Reunited
Hey, guys! I managed to get the chapter finished sooner! Part One of the True Pacifist ending is now underway, and I hope you like the changes I made!
...
After Alphys gathered all the medical supplies they might need and placed them in her phone's inventory, everyone made their way out, but just as they arrived at the boat, a sudden voice caused everyone to halt.
"Wait!"
Frisk and the others turned, seeing Mettaton hurrying up to them, carrying a thick green notebook with a slightly torn cover in his hands. "Darling, can I talk to you for a second?" he asked Frisk. She gave him an unsure look and he looked down. "I'm not going to hurt you, and I-I'm so sorry for what I did. I just want to talk."
Sans glared at him. "Whatever you need to say to her, you can say in front of us."
Frisk held up a hand, trying to calm him. "Sans, it's okay." She gave him and the others a reassuring smile. Sans still seemed unsure, but Papyrus and Undyne were completely calm and gave Frisk and Mettaton encouraging smiles. She headed a short distance away with him, still within the sight of her friends, but out of earshot so Mettaton could say what he wanted to with some privacy. Chara started to follow but Frisk held out a hand, asking her to stay where she was.
"I-I know I don't deserve to ask for anything from you after what I did, but...but this is about Andrea and her family." Mettaton said softly. He held out the notebook. "Andrea was a very talented writer. This is the notebook she kept all her stories, thoughts, and movie scripts in. She poured her heart and soul into every page. I recovered it after she..." He paused, unable to finish the sentence. "Please...return it to her family. I know they'd want to have it. And...I know you'll be able to get home, regardless of what happens today. I believe in you."
Frisk very carefully took the notebook like the priceless treasure it was, and placed it in her inventory where it wouldn't get damaged. "I will. I'll find them." she promised.
Mettaton smiled softly. "Thank you. And one more thing," He pulled out a pair of slightly cloudy reading glasses and gently put them on Frisk. They were a bit too big on her, but would still work. "These are hers too. She accidentally left them at my house when she left. I noticed during some of our skits that you seemed to be having trouble seeing what was on your phone. She'd want you to have these, at least until you can get a pair of your own that fit you a little better. See if they help."
Frisk thanked him gratefully and opened the notebook very carefully, testing out the glasses. Her eyes opened wide in awe. She could actually see the letters without holding the book extremely close to her face! She didn't even know words could be this clear. "Wow..." She smiled up at Mettaton, her brown eyes, filled with joy, magnified by the lenses. "Thank you!"
He chuckled softly at her excitement. "You're welcome. Take care of yourself, okay darling?"
"I will." she promised and he smiled again before heading back to the lab. Frisk returned to her friends, smiling brightly as well. She could see them talking amongst each other, Sans tense and anxious and Papyrus, Alphys, and Undyne clearly trying to soothe him, but they stopped when she reached them.
"Hey, you're wearing glasses!" Undyne pointed out as Frisk came up to them, carrying the notebook with the glasses still on her face.
Frisk nodded with a smile. "He noticed I was having trouble seeing my phone earlier today when we were doing those shows, so he gave me these to help. Words look so clear now! I can't believe it!" she said excitedly. She didn't notice her friends exchanging slightly sad smiles at her excitement over something normally taken for granted.
Chara looked down a little. "I'm sorry, Frisk. I've been with you all this time and I didn't realize you were having trouble seeing. I should have looked into it more. I thought it was just you having trouble with your new smartphone..."
"It's not your fault, Chara. I thought that was all it was too." Frisk reassured her as she pushed the glasses, which had slid down a little as they were a bit too big, back up on the bridge of her nose.
"THAT WAS NICE OF HIM." Papyrus said with a smile. "AND THEY LOOK VERY CUTE ON YOU, HUMAN!" Frisk blushed at this, and Sans and Chara chuckled.
"They're a bit too big though." Undyne mentioned as Frisk pushed the errant glasses back up again. "My father, well, adoptive father, Gerson makes glasses. I'll set you up an appointment with him so he can adjust them and see if you might need anything stronger than reading glasses. You're gonna love him! Gerson is awesome! He was the Hammer Of Justice during the war! He's one of the strongest monsters I've ever known, and he always has the best stories!"
"She's right. Azzy and I used to hang out at Gerson's place all the time and eat crab apples and drink green sea tea while we listened to him tell stories. It was great." Chara told her.
Frisk smiled at this. "He sounds great. I can't wait to meet him once everything is settled."
"He'll be excited to meet you too." Undyne told her as the group headed towards the boat. Frisk smiled at this as she quickly saved at the nearby Save Point.
She just hoped Asgore would feel the same as the others.
...
Flowey followed as Toriel ran through the Snowdin area with Tina in her arms, careful to avoid any monsters and sticking to unpopulated areas as best she could. So far, so good. He knew Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne would likely follow Amnesia Chara there, and after the True Lab, as he called it, Alphys would likely be so grateful to her that she'd go too. But he needed more than just them.
He needed to make sure enough people came that reaching for the souls of anyone who didn't would be doable. After all, it would take the souls of almost every monster in the Underground, give or take a few, to equal a human soul.
He headed towards Snowdin Town. He was sure he could get some of the monsters closer to Frisk to listen. After all, she had saved that little monster kid's life and a lot of people had seen it. Perhaps they'd return the favor.
As he entered the town square, he noticed a huge crowd, and it was easy to see why. Aaron and Shyren were standing there with the Amalgamates, and like in Flowey's True Pacifist timelines, the families were so happy to have them back that they didn't care their family members had become abominations of nature.
Flowey got closer and listened. Interesting. Apparently Shyren and Aaron had gone with Amnesia Chara into the True Lab, having wanted to figure out what happened to everyone. That had never happened in any of his resets, but then again, this was the longest he had ever let the timeline go, not that he could do anything about it anymore anyways, or that he even wanted to. Playing a game over and over did get extremely boring after all. And Amnesia Chara might be even more of a goody two shoes than regular Chara, but at least she added some excitement.
Flowey blinked in surprise as Shyren scolded Memoryhead for what he presumed was showing the illusion of a fallen down family member to one of the monsters, and trying to get them to join it(again). It was even more surprising when Memoryhead backed off with its metaphorical tail between its legs. He had never seen Shyren show such confidence.
You're always full of surprises, Chara.
Aaron was babbling on about how Frisk, as he called Amnesia Chara, helped them and also mentioned that Alphys would be by soon, after she and the human figured out how to break the barrier.
And there was his cue.
Putting on the worried face of a frightened friend, Flowey made his way into the crowd. "Honestly, I-I'm really worried about C-Frisk." he said loudly enough for them to hear him, just barely remembering to use the name Amnesia Chara thought of herself as to avoid confusion and everyone thinking he was crazy. Everyone turned to him. "She-She wants to free everyone so much, I...I'm worried she's going to hurt herself!" he blurted out, letting tears fall from his eyes.
Everyone looked to him, confused and worried. Aaron spoke first. "What do you mean? And who are you? I've never seen you before."
"My name's Flowey. I live in the Ruins, and I've known Frisk ever since she fell." he explained. "I...don't think she had a very good life on the surface, and everyone's treated her so much nicer down here that she's desperate to return the favor." He let out a soft sob. "She loves everyone so much and she has so little self esteem that she considers herself expendable. I...I'm worried she's going to try to sacrifice herself for us...especially after I found this..." He pulled out the wrinkled strip of paper he had secretly grabbed from the snow after Undyne had torn it out of Amnesia Chara's list and thrown it away. He handed it to Aaron, shaking.
Aaron read it and his eyes widened. "If all else fails, and no other options are found, give my soul to Asgore in exchange for Tina's safety and a chance for her to have a better life." he read aloud. Many monsters gasped and Shyren's eyes filled with tears, Greater Dog and Endogeny whined, that one annoying monster kid started to cry, and many other monsters had worried expressions, except Doggo who seemed confused and was asking who Frisk was, and Jerry who was too busy trying to figure out his Wi-Fi.
"Tina's her little sister. She'd do anything to save her, and she'd do anything to save us too, including die if she felt she had to." Flowey said shakily.
"But we don't want her to! She can't do this! We don't want our freedom to come at the cost of her life!" Shyren cried.
Aaron nodded. "We need to stop her! Shyren, come with me. We should be able to make her see sense." Shyren nodded and Endogeny, Spoongamate, MK, his sister, Grillby, and several of the dogs quickly went to join them.
"Hold on!" Flowey called out, and they froze in their tracks. "We need to get everyone we can. With the kind of person she is, she'll need everyone she can get to let her know they'd rather she stay around. And Asgore...he doesn't really want to hurt her anyway, but he will for his people...unless his people tell him they don't want that. The second they do, he'll back down. But we need to be quick, before Frisk does anything stupid." He turned to the crowd. "Frisk has done so much for the Underground, for all of you! Now it's your turn! We need to show everyone monsters are truly made of love and compassion like the books say. Now who's with me?!"
Most of the monsters stepped forward, and the dogs let out a howl, indicating they would do whatever it took. Flowey grinned. "Now let's save her!"
A few monsters let out battle cries and the whole group started to hurry off as one. "Want me to carry you?" Aaron asked Flowey.
"Nah, tunneling is faster." Flowey explained. "I'm gonna run ahead and try to catch her. I'll lock her in a room if I got to until everyone arrives to make her see sense." Aaron nodded and hurried off with the others, and Flowey tunneled underground, smirking. Everything had worked exactly as planned, and now he would have his army of souls. Everything would be as perfect as it could be, considering Chara's lack of memory.
The phantom ache where his soul once was appeared again, making him slow, though he kept going. He wished he had put together an army like this before Chara had died of people that loved her. If he had, maybe she would have reconsidered and not killed herself. Maybe none of this would have happened. Chara might still be alive, and still have her memories, and he wouldn't be a soulless husk of a flower.
Flowey shook his head. He couldn't dwell on the past. What was important was that he had his army, he would become the God Of Hyperdeath with the human souls and theirs, and he would make Chara remember who she was. The world would be perfect again.
The world would be his.
...
Frisk felt her stomach once again tie in knots as they approached Asgore's door. In only moments, she would meet him, would find out for herself what he was truly like and if he would like her.
"It's okay, Frisk. I told you, he'll love you." Chara reassured her.
Undyne noticed Frisk's expression. "You nervous? Don't be! Asgore's a big fluffy goober! The second you look at him with those big brown eyes and give him that "I'm a little lost puppy, please adopt me," face you're so good at making, he's going to melt and adopt you and your sister right away."
"S-Seriously, it's okay. Asgore's really nice." Alphys told her. "And he'll definitely want to do our plan instead of hurting you. He's been trying to figure out how to break the barrier non-violently for years.
"It's true." Sans put in.
Papyrus nodded. "YES! YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR, HUMAN!"
Frisk calmed down and took a deep breath as Undyne knocked on the door loudly. To everyone's surprise, it simply came open at her touch.
Undyne sighed. "He's also so much of a goober that he often forgets to lock his door. I keep warning him about that..." She stepped inside. "Asgore?"
No response.
"HE'S PROBABLY IN THE GARDEN." Papyrus said, stepping inside with the others.
"I feel weird about walking around his house without him here." Frisk said.
"DON'T WORRY, FRISK! ASGORE WON'T MIND!" Papyrus told her.
They reached the stairs, where much to their surprise, two chains were blocking them. There was a note nearby that read, "Howdy! I'm in the garden. If you have anything you need to get off your chest, please don't hesitate to come. The keys are in the kitchen and the hallway."
Frisk blinked. "Why would King Asgore forget to lock his door, but chain up his stairs, and write a note saying exactly where the keys are? And why not just put the keys near the chain instead of putting them so people have to walk all through his house? Isn't he worried about burglars?" she asked Chara.
Chara frowned. "I don't know. I've never seen Dad chain up the stairs, or leave such a weird note. I mean, I haven't seen him in years, but this is kind of out of character."
Frisk turned to Undyne. "Does King Asgore normally do this with the stairs?" she asked worriedly.
She shook her head with a worried frown. "No. Forget to lock his door, yes, but he hasn't blocked the stars since Asriel was small."
Frisk was worried. "Do you think someone else could have done it?"
Undyne thought for a second. "I...don't think so. This note's in his handwriting after all."
"MAYBE HE'S TRYING OUT A NEW PUZZLE." Papyrus suggested.
"I-In his own house like this with him in the garden and the keys to the chain on this side?" Alphys asked, clearly with Frisk on this one. "This, um, this doesn't make any sense."
"It certainly is a PUZZLING development." Sans joked.
"SANS!" Papyrus groaned. "HMM...I DID SUGGEST HE CREATE SOME COOL PUZZLES FOR NEW HOME ONCE, MAYBE HE'S JUST TAKING MY EXPERT ADVICE!" Papyrus grinned cheerfully, sure that this was the reason.
"That...actually makes sense!" Undyne said, relaxing some. The others relaxed as well. "He made a kind of boring puzzle though. He should have used fire cannons or maces!"
"I'm pretty sure Asgore wouldn't want to kill his guests, 'Dyne." Sans pointed out.
"Fine, fine." Undyne sighed. "Let's go get the keys."
The group briefly split up, Undyne going to the kitchen to grab the key there. Frisk spotted the key in the hallway and went to get it. As she grabbed the key and started to head back to the group, she noticed Chara staring at one of the doors. "Chara, you okay?" she asked, a little worried.
"This was mine and Azzy's old room." Chara said softly. "Do-Do you mind if I go in and take a look really quick?"
"Of course not. Go ahead."
Chara went in, coming out a few minutes later looking thoughtful. "Frisk, can you come in with me for a second? Please? There's...something I want you to have."
Frisk frowned in confusion, but seeing her friend's pleading face, she nodded and quickly told the others where she was going before heading to the bedroom and opening the door. She felt really weird about being in here without Asgore's permission, but knew Chara really wanted her to go in.
As she stepped inside, she looked around. Like Asgore's living room, the room seemed to be rather grey, with two twin beds. One bed had lots of toys surrounding it, while the other had a drawing of a golden flower taped above it. Against the opposite wall between the beds were a wardrobe and nightstand, a framed photograph resting on it, along with what looked to be an antique dagger. Curiously, Frisk came over to look, seeing that the photo was of Chara with her family. Asriel was standing next to Chara with a wide grin, while their parents stood above them, smiling. Chara however had her face hidden behind a bouquet of flowers.
"I...never really liked my photo taken that much." Chara admitted. "But I was smiling too." She glanced at the dagger that rested next to the photograph and smiled softly. "And that's the antique dagger I used when I worked in the garden with Dad. It was great for trimming vines, and I always thought it looked so cool. I'm surprised it's in here though. Dad always kept it with the rest of the gardening tools."
"He probably put it in here to remind himself of all the good times he had gardening with you." Frisk told her softly.
Chara discreetly wiped tears from her eyes. "You're probably right." She gestured around the room. "That's Azzy's bed. He always did love his stuffed toys." she told Frisk with a sad smile. "And this one's mine." She sat on the other bed. "And this...is what I want you to have." She pointed at something dangling on one of the posts on the headboard.
Frisk came over and took a closer look at what Chara was pointing at. It was a beautiful gold locket with Best Friends Forever engraved on the front. "It's beautiful."
"Azzy gave it to me on the first anniversary of when I fell." Chara whispered. "He put pictures of him and I and our family inside and engraved it with some of the strongest defense runes possible." She looked up at Frisk. "I want you to keep it, Frisk, and wear it. It will protect you."
Frisk looked down. "Chara, it's lovely, but I can't. It's yours. Your brother gave it to you. I'd never forgive myself if I accidentally broke or lost it, not to mention your dad would be furious if I walked in wearing his dead daughter's locket."
"Dad won't mind once we explain, and I know you won't break it or lose it. Plus...I feel like something's going on...like something big is going to happen. I want you to have some armor to protect you. Asriel would want that too." Chara looked into Frisk's eyes. "And...I know Dad hasn't adopted you yet, but...it doesn't change the fact that I see you as my sister. As our sister."
Frisk's eyes filled with tears and she smiled softly at Chara. "I...I see you as my sister too." Her smile then fell. "But I can't take this. Not yet. Not until I know it would be okay with your dad. I...I know he treasures this as a memory of you. I don't want to disrespect him by wearing something so important without his permission. And...I feel like it would upset him, me wearing your locket and not being you."
"But Frisk..."
"Hey, everything okay in here?" Undyne's voice suddenly asked and Frisk and Chara turned to see Undyne standing in the doorway, the others with her.
"I want Frisk to have my locket but she won't take it because she thinks it will upset Dad." Chara explained to everyone before Frisk could answer.
Undyne frowned. "I'm kinda with Frisk on this one. It would upset Asgore to see someone he doesn't know yet come in to meet him while wearing your locket. Look, we're going to be telling him you're here anyway, why don't you talk to him about it first? He'll either say it's okay or make Frisk a special locket of her very own."
"Undyne's right." Sans told Chara after translating for Papyrus and Alphys. "Best to talk to your dad first, and he's probably gonna want to give Frisk her own locket. But why do you want her to wear yours so much? You're kind of going to need that when Alph and I build you a robot body."
"I just...I want to keep her safe. My locket has some of the strongest defense runes you can make, and with that creep Flowey still around, and monsters that don't like humans...I want her to have something to protect her. I...I just...I don't want her to get hurt, and I feel like something's gonna happen, and..."
"Chara, I'll be okay." Frisk told her gently.
Sans's sockets softened, and he hugged Chara. "Hey...Hey, don't worry about it. Frisk's got all of us to protect her. She's gonna be just fine."
"Y-Yeah! We'll protect her!" Alphys said.
"Plus, she's got me, the captain of the Royal Guard, watching out for her!" Undyne said, puffing out her chest. She pulled Frisk close and gave her a noogie. "If someone tries to get this human, I'll beat the hell out of them!"
"Thanks, Undyne." Frisk said, smoothing out her now very messy hair.
"NOT TO MENTION, SHE HAS THE GREAT AND POWERFUL PAPYRUS TO PROTECT HER FROM ANY HARM! AND...AS ADDED PROTECTION..." Papyrus pulled off his scarf and gently wrapped it around Frisk's neck. "HERE, WEAR THIS, HUMAN! MY SCARF ALSO HAS VERY POWERFUL DEFENSIVE RUNES! IT'LL KEEP YOU SAFE, AND NICE AND WARM!"
Chara felt a lot better at this and smiled. "That's a good idea. Thanks, Papyrus."
"Are you sure?" Frisk asked softly, though she smiled at the cuddly warmth of the scarf, feeling so much like a hug from Papyrus. "What about your protection?"
"THE REST OF MY BATTLE BODY HAS DEFENSIVE RUNES ENGRAVED IN IT TOO. SANS INSISTED AFTER I STARTED WEARING IT AS MY ROYAL GUARD UNIFORM." Papyrus explained. "COUPLED WITH ALL MY TRAINING, I HAVE VERY POWERFUL DEFENSE! YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ME! YOU CAN WEAR MY SCARF AS LONG AS YOU LIKE!"
Frisk smiled and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Papyrus."
He hugged back happily. "YOU'RE WELCOME, FRISK!"
Now that that was settled, the group headed off again, leaving the main part of the house and heading through what felt to Frisk like endless corridors and halls. Finally, they reached the throne room. Frisk could hear a man cheerfully humming inside and despite her nerves, the sound made her feel a bit better. Still, just to be on the safe side, she once again Saved outside the throne room.
As she stepped inside with her friends, Frisk immediately saw who she knew had to be Asgore, his back turned to them as he watered flowers, continuing to hum. He was huge, towering over even Papyrus, with huge horns. His hair was golden and somewhat long, and he wore a crown and regal purple robes with golden shoulder pads. The sheer size of him made Frisk a little nervous, but there also seemed to be a gentleness to him in the way he lovingly watered each flower. His cheerful tune paused as he heard their footsteps. "Oh, is someone there?"
"Hey, Asgore!" Undyne called cheerfully. "Papyrus, Sans, and Alphys are here with me too, and we brought a friend. We also have great news!"
"Oh?" Asgore asked and Frisk could hear the smile in his voice as he turned to greet them. His face was just as kind as it had been in Chara's memories. He looked surprisingly soft for someone so massive, with a thick golden beard and gentle red eyes. "It is very good to have you all over. Just let me finish watering these flowers, and I will make us all a cup of tea while we..." His eyes met Frisk's and widened as his cheerful smile fell. He looked like he had been punched in the stomach as he took a step back. "...Oh."
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT HER! WE FOUND A BETTER SOLUTION!" Papyrus said quickly, smoothly stepping forward, slightly between Frisk and Asgore.
Asgore looked down. "Papyrus...there is no better solution. We have been trying everything. The barrier needs seven human souls to be broken, and souls cannot be taken alive. I am sorry." Frisk was frightened at this, and Chara looked worried as well. Papyrus moved slightly more in front of Frisk, clearly anxious, and Sans tensed a tiny bit too.
"Actually...there is a way you can!" Alphys said quickly. "It-It's true an ordinary monster or even a boss monster can't remove a soul without killing the host. It would take an immense amount of power. But what we never thought to factor in was that a monster that's absorbed six human souls WOULD have that kind of power. If you absorbed the other human souls first, you could remove Frisk's soul without killing her. She'd likely be unconscious and we'd have to be quick about it, but it can be done!"
She handed over the papers she had brought, and a clearly stunned Asgore took them, looking between them and Alphys like he was in shock.
"Asgore? You okay?" Undyne asked.
"This is truly possible? Are you sure?" he asked softly.
Alphys nodded. "It is. Sans and I ran all the numbers, and all of them show that it would work. It can definitely be done, but we do need to make sure to be quick and careful as there might be a small risk to Frisk from having her soul outside her body. She is rather malnourished and her body seems to be relying on her soul for support even more than with normal humans and monsters, so we need to keep the separation time as short as possible."
Asgore looked to Frisk, concern in his eyes, and Frisk fidgeted her fingers a little. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes." she said softly. "I want all of you to be free, and I want to go get my little sister and bring her to safety. I'll do whatever's possible to make that happen."
Asgore knelt to be at Frisk's level. "You're a very brave person, Frisk, and I would like to thank you for helping my subjects and I." he told her gently with a fatherly tone that made Frisk instantly feel safe. "But maybe it would be better to wait until you are fully healthy and well before we do this. Now that there is a chance to both do my duty and keep you alive and safe, I want to make sure you have the best possible chance. A few more months will not matter."
Frisk shook her head. "It...It can't wait, your Majesty. My little sister is out there. I have to get her. It...It's already been too long and I don't know if she has enough to eat or if she's okay..and if anything happens to her..." She was now shaking a little bit.
Asgore, moving slowly and gently, placed his paws on her shoulders. She flinched, but then relaxed, realizing the touch was gentle. He frowned in worry. "Did anyone hurt or your little sister up there?"
"No, our parents didn't hit us or anything." Frisk told him. "They just...they..."
"Are neglectful dicks that don't deserve kids and only deserve to be impaled by my spear." Undyne said angrily.
Sans nodded. "It's obvious that they haven't taken care of Frisk or Tina at all, and Alphys did a medical exam on Frisk so we have proof of severe neglect." he explained. "And I know Little Red here's the only one who's been taking care of her sister, so it is kind of important that we get her out of there as quickly as possible." Even Papyrus nodded at this, though he looked worried.
Asgore nodded softly and turned to Frisk. "Child, I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe throughout this, and we will pick up your sister immediately. And you and your sister will not have to ever go back to that home. I promise I will take care of both of you. You will have a good home here in the castle."
Frisk looked up at him gratefully. "Thank you so much, Your Majesty." She felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders and Chara was grinning so widely that the smile could have split her face.
Asgore smiled kindly. "There is no need to be so formal with me, Frisk. You may call me Asgore, or whatever you wish."
Frisk wanted to hug him, but wasn't sure he'd accept it, so instead showed her gratitude by smiling widely. "Thank you, Asgore."
He smiled and, still moving his hand slowly and gently, ruffled her hair. "You are welcome, Frisk."
"I told you he'd adopt you, Frisk!" Chara cheered, practically bouncing in happiness.
Asgore jolted and turned to the sound of Chara's voice. As soon as he looked right at her, he gasped, then rubbed his eyes. He then looked at Chara again, expression shocked.
Sans quickly stepped in. "I know what you just saw, Asgore, and you're not losing your mind. Chara's back as a ghost. Her soul...kinda might have got attached to Frisk's when the kiddo fell down here."
"W-We, um, kinda should have told you when we first came in." Alphys said sheepishly and handed him another paper from her stack as proof.
Asgore stared at it, then at Chara again before snapping out of his shock, his eyes filling with tears. He knelt down and threw his arms around his daughter with soft sobs. "Oh Chara...I missed you so much, my little princess." Everyone smiled at the reunion of father and daughter.
Chara sobbed as she clung to his robes as best she could being a ghost. "I missed you too, Daddy...I'm so sorry..."
Asgore stroked her hair. "Chara...you have nothing to be sorry for."
"Yes I do! It's all my fault!" Chara cried.
Tears filled Asgore's eyes again. "No, no, no, it's not your fault. Sweetheart, you were sick. You did nothing wrong."
"No, I did everything wrong. I wasn't sick, Dad; I killed myself..." Chara cried and sobbed out the whole story as Asgore listened in shock. The others listened as well, worried.
After Chara finished and burst into a fresh wave of tears, Asgore finally composed himself and pulled back a little, but only enough to put his hands on his daughter's shoulders and look into her eyes. "Chara." She looked up at him, flinching as if expecting him to yell or push her away. But he didn't.
"Chara, you were very reckless, and you made a mistake. You and Asriel should have never been out there. But...I know you meant well. I too made some horrible mistakes because I wanted to help everyone." Asgore said softly. "And...part of this is my fault. I put far too much pressure on you. I never should have made you feel like you had to solve all our problems. That was not your job, and I should have made sure you knew all we wanted from you was for you to be happy. And I am so sorry for that."
"I'm the one who should be sorry, Dad...I got Asriel killed..." Chara whispered. "I'm the reason you and Mom aren't together any more. I'm the reason one of the fallen humans, Andrea, is dead." She looked down. "I understand if you hate me...if you want me to leave."
Asgore hugged her tight, surprising her. "Chara...I could never, ever hate you. You are my daughter and I love you. And while you made a mistake, you never meant for anything to happen to Asriel. It was the humans who killed him, not you. And your mother left because I made her afraid with my anger, and I was the one who chose to kill Andrea. I could have made better choices, and I did not. That is my fault, not yours."
"But if I hadn't done what I did, you wouldn't have done that! Asriel should be the one here, not me!" Chara cried out.
"Chara!" Asgore said firmly. "I miss Asriel too with all my heart, and I wish more than anything that I had both of you at my side. But that does not mean I do not think you deserve to be back, and Asriel would not want you to punish yourself with thoughts like these either." He softly stroked her hair. "Life has given us both a miracle, and a second chance. Please...let us be happy like your brother would want us to." Chara nodded softly and hugged her dad tightly, and Asgore hugged her back.
After a few minutes, they finally pulled away, and Asgore turned to the others with a soft and slightly sad but still genuine smile. "Now, we have a barrier to break and a little sister to pick up. Are you ready?" Everyone nodded. "Alphys, Sans, what do we do?"
"W-We need to get close to the barrier. I'll set out a cot for Frisk and have medical supplies at the ready in case anything happens." Alphys explained.
"Once everything is set up, you can absorb the six souls, and use that power to remove Frisk's. Alph, Paps, Undyne, and I will monitor Frisk's body and make sure it stays alive as you break the barrier. After it breaks, you should be able to use your power to push Frisk's soul back into her body, and give her a good dose of healing magic if she needs it. As what's pretty much a god, you should have more than enough power." Sans reported.
Asgore nodded, though a little worriedly. "Will Frisk be in any pain? Should she be put to sleep for this? And what about Chara? Will this plan put her in any danger?"
Alphys shook her head with a frown. "It-It's best not to put her under anesthesia with how low her weight is and her poor health. I-I don't want to risk a b-bad reaction. I-I don't think it should be painful for her anyway, but-but there's no way to know for sure. As for Chara, she should be completely fine. Her soul is attached to Frisk and showed no prior adverse reaction to the barrier."
Papyrus became worried upon hearing all of this. "Maybe-Maybe we shouldn't do this."
"Papyrus, it's the best idea we've got and you heard what Alphys said. I have a good chance." Frisk told him gently.
Tears filled his eyes. "But-But I don't want to lose you..."
She hugged him tight. "You're not going to lose me. I'm going to live, and I know all of you will keep me safe."
"Paps, it's going to be okay." Sans told him. "Frisk has the best medical care on her side. We're not going to let her die. We're all going to have our happy ending, okay? I know it."
"It's true! We're gonna kick that barrier's ass, and Frisk is gonna be just fine!" Undyne said loudly.
Papyrus relaxed, clearly comforted by the words of his loved ones, and nodded. Frisk gave him another hug before they all headed into the barrier room. Once again, Frisk saved before they went in.
She didn't want to lose a single moment.
...
Alphys quickly set up all the supplies they needed with the help of the others, and Frisk's soul pounded in anticipation. In only a few moments, the barrier would be broken and she'd finally, finally have her baby sister in her arms again.
Once everything was set up, Asgore summoned a trident that was almost as tall as he was, and tapped a spot on the ground. The floor shook slightly and Frisk gasped as six containers emerged, each containing a differently colored human soul. She stared in awe and sadness, wondering what they had been like and who they were when they were alive. She vowed to find a way to save them too.
Asgore turned to her. "Ready?"
Frisk nodded, shaky but determined. She sat down on the cot Alphys had set up for her. "Ready." Papyrus took her hand and the others stood beside her.
But just as Asgore was about to turn to open one of the soul containers, a ball of fire shot into the room, slamming into Asgore's side and causing him to fall hard into the ground.
...
Frisk gasped and jumped to her feet, Papyrus and Sans moving to protect her and Asgore and Undyne summoning a spear, but the monster standing at the door was not an enemy.
It was Toriel.
"Mom?" Frisk asked in shock as a stunned Chara asked the same question, and then a little voice, the one she had so desperately longed for all week, filled the air.
"SIS!" Tina came running out from behind Toriel. Frisk's eyes filled with tears at the sight of her beloved little sister. Tina ran into the room, hesitating for only a second when she looked up at the monsters, and then running full speed past Frisk's stunned friends and hurtling herself into her big sister's arms.
"Tina..." Frisk whispered, happy tears falling down as she hugged her little sister tightly, half afraid she would disappear. Tina clutched hold of her shirt and burst into tears as well. Frisk held her closer, kissing the top of her sister's head and stroking her hair. "I missed you so much..."
"I missed you too." Tina sobbed. Chara, Sans, Papyrus, and Alphys smiled at the sight, but Undyne was a little distracted helping Asgore up and healing the burn.
Asgore got to his feet, a little shakily, but seeming to be happy to see Toriel despite getting hit with a fireball. "Tori...You came back..."
Toriel, who had already been rushing over, put herself protectively between Asgore and Tina and Frisk. "Do not "Tori" me, Dreemurr! I will not allow you to harm my child!"
"Mom, don't!" Chara yelled, but was left unheard.
"Mom, he wasn't..." Frisk started, but was cut off by Undyne, who was glaring murderously at Toriel.
"He wasn't, you as..." Undyne covered her mouth and glanced at Tina, stopping herself from swearing in front of the little girl. "He wasn't going to hurt her, and neither were we! We were trying to help her get home, as you would have figured out if you actually asked what was going on instead of jumping to conclusions for once in your life!"
"Undyne, you don't have to yell, but you do have a point." Chara sighed.
Toriel glanced to Frisk at this and then to Papyrus and Sans, seeming to calm as she saw them. "It's true." Frisk confirmed. "They're my friends. They and Asgore were trying to help me get home. Nobody was going to hurt me."
Toriel relaxed at this, and she hugged Frisk and Tina close. "Frisk, my child, I am so glad you are safe...I am so sorry I missed your call. The dog stole my phone a few days ago and hid it. It only recently gave it back, right before your sister fell in fact."
"The dog stole your phone?" Frisk asked in shock. "And Tina, I'm so happy to see you...but how'd you..."
Toriel nodded to her question and Tina smiled. "I found your notebook and found out that you went to Professor Williams' lab the day you left, so I went there and asked him if he'd seen you! He said he had asked you to go to Mt. Ebott to get a flower, so I climbed the mountain to find you, and then I fell, and Miss Toriel caught me! I showed her your picture and she told me she saw you, and we ran really, really fast all the way here!"
Frisk smiled and hugged Tina tightly. "You're a regular Nancy Drew, Tina." she told her little sister, then looked worried. "But you still should have been more careful...You fell, and if Mom hadn't been there..."
Toriel frowned thoughtfully. "The strange thing is...I was about to leave to find you right before that. The dog had given me back my phone, and I tried to call you, but I couldn't reach you. I realized I needed to come find you, but...just as I was about to leave, I heard your sister scream, and I rushed over just in time to catch her in my arms."
"So the dog stealing your phone saved Tine's life..." Frisk said softly and then smiled widely. "Next time I see him, I'm going to get him the biggest steak I can find." She hugged Tina close, happy to have her safe and alive, and snuggled into Toriel's arms. Toriel held her close and gave a motherly kiss to both girls' heads. Chara couldn't stop smiling, so glad Frisk had her sister back and her mother was with them.
"Hate to interrupt, but you want to introduce us, kiddo?" Sans's amused voice asked.
"SANS! THEY WERE HAVING A MOMENT!" Papyrus scolded.
Both Frisk and Toriel chuckled, though little Tina looked shy and a little scared.
"Don't be shy, sis, they're nice!" Frisk reassured her. "Tina, these are my friends Sans and Papyrus. Papyrus, Sans, this is my little sister, Tina."
"Hey, kiddo." Sans said with a smile.
Papyrus however was much more exuberant about his greeting. He picked Tina up and hugged her. "IT'S SO NICE TO MEET YOU! FRISK HAS TOLD ME SO MUCH ABOUT YOU!"
Tina yelped, not expecting to be picked up and hugged by a total stranger, and Sans shook his head fondly. "Paps, she doesn't know you."
"OOPS! I'M SORRY, TINY HUMAN! I DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU." Papyrus said apologetically and gently set Tina back down.
"It's okay." Tina said with a shy smile.
Toriel smiled at the brothers. "It's good to see you again, Sans and Papyrus."
"HEY, I KNOW YOUR VOICE! YOU'RE THE LADY WE WERE TALKING TO ON THE PHONE!" Papyrus said with a wide smile. "YOU DO LOOK FAMILIAR THOUGH...HAVE WE MET IN PERSON BEFORE?"
"I knew you and Sans when you were just a little one." Toriel explained with a smile. "My, you have gotten so tall since then! I can hardly believe it!"
"Maybe because you haven't bothered to see them for years." Undyne said coldly, making Toriel flinch and Frisk, Chara and Tina look worried. Undyne then turned to Tina, her scowl immediately turning into a smile as she knelt to the child's level. "Hey, half-pint. Your sis told me about you. I'm Undyne, one of Frisk's besties." She held out her hand and Tina took it.
"It's nice to meet you, Miss Undyne." Tina said with a smile, though stood as tall as possible. "But I'm not a half pint! I'm getting really tall! Frisk says I'm going to be even taller than her soon!"
Undyne chuckled warmly. "I bet you will be. And I can tell you're really tough! I heard you made your own journey to find Frisk, just like she did to find you. That takes guts." Tina grinned happily at this and Undyne grinned too before turning to Alphys, who was hanging back shyly, and getting up to gently pull her over. "And this is my girlfriend, Alphys! She's the Royal Scientist!"
"H-H-Hi." Alphys said, blushing deeply at being called Undyne's girlfriend.
"Hi, Alphys!" Tina said, her shyness disappearing at how kind everyone was. "Your friends are really nice, Frisk!"
"They are." Frisk agreed with a smile.
Asgore started to approach, but Toriel blocked him. "Stay away from them, Asgore." she growled. Fire licked at her fingertips.
"Mom, don't hurt him! He wasn't doing anything bad!" Chara cried, but Toriel didn't hear her daughter as she was yelling at Asgore.
'I'm not letting you anywhere near them! Not after what you did!" Toriel yelled at Asgore.
"Mom, calm down! He didn't do anything wrong!" Frisk told her, trying to stop the fight.
"Toriel...I..." Asgore started but Toriel ignored him as she turned to Frisk.
"Frisk, he is dangerous! He has done terrible things!" Toriel protested.
Undyne rushed forward, getting between Toriel and Asgore. "Shut up! I'm not going to stand here and allow you to treat Asgore like a villain!" she growled.
"Undyne, do not take that tone with me!" Toriel scolded.
Undyne glared at her. "I'm going to take whatever tone I want to with you! You're not my mother! You're not even our queen any more! And you don't know a da..darn thing about your own husband! You saw one thing, jumped to the worst conclusion possible, and f...freaking abandoned all of us! You abandoned Asgore! You abandoned your people!"
"I left Asgore because he killed a little girl!" Toriel yelled. "There is no excuse for what he did! How can you condone this, Undyne?!" Toriel yelled. Tina started to cry and clung to Frisk, who hugged her tightly. Papyrus pulled them both into a hug, trying to comfort them, and Sans looked worried. Alphys too was shaking like a leaf at all the yelling, and didn't seem to know what to do. Chara was much the same way.
"Tori...I didn't..." Asgore started, but was cut off yet again.
"I don't want to hear your excuses, Dreemurr! You know what you did was wrong!" Toriel yelled at him.
"Mom, listen! Maybe Dad didn't do it!" Chara yelled.
"Please stop yelling! You're scaring Tina!" Frisk cried out, but was left unheard.
Undyne looked like she was about to explode. "Except for the fact that he DIDN'T! You know, if you had taken two seconds to ask Asgore what happened, you would have found out the truth! He never killed that little girl!"
Toriel froze, anger turning into shock. She looked to Asgore.
"It's true, Toriel." Asgore said softly. "Felicity...the little girl...she never survived the fall. She hit her head on a sharp rock. By the time I reached her, there was nothing I could do."
It took Toriel a moment to regain her speech. "I...I thought..."
"Well, you thought wrong! If you let Asgore explain or answered any of our damn calls instead of running away like a coward..." Undyne started to yell.
"Undyne, please, enough." Asgore gently but firmly told her.
"But she left all of us! She hurt you, and she even threw a damn fireball at you just now! She deserves to have a face full of spears, and..." Undyne was getting more worked up, but Toriel just looked down.
"Undyne!" Papyrus quickly moved forward. "Please...just calm down. The yelling is really scaring Tina." Undyne stopped and looked over to Tina, who was clinging to Frisk and shaking like a leaf with her head buried in Frisk's chest. Frisk and Alphys looked shaken up too, and Sans was trying to comfort them all. "And I know Lady Asgore is sorry for what happened."
"Well, she should be sorry." Undyne growled, though kept her voice down after glancing at Tina again.
"Undyne. I know you want to protect me, but please do not yell at Toriel. I made her feel this way because of my harsh words during the decree, and though she tried to talk me down after that, I was still very angry at humans for quite a while. That, coupled with seeing the dead body of a child, would scare anyone." Asgore said gently.
Toriel looked down. "Asgore...Undyne is right. While it is true that your words and actions did scare me, I should not have panicked and I should have asked you what happened. It was not right of me to just yell at you and leave without giving you a chance to explain, and I am sorry for that. But...I am listening now. What-What happened to my other children? Did...Did any of them make it?"
Asgore shook his head sadly. "No. I-I will tell you how everything happened, but let's go over there." He motioned to the other side of the room. "I do not wish to scare Tina with more talk of death."
Toriel nodded softly and Asgore led her off a short distance away.
...
Once they were out of earshot of the others, Asgore spoke again. It was obvious that this was hard for him. "Benji...the little Kindness soul...he drowned in Waterfall. He fell off a cliff while trying to gather an Echo Flower for his father. Undyne was the one to find his body and soul. It was...really hard on both Undyne and I. When we held his soul, he "told" his story to us through mental words and images. He had heard of a magic flower that could cure illness and his father was sick. He wanted so badly to help him... He was...is... such a sweet child. When...When I made that decree...I never wanted or thought children would fall and die. I thought it would be soldiers or mercenaries, and that they would attack us."
Toriel nodded softly, tears in her eyes.
"The blue souled child was the next. I believe her name was Violet."
"It was. My little ballerina." Toriel said sadly. "What happened to her?"
"She froze to death in Snowdin Woods. I...I think she got lost. One of the guards found her after she had already died." Asgore explained gently.
Toriel gasped. "This...This was all my fault...If I had been there with them...They would not have..."
Asgore wanted to pull her into a hug, but didn't know if she would accept it, so placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Tori. This is not your fault. The Underground can be treacherous, even for monsters. You did your best to protect them, and maybe if I had not made my decree, you would have had more help."
"But I swore to take care of them...and I failed them...If I had been with them...I am a terrible mother..." Toriel whispered, her entire body shaking.
Asgore shook his head violently. "No! No, you are not! Toriel, you cannot be everywhere at once. Had you not been in the Ruins, they may never have even survived the fall. Please...Look at it this way. Think about little Tina. Had you not been in the ruins when you were, she may have died like Felicity." Asgore consoled. "Look at the two girls you did save. Look at how much they love you. You are an amazing mother. Trust me."
Toriel didn't look like she quite believed him, but she nodded. "What-What about the others? David and Andrea, the soul of Bravery and the Soul of Perseverance? I-I think I know what happened with Justin...I heard monsters say a yellow souled human started a genocide..."
"Little Orange Soul...David...some monsters brought his soul to me and said he killed their family members." Asgore said very softly. "When I placed his soul in the container, I could feel how afraid he was, so he may have only killed out of self defense, but he does not allow me to hold him, nor will he "speak" to me like Felicity and Benji do. And yes...the yellow souled human did attack Snowdin. He killed many, and even shot out Undyne's eye when she tried to save little Snowdrake from him. He was going to kill him too, but I killed him before he could."
"Justin...he came down here looking for his brother... I...I knew David was likely no longer alive." Toriel whispered. "I...I tried to break it to him gently and also convince him to stay, but he ran off in the middle of the night. I never thought he would do something like that..."
Asgore looked down sadly. "Grief...it can destroy a person inside and make someone do things they never considered before." Toriel looked down as well with tears in her eyes, and Asgore noticed how guilty she felt. "Please...do not blame yourself. He would have found out anyway and you never knew he would do something like this. You cannot control how other people act or how they react to things. I know you would have tried to stop him...just like you tried to stop me...and I have done some awful things, Tori. The last soul...Andrea...I did kill her. She only wanted to go home, and I..."
Toriel looked at him in shock and slight anger. "Why, Asgore? I thought you regretted this! I thought you knew better!"
"I felt I had to. I feared that after what happened with David and Justin that she would never be allowed to live peacefully down here. The only way she would get home or I would be able to break the barrier and free our people was for one of us to kill the other, and we both knew that. . I...I thought it was my duty to our people to take her soul...even knowing it was wrong. I felt I had no choice. We had no other solution...but it still was not right. I regret it. I will regret it for the rest of my life. I wish I had never made that decree, but...I cannot undo the choices I made. The-The only thing I can do is do right by Frisk and Tina. When everyone came in today, bringing young Frisk with them...I thought I would have to kill again, to take her soul and break the barrier." Toriel stiffened at this, and Asgore quickly continued before she could grow more upset. "But they all worked together, and they found another way. They found a monster with six souls can absorb the soul of a living human, and return it again without killing the host."
Toriel hesitated and looked skeptical. "But would Frisk be safe? Would it hurt her?"
"There is a small risk due to her health from what Alphys and Sans told me, which is why I'm going to delay this until she is fully better. Frisk asked for it to be done immediately before because we all believed young Tina was in danger, but now that Tina is with us and safe, we can wait until we know she is fully healthy and that this will be fully safe for her."
"I will not have you use her as your tool to break the barrier, Asgore." Toriel said, a little more loudly than she meant to, and Frisk clearly overheard. She frowned and came over.
"Mom, if you guys were talking about the plan to break the barrier, it was my idea. I came up with it with Undyne's help. I wanted to do it to get home to Tina and help everyone. Asgore didn't do anything wrong. In fact, he tried to ask me to wait so I wouldn't get hurt. Don't blame him." the teenager pleaded.
Toriel sighed. "Frisk, I know you want to help everyone, but I do not wish for you to get hurt, or have so much weight on your shoulders. You are a child; you should be able to focus on living your life."
"But I'm fifteen! I'm not a child any more, and I've been taking care of myself and Tina for a long time. I can handle this. I know I can handle this. You guys have been so kind to me, and I want to help you. I want to help break the barrier. All of you deserve to be free!" Frisk protested.
Asgore exchanged a worried look with Toriel at the sheer desperation to please and help in the young girl's voice. At the weight of the burden he had unknowingly placed, yet again, on a child's shoulders to fix everything. "Frisk. Toriel is right. Your health and safety is what's most important. You are not expendable. The barrier can wait now that your sister is safe. When and only when you are fully healthy and we are one hundred percent certain this is safe, we can discuss this again, but for now...let us go home, all right?"
Chara floated up to them. "Mom and Dad are right. I don't want you to follow my path, Frisk. You don't need to obsess over breaking the barrier. You deserve to be happy too."
Asgore heard Toriel gasp and turned to see her staring at Chara, covering her mouth in shock. She shook her head and blinked rapidly before composing herself. "I am sorry. I thought I saw... I must be more tired than I thought."
Asgore put a gentle hand on her shoulder, smiling. "You are not seeing things, Tori. I have wonderful news. Chara is..."
But before he could finish his sentence, the loud bang of a door filled the room, followed by the sound of what seemed to be dozens of monsters crashing into the room.
...
Frisk jumped as several figures burst from the throne room into the Barrier Room. She gasped as she saw a whole group of monsters she knew; Aaron, Shyren, Endogeny, Muffet, Grillby, RG01 and RG02, and Greater Dog amongst them, as well as many other monsters she had met on her journey.
"Thank the stars we're not too late!" Aaron gasped before rushing to Frisk's side. "Don't do it!"
"What?" Frisk asked in confusion.
"Dearie, listen. Your life is far too high of a gamble to pay for the breaking of the barrier. You're worth more alive than dead." Muffet told her, reaching her side quickly behind Aaron.
"Yeah, don't do it, little dude! We don't want you to sacrifice yourself for us!" RG01 called and many of the other monsters shouted similar things. Greater Dog and Endogeny whined and licked her.
"I don't understand what's going on!" Frisk told them, growing even more confused. Tina started to cry when RG01 mentioned Frisk sacrificing herself and clung to Frisk tightly. "Sis, it's okay! Guys, what are you talking about?!"
"Your Majesty, please, don't hurt her. Frisk is a wonderful child and she even saved a monster child from drowning in the river." Grillby told Asgore. Several other monsters were telling him much the same thing, and Asgore raised a hand to calm them.
"I am not going to hurt her." Asgore reassured them. "Frisk and her little sister Tina will be staying with my wife and I as our own children." The monsters all calmed down at this.
"What in the devil is going on here?! Where'd you guys all come from?" Undyne asked in shock.
"Frisk is okay! We wouldn't let anything happen to her and she's not going to do anything bad to herself." Papyrus told the others.
"It's true." Sans said and Alphys nodded.
"One of Frisk's friends came to us in a panic and showed us this. He was terrified she would k-" Aaron stopped and glanced to Tina. "That she would do something not so good to herself to break the barrier for us. He showed us this note."
Frisk looked at the paper and her eyes widened as she realized it was part of her list, the last resort plan where she would sacrifice her soul in exchange for Tina's safety if all else failed. She looked to Aaron, hiding the paper before Tina could see it. "I...did write that...but it was only some last resort thing I came up with in a moment of fear and stupidity. Undyne knocked some sense into me and helped me figure out a much better plan. I promise I'm not going to do anything stupid, I swear." she reassured Aaron and hugged Tina close, kissing the top of her head.
Aaron sighed in relief. "Thank god. I'm so relieved. We all care about you, and we all want you to be safe, okay?" Frisk nodded, smiling widely and touched by the care everyone had for her. "Also, we might want to find Flowey. You really scared the crap out of him. Poor guy's probably losing his mind with worry."
Frisk froze, a cold chill filling her soul. Sans, Papyrus, and Chara froze too, and Alphys looked shaken. "Flowey?!" they all gasped in unison.
At that exact second, before anyone could react or fight back, thick vines rapidly sprang out of the ground, wrapping around all the monsters tightly, lifting them high into the air. Before any of them could break free or struggle, sparks came from the vines, paralyzing the trapped monsters. Frisk and Chara let out horrified cries and Tina screamed.
Flowey popped up from the ground right in front of Frisk with an evil smirk. Frisk quickly pulled Tina behind her and Chara rushed forward, trying to get between Frisk and Flowey.
"You IDIOTS." Flowey laughed. "While you guys were having your little pow-wow, and those other morons came running to save you, I took the human souls! And now not only are THOSE under my power...But all your friends' souls are gonna be mine too!"
"LET THEM GO!" Chara screamed and flew at him, but simply went right through him. He didn't even seem to see her, too busy staring at Frisk with a creepy smile.
"Let them go, Flowey." Frisk told him, keeping any fear out of her voice. "Just put them down. I'll do whatever you want, just let them and my sister go."
"No! Don't hurt them! Don't hurt Frisk!" Tina pleaded. She tried to get out from behind Frisk, but Frisk wouldn't let her.
"I'm afraid I can't let them go." Flowey told Frisk, still grinning. "I need your friends' souls and the human souls to regain my REAL form. And you know what the best part of this is? This is all your fault. It's because you made them love you! All the time you spent listening too them, encouraging them, caring about them...Without that, they wouldn't BE here."
"No! It's not Frisk's fault! It's your fault for being mean!" Tina yelled. Frisk shushed her, not wanting to anger Flowey and cause him to attack Tina. Flowey however, just gave Tina an amused look.
"Keep him talking." Chara said frantically. "I'll see if I can find a weak spot."
"Why are you doing this?! What's the point of all this?" Frisk asked Flowey. "Chara, do you see any way to get the vines free?"
"No...I'll keep looking. Keep distracting him. I'll try to wake up the others."
Thankfully, Flowey was oblivious to the mental conversation. "Why am I doing this? Don't you get it?" he asked Frisk. "This is all just a GAME. If you leave the Underground satisfied, you'll "win" the game. If you "win," you won't want to "play" with me any more. And what will I do then?"
"Flowey, this isn't a video game. Just put them down. I'll stay if that's what you want, but let all of them and Tina go free." Frisk pleaded.
"Aww, c'mon, where's the fun in that, Chara?" Flowey taunted.
Chara froze in shock, pausing in trying to wake her mother thinking he had caught her, but Flowey wasn't even looking at her, his attention completely on Frisk.
Frisk was shocked as well. "Why'd you call me..."
Flowey ignored her question. "And despite what you think, this IS a game. And what do all great games have? A surprise final boss." He grinned wider. "And guess who that final boss is? Me." He laughed once again, twisting his face in a demonic grin. "I'll hold victory out in front of you, just within your reach and then tear it away before you can grasp it, over and over and over!"
"Don't! Stop being mean!" Tina pleaded with tears in her eyes.
Flowey rolled his eyes. "Final bosses aren't supposed to be nice, kid." He turned his attention back to Frisk. "But tell you both what. If you DO defeat me, I'll give you your "happy ending." I'll bring your friends back. I'll destroy the barrier. Everyone can leave satisfied. But that WON'T happen."
Frisk knew she had no choice and nodded. "All right. All right. I'll "play" with you. But please, just open the door and let Tina and the others go."
"I'm not leaving you!" Tina cried out, clinging to Frisk.
Frisk looked down with tears in her eyes. "Sis, you have to. I'll be all right." Tina shook her head violently, refusing to move.
Chara rushed to Frisk's side, unable to wake their loved ones or find a way to break the vines. "She won't be alone. I'll help her. I'll do whatever it takes. Just get out of here, Tina!" Tina didn't notice or hear her, though Flowey's eyes widened slightly and he grinned even bigger before answering them.
"Aww, so touching, but sorry, I can't let any of them go. I TOLD you, I need your little friends to regain my true form, but don't worry! I'll release them IF you win. And as for your "little sister,"...I don't need her, but I'm afraid she's gotta stay too." Flowey said in a faux sad voice. "If I let her go, she'll just get in my way. Plus, look at her sad little face! She WANTS to stay and play with us! Can you really deny her that? And it's only fair that you have an assist partner with how much I'll be powering up with those human souls and the souls of all your friends." Frisk's terror must have shown on her face, as Flowey grinned wider. "Aww, don't look so worried! I'll go VERY easy on her! After all, she IS a beginner and she doesn't have your immortality bonus. It wouldn't be very sporting to just kill her now would it? YOU on the other hand..."
Vines shot up from the ground once again, wrapping tightly around Frisk so that she could barely move. Tina screamed and tried to yank them off Frisk. Chara frantically tried as well, but her hands simply phased through them. Frisk struggled to reach her SAVE file and load like Gaster told her to get them all out of danger, but it failed.
"I'm going to keep you here, no matter what it takes! Even if I have to kill you a million times!" Flowey summoned a ring of pellets around the tightly bound Frisk and shot them at her. Frisk gritted her teeth as the impact sent bolts of white hot agony through her body, but she refused to scream. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction or show her little sister the pain she was in.
"Frisk!" both Tina and Chara screamed and both tried to rush to protect her. But Frisk used all her strength and determination to move just enough to keep Tina behind her and shield her from the oncoming bullets, even if it meant she took the brunt of each impact. Chara tried to prevent Frisk from getting hit, but the bullets simply went through Chara into Frisk. Frisk was hit a second time, and then a third. Only one HP remained, and only the vines holding her up kept her from collapsing, though she struggled to remain conscious and keep her little sister shielded. As Flowey, laughing maniacally, moved the bullets closer and closer, clearly savoring the moment, Frisk prayed to whatever god existed and would listen. Please...don't let my baby sister watch me die...
And then a protective ring of fire surrounded her, incinerating the bullets before they could reach her. Frisk gasped and Flowey's eyes grew as big as dinner plates.
"What?" the shocked flower asked.
"Do not be afraid, my child." Toriel said, forcing her eyes to stay open as she held out a hand. "No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you." Frisk felt a warmth in her soul and her pain decrease as Toriel gave her a little magic to heal her, but her mother's eyes soon closed again.
Frustrated, Flowey tried to fire more bullets, only to have a long bone and a spear block him. Papyrus and Undyne were alert now, though clearly weak.
"THAT'S RIGHT, FRISK! YOU CAN WIN! JUST DO WHAT I DO! BELIEVE IN YOU!" Papyrus told her. Warmth filled Frisk's soul as Papyrus gave her everything he could before falling unconscious.
"Hey, human! If you got past ME, you can do ANYTHING! So don't worry! We're with you all the way!" Undyne cheered and Frisk's soul warmed further.
Sans managed to open his eyes. "Huh? You haven't beaten this guy yet? C'mon, this weirdo's got nothing on you?" He didn't have the strength to attack, but did heal her.
Flowey growled and tried again, but this time was blocked by Alphys' phone laser and a blast of fire from Asgore. "Technically, it's impossible for you to beat him...but, somehow, I know you can do it!" Frisk's HP rose yet again as she was healed.
Despite the clear amount of pain he was in, Asgore still smiled. "Frisk...for the future of humans and monsters...You have to stay determined!" He too sent more magic into her.
The other monsters Flowey had trapped came awake too.
"You can do it!"
"You've got to win!"
"We're with you!"
Flowey then yelled in horror when the vines he had used to block the door were cut through as the monsters who had been locked outside the throne room burst in like a calvary. Some rushed to Frisk, healing her wounds and freeing her from the vines, as others rushed to free the others and surround Flowey, weapons and magic attacks at the ready. Frisk, Tina, and Chara sighed with relief, hoping this was all over. Tina hugged Frisk tight, burying her face in her sister's jacket, as Chara gave a relieved smile and asked a shaken Frisk if she was all right. Frisk nodded, but still, something felt off about this whole situation.
Flowey backed away with a look of pure shock and terror. "Urrgh...No! Unbelievable! This can't be happening! You...YOU..." Despite his apparent fear, and the monsters ready to attack him, Frisk suddenly had a sickening feeling. Flowey HAD been the one who had contacted all those monsters. What if this was all part of his plan?
"Guys, be careful! He's..." Frisk started, but was cut off when Flowey's look of horror turned into a demonic grin.
"You've always been a clever one, Chara. And as for the rest of you...I can't believe you're all so STUPID! ALL YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!" Flowey laughed evilly as the room shook, Frisk's friends screaming in pain as the vines drained them further, causing Frisk, Chara, and Tina to scream as well. The other monsters rushed to stop Flowey, but they dropped to the ground unconscious before they could ever get to him. Flowey laughed once more as his body glowed with a brilliant white light, the glow filling the room and forcing the three humans to cover their eyes.
Frisk expected Flowey to turn into an eldritch horror, something out of her nightmares. But what she wasn't expecting was the small figure who now stood in Flowey's place, his back turned to the humans as he experimentally moved, looking around as he flexed his newly regained limbs.
Tina blinked in utter confusion, but Chara covered her mouth. "No..."
"Finally. I was so tired of being a flower." The monster turned and Frisk gasped and stumbled back at seeing the face she had only ever seen in Chara's memories. The goat monster's eyes opened and he smiled widely at her. "Howdy! Are you there, Chara?"
Chara shook her head. "No! No, you're not him! You're not Azzy! This is a sick joke, Flowey! You're not Asriel! Stop lying!" she screamed hysterically.
But as Chara's world devolved into chaos, Frisk was hit with an icy cold clarity. She remembered how obsessed Flowey had been with Chara, how the mention of her name could cause Flowey to have an emotional reaction when nothing else did. She remembered how Gaster told her that Flowey had lost his soul long ago, which implied he had once had one. That Flowey had tried to be good, to feel all the emotions he once had. She stared at Asriel in shock. "You...You really...You really are..."
Tina tugged on Frisk's shirt. "Frisk, what's going on? Who is he?"
Asriel gave her another cheerful smile. "I knew you'd remember if I tried hard enough, Chara. And you're right. It really is me, your best friend." His form suddenly shifted, becoming much taller, with long horns and a tougher, slightly more sinister expression on his face, black streaks like war paint on his cheeks. Rather than the green and gold striped sweater he had been wearing only seconds ago, he now wore robes like his mother, with sharp shoulder pads. He grinned again, more sinisterly this time, and Frisk felt a chill down her spine as he spoke his true name. "ASRIEL DREEMURR!"
...
And the Asriel Dreemurr battle is nigh!
I hope everyone enjoyed! I'd like to thank the awesome J-Farraday for all her help with this story, and being so patient with me when I sent her a million lines of dialogue and asked her if they sounded okay. She's got some amazing stories of her own so be sure to check out her account, and she also creates amazing art on Deviantart under the name MissJulyFarraday. She's even created lovely fanart for HDAD and she's an incredible artist so be sure to check her out if you have the chance!
For anyone who's curious about the delay with Asgore, Toriel, and Flowey seeing Chara, it's because Chara's soul still isn't at full strength yet, and sometimes it's still hard to see or hear her. It tends to fade in and out, and her voice is more easy to pick up on than her form. People are more likely to see or hear her if they're in a calmer state of mind, and not focused on something else.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to either submit them in a review or PM me! I love hearing from my readers! And if you noticed any errors I made, please let me know!