I Know Your Name

by ShiningwingX

Seeking shelter from a storm, a blind child descends into a realm of monsters. A chance meeting grants him a companion in the form of a ghostly girl garbed in the colors of flowers. Yet, what seems but a simple adventure becomes much more as memories of dark pasts claw their way to the surface. Lives forsaken, a name unspoken... what does this new future hold in store?

22. Chapter 22

Pre-Chapter Notes: We're back! *crickets chirping* ...yeah.

So this took a while. We said it probably would in the last chapter but that doesn't change the fact that it's been quite a bit since then. We're still kind of trying to get things situated with our new property, but most of the big stuff is done. At this point, its mostly a waiting game so hopefully we can pick up the pace at least for a little while.

Anyways, for those who have stuck with us this long, we thank you and are glad that people have been enjoying the story so far, despite the slow releases. And for those of you who are new… welcome! Hope you enjoy our little (can we even still call it 'little' at this point?) take on the Underground and its characters.

Anyways, that's enough introductions. Let's get to it!

---

Chapter 22: Fishy Scales, and Tomato-y Fails

---

Far from the Underground, far from the world, far from time itself, a figure without form drifted through an unending void. It was impossible to determine how long It had wandered here, cast from the realm of reality and into this place where never and now existed as one. For so long It had wandered, aimlessly in a fruitless search. With every pulse of the faint light it carried, incomplete though it was, It was reminded of its goal: the singular desire of all things broken.

They had thought it enough to cast It out and hide away: to sever It from this goal. They thought this would be enough.

A foolish misconception.

For now… now It could feel them, the pulse of a life ended and started anew, a candle snuffed only to be reignited. Again and again, all hailing from the same source.

"I see… so, you've figured out where they are, have you?" A voice, an unknown voice, spoke without sound. "This will not do…"

Its attention turned and there It beheld another formless figure much like itself.

"You understand me? Interesting… so very interesting. A funny thing, communication. One never truly comprehends its usefulness, until they are found incapable of utilizing it." spoke a pale rictus atop blackest shadow. "This will make matters much simpler. You see, I know what you are… and I know your intent. I must admit, you have piqued my curiosity. Such a pitiable aberration… how much of you is driven by calculated thought, as opposed to base instinct and nature?"

An airy sigh escaped from the relative non-space in which It resided.

"And yet, I have seen the threat you pose… it is far too great to indulge in such fanciful intrigues. Sadly, it would seem events are unfolding just as I was foretold… Should it persist in this way, then there is but one end… I wonder if you possess the capacity to understand why that cannot happen."

That voice… such conceit. Did this being intend to stand in Its way?

The multitude of hands that extended from the darkness provided the answer. It writhed defiantly.

"I have seen all of the outcomes…" That insufferable mouth spoke again. "I know that I cannot stop you as I am. Moreover, my efforts to reach those who may, have yet ended in failure. To leave you to your own devices, however, is to condemn so many. That is something that I cannot allow."

"And that, my curious anomaly, is why…"

From nothing they emerged, elongated skulls that flanked the grinning shadow, hovering amidst the forest of hands like twisted hounds awaiting their master's command.

"...I must keep you here…"

---

Frisk's arm rested upon the table, taking in the familiar sounds and scents within the restaurant. The latter was dominated primarily by the mouthwatering aroma wafting from the half-finished plate of fries that sat before him. The boy had been somewhat reluctant to visit Grilby's after the brush with his phobia but the homely bar and grill and the memories it held proved to be more calming than stressful, even with its fiery proprietor.

The place was unusually quiet. The poker table stood empty - the Dog clan who usually claimed it, currently busy with their morning patrols or guard posts - and most of the other regulars hadn't arrived yet either. Therefore, the normally lively bar and grill was practically empty apart from Frisk, Lily, and a few (in some cases, literal) early-bird patrons.

Lily sat in the booth across from him, silently perusing a page in the notebook they'd received from Gerson. Having had more time to look it over, they now had some idea as to the identity of the author thanks to a single word written prominently inside the front cover… a name to go with the words.

'Edmond'…

The name of a child who once ventured through the Underground in a way not unlike themselves.

It was interesting just how much he'd written in there, but what was more compelling was how the tone of it seemed to evolve. At first, it read more like a school assignment: all observation and analytical statements. And yet… at times the tone would change, becoming far more personal. It happened more and more the further they read… as if the author, Edmond, once driven by intellectual curiosity alone, was gradually developing a more emotional attachment to those he studied. Did he ever learn what fate had in store for him? What thoughts might have gone through his head at the time?

Frisk shook his head and abandoned that line of thinking before returning to his fries. Dwelling on it for too long would just make him sad.

It had been a couple of days since they'd returned to Snowdin after their rather intense encounter with Undyne. Lily had worried, at first, that she might try to come after them again while they were still drained from the initial fight. It would have been the perfect opportunity to capture them after all, and as persistent as the Captain of the Royal Guard had been, it felt unlikely that she'd pass up the chance.

Those worries proved unfounded though, as nothing had actually come of it. Even the MTT News broadcasts made no mention of a human or humans fleeing through the Waterfall region, and they were usually on top of things when they weren't advertising their host's other work.

As hard as it was to believe, it seemed like they really had been given a break.

After a few more moments and a few more fries, the girl gave a heavy sigh and raised her head from the book.

"Alright. That's it. I'm bored." She announced frankly.

"Huh?" Frisk asked, responding to the sudden breach of the relative silence.

"There just hasn't been much to do around here today. Most of the other kids are at school, Papyrus is out on patrol, and Sans is probably lazing around somewhere." Lily explained, resting her cheek in her hand. "Sorry, I know I should be grateful that we have time to relax. I really don't even know why I'm so jittery but… ugh."

Frisk watched as her arms fell onto the table and her head flopped comically into them. "Maybe after everything that happened in Waterfall, you're having a hard time getting used to things slowing down some?"

"We weren't there that long…" she pointed out, voice slightly muffled by her position.

"But it felt like it." The boy countered.

"Yeah…" Lily sighed and pushed herself back upright. "Maybe we could just… walk around town a bit? It would at least kill a little time before Papyrus gets back."

"It's been a while since we've done that…" Frisk said, remembering the first time they'd come to this little village, and how peaceful it had felt. "Okay, let's go."

Finishing the last of the fries and putting away the book, the two children made to leave their booth. Lily drifted easily from her seat and made her way over to help Frisk from his own. The boy reached a hand over to the vacant space next to where he sat. His fingers grasped at the empty air for a few seconds before he realized what he was doing and stopped.

"Oh… right." He said, voice laced with disappointment.

Lily looked at her friend with concern. "You've been doing that a lot lately."

"I know…" the boy said with a sigh, hand dropping forlornly to his side. "It's just… I'd had it for so long. It's hard to get used to it being, well, not here anymore."

"I'm sorry, Frisk…" Lily said, placing a hand over the one he'd used to reach for the stick. "I saw it. It was right there, I could have caught it… If I could touch anything but magic and ghost stuff, I could've saved it."

"No, i-it's okay. It's… just a stick. Not really anything special about it." Frisk tried to sound reassuring but even he wasn't buying it. "Besides… I have you now, right?"

Lily stared at him for a moment. It was still hard to believe that it was gone. That thin piece of wood had weathered so much just over the time they'd been together, and before then it had been his only guide. It had been there through it all: fighting alongside them during the battle with Undyne, or warning of dangers beyond Lily's sight as they absconded through Waterfall. It had witnessed their welcome into the home of the Skeletons, their games with the children of Snowdin, and the frigid trek through the forest that brought them here. It had seen them through the Ruins as Lily got used to guiding him on her own, and it was with it that he'd protected her when they'd first encountered Flowey.

That crooked branch with its single leaf that stubbornly clung to its green color, despite everything it had been through. The thought of it now, vanished in a sea of liquid flame, was almost impossible to imagine. The sting of its loss weighed heavily on her weightless shoulders so she could only imagine how Frisk must feel. Still, she could tell that his words were more of an attempt to convince himself than her. Right now, he needed to believe that it was for the best. She wouldn't take that away from him.

Thus, she smiled and offered her hand: "Always."

Frisk returned the smile, sensing her sincerity upon the smell of strawberries. Taking her hand, he let her guide him from his seat and down to the floor. The two bid a quick farewell to Grilby, who acknowledged them with a nod before returning to his tasks behind the counter.

The warmth of the bar and grill was replaced with the brisk Snowdin air as the children stepped outside. Snowdin was never what one would call 'bustling' but it was more peaceful than usual right now. The few monsters they did meet gave friendly greetings as they passed, completely unbothered by the small human and his spectral companion, who had taken up residence in their town.

"You know, I wonder why they're so accepting of us around here…" Lily gave voice to that thought. "I mean, pretty much everyone in the Underground dreams of reaching the surface. I know most monsters are nice, but if they're as close to that as Undyne said…"

"I know what you mean." Frisk picked up as she trailed off. "Snowdin's always been like that. It doesn't feel fake though, just… different? They want to be free like everyone else but they just… don't seem to be in a hurry."

"They aren't stupid… it couldn't have taken long for them to figure out that we're, y'know, those humans from the rumors." The girl continued. "Someone could have easily told the Royal Guard exactly where we were… but no one did. Not even the Dog Clan. It took Papyrus accidentally letting it slip for Undyne come here looking for us."

"It's kind of like… they were protecting us." Frisk concluded. "Why would they do that though? I know we've helped a few people, but it would only take one person not trusting us for them to learn about it."

"They must have a reason, right?" Lily suggested. "There's still a lot of stuff we don't know… or maybe it's one of those things we haven't remembered yet?"

Before they could question it further, the two were startled out of their contemplation by a jingle from Frisk's pocket. The boy fumbled around for a moment before eventually retrieving his cell phone. Lily drifted over and read off the name displayed on the screen.

"Huh… speaking of Papyrus."

"Isn't he still on patrol? I wonder why he's calling." Frisk mused while pressing the button to answer. "Hello?"

"GOOD MORNING, HUMAN! I TRUST YOU ARE FEELING BETTER?" Papyrus' voice sounded from the receiver.

"Hey Papyrus!" Frisk greeted the skeleton. "Yeah, we're feeling pretty good today. How's your patrol going?"

"I AM JUST FINISHING MY MORNING ROUNDS, SO I SHALL BE RETURNING SOON." Papyrus replied. "SAY, I WAS JUST THINKING… DO YOU AND LILY HAVE ANY FREE TIME?"

"Uhh, actually yeah…" The boy responded tentatively. "We were just trying to figure out what to do today. Right now we're just kinda walking around town."

"OH, GOODIE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD NOT WISH TO IMPOSE ON HIS FRIENDS!" Papyrus responded happily. "AHEM, SPEAKING OF FRIENDS… PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN ME TO GO HANG OUT WITH UNDYNE?"

"Um… I…" Frisk hesitated to respond. Undyne hadn't come after them again, but after their last encounter, he wasn't exactly sure she'd be pleased to see them.

"What? What did he say, Frisk?" Lily asked, leaning over the boy's shoulder.

"Um… H- hold on Papyrus. Let me ask Lily." Frisk said before pulling the phone away to respond. "He… he wants to go hang out with Undyne."

"Oh." Lily responded icily, her displeasure worn clearly on her face. "Well, they are friends so I get that. What's that got to do with us, though."

"He… wants us to come with." Frisk clarified.

"WHAT?!" Lily shouted incredulously. "He does know she tried to kill us only like… two days ago, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Frisk began awkwardly. "If… if Papyrus is with us it should be okay. She wouldn't do anything bad with him around, right?"

"Frisk… please tell me you aren't actually saying you want us to go." Lily pleaded, desperately hoping her assumption was wrong.

---

"Yup… saw this coming." The spectral girl sighed, the red glow that now resided in her friend's right eye darkening slightly. "Frisk, you really need to learn how to say 'no'…"

About twenty minutes later saw the two children standing in front of the great conifer in the center of town, its limbs glimmering with color. It was here they'd decided to meet Papyrus for another foray into the Waterfall region. The boy was sitting on a nearby bench making sure they had everything they needed for the trip. With the tall skeleton to guide them, it likely wouldn't be nearly as long a journey as they'd went through alone but it was always nice to be prepared.

"Come on, Lily…" Frisk replied, placing a freshly filled water bottle back into the satchel. "We can't just avoid her forever."

Lily sighed again. She'd been doing that quite a bit. "I know but still, I kinda thought we'd have more time to… I dunno… put it off?"

"We'll never get to it if we keep doing that though. Besides, you said yourself that Undyne was one of the people in that photo." Frisk pointed out. "That must mean we're supposed to be friends, right?"

"I guess…" She relented. "I'm just worried. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

"It should be okay." Frisk tried to reassure her. "We've been through worse, right?"

"No… no, I don't really think we have." Lily corrected him

She wasn't wrong… Undyne had been their greatest challenge yet by a wide margin. Still, Frisk felt fairly confident that they could get through to her in the end. After all, it had happened before. Lily didn't seem fully convinced but at least she didn't seem quite as against it as before.

"Well, let's just see how it goes." Frisk replied. "She might be really nice once we get to know her."

"I guess if nothing else, it'll be interesting." Lily said finally before her eyes fell on something up ahead. "Here comes Papyrus. I really hope you're right about this, Frisk."

A cloud of powder spread in the wake of the speeding skeleton man as he barreled toward them like a one-man snowplow. Papyrus' colorful attire and radiant grin greeted the two humans as he skidded to a halt a few feet away. It was clear just from his expression how pleased he was that his two friends had accepted his invitation. That same expression was also making it extremely difficult for Lily to maintain her own misgivings about it.

Truly, optimism and good cheer were contagious when it came to Papyrus.

"GOOD DAY, HUMANS! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ARRIVED AT LONG LAST! NYEH HEH HEH!" The tall skeleton announced his presence with a flourish of his scarf.

"Hi, Papyrus. That was fast." Frisk commented.

"Yeah but… why didn't you just use your shortcuts like last time?" Lily pointed out. "Would have been easier than running all that way."

"TRUE, BUT A PHYSIQUE LIKE MINE REQUIRES CONSTANT MAINTENANCE. I MUST REMAIN IN PEAK PHYSICAL CONDITION AT ALL TIMES, IF I AM TO ONE DAY BE ACCEPTED INTO THE ROYAL GUARD." Papyrus declared. "I SHALL THEREFORE LEAVE THE SHORTCUTTING TO SANS UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY."

"Speaking of Sans, have you seen him today?" Frisk asked.

"SADLY, I HAVE NOT. I'VE CHECKED ALL OF HIS SENTRY STATIONS, FOOD STANDS, JOKE BOOTHS, AND NAPPING CUBICLES BUT THERE IS NO SIGN OF MY LAZY BROTHER." Papyrus shook his skull. "NO NEED TO FEAR THOUGH, I AM SURE HE WILL SHOW UP EVENTUALLY."

"I hope so… we still haven't been able to talk to him about whatever it was he found out while we were gone." Lily said inwardly to Frisk, who nodded in agreement.

"ANYWAY! I AM VERY PLEASED YOU ACCEPTED MY INVITATION. I THINK YOU AND UNDYNE WILL MAKE GREAT PALS!" Papyrus spoke cheerfully. "WELL THEN, LET US BE OFF!"

With a grand gesture in the direction of Waterfall Papyrus set off with jaunty step. Frisk's short stature forced him to jog to keep pace as he and Lily followed as one. The soft white snow steadily grew more shallow the further they traveled, as the frigid temperature of Snowdin gradually warmed to the still chilly but much more temperate climate of Waterfall.

It wasn't long before they reached one of the many junctions in the region's prominent network of caves and pathways. Lily immediately recognized it as the one containing the large path that eventually led to the Wishing Room. However, that wasn't the path Papyrus intended to take. The superhero turned and began to make his way toward one of the smaller branches to the left with the children following close behind.

The tunnel spiraled upward before curving around in a wide arc. eventually depositing them on a wider path jutting from a massive grey-blue rockface. The girl glanced off to the side and recognized a familiar expanse of water some ways down, shimmering prettily under the faint glow of the star-stones above.

"It's that lake… the one we crossed before-" She stopped short - that was not a memory she wanted to relive, especially right now - before changing tact. "The one with all the boats, remember?"

"Oh wow, it is?" Frisk questioned, catching the moist scent of the water below them. "It was this close by the whole time?"

"Yeah… I guess we really took the long way around, didn't we?" the girl replied with a bit of a nervous chuckle. "I'm a little surprised we managed to get through this place without getting lost."

"Well…" Frisk drew out the word, clearly remembering things a little differently.

"Mostly without getting lost." the girl tried again and felt the boy glancing inwardly at her. "Okay, we got lost but we got through anyway, didn't we?"

The small human giggled slightly, seeing Lily's pout within his mind's eye. She couldn't keep it up for long however before she too was grinning, the humor of the situation easing her doubt somewhat. Waterfall proved far less imposing now that they no longer had to look over their shoulder at every turn.

It was only now that the two children found that they could truly appreciate the beauty of this region. Here and there a cluster of bridge seeds grew, their thin leaves naturally angled in the direction of their peers, revealed in the soft blue glow of luminescent fungi. Slate blue stone glistened as beads of clear water clung to it, or otherwise flowed down the sides in steady rivulets. A rhythmic sound echoed through the cavern as droplets fell from above like a light rain.

Lily described their surroundings to Frisk who listened intently while taking in the sounds and scents around him. Waterfall had seemed so daunting the first time through. Apart from the Wishing Room, everything had felt so dark and oppressive, and he'd found himself constantly worried about when and where the next threat would come from. But now… it was different.

"I thought I'd be scared to come back here…" He mused. "but it actually feels… kind of nice."

"After everything we went through here… it doesn't even really feel like the same place." Lily agreed. "I'm kinda glad we came back."

"I AM PLEASED YOU BOTH SEEM LESS NERVOUS THAN BEFORE. A PLACE AS SPLENDID AS WATERFALL DESERVES TO BE APPRECIATED." Papyrus chimed in. "WHY, I WOULD RANK IT SECOND ONLY TO SNOWDIN ON IT'S LEVEL OF COOLNESS!"

Lily smirked slightly. "Oh, I'm sure nowhere in the Underground is as 'cool' as Snowdin, Papy."

Frisk stifled a laugh as Papyrus responded. "OF COURSE! SNOWDIN'S COOLNESS IS BEYOND MEASURE!"

"It's below freezing at the very lea-" The girl began, before being silenced by Frisk's hand clamping over their shared mouth, a gesture meant more to silence himself than her.

"WELL YES, IT DOES GET QUITE CHILLY BUT THAT ONLY MAKES…" Papyrus trailed off and his skull seemed to scrunch up in thought "OH."

"Pfff… HAHAHA!" Papyrus' sudden realization finally sent Frisk over the edge as laughter erupted from his mouth.

Papyrus hung his arms and exhaled a long sigh while Lily grinned from ear to ear within the boy's mind, immensely proud of herself. It wasn't until they neared the exit of another tunnel that he finally began to come down from his mirth. The sight of a very familiar pool greeted them as they emerged, the sight of which caused Papyrus to perk up almost instantly.

"OH HO! FINALLY, WE HAVE ARRIVED!" Papyrus announced as the outskirts of a certain small village stood before them. "UNDYNE'S HOUSE SHOULD BE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, SO LET'S NOT KEEP HER WAITING SHALL WE?"

Papyrus set off again with the two children in tow. Blook Acres was still the sleepy little hamlet that they remembered from their first visit, although they hadn't remained for long enough to get a proper feel for the village. In a way, it felt ironic that their reason for returning now was the very same reason they'd left in the first place. Napstablook's somber home, and the spring behind it were their only real impressions of this area.

Lily's mind began to wander a little as her thoughts fell on the latter of the two and what had happened there. Since then, she'd been afraid to look at the rest of her body. The pain she'd felt… the scars that covered her back… it was chilling to think of, even now. If something like that was tied to her past, she would have honestly have rather not remembered it at all. She knew it was inevitable… that she would have to confront it eventually. Still, the thought of what she would find was… horrifying.

It was at that moment that she felt her mind enveloped in comforting warmth. A familiar warmth that radiated from the boy whose body she shared. He must have noticed her growing unease. Frisk said nothing, even through their mental connection, and simply focused on comforting her. Lily wasn't sure if he still thought she was nervous about where they were going or if he'd guessed what was on her mind. She appreciated it though, returning the mental hug as a weak smile resonated between her heart and his lips.

After a moment or two more of travel, the three of them came to a stop before a rather… interesting looking structure. It only passingly resembled what one would consider a 'house'. There were windows, a door, walls, and a roof but that was where the similarities ended. The entire thing seemed modeled in the shape of some vaguely fish-like monstrosity. The windows were an odd shape, largely circular but angled toward the inside, giving the appearance of eyes crossed in anger. The 'door' was an arched portal sealed by two jagged metal plates that met vertically in the center, in a way that much resembled fangs. The domed walls and roof were covered in stonelike scales, and a number of strange appendages jutted from them with seemingly no purpose aside from looking intimidating.

"Okay, Blooky's place was strange but this is on a whole other level." Lily bluntly voiced her opinion. "Is this even safe?"

"AH, THE ANGRY STARE, THAT TOOTHY DOOR, THOSE SHARP FINS…" Papyrus sighed wistfully. "IT'S LIKE A SECOND HOME!"

"Uhh… sure?" Frisk reluctantly agreed.

"I feel welcome already." Lily deadpanned, half expecting the mouth-door to open and take a bite out of them.

Against all rules of self-preservation, they approached the bestial homestead, Papyrus grinning cheekbone to cheekbone the whole way. The sound that greeted them as they neared the door grated on the children's ears sounding like something between nails on a chalkboard and the screams of the damned.

"What… is that?" Frisk cringed, finding it difficult to avoid plugging his ears.

"WOWIE, WE HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED AND YOU TWO ALREADY GET A TREAT! IT IS NOT EVERYDAY ONE GETS TO HEAR THE MUSICAL DEPTH OF UNDYNE'S PIANO PLAYING!" Papyrus declared, humming a few bars along with the 'song'. "SHE IS A TRUE VIRTUOSO."

"My ears… they're crying…" Lily all but whimpered. "Can you just… knock on the door, Papyrus? Please?"

"AH YES, NO REASON TO STAND AROUND OUT HERE. I HAVE A PLAN TO MAKE ALL OF YOU THE BEST OF FRIENDS." Papyrus declared before pulling out a yellow colored bone tied around the center with a neat red bow. "PSST, MAKE SURE TO GIVE HER THIS. SHE LOVES THESE!"

Papyrus, still holding the bone turned and wrapped his gloved knuckles on the door before either Frisk or Lily had the chance to respond. At once, the grating cacophony stopped, and Frisk couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief. Through his ringing ears, the boy could hear the approach of footsteps from behind the wall before the sound of sliding metal a few seconds later.

Lily watched from their place behind Papyrus as the mouth-door parted vertically. Standing in the threshold with hair of flaming red and a patch over the left eye was Undyne. Her armor was replaced by a black form-fitting tank-top, a pair of blue jeans, and simple leather boots. In a way, the girl felt surprised by just how 'normal' she actually looked, even if the taut muscles of her arms served as a constant reminder of the warrior they'd fought.

"Hi, Papyrus!" She said in an (equally surprising) friendly tone. "Ready for your extra private, one on one training?"

"YOU BET I AM!" Papyrus enthusiastically declared as he stepped to the side. "AND I BROUGHT A COUPLE OF FRIENDS!"

"Oh, nice! Hi, I don't think we've…" The fish woman trailed off as her gaze fell upon the child with the glowing eye. The silence was deafening as she stared at them, they stared at her, and Papyrus stared at everyone else.

"N-nice to… meet you?" Frisk spoke, trying to still his racing heart. Undyne continued to stare in silence for a few moments.

Then, at last, she responded.

"Why don't… you three… come in?" She drawled, before mechanically stepping to the side.

Papyrus turned back to Frisk and Lily and gave a quick thumbs up before wiping his feet on the welcome mat and stepping inside. Tentatively, the two children followed after him, cautiously approaching the ominous portal. Undyne's single yellow eye followed them as they stepped through, before silently making her way to the center of the room.

Her home was considerably smaller on the inside, likely owing to its outlandish shape not really meshing well with workable living space. Lily took a moment to look around - more to take note of any easy escape routes than any real curiosity - and found the interior to be far different than she thought it would be. The blue and yellow tiled floor, contrasting the purple rugs, with walls painted with a garish depiction of cutesy pink fish swimming through a light blue sea. About the only part that wasn't a torture session for the eyes was the soft, ocean blue door tucked into the corner.

Given what she knew about Undyne as well as the unnerving nature of the outside, the spectral girl had her figured for the type to not really care about how her home looked. What she'd expected, however, was something more spartan, or at least minimalistic. This place went in the entirely opposite direction.

"I'm so glad you can't see this, Frisk…" Lily spoke, as she finished relaying the information to her friend.

"Is it really that bad?" Frisk, who obviously had trouble understanding how color combinations work, asked.

"Well, I'd say I've seen worse, but…" Lily trailed off, trying to focus more on Undyne than the aesthetic horror show around them.

"HERE, UNDYNE!" Papyrus spoke, drawing the fish lady's attention as he produced the gift-wrapped bone he'd briefly shown the two before. "MY FRIENDS BROUGHT YOU A GIFT, ALL ON THEIR OWN!"

"Uhh, thanks…" Undyne said awkwardly as she took the bone from him. "I'll just, uh… put it with the others."

She proceeded to make her way over to the far wall, which was lined with a number of kitchen appliances, including a refrigerator that was emitting a strange orange glow. As she opened a drawer beneath the sink, Lily couldn't help but snicker a little as she caught a glimpse of the literal pile of similar bones stuffed inside. Closing it back up, she returned to the three visitors.

"So…" Undyne drew out, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. "…are we ready to star-?"

"WHOOPSY DOOPSEY!" Papyrus cut her off, making a show of checking his watchless wrist. "I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!"

"But monsters don't-" Frisk began, but never got to finish.

Papyrus had already turned back the way they came. In half a second, the lanky boneman went from standing to a sprint before hurling toward the door… or more specifically, the window next to it. Frisk, Lily and Undyne all watched as the superhero dove headfirst into the glass pane, crashing through it with all the grace of a charging rhinoceros. He hit the ground, tumbling end over end a few times before promptly standing back up, no worse for wear.

"YOU THREE HAVE FUN!" He called out with an enthusiastic wave before dashing down the path, leaving Frisk and Lily alone with Undyne once again.

The three of them stared out the shattered window for a moment, watching as the cloud of dust kicked up by the speedy skeleton drifted back down to earth. An uneasy silence fell over the small home when they finally turned back to one another. The piercing yellow of Undyne's right eye stared coolly at the small child, while Lily met her gaze through the red glow of Frisk's own. Having deigned to keep his SOUL inside for the time being, the boy saw nothing himself, but could nevertheless feel the pressure of Undyne's scrutiny clashing with his friend's defiance.

"So why are you here?" The silence was broken by their reluctant host.

"Um… I'm sorry we came uninvited." Frisk began nervously. "P-Papyrus asked us to come. We didn't know he would leave so soon."

"Yeeeah…" Lily spoke, biting back a more sarcastic response. "This is… awkward."

"So, you just came because he asked you to? You expect me to believe that?" Undyne scoffed. "Come on, why are you really here? Did you come to rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? Is that it?!"

"No…!" Frisk responded quickly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad. I promise, I'd never do that."

"Well, I kind of… already did." Lily admitted, remembering her brief conversation with the warrior before. "But, no… not this time. Frisk wanted to come so that's why we're here."

Undyne's face scrunched up for a moment as she listened to the two very different responses.

"Ngaahh… Okay, first off, that whole one body, two people thing? REALLY confusing!" The flame-haired fish pointed out. "Second, fine. If not that, then what are you doing here?!"

"I uhh… I just though… maybe…" Frisk stammered, lowering his eyes from the knight. This was already off to a pretty bad start.

Undyne stared at the human for a moment before her eyes widened in realization.

"Wait, I get it. "She said with a crooked smirk. "You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, right?!"

"Can we…?" Frisk asked, raising his head hopefully. "I'd like that a lot."

"Really? How delightful! I accept! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship!" Undyne spoke with such feigned enthusiasm that even Frisk's own optimism didn't really believe it. "Not! Why would I ever be friends with you two?"

"Oh…" Frisk said, dejectedly.

"Hey, you don't have to be a jerk about it!" Lily finally spoke up, unwilling to listen to how Undyne was treating the boy. "Did you already forget what happened back at the entrance to Hotland? We helped you, even after everything you did to us. The least you could do is give us a chance!"

"And that's exactly why I'm not killing you right now. I might owe you a debt, but that's where our ties end. You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams. How can you expect me to be friends with someone like that?" Undyne countered before turning away. "Now… get out of my house!"

"Undyne!" Lily practically shouted. "You-"

"Don't…" Frisk retook control of his voice to speak. "It's… it's okay. Let's just go…"

Lily grimaced at the sound of Frisk's voice, the same tone and yet so different from when she'd used it. The boy sounded like he was on the verge of tears, and from the telltale blurring of her own vision, it seemed like they weren't far off. She glared at Undyne for a moment, wringing the knuckles on their shared body to help restrain her anger. Finally, the two children turned and began to move to the door.

"DANG! WHAT A SHAME…" A familiar voice stopped them in their tracks. "I THOUGHT UNDYNE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. BUT I GUESS… I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE."

"That's…" Lily turned their body to the shattered window and the distinct grinning skull that stood on the other side.

"Papyrus…?" Frisk spoke softly, as he wiped his eyes.

"What is he doing…?" Lily spoke internally. "There's no way she'd-"

"CHALLENGE?! What?!" Undyne screamed. "Papyrus, wait a second…!"

She rushed over to the broken window and was met with nothing but the empty air outside her house. Quick as he'd come, Papyrus was gone again, vanished into thin air or perhaps just around the corner again, it was hard to say.

When only silence answered her call, she turned back to the two children.

"Hold on, punks!" She called out to them. "Arrgh, darn it! He thinks I can't be friends with you?!"

"You can't be serious…" Lily sighed. Frisk felt the mental facepalm as he turned back to the angry fish lady, daring to hope.

"Fufufufu… what a joke!" She laughed. "I could make friends with some wimpy loser and his invisible-lightshow-sidekick any day!"

"HEY! I'm not a sidekick!" Lily quickly retorted through Frisk.

"You… you'll really give us a chance?" Asked Frisk, tentatively.

"Ha! I'll make him eat those words! Listen up, humans! We're not just going to be friends…" Undyne declared with a toothy grin. "We're going to be… BESTIES! I'll make you like me so much, you won't even be able to think about anyone else!

"Maybe… we shouldn't go that far." Lily spoke replied with a bit of trepidation.

It didn't look like Undyne was even listening though, as she reveled in her brilliant plan. "Fufufufu… It's the perfect revenge!"

Frisk opened his mouth to respond but quickly closed it again before he could point out the flaw in that logic. After all, this was exactly what he'd wanted from the beginning. There was no way he was going to ruin it by putting a foot in his mouth now. Undyne's expression quickly shifted from a scheming smirk to a radiant grin as she clapped her hands together in a welcoming gesture.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Her voice was the very soul of hospitality.

"Umm… could I ask something first?" Frisk began, turning his head in the vague direction he'd heard Undyne's voice come from.

"Frisk? Are you sure that's a good idea right now?" Lily asked, guessing correctly what he intended.

"I want this to work…" The boy responded. "It'll be easier if I can actually look at her."

"Ugh… I- I mean, please! Whatever you need." Undyne responded. "You are my dear house guest after all."

"Could I bring out my SOUL, please?" He asked her.

"Why would… Oh! This is some kind of traditional human way of meeting new people, right?" Undyne drew her own conclusions. "Go ahead, then."

Frisk nodded, and drew the crimson heart from his chest, allowing his limited vision to solidify. Undyne stood white and clear against the blank canvas of their surroundings. Apart from her distinctive piscine features, her proportions were actually quite similar to his and Lily's, if considerably taller. Despite her prejudices against humans she actually resembled one far more than any other monster they'd met so far. The irony wasn't lost on the red child as he made his way toward one of the chairs surrounding the table. Undyne watched in mild curiosity as the carnelian SOUL followed his movements, casting a soft red glow over the pastel interior of her home.

"Thank you." He said as he climbed into the chair with a little help from Lily.

"Comfortable?" Undyne asked. The boy nodded.

"So what are we gonna do first?" Lily asked, casting a sidelong glance at the very large, very sharp looking sword that took up half of the nearby wall.

"Just relax. I'll get you something to drink." Undyne replied.

She quickly turned about and moved to the curiously glowing refrigerator. The moment she pulled open the door, the two children could feel a blast of hot air radiating from within. After what happened in Hotland, Lily was surprised the captain could even bare to stand in front of such a thing, let alone reach inside. That was exactly what she did though as she shoveled a veritable pile of items under her arm before setting them down one by one upon the nearby counter.

"All set! What would you like?" The reluctant host asked.

"Umm…" Frisk hesitated, glancing inwardly to Lily.

"I can't really make out what they are from here…" Lily said. "Can you move a little closer?"

"Sure, just give me-" Frisk was cut off as a flash of white and the loud crash of splintering wood assailed his senses. "WHA-!"

"HEY! DON'T GET UP!" Undyne shouted as the boy promptly fell back into his seat, closing his eyes tightly in response to the sudden scare.

"Whoa!" Lily cried as her glowing eye fell upon the aquamarine spear that had just split the table in half from its impact alone, before turning a glare at Undyne. "What the hell was that for?!"

"DON'T YOU KNOW HOW HOSPITALITY WORKS?!" Undyne chastised them. "YOU'RE MY GUESTS, SO YOU JUST SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELVES!"

"S-sorry…" Frisk finally stammered out, his heart still racing from the sudden shock. "I'm… I'm okay. It just surprised me."

"Surprised you?! Seriously?" Lily spoke into Frisk's mind. "She could have killed you, Frisk!"

"She wouldn't have." the boy responded, taking a few moments to collect his thoughts. "We know how accurate she is with those spears. She wouldn't have missed if she was trying to hit us."

"That's… actually a good point." The specter had to admit, and then spoke up again. "Alright… fine. Sorry, it was my fault. Frisk was only getting up so I could see the drinks better."

"Oh… well, uh…" Undyne thought for a moment, an expression of what looked to be embarrassment spreading across her face for a moment. "Then, uh… maybe I was a little… extreme. But still! I can't have my guests wearing themselves out at the very start. It's unacceptable!"

"We aren't that fragile." Lily muttered. "Still, that's actually pretty considerate… in a violent sort of way."

"Ngghhh… well, this is a problem. How are we gonna do this?" The captain mused.

"You could just tell us what you have." Frisk suggested. "That way we can choose without having to get up and look ourselves."

"Huh… good idea. I was gonna suggest you use the spear to point to something, but that's a lot easier!" The toothy grin returned to the captain's face as she turned to her display. "Let's see, we've got tea, hot chocolate, and soda. I… wouldn't recommend that last one. Rots your fighting spirit!"

"Why do you have it then?" Lily pointed out.

"It's uhh…" Undyne trailed off and the girl could swear she saw her cheeks taking on a purplish tint for a moment. "It's… for a friend. Yeah…"

"Ooo, does she have a crush on someone?" The girl spoke conspiratorially to Frisk. The boy could feel the mischievous grin forming through their connection.

"We probably shouldn't ask right now." Frisk reasonably stated, before adding. "Probably though."

"Okay, so tea or hot chocolate. What should we get, Frisk?" She said aloud.

The boy grinned slightly. He would have known exactly which drink his best friend wanted even without feeling her silent request within his SOUL. "Hot chocolate, please."

"Alright, just give me a minute." Their host said. She moved to pick up the bluish container, shook it a few times, and then frowned. "Damn… I forgot. I'm all out. I stopped buying this stuff when Asgore kept getting the marshmallows stuck in his beard."

"Aww…" Frisk's body slumped with Lily's disappointment. "That sucks… I haven't had hot chocolate in… actually, I don't even know how long."

"Don't worry. We can always make some later." Frisk responded before giving a polite smile to Undyne. "That's okay. We can just have the tea instead."

"Yeah, it's not a big deal." Lily replied with a shrug. "Besides, something tells me I like tea anyway."

"Uh… 'something tells you'?" Undyne lifted a crimson brow as she opened one of the boxes of tea.

"Oh… um…" Lily struggled to form a response. "Crap… now what?"

"I don't see any harm in telling her. I mean, we aretrying to get to know each other, right?" Frisk replied.

As uncomfortable as the girl was, she had to admit he had a point. While she was still having trouble separating the reluctant host from the ruthless captain, being too guarded would just make it harder for them to connect with Undyne. So, taking a deep breath through Frisk's lungs, she spoke again.

"Yeah… My memory is a little… spotty right now." She said. "I barely remember anything before when I met Frisk. Even my name is a complete blank… 'Lily' is the name Frisk gave me when we met."

"Huh, that's… actually kind of sad." Undyne said thoughtfully, as she filled a teapot with water from the tap. "So you're 'Lily', and the other punk is 'Frisk'. Which one owns the body you're walking around in?"

"I do… sorry, I'm Frisk. I know it's confusing at first." Frisk clarified. "Lily was there when I first fell down here. We've been together since then."

"Here I was thinking humans just had some freaky double personality thing or whatever." Undyne mused, mixing the tea leaves into the water before placing it on the stove. "I mean, it's still freaky but I gotta admit its a lot cooler."

"Oh… heh." Lily chuckled self-consciously. "You think so?"

"Hell yeah! A guardian spirit with a mysterious past? How can you not think that's cool?" Undyne reaffirmed.

"Well uh… thanks." The girl replied with a small grin. "I guess you're pretty cool too."

"Damn right!" Undyne spoke, flashing the first genuine smile since they'd arrived.

Even Frisk could tell that the two seemed much more at ease with each other now that the proverbial ice was broken. He made a note to thank Papyrus for his timely intervention later on. For now though, he just felt glad that they were able to relax around each other a little.

By this point, Undyne herself had begun to realize the differences between the two children she spoke to. It was indeed confusing, having two different individuals sharing both a body and a voice, but the signs were there. Frisk's accommodating, sometimes meek personality stood in contrast to Lily's confident nature that at times edged into haughtiness. The latter, she noticed, was actually quite similar to her own in a lot of ways.

"So, uhh…" She paused for a moment, considering what to say. "You fell down here from the surface? I'm guessing you must be wanting to get back there pretty bad, huh?"

"Well…" Frisk drew out the word as he thought about that. "I'm… not really sure, actually."

"Huh?! What do you mean you 'aren't sure'?!" Undyne asked incredulously. "Don't you want to go home?"

"I don't really have one." The boy answered, folding his hands in his lap. "Don't get me wrong, I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to find a way to break the Barrier… I do. But its mostly because I want to help everyone here. There isn't really anything waiting for me up there. I sort of doubt anyone's even realized I'm gone."

"Frisk…" Lily said, and the boy could feel the warmth of her comfort spreading through his SOUL.

"If I can help the monsters down here though, maybe…" The boy said, more to himself than anyone else.

No… it wasn't even a question of 'if' at this point. It had happened before. The proof was there, in a photo that he'd never seen but nonetheless knew what was shown. A crowd of smiles gathered as one with him at their center. He wanted to see that moment again. He wanted Lily to see it too.

A happy ending. For her, for Undyne, for everyone… and for himself. That's what he wanted.

"Hey, uh… hmm…" Undyne struggled, sensing she'd stumbled on an uncomfortable subject. "N-nevermind. I didn't mean to make it awkward. Sorry…"

"S'okay." Frisk said with a reassuring smile.

Thankfully, the high pitched whistle of a boiling tea kettle prevented what might have ended up as an awkward silence. The three turned to the stove and saw the steady clouds of steam rising from the spout. Undyne gave a relieved sigh as she turned back to remove it from the stove before grabbing a couple of cups to pour drinks for herself and her guests. Frisk could feel the heat from the steam rising from the cup she placed before him.

"Here we are… be careful, it's hot." Undyne said before moving around to the other end of the sundered table.

The boy could feel Lily's influence overlapping his own as the two of them reached for the cup. Raising it cautiously, he blew a few puffs of air in an attempt to cool it off.

"It's not THAT hot, just drink it already!" The Captain demanded, her face scrunching up in impatience.

The two children shuddered slightly and gave her a questioning look.

"Is she insane?! She just took it off the stovetop!" Lily exclaimed inwardly.

"I know… we don't want to offend her though." Frisk said. "We'll just… take a little sip. That should be fine, right?"

"This is gonna suck… this is reallygonna suck." Lily moaned, and Frisk imagined her anxiously wringing her hands in his mind. "Fine, but… JUST a little one, okay?"

Frisk nodded, and reluctantly - fearfully - raised the cup's rim to his mouth. He recoiled slightly when the steaming liquid grazed his lips before hastily drawing in the tiniest of sips. Even that little bit was enough to scald the tip of his tongue, and he let out a hiss in response.

"Augh!" He exclaimed. "Mah tongue!"

"Hot! Too hot!" Lily cried immediately after, the burning sensation reaching her as well through their resonance.

The cup was immediately slammed back onto the table, though in the shock of the moment it was unclear which of the two children had made the move. It rattled precariously upon the splintered wood but miraculously managed to stay upright without spilling any of its contents. Lily set about raising one of Frisk's sleeves to his mouth, wiping it against his tongue in hopes that it would sooth some of the uncomfortable tingle that had begun to settle in. It didn't.

"Tch, come on. Don't be such babies…" Undyne said, raising her own cup to her mouth and taking a large gulp.

…which promptly found itself sprayed all over the table.

"Buagh! Holy sh- Pfff ack!" She sputtered. "Fwah… okay…! Haa… okay! Never… Nevermind…"

"Maybe we should… should let it… haa… cool. Jus' a little?" Frisk suggested, his voice slurring slightly due to the numbness.

"S-seconded…" Lily swiftly agreed.

Wiping her mouth of the remainder of the tea, Undyne nodded thus making the decision unanimous. The three of them sat in silence for a moment, while waiting for the tingling numbness to fade from their mouths. The silence was... well, no one could really call it companionable but there was far less tension than before.

"Well, I guess going back to what we were talking about before… You said you guys've been together since you got here, and you can both talk but only through your body. How's it work when you're not doing that? There's gotta be something if the other pu… - uhh, Lily - was able to steal my spears like that." The Captain grimaced slightly as she spoke - clearly, she wasn't proud to admit that. "That is unless humans have some kind of telekinetic power or something. Wait… don't tell me they actually do!"

"Maaaybe…" Lily giggled slightly. "But no, that was me. I can move around freely when I'm not inside Frisk's SOUL. That's how I was able to do it. No one's able to actually see me like that though…"

"Well, except Napstablook." Frisk helpfully pointed out.

"Oh, you know my neighbor?" Undyne chimed in. "That's kinda surprising… he's a bit of a shut-in."

"He's really nice though." the boy replied. "And I'm really happy that someone besides me can see Lily."

"Which, I guess is kind of funny when you think about it." Lily smirked. "Since I'm kind of the only thing you can see."

"Huh. I never thought of it like that." Frisk thoughtfully replied.

"Wait, I'm confused." Undyne spoke up. "What do you mean you're 'the only thing he can see'?"

"Uhh… I don't think we told her did we?" Lily said.

"Oh! Right, sorry…" Frisk apologized. "Yeah… I'm blind."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Undyne shouted, slamming her palm down on the table. "You're blind?!"

"Um…" Frisk began, recoiling slightly at their host's sudden reaction to the revelation. "Y-yes?"

"And you still managed to not only get through Waterfall, but also beat me?" The knight summarized before showing her fangs in a wide grin. "That… is AWESOME!"

"It… it isn't that impressive. I can still kinda see magic when my SOUL is out, and besides… I had Lily to help me." Frisk lowered his eyes self-consciously.

"Seriously? How can you not realize how cool this is?" Undyne gave him an incredulous look. "You're like one of those blind swordsmen and she's your guardian spirit, fighting together, protecting each other… That's some anime-level stuff. Damn, no wonder I lost… you guys are badass!"

Frisk felt his cheeks burning and knew he must have been blushing like a tomato. Within his SOUL, Lily was in much the same state. They knew what they had wasn't what anyone would consider 'normal' but Undyne had somehow managed to frame it in a way they'd never even considered. No other monsters had really brought it up outside of the usual required explanation of how they 'worked' either. The most humbling part about it was just how sincere she sounded.

"Hey! Umm…" Lily began, grasping desperately for a change in subject. "T- The tea's probably cooled enough by now, don't you think?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. You're probably right." Undyne, coming down from her hype, responded.

Willing his silent thanks to Lily for her quick thinking, Frisk reached for their cup again. The surface was noticeably cooler now. It was still hot, but not boiling like before. In any case, he didn't feel constantly at risk of an internal cauterization this time.

As one, the two children lifted the cup to their lips and took another sip. Finally able to savor the taste, the boy let it linger on his tongue for a few moments. It was sweet, even without much sugar but also refreshing in a way that neither of them could quite describe.

"This is good!" Frisk exclaimed, feeling invigorated just from that one sip. "I've never had tea like this before."

"It's like light honey but… citrusy?" Lily judged, taking another sip. "Actually… something about it seems familiar."

"Yeah… I got that too." Frisk replied thoughtfully. "What is it…?"

It took only a couple of seconds before the two humans arrived at the same conclusion.

"The golden flowers!" They exclaimed with one voice.

"Nice! You figured it out!" Undyne proudly confirmed before taking a drink from her own cup. "Pretty good, right?"

"Yup!" Frisk replied enthusiastically.

"Still, I can't believe you quaffed half that cup right off the stove!" Lily said before twisting Frisk's face into an impression of Undyne. "Blagh! Haha!"

"Well, how was I supposed to know it'd be so hot?!" Undyne defended herself.

"Well… there was steam coming off it." Frisk pointed out. "Like… a lot of steam."

"Well…! A warrior has no time for little details like that!" She countered, before quickly deflating. "Or, maybe I just didn't think that far ahead."

The conversation trailed off for a moment, as Undyne took a moment to reflect on that. Then, to both children's surprise, a grin spread across her face and she started to chuckle. That chuckle soon evolved into a laugh. Not a fake laugh to deflect, but a real, genuine expression of humor. Pretty soon, Frisk and Lily found themselves laughing right along with her.

For a moment all three of them were confused by this. Just a few moments ago they were stumbling over themselves to avoid making things too weird. At what point did they actually start having fun?

"Still…" Undyne was the first to speak after they calmed down. "Asgore's a genius for figuring out how to make tea from those. It's his favorite kind."

Asgore… the ruler of the Underground and the one after Frisk's SOUL. Toriel's warning, Papyrus' orders to capture them, Undyne's attempts to kill them… everything led back to him. Once again the sound of his name brought forth a feeling that Lily could not understand. She should have felt angry, or at least indignant that the king desired the death of her friend. But looking within, she could find none of that. There was pity for sure - that was easy enough to trace the source of - but also something else.

Sadness… a sadness very similar to the kind she felt when she thought of Flowey. It was diluted in the midst of the fun she was having but still there, deep down.

"Tell us about him…" She said finally. "About Asgore."

"Oh, man… where do I start?" Undyne said wistfully. "Actually, now that I think about it. You guys kind of remind me of him."

"Really?" Frisk asked. "How so?"

"Well, for one thing… you're all TOTAL weenies!" She jeered.

"Hey!" Lily protested, puffing Frisk's cheeks out angrily. "I can't help it that Frisk is small!"

"That… Who's side are you on?!" The boy accused.

"Haha, it's true!" Undyne laughed before sobering a little. "Well, sort of."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid…" Undyne spoke, turning her eyes to the yellow ceiling of her home.

"What are you talking about?" Lily countered, grinning. "You're a hotheaded adult."

Undyne turned a chastising glare at the two. "Can I tell the story, or are you two gonna keep interrupting.

"Sorry." They chorused, though only Frisk's voice could be heard.

"Anyway… One day, to prove I was the strongest in the Underground, I tried to fight Asgore." She snickered at a memory only she could truly appreciate. "Emphasis on 'tried'. Oh, he accepted my challenge alright, but when the time came I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! He parried every strike, dodged every sweep, sidestepped every lunge. No matter what I tried, he just shrugged it off like nothing. Eventually, I wore myself out so much that I couldn't even lift my spear. I felt so humiliated…"

"That sounds just like our fight." Frisk pointed out when she trailed off.

"Yup. Now you see what I mean." Undyne replied, before smiling faintly. "Afterwards, he gave me a hand up and apologized. Then he said something goofy: 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?'. I mean, come on! Who decides to give someone tips on how to beat them up! Anyway, I said yes and from then on, he trained me. That guy taught me everything: how to keep my spear steady, proper footwork, everything! Really opened my eyes."

"Huh… between gardening, making tea, and fighting he sounds like a really impressive person." Lily said, feeling more pride in that statement than she might have thought.

"He really is. I owe him a lot for putting up with me so much." The Captain agreed before continuing her tale. "So, one day during practice I finally managed to knock him down. You'd think I would have been proud of that but I wasn't. I felt… bad. He wasn't moving, so I ran over to see if he was okay. Can you guess what happened then?"

The boy's head shook, while his right eye dimmed just a little.

"He was beaming! He was just lying there in the dirt with a dopey grin on his face!" Undyne laughed lightly. "Then once I helped him up, he just clapped me on the shoulder and said 'good job'."

"Haha! Seriously?" Lily pressed, having thoroughly enjoyed the captain's story.

"Seriously!" Undyne affirmed with a toothy grin. "I couldn't believe it… I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked!"

"I think it's more that he was proud of you." Frisk said sagaciously.

"Huh… you think so?" Undyne asked, rubbing the back of her head thoughtfully.

"He wouldn't have trained you if he didn't want to see you get better, right?" the boy reasoned.

"Frisk has a point. You beating him was probably what he always wanted." Lily supplied. "In a way, you both won."

"You know, you're probably right. I was so caught up in finally beating him that I guess I never really thought of that." Undyne said, flashing another fanged grin. "Well, long story short, he kept training me and now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So now I'm the one that gets to train dorks to fight." quick as it came, the grin faded as a more somber thought crossed the knight's mind. "Like… uh, Papyrus."

"What's wrong?" Frisk asked, noticing the change in her monochrome image.

"Well, um… to be honest, I don't know if…" She hesitated. "…if I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard."

"What? Why?!" Lily practically shouted. "He's always dreamed of joining. How could you not let him?"

"I know, I know! Don't tell him I said that, okay?" Undyne replied guiltily. "Don't get me wrong. It's not that he's weak. I mean, he's actually pretty freaking tough."

"Then why?" Frisk asked, a little more calmly than his friend though he, too, was taken aback by the confession.

"It's just that… he's…" Undyne seemed to struggle with her response. "He's too innocent and nice! I mean, look… He was SUPPOSED to capture you, and he ended up beingFRIENDS with you instead! I could never send him into battle. He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds!"

Undyne hung her head mournfully, her crimson ponytail falling over one shoulder. In all honesty, Lily could understand her reluctance. After what she and Frisk had learned about the war, and how devastating it had been for monsterkind, it was easy to see why someone like Papyrus would not last long in such an environment. At the same time, joining the Royal Guard has always been his dream. That much was as plain as a certain cardboard sentry station nestled beneath the trees of Snowdin forest.

Undyne was caught between two extremes: does she allow Papyrus to join and thus risk his life, or does she reject him and therefore crush his dream? Lily did not envy her the choice.

"There's... more to being a Royal Guard than just fighting though," Frisk spoke up, taking another drink of tea. "isn't there?"

"Well yeah…" Undyne said, raising her head to regard the boy. "You gotta be dedicated to helping people more than anything. A lot of it involves stopping bad guys, but there's also investigations, keeping people away from dangerous areas, listening to their problems and doing what you can… all kinds of things."

"It sounds like there's a lot someone could do without having to fight." The boy responded.

"Well yeah. But what if he was to run into someone really dangerous?" Undyne challenged. "Someone who really meant to do harm."

"It's important to know when to defend yourself, I get that." the boy answered. "But sometimes the strongest person is the one who can stop a dangerous situation without anyone getting hurt."

Undyne gave the boy a strange look. "You know, that sounds kinda egotistical coming from you."

"I… I didn't mean to…" Frisk stammered awkwardly.

"Aw, Frisk. And here I was thinking you didn't have any pride!" Lily joked, as his body momentary took on a posture mirroring her teasing.

"I do have pride… I just don't like to brag…" The boy muttered, shoulders slumping back down in embarrassment.

Undyne couldn't help but chuckle at the exchange of two opposing dispositions somehow delivered through a single body.

"I get it though." Lily continued, sobering a little. "I can't tell you how many times I've worried about Frisk putting himself in danger."

"That's just it. I don't think I could forgive myself if he got hurt." The knight said. "That's part of why… I started teaching him how to cook, you know?"

"Wait… don't tell me…" Frisk began as the ramifications of that statement quickly dawned on him.

"You're the one who taught him how to cook?" Lily asked incredulously, shuddering at the memory of their first experience with Papyrus'… unique… cuisine.

"Yeah. I figured if he learned how… maybe he, um, could do something else with his life." An awkward pause fell over the conversation, Undyne out of contemplation, Frisk and Lily out of sheer disbelief. "Hmm? Oh, sorry… you're out of tea, aren't you? I'll get you some more."

Undyne stood up and began to make her way over to the teapot. Meanwhile, Frisk and Lily continued to sit flabbergasted at the revelation… the source of Papyrus' bizarre cooking.

"She's responsible… for that?" Lily spoke internally.

"Does that mean she's better… or worse?" Frisk wondered, turning to look contemplatively at Undyne.

…who had stopped short about halfway to the stove.

"Wait a second… Papyrus, his cooking lesson…" The two children watched curiously as she muttered to herself an instant before her working eye bugged out in her skull. "HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!"

"Huh?!" Both of them cried in unison.

"And if he's not here to have it…" She paused. "YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!"

"A- a cooking lesson?!" Lily sputtered. "What?"

"But I already know how to-"

Frisk's response was cut short as Undyne lept high into the air. The Captain, more nimble than ever without her heavy armor twisted her body into a multi-spin flip, soaring along the curve of the ceiling. She landed heavily upon the counter (thankfully on her feet), hopped over the sink and dropped into a slide, kicking off everything but the teapot before using the end of the fridge to vault back upright.

"Okay… that was awesome…" Lily admitted with a grin.

"That's right! Nothing has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! "Which means if I give you guys his lesson… WE'LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE!" Undyne roared from her proud pedestal above the mess. "Fuhuhu! Afraid?! We're gonna be best friends!"

"Whoa!"

"Hey, wait what are you-"

Frisk and Lily yelped as Undyne lept over and quickly scooped their shared body under her arm. The entire room became a pastel blur to the latter as she quickly spun them about and planted them against her shoulder before once more taking to the air and landing in front of the counter.

"W- what happened? Where are we?!" Frisk said, frantically turning this way and that to reestablish himself.

"Woo! Can we do that again?" Lily giggled.

"What are you talking about, you can fly!" Frisk pointed out, trying to steady his spinning head.

"Let's start with the sauce!" Undyne shouted, slamming her boot onto the floor hard enough to crack the tile.

A sound from above drew the children's attention upward just in time for Lily to watch a ceiling panel come loose. From the hole left behind, a handful of surprisingly ripe looking vegetables rained onto the counter before them. Frisk sniffed a few times, finally catching the unmistakable scent of fresh produce.

"Please don't tell me those fell from the ceiling…" Frisk groaned.

"Okay, I won't." Lily snickered gleefully.

"Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy!" Undyne declared. "Now! Pound them into dust with your fists!"

"Can't we just use a food processor? Or even just a grater?" The boy lamented.

"Come on, where's your passion?! Where's your FIGHTING SPIRIT?!" Undyne shouted.

"If you don't want to do it, can I?" Lily asked within Frisk's mind.

"Lily, not you too!"

"Aw, c'mon. It sounds like a lot of fun!" The girl pressed. "Pleeeease?"

"Oh, fine…" Frisk conceded, hoping that the gods of food wouldn't punish him for that transgression. Lily whooped happily as Frisk stepped aside, relinquishing control of his body.

Undyne gazed down at the small human expectantly silently wondering which of the two would step up to her challenge. The head turned to meet her gaze and at once she noticed the distinct glint in that glowing eye. She smiled in recognition showing rows of fangs.

Lily strode up to the counter, gazing keenly at the edible army before her. Now… which one looked the strongest? Where was the commander? Her eyes zeroed in on one particularly plump and red tomato standing above the others. Its head was capped with a vibrant green helmet, and its crimson armor seemed well forged. In truth, it looked no different from any other tomato, but her mind had already decided: this was to be her foe.

Raising a fist, she brought it down hard upon the leafy crown of her enemy. Her blow bounced off the springy red armor, forcing her arm back a little. She responded with a second blow and was again thwarted by the most worthy adversary. Undeterred, she clenched Frisk's small fingers tighter and rose her arm skyward.

"Haaaahhh!"

With a mighty cry that she hoped sounded triumphant despite the small voice that carried it, she slammed the fist down for the third time. It landed squarely in the center of the bright red bulb, caving the entire thing in. A mass of tomato juice squirted out, splashing against the counter, the wall behind it, and Frisk's shirt.

"Ha! Take that, impostor! You aren't even a real vegetable!" The girl mocked her defeated enemy.

Frisk, for his part, was caught between being horrified at what he'd experienced or proud that his friend knew about that particularly frustrating tomato-based fact.

"YEAH! YEAH! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients!" Undyne cheered, pumping her first into the air. "NOW IT'S MY TURN! NGAAAHHH!"

Tensing both her muscular arms, Undyne slammed them down against the counter. The plaster split slightly from an impact that flattened a few tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and garlic cloves all at once while sending many more flying across the room. Another fountain of juice sprayed out, covering both culinary combatants in the gore of the fallen invaders. Frisk was forced to take momentary control of his mouth in order to sputter slightly.

"I want you to know, I'm against all of this!" He chastised, though he was having a hard time suppressing his own laughter at the sheer ridiculousness going on around him.

"Too late now!" Lily shot back playfully.

"Uhh, we'll just scrape this stuff into a bowl later…" Undyne said, wiping the smattering of juices off her own face. "But for NOW…!"

She slammed her foot down once more. This time a cupboard above the stove swung open and out tumbled a large beaten up pan and stirring spoon. They clattered loudly against the stove before rolling to a stop perfectly on top of one of the cool coils. Undyne moved to the other side of the stove with Lily and Frisk in tow before slamming her fist down on the counter, this time causing a packet of noodles to come tumbling down, scattering a few of the thin, brittle strands across the stove.

"Did you set them up to fall like that?" Lily asked mirthfully.

"Fuhuhu, the time for questions is over. It's time for the noodles!" Undyne shouted. "They say homemade noodles are the best… BUT I JUST BUY STORE-BRAND! THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST!"

"Didn't you want to make some of those before, Frisk?" Lily asked, remembering their cooking session with Papyrus.

"Oh yeah…" The boy responded making a mental note to do that at some point.

"Uhh, just put them in the pot." Undyne said, calming down slightly.

Lily, still riding the high of the hotblooded cooking lesson, lifted the entire box of noodles and threw it into the pan. A few more flew out from the split end, and scattered along the counter.

"YEAH! I'm into it!" Undyne bellowed. "Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir… THE BETTER IT IS!"

"So just stir as much as possible?" Lily asked.

"Yeah! And then you stir some more!" Undyne declared. "Show those noodles who's boss!"

"Okay!"

"You forgot the-" Frisk began but Lily had already taken the spoon in hand. "Oh no…"

The girl jammed the spoon into the pot and started rotating it furiously. Pieces of dry noodle splintered off, falling out of the pan and rolling onto the floor.

"Stir harder! HARDER! HARDER!" Undyne cheered.

Frisk's arm moved in a blur as Lily picked up the pace. The spoon clattered against the insides of the pot, scattering noodles and shredding the box inside. Even her enthusiasm had its limits though, and eventually she began to feel the boy's small arm cramping from overuse. She stopped after a minute or so, wringing a shoulder to work out the numbness that had begun to settle.

"Ugh… Let me do it!" Undyne said, shoving the child to the side in a surprisingly gentle way. Of course, all that gentleness went out the shattered window when she suddenly flicked her other hand up into the air to summon one of her magical spears.

"Wait, what is she-" Frisk began as the spear, silver-white to his eyes manifested before him, before shooting directly downward.

Lily watched in morbid fascination as the aquamarine weapon stabbed into the pot, bouncing rapidly like a very sharp pogo stick. Noodles and shredded cardboard flew out of the pot, adding to the already considerable mess around the floor. Each impact left another dent and nick in the metal pan until it barely even resembled what it once was.

"Yeah! Smash 'em!" She crowed.

"Fuhuhu! That's the stuff!" Undyne laughed once she'd finished with the thoroughly decimated pot. "Alright… now it's time for the final step! TURN UP THE HEAT! Let the stovetop symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into burning fire! READY?! Don't hold anything back!"

"Okay!" Lily declared, stepping up to the stove as Undyne moved to the side.

Carefully avoiding the still rather hot tea kettle, she reached for the dial for the burner that the pot rested on. A click resounded from the stove and at once a small flame flickered to life beneath the iron wiring. In but a few seconds, the dull grey metal was overtaken by a faint red glow.

"Hotter!" Undyne ordered.

The girl did as asked, turning the dial further clockwise. The steady flame grew in both heat and intensity. The glow of the metal became even more vibrant as the flames grazed against the underside, turning bright orange amidst the heat. The slight hint of smoke began to permeate the room as, without water, the crushed noodles and shredded cardboard began to char within the pot.

"Okay, that seems like enou-"

"HOTTER, DARNIT!" Undyne yelled, cutting Frisk off.

Lily, who could see the rapidly building heat, reluctantly turned the dial a little more. The flames built further in response, now overtaking the metal grate entirely. Orange tongues steadily shifting to a deep blue toward the bottom licked at the sides of the pot. The white smoke began to turn black within the dry pot, as the contents were slowly reduced to cinders.

"I don't… think it's supposed to go that high." Lily said, retracting her hand from the dial in concern. "Maybe we should turn it down a little?"

"Don't stop now! These puny flames are NOTHING compared to the fire in our hearts!" Undyne howled above the roaring stove. "Whether its fighting or cooking you always gotta give a hundred percent! Like this!"

With that, she reached over the small child and cranked up the temperature as high as it could go. The flames spiraled out from the surface of the stove, easily overtaking the pot and everything within.

Only too late did the hotblooded knight realize her mistake. A burst of white-hot flame lept from the stove, the resulting force sent Frisk's small body tumbling to the floor. Not a moment later, another blast detached the metal grate, sending both it and the pot soaring over their heads. It landed on the splintered table, it's now fiercely burning contents spilling out onto the splintered wood and setting it alight. Like an angry demon, the flames lept from the stove landing on the countertop where they quickly consumed the crushed vegetables before snaking their way up the walls.

Amidst the chaos stood Undyne, completely aloof to what had just occurred.

"Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking…" She said casually, wiping her brow of the gathering sweat. "So what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?" When no response came she frowned. "Uhh, guys?"

"Undyne…" A small voice spoke.

The warrior's smile returned and she turned to regard the speaker. She dropped it a moment later when her yellow eye fell upon what was waiting there. There was the body shared by the two humans, still sitting upon the ground. They didn't look injured, but something was definitely wrong. The boy's legs were drawn up as far as they could go and his small arms were wrapped around his chest. His face was contorted as if locked in a struggle, while the glow within his right eye flickered erratically in a way all too similar to the flames surrounding flames.

"Whoa, whoa! What's going on?!" Undyne cried, quickly crossing the way to where they sat. "Are you guys okay?!"

"It's Frisk…" Lily said softly. "He's… he's so scared. I'm… doing what I can to keep enough control to talk to you but it's… ngh… it's taking everything I have to keep him from forcing me out. You have to get us out of here. Please!"

Undyne wasn't quite sure what was going on exactly. She vaguely remembered something like this happening at the entrance to Hotland, but she'd been so drained by the heat that the details were fuzzy. Even now she could feel the heat of the fire rapidly sapping her own strength. She looked to the door and realized that the flames had already reached it, blocking it off. The only other option was the shattered window Papyrus had used. Briefly, she realized that it was probably that which had vented out most of the force from the blast.

"I gotta remember to thank that bonehead later…!" The knight mutter, scooping the small human under her arm and making for the window.

The area around it had been miraculously spared from the inferno, though the flames were drawing dangerously close to to the purple carpet beneath. Undyne surged forward, dodging a few embers and hopping over a burning bell pepper as she made her way to the impromptu exit.

"NGGGAAAHHH!" She roared, leaping forward and turning her shoulder toward the shattered glass.

She grit her teeth as a few glistening shards bit lightly into her scales as she soared through to safety. Twisting about, she wrapped the small body in her arms to shield the children moments before landing hard onto the packed earth outside the burning house. She tumbled a few times before managing to dig in her heels enough to stop.

"Phew…" She muttered, gently setting the human back on the ground. "You two, okay?"

"Frisk? It's okay now." Lily soothed. "Undyne got us out. You're okay."

"She did…?" Frisk's trembling voice spoke for the first time in a while.

"Yeah, she did. We're safe now, so no more being scared okay?" The girl said.

The disheveled boy rose his head to regard Undyne's monochrome form.

"Thank you…" He said gently, coughing a little from having breathed a fair bit of smoke.

"Don't worry about it." Undyne sighed, turning away from that grateful expression. "I mean, it's my fault it happened to begin with."

"You still saved me, though." Frisk insisted.

"And minus the house burning thing, it was a lot of fun." Lily added, smiling.

"Heh… Yeah, it was. We should do it again sometime." She attempted another of her fanged grins, but it wouldn't have taken much to see through it. A couple of seconds later, the facade shattered and her face fell with a sigh. "Oh, who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn't I? Yeah, we had a little fun, but I know I can't force you guys to like me."

"But I do like you!" Lily exclaimed quickly, surprising herself.

Just this morning, she had been reluctant to even meet with Undyne. It was she who attempted to convince Frisk to put it off. At the time, she didn't know when or if she would ever feel 'comfortable' attempting to befriend the hot-tempered captain. But now, after having gotten to know her a little, Lily could feel a sort of kinship between them. Indeed, there was a lot more to Undyne than the dogged warrior who pursued them so relentlessly through Waterfall, she knew that now.

"Me too." Frisk said resolutely.

Undyne, however, was not convinced.

"It's alright… you don't have to keep pretending. Some people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me." She turned away from them. "After all, you're Humans, I'm a Monster. Mortal enemies, right?"

"We don't have to-"

Frisk's protest was cut off as the knight's right hand shot to her side. There, manifesting in a flash of light and magic, a fresh spear took shape. The boy's breath caught in his throat as he beheld the alabaster weapon, and his chest tightened in sorrow.

"It was stupid to think that we could be friends… and I was stupid for trying. That's okay though. Because if aren't friends…" In an instant she wheeled about, shifting into a defensive position and faced them. "IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!"

Her face was molded into a look of cold resignation as she stood there, unflinchingly between them and the only path away from the burning home. Her azure scales glowed like crimson embers under the light of the flames.

"Don't do this!" The boy pleaded. "We don't have to fight!"

"I've been defeated, my house is in shambles, and I even failed to befriend you. We all knew how this would end… it's fitting, right? One final battle! All out on both sides!" She declared, lowering her head in and glaring at her opponents. "As the challenged, I grant you the honor of the first move! SO COME ON! HIT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"

"No! I won't do it!" Frisk protested.

"You have to!" Undyne shot back. "Don't you get it?! This is the only way for me to regain my lost pride. SO COME AT ME!"

"Undyne…" Lily muttered, staring fixedly at the captain.

This couldn't be it… this couldn't be how it ended between them. Both of them refused to believe it, but it was clear to Lily in particular. She couldn't tell why, but Undyne seemed different somehow. The same scowl she wore during their encounter on the border to Hotland was there once more on her face. In both hands, she gripped her spear with the very same conviction she held back then. Apart from her missing armor, she seemed to have completely reverted to the imposing knight they'd fought. And yet, something was different.

It was her eyes… more specifically it was the eye not covered by a patch. There was determination there to be sure, but also something else… something she hadn't seen back then.

"Don't just stand there!" She cried, still unmoving. "Hit me, so we can finally finish this!"

"Do it, Frisk…"Lily said evenly within his mind.

"WHAT?!" Frisk cried out loud in surprise. "I can't! I don't want to fight her!"

"No, you don't want to hurt her." The girl amended. "Isn't that right?"

"Of course, I don't!"

"So do it!" she urged him. "Undyne understands fighting. This is the best way to get through to her, trust me!"

"I do trust you, Lily…" Frisk said after a moment to reflect. "Okay… I'll do it."

The fire burned behind the small child, its light framing his face like a proud mane as red as his own SOUL. The cool cavern air melded with heat of the flames as he took a deep breath to steady his resolve. Hiding his fears behind the comforting light of Determination, Frisk strode forward, approaching Undyne.

She watched, impressed despite herself at the face she saw. There was no malice there, and the hesitation she'd seen before had all but vanished, replaced by kind of peace. It was a good face… maybe not a warrior's face, but there was definitely something there. For a moment she wasn't sure whether it was Frisk or Lily staring from behind that face before the answer suddenly come to her.

It was both.

At last the dark-skinned human stood before the blue-scaled monster. The two exchanged a silent nod before the boy lifted a hand. He flexed his fingers for a moment before finally closing them in a tight fist. His arm reeled back as far as it could go before throwing him off balance.

Then, he threw it forward. His fist cut through the air of the cavern as it rocketed forward, aiming straight for Undyne's abdomen. With all the strength he could muster, he guided his arm onward toward its intended target. It came to an abrupt stop as it impacted, striking hard against something solid. A ripple shot through his knuckles and vibrated along his arm from the force of the blow. A few seconds passed in silence. Worried, Frisk turned his gaze upward to check on Undyne.

She hadn't moved, though he knew he'd hit her. She stood in the same position, but stared down at the two of them with a bemused expression on her face.

It was then that a ripple of pain coursed through his left arm.

"Ow…!" The boy groaned loudly.

The arm that had struck Undyne fell limply to his side, numb from the blow. His other arm shot across his body, clutching it tightly.

"What." Undyne deadpanned. "That's the best you can manage?"

"Haha!" Lily laughed triumphantly. "See, Frisk? I told you! There's more than one way to show her how strong you are."

"Ugh… what's she made out of? Concrete?" He grumbled, rubbing his arm in a vain attempt to work some feeling into it. "That hurt!"

Even still, he was smiling as he glanced upward to take a look at her HP.

* Undyne - HP: 1499/1500

"Even attacking at full force…" Undyne muttered. "You just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?"

"I already told you…" The boy said. "I want to be your friend."

"We both do." Lily added. "Why would we want to hurt you?"

"Heh… you guys are too much. And for me, that's saying something. But you know what?" Undyne sighed, letting her spear fall to the ground where it dispersed harmlessly into the ether. "I don't actually want to hurt you either."

"You mean…?" Frisk began, staring hopefully up at Undyne.

"At first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick. It seemed so fake to me. I couldn't believe that Humans could actually hold any goodness in them at all." Undyne explained with more than a little regret. "I was wrong though. The way you hit me right now, it… it reminded me of someone I used to train with."

"Asgore?" Lily supplied.

"Asgore." Undyne nodded. "Now I know you aren't just a couple of wimpy losers. You're wimpy losers with big hearts, just like him!"

"Heheh." Frisk chuckled happily. "I can accept that."

"About as good as being a heroic musclehead, I'd say." Lily said cheerily.

"Ha! You know it, Punk!" Undyne grinned toothily before turning to stare at the fire flickering within her home.

It was downright ruined, the monstrous aquatic visage completely overtaken by flames. The stone scales cracked under the blazing heat, a few having already flaked off by this point. The orange glow emanated from the smashed in doorway as well as the windows. The frames on the latter had melted significantly, running down the outer walls in a way that somewhat resembled tears.

"Well, this sucks, huh? Guess I'll be crashing with Papyrus again, for a bit." Undyne said though she didn't sound particularly upset. "Man, we didn't even get to eat!"

"He and Sans have been letting us stay there too." Frisk pointed out. "If you want, I can make us all something when we get back."

"Frisk is a really good cook!" Lily chimed in.

"Wait, what? You can cook?" Undyne glanced sidelong at the two of them. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Well, I did try…" Frisk answered timidly. "Besides, you seemed like you were having fun… I didn't want to ruin it."

"Well, now I'm curious. I mean, it can't be worse than mine right?" She chuckled.

At last the three of them turned away from the burning home and made their way through the winding corridor, heading back to the pond that stood at the entrance to Blook Acres. Waterfall felt particularly cool now without the balancing heat of the fire, but they quickly grew accustomed to the change. A group of Moldsmal and a Moldbygg slimed passed them as they reached one of Waterfall's many junctions, wiggling a greeting as they went.

"I think we're falling behind a little." Lily said, noticing the distance between themselves and Undyne.

"Huh?" Frisk asked, glancing up to see the white silhouette of Undyne some ways ahead. "S- sorry…!"

He quickened his pace, moving to catch up with the Captain when a wave of fatigue washed over him. He shook his head, trying to fight it off but found himself unable to do so. Stumbling forward, he felt his legs begin trembling beneath him mere moments before gave out, forcing him to his knees.

"Frisk?!" Lily called out to him.

Her voice managed to give him enough clarity to catch himself before he fell completely. His free hand moved instinctively to his chest, and it was only then that he realized he was gasping for breath. His heart was pounding as if he'd just run through the whole of the Underground at full sprint.

Her concern mounting, Lily let herself out of the boy's SOUL. Now in a more tangible state, she quickly knelt down beside him, placing her hands on his shoulders to keep him stable.

"Hey, hey!" Undyne, having made her way over upon noticing all of this, called out. "What's wrong?! Are you okay?!"

"I…" Frisk panted. "I can't…"

His haggard breathing made it impossible to even form a full sentence as he struggled desperately for air. Lily stared at him, her copper-brown eyes filled with panic. It didn't make sense… he'd been fine just a few moments ago. Now it was like he was back in that fire all over again. No, it was worse than that… and the worst part of all was that she had no idea what to do. Having no better ideas, Lily moved closer, wrapping her arms tightly around him in an attempt to still his trembling.

"It's okay… you'll be okay, Frisk." She whispered, stroking his hair gently. "I'm with you, just be strong… we'll figure this out."

Undyne looked on helplessly, at a complete loss as the light from within the boy's right eye faded out with Lily's exit. Her first aid knowledge was horribly limited and even then she didn't know if Monster-based treatments would even work on a human. Even if she was confident in that respect, it would have mattered little if she didn't know what was causing the problem. The small human's breathing had yet to calm, the carnelian heart of his SOUL flickering wildly inches away.

At his side, she beheld another presence. It was faint… inconspicuous but it was there just the same. Earthen colors of green, yellow and brown in a shape very similar to that of the child. The silhouette of another human… a human that she realized must have been Lily. For a moment, Undyne found it strange how familiar she seemed, but pushed the notion aside in light of the situation at hand.

A few tense moments passed, as Frisk's shuddered breathing echoed through the cavern. Then suddenly, quick as it came, it began to slow, growing more stable before normalizing completely. With shaky hands, the boy moved to wrap his own arms around his spectral friend. Lily's face darted up in response to his touch.

"I'm alright…" He rasped. "I think… I think it's over."

"Are you sure?" Lily whispered fearfully, cupping the boy's face in her palm.

"Yeah." He nodded, taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"That scared the hell out of me, Frisk…" Lily said, staring into his face to look for any signs of lasting harm.

"Phew… it looks like you calmed down a little." Undyne spoke up kneeling down to place a hand on the boy's shoulder. "What even happened there?"

Frisk's slitted eyes blinked a few times, surprised by the tenderness in that gesture from the normally aggressive knight. "I'm not sure…" He said thoughtfully. "I just felt so out of breath all of a sudden."

"Fatigue, maybe?" Undyne suggested. "I mean, we did go through quite a bit."

"But he was just fine up until a couple of minutes ago!" Lily protested, concern causing her to momentarily forget that Undyne couldn't hear her.

"Well…" Frisk hesitated. "Between the excitement and the fire, maybe it just hadn't caught up with me yet. Adrenaline can do that."

"Maybe…" The girl muttered. She wasn't entirely convinced, but what other explanation was there? "Are you sure you're okay?"

He didn't respond immediately, instead pulling away from her and getting to his feet, again briefly fumbling about for a stick that was not there. The truth was, he wasn't entirely sure himself. He didn't feel heavy or lethargic at least so that was a good sign.

Wiggling his fingers and toes, he found that nothing seemed to be amiss. There was no loss of dexterity, nor any sign of pain or numbness. His breathing was no longer labored, and his heart had slowed to a much more appropriate rate. It was as if his brief collapse had never happened at all, the only signs that remained being the patches of dirt that clung to his pants from where he fell.

"I feel fine, actually." He said at last, rolling his neck - the only part of him that even felt stiff - a little.

Lily stared at him for a solid minute, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. However, despite her concern even she had to admit that he seemed alright now. Maybe it really was just temporary?

"Alright…" She said reluctantly. "Just don't overdo it okay?"

"At least you don't look like you're about to fall down anymore…" Undyne sighed with relief. "I'm glad you're okay, Punk."

"Sorry, you guys." The boy said, bowing his head slightly. "I didn't mean to cause anyone to worry.

"Don't worry about it." Undyne wove off the apology. "But say something immediately if you start feeling weird again, huh?"

"Thanks, I will." Frisk replied with a little smile. "We can keep going now."

"Actually, I think I've got a better idea."

Neither Frisk nor Lily had a chance to even question what she meant before the captain sprang into action. In an instant she was behind the boy, scooping him up under one of her muscular arms. Momentarily confused by the lack of solid ground beneath him, Frisk glanced around through the abyss of his SOULsight and was eventually met with a toothy grin from Undyne. Realizing what she intended, he returned the smile.

"Hee hee… this is familiar." Lily smirked, drifting to their side.

"Ready?" Undyne asked.

Without fear, the boy nodded. "Yeah!"

"ALRIGHT THEN! HOLD ON TIGHT 'CAUSE HERE WE GO!" Undyne cried, as she began a mad dash through the cavern. "NGGAAAAAHHHH!"

"Whoa, wait for me!" Lily yelped.

Her hands darted forward, barely managing to grasp Frisk's foot before he was pulled out of reach. Unimpeded by her weightless form, Undyne continued to run ahead and the spectral girl soon found herself being dragged along behind them, laughing the whole way. The glowing mushrooms, gleaming star-stones, and glistening water passed by in a blur as the three new friends raced through on the path to Snowdin.

It took almost no time at all for them to reach the home of Sans and Papyrus, so little in fact that the children swore that Undyne must have used a Shortcut at some point. The hotblooded captain quickly threw open the door to the house, scuffing the snow off her boots before stepping inside.

"'sup?" a familiar voice spoke.

The three of them turned to see none other than the grinning face of Sans staring back at them. He was reclined lazily upon the green couch which dominated the living area, an open joke book resting in his lap.

"Hi Sans!" Frisk waved to the skeleton, still dangling under Undyne's arm.

"Heya, Lazybones." Undyne greeted him lightheartedly. She took a moment to glance about the dwelling before frowning. "I don't see Papyrus anywhere."

"you know pap, always more work to be done." Sans lifted a brow ridge, staring at the three of them in the entry way for a moment before waving them inside. "so… how'd it go?"

---

Authors' Notes: This chapter ended up being a fair bit longer than the last one. Turns out making friends with someone takes more time than fighting them. Who knew?

That prologue at the beginning. Nope, we didn't forget about this thing. But who might the so called 'grinning shadow' be? You have three guesses and the first two don't count.

We have a name to go with one of the other six humans now: the purple SOUL of Perseverance, Edmond. Perhaps we'll eventually learn more about the others as well.

Had to change the cooking scene up a little. No matter how much fun she was having, it simply wouldn't make sense for Lily to overdo the stove heat after they'd just recently had a run-in with Frisk's Pyrophobia. In Undyne's defense, she really couldn't have known.

The 'fake hit' and real hit both have the same effect in game, but in this scenario the real hit seems a little more meaningful. By this point, neither side really wants to hurt each other, and monsters are harmed primarily through the intent to kill, rather than the strike itself. What better way for the humans to get through to a monster like Undyne than to put all their might behind a blow, only for it to do nothing at all?

Poor Frisk… that was a little scary toward the end huh?

Again, this was a particularly long one. Hope it made up a little for the delay. Please let us know in the comments/reviews what you think. It really does help to hear from you guys!

And like always, if you want to talk to us directly, feel free to join our Discord server for the story: https : (double slash) discord . gg /jfYHvw2 (As always, remove the spaces and add the relevant characters)

Anyways, thanks for your patience and we hope you all look forward to the next chapter!