Wait, what's this? A brand-spanking-new chapter, uploaded less than a month after the last one? What kind of sorcery is this?

In all seriousness, yes, I managed to get a new chapter out within a reasonable timeframe this time, despite STILL being addicted to Minecraft Dungeons (speaking of which – I'm at level 71 now, playing through Apocalypse Mode, and the Anima Conduit and Radiance enchantments are literal lifesavers. Also, on a slightly different note, the new OSTs that were added to Minecraft in the Nether Update are REALLY COOL. Was listening to them on loop when writing this chapter!) No guarantees that I'm going to be able to keep the whole "complete chapters within a reasonable timeframe" thing up, but I'm sure as heck gonna try!

On another note, I may or may not have also been getting invested in an upcoming indie life-sim game that's currently in early development called Paralives? Weird tangent I know, but I NEED to tell you guys it exists, seriously, it's looking to be shaping up to be even better than the Sims. If you're like me and just as addicted to playing the Sims as you are to playing MC Dungeons, then you'll wanna look into Paralives. They have a YouTube channel and a website and a Discord server and everything! I'll post links to the first two below for you guys to take a peek at - just remove the spaces and add a dot com and a slash after "youtube!"

Paralives' Website: www . paralives . com

Paralives' YouTube Channel: www . youtube UCHkf1UXJZoHu8fdCUCXabkA


The rest of the day passed by quietly after that.

Quiet probably wasn't the best word to use, considering Frisk spent a good chunk of time talking to people, or listening to others talk if they didn't feel like talking. But it was the one they felt fit the best. After such a hectic morning, and with them still feeling a bit on the numb side emotionally speaking, the rest of the day just felt… quiet. No bringing up the ghosts of the past. No Fowls or fairies demanding answers. No cold words. No horrible memories brought up except those in the privacy of their own head. Just… them quietly in the world, with no-one but the occupants of the manor to worry about.

The last time they'd had such a massive panic attack, they hadn't managed to calm down nearly quickly enough for everything to feel so calm so soon. It had been right before the monsters were freed, when Sans had confronted them about their apparent foreknowledge… and their apparent friendship with Flowey, who hadn't even made the effort to hide his knowledge of the Resets from the skeleton. The subsequent conversation had gone down a dark road, just like all the other times it had happened in previous timelines, and Frisk had just… broken down, and run off to hide. It had taken them a couple of days to calm down and force their emotions to stop feeling like they were trying to strangle their soul, and then they'd been able to pretend to be a functioning human being again.

This time, though… well. Something about talking to the twins, of being able to talk to them about secrets they'd been keeping was almost soothing. The twins may not have known everything yet, but they knew enough that their lack of judgment was… they couldn't put it into words, but it helped.

Both boys seemed to realize this too because they'd spent the rest of the day with them. They'd never made Frisk feel suffocated, exactly, but… they'd still been close by, waiting in the wings for the moments where the memories reared their ugly heads, and Frisk desperately searched for a distraction, any distraction. Distractions the boys willingly provided, everything from telling them stories about trouble they'd gotten into ("Let's just say there's a time and place for sneaking into your brother's car trunk, and that time is NOT when he's about to go bust a fairy smuggling ring in Spain.") to starting arguments with Juliet ("It kinda takes the threat out of a glare like that when I've basically been your babysitter for most of your lives, you know. Do I need to start asking Mrs. Fowl for your baby pictures and embarrass you two in front of your friend?"), to asking Frisk innocuous questions about their own timeline-hopping shenanigans.

Or peppering them with question after question about Chara. Which the ghost did not appreciate, and usually answered with snark, bodily threats, or attempts to psyche the twins out.

When someone asks you what your favorite pastime is, you never say "spilling the blood of annoying human brats that don't know when to shut up," Chara! Honestly, if I wasn't here to act as your brain-to-mouth filter for you…

At least the twins hadn't really been bothered by the ghost's words the one time Frisk had translated what they had to say word-for-word at Myles' insistence. Instead, all they'd gotten was a raised eyebrow (Frisk still wasn't sure how Myles had known which general direction to look for that, and he'd definitely been looking right at the ghost, going by Chara's cursing and demands for Frisk to ask "how the hell he was doing that!") and a snarky quip that they'd been able to tell had the ghost itching to take over long enough to give as good as they got.

By the time evening had rolled around, Frisk had almost managed to remain calm when reminded that they shared a room with Toriel – and remembered that they always had horrible screaming nightmares after panic attacks like this. And even then, all it had taken was one look at their face for Beckett to immediately suggest a "sleepover" of sorts in one of the twins' rooms with a face that was all sunshine and rainbows, with Myles acting as his backup when someone (Undyne) immediately protested.

"The fairies aren't going to barge into our rooms," Myles had said, more amused than anything else. "They'll knock politely, otherwise they'll get a scolding from our parents or the complete and utter destruction of their career and reputation from Artemis. Besides, I think some of them are still convinced that I'm a clone, and the thought of two Artemis Fowls in more or less the same place terrifies them."

Nobody had tried to argue that point when Myles had definitely-on-purpose sent a pointed look at one of the fairies hovering off to one side of the table, and the pointy-eared little man had squeaked like a dog toy that had just been stepped on and vanished so fast that he'd scattered bits of salad from his dinner all over the floor.

So here they were, in their cartoon goat pajamas, in Beckett's room, which in typical Fowl fashion was ten times as luxurious as anything they'd ever seen in their life and had a bed that was big enough to fit a small army and had the thickest, fluffiest covers Frisk had ever seen.

"I'll ask Juliet to get us a couple of air mattresses!" Beckett offered cheerfully, obviously ignoring Frisk's gaping around his ridiculously luxurious room, seriously, this room probably had more money put into its construction than the entirety of New Home. "Myles and I used to sleep in the same bed when we were younger, but then he started kicking me in his sleep so we stopped."

"And Beckett has a tendency to grab whatever's closest to him in a death grip in his sleep," Myles dead-panned. "And snores, right into your ear, in the middle of the night."

*Gee, I wonder why he started kicking in his sleep.

"Getting air mattresses is probably for the best then," Frisk agreed weakly. They scanned the room once more, taking in posters, beanbags, and a huge tank filled with sand, rocks, and a hollowed-out log.

"Myles told me he'd get me a pet of my choice if I helped him with some of his projects," the blonde twin told them cheerfully when he saw where they were looking. "I want a snake. Or a monitor lizard. Both are cool!"

"I still don't understand your fascination with reptiles," Myles muttered.

Frisk let the sounds of sibling banter and bickering wash over them, taking in deep slow breaths as their nerves tried to scrape themselves raw.

I've never… had a sleepover after a panic attack before.

They'd never had a sleepover with other humans before, either. This was just a day for firsts, then, wasn't it?

This is a bad idea. I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night screaming and wake them up, and what a way that would be to repay them after everything they've done for me today –

A quiet tapping sound distracted them from fretting, and when Frisk looked up, Myles was studying them discretely even as Beckett kept up a string of comforting babble as he went around his room, getting out pajamas and cracking open his window to let in fresh air.

Will you be alright? The dark-haired twin mouthed.

… Frisk wasn't sure. About how to answer that question, mostly, but also about a lot of different things. Still, they nodded.

Myles raised a skeptical eyebrow at them, but mercifully let the matter drop.

It… shouldn't be too bad, Frisk told themselves, even as there was a knock at the door and Juliet was let in with an air pump, a couple of deflated air mattresses, and lots and lots of blankets and sheets and pillows. I'm calmer than usual, at least. Maybe I won't actually have any nightmares tonight?

… Better have some extra pillows to muffle the sound with just in case, though. I don't want to wake them up if things get bad.


Things were bad that night. But, somewhere in the middle of visions of Snowdin covered in dust instead of snow, ragged red scarves waving from bare tree branches and a sinister blue glow and the hum of a blaster in the distance, and Frisk woke up sobbing, a worried pair of blonde and black were right there next to them.

"It's okay," Beckett whispered quietly, patting them on the back as Myles disappeared into the bathroom with a cup to fill with water. "It's okay Frisk – everyone's safe, right? No matter what you think you are, you're not a killer."

You're not a killer.

False or not, those words let Frisk sleep almost soundly for the rest of the night.


Dawn broke with birdsong in the trees outside, and the squawking of a peacock somewhere out there in the mist as something disturbed it from its sleep. Frisk woke up first, eyes crusted with the leftovers of an uneasy night of sleep but otherwise perfectly alert, and Beckett woke up shortly afterward, literally rolling out of bed with a grumble as he grudgingly went bumbling about getting ready for the day. Myles woke up soon after, only slightly more put-together than his brother was, and immediately tried to roll over and go back to sleep – only for his brother to poke him awake again, much to Chara's amusement, and force him to get up.

Despite the twins clearly not being morning people (Frisk still couldn't get over how zombielike they were in the morning, seriously, how did that even work), they made it to the breakfast table without incident, and then, after breakfasts of crepes (Myles and Beckett) and a quiche (Frisk's, and it was one of Toriel's breakfasts – they could feel the loving magic in every bite, and they couldn't help but feel guilty about their mood the day before having been bad enough that not only had Toriel noticed they were in a slump, they hadn't noticed that she'd noticed), the boys made a sudden about-turn in mood, and were back to their less zombie-like selves, Beckett grabbing both Myles' and Frisk's hands and dragging them out into the gardens.

"I think Arty's usually at the roses by now," Beckett said cheerfully, "so let's go to the barn! Myles can show you some of the stuff he's started working on since last time."

Myles sighed but didn't protest, and that was how Frisk found themselves being bodily towed into a barn that was seemingly overflowing with metal and components and what looked like dismantled fairy technology, all stuff that hadn't been there the last time they'd been here.

"Isn't this one of those… magic scanner things that the fairies use?" The ambassador asked uncertainly, poking one of the dismantled devices in question. "They let you have these?"

"More like Myles bribed Foaly with some carrot seeds for it," Beckett said cheerfully.

"Carrot seeds?"

"Foaly likes carrots," Myles said, almost defensively. "And the fairies have greenhouses with UV lights underground for growing crops."

Frisk frowned. "They don't use magic like the monsters do?"

"I don't think fairy magic works the same way as monster magic does," Beckett said thoughtfully.

"That might be something they could look into, though," Myles said just as thoughtfully. "They have means of storing magic, after all, so it's possible that they could adapt that already existing technology to help run their greenhouses or accelerate plant growth." He shook his head, then gestured at the scanner. "But yes, that's one of their MagiScanners. While it was initially only made for what amounted to military or police purposes, it could be easily re-invented for use in the medical field. And it might even be necessary – after all, if the fairies have illnesses that are spread through magic*, then it only makes sense that the monsters might have similar ailments." He turned and raised a questioning eyebrow at Frisk, mutely inquiring if this was the case.

"I think there are, yeah, but they're not very common," Frisk admitted grudgingly. "Monsters are pretty healthy in general – a lot of them don't actually… have parts that can get sick, and the ones that do eat magic-infused food, and I think that boosts their immune systems? I only ever saw monsters get sick a couple of times while… going through the Underground."

"It could still be helpful to have scanners that could pick out symptoms, then, just in case," Myles noted, almost clinically. He unearthed a toolbox from underneath a table, then opened it to reveal screwdrivers, wrenches, and a variety of weird tools that were probably from the fairies, considering their science-fiction-ish looks. "Hmm… perhaps I could pick apart the components in the scanner and implement them into an X-ray scanner of sorts? Something that would allow a medical practitioner to see where in the body a particular magical signature is…"

"I guess I could ask mom about monster illnesses too if you want," Frisk offered quietly. "But it would have to wait until we were in private. She… doesn't like talking about that kind of thing, considering what she and Asgore think killed the human child they adopted a few hundred years ago."

Chara's presence started feeling more distant at this, and Frisk wished, briefly, that they could touch the ghost long enough to give them a pat on the shoulder.

"… What they think killed that child." Myles' voice was very quiet now. "I take it you know something they do not?"

Frisk glanced away and bit their lip. After a few moments, the young Fowl sighed and shrugged one shoulder.

"I suppose it's not my place to ask, is it?" He mused. Then – blue eyes paused at a point somewhere over Frisk's shoulder, and narrowed. "Just as well, by the looks of it. We have company."

Frisk turned their head – and, standing in the doorway of the barn, looking mildly uncomfortable, was Artemis Fowl, with Captain Short and Butler hovering just behind and to either side of him.

"Ambassador," Artemis greeted them, and though it wasn't easy to see for sure, he seemed almost… hesitant? "Do you have a moment to spare?"

For just a moment, Frisk panicked. Not a lot, not nearly enough to bring on another attack like the one yesterday, but for a moment the world seemed to lose focus.

Oh God, please don't let them be here to talk more about the Resets. I don't think I can handle it now, please no.

But they weren't an Ambassador for nothing, and they managed to wrangle their panic back under control, and then glance back at the twins.

"Do you mind?" They asked, weakly, silently hoping that one of them said yes so that they had an excuse to stay right where they were. Unfortunately, that didn't happen – Beckett shook his head and gave them a reassuring smile, and Myles, after a moment of studying his older brother and his friends, actually seemed to relax a little, and gave them a small nod.

No excuses coming, Frisk gulped, then turned back to the elder Fowl sibling. "I guess…?"

Artemis, still seeming uncharacteristically subdued, hesitated. Then, when Captain Short jabbed an elbow into his leg, he seemed to lose some of that hesitation. And the first words out of his mouth were not at all what Frisk was expecting.

"I wish to apologize for my treatment of you yesterday morning."

*I'm sorry, what?

Frisk, who had thought pretty much the same thing at the exact same time as Chara had, gawped at the Irishman, and fought the urge to clean out one ear with a finger to make sure they'd heard him right. "Um?"

He grimaced, then crossed his arms. "We… should not have treated you like you were an enemy, just because we did not understand your situation at the time."

"Um," Frisk repeated, because nothing else was coming to mind. Artemis Fowl was apologizing to them. Doing so grudgingly, admittedly, and with an air about him that suggested he'd rather be pulling his own teeth out right now, but he was apologizing to them.

Seeing their expression, Short half-grinned, half-grimaced. "Your short skeleton friend dropped by the office shortly after the twins left to find you. He… told us some of the information we were missing. And roasted Artemis a bit." Her expression turned dark for a moment, then it lightened and she shook her head. "And No. 1 had some words too, but more thoughtful than critical."

"We're so used to geniuses we encounter being somewhat similar to Artemis in personality," Butler rumbled severely, "that we did not consider that you might be the exception. And how that might affect you."

"And, as such, an apology is necessary," Artemis said stiffly. "An apology… and perhaps a few peace offerings."

Frisk could almost see some of the tension coming out of the man at those last two words. "What kind of peace offerings?"

"Firstly, an assurance that we will no longer pursue information about the Resets, and everything that occurred in the various timelines involved, that will cause you undue distress," Artemis said firmly, and yes, he was definitely relaxing a bit. Either he really didn't like apologizing like a normal person would, or he'd thought they wouldn't accept the apology. "We've learned enough, thanks to Sans, that we now know that you shall not be a threat to us provided we do not become a threat to you or the monsters, and we have no intention of doing so."

*Uh-huh. Sure.

"And secondly – information," he continued. "We've found some information on your kidnapper from Humanity's Resurgence that I believe you, and the monsters, need to know." From inside his jacket, he pulled out a flash drive. "We've put together a comprehensive file for you and the Queen to peruse at your leisure, but…"

He paused, at this, seemingly trying to come up with something new to say, but Captain Short elbowed him again, stopping him mid-thought. "Considering what happened yesterday, it's perfectly fine if you want to wait to look the information over until you're in a better state of mind to deal with it, kid."

Frisk hesitated. Glanced at the flash drive, then briefly over their shoulder at where the twins were now working and chatting quietly with each other, giving them a semblance of privacy. Then they shook their head.

"No, it's fine. I'll… go over the files with Mom today." They gingerly held out a hand, and Artemis stepped forward to drop the drive onto their palm.

"A warning is in order, then," Artemis said, very quietly. "The information will probably prove… distressing."

And with those parting words, he gave them a brisk nod and an equally brisk farewell, then turned on his heels and strode away, with Butler immediately following on his heels with a nod of his own. Short followed shortly thereafter, with a contrite expression and a quiet goodbye, Mud Kid trailing behind her.

For a moment, Frisk stood there, staring down at the flash drive. Then, they took a deep breath and squared their shoulders.

As nice as it was to have a day to relax… I can't ignore the rest of the world forever.

And it definitely won't ignore me.


Bonding chapters for the win! Seriously, I love writing the twins and Frisk interacting, it's so cathartic after all the angst. Of course, the angst still found its way in there, but hey, there's some friendship fluff to soften the blow this time! (Also, I totally have plans for Chara to be snark-and-pun buddies with Myles. It's gonna happen eventually, Chara, just give in to the friendship!)

Beckett's stated fascination with reptiles may or may not be me projecting my own fascination (and adoration) of reptiles onto him. Sneks and lizards are cool AND adorable, what can I say? (I'm also equally fond of owls for similar reasons.)

As much as Frisk should probably take a longer break from Ambassador stuff, considering they're still sort of recovering from a MASSIVE PANIC ATTACK, they're definitely a workaholic, and won't feel the least bit comfortable just letting this new information lie while they recover. Thank god the twins are in the know, now, they'll be able to help keep Frisk from overworking themselves too hard…

*Illnesses that are spread through magic: In AF canon we have two examples of illnesses of some kind having a direct correlation with magic, or spreading through magic. The first is, of course, the Atlantis Complex, from book 7, which is most prevalent in fairy criminals, but there's another illness mentioned book 6 – Spelltrophy, a lethal disease spread and worsened through the usage of magic that was so severe the fairies actually had a Spelltrophy epidemic years ago – that past-Opal Koboi faked the symptoms of while she was possessing Artemis's mother. And since microbes are wily, adaptable little things, it would only make sense that the monsters have illnesses of their own that also spread through or are influenced by their magic. I probably won't go into much, if any, detail about possible illnesses, though, since it's not going to be important to the plot.