Frisk gasped. The symbol on Mettaton's door was a completely red eye. She didn't blame Alphys for not knowing what it was, but she knew. It was a calling card.
Left by HER.
Nevertheless, she said she had no idea what it meant, so they went back upstairs where the others were gathered.
"Alphys, darling...maybe you shouldn't have installed those ghost-proof walls and door." Mettaton said, in a way void of emotion.
"Ghost-proof doors?" Frisk asked, taking a seat.
Alphys scratched the back of her head. "W-well, I did s-sorta install those b-because I didn't want M-Mettaton to leave h-his r-robot form in t-the middle of the n-night... and end up floated around everywhere..."
"Oh. Makes sense." Frisk shrugged.
Asriel was still wary of the robot, choosing to stay as far away from him as possible.
"Wait! I have an idea!" Frisk exclaimed, dashing upstairs. She grabbed Flowey, and was super careful bringing him back downstairs, and set him on the table. "Flowey, you awake?" she shook his pot slightly as the others gathered around. "Ugh. What is it?" he said, eyes half open. "Flowey, have you been able to use your mimic ability lately?" she asked him.
"No. It stopped working about three days ago. Why? And what happened to you?" he directed the question at Asriel. "There was a fake Mettaton in the kitchen." he answered.
Frisk looked up at Toriel. "Mom, you know a lot about magic, right? So, is it possible for an ability to be stolen?" she asked. "Yes, my child, but why-" Toriel realized what Frisk was implying. "Oh. Oh. That would make sense, but then who stole Flowey's mimic?"
Frisk took a deep breath. "Chara."
It took a while to explain the events of the Bad Timeline, but afterwards, Toriel sent them all right to sleep.
"After all, some of you have school tomorrow!" she explained.
Frisk and Asriel flopped onto their beds, exhausted. The latter's cut had been healed by Toriel, so no worries about that.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE-
Frisk groaned and shut off the alarm clock, but Asriel wasn't moving at all. Neither was Flowey on the dresser. "Huh? Asriel? C'mon, wake up." she shook him. He wasn't breathing.
"Asriel? Asriel! This isn't funny!" she shook him more. "Please! Wake up!" she didn't even feel his SOUL beating. Finally, his eyes shot open with a scream as he gasped for air.
"Azzy, it's okay! You're okay!" Frisk assured him as Flowey's eyes darted around. "Frisk...oh gosh... it..." tears filled his eyes. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Um...if you don't mind...what happened?" she asked. "Chara...she...she was going to kill me. She said that it wouldn't hurt at all. She had a knife. She was going to murder me." he had sat up and was pretty much curled into a ball.
"Don't worry. You're safe now. You're okay." She comforted giving him a huge hug. "I couldn't breathe. She was holding me down. She was choking me. It was so scary." he cried.
Toriel burst into the room. "Is everyone alright?! I heard a scream!" she exclaimed, eyes falling upon her children sharing a hug and Asriel crying on Frisk's shoulder.
"Oh... a nightmare, right?" Frisk nodded.
Frisk and Asriel walked to school in semi-silence. "So...what do you think gave you the nightmare? Being reminded of what happened in the Bad Timeline?" she asked. "Frisk, I'm not sure, but even THINKING about it hurts my head." he winced.
"Oh. Sorry." she apologized.
The two reached their class early. "Hey guys! What's wrong?" Chelsea asked, seeing the looks on their faces. "I'll tell you later." Frisk said.
Roll call, turning in homework, and during the beginning of class, Asriel was completely silent. His eyes were empty. He barely breathed or moved. "Azzy? Are you okay?" Frisk whispered in his ear. Asriel did not respond.
Suddenly, he screamed again and fell backwards, still in his chair. The chair made a loud sound as it clattered to the floor. "Ow! My head!" he cried. "There is nothing wrong with your head, Dreemurr! Now, pick yourself up and behave!" the teacher snapped. "Don't yell at him! He's in pain!" Frisk yelled, kneeling at Asriel's side. "Asriel? Can you hear me?" she asked as calmly as she could muster.
The other kids abandoned their attention on Ms. Z and instead gathered around Asriel, who was writhing crazily. "Asriel! Please, answer me!" Frisk said, her voice cracking.
Asriel whimpered. "Don't kill me." he said so softly, only Frisk and Chelsea heard. He had stopped moving and apparently was unconscious. He breathed so little, it was frightening.
One hand still rested on his head as he lay perfectly still. Too still. Deathly still.
"...Azzy?...Asriel?...Can you hear me?..." the entire class was silent except for Frisk's soft voice. He began slightly moving at her words, twitching and taking deeper breaths. "That's right. Deep breaths, Azzy. Deep breaths." "It hurts...it hurts..." he said, whimpering in pain, one hand still on his forehead.
"You're gonna be okay, Azzy. You're gonna be fine." tears came to her eyes and her voice cracked.
Ms. Z had left because of Asriel's outburst, convinced he was faking. Undyne peered through the opened door on her way down the hall, hoping to see Frisk before gym class later. Instead, she saw the sad sight.
"Wha- oh my god!" she quietly exclaimed. She dashed inside the class room, hands covering her mouth. "Oh my god! Frisk, what-" she was met with a glare, telling her to stay silent.
Asriel struggled to breathe normally. Gradually, his green-gold eyes reopened. "Frisk?" he said softly. "It's me, Azzy. You're okay." she comforted, gently rubbing his floppy ear. "Undyne, can you take him to the nurse? If that doesn't work, we'll take him to Mom." Undyne did so, picking Asriel up, damsel in distress style.
He went limp in her arms as she rushed him down the hall, Frisk following close behind.
Just what was going on with Asriel?