True Knife
The elevator stopped. Flowey and Frisk both let go. When they stepped outside, they found themselves very close to the castle. "How'd we get here?" Frisk murmured.
"It's a shortcut," Flowey explained. "Now let's go meet the king. Now that we've freed the amalgamates and helped Dr. Alphys, we have a stronger cause. We'll have people whom we've helped. The king will understand that."
Frisk nodded and went up to the first elevator they found. It took them directly next to the Judgement Hall. They passed through multiple hallways. They walked through the flower-laden thrown room. They approached the doorway that led to the barrier. A yellow glimmer shone next to it.
"Knowing that you are about to free the underground fills you with determination."
Frisk strode into the barrier room.
"Oh? Back so soon…?" King Asgore prompted. "How are you feeling?"
"Well, thank you. I'm ready," Frisk stated.
"F-Frisk? Can you, uh, put me down, first?" Flowey requested.
"Oh! Sure." Frisk took off their backpack and set it on the ground next to the entrance. Their necklace turned into a deep green.
"I… I see. This is it, then." King Asgore turned around. "Ready?" The souls appeared before them. King Asgore shut his eyes. "Human… it was nice to meet you. Goodbye."
"W-wait!" Frisk gasped. "Please, I need to tell you something!"
King Asgore ignored them. He lowered his head and readied his weapon. Then, he looked up. A great gust of crystal blue fire rammed into him. He cried out in surprise as he was thrown back. Toriel took his place. She looked down at Frisk with such affection they were surprised it was turned to them. They felt Chara's presence, and happiness, like a heat. "My child! You are safe! I am sorry. I thought that separation would help us both. But I couldn't stop worrying about your journey. I knew that it would be treacherous- especially for such a kind soul. I knew that you would ultimately have to make a terrible choice. In order to leave, you would need to take King Asgore's life. However, I realized something. I cannot allow that. So, for now, let us suspend this battle."
"Toriel." King Asgore had gotten up and now stared at her with wide eyes. "You came back…!"
"Yes!" Toriel purred. "This human! They came through the Ruins and–"
"Turned out to be a poor fighter," King Asgore agreed, his voice getting dry. "Which is funny how it seems to happen to all children you attempt to keep."
Toriel's gaze darkened. "Asgore, please! That isn't my fault. I'm just doing what's best for them!"
"What's best for them?" the king snarled. "What would've been 'best' was to train them with everyone else!"
"I didn't know they'd go to the surface! I didn't know that he'd try to fight humans! I just wanted them to be kids for a little while longer, Asgore."
"Kids? Well know they're dust and bones," King Asgore growled. "Thanks to you, the entirety of the underground can only see the dust that they create, the souls that they break. Why? Because our children died and destroyed hope for everyone!"
"Me? You're blaming me for that?" Toriel's hands lit of crystal blue fire. "You're the king! It's your job, just as it is mine, to keep our kingdom in good terms. But I couldn't do it all by myself!"
"What did you do, then? You hid behind a door completely sealed so that nothing but the tiniest of things could get through. That helped us a lot," King Asgore growled.
"Look I… understand," Toriel sighed. The fire vanished. "I understand how terrible I've acted and the decisions I've made. But… once this ends… can we still be friends?"
"No, Toriel."
Then, heavy boots cracked into floor. Frisk ducked as Captain Undyne leaped clear over them. A spear appeared in her hands and she landed before Frisk, eyes darting about. "Nggaaah! King Asgore! Human! No one fight anyone! Everyone's going to calm down or else I'll be forced to- to-?" Her gaze landed on Toriel.
Completely immune to Captain Undyne's threatening nature, Toriel purred, "Hello! I am Toriel. Are you the human's friend? It's nice to meet you!"
Captain Undyne let go of the spear. It vanished into thin air. "Uh… yeah…?" She walked over to her king. "Er, King Asgore? Is that the queen? Oh. That's, uh, rough."
Dr. Alphys' thick feet pattered on the ground as she sprinted inside. She stopped so suddenly she nearly tripped over herself. "H-hey! No one hurt each other! So many people don't want the child… to… die…?" Dr. Alphys looked at Toriel.
"Oh!" Toriel purred. "Are you another friend? I'm Toriel. Hello!"
"Er, hello!" Dr. Alphys' eyes trained on Frisk. "There's two of them?" she breathed in exasperation before meeting her girlfriend by King Asgore.
Frisk couldn't even answer. Black and red boots flashed over the ground beside Frisk. Papyrus came to a stop between the young human and Toriel. A red bone was gripped in his hand and another few jumped in front of Frisk. "HALT! NO ONE TAKE A STEP FURTHER, THIS FIGHT WILL NOT… PROGRESS…?" He turned to look at Toriel.
Toriel waved. "Hello! I am Toriel. It's nice to meet you."
"ER- HELLO." He glanced back at Frisk. "IS THAT… THE QUEEN?"
Frisk gave him a small nod. The bones before the young human vanished. "She's Toriel."
"…THE ONE YOU CALLED MOTHER," Papyrus stated. Frisk nodded happily.
"hey guys. what's up?" Sans strolled in behind Papyrus and came around to Frisk's other side.
Toriel gasped. "That voice…!" She looked at Sans stood in front of him. She dwarfed him in size. "Hello. I think we may know each other?"
"hey! i recognize your voice, too."
"I am Toriel. It's so nice to meet you."
"the name's sans and, ah, same." Sans gave her a nod of his head.
"Hehehe…" Toriel chuckled. Papyrus and Sans backed up so that they all stood together. The queen smiled. "My child. It seems as if you must stay a while longer. But with so many friends here, I don't think that will be much of a problem. You might even be happy here."
Dr. Alphys nodded. "A-After helping so many people, no one wants your soul anymore."
Captain Undyne puffed out her chest. "The rate of casualties has gone down by over half! Whatever positivity and happiness you have is infectious!"
Tears glimmered in Frisk's useless eyes. "Y-yeah! We can all be friends together! Flowey did you-?" Frisk spun around. The backpack was empty. "Flowey?" Light green vines whipped out of the ground around them. Within seconds, they wrapped around Frisk's legs, arms, chest, waist, shoulders, and neck. They forced them to their knees. The vines pulled them so tight that they were almost bent completely over and their chest began to hurt. Flowey popped out of the ground before them. A giant, thorny branch wider than King Asgore erupted from one of the walls and slashed across Frisk's friends. Vines erupted from that, too, and tied them all together.
Frisk looked up. The captured monsters struggled and fought with the vines. Sans, powerless, did not move. Dr. Alphys' tail whipped back and forth and her back claws tore at the vines. They were not even scratched. Toriel summoned fire. The vines did not wither. Captain Undyne summoned a spear. The spear shattered upon impact. Bones splintered upon hitting the vines. King Asgore's weapon clanged to the ground, utterly broken by the vines.
"F-Flowey? Flowey! What are you doing?" Frisk cried.
Flowey looked back at them. Six brightly colors souls flashed around him before melting into his small body. "Frisk. I'm doing what I need to do."
"What? You don't need to hurt anyone!" Frisk yelped. "Please don't hurt them! Please! They've done nothing wrong! We're trying to help them!" Although the monsters quit struggling, their hate did not cease. It was simply directed at the object of their misery.
"They're not hurt," Flowey stated. "They've simply been contained. I know that no one is going to agree with me. But Frisk, this must be done."
"Wh-what must be done?"
"Do you remember that talk we had? About the king?" Flowey persisted.
Frisk nodded. "Y-yeah. We agreed that we wouldn't hurt him- neither of us would. No matter what."
Flowey nodded. "And when I prompted you if worse came to worse, if he still forced a fight on you, what you would do?"
Frisk's blood turned to ice. "F-Flowey, please. King Asgore isn't fighting! We're not fighting! Please, Flowey!"
"If you were going to do something stupid," Flowey went on. "That I kill you."
"I-I'm not doing anything stupid!"
"You are," Flowey countered. "You brought me to that horrid place. You brought me across all this cavern. For what? Frisk, our happy ending won't be yours. You realize that, right? Someone will have to die. And if someone has to die, then I'm not letting Fate decide. I'm tired of being powerless. I'm tired of being stepped on. I'm tired of having everything I say disregarded and being helpless to do anything about it." As he spoke, the vines around them constricted. Thorns bristled from thick, green vines. He sighed and relaxed so that no one would suffocate. After all, Sans was so close to dusting it was a wonder he was still alive. "I'm not letting you decide. I'm sorry, Frisk. Forgive me."
White pellets appeared around him they struck at Frisk's soul. Frisk cried out in pain and struggled fiercely in the bonds that Flowey kept them wrapped up within. "Flowey, Please! Please don't- just, listen to yourself! You're trying to convince yourself what you're doing is alright!"
"Frisk, I'm not giving in to you. I've been with you for a long time. I know what you're trying to do. I'll make sure you won't suffer for long," Flowey stated in a flat voice. Another round of pellets struck at Frisk.
Frisk yelped in pain. Their struggles got weaker. Cuts appeared in their skin. "Flowey, please! You're my friend! I love you! Don't do this. Please-" another round of bullets cracked into their soul. That was it. Their soul hovered before them. It was cracked so much that the tiniest breath could kill them. Frisk slumped their shoulders and closed their eyes. They gave Flowey a tentative smile. "So, I'm guessing we're not going to have that dinner?" Another round of bullets surrounded them. Another round? Only one was needed.
A round of blue fire burst around Frisk. The pellets were disintegrated. A crack on Frisk's soul disappeared. Frisk's eyes flashed up. Toriel gave them a small smile. "Do not be afraid, my child. No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you!"
Flowey summoned two rows of pellets. A bone appeared on Frisk's right. A spear materialized on their left. The pellets were vaporized. Another crack vanished. Papyrus opened his eyes. "THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO AS YOU ALWAYS SAY TO DO: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!"
Captain Undyne crowed, "Hey! Human! If you got past me, then you can do anything! We're with you all the way!" A third crack disappeared.
"huh? you haven't beaten this guy, yeah?" Sans huffed with a smirk. "kid, this weirdo has nothin' on you." Frisk's soul mended a little bit more.
Flowey summoned two more walls of pellets. A wall of electricity on Frisk's left and a wall of yellow fire on their right destroyed the offending pellets. Their soul mended just a bit more. Dr. Alphys piped up, "Technically, it is impossible to get out of this situation as he is almost a god. Er- don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure a way out!"
"Human!" King Asgore stated, "For the future of humans and monsters…! You have to stay determined!"
Then, the room was filled. Monsters from all over the underground came to their side. The Royal Guard Dogs raced around to Frisk's side, snarling and barking. Hackles raised and fur fluffed up, even Lesser Dog looked intimidating. Endogeny's goop dripped on the ground behind them. The Royal Guard bunny and dragon came to them as well. Little ones like Froggit, Whimsum, Vulkin, Moldsmal, and Pyrope bounded into the mass of monsters. Monster kid tripped and fell flat on his face next to Muffet. Flowey had to move multiple times to avoid being trampled. Frisk's soul glowed in a brilliant light. They were not only physically healed, but their determination, their hope, came back with a fervor they hadn't felt in years. The vines around them began to loosen. Lesser Dog chewed on the vines. They wouldn't tear. They were much too strong to be defeated by a small dog's teeth. The small guard dog still put all of his effort and energy into attempting to tear apart the loose vines.
"Flowey?" Frisk stated. "Look at all these people! They're working together! Even with six souls, I don't think you can match the Underground. Please, Flowey. Let us go. I forgive you. You're only doing what's right. So, I'm not mad at you."
"Fuck that!" Captain Undyne huffed but was quickly silenced by Toriel's stern look.
Flowey shook his head with a small laugh. "You're right, Frisk. One human soul can equal the soul of every monster in the underground." He stared Frisk straight in the eyes. "Who do you want to live?"
Frisk felt cold.
"You can't even answer, can you?" Flowey prompted. "No. Because you don't want to die. But you don't want to stray from your morals. But deep down inside, all of us are selfish. All of us just want to survive. Sometimes, that means killing a few people."
"B-but… you don't have to kill anyone…" Frisk pointed out.
Vines erupted form the ground. Screams of pain and fear erupted from the ground as people were torn from their places and tethered. Vulkin exploded in an attempt to burn the vines. Pyrope set himself on fire. Doggo snapped his teeth into the vine and tore his head back and forth. Ice Cap attempted to freeze the vines. Snow Drake and his parents attempted to flutter away. They were snatched from the air and slammed into the ground. Nothing that anyone could do was working.
"W-wait!" Frisk cried. "Wait! Okay, Flowey! I give! Kill me. Take my soul. Please don't hurt them."
"my god does this sound familiar," Sans huffed. "do you remember the last time they said that, you fucking back-stabbing flower?"
Flowey didn't look at him. Pellets surrounded them. "For the good of all monsters… don't even attempt to stop me."
Yellow fire mixed with crystal blue to fend off another attack from Flowey. "No!" King Asgore growled. "I, King Asgore, will be the one to free us. Killing a human child is no longer the way to do it."
Toriel looked at Frisk. "Frisk, we're only defending you. Please understand this: you are a part of us, now."
"You… you really mean that?" Frisk breathed. "E-even though I'm a human?"
Toriel nodded. "Yes, my child. We will protect you. We love you, as you love us."
"I… we can… so, once this is over, we can be like… a family?"
"Of course," Toriel purred.
King Asgore nodded. "We will be able to live in peace, young one. Together."
Frisk's teary smile widened. They attempted to speak. A memory of Frisk's family came to mind. Tagged with it was its self-destruction and ultimate spiral into abuse and depression. Their smile faded. Frisk took a deep breath and shook their head. "No. Flowey's right, isn't he? My happy ending… it can't be yours." Frisk let out a bitter laugh. "To think I was… I was beginning to think I could be happy. That I had some sort of use. Well, I guess that's half right, huh? I'm sorry. I love all of you so much. I'm sorry. If I'd gone through the entire Underground without caring, then none of you would be here now."
Frisk let out a sigh. "Flowey? You seem to remember what I'd done and said very well. Do you remember what we talked about? Before we met Dr. Alphys?"
"What?" Flowey's voice was small, soft.
"I said that I would defend you," Frisk stated. "That I would not let you get hurt. With whatever happens, whatever I do or whatever anyone does to us, that I promised that I would always make sure that you were safe." A small smile crept upon their lips. "I, uh… heh. Welp. I guess I found just the way to do that. I love you. I love you all." Their smile faded. "Take care." Their necklace turned a brilliant shade of red. They drew Chara's knife from their bag and tore their hand out of the loose bindings. "Please, God, whatever you do, don't screw up your freedom."
"FRISK!" The cry went up around them. Flowey's eyes grew round in horror. Chara attempted to take the knife away. Their hand phased right through the weapon.
"Frisk if you kill yourself now, you will not be able to go back! Drop the knife!"
They gridded their teeth in pain and shuttered. Blood swelled on their shirt and dribbled down their chest. They dropped the bloody knife on the ground before them. Deep fissures cracked into their soul. Over time, cracks continued to be formed, even when the knife was thrown away. The opened their mouth in a soft laugh. Blood painted their teeth red and dribbled down their chin. "Hehe. Is this what my happy ending feels like?" They brought a closed, shaky hand to their chest and shut their eyes. "Familiar... isn't it...?"
Flowey appeared before them. He threw the knife away and let go of the vines. In fact, the vines throughout the entire underground fell. "I-I didn't mean it! I'm sorry, Frisk! I changed my mind. I don't like this plan anymore."
Frisk's blurry eyes half-shut. "Please… save them…" They flopped forward.
Flowey turned Frisk over and looked over the ghastly wound in their chest. He gasped and vanished into the ground. Otherwise, he would've been crushed. Dr. Alphys went to work immediately. She shoved Dogarressa back and slapped Lesser Dog with her tail to clear the people away from Frisk. Dr. Alphys sliced out a chunk of shirt over the chest. "Sans!" she barked. Sans was by her side in moments. "Put your hand on their chest and apply pressure."
"how much pressure?" Sans prompted but set his hands on their chest anyway.
"As much as you can. You're weak. You shouldn't hurt them."
"what?"
Dr. Alphys hovered her hand over Frisk's chest and moved their soul so that it hovered just above them. If he wanted to, Sans could catch it. Dr. Alphys put on a headset and set a device on the soul, which was connected to the headset with a cord. After a few seconds and a glance at a pressure reading device on the cord, Dr. Alphys dropped the device and took out a needle. She drew out a tiny bit of red liquid from a vial and then kept a firm grasp on their soul.
Toriel came up behind her. "What's that?"
"Determination. Their determination," Dr. Alphys replied. "They've lost quite a bit. Their soul is weak. They have no will to survive. Thus, their determination is low and they are very weak and vulnerable. Anything could destroy–or absorb–their soul. This injection should help. Being their own determination, which is the highest and most potent concentration that I've ever had, should help immensely. But it will hurt." Dr. Alphys moved around and stepped on Frisk's face. This, of course, caused Toriel to gasp and attempt to grab the scientist. King Asgore held her back. The doctor slid the needle into the dying child's nearly shattered soul, injected the liquid, and then stepped back. Dr. Alphys put away most of her supplies and grabbed the device she'd use to measure their soul. She glanced at her watch. "We will wait thirty seconds. Then, I will test their soul again. If they are stable, I will require you to heal them. Once they are healed, they will need to be washed off, changed, and fed. The knife is not to go anywhere near them for the time being."
"Kni… ife… Ch… ch…cha…. ra…" Frisk mumbled and twitched their fingers.
"Do not move," Dr. Alphys stated. "You are not in good enough condition for that."
"knife chara?" Sans prompted. "was that a, uh, joke or somethin'?"
Dr. Alphys looked at Sans. "They do not have appropriate levels of blood and are in a great deal of pain. Whatever they are saying right now will have very little sense."
"cah…rah…" Frisk corrected. Their eyes opened into slits. "No… chahr… ah… cha…ra…"
"are you correctin' me?" Sans prompted.
"Stop it!" Dr. Alphys barked. Sans shrank away from her. His hands twitched as they attempted to draw back to his chest to defend him. Dr. Alphys lowered her voice. "You are encouraging them." She picked up the other end of the device and held it to Frisk's soul. She nodded and lowered it back into their chest. "Heal them." Dr. Alphys ducked her head and took a step back.
Toriel knelt and hovered both hands over Frisk's body. Green sparks fluttered from her hands. At first, nothing happened. "My child…" Toriel whimpered. She lowered her hands. They emitted green light. The blood flow stopped but nothing else came together. "Please, my child. Please." Her hands glowed in a new fervor. Sparks and glimmering lights wreathed about her fingers and sparkled over Frisk's chest wound. Their wound vanished. The queen sighed and lowered her hands to her side. The green light vanished. She scooped up the young one's head in one hand and set the other on Frisk's chest. Sans skittered back. "You're better now, my child. You're alright. I'm here. We're here for you."
Frisk blink and opened their eyes. "Huh…?" They coughed and cleared their throat. "Why?"
"Why?" Toriel echoed.
"I thought… you needed me…" Frisk mumbled. "That s-something would–"
"Oh no! No, my child! We do need you. But we need you alive, you see?" Toriel reassured them. "Please, my child. Stay with us. Stay with me."
Frisk didn't respond at once. Toriel's furry hands were much softer and fluffier than any pillow they'd had. Their eyes began to close. Frisk attempted to speak, but all that came out with a yawn. Dr. Alphys snapped her clawed fingers in front of Frisk's nose. Frisk jolted awake. "Huh?! What-?"
"Stay awake." Dr. Alphys stated.
Toriel nodded. "My child, can you answer me? Please?"
"Yeah? Thank you." Frisk shifted so that they set their cheek on her palm. "Thank you."
Flowey's voice piped up behind them. "HEY!"
Toriel's head whipped around so fast it was a surprise her neck didn't snap. "What-?!"
Flowey raised his voice in an even higher pitch, "Frisk's okay! They're not dying. You're making sure of that." Flowey lowered his voice to an appropriate level. "But I'll still fulfill their wish."
Vines whipped out of the ground. Screams filled the silence. Everything went white. Then, nothing.