Alright, genuine question. I've got two ideas for a fic, and I plan on writing both if I've got the time. They're both going to be crossover fics, but neither will be with Undertale. So, what I'm asking now is: Would you guys prefer a crossover between LOZ and a different subject or a crossover between that different subject and a different different subject? When this chapter goes up, I'm making a poll over on FFnet for you guys!
RRRP:
Spellflame (FF): Spoiler: He doesn't.
Chapter 18
The Barrier shone with its strange light once again. Twilight filtered through it like leaves in the Kokiri Forest. The warmth of sunlight hit Link's skin for the first time in days. He couldn't see the sun through the barrier, however. The Hylian would have assumed it would be a stalwart wall, impregnable to anything monsterkind could throw at it, had he not already seen it last Reset.
"This is the Barrier," Asgore narrated. "This is what keeps all of us trapped underground. If… by any chance, you have unfinished business here, this is your last chance to turn back. Please do what you must."
"I already did," Link ascertained.
"I see. This is it, then."
The monster king let out a low breath, as if preparing himself for battle. Actually, that was exactly what he was doing. "Ready?" he asked.
Link nodded, before he was yanked into the Combat Plane. This was uncomfortably familiar to his first encounter with the boss monster, even down to his next lines. He was about to say, "Human… Goodbye." Then he'd draw his scythe and skewer the Mercy Button.
"Human… Goodbye," Asgore said morosely, before a single familiar fireball materialized to Asgore's left. That was new. It then proceeded to swat the king away, out of range of Link.
And Toriel- Toriel- proceeded to show her face again. Had she been here the whole time? If so, why hadn't she intervened last time?
"What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth," she stated venomously, referring to Asgore. "Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian."
"Toriel? What are you doing here? Also, thanks," Link asked.
"At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone, but I… couldn't stop worrying about you. Your adventure must have been so treacherous… and ultimately, it would burden you with a horrible choice. To leave this place, you'd have to take the life of another person. You would have to defeat Asgore."
"Honestly, my biggest threat over the last few days has been myself," Link replied sheepishly, rubbing the nape of his neck. "And knowing me, I'd make the wrong choice."
"Exactly! I realized I cannot allow that." Toriel said soothingly. "It is not right to sacrifice someone simply to let someone else leave here. Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time?
"So, for now, let us suspend this entire battle. As terrible as Asgore is, he deserves mercy too."
"Tori…" Asgore breathed from off in the distance. "You- you came back! I-"
"Don't you 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" she spat. "You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind, you could have gone through the Barrier after gaining one Soul. Then you could take six souls from the humans, then come back and freed everyone peacefully. But instead, you made everyone live in despair… because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes."
"He's not that bad…" Link argued weakly. "He just… wasn't thinking straight. He was trying to help his people, and if his good intentions don't absolve him of his sins, then neither do mine. Besides, one human soul didn't help Asriel, so why would it help Asgore?"
Toriel was about to reprimand him, but fell silent, a stricken expression on his face.
"I appreciate the sentiment, child," Asgore rumbled, "but Tori is right. I am a miserable creature. What do you know of sins?"
"Check me."
Asgore visibly recoiled, eyes betraying shock and horror. "What sorcery-"
"Yeah. A hundred and twenty LOVE. I know what I'm talking about," Link yelled, truth oozing off of his words. He'd have to conjure his inner Sans to pull this off. "I allowed a great evil to take over an entire country for seven years, due to my own negligence. I have a kill count in the thousands, at least. Before a few days ago, I was a lost soul subsisting on nothing but my own self-loathing. And if I can still be a good person, so can you. So don't give me any of that shit. Capiche? Capiche."
The goat monsters traded a furtive glance, stunned at this outburst. "I… I know not what to say. Tori- Toriel… can we still be friends?"
She looked like she wanted to give him a flat 'no', but the previous confession seemed to give her pause. "I do not know," she eventually said, each word as carefully placed as a chess piece. "Maybe if, I… but-
The wall back to the Underground promptly exploded as an Undyne-shaped blur burst into the room. "Ngahhhhh! Asgore! Human!" she screamed. "Nobody fight each other! Everyone's gonna make friends, or else I'll-"
"Oh, hello," Toriel greeted, seemingly desperate to change the subject. "I am Toriel. Are you one of Link's friends?"
"Uh… yeah? Nice to meet you!" she said before darting over to the monster king. She then whispered something in his ear, which was drowned out by Alphys demanding that nobody fight each other. Again, Toriel greeted her warmly, and Alphys responded with equal warmth. She then locked eyes with Link, confusion permeating from her eyes. "There's two of them?" she whispered. The Hylian in question merely nodded, and she joined Undyne.
"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE!" Papyrus demanded at the top of his lungs. "IF ANYONE FIGHTS ANYONE, THEN I'LL BE FORCED TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!"
"Oh, hello!"
"HELLO, YOUR MAJESTY! HUMAN, DID ASGORE SHAVE… AND… CLONE HIMSELF?"
"Nah, different people," Sans explained casually. "Also, hey guys, what's up?"
"That voice…" Toriel breathed, realization evident in her features. "Hello, I think we may… know each other?"
"If you're the lady behind the door who tells the jokes, then yeah."
"I am Toriel. It is so nice to meet you."
"Name's Sans. And, uh, same."
"Oh, wait! Then this must be your brother, Papyrus! Greetings, Papyrus! Your brother has told me a lot about you!"
"WOWIE…" Papyrus sighed. "I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS ABOUT ME! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"
Asgore just looked glum. Pathetically so. Had Link looked like that all this time? Granted, the monster king was constantly reminded of his plight by his ex-wife telling bad bone puns to an infuriated Papyrus. The Hero hadn't had that.
"Hey, Asgore," Undyne interrupted. "Come on, it's going to be okay. There are plenty more fish in the sea."
"Y-yeah, Asgore! Undyne's totally right about the fish thing!" Alphys added. "S-sometimes you just gotta, uh… stop going after the furry boss monster and, uh… j-just find a really nice fish?" She paused, glancing at Undyne. "It's a metaphor."
"Well, I think it's a good analogy," the royal guardswoman confirmed.
"Oh my god!" Mettaton's robotic voice emanated from outside Link's field of view. He'd completely forgotten about the robot's existence. "Will you two just smooch already? The audience is dying for some romantic tension!"
"Hey! Shut up!" Undyne attacked, a faint hint of a shadow of a blush on her scaly cheeks. "Man, the nerve of that guy! Right, Alphys?" She paused. "Uh, Alphys?"
"No," the scientist whispered. "No! He's right. Let's do it!"
"Finally," Link breathed.
"Well? Uh? Okay? I guess? If you want to? Then?" Undyne stammered, obviously taken aback but still very clearly into it. "Don't hold anything back!"
They leaned into each other, and just before their lips met, something large, white, and furry clamped itself over Link's face, smothering his eyes. "Hey! Toriel, I can't see anything!"
"My child, this is hardly appropriate for someone of your age-"
"I'm perfectly mature, remember?"
"That's no excuse!" But the former queen relented, unshielding the Hylian's eyes. However, Alphys and Undyne had since finished their makeout session. At least she hadn't interrupted them directly.
"Well, my child," Toriel said. "It seems as if you must stay here for a while. But looking at all the great friends you have made… I think- I think you'll be happy here."
There was a short pause, interrupted by Alphys.
"That reminds me… Papyrus, you invited everyone here, right? Well, besides, uh, her. Anyways, if I got here before you, how did you know how to call everyone?"
Papyrus of all people had gotten everyone here? That was surprising. Link hadn't taken the skeleton to be the brightest bulb in the bunch by a long shot.
"LET'S JUST SAY… A TINY FLOWER HELPED ME!"
Link came to the same conclusion Alphys did. "A tiny… flower?"
And everyone proceeded to get strangled by a vine. Except Link of course.
Link always got to watch.
!0*0!
"You idiots," the accursed Amalgamate flower spat. The vine behind it squeezed tighter around the monsters, causing evident pain. "While you were all having your little pow-wow… I took the human Souls! And now, not only are they under my power, but all of your friends' Souls are going to be mine, too! Hee hee hee! And you know what the best part is?"
"All my fault, blah blah blah," Link drawled. "Can we skip to the part where I kick your ass and you shut up?"
"Don't you disrespect your god!" Flowey demanded, squeezing the monsters even tighter. "All that time you spent listening to them, encouraging them, caring about them… without that, they would never have come here. And now, with their souls and the humans' together… I can achieve my real form!"
"You achieved your 'real form' already and I still murdered it," Link recalled, cracking his knuckles. "You want to do the same song and dance again?"
"Don't you get it? This is all just a game. If you leave the Underground satisfied, you'll win the game. And if you win, you won't want to play with me anymore. And what would I do then? But our little game will never end. I'll dangle victory in front of you, just within your reach… and then tear it away just before you grasp it! Over and over and over and over again! Hee hee hee. Listen, if you do beat me, I'll let you have your 'happy ending'. I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the Barrier. Everyone will finally be satisfied.
"But that'll never happen. I'll keep you here no matter what!"
His blood orange, almost eye-strainingly bright soul was compacted into a box barely big enough for it, surrounded by friendliness pellets. "Even if it means killing you a billion times!"
Wave after wave of pellets slammed into his Soul, but it remained stalwart. His legs may have been locked in place, but the Hylian's body would not waver, no matter how much pain it was in. After what felt like an eternity, he hit one singular health point, and the pellets closed in.
But somebody came.
A wall of flames materialized around his Soul, warding off the offending pellets. "Do not be afraid, my child," Toriel managed to get out through her restraints. "No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you."
Twin walls of pellets formed on either side, and each was deflected by a bone and spear, respectively. "THAT'S RIGHT, HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I WOULD DO… BELIEVE IN YOU!"
"Yeah! If you got past me, you can do anything!" Undyne chimed in. "So don't worry! We're with you all the way!"
"Wait, you haven't beaten this guy yet?" Sans inquired, that permanent grin etched deeper than usual into his skull. "Come on. This whackjob's got nothing on you."
More walls of pellets were blocked by a surge of electricity and another firewall. "Technically, it's impossible for you to beat him," Alphys stuttered, very encouragingly. "B-but, somehow, I know you can do it!"
"Human…" Asgore boomed. "For the future of humans and monsters, you must stay determined!"
At this proclamation, the entire population of the Underground stormed into the already cramped room, screaming encouragement and the like at Link. Flowey's look of grim amusement faded, revealing what appeared to be genuine concern.
"Urgh… no!" it squealed. "Unbelievable! This can't be happening! You… you…"
Everything was about to go horribly wrong. Link could feel it. And, like clouds foreshadow the storm, his prediction came true.
"I can't believe you're all so stupid."
More vines sprouted out of the earth, holding everyone still, strangling them.
"All of your souls are mine!"
Except Link.
Link always got to watch.
!0*0!
When the light receded, all that was left was a little goat child wearing a striped shirt. It looked eerily familiar. Then the Hylian placed it.
"Goddesses dammit," Link whispered.
The youth began to laugh, shoulders shaking. "Finally," he said, in a high and lilting tone. "I was so tired of being a flower."
He turned around, revealing that this was, in fact, Asriel Dreemurr, the statue in Waterfall with the umbrella. "Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend."
The child then spontaneously grew about five heads in height and began hovering a few feet off the ground. His garb had changed into effectively his mother's, but with shoulder plates like those of Asgore. Below him appeared the words 'Asriel Dreemurr'. At least he hadn't grown a Sans head.
The Barrier behind Asriel began shining a multicolored light, as if someone was twisting kaleidoscopes behind Link's eyes. He opted to check Dreemurr, to get a better scope of what he was facing. Apparently, this being possessed infinite attack and infinite defense. That was good.
And then it began raining stars.
As the stars collided with the Battle Box, they exploded into smaller stars for Link to dodge. It wasn't too bad, and it certainly wasn't enough to bother with Flawless Riposte just yet. "You know, I don't care about destroying this world anymore. After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline, I just want to reset everything."
Twin blades materialized in Asriel's arms. He alternated between slamming them down on different halves of the Battle Box. It wasn't an issue to dodge until he hit with both, leaving small pellets in its wake that then darted at the Hero of Time. Somehow, they dealt fifty damage apiece! He just had to keep holding on…
"All your progress… everyone's memories… I'll bring them all back to zero!"
The Battle Box was struck by powerful lightning bolts several times. Link at least got a little indicator near the bottom that told him where they were going to strike, which gave him just barely enough time to dodge them all.
"Then we can do everything all over again."
More stars slammed into the Battle Box, each dealing significant damage. That was fun.
"And you know what the best part is? You'll do it."
Yeah, he would. What of it?
His arm transformed into a cannon of sorts, that began firing a trio of bullets at him in rapid succession. The Hylian was forced to continuously dodge them, and he was doing great until he was blasted by a beam of pure rainbow energy.
"And then you'll lose to me again… and again… and again… and again!"
Link wished that Amalgamate hadn't eaten his sword. He could have used it to defend himself. Now he was stuck just dodging, which was more difficult than just parrying.
The battle segued into more electric blasts, which succeeded in hitting him a few more times than he would have liked. And he was out of healing items, thanks to those stupid amalgamates… Now he was down to half of his health.
"Because you want a 'happy ending'. Because you 'love your friends'. Because you 'never give up'. Isn't that delicious? Your courage, the power that let you get this far… It's going to be your downfall!"
He didn't care. He'd been stuck in time loops before, he could do it again.
His body operated on autopilot, evading each attack with hairs of space to spare. His reflexes had been honed by all of his time being a hero. Actually, what in the hells was a 'Hyper Goner'?
"Enough messing around," Asriel decided definitively. "It's time to purge this timeline once and for all!" He shrugged, shaking his head dismissively at Link's sweating form. He then disappeared, the Battle Box expanding to take up all space. A form materialized out of the gloom; a gargantuan skull vaguely reminiscent of Asriel's face. It cackled at him before it began to suck away at the very fabric of the universe. Link could feel the very substance of his being wasting away, into the gaping maw of the beast. His vision became overwhelmed by white, and he squeezed his eyes shut.
Then it was gone. He opened his eyes again, and Asriel was back. "Even after that attack, you're still standing in my way? Wow, you really are something special."
Link glared venomously, only now realizing that he was down to exactly one health,
"But don't get cocky," the prince warned. "Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my real power. Let's see what good your precious courage is against all of it!"
And his vision was consumed by white.
!0*0!
The first thing Link processed when he awoke was that he couldn't move his body. At all.
Then he noticed Asriel.
The monster prince's appearance had completely changed. To be quite frank, it was more reminiscent of architecture than physiology. It had arms but no real torso, and nothing of legs. Its form was dominated by a pair of batlike wings on its back. He cackled mirthfully upon revealing his true body. He spread his arms wide as tendrils of raw magical power spewed forth. They arced towards Link's fragile Soul, too quick to reliably dodge. The Hylian activated Flawless Riposte, causing everything around him to slow to a relative crawl. From there, he could dodge the attack easier.
Asriel then threw his arms forwards, crackling with magical energy. The Battle Box compressed, slamming into each side of his vulnerable Soul, and a single tendril connected to him. It didn't hurt, but he could feel it leeching off of his magic, feeding from it like a vampire. His Flawless Riposte fizzled out as green fire erupted from Asriel's eyes. And Link still
couldn't
move.
The magical attack slammed into his soul, and a massive crack appeared in its center. It split in two, just barely holding itself together any more than that. "No!" Link screamed, desperately trying to force his Soul back together.
He refused.
When he came to, he was back at full health, standing in front of this god of death. He still couldn't move. But he was alive. And that was enough.
"I can feel it," Asriel stated drolly. "Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away… your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where nobody remembers you."
Link audibly laughed. He used to live in that world. Dying in it was what he had expected before coming to the Underground. And now that he'd tasted friendship, love, wholeness, he wouldn't allow himself to go back to being forgotten.
The world was ending, and Link still couldn't move.
"You're still hanging on? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life."
He refused to die.
"Still? Show me what good your determination is now!"
"Okay."
He reached for his Save file. Nothing happened.
He reached again. Nothing again.
He couldn't save himself. But maybe… he could save something else. Someone else.
"Hey Sans! Get your lazy pelvis out of Asriel's Soul and help!"
He had to be in there somewhere, right? Aha! Deep within Asriel's heart of hearts, something was resonating. Two somethings, actually.
Two Lost Souls appeared. Link already knew it was Papyrus and Sans, even if their faces were blotted out. He just had to free them of Alphys's influence…
"Sans. I need you to judge me," the Hylian asked. "A hundred and twenty. Come on."
"Just give up. I did," Sans said dismissively.
"I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN!" Papyrus cried.
And then the Hyper Goner showed up.
Link yelped as the blaster fired a single straight beam of magical energy. It didn't seem to possess the reality-destroying properties of the bigger one. Good. More appeared and fired, forcing Link to bob and weave between them. He punctuated this with bad bone puns until Sans promptly tossed him directly upwards as a wall of bones jutted out of the Battle Box. Then he was flung leftwards. Then right. Then left again. Then down. Link's Soul reverted back to normal as long bones floated along either side of the box, forcing Link to move his Soul in a circle to avoid damage. He was then lobbed towards the right, where a massive bone maze waited for him. The Hylian zigzagged through it, desperately trying to avoid the poisonous properties of their attacks. The Battle Box reverted back to a square as a massive circle of blasters formed around the box and fired sequentially, forcing Link to sprint around in a circle for far too long. He couldn't do that again, Link realized. He had to do something desperate.
The Hylian forced Sans to take the hilt of his sword. He still had the handle, even if the blade had been consumed by an Amalgamate. He then knelt, allowing Sans to kill him if he wished. This fortunately seemed to do the trick, as the Lost Soul remembered that he was supposed to be rooting for Link. Interestingly, this also brought Papyrus over to his side.
He figured he'd just tackle the rest of them in random order. So he went with Alphys. She was in her date dress for some undefined reason, moping about how everyone hated her. Her attacks were awfully similar to that of Mettaton, probably because it was her technology.
Now would be a good time to figure out anime, right?
Dodging the mini-Mettatons and T-explosions, Link fired question after question about techno-babble he couldn't understand until Alphys came back to herself. Next up was Undyne. She was somehow even more gung-ho about murdering him than she was before she met him, spouting lines like "All humans must die!" and "You're our real enemy!" She sent a solid blue spear directly at him, and Link stood perfectly still, expecting it to pass harmlessly through him. The Hylian was surprised, however, when it snapped in two white pieces, spun around, and flung themselves at him fast enough to hit. They hurt. This process repeated itself several times until he stopped getting hit by it. He struggled backwards, forcing her to recognize his fighting spirit or whatever. That didn't quite work, so he asked how she ever managed to cook something edible. Somehow, that was the catalyst for solving all the problems. Some humans were okay, indeed.
Last up were Toriel and Asgore. They, like Sans and Papyrus, were a duo. Link merely refused to fight either of them, even going so far as to allow them to hit him without moving his soul an inch. This really seemed to get the message across, and they came back to themselves. His fate was up to him now.
That was everyone. Everyone had been Saved. So why wasn't he done with the fight yet? He checked the Act menu- which had been rebranded without him noticing- and noticed someone else. He couldn't tell who. As his friends remembered him, something else began to resonate within Asriel's heart of hearts. But who?
Asriel. Obviously.
"Asriel."
"H-huh? What are you doing?"
"No clue, but I'm doing it and you can't stop me."
The god of death appeared dejected, sullenly glancing downwards.
"Wh-what did you do? What's this feeling? What's happening to me? What did you do, Chara?"
Who on the Goddesses' green earth was Chara? Wait, important things now, questions later.
"No! No! I don't need anyone!"
Hundreds of magic blasts spewed from his fingers, each slamming into Link's soul with the force of the Terminian moon. Still, the ex-Kokiri stood, unbroken.
"Stop it! Get away from me! Do you hear me? I'll tear you apart!"
"Do it, you won't," the swordsman challenged.
The attacks were lessening now, both in frequency and in strength. Asriel was losing. So Link continued to do nothing but Spare him.
"Chara…" he breathed. "Don't you know why I'm doing this… why I keep fighting to keep you around?"
The Battle Box began to drip fire, but the flame particles actively avoided him, much like Toriel once had all the way back in the Ruins. By Farore, that was a long time ago.
"I'm doing this because you're special, Chara… You're the only one that understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore… no, that's not just it. I… I… I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara. I care about you more than anyone else! I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave! I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again..."
Chara was Asriel's Navi. Everything made sense.
"So, please… stop doing this…" he screamed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes, "And just let me win!"
He put his hands together, blazing with magical light, and pointed them at Link. A terrifying blast of rainbow magic assailed him, tearing away at the Battle Box until it was no more. Link's health dropped to one point. Then half. Then a quarter. Then a tenth. Then to a decimal so low that he couldn't actually see it. "Stop it!" He never did. "Stop it now!"
"Chara's gone, Asriel."
He either didn't hear him or didn't care. "Chara… I'm so alone, Chara… I'm so afraid, Chara…"
Link stepped forwards.
"Chara… I…"
The form of the god was gone, leaving a goat child in its wake. He was sniffling and wiping his eyes with a sleeve. "I'm so sorry. I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?"
"I'm not Chara," Link whispered in a tone that he hoped was comforting. He was still pretty new to this whole 'emotion' thing.
"I know… you're not actually Chara. Chara's been gone for a long time. Uh, what… what is your name?"
"Link."
"Link… that's… a good name. Link… I haven't felt like this in a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. But with everyone's souls inside of me… not only do I have my own compassion back, but I can feel everyone else's too. They all care about each other so, so much. And they care about you too. I wish I could tell you how much everyone cares about you. Monsters are weird; even though they barely know you, it feels like they all really love you."
He took a long, shuddering breath. "Link, I… I understand if you can't forgive me. I get it if you hate me. I was so strange and horrible. I hurt you. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders… there's no excuse for what I've done."
"You're right," Link said. "I can't forgive any of that. But… that wasn't you. That was the flower. There's no reason to forgive Asriel because Asriel never hurt anyone."
And he wrapped his arms around the prince. He could feel him embrace him back.
"You're g-gonna make me cry again… Besides, even if you do forgive me, I can't keep these souls inside of me. The least I can do is return them. But there's something I have to do. Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts… beating as one. All with the same desire. With everyone's power… with everyone's determination… it's time for monsters to finally go free."
He closed his eyes and outstretched his hands before rising a few feet into the air. The Souls he'd taken spiraled out of him, first the human souls, then an uncountable number of white monster souls. All of Monsterkind had the same power as one human soul… and that power was finally being used.
There was a loud crashing sound, as a crack appeared in the barrier behind him. And it fell away, revealing the light for the first time in ages. It was done. Asriel turned back to Link, a sad sort of smile on his face.
"Link… I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls, I can't keep maintaining this form. I'm- I'm going to turn back into a flower. I'll stop being 'myself'. I'll stop being able to feel love again. So… Link. It's best if you just forget about me, okay? Just go be with the people who love you."
Wordlessly, Link hugged you again. "We all need time to heal," he soothed. "But people still care about you. So no. I can't-"
He froze, eyes snapping open. We all need time to heal.
Time to heal.
Time to heal.
Healing.
The Song of Healing.
Oh Goddesses, the Ocarina of Time.
Asriel was saying something. Link didn't care. "Asriel. Listen to me," he interjected. "I need you to do something for me. I can… maybe stop you from becoming a flower. But you have to trust me. You need to go to the Ruins. To the very beginning. Where I first met flower you. Okay?"
"Uh…"
"Great."
And Link walked away, towards consciousness.
!0*0!
He woke up more refreshed than he'd ever been, which was odd. His eyes snapped open as he sprung to his feet.
"Oh!" Toriel said. "You are awake! Thank goodness!"
"No time," Link interrupted. "I have to grab something very important on the Surface, and then I'm coming back. Don't go anywhere!"
He immediately sprinted outside of what was once the Barrier, as the afternoon light washed over him. It was warm. It felt… good. He didn't remember it feeling so nice the first time he'd been out here. But he couldn't focus on that. He had to grab the Ocarina of Time.
The Hylian knew the path. He knew exactly where to go to find his old camp as fast as he could go. He doggedly sprinted for at least twelve hours, but it was leagues better than the many long weeks he'd first spent trying to find it.
He came across it, and to his joy, everything was there. He hastily snatched his pouch and pawed through it, sighing in relief when he saw the familiar blue. He then wasted no time in lobbing himself down the same cave he'd been forced into by the Wolfos, all that time ago.
True to his word, Asriel was there. He appeared to be about halfway through the metamorphosis back to his flower form "Link? What are you-"
"Okay, everything is great," he assured. "Now listen."
And he played the Song of Healing. The monster prince screamed. A flash ensued. When it receded, Asriel was standing there, holding a flowery mask in his hands.
"Huh? Wha- I'm still me?"
"Song of Healing. Puts souls to rest. Honestly, I wasn't sure if that would work for you, but… hey. It did. So…"
"I…"
"Don't say anything. You're coming with me."
The Hero of Time proceeded to grab Asriel by the ear and drag him out of the Ruins.
"Hey! Ow! That hurts! What are you-"
"We're going to see your mother! And you're not changing my mind."
"No, I can't do that! I-"
"Too bad, you're doing it anyway!"
"Okay, I'll go! Can you at least not keep pulling me?"
"Fair enough," Link relented.
And so they went, travelling through the Underground, back to the Barrier. Everyone was still waiting there.
"HUMAN!" Papyrus crowed as soon as the Hylian came into sight. "OH, IT IS EXCELLENT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"
"Papyrus was crying like a baby," Sans commented.
"I DID NOT! I MERELY HAD SOMETHING IN MY EYE?"
"Oh yeah? And what was that?"
"TEARS!"
"Uh, am I seeing double or are there two of them now?" Undyne said.
"Yes and no," Link stated, gently prodding Asriel into clear view.
"H-hi…" the goat child stammered
Toriel and Asgore froze. "M-my child?"
Link nodded.
The two goats immediately collapsed on their son and wrapped him in a crushing hug. A quick cool glance at Asgore from Toriel cemented that no, they were not getting back together. But for now, they were just happy to have their son back.
"Okay, so we have no idea what happened," Undyne explained. "But the Barrier is gone. So take care of any unfinished business you've got before we all walk out."
"I've got everything I need," Link said. "Let's go."
And so they did.
!0*0!
The sunset was even more beautiful when there were other people to watch it with, Link realized.
"Oh my," Toriel sighed. "I never thought we'd see this again."
"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?" Asgore inquired.
"It's even better than on TV!" Alphys noted. "Way better! Better than I ever imagined!"
"You live with this, punk?" Undyne asked incredulously. "This sun is so nice… and the air is so fresh! I really feel alive!"
"HEY SANS… WHAT'S THE GIANT BALL OF FLAMES?"
"We call that 'the sun', Pap."
"THAT'S THE SUN? WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!"
"I could stand here and watch this for hours…" Asriel sighed.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Toriel agreed. "But we should really think about what comes next.
"Ah, of course," Asgore stated. "Everyone: this is the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters."
"That might be… slightly problematic," Link suddenly realized. "There's already monsters up here. Very bloodthirsty murder monsters. It's where I got all my LV."
"I… see. Link, I have something to ask of you. Would you be our ambassador to the humans?"
"Uh…" the swordsman groaned. "I don't have very good people skills… at all… I can put you in contact with my country's royalty, though."
"OOH OOH! I CAN BE THE MONSTER AMBASSADOR!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I'LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!"
Before Link could object, Papyrus was gone. "This could be bad…"
"Welp," Sans sighed. "Someone's gotta keep him from getting himself hurt. See you guys."
With that, Sans trotted in the opposite direction.
"Ugh, do I have to do everything?" Undyne sighed. "Papyrus, wait!"
She then followed the Stalfos, Alphys dogging at her heels.
"Whoops," Asgore said, doing nothing. He turned to Toriel. "Uh, should I do something?"
Toriel gave him a shifty glare.
"Well, got to go!"
And so he left.
"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off," Toriel noted.
"Yeah," her son assented.
"Link… you came from this world, right? So you must have a place to return to, do you not?"
Link self-consciously rubbed the nape of his neck. "Well… no… but… I have somewhere I need to go. Someone to apologize to."
"What's her name?"
The swordsman started to say something, but caught himself just in time. "None of your business, Asriel!"
The goat monster in question stifled a laugh. "Sorry. Couldn't help it. Thanks, Link. For… this.
"Yes," Toriel agreed. "Thank you, child. If you ever have need for any of us… well, you have your phone."
"I won't forget, Toriel. I never will."
Speak of the devil. His phone immediately buzzed. It was Sans. "Hey kid. I'm going to be checking in on you every now and again. It might be Alphys too sometimes. Make sure you're doing just fine with your… recovery. So you do what I say from now on, capiche? Capiche. And right now, Doctor Sans is ordering you to get yourself some rest. You need it. And don't forget about Alphys's pills, 'kay?"
"Yes, Sans. Thanks," Link sighed. "Actually, I might need some more. I may have… tossed them into a vat of lava."
The big-boned skeleton sighed. "Alright, kid. I'll talk to Alphys. And don't throw them away again! They help with depression. I'll talk to you again in a week or two. See ya around, kid."
Link knew he wasn't done with his recovery; how could he be? But at least now, he had some shoulders to lean on, and he was on that path. He'd grown so used to misery that he was comfortable in it… but actual contentment took effort. It was only now that he was willing to put that work into becoming happy. He hung up, then turned to Toriel. "I've got to go. Thank you… for everything.
He played Epona's Song, and his faithful steed eagerly trotted up to him, nickering softly. He took a moment to marvel at how quickly she'd appeared for him. "How're you doing, girl?" he greeted, before swinging onto her back and galloping back towards Hyrule.
He had seven Sages and a Malon to apologize to, after all.
And there it is. The last chapter. I'd really like this work to hit 100 total reviews… we're currently at 85. Let's do it!
Review Please!