Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Monsters were being counted and names collected. Every citizen of the Underground kingdom had been called to Hotland for evacuation. Something about a killer shambling about, reducing every living thing in their path to dust. Very, very few monsters remained at their homes or stores; most had heeded the call and records checked to determine who may not have made it. Deeper underground, in a dreary lab hidden underneath the Royal Scientist's lab.

"D-dammit, Asgore, pick up!" Alphys whined, punctuated by a groan and tossing her phone on her desk a few seconds later. Looking back up at the large screen, witnessing an intense battle with high stakes between the human killer and the Captain of the Royal Guard, Undyne. She had taken a hit many, many uncounted minutes before now, and then underwent a transformation fueled by determination, and was faster and stronger than she had ever been before. But unfortunately, the human locked in combat with the captain was matching her just fine. "P-please don't die, Undyne..." the yellow reptiliane monster whispered.

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The two fighters skidded backwards on their feet, dust and dirt scattering into the air. Now at a decent distance from one another, the two panted deeply from exhaustion. This was a hell of a fight.

This thing, they're...something else, Undyne's voice rang in her head. It SUCKS that they're a merciless killer, or...no, can't dwell, I have to FINISH THIS!!

What a battle! This is what I've been looking for, what a rush, the human thought, trying to catch their breath. After a few seconds, they rushed each other and clashed fiercely, sparks and magic scattering about. Both sides feverishly dodging and tanking blows, a deadly dance of steel and energy. One side on this duel had to give eventually, neither could keep it up forever.

After many more minutes passed, one side had at last succumbed to the battle. The child had leapt backwards several feet. Their knees gave out as soon as both feet touched the ground and they fell to their hands and knees, deeply inhaling and exhaling from the clash in which they had emerged victorious. They glanced up to find their opponent unmoving. They noticed they started melting too...? That was awfully new, everything they had killed up to this point turned to dust, not a liquid?

"Damn it... So even THAT power... It wasn't enough...?" Undyne choked out. Flashing the human a grin, she continued, "Heh... Heheheh... If you... If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong. Cause I've...got my friends behind me. Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you... And if anything went wrong, she would...evacuate everyone."

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A blue birdlike monster stood with a clipboard in front of one of the lines. Martlet had been rattling off names for Angel only knows how long. She'd managed to get herself assigned to the Wild East registry, which was perfect because she wanted to make sure her friends there were okay. She'd already gotten with Dalv and knew he was safe, having personally accompanied him to Dr. Alphys' lab in Hotland. From the look of it, her friends would be in front of her soon.

The tan and orange kitsune gave Martlet a small smile. "It's a relief to know you made it here safe, Martlet," she said to the bird, pulling her in for a hug that was happily reciprocated.

"It's great to see you too, Ceroba!" Martlet chimed, before averting her gaze slightly and seeing the yellow monster with a star for a head with green marks on the tips and glasses covering his eyes. "Starlo! I'm so glad you made it too!" He grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Howdy, Feathers! We're glad to see ya too," Starlo greeted back. "Looks like all of us are here and in one piece," he sighed with relief.

Martlet looked at her clipboard, back at her two friends, then began to glance around. She didn't see them, but they WERE on the list of names. So...where were they? She felt a bit of anxiety bubble up inside her, but as their caretaker and effectively their "parents", she had to ask. "Uh...where's Clover?" Starlo and Ceroba donned shocked expressions and began to look around in panic. Clover, their adopted human child, was nowhere to be seen.

"Clover!?" "Clover, where are ya, pardner?!" the two called in unison. "We gotta find 'em, c'mon!" Starlo directed to Martlet and Ceroba. The trio split up and began combing the entirety of the underground facility to look for their beloved friend and child.

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Clover had managed to slip away from Ceroba and Starlo as soon as Martlet was in view. Nobody had really paid them any mind, as Dina, Blackjack, and the Feistyj Four were all ahead of their little family in line.
At last, Clover had come to the hall leading straight to the elevator. They had to do this. They could feel their SOUL burning for JUSTICE to be served for the innocent monsters that were slain in the last handful of hours. Just before they crossed the doorway leading into the elevator, they felt a familiar presence. One they hadn't felt since their own journey in the underground.

"Howdy!" greeted a chipper voice from behind them. Yep. Clover knew exactly who it was.

"Shoulda known you'd show up," Clover sighed, slowly turning around to look at the smile on their visitor's face. "Whaddaya want, Flowey?"

Flowey the flower's smile faded slightly, "Now is that any way to greet an old pal? I just wanted to come check up on you!," he replied with a slight edge to his voice that nobody other than Clover would have noticed.

"We ain't friends, Flowey," Clover responded firmly. Both stood starting at each other for a few moments. Finally, Flowey started laughing.

"Now, why would you say that? After all we've been through as best friends?" Flowey asked after catching his breath. Clover sighed and shook his head, turning completely to face Flowey directly.

"Because I remember everything," Clover answered simply. Echoes of no-longer-existing timelines haunted them. "Best of all, she thought YOU betrayed her in the end!" "Life's all about the thrill! How fun your experiences are!" "After all, in this world...IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED"

Flowey wore a "worried" expression on his face before. "What do you mean buddy? I should hope you remember every-"

"You pierced Martlet with your vine on the hotel roof and killed her. Really pushed ya to the limit that 'run', ya said," Clover cut him off. Flowey simply muttered a low "oh" in response. The duo spoke not a word for what felt like hours. Finally, Clover broke the silence. "I'm goin'. I have to stop that human. I worked too hard for... I can't have this ripped away from me too," they spoke, voice shaking.

Flowey sighed. "That human has the power I had. Just so you know," he told Clover. "If you don't want them resetting, you'll have to find a way to take the power from them like you did in the one timeline. Good luck...friend. You're gonna need it," he finished before burrowing into the ground, leaving Clover alone.

They mulled over Flowey's words for a moment. Take the power from them, huh... I just might be able to make that happen, Clover thought. They stepped into the elevator and pushed the button, causing the doors to close and the elevator to rise up to Alphys' lab. Mama Ceroba... Uncle Starlo... Aunty Martlet... I'm real sorry, but I gotta do this. I promise I'll be careful...

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The elevator finally came to a stop at the Hotland Lab. The doors opened and Clover stepped through. The room was a mess of papers and empty food containers, causing Clover to sigh and shake their head. They hadn't gotten a good look before getting in the elevator before.

Looking to the right, Clover noticed the large monitor with an image of the human, walking up to look. That looks like... Clover thought. They'd seen this other human before...but it couldn't be...could it? Only one way to find out, they thought, as they exited the lab and continued forward, through Hotland and towards Waterfall.

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The human got up off the rock they rested on. The Save Point healed them of physical wounds and damage, but the exhaustion was still sort of there. They began their stroll towards Hotland. No need to rush, after all; the next group of victims would be waiting for them. One long hallway, and then the hall with the "Welcome to Hotland" sign and they'd be in the next segment of their merciless crusade.

As they approached the sign, they started to hear something faintly on the air. That sound...was that a...harmonica? Who in the world would be playing a harmonica out in the open right now? They had to know about the human...right? They picked up their pace to reach the mysterious sound and were met with the strangest thing they've ever seen in the Underground, despite its simplicity...and familiarity.

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"What do you MEAN no?!" Ceroba growled. She, Starlo, and Martlet had found Alphys watching a screen, and on that screen was none other than Clover playing their harmonica.

"I-I-I mean, no, y-you can't go back up! It's t-too d-d-dangerous!" Alphys stuttered.

"All due respect, ma'am, but Clover's up there, we gotta go get 'im," Starlo pleaded, but Alphys just shook her head.

"I-I understand your child is up there, but...but Undyne is dead... If the human is lucky, then...they'll be fine. B-but you guys won't be if you go up, and i-it may get Clover hurt t-too!" Alphys affirmed with as much finality as she could muster. Martlet's eyes widened and glistened with tears.

"Undyne... Undyne died...?" Martlet asked softly. Alphys' eyes grew wet again and she nodded solemnly. Everyone was startled by the sound of an impact nearby, all turning to Martlet. Her eyes were shadowed over by the dim light, and her wing was tightened into a fist shaking on Alphys' desk. Her shoulders were trembling, and everyone couldn't tell if it was from grief or fury. "Dammit, boss... Why couldn't you just... Dammit," she whispered

Starlo and Ceroba wrapped Martlet in a hug as she quietly sobbed for the loss of her boss, her Captain. Alphys stood silently watching the trio with sad eyes. "I-if you want," Alphys awkwardly began, getting everyone's attention. "Y-you can stay here w-with me while--"

"Howdy!" They all jumped at the new voice that had entered, all eyes landing on a little yellow flower with a smile.

"Fl-Flowey! Jeez, d-don't do that!" Alphys whined indignantly. "W-what are you even d-doing here?" she asked the plant.

"I wanted to come give you a heads up, Doc," Flowey said. This was the first time she'd ever seen him so serious, despite their limited interactions since his creation. "The situation just got more complicated."

"W-why do you say that?" Alphys pressed. Flowey's expression looked weird too...almost haunted? A touch of fear? She couldn't quite place it, and didn't have the social skills to parse out accurately, and Angel forbid she directly ask.

"The human beat Undyne, right? I was watching them. Now they're on their way here. But there's a new obstacle in their way... The cowboy human went topside to try to put a stop to them," he answered. Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

"Clover's going to fight?!" Ceroba shouted. Flowey simply nodded.

"Yup. Kid's got Determination, that's for sure. We'll just have to see if they've got enough to match that rampaging human," Flowey sighed. "If not...Clover won't make it out alive."

"Whaddaya mean?" Starlo questioned. "Do you know somethin' we don't about that human?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Flowey confirmed. "And I'll tell you what I know, but it's a long story. It looks like you'll have to pick one though. Looks like it's time," he said, poking out a vine to point at the screen. Everyone's eyes followed, seeing two humans facing each other in a long hallways, unlit sign against the wall.

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The human looked at this new person with an inquisitive expression. What the hell was this? Who was this person?

"Howdy," the other human said, startling them out of their confusion. The human didn't say anything. "You seem confused about somethin'. Care to share?" the other human asked them. What WAS this? What are they doing?! They took a step forward. "Now hold on there, pardner. Why the hurry? Let's talk," the other human offered. Alright, that's it.

The human drew their knife and took off at a sprint towards the other human. Why the hell would they wanna talk to them? They had to be insane. No matter, just a short distance more, a slash in a wide arc, and-

...Nothing? The human stumbled and fell, but caught themselves on their hands and knees, eyes wide in shock. Where did they...? "I said...let's talk," they heard from a few feet behind them. They snapped their head to the side to look at the other human. Sure enough, they were just a few feet away now, in the direction they came from, arms crossed and a raised eyebrow. Clearly unimpressed.

The human stood back up slowly and analyzed their target anew. They weren't gonna pull that trick again. They slowly stalked circled around the other human, before rushing forward with a stab. The stab never connected, however, as the other human had seemingly vanished yet again. Okay, what the hell.

"Are ya done yet?" the other human asked. The human turned to look at them a few feet away yet again. After a few seconds, they put their knife away and stepped back a few paces to put some distance between them.

"...Alright. You...have my attention. Let's...talk," they selected their words carefully. The other human smirked and nodded.

"Well, why don't we start with introductions? Mama's always told me it's rude not to introduce yourself to visitors," they said. "My name is Clover. And unless my eyes are playin' tricks on me," Clover said.
"Then your name is Frisk. Isn't it?"

How did they know!? the human, Frisk, thought frantically. How do they know who I am?!

"Judgin' by your face, I'll guess that I'm right. Well, well...it certainly is nice to see ya again, little sibling. You've grown quite a bit. After all, it's been, what, six years since I said goodbye to ya?" Clover offered. Said goodbye? What...

No... No, this...this couldn't be...? They couldn't...

"Clover...?" Frisk whispered. Clover simply hummed in response. Frisk's eyes teared up as Clover stood there staring at them. "Why did you leave," they said very softly. Clover started to explain but didn't manage to get even two words out before Frisk lashed out. "Why did you leave me with that bitch!?" Clover's eyes widened.

"What...what did she do to you, Frisk...?" Clover asked carefully.

Frisk snarled. "What didn't she do to me, Clover. Ever since you left and she found your "stash". She tortured us all like animals. Starved us, hurt us, locked us up. It was horrible. While you got to go free and seem fine now?! Do you have any idea what you leaving did to us?!"

"I had to, Frisk! If I didn't go, YOU were next! And you were five at the time!" Clover countered.

"Coming to this hellscape that little would've been better than what I went through since you left!" Frisk shouted, tears spilling.

The two humans stood staring at each other, one in silent shock, and the other crying with brows furrowed in anger. Clover took a hesitant step forward.

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through all that, Frisk. I promise, I never had any intention of doin' you any wrong. That's why I'm here now, because I came in your place, to protect you. But things weren't what the stories told, Frisk. The monsters down here, they... They're kind, compassionate, loving. I have a mama, an uncle, an auntie down here. Why don't you stop what you were doin'? People will be mad, but I'm sure they'll understand. I think mama'd love you too if ya gave 'er a chance," Clover extended their hand out, recoiling slightly at the sound of laughter coming from the other human.

"You think it's so simple. Get serious. These beasts... Their very existence is what caused the sacrifice and torment of so many of us orphans on the surface. You think I'd ever forgive them for just existing because of what happened to me? Just because it worked out so well for you?! What a joke!" Frisk cackled, hunched over and visibly quaking. They looked up at Clover with a malicious grin on their face.

Clover, meanwhile, felt like they'd been punched in the gut. Frisk couldn't mean that... They just couldn't. There had to be a way to get through to them. Clover would try and try and keep trying until they figured out the answer. "Well, Frisk, I'm sorry to hear you feel that way. But I'm not givin' up on you just yet. Until then, let's see what you can do," Clover assumed a loose battle stance, not taking Frisk very seriously, but still guarded enough.

"I thought you'd never shut up!" Frisk roared as they dashed toward Clover, drawing their knife mid-stride. They slashed at Clover, as Clover seemed to vanish and reappear a few feet away. Frisk chose to press the assault and charged forward, slashing wildly, as Clover kept blinking in and out of existence every time it seemed as though they were caught. How did they keep doing that?

Clover continued to dodge as they glanced for a moment at the sign on the wall; its end was getting further away. Clover had to drive Frisk back, and fast, or they would enter Hotland and endanger more people. Just as the knife-wielding child rushed forward, their instincts took over and hopped back a split second before a loud BANG echoed all around them. Looking down, they spotted a smoking hole in the ground, glancing up to see Clover pointing a revolver ahead at an angle, smoke emanating from the barrel.

"That was fun 'n all, pardner. But now it's my turn to show ya what I can do," Clover smirked. Time to deliver some JUSTICE. Clover took aim, and pulled the trigger.

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At first, Frisk tried going sideways to dodge Clover's shots. Clover picked up on this trick quickly, though, and fired faster, nicking Frisk's ankle a couple times with some pebbles. Frisk started dodging backwards, and Clover fired at the ground again. Is Clover...are they even TRYING to hurt me?! Frisk thought with frustration. They looked at all the little holes in the ground from Clover's shots and realized something.

"You aren't even trying to hit me. You're just trying to push me back," Frisk called to Clover. "When you actually did land a hit, it was when I tried to go around you."

"Caught on, didja?" Clover smirked. "You're right, I'm not trying to hitcha. I'm just trying to make sure you can't get past me. Until you decide to give up on this vengeance, I ain't budgin'."

"I refuse to live with monsters," Frisk sneered. They took a hesitant step back, only for their heel to meet the wall. Clover had them pinned. Well, not exactly...Frisk could always double back towards Waterfall if they needed. Clover holstered their revolver and took a step forward.

"Y'know, pardner, that dodgin' ain't the only trick I've picked up," they said. Frisk twitched and sprinted towards Clover again. Just as Frisk slashed at Clover, however, their knife didn't miss like they anticipated. Instead it was met with...a yellow window of sorts? Clover chuckled.

"Y'like this? It's Barrier magic I picked up from Ma. She taught me how to channel my SOUL's power into Magic," Clover said. They grabbed Frisk's wrist that held the knife and released the shield, before maneuvering and kicking Frisk in the chest, releasing their wrist at the same time. Frisk flew backwards a ways, landing just inches from the wall their back was to moments ago.

Frisk coughed and slowly got to their hands and knees, doubled over. They can do freaking MAGIC?! How the hell's that fair?! Frisk thought, enraged that Clover, except for appearance, seemed more Monster than Human. They staggered to their feet and glared daggers at the cowboy-clad Human ahead of them. I have to figure out how to get through.

Clover raised a hand and mimicked the shape of a gun with their fingers, index and middle finger pointed forward and thumb raised. "That dodgin' and barrier ain't the only thing I can do," they said as their fingertips started glowing with golden energy. "Me and Ma actually fought once, so did me and Uncle Starlo and Auntie Martlet. But mine and Ma's battle, 'hoo, what a fight. It's where I learned how to do this," Clover said, moving their thumb down to connect with index finger.

A shining, golden bullet made of energy soared towards Frisk, as it blasted past their head. They heard the explosion behind them and felt the shockwave and debris, slowly turning to see a small crater about half their size in the wall. If they hit me with that...I am so dead... they thought, shivering with fear. They slowly turned back to Clover and looked at them with a mix of terror and rage. Humans were capable of THIS?!

"I know what you're thinkin', 'Humans can do that?!", or somethin' similar," Clover chuckled. "I had the same thought too for a split second when I found out. 'Course, I was fightin' for my life at the time, so I didn't really get to dwell on it or think about it," they said. Clover slowly started walking towards his opponent. "Now I'll ask ya again to see reason, Frisk. Please don't make me actually hurt you."

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"Looks like our lessons are payin' off, 'Roba," Starlo said with a smirk. Ceroba giggled for a second before composing herself.

"Yes, but still. Clover could get hurt out there," she said. "That kid has used any opening they see to try and attack them."

"In case you hadn't noticed, Clover's got the upper hand," Flowey scoffed to the kitsune.

"D-didn't you have a story to t-tell, Flowey?" Alphys asked. Flowey perked up at the reminder.

"Right! Anyway. When you three," he pointed his vine at Starlo, Martlet, and Ceroba, "met Clover, I was helping them out through the Underground. See, whoever isn't a Monster and has the most Determination - the power of the SOUL, not the adjective or whatever - can control time, one can say. Anytime Clover died, I revived them so they could continue their little adventure!" he said with a bright smile. This got shocked and confused looks from the group of Monsters.

"Wait a sec...is that how they dodged all my attacks like they'd seen 'em before?" Starlo asked? This made Martlet chirp with a realization.

"Mine too!" She said with wide eyes.

"Same with me as well," Ceroba hummed. She narrowed her eyes at Flowey. "Okay, so you 'rewound' time to before Clover died and they retained bits and pieces, namely the fights they had with whoever they fought?" Ceroba asked the flower.

"That's right! Pretty nice of me, wouldn't ya say?" Flowey said as he stuck out his tongue and winked. This made the kitsune even more suspicious.

"Cut the games, weed. What, exactly, was in it for you that you offered such a power? From our time here listening to you talk and poorly act, it wasn't out of generosity or kindness," she growled. Flowey chuckled.

"You're a sharp one! I forgot about that," Flowey drawled before his expression became...wistful? "You're right, it wasn't just to be a nice guy. I did it so they would get strong enough to kill Asgore, so I could take the Human Souls for myself," he revealed. "We went through dozens, maybe hundreds of runs, but they just couldn't do it!"

"So then what happened?" Martlet asked.

"Well, in one timeline, Clover snapped and went on a rampage and killed everyone, even you three! It was insane, they even took the power from me and killed me!" Flowey cackled. "In another, they may have killed a monster here or there out of frustration, which made you," he pointed at Ceroba, "not join them in the Steamworks." Flowey hummed, seeming to think. "Honestly, none of that really matters. I put the kid through hell for the sake of myself, but nothing ever ended up working.

"Most of the timelines ended with Clover giving up their SOUL to Monsterkind to help them get their freedom," He continued. Then his expression changed again; now he looked like he was thinking real hard about something, confused, and uncomfortable all at once. "It just didn't...feel right, I guess, leaving it like that. So after some resetting the timeline back to when they first fell, eventually we found our last 'run'," he said. "That's the current timeline, in case you're paying attention.

"Clover decided they wanted to live among Monsters with you guys. Ceroba adopted them, star-head and birdbrain are 'uncle' and 'auntie', blah blah, you get the picture. Asgore knows you've been hiding them in the Wild East and because he's a softie and a coward, he never called for Clover's search and death." Flowey huffed. "But something happened pretty recently, in the last handful of hours of so."

"Well...what...what was it?" Martlet asked, afraid to hear this psychotic flower's answer.

"That Human," Flowey indicated by pointing at the Human that wasn't Clover on the screen, "fell, is what happened. When they did...they took my power," he said finally. "Something else happened at the same time though; when Clover went to leave, I popped in to check on them and see what they were up to. And I learned that Clover suddenly remembered every single timeline I put them through." He shuddered.

"I used the fact that Clover would remember practically nothing between 'resets' and 'rewinds' to my advantage in every timeline. But now...they remember everything, and I feel kind of exposed," he said, fidgeting uncomfortably. "And as weird as it is, since I have no SOUL and can't feel, I feel awful that they remember." Flowey perked up again with a serious expression. "But, that puts us where we are now," he said.

"That kid can rewind and reset time when they die, and the only three who will remember are me, them, and Clover," he told the group. "Knowing Clover, they're gonna do everything they can not to kill them. But Alphys here saw the kid fight Undyne, and we've all seem them charge at Clover and swing that knife around. They've got their work cut out for them."

"So what's Clover's plan then?" Ceroba sighed as she crossed her arms. "They can't just be up there fighting a stalemate battle, they'll get tired eventually."

"Remember how I said in one timeline, Clover took my power? Well think about it: If they took my command over the timeline...how'd I get it back, how is everyone alive, and how's that kid have it now?" Flowey asked, trying to prove a point. Surprising him, Starlo was the one that spoke first.

"Clover reset!" Starlo shouted as they slapped their fingers and pointed a finger-gun at Flowey. "Somethin' made 'em reset the timeline back to when they fell!"

"Wow, you are not the one I figured would get it first," Flowey snarked. "Yep, that's right! Kid's compassionate to a fault! Their plan is to figure out how to take the power from that kid," he affirmed. "How they're gonna do it...well, I'm not sure. I have no ideas."

"I guess we'll just have to keep watching and see what happens," Martlet chirped, trying to sound optimistic. "Do you mind, Alphys?" Martlet asked the yellow lizard-like monster.

"I-I guess it's okay," Alphys answered. "A-a-as long a-as nobody tries to leave," She said, trying to muster up some authority. "Clover m-might be the o-only one who can deal with this..." Starlo and Ceroba looked at each other. Starlo flashed Ceroba a little grin and grabbed her hand, and in turn Ceroba closed her eyes, sighed and let out a chuckle.

"Fine. I suppose we can just...wait here," Ceroba said at last. She opened her eyes and looked at the screen displaying the two Humans. "Clover. Please...PLEASE be careful," she whispered, as Starlo squeezed her hand.