Time felt slowed and sticky- each syllable that came from his mount felt emphasized and trapped in their own wrap of time.

"Goodbye."

Frisk stared open mouthed at this new Asgore, this massive, towering warrior surrounded by fire.

When he said he had been dethroned, that must mean he was king.

That made sense now.

It was like he was a whole new person, all hints of his friendliness and kindness gone in a burst of flame.

Frisk felt panic bubble in her throat. She didn't know how to fight, nor did she want to. How could she hurt the person who showed her more kindness than anyone else she had met thus far in her life?

She didn't have time to think as the fire surrounding Asgore pelted towards her, and she just barely stumbled out of the way in time. The air was filled with the smell of burnt hair and the sudden, unbearable heat that pulsed against her cheeks and made it hard to breathe.

As she struggled to maintain her balance, Asgore advanced. He raised his trident, and it glowed a dull orange.

Frisk scrambled away as fast as she could, panic overtaking her. She could have sworn the trident had caught her, but it didn't. This time she fell to the ground, panting and trembling. Frisk shot up, ignoring her bag as it slipped off her shoulder.

Asgore seemed still, as if he was waiting for her to move. Frisk looked around frantically, heart banging against her chest. Asgore was by the hallway now, and she couldn't get past if she tried. She couldn't fight him either- she didn't have the strength or resolve.

Frisk swallowed heavily.

"the best choice may not be so obvious, it may have to be found."

Her own words echoed in her head. Maybe… she could find a way to stop this. But how? Someone as inexperienced and weak as her couldn't possibly-

Frisk's thoughts were cut short by more fireballs hurled her way. Frisk avoided them better this time.

There isn't time for doubt now, if I hesitate even a little I'll be fried!

Frisk faced Asgore, shaking.

"Asgore-"

Asgore didn't let her speak as he moved forwards, swinging his trident. It caught Frisk in the side, sending her flying into the wall.

Frisk was left winded, tasting blood in her mouth. Her back and side hurt, burned with a pain that left her unable to move as Asgore approached her.

He raised his trident, and she expected death. But as she looked up at him, he hesitated, eyes losing their hardness for a second. Frisk took this opportunity to roll out of the way, wincing in pain.

Frisk used the wall to pull herself to her feet, holding her side. She could feel warm blood drip from between her lips and down her chin. As Asgore moved closer, she noticed she was cornered. Nowhere to run.

Asgore's huge figure cast a dark shadows over Frisk as she backed against the wall, placing her free hand on it. Adrenaline burned in her veins.

This is it… no… I saw it before… if I can convince him not to fight…

Frisk remembered her reflection, how different she looked. How much more determined.

Determined.

Frisk looked up, her body trying to back up further but to no avail. Closer up she could see guilt in his eyes. She locked her eyes with his, not looking away despite her body screaming at her to.

"I'm sorry child. I'll make it as fast as I can. You won't feel a thing."

Frisk lowered slightly, hand tightening it's grip on the wall.

"Asgore, this doesn't have to be it."

"this is the only way to ensure that countless other deaths don't happen."

"You can't put off war this way, Asgore." Frisk growled. Despite her hearts pounding, she felt determination. It made her feel strong, made her lip lift ever so slightly to reveal fangs.

"If no human passes, no human soul will be added to the other six." Asgore said coldly.

"true, but one day a human will get passed you. One way or another. Or the other monsters will come here. Like I said, this isn't going to put off war. The only way to do that is to act."

Asgore didn't waver, but something flashed in his eyes.

"I am acting."

"No, you're waiting." Frisk straightened slightly. " You are waiting here. You are waiting till the day Someone gets through here, then what? Then this will all be in vain. I don't blame you. It's a hard choice. But don't you think that by now you would have looked for another answer? A better one?"

"This is the best answer, and if I could change that I would."

"but you never even tried, did you? Because you were scared. Why didn't you go out there and tell them that their plans are bad, that it would only cause more pain."

"I'm no longer king." Asgore said dryly.

"You don't have to be king. You just have to try. Monsters aren't humans. You're kinder, stronger. You understand each other more than us humans ever will. From what I've experienced here with these monsters- with you- you guys don't want war. You just want freedom. I'm sure if you said you can get that without war, you would have a decent following of people."

Frisk closed her eyes, preparing herself for the stab of a trident. He could snap at any moment.

"I-I don't blame you for what you did… like I said before, I don't think I would have the strength to make that choice. But you do. If you have the strength to make that choice, why can't you have the strength to change it instead of waiting for someone else to do it for you?"

Asgore was silent.

Frisk stayed still, unable to come up with anything else. Her body had begun shaking again and her sudden surge of strength seemed to leave as soon as it came. She just wanted this to end.

"You sound just like Toriel." He said at last.

Frisk looked up, and saw pain and longing on his face.

"She always told me the same thing. That I waited. That I didn't act."

Asgore took a deep breath.

"… I think you are wrong, human. I don't have the strength to make that choice. I was forced to anyways. That's why this is happening. It's not because I'm strong enough to make that decision, it's because I'm too weak to find the true answer."

Frisk looked on as he lowered his trident. Was he sparing her?

"I was right about one thing. You really are different from the other humans. You see what they do not. You're wise. And determined when you need to be. You have more strength than you give yourself credit for."

"if I had strength, I wouldn't be shaking."

Asgore chuckled deeply.

"strength isn't always fearlessness, little one. You remind me of my one child. He was such a sweet thing, he always knew the right thing. Yet he would bawl at the slightest little scare."

I'm pretty sure the "slightest little scare" isn't almost getting killed.

Asgore let his trident fade away, and the world slowly returned to normal.

"If you must leave the ruins, I will not stop you. But if you do, you must promise me. Promise me you won't die. For your sake and that of all of monsterkind."

Frisk stared at him wide eyed, still trembling.

"I… that's not an easy thing to promise…"

"I think you can do it. You did it today, after all. You can change their minds. It's not fair to kill you, nor keep you here because of my weakness. And besides…" Asgore's expression turned grim.

"The underground gets colder and colder, slowly. Soon it will be impossible to grow food, and living here will get increasingly difficult. You must find a way to change their minds before they go free, to prevent tragedy. Or leave before it's too late."

"I…" Frisk started. "I'll… try…"

Asgore moved forward, startling Frisk until he kneeled down and wrapped her up in a hug, his rough beard scratching her cheek. Frisk stiffened, unsure of what to do and a little scared.

"I know you can. I'm sorry for hurting you, child. I understand if you can't forgive me. I just want to see me children again, see my wife again…"

Frisk stayed dead still as tears rolled down Asgore's cheeks. Then she let herself soften and buried her face into Asgore's fur. It smelled strongly of flowers.

This was the first time she had a bond like this. She didn't want to lose it. She felt a few of her own tears leak from her eyes and Into his fur.

Eventually Asgore pulled away, standing back up.

"I think you should stay another night or two. It would be tough going with your side the way it is."

Frisk felt a wave of pain as he mentioned it. There was probably going to be one hell of a bruise, but she didn't think anything was broken.

"I guess…"

"it's alright, child. You can leave whenever you like, I won't try to stop you. And you can always come back as well."

Asgore turned, leaving the room. Frisk watched, still shaking from her ordeal. The cold was returning.

I can't believe… I actually… got through that. Who would've knew…. Asgore doesn't seem like he could kill someone now… he's was like a whole other person…

Frisk shivered with the thought before limping across the room to grab her abandoned bag. Fortunately, it was still in one piece. She then followed Asgore down the hallway, tired and sore.

It was dark, the only light being that of the lanterns. It had been a day since the fight. Frisk stood in front of the huge door, staring at it numbly.

This was it. She was finally leaving.

She decided to leave while Asgore slept, as to not cause him too much trauma. And partly out of fear. She forgave him, but was still frightened. She didn't know if that fear would ever go away.

Her side still hurt, as did her back, but not as much. The only impact it had on her was a slight limp, and unwillingness to lay on that side.

She had been here for awhile, unable to bring herself to open the door. Asgore said she could come back, but… could she? Would she die? Images of fearsome creatures running her down and tearing her apart filled her mind.

No… I'm sure the monsters out there are nice too. They have to be…

Frisk shook herself. Not the time. Now she had to be brave.

She gave one last glance down the hallway before pushing open the doors.

It was time.

Frisk stepped out into a dark room with a single patch of grass…

Oh no.

The room was just like the first dark room, identical doorways, grass patch…

And evil flower.

Flowey chuckled after seeing her shocked expression.

"Oh, is that how you greet an old friend?"

Frisk growled in response- she was becoming used to sounding like a dog. It came in handy when talking to people you despise, especially if they happen to be a talking flower.

"heh. So, you think you're veeeerrrryyy clever, don't you? Sparing him? Do you reaaaally think that's the way things go down here?"

"huh?"

"huh?" Flowey mocked, causing Frisk's ear to twitch. "sorry to burst your bubble, but this is a kill or be killed world. You'll see that soon. Will you kill out of frustration? Let's see how far your determination can take you."

With that, Flowey let out an ear-splitting laugh before disappearing Into the ground once more.

Frisk blinked.

Kill or be killed… kill… nah, that thing is crazy.

It still left her with a uneasiness as she continued on.

The doorway led to a long, purple hallway. The stone got lighter and lighter as she progressed, and the air got colder. Frisk stopped to pull her scarf out of her bag, wrapping the torn purple fabric around her neck. It smelled musty, but it was something.

She continued, eventually coming across a light purple door with white peeking from underneath.

She pushed open the door with a huff.

She was not expecting what awaited her on the other side.

Cold wind and snow blasted her in the face, catching her off guard.

It was snowing lightly, though the wind made it look much harsher. The ground was covered in thick snow, and the white substance coated the branches of the trees. The branches sagged with the constant weight, some splintered at the end.

Frisk stepped outside gingerly, wishing she had worn boots or something. Not low sneakers. This wasn't going to be fun.

She tugged the door closed behind her, looking around. The only sound was the whistle of the wind, and the dead trees gave the place an eerie feel. The cold cut right through her sweater, chilling her already. There was a single path of trampled down snow leading into the distance.

Frisk began walking, trying to make as little sound as possible. This place intimidated her, and she wanted to get by as fast as possible.

She also had the feeling of being watched, but ignored it. She doubted anyone would be out in wind like this.

Frisk kept on walking, feeling snow get into her shoes and burn her ankles. She stopped in front of a large, sturdy branch that had fallen onto the ground to empty her shoes out. Her feet were number from standing on the snow by the time she was done, and her socks soaked.

Frisk felt a shiver creep up her spine before stepping over the branch, on the move again.

She was stopped by a sudden snap that made her jump into the air. It sounded almost like a gunshot, and echoed into the air.

Frisk turned around, expecting to see death.

But nothing was there.

The tree branch was now shattered, and a few footprints surrounded it. They came from nowhere and seemed to disappear.

Who's heavy enough to break this big thing? Frisk thought, dread making her spine colder. The footprints looked like some sort of slipper. Frisk looked around, grabbing her scarf in apprehension.

After a thorough check, she decided to keep walking. She didn't know what caused the stick to snap like that, but maybe it was frozen and she hadn't noticed the footprints. She still had the itching feeling of being watched, however, and couldn't help but turn around every so often.

Eventually she came across a bridge with wooden bars built sloppily across it. The gap looked big enough to slip through, but Frisk suspected something else was up. Electricity? Poison?

"hey."

Frisk froze, her hair standing on end and her tail tucking itself between her legs. D-did I just…

"don't ya know how to greet a new pal? Turn around."