Frisk had done it again. The Barrier was destroyed. The Monsters were free. And they still weren't happy.

They had done this countless times. Befriended every Monster, helped all their friends, freed them all, and yet, it wasn't satisfying, no matter how many times they did it.

They knew what was missing. They had realized it long ago (to them anyway) and had tried to do everything possible to get the ending they wanted so badly, but nothing worked.

As they sat on their bed on the surface, they contemplated what to do next. They had done everything possible in the Underground and they still were no closer to an answer. They looked through some of the books Toriel had given them and just as they were about to put them away they spotted something. The book mentioned how in ancient times humans were able to use magic and the various ways it could be used.

They pondered that. In all their runs they never had once used magic, partly because there was no Monster willing to teach them and there was no need to. They wondered what would happen if they did learn how to use magic? Not like a Monster, but like a human. The smallest changes in a Reset tended to have big impacts. But who could teach them? The Monster's magic was an extension of themselves and using it came naturally to them. Frisk was human. Who could teach them?

Then, Frisk remembered that Toriel was a powerful sorcerer. She had always wanted to be a teacher and, though Frisk had no proof, she was probably alive during the era where humans and Monsters lived together so she might know how humans could use magic and teach it to Frisk.

Once more, Frisk Reset and woke up on the bed of golden flowers in the Underground as they had many times before and will do so many more times until they got the ending they wanted.

They went through the Ruins, making sure to befriend the Monsters they came across. Of course, that insistent voice in their head kept trying to prod them into killing, but Frisk had mastered ignoring it.

Eventually they reached Toriel's house in the Ruins but rather than try to leave right away, they asked the Boss Monster to teach them how to use magic. She was quite amazed, saying that no human who fell before them had ever wanted to learn that but she was eager to teach them.

Toriel expected it to take several days, if not a couple weeks, for Frisk to learn how to tap into their Soul to access their magic, a notion they agreed with. To their surprise Frisk actually managed to summon a little magic on the first day, though it didn't take on any sort of shape. So Toriel tried to teach Frisk that, saying that all humans could shape the magic they summoned into a weapon, though it could be days before Frisk succeeded in that. To her surprise, two days after they first used magic, they were able to shape it into a red disk-shaped shield. She was surprised and impressed.

Frisk had heard her mutter that no human she ever saw at their age was that good. She encouraged Frisk to keep practicing, telling them they could shape the shield into any form they wished, and with enough practice, could use it to cover their entire person.

The next day, Frisk continued on their journey through the Underground, but slower than normal, as they spent some time practicing with the shield. They had a plan for it eventually, but it wouldn't come into play until they faced Asgore.

Toriel tried to stop them from leaving, but Frisk was able to convince her to let them leave.

In Snowdin, they met Sans and Papyrus, and watched their usual antics; Sans and his puns and Papyrus and his overexcited speech.

As they traveled through Snowdin Forest, the Monsters seemed more convinced that Frisk was a Monster. It took Frisk a while to realize that their shield is probably the source of the confusion. After all, humans struggle with magic yet Frisk could do it so easily.

With the Royal Guard, Frisk was able to use their shield as an improvised frisbee which worked really well at making the dogs friendly.

As they battled Papyrus, their red shield came in handy, allowing them to block some of Papyrus' bones, though Papyrus' blue attack caused their shield to turn blue as well.

After their hangout with Papyrus they went on to Waterfall and were hunted by Undyne as always, though this time their shield allowed them to block her spears, rather than avoiding them. Frisk also found out that when they combined their shield with the umbrella, it created a bigger shield from the fake rain, which Monster Kid really like as he traveled with them.

When they faced Undyne one-on-one, their shield in combination with one of her spears allowed them to defend from two directions, rather than one. Which they needed as Undyne decided to do just that after Frisk conjured their shield. After Undyne overheated in her armor trying to pursue them, Frisk took the water from the nearby watercooler and dumped it on her, cooling her off. She left and Frisk decided to go to her house on Papyrus' suggestion to hang out together.

That didn't really go any different than normal. Undyne talking about how she joined the Royal Guard and why she'll never be able to let Papyrus join for being too nice, having Papyrus' cooking lesson for him as he 'left' through her window, burning her house down for turning the oven up too much.

After that, Undyne went off to stay with Papyrus and Sans and Frisk continued onward to Hotland, meeting Alphys. She upgraded Frisk's phone after a run-in with Mettaton, and even commented that Frisk's ability to use a shield was very impressive as she thought that only existed in anime. Frisk went through Hotland, solving the puzzles that Alphys had reactivated and dealing with Mettaton and his performances, culminating in their confrontation at the top of the CORE, where Frisk helped the 'killer robot' realize his dreams of being a star.

Afterwards, Alphys admits that Frisk's Soul isn't strong enough alone to cross the Barrier, and in order to escape, they would have to kill Asgore and take his Soul, as only a Boss Monster's Soul could persist long enough to be absorbed. Alphys runs off, but Frisk decides to follow, and after getting a call from Papyrus, delivers a letter from Undyne to Alphys, but the scientist thinks it's from them as its not signed, and agrees to go on a date with them.

The date has no real changes, roleplaying as Undyne with Alphys to help her get over her nervousness to admit her mistakes and confess to her lies, only for Undyne to show up in the middle of it and Alphys confesses some of the more innocent lies. She and Papyrus run off, Undyne intending to help Alphys feel better about herself, though wanting to know quite desperately if anime is real or not from Frisk first.

They continued onward to New Home, traversing through the castle, going through Asgore's colorless home, finding the Worn Dagger and Heart Locket and equipping them. They didn't want to fight Asgore, but experience had taught them that Asgore wouldn't be talked out of this.

They met Sans in the Last Corridor where he judged them like normal, but this time, he had some advice for their fight, reminding them that their thoughts influenced their magic and if they truly wished to not see anyone harmed, then they would know the right thing to do. Frisk continued onward, making their way to the Throne Room/Royal Garden. And there he was, the King of Monsters and the only real father Frisk had ever had. Asgore finished watering the flowers, turned, and almost jumped at seeing Frisk. He made some awkward small talk, trying to console Frisk as he led them to the Barrier, where the six other human Souls were in glass containers.

During the fight, Asgore looked surprised when Frisk conjured the shield, but managed to knock the dagger from their hand, disarming Frisk. Panicked, Frisk thought they might have no choice but to use their fist, but when they swung their left hand, a red sword appeared in their hand and they struck Asgore with it which caught the large Boss Monster off guard. The fight continued, Frisk now wielding a weapon that they could easily make but favoring their shield. Eventually they managed to defeat Asgore and he made his normal speech about why he did what he did and when he gave Frisk the choice to kill him and take his Soul to leave, Frisk dispelled their weapons and instead hugged the fuzzy Monster. Just as Asgore did not truly want to hurt anyone, Frisk didn't want too either. They'd rather stay down there with them. As Asgore promised to protect them and take care of them, Frisk knew what was about to happen. It happened regardless of whether they chose to spare Asgore or not. This time, they were ready for it.

A ring of white pellets appeared around them both, but before they could deal the killing blow, Frisk conjured their shield. They made it large enough to surround the both of them, and the friendliness pellets pinged off the red shield, though Frisk struggled to keep it at that size. Asgore was five times their size after all!

Then, the flower that had stalked them their entire journey, Flowey, appeared, puzzled as to how Frisk was able to do what they were doing, but it didn't matter to the soulless flower. While the shield kept him out it also kept them and Asgore in allowing Flowey to smash the containers and grab the Souls with his vines, absorbing them in a flash of light.

When the light faded, Frisk found themself in a black void, unable to reach their Save and staring down Flowey, now transformed into a grotesque mix of plant, machine, and human, intending to kill them over and over and over again. With sword and shield at the ready, they battled him, reaching out to the human Souls within eventually getting them to rebel. Another flash of light later and Frisk and Flowey were standing on the other side of the barrier, the flower weak.

One hit was all it would take to kill him, but instead, Frisk dispelled their weapons, confusing the flower, trying to prod them into finishing him off. But Frisk refused, because if they did, they'd just prove his philosophy right, which was 'kill or be killed'. They continued to refuse, confusing the flower, who couldn't understand why they were being so nice to him. In tears, Flowey fled.

After that, Frisk walked on, exiting the cave the barrier was in and stepping onto the surface once more. They began the trek down the mountain, looking back for a moment. In a few days, Sans would call, and in the call, Frisk would find out what changed thanks to their actions. Unlike every other time when they left, Asgore still lived. They wondered what the consequences of that would be. But as they walked down the mountain, Flowey's last words still rung in their head. Why are you being so nice to me?

Frisk reached under their shirt and pulled out the Heart Locket, opening it up. Inside was a picture, and the words 'Best Friends Forever'. The picture depicted two kids, one a goat-like Monster, the other, a human like them. They were Asriel and Chara, Asgore and Toriel's children, who's deaths triggered the Monster's current war against humans.

Frisk gently touched the depiction of Asriel. Asriel had died a long time ago, but Alphys' experiments had revived him in that flower, but without his Soul he was unable to feel anything for anyone. They could still remember their first meeting with Asriel. The real Asriel. He had absorbed the six human Souls, along with the Soul of every Monster in the Underground, allowing him to be himself again, but Frisk had to reach within him to awaken his own compassion. He relinquished the Souls he stole, but not before using them to destroy the Barrier. Without those Souls he'd eventually turn back into a flower, and stop being able to feel anything again.

Frisk left him, by his own request, and went with the rest of the Monsters to the surface, but couldn't feel happy about it, knowing they left one behind. Alone. Forgotten. Abandoned.

It's best if you just forget about me, OK? Just go be with the people who love you. But they couldn't. They couldn't forget about him. They Reset, time and time again, so many times, they lost count. At first, they did it to just see Asriel again and keep him company. But eventually, they realized that they can't leave him like that, so from then on, they Reset to try and save him. Time and time again they failed but they never gave up. Doing things a little different each time in the hope that this was the key sequence in which they saved him and would be able to bring him back to his parents. Every time, they failed. Perhaps, this time, they could save him. They hoped so, because they were running out of hope.

I don't want to let go... Frisk looked back at the mountain, locket still in hand. "And I'll never let go. I'll save you, Asriel, someday. I promise."

LOVETALE

End of Chapter 1