Today we visit the mangledverse by RoseyRebel who mentioned they'd like for the Traveller to visit but thought it was unlikely, so instead I went sure and we started co-writing this lovely piece over discord. I had fun writing with Rosey, and showing the Travellers mature and childlike sides and Rosey could start the next part of mangled story. So sit back and enjoy our joint work, as both Rosey and I enjoyed it.
The Traveller almost felt his non existent stomach protest as he entered this multiverse, as he searched the codes to see if this was a safeverse to explore.
"Mangled?" Traveller said frowning as he read the main codes.
(That doesn't sound so good) Palette whispered.
((No... something went horribly wrong here)) Goth responded.
(Think we could help with the issue) Palette asked curious.
((It depends I think Pally, the codes get weird and that usually means one thing...)) Goth said trailing off.
(Determination in monsters) Palette replied unhappily. The Traveller sighed, knowing that this would not be there final stop or home.
With that they spread phantasm wings, and began to fly towards whatever mangled was.
OoOoO
Traveler found themselves in this multiverse's original Underswap. They were outside Underswap Alphys' lab, seemingly abandoned. It was giving them horror movie vibes. They felt their nonexistent stomach twist.
They had heard of the Sixbones timeline and had yet to see one... They hoped they wouldn't see one in Underswap.
They proceeded into the lab.
They noticed negative emotions coming from the lab, the specific feelings becoming clearer as they looked through dark hallways and rooms.
The most prevalent one being... Pain.
They couldn't quite pinpoint where the being was in the lab though.
They had paused.
Until, suddenly, they felt themselves being guided to a certain place in the lab.
The multiverse sensed Traveller's intentions, and was willing to let them help.
It was also... Curious.
Traveller started hearing something.
As they got closer, they soon found out what it was.
Wailing. They heard wailing.
And then a... Second voice?
"ShHh~ I- It's OkAy."
"NoOoO" More wailing.
Wait... It seemed more like one voice?
The voices were switching between almost combining and being kind of separate.
The wailing suddenly turned to manic laughter that slowly turned back to wailing.
Suddenly it was quiet once more.
Traveller heard shuffling.
They continued getting closer.
They stopped in a room that reminded them of kind of a hospital.
Suddenly they found themselves dodging a bone attack.
They heard growling.
"D-DoN't WoRrY DuSty! I wOn'T lEt AnYoNe TaKe YoU~ NeVer AgAiN..."
Something came into view.
Traveller had to keep themselves from throwing up or crying.
There before them, was an amalgamate of Blue and Dust.
...What was worse...
Were the bones that were snapping and attempting to rearrange themselves trying to find were they belonged.
The... Mangled being(s)? tilted their head.
"WhO aRe YoU?" two(one?) voices asked/demanded.
One of/half the voice(s) was deeper and had a slight rasp, while the other voice/half was not as deep.
"A visitor, your must be in horrible pain with a body so unstable," Traveller replied unhappily.
A half growl, half exited noise came out of the amalgamate.
"Would you let me help you? I would not separate you. But this.. this is good for neither of you," Traveller replied gently.
The being made a questioning noise, before answering, "HeLp?"
"YeS!" a voice sounding more like Blue came from the being, though still garbled.
"First thing first, stabilize the body.. and build a new body from it that would allow you to walk about without issues. I warn you, it might be painful due to the determination this caused your bodies," he replied.
The Traveller sat down on the grungy floor and pulled back his hood, his bright purple eye light staring forward as they waited for the other to come forward.
The being rushed forward, stumbling a bit, as if one of the two forming them was still somewhat hesitant.
"Hey, are you ready?" Traveller asked gently, holding out his arms as if to hug the other.
"Yes" they replied, voices seeming to be more in sync than before.
The multiverse hummed in curiosity.
Gently Traveller leaned forward, and to the shock of the broken being kissed there forehead.
The world seemed to explode into light.
OoOoO
Traveller didn't react as the light faded even though he noticed his wings were fully visible here, as he'd pulled the two of them.. three of them? into a pocket just slightly outside of reality where he could speak to the two beings as whole beings to decide what they wanted for this body.
Or if they wanted something else, heck.. if they wanted he'd grab there souls and have them reincarnate in a safe soulmate verse if that's what it took. Soulmate verses, were a dime a dozen.
He sighed internally, as a ghost like Blue formed and a ghost like Dust formed there with him.
The ghost like Blue gasped, the ghost like Dust just stared with a dumbfounded expression.
The two then turned their gazes towards one another.
"Dusty!" Blue cried out, jumping onto him before he could react.
Traveller pulled out a book and began to read while he waited, time didn't... really exist here.
After all, these two needed to talk.
"I... We... You-" Dust tried to form a sentence.
Blue winced.
"Look, I... I know that-" Blue started but was interrupted by Dust shouting
"You injected Determination into yourself!"
The words 'you idiot' were left unsaid.
"It was for- I mean- It was for you Dusty!" Blue cried out.
"You already brought me back- You... I had begun melting and- You went and did that to yourself! Didn't you know the risks?!" Dust questioned.
"I just- I- I-" Blue tried.
The Traveller flipped a page.
"No! I- I care so much for you! I didn't mind dying as long as you were alright-" Dust continued.
"But I wasn't alright!" Blue shouted with angry tears in his sockets.
"Yelling most make any of it right, you do realize Blue here is your soulmate.. it was only time till he fell down from missing his other half," Traveller finally said.
(I'm glad your mine) Palette told his other.
((We could have ended up like that)) Goth replied.
Dust and Blue sat in shocked silence.
"You have some choices, I.. cannot bring Dust back. In this multiverse he is dead in all the Multiverse codes," Traveller said, no Dust could not be revived in truth.
"Dusty... I love you so much. And losing you made me never want us to separate again~ A- And I know you may be mad at... What I did... But what's done is done. ...Honestly, all we can do is..."
"Move forwards" Dust finished for Blue.
"Do you want to hear what I can offer, I warn you.. what i can do is limited," Traveller told them softly, after all what he could do was pitiful compared to what many could do.
Blue pulled Dust closer.
"Yes." Dust answered for the both of them.
"I can force a reincarnation cycle on you, but I wouldn't be able to control where you ended due to this multiverses codes. Another choice, you choose to be reborn in another multiverse... I can place you in a soulmate verse if that's what you want. I can reshape this body, but neither of you would truly be in control like Cross and CC.. or..." Traveller said trailing off thoughtfully.
Blue held his breath and Dust turned to look at him.
"You're worried about Error and your brother." Dust said knowingly.
"I- You know me too well" Blue chuckled.
"What are SOULmates for?" Dust joked.
"Ugh... You and your puns. Just like Papy..." Blue trailed off.
"You know you like them." Dust said.
"..." Blue was silent.
"Hey," Dust gently turned Blue's face towards himself, "It's going to be alright." "There is one more choice, but you may not like it," Traveller finally said.
They turned their gazes towards Traveller.
"You could become like myself, not a god. One body, a merged soul, Both existing at the same time yet separate, you would be neither Dust nor Blue but at the same time you would be, just as I am the Traveller but at the same time I am Goth and Palette. I would still have to fix your body, the Determination mangled it badly. But this way... you both live, but would you be able to live like that?" he offered a bit worried, for he knew many would not want to give up part of there identity like they had.
(I'd do it again, even if I can never hold you like I want) Palette told him.
((I know, probably best not to explain that the only reason it works is that were both soulmates just like them)) Goth giggled.
Now Blue and Dust were not expecting that. Their multiverse wasn't either, though it was better than trying to forcefully mash them together, or do what it did with it's Error.
"There... is no reversing that final choice," Traveller warned them.
They looked at one another, then back to Traveller.
"Yes" Dust and Blue agreed.
"Thank goodness we agreed on that! I might have had to threaten you if you made us separate~" Blue said, mumbling the last part and eye lights turning slightly red at the end before snapping back to blue.
Traveller actually giggled "Now.. since you chose that, Just what type of body do you want, I didn't get to choose mine as it was literally the end of my multiverse but you can."
Dust looked at Blue, letting him decide.
"A little shorter than I am now, though being underestimated can be pretty annoying- It can also be beneficial~" Blue gave a Cheshire grin, "But don't make us look overly childish either, I only want to be underestimated so much." Dust finished.
"How about this..." Traveller said and a ghostly figure appeared the height Blue described, slim and not to tall. the bones healthy and strong. There cheekbones were more towards Dust's then Blues' and there eye lights were an amazing purple with specks of red in them.
The color and specks were due to the Determination he could not remove, but if one looked closer the specks were tiny stars. Clothing, what clothing.. they hadn't decided on that yet.
The body was definitely not a child, and anyone attracted to this face would never have a chance as it would contain soulmates.
"We look pretty hot." Dust comments.
Blue chokes on his nonexistent spit.
Traveller broke down into childish giggling session, a blush on his face his wings fluttering to hide him a bit.
"What? It's true! Not that we didn't already look that way" Dust continues causing Blue to flush.
Traveller an eternal child giggled harder, he found adults silly.
Blue cleared his throat.
"Can the eye lights turn to stars at will?" Blue asked.
"If you can do it, the body can," Traveller said between giggles.
"Yes! I can finally try making Blue's infamous puppy eyes!" Dust said.
Blue fought a laugh.
"You really think you can pull that off?" Blue questioned, amused.
"Well this guy said-"
Dust's retort was interrupted by Blue saying "OH MY STARS!!!!! We forgot to ask your name!"
"Eh... I told you to call me Traveller, Or Goth or Palette if your being technical of my two halves," Traveller said blinking his singular visible eye.
"Well thank you very much Traveller for all you are doing for us!" Blue said while nudging Dust who was still grumbling over being interrupted.
"Oh. Yeah thanks I guess. It's a pleasure." Dust said.
"By the way..." Traveller said with a grin.
Blue tilted his head while Dust raised a brow.
"You are planning for clothing right, unless you want to come back naked?" he continued wickedly as only children could, it didn't matter that he was older then this multiverse.
Blue flushed.
"Of course!" Blue answered.
Dust shrugged.
"No please, go naked," Goth smirked via there body.
Blue was now a blushing mess, "We are not-"
"I mean we could-" Dust began.
"Don't finish that sentence Dust." Blue said.
"Fine" Dust relented.
"Blue seems pretty attached to my jacket, so I guess we could keep that." Dust began.
"Honestly I only held onto that because it was all I had left of you." Blue said.
"We rarely get to tease people like this, as they.. don't really understand out bodily suggestion. Mind you we aren't about to admit who our parents are in case it stops us from getting born here or worse," Palette said, as Dusts jacket appeared on the ghostly form of what there body would be like.
"I also held onto your scarf for you... I know how important it was to you..." Blue said.
"What about that bandanna of yours? Wasn't that given to you by your brother?" Dust said.
"...Maybe... We could combine them somehow?" Blue suggested.
A scarf settled around the bodies neck, long and blue and tied in a familiar looking bow shape in the back of the neck.
"What about a shirt?" Blue questioned.
"We could always go shirtless" Dust offered.
"Dust be serious-"
"I am serious." Dust said.
Traveller rolled his eye, and a black tank top with a blue-white Gaster blaster face appeared on its front on the body.
"Oh! A compromise! Couples do that all the time!" Blue said happily.
It was now Dust's turn to blush.
"Look who's the embarrassed one now Dusty~" Blue teased.
"Whatever." Dust mumbled.
"What about pants, since I decided on the top?" Traveller asked dryly, he amusingly added ankle high blue-black leather boots with blood red treads on the bottom.
"What do you think about a skirt-" Dust was quickly shot down by Blue
"No. I don't want to be compared to that... T H I N G ."
"What thing-"
"That.... Nightmarish excuse of a Blue..."
"You made a pun. But where is this going?"
"...Fanon Gacha Blueberry..." Blue finished.
"Excuse of a Blue?" Traveller was confused.
"I still don't get what you mean?" Dust questioned.
"Trust me. A... Another Blue visited and I learned of... That thing. You... You really don't want to know." Blue cringed.
"Oh... Kay?" Dust responded.
"Oh, a forth wall breaker," Traveller said dismissively, there were a lot of weird Blues out there.
"We still need to decide on bottoms." Dust said.
"Oh! I think some shorts will be fine!" Blue answered, going back to cheerful.
"...Would knee-high socks be too much...?" he mumbled to himself.
"Black shorts" Dust answered.
"And black and the same blue as the scarf striped socks!" Blue answered.
A pair of black shorts appeared on the body that fell to just above the knees with a swirling silvery-white Gaster blaster designs on the side where on a Sans white line usually were. Knee high socks quickly appeared on the legs, the same blue as the scarf with tiling thick black lines going down them.
"Hows that? I can change them if you want?" Traveller asked.
"I was thinking of horizontal stripes on the socks if you don't mind?" Blue asked.
The socks fixed themselves.
"Looks like we're done Blue." Dust said. "
You seem to be forgetting something Dusty." Blue replied.
"A name for your other self? also... you realize you'll be an outcode now right?" Traveller asked curious.
"Oh we know" Blue replied, Blue and Dust looking each other in the eye lights.
"We kind of guessed that by now." Dust finished, both of them turning back to Traveller.
Blue nodded in agreement.
"Anyway are you guys ready, pretty sure the multiverse can't wait to meet the new you," Traveller grinned getting to his feet, making his wings vanish.
"What about our name?" Blue asked.
"That's up to you I guess, but.. what about Bliss?" Traveller suggested.
"Why that name?"
"Because you two, are blissful for life and together forever," Traveller mused.
"Bliss sounds a bit too girly-" Dust started.
"Dust!" Blue chastised.
"Its your choice, find one that's right for you.. hopefully not one that feels like a title like mine. But still, are you ready?" Traveller chucked.
"How about... Amias. It means-" Dust started
"loved." Blue finished the sentence.
"Aw... cute," Traveller beamed a smile.
"We're ready." They smiled back.
"Well, its been fun. maybe we'll meet again, who knows. good luck Amias," Travellr said with a gentle smile, the world filled with light.
OoOoO
"There... done," Traveller said as he he entered reality again, he was exhausted but he felt happy he was able to help. he doubted he'd be able to do that again, on the floor the newly born Amias began to stir.
"Good luck," he whispered and vanished, he wondered how long it would take for Dust and Blue to notice his other little gift.
On there left wrist was a small charm bracelet, with five charms in the shape of monster souls. Mind you he usually let the magic of the gift grow to match the others needs, but... he thought they might appreciate this better.
After all, if they crushed a charm and ate it they could have a child of there own.
He bet Blue would figure it out first.
The multiverse hummed in gratitude.