Despite his rough entrance, he had to agree, Shell was right about him needing a break.

Goth leaned back in his deck chair, drinking the slushie that he had ordered.

He had spent the last week being a kid again, and exploring this copy of Theme Parktale.

The entire AU was a gigantic theme park, and depending on which route the timeline was on, the rides available changed.

Goth had enjoyed the ones based on the genocide route, they had been fun.

He couldn't help but look back on some of his earlier adventures, the ones right after he remembered who he really was....

-------

He stared at the Dentist Genocide Sans that now had one of those drills that were used on teeth in his arms. The drill was active and it looked like Geno had plans to use it on the pinned Reaper underneath him.

Goth slowly backed away from the scene, this may be an alternate version of his parents but he had learned a long time ago not to get in his Mom's way.

----

There was a rumbling sound, before a beam of Magic destroyed one wall of the building and Goth jumped out of the hole that he had made, screaming.

"It's every human or monsters for themselves!"

------

He chuckled, Dentisttale had not been fun then, but looking back, he couldn't help but laugh at the look of the Goth of that AU as he escaped.

He couldn't believe that it had been over two years now, he had spent over two years searching the oldest AUs of his Multiverse for any sign of a clue for what he was seeking.

But he knew, that eventually, his Ink would return to creating all of the copies and the AUs that he had to clean up every single day. His vacation from being the Destroyer would be over soon.

Over two years was a new record for his Ink, but he could already feel the slight increase in AUs and copies that were currently being created, and soon, Error would have to act on the stage once again, to play the role of a heartless Destroyer who destroyed AUs and copies....

Goth slowly stirred the straw in his melting slushie, everything was going to change again and he was going to be dragged into it, kicking and screaming. He just wanted to find his Ink's Soul and go home, back to his parents, his siblings, and Palette.

He gently grabbed the paint splattered scarf that he was wearing, running his fingers over it.

------

Seeing Palette again had been a shock to his system, and he could tell that Palette had been shocked too.

He just wanted to throw all of his plans out of the window, grab Palette, and kiss him senseless, to tell him how he felt about him...

But he didn't....

But hearing that familiar nickname from Palette had reminded him of just how much was at stake here, even before he knew the story behind everything....

Because it wasn't just so he could go back to his family that he was doing this, he was going this for everyone who cared about him.

For sweet kind Palette, who missed him so much...

For Nightmare, who had given him a home that he could be safe in...

For his parents, so that there wouldn't be a reason for him to be taken from them again...

He had to do this, so he ran away from Palette once he got his books back...

---

But he now had another monster to add to his list, Shades.

His counterpart was trying his hardest to find his Ink's Soul and even then, he took time out of his search to do something to help him when he was in trouble.

He had to help Shades in his search too, he had been so happy to learn that he wasn't alone in this mess anymore, that there was someone who was going through the same pain as him, even if he felt a bit guilty for feeling happy about that...

It was like he was part of a family again...

And speaking of a family...

From here, he could see a plushie that he knew that Shino would love, Goth messed with his straw as he thought about it. Shell did send him here for a vacation, and part of a vacation was to buy wacky and weird gifts for your family....

He smirked.

-------

Goth sniggered at the title of a book that he picked up.

'1001 ways to get your Tsundere spouse to love you.'

Oh, he was so getting that for his Dad.

Goth placed it into his basket which held other gifts for his family.

'I'm being stalked by this idiot, help me! --->' was printed on a T-shirt that he picked for his Mom.

Goth had found a skull pendant for Raven, sereval plushies for Shino and a new scarf for Sorell. He took his items to the check out and he paid for all of them, and the delivery charge.

This postal service was spread across AUs and the gifts would be sent straight to his home.

Goth really wanted to send a postcard with the package, but he couldn't. He was still not yet ready for them to find out what really happened to him.

But still, he wanted to be there when they opened their parcels.

He placed his hands in his jacket's pockets as he left the Post Office.

Tomorrow, he could begin his search again, heading out to another AU to search it from the surface to the Underground, in the hopes that he found a clue that he could use to end this.

He decided to head towards a semi abandoned children's playground, because it had the best spot for star grazing and to watch the stars come out at night.

------

Goth suddenly felt like he had been punched in the stomach, his legs gave out on him and he collapsed, facing head first into a sandpit. He gagged a few times, before he started to throw up purple Magic.

"S-Shades...." He tried to get up, only to throw up a fresh batch of his Magic. His counterpart had to be hurt, to the point that he almost saw his Father, or his Uncle, again. It was the only possible reason why he was now throwing up his Magic, it had to be...

He could taste the Magic that was building up in his throat again, before he threw up again. Shades was in trouble, he had to find a way to help him. He winced when a sudden slight pain started to come from his ribs.

He lifted his jacket and his top out of the way to see faint markings that could only be caused by damaged ribs. This only made him worry even more about Shades, because if the damage was serious enough to cross over to him, just like the time that he got caught by that Fear creature, then how badly injured was Shades?

But if Shades's injuries and his Fear, could cross over, then that meant...

He tore open his supplies, grabbing the closest HP replenishing Monster Food that he could find, before he started to chow down on it, feeling the slight damage to his ribs heal itself. He hoped that some of the healing was transferred over to Shades, it looked like that he needed it.

He didn't know just how long that he stayed there, waiting to see a sign that told him that Shades was going to be okay. Did Shades feel like this, when he was waiting to see if he was okay?

Goth messed with his hands, worried, was Shades going to be okay? He closed his eyes but when he opened them again, he wasn't in that sandpit.

He was standing in a endless world of black that resembled the Save Screen, but he knew that it wasn't the Save Screen.

He could hear music, and not any music, a Battle Theme.

A Megalovania Battle Theme.

Every Sans had one, even an Outcode Sans. He turned around to see a window opening behind him and the Battle Theme grew louder.

He knew that Battle Theme, it was his Battle Theme.

And there was one other Skeleton that shared that Battle Theme with him.

"Shades!" He yelled, running to the window and placing his hands on it.

Shades was fighting some sort of creature, it was a humanoid demon/lizard thing with a hunched, curved back and legs that showed it was more at home on all fours due to it's bone structure.

Scales of pitch black covered it's body with protruding spikes in key places, it's head had a crest of skulls protecting it's skull from damage.

It's eyes were white-yellow and very unfriendly, it's mouth was full of fans and puffs of smoke slipped from it's mouth from between the two largest fangs that trailed down towards it's chin. At each wrist and ankle were looser skin, most likely poison sacks as both feet and hands had claws.

The final bit was a long slim scale covered tail that split into too, ending into small fan like sections that were dripping poison.

Shades himself looked horrible, he was covered in wounds and Searcher could see the partially healed cracked ribs from here.

"Shades!" He yelled as the creature spat at Shades. The liquid hit the spot where Shades had once been, revealing that it was acid, not poison, that the creature was using as a weapon as the grooves left behind from the liquid hissed and smoked.

He banged on the window. "SHADES!" He yelled, watching as the tail hit his counterpart in the chest. "SHADES!"

His counterpart had been sent flying into the wall and he was not moving...

"SHaDES!" Searcher screamed, feeling his voice glitch as he banged harder on the window. "No! Get up! Shades, please!"

He fell to his knees, with his arms above him, curled into fists as he pressed the top of his skull against the window.

"Don't leave me alone..." He whispered. "Please.... I don't want to be alone." Tears started to roll down his cheeks. "Don't leave me Shades, please. Get up, you have to get up. Don't leave me...."

Searcher looked up again, before he growled and he began to bang on the window again, hitting it with everything that he had.

He was not going to watch Shades die! Not when he could do something about it!

Cracks started to spread from where he was hitting the window, repairing themselves as fast as he was creating them.

He just kept on hitting it, until a small hole had been created. Searcher put both of his hands into the hole, using them to make the hole larger. He pushed as hard as he could, slowly opening a tear in the window.

"SHADES!" He yelled, using everything that he had to send a charging Gaster Blaster through the tear. "DON'T GIVE UP!"

He screamed as something scattered the window, sending him flying. His surroundings slowly changed from the Save Screen like area to the sandpit. He whimpered as the pain and his injuries from the window hit him, causing him to throw up more of his Magic.

He just lay there for a few minutes, before he slowly started to snack on one of his HP replenishing Monster Foods as the stars slowly came out....

Shades had found part of his Ink's Soul, and Searcher couldn't help the smile that spread across his face, one of them was a step closer to going home.

Home....

How long had it been since he thought of his family? He missed them so much.

He missed his younger siblings.

Raven, Shino, Sorell....

He missed them so much, but it was nice to be a big brother again, even if he had to send those gifts anonymously....

He noticed a window opening in the corner of his eye and he looked at it.

"Thank you, be careful..."

"You're welcome Shades..."