No One is Happy with This (Undertale)

76 ~ Practically

Later that evening, you're sitting cross-legged on your bed, the staff sitting in front of you. You've probably been sitting there for a good five minutes, just looking at it.

You can't look at it without seeing it in Gaster's hands. That grin on his face.

"I don't get it." Flowey says. "So smiley trashbag senior uses the staff and beats Undyne, and now you're afraid to touch it."

"He didn't just beat her," you respond quietly, "he destroyed her."

"So someone finally gave the fish a good whupping! It's about time!"

"No, Flowey, you don't understand! She was on the ground already, and he kept going! It was like he was going to kill her! And-..." you hesitate, then continue quietly. "And like he was enjoying it."

Flowey lets out a sort of strange yet appreciative scoff. "Huh. Maybe Gaster and I have more in common than I thought."

You just shake your head. "... No... this was... scarier than anything you've ever done."

Flowey frowns. You can assume the cause; he doesn't like to be outdone.

For a long moment, there's just silence, you looking at the staff and Flowey scowling at you.

Then, finally, "Well, if you're so scared of it, just don't use it."

You just sigh and shake your head again.

That night, once you fall asleep, you have nightmares. That's not wholly surprising, as you've seen some pretty horrible stuff- heck, you've done some pretty horrible stuff- and sometimes it comes back to haunt you.

But this is worse. Because it's such a clear image. Gaster. Standing in a field. Bodies all around him. Covered in blood. And he's laughing. That sort of powerful voice, nearly more a roar than a laugh.

You wake up in a cold sweat, and realize you're scared of Gaster.

Flowey was always cruel and harsh and violent, but you can kind of understand. He was desperate, desperate to feel something, even if it was disgust with himself.

But Gaster? He-

He looked like he was enjoying it.

After a while, you manage to fall back asleep. But the nightmare returns, and even though your waking mind knows monsters turn to dust on death, your sleeping mind adds Undyne's dead body to those piling at Gaster's feet.

And when he comes to you, you try to fight, desperately crying for help. But no one comes. So you lash out. Hit him. There's a knife in your hand, and you try to cut him. You succeed. The blade sinks into his arm; you hear a crunch, the crack of bone.

But he just smiles that smile. Pulls out the knife. There's no wound. Not even a tear in the sleeve of his coat.

The knife bends, breaks, crumbles to dust in his grip.

Practically invincible.

You're on your back. His foot on your chest. You writhe.

Practically invincible.

He's lifting the fauchard, engulfed in purple flame. Grinning that grin.

Practically invincible.

He swings the blade, a wide arc, it bites into the side of your neck—

You sit up with a choked noise, not quite a scream but not exactly quiet.

For a moment, you just sit in bed, breathing hard, hands at your throat, confirming that you were not just decapitated.

"Wow," Flowey's voice jerks you out of your nightmare-wrought fear, "smiley trashbag senior's really got you panicking, huh? That's the most I've seen you suffer in your sleep  in a long time!"

You turn to look at the flower on your nightstand. He's smiling. Trust him to find amusement in your nightmare.

You just shake your head. Flowey doesn't understand how terrifying it was. That blank grin. The blood on his hands. You flop back down on your bed.

You-

You have a surprisingly easy time imagining Gaster like that. You've never seen him commit violence on that level- maybe with Chara when they first came out of the Void and he was still Soulless, but Undyne was only bruised up, not really, seriously hurt- but it's just too easy to see Gaster slaughtering masses and just—

... It brings you back to that conversation you had with him a while ago. About Prince Asriel, and- and killing Flowey-... and how he thought it would be right to-...

Oh, oh Annoying Dog—...

You just want to go to sleep. Can't you just go to sleep? Think about this in the morning. Just go to sleep.

But it doesn't work. You remain steadfastly awake, imagining Gaster killing everyone in his path.

And no one can even stop him, because he's practically invincible.

...practically.

Practically invincible, he said.

Practically means almost.

Almost invincible. But not entirely.

You roll over in bed and decide that you have to figure out what he meant by that.

Because if something happens- and you need to find a way to stop Gaster— or—

... You need to be able to do something. Be able to stop him if he loses it like that again. Because maybe Undyne wasn't seriously hurt, but that doesn't mean he wasn't going to seriously hurt her. You don't know what he was going to do. He was still holding back enough that he stopped when you grabbed his coat, but if he wasn't-

You shudder.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow you have to figure it out. In case something happens.

Is Gaster invincible? How invincible?

Can he be k—...

Stopped. Can he be stopped?

Tomorrow, you will once again don your detective hat, this time out of necessity.

And, well, if you can't find an answer, you're more than a little afraid that it won't be a lack of metaphorical thumbs that kills you.

§

A/N

Actually, honestly, this mini-arc wasn't supposed to exist, and certainly not continue for more than last chapter, but I realized it'll be more effective than what I had planned to answer a few certain questions and fill a potentially huge plothole and maybe even get in some sleepy and/or high-on-painkillers Gaster in there somewhere along the line. So, this'll be having a bit more of an effect on the story than I had originally planned.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Comments and votes are my Favorite Things, and every notification I get makes my day!