Undertale (a retelling)

The approach to Asgore

The elevator stopped and we followed the path upwards. When we had passed through the corridor, we saw another elevator. The others took the elevator, even Charlotte, as I took the scenic route. I love taking the long way. I made my way to a little house. It looked just like Toriel's. I walked inside. It looked exactly like hers. Except, golden flowers grew in the flower pots and vases. I went into the living room and found some monsters. They began to tell me a story about the Underground. "A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins." A pair of froggits told me. "Injured by its fall, the human child called out for help. Sophie, the Kings daughter, heard the human's call. She brought them back to the castle." I ventured out and found two green keys. I used them to unlock a chain on the stairs. I entered a small bedroom. There were two gifts on the floor. I opened them and took their contents. They were a heart locket and a worn dagger. I would give them to Charlotte. I ran into more monsters and they continued the story. "Over time, Sophie and the human became like siblings. The King and queen treated the human as their own. The underground was full of hope. Then...one day... The human became very ill. The sick human had only one wish. To see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing we could do. The next day. They next day. The human died." I went further down the path in the basement. "Sophie, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's Soul. She transformed into a being of incredible power. With the human soul, Sophie crossed the barrier. She carried the human's body into the sunset. Back to the village of the humans." I continued on, being stopped by more monsters. "Sophie reached the centre of the village. There, she found a bed of golden flowers. She carried the human onto the it. Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Sophie holding the human's body. They thought that she had killed the child." "The humans attacked her with everything they had. She was struck with blow after blow. Sophie had the power to destroy them all. But...Sophie did not fight back. Clutching the human... Sophie smiled and walked away." "Wounded, Sophie stumbled home. She entered the castle and collapsed. Her dust spread across the garden. The kingdom fell into despair. The King and queen lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us." "Then King decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human who falls down here must die. With enough Souls, we can shatter the barrier forever. It's not long now. King Asgore will let us go, King Asgore will give us hope, King Asgore will save us all." "You should be smiling, too. Aren't you excited? Aren't you happy?" They said. The last monster to appear in front of me was a froggit. "You're going to be free." It said. I met up with the rest of my friends.

"Hey. What took you so long?" Katie said. "I was told a little story on my way here." I said. "Charlotte, can I have a word?" I asked her. "Of course." She said, happily. "You're dead aren't you? Who's Sophie?" I asked her. She sighed. "Yes. I'm dead. I only came back due to your determination. Sophie, was my sibling. We grew up here, but I was ill. I died, but not exactly. I was absorbed by her and carried my body up to the surface. We were attacked and she died. I don't know what happened next. All I remember is waking up with you." She told me. I tried to give the dagger and locket to her, but she refused. "Keep them. You'll need them." She said. I sighed. I don't like fighting and I never want to hurt anyone. We turned back to the others. "Hey, Chloe. We have something to tell you." Katie said. We walked back over to them. "We're all like Charlotte. We were bound in an endless loop, doomed to repeat our deaths, over and over again. But, you broke us out of our cycle. You saved us all." Amy said. "When you found me by Mettaton, I had just finished my cycle and reappeared at the save point. I had literally just come back." I stood there, confused. "So, you're all dead? I'm the only one who's actually alive. So, Katie kept getting killed by Napstablook, Lucy kept dying at Doggo, Georgina died in waterfall by...?" I said. "Undyne. I kept jumping up and she hit me with her spears." Georgina said sadly. "Lilah, where did you die?" I asked. "In the Core, but I backtracked and got trapped." She said. "Abi, what about you?" I asked. "I died in waterfall. But, I broke my cycle. I only wanted to see how far I could get." Abi said to us. "I guess I'll be doing this bit alone then." I say. "Yes. Their Souls are close, and the pull of them is strong." Charlotte explained. "If you have to go, please do. I don't mind. I'll be okay." I tell them. Katie gave me a big hug and whispered "love ya my friend. Remember, stay patient with those who need it." Lucy bumped my fist and said "remember to stay brave and never give up." Georgina gave me a hug and twirled me. "Keep your integrity and stay light on your feet." She said, with a light laugh. Lilah gave me a squeeze and said "stay kind and love those who love you." I nodded. Abi tore a page out of her notebook and fashioned it into a rose. "Remember to stay strong and keep going. Persevere." She said to me. "Heh. Be good and be just. Only hurt if it is justified." Amy said. I gave her a hug. She wrapped her hands around me. Then, they all faded. Charlotte stood by me as we entered into the next room.

The floor was covered in golden tiles. I approached a golden glow and saved. I walked through the hall, only to stop in front of a hooded figure. A church bell pealed, giving off a sense of dread and judgement. "So, you finally made it. The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will meet the King. Together... You will determine the fate of this world. That's then. Now. You will be judged. You will be judged for every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned." It said. "What's EXP?" I asked. "It's an acronym. It stands for 'execution points'. A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases." They explained. "When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'level of violence'. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others." They finished. I felt them judge me. I knew that I had no EXP or LOVE. I hadn't hurt anyone. I had spared all monsters. Their hood lowered, revealing our favourite punny friend. "... but you, you never gained any LOVE. 'course, that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced... you strived to do the right thing. you refused to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you did it with a smile." Sans said. "Or in terror from Undyne." I joked. "you never gained LOVE, but you gained love. does that make any sense?" He asked. I gave a little laugh. He chuckled. "maybe not. now, you're about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your actions here...will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight..." Sans gave a sigh. "asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. but, if you kill asgore and go home...monsters will remain trapped underground." I nodded my head solemnly. I knew that. I have to make a choice. Die, and free all monsters, kill, and trap all monsters or stay and be trapped with them. "what will you do?" He asked. I didn't know how to answer. "I'm not sure. What would you do, Sans?" I asked. "...well, if i were you, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn't get this far by giving up, did you?" He said to me. "that's right. you have something called 'determination'. so as long as you hold on... so as long as you do what's in your heart... i believe you can do the right thing." I nodded my head. "alright. we're all counting on you, kid. good luck." He finished. I gave him a hug. "I'll see ya later, Sans." I whispered to him. He wrapped his hands around me in a hug. "heh. see ya later, kiddo." He said softly. I let him go and he disappeared. I headed forwards to an archway and passed through it, ready for my task.