Hopes, Dreams, and DETERMINATION

by Dragonsrule18

Frisk grew up in a home with neglectful, drug using parents. With a little sister to take care of, she takes a job getting a rare flower specimen from Mt. Ebott, only to fall into the Underground. With the help of a mysterious ghost girl named Chara only she can see and hear, she tries to get home to her sister, facing danger, but also making new friends along the way. Good!Chara.

21. Dates And Labs

Dates And Labs

Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long, but this chapter turned into a twenty three thousand word monster, so it took forever to write.

This chapter will contain a very important minor change to the Alphys date, and major changes to the True Lab arc where character development of some minor characters will be emphasized, and Frisk won't have to go through the True Lab alone. I hope you guys enjoy!

...

Undyne headed out to Sans's lab and knocked on the door.

"Just a second!" Sans called and then there was a bit of shuffling before he opened it. He looked tired and sad, but seemed to be doing better than before. Papyrus followed behind him.

"Hey. How you doing?" Undyne asked him softly.

Sans shrugged. "Still a little shook up. Better than before though, thanks to my awesome bro." He smiled a little at Papyrus, who smiled softly back. "How are you? Are you okay?"

Undyne nodded. "Frisk and I talked for a while. We might have found a way to break the barrier for good. Actually, the kid came up with the idea. She theorized that if Asgore absorbed six souls, he might be powerful enough to use her soul without killing her. What do you think? Do you think it's possible?"

Sans and Papyrus glanced to each other. Papyrus looked worried, but Sans was more thoughtful. "I think it could be." Sans said after a minute. "We'd have to run some tests to know for sure, but it just might work."

"But will Frisk be safe?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"We won't do anything until we're sure she will be." Sans reassured him.

Undyne nodded. "Yeah, we're not going to let anything happen to the punk. Don't worry, Paps. If there's any chance this will hurt her, we'll try something else. But let's at least see if this will work first."

"I'll start compiling my research for Alphys." Sans said.

Undyne nodded with a smile. "I'll go tell Frisk and have her and Chara head to the lab, and then go meet Asgore and let him know what's going on. He needs to know and Frisk might feel better if I talk to him first."

"WHAT DO YOU GUYS NEED ME TO DO?" Papyrus asked.

"Why don't you come with me to talk to Asgore?" Undyne suggested.

Papyrus nodded and then looked to Sans. "Will you be okay on your own?" he asked worriedly.

"Of course. TIBIA honest, it's just a bunch of paperwork. You'd be bored out of your skull if you stayed with me." Sans joked.

"SANS!" Papyrus groaned and shook his head, though Undyne could see him hiding a smile. He then turned to Undyne. "LET'S GO BEFORE HIS PUNS GET ANY WORSE. WE'LL MEET YOU AT THE LAB, SANS!" Undyne laughed and nodded and the two headed for the house.

...

"Okay, punks. We're ready if you are." Undyne announced as she and Papyrus headed into the living room where Frisk and Chara were waiting. "We'll take the ferry and drop you guys at the lab, then me and Paps are gonna go talk to Asgore and bring him to the lab. Sans will meet us there when he's got all his nerd papers together."

Frisk nodded with a smile, though she was inwardly nervous. She knew King Asgore needed to know though. She just hoped he would react well.

"He will." Chara reassured her. "He's going to love you and he's going to love Tina."

Frisk smiled, feeling better, and mentally thanked Chara as she followed her friends towards the door. Right as they reached it, Undyne paused.

"Hold on, I forgot something." the fish woman said and quickly headed to the kitchen, returning with an envelope in her hands. She held it out to Frisk. "Here, can you give this to Alphys for me?"

Frisk carefully took it, noticing the red heart seal on the envelope as well as the thick layer of tape keeping it shut. "Of course."

Undyne grinned. "Thanks, punk! But don't you dare open it!"

Frisk sighed. "I'm not going to open your love letter, Undyne."

"HEY! It's not a..." Undyne was met with three unimpressed stares at this statement, and she gave in. "Okay, it's a love letter, so don't open it!"

"I won't." Frisk reassured her as they headed out and towards the Riverperson's boat. She then saw a Save Point a short distance away. "Hold on a sec, I'll be right back." she told her friends and hurried over, quickly saving her progress, then came back. Undyne looked a bit confused, so Frisk came up with an excuse. "Sorry, had to check something." The tale of time travel could come later when they had more time.

The four hopped into the boat and the Riverperson quickly took them to Hotland, where Frisk hopped out and waved goodbye to Undyne and Papyrus as the boat took them towards the Capitol. She then made her way to Alphys's lab.

...

When she arrived at the lab, the door was locked. She knocked on it gently. "Alphys? It's me. I'm not mad about earlier. I just want to talk. Can I come in?"

The door opened, Alphys standing on the other side. "H-Hey, human." the dinosaur said softly. "I-I'm really sorry about earlier...about lying to you. It-It wasn't right of me. I s-should have told y-you the truth all along instead of coming up with the w-worst plan possible..."

"Hey, you're not the only one who made that mistake." Chara tried to reassure Alphys but the scientist didn't seem to hear her.

"Yes you should have." Frisk said gently but sternly. "But I'm not upset about that any more. I know you were in a difficult position and you wanted to protect Asgore and I. Just...tell me the truth next time, okay?" Alphys nodded softly, but still looked sad and guilty enough that Frisk wanted to cheer her up. "But don't worry, Undyne and I might have figured out a way to break the barrier." The mention of Undyne made her remember the letter she was carrying. "And here, before I forget, I have something for you." She held out Undyne's letter.

Alphys looked worried. "A-A letter?"

Frisk nodded with a smile. "Open it. I think you'll like it."

Alphys carefully took it. "It's...shut kind of strongly, isn't it? Hold on a sec..." She headed into another room and Frisk could hear a chainsaw going. She and Chara chuckled a little as they waited. A few minutes later, Alphys came out, blushing.

Frisk grinned. "See? I told you U..." She was about to say, "I told you Undyne liked you." but once again was cut off as she was about to say something important.

"I...I had no idea, you, um, felt that way about me." Alphys blurted out.

Frisk's brain stalled. "Wait, what?" Chara burst out laughing.

"Oh my god... Oh no...that's...that's adorable." Alphys said with a shy smile, shuffling her feet. "And I h-had no idea you, um, wrote that way. It's...surprising...after all the gross stuff I did. I don't deserve to be forgiven, let alone this...And so passionately too."

Frisk opened her mouth to speak, to explain the misunderstanding, but all that came out was an embarrassed squeak.

"You know what, okay, I'll do it! It's the least I can do to make it up to you!" Alphys told her, looking determined.

"Alphys...I..."

"Y-Yeah! Let's go on a date!" Alphys said cheerfully and then hurried upstairs before Frisk could say another word.

Frisk paced anxiously. "Damn it, what did I get myself into? What did UNDYNE get me into?! How the heck did Alphys think I wrote this? Didn't Undyne sign her...No of course she didn't. Undyne didn't sign her damn letter and now Alphys is taking me on a pity date and...CHARA, STOP LAUGHING! It's not funny!"

"C'mon, it's a little funny!" Chara protested, though she did try to control her giggles.

"No it's not! Undyne's gonna kill me!"

Chara stopped laughing, realizing how upset Frisk truly was. "Frisk, it's going to be okay. Undyne's not going to kill you, okay? Just take a deep breath. Undyne won't hurt you. You're going to be okay."

Frisk took a shaky breath. "She will be mad at me though."

"No she won't. It's not your fault. Undyne forgot to sign her love letter and Alphys got confused, and I'll tell her that myself if I need to if it gets to that point, but it won't." Chara reassured her. "Try talking to Alphys again. Now that she's calmed down a bit, hopefully she'll let you get a word in edgewise."

"Okay, okay. Yeah, you're right." Frisk went upstairs and knocked on the door.

"Hold on, I'm still getting dressed!" Alphys called.

"Sorry. I just needed to tell you..." Frisk was yet again cut off when Alphys opened the door, wearing a pretty black dress with white polka dots.

"How do I look?" Alphys asked shyly. "My friend helped me pick it out."

"You look really nice." Frisk told her honestly. "But Alphys, I need to tell you that Un..."

Alphys didn't seem to hear her. "C'mon I, um, know the perfect spot for our date!" She took Frisk's hand and lead her downstairs and out of the lab towards the boat.

"Alphys, you need to let Frisk talk." Chara said but like Frisk, went unheard.

"Alphys..." Frisk tried again but Alphys was nervously chattering about anime and dating simulation games and talked right over Frisk yet again. Frisk didn't know what to do and Chara was lost too, so she pulled out her phone and sent an emergency text to Papyrus.

...

It was when Papyrus and Undyne had just left the boat and taken a few steps that Undyne suddenly froze. "Wait! We gotta go back!"

Papyrus stopped so fast he nearly tripped over his boots. "WHY? WHAT'S WRONG?"

"I need to get my letter back from Frisk!"

Despite his good nature, it was still a fight for Papyrus to keep himself from rolling his eye sockets. "UNDYNE, CALM DOWN. YOUR LETTER'S FINE, JUST LIKE THE OTHER SEVERAL HUNDRED."

"No it's not! I forgot to sign the damn thing!" Undyne explained frantically. Papyrus was about to say that it would be fine and Frisk could explain things when his phone beeped. He picked it up, seeing a text from Frisk. And they just kept coming as he read.

Papyrus, Undyne forgot to sign her letter

Alphys thinks I wrote it

Now I'm on this date

I can't even tell Alphys what's going on

She keeps talking over me

It's the name curse all over again

Undyne's gonna kill me

HELP!

Papyrus's sockets widened. "Hold on, Undyne! I'm coming with you!" He quickly caught up to his friend. "Frisk just texted me. There was some confusion due to the lack of signature..."

...

The trip on the boat was filled with Alphys's nervous chatter, which Frisk would have been happy to listen in any other situation, but now Frisk was nervous and even slightly frustrated, sitting awkwardly beside her dinosaur friend as she tried once again to figure out how to explain without hurting Alphys' feelings or being talked over again.

"Oh yeah! I'm...um...supposed to give you items to raise your affection statistic! That will increase the chance of a successful outcome to the date! Right?" Alphys asked as the boat stopped at Waterfall and she hopped out, Frisk right behind her.

"No, the best chance of a successful outcome is you letting Frisk talk so she can tell you the letter's from Undyne and you can go on a date with the right person." Chara muttered, floating behind Frisk

Frisk ignored her. "Um, Alphys you don't have to..."

"Anyway, d-don't worry! I'm prepared! I-I've been stockpiling gifts in anticipation for a date like this!" Alphys pulled out her phone and tapped some buttons, pulling a jar of something out of her inventory. "First I've got some metal armor polish!" She paused, looking at Frisk. "Um, maybe you can't use that."

Frisk shook her head. "No I can't. But I'm sure Undyne would love it though."

Alphys shuffled a bit. "Um...Yeah...I..." She sighed and looked down. "I'm sorry, human. I...I really..."

"You really like Undyne, don't you?" Frisk asked, smiling.

"Finally." Chara sighed in relief.

Alphys nodded. "Y-Yeah." she admitted, then looked down guiltily. "I'm really sorry, human. You were so brave and everything...and you're such a wonderful person, but I..I.."

Frisk patted her shoulder and smiled. "Actually, I've been trying to tell you the whole time; that letter's not from me. It's from Undyne."

Alphys looked up at her in shock. "R-Really?"

"Really. She asked me to deliver it to you while she and Papyrus went to talk to Asgore." Frisk explained.

Alphys rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Sorry about that, human! You tried to tell me that b-but I talked r-right over you, didn't I?"

"A little, but that happens to me a lot. I'm used to it." Frisk shrugged, not seeming to care much but both Alphys and Chara were worried, able to tell that it bothered Frisk a little.

"Well, you, um, better get un-used to it!" Alphys told her. "I-I promise I'll be a better listener from now on."

Frisk smiled at this as they headed down the corridor towards Undyne's house.. "Thanks, Alphys. Also, where were you taking me when you thought you were dating me?" she asked, looking around. "The star room or something? That would be a great place for a date for you and Undyne."

Alphys blushed when Frisk mentioned a date with Undyne. "A-Actually, I was going to take you to the garbage dump. U-Undyne and I go there together all the time. B-But maybe the star room would be better...I-I knew I was going to screw this up..."

"No you didn't. Sans and I used to hang out in the dump all the time. I mean, it's not the most romantic place in the universe, and we weren't dating but it is a fun place to hang out, sort of like a treasure hunt." Chara said.

Frisk patted her shoulder, silently agreeing with Chara as she loved the dump too, mostly because it provided a treasure trove of things that could help her and Tina survive without costing any money. "Hey, no you didn't! The garbage dump sounds like it would be a fun date! You get to hand out together AND look for cool stuff! I actually go to the dump a lot myself, well the one on the surface." she told her, her eyes lighting up. "People up there can be so wasteful. They throw away stuff that supposedly out of style, or just needs a few repairs and it's good as new."

Alphys grinned. "I know! We've actually been able to upgrade our technology because of human items we find in the dump. I can find a lot of parts down here, and great anime, and all sorts of things I need. Undyne likes to look for cool swords and spears and anything she can blow up."

Chara laughed. "That sounds like Undyne."

"Yeah, that does sound like Undyne." Frisk said with a laugh, answering Chara and Alphys at the same time.

Alphys smiled softly. "It's actually where we met for the first time too."

"See? Fun AND romantic. You're doing great, Alphys." Frisk encouraged, smiling.

Alphys smiled back, then looked a little shy. "So, um, Undyne really does like me? I'm not dreaming?" she asked shyly as they headed down into the dump.

"Nope, not dreaming." Frisk told her, smiling even more. "That girl's crazy about you." She laughed. "Like I told you before, when we were hanging out, half the time she was talking about you and how awesome you were."

Alphys looked down. "I'm not really that awesome. I...told her so many lies that she thinks I'm way cooler than I actually am..."

Frisk placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Alphys, you don't need to lie to sound cool. You already ARE cool! I mean, look at all the great stuff you built! Mettaton, the awesome smartphone you made me that turns into a freaking jetpack, laser, and bomb diffuser, not to mention that giant sword and hot fridge Undyne loves."

"Mettaton, um, he's actually a ghost possessing a robot body I made, and yes, I did build the other stuff, but..."

"Oh, that's why he acts so alive...okay, I could have phrased that better considering he's a ghost, but you still built his body, didn't you? I'm sure he appreciates that. And everything you built for me and Undyne was freaking awesome! See Alphys? You don't have to make stuff up to get people to like you! You're awesome all on your own!"

"Frisk's right, Alphys." Chara said even though Alphys couldn't hear her.

"I did...but...I hid so much from everyone...and I-I'm lazy, and I procrastinate, and I may have told Undyne I was researching human history when I was really watching anime and reading comic books..."

"Oh, THAT's where Undyne got those weird ideas about humans." Chara mused.

"Everybody gets lazy or procrastinates at times. You're far from being the only one. And about the anime thing...yeah, you're going to want to tell Undyne the truth on that, or she's going to be disappointed when we get to the surface and there's none of that stuff she was telling me about. Just...tell her the truth about everything, okay? Be yourself. That's the you she loves. I know that."

"But the real me...she's a nobody. A fraud. I'm the Royal Scientist, but all I've done is hurt people. I hurt you...I hurt Mettaton...And when s-she finds out the truth about me, it...it'll hurt her too. Isn't it better this way? To live a lie where both people are happy...Or a truth where neither of us are? They always say, "Be yourself." But I don't like who "myself" is." I'd rather do whatever makes people like me." Alphys looked at the ground.

"Alphys, I know the feeling." Chara said gently, putting her hand on the scientist's shoulder. Alphys shivered a bit, but otherwise didn't react. "I-I hid so much, because I didn't want everyone to hate me. I wouldn't even talk to my friends and family. I didn't want to let them know how badly I messed up. But...I had to tell the truth eventually. And it hurts. But it...it was better than continuing to lie, holding that guilt constantly in my heart. The truth really does set you free. It's going to be hard, but you need to tell the truth too. A lie can't be lived forever."

Frisk wanted to say, "Chara's right." but knew Alphys couldn't hear the ghost girl. Instead she moved closer and gave Alphys a hug. "Alphys...I know what it feels like. I...I really want people to like me too, and...and be someone they'd be happy to be around. I tried to act cool and tough all the time...but...it was when I told the truth and let others help me that I truly became happy. I know it's hard, to show your real self...but...you can't just live a lie forever. It will only hurt you."

Alphys nodded softly, returning the hug. "I...I know. You're right. Every day I'm scared. Scared of what will happen if people learn the truth on their own. They'll all get hurt because of me...I-I'll talk to Undyne first...tell her the truth...but-but I don't know how... I d-don't have the confidence. I'm going to mess it up! How can I practice?!"

Frisk thought for a second, then came up with an idea. "Let's roleplay it. Pretend I'm Undyne, and you can say what you want to say to her to me. That'll help you figure out what to say to her and build your confidence."

"That's a great idea!" Chara told Frisk.

Alphys's eyes lit up. "That actually sounds kind of fun! Let's do it!" She cleared her throat and looked at Frisk with a shy smile. "H-Hi, Undyne... H-How are you doing today?"

"Say, "You're cute!" Chara whispered in Frisk's ear with a mischievous smile.

Frisk tried not to giggle. "No, Chara. I'm not going to freak out poor Alphys." Frisk smiled at Alphys, trying to give a big toothy grin like Undyne. "Hey, Alphys! I'm fine." she said in what was supposed to be Undyne's voice, but by Chara's chuckles, she probably failed at it.

"Ha! Ha! Glad to hear it!" Alphys replied with a nervous smile. She paused for a moment, twisting her hands. Frisk waited patiently until Alphys spoke again. "Uhhh... so I'd like to, um, talk to you about something."

"Then she kisses you." Chara said with a giggle.

Frisk shook her head with a small amused smile. "Chara..." She returned her attention to Alphys, who was nervously awaiting a response. "What is it, Alphys?" she asked, still in her Undyne voice.

"Umm, you see...I...I..." Frisk again waited patiently, giving Alphys an encouraging look. "I...I h-haven't been exactly truthful w-w-with you... I...you see... I... I... Oh forget it!" Frisk and Chara nearly jumped at this.

"Undyne! I...I want to tell you how I feel! Y-You're so brave, a-and s-strong... A-And nice... Y-you always listen t-to me when I talk about n-n-nerdy stuff... Y-You always d-d-do your best to m-make me f-feel special...L-Like t-telling me that y-you'll b-beat up anyone that g-gets in my way...

"Aww, that's so sweet." Frisk thought to Chara. "In an Undyne sort of way..."

"UNDYNE!" Alphys yelled, nearly making Frisk jump out of her skin. "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER! I'M MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU!"

"She definitely got the "madly" part right." Chara muttered, backing away slowly.

"HOLD ME, UNDYNE! HOLD ME!" Alphys yelled for the entire dump to hear.

"I think I can do that." an amused and very familiar voice said. Alphys, Frisk, and Chara all jumped as Undyne came walking up from around a pile of trash, Papyrus right behind her. Undyne looked at Alphys with so much love, picking her up and hugging her tight, making the dinosaur squeak and her entire body turn red from how hard she was blushing.

"U-U-Undyne! W-When d-did you g-get h-here?" Alphys stammered, her blush increasing even more, so much that Frisk was slightly worried her head would explode.

"A few minutes ago." Undyne told her, smiling gently.

"So...So...y-you h-heard e-e-everything?"

"Yes. And...as I said in my letter, I, well, I'm madly in love with you too, Alphy." Undyne said, a blush forming on her cheeks as well. "I'm sorry I didn't come on my own. I tried, but I kind of, well..."

"SHE KEPT COMING BACK TO THE HOUSE AND REWRITING IT. I LOST COUNT AT THREE HUNDRED." Papyrus said with a mischievous grin.

Undyne turned bright red as Chara burst out laughing and Frisk tried very hard not to. "Shut up, Papyrus!"

"SORRY, UNDYNE."

Undyne shook her head before turning back to Alphys and Frisk. "Anyway, I'm sorry I forgot to sign it, guys. Papyrus told me about the confusion I caused. I didn't mean to put you both in such an awkward situation."

"I-It's okay, Undyne." Alphys said.

Frisk nodded. "No harm done. Just remember to sign those things next time."

"I will." Undyne told her.

"Thanks. I'll, just, um, head way over there and give you guys some privacy." Frisk gave Alphys a thumbs up which Alphys returned with a nervous smile before Frisk walked over to the other side of the dump, joining Papyrus.

...

Papyrus watched with Frisk as Alphys and Undyne talked, Alphys looking nervous and worried, but staying determined. "Thank you for helping them, Frisk." he told his friend.

"It's no problem. They're my friends too and they're really cute together. I'm happy to help them." she said with a wide smile that lit up her whole face. Papyrus was entranced by how lovely it was. "And thanks for explaining things to Undyne."

"It's no problem. I'm here to help anytime you need me." he replied, squeezing her hand, and getting another of her beautiful smiles in return. His soul fluttered and he again wanted to tell her how he felt, but this wasn't the right place or the right time. He wanted to choose a far more classy place for a romantic confession than the garbage dump, and this was Undyne and Alphys's moment.

Speaking of which...

Whatever Alphys was talking about seemed to make her grow more and more distressed, and Undyne hugged her tight, then decided to pull the same classic cheer-up move she did with him.

"UNDYNE! BE MORE CAREFUL WITH YOUR FLATTERY SUPLEX!" Papyrus called as poor Alphys went flying into the trash can. "YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ALPHYS FEEL DOWN IN THE DUMPS!"

He then paused, realizing what he just said. "I'VE SPENT FAR TOO MUCH TIME WITH MY BROTHER." he groaned as he and Frisk headed over to help.

...

"Alphys, you don't have to worry about that stuff! It doesn't change anything about the way I feel for you!" Undyne was telling Alphys, who was still in the trash can where she had landed as Frisk, Chara, and Papyrus moved just a bit closer to make sure everything was okay. "I don't care if you're watching kid cartoons or reading history books. To me, ALL of that stuff is just NERDY CRAP! What I love about you is that you're PASSIONATE! You're ANALYITICAL! It doesn't matter what it is. YOU CARE ABOUT IT! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT! AT MAXIMUM POWER!"

"Which is what's important." Chara said with a smile.

Undyne's voice softened. "So...you don't have to lie to me. I don't want you to have to lie to anyone any more. Alphys, I want to help you become happy with who you are!" She grinned. "And I know just the training you need to do that!"

"Undyne, you're going to train me?" Alphys asked.

"Well, yes, but first, since you're new to this, I'm going to start you off with Papyrus, our newest and greatest Royal Trainer!" Undyne told her, and motioned for Papyrus to come over.

"GET THOSE BONES SHAKIN'! WE'RE GOING TO DO THE PATENTED PAPYRUS SELF CONFIDENCE BOOSTING RUN FROM HERE TO THE LAB, HOOTING ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!" Papyrus told Alphys proudly.

"I'll meet you back at the lab." Frisk told Alphys.

"I'll meet you at the Hotland boat ramp, Paps." Undyne said. "I just need to talk to the human for a minute."

Papyrus nodded with a huge grin and Alphys nodded as well, her smile a little nervous but still determined. "U-Undyne, I'll do my best."

"I know you will." Undyne said and leaned down, kissing Alphys gently on the cheek. Alphys turned bright red and her legs buckled out from under her. Undyne caught her before she fell, chuckling a little. "Alphys, you okay?"

"Y-Y-Yeah." Alphys got up with Undyne's help, legs still a bit wobbly. She looked up at Undyne shyly but with so much love, then stood on tiptoe and impulsively kissed Undyne on the cheek too, making Undyne blush just as hard as Alphys and Frisk and Chara have to hide their giggles. "S-S-See y-you l-later!" Alphys then took off running with Papyrus.

Undyne turned to Frisk when they were gone. "Thanks. For being there for Alphys. And for helping us get together."

"You guys are my friends. Like I said before, I'm happy to help." Frisk replied, smiling as the two began to walk out of the dump.

"You're a good friend, Frisk." Undyne told her. "And...I'm sorry I put you in an awkward situation, and...I'm sorry you got scared. Papyrus showed me your text. Were you worried I'd hurt you or get mad at you?" Undyne asked gently.

"More the second." Frisk admitted, looking down.

Undyne gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. What happened was all my fault, not yours. And... I know I hurt you pretty bad yesterday...that you've probably been hurt by a lot of other people too. And I know you're not going to forget what happened in less than a day, even if you already forgave me for it. But I can promise I won't hurt you again, emotionally or physically. We're besties...even though I kind of sounded sarcastic when I first said it during our first hangout, I do mean it. I know it's going to take a while for you to trust me fully, and that's okay. It's completely normal after all the horrible crap I did. Just know I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you, okay?"

Frisk smiled widely at this and so did Chara. "I believe you. Thanks, Undyne."

"No, thank YOU for giving me a second chance, punk." Undyne pulled Frisk into a hug and gave her a very gentle noogie, making Frisk giggle. Chara couldn't stop smiling at the sight.

After Undyne released Frisk, they walked in a comfortable silence for a few minutes until reaching the Waterfall boat dock.

"HEY GUYS!" Papyrus called out to them, hurrying up to them from the dock. Alphys wasn't with him.

"Papyrus, where's Alphys?" Undyne asked, her voice confused and a little worried. Frisk and Chara were worried as well.

"WE WERE RUNNING WHEN SHE KIND OF TURNED PALE AND SAID SHE FORGOT TO DO SOMETHING IMPORTANT AND NEEDED TO GO HOME IMMEDIATELY. I BROUGHT HER TO THE DOCKS AND SHE TOOK THE BOAT HOME, BUT I FIGURED I'D MEET YOU BOTH HERE AND LET YOU KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON." Papyrus explained.

Undyne immediately relaxed. "She probably was working on an experiment and forgot about it when all this happened."

"That makes sense. I'll check on her and see if she needs help once I get to the lab." Frisk offered.

"Thanks, Frisk." Undyne told her. The boat returned and the four boarded it, Undyne and Papyrus again dropping Frisk off at the lab before heading to the Capitol. Frisk saved once again at the Save Point near the entrance to Hotland before heading towards the lab. Despite being happy to help them, she was more than ready to get to work on breaking the Barrier and getting her little sister back.

But she wasn't expecting what she would find in that very lab, or the secrets that awaited her.

...

As Frisk approached the lab, she was immediately greeted by the shadowy figures of two monsters lurking suspiciously near the far side of the lab, trying to look in one of the windows.

Frisk's heart pounded frantically. "Oh my god, someone's trying to break into the lab! I've gotta save Alphys!"

"Don't confront them or go in the lab! Get out of there and call Undyne!" Chara warned her.

Frisk nodded and tried to back away before they saw her, but stumbled over a rock and fell, making a loud thump. The shadowy monsters immediately turned in her direction, and one started to run towards her.

"S-Stay away from me!" Frisk yelled.

The figure immediately stopped. "Whoa! Hey, Brown Eyes, calm down! We're not going to hurt you! It's us!" The figure stepped into the light, revealing it was just Aaron. The other person joined them, and Frisk realized it was Shyren, though she was without her talent agent this time.

"Aaron? Shyren? Oh my god, you guys nearly gave me a heart attack!" Frisk said as Aaron helped her to her feet. "What were you doing sneaking around the lab? I thought you were burglars!"

"I'm sorry we scared you." Shyren said softly. "We just...We were..." She looked up at Aaron. "Maybe-Maybe we should just tell her."

"What's going on?" Frisk asked worriedly.

Aaron sighed softly. "We um, we were trying to sneak into the lab. But...we kind of had a good reason. Seven months ago, my brother and Shy's sister fell down."

"Are they all right?" Frisk questioned, getting even more concerned.

Aaron shook his head. "No."

"Fallen down doesn't mean actually falling." Chara explained gently with tears in her eyes. "It means the monster has fallen into an inescapable coma."

"When a monster Falls Down, it means something different than just falling." Shyren explained sadly, not hearing Chara having already explained it. "Fallen down means a monster has fallen into a comatose state from which there is, normally, no hope of awakening. Eventually, they-they turn to dust..."

Tears filled Shyren's eyes and Aaron wrapped an arm around her before he continued for her. "Shy's sister was very sick, and my brother was in a bad accident. This caused them to fall down and...while they lay in the hospital, comatose, Asgore sent out an order for monsters that had fallen down to be brought to Alphys. She...thought she had found a way to break the barrier with the help of monster souls and some sort of weird substance she discovered." He looked down, tears in his own eyes. "We...didn't want to. But...we thought it would have been what our family members would have wanted."

"But then, one day, a few weeks later, a miracle happened." Shyren said. "Whatever she put into them...they all woke up. They were alive."

"I even got to talk to my brother on the phone. He said he felt great. It was like he had never been hurt. We were all so happy...They were going to be sent home...But then...there was no word from Alphys. She didn't send them home like she said she would." Aaron clenched his fists. "She never returned our calls! She never answered our letters! She refuses to speak to any of us, and if she sees any of us while outside, she runs away!"

"This isn't good." Chara whispered shakily.

"We-We don't know what happened to them, if they fell down again or turned to dust, or if they're sick..." Shyren whispered. "She won't tell us anything."

"But we're going to find out. I can't live in limbo like this any more. I need to know what happened. I need to know once and for all if they're alive." Aaron said angrily.

Frisk looked down, trying to figure out how to tell them what she knew as gently as possible. "Aaron...Shyren...I...don't think it's going to be good news. When I gave Alphys your message about returning your calls, she did say she would, but I heard her crying. I'm sorry."

Shyren's eyes filled with tears. Aaron hugged her tight. "I...know it probably isn't good news, whatever happened, but...but I need to know for sure." he said softly. "I need to either see it with my own eyes or make Alphys tell the truth. I have to do this."

"I'll help you." Frisk told him. "Maybe I can get her to talk to us."

Aaron nodded and turned to Shyren. "Shy, did you want to come or wait out here?" he asked gently.

"I'm coming with you. I...I need to know what happened to Aria." she whispered.

Aaron squeezed her hand. "All right." He bent down to pick up a rock and moved like he was going to break the window.

Frisk's eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's try getting into the lab without causing property damage! Alphys was expecting me, so the door might be unlocked." She hurried to the door and it easily slid open for her. "There we go. Now we can go in in a way that isn't illegal."

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I feel a little stupid..."

"You think they would have thought to try that first." Chara muttered as she headed inside with Frisk, Aaron, and Shyren.

...

Frisk looked around the empty lab, but saw no one in sight. "Alphys?" she called, but there was no response.

"Look, you need to tell us what the fuck happened to our siblings! We're not leaving until we get a straight answer!" Aaron yelled.

"Aaron, please calm down." Shyren pleaded.

"I'll try but it isn't easy." Aaron muttered.

Frisk was getting increasingly worried as she moved further into the lab. The door to Alphys's bathroom opened suddenly, making her jump about a mile. "Hello?" she called.

There was no response.

Shyren floated down to pick up a slightly crumpled piece of paper that was on the ground. As she read it, her face turned an even paler green than normal. "Guys..."

Aaron and Frisk quickly came over and with her fins shaking, Shyren showed them the note. The handwriting was hard to read, and Frisk had to squint to see it, but as she read the note, she went pale as well.

"Frisk? What's going on?" a worried Chara asked.

With a shaking voice, Frisk read the note aloud. "It says, Hey. Thanks for your help back there. You guys... Your support means a lot to me. But... As difficult as it is to say this... You guys alone can't magically make my own problems go away. I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again... If you want to know "the truth." Enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did." Her hands shook. "Oh god, please tell me this isn't a suicide note..."

"Maybe...Maybe it's not...She did tell Undyne she'd see her later..." Chara whispered, trembling just as badly as Frisk.

Shyren let out a shaky sob. Even Aaron looked worried despite his anger at Alphys.

Frisk's eyes filled with tears. "We've-We've got to do something...I'm calling Papyrus and Undyne." Shakily, she dialed Papyrus.

Papyrus answered on the first ring. "FRISK? IS EVERYTHING OKAY?"

"N-No. I need you guys to come immediately. It's Alphys."

She could hear Papyrus frantically talking to Undyne. A second later Undyne's voice came on the line. "What?! Frisk, what's going on?!"

"Alphys...I can't find her and she won't respond to our calls and she left this note..." Frisk quickly read the note to Undyne and told her what Shyren and Aaron had said.

"Oh god..." Undyne choked. "No...No, she wouldn't...please..." She let out a soft sob and Frisk could hear Papyrus trying to comfort her. "Frisk...go see if you can find her. She has to be okay. Papyrus and I are on our way."

"Okay...I'll go check the room she was talking about. Maybe she's there. Maybe...she just wrote the note because she was scared to tell us face to face." Frisk said, trying to keep calm and reassure Undyne.

"Y-Yeah...that has to be it...Go in there. We'll stay on the line with you until we get there."

Frisk turned to Aaron and Shyren. "I'm going into that room."

"I'm coming with you." Aaron told her. "Shy...maybe it's better for you to stay up here. It doesn't sound like whatever happened is at all good."

"N-No. I'm coming with you both. I can't just sit up here." she replied. Aaron looked worried but nodded as they stepped into the room, Chara and Shyren in tears and Frisk and Aaron trying to remain calm for the others.

"Okay, it looks like we're in an elevator." Frisk reported.

"It leads to one of Alphys' labs." Undyne explained as Aaron hit the button. They waited quietly as the elevator descended...until it stopped abruptly and shuddered. An alarm sounded.

"WARNING! WARNING! ELEVATOR LOSING POWER!" a mechanical voice announced.

"Oh god..." Frisk gasped and Aaron covered his mouth in horror.

"Frisk! Frisk, what's happening?!" Papyrus cried out.

"EM TETHER STABILITY LOST. ALTITUDE DROPPING!" the mechanical voice called before Frisk could. There was a mighty lurch, and then Frisk could hear nothing but screaming as the elevator plummeted.

...

And then it was over. The elevator hit the ground with a mighty thud, knocking Frisk, Shyren and Aaron off their feet and causing them to tumble into each other, dazed and bruised but otherwise unharmed.

"Is everyone okay?" Chara asked.

"I'm fine." Frisk replied, moving her limbs experimentally to see if anything was broken. Nothing was.

"Are we dead?" a groggy Aaron asked.

Frisk stood up, lifting Shyren off her and helping Aaron to his feet. Thankfully, the elevator door had opened when they landed. "No, but let's get out of here."

She could hear Papyrus and Undyne frantically asking if they were okay. "We're fine, guys, but the elevator fell. Thankfully, it must have been most of the way down before it did...The elevator's open, so we can get out. Just don't try to go through the elevator shaft, because that would be a nasty fall. We'll find Alphys and see if we can find another way up to you."

"We'll find a way down." Undyne told her. "We're almost there."

The four exited the elevator, finding themselves in a dark hallway with greenish blue walls and tiles of a slightly darker color.

"This place gives me the creeps." Aaron said shakily.

"Same, and I'm a ghost." Chara muttered.

"You're not the only one." Frisk replied as they headed down the corridor. A screen clicked on, making her and Aaron jump.

Shyren floated over and read it. "Entry number one. This is it... Time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL."

As they walked down the corridor, more and more entries showed up, confirming and explaining more about what Shryen and Aaron had already told Frisk. Shyren and Aaron checked each one, clearly looking for the answers about their siblings, and Frisk continued to call for Alphys, as she told Papyrus and Undyne what was going on. Still, there was no response.

As they entered the next long hallway, the uneasy feeling grew. It felt like somewhere, somehow, someone was watching them. Aaron shifted uneasily and Shyren was shaking.

Frisk saw a Save Point in the next room they entered and was about to go to it, but realized it probably wasn't a good idea to save right now. She needed to see if Alphys was still alive or not. She didn't want to save over her friend's death. The idea made her shiver, but she stayed focused.

"I found the power room." Aaron said, going to the center room. "It looks like we need four keys. But where are they?"

"Undyne, do you know where Alphys would keep keys?" Frisk asked.

"I don't. I'm sorry."

"Maybe Alphys has them someplace safe. We'll just have to look." Frisk said. "There's two routes; should we split up?"

"No, let's stay together. This place is too creepy to get separated in." Aaron pointed out.

"He's got a point."

The first way they tried led to a locked door, so they went the other way. The hallway contained yet another entry.

"Entry number six. Asgore asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down." Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose... And soon, they'll all turn into dust. But what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If their SOULS persist after they perish, then... Freedom might be closer than we all thought." Aaron read. "So that's what she did to them..."

"What-What do you think Determination would do to them?" Chara asked shakily. Frisk didn't have an answer.

The next room was even more creepy, with an entry where Alphys wrote about the bodies not turning to dust and being unable to get the souls, or return the dust for the funerals. Also in the room were three operating tables.

They were sticky.

"I-I'm going to be sick." Shyren whispered.

Aaron held her "hair" back as she threw up.

...

As Aaron was helping Shyren, Frisk gave them their privacy and looked to see if she can find the key, Chara coming with her.. She entered a small closet like room with a red keyhole, though she found no key, but there was another note she struggled to make out.

"It says, "Drain...dropped it." Chara said with a sigh and Frisk facepalmed, frustrated.

When Frisk and Chara exited the room, Shyren had calmed down, but was refusing to look at the operating tables.

"Well, the good news is, I found where the key is. Bad news, Alphys dropped it down the drain, probably of one of these sinks." Frisk groaned. "I think I might be able to get it out though." Putting Papyrus and Undyne on speaker and minimizing the call screen like Alphys had taught her, Frisk entered the app page of her phone, having seen a flashlight app on it. She held it close to her face, scrolling through it and finally finding said flashlight, turning it on and using it to shine light down the drain to hopefully find the key. At the third sink, she saw a glint of metal shining. "I think I found it! Now if I can just find a pipe wrench...Can you guys see a tool kit anywhere?"

After a brief bit of searching the cupboards in the room, Frisk keeping Papyrus and Undyne up to date on the situation, Shyren found one. "Here you go, Frisk." she told her, having heard her name when she was talking to Papyrus and Undyne.

Frisk thanked her and handed the phone to Aaron before opening the kit and rummaging through it. She sighed in relief. "Good, here's a pipe wrench." She got under the sink and started to remove the U-bend, Aaron kneeling next to her and holding the phone flashlight so she could see what she was doing. She thought she felt something moving in there, but convinced herself it was just old pipes creaking.

"Wow, beautiful AND mechanical. Is there anything you can't do?" Aaron asked in playful flirtation, giving Frisk a wink as he attempted to ease the tense situation.

"Pass algebra." Frisk replied dryly, making Aaron chuckle.

"Don't doubt yourself, human! You're incredibly clever and brilliant and I know you'll be able to do it!" Papyrus said over the phone, having heard the remark as well. Frisk's face turned bright red and Chara giggled.

"Dude, you nailed it! You should see how hard she's blushing!" Aaron told Papyrus with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, she's in looove!" Chara teased.

"T-Thanks, Papyrus." Frisk said shyly. "And there! The pipe's off." She tried to reach for the key which was close, but just out of reach.

Aaron noticed the problem. "Maybe if I turn the water on, the pressure will bring the key out."

"It might make the floor wet, but it's worth a shot." Frisk said.

Aaron got up and Frisk heard the sound of the faucet creaking on. She then heard Aaron, Chara, and Shyren scream.

Frisk scrambled out from under the sink, nearly beaning herself on the bottom of it. "What's going on?! What's happening?!"

Shyren, Aaron, and Chara stood frozen as something white flowed out of the sink, a strange face smiling at them. As it came out further, Frisk gasped as the creature gained a more sinister look. They all scrambled back as it started to move towards them.

"Oh god, what is that thing?" Chara asked in horror.

And then Aaron's expression changed as he stared at the creature longingly. "R-Ryan?" he asked in a trembling voice, taking a step forward, almost in a trance as he held Frisk's cell phone to his ear. "Is it really you?"

...

In front of Aaron's eyes, the creature faded and his brother appeared, another centaur with light tan fur, a little larger than Aaron himself. His brother's warm, brown eyes looked into his own, fearful and longing. His body glitched in and out, covered in dusty cuts and bruises as he lay weakly there, clutching a gaping wound on his side. "Aaron...it hurts..." he whispered through the cell phone held to Aaron's ear.

It had been the last words his brother had spoken to him before falling down. The last memory he had of seeing his brother.

"What can I do? How can I help you?" Aaron pleaded. He took another step forward. He could hear Shyren's and Frisk's voices calling him, as well as Frisk's friends saying something over the phone, but they were so far away, and all that mattered now was his brother.

"Please...Aaron...stay with me...Don't go..." Ryan pleaded, curling in on himself more.

Aaron rushed to his side, yanking his arms out of Frisk and Shyren's grasp. They were trying to pull him back. Why were they trying to pull him back and tell him not to go to "that thing," when that thing was his brother?! "Of course. I'm here, bro. I'll never leave you." Aaron whispered as he knelt beside his brother, ignoring the part of his brain that was screaming that something was very wrong here.

His brother smiled, reaching out his hand for Aaron. Aaron gently took it, and as he did, his "brother's" smile twisted and distorted, fingers quickly wrapping around Aaron's wrist in an iron grasp. The illusion faded, and as white goop rushed up his arm, and Frisk's cell phone fell from Aaron's hand, causing his "brother's" words to turn into glitchy static, Aaron realized, to growing horror, that this wasn't his brother.

At least not any more.

...

"AARON!" Shyren screamed as the creature took hold of Aaron, the goop that made up its form swiftly moving up his arm. Aaron snapped out of whatever trance the creature had him under, screaming and strugging to get free to no avail,. Shyren started to rush towards him, but Frisk was faster.

"Leave him alone!" the human girl yelled as she dived recklessly into the fray, grabbing hold of the creature and trying to yank it off Aaron. The amorphous being turned to her as she did, screeched something, and let Aaron go, rushing at Frisk and engulfing her before she even had a chance to scream.

"FRISK!" both Shyren and Aaron screamed, and Shyren, desire to protect her friend overcoming her fear, glared right at the creature. "Let her go!"

The creature dropped the unconscious Frisk, and to Shyren's horror, morphed into her sister Aria right in front of her eyes, looking sick, pale and weak, just like she was the day she fell down. "Aria" looked at Shyren imploringly and beckoned for her to come to her, but having seen this thing that now wore her sister's face attack two of her friends, Shyren did not fall for its tricks.

"No! You're not my my sister! You hurt my friends! I refuse!" Shyren yelled louder than she ever had, and it worked. The creature took its old form again, slinking back into the pipes despondently and leaving the red key in the sink.

"Shyren, you saved us. You were amazing. Thank you." Aaron said gratefully as he got up.

"Y-You're welcome." Shyren replied, still a little shocked that she had done that. She looked over to Frisk, who hadn't gotten up. "Frisk?"

Aaron quickly rushed over to the fallen girl's side. "Frisk! Frisk, c'mon, wake up!"

"Oh god, is she..." Shyren gasped as she rushed over.

"No, she's alive but something's wrong." Aaron said frantically. Frisk was lying on her back, eyes moving frantically under her closed eyelids and breathing heavily as if frightened, letting out an occasional soft whimper. "C'mon, Frisk, it's okay. Just wake up. You're having a bad dream." He gently shook her. Frisk whimpered at the touch but her eyes didn't open. "What's wrong with her?"

"I-I don't know. But those creatures...they-they made me see Ari. And they put you into some sort of trance, and that's when we were both far away from them. They...They literally engulfed her..."

"They made me see Ryan. One of my last memories of him." Aaron said softly. "But what are they making her see? It looks truly horrible."

"Guys!" Aaron and Shyren turned, seeing Papyrus and Undyne rushing up to her.

"We heard some creepy voice over the phone and you guys screaming. We jumped down the shaft. What happened?" Undyne asked frantically.

Papyrus caught sight of Frisk, lying unconscious on the ground. "Frisk? Frisk?!" He tried to use healing magic, but it seemed to do nothing. "What happened to her?!"

"This creature...it came out of the sink. Some sort of monster with three heads, made out of this white goopy stuff. It took my brother's form. It mimicked him exactly and sort of put me in a trance. When I got close enough, it broke the illusion and grabbed me...Frisk ran over, pulled it off me, and it turned on her..engulfed her completely for a second before Shyren chased it away. It dropped her...but...I think she's still under its control..." Aaron explained shakily. "I don't know what it's doing to her, but look at her face. She's in anguish." Frisk whimpered again softly, moving restlessly but not waking up.

"I'm doing a soul check." Papyrus held his hands over her chest, summoning her soul, which was slightly dimmer than normal, and closed his eyes. "HP 19/20...Caught in a Bad Memory." he whispered, eyes wide with horror.

...

Frisk's Memory

Twelve year old Frisk, who was frantically throwing trash into a bag, trying to clean up after the party her parents threw last night, gasped as she went into the living room and realized that her parents had left their drugs lying out next to a tipped over bottle on the coffee table and that her three year old sister was making a beeline straight for them. Their mother was on the couch, napping off her withdrawal, completely ignoring the situation. Frisk rushed over and grabbed Tina just as the toddler reached out for one of the colorful pills. "Tina, no! Don't touch those! They're bad!"

"Candy bad?" little Tina asked in confusion.

"Those aren't candy. They're bad pills that would make you very sick if you eat them." Frisk explained. She looked at her sister worriedly. "You didn't eat any, did you?"

Tina shook her head. "No, Fisk." She then looked curious. "But if pills bad, why Mommy an' Daddy put them in their moufs?"

"Because they don't know any better, and they shouldn't eat those either."

"That why Mommy sleep all the time and have h'daches?" Tina asked.

"Yes, that's exactly why." Frisk grabbed the pills and threw them quickly into the trash bag.

"Frisk, what are you doing with my Psylium?" her mother asked sharply as she sat up on the couch, having woken up at the girls' voices and catching Frisk throwing away her drugs. She grabbed the bag roughly from her oldest daughter and rooted in there for her precious pills.

Tina grabbed her arm. "No, Mommy! Pills bad! That's why you sick all the time!"

"Tina, go away!" her mother snapped, yanking her arm away from the toddler and causing Tina to fall on the floor. The little girl immediately started crying.

"Tina!" Frisk gasped and quickly picked up her sister, checking her over for injuries. Thankfully there were none and she kissed Tina's head lovingly. Tina calmed down with a sniffle. She glared at her mother. "Why did you do that?"

"I didn't even touch her! She's crying over nothing!" the mother protested.

"You made her fall!"

Tina started to cry again. "Don' fight..."

Frisk cuddled Tina close. "It's okay, Tine." She kissed her sister's head again before setting her down. "Now why don't you go upstairs and pick out a book you want me to read you or a game you want to play, and I'll be up there once I clean up this yucky mess." Tina sniffled and nodded, then headed upstairs.

When Tina was out of earshot, Frisk glared at her mother. "You could have hurt her! And you left your stupid pills out again! Tina could have been poisoned!" she growled, though tried to keep her voice down to avoid scaring Tina.

Her mother glared back. "You were supposed to be watching her while I napped!"

"I was watching her! I always watch her, unlike you! But I also had to clean up the mess you and your friends left, AGAIN! Most mothers, I don't know, actually TAKE CARE OF their kids! I've read enough parenting books to know this isn't normal! You're the adult, not me! Why don't you ever take care of us?! Or at least put your pills up someplace Tina can't get them?!"

Her mother looked at her coldly. "You're not a baby any more, Frisk, so stop whining like one, and stop being so ungrateful. My parents would have beaten the tar out of me for talking back like that. You're lucky I don't do that to you, despite how much of a brat you are."

"I'm not being a brat!" Frisk yelled, trying not to let her mother know how those words hurt. 'All I'm asking is for you to put your pills away and actually act like a mom! And...If you don't...I'll call CPS and the police, and you'll get into big trouble."

Her mother glared at her. "No, you won't."

Frisk stood her ground. "Yes. I will." She grabbed the trash bag and started to walk away.

Her mother grabbed her arm roughly, making Frisk yelp, and pulled her back. "Do you know what would happen if you called Child Protective Services?"

Frisk was afraid, but made sure not to let it show on her face. "Yes, you'd get thrown in jail."

Her mother laughed. "Not likely. Kiddo, I've been through foster care. They removed me from my first home and dumped me in foster home after foster home, and all of those people treated me far worse than you've ever been treated. And not only that, they'll take Tina too, and put her in a different home than you. If you were to call them, you'd never see her again. You may not know this, but I had four older brothers. Never saw any of them again." There was a slight sadness in her mother's voice that indicated that she was telling the truth.

Frisk felt cold. "You're lying."

"No. I'm not. Things won't get any better for you if you call CPS on us. It'll only get worse. You'll lose your sister just like I lost my brothers, and if you think any of those foster parents will put up with your crap, you've got another thing coming. You can call me a shit mother if you want to, Frisk, and I'll admit I probably am, but I'm the best a kid like you's ever gonna get." Her mother took the trash bag from her and walked away, leaving Frisk alone in the living room."

Tears filled Frisk's eyes now that she knew her mother couldn't see. The room darkened to pitch blackness as she fell to her knees, curling up. N-No one will ever help me...I'll never be able to get us out of this hell...I'm all alone... she thought, despair and heartbreak surrounding her like a cloud.

"No! You're not alone!" a girl's voice suddenly cried out from the darkness. "Please hear me! It's me, it's Chara! Your other friends are here for you too! You're not alone any more! You're not in that house any more! You're just dreaming! Please, wake up!"

The voice made her remember something. A ghostly girl with light brown hair and brown eyes much like hers, wearing a green T-shirt with a yellow stripe. She remembered traveling with Chara, the older girl helping her and also playfully teasing her, much like a big sister would.

"FRISK! C'MON FRISK, PLEASE WAKE UP, HUMAN!" she heard a desperate voice call, one that sounded like a teenage boy's and was on the edge of tears. That voice. She knew that voice. A name came to her mind.

Papyrus.

Memories again began returning of a tall, handsome skeleton in a red scarf. She remembered his arms around her, comforting her when she was sad. How he made her laugh and always made sure she had enough to eat. How, even when his dream of being in the Royal Guard was threatened, he stood by her. How she began to fall for him. How she hoped in her heart that he would fall for her too.

Another voice came through the darkness. "Hey, punk, wake up! You're strong! Don't let some blob of white goo bring you down! You can do this!"

It was Undyne.

More memories flashed through her mind. The two of them hadn't been friends at first. Undyne had attacked her, tried to kill her for her soul. But Frisk had remained strong, hadn't given up on her morals, and with the help of her friends, had been able to befriend her. And when Undyne had grown to trust her, the fish woman had thrown her all into being Frisk's friend, into making up for the pain she had caused.

Another two voices calling for her to wake up. Aaron and Shyren. She didn't know them as well as the others, but she remembered the concert, of helping Shyren find her voice again, and then how Aaron helped Frisk find her way and saved her from a Temmie that had made her sick in return. She remembered the journey through the lab to find Alphys and their family members.

And there were others, many others who cared for her.

She remembered Toriel's hugs and how the goat woman had baked her a pie and treated her injuries, something her birth mother had never done. Even if she never saw Toriel again, she had that memory of her kindness. Sans, joking around with her and looking out for her like a big brother would, how he always seemed to be there to make sure she was okay. Alphys with her stumbling words and self depricating humor, trying to protect her in the worst way possible by creating some convoluted plan, but also at the same time, showing Frisk friendship. Giving her her first smartphone and teaching her to use it. Inviting her and Tina to watch their first anime. Telling Frisk that she would become a better listener and make sure Frisk never had to be unheard again. She remembered she needed to save her.

All these memories, the voices of her friends, they filled Frisk's soul with Determination and love. Her mother had been wrong that day. Frisk had people who were there for her, a support system that, unlike her parents, wouldn't let her down. And she would get Tina out of the hellhole they had called their home. She would save her friends and break the Barrier. She knew she could do it.

A warm glow filled her, brightening up the dark room she was in. In the real world, unbeknownst to her, her soul began glowing with a brilliant red light, much to the shock of her friends.

The Bad Memory was banished.

...

Frisk opened her eyes, finding herself in the lab again, lying on the floor with her head in Papyrus's lap. Her soul's glowing calmed down after a moment, returning to normal, though it was shining just a little brighter than before.

"FRISK!" Papyrus cried out, hugging her tight. "YOU'RE OKAY!"

"Yeah, punk, you scared the crap out of us!" Undyne exclaimed, hugging Frisk tightly as well. Chara hugged her too with tears in her eyes, well, at least tried, though she still couldn't touch her. Aaron too joined the hug. Shyren hung back, but she was smiling.

'Um, guys? I can't breathe." Frisk gasped and they apologized and released her. "How long was I out for? Where'd that thing go?"

"About five minutes." Chara explained as Aaron told her the same thing.

"And it slunk into the sink after Shyren yelled at it and refused to join it. She was awesome." Aaron then said proudly and wrapped an arm around Shyren, making her blush.

"Thanks, Shyren. You saved our butts." Frisk said with a smile and then tried to get to her feet, wobbling a little. Papyrus quickly steadied her.

"Careful, Frisk, you might have hit your head." Shyren cautioned.

"I think I'm okay. My head doesn't hurt or anything." Frisk told her. "We need to find Alphys and get out of here before that thing comes back. What WAS that monster anyway?"

"I...don't know. It doesn't look like any known monster." Aaron said worriedly. "What...What if it's the result of Dr. Alphys' experiments? What if it ate her or our siblings, or..."

"Aaron, don't talk like that!" Shyren pleaded.

"If it even touched a scale on Alphy's head, I'll kill it!" Undyne raged, though she was shaking.

"Guys, we need to remain calm. It might not have. It didn't eat me after all, and it left us alone after Shyren told it off, which probably means whatever the hell it was doing, it wasn't looking to eat us." Frisk reassured everyone.

"FRISK IS RIGHT! WE NEED TO STAY DETERMINED! WE'LL FIND ALPHYS AND GET OUT OF HERE! I KNOW IT!" Papyrus said, his voice returning to its normal tone in an effort to cheer everyone up.

Undyne smiled. "You guys are right. Let's go!"

"Hold on. Look in the sink. That's one of the keys we need." Frisk pointed out. "There's a switch in that room it goes to."

Undyne summoned a spear and cautiously moved closer. There was no movement. She grabbed the red key and thankfully nothing attacked. It seemed whatever the creature was, it was gone for now. Taking the key, Undyne entered the room and everyone could hear the sound of the switch being pulled down before Undyne emerged. "Okay, I got it. Ready?"

Everyone nodded and Papyrus picked Frisk up, making her blush. "I can walk." she protested.

"You were unconscious for a bit and you still look a bit wobbly. I don't want you to fall." he told her, cuddling her closer.

"He's got a point. It's probably better if you rest a bit. Plus...you know you like cuddling in his arms." Chara teased to make Frisk smile and lighten up the situation. Frisk blushed again, but finally nodded, snuggling against Papyrus's chest.

In all the confusion, Frisk's cell phone, which had fallen under the sink, was left forgotten.

After heading back and finding the door to the second path unlocked, the group headed down another hallway and into a large room with a bunch of beds. After carefully checking the room for any sign of danger, Undyne looked to Frisk and Papyrus. "Frisk, it might be a good idea for you to rest a bit. We'll go on ahead. Papyrus, stay with her. Aaron and Shyren, you two stay with me."

"I'm fine." Frisk tried to reassure her.

"You were unconscious less than five minutes ago. You don't want to take chances with this. Just rest for a little while, at least until you're a little less wobbly. We don't need you passing out again on top of everything else, especially if there's more of those things in this place." Undyne told her firmly, and Frisk gave in and nodded to Undyne.

"Good. We'll be right back as soon as we find Alphys and the rest of the keys." Undyne told her and headed off with Aaron and Shyren.

Frisk sat on one of the beds and Papyrus sat next to her on one side, while Chara took the other. "Are you all right?" Papyrus asked softly.

"Yeah, just a little tired." Frisk admitted. "And...really glad you guys pulled me out of my own head." Chara tried to place her hand over Frisk's own in comfort, but still couldn't touch her.

"Your soul check...it said you were trapped in a bad memory." Papyrus wrapped an arm gently around her. "Do...Do you want to talk about it?"

"It...It was just stuff that happened on the surface. My mom being a dick. Stress about our situation." Frisk said softly, wanting to be honest with Papyrus, but not wanting to go into too much detail or worry him.

"Did she hurt you?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"Not physically. She was pretty damn good at making me feel like crap about myself though." Frisk admitted. Still, Papyrus looked worried and upset and Chara looked like she was three seconds away from a melty face.

"Whatever she told you, she was wrong. You're very wonderful." Papyrus told her. Frisk looked at the ground at this, picking at a bit of fuzz on the sheets. He frowned worriedly, and gently placed a hand under her chin to get her to look at him. "You truly are. You're brave, determined, kind, and smart. Don't ever doubt that about yourself.""

"He's right." Chara said gently.

Frisk closed her eyes in shame. "Papyrus...You-You don't know what I was like on the surface. The kind of person I was. Whenever things got desperate...I-I stole things to take care of Tina. I got into fights, well, I didn't start them, but I finished them. My grades are shit. I could barely even find the time to do my homework, let alone attend classes with all the odd jobs I had to do to keep us fed. I...I planned to just drop out of high school." She lowered her head. "I'm not exactly a great person, Papyrus. I'm not the person you thought I was. I...understand if you think less of me now, and...and if you don't want to be friends any more."

"Frisk, don't talk like that about yourself. You're an amazing person, and it's not your fault your parents didn't take care of you and Tina and you had to resort to those measures." Chara told her.

Papyrus's sockets filled with tears and he held her closer. "Oh, human...of course I still want to be friends, and you're still a wonderful person! You were just in a bad situation and trying to take care of your sister. Everything you did, you did because you loved her and wanted to keep her safe and healthy, which proves you're a good person, not a bad one. And now that you're down here with us, you won't ever have to steal again because we'll always make sure you and Tina are taken care of! You two will never go hungry or go without again!" Frisk smiled at this and hugged him in thanks, and he held her closer as he continued. "And...about the school thing...I...kind of might have dropped out too. And so did Sans."

Frisk looked up at him in surprise and concern. "You guys did?"

Papyrus nodded, looking down at the ground. "When...When Dad fell into the Void, Sans and I struggled a lot with money. Sans dropped out of the university science program he loved so much to find work so he could take care of me. We...had a lot of hard times, though people around us did help. Grillby even opened a tab for us so we could get food more easily. But it still was hard...and I really wanted to help Sans, so I tested out of high school early to go into the Royal Guard apprenticeship program and get a job as a sentry. And even though I miss school, I don't regret it at all because it helped a lot and we were a lot better off financially."

Chara looked down. "I never knew you two went through so much." she whispered. "I wish I do everything over. You shouldn't have had to give up school, Papyrus, and Sans shouldn't have had to either...If I hadn't made the choices I made, your dad never would have..."

"It's not your fault, Chara." Frisk thought to her.

Papyrus heard what Chara said. "It's not your fault, human Chara. You made a mistake, but never meant for any of this to happen. And don't feel sad or sorry for us." He gave her a small smile. "I know we'll both be able to go back to school someday. I'll make sure of it!"

Frisk hugged him closer. "I'm sorry you both had to go through that, but I'm glad you guys are doing better now." She looked up at him. "Is that why you wanted to join the Royal Guard? I mean, I know you said you wanted to become a Royal Guard to gain friends, but..."

"When I said I wanted to join the Royal Guard to make friends, it...well...was part of the truth. I do want to make friends." Papyrus said, fidgeting his fingers a little. "But...I've seen how much hope Undyne and the rest of the Royal Guard gave to everyone. I wanted to help give everyone hope too. I wanted to give Sans hope. I thought that if I joined the Royal Guard, I could make sure Sans was happy, and that he knew he didn't have to worry about me all the time, and that he could go back to college and achieve his real dreams."

"That was really sweet of you, Papyrus." Chara told him.

Frisk nodded. "It was. You're a really good brother. Just...make sure to follow your own dreams too, okay? Sans wants you to be happy too. And I want you to be happy as well, and so does everyone."

Papyrus smiled softly. "I want you to be happy too, human. And everyone else wants the same for you, including Tina. And we'll help you so that things get way better for you, and you won't have to steal or give up school. Everything will be all right."

The two remained cuddled together for a few minutes, with Chara sitting beside them, when Frisk shivered just a bit from the air conditioning. Papyrus held her closer, and then a blanket wrapped around them both.

Frisk smiled as she snuggled into it and Papyrus. "Thanks, Papyrus." she said, just as he said, "Thanks, Frisk." They then stared at each other in shock. "Wait, that wasn't you?!" they blurted out in unison.

Chara gasped as she looked behind them, her eyes getting as wide as dinner saucers. "Guys..."

Frisk and Papyrus slowly turned, much like a couple in a horror movie when they realized the killer was behind them. The sight that awaited them was just as shocking.

...

It was another of the white melting goo creatures, but a different one this time. It was as tall as Papyrus, and distinctively spoon shaped. Papyrus yelped and fell off the bed in shock, accidentally pulling Frisk with him, and then the two scrambled to their feet, once again doing the weird side-step where they tried to get protectively between the other and the threat.

But then the creature raised two tendrils in what seemed to be a placating gesture, and made a gurgling noise that almost sounded apologetic as it backed away slightly and seemed to try to get smaller, like it wanted to make itself seem less threatening.

Chara's eyes were wide. "Wait, is this one...friendly?"

Papyrus immediately seemed to understand and relaxed. "OH, YOU WERE TRYING TO HELP US, WEREN'T YOU? YOU SAW THAT FRISK WAS COLD AND GAVE US THE BLANKET!" The creature nodded its spoon head enthusiastically and let out a happy burbling noise. "THANK YOU!"

Frisk quickly calmed down as well now that she saw that Spoon Creature was friendly. And she had seen other monsters who looked weirder after all. "We really appreciate it. That was very nice of you." She smiled at it as it let out a happy squeak. "What's your name?" The creature seemed to think about it for a moment before it shrugged with its tendrils and made a sad little gurgling noise, tapping its head.

"You don't remember?" she asked softly, figuring out what the creature was trying to say from its gestures. It nodded sadly, goo dripping off it as it did.

"What happened to you?" Chara asked gently. Surprisingly the creature turned to her voice and looked right at her. Like with Frisk, it seemed to think about her question, but shrugged its shoulders again sadly, clearly not remembering that either.

Chara frowned worriedly. "It'll be okay. We'll help you."

"DO NOT WORRY, NEW FRIEND! FRISK, CHARA AND I WILL DO OUR BEST TO HELP YOU FIGURE IT OUT!" Papyrus told it and Frisk nodded with a reassuring smile. The creature seemed to feel much better and burbled happily.

"First, have you seen Dr. Alphys? Maybe she'll be able to tell us your name and what happened to you." Frisk asked. The creature nodded, indicating that it had seen her. "Is she okay?" Another nod, which made Frisk, Chara and Papyrus all sigh in relief. "Do you know where she is and what she was doing down here?"

The creature nodded once again and headed over to a dog bowl that was lying on the ground, picking it up and pointed to the inside.

"She came down here to feed you?" Frisk asked.

"OR ARE YOU HUNGRY?" Papyrus questioned.

The creature nodded to both, the second nod almost shyly. At this, both Papyrus and Frisk dove into their inventories, Papyrus bringing out a plate of spaghetti and garlic bread and Frisk getting out a Nice Cream bar for the hungry Amalgamate. It let out a grateful squeak and gently took the food from them before absorbing it into itself.

"Can you take us to Alphys? And do you know where she keeps her keys?" Frisk asked the creature. "The elevator fell and lost power, and we need four keys to get into the power room to turn the elevator back on, but we only found one that ended up in the sink drain."

The creature nodded to the first part and looked thoughtful when she mentioned the keys. It then perked up and hurried to one of the beds, pulling out a key and proudly bringing it over to them. It burbled out something, possibly an explanation to how the key got in there, but Frisk, Papyrus and Chara couldn't understand it.

"Thank you!" both Frisk and Papyrus said gratefully and the creature let out an affirmative chirp before leading them out of the room.

...

Meanwhile, Aaron, Undyne and Shyren, after leaving the dormitory, headed down yet another long hallway, where more entries were present.

"Seems like this research was a dead end... But at least we got a happy ending out of it...? I sent the SOULS back to ASGORE, returned the vessel to his garden... And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow." Shyren read from one of the entries.

"Well, we know that, but what happened that changed that? Does it have something to do with the sentient goo that came out of the sink?" Aaron asked.

"Probably." Shyren said softly. She then floated to the next one. Her eyes widened. "This just says "no," over and over..."

"What the hell happened here?!" Aaron asked aloud.

Undyne was calling Alphys, clearly not paying attention to the conversation in her worry over her girlfriend's safety. She glanced back to see Aaron and Shyren lagging behind. "What are you two doing back there? We need to hurry up!" Aaron and Shyren's faces suddenly went pale and terrified as they stared straight ahead. Undyne was absolutely confused. "Why are you two looking at me like that? I'm not being scary right now!"

"No, but the weird glowing star that's flying right at you is!" Aaron yelped and Undyne whirled around to see a yellow beam of light zooming at them. She grabbed Aaron and Shyren and tried to get out of its path, but before she could, it stopped only a few feet in front of them. A tiny smiley face appeared on the star and then it began to shift form into a more humanoid shape that seemed to be made of the same dripping goo as the other creature in the sink, though it smelled of sweet lemons. Undyne stood between Aaron and Shyren protectively, summoning spears.

And then the creature took its true form, and Aaron covered his mouth in shock as Shyren's eyes went wide.

It had Shyren's sister's body, with Aaron's brother's arms, and the head of what looked like a dismembered version of a Moldbygg.

The Amalgamate reached out to them for a second, then saw their shocked faces and Undyne's spears and paused. "Shyren? Aaron?" it asked in what seemed to be twelve voices, and Aaron and Shyren could hear their brother and sister's voices among them. Undyne froze at this.

Aaron glanced to Shyren in shock. "Do...Do you hear and see them too?"

She nodded shakily. "Yes."

Aaron turned to Undyne. "Do you?"

Undyne nodded, unable to speak.

"The sink creature could only hypnotize us one at a time, so is it really..." Aaron asked. He looked back at the creature. "Ryan, if you're really you and not an imposter, tell me the advice you gave me about girls."

"Girls love guys with big muscles, bro, so keep flexing and give them the old centaur charm." the part of the creature that was Ryan answered, while the voice that belonged to Shyren's sister and the other voices that made up the creature groaned.

"It...It really is you." Aaron whispered. "What happened to you, bro?"

Their body froze. "Melting...sticking together...can't escape..." they said in their twelve voices, beginning to shake. Ryan's arms clutched at the Moldbygg head. "Screaming...but nobody came...but nobody came..."

Shyren let out a soft sob as Undyne frantically tried to figure out what to do to help. Upset people had never been her forte. Aaron's eyes widened as he rushed forward. "You're all right! We're here!" He wrapped his arms around Lemon Bread's body.

It was the wrong move. While Ryan's arms tried to hug him back, the parts that were Aria and Moldbygg, as neither liked to be touched without their permission, flinched back, and Moldbygg tried to snap at Aaron, only for Ryan's arms to block it from doing so. The uncontrolled movements caused Lemon Bread to fall back as the parts began fighting for control over the whole creature, wanting conflicting things. They began screeching in frustration, and panicked more when Undyne rushed forward to help Aaron.

Aaron held out a hand, keeping Undyne back, and moved back as well, giving Lemon Bread their space. "Sorry, Aria. Sorry, Moldbygg. I forgot you guys didn't like to be touched without your permission. I won't do that again without asking." he said gently. Lemon Bread started to calm down slightly, but still didn't quite seem to be with them.

Shyren snapped out of her shocked state and slowly moved forward, careful not to scare them. "Hey, sis. It's Shy. Everything's okay now. I'm here." Lemon Bread began to settle more. "Remember that song we used to sing together? Your favorite song?" Shyren took a deep breath and softly sang, hoping to soothe her sister. "Feeling my way through the darkness...Guided by a beating heart...I don't know where the journey will end, but I know where to start."

Lemon Bread seemed to remember something, and Aria's voice began to softly sing. "They tell me I'm too young to understand...say I'm caught up in a dream. Time will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes, but that's fine by me."

Then for the first time in too long, Aria and Shyren sang the chorus of Aria's favorite song together. "So wake me up when it's all over. When I'm wiser and I'm older. All this time I've been finding myself, and I didn't know I was lost."

Aaron was smiling with tears. Undyne was smiling too.

Undyne moved forward slowly, as to not scare them, and held out a hand gently to help Lemon Bread up. After some consideration, the Amalgamate took it. "C'mon, let's find Alphys and get you guys home." she said gently. Lemon Bread lit up at the word "home" as they stood up. "Are the others here too?"

"Yes." Lemon Bread said, returning to their twelve voices.

"Let's go find them." Undyne said kindly and they headed through the rest of the lab.

...

Frisk, Chara, Papyrus, and the creature they had befriended had only made it a few steps when there was a sudden scared yelp of what sounded like a dog down the right side of the long hallway. The creature made a startled sound and rushed down the hallway towards where they heard the yelp, Papyrus and Frisk running quickly behind.

They reached a giant wall of fans, where an icy cold wind seemed to be forcing several blobs of white goo to float helplessly in the air. The blobs let out whines and whimpers and seemed to be struggling. The other creature struggled to reach it, but started to get lifted into the air as well.

Papyrus reacted quickly, grabbing hold of Spoongamate and letting it wrap itself around him. He pulled it back to safety, though couldn't reach the others.

"Don't worry! We'll get you down!" Frisk yelled up to the blobs and frantically tried to figure out what to do.

"Frisk! There's a switch on the wall!" Chara told her quickly, pointing it out. Frisk nodded and rushed over, pulling the switch. The fans blew normally now and the icy mist disappated, releasing the blobs, which came together in the air into the form of a ball with a cute little smiley face. The ball landed on the ground a short distance away from Frisk, then began to fully form, taking on the vague shape of a giant canine with pointed ears, a giant gaping hole in its face, and six legs that formed the shape of smaller canines.

"It's like...an amalgamate of a bunch of dogs." Chara said in shock as she rushed to Frisk's side. Papyrus and the Spoongamate also rushed over.

Frisk was a bit nervous at first as the Amalgamate stared at her. It was way bigger than she was and could likely crush her easily, and Papyrus tensed slightly, ready to protect Frisk, but then a tail formed on the back of the creature and started wagging like a maniac as it rushed towards her, panting happily. It accidentally knocked Frisk on the ground and tried to give both her and Chara kisses at once despite its lack of a face, clearly happy about being released from the icy air. It put as much of its huge body as it could fit on Frisk's lap, effectively pinning her, but also seemed careful not to hurt her.

The Amalgamate panted happily and tried to lick Frisk again, then stared at Chara. Its tail wagged even harder and it butted at her hand, wanting to be petted, and whining when Chara didn't respond at first.

Chara stared at the Amalgamation in shock, recognition in her eyes. "G-Greatest Dog?" The Amalgamate let out a happy bark, confirming her words. Several other small barks came from the legs, indicating different dogs.

"Greatest Dog?" Frisk asked in confusion.

"He...He was in the Royal Guard when Azzy and I were alive. They would guard us when we walked around the kingdom and play with us..." She turned to the Amalgamate, bursting into tears as she threw her arms as much as she could around it. "Oh, Greatest Dog, what happened to you?!"

The Amalgamate couldn't answer, but the part that was Greatest Dog whined and nuzzled Chara's face, trying to lick away her tears. Frisk was worried and Papyrus and the Spoongamate hung back to let Chara have her moment with her old friend. After a little bit, Chara calmed down and the Amalgamate's tail wagged. "There's more dogs than just you in there, isn't there?" Chara asked and six barks, including Greatest Dog's, sounded in confirmation. "You-You fell down, and Alphys brought you back, but somehow you all ended up together like this..."

Frisk's eyes widened. "The entries said Alphys injected them with Determination...Dr. Gaster said it was a previously unknown soul trait, that it increased his magic when he used it, but since the others were brought back from what would have killed them, and since Dr. Alphys used a lot more of it...what if DT caused this to happen?"

"It looks like that's what it did." Chara said sadly. The Amalgamate nuzzled her cheek again, letting out six whines that came from all the different dogs. "It's okay. I'm okay. And since I can't call you all Greatest Dog, how...how about I call you Endogeny?" Endogeny barked happily at this, accepting the name, and Chara managed a smile. "Now how about we get you home? I bet your family really misses you."

Endogeny got very excited at the word "home" and got up, careful with Frisk. Frisk could hear their tail thumping against the walls. Papyrus came over and held out a hand to help her up, and Frisk gratefully took it. The group, complete with the two Amalgamates, then headed off once again to find Alphys and the others.

...

It was Aaron and Shyren they found first, standing with two more Amalgamates, one that had a body that looked like Shyren's agent, and had arms similar to Aaron's and the head of a Moldbygg. The second sort of looked like a bird, with extremely long legs, though a closer look revealed the "head" was the body of an Astigmatism, while the wings and legs looked like bodies of other monsters, though Frisk couldn't make out who they were. The two Amalgamates moved closer to Shyren and Aaron, and looked nervous.

"Don't worry. They're the friends that we told you about." Shyren said softly to the two Amalgamates with her, and they quickly calmed down.

"I see you guys figured out what was happening too since you don't seem spooked." Aaron said to Frisk and Papyrus.

Frisk nodded. "We did. They're...They're the monsters that fell down. The Determination Alphys used must have gotten them all...um.." She wasn't sure how to say this without upsetting them, and Lemon Bread saw her struggle and just said it for her.

"Stuck together." Lemon Bread finished in their twelve voices. The Amalgamate seemed a little upset by this, but didn't panic like before.

Shyren smiled. "Don't worry. We're just glad to have you back, and someday we can figure out how to get you your own bodies back again."

"Don't worry! We'll help you!" Papyrus said kindly as well.

"And they must be the dogs our sibs were telling us about." Aaron said, looking up at Endogeny. Frisk and Papyrus nodded, and Endogeny wagged its tail. Aaron then gestured to Spoongamate. "Who are they?"

Spoongamate looked down and Papyrus answered for them. "They don't remember." he said gently, putting an arm around the Amalgamate in comfort.

"Hey, don't worry, buddy. We'll find your family." Aaron reassured them. "And you can always be a part of ours too. Since everyone's together, we can all be one big family!" Spoongamate seemed to feel much better at this and Frisk, Chara, and Papyrus all smiled.

"So where's Undyne?" Frisk asked, looking around for her. "Wasn't she with you?"

"After we found our siblings, we decided to split up to look for everyone else." Aaron explained. "That's when we found Sir Whims, Hopper, and Redeye." He gestured to Reaper Bird. "I think we scared them a bit, but Shy's singing calmed them right down." Reaper Bird nodded and said something garbled which sounded like many voices speaking atop one another.

Chara smiled. "Shyren's voice would calm anyone down."

"Is there anyone else left?" Frisk asked.

Aaron glanced to Lemon Bread, who answered, "Three more. Memoryhead. Snowdrake's mother. The other one doesn't know their name."

"Memoryhead must be the one in the sink considering that they made us see our siblings and hurt Frisk with a Bad Memory." Shyren mused.

Frisk nodded. She definitely had her doubts on getting that one. "Do you know where the others are?"

"Snowdrake's Mother likes to stay in the cold room. The other likes to go all over causing mischief." one of the voices in Lemon Bread said.

"What about Alphys? Do you know which way she went?" Frisk asked.

"She went to go get our food and fix the power." Lemon Bread answered. "The Other ended up playing "treasure hunt" with her keys."

"That explains the weird note about the drain." Frisk mused. "Well, at least we know she's okay."

"Which I'm glad for, but I'm definitely having words with her when this is all over." Aaron grumbled.

"Be gentle, Aaron. She did save them." Shyren told him.

'Yeah, but she hid them from us and kept them down here. I get that she was scared, but that wasn't good for them." Aaron argued, though kept his voice calm.

Papyrus stepped forward. "Let's focus on finding everyone first." he said gently, and Aaron and Shyren nodded.

It was then that a sliding door opened further down the hall, and much to everyone's relief, Alphys stepped out, followed by an amalgamate that looked similar to Spoongamate, but slightly smaller.

"I-I know you're b-bored, and that you wanted to play, but you can't just hide the keys to the power room." Alphys was telling the Amalgamate gently, not seeing Frisk and the others yet. "If-If the elevator loses power, it could fall and somebody could get really hurt, or you could end up locking one of the others in a room." The Amalgamate looked down sadly and Alphys looked a little guilty. "H-Hey, it'll be all right! Once-Once we get the keys, we-we'll get everybody and we'll go see your f-families, okay?" The Amalgamate perked up and Alphys smiled, but still looked guilty. "I-I'm s-so s-sorry that I-I kept all of you down here for so long. I n-never should have done that. I-I should have taken responsibility for my actions and told them what happened. But-But I will now. It-It's not going to be easy, but I'll do it. You all deserve to be happy, and your families deserve to know the truth."

"Yes we do." Aaron suddenly spoke, making Alphys jump and yelp. She quickly turned to see Frisk, Papyrus, Aaron, and Shyren all looking at her, surrounded by the Amalgamates.

Alphys's eyes went wide. "A-Aaron? S-Shyren? How-How d-did you g-get down here?"

"They came into the lab with me because they wanted to talk to you, and we found your note. You scared the crap out of us by the way." Frisk said before anyone else could answer. "We thought you were dead or in mortal danger! So I called Papyrus and Undyne, then me, Aaron, and Shyren took the elevator down, it crashed and fell, and now we're here. Undyne's here as well."

Alphys looked worried. "U-Undyne's h-here? Y-You all came?"

"Like I said, the note you left made us think you were in danger!" Frisk exclaimed. "I was scared for you, so of course I would call Undyne and Papyrus!"

Alphys blinked "N-Note? I-I thought I threw that away..."

"It was in the middle of the floor when we came in." Frisk explained.

"I-I must have forgotten when I-I ran home to make sure everyone had their food, bring them up, and-and get the Amalgamates and my notes about the b-barrier..." Alphys looked down. "I-I'm so, so sorry I put you through this. I-I never should have hid this from everyone. I never should have written that note and scared you. Earlier...I was afraid I'd be too scared to tell the truth, that I'd run away or do something...cowardly." She looked straight at Frisk. "But when Undyne told me how she felt, and you showed me all that support, I-I knew I needed to tell everyone the truth and do it face to face. So I came down here, i-intending to get them...and then the power went out and I tried to fix it..." She fidgeted her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. To all of of you." She then looked at Aaron and Shyren. "Especially you both. I-I should have answered y-your c-calls and letters. I should have told you before now."

"Yes you should have!" Aaron exclaimed. "Didn't it occur to you that we wanted them back? That we would have forgiven a mistake?! That we would have accepted them as they are! Do you know what kind of hell it was for all of us, not knowing what was going on, or if they were even alive?!"

Alphys looked at the ground, tears in her eyes. "All I can say is that I'm sorry. I know I never should have done this, and I hurt both you and them by hiding everything for so long. Whatever punishment you have for me, I deserve it."

Shyren moved forward. "I don't want to punish you. What I want is for everyone to go home, and my sister to come with me, and to get the full truth." she said softly.

Aaron sighed. "Look, I'm pissed at you, and it's going to take a hell of a long time for me to trust you again, but...I don't want to punish you either. You-You did save them after all. But you need to let them come home and tell everyone what happened."

Alphys nodded, sniffling but looking determined. But before she could speak, Undyne came down the hallway, guiding another Amalgamate, this one resembling a Snowdrake, though with half its body melting and Vegetoids for eyes, and an unidentified monster forming the shape around its nose and mouth. "C'mon, Mrs. Snowdrake, let's get you guys home." she said kindly.

"Sn...o..wy?" the Amalgamate asked hopefully.

Undyne smiled softly. "That's exactly who we're going to see." She then looked down the hall and spotted the others and Alphys. Her eyes lit up, and she started to rush over to them.

Snowdrake's mother looked right at Frisk and froze. "H-Human..." she stammered in fear and hid behind Undyne.

Most of the other Amalgamates didn't seem worried, but Reaper Bird froze. They then glared at Frisk, its eye forming teeth, and formed two attacks, one that formed a white, somewhat humanoid creature that was thick build with a long nose and one a swarm of moths. Frisk's friends gasped and started to rush to her aid, but Endogeny beat them to it, putting their large body between Frisk and the attacks and growling at Reaper Bird. Spoongamate also moved between Frisk and Reaper Bird and held up its hands, burbling as if telling Reaper Bird Frisk wasn't a threat.

"Stand down. She's a good human, not a threat, and you're not to attack her." Undyne then ordered Reaper Bird, who appeared to be so startled that the swarm of moths were covering the head of the other attack. Reaper Bird calmed a little and backed away, letting the attacks dissipate. "Frisk, you okay?" Undyne then called.

Papyrus rushed to Frisk's side and hugged her. "Are you all right?" Chara and the others also asked her the same question.

Frisk nodded shakily. "I'm fine." She looked up at Endogeny and gave them a hug after Papyrus let her go. "You saved me...thank you..." She looked them over. "Are you hurt?" Endogeny shook their heads and nuzzled Frisk's face.

Undyne then turned to Snowdrake's mother. "It's okay. This human isn't like the one who hurt you and tried to hurt your son. She's very nice and kind." Snowdrake's mother calmed down a little more and looked at Frisk, but still seemed a bit unsure.

"Hi." Frisk said softly. She came out from behind Endogeny but was careful not to make any sudden movements or scare her. "You must be Snowdrake's mom. I've actually met your son. He's quite the comedian." She chuckled a little. "You know, the first thing he said to me when we met was "Ice to meet you."

Snowdrake's Mother immediately relaxed. "Ha...Ha...I re..member." she said softly. "C...an...I...see...Sn..ow..y?"

Frisk smiled. "Of course. We're going home." Snowdrake's mother smiled as best she could and seemed placated.

With the Amalgamates calm, Undyne turned to Alphys. The two looked at each other for a moment, and Alphys stared at the ground. "Undyne...I..."

Undyne simply ran to her side, scooping her up. "I'm so glad you're all right!" She hugged Alphys tight. "Don't ever do that again!"

Alphys hugged back, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Undyne."

"You better be! You terrified me!" Undyne demanded, though she seemed too relieved to be too angry. "And why didn't you tell me about this?! How did this happen anyway?"

Alphys twisted her hands. "As you guys probably know, Asgore asked me to study the nature of souls. During my research, I isolated a powerful soul trait only found in human souls I called "determination." The will to survive, for the soul to persist after death. I-I injected it into the fallen monsters so their souls would remain after death, and...and then everyone came back to life. I-I was happy, I thought they'd be able to return home, healthy and alive, but...but then they started melting...and...and I found out monster bodies...they didn't have enough physical matter to handle those amounts of Determination. I tried to figure out how to stop it, but I couldn't...and they all melted and fused together and..." She let out a soft sob.

Endogeny nuzzled her and Undyne then hugged her tighter. "It's gonna be okay, Alphys. I know it wasn't in the way you hoped, but you did bring them back, and we can figure out a way to return them to their old bodies."

Alphys shook a little. "I...I'm afraid if I do anything more...I could end up harming them worse..."

"We'll find a way, okay? I know Sans will help as well." Undyne told her.

"And what matters is that they're back." Shyren said softly. "Even if it's in a different way, we have them. That-That's more than what we would have had if they died." Aaron nodded to this as well.

"I'm still...I'm so sorry. I-I was scared everyone would hate me if I told...b-but that's not an excuse. I should have told the truth." Alphys said softly.

"Yes, you should have." Undyne said sternly but gently. "You should have let me know. I would have helped you explain it to the others." She placed a hand on Alphys shoulder. "But look, they're alive. No one's ever brought a monster back from falling down before! And now they'll have the rest of their lives to spend with their families."

"But...But is this really living?" Alphys asked softly.

Both Frisk and Undyne looked at the Amalgamates. Lemon Bread was standing by their siblings, seeming very happy to be with them again. Reaper Bird was tapping their feet, clearly ready to go. Endogeny was wagging their tail hard as Chara was petting them, and Spoongamate and the Other, as Lemon Bread called them, were standing by Frisk. Frisk couldn't read their faces, but could tell they seemed happy anyway. Snowdrake's mother asked for her child again and seemed eager to get going.

"Yes it is. Look at them. They're happy." Undyne reassured Alphys, giving her a hug. "Now let's get everyone out of here and bring them back to their families. We'll be with you all the way, all right? You don't have to be scared or lie any more."

Alphys nodded, wiping her tears away. "A-All right. I-I just need to find all the keys, so I can restore power to the elevator." At this, the Amalgamate that had hidden them disappeared into one of the rooms. soon returning with the green key.

Frisk held out the key Spoongamate retrieved. "They found this under the sheets of one of the beds in the dormitory." she said, gesturing to Spoongamate.

'And Mrs. Drake found this one." Undyne said, holding out a blue key. "I already put the red key in and flipped that switch."

Frisk sighed with relief. "So all we need to do is add the rest of the keys, and then we can leave this creepy place." She then realized how what she said sounded. "No offense, Alphys."

Alphys smiled a little. "None taken. L-Let's go home."

...

It only took a few minutes to return the rest of the keys to their slots, and then, after getting Memoryhead, who of course Aaron, Shyren, and Frisk kept as far away from as possible, from the operating room, Alphys turned on the power to the elevator, and Frisk, happy everyone was safe, made sure to Save at the nearest Save Point. It took a few trips to get everyone back up to the main lab, and when Frisk, one of the last to go up, stepped out of the elevator with Papyrus, they saw Sans there, talking with Alphys. Sans was extremely worried when he found out what had happened, and scolded Papyrus gently for not calling him. Papyrus sheepishly apologized, admitting he had panicked.

"Okay, are you guys ready to go home?" Alphys asked the Amalgamates, who all nodded eagerly.

"After you get back, I need to talk to you about the barrier." Frisk reminded Alphys.

"The barrier?" Aaron asked in confusion, overhearing.

"Yeah, Undyne and I might have come up with a plan to break it." Frisk explained.

"Well, it was actually Frisk's idea." Undyne put in, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"We still need to make sure it will work though, but I promise I'll do everything I can to get it broken so that everyone can see the sun again." Frisk said.

Aaron smiled at this. "You never fail to amaze me, Brown Eyes." He then turned to Alphys. "Look, breaking the barrier's pretty important, so why don't Shy and I take them home for now? You can come by and talk to the other families later."

"Are you sure?" Alphys asked, and Aaron nodded. Alphys quickly told Aaron and Shyren anything they would need to know for care of the Amalgamates.

Frisk looked to Spoongamate, who still seemed like they were trying to figure out exactly which family they belonged to. "Alphys, do you know their family?" she asked the dinosaur.

"They don't remember anything." Papyrus explained.

Alphys thought for a moment. "I believe they were formed from remanents from everyone, as far as what I can tell. So everyone is their family." she explained gently.

"I told you we could all be your family." Aaron said with a smile to Spoongamate, who seemed to perk up at this.

Soon they were about to head off, but Endogeny looked between Chara, Frisk, and the rest of the Amalgamates as if undecided about something.

Chara figured out what it was worried about. "Hey, go see your family, okay? Frisk and I will be just fine. We have Papyrus and Undyne to guard us, and I know the rest of the dogs really miss you." Endogeny finally nodded, nuzzled Frisk and Chara goodbye, and ran off with the others.

Once Aaron, Shyren, and the Amalgamates had left, Frisk explained the plan to Alphys. The dinosaur's eyes lit up. "Actually, I think that just might work! I mean, I need to run some tests to know for sure, and make sure it will be safe for you, but I think we just might be able to do it." She led Frisk, Undyne, Papyrus, and Sans to the main lab, muttering calculations under her breath.

...

Frisk hopped off the exam table fifteen minutes later. Along with her soul being scanned once again, and having a small sample taken from her soul, Alphys had given her a complete medical exam, and was now going over the numbers and a bunch of scientific papers Frisk didn't understand with Sans. She went to sit with Papyrus and Undyne, who were sitting across from Sans and Alphys. Undyne smiled at her and Papyrus squeezed her hand. Chara floated in the air beside her, giving her a smile too.

Alphys looked up at Frisk in concern. "I don't like how underweight you are, Frisk. You're definitely malnourished, and showing signs of vitamin deficiency as well. Iron count is low too. I'm, um, honestly surprised you're not much sicker with how concerning these numbers are." Seeming to get an idea, she checked the readings on Frisk's soul sample and her eyes widened. "Your-Your Determination levels are off the charts!"

"Is that good or bad?" Frisk asked. The others looked extremely worried.

"Is she going to be all right?" Papyrus questioned worriedly.

"I...I...don't know for sure, but it is concerning." Alphys answered Frisk, before looking to Papyrus. "She should be completely fine if we work on getting her into better health. She'll need to eat small meals often of nutrient rich foods. Food with strong healing magic should help further, and I'll prescribe her some vitamin supplements too."

Papyrus nodded. "I'll make her lots of my spaghetti soup with plenty of healing magic! That should help her feel better in no time."

"J-Just know, it's going to take time for her to fully recover from this, even with healing magic." Alphys told him. "And don't try to make her eat too much at once or she'll get sick." Papyrus nodded to this.

Frisk however was worried about something else. "Is this going to affect the plan?"

Undyne looked at her, dumbfounded. "Is this going to affect the...FRISK! We're talking about your health here!" she yelled, making both Frisk and Chara jump. "I told you before, your life is more important than the damn barrier, so you aren't to sacrifice your life or your health for this! We're not losing you too!"

"You're more precious to us than the sun and stars, Frisk." Papyrus said, tears in his eyes as he hugged her tight. "Don't ever forget that."

Tears filled Frisk's eyes as she hugged him back tightly. "I need to get back to Tina though and bring her here. My parents won't take care of her. I know they won't take care of her. I need to get her before anything happens to her."she whispered, shaking.

"And we will, but she'd be devastated if anything happened to you, and so would we. We'll find a way that doesn't hurt you." Papyrus told her, stroking her hair.

"The most important thing is that you're safe. We can always come up with another plan." Alphys reassured her.

"They're right. Don't do what I did. We love you, Frisk, and we don't want to lose you, so if Alphys says this will hurt you, you need to listen, okay?" Chara told her.

Sans nodded, looking up from the calculations and catching the end of the conversation. "Exactly what Chara said. We love you, kid. Don't take any dumb risks."

Alphys blinked and she looked at Sans in utter confusion. "Chara? What are you talking about?"

Sans showed her the soul scan results. "Somehow Chara's soul got attached to Frisk's when Frisk fell down here." he explained.

Alphys's eyes widened. "C-Chara D-Dreemurr? As in K-King A-Asgore's dead daughter Chara Dreemurr?!"

"Do you know of any other Chara Dreemurrs that fell down here?" Sans asked dryly.

"B-But h-how?"

"We don't know." Frisk answered for Sans.

"I know I woke up when Frisk fell. I wandered around, but no one could see me for a while, except for Frisk. And then Tsundereplane and Mettaton saw me, then we realized Sans could too. Undyne was able to sort of see me after that as well, as was Papyrus. When we ended up in your lab, Endogeny saw me, and so did the one that looked like a spoon. I don't know about the others."

Frisk translated for Alphys, who listened carefully. "It's understandable that Mettaton and Tsunderplane can see you. Ghosts can see other ghosts, and the Amalgamates might qualify too since they had been very close to death. From what I've heard, animals also seem to be more prone to seeing spirits. As for others beginning to see you...Sans, can you hand me the scanner?"

"Of course." He handed it over.

"Okay, Chara, I'm going to scan both your souls. C-Can you sit close to Frisk on her right?" Alphys requested. Chara nodded and did so, Frisk telling Alphys when Chara was where she needed to be, and Alphys carefully scanned both their souls. After a few seconds, the scanner beeped and Alphys began reading the results. "Just as I thought. Chara, your soul's attached to Frisk's and Frisk's soul seems to be giving yours Determination. Her soul's acting like a life support system for yours. As your soul gets stronger, you're becoming more and more visible."

"Will this bring her back to life?" Frisk asked, excited.

Alphys shook her head. "No, it will make her stronger, but she still needs a body." she explained.

Frisk remembered something. "You told me earlier Mettaton's a ghost possessing a robot body, right?" she asked, and Alphys nodded. Undyne, Sans, and Papyrus looked confused but listened. "After we get Tina back, does that mean you can build Chara a body as well?"

Alphys thought about that for a second. "Possibly. I'd have to figure out how to manage the different power levels, but it might very well be doable."

Frisk beamed at this. "That might be a way to save the other humans who fell down here too!"

"Let's see if it will be possible first. We also need Chara's soul to be strong enough to be able to let yours go." Alphys cautioned.

Chara frowned. "But first...my soul being attached to hers, it's not going to hurt her, is it?"

"No, it doesn't look like it." Alphys reassured her when Frisk translated. "Frisk's soul is strong and healthy. Extraordinarily strong in fact."

"Is me being there what's causing her abnormal DT levels?"

Sans was the one to answer this. "Don't think so, Care. My guess would be that her extremely high DT levels is what woke your soul up in the first place. While I can't say for certain, Frisk's high DT is from her will to survive despite her bad situation, coupled with her desire to protect Tina. Physically, due to the neglect, she wasn't well, so her soul likely began producing a large amount of DT to cope and keep her going." He turned to Frisk. "It probably explains how you've done all the kind of superhuman feats you pulled off, kiddo."

Frisk blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Kid, you literally fell off a really high bridge and walked away with only a bad bruise and a mild concussion, ended up being completely coherent during said concussion, and walked through Snowdin in a T-shirt and shorts, barely noticing the cold until you literally collapsed from it. That's not exactly normal." Sans reminded her. Undyne glanced down guiltily at the mention of the bridge, and Papyrus looked worried.

"That's...kind of worrying." Alphys admitted. "It looks like the DT is negating a lot of damage, but it seems to be also masking symptoms until it can't protect the body any more. That's really not healthy for you, Frisk. You could cause yourself real damage if you don't notice things that are wrong until it's too late. It...also means that if we find out we can go through this plan, we need to proceed with extreme caution. Frisk, your soul is extremely strong, but your body seems to be relying heavily on it, um, I mean, even more than normal, as...well, all bodies rely on the soul."

"Are you sure we should do this at all?" Papyrus asked worriedly.

"That's why we're doing the tests first, to see if it's possible to do it safely. We won't do it at all if its too risky." Sans reassured him.

Papyrus was still worried, but Frisk squeezed his hand. "Let's at least go through the tests." she whispered. "I promise I won't take any unnecessary risks."

"I worry about what you deem unnecessary." Papyrus whispered back.

"Same here. You're kind of reckless, kid." Undyne said.

"Says the woman who set her house on fire." Frisk teased, just to lighten the mood, then sobered up. "I promise I'll be safe, okay? I don't want to leave Tina or any of you either."

Papyrus and Undyne finally nodded. "What do we need to do to make sure this is workable and safe?" she asked Alphys.

"We need to make sure a six souled monster has enough power to safely remove your soul without killing or hurting you, and because of your health, we need to make sure your soul isn't out of your body for very long." Alphys explained.

"How do we figure out how long Frisk's soul would be out of her body? This has never been done before." Sans asked.

"Actually...I think I know a way to get that information." Alphys said. "Chara, I, um, might need your help for this one. I...I know it's probably hard for you to talk about...or think about...but when Asriel used your soul to bypass the barrier, did-did you have any recollection of the event?"

Chara looked down sadly. "Yes. I remember everything. We shared Asriel's body."

Frisk translated and Alphys looked sad. "I...I'm sorry to-to hurt you by a-asking this, but..but do you remember how long it took you to bypass the barrier? Was there any sort of resistance? Did it d-damage your or Asriel's soul or body at all?"

"It took only a second, if that. It felt like passing through a light curtain into another room. And no, it didn't hurt either of us. All we felt was a warm buzzing sensation."

"That's extremely promising." Alphys said as she quickly wrote the notes down. "Hold on, let me run these calculations with the power levels that I...and I think whoever the Royal Scientist before me was...made of the Barrier. It, um, should give us a fairly accurate result." She hurried to her computer and began typing.

Frisk looked at Sans as Alphys did this. "Do you need any help?"

"Yes, please. Can you read me your stats from your original soul scan so I can compare it with the new one?" Sans asked. "It's in that pile over there."

Frisk nodded and searched through it, finding it after a few seconds. Her eyes widened. "Wow, there's a lot of numbers on here."

"The ones I need are under HP, AT, DF, and DT." he told her.

Frisk held the paper close to her face, squinting at the numbers. She read them off to him carefully.

"Thanks, kiddo." he said, writing them down. "Heh, looks like your DT has gone up just a little bit since your first scan. Other stats are the same."

"What could have caused the spike? Is it bad?" Frisk asked.

"Don't think so. Might have been running high on adrenaline, or you just had something to fight for."

Frisk remembered something. "There...was this moment in the lab where an Amalgamate named Memoryhead attacked me. It made me relive my worst memory...but just when I felt at my most hopeless, I remembered you guys. I remembered everything you did for me, and how much you cared, and how much I loved you. My soul felt so warm then. I felt filled with love, and then there was this light, and I was able to wake up."

Papyrus wrapped an arm around her. "Right as you were waking up...I saw your soul glow. It was the most brilliant light I've ever seen."

Sans smiled at this. "That would do it. Strong emotions likely greatly raise Determination, and you are a Love Soul after all."

Frisk blinked. "I'm a what now?"

"Your primary soul trait is Love. It's one of the seven personality soul traits, along with Patience, Kindness, Integrity, Bravery, Justice, and Perseverance. While Determination in humans, or magic in us, causes a soul to live, these traits help it to feel. Every soul, both human and monster, contains a mix of these traits, some being higher, and some being lower, and the secondary traits will often shift order and change in their balance as you learn and grow. The personality traits are what gives a human soul its color as well. Love is red, patience is cyan, Integrity is blue, Bravery is orange, Justice is yellow, and Perseverance is purple. While both human and monster souls have the same personality traits, our magic reflects all our colors to make the soul appear white, while in humans, something, likely DT, enhances the color of the trait with the highest concentration in the soul, causing the soul to turn that color."

"So my highest trait is Love, and so is Chara's, isn't it?" Frisk asked. "Her soul is bright red like mine."

"Yes, Chara's a Love Soul too, as seen by her crazy recklessness when she's trying to protect or help those she loves." He gave a pointed look to Chara, but didn't seem as upset as before. Chara still looked down.

Frisk noticed the look and tried to break the slight tension. "What's your highest trait?" she asked curiously.

"Justice, same as Undyne. Papyrus's, as you would probably guess, is Kindness." Sans answered.

"I could tell." Frisk said with a smile to Papyrus, who blushed. Sans and Undyne chuckled softly at the sight.

The discussion was interrupted by Alphys rushing back. "I've got the calculations. Can you give me the results on Frisk's soul?"

Sans quickly wrote his last few notes. "Got it."

Alphys did some more calculations, then showed them to Sans, asking him to double check them, which he did, confirming she was right.

"So, will it work?" Frisk asked.

Alphys smiled a little. "I think it will."

Frisk smiled. "Great!"

"But...we-we do need to be extremely cautious. There's still a small risk something bad could happen." Alphys warned her gently. "We'll bring medical equipment, and I'll be there to minimize the risk as much as possible. Undyne, Sans, Papyrus, you've all taken an emergency medical aid class for the Royal Guard, right?" All three nodded, but Papyrus still looked extremely worried.

"Frisk, are you sure you want to do this?" Papyrus asked softly. "I-I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Neither do I." Chara said.

Sans was a little worried as well. "There...There might be no turning back if you do this and something goes wrong." he told Frisk, and Frisk realized he was telling her she probably wouldn't be able to reset, as Asgore would have her soul as well as six others, and likely then would have the Reset Ability as well.

"You can always back out." Alphys was quick to reassure her, and Undyne nodded. "You-You don't have to do this."

"I...I want to do this. And I trust you guys. I know there's a risk, but literally nothing in life is without risk, and the reward is more than worth it. I want to have Tina back in my arms, and I want all of you to be free, and this is the best way to do it. And I know all of you will do everything in your power to keep me safe. I have faith in all of you, and I know we can do this." Frisk said, determined.

Her friends looked at each other, swept away by Frisk's faith and belief in them, then they slowly nodded and smiled. Papyrus took Frisk's hand, and they all left the lab, ready to change their future for the better.

But what they didn't know was that Frisk cell phone, still hidden beneath Memoryhead's sink in the depths of the True Lab, had begun to ring, a very familiar number flashing on the screen.

...

Toriel sighed as she once again looked around the Ruins, looking for the little white dog and more importantly the phone it had stolen a few days ago. Since then, she had had no contact with her daughter. She hoped desperately that she was okay.

She entered her garden, looking up and seeing the barrier still above her, a sign that her child was still alive. It was ironic how the barrier gave her hope when it had stolen it away from so many others.

But unless the child turned around, she knew she would have to fight Asgore. Either she might die, or Asgore would. Toriel's heart ached at the idea. She should have stopped her, but she knew she couldn't stand against such determination, especially when another child's life was involved. She should have told her what freedom would take, but remembering the whispers she had heard of the rampage of a yellow souled human made her unable to.

After all, she was the one to tell the young man that his little brother was probably dead. She remembered how tears had flowed down his face while his jaw was set in stony anger. She had told him the truth about the barrier, about Asgore, to try to get him to stay, and he had promised, but then left in the middle of the night, leaving her with only a note.

So she had simply let her youngest daughter go, knowing no words would stop her either, but making sure she knew she would always have a place to return.

But that wasn't enough.

Toriel wiped tears from her eyes. She should have gone with her child, like a good mother would. But she, being the coward she was, had stayed hiding in this place, running away from her problems like she always had.

What if her daughter never returned to her? What if Asgore killed her? Tears filled her eyes once again at the idea and she remembered so long ago, how she had gone looking for Asgore when he disappeared in the middle of the night, only to find him in the barrier room, the bloody body of a dead little girl lying at his feet while he whispered a regretful, "I'm sorry," and reached for the tiny, floating cyan soul.

She knew then that he had truly meant the cold, angry words he had spoken the day Chara and Asriel had died. That he hadn't just been speaking in grief. That the man she loved had been replaced with a stone cold killer.

She had screamed at him and fled, not listening to whatever excuses or attempts to rationalize the murder came out of his mouth. She had taken Chara's body and run to the ruins where he would never be able to find her. She vowed to protect the humans who fell and keep them safe from Asgore.

And yet she had failed five times. She hadn't been able to convince a single child to stay. They all left.

They all died.

Would her newest daughter die too?

Or would she be forced to kill Asgore, to take a life to free herself and save her sister?

Either way, her little girl would be forced to make a choice too terrible for any child to bear.

She sank to her knees in the patch of flowers at this terrible thought.

It will happen unless you stop it. her conscience whispered.

Just then there was a bark and the little dog rushed over, wagging its tail. It was holding something in its mouth.

Her phone.

She made a grab for the dog and it jumped back, but dropped her phone on the flowers beside her. It then darted away.

Toriel gathered her phone in her hands like a priceless treasure, checking her voicemails to see if her child had called.

She had, and the message she had left only a few hours ago broke Toriel's heart.

"Mom...I'm sorry to bother you, but-but I...I found out to get home, I'd have to... I'd have to kill Asgore. And I don't want to. I can't do that to him... but I need to get Tina. I don't know what to do. Mom, I'm scared..." There was a stifled sob at the end of the message before the young girl hung up.

Toriel frantically dialed her daughter's number, but the phone went straight to voicemail. "It is me, my child. You don't have to be scared. Everything will be all right. Just come home."

Silence filled the air and she desperately hoped her message was in time to keep Frisk from going to Asgore, praying that Frisk would call back.

What are you doing? Don't hide in the Ruins like a coward. Are you her mother or aren't you? her conscience scolded. Go to her. It's not too late to save her.

Her eyes closed. But...I can't face him...

Her inner voice was just as stern as she was to her own children when they misbehaved. So you're going to let your child fight your battle for you? Which one of you is the adult and which one's the child here? You could have stopped this and forced Asgore to back down five humans ago. Instead, you sat in here. But you still have the chance to save this one. Your child needs you!

Her inner voice was right. Toriel's eyes glinted with determination and she stood up, dialing her daughter's number again. Once again it went to voicemail. "If you can hear this, my child, stay where you are. I am coming for you."

But as she took a step, about to head off, there was a child's scream from above.

...

Tina was panting heavily as she reached the top of Mt. Ebott. It wasn't a big mountain, but it still was an effort to climb, and it had taken so long the sun had almost fully set.

"Frisk!" she called once again, looking around.

Her sister wasn't there, but she saw something, glinting in the last light of the setting sun, near the edge of the cliff overlooking a huge hole. Cautiously, she headed over to investigate, hoping it was a clue.

Her heart sunk when she saw it was a glass specimen jar, just like the one Professor Williams always used. And inside it was a wilted yellow flower.

Tears filled Tina's eyes. Had Frisk fallen down that very big hole? Was she badly hurt? Was she...?

No! Frisk wasn't dead! She knew she wasn't dead.

Tina inched closer to the hole. She had to see if her sister was down there. But despite her caution, her foot tangled in a tree root, and she fell forwards. She tried to catch hold of something but couldn't. Screaming, she plummeted into the abyss. Her eyes squeezed shut.

And then her fall abruptly stopped as she landed in someone's arms, cradled against a warm chest. She could feel soft fur tickling her neck.

"Are you all right, my child?" a gentle, motherly voice asked her and Tina nodded shakily, slowly opening her eyes, and then gasped.

The lady who had saved her was a monster; a big goat lady with white fur, bright red eyes and a pretty purple dress. Tina curled in on herself. The lady monster looked nice, but what if she was actually mean and scary like the monsters she had read about in story books?

"Are you going to eat me?" Tina blurted out.

"Of course not, little one. Monsters do not eat humans, and I would never hurt you." the woman told her gently. Tina looked into her eyes, and seeing only kindness, she relaxed a lot. The lady smiled and set her down, softly ruffling her hair. It felt nice.

"My name is Toriel. What is your name, my child?" the woman asked. Tina hesitated, thinking about giving her a fake name, but decided against it. If Frisk had fallen down here too, maybe she had met this lady too, so maybe it was better to give her real name. She seemed so nice and something about her felt really safe. Maybe she could help her find Frisk.

"I'm Tina." she said shyly. "Miss Toriel?"

"Yes, my child?"

Tina pulled the photo of her and Frisk out of her backpack and shyly handed it to Toriel. "Have you seen my big sister? Her name's Frisk and this is her."

Toriel's eyes widened. "Yes, I have. She fell down here a week ago. I was actually just leaving to look for her when you fell."

"Is she okay?" Tina asked worriedly.

"I am going to make sure she is." Toriel told her. "Tina, I am going to take you to my home, okay? You can rest there and I will go get your sister."

Tina shook her head firmly. "I'm coming with you. She's my sister and she's always taken care of me. Now it's my turn."

Toriel saw the expression on Tina's face, which clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer, and relented. "All right. I know I cannot stop you. We will both go." She chuckled a little. "You truly are Frisk's sister." Tina beamed widely at the praise. "Now can I pick you up? We are going to have to hurry and I do not want you to get left behind." Tina nodded and Toriel gently scooped her into her arms, hurrying through the Ruins.

...

From his hiding place, the Annoying Dog watched them go, a big doggy smile on his face. His plan had worked perfectly. While it hurt to know his actions caused Frisk emotional pain and made her feel abandoned, stealing the phone had made sure Toriel would in the garden when Tina fell, protecting the little girl from injury or death like he had seen in a few potential futures that now would never come to pass. If Frisk knew this, she would more than understand, and her happiness would soon come. Everything was falling into place like it should.

It was only a matter of time.

...

A distance away, another, much less benevolent, presence was also watching the two. Hiding behind a rock, Flowey smirked as he watched the two go. "So the girl that thinks she's Chara's sister has fallen down here. This could get interesting."

...

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and that you don't mind the changes I made to the Alphys date and True Lab! I'd like to thank J-Farraday for all her help with the story! Thanks, July, you're awesome and thank you so much for all your suggestions and letting me bounce ideas off you! I also want to thank the awesome TheArchimage for allowing me to use his headcanon that red souls are love, not determination.

I decided to let Undyne be able to confess on the Alphys date for a few reasons. First was communication. Unlike the game, Frisk could actually tell Alphys the letter came from Undyne, and she was also able to text Papyrus to tell him what happened with the mix-up. As Papyrus is generally a very honest person, he told Undyne what was going on. And as Frisk was able to tell Alphys sooner who the letter was from, and the roleplay started sooner, without Alphys hiding when she saw Undyne, Undyne was able to hear fully what Alphys felt, and tell Alphys she felt the same. I also decided to do the confession and kiss then because there won't be any time and too much stress for the almost kiss that happens in the Throne Room.

I also want to share my headcanons on my Memoryhead and Spoongamate. While I know others see Memoryhead as an amalgamate from Gaster's time, I think of them as a different sort of amalgamate, one made of the remanents of the monsters who fell down, and is mostly comprised of their bad memories. To communicate or plead with people to join them as they feel incomplete, they show these bad memories, either visually like Aaron and Shyren saw, which is also similar to what happened in the Ask Blog, Man Who Speaks In Hands, or with putting a piece of themselves into someone, like with Frisk, who relived her first memory. However, with the visual showing of memories(without the BadMemory being ingested), unlike in the Man Who Speaks In Hands blog, my Memoryhead can only physically show the memories of the monsters that were inside them.

Spoongamate, like Memoryhead, is a remanent Amalgamate, but things were able to go differently for it. Somehow, the many, many minds that made up it, and the many pieces of damaged souls, were able to meld together into one mind and soul to cope, and Spoongamate is the most "stable" of the Amalgamates, but at the cost of their memories.

Please review and let me know what you think, and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me, either through a review, or PM if you feel more comfortable that way.