"Doctor Alphys... are you sure about this?" Sunset rubbed at the back of her neck as she stared down the colossal machine in front of her.

It looked almost like it could be some kind of colossal goat's skull, crafted from metal and painted red. Glass portholes in the position one would put eyes allowed one to look inside and watch the subject mid-experiment, and a fine seam ran down the center, parting at the bottom in the place one could imagine the opening of a nose hole or mouth. Huge cables and tubes ran backwards in tall arches and into the wall behind, imitating the shape of horns. Currently, it had been lowered to ground level and opened, exposing a small open space inside.

Alphys, meanwhile, was pouring over a set of blueprints that she had spread out across a nearby table. Isis sat on the corner, curiously scanning the charts on her own. With a nod to herself, Alphys shuffled back to Missy's chamber and attached a fresh pair of tubes to openings on one end.

"W-well, I'll admit I didn't build the DT extractor myself, b-but it's always worked exactly as it was supposed to, and these blueprints have helped me with many an a-adjustment and repair! I'm c-confident in its success rate!"

"These blueprints are not-not technically viable."

Sunset and Alphys both glanced at Isis, who had leaned in closer to scrutinize the material.

"I have determined at le-least three subsystems which serve no vi-viable purpose, and several energetic constants incon-congruous with any form of matter or energy in-in the known multiverse. It is, quite fran-frankly, a flight of fancy to think that this ma-machine could serve any worthwhile purpose."

"WHAT?" Alphys rushed back to the blueprints. "Where? Point them out!"

Isis's tail moved to point at a set of equations. Alphys pushed up on her glasses, re-examining the numbers carefully. "That? That's the constant for soul attribute harmonics!" She glanced at Isis in disbelief. "Th-that's the basis of all magic in the underground, it's been proven hundreds of times over through practical use! Without it, the spectrum of soul colors and magical specialization would still be a mystery!"

Sunset blinked, finding her curiosity more than piqued. She quietly made her way to join them at the desk, peeking over Alphys's shoulder at the equations in question.

"Soul colors?"

"O-of course! Every soul has one attribute which-" Alphys jumped slightly upon realizing that Sunset had appeared behind her, taking a moment to clear her throat and straighten her glasses. "Every soul has an array of traits, but one attribute that dominates all others, resonating with a particular frequency of magic! W-what concept fuels them most strongly determines their magical abilities!" She reached to another pile of papers, drawing a chart and placing it on top of the blueprints. It was a set of differently colored hearts, each one listed alongside an attribute and short list of abilities.

Cyan - Patience

Blue - Integrity

Orange - Bravery

Green - Kindness

Sunset glanced back up at the screen, once again noticing the bright green magic Undyne would occasionally use to lock Frisk in place. So... HER attribute is kindness? A bit of a far cry from the Element of Kindness I know...

Purple - Perseverance

Yellow - Justice

Red - Determination

She took another glance at the equations, mulling over them in her mind. They were certainly different from Princess Celestia's Magic Theory classes that she took in Equestria, but...

"Makes sense to me." Both Isis and Alphys turned to look at her, and she shrugged dismissively. "I mean, the magic where I come from is similar. We have different names for it, but it seems like we're a lot closer to home than I might have thought." She smiled and gave Alphys a pat on the shoulder. "If you're sure it'll work, then so am I."

Isis turned back to the blueprints, eyeing them with new fervor.

"Perhaps... There is da-data to glean here. Un-unknown phenomena to ex-explore. If this unknown for-form of energy is similar to-to Equestrian magic, it may yield ne-new insight into the mechanics of the Multiversal breakdown."

Sunset smiled and gave the mechanical dragon a pat on the head before walking back to the machine. She took a deep breath to steady herself before turning around and laying into the open space inside. On the other side of the room, Alphys walked to the terminal, tapping out a series of commands. All around her, Sunset could hear the hum and rumble of the machine waking up. Content with the feedback she was getting, Alphys walked back up to the machine and began inspecting it.

"N-now I've recalibrated the extractor to remove Determination energy from a living subject, rather than a soul in one of our specialized containers... They're more or less the same thing, in the grand scheme of things." Alphys muttered. "Instead of depositing the concentrated magical energy in a liquid form in the output chamber, I've rerouted the export valve to disperse it in aerosol form in the chamber. It will spread over Missy's body and even d-directly into her wound. In addition to your souls being symbiotic, my scans of her bodily composition say that she's similar enough to our world's m-monsters for this to re-energize her without any..." she paused, and Sunset caught a flicker of uncertainty on her features. It vanished as fast as it had appeared as Alphys gathered herself again. "W-without any of the side-effects we suffer from overly high doses of determination."

"In add-addition, I will be present in the hyperthaumic chamber..."

Sunset watched the drone pick up Missy's wing gently in its mouth and fly across the room.

"...to oversee the healing process a-and administer real-time reconnective surgery."

Sunset nodded. "Okay... It sounds like everyone's ready."

Alphys stepped back, giving Sunset a nervous look. "S-Sunset, if this doesn't work- If I made a mistake-"

Sunset shook her head. "You didn't." She smiled and reached out, taking Alphys's shoulder and forcing the lizard-like monster to look her in the eyes. "Alphys, trust me, I know what it's like to have magic blow up in your face. But if there's one thing I've learned from my friends, it's that when it does, things usually work out for the best if your heart's in the right place." She gave the scientist a smile before leaning back into the machine again. "Now come on, I've gotta go save Penn from a ten-year-old with a knife and Missy needs to get you all out of this dimension!"

Alphys blinked for a moment before smiling and giving a determined nod. She returned to the terminal, punching in several commands. The machine lifted up and into the air as the chamber closed around her, locking her in a dark, hot, claustrophobia-inducing space. Sunset took several breaths, trying to steady herself. She had been able to speak confidently to Alphys, but she would be lying if the entire situation didn't put her on edge. How does something actually EXTRACT determination? Is it safe? Will it hurt? What if-

She shook her head. She needed to force those thoughts out of her mind. The only way forward was through. She could see a soft red glow reflecting off of the inside of the chamber. She assumed it was her geode, but a glance downward dispelled that notion.

It was a heart. A red, ethereal heart glowing in the center of her chest, bright enough to shine through her shirt and make itself clear.

Red... For Determination.

In that moment, Sunset realized what she was seeing: it was her own soul, or at least some part of it, being drawn out and called upon to deliver. Her head cleared and the worries seemed to dissolve away, leaving only the absolute truth: If she was called upon, then she would give her strength. Just like everyone else around her, she wouldn't stop fighting until she collapsed, until she had nothing left to give. If things weren't right, she would MAKE things right, by the strength of her heart and the blade in her hand.

I'll do whatever it takes to save my friends!

The shape of the heart moved up, passing through her chest and clothes to hover just above her in the darkness. As it continued to glow brighter and brighter, Sunset could feel the temperature in the chamber beginning to rise. She wasn't afraid, or even uncomfortable, as scarlet and yellow flames began to lick at the edges of her soul, a visualization of her rising hopes and determination.

Several turbines began to spin in the tubes around her, beginning to circulate the air. Tiny sparks and embers began to flake off of the outside of her soul, like a campfire in a strong breeze. Every speck of flaming passion was whisked away down the tubes, instantly captured by the extractor. She grunted as she began to feel the effects, but she didn't shy away from the process. It felt like she was being drained, her energy and strength beginning to slip away from her and leaving a hollow feeling deep in her chest.

Still, she gritted her teeth, narrowed her eyes, and stared into the ruby-colored flames of her own soul, willing it to burn brighter and hotter.

I will do it.

I WILL do it.

I will DO it.

I CAN DO THIS!

Her heart seemed to respond to her mental chant, pulsing softly and sending a shower of sparks out into the air, only to be sucked up like a vacuum cleaner.

"Come on..." she growled as she watched the light beginning to dim. There was no way she could already be spent, right? "COME ON!"

As she received only a feeble beat back and the draining feeling growing stronger, Sunset closed her eyes and focused. She thought about Missy, about the sight of her lying on the ground and the sheer unbridled wrath she'd felt in that moment. She thought about why she'd felt that way. About Missy's ever-smiling face. About the way she always seemed so childish, but always wise enough when Sunset needed it, betraying that she was more than a simple child. She thought about their battles together, from their first duel to their brushes with death at Amity Colosseum and beyond. She thought about how comforting it was when she would wake up to a friendly face every day, even countless dimensions away from her home and her friends.

And she thought about her friends. Not just the Rainbooms, but their little troupe of wanderers. The long hours on the road, all crammed into the car they called home. She thought of the way Penn would still be mouthing along the lyrics to every song when he thought she was asleep, just because he couldn't help himself but sing along. She thought of all the little ways Isis expressed her affection for them: the personal touches in every delivery, her constant diligence checking with them that their needs were met, the way she never stopped looking for ways to make herself useful was her way of saying that she loved them.

Her heart swelled as she thought of the deep love she and every member of her accidental family shared. In looks, in deeds, and in the little things they all did to try and make this life on the road bearable for one another.

She couldn't open her eyes, now. The light of her soul was blinding, and she could feel the heat of it threatening to burn away everything that wished harm upon her friends.

"O-Okay, Sunset, that's enough!" Alphys's voice crackled over a speaker. "I-I'm turning off the extractor!"

Sunset nodded, taking a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart. The heart that showed her soul rapidly faded as she let go of her concentration, descending back into its rightful place in her chest with little more than a light scorch mark in the center of her chest. The machine descended and the doors opened with a hiss, allowing a gust of cold air to wash over her.

It was only when she tried to move that the sense of how tired she was slammed into her like a brick wall. She groaned and leaned back, unable to convince her muscles to push her up into a standing position. It was all that she could do to lift her head when she heard heavy thudding echoing through the room.

It was the chamber. The hyperthaumic chamber was a whirlwind of activity, rocking violently back and forth as red energy spun around inside, along with the sound of fluttering wings and squeaking. They all stared and watched, unable to look away until the glass shattered, sending Isis's drone slamming into the far wall, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. The red cloud of magic all swarmed out of the hole in the glass, floating up to the ceiling in a tiny tornado of activity. Finally, the tornado exploded without warning, filling the entire room with a red cloud that obscured all vision and left Alphys and Sunset coughing and hacking for breath.

"D-Did it work?" Sunset asked, squinting to try and see further than her own nose.

"I- I don't know! Does Missy usually do this kind of thing?"

Before Sunset could respond, both of them were cut off by a new sound in the room: strings. Violins strumming out a haunting, methodical beat and lilting melody. In the mist, Sunset thought she could make out the shapes of small, familiar figures scuttling busily about. It almost sounded like a marching song, even as a chorus of spectral voices began to sing.

She watched as a huge, round shape began to rise in the center of the room, and the fog finally dispersed, letting them just barely catch glimpses of tiny monsters running away into the darkness and shadows, giggling as they went.

What was left was... a pumpkin. A HUGE pumpkin, with a grinning face carved into it, almost as tall as Sunset, herself.

Alphys opened her mouth, undoubtedly about to question the strange happening before the face of the pumpkin exploded open in a spray of candy of every kind. A tiny figure zipped across the room almost faster than the eye could see on a beeline for Sunset. Alphys shrieked in fear, but Sunset simply smiled as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist in a tight hug.

"Heya... Missed you." She smiled and patted the little girl's head, being careful not to knock off her precious tiny top hat.

Missy's tear-streaked face looked up at her, beaming with a smile that could light up a room all by itself. "I-I missed you too..." She whispered, burying her face in Sunset's stomach and leaving a wet patch.

Sunset tilted her head slightly, getting a better look at Missy's wings. Both of them were present, and seemed to be functioning just fine. "Feeling better?"

Missy nodded again, still refusing to let go of her. "B-better than a whole street of full-sized candy bars!"

Sunset smiled. "Good. Because I'm sorry to say it, but we've got work to do..."

Missy sniffled loudly before wiping her face on Sunset's shirt one more time and floating up into the air, delivering a salute with the wrong hand. "Ready and waiting, Sunset!" Sunset sighed with relief before forcing herself forward and onto her feet. It took all the strength she had left just to avoid falling over, and Missy quickly positioned herself under her arm, helping to carry her weight. She tapped her chin with thought after a moment, glancing around the room in confusion. "Wait, isn't this usually Penn's job?"

"Penn is fighting to buy us time to get you back." Sunset sighed and pointed up at the screen, which caused Missy to gasp and cover her mouth. "And as you can see, it's not going well..."

"Oh, suddenly I remember what happened before I passed out..." Missy growled, rolling up her sleeves as she glared at the screen. "Point me in a direction, Sunset, I'm ready to go all Michael Myers on that kid!"

Sunset shook her head, unwrapping her arm from Missy's shoulders. "No, you are going with the rest of the monsters. There's a barrier sealing everyone in here, and if we're right-" she pointed to Doctor Alphys, who meekly waved at her, "YOU can break it."

Missy blinked, floating away slightly to look at Sunset as if to question if she was serious. Sunset sighed.

"Final Fright, Missy. It could break through!"

"Ooooooh!" Missy smiled as understanding dawned on her. "You want me to pop the top off this mountain like a candy apple!"

Sunset blinked. "You... don't pop the top off a candy apple..."

Missy bent down and winked knowingly at her. "You do if you eat it in one bite!"

It was Sunset's turn to question whether or not her friend was being serious, but she shook the confusion off. "As for me, well... we came up with a plan while you were knocked out. While you do that, Mettaton, Papyrus and I are going to go take over the fight from Penn and Undyne." She took another moment to glance at the monitor. "We're gonna have to be quick, I don't know how much longer they'll last..." she muttered. "I'm pretty sure we won't be able to miss it when you crack that barrier, so once you're done, we'll retreat back through the lab and meet you on the surface."

Missy looked down, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. "S-so... You're not gonna come with me?"

Sunset smiled and reached out, pulling Missy into another hug. "Penn and I are gonna be right behind you, okay? I KNOW you can do this..." She walked the two of them to the door, sweeping her arm outwards. "Besides, you're not gonna be alone, this time, either!"

Missy turned around, wide-eyed as she took in the sight of the crowd of monsters staring at her in a mix of shock and awe. At the front was the kid that had claimed Missy had saved them, smiling proudly as they took the lead.

"We've been waiting for you, Miss Angel!"

Sunset smiled and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You can do it. These monsters need you..."

Missy stared for another moment before her hands curled into tiny little fists of determination. She floated up, wrapping her arms around Sunset's neck for one more hug.

"Be careful..." she whispered into Sunset's ear. "There's something wrong with that kid."

Sunset nodded as she returned the hug. "You, too... I'll see you soon."

With that, Missy separated from her, floating over beside Alphys and giving a definitive nod. All at once, the crowd of monsters erupted into joy and relief. Sunset couldn't help but feel her heart swell with pride as she watched Missy restore hope in this dreadful situation. Alphys led the way as the group shuffled out of the room, many of the monsters crowding around Missy for attention or a closer look.

"Allllrighty, then!" a voice declared as a pair of mitten-wearing hands wrapped around her waist and hoisted her into the air. Before she had a chance to object, Sunset found herself riding on a pair of bony shoulders. She wanted to object, but the rational (and VERY tired) partof her brain reminded her that she could barely stand under her own power. Beneath her, Papyrus was grinning, clearly not minding carrying her weight. "I suppose that this means that it's time for our team to set off!"

Mettaton rolled up beside them, bushing his metal knuckles against his multicolored chassis. "WELL, I MAY BE A STAR, BUT I CAN ONLY IMAGINE IT WILL BE QUITE SATISFYING TO FULFILL MY ORIGINAL PURPOSE AS A HUMAN ERADICATION ROBOT!"

"Wowie! A human, an apprentice Royal Guard, and a Superstar Robot!" Papyrus scratched at his chin with one hand as they strode towards the elevator. "With a GREAT rescue party like this, Undyne and your friend are as good as safe already!"

Sunset ducked her head as they all crowded into the elevator, but she couldn't shake an uneasy feeling that Papyrus might be wrong.

"Let's... just hurry, okay?" she muttered.

"H-hey..." Undyne panted. "I think... I saw them breaking a sweat..."

"Oh?" Penn replied, widening his stance as he tried to fight off another wave of dizziness. "We must be... wearing them down!"

The two of them chuckled, each resisting the urge to turn and lean on the other for support. Undyne was hunched over, trying to keep her composure. Her head was spinning, her whole body was burning, her muscles wouldn't respond the way she wanted them to... Deep down, she knew that the moment she let up, her body would fall apart.

A glance at her unexpected brother-in-arms gave her a good idea that she wasn't the only one running on sheer fighting spirit. Penn was swaying and clearly unsteady, the only things still strong seemed to be his grip on his laser sword and his gaze on the other human. She'd heard that after losing a lot of blood humans could collapse, but it usually looked like so much more in the shows she would watch with Alphys.

The human child also seemed to be tiring, but much less quickly than the two of them, since they were still almost completely without a scratch.

"Hey... I wanna say something..." she muttered, drawing his attention.

"Yeah?"

"You know, I never thought I could be friends with a human... But you're pretty cool." She smirked. "Thanks for sticking around, Penn."

He blinked several times as he gave her a blank look. "S-sorry, I think I... blacked out from blood loss... for a few seconds, there... what was that?"

Undyne narrowed her eye in suspicion and was treated to a teasing grin from him. "You heard me."

"Guilty as charged." He shrugged. "Well, I never thought... I'd get to fight with... the underground's true hero, so... right back at you, Undyne..." He returned the smile between heavy breaths. "You... ready to finish this?"

Undyne took a deep breath as another wave of shudders washed over her. She could feel her body trying to give up and scatter into a million pieces, but she knew her job wasn't done. She refused to die. Not here. Not now. Not while there were so many people counting on her. Everyone's hopes and dreams rested on them.

She was more determined than ever not to let them down.

"Y-yeah."

Penn swung the blade out to the side, ready for a sweeping attack. "Then let's... GO!"

He didn't need to explain that this was their last onslaught. They both knew that this was their final turn before their own bodies mutinied and collapsed. They had no choice but to give it their all and win in one last move.

Undyne knew her part: cover his approach. She raised one hand, readying a barrage of her spears. First, she materialized a set of projectiles over her shoulder, the toughest mix of flying projectiles she could muster. Some were direct and powerful, others were set to dart around in the air and attack from unpredictable angles. With a heaving swing of her arm, they all flew towards their target at once, certainly inescapable.

But she could do more. With the same hand, she turned her palm up and thrust her hand towards the sky. All around them, the ground began to glow bright with magical energy before erupting into a bed of upwards-facing spears ready to impale anyone unfortunate to be on the ground and in their path.

With her other hand, she reached out with her magic, aiming to lock the human in place. Even if there WAS an escape, she wouldn't let them take it.

But... nothing happened.

She gritted her teeth, trying again. Come ON! Why isn't it working?

She glanced down at her underperforming hand, ready to chastise herself for her laziness. Her eyes widened with horror, however, when she realized that her hand wasn't there.

Instead, there was only a rapidly-melting stump at the end of her arm. Her eye widened as she looked down at her body, watching it beginning to liquefy.

"N-no! NO!" She tried to take a step forward, but her legs crumpled beneath her, causing her to fall chin-first to the ground. "Not NOW!"

Ahead, she could see the assault continuing without her as Penn slashed and swung wildly with the saber, trying and failing to be as unpredictable as he was fast. Free to move as they wished, Undyne could only watch as the child tucked and rolled between Penn's legs, using the clear space she had left for him to their advantage. There was a flash of metal, and Penn dropped to one knee as the child slashed the back of his other leg.

When he turned around, Undyne saw him noticing her fate. It was a second of terror. A flash of pity. A look of despair...

...and a second's break in his concentration.

She could only manage a pained gurgle to warn him when she saw the kid's blade aim for his hand, raking across his fingers and cutting deep. He reflexively recoiled from the blow, forced to let go of his weapon. The saber fell through the air for only a fraction of a second before landing perfectly in the outstretched palm of the child. They didn't hesitate with their next attack, forcing Undyne to watch as they plunged the burning red blade into the center of his chest.

Penn went stiff, eyes wide as time seemed to freeze. He looked down at his chest, his last breaths coming out in a strained grunt. He stared in disbelief at the child, a small plume of smoke escaping through his mouth as the red-hot blade burned him up from within. Undyne wanted to scream, to tell that kid that they were going to pay for what they'd done, but the more her emotions mounted, the faster her body collapsed into a puddle of monster goo. She could only gurgle angrily as her vision blurred and went dark. The last thing she saw was the red glow of the blade outlining the figure of the child as they walked past, not even paying her any mind at this point.

And then it was over.

...

...

...

...

...

And then, it wasn't.

Flowey had to admit, as terrifying as Frisk was at this point, this run was unlike anything he'd ever seen or done in all his years of saving and resetting.

They'd gone out of their way to stab Sans in the back, netting themselves a hefty about of EXP and eliminating the biggest threat right away. Watching the light fade from that smiley trashbag's eyes was the only laugh the comedian had ever gotten out of him, the look on his face was priceless.

From there, practice had served Frisk well as they tore their way through the rest of the monsters of the underground, proving right what Flowey had always told them: that in this world, it was kill or be killed. The strong would always enforce their will on the weak until there was nothing left to could offer them.

Of course, the other big change had been the new visitors dropping into the underground. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw an honest-to-goodness angel land in the ruins, then the robot and two humans who had followed. Between Frisk's suddenly out-of-order killing spree and the supposedly impossible appearance of more humans, he'd decided to play his cards close to his chest and simply watch from the shadows. It wasn't like he had anything to lose; no matter what happened, this would be the most interesting thing to happen in... well, more resets than he could count, frankly.

It almost seemed like the universe had corrected itself when the human and Undyne teamed up. Together, they were a threat almost as tough as Sans had been. Frisk had gone through nearly a thousand resets just to get through the last fifteen minutes in one piece.

He was a bit disappointed that Undyne hadn't gone full "Undyne the Undying" mode, that was one HELL of a light show. It seemed like she'd managed to swap that overwhelming power for increased endurance, stretching the fight with Frisk out much longer than any other monster had (barring Sans, of course). Unfortunately, the exchange had yielded the same result in the end: Undyne had been poisoned by her own determination, causing her body to collapse and melt as she chanted her refusal of her own death.

Luckily, the death of the other human had been much cooler, way more fun to watch than Undyne's. Something NEW had been added to the equation, a weapon unlike anything Frisk had ever managed to find before, and they were on their way to go make good use of it.

Of course, he had roots in Alphys's lab. He'd heard the daring plan to have the Angel of Mischief fulfill the prophecy before the Angel of Death could. If he could have sat in a chair, he would surely have been on the edge of it by now. It was a race to the barrier, and both competitors had a handicap. One competitor was comatose and about to be revived, the other had been delayed far longer than anyone could have expected. The prize: every living soul under the mountain. The excitement made him shiver like an aspen just thinking about it.

"Well, you two certainly put up a good fight..." He did his best imitation of a shrug without arms as he spoke to the dead and the dying. "But you were out of your league from the beginning. It's not like either of you had enough determination to beat Frisk, anyway... But hey, thanks for the show! Seriously, you have NO idea how hard it is to find anything new around here! Here's hoping you're both still around next timeline!"

Just as he was about to retreat back into the soil, however, a ripple of motion caught his eye. A cloaked figure emerged from the darkness, crossing the rope bridge without causing more than a slight sway of the ropes. For a second, he wondered if Riverperson was going to break their long history of non-intervention. However, a frost-like chill ran down every branch of his roots as he realized the item in their hand wasn't an oar, but a scythe. The stranger pulled down their hood, exposing a bare, gaunt-looking skull and a pair of shining blue eyes. He glanced over the scene, clicking his non-existent tongue before looking straight into Flowey's hiding place in the shadows.

OH, DON'T MIND ME. I'M JUST HERE PICKING UP A FRIEND.

He reached down, his skeletal hand passing through the human's chest as though it weren't there. After a moment of rummaging around, he retrieved it, his long fingers now curled around a quickly-pulsating purple soul. His other hand reached into his robe, retrieving a heavy-looking hourglass with the name "ELIJAH BAKERSFIELD" engraved on the top. He gave it a light shake as the last few grains of sand trickled through to the bottom. With a nod to himself, he put the hourglass back and raised the soul up to eye level.

AH, THERE YOU ARE. I KNOW YOU'RE A TOUCH BUSY AT THE MOMENT, BUT JUST AS THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR ANOTHER LAST MINUTE, THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR A CUP OF TEA WITH A FRIEND. BOTH ARE FACTS I BELIEVE YOU'LL COME TO KNOW IN TIME... PROVIDED THAT'S STILL HOW TIME WORKS. THE CONCEPT IS RATHER SUBJECTIVE AROUND HERE...

With a nod to himself again, as if confirming that TIME worked the way he thought, the reaper walked back into the darkness, taking the human's soul with him.

YES, I'M QUITE CERTAIN THEY'LL BE FINE WITHOUT YOU LONG ENOUGH FOR ONE CUP OF TEA TOGETHER. THEN IT'LL BE STRAIGHT ON TO WHERE YOU OUGHT TO BE.

Flowey watched, jaw hanging slack as the black-cloaked reaper vanished back from whence he had come.

"WHAT THE FU-"

Author's Notes:

Man, between Isis and Alphys there's been an awful lot of stammering lately, huh?

Also, thank you to those who pointed out that I forgot in the past that DEATH speaks in all caps.