Chapter 47

"Why did you do that?!" Frisk exclaimed as she took in her surroundings. A dark environment, a river running past a few yards away, the light blue glow from the echo flowers – not the battle she had found herself walking into mere moments ago.

"Uh, I think I just saved you," Sans replied. "You're welcome."

"You left Suzy behind!" Frisk snapped. Without wasting another second, Frisk rushed back towards the entrance.

"Excuse me," Sans followed her, "Mew Mew was after you. I mean, she did aim her magical girl wand-thingy at you and all. 'Sides, Suzy can handle herself. I think the Snake's right hand will be all right."

"I'm not worried about Suzy's safety. I'm worried about how this is going to look when we return and give our report. Sans, what were you thinking? I haven't even died once!"

"I was thinking I couldn't stand not knowing if you were safe or not!"

Frisk froze right outside the front door. Spinning around, she saw Sans shove his hands into his hoodie pockets and make eye contact with her. They might have stood like this for only a few seconds, but to Frisk, it felt like hours.

"This may come as a shock to you, kid," Sans continued, "but I don't like not knowing if you're okay. Forget about the resets screwing up the timeline. I just don't want you to get hurt!"

Heart in her throat, Frisk forced herself to say, "This is what we signed up for, and we have to accept that getting hurt is a part of the package."

"You have been hurt too much already."

"So? It's not like anything can really kill me."

"Maybe, but isn't there any mental and emotional pain tied to each death, or are you more immune to dying than I thought?"

"It's not forever," Frisk said, hoping against hope that her words were true. However, it was hard to know if things would ever get better. After losing Toriel, Frisk struggled to believe that things would be all right ever again.

"But how much longer is this going to last?" Sans challenged, and Frisk did not have an answer to give him.

"There you are," Chara said, causing Frisk to turn back around as he walked through the wall of the castle to come outside. "I was in deep thought as I was investigating when suddenly I appeared in a different room. I was afraid something had happened and you lost the locket."

When he saw Sans, Chara exhaled loudly and said, "Well, that explains it."

"Did you find anything, Chara?" Frisk asked, wanting to dismiss her conversation with Sans from her mind. She went as far as refusing to turn back around to look at him.

"The room you and Suzy were assigned to explore was a trap," Chara answered. "I think Suzy knew it, too, that's why she was so determined you two investigate elsewhere."

"What kind of trap?"

"The classic net that springs up and imprisons you when you step on it. Nothing that would hurt you. I think it might have been planted there to trap you so Suzy would have to let you down, thus earning her your trust and such. After all, I cannot think of any other reason that would be there when it wasn't before."

"Where were you the rest of the time?"

"Trying to find you, but you moved around so much I kept getting dragged by the boundaries of the locket."

"Well, speaking of traps, remember that mad dummy from the Ruins?"

While Frisk filled Chara in on what had happened, she tried to avoid looking at Sans. She wanted to pretend he was not there. As she recounted the events to Chara, Frisk made her way back to the entrance of the castle.

"If I had to guess," Chara mused, "I suppose the key was found as they were setting the trap."

"And they left it there?"

"I do not think they were expecting anyone to come back for it."

"This is quit the accusation, you know," Frisk, crossing her arms, replied. "Do you really think the Blues would intentionally set a trap for me just to get me to trust Suzy?"

"Honestly, it sounds too weak to be the actual intention." Chara hummed. "There is something else going on here. I can feel it in my soul."

When they reached the entrance of the castle, Frisk took a deep breath. She didn't know how Suzy held herself against two formidable foes. Although she didn't believe Mew Mew would care for Suzy after Frisk was no longer on the battlefield, Frisk still dreaded what she might find as she reached out for the door handle.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sans asked as he teleported in front of Frisk before she could open the door. "Ignoring me as you talk to gramps, going back inside where the person who wants to kill you most is after I just pulled you out – You think I'm going to stand back and be okay with that?"

Narrowing her eyes, Frisk ordered, "Get out of the way, Sans."

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I'm trying to make sure my friends are all right!" Frisk answered, her words sharp.

Sans would not relent, and for a moment, all the two did was stare at each other. Before another word could be said, the door was thrown open from the inside, knocking into Sans and pushing him to the ground. Suzy emerged from the castle, looking unscathed but absolutely furious.

Pointing a finger at Frisk, Suzy snarled, "If you abandon me in combat one more time, I swear I will chew off your face, smack on it like its bubblegum, and spit it back onto your worthless head!"

Although Frisk wanted to point her own finger and shift the blame onto Sans, she kept her demeanor neutral as she nodded and replied, "Understood."

When she saw Sans getting up out of the dirt, Suzy growled but didn't say another word. She stomped away into the cool dark of Waterfall, and to Frisk's relief, Mon and the other monsters were not far behind. Mon seemed unharmed, but the monsters that fought Mew Mew needed help walking out.

"Dude, there you are!" Mon exclaimed, a big grin on her face. "We showed up just in time to see Sans take you away. When I saw Mew Mew in the room, boy, was I relieved for you! Suzy started swinging at Mew Mew and that giant wolf guy, but they retreated! I guess I'm not the only one whose scared of Suzy."

"No, Mon," Frisk shook her head, "Mew Mew was there to get the key, and she did."

Mon's grin fell. "Oh, crap."

"You said it," Chara agreed, crossing his arms.

There was nothing more for Frisk to add.

When they set up camp, Frisk lied down and stared at the gems in the rocks above. It reminded her of the time she and Chara sat together and pretended to stargaze, only this time wasn't as peaceful. Whether or not Mandy knew it, there was a trap set up for Frisk. A trap that might not have killed Frisk, but a trap nonetheless. The whole time she had been in the castle with Mettaton, there were no traps of any kind, meaning that one had to be planted.

Chara sat beside her, a silent presence. The injured monsters were being tended to, a couple of monsters were preparing dinner, and the rest were also relaxing as Frisk was. Not that Frisk would consider herself relaxed in this moment. Something wasn't right. Frisk wanted to grab a white board and write down everything she knew about her situation and try to make sense of it, but for now, she was left to think about this mess in the jumbled pile that was her thoughts.

"Yo," Mon said, sitting on Frisk's other side, "you okay?"

"No." Frisk turned her head so that she faced Mon. "Why are we doing this?"

"We were told to."

"Yeah, but why?" Although Frisk asked, she knew the answer.

Mandy wanted King Asgore out of the picture. After all the years of suppression by the Reds, the Blues were ready to seize freedom. First for themselves, then for all monsterkind from under the mountain. Yet this was not the way. If the Blues had to use force to reach the peace they wanted, then Frisk was not sure it could still be considered peace at that point.

However, this did not change that Frisk would have to fight King Asgore. As much as Frisk wanted to avoid such a confrontation, she knew in her soul she had no other options. Mercy would not be on the table, leaving Frisk to wonder how far she could go in her battle with King Asgore without killing him.

As Frisk contemplated this, Mon joined Chara as a silent presence. Frisk appreciated the company. Trying to understand how she was going to get through this was easier when she saw that she would not be alone.

"You know," Chara said, almost dragging the words out. It wasn't until he saw Frisk looking at him he continued, "The Core isn't the only quick way to get to the castle."

"How do we get to the castle if we can't access the Core?" Frisk asked him under the guise of musing aloud. Mon, seeming to understand that Frisk and Chara communicated, remained silent.

"Let's just say Asriel and I discovered our own shortcuts over the years," Chara answered, his gaze getting glassy over the mention of his brother.

"I think we might have an idea," Frisk told Mon as she pushed herself upright.

Mon screwed up her face. "Great, I guess. Do you think it will be any better than this one?"

"At this point, we can only hope." Looking off into the distance, Frisk saw Suzy stomping down the camp. When a monster didn't get out of her way quick enough, Suzy picked him up and tossed him to the side as if he weighed nothing. Afraid Suzy would catch her staring, Frisk looked away.

"Oh, no," Mon said when she realized Frisk was watching Suzy, "you don't plan to get her involved with this, do you?"

"I don't think we have a choice."

Groaning loudly, Mon shook her head and muttered, "I'm not going to be able to talk you into changing your mind, am I?"

The cave was dark. Of course, living Underground was dark, but there were holes in the mountain in some areas to provide sunlight and magical fireballs in others to light otherwise dark paths. Not here. This cave was dark as her tainted soul. Pulling her hood further over her eyes, Mew Mew traveled deeper inside.

Francis, her annoying cousin who had not stopped calling her the moment he saw a human hiding in the Ruins all those months ago, lingered outside of the cave, too frightened to step inside. Such was fine with her. She needed a break from him. Having nobody else to whom to turn, Mew Mew was desperate for backup in the case she was ever caught. When she found that giant wolf mannequin in the garbage, she knew convincing Francis to possess it would be the only way she wouldn't have to stand on her own by herself as the king sought her head.

Yet as she traveled deeper into the cave, Mew Mew found herself beginning to relax. There was no need to prepare for a fight here. Where she was going was a safe and welcoming place, something Mew Mew was not sure she would ever find again.

"Dearie!" Muffet exclaimed when Mew Mew finally came to the small home in the cave and knocked on the door. Muffet pulled Mew Mew into a hug and used all six arms to hold her friend tight and close. "I was almost sure you would not come!"

"Of course I would come!" Mew Mew hung onto Muffet as if the other monster was the only thing keeping her grounded in reality. "I haven't seen you since Mettaton was killed by that terrible human. I had to make sure you were doing okay!"

"Yeah, about Mettaton," Muffet said in a rush as she quickly broke the hug.

"Mew Mew, darling, you should know better."

Heart leaping into her throat, Mew Mew looked over Muffet's shoulder to see a ghost gliding down the hall. He appeared to be nothing more than a floating basketball covered by a pink bedsheet, but Mew Mew looked into those oval eyes and recognized him immediately. There was no questioning who this was.

"You of all people should know that nothing can kill a ghost," Mettaton stated matter-of-factly.

"I guess you spent so long in that robot body I began to believe you were actually a robot," Mew Mew replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "If you're still alive, why are you letting your adoring fans believe you're dead?"

"He doesn't want to possess another body." Muffet rolled her eyes. "We don't know of anyone who can repair the body the human destroyed, and although I suggested we go back to Alphys's lab to find an older model—"

"After spending so long having such fabulous legs as I had," Mettaton interrupted, "how do you expect me to go back to a body that was essentially a TV remote on a wheel? The horror!"

"You see what I have to deal with?" Muffet mouthed to Mew Mew as she pointed at Mettaton with an opened palm.

"I mean," Mettaton continued, "I could find another body, but how would I find one half as beautiful as the one I lost? My fans would not even recognize me! Besides, if I bond with the body I possess, it might become living, and I'll bruise and bleed! Who would want to risk such a thing?"

"It's not that bad," Mew Mew complained, but she chose to drop it. "Anyway, I have something I wanted to give you."

With that, Mew Mew produced the key she had taken from the castle and handed it to Muffet, who accepted it with furrowed brows. "This isn't ours," Muffet said after she flipped it in her hands a couple of times.

"I didn't think so," Mew Mew replied, "but whoever it belongs to left it there and sent me to get it."

"But I thought you were in hiding," Mettaton pointed out. "How was someone you don't know able to get a hold of you to go retrieve their lost item?"

"They must have as many eyes as Muffet's spiders." Mew Mew shook her head. "I received an anonymous voicemail telling me to go back to the castle to get the key. At first, I thought it was a trap and wasn't going to risk it. Then I thought 'What the hell?' and went anyway. I took Francis with me – you remember my cousin Francis, don't you? – and lo and behold, the Blues are there along with their human."

"Do you think . . . this was a setup of sorts?"

Before Mew Mew could answer Muffet's question, Mettaton exclaimed, "Hey, I recognize that key! It belonged to Amanda!"

This information piqued Mew Mew's interest. "Amanda?"

"Yes," Mettaton replied, more than happy to explain, "Amanda Sleekskin was head of the Core when I filmed the climax of my first movie. She granted me access to everything! This was back before King Asgore severely limited access to the Core, of course, but there were still off-limit areas she was willing to let me film. She was the best. A very hardcore Red, too."

"Where is she now?" Mew Mew asked, head tilted to the side.

"I don't know," Mettaton answered. "After Core access became strict, she disappeared from my radar. She used to live in the city, but she had moved away by the time I went to visit her. Nobody knows where she went."

"Any idea how her key got into Waterfall castle?"

Mettaton thought for a moment before saying, "I have no idea. It certainly wasn't there when we were filming my specials."

"Interesting," Mew Mew mused.

"I'll tell my spiders about this," Muffet said, pocketing the key. "Certainly they will find out how this got there and where this Amanda person is now."

"Have them search for the human while you're at it," Mew Mew said.

"You're never going to give up this human hunt, are you?" Muffet crossed all her arms and shook her head. "Look, she can't live forever. Sooner or later, her soul will be used to break the barrier. Do you have to be the one to get it?"

"Forget the barrier. This is more personal than that." Looking between Muffet's and Mettaton's confused expressions, Mew Mew tried to find the best words to say to reveal the truth. "There is something I have neglected to tell you both. It sounds too crazy to believe, but I need you to trust me no matter how insane it sounds."

"Certainly, dearie," Muffet said, patting Mew Mew on the arm, while Mettaton said, "I suppose that depends how crazy you're talking."

Although she couldn't bring herself to mention her personal ghost practically demanding Frisk's head on a silver platter, Mew Mew didn't waver or have second thoughts as she confessed, "I know that the soul of Chara Dreemurr is connected to the human's locket. When King Asgore executed Chara, Toriel stole his soul and had it fused with the item. Chara is still alive."

All the color drained from Muffet's face, and Mettaton's ghostly expression was unreadable.

"Chara killed my best friend in my previous life," Mew Mew explained, tears burning her eyes. "I want to hurt him the way he hurt me. I am going to kill the human, and I am going to make sure he watches as the life drains from her eyes."