Asgore before turning to Sans. "Will you be taking over the Directorate till she is better?" Sans shrugged. "Sure, I know my way around a lab and I can fill in for a while. However any private research she's doing will be placed on hold, I'm not touching anything she's doing since I don't know what she does." Undyne smiled. "I call guard training instructor!" She yells before letting out an evil laugh. Arial sighed. "I guess I'll be oversee all guard details then. Asriel, I thrust you can handle any meetings with the guard commanders the guards schedule?" She asked receiving a nod from Asriel. "We normally coordinate those together so you'll be working with me." He said receiving a nod from the old Guard Captain "I think we have it all covered then, thank you for all your help." Celestia said with a smile as she bowed her head. Sans nodded before looking at Undyne. "If you need any help I'm sure my brother will be happy to assist ya." He said as he turned to leave only for Undyne to laugh. "If I need any help I'm calling you're lazy butt!" She said causing Sans to sigh and simply walk out with a backwards wave. Two weeks later Sans sighed as he leaned back in his chair, his legs on the table and an ever present smile on his face as he sat and listed to the ponies around him talk about the budget and what needed to be done. While Chara had been the Director she mostly worked as the Head Scientist of the Canterhorn Research facility. Sans seems to chuckle to himself as he closed his eyes and seemed to drift off. The Kiddo had grown into a fine young lady, but she seemed to have taken after him a little too well. It seemed that the Princesses and not even Asriel were fully aware of all Chara's responsibilities till ponies began coming to them with problems and requesting Chara to fix them. "Sir, I know this isn't exactly exciting work but we do still need you to at least listen." One of the Scientist said calmly. Sans sighed. "Honestly, you all know this is stuff better than me, you can do it on your own just fine." Sans said with a yawn. "I'm just here to sign off on anything official that you all can't." The Scientist sighed. "I suppose, how is Chara's Condition?" Sans's smile faded as he looked down." She's recovering but slowly." He said before rising from the chair. "I'm taking my break." He said as he walked out of the room. Frisk sat looking over the treaties and documents before her as Asgore sighed and signed another document. "The Minotaur’s wish to renegotiate the trade with Equestria and are requesting a diplomat to come from the Monster Kingdom do discuss any possible treaty and trade options." He said a she looked at Frisk who nodded. "They'll probably want to get a peace treaty or a treaty focusing on assistance in the event they need it." Frisk replied a she signed off on another document. "They’re easy to deal with since they don't like over complicated deals." Asgore nodded as he set the documents aside and picked up another one. "Why did you choose to live with the Skeletons?" He asked kindly as he continued to read. Frisk paused and looked at Asgore for a moment. "I did want to be a princess or anything like that, plus I knew that someday Chara and Asriel would come back and if that ever happened it would be pretty awkward since me and Chara had a thing for each other." Asgore frowned. "Not exactly, you would be adopted and not related by blood." He said calmly. Frisk growled. "Fine that was only part of the answer. The other part was that I didn't want to pick you or Toriel and cause problems, Sans was the best choice and given that both he and papyrus knew about and were unaffected by my Determination only gave me more reasons to live with them." Frisk leaned back in her chair as she looked off into the distances. "The Power of Determination, to go back in time and redo anything is not only a big responsibility but it can be very difficult to relate to others. Sans was able to help me a lot especially the nightmares I has after... all the times I went back because I died." Frisk shuddered and leaned back in her chair quickly wiping her eyes causing Asgore frowned. "Did you ever... give up?" He asked. Frisk was silent for a while till she looked down. "After I fought you a few times I broke... Sans managed to get me to his house and I stayed there for a few weeks." She said quietly. "After a while I went back and faced you again only to die, all those weeks were erased but Sans and Papyrus remembered them." Frisk laughed as she looked down." It's funny really, I guess even before I freed every one Sans was already pretty much my dad." Asgore nodded. "I see." He said a she looked down. "Frisk... if it's any consolation, I'm so sorry for what I put you through. I don't remember what happened before the PLAYER took control but after that... It was as if I was trapped in a nightmare, unable to stop myself or act out in any meaningful way. And I know I'm not the only Monster who feels this way, Undyne may not show it but she is very torn up about what she did, Toriel was so heart broken." Asgore sighed. "We comforted each other as best we could but in the end..." Asgore trailed off. "You think what you endured was even close to what I went through!?" Frisk asked as she slammed her fist into the table. "The only one to ever get it aside form Sans was Chara, she lived through the same shit I did, saw every death, every struggle, everything I went through she was the only one there to help!" She yelled angrily before she leaned back deflated and sighing again. "I never blamed you, any of you." She said causing Asgore to wince. "I knew you all did what you did to protect every monster. Besides it's all in the past now and Chara got rid of the PLAYER so it’s finally over. And knowing Chara, she made sure the job was done properly." Asgore nodded. "To think she was capable of such power." Asgore muttered as he shook his head and returned to the paper work however he still eyed Frisk with some concern. Frisk wasn’t prone to outbursts so something was wrong. Chara lay sleeping in a room of the Everfree castle, beside the bed Toriel sat tiredly looking over the young human. As she watched her child the door opened and the sound of hooves were heard causing Toriel to turn and see the princess beside her. "Hello Princess Celestia." Toriel said kindly. "Queen Toriel." Celestia responded with a nod as she sat down and looked at Chara. "How is Chara doing?" "The Doctor said she may wake up soon, her bodies recovered and all that's left is for her magic to stabilize." Toriel responded. Celestia nodded. "And what of her soul?" Toriel frowned. "I've had Dr. Alphys checking on it and it's healed well." Toriel said as she brushed her hands through Charas hair. "Sans was right, she's not a demon anymore." She said with a small smile. "Not all Demons are evil Queen Toriel." Celestia said with a smile that quickly morphed in to a frown. "Just as not all Angels are good." She said sadly. Toriel looked at Celestia with a dangerous glare. "I assume you are not referring to Frisk." She said coldly. Celestia shook her head. "No but perhaps we should discuss something I've noticed about her recently." Celestia responded as she looked away with a frown. "She seems to be rather... moody lately. She hides it rather well most of the time but there have been a few incidents recently where she has snapped at diplomats or broken down." Toriel frowned. "I'd imagen she is under a lot of stress with Chara still unconscious." Toriel said kindly. "They care greatly for one another." Celestia shook her head. "I've seen Frisk when she is stressed and she isn’t like then. When Frisk is stresses she normally goes and trains or perhaps she goes and reads; she always fin ds a way to destress." Celestia turned to the older monster in concern. "You know more about humans than I so will you help her?" Toriel frowned a she rubbed her chin in thought. "Well I don’t thin it’s anything magical in nature, I'll have Dr. Alphys look at her and run some tests, maybe that wi-" "You are not letting that monster near my wife!" Chara yelled cutting Toriel off and shocking both of the rulers as she shot up and glared at the old goat monster. "Chara!" Toriel yelled as she grabbed Chara and pulled her in to a hug. "OH, my child you're awake!" She cried and joy. Chara sat there in shock, her eyes wide as she slowly turned to look at the Goat holding her. "Mom...you're alive." She asked before tears began to flow and she pulled the larger monster into a hug. "You're really here and alive!" She cried out happily." "It's me my child, I'm here and so very proud of you." She said happily. Chara held the old goat monster tightly as she slowly began to cry thought he sobs were muffled by the robes Toriel wore. "It's alright my child; I'm here, all monsters are here." She said as she hugged Chara tighter. "You did it my child, you saved us all." "I missed you." Chara said happily as she pulled herself away and looked at Toriel with a smile. "So It really did work, we assumed it did when we saw Asgore alive but if you're here then it must have worked." She said still smiling. "It really did work." Toriel smiled kindly. "Had I known that all it took to wake you was mentioning Frisk I'd f done so much sooner." She said with a devious smirk. "Mom!" Chara groaned as she buried her fade in her hands causing Toriel and Celestia to chuckle. "How long was I out anyway?" She asked after she calmed down. "You've been out for two weeks Chara." Celestia said calmly. "And frankly I think that's as much as the guards can handle of... on what's her name?" She muttered. "Undyne, I think?" She asked receiving a nod from Toriel and a groan from Chara. "If Undyne is training the guard then I shudder to think how they survived." Chara said. "Undyne was trained by Gerson and my father in battle, I may be the more skilled warrior but Undyne has absolutely no restraint." Chara said before something seemed to hit her. "Wait... did you all say something was wrong with frisk?" She asked as she turned to look at the the two rulers her eyes glowing red as he looked at them. Several hours later Frisk sat grumpily in the hospital wing of the Everfree castle being looked over by Chara. "I swear I'm fine Chara." She said tiredly. "Frisk, as much as I want to say that yes you're fine in my medical opinion you are absolutely not fine." Chara said as she glared at her wife. "I go to sleep for two weeks and this shit happens, for once I'd like a quite century of nothing." She grumbled a she continued to run a few test. "Okay so let see; low magic, physical exhaustion, mood swings... oh god..." Chara's eyes widened as she looked at frisk and then back at the results before promptly fainting. Chara groaned as she came to and rubbed her head. "Ow..." She groaned as she sat up only to see a very worried Frisk and a particular skeleton who was wearing a more obnoxious than usual smile on his face. "So... You want to tell her or should I?" He asked. "Either way I can guaranty Frisk is going to kill you." Char gulped as frisk looked at Charas in concern. "What's wrong with me?" She asked Chara in fear. "Frisk... you're pregnant." Charta said calmly causing Frisk to go wide eyed in fear as Sans began to laugh. > Interlude 3: Fan Question & Answer Chapter > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Frisk and Chara are sitting together on a sofa, in front to of them is a table piled with questions and a Pegasus with bubbles for a cutie-mark. All of the questions are from fans, some of whom did what they were supposed to and posted their questions on the Blog while others sent theirs via PM like filthy sinners. Chara sighed. "Alright let’s get started then." Frisk picked up the first question. "From vortex123: If Frisk and Chara could fuse, what would you call the fusion? Would it be a fusion of the two names, or maybe something entirely different? Edit: This is for Frisk and Chara themselves." Frisk smiled. "Oh, Sans and Papyrus have a fused form, He calls himself Aster since that’s their last name so I guess if we fused we'd call ourselves Aster Dreemurr?" "What would be even look like fused?" Chara asked as she picked up the next Question. "From redsopine: chara if you could bring back anyone you have met who would it be” Chara frowns. "Well... no there's not. I was beaten, rapes and treated worse than a monster for years by humans. Other than Frisk all humans can go die for all I care." Chara said in anger as she grit her teeth till Frisk hugged them and pulled out the next question. "From Concordius Lord of Kaos: Do you know anything about the other timelines? (Asking both Chara and Frisk.)" Frisk frowned at the question while Chara sighed. "Depends on what knowledge you’re talking about." Chara said as clasped her hands together. "Frisk knows about the Pacifist, Neutral and Genocide timeline but if you mean the AU's and extended Undertale Multiverse then only me, Sans and Gaster know about them." "I've heard you mention that before, what are Au's?" Frisk asked causing Chara to sigh. "Moving on!" She said quickly as Frisk whined and crossed her arms pouting. "From Supershadic06: to frisk and chara what was your favorite thing about the underground?" Chara frowned. "The Ruins, before I died that was where Asriel and I lived and I’m a bit attatched to it." "Oh I liked Waterfall, it was so peaceful there." Frisk said with a smile before smirking. "Well, as long as Undyne was behaving." She said as she picked up the next question. "From Mitril: Do you know about X-Event? Beware what XGaster is planning and doing And whatever you do , do not trust Ink!Sans" Chara frowned. "Yes I know of the X-Event, such a tragic story for such wonderful characters." Chara said sadly. "As for Ink!Sans, depends on which version you meet. There are some really good Ink!Sans's out there and that one Ink!Papyrus who married their Frisk but then there are the ones like the X-Event Ink!Sans who I actually kinda the black sheep of the Ink!Sans. Thankfully this world has really strong borders and Our Creator actually has a Deal with ErrorSans so we're safe from the rest of the Multiverse. Of course this also means I can't send out a Token or contact other Displaced but that's fine." Chara shrugs and picks up the next question. "From vortex123: Chara, why were you so against Dr. Alphys running tests on Frisk? I think I have an idea on why, but I’d like to hear your reason." Chara winces. "Well I'd like to say it's mostly because of the Amalgamates but the truth is I don't actually trust Alphys. I mean she's a nice monster and all but she has a habit of meddling and experimenting with things she doesn't understand at all and it puts me on edge." Chara shuddered as she looked at Frisk. "Sans has the same reservations as I do about her and I'm not letting Alphys do anything to Frisk, I think I actually would trust X-Tale Gaster more than Alphys." "She's not that bad." Frisk said with a sigh as she picked up the next question. "Oh this is a good one; from Raven dove: If you could ask gaster one question that he would have to give you a honest answer to what would it be (chara & frisk)" "What the fuck happened with the eggs and sticky tape after I got my degree? I know you and Sans did something after I passed out drunk and the fact you both swore to never speak of it again is... concerning." Chara yelled before going red. "Also I want to know how the fuck I end up upside down in Muffet's’ bakery with spiders trying to sacrifice to her pet!?" She asked angrily. Frisk sat quite for a moment before smiling. "I'd want to know every drunken moment from Chara because she's such an adorable drunk." Chara blushed as she picked up the next question. "Oh this is for Undyne." She said before getting up and pulling the door open. "Hey Undyne you got a Question!" She yelled. "What do those punks want?" Undyne yells back. "The Questions from vortex123: Undyne, have you and Aaron ever had a flex off? If so, who won?" She yelled back however no answer came for moment before a groan was heard. "Tell them neither of us won because it was that stupid duck!" Undyne yelled causing Frisk the freeze up in fear. "Did you say the duck?" She asked in fear as a flashback played. Chara looks at a shaking frisk and frowns as she hugs her wife. "Stupid Elder gods." She mutters as she picks up the next question. "From Shadesplit: Is Chara afraid from spiders? Did the bad time line went over ...8442 TIMELINES And more ? To Undine ...? and befoure" Chara frowns as she looked at the question. "I'm not afraid of spiders but I really don’t like them... at all. Part of it has to down with hem trying to sacrifice me to Muffet's’ pet once." She said grumpily. "Now if you’re asking if the Genocide timelines happened more than 8442 times then yes. I don’t know how many of them happened but I can say with certainty that a conservative easement is around a few hundred million." She said before picking up the last question and looking it over. "If you're just now finding out about Sans's depression then you're way behind. He's doing much better as of late though seeing as we are free from the whims of the PLAYER forever." Authors Questions: The Author sits in a big green recliner not giving a single fuck as he scrolls through the questions he has been asked. "Okay so from jen_lee_hattie we got several questions. 1. Can the baby's names be maki (Japanese for true hope and a female name) and saki (blossom of hope in Japanese and is another female name)? 2. What is well happen after the babies birth? 3. When will doctor W.G gaster be released from the void? 4. Is this world still in canon timeline or has it divested from it? Edit: those are for the creator of the story.” The Author leans back and thinks for a moment before smiling. 1. Maybe, I don't really have named yet so I might do that unless I find some names from an AU that I like so I can tie in more AU's than I already have. 2. 3. before Nightmare Moon 4. Yes it is still Cannon, because this is before the cannon was fired! (Evil maniacal laughter because I can) The Author stops laughing and picks up the next question. "From SoulboundAlchemist: OK, so I know from the opening chapters that this is a kind of displaced fic. My question, is whether it will eventually allow for crossovers, like traditional displaced fics. On top of that, if you do decide to include the crossover element, what writers/fics should we expect for crossovers?" The Author looks out past the fourth wall and smiles. "There will be no Crossovers for the story, this was part of the agreement made with Errorsans. I can't allow crossovers in this world however one of my new stories will allow for crossovers. Not sure when it will be released but know I do plan to open one of my stories for crossover soon. And with that I'm proud to say that there are no more questions to answer. Thank you everyone who participated in this little event and I hope to see you in the next chapter!" > Announcement > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello everyone, today I have some sad news about this story that ultimately needs to be discussed. You see this story is a complete mess, this story was a Test story that I created and honestly never expected for it to take off like it did. I designed this story solely to field test my skills and as such it's riddled with contradicting plot lines and half finished plot hooks that make it completely broke in terms of a cohesive and consistent story. As such I'm going to be doing what I did with my first ever story, Return of the Reaper of Life. For those unaware Return of the Reaper of Life was my first story ever posted on this site and had severe problems that forced me to put it on hiatus shortly after finishing the first arc of the story however despite the hiatus status I've been editing it in the background as a sort of side project and it has proven to be a rather successful venture. So now I will be doing the same to this story. I plan tp clean the old chapters up and redo the entire story so that is is more cohesive and makes a far better over all narrative. Now since this story is going into Hiatus I will not be adding any new chapters until the rewrite is completed. This could be a rather long time as there are a lot of chapters and I will be editing ever single one of them. I sincerely apologize for the disappointment this will bring but I hope that you will return once the story receives a updated and more organized story that is befitting the viewership that it has received. Thank you all for your support of this story and I hope to see you all in a future chapter. Sincerely, Walter D. Arceaion