Wordcount: 9,182

Morning came, shining its pure light into Frisk's window. They shied away from it, trying to cover their face with their blanket. Naturally, a beam of light was still able to sneak in and chide them. You should get going, it admonished. Frisk just wanted to sleep for five more minutes. They always said that, when really they meant 'an indefinite number of minutes'.

"Wake up, partner."

Frisk groaned, rolling over to face the ghostly human. "What."

Chara gave a smile that showed teeth. "You should be nicer to your partner, you know."

Frisk shut their eyes and rolled over again. "Yeah, I should." A pause. "Question is if I'll do it."

Chara's light and silvery laughter crept over the back of their neck. "Come, Frisk," they said. "We've still got work to do."

"You're right," said Frisk. "A narc's work never ends."

Chara floated over to Frisk's side, dropping to their knees to stare at them. Their hair appeared messy, though it was just fairly fluffy. The faintest glimmer of brown eyes peered back at them through their almost-shut eyelids.

Frisk gave a defeated sigh and mumbled, "Morning."

A smile twitched at the corners of Chara's lips. "Indeed, it is morning. Now, go get dressed and find something to eat," they ordered. "No-one likes to work on an empty stomach."

"You're not my mother," Frisk retorted, before muttering under their breath: "Like I have one anyway."

Chara raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

Chara looked as though they didn't believe them, but they left it alone.

Frisk headed down to the laundry room to collect their clothes. They noticed the awkward glances they received from other patrons, assuming it was due to their only clothing being a dressing gown. Not all of us have a change of clothes on standby, thought Frisk, as they headed back to their room.

"Welcome back."

"Hello to you too," Frisk replied, heading into the bathroom, and, to make their intentions known, shut the door behind them. As they disrobed, they noticed the gauze they had applied to a spear injury a couple of days ago. They had barely noticed it the night before because they were so tired. Curious, they unwound the gauze, finding the wound had healed over nicely. They dressed, pulled on their boots, and emerged from the bathroom.

"What should I do with this?" asked Frisk, holding up the gauze which was now gooey on both sides, rendering it unusable.

"Toss it," Chara advised. "I don't think even Temmie would buy that trash."

Frisk did just that, sending the gauze on its way with a passport to the next life. After enjoying another slice of the quiche (Frisk made Chara laugh when they repeated their last night attempt at humorous narration), they headed out. Despite everything, they were in quite a good mood, humming to themselves as they walked.

"Anything you want to do in Blowdin before kissing both it and Waterfall bye-bye?" asked Chara.

"You're missing a third thing," said Frisk.

"What might that be?"

"You, of course," said Frisk shamelessly.

Chara's cheeks went redder than usual. "You sick bastard," they said, turning away.

Frisk just smirked.

They travelled in silence for another minute before giving a serious answer. "I think we should swing by Sans and Papyrus's place," said Frisk. "I've got something I have to do before bidding them all farewell. And I want to see Undyne one more time. She's done a lot for me."

"Like throw spears at you," Chara reminded them.

"I know," Frisk answered with a heavy sigh. "But we also helped each other escape and became friends in the process."

"Yes, that did happen."

"We'll take the Attack Helicopter's boat back to Potland when we're done here," Frisk continued, before Chara interrupted.

"Really? 'Attack helicopter'?" asked Chara.

"I tried," said Frisk, shrugging.

They continued in silence for a while, before arriving at the skeleton brothers' residence. Frisk knocked. They were half-expecting the reaction they got. Undyne gave a loud sigh, growling, "Not again!"

"Relax, fellow Vietnam vet," said Frisk sarcastically. "It's only me."

"Ah, sheesh. Don't scare me like that, dumbass," said Undyne, sounding relieved. "Only I knock."

She opened the door. She was wearing her usual outfit, but with an additional navy-blue hoodie. At the sight of them, she added, "You look like a new human."

"Got everything washed at the inn," said Frisk, as Undyne closed the door behind them.

"HELLO, HUMAN!" Papyrus greeted. "PLEASE, HAVE A SEAT! I MADE—"

"It's alright," Frisk assured him. "I have to get going soon."

Papyrus looked crestfallen. "BUT, WE'LL STILL CHAT OVER THE PHONE, R-RIGHT?"

Frisk rolled their eyes. "Of course. If I left you guys without saying anything, what kind of friend would that make me?"

Before Papyrus could answer, Undyne cut across with: "A FRIEND WHO'S GONNA GET PUNCHED IN THE FACE! NGAAH!"

Papyrus chuckled nervously. "N-NOW NOW, UNDYNE... THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANY PUNCHING OF FACES."

Undyne snickered. "Yeah, yeah. I getcha. I'm just kidding."

"So, how has the diversion been going?" asked Frisk.

"Seamlessly," said Undyne. "Paps placed a call to the Royal Guard and said I was going to Potland. So, there'll be a lot of heat there — figuratively and literally — so, watch your back, alright?" She held out her hand.

"Got it," said Frisk, shaking it. "Hey, that reminds me. I kinda suck at magic, so I was wondering if you guys could help me out..."

"But you did it perfectly fine yesterday," said Undyne, frowning.

"Well, yeah... but it wasn't that good, I'll be honest," Frisk replied. "I need to know how to make it do what I want it to, y'know?"

"Makes sense," said Undyne. "Well, me and Paps can teach ya anytime. Right, Paps?"

"OH BUT OF COURSE!"

"Is now a bad time?"

"Nah, totally not!" Undyne insisted. "I know the perfect place where we can practice. It's out in the forest."

"Sounds good," Frisk agreed.

"SANS!" shouted Papyrus. "WE'RE GOING OUT! TRY NOT TO SLACK OFF, WILL YOU?"

Sans, who had been peering into the fridge, oblivious to everything around him, stuck his head out. A joint was clamped in between his teeth. "anything for you, bro. mind if i talk with fresk for a moment?"

"NOT AT ALL, NOT AT ALL," said Papyrus airily.

Frisk scowled. They were never going to let that one go, were they?

"We'll wait outside for ya," said Undyne. Frisk nodded as she and Papyrus stepped outside.

They turned back to Sans. "What do you want?"

"well, y'see, i'm on duty in waterfall, right?" Sans started. "and i get a call from none other than 'dyne herself. claims she overheard you talking with someone. when she confronted you a few seconds later, she found nobody." He blew out a puff of smoke. "what's that all about, hombre?"

"Just Undyne's meth-addled brain going cuckoo," Frisk lied.

"is there another human?" he asked. "you protectin' 'em or somethin'?"

Frisk gave him a hard stare. "Well, if I was, I wouldn't tell you, would I?"

Sans chuckled. "fair enough, hombre. but really. who were ya talkin' to?"

"Myself."

Sans rolled his eyes. "c'mon. serious answer, hombre."

Frisk, determined not to give away Chara's existence, replied, "It's none of your damn business who I talk to."

Sans snarled. "you talked to that fuckin' weed, didn't you?" he said through gritted teeth. His pupils had dimmed, giving him a sinister look.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Frisk indifferently. "And like I said, it's none of your—"

"'dyne says she heard the name 'chara'!" Sans spat. "explain that, hombre! why's the name of the first fallen comin' up, huh?"

"Why do you care?" Frisk retorted. "You did fuck-all to help me in Blowdin and still act like I'm your business!"

"you..." Sans clenched his bony fists. "you little brat."

"You insolent little—" Chara was cut off by Frisk slamming him against the wall, hand around his neck. Red magic was burning in their right eye.

"FUCK YOU!" they shouted. "You don't know anything about me!"

Sans was lost for words. He was trying to form words, most likely brimming with vulgarity, but couldn't articulate them.

"If you hate me so much, then stop making it your business to protect me. Not like you ever did anyway," they added coolly. They dropped him. He fell to the ground, looking up at them. Frisk hoped they looked intimidating, because Sans sure looked like he wouldn't cross them. They raised their boot and stamped on the joint that had fallen out of his mouth.

Then, without so much as a glance at him, Frisk turned and left, slamming the door as hard as they could without breaking it.

"AH, FRESK," said Papyrus, smiling nervously. "IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? I ONLY ASK BECAUSE I HEARD SHOU—"

"Doesn't matter," muttered Frisk, shoving their hands in their coat pockets. "Let's go."

"A-ARE YOU SURE? YOU SEEM A LITTLE—"

"I said let's go," they said, their voice so cold it could be described as absolute zero.

Papyrus swallowed, then began walking. Undyne gave Frisk a sympathetic look out of the corner of her eye as she put her hood up. Frisk didn't bother to mirror her, because no-one around here even noticed that they were human, with the exception of Sans, Papyrus, and Grillby. And anyway, they'd be after Undyne, not them. Although they felt that their time would come soon enough.

They made it out to the forest without any interruptions. The place Undyne had chosen was a large clearing, surrounded by trees so tall they almost blocked out the sun.

"Hey, that reminds me," said Frisk, "how come there's day and night cycles here?"

"Oh," said Undyne, "Alphys told me that the previous Royal Scientist built a fake sun and moon designed to make it look like there's day and night here. Just like the fake stars."

"That's pretty neat," said Frisk, taking off their coat. They cracked their knuckles and said: "Right. So, where do we start?"

"ER-HEM," said Papyrus. "DEFENSIVE MAGIC IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS OFFENSIVE MAGIC."

"Yeah, he's right," Undyne agreed. "Just attacking isn't enough. You need to be able to defend yourself from your opponent's attacks as well."

Frisk nodded.

"I reckon Barrier spells are a good place to start," said Undyne. "It's all very well to cast spells in the moment when things are crazy, but you need to learn how to summon it whenever you want."

"Sounds good to me," said Frisk.

"Do you know how to cast a Barrier spell?" asked Undyne.

"Sort of," said Frisk. "I mean, I cast one the other day."

"Wait, you did?" asked Undyne. "That's seriously impressive, punk. And with no help too..."

Frisk chuckled nervously, rubbing their forearm. "I might've had some help..."

"But I don't disagree with you when you say it was no good," said Undyne, as if she hadn't heard them. "I mean, my first spells were crappy too. So, me and Paps'll teach ya some defensive and offensive stuff before ya head off."

She pulled her hood down and rolled up her sleeves. "So, Barrier spells are pretty basic but also shouldn't be underestimated. They can be nearly impossible to break if you don't throw off their concentration. That's the trick," she said, nodding. "Make 'em lose concentration. So, when it's yours, I'd recommend staying focused."

Frisk nodded. "Got it."

"So, first, you should try creating a Barrier," said Undyne. "Papyrus and I'll throw shit at you and then we'll see if you can repel it. There's no need to scrunch up your face, by the way, just focus."

Frisk tried their best, the first times only being able to produce a small, purple burst from their fingertips, but eventually getting it. They found if they stayed calm and collected, it came easier. If Undyne tells me to do otherwise, guess I'll just have to ignore her.

Their eyes burned orange and blue for a second as the Barrier materialised.

"Whoa, nice going!" Undyne applauded.

"YEAH! WOWIE, FRESK!"

"It's Frisk, for crying out—"

"ALRIGHT, THERE'S NO NEED TO CRY!" he insisted.

"Alright, Papyrus, throw 'em a bone," said Undyne.

A bone appeared in his hands. He chucked it at Frisk's Barrier. Frisk stayed focused, keeping their eye on the bone and Undyne in case she started attacking. They pushed against the bone with all their might, sending it flying. Then, they swivelled the Barrier around to block the oncoming spear Undyne had thrown.

"You're a natural, punk!" Undyne cheered. Frisk smiled as it stirred a memory somewhere. "Although if you're about to screw up, it's cool just to jump out of the way."

"You're doing really well, partner," said Chara, placing a phantasmic hand on Frisk's shoulder.

"Thanks."

"So, Barrier spells are good basic defence," said Undyne. "There are other methods of defending, such as dodging, but why would I waste my time teaching you that?" she guffawed. "You're already so good at it!"

"I AGREE!" said Papyrus. "FRISK ALWAYS SURPRISES ME WITH THEIR AMAZING DODGING SKILLS!"

"But for real, you can even defend by using offensive magic. Block their attacks using a weapon or projectile, it doesn't matter. Defending comes in many forms," Undyne explained.

"THERE'S ALSO MANY OTHER BARRIERS YOU CAN USE," said Papyrus. "SOME LOOK LIKE DOMES, SOME LIKE BOXES, SOME EVEN LOOK LIKE CIRCLES!"

"Are they any harder to cast?" asked Frisk.

"Not entirely," said Undyne. "Sure, they'll cost more of your magical energy, and they're somewhat harder to keep up for extended periods of time. But harder? nah. Also, the upside is that no better way to defend yourself against multiple enemies exists than a Dome Barrier. If you can, you can even make a Sphere Barrier move, which presents many pros."

"You can flee in safety?"

"Correct," said Undyne. "So, I guess we should move on to offensive magic. Oh, and we should go over healing magic as well. That's pretty important, especially if you're fighting with an ally and they're wounded."

"How I'd love to fight alongside you, partner," said Chara in admiration.

Me too, Chara. Who knows, maybe one day, that could happen?

It was true. Frisk could find nothing better than the idea of fighting alongside Chara, their bodies moving in sync as they dodged spiralling columns of magical bullets. It was all too exciting for words.

"So, it works often to use something that you hold dearly," said Undyne. "Sans and Papyrus are skeletons, so they use bones. I use spears because that was the first name I ever gave myself!" she added proudly. "Undyne, the Spear of Justice!"

Frisk repressed a snicker.

"So, what's something that you remember fondly?"

"I don't know," said Frisk. "I've never really had to use a weapon before. I've just been using whatever I can find."

"Hmm..." said Undyne, frowning. "This could be a bit tricky."

"I mean, yesterday they were just energy blasts," said Frisk. "Dunno if that helps."

"It does, a bit," said Undyne. "Y'see, magic blasts are totally fine if there aren't any weapons that you're passionate about. It's not a good idea to try and force it into another form, because it isn't as powerful. So, that's alright!"

"SO, DO YOU WANT TO TRY?" asked Papyrus eagerly.

"Uh... I guess?" said Frisk, a little uncertain. Was Papyrus suggesting they attack him and Undyne?

"You don't have to attack us, you can just pick a random object," said Undyne quickly, as if reading Frisk's mind.

Frisk rolled their sleeves up to their forearms. "Alright, so what do I do?"

"Well, firstly, ya gotta understand that magic attacks are like channelled energy," said Undyne. "So, if you're weakened, your magic won't be as strong. Unless you've got something called..."

"DETERMINATION!" Papyrus finished, grinning.

"Yeah," said Undyne, nodding. "I dunno how you humans do it," she said. "So much determination in there, and yet your body doesn't break under the strain of it all."

Frisk didn't question this one.

"You can be so determined that even when fatally injured, you can become even stronger," she continued, sounding envious.

Frisk considered telling them that they were exaggerating the effects of 'determination', but Chara cut across. "She's right, partner," they said. "Determination is a tangible substance. And its effects really are that powerful, at least for humans."

What about monsters? asked Frisk.

"That's one thing I don't know," Chara remarked in an amused voice. "The only thing I was ever told was that monsters' bodies could not handle it. They have some, make no mistake," they reassured, "but not nearly as much as humans."

'Could not handle it'. Hmm.

"So, go ahead! Try and fire off a few blasts," Undyne insisted, bringing them back to reality.

"Showtime," said Chara with a grin.

Frisk focused all their energy on an attack. A bright blue blast erupted from their fingertips. It slammed into a nearby tree, diminishing the instant it made contact, leaving a dark scorch mark behind.

"Not bad, not bad," said Undyne. "Try an orange attack."

"Isn't that one you move through?" asked Frisk.

"That's right," said Undyne.

Frisk channelled their energy again and willed it to be orange. They slashed at the air, an orange shock wave spreading outwards. Undyne and Papyrus jumped through it.

"Whoa, that's some neat skill you've got there," said Undyne.

"I CONCUR!" said Papyrus. "NEVER HAVE I SEEN A PERSON MORE NATURALLY GIFTED AT MAGIC!"

"Before we move on, I have one last request."

"Anything, punk."

"Let's do it for real!" said Frisk, their grin showing teeth. Undyne returned that very same grin, her competitive spirit flaring up.

"Oh, it's on, punk!" she said, summoning a spear. Frisk readied their stance, right eye burning red. Undyne threw her spear up in the air; Frisk watched as it flipped once, twice, then stopped, suspended in mid-air. Undyne's eye flashed, and a dozen copies of the spear, each identical to its original, appeared. She stuck out her arm, sending a flurry of spears towards them.

Frisk couldn't wipe the smile from their face. They barely knew any magic and were already sparring with Undyne. And God, it felt good.

Frisk's eye flashed as they summoned a simple Barrier. Undyne redirected her spears to curve over it. Frisk fired a blast of red energy up at the spears, then stretched out the Barrier to shield their head. The spears clattered against it, all falling to the side.

All of a sudden, a stream of blue bones shot at them! They froze on the spot, letting the bones pass through them.

"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus chortled. "SURPRISE, FRISK!"

He sent a sea of bones towards them. They used the bones that stuck above the many others to leap across safely. Undyne hurled spears at them. Without even thinking, their right eye flashed red and a circular red shield appeared to block them. It moved in sync with their wrist's movements, always giving them a quick alternative should their Barrier fail.

For the grand finale, Papyrus sent a a huge ring of bones at them, closing in. Frisk fired a red blast that ricocheted off the bones, leaving scorch marks in its wake. Okay, so that's out of the question.

Then, as if it were natural, their eye glowed red again, staying that way. A glowing red sword appeared in their left hand. A red heart with two sharp curves on each side sat in between the hilt and blade. They spun, slashing at the air, spawning large red slice marks that cut right through the bone.

With the bones dealt with, they stood there, confused as to what they should do now. Undyne and Papyrus were just staring at them.

"What? Something on my face?" asked Frisk.

"Nice sword," Undyne replied, a huge grin spreading across her face.

"Oh yeah," they said, staring at their own reflection in the blade. Their eye had traces of red in it. "I don't know how that got there."

"Well, lemme spell it out for ya," said Undyne. "That's your weapon! Practically every human has a weapon tied to their SOUL. They just gotta unlock it, and yours happens to be a sword!"

"Huh," said Frisk. "That's pretty neat."

"Sure is," said Undyne. "Since it's tied to your SOUL, the more determination you have, the stronger it becomes. If your SOUL is weak or low on determination, it'll be damned near impossible to summon." A chuckle. "You really are just full of surprises, aren't ya, punk?"

Frisk smiled, allowing both the Sword and Shield to disappear. "Got that right."

"NOW, ALL THAT'S LEFT IS TO COVER HEALING, AND THAT SHOULD BE IT!" said Papyrus.

"Healing's easy, easier than you think," Undyne insisted. "So long as you have the intention to heal, you can."

"So, is self-healing a thing?"

"Yeah, I'd recommend practising on yourself," said Undyne. "Since nobody appears to be with ya."

Chara smiled. "If only she knew."

Undyne approached them, clapping her hand on Frisk's shoulder. "You did real good, punk," she said. "I'm proud of you."

Frisk smiled. "Well, I can't take all the credit."

"OH, IT DOESN'T MATTER! I STILL MUST SAY THAT YOU PERFORMED SPECTACULARLY!" Papyrus insisted.

"Heh, thanks," said Frisk, tying their coat's sleeves together. "I should get going now."

"FAREWELL, FRISK!" said Papyrus. "CALL US ANYTIME!"

"He'll pick up whether it's two in the morning or afternoon," Undyne added, grinning.

The three left the forest clearing, then split up once they got to Blowdin. Frisk had to run one last errand before leaving, though. They headed into the general store and purchased a large bag, feeling they'd need it for the many items that were to be found. After the transaction was all done and dusted, Frisk travelled down the path to where the River Person's boat was sure to be docked. It was here that Chara finally spoke for the first time since leaving the clearing.

"So, Sword and Shield," they remarked. "I'm not surprised you were able to unlock them, but I doubted you'd be able to manifest both in one session."

"That's fine," said Frisk. "I didn't even know I could do it."

"Everybody can," said Chara. "There aren't any specific weapons tied to specific SOULs. It just depends on the user. However, they aren't all one of a kind. There are records of people having the same weapons but with different SOUL types. One was actually one of the magicians that created the Barrier."

"Hmm," said Frisk, deep in thought. "So, is it possible that I could be related to that very magician?"

Chara rolled their eyes at Frisk. "That is highly unlikely," they said. "He was probably tall and dashing. Not short and snarky."

"He could've married a dwarf," Frisk countered.

"Sure, sure," said Chara, smirking.

"Tch. You could be related to that magician, for all I know," said Frisk. "You've got a head's length on me."

"I highly doubt it," said Chara, a dark note in their voice. "But yes, I am fairly tall. Or perhaps you are just incredibly short."

"No fair," whined Frisk.

"Ah, cheer up, partner," said Chara, grinning. "I think that height suits you just fine."

"Yeah, I know," said Frisk with a sigh. "But a few extra centimetres would come in handy every now and then."

"That I don't disagree with."

The two boarded the River Person's boat. They just pretended as though they'd never met Frisk. Frisk was grateful for this. With a sigh, Frisk rested their head against the back pillar on the boat, an oil lamp dangling above them.

So, I guess we're going to Potland, said Frisk.

* It seems so.

Good memories?

* Actually, yes. Not my favourite place, but all the same...

And the CORE is there?

* Indeed. The previous Royal Scientist insisted on the idea of having the CORE draw its fuel from the mantle.

I barely understand how that works, but I'll take it that it worked?

* Indeed it did.

"Come again. Tra la la," the River Person was saying as the boat stopped. Frisk got to their feet and stepped back onto solid ground. They climbed the stairs, finding themselves back at the crossroad, the Royal Guards still standing resolutely in front of one of the paths. They summoned their determination, creating a SAVE point.

"Determination," said Chara, clearly unsure of what to say.

Frisk gave their spectral companion a quizzical look but said nothing. "Alright. The lab," they said, forcing a smile. "Let's go."

They approached the doors, which slid to the sides to let them in. At first, Frisk assumed it was a deathtrap that would slam shut when they tried to walk through it, so they stuck one of their coat sleeves in the doorway to be sure. Nothing. They slowly walked through, surprised at the lack of security.

You'd think the Royal Scientist would have some kind of deterrent to keep out intruders, mused Frisk as they stepped into the dark lab. A huge monitor was currently displaying video feed of them. They paid it little mind, having expected there to be cameras inside the lab. There was a desk near the monitor with a computer, a few anime figurines, and about a million instant noodle boxes.

Okay, dark room, anime figures, instant noodles... I guess that the Royal Scientist is a basement-dwelling neckbeard, Chara, said Frisk, snickering.

* I have to admit, it seems as though that may be the case.

Frisk continued walking. They noticed a door at the other end of the room. There was an illuminated EXIT sign above it.

"Sweet," said Frisk. "This'll be quick."

As they approached the doorway, there was the hissing sound of another door opening. A silhouetted figure emerged, the door closing behind them. They crossed the room and flipped on the lights. They turned in Frisk's direction, immediately stopping in their tracks.

For starters, they were definitely female. She could be best described as reptilian in appearance. Three spikes adorned the back of her head, as well as large glasses that made her eyes appear owl-like. Her lab coat was oversized and dragged on the ground, although it could've been because she was hunchbacked.

"Oh. My. God." She gave them a buck-toothed grin. "It's you! I've been waiting so long to meet you! What took you so long?" she asked, a bit rudely.

Frisk narrowed an eye.

"God, this place is such a mess!" she said apologetically. Her voice was quite high-pitched, coupled with a mild lisp and extremely proficient stammer. "I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, I'm—" she stopped herself. She swallowed, summoned the friendliest smile she could, and greeted them properly. "H-hi! Or... hiya, heheh. I'm Dr. Alphys, Asgore's Very Important Doctor!"

"Good to meet you," said Frisk, not moving from their spot. "Undyne told me lots about you."

"H-h-h-has she?" she asked, a nervous grin tugging at the corners of her scaly face.

"Yeah," said Frisk. "You sounded pretty neat."

Alphys looked as though she would explode at this. "H-h-heheh... t-that's nice to h-h-hear..."

"So, what? Are you here to stop me or something?" asked Frisk.

"N-n-no! Nothing of the sort!" said Alphys quickly. "D-don't worry, I'm not one of the 'bad guys'! I mean, I-I was originally supposed to stop you, but... I couldn't see anything from my cameras. I t-t-tried to h-hide them, but they, uh, well, um, didn't capture anything because they were so well hidden?"

"Right," said Frisk.

"A-anyway, um, using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Potland!" said Alphys.

"What's in it for you?"

"I— huh?"

"Surely you won't just help me for no reason," said Frisk.

"Well, um, l-l-like I said, I was supposed to stop you, but after hearing all that great stuff from Undyne... I wanna help you!" she insisted. "I know a way right to Asgore's castle, n-no problem!"

"So you can deliver me to almost certain death," Frisk added.

Alphys blushed madly. "W-well, that's... uh... well, of course I mean uh... H-h-h-hopefully that w-won't happen!" she stammered.

Chara looked sceptical. Frisk mirrored their expression.

Alphys squirmed under their intense glare. "W-well, I mean... there is just a teensy-weensy little issue," she admitted. "A long time ago, I made a robot called Mettaton."

"Undyne told me," said Frisk.

"D-d-did she?" she asked, forcing a smile. "W-well, um... y'see, I originally built him to satisfy some... uh... p-p-personal needs," she explained, avoiding Frisk's gaze. Sweat was forming on her forehead.

Frisk quickly put their hand up. "Spare me the details."

Alphys looked relieved. "Y-yeah... SO, um, a while back I decided to make him more u-useful. I-I-I mean, not that he w-wasn't useful before!" she added hastily. "He d-did all the d-d-dishes and cleaning for me when he wasn't on set, but I, uh, decided he could do with some... s-small practical adjustments?"

Frisk recognised her tone and rolled their eyes very obviously. "You gave him laser eyes and heat-seeking missiles, didn't you."

"G-g-goodness, no!" she said. "T-t-the adjustments I did a while back were to make him more like a TV star," she explained. "T-t-they all have a certain feel to them, so I watched as many game shows as I could to make him as good as the real thing. However, uh... I made a slight miscalculation when doing so..."

"So what happened?"

"He, uh... became a fame-addicted, money-hungry, cocaine-snorting megastar," she said in one burst. "B-b-b-but, d-don't worry! H-he may be the face of the MTT Corporation, but I'm the brains behind it, and the rightful owner!" she reassured.

"So, you can exercise control over him?" asked Frisk.

"W-well, when you put it like that," Alphys was saying, "that sounds a lot like what I did to him back when he was originally a se—"

There was a bang, and the room shook. Frisk immediately assumed a defensive stance, magic building in their SOUL. Alphys looked nonchalant however.

"P-p-p-probably just the pipes or something," she insisted. "A-a-always rattling..."

BANG.

"Uh, n-n-normally it's not that loud," she added.

BANG. Getting closer.

"Um... d-d-did you hear that just now?" she asked, grinning nervously, sweat pouring from her forehead.

Frisk rolled their eyes. "Of course I heard it! I'm not deaf!"

BANG.

"Wait a minute... that's, uh... n-n-not the pipes," said Alphys.

"Gee, what a shocker," said Frisk sarcastically.

BANG.

A look of dread crossed Alphys's face. "Oh no."

BANG!

The room was filled with smoke, although it didn't smell like it, leading Frisk to assume it was fog. And there was no way fog was being generated in Potland, so it was almost certainly artificial.

"OOOHHH YES!" said a masculine, robotic voice. "MY, THAT'S A LOTTA DAMAGE!"

"God no," said Frisk.

The voice continued as it hadn't heard them. "WELCOME, BEAUTIES, TO OUR NEW QUIZ SHOW!"

The fog thinned. Bright, multicoloured spotlights clicked on, showering a boxy robot in light. Frisk recognised him straight away. He held a microphone in a white-gloved hand. His grid-like face was currently spelling out a red 'M' for Mettaton.

"PLEASE WELCOME OUR NEW CONTEST... THE HUMAN!" he shouted. "GIVE THEM A ROUND OF APPLAUSE!" His face flashed light-blue as he clapped. He turned to Frisk. "EVER PLAYED BEFORE, GORG—" he stopped. Frisk was already heading for the door.

"Nope. Nope. Nope," Frisk chanted.

Mettaton gave a huff. "NOW, NOW, DARLING. YOU CAN'T JUST WALK OFF SET! I HAVEN'T EVEN EXPLAINED THE RULES YET," he chastised.

"I have better things to do," they said.

Mettaton sighed. "WELL... IT IS OBVIOUS! THE HUMAN IS BORED! AND RIGHTFULLY SO! A SIMPLE QUIZ SHOW? PUH-LEASE. WE'VE ALL SEEN THAT A HUNDRED TIMES BEFORE, HAVEN'T WE, LADIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES?"

Frisk looked back at him. What?

"SO, IN PURSUIT OF TRUE ENTERTAINMENT, I WILL MAKE THIS QUIZ SHOW MORE INTERESTING. VERY, VERY INTERESTING INDEED," he promised. "RRRREADY? IIIIIT'S SHOWTIME!"

The mist retreated further. More lights clicked on, revealing three mounted turret guns.

"WELCOME TO THE UNFAIR QUIZ SHOW! THE SHOW WHERE THE QUESTIONS ARE BRUTAL AND THE CONTESTANTS HAVE TO ANSWER WHILE AVOIDING GUNFIRE!" he said dramatically.

Chara scowled. They turned away, muttering under their breath: "Just what have you been doing the past two years, King Dad?"

Killing humans, probably.

"I WILL ASK A QUESTION OF SUCH MIND-BENDING INTENSITY THAT IT WOULD MAKE EVEN EINSTEIN BLANCH, THE CONTESTANT WILL GET ONE CHANCE TO ANSWER CORRECTLY! FOR EACH QUESTION ANSWERED CORRECTLY, THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TEN SECONDS OF RESPITE FROM THE HORRIBLE TURRETS!" he explained. "BUT! THERE IS A CATCH! SHOULD YOU FAIL TO ANSWER CORRECTLY... YOU DIE!" he cackled maniacally.

"Sounds wonderful," Frisk spat. "Let's go, you old rust-bucket."

"OOH! THE CONTESTANT IS EAGER TO BEGIN! SO, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S GET TO IT!" said Mettaton. Frisk's SOUL glowed brighter.

"Question time," said Chara sourly.

Frisk cleared their throat and swore loudly for no particular reason. Mettaton gasped loudly. "O-OH MY! THIS IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY TV SHOW! SWEARING IS AGAINST THE RULES!"

Mettaton cleared his throat and asked the first question. "WHAT IS THE PRIZE FOR ANSWERING CORRECTLY? A, MONEY; B, MERCY; C, MORE QUESTIONS; D, NEW CAR."

As soon as he uttered the full question, the turrets came alive. Red lasers trained on Frisk's heart.

"Run, partner!" shouted Chara.

Frisk obeyed. They had been planning to anyway.

Mettaton certainly knew how to work them, that was for sure. Keeping your mind on how best to avoid the gunfire while thinking of an answer. This one was fairly easy, thank God. Frisk could tell a lot about Mettaton just by the way he talked. A lot like a typical TV game show host, but with a... marginally different view on what would draw in viewers. So, he was bound to have some tricks up his sleeve.

Mettaton snapped his gloved fingers. Two lasers, orange and blue respectively, flickered to life. Frisk groaned inwardly, dodging the turret fire, then freezing for the blue laser, and then sprinting quickly as a bullet just missed them.

"C, C damn it!" they shouted.

"CORRECT!" said Mettaton brightly. "SOUNDS LIKE YOU GET IT!"

A timer appeared on his face, counting down from ten. "HERE'S YOUR TERRIFIC PRIZE!" he said with a sadistic laugh. "WHAT IS THE FIRST LETTER OF THE ALPHABET? A, M; B, A; C, T; D, Z."

There was a click as the turrets began firing. Frisk was sure, but also not so sure. He was going to try and trick them. They knew it. The first letter of the alphabet, huh? That was obviously A, no doubt about it, but Frisk was still thinking, and avoiding gunfire. He had to mean either the alphabet as a whole, or 'the alphabet', which would make it T.

They had to take their chances. But they also wanted to be sure. If this robot really was as dangerous as Alphys let slip, they were going to have to watch themselves and not underestimate his abilities.

"T!" shouted Frisk.

"WHAT AN ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS ANSWER!" he said, causing Frisk to grimace at his fake compliments. They took none of these to heart.

"NOW, ENOUGH ABOUT YOU. LET'S TALK ABOUT ME!" he said. "WHAT ARE ROBOTS MADE OF? A, SUGAR AND SPICE; B, METAL AND MAGIC; C, SNIPS AND SNAILS; D, HOPES AND DREAMS."

The turrets fired. Frisk dived out of the way, their brain working already. Sugar and spice was the usual default answer for these kinds of questions. Perhaps he was trying to get Frisk to second-guess themselves. Or maybe it was a sarcastic answer like 'hopes and dreams'. One thing was for certain, it was not snips and snails.

A bullet grazed their arm. Frisk looked straight at Mettaton and shouted: "Your mum!"

"HUH?" asked Mettaton, frowning. "'YOUR MUM' ISN'T AN ANSWER!"

"It was sarcasm, idiot!" shouted Frisk as they felt the familiar wet sensation of a blue laser passing through their chest. A bullet grazed their arm, leaving a tear in their shirt.

"FIFTEEN SECONDS!" said Mettaton gleefully.

It was now that they noticed Alphys in the corner, holding up her hands. Upon closer inspection, Frisk noticed that they were shaped into a 'B'.

Is that the answer? asked Frisk, before deciding this was no time to be second-guessing themselves.

"B!" they shouted.

Mettaton looked somewhat agitated, but kept up his charade. "TOO EASY FOR YOU, HUH?"

Frisk shot Alphys a wink. She giggled into her hands.

"HERE'S ANOTHER EASY ONE FOR YOU!" he said, smirking. He cleared his throat, then began a long-winded mathematics question that had something to do with two trains leaving a station at the same time but at different speeds.

Frisk was spaced out by the time he had finished and was listing the answers. "A, 31.054 MINUTES; B, 16.232 MINUTES; C, 32.049 MINUTES; D, 32.058 MINUTES."

He really thought he had them stumped. But if he was going to ask them an impossible question about the worst subject in the world, they sure as hell weren't going to play fair. Running from gunfire, they looked to Alphys. She was frantically moulding her fingers into the shape of a D.

"D!" Frisk echoed.

Mettaton tutted. "A LITTLE EINSTEIN IF EVER I SAW ONE!" he said, a hint of contempt in his voice. "NOW, NEXT QUESTION. WOULD YOU SMOOCH A GHOST? A, HECK YEAH; B, HELL YEAH; C, FRICK YEAH; D, OH YEAH."

Heh, 'frick'. The most obscene curse word of all— Frisk was thinking to themselves, before realising. Mettaton had reacted with distaste when they swore, and had added that it was against the rules. But TV hosts like Mettaton liked to push the boundaries a bit, they knew. So, something a little on-the-nose, but not too weak.

Frisk gave a ho-ho-ho laugh as they nodded at Chara, sidestepping a bullet as they did. "Heck yeah! In fact, there's one ghost that I'd absolutely love to smooch..."

"You sick bastard!" shouted Chara. "That's the second time you've done that today!"

Frisk only laughed.

"GREAT ANSWER! I LOVE IT!" said Mettaton, although he didn't look like he thought so.

I've got it, thought Frisk. He expects me to answer incorrectly so he can look clever. His pride's his weak spot.

Mettaton cleared his throat and began asking the next question. "HOW MANY FLIES ARE—"

"C'mon. You've gotta try harder than that," said Frisk cockily. "Give me the toughest question you've got! Come on!"

Mettaton gave an indulgent laugh, turning to the cameras. "WELLY WELL WELL WELL. IT SEEMS THE CONTESTANT ISN'T SATISFIED. SO, IT'S TIME TO PULL OUT THE BIG GUNS!"

Turning back to Frisk, he started: "IN THE DATING SIMULATION GAME 'MEW MEW KISSY CUTIE', WHAT IS MEW MEW'S FAVOURITE FOOD?"

Before he could even begin listing the answers, Alphys ran towards them, almost tripping over her lab coat in the process. "I KNOW THIS ONE, I KNOW THIS ONE!" she shouted excitedly. "IT'S SNAIL ICE-CREAM! In the fourth chapter everyone goes to the beach and she orders snail ice-cream, but she's the only one who likes it!"

Frisk watched in stoic silence as she continued rambling about how it was her favourite part because of its powerful messages about friendship, slowly trailing off at the end. Mettaton tutted once more, this time more critically. "Tsk tsk. Alphys, Alphys, Alphys. Remember what I said about helping our contestant?"

Alphys went all red and hot as she spluttered, "N-n-n-not to help them?"

"Wait, what?" asked Frisk indignantly. They stared at her with distrustful eyes. "'Remember what I said'? What the hell does that mean?"

Alphys uttered a stream of incoherent apologies and half-formed explanations that fell on deaf ears. "THAT'S FINE, REALLY," said Mettaton indifferently. "I'LL JUST ASK THEM A QUESTION THEY'LL BE SURE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO!"

With a smirk at Alphys, he turned to Frisk. "WHO DOES ALPHYS HAVE A CRUSH ON? A, THE KING; B, THE HUMAN; C, UNDYNE; D, NOBODY."

Alphys was shaking her head vigorously, indicating that they should not answer. Mettaton hadn't even reactivated the turrets and lasers, and his timer was frozen. Now was their opportunity to best him and escape. Anyway, they had a pretty good idea of who it was.

They said, "Undyne."

The effect was instantaneous. Mettaton oohed and Alphys buried her face in her hands shamefully. "CORRECT!" he said, grinning, though there was a hint of malice in it. "SEE, ALPHYS? IT WAS SO EASY THAT EVEN THE HUMAN GOT IT!" he laughed in her face. Then, turning back to Frisk, he continued. "YES, IT'S TRUE. SHE SCRAWLS HER NAME IN THE MARGINS OF HER NOTES, NAMES PROGRAMMING VARIABLES AFTER HER, AND—" he dropped his voice to a dramatic whisper. "EVEN WRITES STORIES ABOUT THEM LIVING TOGETHER. DOMESTICALLY," he added.

Alphys moaned pitifully into her hands.

"ANYWAY, WITH ALPHYS HELPING—"

"Hold up a second," said Frisk, smirking. "I've got a question for you."

Mettaton blinked. "A QUESTION? FOR ME? OH HO, THIS IS INDEED INTERESTING. A COMPLETE ROLE SWAP! WHAT AN ORIGINAL IDEA!" he applauded. "DO TELL US YOUR QUESTION, DARLING."

Frisk scowled at his name-calling. Putting on their most innocent smile, they screamed, "This statement is false!"

Mettaton froze up. He placed his hands to his head, letting his microphone fall to the floor. Then, he began zapping himself while saying, "ERROR? ERROR?" over and over again like a broken tape.

Alphys was now fussing over Mettaton. "O-o-o-oh dear, t-they've f-f-fried your i-internal CPU with a p-paradox," she was saying. Mettaton began flailing his limbs as if he were having a seizure. "D-d-don't worry!" Alphys reassured. "I-it's an easy fix!"

She wheeled Mettaton through the gaping hole he'd broken when making his appearance. "I-I-I'll fix you up nice and quick!"

Then she was gone.

Chara sighed in relief. "Well, I'm glad that's over."

"Yeah," said Frisk. They heard Alphys's stammering voice reassuring Mettaton it'd be quick. Then, the smell of a welding torch reached their nostrils.

"NO, NO, ALPHYS DEAR!" he shouted, in an attempt to sound valiant. "JUST FIND ME A GRAM OF COCAINE!"

"B-b-b-but, your CPU..." Alphys protested.

Frisk stopped listening. They headed over to the monitor and found an escalator. They hopped on, riding to the second floor. This floor was much cleaner than the ground floor. A few Mew Mew Kissy Cutie posters were hung up near a workbench, which was (obviously) messy. There was also a light-blue cube that, a note explained, was a foldable bed. Next to this was a poster for one of Mettaton's shows, the words 'Thank you for making my dreams come true' written on the back.

"So, what do you want to do while Alphys fixes up that dumb old calculator?" asked Chara.

"Snoop through her stuff!" said Frisk. "Let's do this RPG-style!"

Chara looked on, amused, as Frisk threw open one of the workbench drawers and began rifling through it. They pulled out a bag of balls with plus signs on them.

"You found a bag of... you're not sure," said Chara. "You placed the mystery item in your inventory."

"Eheheh..." said Frisk. "It doesn't feel any different."

"You know, me and Azzy used to play RPG games whenever we found them at the garbage dump. Providing they were in working order," they added, smiling. "That's why my narrations don't feel different."

"That's interesting," said Frisk, who was now eyeing some syringes filled with a clear, red-tinged liquid in the trash can. They picked them up and laid them on the workbench.

"Change of heart, then?" asked Chara.

"No, just curious," Frisk replied. "Doesn't look like blood to me."

"Ask Alphys," said Chara.

"Yeah, I will," said Frisk. "I'll also ask about these," they added, holding up the bag of balls.

They headed down the escalator, where Alphys was tapping away on her phone. "O-oh. Hiya. S-sorry about earlier," she said.

"It's no problem," said Frisk. "Mind telling me what these are?" they asked, holding up the syringes and balls.

She gasped loudly, nearly dropping her phone. "H-h-how the hell did you get ahold of those?" she screeched.

"They were in the trash can," said Frisk. "The syringes, I mean. What's in them?"

"W-well, you see, humans have something called d-d-determination. SO, I found out that it's actually a tangible substance!" she added, with a hint of pride. "I'd been doing experiments with it, but uh, I gave up. D-d-didn't go as well as I'd h-hoped," she said, grinning nervously.

Frisk considered asking what the experiments were, remembering Chara's earlier comments about determination, but thought that might put her off answering. So, instead, they held up the syringe and asked, "So, this is determination? How'd you get this?"

Alphys looked indignant. "T-t-that's none of your business!"

Frisk shrugged. "Fine. Is it addictive?"

Alphys snorted. "A-a-addictive?" she giggled. "Humans have determination n-n-normally," she explained. "It isn't addictive, I p-promise."

"Is it dangerous?"

"W-w-well, for monsters it is a little dangerous," she said, sweating profusely. "B-b-but for humans, it's totally fine, I promise!"

"Is this tainted with drugs?" asked Frisk seriously.

"What?" she nearly screamed. "That was for an experiment, I couldn't risk t-t-tainting it and risk s-skewing the t-t-test results!"

"Alright, just asking!" said Frisk hastily. "So, can I keep 'em?"

"Yeah yeah, sure," muttered Alphys grumpily. "Don't need them anyway."

"What about these?" asked Frisk, gesturing toward the bag they were holding.

"O-oh, those are +bombs!" said Alphys, getting a little excited. "T-they're the first thing I showed Asgore! They're bombs, and if you click the button in hard and throw it, it'll fire a four lasers in the shape of a plus!"

"Isn't it dangerous to keep them all in a bag then?" asked Frisk, with raised eyebrows.

"N-n-not at all!" Alphys rebutted. "Their trigger buttons need to be pressed in," she explained. "Two bumping into each other wouldn't be enough."

"That's cool," said Frisk. Alphys swooned at their compliment. "Can I keep these as well?"

"S-sure!" said Alphys. "T-t-they were just sitting in my drawer anyway..." she chuckled, before looking confused. "Wait... were you snooping?" she cried.

"The drawer was wide open," Frisk lied. "Can't blame me for being curious."

Alphys narrowed her eyes, but shrugged it off. "Well, I, uh... I guess you should get going," she said. "O-oh! Before you go, let me give you my phone number!" she insisted.

"What is this, Pokemon?" asked Frisk sarcastically. "I'm surprised Mettaton hasn't given me his number yet."

Alphys grinned. "Y-y-you watch Pokemon too?" she asked excitedly.

"A few times," said Frisk indifferently. "The games were better."

Alphys giggled awkwardly, taking the flip phone in trembling hands, frowning at it.

"Huh...? This phone is really old!" she marvelled. "It even comes from a surface manufacturer! Nokia," she said dreamily, putting as much affection as she could into three syllables.

Once she'd snapped out of her daydream, she told Frisk to wait there and rushed up the escalator. There was the sound of metal, drills, and other instruments, before it all went quiet. She stumbled down the escalator, holding out the phone to Frisk.

"H-h-here! I gave your phone some upgrades!" she said brightly.

"That was awfully quick," said Frisk suspiciously.

"Y-yeah, well... I made a machine that could do all that in the span of thirty seconds. Normally it would've taken half the day, eheheh..." she explained, scratching her head awkwardly.

Frisk took the phone in their hands, examining it. It didn't appear to be any different. They voiced this thought to Alphys, who only chuckled.

"I-I-I mean, sure, it doesn't look different, but I added a bunch of new features!" she said. "There's a peashooter, a bomb defusal program, a code-breaker, and," she continued, "I also signed you up for Undernet! The Underground's number one social networking service!" she clarified, as though she were a salesperson trying to sell them an internet router.

"Right?" said Frisk uncertainly. "Thanks...?"

Alphys huffed. "W-w-well, it's not like I had to or anything," she muttered.

"I just don't know how to feel about all this," Frisk clarified.

Alphys shrugged. "I, uh, also sent you a friend request," she said, twiddling her fingers anxiously. "S-s-so, uh, now we're officially friends! Eheheh!" Though she sounded cheerful, it was forced. Most likely because Frisk had just fried her robot and been unintentionally ungrateful for the many possibly unnecessary upgrades that she had installed on their phone.

They were both quiet for one awkward moment, neither Alphys nor Frisk knowing what to say. She broke it with a quickly mumbled, "I need to go to the bathroom!"

With that, she hurried through the sliding door. It closed behind her.

"My, she seems a tad rude," said Chara.

"Meh," said Frisk, strolling through the exit door. "I'm rude all the time."

"You are," Chara agreed, though they were smiling. "But in a more... desirable way."

"Meaning what?" Frisk ventured.

"Instead of using that ability to hurt people, you use it to make people laugh," said Chara. "Like the time Undyne cornered you in that room and all you did was joke around." They grinned. "That was funny."

"You think?" asked Frisk. "Normally I reckon I'm tryin' too hard."

"Aw, partner," said Chara, playfully ruffling their hair, though not a single strand moved. "You're doing just fine."

"Well, it's good to know someone appreciates my efforts," they said.

They went silent for a moment before growling. "Damn it, this coat is just dead weight at the moment," they said. "But I need to hold onto it."

"Just wait until you find a Dimensional Box," said Chara. "Then you can reach it whenever."

"Yeah, I just really need to get it off me as soon as possible," said Frisk. "I'd rather be freezing than hot."

"Same here," Chara agreed.

Another short silence.

"So... heritage?" asked Frisk out of the blue.

Chara raised an eyebrow. "Is that really your idea of an opener?"

Frisk shrugged. "It's better than 'So, how are you?'"

"Oh," said Chara indifferently. "My biological mother was... British, I think." They appeared to ponder on the subject for a moment, before answering, "Yes, that's definitely it."

"Huh. My father was Asian," said Frisk. "I don't exactly know where, though."

"That's a shame," said Chara. "Though, I have to ask, how? They were your parents, and yet you don't know where your father came from."

"Well, you got me there," said Frisk. "I don't know where he came from because I was raised in an orphanage after they abandoned me."

Chara looked somewhat uncomfortable. "I see. Is that the reason you climbed this mountain?"

Frisk looked thoughtful. "Well... I'm not entirely sure," they admitted. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Then what is your guess?"

"That I wasn't happy where I was," they said.

"I suppose that makes sense," said Chara. "Would you like to walk me through the events leading up to the day you fell down?"

"Well, this partnership is fifty-fifty, right?" Without waiting for an answer, they began. "So, I was maybe two or three when I got sent to an orphanage. Didn't know why for a long time. A couple of months back, I was trying to find anything I could about myself. There was an old report with my name in it. A neighbour had found me abandoned.

"I got into the most awful trouble when they found out," Frisk added, smiling. "I guess they thought they were protecting me by keeping that knowledge secret. Though, it was a price worth paying. I was pretty pissed, though. Nobody had even thought to tell me why I got dumped at an underfunded orphanage so early in my life. So, the day that Toriel met me was the day I decided to climb Mt. Ebott."

"You sound quite casual for someone whose parents abandoned them," said Chara.

"It doesn't really bother me anymore," said Frisk with a shrug. "I mean, it sucks, but look at all the amazing people I've met. Toriel, Papyrus and Undyne. They've got my back."

"All the same, be ready for them to stab it," warned Chara. "The Underground has changed a lot."

"I don't think they will, but I'll keep it in mind," said Frisk.

"That's all I'm asking."

Frisk nodded. "Alright, let's get going. We have a lot of ground to make up after that sex robot slowed us down."

There we are! The first chapter of the Potland Arc, and the first double-digit chapter count! Nyeh heh heh!

A few things to keep in mind: 1. Potland itself will be a fair bit different from the Hotland that you know. 2. This will most likely be considerably longer than the Waterfall arc, but I hope it is enjoyable. And 3, yes, the Potland arc will cover the CORE as well.

Now, time for the Facts-About-This-Chapter segment!

1. More of Frisk being a depraved flirt. Why exactly do they do this? Well, for one they're fairly outgoing, and two, they just like to tease people, including Chara.

2. Two references in one string of dialogue! "Don't scare me like that, dumbass" is a reference to one of Susie's lines in Deltarune. "I am the one who knocks" is a Breaking Bad reference. Surprised? I should think not.

3. Sans being a jerko again. Don't worry, it's for a reason. He isn't just a jerk because the plot requires it. You just gotta wait a little while longer to find out why.

4. At first glance, this appears to be a Glitchtale reference. It originally was, but I decided I could do better than that. As Undyne and Chara explained, every human has a weapon and shield tied to their SOUL, they just have to unlock it through training their magical ability and so on. Frisk's happens to be a sword. Please don't bring Asgore into this, as he's a monster. Totally different story.

5. Alphys is a bit different in this. She's very close to her canon self, but she's quite bitchy and, instead of flooding Frisk's phone with messages about anime, she just whinges about her life and Mettaton. Partly this is due to the fact she's very highly-strung due to a certain incident.

6. That's right. Frisk'll use +bombs in later fights, Mettaton's in particular. I just think it's a shame to waste them. Oh, and the DT syringes. They're safe to use. They act like healing items, but are much more powerful.

7. A funny thing about the Unfair Quiz Show (which I'd drafted up ideas for long before the writing of UNDERSNORT): I was reading Inverted Fate during the editing of this chapter, and noticed how one of the robots in the CORE used a quiz show with bullets. Not just that, but Frisk also tries to bamboozle it with a paradox: the very same thing Frisk succeeds in doing in this here chapter. I told Dorked about this and they found it highly amusing.

8. Frisk answered 'T' because it's a trick question.

9. I apologise. I just had to put a 'your mum' joke in there.

10. The whole 'zapping himself and saying "ERROR? ERROR?"' is an actual event that can occur in (I think) a hidden test room within the UNDERTALE files.

11. Yeah, Mettaton uses cocaine. What TV host hasn't been caught with their face in some?

12. Yes, no jet-pack. The main reason for this is that I'm changing the Mettaton shows to be different, but I haven't finished any of them asides from the quiz show. And anyway, it's impossible to fit a jet-pack in a flip phone. Not even Alphys could do that.

13. Frisk's past is revealed at last. It was quite challenging to get right and went through several versions until I was satisfied. Frisk sounds so casual when explaining it because they know there's no point living in the past where things can still hurt you. They've laid it to rest and embrace their past because it's part of the reason why they fell down in the first place.

EDIT: I decided to change Chara and Frisk's heritage to more closely resemble their character. I personally believe the fact Frisk has goldenrod-coloured skin in-game (and someone may be offended by my saying this, but I mean no offence at all) is due to an old stereotype that Asians have yellow skin (though it is not nearly that exaggerated in reality; it's most likely just because of UNDERTALE's somewhat-cartoony designs), so I worked that in as them having an Asian parent. As for Chara, the only way their skin could be that pale is if they lived in a place where it's either cold or doesn't get very sunny often. Britain is one of those places.

14. That's right! Mettaton's body was originally designed as a sex robot. That's why he's so flamboyant. And yes, Alphys is bisexual in canon, as she had a crush on Asgore at one point.

15. Yes, a Gaster reference. Or should I say... a Rasta reference... hee hee hee.

16. Yes, that "H-hi! Or... hiya, Heheh." is a pun, because 'hi' and 'hiya' sound like 'high' and 'higher'. I'm not sorry. This is UNDERSNORT, where drugs are referenced as frequently and (somewhat) subtly as possible!

17. Yeah, a Phil Swift reference. So what.

Well, that's about it folks. Please leave a review and tell me what was good and what wasn't. It helps me out a lot, and means the world to me.

I'm gonna let you finish, but my Rattata is the best Rattata of all time!
- offbrandbiscuit