Asriel Dreemurr

[Even as Asriel says it, he knows he can't make Mettaton believe it. Not when he doesn't really believe it himself. All he can say are just empty words, empty promises... the true reality of this world, it was always kill or be killed.

Chara shouldn't have gone, because now Chara realizes what the Outpost truly was. And they were taken from him by the Savrii, and when they came back... something had hurt them. Mettaton shouldn't have gone, because now he had to live that hell all over again. Frisk shouldn't have gone, because Asriel can see them barely holding themselves together after attacking each slaver without any mercy.

Asriel shouldn't have gone, because now all he can think about is the dark. The feeling of a rope around his snout, pulling his jaw tight never goes away. And he confronted his nightmares... only to find out that it didn't make a difference at all. That they only thing that changed was that he became worse. That he became broken and disgusting...

That he was never a person at all. Maybe he didn't even need to be collared and muzzled to realize that, but it was the truth.

Asriel goes silent as Mettaton apologizes. He can't think of any more empty words, anything else to offer because there was no comfort to give.

He wordlessly slumps against Mettaton, just staying there for a few long moments. He wants to cry, but he probably shouldn't.]

Mettaton...

I'm sorry too. I'm sorry for everything. I just can't... I can't pretend that it any of this was okay. I'm not even good at pretending that things are going to be okay.