After an hour, all six of them were on their way again. Frisk vomited up twice, but she kept herself together. She never wailed in pain. Just kept going. The kids however were tuckered. Sans and Papyrus were holding them as they continued to walk.
Until there was nowhere else to go.
"This is it." Papyrus looked toward the long gap in the bridge. "Shoot, look how much bridge is missing! We can't even wade through this water."
"Riverperson's spot is past here," Sans said. Damn. Now what?
"You're in my spot."
Sans looked down and saw something unusual. A Goner Kid. They tended to haunt deserted areas where no one was at. Preferring to be forgotten. "We'll move if you know another way across?" he asked.
Goner Kid had no eyes, just looked at Frisk.
"Yes, she killed almost everybody once. No, she's not going to do it again." Sans didn't have time for it.
"I don't care. I don't really even exist, do I?" Goner Kid said. "How do you kill something that isn't even really there?"
Sans looked to Papyrus. "Any bright ideas? Breaking through to these things is hard sometimes."
"I've never seen you before," Frisk said to it. "Who are you?"
"No one. Just forget me."
"It's called a Goner Kid," Sans explained to Frisk. "They come and go in timelines. When bad things happen and they get corrupt, sometimes people are taken away to somewhere where they don't exist." He rubbed the little kid's head. "Don't worry. You won't be here long. Timelines hate corruption, believe you me, so you're gonna keep movin' 'til you find your place. You'll exist again one day and forget all about this bitter loneliness."
"Absolutely!" Papyrus encouraged the little kid. "There are many, many timelines out there! But yours is out there somewhere. You'll keep traveling, but don't give up. Your home's out there somewhere!"
" . . . really?"
"Really. When you get all colorful and your bows are all pretty again? You'll know your home," Sans encouraged it. "Hope that cheered you up. So, about this bridge?"
"On the other side is a room with a piano. If you play the melody that is found above the rain dripping on armor, a secret door will open. There, an artifact will be."
" . . . and this special artifact, it has magic power that will help us get across?" Papyrus asked.
"Eww." Sans looked to Papyrus. "I've fallen for that trick before." Sans looked at his inventory. "Are you telling me what I think you're telling me?"
"Dog residue, it has a use. I've seen it. It's magic residue stays above water and hardens. Just make enough of it." Goner kid walked away.
" . . . from trusting spiders to losing our inventory to stock up on dog residue." Sans rubbed his skull. He handed Juleyard over to Papyrus, leaving him with both sleeping boys. "I'll be back, Papyrus. Gotta go get some walking slobber."
A Few Minutes Later . . .
Papyrus watched out for Frisk as Sans started to approach closer and closer.
"Hey there." Sans slung out more dog residue. "Come walk on the drool side with me."
Papyrus stepped down onto the drool, still holding Frisk's chain and the boys. Sans and Papyrus both helped her down. She was heavier than them with all the iron chains around her, but she could walk too.
Just a little farther . . .
Waterfall: Gerson's Cave
"Ah, so that's her, huh?" Gerson stared at Frisk. "Look at you. Aren't you an exciting one."
Frisk didn't prefer those words. "Thank you for letting us get supplies."
"And rest, and being an ally," Papyrus said. "It was very good of you to agree to that."
"Once LOVE is conquered, the rest is easy," Gerson said to Frisk. "It's the breaking it that's hard. That's almost impossible. You went a looong way across Underground. Imagine you killed over a hundred monsters. Feel bad?"
Frisk didn't even think saying yes was appropriate enough for the situation.
"Well you should, but not completely!" Gerson laughed. "I mean, I'd be giving ya hell if I met you on a Genocide path. You wouldn't tangle with me. I know it. You couldn't get at me," he chuckled. "But you know what? Ol' Fluffybuns? He'd been through LOVE too. So did I. We managed to escape, which is why we are still alive. Great for us. Most don't."
"Uh? I know you're trying to get to know her? But she really needs some rest," Sans cut in.
"Right, right. Little monsters and all, right. Okay, rest up." Gerson came out from behind the cave area where he kept himself safe. "Back here though. Don't want you scaring customers away." Frisk, Sans and Papyrus all snuck toward the back.
"Almost home," Papyrus said to Sans.
"Yeah, but just a small break," Sans said as Frisk laid down on the cold, hard ground. Her body was already asleep. "Falls asleep faster than me now." That was a good accomplishment.
"Did you talk to her much?" Papyrus asked. "She's still very quiet. Not very responsive."
Sans sighed. "No one knowing the truth right now is the only thing saving them." Sans banged his skull against the wall. "If Asgore finds out differently, he won't cut Frisk any slack."
"But if he doesn't, she'll become queen if she does too well," Papyrus said. "And. She's yours."
"Well, yeah," Sans said. "But this is all messed up. Even our tradition might break for this one."
"No. Argon," Papyrus said to Sans. "No matter how little we know above ground? We know the tale of Argon. His human was never taken away, even though it did massive damage up there. Took out three hundred monsters, didn't she?"
Hm. Argon was a monster that had found a human mate. While they were compatible physically, mentally they were not. It left his human almost on the bridge of insanity after the kid was born. She started to destroy monsters left and right, filling up with love. She was eventually stopped by Asgore, and placed in similar chains . . . "Do you think that's where those came from?" Sans asked Papyrus quietly.
"Argon's chains," Papyrus said, knowing what Sans had referred to. "History did describe them as something that was too heavy for humans to do battle in, and that could only break with tremendous amounts of LOVE. After Asgore defeated her, she was chained forever and gifted to Argon until her death. The children grew as regular monsters, and eventually, the Argons faded away."
"Is that what he's planning too?" Sans asked, staring at the sleeping Frisk. "To leave her like that, forever? 'Cause it's not fair." Sans looked at the little ones still sleeping on Papyrus. "If the timeline messed up, and this is supposed to be it correcting itself? It's still giving us a shitty resolution."
"Sans," Papyrus scolded him lightly for his choice in words. "It. Well? Maybe it will get better, but Sans? How did she get forced into another timeline?" Papyrus asked. "It's a thing. It's a thing that's been rattling around in my skull. I want to solve that X."
"Look. I clearly kept a lot of facts to myself," Sans told him. He shook his skull. "I doubt it would have helped to know. Just, wanted to put it behind me."
" . . . I guess." Papyrus sighed. "We are missing one last ally, Sans, and we're going to be reaching Snowdin. That's going to be the hardest place to find one."
"I know somebody," Sans said. "He'll help. I know he will." Sans brought out a small note. "I wrote this while you were gone." He gave it to Papyrus.
"Sans, this is risky!" Papyrus warned him as he read the note.
"You don't know him like I do," Sans said, taking the note back. "If he knows the truth, he'll help. No matter what. This is almost over."
"If you are wrong," Papyrus warned him, "then it is over."
Half an hour later, Papyrus and Sans woke up Frisk to get going again. Sans held both his kids to keep it fair, while Papyrus controlled Frisk's chain. This time, they went with the Riverperson who let them on.
"Almost there!" Papyrus stretched his arms out to Snowdin. Lovely Snowdin. They each went into the town.
Everyone was gone.
"It is pretty late at night," Papyrus said to Sans. "Lots of monsters will be asleep?"
"Mm." Somehow, Sans doubted every monster would be sleeping. With no sun, monsters tended to be up and down at all hours. He walked with Frisk to Grillby's, of course hearing it from Papyrus one more time
"I still think this is a bad idea," Papyrus insisted. "There is no way that any of the royal guards or anyone in Snowdin would help, Sans. Not just her past history in a different reset. Here. Now. Doggo and Lesser Dog. Snowdrake. The entire Ruins. It's their present. Our present." Papyrus looked around. "Maybe I can backtrack and ask someone new. Like a Temmie?"
Sans didn't listen and proceeded.
"Hey, Grillby," Sans said as he walked into Grillby's, and was immediately greeted with litter being thrown his way. "Usually that doesn't happen until after the joke's over."
"Sorry, Sans, we aren't aiming at you!"
Sans tried to make light of the situation, bringing Frisk in. Who got pummeled the same way, but even harder. Eyes glared at her. Especially from the royal guard. Sans walked back toward Grillby and slipped him a small note.
Grillby looked down at the note, didn't read it, and slipped it back.
"Come on, Grillby, how long have I known you?" Sans tried to convince him. "Just one more is all I need." Sans handed the note back to him. Grillby refused it again. "Just read the note, please."
"Nobody wants to help the genocider!" Someone yelled. "Nobody!"
"She needs to be dealt with, now! If she's still alive after the babies, she'll be unstoppable! We should just kill her as is now!"
"There is no guarantee she won't turn. There is no guarantee Asgore can use her soul in time if the pregnancy goes wrong. We should just end it! Why let something like her go on? We apparently already have two princes!"
"Grillby?" Sans ignored everyone else, as he kept his eye sockets on Grillby. Just read the note. Come on, please.
"I'll help."
Sans looked behind him. In all the blame and yelling, he heard those words and turned to see who said it. Monster Kid. Man. This kid can never stay out of trouble. For once it's a good thing.
"Those are Asgore's kids', huh, Sans? Like on the TV?" Monster Kid asked. "Hey, cool! We should play together when they're not sleeping."
"Yeah. Definitely," Sans agreed. He moved Monster Kid quickly out of Grillby's with Papyrus holding the door open. It wasn't what he wanted. He didn't even know if Monster Kid knew the whole story of Frisk, but he was desperate. Even after Frisk was able to be done with this bull, he and Papyrus still had to come up with a way to make his energy safer for her. "You three can have the greatest time. Let's go to my house. Ever seen it, kid?"
Fast, fast, fast. Sans managed to get Monster Kid to the front door and opened it up.
There was Asgore, along with everyone else, and the equipment he requested next to Alphys. "Found number ten," Sans said as he gestured to Monster Kid. "Go stand by Undyne, kid."
"Monster Kid?" Undyne wasn't happy to see him there, but Sans didn't care. He counted.
If he got him sworn in before his parents found out, then that's all that mattered.
Asgore looked at all the allies there. Even the ones the furthest away easily got there quicker. They could take different ways, faster ways, and more dangerous ways than Sans could take Frisk.
Burgerpants was shifting to and fro between a slightly bouncing Muffet and Gerson. On the other side was Alphys, Mettaton at the ready with his mic, Undyne, and then Monster Kid. Bratty and Catty were both sitting on the stairs, but coming over on the other side of Monster Kid now.
Flowey left the comfort of Al's scarf, popped into the ground, and popped up next to Bratty and Catty. Sans almost forgot about him. He could really talk and make someone mad, but that flower was also really good at being quite, easily missed, and almost forgotten.
"Ten allies, with Frisk to Snowdin, as promised," Papyrus said to Asgore.
Asgore nodded his head lightly, probably keeping his true feelings from being shown. "Fine. You two have really outdone yourselves as her doctors. Thank you. Now, Frisk. You must accomplish these next tasks." He stepped closer to Frisk, but Sans and Papyrus moved in front.
"She just accomplished a huge task," Sans said to Asgore. "She's gonna need rest, and magic."
"We couldn't use just your raw magic, we need to do more, and so she is in a bad state," Papyrus said.
"What? Well, why didn't you say that?" Asgore complained. "Do what you must, isn't that what I said?"
"Um, hey?" Sans said, standing from in front of Frisk to Asgore. "Yeah. I'm gonna chalk that up to new dad syndrome. But, there's no reason to yell at my Bro. For one, you can't travel and research science. We don't have walking labs."
"We did what we could," Papyrus answered. "Now that we have everything, and our home, we should be able to figure it out."
"Yeah. So. Cut a little bit of slack, huh?" Sans asked. "Especially whatever the next task is."
"This next task is over a longer amount of time. She will get rest after this," Asgore insisted. "Doctor Sans."
"Can I get my two Grillby burgers you owe me yet?" Al said as he yawned on Papyrus, starting to wake up.
Sans looked to Asgore. "What do you want?"
"In the end, I want my citizens to feel more comfortable with her," Asgore said as he gestured to Frisk. "For the remainder of the pregnancy, the null chains stay on. No one will be able to hurt her soul, and she will be unable to hurt anyone else either."
Bingo. That's why Asgore wasn't worried anyone would hurt Frisk too much. While Frisk couldn't fight, nobody could use magic against Frisk in those chains. Not even to just fight. Yep. They are the Argon chains.
"You will especially be safe, being her doctors. I take it since you have taken care of her so well, and you continue to . . . overexert your power . . . that you want to continue being her doctors?"
"Of course," Papyrus said. "She will need all the help she can get."
"Yes, she will," Asgore agreed. "Frisk is not the most likeable creature in the Underground right now, by just about anyone. And I'm sure you can feel the reception of how Snowdin feels about her here."
"It was hard to miss," Papyrus said. "Monsters have compassion. They will learn that she is good again."
"Yes. In fourteen days," Asgore said. "Frisk should have fourteen days to find fourteen more allies. And in another fourteen days have another fourteen allies. By the end of the pregnancy she should have, oh, round it to say . . . 300 allies? If she manages 300 by the time the children are born, I will take her as my queen. Enough of the Underground will have forgiven her. If it's less than 300, but more than 50? I will not make her queen, but she may stay with the children, or she may leave forever. If it's 50 or less? Well. I will end her struggle after she opens the barrier, right after the little monsters are born. Right before she becomes unstoppable again."
He approached Frisk closer. "You will no longer live with Burgerpants, but in Snowdin. I am showing enough favor by letting you live, human. If I don't make this hard on you, then no one will respect you enough to forgive you." Asgore said. "That is how monsters work. I would rather have a new family, than have to destroy it all." He reached toward her, but Sans stopped him.
What is this? Frisk may have been upset, and may have felt like crap through most of the trip, not remembering what she was being blamed for. But? Sans and Papyrus. This whole time they had genuinely been too caring. Doctors was one thing, but even now, they were standing between her and Asgore. Why?
"Any energy on any part of her body might be too much. Inserts reach the kid, the other energy can hurt her," Sans said.
"Understood," Asgore said. "I won't touch her body then, but I must get to her, Doctors."
Sans and Papyrus moved slightly, letting Asgore reach Frisk. Frisk felt her neck get lifted slightly, and a key inserted into her collar.
The leash that had been attached had been removed as Asgore spoke to her. "Frisk, you will stay in the Snowed Inn with your children. They will be safe and warm. The one who owns Snowed Inn has agreed to watch over the little ones when you are off performing your duties. Now, your allies all have an accomplishment to do for you," Asgore said. "And to make sure you are still getting plenty of exposure, you will still be working at Mettaton's. Ten hours per week."
"What?" Papyrus said. Yet, Frisk could feel something off with his statement. It felt false. "That's ridiculous! This was a hard enough trek once for her in that condition!"
"I will make sure she has plenty of my energy, in whatever state it needs to be in," Asgore assured Papyrus. "Besides, with twin goat monsters, I believe overheat will be the hardest on her, so being able to walk in snow will be most important. And I suppose since it is tough, you should probably join two or three days together down there, so she only has to walk between twice a week? Snowdin is your hometown, as well as the place she needs to work on the most with building goodwill. It only makes sense to keep her near her doctors too. You, here. Alphys, The lab. Not far from Mettaton's."
"Nah, we want them with us," Sans said instead.
"Definitely. It will be better that way!" Papyrus pointed out. "We have plenty of room, and we can warm up the house better than Snowed Inn can do. We can share rooms."
Now they were sharing their own house? Frisk stared at Papyrus, who nervously glanced back lightly.
Asgore wasn't as pleased about that. He cleared his throat. "I don't want to put you out. I know Doctors want to protect their patients, but you've done more than enough," Asgore said. "You were even willing to fight me to see reason. Very nice job. And bringing Frisk was wonderful too. Quite an accomplishment. There is no reason for me to put you out anymore, especially of your own abode."
"No putting us out at all. Plenty of room for her and the family. Your family," Sans said. "We'll take good care of them. We can see all of them better too, and Frisk should really get more time with her kids. It'll keep determination up, which is real important right now. Especially healthwise. Could be the difference between life and death."
"Oh. Mm? Agreed. That is helpful, Skeleton. Thank you. Please don't feel like you have to do everything though. This is up to Frisk." Asgore looked toward Frisk, holding her chain up. "You will no longer need walked, considering you have the safety of these null chains anyhow."
"Could you loosen the top chains?" Frisk asked. "Not much. I just, I can't pick up our own children."
"Oh. Yes, I'm sorry." That seemed to make Asgore smile as he adjusted the chains lightly. "It's only natural that you should be able to do that."
"To work with the magic, we really need her bottom chains adjusted too," Papyrus said. "To prop her up and help her the right way."
"I suppose, yes, in a second" Asgore said as he looked behind him. "Oh, is it done now?"
"Umm? I could play with the kids instead maybe?" Monster Kid said as he waved some papers around. "I'm too young to purchase food, I don't get any money, so I can't do this."
"Well? That still helps out the mom," Sans said, trying to help him out.
Fortunately, someone else came through the door and stood next to Monster Kid. Someone much more helpful.
Well, who knew? It looked like the pummeling in Grillby's was worth it. Grillby was going to help after all.
"Good. Now, Monster Kid. Get home and stop getting into trouble," Undyne insisted.
"Okay! Thanks, Undyne! It was really cool to be beside you!" he yelled as he left out the door. Grillby signed the papers Monster Kid couldn't sign before.
Then Asgore presented them to Frisk. "Sign each one. At the bottom."
Frisk looked at the first paper. On it was a list of the duties she must perform. Plenty of walking was involved, as well as work. Yet, she also noticed what her allies had written down toward the bottom. Wait. Does he even see this loophole? Frisk looked back toward him, but he just smiled.
According to the sheet, everyone had something unique they could do for her, but they were each required to furnish food and rest too, without a limit. Frisk could stock up on food in a certain order, in a certain time, and be completely fine. They all had to provide a place for her to sleep as well if she needed it. With that much rest and food? Survival wasn't going to be that difficult.
As Frisk started signing though, she heard Sans and Papyrus start to protest to signing. Papyrus even went as far to saying she was unfit to sign. Unfit to sign? She wasn't feeling well, but mentally she was sound.
She looked at the next paper. Same thing. The other looked the same too. The only difference was they each had a signature below hers for Asgore, and only one could be granted to her. Being queen. Being able to live. Not being able to live.
How she was going to convince monsters to forgive her would be hard, but she couldn't give up on it. Some saw reason in one night with some persuasion. Maybe she could convince more over a longer period of time? It seemed as if Asgore did want her to survive.
She signed the second paper, but before she could sign the third, she found Sans' bony hand slapped over the paper. She looked toward him, but felt Papyrus yanking the other papers away.
"What are you doing?" Asgore demanded.
"There was no talking of contract signing before," Papyrus said weakly. "Um. That's not necessary."
"Yes, it is. I cannot grant favor. Everything is there, in writing, to what she must accomplish and what the allies can do. The Underground can clearly see I am being unbiased," Asgore said. "Sans and Papyrus, this is getting ridiculous." He completely dropped the 'Doctor' in front of the name now. "Give me the papers she signed, and let her sign the last one."
Frisk watched as Papyrus gave him the papers she had signed, but Sans was still holding onto the third paper.
"They all the same?" Sans asked Papyrus.
"I believe so. The others can't get us into trouble," Papyrus said softly.
"Trouble?" Asgore asked.
Trouble? How could her signing papers get them into trouble?
Sans held up the paper she didn't sign to Asgore. "Can't let you have this."
Asgore actually breathed fire sharply from his nose, like an annoyed grunt. "Why?"
"She can't be your queen."
"What? Why?!"
"Cause she's our family," Sans said boldly to Asgore as he ripped up the paper and let it fall to the floor.
