"A MESSAGE FOR YOU, DR. ALPHYS," Gaster called, making Alphys jump and turn the television she got in her room off. Last thing he needs to know is that I've been watching anime instead of science channels. She was beginning to purchase anime merchandise, claiming the manga books were human history books to anyone who asked.

"Coming, Gaster!" She called back, scrambling to the door to find him waiting for her near the True Lab's entrance. He motioned for her to follow him into the elevator again and back down into the laboratory. "What is it?"

"HE WANTS US TO WORK ON SOMETHING. HE WANTS US TO FIND A WAY TO CREATE THE POWER TO FREE US FROM THIS PRISON. HE WANTS US TO HARNESS THE POWER OF THE SOUL."

"H-how?" She asked shakily.

"THAT'S WHAT HE WANTS US TO FIND OUT. COME ON, WE HAVEN'T MUCH TIME. KING ASGORE HAS COLLECTED TWO ALREADY."

It had been several years since she became one of King Asgore's royal scientists. "Then why does he need our help?"

"SIMPLE. IT HAS BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE THE LAST HUMAN FELL DOWN INTO THE RUINS. UNDYNE AND THE REST OF THE ROYAL GUARD ARE GETTING JUMPY, AND THE LOCAL MONSTERS ARE EAGER TO BE FREED FROM THIS PRISON."

"I-I'll do my best, Gaster."

-Entry Number 1:

This is it... Time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL. -

Her first thought was, that's impossible. Monster souls may be able to be grown... She glanced at Gaster's hands for proof. But human souls can't. It would take nearly every soul in the underground to equal one human soul... how does he expect us to do this...? Despite this, her mind wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

-Entry Number 2:

The barrier is locked by SOUL power.. Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now... The SOULs of monsters. -

If only it was possible to strengthen a monster's soul. Was there a way to take one human soul and make more of it? A horrid thought came to her.

-Entry Number 3:

But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require incredible power... Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL's host. And, unlike the persistent SOULs of humans... The SOULs of most monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's SOUL last... -

Gaster rarely spoke to her after giving her this assignment. When she wasn't watching anime or sleeping, she was often on her computer, while Gaster disappeared for entire days at a time. To talk with Sans was Alphys's only guess. Eventually, she got so fed up with doing research on humans and finding almost nothing, she went to the King's castle, making sure not to be seen. One day, she even found a pile of old tapes. Not a single one looked like it had been used, and none of them had video.

Just several of them had dialogue. Either between King Asgore and Queen Toriel or between Prince Asriel and the human Chara...

-Entry Number 4:

I've been researching humans to see if I can find any info about their SOULS. I ended up snooping around the castle... And found these weird tapes. I don't feel like ASGORE's watched them... I don't think he should. -

One night, unable to sleep, she stared blankly at the ceiling. What could she do? What did Asgore expect her to do? Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She requested Asgore to send one of the contained human souls the next morning, and it came the following day. With Gaster finally helping her, she finally created a machine, looking almost exactly like a Gaster Blaster, and tested the soul in it.

-Entry Number 5:

I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe this is what gives their SOULs the strength the persist after death. The will to keep living... The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power... "Determination." -

She extracted the "determination" from the two human souls and just managed to contain it all in glass jars. Power... such amazing power... Now... all she needed was a vessel. She couldn't hold all of it herself, and she would certainly not ask Gaster or Mettaton.

She considered for a moment to ask Sans, but if something went wrong, Gaster would never forgive her. Then, another idea came to her head. She contacted Asgore that very morning.

-Entry Number 6:

ASGORE asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down". (She teared up for a moment after writing this) Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose... And soon, they'll all turn into dust. But what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If their SOULS persist after they perish, then... Freedom might be closer than we all thought. -

Taking a deep breath, each body she received- namely vegetoids; froggits; Shyren's sister, Lemon; and the mother of Snowy, Flayke- she injected a small dose of "determination" into, and waited hopefully. She promised the families of each that, after they turned to dust, she would return the ashes to their families.

-Entry Number 7:

We'll need a vessel to wield the monster SOULs when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the SOULs of other monsters. Just as a human cannot absorb a human SOUL... So then... What about something that's neither human nor monster? -

She thought long and hard on this. What in the underground is not human nor monster? At first, she thought it was an impossible task... then... she found something while researching.

-Entry Number 8:

I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told ASGORE yet, because I want to surprise him with it... In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder... what happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live? -

She carefully went to the King's garden, making sure he wasn't present, and gently potted the beautiful flower, caressing it's petals for a moment then hurrying back the Hotland. Gaster hadn't been back for weeks now.

After another week of watching and waiting, nothing happened.

-Entry Number 9:

things aren't going well. none of the bodies turned into dust, so I can't get the SOULs. i told the families that i would give them the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what's happening. what do i do? -

She was unable to even write properly her despair was growing so badly. She failed. She remembered to stay determined herself, and carefully began to re-dose the bodies. Still, nothing. It had been four weeks since she last saw Gaster.

Entry Number 10:

experiments on the vessel are a failure. it doesn't seem to be any different from the control cases. whatever. they're a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you, and won't let go... -

Gaster finally reappeared, though only for a day to check on her progress. When he left again, she felt so lonely once more. He mentioned something about working on a machine with Sans, and that's why he's gone for so long at a time. She didn't expect to have his help much anymore.

-Entry Number 11:

now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore. … except to ask when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore... then we'll never be friends again. … not to mention, every time i try to work on it, I just get really sweaty... -

While she was waiting for the "determination" to do SOMETHING, all she could do was reflect on what had happened to her. Every since Mettaton commented that her body just wasn't feminine, and she was beginning to lose all femininity. She said she might as well just call her a 'he'.

-Entry Number 12:

nothing is happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination". i want this to work. -

She was beginning to lose all hope now. However much she wanted this to work, it just wouldn't. King Asgore was going to see she was a failure. She wouldn't be the royal scientist anymore... however, something extraordinary happened...

-Entry Number 13:

one of the bodies opened its eyes. -

Her first reaction was horror to see Flayke, who's eyes were closed, looking around. She knew that her eyes were closed before. She'd seen the bodies dozens of times. But then, it came as a relief as the next day when she took the elevator down and saw all of them were alive. She was never able to get the souls, though...

-Entry Number 14:

Everyone that had fallen down... … has woken up. They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners...? -

She learned probably the nicest to be around was Lemon and Flayke. But... something was off about them. Luckily, they seemed to get more and more normal the longer this happened. Alphys was slightly agitated that her experiment didn't work the way she wanted it to. However, some good came out of it.

-Entry Number 15: Seems like this research was a dead end... But at least we got a happy ending out of it...? I sent the SOULS and the vessel back to ASGORE. And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :) -

The next day, however, she was stunned in pure horror at what she saw. It was so horrible, she fell to the ground and broke out in tears. This couldn't be happening. It was a dream, surely?

-Entry Number 16:

no No NO NO NO NO -

She couldn't handle what was happening. The next entry, she hid in a place only she could get to it. Not even Gaster should know what had happened.

-Entry Number 17:

the monsters' physical forms can't handle "determination" like humans' can. with too much determination, our bodies begin to break down. everyone's melted together...

Each ground finally begin to solidify. Despite the fact Alphys could barely stand to look at them, she brought them food to survive, and gave the monsters a name. The "Amalgamates". Each one was given a specific name. Lemon became "Lemon Bread", Flayke's monster became "So Cold", the fusion of Froggits, Astigmatism, and Aaron made "Reaper Bird", and the group of several melted pieces of monsters became "Memory Heads". Not to mention, all the dogs fused together in a single beast, "Endogeny."

And then there was the "Everyman". He lived with Reaper Bird, and his strangely formed head attracted moths. One day, something would happen to make everything even worse, she could feel it. One day, however, as she entered her lab to feed them, she found another entry number 17 written entirely in wingdings. At that instant, she had the feeling something happened to Gaster. Luckily, she was among the few monsters that could understand him.

-ENTRY NUMBER 17:

DARK DARKER YET DARKER THE DARKNESS KEEPS GROWING THE SHADOWS CUTTING DEEPER PHOTON READINGS NEGATIVE THIS NEXT EXPERIMENT SEEMS VERY VERY INTERESTING... WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK? -

Who were these two, she often wondered. How did Gaster get into the lab since Alphys spent almost all of her time in the True Lab, sleeping. She became more and more jumpy, more and more nervous, more and more unsure of herself. Asgore gave her a strange piece of information, only adding to her horror. She never answered anything anymore.

-Entry Number 18:

the flower's gone. -

When she was told that, she felt the weirdest, most indescribable feeling ever. Like... almost as if the whole world was given to the hands of a single being.

-Entry Number 19:

the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore. -

Pretty soon, she had drawers full of unopened letters to her about the Amalgamates. No one was able to come down into the lab. She even took out the mail slot on the door of the lab, but the letters kept coming, now under the door. What could she do? She couldn't face the world. She couldn't face her failure. And worst of all, Mettaton never even asked about her once.

-Entry Number 20:

ASGORE left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry. one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me. thanks asgore.

Finally, she felt like she found a place were she could belong. The most empty place in all of the underground, where there were no letters, no Amalgamates, no other monsters in general. At least, that's what she thought.

-Entry Number 21:

i spend all my time at the garbage dump now. it's my element.

One day... however, she was disturbed by the horrid stench of rotting fish. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. She had gotten used to to odor of the True Labs, but rotting fish was another story. Although she only expected something like a dead fish in the garbage, it was something much worse.

"OUR LEADER! UNDYNE HAS BEEN INJURED!"