~Frisk~
The kids walked through the Judgement Hall, pale lighting shimmering against the golden pillars. The windows were decorated with pictures of the Fallen Angel. Two statues of the Fallen Angel were nearby the exit of the hall. Gold glimmered all around them.
"How pretty..." Faye admired the windows. Frisk had to admit, even though they had seen this hall countless times, they could still admire its beauty.
"Does anyone else have a bad feelin' 'bout all of this?" Clover asked, folding her arms.
"No way!" Brayden responded, holding up a shaky fist. "Because wh-whatever comes at us, we can t-take it!"
Frisk simply smiled.
Percy clenched tightly onto his notebook. Even tighter than before. Melody hugged herself, and Cody held up his pan. Brayden was twitching. Clover had her head down, hand on her pistol. Faye had a melancholic look in her eyes. Frisk walked ahead of everyone, keeping their head high. They had to stay confident and determined. They couldn't afford to be weak.
"Sans..." Faye spoke up quietly, pointing at a silhouette ahead.
Sans' silhouette. Bells chimed. Frisk stood in front of their friends. It was time.
Time for judgement.
"So you finally made it," Sans said. He sounded... different. "The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you will all meet the king. Together... you will determine the future of this world."
Yet, Frisk wasn't afraid. They had stopped their friends from murdering any monsters. The kids would only receive good judgement. However... Frisk knew, if the world was destroyed, it didn't really matter what route they took. But Frisk wanted a pacifist route. Their favourite. They wanted to be happy for one last time...
"That's then." Sans said. "Now." He paused. "You will be judged. You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned, both as individuals and a group."
"EXP...?" Cody asked.
"Experience Points." Clover answered.
"Similar," Sans replied. "It stands for 'Execution Points'. A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for 'Level of Violence'. A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."
"This world..." Clover looked inquisitive. "It's just like a video game. Everything from killing to 'level up', eatin' and healin', weapons... HP, Gold... Determination..." she paused. "And we're the players."
"We are the ones who will decide the fate of the whole world," Percy concluded. "That's the job of the player."
Frisk tensed up. Player. SAVE points. Determination. This really was some kind of video game.
But Frisk had never been a player. They had only been a puppet.
"And you... you can save and load, can't ya?" Clover asked Frisk, her arms folded. "Since this is all just like a video game."
Frisk nodded slowly.
"heh..." Sans stared at the children. "there's no player in this timeline, kids. and if there was... there's only one player." He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. The kids glanced at each other.
"anyway... you kids." A faint smile was on Sans' face. "you never gained any LOVE. 'course, that doesn't mean you're all completely innocent or naive." He gazed at Clover for a moment, then at Faye. "just that you all keep a certain tenderness in your hearts. no matter the struggles or hardships you faced... you strived to do the right thing. you kids refused to hurt anyone. even when you ran away, you all did it with smiles. you never gained LOVE, but you gained love. does that make sense?"
"No, 'c-cause I don't r-run away!" Brayden argued, gritting his teeth.
"Love and LOVE can be very... similar, sometimes," Faye smiled.
"..." Sans looked down for a moment. "now. you all are about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. your actions here... will determine the fate of the entire world. if you refuse to fight... asgore will take your souls, raise the fallen angel, and they will destroy humanity. but if you kill asgore... only one of you will be able to leave. the rest of you will be stuck down here to perish. either way, there's no real happy ending. but i believe... if you think about it... there is something you can do. a plan that can satisfy everyone. don't ask me what this plan is, i don't know. it's your jobs to figure it out. don't ask me for advice, either. if i were you kids, i would have thrown in the towel by now. but you didn't get this far by giving up. this is your mission. your journey."
Sans paused. "your choice."
"A plan..." the kids stared at each other.
"that applies to all of you... except for one." Sans held up a hand. "a little birdie told me... one of you isn't like the others. they said that this human... isn't here for any good reasons. they said this human is the enemy, not the fallen angel like you kids think."
"Which 'little birdie'?" Clover asked. She gritted her teeth. "The same one that told you about me? Do you really think you can trust them?"
"they had plenty of proof to show me," Sans chuckled. Frisk had a tickling sensation of who this 'little birdie' was. Rage made their skin prickle.
Sans' expression darkened. "and i can see now... who the real villain is."
"What are you talking about?" Melody asked. "Sure, Brayden's kind of annoying-"
"HEY!" Brayden yelled.
Melody ignored him. "-Percy has his own problems, Faye almost killed someone, Cody's too nice and Clover's too mean, and me... well, I've let a lot of people down. I'm... not really sure about the stick-wielding child. Point is, we've all made mistakes. Doesn't mean we're evil or bad people, does it?"
"that's not what i was saying," Sans responded. His voice darkened. "you kids really are oblivious."
Suddenly, a wall of large bones shot up, separating Frisk from the other humans. The eighth human was by themself, standing face to face with Sans. The children on the other side attempted to break through the bone barrier by brute force, but every time they did they got hurt.
Brayden ran forward, holding his fist out. He almost broke his hand trying to punch the bones. Clover pulled out her gun and fired at the bones, but even that didn't work.
"heya." Sans stared at Frisk, his face darkened.
Frisk lowered their head, keeping their eyes out of sight. This was not what they expected.
"you've been busy, huh?" Sans asked them.
Frisk didn't move.
Sans kept grinning. "... so, i've got a question for ya. do you think even the worst person can change? that everybody, can be a good person if they just try?"
"P-PUT THESE BONES DOWN RIGHT NOW!" Brayden yelled at Sans, holding up his fists.
"Please don't hurt them!" Cody pleaded, staring at Sans.
"I don't want this to get messy," Clover growled, holding out her gun and glaring at Sans. "Let 'em go."
"Look, maybe this is all a misunderstanding!" Melody waved her hands, trying not to panic.
"I... I don't know what's going on..." Percy breathed heavily.
"heh heh heh heh heh..." Sans laughed, ignoring the children. A faint blue aura appeared around Frisk. "alright. here's a better question."
He grabbed Frisk by their soul and pulled them towards him. Their soul turned blue. The kids' protests grew louder.
"a demand, actually," Sans admitted. "this is worth breaking my promise over." He paused, gazing at Frisk. "it's a beautiful day outside... birds are singing, flowers are blooming... on days like these, kids like you..." His sockets darkened. "Should be burning in Hell."
And with that, Sans raised his hand, slamming Frisk into the wall. However, the child was quick and summoned their sword, repelling themself off the wall. The aura around them turned from blue to red. A red scarf appeared around their neck, as well as a replica of Sans' jacket. A spear came out of their right eye, while their left was covered with hair.
Sans raised his hand again, throwing Frisk towards the ceiling. Sharp bones were waiting there for them. Frisk flipped around, slicing the bones away with their sword. They fell back down onto the ground, using their shield as a landing pad so they didn't injure themself.
"YOU FREAKING SKELETON!" Brayden yelled, holding up his fists and glaring at Sans. "WAIT 'TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"
"Now that will be Hell." Clover growled, once again holding up her gun.
"They did nothing wrong!" Cody protested, glaring at Sans. "STOP HURTING THEM! T-THEY'RE MY FRIEND!"
"Oh my God, oh my God..." Percy said, breathing heavily, sweat crawling down his face.
"I-it's gonna be fine, Percy..." Melody said, trying not to cry. "It's okay, please calm down..."
Faye said nothing. She simply watched the battle with a glint in her eyes.
"huh, not bad, kid," Sans commented on Frisk's ability. "guess it helps that you've got yourself some fancy weapons." He made a face. "gonna try and hit me with those?"
Frisk didn't. Instead, they elected to spare Sans.
"heh... fine, play nice." Sans chuckled. "i'll make up for your cruelty."
Bones approached Frisk. Bones were on the floor and ceiling as well. Frisk, their soul still blue, jumped up, reaching out for a platform. They grabbed onto one, using their sword to help them grip it. A Gaster blaster approached them. Frisk's left eye glowed. Pain coursed through their right eye. Red spears appeared beside Frisk, not unlike any of Undyne's. The spears soared towards the Gaster blaster, destroying it.
"wow, very creative, kid," Sans deadpanned. "stealing undyne's moves."
Frisk ignored him. They jumped and landed on the ground, summoning more spears to destroy bones around them. When it was their turn, they spared Sans once again.
"i always was suspicious about you," Sans commented, staring at Frisk. "you were different from the others."
More platforms and bones approached Frisk. Frisk felt the ground beneath them rumble. They quickly jumped, narrowly avoiding a bone going straight through them. They launched themself upwards again, getting onto a platform. They jumped from platform to platform, using red spears to destroy any bones that came dangerously close to skewering them. The kids continued yelling at Sans.
"whenever i saw your face, that look in your eyes..." Sans looked down, his voice dark. "there was nothing in there. no interest. no empathy or passion. you just looked bored, like you'd seen it all before."
Frisk leaped over more bones. There were even more now, and Frisk's spears alone would not be able to destroy them all. So Frisk summoned one last ounce of power. Their right eye burned with pain. They put a hand on top of it. A red Gaster blaster appeared by Frisk's side.
Sans sighed. "copying me now, huh? very original, kiddo, very original."
Frisk unleashed the power of their Gaster blaster, destroying all the bones around them. They landed on the ground, once again using their shield as a landing pad. The pain in their right eye continued to burn. They felt their sword shiver.
"YOU GOT THIS STICK KID!" Brayden yelled. "SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS!"
"Can't we just talk this out?" Melody asked. She glared at Sans. "Are you even listening to us?!"
Faye continued staring at the bones, a strange look on her face.
"it's not like i don't understand," Sans shrugged at Frisk. "timelines are stopping and restarting all the time. why should i care? i guess you're the same." His sockets went black. "All that slaughtering numbed your empathy."
Frisk raised their hand in sync with Sans. They jumped on top of their Gaster Blaster, just as a wave of bones approached them. Frisk blasted the bones away, holding onto their blaster. The spear in their eye glowed a deeper red. Sans' face darkened. His hand lit up blue. He grabbed Frisk's soul, forcing them to get off the Gaster Blaster. They fell off and rolled across the floor, their blaster disappearing. They got out their shield, defending themself just in time before an array of bones went right through them.
"COME ON!" Brayden yelled at them. "FIGHT BACK, STICK KID!"
Percy continued to panic.
"Don't let him hurt you, stick kid!" Cody added.
"Do you even understand what you're doin', Sans?" Clover snarled. "They did nothin' wrong! They're innocent! LET 'EM GO!"
"heh heh," Sans had a dark look in his eye. "you kids know nothing about this kid. they're far from innocent. they're a murderer. they want to do horrible things to everyone. they're even worse than you, clover."
Clover's expression darkened.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Cody yelled in protest. "T-they're a good kid! They helped us!"
"Good kid..." Faye agreed, her voice trailing off.
"tsk," Sans ignored him. "you kids know nothing."
Sans grabbed Frisk's soul again, bringing them towards him. The two were eye-level.
"you have nothing inside you," he growled. "you don't care about what happens to anyone. you selfish little brat."
You want me to join you in being a selfish idiot? Never.
Frisk struggled, trying to escape. The skeleton raised his hand, bringing a bone right through the arm that was holding the sword. Frisk's arm was completely destroyed. The sword fell beside them. Frisk wanted to scream. But they held it in, their eyes glowing red. Blood was gushing out of their left armpit, coating their side. It was surrounding them like a red puddle. The other kids were watching Frisk with horror.
Sans picked up the child and threw them into the wall. They barely had the strength to keep their eyes open. The bones went right through them. Frisk felt the pain consume their every thought. Their blood was everywhere.
Frisk wasn't sure what to feel. Angry? Sad? Scared? They didn't feel anything. Just... a strange serenity. But the voices of their friends woke them up. The children were in distress. They couldn't bare to watch Frisk suffer.
"YOU... YOU MONSTER!" Cody yelled, tears coming out of his eyes.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Brayden bellowed at Sans.
"You'll know HELL, Sans, that's for sure," Clover growled in a dark tone, her gun trembling in her grip. "I've given you enough warnings."
"Guys, wait, I have a better idea," Melody said. She looked up from helping Percy. "Sans seems to think the stick kid is evil for some reason. We should talk to him about why they're not evil. That could get him to stop!"
"Melody!" Cody's face brightened up. "That's a great idea!"
"No it's not," Clover growled. "We're already tryin' that. Sans won't listen to us."
"Then we'll have to break through these bones and FORCE him to listen." Melody frowned, staring at the bones.
"BUT WE CAN'T!" Brayden yelled, storming over to Melody.
"Or maybe..." Faye spoke up quietly, a small smirk on her face. "We can."
Frisk would not give up. Their plan would save everyone, and they were not going to let this skeleton stop them. They sat up, just as Sans had a wall of Gaster blasters prepared to destroy them. He unleashed the blasters onto Frisk. They were covered in a wave of power. Power that could tear them apart limb by limb.
But Frisk refused. They held up their good arm, forming a shield that protected them. They felt their soul crack as the blast made impact with their shield, but they kept their head high.
"still going after everything, kid?" Sans asked. "you really are determined, aren't ya?"
Frisk felt rage race through them. They stood up, a red aura burning around them like a flame. Their hair hid their face. Their left arm socket glowed. Their arm grew back, glowing red. However, the sleeve was still missing. Sans stared at them.
Frisk held up their hand and clicked their fingers. Both of their eyes hurt. They almost fell over from the wave of pain. Tons of red spears and Gaster blasters surrounded the eighth human. Their face darkened as they approached Sans, weapons floating beside them. Sans summoned blasters of his own, but Frisk destroyed them with waves of spears, only to summon more spears afterward. Sans almost looked... afraid.
Frisk was unstoppable now.
The kids had nothing to say about this. They simply watched Frisk storm forward, weapons surrounding them.
Sans stepped back, sighing and slumping down. Frisk's eye twitched. Memories flashed through their head...
Sans was lying on the ground, ketchup oozing out of his jacket. The skeleton chuckled sadly.
"papyrus... do you want anything...?" he asked.
"I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU!" Papyrus' voice echoed in Frisk's head.
Their weapons dissipated. Frisk fell to their knees, hugging themself. Their breath was shaky.
Their eyes shot open when Sans grabbed their soul and threw them towards some more sharp bones. Frisk held out their sword, stopping themself from crashing into those bones. They tripped over, still holding onto their sword. They felt the ground rumble beneath them, like there was an earthquake. More bones.
Frisk gulped. They raced over to the nearest wall. Using their sword as a pole, they jumped up, reaching the ceiling. They held onto the ceiling with their sword sticking in the wall. They summoned a shield to defend their back.
"you can't stay up there forever," Sans said, bones and Gaster blasters waiting below Frisk. "you're not that patient."
Frisk ignored him. Their grip on their sword grew tighter. Their heart raced. Sans was right. There was no way they could stay up there forever. They thought of their humans friends, who were staring at them with horror. Worry. Concern.
Love.
Frisk felt guilt pang their stomach. The truth was, Frisk knew they deserved every hit Sans gave them. They knew they deserved to die.
What for? As Chara once said, not even Frisk was an angel. Frisk was very far from being one.
Their sword cracked. A tear fell down Frisk's cheek. They had acted and lied for too long. They had lost track of reality.
How long had it been since they were pure?
Frisk's vision went blurry as their sword shattered. Frisk fell downwards, a sad smile on their face. They would die in vain. They deserved it.
Time seemed to slow down. Frisk assumed it was their feelings, but then they realised that time was actually slowing down. They stopped in mid-air, just above Sans and his plethora of attacks. Everything had completely stopped. It was like a picture. Frisk also noticed how everything had turned a pale shade of aqua. Confusion hit them once again.
Suddenly, time resumed and Frisk fell on the ground. They looked up and saw their friends surrounding them protectively. Sans was standing in front of the kids, his hands in his pockets. Frisk raised their brow. How did the kids get past the bones...?
"Stay over there," Clover growled at Sans. "Don't you dare move."
"like i want to," Sans replied. "how'd you kids get past those bones...?"
"We have our ways." Faye winked in response.
"I actually have no idea how we passed the bones." Brayden admitted, making a face.
"Anyway," Melody cleared her throat. "Do you really think hurting this kid is a good idea?" She pointed at Frisk. "Sure, we don't know a lot about them, they're very quiet, a bit weird, flirty, but... they're not a bad kid. They're loyal, friendly, generous, kind, and they've been there to help us the whole journey. I don't know why you're so angry with them, but whatever they did, it couldn't have been that bad, and they don't deserve to die."
"HEY!" Brayden yelled at Sans. "THAT KID IS THE BEST THING SINCE COOKIES AND CREAM MILKSHAKES!" He kneeled down and wrapped his arms around Frisk's neck, pinching their cheeks. "LOOK AT THEIR FACE! IT'S SO... SQUISHY! WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO HARM IT?!"
He continued squeezing Frisk's cheeks. Frisk blushed a deep red. Melody face-palmed.
"But seriously..." Brayden let go of Frisk. "They're a good kid. And a damn good friend." He gave Frisk a thumbs up. They returned it.
"Oh!" Cody sobbed, tears in his eyes. "I know they have a sword and all that, but I know deep down they've got a heart of g-gold! They've been protecting us for the whole journey, helping us... they're the reason we're still here!" He smiled at Frisk. "They're everyone's friend."
Frisk's heart was pounding.
"First of all, what's this kid actually done to hurt anyone?" Clover growled at Sans. "They've only helped people far as I can see. And even if they've done some bad stuff... I think they've already served their time. Mostly." She gritted her teeth for a moment. "But they don't deserve to be hurt like this, pardner. This won't stop anything, you understand?"
"you don't understand." Sans grumbled.
"Did you ever meet this kid before they fell down?" Clover asked Sans incredulously.
"no, but i feel like they've known me since way before they came down here," Sans responded. "that birdie... they showed me so much."
"Who's this birdie?" Clover asked. She made a face. "You can tell us."
"they swore me to secrecy," Sans responded. "but i'll give you all a hint: golden flower."
"G-golden flower..." Cody looked scared.
"Golden flower, huh?" Clover asked, raising her brow. "Well, we met a golden flower of our own. He wasn't a very nice fella. Tried to kill us all." She made a face. "He's a manipulative snitch. If that sounds familiar to ya, then maybe someone's telling fibs."
"does sound kinda familiar..." Sans grumbled. "yeah, i remember you kids telling me about some flower. but the one i talked to was incredibly convincing. he even showed me... images from other timelines. told me how he used to be able to 'save and load'." He paused. "he showed me images of that kid." He pointed at Frisk. "they were doing horrible things in those images. murder. betrayal. and planning something even more horrible for this timeline."
"Chara is the one who has something horrible planned for this timeline, not the nameless one," Percy pointed out. "The nameless one is here to stop them." He had a small smile on his face. "Their friendship proved that to me."
Frisk's blush grew.
"Flowey was lying to you, Sans," Faye told the skeleton. "He lies to everyone..."
Sans looked down. "i didn't find that flower trustworthy either, but the evidence was tried and true."
"That's what tricksters like him do," Faye shrugged. She looked at Frisk. "And I know from the bottom of my heart that this kid isn't bad... at all. They're different, but in a good way. They're my second best friend. They stopped me from dying and killing someone... if anything, they're the real Fallen Angel. They're patient, brave, kind, honourable... determined. They're a hero."
Frisk blushed as red as their soul. They had never been complimented so much before.
"you kids really care about this one, huh?" Sans asked. He chuckled. "i guess they really aren't so bad after all."
"They're a special kid," Clover said, nodding at Frisk. "I'd say they're our leader."
"YEAH!" Brayden agreed. "THE BEST LEADER YOU'VE EVER SEEN!"
Frisk couldn't stop blushing. Tears streamed down their cheeks. They felt so horrible and so guilty at the same time. They cried into their palms, breathing heavily. Cody sniffled and started crying too. He sat down next to Frisk and hugged them. They hugged him back.
"Is that a tear, Brayden?" Clover asked Brayden, raising her brow with a smirk.
"N-NO!" Brayden growled, hiding his face. "I-I DON'T CRY!"
Faye joined the little group huddle on the floor. The others sat around the outside, eventually joining in on the huddle (aside from Percy, who wasn't a fan of huddles). Sans chuckled, watching the gaggle of children.
"kids," he chuckled. "they're adorable."