Frisk looked down at the litter of puppies that were moving about on the floor. Dogamy and Dogaressa had been called away, and so, Frisk, Napstablook, and Doggo were taking care of them. It had surprised Frisk, however, that they were already crawling and stumbling around at a young age, but the canines explained that they were puppies. They reached a more feral-like stage first, before maturing mentally as a monster.
Therefore, despite only being a few months old, most of them were crawling around on all fours without too much issue. They still couldn't talk yet, and just spoke through their barks, the tones conveying their general messages to their care takers.
Beowulf was the hardest to handle. The black footed boy was one to tussle, constantly knocking over litter mates. It wasn't out of malice, he simply wanted to play—but he played rough, causing siblings to squeak and yelp their complaints.
"Come here, ya rascal," Doggo said as he scooped up the rambunctious boy, snorting as the pup yelped and flailed his paws as the floor vanished. "Gotta stop messing with your siblings and be a bit more gentle—" Doggo gave a grunt as a paw whacked his muzzle.
"Oh?" Doggo asked, smirking. "We're going to do it that way?" The amber-eyed boy gave a defiant yip. The smirk broadened. "Guess we're doing it this way." With that, he switched his hold on the boy, nuzzling his stomach. The boy gasped and squealed, flailing his limbs wildly as he tried to escape.
Once he got too out of hand, Doggo simply held him by his scruff, letting him drain his energy as he fussed in Doggo's hold. Frisk looked up, smiling, feeling the others pleasantly watching for once, instead of giving them another headache. Then, they scooped up Dogtanian, who was insisting on trying to climb them.
The other two boys were poking around at their surroundings, finding the large room of the house to be their whole world, and they were determined to figure it all out. Canis, however, simply watched from where she had been initially set down. She opened her mouth, yawning, and then curled up. It seemed she was content with where she was.
Her ears twitched, and she opened her aqua eyes as she felt herself get picked up. The little girl looked up in confusion at Napstablook. "Oh, hello…" the ghost murmured. "We should probably put you back in bed if you're going to sleep…you'll catch a cold on the floor."
Canis looked up at him, and gave another yawn, before curling up in their hold, and promptly falling asleep. "Oh—oh…" Flustered, the ghost turned completely invisible, with Frisk realizing they were hiding the pup along with them. The child watched quietly, and then stifled a laugh, before coming forward, insisting they get the pup to a bed.
There was a light knock at the door, and Lupus and Dogmatix rushed toward it, both barking softly as they dropped into messy play stances, wondering if they could get another playmate. Doggo walked over, holding Beowulf upside down by a foot. When he opened the door, he found Gerson.
"Thought I'd find the Neck-Warmer here." Gerson chuckled as the two pups began pawing at his legs as he tried to gently slide his way in. "Having fun with the pups?" Frisk nodded as they tried to avoid Dogtanian's muzzle as the girl sniffed at them.
"Is something wrong?" Napstablook asked as they floated over.
"Not really," Gerson said. "That Michael kid came up the mountain. Apparently the meetings for today were cancelled." Frisk gasped with a smile, and he laughed. "Thought you'd like to hear that. You've got today free now."
Frisk gave a quiet hum of thought. Well, there was something they had wanted to do for quite a while. In fact, ever since they saw the map of the city…they wanted to check something. They had all of today off… They stood up, and questioned if they could go out.
Gerson looked at them in confusion. "Wait, are you saying you want to go down there?" They nodded, saying they wanted to walk around. "Kid, I don't know…I need a break from going up and down the mountain, since you don't use your little shortcuts in the city."
That was a conscious choice of Frisk's, as they didn't want to accidentally advertise any extra magical abilities, as there was no private place they knew of, that they could teleport to. However, Gerson had a point. He was too old to constantly be going up and down the mountain. Frisk insisted they could go alone, and teleport back if needed.
"I'm not letting you go alone," he stated firmly…though Frisk pointed out that they literally couldn't ever be alone. "Kid, that doesn't count, and you know it."
"Um…" Napstablook mumbled. "Uh…maybe…maybe I could take them?" The ghost faded slightly. "If…that's okay. I mean, if something happens, I can get them straight back, and I can fight a little…oh no…that's probably a bad idea, I'm sorry…"
Gerson looked at the ghost, then back at the child. Then, he sighed. "Fine," he said. "But if there's any trouble, you bring them straight back, ya got that?"
"Oh—yes sir," Napstablook managed.
"Good…" He ruffled Frisk's hair. "Now stay out of trouble, all right?"
Frisk nodded, while Gerson picked up the two pups. "Well, since I'm here, how about I stay and help with these little rascals?"
Doggo smiled. "It would be appreciated. Luckily, one of them is already asleep, so two each?" he asked as he took Dogtanian out of Frisk's grasp.
"Sounds good to me," Gerson replied.
While they decided on how to handle the four remaining pups, Frisk stood, and beckoned the ghost to follow them. They quickly teleported to the exit of the Underground with the ghost, and then, they started their way down the slopes. It took a while, and with both being quiet souls, there wasn't much conversation either.
When they finally did get to the bottom, Frisk opted to stay on the outskirts, the most outer ring of the city. They slowly walked with the ghost trailing a little behind them as they crossed open fields, where the grass grew wild. There were some stray buildings here and there that Frisk would sometimes approach.
However, they would stop a short distance away, and then turn to look at Mt. Ebott. They would stare at it silently, and then move on in the same direction over and over. Most of the buildings they came across were old abandoned factories. They were small ones that were only one story, and have long since seen any workers.
They were few and far apart, and any other buildings didn't seem to be in use anymore either. There were even a few houses, but they had 'For Sale' signs in the yard…or were just in such a state of disrepair that nature was attempting to claim it back. Frisk would quietly look around, taking in their surroundings as they continued their trek.
Napstablook looked around, marveling at everything. This was their first time truly going outside, and it was beautiful. The sun shone merrily down, and a gentle breeze rolled through, making the grass blow back, the movement reminding one of waves on the ocean. The sun shone off some of the buildings too, and there was the skyline of the city to look at as well.
The ghost turned, smiling as they looked up at Ebott. For being trapped in there, they still thought the absolute size of the mountain was stunning. That was their home…and Napstablook hoped they could eventually live on it, instead of in it. Though, they also kept an eye out for humans, not wanting any trouble.
Eventually, they found a little paved road—though it was obvious that even that hadn't been tended to in a while due to a lack of traffic. Frisk glanced to the mountain, and then, without warning, broke into a run, following the road away from the city. "Oh!" Napstablook exclaimed. "Wait up!"
They flew after the child, who kept running, until they stopped at an odd looking house. They panted, hands on their knees, looking at the mountain, and then at the home. Napstablook paused, looking further down the road to see that it tapered off into nothingness just a little bit away.
Then, the ghost glanced to the home. It was only one floor, but what it lacked in height, in seemed to make up for in length and width. It was made of dark wood, and as Frisk approached, Alphys perked in interest, as the design reminded her faintly of Japanese styled homes. Except, there were some differences she was noticing. In the end, it seemed to be a mix of an Eastern and Western home.
Frisk hopped up onto the porch, instantly going for the door. They tried to open it, but they weren't all that surprised when they found it locked. "Um…Frisk…?" Napstablook questioned quietly. "What's…what's going on?"
The child hesitated, and then turned to Napstablook, asking if they could phase them through the door. "What…are you saying to…trespass? Won't the owners get mad…?" Frisk lowered their head, their hair shadowing over their eyes as they told the ghost that they wouldn't have to worry about it.
Napstablook remained reluctant, but, they quickly caved in. "Oh…okay….but I don't like this…" they managed as they took the child, and phased them through the door. The home was dark, and the ghost found themselves confused by the layout. They were in a wide hall that went to their left and right, but there seemed to be no immediate rooms around them.
Frisk turned, and quietly asked Napstablook if they could wait out on the porch. They stated that they wouldn't be more than an hour…that they just wanted to look around, and then they could leave.
"I…I guess I can wait," Napstablook said. They could listen to music in the meantime, and actually, the ghost was getting some ideas that they wanted to jot down before they forgot. With that, they phased through the door, leaving Frisk alone.
The child heard the quiet murmurs of confusion from the others in their mind, but they didn't respond to the questions as they chose to walk down the hall, and eventually reached the corner of the house where a sliding door greeted them. They pulled it open to find a small bedroom.
They looked around as they crept over the wood. Sunlight came in through the windows, with specks of dust dancing in the rays. There was a small bed by the windows, an empty toy chest, with its former contents spilled about the floor of the room.
The child quietly walked to the other side of the room, approaching the bed where a teddy bear laid on its side. They picked it up as they sat down, staring at its brown furred face, and black plastic glass eyes. They fell silent, remembering that little companion. There had almost never been a moment where the teddy bear wasn't around. How far back…
Frisk closed their eyes…remembering being a much smaller child, sitting somewhere in the dark, the world bumping around them. They were in a vehicle…a bus. Alone and afraid, clutching onto the bear as if it were their only hope. They ruffled his fur, and set him back down on the bed, looking around at other familiar toys.
Then, they went over to their small dresser, and picked up one of the pictures. Frisk frowned, desperately trying to bring the two adults to mind…but, try as the child might, they couldn't remember those two. The monsters within their mind stirred, piecing things together.
Frisk put the picture back and grabbed the other. This one had them in it, along with a much older couple. They were smiling…they were happy. The child mumbled something quietly, and that's when the others were certain. This was Frisk's family…this had been their home before they went to Mt. Ebott.
Frisk slowly put the picture back, quietly looking around the dusty room. They went over to a desk, and picked up a little book with 'Frisk' written messily in crayon. Frisk paused, hearing Toriel fawn over the sight. Then, Frisk opened it. It was like a diary, or a journal, with events messily recorded.
In fact, the writing was so bad that even Frisk wasn't always quite sure of what had been written in its earlier pages. However, as they flipped through it to more recent times, the writing became clearer, and were accompanied with little doodles. The child continued reading, pausing when they finally came across something.
'I had a weird dream…I saw Grandma's pot floating…' Next to it, was a drawing of what seemed to be a tea pot, enveloped with a blue glow. Frisk slowly read it over again, before dropping the little book, and launching themselves out the way they came, running down the hall, all the way to the other end.
They slammed a door open, and found themselves in a kitchen that also worked as the dining room. Frisk looked around a bit desperately, and then sighed in relief as they spotted the tea pot on the counter. They closed their eyes, trying to remember. They had to of been…six. That seemed right.
They had been thirsty, and so they went to the kitchen for a drink. Their Grandma had been there as well, and…right, she had blue eyes. Deep blue tired eyes. She had smiled when Frisk came in, petting their head, and as she did, the pot behind her poured some tea into two cups.
The child had woke up the next morning, and mistaken it for a dream, but from what they learned about humans…it was likely that her Grandmother had levitation magic. The child wondered why they didn't know that, but then one of the others proposed that they likely didn't use magic often due to their age.
Frisk breathed out quietly, and then exited another door of the kitchen, being led to another hall. They walked down it, trying to sort out the muddled thoughts of their time here. Oh, they remembered their grandparents well; it wasn't like they were fading in their memory. However, there were the few years before that, before they came here. They couldn't remember that.
The fusion opened another door at the end of the hall, and stepped into a simple living room. There was a couch, a reading chair, a table, and an old television set. Frisk stared at the table, where an unfinished checkerboard game was. Frisk was quiet, and then grabbed a red piece—the color they always picked—and jumped over two black ones. "Gotta crown me now, Grandpa…" they mumbled to themselves as the red piece reached the opposite end of the board.
They closed their eyes, remembering him. An old fashioned man, with tired—no, not tired—that was too light of a term…weary, wizened yellow eyes—the kind of eyes that had seen too much, and were ready to rest soon. However, they could remember one of their last games. He may have been ready to rest, but he could still smile…he could still laugh. It was a deep, if somewhat raspy one, from old age, but it was the kind of laugh that would echo through the home.
Frisk always liked hearing it. They focused on a more specific memory. Their last game. It had been raining that morning, and then cloudy for the early afternoon. However, when they played, a ray of sunlight came in. He chuckled. "Come on, Munchkin. Let's go play in the garden while the weather's nice."
In the present, the fusion exited the second door of the living room, but they only went partially down the third hall, and opened a side door, and oddly…stepped outside onto a covered porch. It turned out that the home wrapped around an indoor garden, making it impossible to access without going through the house first.
Frisk hopped down the short step and onto one of the many stepping stones. They felt Asgore rise to attention to look at the inner yard. There were flowers growing on one corner, fruits and vegetables in another…there was a climbable tree in the third one, with pink flowers growing around in its green leaves, with shrubbery surrounding its base.
The child remembered that they used to climb that tree all the time…except, they could never get down, and would either mewl for help until someone came…or inevitably fall to the ground. That was part of the reason why their Grandparents insisted on carrying bandages everywhere. Frisk and gravity were simply not on good terms.
The last corner just had lush grass that had grown without supervision due to the absence of a caretaker. Frisk went over, and dropped down on their knees, peering around, before reaching under the porch, and drawing out a blue ball with a band of pink on it.
Frisk smiled. It had matched their sweater. Not that it was surprising, when they thought of their Grandmother's habits. They traced the stripe as their eyes dimmed. That day…after the sun came out, they and their Grandpa had come out to play. He sat on the porch, tossing the ball to them, playing catch. He chuckled sometimes, when they comically missed, and sometimes, he would dramatically flail with the ball.
However, it was that same day, that he started coughing. It was so bad, that their Grandmother had been drawn out by the noise. She had come over, resting her hands nervously on his shoulders as he coughed, and the bout lasted for what seemed like forever, until it finally settled.
She helped him to his feet, and then into the house…that was the last time they played in the garden…it was the last time they played at all. The fusion clambered back onto the porch, and re-entered the house, making their way to the master bedroom. They hesitated, their one hand shaking wildly as they hovered over the door.
Frisk shut their eyes, and slowly opened it. They peeked open an eye and looked up. Then, they opened both, staring. The room was empty. There was confusion, but mostly relief. The days after that incident…Grandma took care of him, but his health declined… Frisk did what they could to help.
They had been homeschooled after all…they didn't have to leave. However, one day…Frisk came in to wake their grandfather. However…he would not wake. He had passed in the night. It didn't take long at all, for the grandmother to follow in his tracks. Frisk remembered that the next day…she was gone too.
Frisk had fled the room… the house, and ran for the mountain. They were running, scared, terrified of their reality, and wanting to run away from it, as if they could somehow go back in time, and defy it…They ran until…
Until they fell into the Underground.
Frisk ignored the questions of the others, focusing on finding an empty box. They dropped the ball into it. Then, they carried it out, wanting to gather a few more things.
Outside, Napstablook laid on the porch, listening to the music they had with their headphones. Eventually, the door opened, and they looked up to see Frisk coming out with a box. Within it, was the ball, the checkers game, the pictures, the messy journal, and…and the little teddy bear.
"Oh…" they murmured, rising fully as Frisk set it down. "Are…are we done…here?" Napstablook had something of an idea of what was going on, but they had no intention of prying. Frisk nodded, and then suddenly came forward, hugging the ghost, causing them to become transparent.
They nearly went completely invisible, however, when Frisk mumbled a thank you. Napstablook smiled slightly. "Oh…it was fine…um…" The ghost nuzzled them. "Hey Frisk…let's get you back to your family, all right?" The child looked up with a sad smile, and nodded, with Napstablook taking the box in their magic. Frisk then led them through the doorway, locking the door.
When they went through the entry way to the garden, however, Frisk swiftly took them to the Underground. Just like that, Frisk found themselves back home. Back with everyone that was now their family.
