Strange Times, Stranger Places

Chapter 13: What Comes is Not Welcome

"Steven! Wait for us!" Mabel yelled after the boy, as they ran up the mountain to meet with Frisk and the monsters as the summer waned. It seemed there wasn't much up here that was gem-related, but they stayed because Stanford and Pearl wanted to swap research, to see if anything they had seen was gem-related on his travels. They had Alphys helping as well, with her knowledge of various mechanics since she seemed of more of a mechanical engineer. 

"Come on guys! We're gonna miss Mettaton's play!" 

"We'll be fine Steven!" Connie yelled after him, trying to catch up. She thanked her lucky stars that she had training with Pearl, and that helped her be incredibly fit. Honestly, she could outpace everyone, but decided not to. 

"Dip! Come on you're lagging behind!" Mabel yelled back at him. 

"I've got Peridot!" He yelled back, dragging Peri up. Peridot was so confused on why she had to come too. 

As the kids went up the mountain, Alphys sat with Pearl and Stanford as they spoke. She was nervous, usually not with other intellectuals like herself, or anyone for that matter. She listened to them, trying to determine what to say with continual failure. Her anxiety seemed to get the best of her, but Stanford noticed and smiled at the dinosaur. 

"You doing alright Alphys?"

"I-I'm f-fine..."

"You sure?" He asked again. She sighed, shoulders slumping. "I-I've n-never been a-around o-other p-people l-like this b-before..."

"That's fine. Honestly, I'm usually by myself as well. But we won't judge you Alphys. Trust me, I understand at the least."

"T-Thank you..." She felt more comfortable, at least a little. 

"So, what else happened while the kids were down there?"

"I-I'm not so sure... I remember Undyne saying something about a yellow triangle dude, and I remember something about another human entity... But that's all."

"What do you mean, a little yellow triangle dude?" Pearl asked. Stanford had a look of fear hearing that.

"Can you have Undyne come and talk to me? I need to make sure I know what's going on. And we need to talk to all the kids."

Suddenly, the three were in the Mindscape.

"What the-"

"The Mindscape?! No... NO! You can't be back!"

"Oh, but Sixer I am!" Bill's voice rose behind the trio. The small dinosaur hid behind Pearl, scared because she had no way of fighting, as she relied on her machines for that. 

"What are you?" Pearl asked, cautious. 

"Hello! I think we haven't quite met yet! I'm Bill Cipher, Dream Demon, at your service!"

"Don't listen to anything he says. His deals are only to make himself stronger!" Stanford crouched slightly, ready to jump away at any moment. 

"Oh, but Sixer! I really do want to help! All I need a deal that-"

"No deals! I thought I already destroyed you!"

"What, you thought a memory wipe could destroy me forever?" Bill laughed at this. seeming to smile. "I never thought you were that stupid. Nah, I just need a body so I can come back, and I can give you all the information on Chara that you need!"

"Chara?"

"Wait... W-What do you know a-about the h-human that fell and d-died while in the K-King and Queen's care?!"

"Lots! I know that they became a demon, and they are a part of Frisk! I know that Frisk can manipulate timelines and alternate worlds because of that demon! And I even know that the demon has tried to possess Frisk with little success because of Fake Rose."

"Fake Rose... Wait, WHY DID YOU-"

"Oh, I forgot. You're the one that Rose left for Greg Universe! And Steven will leave you too, as soon as I destroy him!"

Pearl started trying to attack Bill with little success. Alphys collapsed on the ground, hyperventilating. 

"Oy! Dino! Why are you freaking out? You're not even a main character in this story! You're just a wimpy nerd that always is forgotten! What if we made a deal and made you more impressive?"

She just started crying, and Stanford looked between the two, going to Alphys to comfort her. 

"Alphys, we all care, okay?"

"B-But... He's not wrong..."

"He is. Trust me. NOW GO CIPHER. EVERYONE HERE HATES YOU AND DOESN'T WANT TO MAKE A DEAL!"

"Fine... I'll be back though! Remember! Reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, BYE!"

They appeared back in the normal world, and Stanford began looking through older notes almost immediately, finding three books. One he opened, flipping to a page with Cipher on it, though it seemed changed. Some of the symbols he first put on it had changed, now reflecting people they had met- or at least, all of the children. 

What did this mean? Why did it change?