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.

23. Hopes And Dreams

Hopes And Dreams

Sorry for the long wait, guys! This eighteen thousand word monster of a chapter took forever to write, and it was pretty hard. I hope you guys enjoy and that it was worth the wait though!

IMPORTANT NOTE: There's been a major change in Chapter 5, which speaks of how Frisk got her apron early when it was supposed to be in Hotland, and small changes to chapters 6, 7, and 15 where the apron actually plays a bigger role in the story. I'd recommend checking it out if you haven't already. I also added in some small sentences about Frisk saving in the two previous chapters, though those aren't as important.

...

Frisk stared in horror at the smirking god in front of her. Beside her, Chara was still babbling about Flowey lying and how this couldn't be true, while Tina was shaking.

There was a sudden surge of power around Asriel and the walls of the room faded away to pitch black, though Asriel could be still be seen clear as day.

"Remember that game we always used to play in the garden, Chara? Me, the God Of Hyper Death, versus you, The Demon That Comes When You Call Its Name?" Asriel asked Frisk with a sinister grin. "Well, today we're gonna play again, but for real this time! Won't that be fun?"

"It...It really is him...Asriel loved that overpowered OC he made..." Chara whispered, her whole body trembling. "But...But why is he like this? Asriel would never..."

"Because he doesn't have a soul." Frisk thought to Chara as she looked to Asriel, standing tall. "No, I don't remember that, Asriel, because I'm NOT Chara. I'm not your sister. I'm sorry." Frisk said as calmly as possible. "My name is Frisk. Let everyone go. Let everyone go and we'll talk about this, okay? Your sister's..." But before Frisk could tell Asriel Chara was right next to her, she was cut off yet again before she could say this important information.

"Memories still aren't quite back yet, huh Sis?" he asked almost sympathetically before grinning again. "Don't worry! A few games ought to bring them right back! And...I have something else that might help." He held out his hand, and Chara's locket was dangling from it. "You forgot this, or maybe you just didn't see it with all the others getting in the way." His smile growing, he floated over to them. Frisk moved protectively in front of Tina, trying not to flinch as Asriel reached for her. She let out a sharp intake of breath as he grabbed Papyrus's scarf, then pulled it off her neck. She felt the chill of metal around her neck as Asriel put the locket on her, latching it in place. The heart locket felt like ice around her neck and she wanted desperately to take it off, but feared angering Asriel when he was this close to her little sister.

"Asriel, I'm right here! Don't do this to her!" Chara begged.

"Stop it! She's not your sister, she's MINE!" Tina cried out. "Stop being mean to her! She doesn't want to wear that necklace." She tried to get out from behind Frisk, but Frisk wouldn't let her.

"There. Right where it belongs." he said with a satisfied smile, ignoring Tina and dropping Papyrus's scarf. Frisk caught it before it hit the ground, clutching it tight and not letting go of this last piece she had of him. Her eyes stung with unshed tears. What if he was truly gone? What if all her new family and friends were gone, killed in Asriel's attempt to become himself again? She held the scarf against her heart. Tears fell down her cheeks against her will. Tina hugged her from behind.

"Let our family go, Azzy! If there's any small part of you that still loves them, that still loves me...Let them go." Chara pleaded.

"Aww, don't cry, Chara." Asriel said in a way more reminiscent of Flowey than Chara's beloved brother. "They're all still alive. After all, a monster with six souls can take the souls of others without killing them, remember?" Frisk felt hope spark in her heart at this. He smirked and continued. "The stakes are exactly as they were before. You defeat me, you can have them back, and I'll break the barrier."

Frisk glared at him. "I'll do it and I win. But leave Tina out of the fight."

"You know I can't do that. After all, it wouldn't be fair to leave our little sister out, now would it?" Asriel asked in a mock sad tone. "But don't worry! I did say I'd go easy on her after all. I'll even give you a minute to get her prepared."

Frisk hurriedly pulled her trusty apron out of her backpack. "Here, Tine, put this on. It's got magic in it so it will help shield you a little." she explained, and Tina nodded quickly and put on the apron as asked. "Now stay behind me, all right? I'll protect you. But you also need to keep your eyes open for any attacks, just in case."

Tina nodded, looking up at Frisk with fear filled eyes. "I'm scared, Frisk."

"It's going to be okay. I'm going to make sure you'll be okay." Frisk told her.

"But what about you?" Tina asked worriedly.

Frisk smiled, trying to make it look convincing. "I'll be fine."

"I'll watch out for her, Tina. For both of you. Don't worry." Chara said even though Tina couldn't hear her. She took a stance protectively in front of them.

"You've got ten seconds left, so hurry up with your preparations and stop being sappy over there!" Asriel called. Frisk growled but nodded, making sure the apron was on securely and that Tina was behind her. She then turned to Asriel. She would beat him. She knew she could do this. As her hope grew, her defense increased, her soul glowing brightly.

Asriel smirked, summoning many balls of glowing orange fire around them. With a wave of his arm, he sent them flying at Frisk and Tina. Frisk quickly dodged, keeping Tina shielded as the little girl moved with her. Chara stayed close, yelling out warnings if a fireball was approaching. Thankfully, despite feeling the heat from some that got close, neither Frisk or Tina were injured.

Asriel held his arms wide, multicolored stars sparking at his fingertips. Chara's eyes widened. "That's Star Blazing, one of Asriel's OC The God Of Hyperdeath's signature moves! When he sends out the big stars, they'll detonate into rings of smaller stars." And as Asriel released the attack, it did exactly that, rainbow stars exploding around Frisk as the smaller white stars shot out in rings around her. Taking Tina in her arms, Frisk dodged as best she could, using her body to shield her sister. Chara called out whenever a star exploded in an area she couldn't see, helping Frisk to dodge them easier, though she still took some damage. Still, she held onto her hopes.

"Frisk, are you okay?" Tina asked worriedly.

Frisk nodded. "I'm fine."

"He'll use Shocker Breaker next. It's a lightning attack that will travel downwards in a random striped pattern. He always drew it as four patterns of small ones, followed by three sets of big ones A glowing exclaimation point will show right before the strike lands. Azzy always said it would be the only fair way to use that attack..." Chara told her quickly. "Stay away from the exclamation points, but you'll need to be quick..."

The warning didn't come too soon as Asriel raised his hands, rainbow lightning sparking at his fingertips. "You know, I don't care about destroying this world any more." he said with a shrug before firing the attack at the two of them.

Frisk did her best to dodge, but the multicolored lightning bolts seemed to come from everywhere. She managed to get out of the way of most, and protect her little sister from getting hit, but was still hit a few times, causing her HP to drop. Cornered by the last bolt, she shielded Tina with her body but was hit hard, falling to her knees.

Asriel smirked evilly, materializing two glowing sabers in his hands and walking slowly towards Frisk. "After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline, I just want to reset everything."

"No! Asriel, leave her alone!" Chara yelled, but Asriel didn't seem to quite hear her.

Tina screamed and rushed out from behind her injured sister. To Frisk's horror, the little girl ran straight to Asriel and grabbed hold of his leg, the only thing she could actually reach. "No! You leave her alone! Stop being such a big meany-head!" Tina yelled and started hitting his leg with her tiny fists, causing him to look down at her in surprise and slight amusement. "Don't you hurt my sister!"

"Tina!" Frisk gasped, struggling to her feet and moving forward despite her injuries. Her heart pounded in terror. Asriel could easily crush Tina if he wanted to.

But he didn't.

He looked down at the little girl with an unreadable expression. Tina stopped her futile attack and looked up at him with big pleading eyes, as if seeing the change. Tina then saw Frisk was up and rushed to her side, placing her tiny body between Frisk and Asriel in the protective way Frisk had done for her. Asriel didn't try to stop her.

Instead, he looked between Frisk and Tina, something in his eyes seeming to soften for just a second. For just that instant, he looked more like the Asriel she had seen in Chara's memories. At this, Frisk felt hope fill her soul as she moved forward to stand beside her sister. Maybe this meant he could be saved! Maybe she could bring the Asriel that was once Chara's brother back!

And...even though she wasn't Chara, Asriel was still her brother too.

She couldn't give up on him.

At this thought, an orb appeared beside her, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow. Following an instinct, she took hold of it. A picture appeared in her mind as she did. She and Tina were standing by Chara and Asriel, Toriel and Asgore behind them.

They all were smiling.

The orb dissipated and Frisk felt warmth fill her entire body, healing all her wounds. Her soul glowed brightly, filled with Determination and Love.

"It's okay, Asriel. I'm here. I won't leave again. Please, just come back to us." Chara begged, standing between Frisk and Asriel protectively. Asriel froze, his eyes going right to her. Then he smiled widely. Chara smiled back, and Frisk hoped Asriel would be his old self again.

"I knew this would work." Asriel then said, shattering Frisk's hopes. "The more you fight, the more your old self resonates inside you, the more you come back to yourself!"

"No! Asriel, that's not what's going on!" Chara clutched her head. "This is all my fault..."

"Asriel, I'm not Chara! Chara's..." Frisk started but was forced to stop as Asriel charged at her, a saber in each hand.

Chara managed to snap out of her shock just in time. "Frisk, keep directly in front of him as he moves! He's always had trouble hitting dead center!"

"Move with me, Tina!" Frisk called to her sister, barely dodging Asriel's first strike and keeping Tina behind her. Tina nodded and did just that, exactly missing her sister's pace as they side-stepped along with Asriel, following his steps and keeping where he couldn't hit them. They made it through the attack without injury.

"You've still got your moves, Chara." Asriel complimented, then looked at Tina. "And you're getting good at this too, little sister."

Tina crossed her arms. "That's Frisk, and I don't even know you! You can't be our big brother while you're being so nasty! Big siblings are supposed to be nice like Frisk is!" Frisk kept herself between Tina and Asriel protectively, but couldn't quite help the small smile at Tina's words.

"Chara, and I AM being nice. We're playing a game together, like siblings do." Asriel explained with a smirk.

Tina glared at him. "Her name's Frisk, not Chara! How are you supposed to be our big brother when you can't even get her name right?! And you're playing way too rough! You hurt Frisk!"

Asriel rolled his eyes. "Oh please. I'm barely even using a fraction of my power right now." He charged Shocker Breaker again, turning away from Tina and staring at Frisk. "All your progress...Everyone's memories...I'll bring them all back to zero!"

This time Frisk and Tina did much better, figuring out the pattern. Chara called out where any bolts were coming from, helping Frisk to better avoid them, and Frisk called the information out to Tina as they dodged. Despite her lack of experience at fights, Tina did extremely well, being smaller and much more agile than her big sister. She even pulled Frisk back from a bolt she almost walked into.

Asriel readied Star Blazing. "Then we can do everything ALL over again!" Stars exploded all around the girls, releasing their rings of bullets. The girls quickly dodged, though little Tina yelped as she was hit by a stray bullet.

"Tina!" Frisk cried out.

"I'm okay!" Tina called to her. She gave Asriel a determined look. "You can't defeat us that easy! We're going to win, and we're going to make you give our new family back!" Tina's soul glowed brightly, filling with Bravery, her defense rising as she held onto her hopes.

"Such determination..." Asriel said with a grin. "Not that it matters. I'm still more powerful than either of you. I'll defeat you, and you'll have to start over. And you know what the BEST part of this is? You'll do it!" He pulled a blaster that was shaped a little like a rocket launcher with what looked like fangs at the end and seven gaps in the center.

"That's Chaos Buster." Chara said shakily. "It'll shoot in patterns of three or four, with bullet lines before it fires, as Asriel said that that was only fair. When the center turns rainbow, it will shoot out a massive rainbow beam. Dodge when it shoots three patterns or the beam, and hold still when it shoots four."

Frisk nodded quickly and told this to Tina. As each wave of bullets came at them, they managed to dodge, Frisk keeping Tina behind her. As the blaster charged to its rainbow powered beam, the girls got out of its path, though Frisk's arm was singed a little.

Asriel looked a little frustrated, but managed to keep his composure. "And then you'll lose to me again." He called out the Chaos Sabers once again, and Frisk and Tina dodged just like before.

"And again." Asriel said, pulling out Chaos Buster. Frisk kept Tina behind her as she dodged like Chara had told her, getting injured slightly by a shot, but staying strong and managing to keep Tina safe.

"Impressive." Asriel told them with a grin on his face that was almost proud. "Looks like I'm going to need to upgrade a bit. Calling on Shocker Breaker 2.0!"

"Frisk, be careful! This one has a series of targeted strikes after three small sets of bolts, then adds a left to right sweep of big lightning bolts!" Chara told her frantically.

Frisk nodded. "Damn, how much work did he put into this OC?" she thought to herself as she quietly warned Tina while Asriel charged Shocker Breaker II.

This one was much harder to dodge than the first, the multicolored bolts chasing Tina and Frisk as they dodged, almost blinding them. Frisk and even little Tina ended up with a few burns before the attack was over, though thankfully Chara's warning saved them from serious damage.

Frisk frantically checked on Tina. Despite the bad burn on her arm, the little girl smiled bravely up at her sister. "I'm okay, Frisk, and we're gonna beat him, and then we're gonna have a big new family! Remember what all the fairy tales you read me said? Love always wins." At this, a LastDream appeared in front of Tina, the small orb glowing all the colors of the rainbow. Tina's eyes went wide with awe and she took hold of it, smiling at whatever she saw inside. Like with Frisk, the orb dissipated as Tina's soul glowed brightly and all her injuries healed.

Frisk smiled. She thought of her family and friends; Toriel's hugs, Sans's smile, Undyne's enthusiasm and protectiveness, Alphys' shy friendliness, and Papyrus's love and encouragement. A LastDream of her own formed and Frisk quickly consumed it, her wounds healing as well.

"And you'll do everything over again, all because you want a "happy ending." Asriel said when they turned back to him, charging more stars in his hands. "Galactica Blazing!"

"That's similar to Star Blazing, except the star bullets spin as they're released." Chara explained as the larger stars flew from Asriel's hands. Frisk and Tina dodged the spinning smaller stars and managed to get in a position where they were unhurt through the giant ring.

Frisk stood tall. "Asriel, this is pointless. Don't you want your happy ending too? Why do you want to do everything all over again? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of whatever the crap you're trying to do with me remembering?"

"I already told you, Chara. I'm keeping you here. I'm not letting you go! This IS my happy ending!" Asriel yelled. He charged at Frisk and Tina, Chaos Slicers at the ready. This time he attacked more viciously, his speed increasing. The attack was desperate.

Emotional.

As soon as Asriel stopped, Frisk, having taken a few hits shielding Tina, looked up at Asriel. Her heart ached at the raw pain in his eyes. Asriel wasn't the cold, emotionless Flowey any more. Despite his apparently cruelty, in his eyes she saw a lost, scared teenage boy playing at being a god, desperately trying to do everything in his power to bring his beloved big sister back.

"Asriel...I'm not Chara, but that doesn't mean I can't still be here for you." Frisk said softly. "Please...let everyone go. We can break the barrier. We can live life happily on the surface."

Asriel laughed hysterically. "You think that's even possible for me? You know that when I let everyone go, I'll be Flowey again. You're either manipulating me or just plain deluded, though looking at you, I'd go with the second. Besides this, there is no happy ending for me."

"That's not true! We'll find a way to save you, Azzy!" Chara cried out, but Asriel seemed to be too upset to hear her as he pulled out his Chaos Blaster. This one had no bullet patterns, but Frisk remembered what Chara said and still managed to get herself and Tina through the attack. However, what they didn't expect was the small Star Blazing that appeared at the end. Both Frisk and Tina took a few injuries.

Tina looked up at Asriel pleadingly. "That's not true! There can always be a happy ending! You're just too angry and scared to see it! You can stop fighting, and say you're sorry, and we can all be friends!" Another LastDream appeared by Tina and she took hold of it, holding it out. "See? This is my dream! It shows all of us together and happy!" Even Frisk could see Tina's dream; her and Tina standing together with all their monster friends and a happy looking Flowey next to them.

Asriel saw it too and glared as the orb was absorbed into Tina. "That's not just a dream, it's a delusion." he said angrily. "You know no one's going to accept me, especially not as that soulless husk. Well, maybe Papyrus would, but he's always been insane." He looked down. "You have to be to be friends with me."

Frisk stepped forward. "Papyrus isn't insane; he's just able to see the good in others more strongly than others! More strongly than I. But...maybe the good he saw in you was real. Even if you're soulless, you can still make good choices. And...maybe we can find a way to save your soul."

"We will. I'll make sure it happens. Please, Azzy, just come back..." Chara sobbed.

"There is no way! You don't think I've tried?!" Asriel yelled. He summoned Shocker Breaker II again and fired it at them. The girls quickly dodged, more easily this time since Asriel's aim was shaky and all over the place.

"Asriel, please, you don't have to do this! We weren't lying, we will be here for you! And Chara's..." Frisk started, but a fuming Asriel cut her off.

"Shut up! Just SHUT UP!" Asriel screamed, clutching his head. Forcing himself to calm down, he glared at them. "Enough messing around! Let's purge this timeline once and for all!" He summoned a massive creature that looked like a Gaster Blaster, but shaped like a goat skull with long horns. As Frisk, Chara, and Tina stared in horror, the skull opened its mouth, creating a powerful vortex that started to pull the girls towards it. Frisk grabbed Tina as her little sister started to get lifted off the ground, and ran, trying to avoid getting sucked inside while shielding her sister. Diamond shaped bullets came flying at them, and Frisk did her best to dodge, with Chara crying out warnings, but was still hit by one. She nearly collapsed at the strength of the attack, but remained determined, curling her body around Tina to protect her as they ran.

Finally they broke free and Asriel appeared in front of them again. Frisk was only at one HP, but still forced herself to remain standing.

"Even after that attack, you're still standing in my way? Wow. You really are something special." Asriel said with a smirk. Frisk could still see pain in his eyes but he was clearly forcing it away. "But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my REAL power! Let's see what good your determination is against THIS!" Frisk moved in front of Tina protectively as Asriel's body distorted and grew. There was a powerful flash of light, and when it faded, she could only stare in horror.

Asriel was now gigantic, with a huge pair of wings that flashed through every color of the rainbow. His horns were much longer and twisted, and his enormous hands hung down off a more triangular torso. He had no legs. On his chest was a giant Soul that glowed brightly.

"The Angel Of Death. The God Of Hyperdeath's ultimate form." Chara whispered hopelessly.

Frisk felt her whole body freeze, her limbs now too heavy to move no matter how much she struggled. She could feel Tina struggle behind her but her sister's body was equally paralyzed. All either girl could move was their soul.

Asriel laughed evilly. "Behold! My TRUE power!" He shot a wave of pastel colored comets. Frisk's eyes widened. She tried to move her soul fast enough to get away, but there was too much. Her only comfort was that her body fully shielded Tina from damage.

A bullet struck her in her soul. Frisk cried out and darkness covered her vision as her soul cracked. She could hear Tina and Chara screaming as if from far away. She was dying, her consciousness fading away...

No!

No, she wasn't going to let herself die! Not here! Not like this!

She let out a angry scream as with the sheer power of her determination, her soul fused back together as if it never had been broken. She opened her eyes and glared at Asriel, her HP now fully restored. "You won't kill me, Asriel!" She turned to Tina. "Are you all right, sis?"

"I'm fine. I didn't get hit at all. But are you all right, sis? He hit you really hard." Tina asked worriedly.

"I'm all right. He's not going to take me down." Frisk told her, determined.

Asriel just smirked, overhearing this. "Oh, but I will. I can feel it...Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more."

Frisk looked at him calmly. "Say what you want, Asriel. I'm not giving up on them. And I'm not giving up on you either."

Asriel looked at her incredulously. "Even as the world ends around you, you still refuse to give up." He laughed in a way he likely intended to sound evil, but which came out more sad than anything. "You're just as foolish as I once was." He summoned a wave of comet stars, which Frisk moved her soul to dodge.

"Azzy...no...you were never foolish then. If anything, I was the foolish one." Chara said softly. "You never gave up hope, even when things got hard. You were the bravest person I've ever known, and that person is still in you. Just let yourself feel it again."

"It's not foolishness, Asriel. It's faith. Even with you being like this, I can still see your old self deep down. The Asriel everyone told me about." Frisk said softly. "I know that part of you is still here."

Asriel closed his eyes for a brief moment. "You're wrong. That part of me died with my soul." He sent out another attack. Frisk got hit a few times but still stood strong, even though she couldn't move her body. Tina was unhurt.

"It's not true, Asriel! Just let us help you!" Chara pleaded.

Asriel saw her again, his eyes widening. "Chara, there's no helping me! There's no saving me! Just give up! GIVE UP!" He shot a final attack, which Frisk managed to dodge.

"Asriel..." Frisk tried to say, but was cut off yet again.

"Just SHUT UP!" Asriel yelled, and the room turned pitch black. Frisk couldn't see Asriel any more. She couldn't see Chara or Tina either, though she felt her little sister behind her and heard Tina whimper as she struggled to move. Frisk tried to break free of her paralysis.

Nothing happened.

She tried to reach her SAVE file in a panic.

Nothing happened.

She tried again.

Nothing happened.

It seemed that LOADing was truly impossible.

But she couldn't give up! She had to save her friends and family! She had to save Asriel! And she would do that no matter what!

She called for her friends. She cried out their names.

And in the darkness, Asriel's glowing soul materialized. The heaviness holding her down lifted, and she reached out for the soul.

...

There was a bright flash of light, and she, Chara, and Tina found themselves in a void surrounded by souls.

"We're...We're in Asriel's soul..." Chara gasped.

Frisk nodded, trying to figure out how to get everyone out of here. Tina was confused and worried, looking to Frisk for answers.

"I wanted to save our friends. I wanted it so badly I somehow connected us to Asriel's soul where all our friends are trapped." Frisk explained. As she spoke, six monster souls floated forward, ahead of all the others. She could tell it was her friends. The six human souls seemed to realize there were three other humans in their midst and floated over as well, joining her friends. The twelve souls surrounded the three girls in a big circle, spinning around them softly before stopping.

"Wow..." Frisk breathed, looking at all of them.

"It looks like we need to save them all." Chara said as she glanced around. She gave the yellow soul a suspicious look, but the soul showed no signs of attacking and just stayed where he was.

"Let's start with our friends since we know them best. That should give us a feel for what we're supposed to do here." Frisk suggested. She reached out for the closest soul. As she touched it, she felt Undyne's presence. The world went blurry for a second, and then Chara and Frisk were standing in front of Undyne. Tina wasn't with them.

Frisk looked frantically for Tina, but then Undyne let out an angry growl, drawing her spear. "All humans must die!" she growled, summoning her spear.

Frisk gasped. "Undyne, stop! It's me! It's Frisk! Don't you remember me?"

"Asriel...He said they'd forget." Chara said shakily.

"Well, we'll just have to make her remember. Just like she did for me when Memoryhead trapped me in that Bad Memory." Frisk said firmly, standing strong in front of Undyne, but ready just in case her amnesiac friend decided to attack.

Despite Undyne's lack of memories, her sense of justice still clearly remained, and she tossed Frisk a spear to defend herself with as she turned her soul green. She fired a set of spears, and Frisk quickly moved to block them. Chara helped, but Frisk barely needed her warnings. They were much slower than Undyne's usual attacks. Like part of Undyne knew something was very wrong, and that she truly didn't want to hurt Frisk.

"Undyne, I won't fight you." Frisk said firmly. "You're my friend and I care about you. And I know you still care about me. I know you wouldn't be doing this in your right mind. Not after you promised you'd never hurt me again, physically or emotionally. You told me so in the dump, after I helped you and Alphys get together. Please...try to remember."

Undyne's hand shook on her spear. "You're...You're our real enemy."

Frisk blocked her attacks, getting hit by one, but still she stood strong.

Chara moved forward with tears in her eyes. "Undyne, stop! Frisk is your friend, not your enemy! Remember-Remember how you gave her that cooking lesson at your house? You tried to teach her how to make spaghetti," She let out a sad laugh. "And then you set your house on fire again."

Undyne froze, seeming confused. "I...I have to do this...I have to do this so Asgore doesn't have to..."

"No you don't!" Frisk told her. "You only think you do because Asriel mind-whammied you! I've got to get you out of here!" She rushed to Undyne and again tried to physically lift her, but failed miserably.

But while she failed to pick her up, she did succeed in something much greater. The fog surrounding Undyne's head faded away as Undyne remembered everything. "Frisk? Chara?" She noticed Frisk's wounds and placed her hands on her, sending soothing green magic into her and healing the wounds she and Asriel had inflicted.

Frisk sighed in relief. "Undyne!" She hugged her friend tightly. "Asriel...he..."

"I know." Undyne said softly. "I can feel his presence. I know it's him."

"Can you get free of him now that you remember?" Frisk asked. "We need to find Tina and get you guys out of here."

Undyne shook her head sadly. "No. Asriel's too strong. It-It's going to be up to you three. And I think we're in my mind or something weird like that, so Tina might be outside." She gently placed her hands on Frisk's shoulders. "But I know you punks can do it! I know you can save all of us, and save Asriel too."

Chara hugged Undyne too. "We promise we'll get you all out of here and bring Azzy back to himself."

"He doesn't want you to know this, but he's already partway there." Undyne told them. "He just doesn't believe he can be saved."

"I know, but we won't give up on him, even if he's given up on himself." Frisk reassured her.

Undyne grinned. "Just what I've come to expect from you. Now take care, punks, and you better be careful!"

As she said this, light surrounded Chara and Frisk and they were transported out of Undyne's mind, back to Asriel's soul.

...

Upon returning to Asriel's soul, Frisk was immediately tackled by her little sister, who was shaking a little. "You disappeared for a minute! I was so scared!" Tina sobbed.

"I'm so sorry I scared you, sis. I wasn't expecting that to happen." Frisk told her, hugging her close.

"Where were you?" Tina asked worriedly.

"I...think Chara and I went into Undyne's mind or soul or something." Frisk admitted. "This is really weird..."

"Tell me about it." Chara muttered.

"Tina, Chara and I are going to have to go save the other ones as well. I promise we will come back, but we need you to keep watch out here. Undyne didn't remember us at first and she was angry, confused and scared, so she lashed out a little until we were able to help her remember. I don't know if the others will be the same way, so I need you to stay out here and keep watch for us. I don't want you to get hurt." Frisk explained.

Tina looked worried. "But what if you get hurt?" She then blinked in confusion. "Chara? Isn't that the sister Asriel mentioned? The one who he thinks you are? She's actually here?"

Frisk nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, Tine, but everything got so chaotic I didn't get the chance to introduce the two of you. Chara's a ghost and she joined me early in my journey. She's been helping me out ever since."

"Oh. Hi, Chara! Thank you for helping Sis!" Tina called out to Chara, even though she couldn't see her.

"Hi, Tina. It's nice to meet you. And don't worry. I'll help your big sister." Chara told her with a smile.

Frisk translated for Tina and Tina smiled widely. "It's nice to meet you too!" She turned to Frisk. "We need to tell Asriel Chara's here with you, and then he'll be happy and stop thinking you're Chara!"

"I've been trying." Frisk told her. "But he doesn't want to listen to me long enough for me to get out the words."

Tina nodded, knowing this was the truth. "How do we make him listen?"

"I think the first step is to save all our friends and the other humans who fell down here." Frisk explained. "For that, I need you to stay here for now, okay? Chara and I will do what we just did with Undyne and save them all. We know them very well, so we'll be able to remind them of who they are."

"But I don't want them to hurt you. I want to help you." Tina said with tears in her eyes.

"I don't want you to get hurt either, and they're also going to get really upset if they hurt you when in that fog. And you will be helping me. You can tell me if anything changes since I can't see what's going on out here if I'm in there." Frisk reasoned.

Tina sniffled, but finally nodded. 'All right. I'll do an extra good job of keeping watch!" She gave her sister a big hug. "Be careful..."

"I will. I promise I will." Frisk told her, kissing the top of Tina's head. "And I know you'll do a great job! Just be careful too, okay? We'll be right back."

After this, Frisk reached out for the second soul. It was Alphys this time. Like Undyne, Alphys's head was obscured by fog. "You hate me, don't you?" the dinosaur whispered. She sent out a wave of Mettaton shaped bullets. Frisk reached for her phone to pull out the laser, then realized with horror that it was missing. As she dodged the bullets, getting hit a few times, she remembered Aaron had had it last, and that the poor guy had probably thrown it somewhere when Memoryhead attacked him. She cursed herself for her stupidity at forgetting all about it, but soon realized it was Alphys that needed her attention right now.

"No, I don't hate you, Alphys. I care about you. Even though you made a mistake, you still were a good friend. Remember how you helped me with with the brand new phone you made for me?" Frisk asked.

Alphys shook a little. "I've got to keep lying..."

"No you don't. You don't have to hold that burden on your heart any more." Chara told her softly, but Alphys didn't hear her.

Alphys sent out a row of boxes and bombs, worrying Frisk, but while she no longer had her phone, her soul showed it could be just as strong, turning bright yellow. Instinctively, Frisk held out her hand and a light burst out of it, destroying the bomb. Frisk got herself out of the way just in time, repeating the process with the rest of the bombs. Frisk couldn't help but grin despite the situation. Magic was so cool!

"Alphys, I wish you remembered so you could see that! I just used magic soul power and shot freaking lasers out of my hands, just like in an anime...I think. I'm not sure if any anime characters can fire lasers out of their hands or not. I still haven't gotten to see one with you. You've gotta remember so you can show me anime like you promised!" Frisk said enthusiastically, hoping to bring out Alphys' memories by nerding out with her.

And for a second it worked. Alphys perked up and she looked like she was going to go into a cheerful anime rant, but then she hesitated and her head lowered. "All I do is hurt people..."

"That's not true. You saved the Amalgamates from dying, and in the end you came clean, and everyone forgave you. You also helped me find a way to break the barrier, and you helped me pave the path for peace with Asgore." Frisk told her.

The fog dissipated and Alphys stood tall. "No, wait, you're right! My friends do care about me! And I care about you too!" Seeing that Frisk was injured, she gasped and healed her. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault, Alphys. Asriel kind of mind whammied you." Frisk explained. Alphys nodded shakily. "But don't worry. We'll get everyone free."

"I-I know. Even though it's supposed to be impossible to defeat a monster with seven souls, I know you can do it!" Alphys told her.

Frisk grinned. "We'll see you on the outside, and then we can all have that anime watching session you were talking about." The last thing she saw before returning to the other souls with Chara was Alphys' wide smile.

...

Tina was waiting when they returned, and tackled Frisk in a hug.

"Hey, sis! How long was I gone?" Frisk asked.

"Only like a minute or two. What happened?" Tina asked.

"We saved Alphys. She's okay now." Frisk reassured her.

"That's great! And I think it got a teensy bit brighter in here! That's good, right?" Tina asked.

"Sounds like it." Chara said.

Frisk translated and then told Tina she was doing a good job, making the little girl beam in pride. Frisk and Chara then turned back to the souls.

The next two souls stood together in a pair, and Frisk and Chara knew who they were even before touching them. Both Frisk and Chara smiled, their souls glowing in unison as they reached out for Papyrus and Sans respectively.

Just like before, they found themselves in front of the brothers, the skeletons' faces obscured like the others. Frisk's heart ached at seeing Papyrus like this. She reached out to him. "Papyrus..."

"I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN!" Papyrus called out as he and Sans sent out a wave of bones. Frisk jumped over them, doing pretty well, but did trip over one and stumble. Papyrus let out a soft gasp and paused the attack, not wanting to truly hurt her even if he didn't remember who she was. It filled Frisk's heart with hope.

Sans looked at the ground, the fog covering his face making the girls unable to see his expression, but the way his shoulders slumped made them all too painfully aware that he was in despair. "Just give up. I did." he muttered.

"No..." Chara whispered in horror and threw her arms around Sans. "Don't give up. Don't ever give up. I'm here for you, and I won't leave again." She looked at him with tears in her eyes and tried to smile. "Why did the ghost miss the skeleton?"

Sans paused for a second before asking, "...Why?"

"Because she was so bonely without him." Chara told him with a sad laugh.

Sans chuckled at the terrible pun. Papyrus groaned loudly, but Frisk could tell that he was actually smiling under all that fog, if only because his brother was happy.

But it still didn't seem to be enough to break them free. Both were soon lost in the fog again.

"Why even try?" Sans asked softly.

"THEN EVERYONE WILL..." Papyrus started, but seemed unable to finish as he and Sans sent out another set of bone attacks. Frisk managed to avoid all of these ones and looked to Papyrus pleadingly.

"Papyrus, you don't need to capture me to have friends! I already AM your friend. You don't need to be something you're not. You're the most amazing person I've ever known." Frisk pleaded with tears in her eyes. "No matter what, you've always stood by me. You're so wonderful, Papyrus. You always know how to make me smile, and laugh, and feel safe. You don't need to be a Royal Guard to be popular and help others feel hope. You've already given it to me."

Papyrus said nothing. He just shook. Frisk ran towards him. He sent out a tiny row of bones, but she didn't care, just jumping over them and hurtling herself into his arms. She hugged him tightly, sobbing. "Please...come back to me..."

As she was doing this, Chara hugged Sans tighter, not letting go. He didn't hug back, but didn't try to pull away either.

"You'll never see 'em again." Sans whispered, seeming to be talking more to himself than her.

"Yes, you will! We're all going to get out of here and you'll see everyone again." Chara told him. "We can go to Grillby's again, or see the stars, or do whatever you want." Her eyes closed. "I can't make up for what I've done, for how much I hurt you. But I'll do everything I can to make sure you're happy. I won't let you down again." She let out a soft sob, and as she did, his arms came to wrap around her.

Meanwhile, as Frisk was hugging Papyrus, begging him to come back to her, she could finally feel him lean into the hug and then return it, holding her close as the fog faded away. "Frisk..." he whispered, stroking her hair. "How could I ever forget someone like you? You're my friend! I could never capture you!"

Too late. You've already captured my heart. Frisk thought but didn't say this aloud, not wanting to make Papyrus feel awkward. Instead she just hugged him tighter, tears in her eyes.

He gently brushed her tears away. "I'm here."

Frisk looked up at him. "I'm going to get you and everyone else out of here. I promise."

"I know you will. I believe in you, Frisk." he told her.

"I do too. I'm rooting for you, kid." Sans then said, startling her a little, though she smiled in relief at seeing him free of the mind fog. "I know all of you can do it." He then turned back to Chara, hugging her close. "And Chara?"

"Yes?" she asked softly.

"I forgive you." he told her with a soft smile. "Just don't ever do something like that again. You're worth more to me than the sun and stars, you got that?"

Chara nodded with a sniffle, hugging him closer. After a bit, the two girls reluctantly pulled away, knowing they needed to finish their task.

"I know you can save all of us." Papyrus told them. "And...I know you can save Asriel too. He might not know how to show it, but he feels very sad and guilty."

"I know." Chara said softly. "I know the real Asriel's in there somewhere, and I won't give up until he's back and safe."

"And neither will I." Frisk agreed. "We have to go now, but we'll meet you in the real world."

"Call on us if you need us." Papyrus advised and both girls agreed.

With the goodbyes said, the mental scape faded and they returned to Asriel's soul.

...

Frisk gave Tina a thumbs up as soon as she reappeared. "Papyrus and Sans have been saved. Now we need to save Mom and Asgore." she reported to her sister. She then turned to Chara. "We might have to be prepared for them attacking us. I know they haven't in the real world, but Mom almost fought me to make sure I'd survive and your dad might have if Alphys hadn't reassured him that wasn't the only way. What do I need to watch out for?"

"They're both users of fire magic." Chara explained. "I've heard Dad used his trident in battles as well, but I'm not sure he would here. Attacks seem to be milder here as they probably still have a sense that they might know you." Still, she explained all the attacks she knew her parents had and Frisk listened carefully before preparing to reach out to her new parents. She took a deep breath and held her hand out to the souls, entering their minds along with Chara.

Toriel and Asgore stood in front of them, their faces covered like the others. Like what Frisk was expecting, they both moved into attack positions. Frisk had known it was gong to happen, but it still hurt to see them like this, and Chara let out a soft sob.

"Mom, Asgore, it's me. I know you don't remember me, but I'm going to get you free. Chara and I are going to save everyone, including Asriel." Frisk pleaded. They hesitated, but still didn't seem to remember Frisk or see Chara.

"Forgive me for this." Asgore whispered.

Toriel's voice trembled. "This is for your own good."

Flames licked at Asgore's fingertips and he shot partial rings of fire around Frisk. However, the attack was slow and Asgore's hands were shaking, lacking conviction, so Frisk was easily able to escape the attack. She hurried to Asgore and took his hand. "I won't fight you. I'm not going to hurt you no matter what."

Asgore trembled. "This...This is my duty."

Chara hugged Toriel. "Mom, you don't have to be afraid for Frisk. She was never alone. I was with her all along, and we got through the Underground together. We're okay."

Toriel relaxed at first, but then stiffened again. "No one will leave here." She swiped her paws, sending twisting streams of fire at Frisk and Chara. The attacks didn't affect Chara as she was a ghost, though Frisk was forced to back away from Asgore to dodge. She managed to dodge most, but yelped slightly when her arm was burned a bit and Toriel's paw accidentally whacked her right in the face. Toriel immediately stopped the attack and placed her hands over her face in horror.

Frisk just smiled, trying to reassure her. "It's okay, Mom." She tried to think of something that would help Toriel feel better and bring back her memories. She then realized exactly what to say. "Remember when I first arrived, and you made me a butterscotch cinnamon pie? I was so surprised and happy. No one...No one ever did anything like that for me before. And it was the most delicious thing I've ever tasted in my life, and I could tell you made it with all your love." She looked up at Toriel pleadingly. "Please, Mom...remember...I want us all to be able to go home and enjoy it together as a family."

"Dad, you don't have to do this. Alphys found a way to break the barrier without hurting Frisk, remember? And we all wanted to do anything in our power to make sure Frisk was safe, including you. Once Tina joined us, you even decided to delay it to make sure Frisk was safe. You care for her, and she cares for you." Chara pleaded, hugging her dad close.

At these words, both Toriel and Asgore regained their memories. "My child..." Toriel gasped. She tenderly healed her wounds and pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry... How could I do that to you? How could I ever harm you?"

Frisk hugged back tightly. "It's not your fault, mom. You couldn't remember. Also, Chara's here too, and we and Tina will save Asriel. We'll all be a family again..."

Toriel choked back tears, holding Frisk closer with one arm while holding her other out for Chara. Chara's eyes filled with tears. Asgore gently brought Chara over and Toriel pulled her oldest daughter into the hug as well. Asgore joined them, wrapping his arms around Toriel and both girls. Frisk snuggled into the hug with a smile, tears of relief and happiness in her eyes.

After a little bit, Frisk and Chara reluctantly pulled back from their parents' embrace. Frisk wiped her tears away. "We have to go, but we'll see you on the outside before you know it, and Tina and Asriel will be with us. We'll all be together again." she told them.

"I know, my child. You have been strong and determined from the very day I met you. Both of you have. I know you can do this, but remember you can always call upon us if things get rough." Toriel told.

"I believe in you both. Just please...be careful." Asgore told both Frisk and Chara.

"We will. We promise." Chara assured them, and Frisk nodded. They hugged Toriel and Asgore goodbye one more time before exiting their mindscape.

...

Tina was waiting as Frisk and Chara emerged. Both girls gave Tina huge smiles. "We saved Mom and Asgore." Frisk reported. She looked to the human souls that floated around them. "And we're going to help you too." she told them even if she wasn't sure they understood her.

"We just need to figure out how." Chara said softly. She turned to Frisk. "We were able to save our family and friends by reminding them of who they were, but how do we do it for them? We never got the chance to know any of them. The only ones whose names we even know are Andrea and Felicity, and we don't know much about them. All we know is that Andrea likes to write, was friends with Mettaton, and was..was killed by Dad, and that Felicity hit her head and died when she fell, but will that really be enough to save them?"

"I don't know, but we have to try." Frisk told her. She glanced at Tina, trying to think of what to do.

Tina moved closer to the souls. The cyan one seemed to catch her attention and her eyes widened, small hand reaching out to touch the soul. She gasped. "There's a girl. She's crying and she's got an ouchie on her head! I gotta help her!" Before Frisk and Chara could even say anything, Tina closed her eyes and the soul glowed, letting her into its mindscape as all the others had. Tina stepped through, leaving the room. Worried and wanting to help, Frisk tried to follow her with Chara right behind her, but the soul didn't let them in the way it had Tina.

"What just happened?" Chara asked worriedly.

"I think the little girl connected to Tina more than she did us. Chara...from what Tina said before she went in there, I think that's Felicity. And...maybe Tina can help her more than we can."

"So what do we do?" Chara asked worriedly.

"I don't think another little girl would ever harm Tina and...I know she can do this." Frisk said softly. "Let's split up and work on saving the others."

"Do you think they'd even be able to see me?" Chara asked. "I'm a ghost."

"So are they." Frisk pointed out.

Chara blushed sheepishly. "Oh. Right."

They went to the souls, both reaching out to them. The green and orange souls were the first to respond, moving a little closer to Frisk and Chara respectively. The girls placed their hands on the souls, letting themselves be drawn into their mindscapes.

...

Tina found herself standing on the dirt floor of the Barrier room and looked around in confusion, wondering if she had somehow left whatever strange world Asriel had created. It was then that she heard a soft sob nearby and hurried towards it.

A little girl with olive skin and long, curly dirty blonde hair wearing a pretty pink shirt with a purple butterfly on it and jean shorts, the very girl she had seen in her vision when looking at the cyan colored soul was sitting on the ground, knees tucked up against her chest as she cried. Tina was immediately at her side and sat next to her, giving her a big hug. "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Can I help?" she asked worriedly. The little girl stopped crying and turned to her, and Tina gasped as she saw that the blonde girl had a big cut on her temple that was bleeding. "Oh no, you're hurt! But you'll be okay, don't worry! I'll help!" Tina reached into her big backpack and pulled out the first aid kit she had packed. Remembering all the times Frisk had treated her ouchies, she did her best to carefully clean and bandage the big cut. As she did, it seemed to disappear.

"Thank you..." the little girl sniffled.

"You're welcome! My name's Tina! What's yours?" Tina asked.

The little girl smiled a little, though she still looked sad. "Felicity."

Tina was worried. "You still look sad. Are you hurt anywhere else?" Felicity shook her head. "Do you want another hug?" Felicity nodded softly and Tina hugged her close. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't know where my mommy is." Felicity whispered. "She took me to the mountain to explore, but then she had to do something and asked me to wait and I waited and waited and she didn't come back. It started to rain really hard and I ran into the cave, but I tripped and I f-fell." Tears filled her eyes again.

Tina hugged her closer. "Don't worry! Frisk and I will help you find your mommy! We'll ask Mr. Asgore and Miss Toriel to help too!"

Felicity seemed to feel a little better. "Da...Mr. Asgore said there was a barrier that made everyone stuck. It made him really sad."

"That must be what Asriel said he'd break if we defeated him..." Tina mused to herself before smiling to Felicity. "Don't worry! Asriel said he'd break it, and I think Frisk had a plan if that doesn't work. We'll be able to get out and find your mommy, I promise!"

Felicity seemed to feel much better at this and smiled. "Thanks, Tina!"

"You're welcome! Now let's go!" Tina told her, getting up and holding out a hand to help Felicity up. Felicity took her hand, getting to her feet, and the room filled with light.

...

Meanwhile, Frisk appeared in what looked like Waterfall near a big pool of water. The ground was covered in Echo Flowers, providing light to the dark room. Sitting in a huge patch of them was a little boy who was around seven years old with reddish brown hair who was wearing a bright green T-Shirt with darker green shorts under an apron that looked extremely similar to the one Frisk had that she had given Tina to wear. He looked very sad.

Worried, Frisk came over to him and sat down right beside him. "Hey. You okay?"

Tears filled his eyes. "My daddy's really sick and I heard about a magic flower that would make him feel all better, and I went up Mt. Ebott to find it, and ended up falling down here. I met lots and lots of nice monsters and made new friends, but I still needed to find the magic flower to heal Daddy. But when I tried to pick one of the glowing blue flowers that was on the top of a cliff, I slipped and fell down and I hit a rock in the water and..." Frisk teared up as well and hugged him at this.

"I should have been more careful." he whispered, hugging Frisk back tightly, burying his little face in her shirt. "A pretty blue lady who said her name was Undyne came later and jumped in to pull me out, but she was too late to save me and it made her sad. Then Mr. Asgore cried when she brought me to him. And Mommy and Daddy and my friends will be sad too, and who will bring the flower to Daddy now?"

Frisk hugged him closer. "Oh sweetie, it's not your fault..." she whispered. "You didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes bad things just happen. And though you should have been more careful, it was very, very brave and kind of you to come here to help your daddy. You're a very sweet little boy. And...Maybe I can help you bring the Echo Flower to your daddy, and it's possible my friends Alphys and Sans might be able to build you a body so you can see your family and friends again. We'll do everything we can for you. Don't lose hope."

This made the little boy calm down and smile up at her with a gap toothed grin. "Thank you! You're really nice, Miss..." He looked to her curiously, not knowing her name.

"Frisk. My name's Frisk." she told him with a smile.

He smiled back happily. "I'm Benji!"

"Well, Benji, you ready to go home?" Frisk asked, and Benji nodded eagerly. She helped him up, and as she did, the white light surrounded them as well.

...

As her sisters saved the two human souls they were connected to, Chara arrived in what looked to be the snowy area outside the Ruins. There was a young boy that looked to be about ten huddled by the door, curled up and shaking. He had short black hair and was wearing an orange long sleeved shirt with blue overalls. His eyes were grey and filled with tears.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." he said over and over as she floated up to him. Chara reached out a hand, about to put it gently on his shoulder, but he flinched a little and she pulled her hand back, frowning in worry and trying to figure out what to do. She wished Frisk and Papyrus were here. They were much better at comforting people than she was, and a lot less awkward around humans.

But she was the only one here with him, and she needed to help somehow. She sat next to him. "Hey. Are you okay? What's wrong?" she asked.

He curled up tighter. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...I didn't want to kill them! I just wanted them to stop hurting me!" he sobbed.

Chara's eyes widened, realizing this must have been the kid that Sans had mentioned that had killed monsters and was then killed by their families. Her soul ached. She remembered how at the time she heard it, she had been judgmental, believing that the monsters had been in the right and just defending themselves, but it seemed she might have been very wrong, and there was much more to that story than met the eye, especially considering how distraught the little boy next to her was and how young he was.

Taking a deep, unnecessary breath, she asked the question she should have asked back then. "What happened?"

Tears filled his eyes. "I was walking and they came up and shot these things at me and it really hurt. I asked them to leave me alone, but they wouldn't and they kept hurting me! I just wanted them to stop so I hit them the way my brother taught me to defend myself...I thought it would just make them go away, but they t-turned to d-dust...I k-killed them...And then their families were really mad and they came after me and said I was a murderer and there was so many of them and I couldn't..." The little boy burst into sobs.

Chara's soul ached even more. Tears filling her eyes, she pulled the little boy into her arms. Much to her surprise, she could actually feel and touch him. He clung to her, small hands gripping her shirt as he buried his face in her chest. Chara softly stroked his hair. I judged him because I didn't want to believe monsters could do wrong, despite what happened to me so long ago. I painted him and Andrea as villains without ever knowing their side of the story, and that was wrong. Asriel was right. I need to think less badly of other people. Especially since David only did what I did that day on the surface.

"Hey, it's not your fault. You were only trying to defend yourself." Chara told him softly once he had calmed down enough to listen.

"But I killed them..." he whispered.

"You didn't mean to, and they shouldn't have attacked you either. And...I nearly did the exact same thing as you did long ago." she admitted.

He looked up at her. "You did?"

She nodded. "People were trying to attack my brother. They hurt him, and I lashed out, wanting to hurt them back. If my brother hadn't stopped me, I would have done something terrible." She let out a soft sigh. "It's instinct to want to fight back when someone's hurting you or someone you love. It doesn't mean you're a bad kid. Yes, what happened was terrible, but unlike me, you never meant to kill or seriously harm, did you?"

He shook his head.

"That makes you a better person than I am." she told him gently.

"But you're really nice! You were just trying to save your brother! I would have tried to save my brother too, and he would have done the same for me." the little boy told her. He looked down. "I miss him..."

"We'll help make sure you can see him again." Chara told him. "My friends were talking about building robot bodies for me and all of you. If we can get it to work, and we'll do everything in our power to, you'll be able to see everyone you love again, and you'll get to be a cool robot with awesome powers. How's that sound?"

His eyes lit up and for the first time he gave her a big smile. "That sounds so cool!"

Chara grinned at this. She stood up and held out her hand for him. "Now let's go find everyone else...What's your name, by the way?"

"I'm David." he told her.

"I'm Chara."

As she helped him to his feet, the Ruins door suddenly opened, showing a bright white light. Chara smiled at this. "That must be our way home. Ready to go?" she asked.

He nodded and taking his hand, she led him into the light.

...

Upon re-entering Asriel's soul, the three girls sighed in relief as they saw each other safe and sound and looked around for the other children they had tried to help. The fallen humans' physical bodies weren't there any more, but their souls were where they had been before, though shining brighter now. They were awake and alert, and the girls could feel their comforting presence.

After filling each other in on what happened, and ending up shedding a few tears, they turned to the other souls, who were waiting patiently.

"It seems like we just need to do what we did before." Frisk said. "We have three more to save, so if we split up again, we should be able to help them quicker."

Chara eyed the yellow soul dubiously. "Maybe I'd better take that one. He could be extremely dangerous and I don't want either of you to get hurt. He can't kill a ghost, so maybe I'm the best bet."

"Chara, if he wanted to hurt us, he would have already." Frisk reasoned. "And remember what you learned with David? There might be more to his story than meets the eye. Maybe he was scared, or angry, or went down the wrong path like Papyrus thought."

Chara thought about this for a moment, then finally agreed. "Okay. Just be careful, all right?"

"I will." Frisk promised.

Chara smiled a little and looked to the remaining two souls. She found herself drawn to the Purple Soul. Upon reaching out to it, her eyes widened. "It's Andrea. Frisk, I'm going to go save her. I...I misjudged her, and...and I need to make up for it. I want to help her."

Frisk nodded with a soft smile and turned to Tina, translating for Chara. "Chara's going to save Andrea, and I'm going to save Yellow Soul. Do you think you can help the blue one?"

Tina nodded. "Yes! I'll do my very, very best!"

With that, all three girls reached out to their respective souls, entering their minds.

...

Little Tina found herself in a thickly wooded area, snow falling heavily and blanketing the ground, though she didn't even feel the cold. "Hello?" she called out, looking around for anyone.

"Help..." a voice weakly called. Rushing quickly towards the sound, Tina found an older girl of about eleven huddled under a tree, shivering violently. She was dressed like a ballerina, with a pink long-sleeved top and a frilly tutu, and white leggings with pink ballet shoes. Her blond hair was covered in frost and tied into a neat bun with a blue flower crown. She was soaking wet from the snow and her lips were blue.

Tina gasped and ran to her side. "Are you okay?"

"I...I'm so c-cold..." the girl whispered.

Tina pulled off her own little sweater and tried to wrap it as best she could around the other girl despite its small size, trying to figure out a way to get her warm. Then she remembered Frisk's coat that she had put in her backpack to bring to her sister. She pulled it out and slid it over the girl's shoulders. "Here, you can borrow my sister's coat. She won't mind."

The blond girl sighed with relief at the snuggly warmth. The blue tinge to her lips went away and she was able to stand up. "Thank you so much...I feel so much better. I'm Violet, by the way." She looked at Tina in concern. "Did you get lost in here too, kid?" She then seemed to realize something. "No...You didn't...You're from the outside." She looked down and mumbled something softly. She hadn't meant for Tina to hear it, but Tina did anyway. "I never got out of those woods, did I?"

Tina's eyes filled with tears at this and Violet hugged her. "Hey, don't cry! You helped me out a lot." the older girl reassured her. "You gave me that nice warm jacket and now I don't feel cold any more." Violet then smiled as she looked at something behind Tina. "And look!"

Tina turned, seeing that a path had opened up behind the two, a brilliant light at the end. She smiled and reached out, taking Violet's hand. Violet smiled and gave her hand a squeeze, and the two girls walked down the path towards the light.

...

Chara meanwhile found herself in the barrier room once again, and she wasn't alone. Standing in front of the barrier, looking longingly outside was a young woman with mocha skin and long black hair. She wore a blue jacket with a white shirt, and a pink scarf with blue polka dots.

The woman, Andrea, looked down. "I miss them so much..."

"Your family?" Chara asked softly. Andrea jumped, then turned to her. She then nodded softly.

Chara looked at her feet. "I'm sorry. This never should have happened to you."

Andrea came over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's not your fault. It's mine for coming here. If I hadn't been traveling up a mountain everyone said was cursed just to get movie footage, this wouldn't have happened. I never should have thought I could get past Asgore, especially after Mettacrit warned me about the decree. And now...And now I'll never see them again..."

Chara's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry. I made a mistake with good intentions long ago...and it's the reason this all happened. It's my fault this happened to you. But...I'm going to do everything I can to help you see your family again. There might still be a way. My sister Frisk and my friends Sans and Alphys were talking about possibly building robot bodies for me and all of you, or I can try to figure out some other way if that's not possible. I promise, I won't give up. You deserve to have your life back and see your family again. I'll do everything in my power to make that happen." she told her.

Andrea's eyes brightened, though they were still filled with tears. "Do you think that's really possible?"

Chara nodded with a soft smile. "My sister taught me anything was if you don't give up. I'll do everything I can. I promise."

"Thank you." Andrea told her softly. At this the barrier turned into a portal of bright white light. Chara and Andrea smiled, walking through together.

They would make sure they both saw their families again.

...

When Frisk entered Yellow Soul's mindscape, she found herself alone in the snow poff filled meadow near Snowdin. She looked around, trying to figure out what was going on and where Yellow Soul was.

Suddenly, she was grabbed roughly from behind. She started to let out a startled scream, but a hand was suddenly clamped around her mouth. Terrified, she began to struggle, but was only held tighter and dragged behind a snow poff.

"Shush...they'll find us!" a young man's voice hissed. "Look, I'm sorry I grabbed you like that, but I don't want you to get killed by those monsters. They already killed my little brother, and I'm not letting anyone else die. Now, I'm going to let you go, okay? Please don't scream, and don't try to run away, okay?"

Frisk nodded shakily and he let her go. Staying quiet like he asked, she turned to face him. He was either in his late teens or early twenties, with messy black hair and wearing a plaid red and white shirt with a brown leather vest and blue jeans. He was also wearing a cowboy hat that made him look to be straight out of one of the westerns she had read once. He had dark bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept in a while, and his brown eyes were wild and looked around warily, but there was kindness in them when he looked at her.

He pulled a pistol out of a holster around his waist and looked warily around for danger. Seeing nothing, he relaxed the smallest bit and turned back to her. "Are you hurt? Did they attack you?" She shook her head and he gave a small smile of relief. "Good. Now, just stick with me for a while, kid. I'll protect you from those monsters. I won't let them get you. My name's Justin, by the way." All the while he was talking to her, he kept looking around for any perceived threats.

Frisk's heart ached. He wasn't the stone cold killer that the monsters and even she for a time believed him to be. He had lost his brother in a devastating way and it had clearly broken him. She didn't know what she'd do if something had happened to Tina. And yet he still wanted to protect her. She looked up at him. "My name's Frisk. And I'm not in danger. We're not in Snowdin. We're in your mind. I...I came to save you."

Justin looked at her blankly. "You...what?" Frisk explained what was going on and his eyes widened in realization. "I remember now...I saw you before. You and your big sister, I'm assuming that's who she was, were standing all alone among those monsters. I wanted to protect you both, but...I couldn't do anything because...because I was killed that day in Snowdin. Because I was just a soul. And then Toriel came in with that other little girl. I felt better, because she's the only good monster around. I knew she'd do everything she could to protect you. And then that flower came in...He absorbed all of us and turned into that weird goat god thing...And he used me to hurt you and your sisters. He used all of us to hurt you..."

"It's not your fault." Frisk told him gently. "And Asriel's not evil, he's just...lost. He was once a very good and loving person, but he lost his soul after getting killed by humans and being reborn as Flowey. And...not all the monsters are like the cruel ones that killed your brother. Most of them are really nice like Toriel."

"The bastard king made a decree that all humans that fall were to be killed and have their souls taken. They murdered my little brother." Justin said angrily, though the anger wasn't directed at Frisk herself. "They're not as good and nice and full of compassion as they want you to believe. They're all going to stab you in the back."

"Not all of them." Frisk said gently. "Monsters aren't much different than humans. There's good ones and bad ones. I'll admit, I have been attacked by some," Justin immediately looked worried and angry, but Frisk continued. "But others...they helped me. Like Toriel, and Papyrus, and Sans. Papyrus and Sans are the two skeleton brothers that were with me. Sans is the short one, and Papyrus is the tall cute one." she explained when Justin looked confused.

"Toriel and Sans, they were there for me from the beginning. And Papyrus...he was told to capture me if he ever wanted to make it to the Royal Guard. That was his dream. He wanted to protect everyone he cared about and give everyone hope, and be able to send his brother back to college and make friends. And yet...he couldn't bring himself to hurt me. Even when we weren't friends, even when he wasn't supposed to be friends with me, he still looked out for me." Frisk said with a soft smile. "He even rushed me to the inn when I collapsed from the cold. We ended up becoming friends soon after, and...as soon as he realized what might actually be done to me if I was captured, he stood up for me. He went against his best friend and boss to save me. He knew it might cost him his dream, and even his friendship with Undyne, and yet he still fought for me because he cared about me. Because he wanted to do the right thing." There was a slight blush on Frisk's face and her eyes were sparkling as she talked about Papyrus. "And...he wanted to save you too."

Justin blinked at this. "Me? Why me?"

"Papyrus wasn't there that day as his brother was sick, and he never saw what happened, but he knew in his heart that you weren't evil like the others believed. He felt you were scared, or angry, or had just gone down the wrong path. He wished he was there to help you and show you monsters could be kind. He cried when he spoke to me about it. He wanted to save you and everyone else."

Justin looked down, fidgeting with his fingers. "I was so angry. I thought all monsters minus Toriel were evil. I thought they all deserved to die. If...If he had been there...I might have thought it was a trap...I...I probably would have killed him too, because I would have believed he was just like the rest of them. That he was just like Asgore."

"Asgore...he made a lot of bad choices." Frisk said softly. "But...he's a better person than you think, and I don't think he ever killed your little brother. Once, Asgore had a human child of his own. Chara, the girl who was with me, she's his daughter. But Chara died, and Asgore's son Asriel was killed by humans. In a moment of sheer grief and anger, he made that decree. He regrets it. I know he will until his dying day. But...in the end, he helped me too. He never wanted to hurt me. And...some of the others who attacked me...I was able to reason with them, and they changed. Everyone has good in them if they just try. Papyrus taught me that. And he was right."

"Isn't that a naïve way to think of things? I know you want to believe in them, but even if it wasn't Asgore, my brother likely was still murdered by someone." Justin told her.

"Was your brother Benji or David?" Frisk asked, wanting to tell him the truth about what happened to his brother.

Justin's eyes widened. "David. Did you see him?"

"No, but my sister Chara did, and...and...he told her what happened to him." Tears in her eyes, she told David's story to Justin.

Justin clenched his fists, his face contorted in anger, though it wasn't directed at Frisk. "Don't you see?! Even though there are exceptions to the rule, like Papyrus or Toriel, some were willing to murder my brother in cold blood, just because he defended himself! How are these monsters worth any sort of mercy?! How are they worth your trust?!"

"What they did was incredibly wrong, and yes, they should have been punished or thrown in jail." Frisk said softly. "But...you have to remember, like there's good and bad humans, there's good and bad monsters. And if you just attack everyone for the crime a few have committed, it's as wrong as if they were our fellow humans." Justin unclenched his fists and seemed thoughtful though still somewhat angry, and Frisk looked up at him pleadingly. "Please...don't make the same choice those monsters made. You could kill an innocent person and make their family feel exactly the way you do right now." Frisk looked into Justin's eyes. "Justin...those monsters you killed...were they the ones who killed your brother?"

Justin's anger slipped away. For a few minutes, he seemed to think about what she said. His whole body trembled and his eyes widened as he suddenly came to a realization. "I...I don't know..." He looked down. "I don't know..." His eyes closed and for the first time, tears rolled down his cheeks. "Oh god, I'm as bad as them, aren't I?"

Frisk shook her head and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. He stiffened for a second but then hugged her back just as tightly.

"I...I was so angry and it hurt so much...My brother was gone and I would never see him again, and the only thing I could think of was that if I couldn't have him back, I could at least get justice for his death. But...But it wasn't justice, was it?" he sobbed. Frisk just held him closer.

After a few moments, he looked up at her. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me from myself. You're a truly good person, Frisk, and I'm happy to have met you. And...I know you can make it through this, but if you need me, I'm only a call away."

Frisk nodded with tears in her eyes. A white light surrounded them both, bringing Frisk back to Asriel's soul.

...

When Frisk, Chara, and Tina opened their eyes back in the real world, they were no longer in Asriel's soul, but in front of him facing him.

"What?!" Asriel stammered in shock. "We should have...You should be..."

Frisk looked at him calmly. "I told you I wasn't giving up on them. And I'm not giving up on you either."

"I'm not giving up on you either!" Tina told Asriel firmly.

"We'd never give up on you, Asriel. We love you." Chara said with tears in her eyes. She reached out to Asriel.

Frisk reached out to him too. "We're going to save you, Asriel Dreemurr!" Her soul glowed with a brilliant red light, filled with Love. Tina reached out too, her own soul glowing bright orange.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Asriel asked in shock as he stared at them. Frisk just gave him a reassuring smile. His eyes softened and closed and he paused as if remembering something good. Frisk held her breath, hoping he would understand he could be saved and that he would listen to reason.

"Wh...What'd you do? What's this feeling?" Asriel asked shakily, clutching his head. "What's happening to me?" Frisk stepped forward and reached out, wanting to comfort him, but he roughly pushed her away, glaring at her. "No! NO! I don't need anyone!" He sent comets at her and Tina in a violent attack. The girls dodged, though were still hit a little. Still, they remained determined.

"Asriel, it's okay to need people. It's okay to ask for help. We're here." Frisk told him, giving Tina some of Papyrus's spaghetti to help her recover. Tina nodded at Asriel and gave him an encouraging look.

"No matter what you say, you do deserve to be saved." Chara pleaded.

Asriel glared at them. Frisk could see tears threatening to fall. "STOP IT! Get away from me! Do you hear me?! I'll tear you apart!" He shot another attack at them, but his hands were shaking and the comets were slow and easy to dodge.

"No you won't. You're better than that, Asriel. I know the person you used to be is still in there." Frisk pleaded. "We're not giving up on saving you."

Asriel closed his eyes and let out a broken sob. "Chara...do you know why I'm doing this...? Why I keep fighting to keep you around...?" Flames came from his fingertips, but they simply drifted around the girls, not even coming close to them.

"I know. Because you want to bring her back to you. But Asriel..." Frisk started, again trying to tell him Chara was there. Chara looked at him pleadingly as if mentally begging him to see her and realize she and Frisk weren't the same person.

Again, Asriel cut her off. Frisk would have been annoyed if he didn't look so sad. "I'm doing this... Because you're special, Chara. You're the only one who understands me. You're the only one who's any fun to play with any more." Again he released some fireballs that didn't even come close to hitting the girls. Knowing Asriel would likely cut her off again, Frisk just looked to him and listened.

Asriel sighed. "No. That's not JUST it. I...I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara. I care about you more than anybody else." Chara let out a soft sob at this and Tina started to cry too. Frisk felt her soul ache and desperately wanted to hug him, but didn't know how he'd take it.

He looked down. "I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to somebody like you again..." Again the fireballs drifted around them.

"Asriel..." Frisk started.

"So please, stop doing this!" Asriel screamed suddenly, his voice shaking. "AND JUST LET ME WIN!" Deadly energy gathered in his hands and he shot a rainbow beam that filled the whole room. Frisk threw herself in front of Tina, shielding her sister from the blast. She screamed in agony as it burned her, dropping her HP to one. But still she held on. If she fell, it would hit Tina...

And then the pain stopped. Frisk opened her eyes to see Chara in front of her, the ghost girl's arms spread wide as she took the blast for her sisters. Chara gritted her teeth in pain, the deadly beam clearly hurting her, but didn't flinch or back down.

"STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!" Asriel screamed as he intensified the power.

"Chara!" Frisk cried out.

Chara somehow managed to smile despite the pain. "Don't worry...It can't kill me...I'm already dead..."

"But what if it disintegrates you?!" Frisk asked in fear.

"It won't...And even if it did...I don't care...You're my sisters..." Chara gasped out. "I have to save you!"

Asriel finally stopped the attack, his eyes falling shut. Chara dropped to her knees. Frisk rushed to check on her, followed by Tina. "I'm fine." Chara told them.

"Chara..." Asriel whispered.

"I'm here, Asriel." Chara told him, eyes filled with tears.

"I'm so alone, Chara..." Asriel sobbed. His massive body started to fade.

"What's happening to you?!" Chara cried out, afraid for her brother's life. Tina's eyes filled with tears and Frisk searched for some monster food.

"I'm so afraid, Chara..." Asriel murmured.

"Don't be. We're here." Chara pleaded.

"Chara...I...I..." Asriel faded until only his head was visible. The girls let out horrified cries.

And then everything went white.

...

When the three girls could see again, Asriel was once again in front of them, no longer the God Of Hyperdeath, but his younger, real self. He rubbed his face with his shirt sleeve as he sobbed.

Chara let out a relieved sigh and Frisk carefully moved closer, reaching out her hand to Asriel but then pausing and keeping Tina behind her in case he lashed out again. But he didn't.

"I'm so sorry." Asriel sobbed. He shook with tears for a few moments, then wiped his eyes. He let out a sad laugh. "I always was a crybaby, wasn't I, Chara?" He then looked into Frisk's eyes. "I know. You're not actually Chara, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I've been trying to tell you that this whole time." Frisk said, her voice tired and resigned but not angry as Asriel was upset. "My name's Frisk. I tried to tell you earlier but you didn't listen, just like a lot of you guys when I tried to say something important. If it hadn't been for Papyrus being willing to listen, and Chara too, no one would have even known my name!"

Asriel looked down. "I'm sor..." He then looked up in shock when he realized she had said Chara had been willing to listen too.

Frisk smiled. "And if you had listened, I would have been able to tell you sooner that Chara's right here with me." Asriel was completely speechless, staring at her blankly. "Somehow when I fell, it woke her up and our souls got attached or something weird like that. I was the only one who could see or hear her for a while, but then Sans and the others started to see her too. That's probably why you got us confused. Chara's being helping me through my journey. She told me what to do at monster encounters. She's probably the reason I made it this far."

"You would have made it even without me. You're too nice and determined to not succeed." Chara told Frisk, then turned to Asriel. She smiled to him with tears in her eyes. "Hey, Azzy."

Asriel let out a soft sob and rushed over to her, pulling her into a tight hug. "Chara...I missed you so much..."

"I missed you too...I'm so sorry..." Chara sobbed.

"No...Don't apologize, Chara. It's my fault." Asriel whispered. "You tried to warn me they were dangerous. I don't regret not attacking them, but I should have listened to you. If I hadn't come up with the idea to bring your body to the village in the first place..." Tina looked to Frisk in confusion and Frisk gave her an, "I'll explain later." look.

"I'm the only reason you were out there to begin with. Don't blame yourself, Az. You did everything you could." Chara pleaded. "I should have never put you in that situation. You didn't want to do that plan in the first place and you knew it was a bad idea, and instead of listening to you like I should have, I practically forced you into it."

"I should have gone to Mom and Dad..."

"And I never should have put you in that position in the first place. It's not your fault, Asriel. I pressured you into it. That wasn't at all right."

Asriel pulled back slightly, just enough to look into her eyes. "We both made mistakes trying to do what was right. Maybe you didn't make the greatest choices, but neither did I. I forgive you, sis." Chara let out a soft sob, and Asriel hugged her tighter. They clung to each other for several minutes before reluctantly letting go.

Asriel then looked to Frisk, who was standing a short distance away with Tina, letting Chara and Asriel have their moment. "Thank you...And...I'm so sorry. I hurt both of you." He looked down. "As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the ability to love other people." He then gave a soft smile. "However, with everyone's souls inside me, I not only have my own compassion back, but I can feel everyone else's as well. They all care for each other so much. And they care so much for you guys as well. I wish I could tell you how everyone feels about you. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys, Mom, Dad...they love you so much."

Frisk smiled softly at this. "I love them too." Chara nodded as well through her tears.

Tina grinned. "I love them too! They're really nice! And now that you're not being scary, you're really nice too."

Asriel looked down sheepishly. "I'm sorry, kiddo. Soulless or not, there was no excuse for me acting like a big jerk and hurting you. For hurting both of you." He looked back up at them, his eyes meeting Frisk's. "I-I understand if you can't forgive me. I understand if you hate me. I acted so strange and horrible. I hurt you, especially you, Frisk, ever since you fell down here. I hurt so many people. Friends, family, bystanders... I can't take back all the horrible things I did."

Frisk's throat felt tight as she looked at Asriel's sad face. Her soul filled with Love. Before Asriel could even react, she ran to him and threw her arms around him. "I forgive you." she whispered with a soft sob.

Asriel's eyes widened. "Uh...what?" he asked in shock, then recovered after a moment, hugging her back tightly. He let out a soft chuckle. "...Frisk, come on. You're...You're gonna make me cry again." He closed his eyes and rested his head on her shoulder. "I don't want to let go..." At this, Chara hugged him too, and so did little Tina.

"You don't have to let go." Chara said after a moment, causing both Asriel and Frisk to release each other to turn to her. Tina turned to where they were looking, trying to figure out what was going on. Chara gave them a sad smile as she summoned her own bright red soul. "Azzy...I want you to take my soul."

Frisk gasped. Asriel's eyes went wide. "Chara..." Asriel started.

"Azzy, please...I want you to be able to live again. To have your family back. After everything you've been through...You deserve to go back home." Chara pleaded.

Asriel stared at her for a minute, then found his words again. "Chara...no. I won't take your soul. You deserve to go back home too. And I'm going to bring you back." His eyes shone with determination. "I'm going to save you, sis, just like I promised so many years ago." Chara opened her mouth to protest and Asriel shushed her. "There's nothing you can say to stop me."

Tina looked between Asriel and Frisk in confusion. "Asriel's going to try to bring Chara back to life." Frisk explained to her little sister before turning to Asriel. "Is...Is that possible? Can you do it now that you're a god?"

"I'm going to make it happen. I just need to figure out how without harming the souls inside me." Asriel explained quietly to her to not alarm Chara or Tina. "A resurrection would probably take a lot of magical energy. After all it's literally reversing death..." Asriel and Frisk's eyes widened with realization at the same time.

"The Reset ability!" they both said aloud. Tina looked at them in confusion. Frisk asked Tina and Chara to give them a moment and moved a short distance away with Asriel before the two continued their discussion.

"It can literally reverse death." Frisk said, her eyes lighting up. "But can it work for what we need it to? According to Dr. Gaster, it can only go a certain amount of time back."

"Here, give me your hands. I need to check something." Asriel told her. Frisk looked confused but did as she asked, and the goat boy closed his eyes as if feeling for something. After a few minutes, he opened them with a smile. "We can do this. I think it has enough magic to do what needs to be done. We're going to reset Chara's body to back before she ever poisoned herself. Her body, not the timeline." he explained when Frisk looked worried.

"Are you sure that won't create a wormhole or erase time or something awful like that?" Frisk asked, worried.

Asriel thought this over and closed his eyes, presumably checking the magic levels again. "Yes. I'm completely sure. As a god, I can control this. But something will be sacrificed. Not the souls, not you or I, but the Reset ability itself. When all its magic is spent, it will disappear. For better or worse, time will only move forward. You won't be able to load or reset any more, Frisk."

He looked at her like he expected her to be disappointed or unsure, but Frisk smiled widely. "Good. If the ability's gone, Dr. Gaster won't be tied to the Void any more! He can come home! And...to be honest, this power gives me the creeps, and I don't want to end up screwing up with it down the line or end up in an infinite time loop when I do reach the natural end of my life. So, if this will save Chara, and Dr. Gaster too, I'm beyond willing to give it up."

Asriel smiled at this. "Good, because I'm going to need your help. We're sharing control of the Reset ability currently."

"Well, how do I give it to you to do this?" Frisk asked. "And shouldn't you already have it? You've got six zillion souls in you and you're literally a god."

"Well, you clearly have the same amount of Determination as me since again, we're sharing control of the ability." Asriel told her.

"I have the same amount of Determination as a god?!" Frisk yelled, causing Tina and Chara to look at her. Her head spun and she felt woozy from sheer shock.

Asriel shook his head in amusement. "Yes, Frisk. You have the same amount of Determination as a god. Now try not to pass out. I need your help if we're going to do this."

Frisk took a deep, shaky breath. "Okay. Okay. Now what am I supposed to do?"

Asriel brought her over to Chara and Tina. "Okay, Frisk, stand next to me. Chara, you stand a bit in front of us. Tina, stand a bit behind us. We don't want to risk hitting you."

The three girls did as asked, though Tina looked completely confused. "I don't understand what's going on." the little girl said.

"Asriel and I are using an ability we both gained in the Underground to bring Chara back to life." Frisk explained. "It's...kind of hard to explain, so give me a little while to think of how. Right now we need to save Chara first." Tina nodded, satisfied with the explanation, and stayed where Asriel asked her to. "Okay, now what?" she asked Asriel.

"Take my hand and reach out with your free hand. I'm going to send a bit of magic into you, and when I do, focus on the power within you, and tell it exactly what you want it to do. Focus your mind and heart on saving Chara." Asriel told her.

Frisk nodded and closed her eyes, reaching out her hand. She felt warm magic around her palm, and then it surged through her like a fire. As it did, she focused on the power within her, willing it to save Chara. She thought of Chara, warm, alive and healthy. She thought of their family being together again. She focused her entire will on it. She felt a tug from deep within, and energy seemed to pour out of her.

A happy gasp from Asriel caused her to open her eyes, though she still forced herself to focus. In between them and a shocked Chara was a large button reading SAVE. It shone in a rainbow light. At the same time, glowing Save Points could be seen, some close, some far in the distance.

"Now!" Asriel called out and together, he and Frisk hit the SAVE button. It cracked and exploded into a brilliant light, which shot towards Chara, surrounding her in a brilliant light. The golden Save Points exploded as well, their light shooting towards Chara and surrounding her. She cried out as her body glowed white, and Frisk, Tina, and Asriel fell back as the light became blinding.

And then it was gone. Frisk rubbed her eyes to get rid of the white dots and felt furry paws gently help her to her feet. She thanked Asriel who nodded and helped little Tina up as well.

"Did it work?" Frisk and Tina asked at the same time.

A small groan a short distance away answered their question and to her joy, Frisk could see Chara, lying on the ground rather than floating, the ethereal red light that always surrounded her body now gone. She was completely solid. Frisk let out a happy gasp and rushed to her side, Asriel and Tina close behind her, as Chara started to sit up.

Frisk knelt beside her. "Chara, are you okay?"

"I...I'm alive..." Chara gasped, looking down at her hands, touching her neck to find that a pulse now beat. A smile spread across her face, turning to a wide grin. "I'm alive!" She threw her arms around Frisk who happily returned the embrace. "I...I can actually hug you now." she whispered through happy tears.

Frisk nodded through her own joyful tears as she hugged her big sister back tightly. Chara was solid, warm, and alive, and Frisk could now hug her like she had always wanted to. For a few moments, they stayed in the soft embrace, and then Frisk finally pulled away. "I have something that belongs to you." Reaching back, she removed Chara's locket from her own neck and then put it around Chara's neck. Chara reverently touched her beloved necklace. Asriel looked ashamed, but Frisk and Chara smiled, opening their arms to invite him and Tina into the hug too. Both happily joined them.

Asriel smiled and closed his eyes in the warm embrace with all his siblings, but after a short time moved to get up. "Now that my family's truly whole again, it's time to return everyone. I can't and won't keep them trapped inside me forever." he said softly, standing to his feet. "But first... There's something I have to do. Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts beating as one. They're all burning with the same desire. With everyone's power...with everyone's determination... It's time for monsters to finally go free." Asriel closed his eyes, slowly raising his arms. The six human souls and all the monster souls swirled around him in a circle as he unleashed a massive wave of power. There was a mighty crack, and with that, the barrier that had trapped monsters for centuries was destroyed. The monster souls flew to reunite with their bodies, though the human souls remained close by.

Asriel slowly lowered his arms, looking spent. "I have to go now. Without the power of everyone's souls, I can't keep maintaining this form. In a little while, I'll turn back into a flower. I'll stop being "myself." I'll stop being able to feel love again."

The girls' eyes filled with tears, Tina clinging to Frisk as she cried and Chara desperately rushing to hold onto her brother like she thought the sheer power of her physical strength alone could keep him tied to reality. "No...Azzy, this can't happen! I can't lose you again!" Chara sobbed.

"Chara..." Asriel whispered, hugging her close. "It's going to be okay." He turned to Frisk. "Frisk...while I still have the ability to tell you this, you're a great person...and a great friend. I wish I had been able to meet you while I was still alive. And Tina...you're an awesome little sister. Take care of them for all of me, okay?"

"Do you have to go? Can't you just stay with us as a flower?" Tina asked with tears in her eyes.

"No. I can't be around you guys since I can't feel. As Flowey I was cruel and horrible. I'm not risking hurting any of you again." Asriel told her.

"There's got to be some way to save you. I'm not letting things end like this. I'm not leaving part of my family behind." Frisk said firmly.

Asriel's eyes widened, but then he sighed. "Frisk...you already did everything you could. Heck, you did more than anyone else ever could. You did a great job. But...you're not going to be able to save me. I don't think there's any way to restore a lost soul. Look, it's best if you just forget about me, okay? Go be with the people who love you."

"But I can't just give up...There's got to be something...' Frisk said frantically and searched her mind for anything she possibly knew about souls. Asriel let go of Chara and started to move away.

Frisk's eyes lit up as she suddenly remembered what Sans had told her. "Wait!" she called out to Asriel. He halted in surprise. "it's the soul personality traits! That's what you're missing, or don't have enough of! The soul traits are what help people to feel!"

Asriel blinked in confusion. "Frisk, what are you going on about?"

Chara's eyes lit up too. "What Frisk is saying is that what you might have been missing are the original seven traits that make up a soul! Patience, Kindness, Integrity, Bravery, Justice, Perseverance...and Love! As Flowey, you already have Determination and magic, which causes monsters to live, but you just need the other soul traits to help you feel! We can do this!"

"Exactly! Alphys and Dr. Gaster might be able to infuse the soul traits inside you, and then your soul will be complete and you'll be able to feel!" Frisk told him excitedly.

For a second Asriel looked hopeful, then sighed. "Guys...It's an interesting idea, but I'm still not sure it's possible. We're going to return to reality soon, and I likely only have a few hours at most of being Asriel. If the clock runs out, I'll be Flowey again." As he said this, the room started to lighten up, almost like it was beginning to fade away.

"Well, even if you do return to being Flowey, you'll still be better off with a soul than without one." Frisk pointed out. "And Flowey You isn't stupid. You have learned stuff from this, and I still remember how Gaster told us how hard you tried to be good, even as a soulless flower. You're not going to randomly turn into an evil cackling villain again, especially with a solution being worked on and no reset power to keep you from the consequences of your actions. Like I said, you're not stupid. And...Papyrus saw some good qualities in you, and you clearly still cared about Chara, even if you showed it in a twisted way. Wanting to care is something, and caring for Chara is something. You're not as empty as you thought you were. You can be saved, Asriel."

Asriel looked like he wanted to believe this, but was still hesitant. "I still don't even know if this will work. How are we even supposed to get the soul traits?"

Frisk already had an idea. "Soul samples like the one Alphys took from me. If she can isolate enough DT, she can surely take a few samples from either me or some of our family and isolate the other traits."

"I'll help too." Chara added.

"Me too! I want to help save you!" little Tina said.

"I want to help too!" a little voice said and the group turned to see little Benji behind them, along with all the other humans, shining with a ghostly light in the color of their souls.

Felicity stepped forward, eyes shining. "So do I!"

Violet was more hesitant, but also nodded. "I'm willing to do it as well."

Andrea nodded. "Same. Chara was willing to do whatever she could to help me go home to my family. The least I can do is reunite her with hers."

"I...I want to help as well. You guys gave me my big brother back." little David said, hugging Justin.

Justin held him close, clearly happy to be reunited with his beloved little brother, but still looking a bit concerned. He motioned for Frisk to come over, which she did. "Are you sure you can trust that guy? He did try to kill you." he asked her.

"Yes." Frisk said without a shadow of doubt in her voice. "It's not his fault he was without his soul, and he's truly kind when he does have one. And...he's my brother, Justin. I have to save him."

Justin hesitated. He looked down at David, and then between Frisk, Asriel, and the others. "I...I understand. I understand more than anything. I'm in too."

"Thank you." Frisk whispered. She looked to all the fallen children. "Thank you all. And I'll do everything in my power to save all of you too." She turned to Asriel. "What do you say, Asriel? Will you do it?" She, Chara, and Tina all looked at him expectantly, unleashing the power of puppy dog eyes times three. The other humans looked to him as well.

Asriel sighed dramatically, though Frisk could see a smile threatening to emerge. "Golly, I guess I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No. No you don't." Chara teased as she took his hand. Frisk and Tina stood at their new siblings's sides as the room lightened fully.

Time restarted, never to stop or go back again.

...

In the barrier room, the four Dreemurr children collapsed in an exhausted, unconscious dog pile of tangled limbs, right next to their sleeping, but soon to awaken friends and family.

In certain places in Waterfall, and near two elevators in Hotland, four monsters glitched into reality. Their sickly gray color faded, returning to normal, and they glanced around in confusion that was followed by happiness. They were finally free.

Deep in Waterfall, a spot in the wall glowed, and a white door flickered into existence. After a moment, it creaked open, a certain scarred skeleton in a dark cloak jacket emerged, wobbly as a newborn fawn. He glanced down at his now perfectly normal hands and solid, non melting body and smiled. "She did it. Just like she said she would." His legs felt like jelly from lack of use as he hung onto the wall to keep himself upright, but despite his tiredness, gathered his magic for a shortcut to the castle.

He had two sons to reunite with, a "nephew" to save, and no time to waste.

...

I hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter! It's been a long time coming. I'd like to thank J-Farraday for all her help with this story. She gave me a lot of ideas and let me bounce endless scenes and dialogue off her when I was worried it was turning out weird. Thank you, July! I couldn't have done this without you!

So now Chara and Gaster are saved, and next up is saving Asriel ((and of course the fallen humans.) Stay tuned, and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or even just noticed a typo I missed, please leave a review or PM me! I love hearing from my readers!