Alice in Undertale
By Lolitafreak88
Chapter 38 It's So Cold
The True Lab was ominous and foreboding so far. It was a nightmarish way to discover a deep dark secret for certain. Alice was unsure of how far this dangerous journey was going to take her but at least the path before her had clear paths and directions to take. Alice decided to go back and retrace her steps, knowing there was still one pathway she hadn't taken yet. Heading back to the room where she had once held an Unbirthday party, she took the back passageway to find yet another crossroads of a hallway. Left or right. Given these right paths often led to dead ends but held valuable clues or locks based on the whole adventure so far, she went down the right path first. What she had noticed lay ahead was somewhat of a bizarre scene of thinly veiled mist and strange white flecks looking like snow (Or grimly like the other Momeraths body substances) and that the temperature had gotten significantly warmer. Strange metal propellers were installed on the wall to her left and seemed to have been turned off and she was surprised at how many of them they were. She noticed another Entry Number and began to decipher it. 'ENTRY NUMBER 11. now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore. … except to ask when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore… then we'll never be friends ever again. … not to mention, every time i try to work on it, i just get really sweaty…'
"Finish his body…? This was before Alphys was getting desperate with her experiment so, she must've been multitasking. Though I wonder if she was sweating because of the flamboyant design or because of something more serious." Alice pondered aloud.
It seemed strange to imagine that Mettaton made it big without his body but perhaps he originally was contained in the 'sexy rectangle' body that Alice had first seen him in and later Alphys made him his 'dream' body that was elegant and more human-looking. It also set a bigger and longer timeframe of when Alphys's different projects occurred as it was clear she met Mettaton earlier, perhaps around the time Asgore called for volunteers or even longer than that. He had probably made this request to her without really knowing the kind of burden or trouble Alphys was putting herself in with these Determination experiments. Or perhaps the reason Alphys had agreed to his request was that it was another experiment of SOULs and Determination just like the one the king was having her do but also served as a generous favor to a dear friend. It was a bittersweet entry regardless as Alice could tell Alphys's insecurities were starting to grow at this point and probably helped to compromise her study. As Alice reached the end of the hall she found a switch that she deduced would turn on the propellers. Alice frowned as she was still nervous about the white flecks hanging in the air and maybe turning this switch on would force the Momerath to appear and potentially antagonize her. Yet maybe it was best she gave these beings her attention since they seemed so starved of it from being hidden away from their families and friends. She turned on the switch with this reasoning in mind.
The propellers turned on, creating a colder and even refreshing atmosphere for herself. The white flecks seemed to fly from wherever they were and gathered at one aerial spot not too far from Alice's position. She could see the strange smiling face appear as the strange material formed into an orb big enough to perhaps play a game of kickball with. It descended to the ground before it grew to an alarmingly disproportionate size, looking like a very large beast with five legs, a dog's ears and tail, and a hole for a mouth. This Momertah bounded slowly but creepily towards Alice, forcing Alice to ultimately engage it head-on as her back was against a dead end. It's the Amalgamate. She noticed once it had come into straight-on view that it almost looked like a floating cape dramatically layered over five shadowy silhouettes of cats. Somehow it looked a lot fancier than the other two Momeraths but there was also an arcane and eerie appearance to the whole thing. It also was called an Amalgamate? Perhaps that's the name Alphys gave to this species of creatures, Alice figured. It's unclear how many dogs this counts as. The sounds of a somewhat unnerving if quiet and slow resonating bark seemed to be emitted from it. When it made its first attack, Alice saw a shape being summoned that clearly resembled the Annoying Dog that had irked Papyrus at his home but faceless. It then formed a similar hole for a face as this Amalgamate and then floated up and down, sending out thin, right arrow-shaped projectiles at Alice similar to that of some of Mettaton's attacks. Dodging them easily enough, Alice wondered that if it was composed of dogs and cats, maybe it could be pacified in a similar fashion to the Dog Guard from Snowdin.
"Here boy… or boys? Girls?" Alice called to it but realized she wasn't sure how to appropriately address this Amalgamate and stammered over her words. It bounded towards her, flecking a strange liquid from an orifice. Alice could even see a drop of liquid coming from its mouth and the mouth itself shrinking and growing between normal size as though it was breathing steadily. This time, the projectile it summoned made its legs vanish and suddenly seemed to power up, charging towards Alice at a speed the Annoying Dog had demonstrated and with a small flame of magic emerging from behind. Even with the tight space she was in, Alice managed to avoid it gracefully, realizing she probably now had a potential career in dancing or gymnastics if she put her mind to practicing it in the future. The Amalgamate was hovering close, looking for affection. All this time, Alice realized she wasn't nearly as terrified about this particular being compared to Memoryhead or Reaper Bird. Perhaps it was because it felt so warm and familiar in how it was seeking love and care. As she pets it gently though, something happened that did disturb her. It convulses rapidly… All the while making the somewhat quiet noises of quiet panting or perhaps yelping like a dog quicken in pace and tempo. Then calms down. It rested quietly on Alice's lap for a moment… making Alice cringe and be concerned she would have to pet it. Zzzzz…
"Oh it must be sleep-" Suddenly, it shoots away and crawls wildly on the walls!
"Ohhhhhhhh!" Alice got up and cowered in fear as she saw the creature go upside down and hanging from the ceiling and jumping from it down to the ground in front of her again. It shot more small projectiles at her that she, unfortunately, got hit by and she winced and held her shoulder.
Amalgamate is striking the wall with its claws. Alice wondered if by diverting its attention with an activity it would perhaps relax again or at least become less violent? Alice didn't have a weapon on her but she was able to reach into her pocket and pulled out the candy she had long gotten from the Ruins but hadn't been quite able to eat. She tossed it into the far corners of the room. The Amalgamate brought it back to her… Proudly? Alice repeated this process a few times, adding in a compliment like 'Good Amalgamate' or 'Well done' for positive reinforcement similar to that of the snails. Now Amalgamate is very tired… It leaned its dripping, amorphous body onto Alice… which made her feel very uncomfortable. It didn't help the matter that its noises still seemed to heighten in frequency and tone. For some reason, though the body itself felt strangely warm and pleasing, sort of like the temperature of a dog's fur but with a liquid texture. Despite this, the Annoying Dog projectile attacked again by flying at her though she was able to dodge it even with the Amalgamate leaning on her. Amalgamate is twitching affectionately.
"I imagine you'll enjoy this if you are really composed of dogs and cats alike." Alice, with a decent measure of calm and caution, petted it.
It started to generate a Stage 1 Happiness Froth that got on Alice's apron, much to her displeasure. Still, if it was considered to be a substance related to happiness then it must be a good thing. At this point, the sounds it was making were so accelerated it almost sounded like a melody. Its convulsions intensified as the next round of attacks were avoided. Alice sensed that perhaps the time for pacifying it was near so she pets it once more decisively. To her surprise though, the Amalgamates form seemed to change again! This time the strange shadowy silhouettes of cats developed pure white faces that were indeed catlike in nature and looked rather cute actually. The liquid oozing from its mouth had vanished and its jolting movements came to a halt as a delightful song filled the air that Alice somehow felt she may have heard it before. The Amalgamate seems to be satisfied by all this. With that, the name of the being was truly revealed. Endogeny is contented.
"I'm glad I was able to help you find some content down here. Now run along now." Alice urged it kindly as she spared it and watched it vanish. This time, however, no key appeared along with its disappearance. Alice frowned and wondered if that meant she had wasted time in some sense but hoped that what she had done would ultimately lead into something good later down the line. Alice went back down the other way and found herself reading 'ENTRY NUMBER 15.'
"'Seems like this research was a dead end… But at least we got a happy ending out of it…? I sent the SOULS back to ASGORE, returned the vessel back to his garden…. And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :)' A smiley face…?" Alice looked a bit perplexed at the last character in the entry before realizing it was a sideways smile. However, that did not diminish this entry's importance in the slightest. Not only did it confirm Alphys used one of Asgore's flowers from the garden that would inevitably result in Asriel's traces of dust on the blooms synchronizing with the Determination to make Flowey, but it also confirmed a time frame. Whenever this entry was made, it had to have been made either a day or perhaps even hours prior to when these Amalgamates were created. Alice felt very bad for Alphys, imagining the horrified and shocked reaction the Royal Scientist must've had when her seemingly resurrected patients suddenly morphed into bizarre new forms. And sure enough, the next entry confirmed Alice's thoughts.
"'ENTRY NUMBER 16. no No NO NO NO NO NO'. Oh dear…" Alice held her hands over her heart tightly as she could practically feel the terror of Alphys's reaction even from beyond these words. Flailing, running around, screaming, tears being shed, monsters groaning and growling, beds being turned over, all of the possible warmth of this lab and possible peace for the experiment taken away in a cruel instant. It must've been the darkest day in the Underground since Asriel had passed away. Alice knew that Alphys probably hadn't imagined that her experiments would lead to such a dreaded conclusion and so she didn't necessarily blame her for being so horribly blindsided by what happened. In fact Alice felt obliged to give the Royal Scientist a big hug the next time she saw her. Carrying onward, Alice spotted another entryway along the wall. She entered the room despite her nervousness.
"Eek…!" Alice gave a small shriek when she saw a very abnormal sight. It looked like a shower curtain, presumably hiding a bathtub behind it, purple in hue.
However the lighting of the room showed a shadowy silhouette being reflected through the curtain and indicated that someone… or something was there. It looked like a strange tentacle swaying back and forth in a slightly threatening way. A weird noise filled the room much like the growls Endogeny was emitting. Oh god, what if it wants me to approach in order to strike me by surprise? Alice thought fearfully. Alice took a few steps forward and noticed grimly it moved quicker and the growls heightened in frequency. The only reason Alice didn't simply run out of the room at this point was the possibility of a key being where this thing was or it was holding onto one of the keys. Pressing onward, she watched as the tentacle's swaying became unnervingly fast, howling at her all the while. As she gripped the curtain, she pledged herself to survive whatever would come her way. But when she flicked them open, all she could see was an empty bathtub and a green key. Somehow the tentacle had disappeared instantaneously and the room had been put back into complete silence. Wordlessly, she picked up the key and left the room as she assumed it'd be unhealthy to dwell on where it went off to.
Down the hallway she went until she came to a very unusual sight. There appeared to be some strange bronze machine in the shape of a skull hooked up to the wall with tubes similar to that of Nightmare Flowey. There also was a much narrower path as it appeared there was somewhat of a cavern under this machine, like the floor had fallen in on itself. Another pathway was to her right and across the cavern seemed to be another hallway. Alice was just baffled at this point as to how much further all these discoveries would go and what such machines were used for. Then again, it seemed very likely that maybe this machine was used to contain or perhaps extract Determination. There hadn't been anything up till now to suggest such capabilities needed for the experiments that took place here after all.
"Does a subject have to be placed into the machine I wonder…? Although it doesn't quite explain why it looks incapable of being accessed now." Alice pondered as she wandered aimlessly into the entryway. Little did she know she was about to encounter someone she never imagined being down here.
In the room was a large T.V, smaller but similar in design to the ones Alphys had upstairs in her main lab with a bookcase to its left and it's right. The bookcases appeared to be filled with some sort of archives that weren't books but rather cases of things. A note, similar to all the others was to the right of Alice and there was a monitor near the leftmost corner of the room and a slot for the Yellow Key to the rightmost. But most startling of all was who was standing motionless, staring at her with a look of passive-aggressiveness. CHARA. They didn't say anything and Alice suddenly felt very uneasy when she recalled how they had ruthlessly tried to kill her last time they met. Even if that was an alternate timeline, Chara likely still held great contempt for her even now. Alice decided to approach this potential conversation with a great degree of caution but also curiosity.
"Chara…? How did you get down here? What… do you know of this place?" Alice asked.
"... Here. Here was where Frisk… gave up on humanity and monsterkind altogether." Chara muttered quietly like they weren't happy about it.
"And became your puppet to cause ill harm to both?" Alice asked as she wondered if she should reach for the note or make certain Chara wouldn't attack her while she did so.
"He RESET things, started killing things, I thought it was only fair to follow and later encourage his goals. Now you, a complete stranger to our time, has actually managed to reach this place. Frankly, I hope you do break down over this. Maybe then you could actually help to achieve true power and conquest. Or go home like you should if you don't want to be buried." Chara sneered at her.
"That is not what I want Chara. I'm staying in this time period because I found a desire and a place of belonging in the Underground. If you are done being insulting, can you at least answer me why you turned your back on Asriel?! He became Flowey didn't he? He's alive even now but restrained by the loss of his SOUL. Shouldn't you be doing everything in your power to help him return?! He was your friend! An adoptive brother even!" Alice begged.
Chara looked slightly shaken, even upset at this. Perhaps not prepared with how much Alice actually did figure out about the past or about their connections. They rubbed their arm insecurely before gritting teeth tightly and shouting at her.
"He's GONE! The reason we've kept events repeating so often was in order for us to feel close again! As long as I linger in this form, I can be with him in spirit and he can tell when I'm around! He wants to become a god just as humans who've fallen down here have desired! Our goals are mutual, we want to get out of here and take the Underground that betrayed and demoralized monsterkind down with us!"
"How can he be gone?! For goodness sake! Frisk is still around within ME! He can be brought back as can Asriel! And Asriel never wanted his family to perish! He sacrificed his life to bring you to the surface when you died and this is how you repay him…? It's too much…" Alice felt her fire die down as she realized she was tired of dwelling on this horrible truth.
"... I'm just doing what he thought the right way was. Frisk and Flowey both want power over this world, to shape the world. That's my will. I have nothing left to live for after all…" Chara said stubbornly but in a surprisingly even-toned voice compared to usual.
"What about my will then?" Alice asked as she defiantly took the note and read it to the best of her abilities. "under... sheets…" It must be talking about where the key that I found in that bed was, Alice deduced. So these are all clues Alphys is giving me to where these keys are.
"What about your will?" Chara made no motion.
"You've never once listened to me about my own desires for the Underground or how I best believe things should be resolved. All you've listened to are opinions of the past. Surely I represent a new possibility that has not been considered before. Am I not that valid of a source?" Alice asked as she placed the yellow key into the slot. She had her back turned to Chara and Chara was rather intimidated by it. Compared to before when Alice had only shown headstrong independence when pushed by them, she was carrying herself with clear resolution and determination. Determination was a dangerous emotion from what Chara had come to know about it and seeing her having overwhelming amounts of it meant she clearly was going to execute her supposed truths upon the world.
"You are a stranger to the Underground in a variety of ways. What can you possibly bring to the table that isn't old-fashioned and clueless to the suffering and cycle of power here?" Chara suggested.
"Hope." Alice answered quite simply.
"..."
Alice took Chara's silence as an opportunity for her to continue her investigation. She read the next monitor, an older entry it appeared.
"'ENTRY NUMBER 4. I've been researching humans to see if I can find any info about their SOULS. I ended up snooping around the castle… And found these weird tapes. I don't feel like ASGORE's watched them… I don't think he should.' Tapes?" Alice asked as she looked over the bookcase.
"Yet another modern invention." Chara dryly said.
"... Have you seen them?" Alice asked as she looked carefully over the selection of the left bookcase. There are a bunch of VHSes. Seems like it's mostly cartoons of some kind. They seem to be alphabetized, save for a few stray… … sticky ones? Clearly the Amalgamates have been touching these, Alice thought embarrassed.
"Certainly not the ones you're browsing over. The ones on the right… they might be more important… I should know since I… I know what tapes Alphys is talking about." Chara, in a rare display of vulnerability, walking over to the right bookcase.
"You do? Are you in them perhaps?" Alice asked curiously. She started to come to terms with the fact that Chara was actually not on the offensive for some reason. Rather they seemed to be giving her some sort of chance, almost like their original interactions back in the Ruins. Chara had seemed creepy and menacing but had spoken to her in a fairly informative and eye-opening conversation. This had been the first in a long time where they conversed as equals rather than on opposing forces. Chara frowned and leered at Alice.
"Even if I was… what does that mean to you? You despise me don't you?" Chara asked harshly.
"About as much as I despise Flowey really. I don't like either of you very much but I think I have a grasp over how you two came to be the individuals you are today. Both of you have also been capable of mercy once upon a time. I want to help you see the hope and truth of this situation, that we can free everyone without anyone dying and even bring people back." Alice expressed sincerely.
"What about Alphys and her Amalgamates? These things made Frisk realize how heartless the Underground could truly be and he started the chain of RESETS that led to his demise at Sans' hands. Shouldn't you be aghast at how she hid them from their families, despite promising their families they'd be returned home safely?" Chara challenged her again.
"I… don't feel she handled things as she should've but I can't fault her for being so distraught and under a lot of pressure. Being shown suddenly that your experiments all backfired and created abominations out of the monsters and having to hide everything you worked so hard on to try to free the Underground… she lost her confidence. Even if she deceived me for a long time as well, I know she's been under a deep burden and I can tell she's trying to make a change. She's revealing all these secrets, all this mystery, this 'truth' to me. And maybe Frisk wasn't in a healthy state to process this truth and that's nothing he should be ashamed of. This is extremely deep and dark information that can shake how much you think of your companions. But… I'm giving it and her a chance because I think we can right all the wrongs." Alice's mind was set.
"... Your so sentimental." Chara said flatly but they were looking down at this point.
"I'm learning that my time is certainly a sentimental era… or certainly was. Regardless, there appear to be some tapes on this machine?" Alice asked as she noticed a sort of box by the T.V with a slot inside of it, similar to a mailbox but smaller.
"That's a VHS player." Chara explained.
"Easy enough to understand then. Thank you… there are five tapes. Might as well watch them in order since they are labeled specifically so." Alice said as she picked up the tape on top, Tape 1, and slid it into the VHS player. As much as Alice felt she needed to keep investigating this True Lab, she felt these tapes would provide some useful insight in their own way.
Alice was then promptly struck with intense emotion and gasped as she saw Toriel's kind, gentle face, fill the screen as it appeared she was in a bedroom much like that of the New Home one. She then aimed the screen over at what looked like a very sleepy Asgore who was being gently shaken awake by Toriel.
"Psssst. Gorey, wake up."
"Mmm, what is it, dear? ...err, and why do you have that video camera?" Asgore rubbed his eyes and faced the camera with slight surprise.
"Shush! I want to get your reaction. Gorey, dearest. What is my favorite vegetable?" Asgore had a very adorable-looking stupefied expression at Toriel's insistent tone.
"Hmm… Carrots, right?" Asgore offered.
"No no no! My FAVORITE vegetable is… Eda-MOM-e … get it?" Toriel flipped the camera onto her face and Alice could see her winking very playfully. Alice smiled, remembering how much she and Sans loved their puns.
"... Go back to bed, dear." Asgore shook his head softly when Toriel switched over to his perspective and turned over.
"No no! Not yet! Hee hee hee. Now, If I were a breed of dog, what breed of dog would I be?" The shaking of the video indicated that Toriel clearly was excited when filming this.
"Hmm… I don't know, honey. What kind of dog would you be?" Asriel looked over to Toriel with a charming smile that really showed how much he loved her.
"I would be… A MOMERANIAN." Somewhere Alice wondered if Papyrus was sensing all these puns being made and was groaning. Or perhaps Sans somehow could tell someone else was keeping the pun game going strong.
"Hohoho! You sure are excited to have this child. You know, if you keep making jokes like this… One day, you could be… ...a famous MOMedian." Alice noticed Toriel showcased her pregnant belly by focusing the camera angle onto her belly and Alice couldn't resist an 'aww' at the idea of little baby Asriel being in there.
"... Well, I am going to bed." Toriel's reaction didn't sound impressed which made Alice feel bad when she saw Asgore's face fall in composure.
"Hey! Come on, Tori! That one was funny!" Alice could see that Toriel was walking away from her husband and Asgore was about to get up and follow her but then it turned around back on Asgore.
"Hahaha, I know. I am just teasing you. Goodnight, dear." Toriel sweetly said, and her husband looked deeply touched. Especially when Toriel kissed her husband goodnight.
"Goodnight, honey."
"... Oh dear, perhaps it is too dark in here for the video to come out…" Toriel muttered as she stepped out into a dark hallway after closing the door behind her and proceeded to turn off the camera. This meant the tape was finished.
"These are the Dreemurr family archives then?" Alice asked as she removed the tape from the VHS player and found Tape 2.
"... Yeah." Chara sounded very quiet and rather uncomfortable. Maybe they weren't used to such a peaceful or happy family life back on the surface around the time they fell into the Underground. Or maybe they longed for something like this again and was just hiding it behind their usual menacing facade. Alice would've pressed them further normally but she suspected that Chara was bound to appear in one of if not a few of these tapes. When she put the second Tape in, she saw Chara, looking far more alive and even docile being filmed on the screen. They appeared to be in the throne room gardens, sitting gently on a bed of golden flowers as they were being filmed though it was clear the lens cap had been left on.
"Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face!" Asriel's very boyish and sweet voice from the dream echoed from off-screen. Alice gasped and looked over to the Chara present with her just now. They just looked very disheartened and even guilty, hearing the voice of the monster who had been like a brother to them. Alice thus, unfortunately, missed getting a chance to see what the creepy face looked like but based on Asriel's reaction it must've been quite terrifying,
"AHHHHH! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on…" The lens cap was properly removed and Alice could see Chara more clearly and they had a small smirk-like smile on their face. Warmth was visible in their eyes and Alice could tell that this must've been when they had not yet gotten sick and were living happily like the Undertale the monsters had told her before. Chara then shook their head which apparently led Asriel to be stupefied.
"What!? You're not going to do it again…? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!" Tape 2 ended right after that.
"It seems like you two really were the best of friends. I've never really had a friend on par with Asriel back in England so I think it's really sweet to see you two had this kind of bond." Alice calmly said as she removed the Tape.
"We did… we really… did? Then why did I…? Do what I've been doing…?" Chara, uncharacteristically, seemed to speak their thoughts out loud like Alice tended to do so.
Alice decided not to bother them on the matter, worried Chara might be getting angry with her continuing to press into these past moments like this. In moments, Tape 3 began to play. Strangely enough, it appeared to take place in the same area, and the lens cap was once again left on from the start. The only difference was the camera angle and the fact, Chara was standing over by the thrones of Asgore and Toriel. They seemed perplexed as Asriel, who seemed to have been taking over for his mother in recording these tapes, started speaking.
"Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!" Chara did smile this time, albeit an amusingly awkward smile.
"Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on… ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for noooo reason! Hee hee hee!" Chara then appeared to say something to Asriel that strangely enough, Alice couldn't hear despite the fact she could easily hear Asriel's voice and Chara was visible in the frame and mouthing words. It was almost as if they were speaking in some silent language that Asriel had learned to understand.
"What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter… But we accidentally put in buttercups instead." Chara nodded.
"Buttercups…? Those can't be the golden flowers if the flowers are their own genus down here. Still, what are you talking about here?" Alice, sensing a strange fear coming to her, inquired nervously to Chara. Chara did not answer, instead looking rather torn and even depressed.
"Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did… Um, anyway, where are you going with this?" Asriel looked and sounded rather insecure and nervous. This was clearly a painful memory and accident for him and it seemed odd and off for Chara to bring it up like this even to Alice's perspective. She watched as Chara seemed to move closer, once again speaking audible yet inaudible words and the human in Tape 3 looked more like the Chara Alice was familiar with in their expression.
"Huh? Turn off the camera…? OK." Asriel meekly stated and the tape ended.
"You were going to do something with the buttercups I imagine?" Alice asked.
"... Ngh… i-it… wasn't what you think it was…" Chara was now hugging themselves like they were cold and trembling.
The fact they were able to laugh in the face of such an event as severe as their adoptive father getting sick must suggest Chara was holding in their real emotions even before dying, Alice thought. She recalled the raw, angry tirade Chara had given her when they had possessed her body about all the wrongs and ills of humanity. That speech seemed like Chara's genuine opinions on the matter and why she was so opposed to them trying to force that mindset on her. Now after all that she had been through, she realized that although Chara certainly didn't hold humanity in high regard, they perhaps held monsters in higher regard than they let on. After all, monsters had only taken care of Chara much like how Asriel had so patiently and sweetly listened and tried to make their adopted sibling smile in these tapes. In fact, the very idea of Chara laughing off something scary and serious reminded of Sans and how he often played a jolly pun-making persona to conceal his darker and tortured side from Papyrus. It was a common mechanism for downplaying traumatic occurrences to preserve a sense of positivity and tranquility. So in a way, maybe Chara really was lying to themselves and as Frisk had suggested, was only trying to carry on what Frisk had seemingly convinced them was right. Alice held her breath as she moved onto Tape 4, wondering if perhaps this was an opportune chance for her to finally get Chara on her side.
"I… I don't like this idea, Chara." This time, unexpectedly, the camera was simply placed to show that Asriel and Chara were both sitting in what appeared to be their bedroom as Alice had deduced from the New Home.
They were facing one another on each of their respective beds, Asriel looking like he was about to cry while Chara also had a somewhat nervous expression. Chara perhaps was nervous about the fact that whatever this idea was that they were discussing with Asriel was causing their cherished friend discomfort and sadness. It looked so similar to the emotional Chara that Alice was beginning to see unfold in front of her in this Secret Lab room. Alice watched Tape 4 continue with a grim expression as she hoped that this idea was not something truly dangerous. Chara seemed to take a breath and started urging Asriel on something. It seemed their voice appeared to be muted for all the tapes they were in.
"Wh… what? N-no, I'm not… … big kids don't cry. Yeah you're right." Asriel wiped the few tears that started to form in his eyes and gave a brave but weak smile. Chara, however, didn't appear convinced and said something with slightly demanding expression. Clearly they wanted Asriel to reassure them of their support in something that was so controversial they were hiding it from their parents.
"No! I'd never doubt you, Chara… Never! Y… yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone." Asriel walked over and hugged Chara, both of them sharing sweeter smiles.
"Free everyone?" Alice's eyes widened in shock. She looked at the Tape with intense focus as Asriel said words that blew her mind,
"I'll go get the flowers." He then proceeded to get up and run out of the room as Chara slowly walked over and turned off the camera.
"...Flowers? Free everyone…? How could it be pos… *Gasp*!"
'Then… One day…'
'The human became very ill.'
'The sick human had only one request.'
'To see the flowers from their village.'
'The human died.'
'ASRIEL, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's SOUL.'
'He transformed into a being with incredible power.'
"... A… Ahh… wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhahhhhhhhhhhh…!" Alice screamed with shock and horror as she turned to face Chara. Chara at this point was visibly crying and whimpering and they even seemed startled when they heard Alice's reaction.
"W-why… are you… *Sob* screaming…?" Chara asked. Alice had clutched her head desperately from the shock of the revelation and realized that not only was she tearing up, but that Chara was completely sobbing. It simply wouldn't do if she was in a frantic state of mind while finally having a concise conversation with Chara so she took a deep breath to calm herself and carry on despite the pain.
"I-I'm sorry.. Chara was… the monsters that told me your tale. They said you got very ill. You… those buttercups, those flowers Asriel went to get. You were going to… kill yourself…" Alice held her hands over her mouth as a lone tear ran down her cheek, finding this whole truth even more tragic than the Amalgamates. Chara was clearly reliving this emotional and soul-crushing experience by watching these Tapes and that was why they were so vulnerable and in pain right now.
"... And have… h-him use my SOUL. T-to become a godlike being that… *Sob* could free everyone… *Sob* Fine job it did… Uuuunhhh…" Chara cried.
"But how was this going to break the Barrier? Nightmare Flowey didn't even appear to break the Barrier when he confronted me with the power of six SOULS. Were you… going to collect more human SOULS to make seven…? How long have the monsters known this method…?" Alice found herself asking more questions than what seemed appropriate given the state Chara appeared to be in as he was being forced with his past life.
"... I hated humanity… *Sniff* I've never lied about that… I-I was going to let a few of them die for our sake… o-once Asriel and I used our powers together… g-get through to the surface... bury my body, hunt down six humans… use our full powers to get the SOULs we needed and break the Barrier… It seemed like the best plan we had…" Chara said sadly as they wiped away all their tears and tried to keep their emotions in check.
"... But Asriel resisted your influences didn't he? He kept you from killing any humans because of his good heart. Then you two… were killed… Perhaps the humans sensed your killing intent and made the first strike… it's truly-"
"They did attack first… just when I set my own body down through our combined form. They saw what they wanted to see and… *Sigh* Just... Please watch the final tape…" Chara urged Alice as he slowly seemed to sink to the ground and sit down on the floor. Alice at this point felt on the verge of a breakdown. All of Chara's bitterness, Flowey's loyalty and connection to Chara, Frisk's words about Chara initially being an ally until they were on the same page as him, why Chara was still so aggressive towards humans… it all made sense. Yet it wasn't at all a happy truth to find out about, it only brought about a sense that the Underground really was a graveyard. The monsters NEEDED to be free from this place if any of them were to learn and find true happiness. Chara maybe realized this too at long last, being confronted with the fact that they couldn't really muster up the willpower to turn on the one species that they didn't hate in their life and still wanted Asriel back. To make up to Asriel somehow. To see their best friend.
"As you wish… I'm… sorry about all this. I truly am." Alice apologized deeply for the pain Chara endured and soon exchanged the fourth tape with the final one.
The setting of Tape 5 lacked the sense of sheer joy from the first, the casualness of the second, the joy of the third, and the reassuring atmosphere of the fourth. It was only tragedy unfolding on the screen as Chara looked visibly unwell with a swollen and blistered mouth and was coughing on their bed as Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel crowded around said bed with distraught expressions on their faces. No doubt at this point Chara made himself sick the same way Asgore had, eating buttercups. This time though, it was all on purpose. Alice wondered if this was a result of the pressure of trying to find a semi-peaceful way to break the Barrier or how Chara could've valued their life so lowly to give it up in this plan of theirs? Maybe had she been in Chara's place, she would've done things just the same if it appeared to be the best solution. Or would she have done things differently like she prided herself on doing right now? It was impossible to tell right now and perhaps unsolvable but Alice decided to seek solace in the fact that she was on her 'first journey' as Frisk said. She could learn from all this good advice and find the answer.
"Chara… Can you hear me? We want you to wake up…" Toriel spoke first, resting her hand on Chara's forehead gently.
"Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up… You are the future of humans and monsters…" Asgore, ever vigilant, spoke as confidently as he could muster up but his eyes conveyed deep worry and insecurity.
"... I wasn't though… was I…?" The real-life Chara currently awake in the True Lab seemed to be whimpering and shuddering.
Alice continued to watch the video calmly and noticed Toriel looked like she may burst into tears after pulling her hand away from Chara's forehead. Asgore showed a sad, sympathetic glance and hugged his wife deeply. She then proceeded to cry softly into his broad shoulders and Asgore spoke something inaudible to Asriel who was currently looking at Chara with intense concern. Asriel nodded sadly but didn't look to face his parents, perhaps feeling compelled to watch his best friend with as much focus as he could. Wanting to see them pass on peacefully and be able to be there to take their SOUL if the plan Alice deduced and Chara seemed to confirm was to happen. So once Toriel and Asgore left the room calmly and in melancholy, Asriel leaned into Chara and seemed to speak softly into their ears.
"...Psst… Chara… Please… Wake up… I don't like this plan anymore. I… I… ...no, I said… I said I'd never doubt you." Asriel gripped his arms tightly in front of him, staring at them as he seemed to realize his new responsibility. If he had imagined that he would ultimately die and both his life and Chara's would cease to ever be the same again, would he have stopped himself? Or would he still have been determined enough to attempt to retrieve the SOULs so his family may see the surface again someday?
"Asriel… y-you should've… d-doubted me… *Sob*" Chara's tears were big and they cried messily. It was impossible for the Asriel on the tape to have heard these tearful words even if he tried to defy physics and reality itself. He counted a certain number on his hand with his fingertips. Six.
"Six right? We just have to get six… And we'll do it together, right?" Asriel smiled and planted a gentle kiss on Chara's forehead. The tape ended, ominously and bittersweetly, right then and there. Chara began wailing hard and terribly as Alice gripped her skirt tightly, the gravity of all these truths coming to her. The monster's story on what had happened truly had been accurate. They just couldn't imagine the part of the story that they didn't know about being true, that Chara willingly got themselves sick in order to die for their SOUL to be absorbed by Asriel. Maybe Undyne was right on the fact that humans had taken away more than just the monster's freedom at this point. This plan, while well-intentioned, destroyed the royal family's future and what Asgore clearly was content with having. It forced him to try to give the Underground the one other thing that would make their lives not feel completely stripped away from them… freedom. Even now though, everything had simply been running in circles with nothing getting done and more pain being caused because of the complex flaws and insecurities the major players had been having in the Underground. It seemed though that after all this time, the one major player of the shadows, Chara was beginning to have second thoughts about their philosophy.
"Wahhhhh… I… I don't l-like this plan anymore either… h-he's gone… and I'm still… I'm still hopeless… this *Sob* *Sob*... was my only happiness in l-life… a-and I'm trying to destroy it…" Chara wailed, their young and tender age finally showing in their sheer display of emotion.
"You don't need to follow any sort of plan any longer. Frisk is not here to convince you that his destructive way of dealing with things and inability to accept the truth is the right way to resolve the Underground's troubles." Alice slowly walked over to Chara and leaned down to put a gentle hand on their right shoulder.
"I… I wanted h-humans to suffer… l-like I did. I tried… *Sob* TRIED so hard. To follow my mom's example… a-after I died… to keep what happened to me and Asriel from happening again… nghhh… but… b-by the time we ended up down here… in this accursed place... I too became disillusioned with Alphys… w-with the kingdom… with monsters. I just followed my murderous instincts and became his sword and shield rather than his guide…" Chara whimpered.
"I think you finally see that what Toriel taught truly is the best way of finding a solution. Mercy and pacifism brings you clues, allies and unites a world… violence has only brought trauma, lack of closure, and destruction. There is no need for anyone to gain overt amounts of power or shape a worldbring to their liking… they should strive to make the world they are living in better if they recognize a problem. I… I know you and Asriel meant completely well with your plan and I applaud both of you for trying to do something that I think the monsters do deserve. But because it failed..."
"I-it made things worse… and that's why… why events have kept repeating so cruelly. Why mom and dad aren't together anymore… why Alphys seemed so prone to breaking unless we helped her through her issues. God, I am wretched." Chara sighed sadly, finally calming down. Alice hugged them softly and there was silence for a few moments. A peaceful one rather than the ominous one the True Lab had contained so far. After a few moments, Chara spoke again,
"I thought you'd be easily manipulated Alice and a new, stronger pawn to use when Frisk betrayed me. That's why I went to your world, lured you down here… hoping I could take your curious desire for a world of your own and accomplish the goals I'd been led to follow and believe in. I never realized that a girl from the past… a fairy tale in the present... would be the main reason for me seeing the error of my ways. Or be able to cope with everything she dealt with better than me or Frisk did."
Alice's eyes widened slightly, realizing this was close to a confession as to why Chara was able to bring her through time from England to the Underground through a rabbit hole. Perhaps at some point they did attain godly power or have some kind of ally to drag her through time (Likely Flowey after he had absorbed the human SOULs) like this, picking her out specifically for the purpose of being a new avatar of Genocide. That other 'Alice' perhaps was the result of what Chara expected and desired to happen with Alice. 'Alice' was clearly driven mad by her encounters and fears, led on to believe she was doing what was right, and even though she ultimately overpowered Chara and brought back Asriel in this hypothetical timeline, there was no doubt her upcoming reign as Alice foresaw in the dream would've had dire consequences for the Underground. Yet Alice, as she knew herself all this time, had managed to successfully evade that trap, finding her own voice and independent desires for what she wanted to get done here. Chara seemed to finally recognize and respect that Alice hadn't yet made a blunder like they did with Asriel and was still believing in the monsters who they treasured so deeply. Perhaps they are also hoping I can successfully bring back Asriel in some way, Alice theorized in her mind. Alice cleared her throat.
"No. You're wrong about me handling everything better than you two did. I got into arguments, had to fight for my life to prove my innocence, nearly gave my own life up just as you did for the monster's purpose without realizing how much it would damage my friendships and relationships with the monsters down here. I've never fully accepted the seven human SOULs must be killed to free everyone theory and while it's too late to reverse the lives that have already been lost, I can do my best to keep any more lives from falling and free everyone. And… as you said, I am from the past. So many things are new and difficult to understand. The fun in finding out all about these new things and discoveries is what has contributed a lot to my own motivations for connecting with and trusting my new friends who could help me become a part of their world. I assume once I break the Barrier after all, they'll need me to help them pledge their hopes and dreams to humanity once again. I'll need to ensure they aren't going to just be sent back down to the Underground or hunted down again while also making sure this whole vengeance nonsense towards the humans is a thing of the past." Alice gave a somewhat long spheal about what goals were on her mind but felt fulfilled that Chara was listening to her carefully for a change.
"... I've never thought about that sort of thing. I didn't realize I'd… we'd have to try to get along with humans once we were free. If I had accounted for something like that… maybe things would have ended up differently. No wonder they attacked Asriel… they must've been fearful that the monsters would free themselves from the Underground and more would attack them as we did." Chara concluded with a sad smile.
"I don't want you two to feel dragged down by the past forever. Mistakes are mistakes and regardless of that tragedy, we can finally move forward. Toriel believes in the humans' ability to show mercy, Papyrus is compelled to be our loyal friend, Sans with all his knowledge now trusts us, Undyne doesn't condemn all humans entirely, and Alphys… Well, I'm still trying to get to the bottom of what Alphys is trying to tell me with this secret but she seems to be accepting her sins rather than keep hiding them now. Oh and Napstablook and Mettaton may be able to get along once more and both of them have chances of accomplishing what they really want! So really, this is our best chance now that all the misunderstandings have been cleared up." Alice said cheerfully.
Chara gave a new expression that Alice had not seen from them before. A genuine look of determination, not of a deranged nature or of a cunning overconfidence but a look that suggested they were going to do some good. After so long of being mysterious and intense rivals, Chara was done with trying to antagonize the humans who truly sought the best for the Underground. They were done with the genocide and committing atrocities that led to more harm than good. No longer would they be the demon, the power-seeker, the world-destroyer. They'd be what was their best self in life, the self that loved and adored the Dreemurr family and embodied hope. CHARA. So Chara stood up and even graciously helped Alice to her feet.
"You're right. This is our best chance. My time has come and gone. But ever since you've come here… things really have changed for the better and still can. I vow to help you Alice. We can break the Barrier and free the monsters… free my family, together." Chara held their hand out, a gesture that reminded Alice so much of when Chara had first spoken to them in their first and somewhat fantastical encounter. Inviting her into a Wonderland that actually existed, this time devoid of malice. Alice wasn't scared any longer and with a strong smile, took Chara's hand and shook it firmly.
"Yes… we'll stay determined." She said calmly. In a magical gesture, similar to when Chara took over her body forcefully in Papyrus's cell, Chara seemed to 'enter' her body as though being absorbed by her directly. Unlike the last time though, Alice could feel her conscious will still perfectly be as it should and rather she felt as though she was infused with a new sense of power and clarity. In fact, she felt very powerful all of a sudden but she shook off the jitters that came with this new surge of power. She'd much rather remain humble and focused than get caught up in any odd new sensations. At that moment though, she heard a voice that she hadn't heard in some time speak up again. Frisk. Frisk was projecting his thoughts through her head again, obviously addressing the new individual who also had their being housed within Alice.
"It's been a long time… I'm sorry I led you astray even after you've helped me for so long." Frisk apologized.
"I shouldn't have let my own hatred of how humankind has treated me blind me to what monsterkind has given me. We've both been done wrong by the humans in our lives and alas, we let this world's power lead our hatred of them into consuming us. But I think we can leave the future to Alice now." Chara said calmly as Alice turned around and made her way out of the room.
"Yes, she's already helped me come to terms with what I've done and what I'm scared of. This place is still haunting but… I think I can come to terms with the tragedy being what it was and that steps are being taken to clear up what happened to the others." Frisk said.
"Yeah, that's what it really means to have DETERMINATION. To see the best in even the darkest of places." Chara replied.
"I never imagined a conversation like this would take place in my head. So this is what it's like to have two individuals inside me… wait, that doesn't sound quite right. Oh well, I'm just glad both of you believe in me." After believing herself to have made a social faux pas, Alice showed her reassurance and happiness about having Frisk and Chara supporting her. The two voices inside her head went silent, perhaps feeling conclusive about how the conversation concluded. With that in mind, Alice carried along, making her way down the narrow path but then she suddenly saw a strange jolt of movement flying right by her face. Then she looked to the ground and saw a strange star-shaped object in front of her, smiling daintily. Predictably, it meant Alice had incurred the wrath or sudden hostility of another Amalgamate but when it grew into its full glory, Alice couldn't help but be repulsed by it's horror-esque humanoid shape. Then something bizarre happened. Alice felt lifted into the air as if gravity itself had betrayed her and she was floating harmlessly but slowly in the air. When she looked down she saw that the Amalgamates' true form had been unveiled and that the air smelled like sweet lemons.
"Welcome to my special hell." 12 distinct, disgruntled, and foreboding feminine voices gave her a cold welcome. The being, which was called Lemon Bread, looked oddly familiar to Alice. The body shape was reminiscent of Shyren but it also had a muscular arm that reminded Alice of the flexing Aaron. Her head looked extremely abnormal, shaped like lips but with strange bulbs on it that perhaps served as her teeth. Two sharp, thinly veiled eyes occasionally popped out from her face and the area that was presumably her mouth growled at her menacingly with these bulbs whenever it did so. To Alice's horror, she found that not only was she suspended in mid-air but that a strange construct of magic was summoned above and beneath her and that Lemon Bread seemed to have manifested itself into this attack. She could see a row of sharp teeth, a bizarre and large lone eyeball staring at her, and a gaping jaw. Alice flinched as she realized this attack was going to chomp down on her.
"W-wait please!" She pleaded as she struggled to swim to safety as the teeth proceeded to come down. Unfortunately she was not quick enough and felt a severing pain of being chomped down hard by blades of steel. She screamed in pain and only barely was able to get to cover the next two times it chomped down. Lemon Bread returned back to its original place, seemingly coming out from the ground in its very own puddle of magic, and looked at the wounded girl carefully. Alice was concerned on what to do when she felt as though she could hear Chara's voice ring through her and saw some golden light forming into a shape in front of her. Special hell? Well then, I'll give it a taste of MY hell. Chara's seemed very protective in their wors as opposed to wanting to directly hurt Lemon Bread. What appeared to be summoned through their use of Alice's DETERMINATION on the other hand was a creature known for hurting others. Or at least, that was how the particular riddle about this beast described.
A golden dragon-like beast with small but powerful bat-like wings, a long-sleeved sweater that reflected Wonderland's sensible clothing, sharp talons and claws from it's small arms and large legs, a long neck, blazing golden eyes that flamed in the darkness, small ears, a sturdy snout, curvy horns, and small ears. It's tail hung in the air and the beast itself flew in place, hovering between Alice and Lemon Bread with severely fearsome expression on its face. Much talked about and feared but seldom seen and experienced in Wonderland, Alice was most fortunate to have not encountered it in her daydreams but was well aware of it's menacing presence through rhyme and reason. The Jabberwocky. Lemon Bread didn't indicate much of a reaction to the new beast in the room but when it growled, the Jabberwocky returned the growl with a roar. Alice hoped that Chara wasn't going to strike down the Amalgamate and realized she probably needed to use this opportunity to pacify and spare Lemon Bread. Alice tried humming a familiar melody, namely the songs Shyren sang to her back in Waterfall. It's body began to shake…
"But nobody came." Lemon Bread whispered. This time a set of bizarre-looking eyeballs and teeth-like magical constructs surrounded Alice, limiting her movement. This time though, the eyes were sending blue and orange rings at her. A quick and lithe tail swipe from the Jabberwocky dispelled these attacks by outright destroying and breaking these constructs. It seemed that even though these Amalgamates possessed respectable magical potential, it was no match for the DETERMINATION Alice had at this moment in time. Alice proceeded onto her next action, flexing her muscles in a showboat fashion in an attempt to appeal to the Aaron side of Lemon Bread. Indeed, Lemon Bread's muscle shakes…
"Stay here with me…" It appeared to plead to Alice. The menacing fangs appeared again but this time the Jabberwocky breathed a furious golden flame that melted the teeth and eye above Alice, rendering the attack useless and sending Lemon Bread cowering back into its original position. Clearly it was sensing that trying to attack Alice with the Jabberwocky hanging overhead as her guardian would be fruitless now.
"I simply just want to let you and your species be. No more violence please?" Alice requested calmly. Lemon Bread seems to remember something.
"I've felt this before." In a touching voice, the voices encompassing Lemon Bread all seem to come to a conclusion. After another series of jaw attacks that Jabberwocky destroyed before it could harm Alice, there was a sense of Could this be goodbye?! Alice thus managed to successfully spare Lemon Bread and returned to the ground as gravity returned. The Jabberwocky disappeared as soon as it's duty had been successfully completed.
"Thank you Chara. Just be wary that we don't want to hurt any of these monsters. Certainly not these poor creatures…" Alice reminded Chara safely as she noticed there was a monitor on the unvisited side of the room and she raced across to read it.
"I promise not to do anything that you don't agree with Alice. I was certain that that thing posed a threat which is why I acted to protect you." Chara explained in her head.
"'DT EXTRACTION MACHINE STATUS: INACTIVE.' So this was the device used for the experiments… I can't imagine how you would be placed within it though." Alice looked over to the weird machine and realized her earlier theories were quite correct. She then proceeded down the next hallway where she noticed that the temperature seemed to drop significantly and there was a set of 5 refrigerators in a row across the rather long room. There were also three monitors on the wall, some in between the refrigerators. Alice wasn't sure if this was where Alphys stored her food or perhaps something else that required cold temperatures as a scientist. She noticed with alarm that the third refrigerator in the middle appeared to shake violently for some reason as though something was inside it. Either way, she had to keep going. 'ENTRY NUMBER 19. the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore.'
"Ironic. I was feeling the same way when she was calling me so incessantly in Hotland, never realizing she went through the same experience." Alice made a connection. She had yet to have a particularly positive experience of phones so far other than practical communication devices that could be customized. Now she understood that for someone like Alphys who had gone through a period of time where many monsters begged her for answers from the phone, she only finally started using her phone again once monsters got tired of being denied the truth. Alphys's patience had won out and so the monsters didn't call anymore and she used her phone again but it was far from a good thing. Granted Alice didn't blame her for not wanting to show or share how these Amalgamates formed to their families in fear of being rejected and possibly attacked like Asriel was on the surface. Alice began peering into some of the refrigerators, noticing the first one was empty but the second one contained samples of some kind. As nervous as she was about the third one, she decided to read the next entry number first. 'ENTRY NUMBER 20. ASGORE left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me thanks asgore.' Alice recalled that during Mettaton's quiz he had confirmed Alphys indeed had a crush on Asgore and this entry seemed to show an example of how positive their relationship was and that by being a source of comfort in Alphys's darkest time, she probably had grown to cherish her king.
"Empty again… odd considering it was moving." Alice opened the shaking refrigerator after a few tense moments only to find an underwhelming discovery similar to that of the shower curtain.
'ENTRY NUMBER 21. i spend all my time at the garbage dump now it's my element.' Alice felt quite crushed reading this entry, realizing that this was once where Bratty and Catty hung out with Alphys prior to her becoming the Royal Scientist. Such a cherished place for Alphys turned into what she felt was a doomed, despair-filled place suitable for her grim failures as there was nothing there but trash that sunk into the watery abyss below. Somehow she had been able to break free of that mindset, probably through Undyne's loyalty and bond with her, but it was not an easy journey. This entry seemed to demonstrate perfectly just how powerful and confident within herself Alphys had finally become after finally facing her demons and admitting how she wanted to be truthful with everyone. Alice opened the next refrigerator and saw there was a few more samples within it as well. When she opened the next one, there appeared to be nothing in there again. All that was left then was to enter the entryway that she could see on the right of the wall… but then the temperature of the room dropped to temperatures that rivaled Snowdin. Alice turned around cautiously and saw that the last refrigerator she had opened seemed to suddenly shift into a smiling box of Amalgamate goo. Then it formed into some strange hulking humanoid being with a wide stance, bulbous head, and standing in the goo. Then it shifted into a form that Alice couldn't have fathomed being able to recognize. A snowflake. Like Snowdrake and his father.
"... It can't possibly be…" Alice's skin went pale as she folded her arms due to the sudden extreme chill. It's so cold. The Amalgamate seems like it's losing itself. It appeared to be melting on one half of its body, even though she could clearly make out wings, talons and the general head shape that was characteristic of the Snow family. There were two faces that seemed to have made up her face, both slightly different but sharing a strangely cheerful expression that reminded her of Vegetoids, and the angles of the snowflake crest itself appeared like crucifix of some five-fingered, three-toed being with a single eye. The tip of their beak appeared to be chipped with the jaw of the being possessing spots. It was strangely more beautiful and pleasing to the eyes compared to the other Amalgamates but no less depressing and shocking. What she heard from the Amalgamate only served to break Alice's heart further and confirm her suspicions,
"Sn… o… wy…" Its voice was delicate, grandmotherly even with a sad but beautiful tone. Four small crescent-shaped icicles fell from the ceiling but they were not aimed at Alice… no, more like they had no aim to begin with. They fell and stayed helplessly on the ground until they vanished. Alice gripped her arms tightly and shuddered from not only the cold but from the bundle of emotion this truth awakened within her.
"Since his mothah passed on, he couldn't stand. Living at home anymore. So he ran away. Haven't seen him since. Glad you were able to though. I'm a terrible fathah. Ha ha ha ha… That's not funny."
It couldn't be mistaken anymore. Perhaps Snowdrake and his father had turned their mother's body into Alphys's experiments when Asgore made the summons in the hopes she'd be brought back to life. Alphys's failure of these experiments and hiding of the truth destroyed the last remaining hopes the Snow family had and it broke apart. Yet here was the mother right now, right here… as an Amalgamate. There was no telling how they'd respond or be able to respond seeing their mother in a state that looked so fragile, uncomfortable, and not truly alive. Alice whimpered to herself, feeling their pain and sorrow and clearly understand the message behind the mother's words. She was most definitely going to spare them and perhaps try to think of someway to reunite the Snow family, even if they were to possibly be horrified. Anything was better than forever thinking their beloved wife and mother wasn't even able to be buried and had disappeared for good. For now though, Alice needed to try to get her and this poor Amalgamate on the same page. Fortunately, she got an idea of how to do this.
"I-I know Snowy… Mrs. Snowdrake. I've met him before. He's dedicated to telling wonderful puns about ice and snow. He… regrettably doesn't know what happened to you and he misses you deeply." Alice got onto her knees, wanting to really emphasis this as a heart to heart.
"y... ou… know… him…" She sounded as relieved as she possibly could sound given her condition.
"I even have his words in a letter he wrote. I… I haven't read it myself but I'm certain that I know what it may say and be related to." Alice pulled out the letter she had snuck into her pocket from Alphys's desk, the one marked Snowy. She was glad that she stuck to her instinct and got letters that would clearly bring a lot of hope to the Amalgamates once read. She knew this letter was addressed to Alphys but she hoped that their written words still reflected their personalities and desires in the letter. Even if the circumstances behind the writing of the letter was that of desperation, frustration, and sadness. Compared to the impossible to open letter from Undyne, this letter opened just as easily as a normal one. Alice then began to read...
"'Dear Dr. Alphys, There's been a lot of difficulty living at home ever since this ice age of silence. We really are hoping that mom… bless her soul… comes back to us. In as good of health as she can be. No frozen pressure or anything but monsters have been saying you've gotten very icy lately. Refusing letters and hiding in your lab and not answering any questions. Dad's especially tense and cold snappy lately and we really just want this to be over… Please tell us if you know what happened to her and if she's ok and if everything is going well… ha ha ha… I doubt it. Please respond and we'll… we'll try to get through whatever we hear back. From, Snowdrake.' …" Alice stayed silent and watched Snowdrake's Mother carefully. She looked positively radiant and touched, not at all dispirited or sorrowful. Maybe in someway she had come back in good health if she could be coherent and listen truthfully to Alice as though they were having a humane conversation without attacking her. The letter itself had been written near perfectly and perfectly expressed Snowdrake's love of ice puns. Alice could also sense the self-deprecating and attempts at hiding the pain that she had seen from Snowdrake's Father present in his son's writing. It obviously had affected them both and Alphys had definitely been right in saying her dark truth had broken lives.
"i... remem… ber… thank… you… i… can… ho… pe… now…" Snowdrake's Mother gently seemed to disappear from the room, pacified completely by the heartfelt gesture Alice had given her.
"*Sigh*..." Alice held a hand over her heart and felt a tear come to her eye that she wiped away with her other hand. This was all so heavy and traumatic but at least she was doing good by coming down here and helping to find answers that could ultimately keep something like this from happening again. Plus she had a hunch this entryway was the last possible room for the True Lab. With the temperature warming up, she saw that a blue key had been left where Snowdrake's Mother stood and she picked it up and thankfully rejoiced in the fact it was not cold enough to frostburn her hand. After putting away the letter she read to Snowdrake's Mother and having entered the last entryway, she saw the final note placed on the ground as well. The fact it said "curtain" meant it must've been related to the shower curtain and the key Alice found there. The keyhole was green as well, indicating that the green and blue keys had been separated notably from their keyholes in this Lab perhaps by chance. Alice inserted the green key and activated the keyhole before all that was left was for her to retrace her steps back to the flower room and activate the blue keyhole. It had been an easy and uneventful trip thankfully although Alice was now wondering where all the Amalgamates had gone off to.
"All the lights are lit. I wonder if that means it'll open now…" Alice said when she returned back to the main lobby and found the door's appearance had changed. When she drew nearer, it opened automatically and led to another powerless elevator. Strangely enough for an elevator, it seemed to be connected to a hallway that went left and was decorated more like the MTT Hotel elevators. She went down the path and even more confusedly, found herself back in the same architecture of the True Lab. Why was there this strange off-model elevator connected to the main lobby and this path? Another oddity was the presence of two more entry monitors along the walls but they didn't turn on even as Alice drew close, meaning they must've been turned off. She frowned at the inability to see what these entries might've been and carried down the path until she entered a fairly big room that had a machine on the back of the wall. It seemed to be what controlled the elevator's power. Alice turned it on and heard the electricity hard at work. But then she heard something else… the sound of unnervingly quiet footsteps and garbled groans. She looked behind her and saw four of the Amalgamates approaching her… Reaper Bird, Lemon Bread, Memoryhead, and Endogeny. They seemed threatening or hungry but Alice wasn't particularly frightened this time. She calmly pulled out the remaining two letters, Doggo and Froggit's, opening Doggo's first. The Amalgamates stopped cautiously, perhaps curious by what Alice was going to be doing.
"'Dr. Alphys, Writing this took longer than it should have so I got help from my friends to write this letter. I have to say though that while I haven't seen anything particularly well, I have heard the commotion that has happened in Snowdin about the disappearing monsters for you and your king's experiment. Dogamy and Dogaressa want to know if their parents are alright and Greater Dog wants to know about his family even though he's really good at hiding it to seem strong. No one's seen you around outside and the tall skeleton and his brother are useless for information in regards to this. Undyne herself has never shown up and I can tell she hasn't because of the lack of sudden, jerkish, strong showman movements. So if you can, at least fetch a letter to one of the guards who can see an immobile letter better than I can and respond. Thank you, Doggo.' … Signed with pawprints." Alice noted as she looked at two ink pawprints at the bottom of the letter. Endogeny seemed to roll over excitedly, happy to hear mention of their loved ones. Alice winced as she realized that this meant, like with Snowdrake's Mother, another set of parents had been involved in these experiments and unwittingly turned into an Amalgamate. The other Amalgamates growled and moved towards Alice more quickly whereas Endogeny seemed to be regarding Alice fondly and stood in place. So Alice read Froggit's letter next,
"'Ribbet Ribbet. Ribbet, Ribbet, Croak Croak Croak Hop Ribbet…' Um… not exactly the sort of letter I envisioned." Alice saw that the text itself had been written in very big, exaggerated fonts as if the writer hadn't really been that proficient in writing before. Somehow though it triggered a reaction in Reaper Bird, who flinched and tilted its head curiously at Alice. At this point Lemon Bread and Memoryhead remained the only ones still approaching Alice, perhaps a reflection of them being more aggressive than the others and that neither of them had a letter addressed to them. Alice cleared her throat, worked through her nerves, and tried to reassure them.
"Listen please… I know what happened to all of you was truly a tragedy and it's unfortunate you've been separated from those that loved and understood you but there's no reason to be hostile. I promise to get you all out of here and reunite you with your families! To end this miserable past and pave the way for the future. So please calm… down…" Alice flinched and cowered when Lemon Bread looked poised to chomp into her head with a bared mouth.
"Hey! Stop!" The shrill cry of the Royal Scientist responsible for this sin, this big secret, finally showed herself. Alphys sprang into the room quickly, putting herself firmly between the Amalgamates and Alice at surprising speed. The Amalgamates all stared at her attentively, not bitter or sad or disappointed, but rather anxious. Even Lemon Bread closed her mouth and seemed completely pacified. Alice sighed a breath of relief and put the letters away into her apron pockets as Alphys continued,
"I got you guys some food, okay!?" The Amalgamates all proceeded to leave the room, likely to where they knew from past experience where Alphys had fed them. And finally, Alice was left to finally say what she wanted to say to Alphys for a very long time.
"Thank you for sharing these truths with me…" Alice said.
Alphys took a deep breath, twiddling her fingers briefly as she looked to Alice with a small smile. She was also ready to finally say what she wanted to say to someone, anyone, for a very long time.
To Be Continued...
