After everyone had calmed down, an uncomfortable silence settled into the crowded living room, a heavy cloud of uncertainty and dread permeating the air and filling the entire space with a feeling of foreboding. Titanic was still playing quietly in the background, some sort of naked drawing scene(?) going on, but despite all the jokes he was cracking earlier, Error didn't have the heart to remark on how Jack's drawing skills were "sketchy," or about the way his artistic masterpieces could "draw a crowd." Instead, he stayed silent, and as the film continued on, it became an uneasy reminder of the fun, carefree movie night that had come so suddenly to an end.

Fresh and Error were seated on the colorful couch, the latter glaring daggers at the gray-sweatered new arrival to their home, a scowl on his face. Core Frisk, who didn't seem to be bothered by Error's clear contempt, was perched on the smaller couch across from them, slowly sipping on a mug of fresh hot chocolate that had seemingly come from nowhere. The child's eyes, pitch black and dead, were locked on the two of them, but it was hard to tell where they were really staring.

It was unsettling though, to say the least, and this tense environment of awkwardness and apprehension continued on for quite some time. Fresh and Error stayed quiet, unsure what else to do about their lingering questions other than await an explanation from the partially-omnipotent protector, but as the room continued being unbearably silent and Core still hadn't explained their sudden appearance in Underswap, Error finally, angrily demanded to know what was going on.

"You wouldn't believe me." Frisk responded almost immediately, their childlike voice clashing strangely with the near infinite wisdom held within it.

Fresh glanced at Error, suddenly even more worried than before. He had had a few encounters with Core Frisk throughout his multiverse travels, and he knew the child fairly well, even if they weren't on super great terms. He was aware that they weren't one to claim disbelief easily. Being torn apart, scattered to every fraction of the multiverse by the void, losing their friends and seeing destruction wrought upon every timeline all at once had given them an eternity of experience. They had seen almost every possibility the world had to offer, and that was what lent them the determination to save the victims of Error's crimes in the first place, sheltering and protecting them from his wrath. They'd been through a lot, more than most, so what could they be talking about? What could've happened that caused an omnipotent entity to feel disbelief?

As Fresh thought anxiously to himself, troubled by the possibilities, Error was annoyed by their answer, bristling with rage by the lack of reason. He opened his mouth to retort when suddenly, the child calmly got up from the multi-colored couch and held out a small hand towards the two skeletons, staring blankly at them. "Don't worry though, I can show you."

A period of silence passed as the former universe destroyer hesitated in his decision. Could this be a trap? Error stared at their outstretched hand before sharing a brief glance with his colorful boyfriend, but the parasite merely shrugged. "What's the worst they could do, bro?"

And so, distrusting and still a little fearful, the two left their safe haven, following the child through the newly opened pixelated doorway and stepping into the darkness of another universe's underground.

There was a strange heaviness to the air, a sense of wrongness that had settled over the three as they made their way through the caverns of the other world. It was pitch black in the rocky corridors, nothing visible but the faint silhouette of the ruins against purple stone, but when Fresh started to light a glowing flame of his lavender magic, Frisk warned the two of them against illuminating their way, although neither parasite or destroyer was sure why. The situation carried an atmosphere of discontent as they got closer to whatever it was they were there for, and as Fresh squeezed Error's hand in his own, both skeletons wondered why they'd decided to follow the mysterious child at all.

"Some strange things have been happening in the multiverse since you gave up your title of destroyer." Frisk finally spoke after the three had made their way much farther into the ruins. Their voice was quieter than before, and Error wondered why. They were alone here, right? He certainly didn't see any evidence of monsters in the area, and the dust under his feet and still heavy in the air meant they were most likely in a genocide timeline.

He didn't have enough time to fully question it though before their words sunk in, a deep rage bubbling in his chest at the implications of that statement. After all this talk of peace, now they were mad he'd stopped his murdering spree??? "So what? You came here because you want me to go back to killing people to balance out your stupid multiverse?" He hissed furiously, not able to keep quiet anymore at the ridiculous demand. "You want me to keep committing murder just so that pathetic Ink can make his hideous abominations?"

To his surprise however, Frisk stopped abruptly in their tracks and turned around to face the glitching skeleton, a look of concern on their face. "No. Of course not. There's a reason I haven't intervened in your story until now. With you giving up your title of destroyer of universes and the parasite no longer possessing and killing for his own enjoyment, there are so many people that have been saved from a meaningless death."

Error didn't expect that response, just staring in shock at the child as the swarm of glitches that had surrounded him began to die down. It was then that Core gave the two them a genuine smile, glancing between Fresh and Error, blank eyes staring deep into that of the former killers earnestly. "It's never too late to change for the better, to save lives instead of destroying them. This is a mantra believed by many, but scarcely is it ever seen to be true. You two...you have proven that it's possible to change. And I would be a hypocrite not to believe that you are doing the right thing."

Taken aback by their words of praise, Error scoffed and looked away, clearly embarrassed as he tried not to meet Frisk's gaze. "Yeah, well...I just got bored of killing people... It isn't that big of a deal..."

Frisk smiled knowingly, and if they had pupils, Error had a feeling they would've rolled their eyes. "Come on, Error. We both know that isn't the full story. If you still believed that these alternate universes were abominations, you wouldn't be living in one." Then they turned around and continued on the path, leaving an annoyed Error to follow after, and a suspicious Fresh to trail behind.

"So dawg... If that ain't the reason why, then...what's the deal with you all up and bein here?" The parasite asked cautiously as he walked along, eying the dust on the ground. Despite being used to the sight after years of destruction, his newfound emotions swarmed his mind, making him suddenly aware more than ever that those piles of dust were once people, with lives and families. It was a troubling realization, something he wasn't quite comfortable thinking about, but it was the sight of a non-dust body that made him stop in his tracks. He stared on at the torn blue and pink striped sweater in horror, unable to look away from the glassy eyes of this universe's dead Frisk. It was as if he couldn't move, standing frozen in his path, but eventually he was torn from his trance by a familiar hand on his shoulder.

He jumped in surprise and whirled around to see Error standing behind him, looking concerned. "You okay?"

Fresh groaned in annoyance as he realized there were tears streaming down his cheeks, wiping his eyes and hoping Core Frisk hadn't seen the embarrassing scene. "Yeah, dawg, I'm fine... Just more dumb emotions shiz."

Error nodded, though he didn't look entirely convinced. He didn't want to press the subject though and was about to keep following after their monochrome guide when he caught sight of what Fresh had been staring at. A look of sadness, then of confusion, then of dawning horror crept onto his face as he realized whose body it was.

"What...what is this place?" Error asked, turning slowly to face the child that had brought them there.

"It's just a genocide timeline, chillax bro..." Fresh said, looking towards his shaken boyfriend, but he stopped when he saw the look of pure terror in Error's eyes.

The glitch was almost covered in error symbols, a swarm of black pixels obscuring the edges of his figure, vibrating in a panicked frenzy. "No it's not... No it's fucking not!! In a genocide timeline, Frisk would still be alive! They would've reset if they had control, especially this early on! They wouldn't have just given up and laid there after they were killed in the fucking ruins!" Error gestured towards the body on the ground, still fresh, and that was the moment when Fresh realized why his boyfriend looked so scared. A fearful silence settled in the air and the glitches around Error slowly began to die down as the realization fully sunk in. "Someone else did this." Error said quietly, looking down at his hands. "Someone destroyed this timeline...just like I used to..."

"You're wrong." Frisk responded, silent until then, and Error whirled around to see the child facing away from them in the middle of the room, looking dead ahead into the pitch black darkness in front of them. Before Error could ask what they meant, how this could be anything other than a timeline destroyed by another's hands, Frisk held up a hand, producing a lantern out of thin air and holding the light in front of them to reveal a beast of giant proportions, taking up almost the entirety of the hallway and staring down at the three of them with bloodshot eyes. The demonic creature opened its mouth, it's jaw unhinging like a snake, long horns scraping against the ceiling of the cave as it barreled towards them, but before anyone could react, before anyone could do anything, it was gone.

The song "My Heart Will Go On" played in the now empty room and when Error turned to find the source of the music, he saw that Titanic was over, a slow scrawl of credits rolling down the screen. Looking around the room at the ridiculously bright colors and the surplus of streamers, he realized with a start that Frisk had teleported them back to their home in Underswap. The small child was sitting on the couch now, calmly drinking a mug of hot cocoa and watching the credits scroll past as if nothing had happened at all. Fresh was sitting next to them, his YOLO glasses blank, and somehow he looked even more alarmed at the situation than Error was.

"What was that?" Fresh demanded, and Error was shocked by the seriousness in his voice.

Looking up from the cup of hot chocolate to stare at him with knowing, empty eyes, Frisk replied just as calmly. "You know exactly who that was, Fresh. And you know who was responsible."

That just confused Error even more as he turned to see his colorful, cheerful boyfriend take off his glasses, hands shaking, purple eyes filled with absolute horror and something else that Error couldn't name.

Emotions were new to Fresh. They came in a flood, uncontrolled, and the former universe destroyer was used to helping him through it and being by his side. Error had never seen him like this though, and it was disconcerting, especially when he didn't know what was wrong.

"Okay, can someone please explain to me what the fuck is going on!?" Error yelled, overwhelmed by what they'd just seen and hurt by the knowing expression of Frisk, who was somehow aware of something even he didn't know about the parasite.

"Yes, tell him, Fresh." Core said as they took another sip of hot chocolate, seemingly unbothered the growing tension between the two skeletons. Error glared at the child, annoyed, but not even his growing irritation with their lack of answers was enough for him to completely turn away from Fresh, who was still shaking.

It was quiet for a long time. Even the melody of "My Heart Will Go On" had faded out, the movie night and the carefree happiness that had existed earlier at its end as the world held its breath, waiting for an answer.

Finally, the parasite spoke. "You...you said you hated Ink." Fresh started, and a dawning horror fell over Error as the puzzle pieces began to fit together. "You told me he was the side of you that coulda been. He was all up and happy with his universes and you were just...alone in the anti-void for so, so long." Fresh's hand clenched into a fist and there was a brief look of anger on his face at the thought of Error's situation, before it faded away just as suddenly, leaving him looking defeated and empty. Eventually, his gaze averted itself from the carpet and he looked up, his tear-filled purple eyes focusing on Error's....wide and horrified. "Dawg, I just wanted him to understand where you were comin from. I'd been inside his head and I knew he was just like you deep down. All his so called 'perfect universes' were lies. Every one of 'em was full of sufferin. What he put you through it just...made me so mad. I didn't want him to act all high and mighty, like he was somehow better than you. I...I wanted him to suffer too."

Error just continued to stare at Fresh in shock, taken aback by his actions. A part of him was grateful that he had a boyfriend that loved him enough to stand up for him, but the other half was horrified by the fact that Fresh had done something to Ink, something that caused the savior of the multiverse to create that nightmarish timeline, on his behalf.

Before Error could say anything in response though, Frisk spoke up. "You were right." They gently put down their cup of hot chocolate and turned towards the others, expression still blank. "Ink is hypocritical. His boundless creativity in his creation of AU's will sometimes lead to more suffering than it will good. There are many universes: Underlust, Horrortale, Dusttale, Underfell, even your original timeline, that are based around suffering and atrocity for no reason other than the concept being interesting to him."

Fresh stopped shaking, looking over at the child hopefully and wondering if he'd really done the right thing, but when he looked up, he was met with cold, empty eyes glaring at him.

"However, there's a key factor to his process you forgot when you made your decision to break his mind." Frisk snapped. Their expression, unreadable for the majority of the night, was now filled with anger as they trained their eyes completely on Fresh, glaring at the parasite furiously. "Free will. Even peaceful timelines will sometimes fall apart due to the actions of those that live in them. No one forced Error to destroy his own timeline, no one made you what you are, it was your decision, ultimately, to annihilate others for your own gains."

"And that's the true difference between Error and Ink." They continued coldly, turned towards the former destroyer of universes now, their dark eyes never more terrifying than they were in that moment. "You both were faced with the same situation, you both lived in solitude for an eternity, and you both had the exact same choice. You just chose the wrong one."

An uncomfortable silence fell as Error and Fresh fidgeted awkwardly, feeling like children scolded by a tiny, omnipotent parent. Frisk glared more furiously at Error and finally, the glitchy skeleton threw his hands up in irritation. "Alright, fine!!! Maybe it's not all his fault. Maybe I'm dumb, but that still doesn't change the fact that he made things like Underlust!"

Frisk sighed. "I'm not saying he's perfect, far from it in fact, but he only set up the groundwork for that world. It was under free will that the denizens turned it into what it is now."

Still grumbling, but knowing he'd been beat, Error crossed his arms across his chest and turned away stubbornly. Frisk looked back to Fresh then, staring at him until he rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, dawg, but I was an unfeelin parasite for a very long time. I'm still forced by my nature to consume the souls of others and hear their sufferin to live. Nothin you say is gonna make me not hate my creators for makin me this way."

"That's perfectly understandable. However, Ink didn't create you. You know who did, and you can come to terms with that on your own, but don't put the actions of others on an innocent." The child responded.

The parasite sighed and looked away. "...Yeah, a'right, kiddo. I guess you've got us." Fresh said, leaning over and playfully ruffling Core's hair, making the omnipotent being giggle in a way that was strangely reflective of the kid they really were underneath all the cryptic words and blank expressions.

They looked ever to Error with a smile. "Are we in agreement as well?"

"Yeah, I guess we are..." Error grumbled, and then he frowned, looking back at Core with a concerned expression. "But...that doesn't explain wherever the fuck we went to. What was that monster we saw? And...what did you mean by the world not being destroyed?"

The smile disappeared from Frisk's face and their expression turned grim. An expectant silent overtook the room as the two skeletons awaited the answer. "...I meant precisely that." Core explained after a moment. "Ink's powers are based in creation. He can't destroy, so instead of wiping the canvas, he's merely...altering it. He can't just do away with everything in the world like you would, so he's corrupting the code, turning everyone into fragments of their former selves and making them suffer fates worse than death, devouring their world from the inside out with their fractured minds. This has already happened to many universes. Songtale, Underfell, Mobtale, Fairytale, Aftertale... He can't destroy an entire world's code, but he's still starting out using the same method you did. Killing Flowey, then Frisk, and doing whatever he pleases with the rest."

After their explanation, Core Frisk was silent for a moment, looking a bit uncertain as they stared into their hot chocolate. After a long while, they finally continued. "I...don't wish to alarm you, but as time has gone by, he's been working up to bigger targets. As I said, he corrupted Underfell and Aftertale already. I have a suspicion that he's working his way here and if so, the safest place for the residents of this world would be the Omega Timeline. At least until we figure out a way to stop him." They looked up to meet eyes with Error, the expression on their face one of pure determination. "We still have time to evacuate this world before he arrives to corrupt it. I assume that now that you have a home again, you don't want to lose it."

If the situation wasn't so dire, Error would have laughed. The irony of his former enemy asking him to help save an AU that in the past, he'd been eager to demolish, and then willingly inviting him to the very sanctum that he had tried to find and destroy countless times before was almost hilarious. Instead, he looked over to Fresh, who still looked somewhat distraught with the recent revelation.

Whatever he had done to Ink, it was clearly something horrible, but the two of them knew from the very beginning that they had done horrible things. Error had killed and tortured so many innocents, destroyed so many timelines for no reason, and as much as he regretted it now, he knew he couldn't change what was in the past.

But looking at Fresh, the parasite he'd come to love despite everything, he knew that Frisk was right. There was no way he was letting anything happen to his new family.