Dust Fall
Clover's POV
Brushing past rocky cavern walls, Clover weaved his way through the darkness, past waterfalls, and up steep slopes. He had made his way to the top of the cliffs, gazing down at the main path below. Frisk and Poppy were nowhere in sight. However, neither was Undyne. She has to be around here somewhere! Come on!
After a while of scanning the caves, Clover spotted a figure in the distance. Squinting, he caught a glance of them. They were tall, wearing metal armour though the lack of helmet revealed blue scales and pink and black hair. It was exactly how Papyrus had described her. Clover took a few steps closer.
"A-are you Undyne?" he asked, his hands shaking. The figure whipped around, revealing one, glowing yellow eye. It narrowed at him.
"A human!" she exclaimed, pulling out a long spear.
Clover stumbled back. "Wait, please let me explain first!" he exclaimed, pulling himself backwards across the floor. "I'm not here to hurt anyone! Please, listen!" His back pressed against the cave wall.
"What do you have to say for yourself, human?!" Undyne demanded, glaring at him as she pointed a spear right at his chest. Clover shook in place.
"Th-there's something going on!" A sob broke past Clover's lips, forcing him to clear his throat. "There's these two humans… F-Frisk and, and Poppy... they're… they're going around and… and hunting down every monster they can find and killing them." Undyne froze. Her spear was lowered, the tip of it scraping the ground.
"I f-fell down here with six others," Clover explained, fidgeting with his shaking hands. He was unable to meet Undyne's gaze. "Two of them are dead now because of Frisk… They were my friends… Our friends! And they killed them! W-we told Sans what was going on." Clover put his hands up. "I swear I'm telling the truth! You can ask Sans or Papyrus if you don't believe me!"
"Papyrus?!" Undyne's eye was wide. "He's okay?!"
"Yes! Yes, he is!��� Clover nodded vigorously. He forced himself to his feet. "Ray, one of my friends, sacrificed himself to save him! We're not here to hurt monsters… but, but, Frisk and Poppy are! Please, believe me!"
"I do believe humans would do such a thing." Undyne pointed her spear at Clover again.
"I'm not hurting any monsters!"
"Prove it." Clover's soul appeared in front of his chest, shining like a lamp in the darkness. Undyne took a step back. "Only one LV?" She stood in place for a moment before something appeared in her hand. It was a phone. Dialing some numbers into it, Undyne put the phone up to her ear. The ringing echoed through the cave. Then it stopped.
"Papyrus? Hello?"
"UNDYNE!" a voice through the receiver exclaimed. "SO YOU DO HAVE YOUR PHONE!"
"I had it on silent," she informed quickly before moving on. "Anyways, there's this human in Waterfall claiming he wants to help us monsters fight these other two humans killing every monster they can find."
"Clover?" a new voice cut in. Sans. "Yeah, he and these two other humans told us what the other humans they fell with were doing. Clover insisted he go and find you to help save everyone. Kat and Teri, his friends, are with us now."
"Clover, are you there?!" Kat's voice demanded, shaking through the receiver. Undyne glanced at Clover, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeeees," Undyne replied. "He's… here… and in one piece…" She cleared her throat. "So it really is true? These humans want to help us?"
"INDEED THEY DO!" Papyrus exclaimed, cracking the receiver.
Undyne let out a sigh. "Okay." She pressed a button, ending the call as she glanced down at Clover. "Alright, human, I'm sorry for not believing you… and attacking you… I'll keep an even sharper eye out for those other humans. Can you tell me what they look like?"
"Frisk has brown hair, light brown skin, wears a striped shirt, and carries a knife. Poppy… has red hair, pale skin, and wears cloudy glasses and a purple shirt. They're both a bit taller than me."
"I think I've seen them then…" Undyne muttered, marching forward even as she shook. "Thank you, human." Clover dashed up to her. Undyne skidded to a halt, glancing down at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you following me?" she demanded.
"I wanna help too!" Clover protested. "I can't just run and hide while innocent lives are being taken! I have to stop them!"
"But you're just a kid!"
"So are Frisk and Poppy!" Clover clasped his hands, putting on his best pleading face. "Please?! I want to help!"
Undyne let out a grunt, glancing off to the side before looking back at Clover. "Alright fine…" She dialed some numbers into her phone. "Just let me make another call first." Clover nodded. Undyne dialed the last few numbers and put the phone to her ear. It stopped ringing.
"Alphys?!" Undyne's voice shook, her eye wide. "Are you there?!"
"Y-yes… Undyne?" A shaking voice replied through the receiver.
"Alphys! There's-there's two humans in Waterfall killing every monster they can find. They've already emptied Snowdin Forest. Everyone else is hiding in Sans and Papyrus's house. I'm with another human. He's helping me hunt down the other humans."
"H-how many humans fell?" Alphys asked.
"Seven," Undyne replied, now walking in circles around the cave. "Two of them are dead, two are with Sans, one is with me, and the other two are the ones… k-killing everyone." Undyne cleared her throat, attempting to steady her voice. "C-can you hide everyone in your lab while I take care of this threat? They won't all fit in Sans' house!"
"I… I'll do what I can… I'll… I'll block off Hotland. I'll watch you fight the humans. If anything goes wrong, I'll evacuate everyone somewhere safe. Tell any monsters you see to come to the Lab."
"Thank you," Undyne replied, nodding. She put her phone away, gesturing Clover forward with her head. He walked at her side. "Alright human, if you wanna fight, the first thing you'll need is a weapon."
"I have one," Clover replied, pulling his toy gun out of his pocket. Undyne raised an eyebrow.
"I meant a real weapon," she grunted, putting her helmet on. Undyne summoned a spear in her hand, which glowed in the crushing darkness. She held it in front of Clover. "Take this." Clover took the spear, gazing at her with wide eyes.
"Th-thanks…" Undyne looked ahead, her eye narrowing.
"They're up ahead," she muttered, a spear appearing in her hand. "Let's go." The two dashed ahead, keeping their steps light against the stone. Clover gazed down at the path below. Frisk and Poppy were indeed there, walking side by side across a wooden bridge. Undyne threw her spear at them. It landed right in front of them, forcing them to skid to a halt. The spear then disappeared.
Summoning more spears, Undyne flung them through the air with her magic, all at Poppy and Frisk. They kept leaping out of the way. Clover's fist clenched around his spear, his eyes narrowing at the pair. They dashed down the wooden bridge. One spear landed right in front of Frisk and Poppy, making them stagger in place. Clover's heart skipped a beat. He flung the spear at them, flinching when a yowl pierced the air. The spear went right through Poppy's back. However, both of them continued on, dashing past spears until they disappeared from sight.
Undyne grabbed Clover by the head. Jumping off the cliff, the two of them landed on the bridge, behind the fleeing Frisk and Poppy. Clover stumbled in place. Undyne dashed past him, still hurling spears at them through the air. Forcing himself to his feet, he trailed after them. Frisk and Poppy disappeared into the reeds, which brushed beside them before stopping completely. Undyne slowed to a walk. Clover ran up to her to catch up, glaring at the reeds. Her spear vanishing, Undyne stomped into the reeds, her metallic footsteps echoing off the cave walls. Clover stood still, gazing at her. Undyne skidded to a halt. She reached into the reeds, pulling out a small yellow head. It was a monster. Clover let out a grunt, clenching his fists. Undyne put the kid down and stomped back to Clover.
"They're gone," Undyne grunted, skidding to a halt in front of him.
"You didn't even see them?" Clover sighed, kicking a pebble across the ground. Undyne shook her head.
"Let's keep looking, come on." Undyne marched onward. Clover followed.
Frisk's POV
"Yo! Did you see that?" Monster Kid exclaimed, rushing out of the reeds. "Undyne just… TOUCHED ME! I'm never washing me face again!" The kid rushed off, but not before tripping on their face. Frisk continued on. They stopped only to save.
"Ow…" Poppy whimpered, gripping her stomach. The spear had gone through her, sticking out of her stomach like a thorn. She yanked it out, letting out a cry. Frisk walked past her.
"Fifteen left," the voice muttered. Frisk nodded. The next area was a maze-like bridge, where many monsters hid. Frisk searched every crack and crevice. A Woshua emerged, spraying water at them from its odd shell. Frisk sliced its shell off. The Woshua shook in place before both halves split into dust.
Aaron was next. Frisk stabbed him right in the chest, where a human's heart would be. Then sliced him open from top to bottom. He split into dust. Frisk stepped over a pair of Moldsmals, yelping when one of their feet was shot into the air. They slipped on their face. Looking over their shoulder, Frisk saw that the Moldsmal had expanded like a slinky.
"A moldbygg!" The mysterious voice exclaimed. Frisk sliced the Moldbygg in half side to side, immediately turning it to dust. It all blew into their face. They hunted down every monster they could find in the maze before continuing out. Poppy trailed after them. Frisk glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow. She hasn't raised a hand to kill a single monster since we reached Waterfall.
"Is it really worth complaining about?" The voice asked. "All that means is more LOVE for you." Frisk nodded. They continued down a long hall. Rain now poured from the ceiling, barely phasing Frisk even before they grabbed an umbrella. Poppy followed their lead. They made their way down an empty hall surrounded by water. Next was a room with two tiny waterfalls. Frisk spotted a figure crouching beside the wall, just behind one of the waterfalls. Her hair covered her face. They didn't even hesitate to lunge at the monster and slice into it. The head turned to dust. Then the rest of the body went with it. They continued on.
"Yo!" A voice exclaimed. Frisk turned to see Monster Kid, gazing back at them with a bright smile. "You guys got umbrellas?! Awesome!" Monster Kid padded to Frisk's side, standing beneath the umbrella. "Let's go!" Monster Kid rambled to them as they made their way through the cavern. Frisk glared at them. "Man, Undyne is sooooo cool. She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night knowing she was gonna beat me up!" They laughed to themself.
"So," Monster Kid continued. "One time. We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king - we had to call him "Mr. Dreemurr" - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking... YO! How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school!? She could beat up ALL the teachers!!" Monster Kid's smile slowly faded. "Ummm, maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers... She's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!" Frisk paid hardly any attention, yet didn't raise their knife to attack. They could be useful later… They do seem to know a lot… The trio passed a long hallway before stopping in front of a container of umbrellas. Frisk and Poppy put theirs away. They stopped in front of a steep cliff.
"Hmm… this ledge is pretty steep…" Monster Kid mumbled, gazing at the ledge. "Hey, you guys wanna see Undyne, right?" Frisk nodded. Monster Kid knelt down in front of the ledge. "Here, climb on my shoulders… One at a time, preferably…"
Frisk stepped over Monster Kid as if they were a rock, pulling themself up the ledge. Poppy followed behind, pulling herself up to stand beside Frisk. Monster Kid stood up.
"Ow," they cried, bending over from the pain in their shoulders. "Yo, try to be a little less rough." They forced a laugh. I knew they'd be useful… "Well, I'll try and find another way around." Monster Kid dashed off. Frisk and Poppy continued forward through the cavern.
"Seven left," the mysterious voice murmured. Frisk nodded, running their finger across their dusty knife. They made their way across a long wooden bridge.
Frisk flinched back when a light blue shape poked out of the ground. They gazed down. Below them, was a darker bridge. Two shadowy figures stood among it, glaring up at them. Spears sprouted out of the ground while others were flung through the air. Poppy and Frisk dashed across the bridge. They skidded to a halt in front of spears, dashed past others, and ducked side to side to dodge the airborne ones. One spear scraped their skin, prompting a yelp. However, Frisk walked it off.
The two kept fleeing until they skidded to a halt at the edge of the bridge. They turned around. The two figures, still cast in shadows, glared at them. One of them was much taller than the other, towering over them like a tree. Three spears shot down from the sky. The ground beneath them trembled before splitting away entirely. The world went dark around them as they fell.
"It sounds like it came from over here... Oh, you've fallen down, haven't you? Are you okay? Here, get up…. Chara, huh? That's a nice name. My name is-"
Frisk's eyes popped open. They immediately pushed themself to their feet, ignoring the sobbing that echoed in their ears.
"Asriel…" The voice sobbed. "I… I…" They cleared their throat. "No, I'm not… I'm not sorry… This is what I am meant to do…" Frisk pushed their way through the disgusting water, barely caring as Poppy caught up to them.
Poppy's POV
Poppy followed Frisk, surprised to find tears forming in her eyes all of a sudden. She closed them, wiping away the wetness. However, her eyes remained blurred. Her thoughts had drifted back to Ace and Ray, piercing her heart like a spear. That… that wasn't right… That was too far… But they were supporting those monsters? No, that doesn't matter… They were still our friends… But these monsters… They had it coming. Right? She followed Frisk through the watery trash dump. Something appeared before them. Poppy's eyes widened at the floating dummy.
"FOOLS! I am a ghost that lives inside a DUMMY. My cousin used to live inside a DUMMY, too. Until YOU CAME ALONG! Not only did YOUR actions cause them to leave their home... But now all of their neighbors are gone, too! Despicable. Despicable! DESPICABLE!" The dummy bristled in place, turning a bright red. "You're the worst people I've ever met! I've NEVER been more mad!" The dummy let out a sound of rage. "My mannequin levels are going OFF THE CHARTS!"
The dummy turned a bright shade of yellow, freezing mid air. It's face held one of confusion.
"This... This feeling…?" The dummy smiled, floating closer to the surface of the water. "Eureka. Eureka! EUREKA! Humans. That moment of unbridled emotion. It allowed me to finally fuse with my body! I'm fully corporeal now! My lifelong dream, realized! In return, I guess I won't stomp you. How does that sound?" Frisk took a step closer.
"Wipe that smile off your face," Frisk muttered, raising their knife. One slash cut the dummy in half, prompting a cry. It was quickly silenced. The two chunks of the dummy floated in the water, along with smaller bits beside them. The dusty pieces floated in the water. Frisk walked away. Poppy followed them, casting a glance at the dummy with a sigh. Did it really deserve that? The two continued on, pulling themselves out of the garbage water and onto a path. Something floated in front of them. It was a little cat like creature with a tiny smile and floppy hair, or were those ears? It was so… cute.
"Hoi!" The creature greeted, shaking violently. "I'm Temmie!" Frisk sliced the knife across the creature's face. It flipped over, its eyes turning into x's before splitting into dust. Poppy gripped her heart. It was just trying to be nice… The next area was a dark, twisted path, over some light blue plants. Monsters lurked in every corner. Frisk murdered each one, slicing and chopping them with their knife. Dust sprayed all over the two of them. They continued, killing more and more until no one showed up anymore. Poppy continued to follow. Even through the darkness, she continued to push her way after them. Finally, Frisk stopped in front of a blue flower.
"Behind you," a voice murmured. Light flooded the room, revealing two shapes behind them. Poppy's eyes widened. The warrior from earlier towered above them and beside her, was Clover! Poppy took a step back. She was pressed against the wall, shaking like a piece of chalk.
"You," the warrior growled, summoning two spears in her hands. She handed one to Clover. He met Poppy's gaze, narrowing his eyes at her. "You two are remorseless criminals. You wander through the caverns, attacking anyone in your path."
Poppy clenched her fists. "It was-"
"Self-defense?" the warrior cut her off, taking a step closer. "Please. You didn't kill them because you had to. You killed them because it was easy for you. Because it was fun for you. Do you think it was fun when I found out?! Do you think it was fun when people's family members… never come home? Is that fun?" The warrior's voice shook. ���The Snowdin canine unit has been completely decimated. My troops… my friends destroyed! Is that fun?"
"And Ace and Ray," Clover added, clutching the spear in his shaking hands. "Was it fun killing them? Our classmates… our friends… The people we always hung out with after school…" Clover's eyes watered. The warrior gaze down at Clover, patting his head. She glared at Frisk and Poppy.
"Your time is up villains," the warrior growled, stepping away from Clover. "You won't hurt anyone else. I'll avenge their hopes and dreams!" The warrior charged at them, spear pointed forward. With nowhere to run, Poppy ducked, covering her head with her arms as her soul flickered in front of her. Then it disappeared.
"Undyne!" Poppy looked up. The Monster Kid from before was standing between them and the warrior! "I'll help you fight!" They looked between the warrior and Frisk. "YO! You did it! Undyne is RIGHT in front of you! You've got front row seats to her fight!" They looked between them again, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, who's she fighting?" Undyne grabbed Monster Kid by their top scale, dragging them across the ground.
"Hey!" They squealed as they were pulled away. "You aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?!" Clover dashed after them struggling to keep up. Once they were out of sight, Frisk turned down the corridor, making their way down a new hallway. Poppy followed them, head hung low. This killing isn't self-defense… but that doesn't mean it's wrong. Surely there's a reason the only monsters I've ever seen are trapped underground here...
Teri's POV
"JUST A LITTLE FARTHER!" a voice up ahead called. Teri pushed through the reeds, pressing against Kat as they kept their heads low.
"Will we really be safe in the lab?" Teri muttered, her arms shaking against her sides.
"If worst comes to worst, there's a basement with a lock we can all hide in," Sans replied, stepping to walk beside them.
"But it won't come to that," a bunny creature replied, her ears flat and face covered in scraps of reed. "Undyne will defeat them. She'll save us all!" Teri nodded. Yes. Of course she will! Stay positive, Teri. They won't hurt anyone else and we'll all go home!
Monsters joined the group as they walked, being swiftly informed of the threat. The group had grown substantially in size when they emerged from the reeds. Teri flinched back as a wave of blazing air hit her right in the face, forcing her to take a step back. Ahead of them, were bright orange cliffs. They stretched up and down the hall, ending at the bottom with a pool of lava. A rickety wooden bridge stood far above it. The group formed one line, walking across the bridge swiftly. Teri and Kat were in the lead. Papyrus and Sans followed them, the others shambling after them. The bridge creaked. Teri shook, wondering if it could support all their weight. In the end, it did.
"WE'RE HERE!" Papyrus announced, moving aside and gesturing to a huge white building. "ALPHYS'S LAB." He marched ahead, knocking on the door a few times. Moments later, it opened. A spiked yellow head was poking out of it, her eyes wide.
"I-i this everyone?" She asked, her claws shaking as she gripped the door.
"Everyone we could save in Snowdin and Waterfall that is," Sans sighed, tucking his hands in his pockets.
"Well, come in, come in." Alphys gestured to them with her claw, pushing the door open. Everyone shambled inside single file. More monsters were waiting inside, shaking and huddling together on the ground. Alphys pulled the door shut. The sound echoed through the lab louder than a jet. The monsters looked up. Their eyes were wide, some of them looking crazed and disheveled.
"What are those two humans doing here?!" A fire monster demanded, pointing at Kat and Teri. They stepped back.
"Oh, don't worry about them," Sans replied, shrugging. "They're not the humans who are killing everyone… They actually warned me about them. They're cool." The other monsters' wary gazes disappeared. Alphys was scurrying through the lab, muttering to herself as she fiddled with several devices.
"Okay, okay… I've seen to everyone… I've blocked off every inch of Hotland I can…" She raised her voice. "Mettaton! Are the cameras set up?!" she called, her claws at the sides of her mouth. A new figure rolled into the room. It was clearly a robot, with a rectangular body and one wheel that he rolled in on.
"THEY'RE SET UP NEAR THE END OF WATERFALL, AROUND THE BRIDGE, AND OUTSIDE THE LAB," the robot announced. "IS THAT ALRIGHT?"
"Yes, that's perfect," Alphys replied, giving a thumbs up. Mettaton turned to the side, glancing at Teri. Her eyes widened.
"ARE THOSE THE GOOD HUMANS THAT ARE HERE TO HELP US?" Mettaton asked, pointing at the two kids.
"Oh!" Alphys's eyes widened. "Y-yes they are."
"OOOH!" Mettaton rolled toward them, extending his hand. "HELLO BEAUTIES! I'M METTATON! NICE TO MEET YOU BOTH." Kat shook, staring at Mettaton with wide eyes. Teri, however, smiled. Finally, a welcoming face.
"Nice to meet you too, Mettaton," Teri replied, accepting the handshake. "I'm Teri, and that's my friend, Kat." Teri took a step back, smiling a bit.
"Hey…" Kat replied, forcing a smile and waving. Teri took a step closer to Mettaton, gazing him up and down with interest.
"So… are you like… a robot?"
"WELL… YES AND NO… I'M ACTUALLY A GHOST, THIS ROBOTIC BODY IS JUST A VESSEL WHILE ALPHYS FINISHES MY BODY."
Teri and Mettaton were walking side by side, chatting as if the world weren't about to end when the television buzzed behind them. They turned around. The television was blaring with images of a cavern filled with waterfalls.
"O-o-okay everyone." Alphys stood beside the television, her gaze fixed on the ground. "Everything is set up… Undyne should find and fight the humans soon." Everyone looked at the screen intently.