Work Text:
The moment Blue returned to Underswap he could feel something off. The air seemed thick, almost painful to breathe. He blinked and everything seemed to return to normal. There was an overlapping memory of dust mingled between the memories of the pure white of Snowdin.
Even helping Dream seemed to be a distant memory rather than something he had just returned from doing. Almost as if it were familiar…like something that had happened before.
Blue clutched at his right eye, memories of a wound, there and not at the same time, conflicting with the sight in front of him. Memories of nights on the surface, talking and laughing with Dream, teaching Ink about the dangers for mortals and why he needed to at least check his scarf for details, times spent with Papy and all their friends. An endless reality cloaked in longing and remembrance, the dreams with every passing Reset. Most importantly, the bitter resentment as Chara continued over and over as if possessed, killing all of their friends and family in endless loops.
The memories, his and not, mingled together and Blue knew that this other was him. The other was someone he could be. Someone he never wanted to think of becoming.
The conflicting memories did not ease up and Blue wondered if this is what Chara felt with every Reset. Did Chara also feel trapped in an endless cycle they could not break? Did Chara think of everyone and all the times they had together? Did their names cross Chara’s mind even for just a second? …Or was the possession so strong Chara stopped trying to fight and had given up the way Papy had? Were Chara and Papy so resigned to what happens next they made their bed with apathy and accepted that nothing was going to change so why bother?
It had been more than a while since Chara or Papy ever tried talking or seeing things eye to eye. In all the hectic changes, what had caused all of this? In recent times Blue knew with each reset that the resentment, the bitter anger in Papy was growing. It had grown until Papy had tried to kill Blue and Blue, in that moment of fright didn’t think as he released the bone attacks he had summoned and accidentally killed Papy in return. Blue had never wanted to understand Dust, but in that moment…in that moment Blue had and despised everything about it. It was a conflict of Blue’s nature, but maybe that triggered the start of it all.
Blue didn’t feel like Blue anymore.
Trust .
Who was Trust?
More memories, blurs, images, flickered through Blue’s mind with a distinct clarity. A different life. A different multiverse .
It felt like insanity and yet…Blue, Trust , knew it to be the truth. Somehow, someway, the multiverse was colliding with another and corruption was spreading from one to the other. Trust was once Blue and Blue was once Trust, in some twisted amalgamation of fates, they were becoming one. That was why everything was familiar and not, why they could walk past people that would feel familiar and not.
It was why it felt like Chara was someone he had never met. Photos from previous Resets are like strangers, like they had never tried anything like that before, but Blue knew they had. That they had once been friends, instead of habits they thought they’d always have. Chara was now an ex-best friend Blue thought they would know till whatever end they had.
Fate played them. Once the corruption infected the multiverse…that must have been when things stopped going as planned. That was when the people who had been ‘ride or die’ friends that knew everything about each other and how to keep on the right path changed.
“We really messed up this time, didn’t we?” Blue mumbled. It hurt. He didn’t know if this was a Reset anymore or an unavoidable fate, but things had changed and Blue doubted they would change back. Dream had once said that Nightmare’s corruption was permanent. Nightmare could possibly fight back the corruption, but at this point it is so much a part of who he had become that Dream too expressed doubt.
This slow and subtle corruption had already taken root in Underswap, one of the core AUs in the universe.
A memory flickered.
“Dream, we’ll always be friends right?”
“Of course! Who else will teach me different Taco recipes and help me remind Ink that even though he’s an immortal, soulless protector, he still needs to rest and eat?”
“Dream!” Blue exclaimed with a light shove, his eyelights swirling into a star shape as he laughed, knowing Dream was joking.
Dream giggled happily. “I’m joking Blue, but in all seriousness, sitting around and talking about our lives? Being this happy? I never thought I could have this. I never thought it was possible, even when I dreamed of having some kind of future. I always pictured it being me and Night against the world. I never imagined things would end up as they have. Sometimes it hurts, it feels like I’m losing my mind to insanity that Night has become such a stranger and I didn’t know I could have some other constant. I was a child when I was trapped in stone and a child when I woke up to war. Night was someone who had always understood me. You have that with Papy and your friends. Even Chara seems to be someone so loved by you that you can’t tell me you don’t picture in your life.”
Blue sighed happily. “You’re right. I can’t picture any other life than this. I’m glad I met you Dream.”
“Heh,” a bitter chuckle escaped as tears slowly began to pour and other memories tried to overwhelm him. “Things really didn’t go as planned.”
“Hello Sans.”
Blue turned his head, already prepared for the worst. “Ha. You really have changed.”
“You haven’t…Blue.”
“So you do remember. I wondered,” Blue couldn’t help but mutter.
Giggles escaped the human’s mouth. “Of course I remember. Did you think you were the only one?”
“Who are you? You aren’t Chara, I know that for sure now, but you aren’t some version of Frisk either.”
“I’m a remnant. The glitch in the system. The spawn of corruption. I am the Demon who comes when their name is called.”
“No…you’re a sad little piece of corruption that wants to ruin everyone’s happy ending.”
“You think I’m at fault? Well, how about you go find your brother and see just how far things have gone? I’ll be waiting at the usual place,” the demon laughed and vanished.
Even though the doubt lingered, Blue knew that in some way what was said was true. After all, doesn’t the truth hurt more than any lie?
In that case…Blue clenched his fist, both in anger and resignation. With his own demon whispering in his ear, Isn’t it better to embrace the inevitable?
Blue gave in…and when he opened his eyes, he was no longer who he had been. No, instead he embraced all that he would and could be.
Trust opened his eyes with a smirk. The demons were coming out to play, but this time the reborn Stars would succeed. Blank and Shattered were waiting to best to deal with this mess quickly. It wouldn’t do for anyone to realize and separate them.
If Trust has his way, they’ll never be separated again .