The Mysterious Red Soul Arc Chapter 36:
Alphys almost spit her soda when she saw the skeleton and the kid appear in front of her. "J-J-Jeez!" she said.
"Sorry!" Frisk ran over to give her a hug. "Hiya!"
"Oh…" Alphys gently hugged her back and laughed quietly. "H-Hi to you, too. Hi, Sans. Wh-Where's…? Oh. R-Right, you can't teleport Papyrus, r-right?"
"Not yet he can't, but later, maybe. We'll see," Frisk said. "He's coming, though. So what's up?"
"U-Um, well… F-First, I… I was wondering, if you could… um…" She pointed to her computer. "L-Let me show you."
.
She turned the monitor on and they waited for the screen to fade back in. There was a lot of writing on it. Sans tilted his head and his brow furrowed when he looked at Alphys. She bit her lip nervously.
"C-Could you, um… C-Could you see if y-you can, uh… I-If you can read that?" she asked.
Frisk looked confused, but she nodded and clambered up onto Alphys's spinning chair. She sat up on her knees to get closer to the screen, and felt Sans hold her soul steady when she wobbled precariously. She laughed.
"Thanks, bro. Alright. Um…" She squinted. "Okay. It says: S… Solidarity. Brilliant. You've always been brilliant. So proud. I see thr— Oh! Through. I see through the light. Don't mean to startle. This will help. Reading the red. Then a heart. And then it's just a bunch of algebra stuff."
.
She looked back at the others. Sans was frowning and Alphys was gawking. Her soda was about to fall out of her hand.
"Don't drop it," she said.
Alphys quickly snapped out of it and chugged the rest of her drink before throwing the can over her shoulder. She stood on her toes beside the desk, knocked some junk to the floor, and heaved out a piece of paper from underneath something and a pen from a jar of a few dozen near the back of her desk.
"Can you write it down? A-All of it?" she asked. "J-Just copy it exactly?"
Frisk nodded.
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Alphys let out a deep sigh and paced. Sans gave her a quizzical look.
"That all mean somethin' to you?" he asked.
"S-Someone… Someone must be w-w-watching me. I… I… Oh m-man." She took a deep breath to try to calm herself. Her hands were still shaking. "Solidarity. I j-just… I just named it th-the other day. It's what h-helps m-magic from d-different monsters stick to each other. I-It's the other binder w-we need besides determination."
"Oh. Hey. Good one," Sans said. "But that other stuff?"
"I… I'm n-not sure," she said. "I'll h-have to l-look at it, b-but… But… It w-was right. Last time."
"So it's the same guy who texts me?" Frisk asked. "I mean… I guess if you can't read it—"
"H-Hang on, wh-what do you mean texts you?" Alphys asked worriedly. "Do th-they send you m-more of these?!"
"No no, just… like… Little friendly messages," she said. "Have a good day. Stay warm. Little hearts and stuff. Stuff like that."
"A-Are they w-watching you, too?" she wondered quietly. "S-So Frisk, wh-what does the message l-look like to you?"
"I dunno, just normal I guess," she said.
She went back to writing and Alphys let out a high, squeaking sigh. Sans patted her shoulder. She rubbed her head and her increasingly furrowed brow.
.
After a minute or so, her phone began to ring, playing something in Japanese. Alphys hurriedly scrambled to answer the call. "Moshi moshi?" Her face paled after a few seconds. "O-Oh. Oh. Um… H-H-Hang on?" She raised one finger and hurried off to the other end of the room.
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She came back a few minutes later, looking a little shaken. Sans shot her a questioning look.
"Sup, Doc?" he asked.
"You okay, Alphys?" Frisk said.
"Oh… Oh yeah, j-just fine," she said.
"Look kinda spooked," Sans said.
"Oh! W-Well it was just my, uh… s-s-someone, um… Someone c-calling about a m-monster falling a-and—"
"Oh no, someone didn't—?" Frisk squeaked, but Alphys quickly shook her head.
"N-No, no, n-n-not yet, e-everything's okay f-for now," she said. "Anyway! It's fine. Almost done?"
Frisk nodded.
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Soon enough, Frisk hopped down from the chair and handed her the copied page. Her eyes skimmed it and she groaned. The kid tilted her head, and Alphys forced a smile and patted her shoulder gently.
"Th-Thanks, Frisk," she said. "You seem pretty okay with this, huh?"
"Well, this guy, whoever they are, they're on our side, right?" she said. "Look. They said they were proud of you. They think you're doing a really good job. Which is totally true, by the way, so…"
"…I h-hope you're right," Alphys said, though she smile a little. "Th-Thanks."
"Was that all?" Frisk asked.
"Oh! O-Oh, actually, n-no," Alphys said.
"Dang," Sans joked.
"W-We're just putting together something strong e-enough to, um… T-To maybe get your r-reading, Frisk," Alphys said.
"Oh! Is that hard?" she asked.
"N-Not too bad, a-actually, if my math is right, j-just needed something m-more heavy-duty f-for it," Alphys said.
"Yo, don't go all mad scientist on my kid, alright?" Sans said.
"I w-won't! N-Not much, anyway," Alphys said with a shy smile. "It's n-not invasive or… or a-anything like that. C-Come downstairs with me?"
Frisk nodded. Alphys headed towards the elevator, and the others followed her. Inside, Sans supported the wall and then poked the kid and held out his hand. She quickly fished in her pocket and gave him her phone. He leaned back and sleepily began to text as the elevator started to descend.
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"Oh! Oh m-my god. I'm sorry," Alphys said quickly. "I sh-should've offered you guys a drink, I—!"
"Oh, no, don't worry about it," Frisk said.
"I can go back," Sans said.
Frisk shook her head. He shrugged and kept texting.
"S-Sans, are you talking to s-someone?" Alphys asked curiously.
"Papyrus. And lookin' at our mystery dude's messages," he said.
"Um… Sh-Shouldn't you have asked first?" she asked quietly.
"Why?" He looked confused.
Alphys jerked her thumb at Frisk. His brows raised. Alphys tented her fingers. He sighed.
"Kid, do you mind—?"
"Nope!" she replied.
He cut his eyes at Alphys and she blushed a little.
"S-So, do you two just, um… I-I mean…" she said. "O-Okay, is it psychic or s-something?"
"What?" Frisk asked. "Is what psychic?"
"Just inferences," Sans said.
"What the heck is that?" Frisk asked.
"Oooh…" Alphys said.
"Huh?" Frisk tilted her head. "But what's an—?"
"It's like… you come to a conclusion based on facts you already have," he said. "So 'cause we know each other's minds super well, then…"
"Oooh, okay, I think I get it!" she said.
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The elevator clunked down and the door opened. The giant amalgam of dogs greeted them cheerfully. Frisk was instantly petting their head and they shoved in close, bum wiggling in the air along with that long tail. Sans snickered and Alphys gently took her hand and guided her down the hallway.
"So. Example. Your idea about those save things. That's an inference," Sans said, petting the dogs as they put their head on his shoulder as they walked. "Conclusion. Assumption but with more facts."
"Oh! Cool," she said.
"What s-save things?" Alphys asked.
"Oh! Did we not…? Let me show you! There's a few down here," Frisk said. "These weird little star looking things. They're what let me stick to a spot in time."
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She scampered into the room of beds with pink sheets, past a few lazing amalgamates, and went straight for the light across the room. She pointed at it. Alphys squinted and readjusted her glasses. She pushed in a bit closer.
"I don't, uh… I d-don't… see anything?"
"You don't?" Frisk frowned with confusion. "Really? Weird!" She touched her hand into the light and stuck on.
Alphys let out a little gasp. "I saw that! A l-little glow! Was that it?"
"Basically, yeah," Frisk said. "To us, I mean… To people who can see it? It looks like… kinda like a light turning into a star, I guess. Hm. I wonder if the four points are important, though?"
"Only if you think Time Cube is a thing," Sans said with a joking grin.
"What?" Frisk asked.
"A-And so… you just, um… s-saved, just now?" Alphys asked.
The kid nodded.
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All of a sudden, though, there were blobby monsters peeking at her from under a nearby bed. The long-necked bird-like monster peered at her from around a corner and Mrs. Snowdrake waddled up to her and looked at her curiously. She hummed softly and then touched the kid's cheek with her somehow dry, goopy wing. Then, she wandered off without saying a word. The others settled at the same time, Big Dog so much so that they flopped on top of Sans, pinning him to to floor.
"Oh m-my god, Sans?!" Alphys demanded.
"I'm fine," he said from somewhere in the mass of fur and dogs. "S'kinda warm…"
"Don't y-you fall asleep under there," Alphys said quickly. She put her shoulder against Big Dog and shoved them until she saw a bit of Sans. She grabbed his arm and pulled him partway out before backing off and panting.
Sans rested his cheek on his fist and snickered. "It's fine, Doc, I got a, uh, bit of a secret weapon."
"R-Really?" she asked.
"Well, I'd say no bones about it, but…" He conjured a bone hovering above the tip of his finger. "…That's exactly what it's about."
Alphys groaned, Frisk giggled, and with just a quick flick of his finger, the bone was flying through the air, and so was Big Dog.
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As they wrestled with the bone, Sans rolled onto his back. Frisk snickered and ran up. She held out her hands and, after a second, he grabbed her and she pulled him upright. He rubbed the back of his skull.
"Clingy, huh?" he asked.
"Y… Yeah. That one is, um… They're basically, th-the, um… A-All the p-parents l-left of the dogs th-that work for the Royal Guard in S-Snowdin."
"That's ruff," Sans said.
"Oh m-my god." Alphys put her face in her hands, but couldn't quell a tiny laugh. "Sans, th-that's awful."
"They seem happy, though," Frisk said quietly. "I mean… All things considering, right?"
"Y-Yeah. Yeah. I mean. They are." She pointed at the dogs. "Th-They were all friends. A-And all dogs. Th-They still love sn-snacks, and bones, and p-pets, and e-each other, s-so… So r-really, they're one of the best off here. Some of the others, though… A-Anyway. Should w-we go?"
"Can we wait for Papyrus?" Frisk asked.
"Oh! O-Oh, right, of course!" Alphys said. "R-Right. S-Sorry, I almost forgot…"
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She looked like she still really wanted to hurry on anyway, but she sat down on one of the beds. A goopy creature slunk up beside her and she pet them absently on the head. Frisk yawned and sat down with her brother. She grabbed one of his arms and held it around her. He scoffed and hugged her against his chest. She grinned.
"S-So kawaii, can't deny-ii," Alphys mumbled.
"You say somethin'?" Sans asked.
"Wh-What? N-No, no no no, nothing," she said.
Sans raised a brow and Alphys blushed.
"I-It's just… you two, it's, um… It's j-just kinda cute the way you… N-Never mind."
"So, how's the fanfic going?" Sans asked.
Alphys's scales went a deeper red on her cheeks. "Sans!" she squeaked.
"I wanna know, too!" Frisk said brightly.
"R… Really?" The little lizard's eyes went wide. "…Seriously?"
"Yeah, sure!" Frisk said.
.
"W-Well, um… I… I actually restarted?" Alphys said. "B-Because, um, it st-started to get a little too d-dark. S-See, th-the way the story was g-going, it made A-Asgore kind of, um… N-Naturally the villain? A-And th-that didn't feel very good, s-so I, um… I scrapped that one a-and started on a k-kind of cuter one?"
"So how's it go now?" Frisk pushed.
Alphys was still blushing, but her eyes were alight. "Oh! W-Well! Um, it starts with, um…! With Sans! And he's, um, a scientist. A-And he's working on the, um… On the C-CORE one day with some soul r-research, and i-it overloads with d-determination and j-joins with the th-thing he was making and b-becomes, like, a l-little human baby?" She tapped her fingers together bashfully. "B-Because of all the, um, determination. S-So, he has to s-sort of leave the l-lab and k-kind of deal with r-raising both this l-little human— which he, um, d-doesn't really know much about— and also P-Papyrus, because he'd be pretty young at the t-time, too."
Sans was clearly holding back a laugh and Frisk grinned.
"Ooh! So I get to hang out with little Papyrus?" she said. "That's really cute! He… Oh my god, he was super cute back then, huh?"
"Mhm. You'd fit right in," Sans said.
Frisk giggled and couldn't help the big grin on her face.
"So, um… Um… Th-Then, a few years later—" Alphys started.
"Wait, a few years? You're writing about years of stuff?" Frisk looked amazed. "Won't that take a really long time?"
"Nah, dude, she'd do a time skip," Sans said. "That's when an author thinks a thing will be kinda boring and skips around in time to the interesting bits. Like, uh, words doin' time travel."
"Oh! Really? Did they do that in the Trident of Vengeance?" she wondered.
"Nah, not much, that happens over, like, two weeks or whatever. I think there's a boat trip or something in one of the other ones, though."
"Oooh," Frisk said.
"Y-Yeah. I, um… I do kinda linger on stuff I th-think might be cute, sometimes, though," Alphys said. "I mean… It d-doesn't always advance the plot but s-sometimes it's good for character b-building? I g-guess it's more slice of life st-style anyway."
Sans grinned and then looked at her very steadily. She started to sweat.
"So here's the most important question," Sans said. "Disaster Blasters, or blaster disaster?"
"Oh! Oh. I… I h-haven't decided y-yet," she said. "M-Maybe a bit of both."
"Yay!" Frisk clapped. "That's exciting. So when can I read it?"
"Ummm… Uhhhhh…" Alphys grinned nervously. "Um… At… At s-s-some point?"
Frisk stuck her thumbs up.
.
"Um… H-Hey. Sans?" Alphys started blushing again. "Is… I-Is there anyone y-you'd, uhhh… You'd, um, be okay to be shipped with?"
"Did you have someone in mind?" he asked.
"W-Well… N-Natural progression didn't super l-lend itself t-to it yet. I mean… N-No, I don't, uh… I could make someone up? Wh-What's your type?"
Sans shrugged. "Don't really have a type."
"R-Really? Nothing? N-No one?" she asked.
He shrugged again and shook his head. Alphys pouted for just a moment.
"Okay, o-okay, it'd be forced and w-weird at this point anyway," she said quietly.
.
Frisk snickered and looked back at Sans with a grin. "You'd be an okay alternate universe fanfiction dad, I think."
"Yeah? Heh. Dunno, dude, I'd have to be an adult like, more than not at all," he said.
Frisk laughed.
"Sans, you're the s-same age as me," Alphys scolded.
"Yeah, give or take." He winked. "You've always been better at it than me, though."
"You say th-that about literally e-everything, though," she said with a laugh. "And it's h-hardly ever true."
He shrugged. Frisk turned around and stood up, grabbing his face in her hands.
"Bro, you're great! You gotta believe in me who believes in you!" she said loudly.
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He laughed and she hugged him. Alphys cooed.
"You two are t-too cute!" she said loudly— more so than she had intended.
Frisk snickered. The lizard blushed. Sans grinned and patted the kid gently on the shoulder.
"So, what else are you doin'?" he asked Alphys. "You gotten far, then?"
"K-Kinda," she said shyly. "It's… nice. T-To… Okay. This s-sound really, r-really messed up and weird. B-But, it feels g-good to write a place where… wh-where you weren't alone, Frisk."
Frisk turned back around and tilted her head. She smiled, though. "Yeah. That's kinda weird. But it's really nice, too."
Alphys smiled sheepishly and rubbed her headspines.
.
"Can I a-ask you something?" she said.
"Of course," Frisk assured her.
"Did… D-Did you ever think…? Did you ever th-think of, um, looking for your parents? I mean, above ground," she said.
Frisk's brow furrowed a little. She clung to Sans's arm. "No."
"N-Not at all? You don't wonder?" Alphys asked gently.
Frisk shook her head, gripping a little tighter onto her brother. "No. Where I was, if… if someone left me there, either something horrible happened to them, or they're horrible. Either way, I don't… I don't care anymore," she said. "I sometimes used to wonder. I still don't really know who I am, I guess. But… No. I have a family. I have a mom. It just happens that they're monsters, and for me, that's better than anything else in the world. I don't need anyone else. Just you guys."
Alphys smiled fondly. Sans ruffled her hair gently. Frisk cast a glance at him over her shoulder as if for reassurance and he leaned back and stuck his thumb up. She smiled.
.
She took a deep breath. Mrs. Snowdrake waddled back over to them, drawing their attention, and to their surprise, she took Frisk by the hand. A little confused, the kid got up, and the monster nodded and smiled a little, and then began to lead her across the room. Frisk looked back over her shoulder and shrugged. Sans shrugged back.
"Heh. I'm g-glad they seem to like her," Alphys said. "Sorry, that w-was a little bit of a touchy s-subject, wasn't it?"
Sans shrugged. "Actually," he said, watching as Mrs. Snowdrake took his kid towards a table of arts and crafts, "believe it or not, that was progress."
"Y-Yeah?" Alphys smiled a little. "Th-That's good. D-Did, um… Did she used to worry?"
"It's always hard bein' a kid. Sometimes, you don't know where you belong even normally, huh?" he said. "And that kid, well…"
"Right. Right. H-Hey. You know. You are a r-really good big brother," she said.
"And I better be a really good AU fanfiction dad, too," he said, flicking his index finger towards her.
"Hah! H-Hey. Th-Thanks for… F-For being a good sp-sport. I know, it was just a dumb fanfic, but—"
"Doc, I don't care," he said. "I mean, not in a bad way. I mean just do what you want."
"Thanks," she said.
"But I'm gonna read the whole thing."
"O-Oh n-n-no," she stammered.
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At the table, scattered with rough drawings in messy crayon and coated with glitter, with little blunted scissors teetering near the edge, Mrs. Snowdrake took her time running her melty wings across some sheets of crinkled paper. Frisk wasn't sure what she wanted, but she waited patiently.
"Hmmm… Honnnney…? You… see Snowy…?" she asked slowly.
"S-Snowy? Oh! Yeah. Yeah. I have," Frisk said.
"…Happy?" she wondered.
"Oh. He, um… Yeah. But he misses you," Frisk said gently. "B-But don't worry! Um, as… as soon as we fix things. You can go home. It'll be safe. J-Just… we just… Doctor Alphys just wants everyone to be okay."
"Heh… Heh…" Mrs. Snowdrake pulled back with a slightly misshapen, folded sheet of paper clutched close. "Will you… bring this… to Snowy?"
Frisk nodded and took the paper. She looked at it curiously and then looked at the amalgam of monsters before her. The strange, dark eyes of Mrs. Snowdrake bored into her. She put her hand on Frisk's and unfolded one segment of the paper. There were little cuts in it. Frisk opened it up and her heart felt like it hit the floor. Tears immediately came to her eyes. A snowflake.
"W-Wow. H-Hey, that's super n-ice of you," she said, her voice squeaking a little. "Um… There's snow way he won't love it. It's really cool. S-So… So. You can count on me. I promise."
"Heh… Heh heh…" Mrs. Snowdrake looked happy. "Heh heh heh…"
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She wandered away, chuckling, and Frisk quickly folded the snowflake back up and slipped it into her dimension box so it wouldn't come to any harm. She quickly wiped her eyes on the back of her hand. A door banged and echoed in the large room.
"HELLO! The great Papyrus is in the building! Greetings, brother, Doctor, and now where is—?!" Papyrus strode towards her. "Ah! Frisk! There you are, little sis…" His face fell.
She quickly wiped her eyes again. He dropped down to hold her shoulders.
"Little sister, were you crying?!" he demanded.
"N-No! No. I, um… I just got snow in my eyes," she said.
"…That makes no sense," he said, tilting his head.
"No, it makes snow sense," she said.
"BAH!" He threw his hands in the air and she couldn't help a smile. "Frisk, that was absolutely horrible."
"I know, I know. Can I still have a hug, maybe?"
"Pffft, of course." He wrapped her in his arms. "Bad jokes or no, you are always welcome to hugs."
Frisk settled into his arms, and didn't really want to let go of him.
"G-Guys, um…?" Alphys waved at them from across the room. "Ready t-to go downstairs?"
xXxXx
The room deep below, where Frisk had been shot through with determination, had been cleaned up only to be crowded once more by machine parts carefully, but precariously, arranged into a sort of horseshoe shape. Undyne eyed their handiwork curiously and then turned to Mettaton. The mechanical monster was gliding around on the wheeled chair from the control room.
"Dude, are you sure this is what she wanted?" Undyne asked.
"Yes, quite sure, darling!" He slid over to meet her and projected a scan if Alphys's diagram in a ring of light in his palm. "See? Perfect!"
"Hope so," Undyne said.
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Her ear-fins lifted to the sound of the door clunking and she raise her hand to wave to the four coming in.
"Undyne!" Frisk said brightly.
Undyne grinned and readily accepted a hug from the kid and mussed up her hair.
"Shield progress?" she asked.
"It was good!" The kid turned quickly as if just suddenly noticing Mettaton. "Oh! You're here, too? Hiya!"
"Hello, darling!" he said brightly.
"Smoothed it over?" she asked.
"A tad." He was smiling quite wide, however. "That shirt is adorable on you, sweetie. But a little ill-fitting?"
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"What, this?" She looked at her shirt— one that was once Sans's: it read Bone Tired— and she smiled bashfully. "Thanks! It's one of my brother's old ones. I think he has a new one just like it. Um. Somewhere."
"Whaaaat? You're wearing Sans's old clothes?!" Mettaton demanded shrilly. "Why?!"
"I only own one shirt," Frisk said with a laugh. "None of this stuff is mine. Except my sneakers, I guess."
"Well, it's kinda yours now, kid," Sans said. "It's not like I want it back."
Mettaton frowned and pouted, folding his arms and tapping his foot. "Sans, really, you couldn't find her something else?!" he demanded.
"Not a lot of clothes stores in Snowdin, dude," he said with a shrug.
"And those lovely dresses, they were—?"
"Too big," Frisk said bashfully. "Sorry. But I appreciate it!"
"D-Don't get on h-her t-too much about that, huh?" Alphys said gently, nudging Mettaton with her elbow. "Okay! I'm gonna just g-get this all f-finished now."
"Can I help?!" Papyrus demanded.
Alphys chuckled and patted his arm. "Th-That's alright, Papyrus, I th-think I got this one."
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She waved them all a few paces back from the mostly assembled machine and then took a stance in front of it. She cautiously took off her white lab coat and sucked in a deep breath. Her magic, lemon yellow, bristled across her scales and crackled down to her fingertips. She touched the machine before her gently and the magic spread, dancing across the makeshift, recycled metal parts and the shiny fixtures, all connected to bits of laptop at the centre. It began to float and she shot a look at Undyne. She nodded and raced away, and then came back with a part of an old desk to support one side and an upside-down, broken bed frame for the other.
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The screen on it crackled to life with pale yellow and then faded. Alphys sighed, dimmed her magic and wiped her brow on the back of her hand. She was sweating a lot. She turned to the sound of clapping and saw that it was Frisk.
"Wow, Alphys, that was awesome!" she said, her eyes all but shining.
"Ooh, I've never seen magic do that before," Papyrus said.
Alphys blushed and rubbed her headspines, and Undyne passed her a small towel and a glass of water. "Th-Thanks," she said, dabbing her face. "Now just… uhh…" She hurried back towards the control room and began fumbling with some long cables.
Mettaton rolled his eyes and went to join her.
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Frisk curiously circled the strange, crescent-shaped metal thing. She reached up and gently touched it. It was very solid. "So you think this'll work?" she asked, looking up at Undyne curiously.
She shrugged. "Dunno. Hope so. Spent all morning on this thing," she said with a wry smile. "She get you to look at the weird screen thing?"
Frisk nodded. Alphys jogged, panting, back into the room and stood on her toes to attach a power cable to the machine. It hummed and sparked, and the screen lit up white. Her eyes lit up and ran away again just as Mettaton had caught up with her, forcing him to spin right away and chase after her. Undyne held in a laugh.
.
"So, um, what are we doing here, brother?" Papyrus asked, nudging Sans with his elbow.
"I dunno, moral support?" he suggested.
Mettaton raced back, carrying Alphys under one arm and a chair under the other, and then plunked them both down. "My goodness, Alphys," he said. "You are heavier than you look."
She waved him off dismissively and then shoved the chair into the centre of the machine before clambering onto it, spinning, and fiddling with the screen. "A-Almost done, almost done," she assured them. "Sans, I'm going to need you to h-hold Frisk when w-we start."
"Uh, why?" he asked.
"I m-mean, like, with your magic," she said. "I'd s-strap her in, but the old t-testing chair just barely t-too big for her."
"Um… Wait, is this like, a big procedure or something?" Frisk asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
"Oh!" Alphys turned to look at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "N-No, no, it might just be, um… m-mildly uncomfortable for a few seconds. There's g-going to be a lot of m-magic poking at you. It's, um… It's h-harmless mostly, but it st-still feels like something."
"Is that safe?" Papyrus wondered. "I thought you always had to strap in for experiments, right? So you don't break your head?"
"If it's simple enough, magic should be fine," Sans said. "Kid, don't look too worried, huh?"
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Alphys finished up at the screen and pulled out some cables, and attached something to one of them from her pocket. She hopped off the chair and gestured to it. Frisk cautiously sat down and Alphys beckoned Undyne over.
"Okay, just—" She passed her some cables with little nodes on the end. "Stick these on her temples and neck, okay?"
"Sure. Kiddo, don't move, okay?" Undyne said.
"I'll try not to," Frisk said.
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"Well, this is all rather medical, isn't it?" Mettaton said, sounding a little worried. "Is all this really necessary, Alphie?"
"W-Wouldn't do it if it wasn't," she said. "Okay… I mean, m-maybe I'd still do it eventually, t-to get the data, but, yeah, w-we need this."
"It's okay. I'm fine," Frisk said.
"O-Okay. Just, um… close your eyes?" Alphys said.
Frisk did as she asked, and she felt Alphys take her hand and heard a soft popping sound.
"What is THAT?!" Papyrus demanded.
"Shh, shh, it's fine," Alphys said gently. "Now, F-Frisk, you're going to feel a bit of a jab. It'll hurt just a little, is th-that okay?"
Frisk gulped, but she nodded. "Just do it."
.
After just a second, Frisk felt a sharp pain in her wrist. She drew in a quiet gasp. A needle, of course. Papyrus shrieked.
"YOU PUT IT IN HER?! WHY DID—?! WH…?! WHA…?! No no no no no no no no, get it out, that's not right, that's not—!"
"Paps. Paps, chill. She's okay. Take a breath," Sans said.
"I'm fine, big bro, don't worry at all." She opened her eyes and, careful not to look at the needle, stuck her other thumb up and grinned. "No worries! See?"
Papyrus pouted, but then forced a grin and stuck a thumb up. "H-Heh! Nyeh heh! Very brave, little sister. Y-You take after your coolest big brother, Papyrus, I see!"
"Uh," Mettaton said, "but weren't you just—?" He shut up when Undyne nudged him hard in the side with her elbow.
Alphys finished up fastening some nodes to Frisk, and then gave her the final one. "O-Okay, just put this above your soul spot, and we c-can start."
Frisk put the thing on her skin under her shirt. Alphys nodded at Sans. His eye lit up and so, too, did Frisk's soul. His grip was cool and reassuring, but tight, too.
"That alright?" he asked.
"Just fine, I'll try not to move," she said.
.
"Okay! L-Let's start," Alphys said. She sparked magic through her fingers and into the machine, and it hummed to life, a strange combination of the sound of Alphys's soul and something a little heavier.
The energy struck Frisk hard and she was immediately light-headed.
"Ooh! It's w-working!" Alphys squeaked.
.
Frisk had to close her eyes. It was hard to hear past the thrum. She felt herself shudder and was glad for her brother's hold on her.
"She's lookin' kinda sick, Alph," Undyne said.
"I know. I know. S-Sorry, Frisk, w-we're almost done!" Alphys said. "Okay. O-Okay. Okay. It's… eighty. Eighty f-four… Almost…"
Frisk would have answered, but she worried that she might throw up. She felt an extra, heavy pulse against her and something entered her wrist. It chilled her to the bone.
"Oh… O-Okay, so… Ninety f— Oh. Oh n-no. No no no, c'mon."
"What?" Papyrus demanded. "Is she okay?!"
"Y-Yeah, it's just—! It's j-just—!"
"Alphie, it's okay, it's—"
There was a crackling sound and hurried footsteps. Static stung Frisk's ears and suddenly, the humming dropped out. In fact, all sound vanished for a few seconds. She heard a voice humming gently and felt large hands on her shoulders.
.
When Frisk blinked her eyes open, Sans was lifting her out of the chair and onto her feet. Her legs were wobbly and her head hurt, and she blinked groggily at him. She saw Alphys lift her hand and gently remove the needle from her arm.
"Hey, there you are. Lost you for a second," Sans said, but he sounded amused. "You okay?"
"Y…" Her throat was kind of dry. "Yeah."
"F-Frisk, I'm s-so sorry, I thought… I thought…!" Alphys hugged her gently. "Ugh. S-Sorry…"
"Hey, don't worry, I just saved," she assured her. She felt a big hand ruffle her hair and she looked up to see Undyne smiling with relief.
"Hey, squirt, you did good. How're you feeling?" she asked.
"Kinda weird. Um… Tired?" She looked around. "Where's Papyrus?"
"Sent him and Major Kusanagi to get you a drink or something," Sans said.
"M… Major…? Oh. Oh! Hey, that's pretty funny," Frisk said.
Sans grinned.
"I don't get it," Undyne said.
"Ugh, oh m-my god," Alphys muttered, rubbing her head. "I c-can't believe I m-messed that up, I'm such an idiot and—"
"Alph, stop," Undyne said rather sternly.
"B-But…! But the reading, it… W-We have to d-do another one," Alphys protested.
"Ooh…" Frisk didn't want to bother with standing anymore and slowly moved to sit on the floor. "M-Maybe another day? I'm kinda out of it."
"Oh, my god, of course, F-Frisk, not t-today. No no no, s-some other time, once I fix this st-stupid hunk of… God. I'm so sorry," Alphys said.
"Dude, it's weird new science crap, you can't expect it to go without a hitch the first time," Sans said. He pulled Frisk back upright, but then lifted her into his arms. "Hey, Doc, think it'd be okay if I do one shift?"
"Oh… Um… Y-You know… Just do it. T-Take her up, p-put her on my bed," she said. "I'll calm th-those guys down on the way up."
Sans nodded.
.
When Frisk blinked again, they were up on the second storey of the lab. Sans kicked a weird cube and it popped and revealed a bed, mattress, blankets, and all. He sat her on it and patted her head.
"Good job," he said.
"Sorry Alphys didn't get what she needed," she said.
"Don't tell her that, huh?" He winked. "Chill. Some other time."
"But if we need to do that to get Az a soul, then… Then I'll do it a hundred times, if I gotta."
"Not today," Sans said with a laugh as he sat down beside her. "You look… bone tired."
"Pfffft, that's cheating, it's right on my shirt," se said.
Sans snickered. "But seriously, though, your eye skin is doin' that thing where it gets dark and stuff."
"Oh. Hah, yeah." She rubbed one eye with the heel of her hand. "That makes sense."
.
"FRISK?! SANS?! Is that you two cackling over there?!" Papyrus demanded shrilly from somewhere.
"We're upstairs, bro," Sans called.
The tall skeleton was up beside them in an instant and immediately pulled Frisk into his arms. "Are you okay?!" he demanded.
"Yeah, don't worry," she said.
.
"Papyrus? Darling, where did you go?" Mettaton called.
"Upstairs! Frisk is here!" he said.
"Oh! Does she still want some water?"
"Yes, please," Frisk said, and she hugged onto Papyrus. "I wasn't out long, was I?"
"About twenty seconds," Sans said.
"Oh! That's not that bad," she said.
"What?! No way! Little sister, that is much, much too long!" Papyrus said. "I knew it was dangerous. I knew it was—"
"Relax, relax," Frisk cooed. "S'okay." She glowed gentle red.
Papyrus sighed. He cupped the back of her head and she could feel his warm, loving magic seep through her bones. She didn't realize how much pressure had been building behind her eyes until he took it all away. He pulled back and lifted her wrist. The only mark left was a tiny red dot. He brushed his thumb over it and it was gone in an instant.
.
"Ooh, would you look at that." Mettaton leaned to look at them over Sans's shoulder with fascination on his face, and then passed the glass of water to her. "Here, sweetie."
"Thanks!" She took a few long gulps and breathed out heavily. "Sheesh."
"Well, that was… um… interesting," he continued. "Did you all know that would happen?"
"Nope," Sans said.
"Absolutely not," Papyrus added shrilly.
Frisk shrugged and finished her water. Mettaton tilted his head slightly and brushed his hair from his eyes.
"And yet you don't seem at all perturbed, Frisk," he said.
She shrugged and smiled.
"Please, let's be a little more careful from now on," Papyrus insisted, looking at Sans with worried eyes. "Frisk already had a terrible thing where she did the fainting just a few days ago! She can't keep doing that all the time!"
"So. Is this what you do? I mean. Time travel people. Do incredibly risky things for minor chances of progress?" Mettaton asked.
"Basically," Frisk said.
"Huh." He raised a brow. "I can't say I understand, darling."
"This, umm…" Frisk stifled a yawn behind her hand. "Sorry. This soul thing? It's really, really important. I'd do almost anything to get it done."
"Or else?" he pushed.
"No future," Sans said with a shrug.
xXxXx
Frisk just barely drifted off in Papyrus's arms by the time Alphys and Undyne returned to meet them. Mettaton was lounging dramatically on the bed and Sans, too, had fallen asleep on Papyrus's shoulder, despite the fact that it had only been around six minutes.
.
"Oh… Oh n-no, is everyone okay?" Alphys asked.
"Hm?" Frisk said sleepily.
"I think we are okay," Papyrus said. "Frisk? Are we okay?"
She stuck a thumb up. He smiled fondly. Alphys took a deep breath. Undyne patted her reassuringly on the shoulder.
"I'm s-so sorry that d-didn't work right, Frisk," she said. "I… I thought it w-would, but—"
"No worries," Frisk said. "Next time. Right?"
"Next time," Undyne agreed. "Sans, you awake?"
"…Now I am."
"Oh. Um. I j-just wanted to say. It was m-my mistake, um… I sh-shouldn't have asked you to hold her steady," Alphys said. "Y-Your d-determination is w-way too high, combined with h-hers, and it w-was trying to read both. And the fact that my numbers w-were a little wonky, w-well…"
"Oh. Heh. Makes sense," he said. "Sorry, shouldda caught that myself. Ask Paps next time."
"Oh! Yes! I, too, can do blue magic," Papyrus said somewhat proudly.
"He's higher than average," Sans said, "but nothing like me."
"Oh. Good t-to know," Alphys said. "Th-Thank you so much, e-everyone. S-Sorry to have, um… Sorry to w-waste your time…"
"Alph," Undyne chided.
"Don't be silly, Alphie. You rescued me from writer's block," Mettaton asserted.
"And you built that cool machine," Frisk said with a sleepy smile. "Don't sweat it."
"Right. Right. I… I guess I d-did need to do th-that anyway…" She smiled and gently patted Frisk's head. "Hey. H-How about you guys h-head home? G-Get some rest? I p-promise, I won't b-bother you again w-with work stuff until I f-figure this out."
"Or… you know, bother us if you need help," Frisk said.
"I'll agree with that. We are a team, Doctor Alphys," Papyrus said.
Alphys blushed. Undyne grinned and nudged her gently.
"See?" she said quietly. "Alright. Call it a day?"
"Yup." Sans took Frisk's hand. "Catch you at home, bro?"
"Yes! Be right there!" Papyrus said.
xXxXx
Sans hadn't seen Frisk so low-key since they'd come back after fusing. She wasn't quite as lethargic as then, but it was pretty close. Compounded by the morning training, he guessed. She definitely looked just as tired, though.
.
At the bar counter at Grillby's, Frisk sipped on a milkshake and Sans lazed with half a bottle of ketchup, watching her from the corner of his eye. She seemed really drowsy, but in good spirits anyway despite not having much to say. Seemed like most of her vocabulary had been temporarily replaced with yawns.
"Kid, you doin' okay?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Feelin' alright?" he said.
She nodded again.
"It's just that, uh, you're awful quiet the last little bit," he said.
.
She smiled a little and looked thoughtful. She sipped her shake and then drummed her fingers on the counter softly.
"Hey, Sans?" she said quietly.
"Sup, kiddo?"
"What do you call a skeleton in a towel?" she said.
"I dunno, what do you call a skeleton in a towel?" he said.
"Bone dry," she said.
Sans snickered. "Terrible," he said. "Dig it."
She grinned sleepily. She looked thoughtful for a few seconds and sat up just a little. "Hey, Sans?"
"Mhm."
"What do you call a skeleton cowboy?" she asked.
"I dunno, what do you call a skeleton cowboy?" he said.
"The Bone Ranger."-
"Pfffft." Sans put his cheek on his fist. "Okay. I got one."
"Do it," she said.
"What do you call a skeleton that sleeps all day?" he said.
"Lazy bones?" Frisk said.
"Sans," he said. "But you don't have to call me, I'm just over here."
Frisk snickered. "Okay, okay. Why do skeletons hate storms?"
"Dunno, why?" he said.
"Because the wind goes right through them," she said.
.
Sans grinned and ruffled her hair. She smiled. Grillby rolled his eyes. Sans laughed.
"Hey, Grillbs. Got one for you. Why do skeletons tell so many jokes?" he asked.
Grillby sighed. He shrugged dramatically.
"Because of our funny bones. Obviously."
Grillby scoffed as Frisk giggled and the skeleton grinned.
"…As if I have not heard all of those a thousand times, Sans," Grillby said as he turned and began to polish another mug.
"I think that might be the most words I've ever heard you say at once," Frisk said, her voice a little awed.
Grillby gave her a slightly bemused look, but he chuckled softly, smiled, and patted her head. He looked at Sans and raised his brows.
"Well, I mean… Yeah, I taught her," he said.
Grillby rolled his eyes again, but he smiled a little. He pointed at Frisk. Sans looked. The kid's eyes were half-lidded, but she seemed pretty happy.
"Dude, I know. She had a long day." He nudged her with his elbow. "Ready to head home?"
"Umm… Ooh. One more," she said. "What do you call a skeleton that gets stuck in the snow?"
"I dunno, what do you call a skeleton that gets stuck in the snow?" he said.
"A numb skull."
.
Sans grinned. He pulled the sleepy kid down from the stool in his magic and plunked her on the floor, holding her by the shoulder.
"Can you walk?" he asked.
She nodded. He jerked his thumb at the door.
"Alright, bundle up, then, or we'll both be numbskulls out there, huh?" he said with a wink.