A new dawn illuminates your cages as you see Kris get up, he looks like he slept as much as you thought he did.
Hard to sleep when a smiling douchebag couldn't stop stretching femurs, admittedly being in the same room as him meant you slept just as well.
He walks up and just puts you with understandable resignation. No muss, no fuss, just get today done.
You stretch the arms/legs, making sure you can move the puppet still, bit more control than you're used too.
Oh yeah, festival's here today, right? Who the fuck were you planning on meeting anyways? Ralsei? Probably with how the chapters have gone.
"Kris!, I've got a big souprise for you downstairs!" Goat-mom boomed. That pun, please tell me it ain't fucking so.
You take one stop to the door as Kris' stereotypical resistance returns in full force.
Kris, I get everything so far has been rough, let's just bear through it and take it one step at a time.
Trust me, I want to jump too. But the sooner we pervert the prophecy, the sooner we can have full autonomy and hate life less in the process.
You finally open the door as footsteps become audible... It has never been more over than it has been now.
"sup", says the grinning Bull of the Eggs-Husband, "just here to see how my kiddo's doing"
Satan smacks your back as if to help wake you up, "heya, apologies for being so loud, never seen a trombone played like that", you both just play along to this cruel jest of fate.
Its "dad that stepped up" shirt is squeezing ghost peppers on your wounds.
You look at the dinner table to a full breakfast that smells good and looks appetizing; pancakes, pie, bacon, sausauges, gravy, the whole nine yards.
You could feel Kris salivating right behind you and let him loose, he deserves it here.
As Kris takes control and is stuffing his face with food, you tune out the voices and just enjoy the food.
And that'd stay that way until a 4th one pipes up, way too high pitch to be a monster's here considering the demographic.
Kris turns his head and WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK!
"oh, uh, them?", Sans starts as if we all weren't five feet from the gnashing teeth of Hell enjoying some pie, "tori found the kid laying at our doorstep and she had to take it in"
"they look a little odd, never heard of babies with red eyes or a pink blush...", then as if being threatened to be cast out of Heaven, your adversary finishes that sentence, "but also adorkable"
Kris is freaking the fuck out, being a little brother was not on his to-do list at all, let alone on the day when he had a promise to keep.
Toriel tried to get past the initial shock, "Now I want you to enjoy the festival so Sans and I will take care of the baby, 'Chara'"
You're now joining Kris in fully freaking the fuck out after your brain registered what just happened in the last five seconds.
The rectangle red eyes, the pink blushes, the bowl-cut hair, her clothes even match the sweater of MT.Ebott in color scheme, being faded when compared to Kris' sweater but all the same.
It.
How? Why?
Chara smiles after shoving another spoonful of pie to its face, so fucking adorable.
I demand answers. Now.
Kris decides to oblige you because for once you both are in the dark, though you also picked up his fear.
Toriel starts stuttering, "I know this is a huge thing.. But it just showed up our front door sucking on a chocolate bar in a chair", you both look to the chair she's pointing at that houses an old friend of yours.
Smiling like the beautiful fallen angel she always was even if somehow a baby.
The dad attempting to step up pipes, "even checked the police, no one seems to miss em even".
Kris returns to stuffing his food as you loosen his leash, contemplating the meaning of this.
I... I need to think about this, do what it is you kids do in these festivals. Tap my shoulder if you get into battle and get the knife back from Susie. We may need a personal dark fountain.
Chara is so much more than you could imagine.
You feel He Who Can't Dodge raise an eyebrow at you but proceeds to shrug as you into your mind palace.
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth as they say. You have something more pertinent than some broken homes and love triangles.
Chara. In Hometown. First note the important questions. Which? How? Why?
Which: The skin is right, pale like the moon baring the pink blushes. Eyes shining like blood diamonds with a smile from ear to ear. Even her hair and baby attire matched.
Too much aligned for it to be an AU, also the red eyes...
Those are atypical, only when she's shining her soul indicating she wants to be seen by someone.
How: Gaster? But why him? Perhaps a bone after the Roaring Knight? But then why the baby form? Shouldn't that make things much more inconvenient due to her limited capabilities? Another test of human determination?
From what you could gleam during the festival, she didn't talk but never let up the red eyes, perhaps it was her natural eye color here? Or maybe she was trying to signal to you?
Why: Power, but what power's to be gained here, the Thorn Ring? But you aren't being weird this timeline so a reset would be needed and that'd yeet her out of here?
Maybe trying to get you to that run? Perhaps Carol summoned her for some foolish reason?
Catti could in theory but her demon summoning capabilities is exclusively in shitty teams on this world's Persona. She couldn't summon a Preta so how could she summon Chara?

I'm so sorry cattifags. Had to throw her here for a joke, if anything I do believe she would play SMT over Persona but probably plays both. Just playing onto that "goth exterior, hello kitty interior" shtick.

Perhaps she finally saw you in this world and wanted to give a hand? For what reason? Had the convenient void-connection to keep track of collectables and you got it all?
You noticed the sun rose down when Kris was about to rip your soul out.
Wait
Kris paused.
How's Chara?
Kris wasn't giving an answer but stayed his hand. He knew your were the one that had to deliver answers, even if you both were lacking true context to know how he held more cards than you.
I know you want answers but remember you've got a lot of explaining to do yourself, with the Knight, Carol, and whatever the fuck got me in you.
You cleared your soul throat.
You know I'm not from this world, simple enough. Chara isn't either, she's a Dreemurr but not your Dreemurr.
She's an old partner of mine who I never thought would be here despite this timeline's proximity. We were very good on breaking prophecy for a golden ending.
Kris is waiting, for more. Regrettably understandable.
Very long story short. She fell to Mt.Ebott where the "Lightners" were trapped, died to try to free them from prophecy's tyranny and failed, dying in the process whilst the underground got thrown to a dark age in the process. Was a very messy affair.
I'd come along then under a more amicable vessel and awake her lingering spirit, through which we were able to try to clean it up and free the "Lightners", giving them a miracle happy ending and solving everyone's immediate problems.
Also if Sans does need to learn humility, don't be afraid to hit me up. He was a sidequest for me and I can throw down with him, still stronger than anything you've faced, Titan included.
Kris then finally thinks a question; "And how's a baby going to be useful?"
Yeah that's something confusing me, she was not that young. But she also carries foreign magic. In her world, one's soul really got them into places. Hoping that with whatever time was spent getting here, we can exploit the willpower she still carries. Red's not her natural eye color, more brown actually but can change them red.
If you've remembered to get the knife, should be able to manifest a pocket dark fountain here and
Kris stops you; "No"
No what?
Kris is silent. That fucking failure, one knife from Barney's bastard child. Maybe perhaps demons could talk soul-to-soul? But if so, how to get privacy?
You unwittingly made Kris snap his fingers as you figured out the way.
Three questions: Who's awake? Do we have chocolate milk/bar/whatever? What's the night sky looking like?
"Chara, Toriel, and Sans. How much? And Clear sky"
Make sense for all three to be awake but I might be able to make it work. And we only need 1 glass of chocolate milk but 2 would be much more preferable
Let's go stargazing with your little sister.
Kris nodded, starting to pick up what you were throwing down.
Chara has a strong soul unlike your Ubisoft soulless ass so I'm thinking soul-to-soul communication should work. Asriel surely took you out alone at night, and sure, Chara much younger than you were with Asriel, but Toriel may not mind you taking on the shoes of big brother.
Hey, best case scenario, Chara hits me up with the vessel that got discarded whilst finding your old soul so you can focus on eating Susie's moss without a backseat gamer
You felt Kris blush, but started going downstairs.
You let him do the talking to Goatmom and Douchebag, you took care to look at Chara. Really peer into her eyes to see if all was as you had hoped.
This could all be fate trolling you, Chara made to look the same but yet not there, maybe whatever stole your vessel is taunting you here or made her the baby she is now.
Next thing you know, Kris got you out the door with Chara in hand and two bottles of chocolate milk in his pockets.
Good to know you can do something right, one for you and the other for Chara
Kris sticks his tongue at you while walking towards a pond.
For what its worth I hope the festival went well for you all since I don't remember ever getting into a FIGHT
The stars really did shine bright here, very little light pollution. This bring pleasant memories of quiet waters.
You look at Chara in the eye, smiling as she drinks bottled chocolate milk with not a care in the world but now's the time to focus.
Being this close you can feel not just her body warmth but... there it is. Her soul. Hope you can talk past Kris.
Hello?
Greetings partner. Why did it take you 10k+ characters to finally get to me? Did glowy demon eyes not clue you in hard enough? Having to flicker my eyes on and off so Carol didn't notice wasn't fun.
FUCKING ANGEL BE PRAISED, A FUCKING FACE CARD!
You were stunned as you felt Kris hack up a bit, chocolate milk went to the wrong pipe you guess.
Thanks for at least tending to me in this perverse world. You know that Toriel tried to take the chocolate bar I was teething on away and SANS was the one to defend me savoring it?
The fuck? Sans the goodman? You shook your soul and pressed on.
Alright so how and why are you here?
Good questions, when we've the time. I mentioned I'd go to the next world with you didn't I?
How much do you know of this world?
Most pertinent I figured where the vessel is if you can get me into a working state.
Your mind starts playing every victory sound effect at the same time.
Small problem, Kris will die if he doesn't have a soul
And? Fuck him. You know I'm better than him anyway
You're absolutely correct but he may have a use later, bullet shield if nothing else
You start pontificating.
Give me a moment, will talk to Kris, at least get you functional, good luck explaining yourself to the Sans and Toriel of this timeline
Kris, we need to go to Castletown
Kris doesn't budge.
Do you want to forage in Susie's gardens and eat her moss? I know! You want Noelle to sacrifice herself for the prophecy! Or maybe you want to hear Berdly's biblically abysmal flirt game!
You proceed to list more profane outcomes as Kris starts sweating.
Look, so far my schizo theories have worked and I'm going off of similar logic so it should continue working.
One step closer to fixing this world and getting us free from each other
Kris still hesitates before taking a good breath and walking off, Chara in tow.
After a little while, you both were in familiar territory and you assumed full control.
Chara got a wonderful facelift in the dark world. Both of you were probably wishing she was taller but at the very least made up the mass in ways you can give proper attention too one day.
She stretched considering its the first time she walked in who knows how long.
Chara asked a fair question, "Your big plan?"
"Black Shard can keep its form between light and dark world"
"And with Tenna's repair being reflected in the light world alongside whatever's going on with the knight herself"
"We should should be able to brute force it with magic, even if not Titan or Knight-level Darkness"
"To the dojo then"
You smiled ear to ear.