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In humble appreciation of Toby Fox’s indy smash-hit on its first anniversary, with respect and many happy memories. I know I'm late, but that's perfectly in character for me, huh?
Undertale is easily the best game of 2015, and that's coming from an incredibly discerning asshole of a gamer.

Thank you, Toby Fox, and all who contributed to the creation of the game that has captured my imagination, the imagination of my young nephew, and thousands around the globe.

Stay determined, folks.", "writing": "[center]Undertale Vignettes~[/center]\n\nIn appreciation of Toby Fox’s indy smash-hit on its first anniversary, with respect and many happy memories.\n\n[b]WARNING: Profound spoilers follow![/b]\n\n[i]If you do not know the identities of [i]Undertale[/i]’s final bosses or the plot in its entirety, don’t proceed! These scenes are writing exercises where I try to narrate moments of high drama in the story, and reveal huge spoilers -- and this is the ONE game I recommend you do NOT SPOIL. It also explores some theories and implications. Although I can’t stop you, this stuff is for fans of the game, and you should come back and check it out when you’ve played and finished this great game.[/i]\n\nObviously, this is how I perceived these moments and events, and the characters, and I just wanted to play around with them. \n\nComing soon: Befriending Undyne. (I was very late with this...)\n\n[center] *************************************************************************** [/center]\n\n\t\n\n\tThis time, it was different. Each time I went back, it was like waking from a dream I never remembered. But this time, it felt distant. Cold. Like I was an interloper in someone else’s dream, and wasn’t quite sure if I had woken up yet.\n\n\tWhen my eyes opened, I was surrounded by darkness. By nothing. A vast emptiness, as far as my eyes could see. I looked around, but there wasn’t even a glimmer of life anywhere. Of anything.\n\n\tI was standing, I supposed. When I looked down, it was just as if the nothingness was below me, even though it felt like I was stood upon a surface. I was standing on nothing.\n\n\tI called out. I called out for my friends, for anyone. But my cries were quickly swallowed by the darkness, with not even a solemn echo to testify I’d even tried.\n\n\tNothing else for it. I closed my eyes and tried to go back. I tried to go back to before -\n\n\tBut it was like hitting a wall. I couldn’t go. I felt like where I wanted to go was right there, I could just [i]feel[/i] it, but no matter how hard I wished and concentrated, when I opened my eyes again I was still alone in the empty void.\n\n\tI shook my head and tried again, scrunching my eyes shut tightly. Focusing.\n\n\tA moment later, an incredible surge of force shattered my concentration, like a huge, resounding [i]crash[/i] in my head! I winced and gasped aloud. It came again. I flinched. Finally, an incredible explosion went off between my ears, and a sound like a building collapsing followed. There was an indescribable [i]tearing[/i], and, suddenly, I could feel nothing. I couldn’t feel “back then” any more…\n\n\t“Howdy!”\n\n\tI slammed my eyes open. The sight that greeted me chilled me to my bones. Massive and distorted, as if by static, the face of that murderous flower loomed over me.\n\n\t“It’s me, Flowey!” he taunted me, voice shockingly loud. “Flowey the Flower.” I felt my hands clench into tight fists, glaring at the smug visage. “I owe you a huge thanks. You really did a number on that old fool. Without you, I never could’ve gotten past him.”\n\n\t… He’d killed the king. He’d killed Asgore. We were going to stop fighting, it was over! Nobody had to die! He’d-!\n\n\t“But now, with your help, he’s dead.” Flowey’s expression twisted into a vicious grimace. A maniacal, warped grin. A harsh burst of static made me jump. “And I’VE got the human souls! \n\n\t“Boy! I’ve been empty for so long. It feels great to have a soul inside me again. Mmm, I can feel them wriggling.”\n\n\tI felt myself shaking. I never felt so furious. Was nothing beneath this creature?! He’d just killed someone in cold-blood, and now he was laughing to me about it! Even stuck his tongue out at me, as if it was an amusing joke. Why was he - it - doing this?!\n\n\tHe grinned, noticing my expression. “Aww. You’re feeling left out, aren’t you?” he cooed. “Well, that’s just perfect. After all, I only have six souls. I still need one more.” He paused, letting his features fall into that disturbing leer; a face no human or monster could make. He growled out his next words in a tone dripping with arrogance and malice. “Before I become GOD! And then, with my newfound powers… Monsters. Humans. Everyone. I’ll show them all the real meaning of this world!”\n\n\tI wanted so much to scream at him. To ask him who the hell cared. But I was too angry to splutter a single word.\n\n\tHe laughed, a high-pitched giggle that seemed to echo into the darkness around us. “Oh,” he added, smirking down at me. “And forget about escaping to your old SAVE FILE. It’s gone forever.” Save file? Like a video game? Did he mean, ‘back then’?\n\n\tSo I couldn’t go back at all.\n\n\t“But don’t worry. Your old friend Flowey has worked out a replacement for you!” He looked down at me hungrily, baring monstrous, spear-like teeth. “I’ll save over your death. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces! Over, and over, and over…”\n\n\tWithout even thinking, I stepped forward. Shaking all over. I deliberately reached for the knife in my pocket, gripping it by its weathered hilt…\n\n\tFlowey paused. Nonplussed. “... what?” he asked. “Do you really think you can stop me?”\n\n\tI had no idea. I didn’t care at this point. No way was I going to back down now. I’d come so far, and I knew exactly what I had to do. If I didn’t stop him now, not only would every single one of my friends down here die, but nothing would stop him from wiping out the surface world either.\n\n\t“... hee hee hee!” Flowey smiled at me. Condescending, smugly tolerant, like I was a child. … No. Something else. Understanding?\n\n\t“You really ARE an idiot.”\n\n\tA massive form took shape in the darkness. A twisting mass of thorny vines, some as thick as tree-trunks, some as sharp and pointed as thorns, coalesced from nothing. And a huge, alien parody of a face. Exuding an unfathomable power that made my skin tingle. My heart stopped. \n\n\tThe horror towered gigantic over me. Four watery, undulating eyes, each one far bigger than my own body, locked onto mine, and an excited laugh rang out into the void. The familiar face I had been talking to was revealed to be an image on a huge and bizarrely out-of-place screen. A television screen embedded in the abomination’s green flesh.\n\n\tThe knife felt cold in my fist, but I clenched it tighter. I glared right back at those huge eyes. I held onto everything that had got me this far. I had to believe I could win; for some reason, I did believe that!\n\n\t\n\n--\n\n\t\n\n\tAll of a sudden, it was over. The cacophony ended. \n\n\tWhen the light faded and I could open my eyes, I found myself at the exit once again, knife in my shaking hand. My feet on the cold, hard stone, and naught but starlight eking passage through the invisible barrier.\n\n\tA chill wind howled through the rocks, eerie and harrowing. Aside from my own heavy breathing, there was no other sound.\n\n\tIt took me a moment to see it. The flower, wilted and drooping in defeat, a few steps from me at most. Petals torn. Stem splintered. I held my breath, my throat was painfully dry, and my fingers tightened around the worn hilt. I knew I should end this.\n\n\tBut I couldn’t. Looking at the pathetic creature -- It wasn’t right.\n\n\t“What are you doing?” Flowey murmured, twisting his stalk to shoot me a sidelong glare. “Do you really think I’ve [i]learned anything[/i] from this? … No.”\n\n\tI swallowed. And firmly put the knife in my pocket. \n\n\t“Sparing me won’t change anything. Killing me is the only way to end this.”\n\n\tWhy? Why did he want me to kill? To kill him? Why was it so important for me to accept his messed up ideals? Would that make him feel better, was that what this was about?\n\n\tIt didn’t feel right.\n\n\tHe looked right at me, his vaguely human face twisting into a mocking leer. “If you let me live,” he quavered, rage and threat dripping from every word, “I’ll come back.”\n\n\tI stood still. \n\n\t“I’ll kill everyone.”\n\n\tI folded my arms, and shook my head. \n\n\tHe was no threat any more. Like this, I –\n\n\tI felt pity for him.\n\n\t“I’ll kill everyone you love!” His expression warped into a deranged grimace. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I didn’t have to.\n\n\t“... Why?” His face fell. “... Why are you being… so nice to me?” He stared at me, lost. What had been a threatening glare moments ago had become a look of unutterable confusion and anguish. “I can’t understand.”\n\n\tA pang of sadness hit me. He really didn’t get it. He really thought that, deep down, I’d be like him. He [i]needed[/i] me to be like him.\n\n\t“I can’t understand!” It was almost a plea. “I just [i]can’t understand[/i]!!”\n\n\tWith a choked cry, Flowey the Flower, the horror that had stalked me every step of the way since I first fell down here, receded into the ground. Pulled itself down through the very stone and fled.\n\n\tI took a deep breath.\n\n\tThen I fell to my knees on that same stoney floor, hot tear blurring my vision. I let out my own sob, unable to keep it at bay. The knife fell from my pocket, and the mysterious locket dangled awkwardly from my neck as I cried. And cried. And cried.\n\n\tIt was all too much. Too much. What was going on?!\n\n\tThat damn flower, he’d stolen my only chance to go home. I had to go back. I had to try again. How long would this go on?\n\n\tI had to stay determined...\n\n\t\n\n--\n\n\t\n\nDarkness. Again. Different this time, colder somehow.\n\nBut like last time, I was bemused and, seemingly, alone. I spun around, looking wildly for anyone, some sign of life. My friends. That monstrous flower. Anything. The void around me was as heavy and oppressive as it had been before, strangely smothering in its emptiness.\n\nNobody. Nothing. The darkness expanded into infinity.\n\n \tI turned back, and flinched. Someone was there, where I was sure there was nobody before -- but it wasn’t Flowey. \n\n\tThe diminutive figure was facing the other way, rolling its shoulders. Heaving them slightly. I couldn’t tell if it was laughing or crying. It was clad in a yellow-and-green striped pullover similar to my own and some simple pants, and even from behind I could see it was the same as Toriel and Asgore; white furry paws were uncovered by shoes or gloves, and sleek, velvety ears drooped to frame its head. But it was even smaller than I was.\n\n\t“Finally,” I heard it speak, in a voice heavy with relief. Was it a boy? He sounded my own age… “I was so tired of being a flower.”\n\n\t… A flower?\n\n\tThe monster boy turned to me. A smile on his face, his expressive eyes sought mine and held them tight. A bittersweet joy seemed to sparkle deep within them, and I felt strange.\n\n\tA young face so wistful, one I’d never seen before, but so powerfully familiar. It was disturbing, but at the same time comforting. \n\n\tHe looked like Toriel and Asgore. Could he-?! \n\n\t“Howdy!” he addressed me then, smiling warmly. “... Chara?” \n\n\tThat name again. I stared, bewildered.\n\n\t“It’s me.” He blinked, touching himself on the chest. “Your best friend.”\n\n\tA sudden, indescribable force surged, seemingly coming from the monster boy himself. Like a hurricane, it almost blew me off my feet. I covered my face from the blinding flash.\n\n\tIt lasted a split second. When I could see again, the monster boy was gone. And what floated before me was-! \n\n\t[i]It’s the end[/i], the voice said. Weary. Sad. [color=#d3d7cf]* Stop...[/color]\n\n\tAgape, I stared. Suddenly, I had no doubts about who this was. It was like I knew right from the start. I could feel the overwhelming and oppressive power of countless souls washing over me like I was facing a brilliant sun, a searing star in the darkness that had swallowed the Underground.\n\n\tI could barely move!\n\n\t… No. I wouldn’t back down now. I faced every challenge up til now with everything I had, with nothing but my hopes and dreams! My friends were counting on me! And you, too! I know you are. … I know you are. Whoever you are. And maybe he was too. \n\nFor the future of everyone, I would stay determined. I was gonna SAVE everyone, because I was the only one who could.\n\n\tAfter everything, the true final battle was finally beginning! \n\n* … [color=#d3d7cf]I was wrong… Don’t do this. Mom. Dad… [/color]\n\n\t\n\n--\n\n\t\n\n\t[color=white]*[/color] I counted them. My steps down the grand hallway. Each echoing footfall on the polished tiles. Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two. \n\nEach time I heard the sound, against the stark silence, I was reminded of how alone I was. The only truth in a world of dust and ghosts. Charades and travesties I’d been forced to endure for what felt like eons, repeat showings of a pointless play.\n\n\tBut not anymore. I was writing the script now.\n\n\tTwenty-five. Twenty-six. \n\n… Now.\n\n\t“Heya.” \n\n\tI stopped and raised my gaze. There he was. Smiling inanely. That comedian.\n\n\t“You’ve been busy, huh?” \n\n\tI said nothing. There was nothing to say. Facing him, he felt real. He was in my way.\n\n\t“So, I’ve got a question for ya.” The ridiculous skeleton, clad in his snow-jacket and slippers, shot me a look. Even now, I couldn’t quite read it. It was lonely. Resigned. But yet, he stood resolutely in my way. “Do you think even the worst person can change? That everybody can be a good person, if they just try?”\n\n\tWhat a stupid question. I’d learned that from all the time I had been nothing but a spectator, watching [i]him[/i], that spineless coward, flit around like an IDIOT, until he finally understood what I had been telling him all along! What I told him that day.\n\n\tIt’s kill or be killed. Good person. Bad person. None of that matters. Nothing matters. It doesn’t even mean anything in the end.\n\n\tFixing my gaze on the obstacle, I took a step forward. A familiar hunger driving me forward. This was all that mattered.\n\n\tHe chuckled, looking utterly at ease. The skeleton looked down for a brief moment, and when he glanced back at me, his pupils had vanished entirely. An eyeless stare that seemed to look right through me.\n\n\t“All right,” he piped, tone jovial. “Well, here’s a better question. Do you wanna have a bad time? ‘Cause if you take another step forward, you are REALLY not gonna like what happens next.”\n\n\tI stepped closer.\n\n\tSans murmured something under his breath, looking perfectly sanguine. “It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming… On days like these, kids like you?” Suddenly, it was like reality itself skipped a beat. I whirled on my heels, bringing my knife to bear on the skeleton that was now behind me.\n\n\t… Still. How?\n\n\t“Should be burning in Hell.”\n\n\tThen came the onslaught. A storm of whirling bones and blasts of soul-reaping energy, cold as death itself. Appropriate. But I was ready for it, and smirked as I handily dodged every blow -- for all his seeming magic and mystery, he was still a slave to the chains of time. Predictable.\n\n\tAs he started muttering about ‘using strongest attacks first’ I leaped and slashed, right at his grinning face. He slipped to the side. I missed.\n\n\tWe stood there, facing each other amongst the looming pillars. The knife felt warm and solid in my hand, and that queer burning eye glowed in my opponent’s thick head again. Unblinking, it seemed to blaze with determination to rival my own.\n\n\tI felt alive.\n\n“What,” he taunted me, “you think I’m just gonna stand there and take it?”\n\nA smile crept onto my face. \n\n… No. I had been hoping for much more than that. This gormless boneman was the reason I was here. Again. Just a meaningless diversion.\n\nHow I would have loved to see his face when I told him that. To laugh as he fell to the ground as a pile of ‘amusing’ dust, just like his stupid brother. Who, in his brainlessness, had just stood there and ‘taken it’. But now wasn’t the time for talking. He was doing enough for the both of us. \n\n\tAnd what would be the point in talking to just another hollow actor in this play?\n\n\t\n\n------\n\n\t\n“Wh-what did you do? What’s this feeling?! … No. NO! I don’t need anybody!”\n* …\n“STOP IT! Get away from me! Do you hear me?! I’ll tear you apart!!”\n* …\n“... Chara, do you know why I’m doing this…? Why I keep fighting to keep you around?”\n* … [color=#babdb6]?[/color]\n“I’m doing this because you’re [i]special[/i], Chara. You’re the only one that understands me. You’re the only one who’s any fun to play with anymore.”\n* … [color=#d3d7cf]Asriel…[/color]\n“No. That’s not just it. I… I... I’m doing this because I [i]care[/i] about you, Chara! I care about you more than anybody else!”\n* ... [color=#d3d7cf]I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… Stop…[/color]\n“I’m not ready for this to end. \nI’m not ready for you to leave. \nI’m not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…”\n\n* … [color=#d3d7cf]Please, hold on. You reminded[/color] [color=#babdb6]me of everything. You taught me to feel again. I know you can do the same for him. Even like this, he can’t beat us together.[/color]\n\n* Think about why you're here now! Frisk, please. Stay determined… [color=red][i]and[/i] [b]SAVE[/b][color=red] [i]my brother[/i]![/color]", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
Undertale Vignettes~


In appreciation of Toby Fox’s indy smash-hit on its first anniversary, with respect and many happy memories.

WARNING: Profound spoilers follow!

If you do not know the identities of Undertale’s final bosses or the plot in its entirety, don’t proceed! These scenes are writing exercises where I try to narrate moments of high drama in the story, and reveal huge spoilers -- and this is the ONE game I recommend you do NOT SPOIL. It also explores some theories and implications. Although I can’t stop you, this stuff is for fans of the game, and you should come back and check it out when you’ve played and finished this great game.

Obviously, this is how I perceived these moments and events, and the characters, and I just wanted to play around with them.

Coming soon: Befriending Undyne. (I was very late with this...)

***************************************************************************


\t

\tThis time, it was different. Each time I went back, it was like waking from a dream I never remembered. But this time, it felt distant. Cold. Like I was an interloper in someone else’s dream, and wasn’t quite sure if I had woken up yet.

\tWhen my eyes opened, I was surrounded by darkness. By nothing. A vast emptiness, as far as my eyes could see. I looked around, but there wasn’t even a glimmer of life anywhere. Of anything.

\tI was standing, I supposed. When I looked down, it was just as if the nothingness was below me, even though it felt like I was stood upon a surface. I was standing on nothing.

\tI called out. I called out for my friends, for anyone. But my cries were quickly swallowed by the darkness, with not even a solemn echo to testify I’d even tried.

\tNothing else for it. I closed my eyes and tried to go back. I tried to go back to before -

\tBut it was like hitting a wall. I couldn’t go. I felt like where I wanted to go was right there, I could just feel it, but no matter how hard I wished and concentrated, when I opened my eyes again I was still alone in the empty void.

\tI shook my head and tried again, scrunching my eyes shut tightly. Focusing.

\tA moment later, an incredible surge of force shattered my concentration, like a huge, resounding crash in my head! I winced and gasped aloud. It came again. I flinched. Finally, an incredible explosion went off between my ears, and a sound like a building collapsing followed. There was an indescribable tearing, and, suddenly, I could feel nothing. I couldn’t feel “back then” any more…

\t“Howdy!”

\tI slammed my eyes open. The sight that greeted me chilled me to my bones. Massive and distorted, as if by static, the face of that murderous flower loomed over me.

\t“It’s me, Flowey!” he taunted me, voice shockingly loud. “Flowey the Flower.” I felt my hands clench into tight fists, glaring at the smug visage. “I owe you a huge thanks. You really did a number on that old fool. Without you, I never could’ve gotten past him.”

\t… He’d killed the king. He’d killed Asgore. We were going to stop fighting, it was over! Nobody had to die! He’d-!

\t“But now, with your help, he’s dead.” Flowey’s expression twisted into a vicious grimace. A maniacal, warped grin. A harsh burst of static made me jump. “And I’VE got the human souls!

\t“Boy! I’ve been empty for so long. It feels great to have a soul inside me again. Mmm, I can feel them wriggling.”

\tI felt myself shaking. I never felt so furious. Was nothing beneath this creature?! He’d just killed someone in cold-blood, and now he was laughing to me about it! Even stuck his tongue out at me, as if it was an amusing joke. Why was he - it - doing this?!

\tHe grinned, noticing my expression. “Aww. You’re feeling left out, aren’t you?” he cooed. “Well, that’s just perfect. After all, I only have six souls. I still need one more.” He paused, letting his features fall into that disturbing leer; a face no human or monster could make. He growled out his next words in a tone dripping with arrogance and malice. “Before I become GOD! And then, with my newfound powers… Monsters. Humans. Everyone. I’ll show them all the real meaning of this world!”

\tI wanted so much to scream at him. To ask him who the hell cared. But I was too angry to splutter a single word.

\tHe laughed, a high-pitched giggle that seemed to echo into the darkness around us.  “Oh,” he added, smirking down at me. “And forget about escaping to your old SAVE FILE. It’s gone forever.” Save file? Like a video game? Did he mean, ‘back then’?

\tSo I couldn’t go back at all.

\t“But don’t worry. Your old friend Flowey has worked out a replacement for you!” He looked down at me hungrily, baring monstrous, spear-like teeth. “I’ll save over your death. So you can watch me tear you to bloody pieces! Over, and over, and over…”

\tWithout even thinking, I stepped forward. Shaking all over. I deliberately reached for the knife in my pocket, gripping it by its weathered hilt…

\tFlowey paused. Nonplussed. “... what?” he asked. “Do you really think you can stop me?”

\tI had no idea. I didn’t care at this point. No way was I going to back down now. I’d come so far, and I knew exactly what I had to do. If I didn’t stop him now, not only would every single one of my friends down here die, but nothing would stop him from wiping out the surface world either.

\t“... hee hee hee!” Flowey smiled at me. Condescending, smugly tolerant, like I was a child. … No. Something else. Understanding?

\t“You really ARE an idiot.”

\tA massive form took shape in the darkness. A twisting mass of thorny vines, some as thick as tree-trunks, some as sharp and pointed as thorns, coalesced from nothing. And a huge, alien parody of a face. Exuding an unfathomable power that made my skin tingle. My heart stopped.

\tThe horror towered gigantic over me. Four watery, undulating eyes, each one far bigger than my own body, locked onto mine, and an excited laugh rang out into the void. The familiar face I had been talking to was revealed to be an image on a huge and bizarrely out-of-place screen. A television screen embedded in the abomination’s green flesh.

\tThe knife felt cold in my fist, but I clenched it tighter. I glared right back at those huge eyes. I held onto everything that had got me this far. I had to believe I could win; for some reason, I did believe that!

\t

--

\t

\tAll of a sudden, it was over. The cacophony ended.

\tWhen the light faded and I could open my eyes, I found myself at the exit once again, knife in my shaking hand. My feet on the cold, hard stone, and naught but starlight eking passage through the invisible barrier.

\tA chill wind howled through the rocks, eerie and harrowing. Aside from my own heavy breathing, there was no other sound.

\tIt took me a moment to see it. The flower, wilted and drooping in defeat, a few steps from me at most. Petals torn. Stem splintered. I held my breath, my throat was painfully dry, and my fingers tightened around the worn hilt. I knew I should end this.

\tBut I couldn’t. Looking at the pathetic creature -- It wasn’t right.

\t“What are you doing?” Flowey murmured, twisting his stalk to shoot me a sidelong glare. “Do you really think I’ve learned anything from this? … No.”

\tI swallowed. And firmly put the knife in my pocket.

\t“Sparing me won’t change anything. Killing me is the only way to end this.”

\tWhy? Why did he want me to kill? To kill him? Why was it so important for me to accept his messed up ideals? Would that make him feel better, was that what this was about?

\tIt didn’t feel right.

\tHe looked right at me, his vaguely human face twisting into a mocking leer. “If you let me live,” he quavered, rage and threat dripping from every word, “I’ll come back.”

\tI stood still.

\t“I’ll kill everyone.”

\tI folded my arms, and shook my head.

\tHe was no threat any more. Like this, I –

\tI felt pity for him.

\t“I’ll kill everyone you love!” His expression warped into a deranged grimace. But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I didn’t have to.

\t“... Why?” His face fell. “... Why are you being… so nice to me?” He stared at me, lost. What had been a threatening glare moments ago had become a look of unutterable confusion and anguish. “I can’t understand.”

\tA pang of sadness hit me. He really didn’t get it. He really thought that, deep down, I’d be like him. He needed me to be like him.

\t“I can’t understand!” It was almost a plea. “I just can’t understand!!”

\tWith a choked cry, Flowey the Flower, the horror that had stalked me every step of the way since I first fell down here, receded into the ground. Pulled itself down through the very stone and fled.

\tI took a deep breath.

\tThen I fell to my knees on that same stoney floor, hot tear blurring my vision. I let out my own sob, unable to keep it at bay. The knife fell from my pocket, and the mysterious locket dangled awkwardly from my neck as I cried. And cried. And cried.

\tIt was all too much. Too much. What was going on?!

\tThat damn flower, he’d stolen my only chance to go home. I had to go back. I had to try again. How long would this go on?

\tI had to stay determined...

\t

--

\t

Darkness. Again. Different this time, colder somehow.

But like last time, I was bemused and, seemingly, alone. I spun around, looking wildly for anyone, some sign of life. My friends. That monstrous flower. Anything. The void around me was as heavy and oppressive as it had been before, strangely smothering in its emptiness.

Nobody. Nothing. The darkness expanded into infinity.

 \tI turned back, and flinched. Someone was there, where I was sure there was nobody before -- but it wasn’t Flowey.

\tThe diminutive figure was facing the other way, rolling its shoulders. Heaving them slightly. I couldn’t tell if it was laughing or crying. It was clad in a yellow-and-green striped pullover similar to my own and some simple pants, and even from behind I could see it was the same as Toriel and Asgore; white furry paws were uncovered by shoes or gloves, and sleek, velvety ears drooped to frame its head. But it was even smaller than I was.

\t“Finally,” I heard it speak, in a voice heavy with relief. Was it a boy? He sounded my own age… “I was so tired of being a flower.”

\t… A flower?

\tThe monster boy turned to me. A smile on his face, his expressive eyes sought mine and held them tight. A bittersweet joy seemed to sparkle deep within them, and I felt strange.

\tA young face so wistful, one I’d never seen before, but so powerfully familiar. It was disturbing, but at the same time comforting.

\tHe looked like Toriel and Asgore. Could he-?!

\t“Howdy!” he addressed me then, smiling warmly. “... Chara?”

\tThat name again. I stared, bewildered.

\t“It’s me.” He blinked, touching himself on the chest. “Your best friend.”

\tA sudden, indescribable force surged, seemingly coming from the monster boy himself. Like a hurricane, it almost blew me off my feet. I covered my face from the blinding flash.

\tIt lasted a split second. When I could see again, the monster boy was gone. And what floated before me was-!

\tIt’s the end, the voice said. Weary. Sad.  * Stop...

\tAgape, I stared. Suddenly, I had no doubts about who this was. It was like I knew right from the start. I could feel the overwhelming and oppressive power of countless souls washing over me like I was facing a brilliant sun, a searing star in the darkness that had swallowed the Underground.

\tI could barely move!

\t… No. I wouldn’t back down now. I faced every challenge up til now with everything I had, with nothing but my hopes and dreams! My friends were counting on me! And you, too! I know you are. … I know you are. Whoever you are. And maybe he was too.

For the future of everyone, I would stay determined. I was gonna SAVE everyone, because I was the only one who could.

\tAfter everything, the true final battle was finally beginning!

* … I was wrong… Don’t do this. Mom. Dad…

\t

--

\t

\t* I counted them. My steps down the grand hallway. Each echoing footfall on the polished tiles. Twenty. Twenty-one. Twenty-two.

Each time I heard the sound, against the stark silence, I was reminded of how alone I was. The only truth in a world of dust and ghosts. Charades and travesties I’d been forced to endure for what felt like eons, repeat showings of a pointless play.

\tBut not anymore. I was writing the script now.

\tTwenty-five. Twenty-six.

… Now.

\t“Heya.”

\tI stopped and raised my gaze. There he was. Smiling inanely. That comedian.

\t“You’ve been busy, huh?”

\tI said nothing. There was nothing to say. Facing him, he felt real. He was in my way.

\t“So, I’ve got a question for ya.” The ridiculous skeleton, clad in his snow-jacket and slippers, shot me a look. Even now, I couldn’t quite read it. It was lonely. Resigned. But yet, he stood resolutely in my way. “Do you think even the worst person can change? That everybody can be a good person, if they just try?”

\tWhat a stupid question. I’d learned that from all the time I had been nothing but a spectator, watching him, that spineless coward, flit around like an IDIOT, until he finally understood what I had been telling him all along! What I told him that day.

\tIt’s kill or be killed. Good person. Bad person. None of that matters. Nothing matters. It doesn’t even mean anything in the end.

\tFixing my gaze on the obstacle, I took a step forward. A familiar hunger driving me forward. This was all that mattered.

\tHe chuckled, looking utterly at ease. The skeleton looked down for a brief moment, and when he glanced back at me, his pupils had vanished entirely. An eyeless stare that seemed to look right through me.

\t“All right,” he piped, tone jovial. “Well, here’s a better question. Do you wanna have a bad time? ‘Cause if you take another step forward, you are REALLY not gonna like what happens next.”

\tI stepped closer.

\tSans murmured something under his breath, looking perfectly sanguine. “It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing. Flowers are blooming… On days like these, kids like you?” Suddenly, it was like reality itself skipped a beat. I whirled on my heels, bringing my knife to bear on the skeleton that was now behind me.

\t… Still. How?

\t“Should be burning in Hell.”

\tThen came the onslaught. A storm of whirling bones and blasts of soul-reaping energy, cold as death itself. Appropriate. But I was ready for it, and smirked as I handily dodged every blow -- for all his seeming magic and mystery, he was still a slave to the chains of time. Predictable.

\tAs he started muttering about ‘using strongest attacks first’ I leaped and slashed, right at his grinning face. He slipped to the side. I missed.

\tWe stood there, facing each other amongst the looming pillars. The knife felt warm and solid in my hand, and that queer burning eye glowed in my opponent’s thick head again. Unblinking, it seemed to blaze with determination to rival my own.

\tI felt alive.

“What,” he taunted me, “you think I’m just gonna stand there and take it?”

A smile crept onto my face.

… No. I had been hoping for much more than that. This gormless boneman was the reason I was here. Again. Just a meaningless diversion.

How I would have loved to see his face when I told him that. To laugh as he fell to the ground as a pile of ‘amusing’ dust, just like his stupid brother. Who, in his brainlessness, had just stood there and ‘taken it’. But now wasn’t the time for talking. He was doing enough for the both of us.

\tAnd what would be the point in talking to just another hollow actor in this play?

\t

------

\t
“Wh-what did you do? What’s this feeling?! … No. NO! I don’t need anybody!”
* …
“STOP IT! Get away from me! Do you hear me?! I’ll tear you apart!!”
* …
“... Chara, do you know why I’m doing this…? Why I keep fighting to keep you around?”
* … ?
“I’m doing this because you’re special, Chara. You’re the only one that understands me. You’re the only one who’s any fun to play with anymore.”
* … Asriel…
“No. That’s not just it. I… I... I’m doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care about you more than anybody else!”
* ... I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… Stop…
“I’m not ready for this to end.
I’m not ready for you to leave.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again…”

* … Please, hold on. You reminded me of everything. You taught me to feel again. I know you can do the same for him. Even like this, he can’t beat us together.

* Think about why you're here now! Frisk, please. Stay determined… and SAVE my brother!", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Undertale Vignettes~", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "0", "rating_name": "General", "ratings": [], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "4", "views": "358" }