Unrelated Undertale Multiverse Oneshots

Befriended

"And let you corrupt innocent beings for your amusement?" I scoffed. "I think not."

"I-I don't want to spread!"

"..."

Well. That was new. Corruption's main goal was to spread..that was just what it did.

"Are you serious?"  I rolled my eyelights. "That's, like, all you do!"

"I don't! My type isn't suited for spreading!"

"..A new variant?" This required further investigation; if there was a type of non-spreading corruption, I needed to learn how to identify it..and figure out its goals. "What is your goal, then?'

"I just...want to live.."

"I get that, but what is your purpose?"

"..Code manipulation. That's all I do, and I don't do it a lot! I don't intend to be hostile!"

"And you think I'll believe you?"

"..I was originally aggressive, but when I bonded to my first host, I lost the ability to spread; I'm stuck in this body forever. I..I just want to live..please don't kill me."

"..." I didn't know why I was hesitating, but I needed to do something! "I'm going to test you. If you pass my test, I will let you live; if you do not, you will die just like all the others."

"Thank you.." 

"You're on a tight leash, corruption."

"I understand."

I let my strings fall from his body, except for one, which was tied firmly around one of his wrists; if he made a false move, it would destroy him. With my security in place, I opened a portal to Outertale, in the spot in which I typically met Blue. He was there, and he seemed intrigued by the corruption's presence. 

"Hello, Error!" He waved. "Who's your friend?"

"It's not a friend." I argued.

"..It?"

"It claims to be non-aggressive..but I'll see for myself if that's true."

"..It's corruption?" Blue was reasonably offput by this

"It says it can't spread..I need information about its species, and so, it will be joining our picnic."

"..Okay.." Blue moved back about a foot as the corruption took a seat. "Do you want any cookies, um.."

"Nightmare." The corruption said. "Call me Nightmare."

"..Cookies, Nightmare?"

"No..thank you."

"Well, at least it has manners!" Blue smiled. 

"The most evil people in the world can have manners, Blue." I reminded. 

"They count for something!"

The corruption went through the entire picnic without making a mistake. No spreading, no threatening..Blue had already befriended it. At the end came its real test. If corruption had the ability to spread, it would leave a mark of code on anyone it had touched..except me. Blue was the test subject. He shook the corruption's hand firmly, before holding his hand up for me to see, since I had the ability to see code. There was no mark; the corruption couldn't spread. 

"So..this means it's good, right?" Blue thought.

"..For now." I nodded, before looking to the corruption. "You may not be able to spread, but code manipulation isn't harmless; I want to know when you use it, how you use it, and why you use it, every time you use it. Do you understand?"

"I understand completely." The corruption confirmed. "You will know of my every action, and I have no doubt that you will monitor me frequently."

"I see we have an understanding." I let my string fall from its wrist. "I hope you are telling the truth..I don't enjoy being fooled."

The corruption left through a portal, and we went our separate ways. I continued to destroy corruption, but I often checked up on that particular entity; every time I did, I found that it was simply enjoying life..interesting. Four months after our first encounter, I checked up once more on the corruption, but I did not find it at a bakery, library, or park..it was in a forest..surrounded by other forms of corruption. Was it a scout..? Had I been tricked? My thoughts were cut off when the other forms of corruption attacked the one I had spared, calling it..a traitor. I wasted no time in opening a portal to the location, and I summoned my strings instantly, destroying the aggressive forms of corruption before they knew what was happening. When they were done for, I knelt down beside the corruption I had spared, finding that it was injured severely, but not dead. I took it to my home, and I healed its wounds. When it gained enough energy to speak, it looked at me with confusion.

"Why..would you save me?" It asked.

"You didn't deserve to die." I answered. "You haven't committed any misdeeds, aside from bonding to one host, and while that is bad, you haven't shown any signs of hostility. I..I guess you're an exception for corruption."

"..I was supposed to die. When I lost my hostility, they gave me a certain amount of time to live..they'll come back."

"And I'll protect you."

"..I don't think they'd fall for that after the second time..they're smart. They'd attack an AU while they killed me and force your attention somewhere else."

"Then..you need someone to protect you when I'm not around - a sort of bodyguard."

"I don't have any money, and I don't even know how to use my host's magic; I'm not intimidating."

"Yeah..but I am." I smirked, knowing of a few corruption survivors who could be persuaded to help.

Three months passed. Nightmare was now well off, and he had what he liked to call his "gang," made up of several survivors of corruption who had wanted revenge for quite some time. I taught them how to fight corruption without being affected, and I weaved my strings into their weapons, giving them the power to destroy corruption. They were happy to protect Nightmare when his assassins came knocking, and in return, he offered them a place where they belonged. Despite not wanting to at first, I had sort of accidentally become Nightmare's best friend..he was a hard person to deny.

"Error, where did you hide my dictionary?!" Nightmare was also fun to play with! "I need to know what a zephyr is!"

"Don't you already know?" I inquired.

"No!" 

"All right, I'll tell you where it is..for a price."

Nightmare held out a chocolate bar. 

"Price accepted." I took the chocolate bar, and I pulled Nightmare's dictionary out of my jacket. "Thank you for the trade."

"Thank you!" 

I didn't think our friendship was going to end anytime soon.