Thing again

The air was rancid at the rooftops in the unpleasant heat at the outskirts of Hotland, filled with the suffocating smell of burnt up gunpowder, the iron stench of spilled blood and abhorrent traces of monster dust still lingering in the very air one might breathe in.

The usually ever present hum of the CORE was now amiss, being replaced with the thundering cracks of gunshots, the high pitched whines of lasers fired and the shrill cries coming from a massive bird of prey. Amidst the darkness of the ‘night’ in the Underground, the Zenith of monsterkind flew with purpose, raining down magical feathers, summoning tornadoes and faux meteors from the nonexistent sky, all in hopes of vanquishing the evil that has decided to plague monsterkind.

Clover.

Martlet doesn’t know why she didn’t stop the human at the beginning of his rampage, why she believed that there was an ounce of good in that bright golden SOUL of his, why she waited until this twisted justicier carved a dusty path across the Underground but here they were now, both of them, at the end of the road.

The rush of power she felt after injecting herself with the serum was starting to wear off, her reaction time started to take a dive. Sure, she was still faster than almost everyone else in the entire Underground but to Martlet, as she was now, it was very noticeable. Her glistening armor was broken and shattered, leaving her in torn and tattered clothes, but that didn’t mean that the human—that creature—was faring any better than she was.

Blood stained the monstrosity’s clothes, it’s breathing steady but her keen eyes could tell it was just trying to hide the effort it took to even suck in air and keep on moving. A tremble, a twitch of those crooked fingers holding onto the dust covered gun, a shaky step that would be imperceptible if it weren’t for the massive bird’s unnaturally heightened senses.

She sent another round of magical blocks towards the ‘human’, hoping to catch it off-guard just enough for her to dive in. Her gambit paid off as she heard the thing cry out in pain, ignoring just how pitiful it sounded, giving her the moment needed to fly in.

With a shrill screech, Martlet held her talons out and flew past her foe, slicing across its stomach and chest. Still, she didn’t dare take her eyes off of the adversary and with grace and agility she didn’t possess before, the Zenith of monsterkind turned around after her attack to make sure she wouldn’t get shot in the back.

Her gleaming eyes narrowed in suspicion when she saw the thing slump onto the roof, a pool of blood growing around it, forever staining the stone and concrete. She wouldn’t celebrate, not yet, as she wanted to make sure that it was truly dead. Only when it didn’t do anything during its subsequent turn, did she allow herself to release the breath she was holding in.

Touching down on the edge of the now ruined roof, Martlet still kept her distance from the body, a sliver of herself not trusting the seeming fact that the being responsible for the loss of so many innocent monster lives was truly dead.

Thinking of what to do next, her immediate thoughts wandered over to the SOUL. She would need to deliver it to King Asgore, to show everyone that the human, this thing, was finally stopped in its tracks. Her mind raced on how to safely get the precious SOUL to him, before it could crack and rob monsterkind of further hope and in this state she didn’t notice the little yellow flower pop up between some of the rubble.

Flowey was not having a good time. Sure, it was fun to see Clover get killed over and over again at first and Flowey had to admit, the bird could get creative! He might even need to take notes on some of the things she pulled off for future reference. Who knew that using untested and potentially highly dangerous serums would have such an effect?

Well, Flowey knew but that’s beside the point.

After over a hundred attempts at this stupid birdbrain, one would think that Clover would have learned his lessons and get through the fight but noooooooo, he just keeps dying! If Flowey could tear his hair, or had hair to begin with,  he would have gone bald by now.

“Tsk, I don’t get what’s taking you so long, pardner...is this overgrown chicken really giving you this much trouble?” Flowey muttered as he was mentally preparing to wind back the clock. “But, there is always next time and you don’t get to say no, cowboy~” A vine of his slowly raised into the air, with a four pointed star appearing above it. “You have a job to do and you better get past this feather duster fast, my patience is running thin.”

Unfortunately for the maniacal plant, he was not as quiet as he thought he would be and just as he was about to wrap the vine around the star, he felt an intense pressure push down on the air all around him.

“You...” Martlet’s voice cut through his thoughts and Flowey realized his folly. “You helped that, that thing...” Martlet narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Didn’t you?” Her feathers were starting to droop but her power was unquestionable still and Flowey was not about to find out if she could get him.

“Maybe I have, maybe I haven’t!” He cheerfully quipped even as his vine curved around the star. “Not like you will care about any of this soon enough.” He felt the power of SAVE course through his fibers but his cockiness cost him.

Faster than the eye could track, Martlet shot a feather towards Flowey, the plant smirking at the futility of her actions, only to realize that he wasn’t the actual target. To his growing horror, the sharpened magical attack impacted with the SAVE star, cracking the precious thing. As if that wasn’t enough, there was a thunder-like crack and the star was completely shattered.

“Wha...but this...shouldn’t be possible!” Flowey’s face contorted into rage and hatred as he looked towards the bird-brain who dared to do this.

Only to find that she didn’t do it alone.

Somehow, against all odds despite being as good as dead, Clover managed to hold his gun and instead, INSTEAD of shooting that damned bird in the head like he should have, that self-entitled, self-righteous little twat decided to take a dying, soul power infused potshot at his divine right.

With a snarl of anger, Flowey sent a tendril of plant matter straight at Clover but it was all for naught, the harbinger of warped justice was already dead, having used his last ounce of energy to do the deed.

Martlet was confused, tired, hurt and above all, filled with anger. She finally did it! Put a stop to the thing’s warpath, only to find out that it was being aided by a sentient talking flower of all things. She never heard of a plant monster before but even then, how could any monster be okay with helping this creature? Don’t they have a shred of empathy towards their fellow kind? Though the way it spoke of the ‘human’, she wasn’t sure if it even had the capability of empathy.

Though, it wasn’t like Martlet had much time to really think of these things as after the star got completely broken into smithereens, it seemed like the very air followed. A crack, like one could find on glass appeared in front of the large bird monster and before she could react, reality itself snapped open and in the blink of an eye, she was swallowed up.

As fast as it came, the broken fabric of reality vanished, the cracks in the air mending themselves leaving only a stunned flower, a dead human and a deathly quiet Underground. Flowey grit his teeth and immediately reached for his SAVE file, only to freeze up.

LOAD FAILED

“What? That—that can’t be.” He tried again, despite the lack of a star appearing but only managed to achieve the same result.

LOAD FAILED

LOAD FAILED

LOAD FAILED

For the first time in who knows how long, Flowey began to feel fear as his power was not working anymore. Swallowing a nonexistent lump in his throat, he glanced towards the unmoving body of Clover and decided to hell with this run.

RESET FAILED. FILE CORRUPTED.

The barely constrained anger that was bubbling just beneath the surface in Flowey erupted, resulting in a deafening cry of frustration and rage as he tore the rooftop to pieces, vines trashing bits of concrete and stone, alongside the lifeless body of Clover.

“Wait, wait wait wait...”  He took a couple deep breaths in order to stabilize himself. “The kid’s SOUL is still here I can just take it a-” As if the universe was having a laugh at his misery, there was a sound, akin to glass cracking and he had to helplessly watch as the yellow heart shattered and vanished, much like his power over the timeline.

Flowey was absolutely livid, as every chance he had at correcting the mistake these imbeciles made was dashed, with no visible hope for now. Whatever sense of control and calm he managed to force on himself dissipated immediately and he let out a roar and crushed the entire roof with his vines.

However, there was no one around him to hear it anymore.

Somewhere in New Home:

“It’s time.” The lone child’s words shook the very core of the trio of monsters in front of him as Clover held his SOUL out for them.

“Wh-what does that mean?” Martlet shakily asked, her body quaking in fear as her mind knew what her heart didn’t want to accept.

“It’s time to go.” Clover reiterated as he continued to hold his SOUL. Martlet’s eyes shrunk to tiny pinpricks as the weight of his implications hit. Next to her, Ceroba’s breath hitched but the bluebird didn’t register it, her mind running a hundred miles an hour.

“No......No no no no no-we’ll think of a plan! We have options!” She began to plead with the child, the shining light in her monotonous life that seems intent on leaving as fast as he appeared.

“Y-yeah, don’t do something you’ll regret!” Starlo joined in, doing his best to persuade his deputy. “If it’s Snowdin you don’t like, you can live with me. My house has the space. A-and the posse loves you!”

“Please, you gotta listen to u-” But before she could further her case, Martlet was cut off by the sound of shattering glass as the very air seemed to break apart above the four of them.

“Wh-what in tarnation!” Starlo took a wide stance, a hand immediately gravitating to his revolver as he stepped in between Clover and the weird crack. Similarly, Ceroba and Martlet both got ready, despite all of them being exhausted and tired thanks to the events of the last couple hours.

“This talk isn’t over yet, Clover. Get ready to run, if we need to.” The fox monster shot a side glance towards the child who begrudgingly nodded and allowed his SOUL to slip back into his body. What none of them could prepare for however, was that the crack would widen until a large form got practically spat out and then it immediately vanished.

“What’s going on?” Martlet was the first to voice her thoughts, her stance relaxing ever so slightly while turning her attention from where the crack in the air disappeared towards the deposited shape.

“I-I don’t know Feathers; but it’s best if you keep your guard up.” Starlo’s hand still hovered around his piece, ready to draw it at a moment’s notice. Similarly, Ceroba’s body was still tense and despite her staff shattered, she would not show any weakness even as her body was crying for her to relax and rest, her magical reserves almost completely empty from her extended fight with Clover.

And lastly, Clover was getting a weird foreboding sense as he looked at the massive form crumpled up on the other end of the small tower, the cherry blossoms floating erratically from the displaced air.

A flash of pain struck the young cowpoke as he grabbed his head, the feeling subsiding just as quickly as it came but left him shaken and breathless. The others didn’t notice any of this as they kept their full attention on the shape as it began to move.

From amidst the dark blue, almost pitch black mess of feathers, a singular yellow eye opened up and glared at them. As soon as it made eye-contact with the monsters, they could feel the air weigh heavier around them, putting them on high alert.

“Hey there..friend; easy, we don’t mean no harm, okay?” Starlo decided to take the lead and try and diffuse the situation before it could even begin, not wanting things to escalate between the menacing stranger and them. The eye flicked towards him, slightly wild and unfocused but there was something nestled deep within it, something that made the Sheriff stop in his tracks.

Pain.

Despite the eye owner’s best intention, there was no hiding all the hurt and suffering they held inside of them, not from Starlo.

He had seen it enough times in the eyes of his best friend, after all.

Slowly raising both his hands to show he meant no harm, Starlo stopped a good couple paces away from the large thing, still unable to discern much other than the piercing, gleaming yellow eye and the strange, dark feathers that covered their entire body.

“Hey, name’s Starlo, are you okay?” The Sheriff had a weird case of Déja Vu every time he took a look at the form, like he should be able to recognize them but for the life of him, he couldn’t tell why.

“....yes.” A scratchy, feminine voice replied and while he didn’t entirely believe it, Star was not about to bring that up. Her next words however, put a stop to them all. “What are you doing here, you—you should have evacuated by now.” The form began to move and the Sheriff took an involuntary step backwards as the form rose to her full height, towering over all of them.

“Evacuate?” Ceroba asked tersely, trying not to show her exhaustion, nor the fact she felt intimidated by the stature of the massive bird who exuded power.

“The human—you should be in the shelters, it's not safe out here in the open. I can’t protect you all...” The large monster trailed off as her eyes finally scanned the people present properly, coherent enough after her sudden and rough appearance that she could rationalize and understand who she was looking at.

Martlet felt like her SOUL would jump out her throat as she could feel her pulse skyrocket. While Starlo and Ceroba were looking at the menacing monster anxiously, the bluebird couldn’t shake off the rising terror of realization that deep down, she knew who that was.

She couldn’t even begin to fathom how this would be probable, or even possible, but deep in her SOUL she felt a certain connection, kinship, with this strange, alien and utterly terrifying version of her.

It seemed like her other self had come to the same conclusion, staring with wide yellow eyes at her, completely ignoring both Ceroba and Starlo’s questions. Unfortunately, the strange, trance-like state was thrown out the window with the force of a freight train as the Zenith’s eyes wandered downwards and she noticed one more person there.

Clover.

All of a sudden, the tense but slowly easing atmosphere vanished, replaced by a pressure that made Starlo’s and Ceroba’s knees buckle under the invisible weight. However, none took it as bad as the singular human that stood behind Martlet.

Clover’s breathing caught on nothing as the sheer killing intent flooded the small balcony, his eyes widening and he couldn’t stop his body from shaking as the menacing bird monster was now staring right at him, those soul piercing golden eyes filled with hatred the young cowpoke had no idea anyone could possess.

“You.” That singular word made the young teen’s heart skip at the sheer hate and contempt that oozed from  her voice. “But how?...no matter.” She suddenly let out  a screech and from the monster’s point of view she simply vanished, only for the blue and black blur to reappear already en-route to send Clover into the afterlife.

“CLOV—” Martlet tried to push him out of the way but it was futile, as the massive monster simply flew around the bluebird with grace and precision unseen by anyone and batted the small human away with a majestic wing.

Clover felt himself get lifted off of his feet and sent away, far from the other monsters as he landed on the stone bridge with a thud. He didn’t have much time to get his bearings as what was quickly looking to be his executioner did not give him a moment of respite.

Flapping her wings, the large bird monster sent forth feathers of magic, each of them soaring through the air with a deadly whistle. The cowpoke barely managed to evade some of them with how little space he had to maneuver as well as the angle at they came from, though he had to bite back a cry of pain as his dominant arm was pierced at the shoulder, a cold, numbing sensation spread out from the point of impact.

“CLOVER!” Three separate voices shouted in unison but neither the large monster hell-bent on killing the human, nor Clover paid attention. His feathered assailant landed on the bridge, separating him from his friends while she glared at him.

“I don’t know what game you are playing but no more...no more shall perish by your wretched hands!” She balled her feathers up into a fist and prepared to end it once and for all. On the other hand, Clover was shaking in terror and a swirling mix of emotions as he beheld her terrifying form.

The more he looked at the towering threat, the more a sick, twisted sense of recognition sparked in the dark recesses of Clover’s mind. Each hit he received from her so far jostled that feeling and the young teen was not sure he liked the implications of it. Still, for the life of himself, he couldn’t quite recall just why she was so familiar. Sure, she was a bird monster like Martlet but that couldn’t be why, he had seen other bird monsters during his travels when going through the Underground.

So then what was so, so familiar about her.

It seemed like he was thinking for too long as his foe lunged and swung her fist forward. To Clover’s horror, it seemed like her attack wasn’t just purely about punching him through stone and ground but it also summoned forth a gale of slicing winds, ready to cut him to ribbons.

He readied himself to the best of his current state, the exhaustion from his earlier fight with Ceroba, coupled with the sneak attack from his current attacker left him with just a sliver of HP, and that’s not to say anything about his stamina.

He was never more thankful to hear the sound of attacks being blocked by a barrier as Ceroba’s shield shimmered into existence in front of him. Unfortunately for the young human, it seemed like he wasn’t the only one who was exhausted as the barrier immediately shattered after the bird monster’s fist impacted it. Still, it managed to absorb a large portion of the slicing winds and slowed them down enough for Clover to dodge them by jumping backwards.

“What do you think you are doing?” Her hoarse voice broke the tense silence but she didn’t take her eyes off of Clover, even when she turned her head more towards the group standing behind her.

“What do WE think we are doing?” Ceroba’s fur bristled as her shaky grasp held her broken staff. With her magic reserves exhausted and the way to channel her power efficiently destroyed, that singular shield was the most she could do. Still, she would not let weakness show, especially to someone like her.

“We are saving my Deputy, Ma’am. Now I don’t know what sort of deal you have with Clover but we would ‘preciate if you could stop trying to kill him.” Starlo put on his North Star persona, partly to try and intimidate the much larger and scarier looking monster, partially to give himself the mental strength needed to stare down such an imposing being.

For the first time, the large bird monster took her eyes off of Clover, staring incredulously at the weird cowboy clothes wearing monster, a tiny fragment of her mind recalling other monsters describing someone like him, asking her to find him and bring him back.

But that wasn’t possible, this has to be a different monster just, wearing a similar outfit. That has to be it. No matter, there were innocent monsters and the worst murderer since the war was right there! Couldn’t they see? Martlet of course did her best to ignore the nagging feeling that she saw herself in front of the human, and despite her SOUL screaming at her that it was the truth, her mind refused to believe.

Clearly, it must be a trick of that creature! After all, it managed to look into her memories too; so what would stop it from-from making this dream world or whatever, it just wanted to get her to lower her guard!

“If you think I’ll fall for such tricks...” The menacing monster growled as she turned her attention back at the scared human, still cradling his bleeding shoulder. Her instincts told her that something was amiss, that things were not how she might think but Martlet squished those thoughts down into a fine paste

Just like how the merciless murderer in front of her did with the hopes and dreams of her fellow monsters.

With a grunt of effort, Martlet steeled herself, trying to desperately ignore the failings of her own body. The sight of that bastard gave her a surge of adrenaline that managed to stabilize her form but it was starting to run out and she could feel her reaction time slipping further.

Still, she had to put an end to that thing right here and now. With another screech she raised her head to focus on her foe and was about to take flight to kill it quickly but the sight in front of her completely froze her up.

Standing protectively between her and the monstrosity, was none other than herself. She could see the terror in her eyes, the tremble of her body as she tried to block the murderer completely from view but above all, she saw what she had lost in the monster before her.

“Out of my way. Please...” Martlet couldn’t bear to look at her, to see herself in those blue irises as she cast a menacing shadow in the dimly lit night of the Underground. Still, the other bird didn’t budge, even as she was scared for her life and for indescribable reasons, the human’s life behind her.

“N-no! I won’t let you harm Clover any more!” The bluebird steeled herself and did her best to calm her nerves, the thunderous beating of her SOUL, to not fail Clover yet again.

“How, how can you take the side of that—of that—thing?!” The larger bird pointed a finger towards the hurt and confused human who was trying not to collapse.

“Thing? That’s a child you are talking about, what is wrong with you?” Ceroba was furious as she voiced the collective thoughts of the other monsters.The looming bird spared a glance at her, another flash of recognition in her mind, a fleeting memory of simpler, better times, back when things were okay. But that couldn’t be possible, she saw Ceroba’s dust in the Dunes; this must be yet another monster who just looks like her, sounds like her, much like that Starlo guy.

That had to be it.

“That...’child’ has murdered DOZENS of monsters!” Martlet didn’t know why she was even arguing with her, she had to take care of that murderous creature before it could claim another life but the more she thought of her current situation, the more things didn’t add up.

“What monsters? We have been with Clover almost all the way through the Underground and he never hurt anyone!” The other Martlet, the pure, radiant and uncorrupted version of herself, one she so desperately wishes she could be again retorted.

“Do a CHECK, you will find him to be harmless.” The kitsune’s voice was angry but Ceroba did her best to keep her emotions in check. Setting off someone like this would not work out for none of them.

“Ceroba...” The cowboy next to her started with a confused tone but he was quickly shushed. There it was again, that name, a name for a monster that Martlet just knew was dead and yet here she was, trying to protect her murderer.

“I—I’ve only known Clover for like, a day at most but he is the brightest and kindest SOUL I’ve ever met.” The smaller bird continued, looking defiantly up at her. “I don’t know what happened to you; but I promise that Clover is not who you think he is. Please, don’t do something you would regret for the rest of your life.”

Why, why  did she have to be there, why couldn’t she just deliver retribution to that loathsome creature that plagued the Underground and why were things so not right. Martlet’s vision swam for a fraction of a moment, her body seizing up just ever so briefly and the Zenith of monsterkind knew her time was starting to run out.

“You don’t understand, none of you do!” Gathering her resolve, she glared at her other self. It hurt to do this, to see herself like that but she had to, there was no other way. “Out of my way...or I’ll make you.” She lowered her head, in vain hopes of blocking the view of the other Martlet out of her sight but did little to her mind.

“No.” The faintest tremble of fear laced the bluebird’s voice but despite this she stood tall and resolute, taller than the broken and hurt copy of her could ever hope to in her current situation.

“Please, you can’t possibly know what that thing is capable of.” The Zenith pleaded, a slight hint of desperation in her voice as she didn’t want to hurt her. “Lower Snowdin, the Dunes, Hotland—all covered in dust because of that creature.”

“You must be mistaken, Ma’am. We just came from the Dunes with Clover, he didn’t hurt a single SOUL!” Starlo could tell her resolve was weakening and he could also tell that she was unwilling to hurt monsters. Though her story didn’t make sense to him at all, he saw his deputy in danger and he had to do something about it.

“Starlo is right. Clover is a pure SOUL, I...better than anyone else, should know that.” Ceroba’s remorse for her recent actions pushed to the front of her thoughts but she had no time for self pitying. “And we would have definitely heard of another human falling down into the Underground.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to piece things together. Much like for Starlo, there was something eerily familiar about this monster but the things she said didn’t add up, couldn’t add up.

To this monster, Clover is a murderer, a cold hearted human who apparently slaughtered anyone encountered and sent the entire Underground into panic. But that couldn’t be further from the truth as much like Martlet said before, Clover was the brightest ray of sunshine she had ever met, second only to her little Kanako.

“It’s just a trick—it has to be.” The large monster could feel her will slip and with it, her body as well. Her feathers were starting to lose their luster, clumping together and drooping downwards as if she was constantly soaked.

“Martlet, please...stop.” Clover's voice cut through the haze that started to creep into her thoughts, snapping the large bird out of the spiral she started to go down on. For the first time since that Angel forsaken rooftop in Hotland, she heard it speak but it was different.

Kinder.

Empathetic.

A far cry from the monotone, lifeless droning that only spoke of bringing justice for the humans that fell before. There was no trace of the cold resolute killer that turned many a monster into specks in the wind.

“Martlet? Clover, what do you mean?” Starlo looked between his deputy, behind Martlet and the overwhelming presence separating them all. His eyes wandered over the imposing figure, taking note of the fading blue feathers and that twinge of familiarity resurfaced.

“But how?” Ceroba was quicker on the uptake, connecting the dots as she examined the bird of prey. “What happened to you?” The larger Martlet didn’t look at them, only hung her head in shame at how she looked, the rush of power and pride in what she became faded and was replaced by the cold reality that she was now someone else.

A killer.

“That...happened.” With a hand, she pointed towards Clover, who was now trying to get past the normal Martlet. That thought hurt the Zenith in her SOUL, calling someone else, a version of her, normal. However, she couldn’t deny that what she had become was anything but natural nor correct.

“It just don’t make sense, Feathers, I mean, Mega Feathers?” Starlo had to pause momentarily to differentiate between Martlet and Martlet, still trying to wrap his head around this whole doppelganger situation. His thoughts were already full of worry for Clover, the kid having gone through so, so much in the short time they have been down there.

“Mega...feathers?” The moniker felt alien on her tongue but at the same time it grounded her, even if just slightly. She glanced back at the duo and saw the cowboy rub the back of his head with an awkward smirk.

“S’ry, force of habit. But! I can assure you that Clover is not some sort of cold hearted murderer. The deputy here is an upstanding lawman, I can personally vouch for him! Couldn’t even harm a Micro Froggit even if he wanted to!”

“Star is right. Clover is the purest SOUL I have seen in a long, long time. I don’t know what sort of Clover you know or how you got here; but I assure you, he is not a threat. To us, to you and most of all, to monsterkind.” Ceroba tried to make her case as well, her anger mostly died down to embers, replaced by worry and concern for both Clover and this alternate version of her friend. “See for yourself, CHECK him. Please.”

All the while, Clover was trying to fight off the rising dread that what this strange, alien yet at the same time familiar Martlet was telling the truth. He glanced down at his hands, bloodied and scraped but for a brief moment, all he could see was dust.

With a blink, the horrendous visage was gone, replaced with the crimson lifefluid that slowly dripped down onto the stone bridge below. He then felt a soft feathered hand land on his shoulder and he had to suppress a wince, a task which he failed.

“Oh! Oh my gosh Clover you are bleeding!” Martlet was about to pull her friend back and away from the menacing Martlet but Clover held up a hand to stop her.

“‘s fine Martlet, it doesn’t hurt that badly.” Clover lied as easily as he breathed, not wanting to worry his friend. Martlet didn’t really believe him but something told her this wasn’t the moment for it. She did still leave a reassuring wing on his shoulder, switching to the uninjured one, a gesture that the young teen greatly appreciated.

“That don’t look too good, Deputy.” Star piped up and took a step to go to him but a massive wing blocked his way. “Oh come on! Please, Mega Fea-Martlet, I jus’ wanna make sure the kid is okay.”

Both Martlet’s shot him a look, though for different reasons and Starlo couldn’t help but feel he messed up somehow.

“Just please trust us, okay?” Ceroba picked up the slack, hoping to finally get through the big Martlet’s seemingly impossibly thick skull. “We should really get out of here, I don’t want the Royal Guard to arrive and just take Clover away, it’s a miracle they didn’t already come check things out—I wasn’t exactly subtle.” She looked away in shame, rubbing an arm with her other one.

“What do you—” The massive Martlet began to ask, making Ceroba realize she should not tell her about what just transpired, especially for Clover’s sake.

“N-nothing! Please let’s just calm down and move somewhere more private. Today has been long and I think that applies to all of us. You must have questions, Angel knows I have a lot of those.” She switched to rubbing her forehead, trying to prevent an oncoming headache.

“Please, do this for us, for me?” Smaller Martlet put in her two cents and the Zenith of monsterkind could feel her resolve crumbling. There were too many variables, too many questions and things just weren’t adding up. Clicking her tongue in irritation, she narrowed her eyes and after letting out a heavy sigh, Martlet initiated a BATTLE.

Immediately, the other monsters went on guard but Clover had full faith that she wouldn’t attack unprompted, at least not anymore. Curiosity got the better of him and since the first turn was his, he decided to CHECK her as well. His heart dropped by what he saw.

* MARTLET

* AT 25 DF 40

* The Zenith of monsterkind, barely clinging on.

“Martlet...what—” Clover began but a glare from her silenced the young human.

“Not. A. Word.” Even in the face of what this other human might have seen, she didn’t want to show weakness, not to anyone and especially not to them. With her turn coming up, she did a CHECK as well, her eyes narrowing dangerously thanks to the text she saw in her mind.

* CLOVER

* LV 1  5 AT 20 DF

* On the verge of revelation.

This should not have been possible. You can’t just get rid of LV like that—it couldn’t be a trick either, you can’t just falsify CHECK information. But then how, how could this be. Could she really have ended up somewhere else? Somewhere, where things are different, the human is not a self serving maniac and she is still, herself.

Martlet felt a shiver run through her being and she wasn’t sure if it was due to her failing body or the realization sinking in.

With a sigh, she ended the BATTLE and it took all her willpower not to fall to her knees as exhaustion was starting to rapidly creep up on her. “Alright, let’s go somewhere else.” Relief washed over the three other monsters but Clover only looked at her with concern. She hated that look, especially from them.

“Alright, we should head back to the Dunes, grab a couple Root Beers and talk all this out. How’s that sound?” Starlo flashed a bright smile, eager to get away from here, especially if it would get his deputy off of the self-sacrificing mindset too.

“That might be too many people. Martlet here isn’t the subtlest monster now, sorry.” Ceroba tacked the apology on after she realized it might not be a good idea to snark at her, even if accidentally.

“Not like I wanted to be like this...” She mumbled and closed her feathers into fists. To others it might have been a sign of anger but in reality, she just wanted to stop her hands from shaking as the fleeting power of the serum was still leaving her body and along with it, her control over herself.

The other Martlet didn’t say anything to that, unsure how to really feel about seeing herself in such a state, both mentally and physically. She chased those thoughts out of her head for now and decided to put in her two cents.

“We could go to my home, in Lower Snowdin?” When she felt all eyes on her, she elaborated, though a bit nervous from the sudden attention. “I don’t really have any neighbours so no real chance for eavesdroppers.” At the last word, the larger Martlet’s eyes widened as she recalled a vital piece of information.

“No, we can’t. We just can't.” She recalled how that little flower was just suddenly there with her on the roof and if it could be there, what would stop it from appearing in her smaller self’s house? And for that matter, who’s to say it wasn’t spying on them right now? Martlet could feel her feathers rise in aggravation but she didn’t want to make a scene, she definitely didn’t want to tip that thing off that she was aware of it.

“We could try the Steamworks. Pretty isolated too.” Clover piped up, unsure why that Martlet was so hesitant on going to hers, or rather, this Martlet’s house but he wasn’t one to pry.

“Hm, you are right Clover. It’s not accessible without codes and Axis knows you and me.” Ceroba put a hand to her chin in thought, nodding as she mulled it over. “Good thinking.”

“Yeah...yeah let’s go with that.” She wasn’t really sure but from what she could recall from long ago, it was the place where her old mentor worked at and if Ceroba would vouch for it, she should give it the benefit of the doubt.

“Then it’s settled! Let’s shimmy outta here before those Royal Guards show up, no offense, Feathers, both of ya.” Starlo flashed a smile again, urging the group to leave the place before they could be found.

“Does he just-” The Zenith of monsterkind looked down at her smaller, pure counterpart who knew what she was thinking.

“Yeah, I’m surprised he called you Martlet even once, that’s more than what I got.” She let out a huff before gently nudging Clover backwards and off the bridge. “Come on little guy, we also need to do something about that shoulder of yours.”

“‘s fine, I should have some healing food in my bag still.” He rummaged through his satchel after making it off the bridge, pulling out a small bag much to the alarm of Ceroba and Martlet.

“Clover! You are not eating gunpowder!” Both of them called out at the same time, earning a chuckle from Starlo and a raised eyebrow from the taller Martlet.


Not too far away:

Flowey was positively fuming. It was bad enough that he had to LOAD a bunch of times for that stupid kid, then he had to watch as the even stupider fox cried her heart out over that sap story for the millionth time! He could feel his nonexistent teeth rot from the saccharine air that these idiots exuded.

It seemed like this would be another dead end, with Clover yet again giving up his SOUL for those crying fools. At this point, he didn’t even know why he bothered with resetting, it was always the same thing. Either he dusts a couple monsters and goes to live with the birdbrain, or offs that idiot mother leaving him to fight Asgore alone. Or there were those times when he really went all out.

Flowey doesn’t like thinking about those timelines.

So at first, when this bigger, meaner bird appeared, Flowey was ecstatic. Finally, something new, something fresh! It was even fun seeing Clover get flung like a ragdoll, shame he didn’t fall off and crack his head open but oh well, maybe some other time!

Still, even that was starting to seem like it was heading off into sappy territory. And Flowey had enough of that for the foreseeable future. One of those birdbrains was already enough to get Clover off of his ‘mission’ to bring ‘justice’ to Asgore, he didn’t want to imagine what two could do to the already weak psyche of that idiot cowboy.

Sure, the second feather duster was bigger, meaner and perhaps trigger happier than she usually is but Flowey could already feel her resolve slipping and with it, his chance at her chasing the little idiot off towards the king..

“Alright buddy, time to see if the next one will be a bit different. Try not to disappoint me, Clover.” A vine started to wrap around the star he manifested under the bench he was using to spy on them from. Unfortunately for him, Flowey didn’t look at the SAVE star and as such, didn’t notice the large cracks running across it. Willing the power through it, he felt the world start to rewind, only for him to hear the most terrifying sound conceivable.

The sound of shattering glass.

He looked back in horror as the star shattered, dispersing into a myriad glowing motes which dissipated into the gentle breeze. His eyes widened as he looked where his vine was holding the object of his divine right, the plant matter flexing uselessly, as if it believed the star to just be invisible.

“Nonononononono this can’t be!” His breathing quickened as Flowey tried to process just what happened. “I-it must still be there...” He concentrated and reached for his SAVE file, Flowey tried to load.

LOAD FAILED

“What—what did that birdbrain do!” He was starting to hyperventilate but he had to try again, it must have been a fluke!

LOAD FAILED

LOAD FAILED

“Calm down Flowey, calm down. There must be a reasonable explanation, you could try RESET-ing, see if that works!” The plant monstrosity tried to hype himself up but that hope was quickly dashed when he tried to do everything over.

RESET FAILED. FILE CORRUPTED.

Flowey was so absorbed in his growing terror that he didn’t hear multiple voices cry out in shock as Clover suddenly collapsed onto the cobblestone of New Home. The young teen clutched his head as the worst headache suddenly assaulted his mind but even squeezing his eyes shut as hard as he could proved no escape from it.

Then the visions started.

Hundreds upon hundreds, thousands of memories flooded his mind. Lives he had in the Underground, both past, present and future. Things he has no recollection of ever doing yet at the same time, they all felt intimately familiar. Monsters he had never met in his life before yet he knew all their names. Places he never saw but could navigate them like the back of his hand.

Friends he killed and was killed by over and over again.

The memories that came resurfaced faster and faster, a cacophony of white noise and sickening scenes as he saw himself put bullet after bullet in monsters who were trying to stop him. He felt himself get skewered, bludgeoned, flattened, burnt to a crisp, drown in various substances and die in ways he didn’t think were possible.

It all proved to be too much for Clover, the young teen unable to even register the hands of his friends trying to keep him from slamming his head into the stone below. With a sickening sound, he emptied the contents of his stomach onto the pavement, staining his pants before passing out, falling forward unconsciously and it was only thanks to Martlet catching him in time that he didn’t end up fully on the ground.

“W-what happened? Clover, Clover are you okay?” Martlet frantically tried to get him to speak but to no avail as he didn’t give life signs other than rapid, shaky breaths. Starlo and Ceroba tried to both make sure the cowpoke was okay and that their bluebird friend would not accidentally make things worse.

“Martlet calm down.” Ceroba gently tried to pry her feathery hand off of Clover. “We have to get him out of here fast, it’s not safe here.” Truth be told, the kitsune was just as perturbed by what happened, as their human friend’s sudden collapse was more than worrying. Could the other Martlet’s attack somehow cause internal damage? She sneaked a look towards the imposing bird, finding her to be looking around in suspicion, eyes narrowed to tiny slits as she scanned the area.

“Ceroba is right, let me help, Feathers.” Starlo sternly grasped Martlet’s shoulder, the guardswoman glanced at him, eyes full of worry and panic but he tried to give her his best reassuring smile. “I’ll carry the deputy, we should really get out of here before anyone wakes up.” Thankfully, she relented and with a small grunt of effort, the Sheriff lifted Clover up and managed to shift him around so he was giving the cowpoke a piggyback ride. “Lead the way, Ceroba.”

“Right, follow me.” She then helped Martlet up, supporting her emotionally and physically as out of all of them, the bluebird took Clover’s mysterious collapse the hardest. The only one to stay behind slightly was the large bird of prey. She slowly looked around, trying to be as inconspicuous in doing so, as if she was just making sure there wouldn’t be any other monsters around.

Martlet’s sensitive hearing caught the sound, just before the human had their episode and just thinking about that flower being around sent her feathers into a fuzzy mess. She didn’t know what connection those two had exactly, but from the way he talked about the human, it sounded like they were nothing more than a bloody, dusty pawn to him. She would have to talk with this Clover about him, to see what the human knows. Not seeing any suspicious plant matter for now, she moved along, easily catching up with the shorter monsters. Ceroba glanced back and up at her, humming in thought. She got a raised eyebrow in return, which prompted the kitsune to speak her thoughts.

“Since...we are going to be talking quite a lot, from the looks of it, we should somehow differentiate between you and well—our Martlet.” The smaller of the two bird monsters looked up, upon hearing her name and Ceroba continued. “And no Star, calling them Feathers and...Mega Feathers is not going to cut it.” At that, both Martlet’s snorted before sharing a look.

“I...guess we could try and use our family name?” The bluebird suggested, while her larger counterpart mulled it over.

“Sure. I...don’t think I’m worthy of Martlet anymore either way.” Her feathers drooped, partially due to her emotions and due to her waning Determination, though none of the other monsters had any idea about the latter.

“Don’t say that, please.” Martlet pleaded but she didn’t say anything to that. The guardswoman’s SOUL twisted with grief towards her larger, now disheveled looking counterpart.

“Just...call me Valravn.”

“If that’s what you want, Valravn.” Ceroba was the first to accept her wish, wanting to give her a modicum of comfort. She continued leading the group through New Home, coming upon an elevator that they needed to take. She stopped and looked back at Valravn, then at the metallic doors. The bird of prey could tell what was going through her mind.

“I can meet you all down below. Not sure if I can even fit into any of these anymore.” The thought felt alien and simply wrong to her, further driving it into her very being that she was not Martlet, not anymore.

“I could fly with you.” Martlet offered with a small, sad smile, clearly not wanting her larger self to fall deeper into self loathing but Valravn just shook her head and spread her majestic wings. With a mighty flap, she lifted herself into the air and Starlo had to hold onto his hat with a hand in order for it to not get blown off while securing Clover with the other.

“Whoa! Easy there, no need to be so fast y’ hear?” He called out with a smile but it wasn’t really effective as the menacing monster spared him a glance before flying off, leaving behind a couple feathers and somber monsters with their unconscious human friend. Starlo sighed, propping his deputy up and made sure the cowboy was as comfortable as he could be. “Feathers, are you okay?” In a rare moment of tact, he addressed the elephant in the room while she crouched down for something.

“I think so, yeah. I’ll be fine.” She turned around to face them, showing off the feathers she picked up. “But I don’t think she will.”

“By the Angel. What’s—what’s happening to her?” Ceroba leant closer to the faded blue feathers, a far cry from the beautiful dark colors Valravn once possessed. Though the lack of color was alarming in itself, it was dwarfed by the fact that the bits of Valravn left behind were seemingly shrinking and melting, slowly becoming a sort of grey sludge.

“That can’t be good.” Starlo’s voice was quiet and grim, his eyes flicking from the disintegrating feathers to Martlet. “Do you have any idea what it could be?” For a moment, Martlet looked hesitant, as if she didn’t want to say but eventually she nodded.

“I do but it’s not my place to say.” Her mind wandered back to the syringe in her home, tucked away and so far completely forgotten. Her friends shared a concerned look but didn’t say anything, as the doors opened with a ‘ding’ and the group got in. As they began their descent, Starlo became very aware of something.

“Uhhh...either of you know green magic? We uh, kinda didn’t let the deputy patch himself up and he is still bleedin’.” At that, both of the other two monster’s eyes widened in shock.

“OHMYGOSH! Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Martlet was there in an instant, checking the bloodied shoulder of the young teen. Starlo was both remorseful and hurt at her tone but decided to bite his tongue.

“Sorry Feathers, didn’t notice it ‘till now.” Martlet continued to fuss, checking her friend over before closing her eyes and manifesting a couple green feathers. “You know green magic? Well I’ll be damned, didn’t peg you for the healer type.”

“Hold still, don’t move him around please.” She ignored his remark for now before gently pushing the feathers against Clover’s injury, the wound sealing shut. After checking to make sure it closed up properly, Martlet relaxed. “I...whacked my feathers way too many times while woodworking with Chujin to not learn how to. At least it helps with injuries like these, though...not much else.” She took a couple deep breaths to stabilize herself, with Ceroba staying silent throughout the exchange. She knew that healing magic also required a certain tenderness and care towards the one you want to use it on to have a greater effect, and the kitsune was not blind to the signs of Martlet caring more than just a bit about Clover. She will need to have a private talk with her at some point in the very near future.

The elevator let out another ‘ding’ as they reached their destination, the three monsters and one piggybacking unconscious human stepped out, finding the other bird monster standing nearby. “You are here, thought I remembered these to be faster.” Valravn murmured more to herself as she eyed the tube, shrugging as she deemed it not too important. She took note of Martlet’s heavier breathing as the bluebird still didn’t fully rein it in after using healing magic. “Are you okay?”

“Huh? Wha? Oh! Yeah...yeah I’m okay I just, used some green magic to patch Clover up. I’ll be fine.” She waved Valravn’s concern off, the large monster narrowing her eyes in thought but nodded.

“So, where to now?” She asked Ceroba, who motioned towards a path to their left.

“The entryway to the Steamworks is just ahead.” She walked off, with the others following along. As they made their way over to the heavy-duty metal doors, Martlet couldn’t help but steal glances at Valravn, taking note of her condition. She could see her feathers sticking together unnaturally and seamlessly, as if they were no longer separate, the way her fingers twitched, the bluebird unsure if from agitation or involuntary reflex and how her larger self took raspy breaths from time to time. Valravn caught her looking, her usually hard gaze softened a fraction at seeing Martlet’s worried expression.

“I’ll be fine.” She tried to reassure her but Martlet’s gaze lingered on her face, a knowing sadness worming its way onto her.

“We both know that’s not true.” She kept her voice low, trying not to speak too loud so as the others don’t catch on. Neither of them noticed Ceroba’s ear twitch slightly as she did end up hearing it but elected to say nothing. She instead cleared her throat, both as a way to get attention and to collect her thoughts. The five of them were now in front of the thick steel doors of their destination. The kitsune took a deep breath and entered the code on the keypad, allowing passage into the defunct power plant.


“Let’s hope Axis has not gone back to his programming.” Ceroba grumbled as they walked in, past a large circular platform with scorch signs strewn all over.

“What happened here?” Both Martlet and Valravn were slightly disturbed by the telltale marks of battle, though the large bird a bit more so, her previous gut feeling returning.

“Due to some faulty glitch in his programming, Axis thought we were trespassers in the Steamworks and attacked us multiple times. In the end, he confronted Clover alone. From what he told me, Axis gave him a...trash can lid in order to bypass his programming and authorize himself for lethal weapons.” Ceroba bit her lip as she recalled those events. “Thankfully Clover managed to pacify him and now he is somewhere in the Steamworks with his...girlfriend we built for him.” She awkwardly coughed into her fist, the incredulousness of that statement not lost on her at all. Starlo cracked a smile as he glanced back at the unconscious cowpoke on his back.

“Told ya that I managed to pick one hell of a deputy!” Both Ceroba and Martlet snorted at his remark, sucking the wind out of his sails. “Oh come on, you can’t tell me that the kid isn’t a bona fide cowboy, through and through!”

“Sure sure, whatever you say Star.” His childhood friend shook her head with a small smile and moved onto the next room. Heavy grates suspended over glowing superheated liquid showed  the path forward with a small platform holding a broken and completely looted vending machine jutted out towards their left. For some reason, when she looked at the area next to the broken machine, Valravn got a foreboding and gut wrenching sensation. Glancing around, she saw that this area had little to no hiding spots in their immediate surroundings, nor was there a way to dig up from anywhere. Just to be sure, she spread her wings, shaking them gently in order to try and unclump her feathers with varying success.

“Stay here, I’ll check around and then we can talk.” She flew off, going below the catwalk for reasons the other monsters didn’t know. With a sigh, Starlo knelt down next to the vending machine.

“One of ya help me get the deputy off. Probably best if we let him rest against this thing for now while our brooding friend comes back, no offense, Feathers.” He caught himself as he realized just who he was talking off but Martlet didn’t say anything as she gently picked the sleeping human off of his back. “Here, you can use this as a blanket of sumthin’.” The Sheriff took off his poncho, revealing the simple farmer's outfit beneath it while he held it out for the bluebird.

“Thanks.” Despite the ambient heat of the area, she did gently cover Clover with it as she propped him up against the temporary resting spot. The trio of monsters waited for Valravn to come back, her wingbeats echoed in the chamber, almost drowned out by the humming of the Steamworks filtering in from deeper in. After a couple minutes she came back and latched onto the railings while she regarded the group, her eyes falling on the still sleeping human.

“This place seems safe, we can talk but don’t be too loud, we can never be sure who might listen in.” Her seemingly paranoid behavior did not escape their notice.

“Who on earth would even listen in? The only other beings here are the Steamworks robots and half of them barely count as thinking.” Ceroba voiced her thoughts but Valravn didn’t answer, not immediately.

“It’s highly likely that the human—”

“Clover. His name is, Clover.” Martlet cut in, giving her a pointed look, one that Valravn reciprocated before eventually crumbling under the defiant stare of her pure self.

“Fine...like I said, it’s highly likely that Clover was not alone through his journey in the Underground.” Starlo just raised an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah? Feathers here has been with him on and off since Lower Snowdin, from what I recall and Ceroba here went through the entire Steamworks with him before we—never mind.” He rubbed the back of his head while taking off his hat, the tough Sheriff appearance completely melting away, leaving only the farmboy behind. Filing that tidbit away for now, Valravn shook her head.

“Not like that. I meant someone else, someone who I would imagine has been watching Clover’s every move.”

“We would have noticed something like that.” Ceroba butted in this time, much to Valravn’s growing frustration and the large bird of prey let out an exasperated groan. Her talons clenched, cutting into the railing she was still perched upon, the motion feeling all too natural for her, a feeling she hated with her entire SOUL.

“Just listen, please.” She bit back the growl from the back of her throat and did her best not to show her agitation. “I don’t know if it has been following this Clover but that...thing that murdered everyone in its path—in my time, or reality, or whatever the hell I call home is—that human was aided by something.” A growing sense of unease spread between the monsters as Valravn continued. “After I...” She trailed off, looking to the side. ”defeated the human, it accidentally revealed itself and was about to do something weird before I stopped whatever magic or ability it seemingly wanted to use.” At the word ‘defeat’, her hands tightened into a fist and judging by how she reacted upon seeing Clover, Martlet and the others could easily connect the dots just what she meant.

“Mega Fe-Valravn. Just what happened? You are saying that our deputy has been killing monsters left and right but I jus’ find it hard to believe someone so kind and pure like him could do it.”  Starlo tried to sound non confrontational, he could tell that a lot had happened with Valravn and while he still had his reservations about her credibility, the way she acted around Clover, or how she would always glance around as if searching for threats told him a lot about her. That’s not even mentioning the deep seated pain and anguish he saw in her eyes, back on the balcony.

Valravn wrung her hands together, ignoring the sticky feeling of her feathery fingers, or how her arms felt more and more sluggish to move. “About a day ago, I think, a human fell into the Underground. Some monsters found the door to the Dark Ruins wide open, with a trail of dust leading outwards. Then...all hell broke out.” She took a shuddering breath, memories she desperately tried to push down bubbling to the surface. “I encountered the human in Lower Snowdin when I was helping people evacuate. At first I thought they were just a lost monster kid but then it started shooting me. I tried to fight back but I was no match and I barely escaped.” She shook her head. “No it...let me go but...I don’t know why. Why was I given that shred of mercy, when so many others received none?”  She inadvertently glanced towards Clover, her hands grasping one another tighter instinctively.

“You were no match for Clover? Like this?” Ceroba asked gently and Valravn shook her head with a mirthless chuckle.

“I didn’t look like this back then. I was still me and not this, creature.” She looked down at her own failing body in disdain. She knew Martlet would want to comfort her and shook her head. “I know what you're gonna say Martlet, but it’s the truth. We both know it.” She didn’t dare look at her pure self, nor the human sleeping next to her.

“If it’s too much then you don’t need to continue.” The kitsune gently added, she could feel just how much this pained the massive monster whose menacing aura had lessened but by no means did it vanish completely. Valravn shook her head.

“No it’s—I should tell you all just-just in case.” Taking another deep breath, she spoke again. “Next time I saw it, we were in the Dunes but again it...let me go and I just can’t understand why!” Valravn clenched her hands together into a fist, shaking in quiet anger as she recalled the events. “I helped monsters go to a farm; there was a shelter there and I tried to get as many as I could to go there but...so many people never got accounted for. People like...” She cut herself off but the way her gaze flickered towards Starlo and Ceroba, the unspoken message was clear as day.

“Oh...” Starlo looked down at the metallic floor, a swirl of conflicting emotions in his mind. “What happened, do you know?” A part of him was morbidly curious and no matter how much he tried to squash it down, it remained.

“I don’t—not exactly. As I was guiding monsters to the bunker at the farm, a fish monster asked me to find someone matching your description. They told me that you went back and that Ceroba is missing as well. When I flew over that small cowboy town I...saw a bunch of dust piles but there were two close to each other that had your—had your—” Valravn’s body shook and she didn’t need to say more. Starlo’s fists clenched and unclenched, the star-headed monster was doing his best to come to terms with his and his best friend’s demise, especially since it came at the hands of his Deputy.

“So we failed.” Ceroba surmised, outwardly looking like she was taking it better than her childhood friend but the subtle tremor in her voice betrayed her emotions. Valravn nodded.

“I’m sorry. So, so sorry. If only I just...acted properly sooner maybe none of this—” The large bird clutched her head, her feathers continuing to clump and stick together and to the group's growing horror she was starting to look grayer as time passed. The kitsune walked over slowly and carefully put a hand on her wing, making Valravn jump a bit.

“It’s not your fault, Valravn. You—there is no way that you could have known that thi—”

“But I should have done something!” She screamed at Ceroba, the sudden outburst catching the group off-guard and Valravn quickly reined herself in, to the best of her ability. She saw the frightened expression on the kitsune, who instinctively raised a hand in defense and the large bird monster felt like utter shit. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to, I...” Valravn could feel her SOUL bleed as she saw the brief flash of fear in Ceroba’s eyes, before the kitsune could school her expression. “This is exactly what I mean by...not being Martlet anymore, I...I’m just a failure. I-I-I-” She started coughing, her body wrecking in pain as Determination continued to break her very being down bit by bit.

“Martlet!” The bluebird called out in horror, standing up from where she was next to Clover and rushed over to her larger counterpart. “I—here! This should help, right?” Closing her eyes briefly, she created a couple green feathers and gently pushed them against Valrvan’s body, the magic dissipating on contact but it did little to ease the bird of prey’s rasping breaths and hacking coughs. “Why...why is it not doing anything?” She tried again, pushing more magic into the feathers and this time, it seemingly helped calm the worst of the coughs down, leaving both birds winded.

“You didn’t need to do that, not for me.” Valravn wheezed as she took deep breaths, some of her large feathers falling off before melting into a grey sludge and dripping through the grates. Starlo stared at the spot, his gut twisting into a knot as he could feel that she was not long for this world, at least not like this. “You know that...this is how it ends. I had to take the risks.”

Martlet looked to the side, her feathers clenching into a fist as she did her best to stay resolute in the face of imminent demise of her other self. Despite everything, Valravn smiled and did her best to put a reassuring wing on the smaller bird’s shoulder. Finally, the two looked at one another, a silent conversation between two sides of the same coin.

“Valravn, what’s happening to you?” Ceroba quietly asked, her voice even but a hint of worry betrayed her. The larger of the bird closed her eyes and let out a shaky sigh.

“This, this is the price of me stopping Clover—in my world.” She climbed off the railings, feeling she couldn’t safely perch on it anymore and wobbled a bit, only held up somewhat by Martlet doing her best to keep her upright. “Some years ago when I was stationed at the Lab, I...sneaked in when Dr. Alphys was out to install cameras. There’s this whole other laboratory hidden deep beneath and I...took some kind of serum.” Ceroba’s breath hitched when Valravn mentioned a secret laboratory and Starlo could already tell what was going through his best friend’s mind.

“We can ask about that later, Ceroba. I know you want to but now it’s just, ain’t the time.” He walked over to her and gently grabbed her shoulder, grounding the kitsune and bringing her out of her thoughts.

“I—yeah, you are right.”She gripped the arm of her kimono tightly, feeling the fragments of the mask jostle around in the inner pocket, a reminder of what she had done. “So you took some weird stuff and became...this?” She refocused her attention back to Valravn, who watched the exchange between the two old friends with questions in her mind.

“Yeah. It helped, a lot, but even then that human was just seemingly impossible to keep down. It just kept on shooting and firing some weird...SOUL laser thing and at one point it even forced its way into my memories. Can—can all humans do that?” Ceroba felt both uncomfortable and relieved that her fight with Clover ended how it did as it seems her friend could have done so much more than just break her keepsakes, if he wanted to. She involuntarily shivered, something that Starlo picked up on but didn’t comment.

“I don’t think so or at least, I hope not.” The kitsune bit her lip, even now her thoughts flicked back to warnings from her beloved husband. For all the good and kindness Clover did on his journey through the Underground, discrediting Chujin’s paranoia about humanity being evil, it seemed like the opposite could also be true, given the state of Valravn and the things she went through.

“But that still don’t explain why you are all—” Starlo trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence as he looked away in shame.

“Melting? In horrific pain? A miserable creature?” Valravn helpfully supplied, finding some macabre satisfaction in the way the star-headed monster recoiled at her words. That feeling lasted but for a moment before a hollow pang shot through her SOUL. “It’s...what I deserve, for not doing more sooner.”

“That’s a load of bull, ‘n we both know that.” Starlo retorted, catching Valravn off-guard. “Now I don’t know what exactly you are going through and from the things you said, our deputy in that other place has been a real varmint but I can tell you this. No one deserves to experience what you are going through, least of all not you.” He tried to flash her a reassuring smile but seeing how her feathers were now light gray and almost melting off of her, it faltered.

“Thanks but, I think I don’t really have a say in the matter anymore.” A ghost of a smile appeared on Valravn’s drooping beak but before anyone could say anything, a sharp intake of breath alerted them that Clover had woken up.

“Clover! Are you oka—” The words died in Martlet’s throat as she turned around and saw him. Instead of the cheerful and kind human who was always giving her a bright smile, now sat someone who looked like him, felt like him but the expression on his face almost shattered her SOUL then and there.

Terror.

Clover was visibly shaking in fear, his eyes darting from person to person in the group as he tried to push himself further and further away, back against the vending machine. Starlo tried to step closer and comfort him but the moment he moved towards Clover, the human’s gaze snapped towards him, stopping him in place.

“Deputy?” Starlo felt his body lock up as he saw the teen’s face flash between fear, happiness, anger, relief, terror and what scared him the most, raw fury. “Clover, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“Are you hurt?” Ceroba stepped up next to Starlo and  this time, the reaction was way more explosive.

“S-stay away!” To their shock, Clover pushed himself off of the vending machine, only to try and scoot further back. The way his eyes were frantically looking around, how his body shivered and shook and the rapid breathing that started to overwhelm him gave Ceroba a sinking feeling.

“Clover listen...it’s okay, you are not in da—”

“SH-SHUT UP!” Clover cut her off, his voice cracking as he held his head with both arms. Unknown to the monsters around him, every time he looked at any of them, visions began to bombard his thoughts, memories from pasts and futures that never happened flooding his mind.

He saw Starlo look at him with disdain, holding a broken, dusty mask. He saw him crumble away into specks of dust, leaving behind a fox in anguish. He saw him as nothing more than a lifeless, shambling corpse puppeteered by grotesque plant fibers. Squeezing his eyes shut didn’t help as the visions kept coming, becoming increasingly violent as he saw and felt himself get killed time and time again.

A bullet through the forehead.

Shot through the heart.

Bleeding out from multiple wounds.

Getting run over by a magical train.

The excruciating pain of sticks of dynamites tearing his body apart.

It was too much and too fast. Clover tried to get the visions out of his mind but it was futile. Made especially worse when Ceroba came closer and gathered his attention. Images continued to flicker on and off in his mind’s eye, the glow of the Steamworks vanishing as he briefly found himself back in the Wild East, the kitsune cursing him to rot in hell as she turned to dust.

Her form glitching out, face disappearing into nothing but pitch black void. The vision dissipated for a brief moment, letting him see her concerned face but it didn’t last. In a second, he was back at the balcony, with the distraught and despondent mother holding his gun to her own forehead.

Clover pulled the trigger.

He was in a dark, stuffy place, mere moments before Ceroba turned around and battered his head with her staff. He saw her do nothing in the Steamworks, as a Jandroid buried him under mountains of magical trash, his life snuffed out by the sheer weight. He could feel her take his SOUL, muttering something he couldn’t make out before darkness took over him

He was back in the WIld East.

Clover pulled the trigger.

“CLOVER!!!” An oh-so familiar voice broke through the haze of images and the world snapped back to reality, or it seemed so. Starlo and Ceroba stood petrified not too far from him, his gun pointed straight at them. Clover looked at the weapon, his eyes widening before his chest flared up in pain and he clutched his clothes with a hand, grunting in discomfort, knees buckling but he didn’t fall.

“What’s—what’s going on?” The Sheriff didn’t dare move, his eyes fixated on the trembling gun in his deputy’s hand. “Clover, put down the gun, please. Don’t do nothin’ you would regret.”

“Listen to us Clover, please. You are not in danger...okay?” Ceroba continued where her friend left off but still, she didn’t dare move in case the gun trained at them misfired. Behind them, Valravn narrowed her eyes, the large monster ready to call upon the last bits of her reserve in case things went further south.

“You aren’t real. None of you; monsters...are evil They just want to kill me!” Clover gasped through the pain, his SOUL seizing up as he tried to make sense of what was in front of him and what was mere hallucination. A brief moment of lucidity came over him and his eyes widened. “No, no. Monsterkind is just trapped, they don’t deserve this.”

He could feel his vision swimming, his equilibrium faltered and he started falling over. From the corner of his eyes, Clover saw figures move in and panic gripped his heart. “N-no! Get away!” Without thinking much, a brilliant golden light enveloped his body and he disappeared, reappearing mid-motion behind Ceroba who was about to catch him from falling over.

Clover didn’t turn back, didn’t stop as the edges of his vision started to darken. His boots clanged against the grates as he ran as fast as he could. His three friends could only stare in shock as his footsteps became distant and he vanished from sight.

“What...the hell was that?” Starlo tried to find some answers but none of them could really say what came over their friend.

“I don’t know and frankly? I don’t care! I’m going after him!” Martlet shook her wings in preparation of taking off, but a gooey sensation stopped her.

“You all stay here; I’ll go and find him.” Valravn stood up, as much as her failing body allowed her to and began to shamble after Clover. As she walked, her form regained some of its previous composure, her body solidifying somewhat with every step she took. Valravn knew this was only temporary but she had to do it, it’s too dangerous for the others otherwise.

“What? Of course not! Clover is our friend and if he is in pain, then we have to make sure he is okay!” Martlet immediately opposed Valravn's idea but she just shook her head.

“No, it's better if I go. If this Clover is really as nice as you say then I’ll be fine. And if not, then...even now, I’m sure I could take hits. But you three-” She glanced at the trio of shaken monsters. “It’s better if you let me find him.” For a brief moment, the glow of her eyes returned, showing that there was no way they could convince her of changing her mind. Martlet was obviously torn up about this, a part of her wanting to go and find Clover immediately, feeling like she failed him yet again but a part of her was scared of what she saw.

Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she called after Valravn. “Just...bring him back, please.”

Valravn didn’t say anything but there was the slightest bob with her head just as she reached the door. Stopping there, the large monster glanced back at the group, hesitating for a brief moment before she exhaled.

“If any of you see a yellow flower pop up anywhere nearby. Kill it. Do NOT listen to what it might try to say.” With that cryptic warning bestowed upon the others, Valravn left, vanishing into the depths of the Steamworks.

“What the hell did she mean by that?” Starlo broke the relative silence, scratching the back of his head while putting his hat back on. Neither Ceroba or Martlet had any idea as the two shared a look.

“I don’t know, never heard of a flower monster before.” Ceroba rubbed her chin, looking lost in thought.

“Well, Clover and I met that large cactus monster in the Dunes so who’s to say there can’t be one?” Martlet put in her two bits of gold but something felt off for the group.

“‘s much as I’m still on the fence about her, I get the feeling she really meant that.” Starlo sighed and stepped over to his now discarded poncho, looking at the bloodied fabric glumly. “There’s something wrong with the deputy. That look he had, it ain’t right, at all.”

“It was as if he thought we were going to kill him.” Ceroba immediately realized just how ironic that sounded coming from her and she hung her head in shame, doing her best to ignore the pointed look from Martlet. “I realize I’m not innocent in that regard especially given what I tried to do but even then, Clover forgave me. This, this was different. It was as if all he knew was him being nothing but some sort of prey animal being hunted.” She bit her lip, her mind replaying the scene and the sheer terror on Clover’s face burned into her memories forever. “I don’t want to see him like that, ever again.”

“Yeah, me neither.” The bluebird felt a shiver run down her spine as she recalled his wild, scared eyes. “I hope she can find him safely.”

“You ‘n me both, Feathers. Pretty sure Ceroba too.” Starlo sat down with a sigh, his boots tapping nervously against the iron grates below but for now, all they could do was hope for the safe return of their friend and Valravn.

For the big bird, things were currently a mess, as her emotions swirled deep inside of her. For the first time since that accursed rooftop, she was alone and with it, her thoughts came crashing in like a wave. She was not home anymore, not her home. It was an incredibly bitter pill to swallow, one that she was having a hard time accepting at all. She knew it can’t be a memory, it’s too elaborate, too real for that. The monsters she knew to be dead were right in front of her, healthy and alive and for God’s sake, she herself tried to heal her failing body.  It was all too much for Valravn to internalize.

Then there was the human, Clover.

She still wasn’t sure what to think of him. A part of her wanted to kill him, to make him pay for what he had done but another part knew that this Clover was not the one who committed those atrocities. The Martlet who belongs to this Underground was very adamant in proving her wrong. She wasn't about to fully believe her other self but then, she saw the look he had when Clover woke up.

The same look that the dust frenzied thing had. The repulsion and ‘self righteous’ fury it wore on its face was one she could never get out of her memories. She shook her head to get the thoughts out of her head. She made a promise and as much as she wanted to be safe than sorry, she didn’t want to break Martlet’s SOUL by not doing her best. She walked past a massive computer terminal, the ominous green glow enveloped her body but she didn’t really pay it much attention, her sharp eyes were only looking for the human.

She had to momentarily stop in order to get her bearings and shook her arms to get some feelings back into them. After a couple seconds, Valravn continued and went on until she reached a fork in the road. She muttered a couple choice words under her breath and tried to see if there was anything that could tell her which way to go. Thankfully, Valravn noticed a puddle of something on the pathway that led upwards and after making her way over to it, she could tell from the stench that Clover had thrown up again. Looking at the door, she saw a sign that told her this was some sort of Laboratory. Whatever the place was, it’s been long defunct much like everything else in the Steamworks and so with the only piece of clue as to Clover’s whereabouts, she walked in.

She found herself in an empty hallway, the floor missing parts of it revealing nothing but gaping abyss below the structure. She heard something scrape the floor around the corner and Valravn felt her newfound instincts kick in. Carefully making her way to the edge, she took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever might be on the other side. But before she could round it, Clover’s voice caught her off-guard.

“You don’t need to sneak, monster.” There was something off about his voice and she quickly realized that there were hints of that same monotone murderer in it. Gritting her beak, Valravn cursed herself for not taking action sooner. She prepared herself to dodge any bullets that might come her way and finally walked past the corner. The sight stopped her dead in the tracks as Clover was sitting at the edge of a large pit in the floor, legs dangling above the pitch black nothingness. However, the one thing that made her freeze up was that he was staring into the barrel of his own gun. He spared her a glance, those once golden eyes now dull and faded of color, looking into her own glowing yellow ones. “Oh it’s you...have you come to finish the job?”

“No, though a part of me wants to.” Valravn was upfront, something Clover appreciated as he nodded in agreement.

“I know.” He looked down at the gun, still aiming it at himself and the large melty bird narrowed her eyes.

“What are you doing?” Her voice was mostly calm and detached, though there was the slightest hint of worry in it. “Your friends back there wouldn’t want you to end up a splatter.” She figured being blunt in this scenario would be better than skirting around the issue, not that she cared about his feelings, or at least she hoped that was the case.

“My...friends.” Clover squeezed his eyes shut as another flash of pain tore through his head. “They just, they just want to kill me. All they want, all everyone wants is my SOUL.” He shook his head fervently, his entire body shaking. “That’s not—that’s not true” His body twitched and to Valravn it looked like he was trying to get rid of some pain. “They care about me and love me but, but then why?” Valravn raised an eyebrow as he devolved into muttering to himself, his hand on the gun trembling.

“You should put that thing down and talk.” While she would have preferred to just drag him back to the others, Valravn knew that wouldn’t solve anything. Clover opened his eyes and looked at her, taking in her form for the first time. His breath hitched as he saw something his SOUL didn’t want to believe.

“You are...dying.” He breathed out and she froze up.

“How do you—” Red flags were raised in Valravn’s mind but she was cut off by Clover.

“I get these flashes, or visions I guess, every time I look at someone or see anything. It’s as if, as if this isn’t my first time in the Underground.” He looked up at her and the large bird could see pure exhaustion in his eyes. “It started when I woke up—no, it all started when I passed out. Martlet I’m-” Clover fidgeted in place, the gun in his hands shaking a bit. “I’m scared. Of what this could all mean, if you were right about me.”

“And from that you could tell that I’m dying?” Valravn questioned, her tone measured so she doesn’t betray her emotions. Clover gave a shaky nod, not meeting her eyes.

“Yes. I saw you on a...rooftop, I think? We were fighting and you-you were melting; just like now but it was so, so much worse.”  He shook his head, one of his hands gripping his hair and almost knocking his hat off. “But you were also in a room with me. A room full of golden flowers. There was a...large monster with big horns and you-” Clover’s breathing quickened as his mind tried to make sense of what he was seeing. “You were screaming something at him but I can’t remember what.”

“A room full of golden flowers.” Valravn muttered to herself, the gears turning in her head. There was only place she could immediately think of that fit the bill, but that couldn’t be, could it? “King Asgore.” Despite her being quiet, Clover caught it and immediately, she could feel a shiver crawl down her spine. Looking over at him, her instincts flared up and she prepared for an attack, as Clover’s face was now covered in that oppressive shadow she has ingrained in her memories. Those baleful golden eyes glared towards her and she felt her hands twitch in anticipation, preparing to manifest the last vestiges of her magic.

“King Asgore.” His voice was full of contempt and venom, purely aimed at a single person. “That filth gave the order that caused the murder of five children and I am to be the sixth. He is the one that needs justice the most.” Valravn swallowed the lump in her throat but as soon as it came, the oppressive feeling vanished, the shadows clearing from his face and the glow of his eyes dissipated.

“No, that's not entirely true, is it?” The teen fell back into murmurs, further cementing the idea in Valravn that something was really wrong with him. Her mind raced, trying to put the pieces together. If what Clover said so far is all true, he has been here whoever knows how many times before. But something must have changed for him to remember bits and pieces like this. Her eyes widened as she recalled something.

The star breaking.

She remembered hearing the same shattering sound back on the balcony as well. The dots slowly started to connect and Valravn didn’t like the picture it started to outline. “Hu-Clover. What did you see before you ran?” She eyed the shaking gun in his grip and decided it would be best to get that away from him, before he does something irreversible. “And you should give that thing to me, I made a promise to...Martlet, that I would bring you back safely.” She took a step towards Clover, raising her droopy feathery hands to show she didn’t mean any harm.

“But you hate me, don’t you? Then why did you promise her? Am I not the reason you are like this?” His questions rooted her in place, Valravn’s two halves fighting one another in her mind. One part of her was furious and wanted to bring justice, actual justice for the monsters that were slaughtered. Her other half however, was starting to realize that Clover was just as much of a victim as everyone else and maybe in some cases, even more so. She took a deep raspy breath and hung her head in resignation.

“I will be honest, a part of me does, a lot. What you, that other you did is unforgivable. But at the same time, you aren’t that thing; not by a long shot and I can tell Martlet cares a lot about you.” Valravn sighed as she took a couple more steps towards him and sat down at the edge of the hole, close enough to give a semblance of comfort but not too close that he would feel threatened. “The gun, please.” Clover looked at her outstretched arm and after some internal deliberation, handed it to her with a shaky hand. The large monster gently laid it next to her, on the side further away from the unstable teen. “Thank you. And please, just call me Valravn. I’m not Martlet...not anymore, I think.” There was a flash of hurt on her face, one that Clover took note of.

“To me you will always be Martlet, but if you really want me to, I can do that.” She gave an almost imperceptible nod of thanks, before a coughing fit began to wreck her body. Despite himself, Clover immediately got on his feet and went over to try and help her. “Mart-Valravn, are you—is there anything I can do?” He tried to pat her back, ignoring the way his fingers stuck to her body slightly but Valravn just shook her head, the worst of it subsiding after a bit.

“I don’t think there is anything to help with here.” She wheezed, trying her best to catch her breath and Clover’s heart sank.

“I’m sorry it’s, it’s all my fault isn’t it?” He took a step back from her, wringing his hands together and looked down in shame.  She glanced at him, her eyes taking in his meek complex, the way his body seemingly shrunk in on itself and her glare softened. A tiny part of her mind still whispered that this is all a trap, that he is just waiting for her to drop her guard but she did her best to ignore it.

“It’s not...your fault.” She started, eyes shifting to the side. “Not entirely, at least. I’m just as much at fault for not stopping that other you earlier when I had the chance, as you are here for making me take that stupid serum.” Clover bit his lips, a vision flashing in his mind.

“Your terror ends now.” He whispered but Valravn caught it, her body freezing up briefly.

“How do you-just what’s happening to you?”

“I don’t know. I-I think these are like actual memories but if they are, then I.” Clover trailed off, grasping his vest at his chest, body trembling in horror and fear. “I’m just as much of a monster as you say I am.” The conflicting emotions in Valravn did not abate in the slightest at his admission, each side only growing louder and with it, her feathers drooped even further, something that didn’t escape Clover’s notice.

“Valravn, you need help. Couldn’t you ask Martlet if she has her own syringe? Maybe that cou—”

“I don’t want to take more of that thing. I get the feeling it would be a temporary solution at best either way.” She looked down at her hand, forcing two of her fingers apart with her other hand. “Like I told your friends before, I knew the risks.” She glanced to the side and muttered more to herself. “Most of them, anyway.”

“Still! There has to be something, anything that can help you! I don’t...I don’t want you to die!” His outburst shocked her and Valravn felt some warmth pierce the cold grip of her slow death as she could feel genuine concern radiate off of him. She gave the teen a small smile and closed her eyes in resignation.

“I appreciate it, really; but I don’t think anything can be done.” Clover didn’t say anything to that, falling into deep contemplation and his mind could only come up with one solution.

“Here.”

“Hm? What do y—” The words died in her throat as the large monster cracked an eye open and she saw the soft golden light emanating in the edge of her vision. Next to her, Clover was holding his SOUL out, an offering of his entire being floating above the open palm outstretched towards her. “Wh-what the—just what do you think you are doing?” Panic started to rise in her, she was fully aware what that thing was capable of.

“This should help you, right? A human SOUL is powerful and it could—it could supply you with the Determination you need to keep living, right?” Clover’s voice was steeped in desperation and his body shook. “Take it, please!” He continued to hold it out for Valravn who wanted nothing more than to scramble away from it. “I don’t...want you to die, I don’t want anyone to die because of me anymore.”  His body was shaking just as much as the slowly melting bird’s, tears streaming down his face as he tried to get her to accept his offering.

“Clover I can’t. Martlet would be devastated if I took it and—”

“But you are Martlet too! What about you?! Do you think she wouldn’t take your death just as hard?” His outburst caught her off-guard again, before the teen deflated. “I was going to give it up anyway...”

“What?” Valravn inner turmoil calmed slightly, overtaken by confusion.

“Back on the balcony. Before you appeared I-I was about to give up my SOUL; for Monsterkind.” He looked at the shining heart floating above his palm and it just made the large monster even more confused.

“But...why?” Clover looked away, as if ashamed.

“Because it’s the right thing to do. Or it felt like it back there; before all this happened.” Clover shrunk back a bit and Valravn was once again reminded that this human is not the same murderous creature that she fought. “It was the only way for my friends to be safe; for Monsterkind to have hope.” He progressively got more and more quiet and Valravn could tell he was afraid.

“But now, I don’t know anymore. I-I have done that before, gave up my life but it amounted to nothing. I was just...back at the start, back in the Ruins.” His free hand clenched into a fist while gears turned in her mind.

“The flower.” She blurted out without thinking, making Clover freeze up but he nodded after a while.

“Calls himself Flowey, my so-called ‘best friend’.” The sheer venom in his voice surprised Valravn, as she only heard such contempt when the genocidal version of him spoke about monsters. “He wants the SOULs of the previous fallen, all of them.