What to do when the void spits up your dad Chapter 40
Hey! Its me. I don't know when youre gonna get this
or I guess if youre gonna get this but I hope so
I miss you
I dont know how long its been over there? Hope its not long!
Here its been two days, i think. Maybe three? I cant tell. It seems like not that long but kinda forever at the same time
We found what was making sans sick! It was in a whole other universe. We met another you as a tiny kid, lol! you were so cute! i took pics, i'll show you when we get home :D
i gave him the scarf you made me i hope you don't mind. it made him super happy
anyway it was their gaster doing dumb sience stuff. we fixed that, but we kinda fell somewhere else
remember that dream i told you about? the one where everyone looked spooky? that's where i am now. they don't look that spooky nymore
everyone's really nice. even tho undyne here faut me lol! it was cool tho XD
also shes queen XD
there's more skeletons here! or at least one more. her names mistrall (i think that's how you spell it?) i wonder if she ever existed at home
maybe that's too sad i dunno
also there's another time kid here. i thought it would be supr weird and i guess its a little weird but shes nice. shes a lot diffrnt from me and i think that helps lol
itd be so weird if she was like my twin or something omg DX
this sans is doin his best to get us home. he's really nice but sometimes its kinda hard because i miss sans so much, you know? its kinda painful and i think he knows, which sucks bcause its supr not his falt
when he wakes up, give him a hug for me ok?
and if you get this can you let mom and dad and asgore know we're ok? and we'll be home asap
im gonna take pictures of like evrything btw
I miss you did i say that already?
its funny, the papyrus here is so much like you. i think that's all that's really keepin me from losing it
dont tell anyone else i said that ok?
asriel misses you too
love you papyrus
i'll just keep sending notes until i get home
and if you get this and can't send something back i won't be upset lol
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It was three in the morning. Not ideal for a little kid, but collapsing earlier had done Frisk at least a small amount of good. She was perturbed that the best sleep she'd gotten since Sans had gotten sick had been from her knocking herself out beyond normal recovery, though.
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She'd awoken slumped against an equally slumped, short skeleton, who had dozed off reading a book in a language she couldn't understand. It felt a bit too familiar. Papyrus had told her Sans had carried her around the rest of the day as she napped, and Pidge had teased that she looked like a little puppy. Embarrassing? A bit. Was she still too tired to care very much? Same answer. Either way, she was glad to see he was okay after what had happened at the Soul. Last thing she needed was another unconscious skeleton on account of her.
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Frisk had dreamt of Sans while she'd been out. Saw his bluish outline in an overwhelming shroud of black. He'd been missing an arm. He'd said it was fine when she reached out to touch the empty socket of his shoulder. Then, he'd been overtaken with snow. She was swept away to Snowdin and her home again— dreamt of her mom, and Papyrus, and once again, Sans. It wasn't really him. It was the vision her mind would conjure to contain his memories in her head— give her what felt like someone external to bounce ideas off of. It was nice to hear his voice despite the falseness.
.
Now, she stared at her phone screen in the low light of a living room similar to her own, nestled under a blanket and leaning against the side of the otherworldly Papyrus. He was reading a graphic novel— not a scary one, though. He, like her brother of the same soul, was quite the night-owl.
.
Frisk looked up at him silently for a little while. She snapped a picture and then tapped on his arm, leaning over to show it. He grinned.
"Very neat," he said. "Has your device managed to reach your home yet?"
"Noo, doesn't look like it," she said. She bit back a sigh. "It's fine, I didn't expect it to."
"Mm, nothing's ever easy, is it?" he said apologetically.
"Do you think I should go back? I mean, to the Soul? I just… I don't know what to do."
"Just give Sans some time. I know it's hard," he said. "You need the break. But I am very glad you saw at least one of your brothers. I hope he comes through soon. I'd love to meet him."
Frisk cracked a smile. "Yeah? I bet he's gonna be happy to meet you, too." She just had to find a way to get him back. Again. She sighed. "I really miss him. I just wish there was something else I could do." She shook her head quickly. "Sorry, I'm not very fun to be around, huh?"
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Papyrus tutted at her gently. He put his book aside and patted her head. "You feel guilty every second you're not doing something, don't you?" He smiled sympathetically when she flinched in response. "You're really very small and far from home, with a lot of worries in your skull. Of course that's mostly what you're thinking about! Don't worry about how you come across to me. You don't need to be fun. I like you, however you are."
"Thanks, Paps," she said softly.
He nodded and smiled. "The last time I was separated from my siblings for a while, I was so paranoid about something happening to them. So. I understand. And even now, with mom gone… Well! At least she sends letters very regularly. We're expecting some in the next day or so, actually."
"Pidge said she was following the King, right? Is it to do with the curse stuff?" Frisk asked.
"Oh, yes, for sure. Mom was furious with him when everything was over," Papyrus said. "He'd made every monster look wrong and made most of us moon-blind, I think, and changed magic colours which is a very personal thing, and made healing not work, and when she tried to stop him way back when, he sealed her in those Ruins. I mean, he cursed himself first so he wasn't exactly himself, but still. Anyway, he never wanted to be forgiven once my sister saved him and all of us. I think he wanted to go to the End of the World, probably, where nobody could find him."
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Frisk frowned thoughtfully and nodded. "What's… moon-blind?"
"Oh! Okay, so, how it works is, our magic mostly comes from the sun, right? We had a little tiny hole in the top of the mountain when we still lived under it. It helped keep us healthy. We were supposed to get that from the moon, too. Some monsters would be a little better in one or the other for some reason. But the curse, it made it so most of us would just become… very very mean. At night. It's sort of hard to explain." He nervously knitted his long fingers together. "I think Sans told me it's because the magic of the sun was stronger than the curse that it wasn't just like that all the time, but the monsters who were moon-blind had a lot of trouble. It was pretty upsetting. It was like, all the anger of the King would make us all angry too."
"Except the… moon monsters?"
"Right! Sans is one. Did you see, he even has part of a moon mark on his hand sometimes!" Papyrus said proudly. "He was always so good about it. If you stayed inside, it wasn't so bad. So, he made me stay inside any night I wasn't on guard duty. And besides! When my sister got here, anybody she beat in a battle would snap out of it!"
"That's good," Frisk said. "That's weird, though, about the magic."
"Is it? Magic works in the same way in your world, though, right?" he said.
"Um. I dunno. I mean. Maybe? We lost a lot of kinda knowing stuff about that in the war."
"…Hm. Strange. My sister said for sure your magic is the same, with the sun and the moon and stuff like that, at least. I mean, you have a hum. That's the same. I'm not sure why the rest of it would be different."
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Frisk tilted her head curiously. Pidge learned all that just from peeking in? But, Frisk had no idea about monster magic being related to the sun. Sans didn't know either. He knew that being underground was unhealthy, and he knew they needed the magic from the CORE to survive, but other than that, there wasn't much in his memories that lined up with that specifically.
.
It did make sense, now that she thought about it, though. The monsters she knew looked a lot healthier in the sunlight, and even Sans had regained his ability to heal once they'd reached the surface the first time. During that erased year, she remembered Papyrus using skills she'd never even seen before, and, actually, he'd needed to sleep even less than he usually did.
.
"You look confused," Papyrus said.
"Hm? Oh! Sorry, I was just… I think you're right, it's probably pretty close," she said.
"Except the whole humans using magic thing," he said. "Are there others? Like you?"
"Um. Don't think so. Not anymore. When our King looked into it, seemed like humans had no clue about it," she said. "And I learned in school that only ones with red souls could ever do it at all. Maybe like a thousand years ago or something."
"That's a relief," he said under his breath. He cracked a smile. "I wonder, maybe I would have looked more like your brother if that'd all never happened."
"I like however you look," she said.
He grinned a little brighter.
.
A strange, melodic chime came from seemingly nowhere and the skeleton perked up. He pulled a round crystal out of his pocket. It was gently pulsing with orange. He tapped it twice with his thumb and it silenced itself.
"Ooh. Right on time! There's mail waiting for us," He looked at Frisk with his brows raised. "Would you like an excuse to take a walk?"
"Super yes."
"Are you guys going out?" Pidge had snuck out of her room without either of them hearing. She was groggy and in a baggy green tee, blinking heavily as she held up an oval crystal that softly blinked orange.
Papyrus stuck his hand up to greet her. "Little sister! Yes, come along, we'd be glad to have you."
Pidge flashed a grin. "Extra hands if Frisk passes out again."
"You don't need extra, I'm tiny," she said.
The other girl laughed quietly. "Welp. Got me there. Let's go, Papy, it's probably from mom."
xXxXx
The night was bright, moonlight off the snow shimmering enough to give the world a cool, blue tint. It was almost as easy to see through as daylight. Back through the main street of Snowdin they went, up until a big, wooden signpost decorated with arrows marked a crossroads. From there, they headed along the northern path. Paving stones under crushed snow gave way to a worn, dirt road leading into frosty forest.
.
Just a few minutes through and the path connected to a wide road running perpendicular and away from the town entirely. Right at the junction sat a small, wooden kiosk that looked like a fortified bird house. Pidge darted ahead, up to the large opening in the front. She bounced eagerly on her toes to peek into the shadows.
"Hey? Howdy? Hello? We got a signal," she said. "Anyone here?"
.
A rustling and quiet cooing heralded a huge, fluffy owl head squeezing through the window. The monster was mostly black with highlights of silver on the edges of his cheek and ear feathers, and he had only one, huge red eye. He squished himself out and onto the counter and sat, dangling strangely long legs, and his tail, like a waving tendril out behind him, plunked a blue, slanted cap with a visor onto his head between tufted, catlike ears.
"Ooh, little ghost. That was quick," he said. His tail stretched back into the building and returned with three letters. He passed one to her, and two to Papyrus. "And there you go!"
.
Pidge accepted excitedly and tore the envelope open. She pulled out a crisply folded sheet of pale silvery paper and grinned. "Knew it! It's from mom!"
"Of course it is," Papyrus said with a laugh, tucking his away. "Does she say if she's coming home soon?"
"Lemme read it first, goofus!"
"Alright, alright."
.
The owl monster's eye darted down to Frisk and he leaned down to peer at her unblinkingly. "Hoo, another one. Quite small. Hello, small thing."
"Um. Hi. I'm Frisk," the kid said.
"O-Our cousin!" Papyrus said quickly.
"Stolas," the monster said, putting a wing-hand to his chest. His eye got big. "Frisk, you said?"
"Yeah?"
Stolas's tail flicked back into the dark and returned with a letter sealed with a gold, wax seal. "That's funny, I got something for you a little earlier. I wasn't sure who to signal."
"Um. For me? That's… weird." Frisk frowned with confusion but held her hand out regardless.
.
The owl gently passed an envelope to her. The small letter was somehow heavy in her hands; she almost dropped it with surprise.
"O-Oh! Um, thanks!" she squeaked.
Papyrus leaned over her to look. There was a symbol of the four-winged Delta Rune— except with the circle replaced with a spiral— embossed in the wax of the seal. He reached down to slide a claw under it for her, and when she opened it, a whole hard-cover book plopped out, with a small letter taped to the front.
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Dear Frisk the Human,
Yeoboseyo! It's me, Alphys! We met earlier! I hope this finds its way to you! Haha, if not I'll figure something else out I'm sure. I know you mentioned a bit of your magic and Sans told me a little, and I thought it was such a shame that you'd never learnt spellcasting! I guess you don't have it in your home, right? Soooo, please take this book! It's for really young monsters, and I just thought you might maybe enjoy taking a look at it! Sorry, I hope this isn't imposing! You don't have to if you don't want to! I know it's hard, being away from home like you are. And I know we just met, but if you need anything, let me know! I have a lot of books!
.
She signed off with a heart and some characters Frisk couldn't read. There was also a little, simple lizard face with glasses drawn on in gold ink. It winked periodically.
.
The book had a cute, childish cartoon of a black dragon on the cover. The character was casting a spiral of scarlet magic in front of her as some little white dogs cheered her on. There was no title on the front, instead bearing a sun symbol with the number one inside it. The spine, however, read: Little Monster's Magic Notes: Volume 1. Frisk flipped it open and saw pages of sheet music and similar cute pictures drawn throughout as step-by-step guides or encouragement.
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"Oh, that's really sweet," Frisk said under her breath.
"Ooh, I remember that one," Papyrus said. "It's just some simple things. Good for games or little puzzles, if you like!"
"Cool," Frisk said. She couldn't help a smile and turned to Stolas curiously. "Can I send a letter back?"
"Absohootly, you can!"
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As Frisk pulled her notebook out and began to write a thank you note, Pidge finished with her letter. She sighed and folded it roughly, shoving it into her pocket.
"Few more months, she said." The girl sighed and looked up at Papyrus worriedly. "She said she's getting close to the End."
"I thought so," Papyrus said.
"How long's she been gone?" Frisk asked.
"A few months. But she was gone before that for a while, too." Pidge sighed. "I wish she could let it go. She knows he's never gonna give her the answer she wants."
"She is very stubborn," Papyrus said. He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "Very similar to a certain someone, I think."
"We're literally all stubborn, though," the girl said with a tired laugh.
The skeleton snickered. "Well, you're certainly not wrong."
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"Is she still looking for the old King?" Stolas asked.
Pidge nodded. The owl gently patted her on the head.
"Don't fret, little ghost, she'll be home before you know it."
"Yeah," Pidge said, pouting a little. She tried to shake it off and snuck in close to Frisk. "What'd you…? Oh! Alphys, huh? That was nice of her."
Frisk nodded. She hesitated, just a moment, and then gave the other girl a hug. "Sorry about your mom."
"Wh…?" Pidge blinked. She wilted and squeezed Frisk tight. "S'okay. I expected…" She sighed. "Thanks." She pulled away and mussed up the kid's hair. "F-Finish writing your dang letter before we both start crying, okay?"
"Okay, okay," Frisk said with a laugh.
xXxXx
Just off the main street, there was a little pub sandwiched between a spice store and a fortune-teller's shop. It was tall and narrow, made from dark wooden planks with high, peaked roof and a sheltering awning above the door. Either side of the entrance was decorated with a stone lantern, flickering with blue and purple flame. Since the kids weren't tired at all, Papyrus brought them there.
.
The inside was warm and golden, lit by a smouldering fire pit, with seats sectioned off in private booths. It was quiet except the faint mumblings of tired monsters near a counter at the back and the the crackle of flames.
.
Inside one of the booths, Pidge eagerly jumped into a seat and pulled Frisk in beside her. Papyrus sat across and tapped his finger on a crystal orb imbedded into the wood of the table. It glowed faintly with white.
"Dumplings, obviously," he said.
"Aaaand soup!" Pidge said. "No, wait, stew, with the cornbread thingies. Do you think Sans will show up?"
"You never know with him." Papyrus wrote their order into the crystal with his finger. "Frisk, would you like anything else?"
"Um. Tea? Is that okay?" she said.
"Oooh, yes, tea. Good idea."
"And ketchup."
"Ketchup? What f…?" Papyrus's face crinkled. "Oh no, not you, too."
"No, no no, for Sans," she said quickly.
"I will never understand that," Pidge said.
"It is kind of you to think to enable him," the skeleton said with an amused, sideways smile. He wrote it in. "Alright. A ketchup separate."
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Frisk leaned over to look at the orb, but didn't see much except Papyrus's writing in gold-orange, fading away. "So it sends messages?"
"It'll print out the order on the other end," Pidge said.
"But you guys still mostly send letters, right?" Frisk asked.
Pidge blinked with confusion. Frisk held up her phone.
"I mean, we use them, too, but I could use this to text anyone who has one of these."
"Ooh. Well, I mean, you need a bigger crystal to send things farther, I think," Papyrus said.
"Ah, I get it. We don't have computers like how you guys'd think of them," Pidge said. "At least, um, from what I understand of what I saw."
Frisk nodded thoughtfully, but she still looked confused. Pidge snickered.
"What?" she asked.
"Well, I mean, I was just getting to know how my own world works," Frisk said with an apologetic smile. "I'm trying to kinda match things up between places in my brain so I'm not just a lost mess."
"Ah. Yeah, that makes sense," Pidge said. "Oh yeah, right, you were a street kid, right?"
Frisk nodded. Pidge smiled.
"Bet you were pretty easy to impress at first, huh? I was the same." She stretched her arms high above her head. "Hey. Can I see your book?"
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Frisk plunked it onto the table and pushed it over. Pidge flipped it open and looked through a few pages. Papyrus leaned forward, cheek on his fist and an amused smile on his face. The kid kept on through the book for a minute, nodding thoughtfully, and then pulled back with a bashful grin.
"I can't read music at all," she said.
Papyrus snickered.
"I know a little," Frisk said. "Sans and Undyne taught me."
"Mom tried to teach me and I just couldn't get it at all," Pidge said.
"That's okay, I'm still learning to read normal words, too." Frisk pulled the book over. "But this is for really little kids, right? I think I can get it. Maybe I could help you with notes?"
"Nah, don't worry, I can't cast anyway," the girl said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Maybe you could, though, if you tried very hard," Papyrus suggested.
"I doubt it, bro," she said. "Anyway, it's fine. What I got is enough for me. And besides…"
.
She clammed up as a golden fire elemental drifted over to their table with tea and a fancy glass bottle of ketchup. The monster stalled upon seeing them, and Frisk tried to be casual as she pushed her sleeve up a little. As soon as the blue was visible, the elemental relaxed and placed their things on the table. They thanked her; she nodded and then whooshed away.
.
Frisk rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. A look of shame flashed over Papyrus's face. He got up.
"Actually. I'm going to get Sans, since we ordered him so many things," he said. "I'll be right back. Be good, you two."
"O-Okay, bye," Frisk said as the other girl raised a hand to wave him off. She turned to her with a frown. "Did I—?"
"No," Pidge said. She lowered her voice. "I think he's a bit worried about it goin' red again and not being able to help you." She took Frisk's arm carefully and held it to stare at the blue. "It's not too bad, is it? Like, how it feels."
The girl's skin was so cold. Frisk got goosebumps.
"It doesn't feel like anything, really." She grabbed Pidge's hand with both of hers and rubbed them together.
"What're you—?"
"You're frozen," Frisk said. "I'd do red for you, but, um… But! My brothers say my hands are really warm even without that, so…"
"Oh." Pidge's cheeks flushed. "I-It's okay. I'm always kinda cold like that." She patted Frisk on the shoulder and then quickly took her tea and took a sip. "I'm alright, don't worry. A-Anyway! Did you take a look in there? Anything you wanna try?"
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Frisk tilted her head. Pidge looked like she was trying to hide behind her mug of tea. The kid turned back to the book.
"Um. Well, I saw one for, like, glow bubbles? That's basically all I can do anyway, so if that'd make it easier— ooh, or maybe I could do a couple? That'd be cool."
"Ah, jeez, is volume one really all just stuff like that?" Pidge asked.
"I saw something about making ice cubes. But it says blues have that a bit easier. Oh, and one for small repairs of magic stuff, but I can kinda already do that."
Pidge rolled her eyes. "I should ask her to get you one on bullet patterns."
"B…? Oh! No, I don't need that," Frisk said quickly. "Besides, when would I ever use it?"
"Training?" she suggested. "Dunno." She hunched her shoulders. "Against humans, maybe."
"I-I don't think I'm gonna be fighting any humans! And if someone comes at me, I can freeze them a little or something."
"But, like… Okay, think about it. Time bullets, though. That'd be really cool."
"Well, yeah, duh. As long as they don't hurt, though," Frisk said. "I don't wanna hurt anyone."
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Pidge looked her up and down, a slanted smile on her face. "After everything you've been through…"
Frisk blinked. A chill sunk in her stomach. The freckled girl sipped her steaming tea. She looked far away for a moment.
"I hope you stay like you are," she said. "I hope you never want to hurt people." She shot Frisk a sly grin. "But, like, I mean, it's okay if you make 'em fall on the floor or something, right? Don't just let yourself get kidnapped or some junk 'cause you don't wanna hurt some loser like that, alright?"
"Well, I mean, I had to bite a guy the other day," Frisk said bashfully.
Pidge scoffed loudly, almost snorting tea. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, a big grin on her face. "And you even feel guilty about that! Aw, Frisk. You're a riot, y'know?"
"You fight, though, right?" the kid asked. She remembered she'd even stormed into Undyne's with a blade, even though it didn't look terribly sharp— not that it mattered. "That's what you said?"
"I do." She nodded. "Maybe it's mean. But I don't mind hurting someone a bit. If they deserve it. If I need to protect someone." She smiled ruefully. "I mean, monsters, never. Not on purpose. But humans? I'd smack a human on purpose."
"It just makes me feel sick," Frisk said quietly.
"Drink some tea."
The kid cracked a smile. She took a sip. A new flavour. Berries of some kind.
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Papyrus arrived, lugging his half-asleep brother, just in time for the stew and dumplings to be served. Sans was still in his pyjamas, and he slumped across the table right where his brother had placed him. He only roused when Frisk passed him his ketchup. His face lit right up— somehow, it made the tiny nick at the bottom of his bad eye's socket easier to see. He added the red goo to every part of his meal and drank the rest. That and the much-expected scoffing sounds Papyrus made whenever he took note of it made Frisk feel a little more at home.
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The food was good. Hearty and warming. The whole place had a cozy nostalgia about it, and the conversation stayed slow and light.
.
The sun had just barely begun to rise by the time they started the walk back to the house. Sans lagged behind, dragging tired feet in the gold-tinted snow. Frisk dropped back with him as Pidge and Papyrus chattered amongst themselves, striding at a much quicker pace. He shot her a tired smile.
"Doin' alright?" he asked.
She nodded. "You?"
"Yeah. Pretty good." He shoved his hands in his pockets, his eyes half-lidded. "Thanks for trustin' me. Before."
"No no no, thank you for helping. That was… dangerous," she said.
He shrugged. "Knew it'd be fine. Didn't see myself dustin' right then, so."
"I'd never let you in a million years," she said quietly.
.
Sans grinned. There was a glimmer in his eye. "Protective, huh?"
"W-Well, yeah, I can't let you get blown up for me," she squeaked.
A sympathetic grimace crossed his face. "Your, uh, brother? He real fragile?"
"Yeah."
Sans nodded thoughtfully. "Same here. Used to be normal 'til I fell into the Soul when I was a kid. But, that's also how I became an oracle, so it ain't all bad. Anythin' like that go down?"
"Ooh. No, he was made like that."
"Made?"
"Yeah, dad made him doing magic science with determination stuff," she said. "He was trying to make a fake human soul. Me and Sans were both kinda weird science experiment kids. I mean, I guess Paps was too, except he was on purpose, I think."
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It took a moment for Frisk to notice the skeleton wasn't walking beside her. She turned to find him stalled just a few steps back, eyes wide.
"What? You okay?"
Sans stared at her blankly. He tilted his head. "You're… human, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"A monster made ya?"
Frisk nodded. She grasped her hands together. She missed that monster a heck of a lot.
"But. Wait, so… you're…?" He eyed her up and down cautiously. "Your dad, he's…?"
"Um. A skeleton. His name's Gaster."
Sans bristled. The kid flinched.
"Is he mean here, too?" she asked.
He smiled sideways, but his pupils had vanished. "Ah. Don't worry 'bout it. Hey, if your dad's a bad dude, then—"
"Oh! No, sorry!" Frisk said quickly. "No, my dad's really nice. The Gaster I met in the universe before I fell here was the mean one."
"Oh. Ooh." A little glitter returned to him. "Hey. Good news for once. They can be a real pain if they're… Well. Forget that! You got a good one. Even if I don't get how the heck you're even possible, kiddo."
"Y-Yeah, same, mostly."
.
So two out of three so far weren't so nice, when counting Gasters. Frisk wasn't sure she understood. He was a caring dork back home. Filled with determination, sure. Maybe that was what set him off, somehow. It seemed unusual. Most monsters were really kind by nature. That same nature had caused Sans so much grief when his soul wanted to trust and care for the anomalies that came before her, yet his mind knew from experience it was a disaster waiting to happen. To have one monster be so different from himself— and unusually cruel— was hard to understand.
.
"Uh. You okay, kid?" Sans asked worriedly. "Sorry, didn't mean t'offend ya if I—"
"Oh! No, you didn't. Um. Just… thinking. Sorry," she said. She let out a nervous laugh. "It's just… It's weird, right? Like, different versions of the same guy, I dunno." She shook her head. "Sorry, I mean, I knew about different anomalies and stuff, even if we weren't really all the same person. But I kinda have trouble wrapping my mind around some of this other stuff."
Sans smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, it's uh… Always kinda existential at first." He patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry 'bout it too much. Come on, bet we beat those guys home."
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He whisked her back into the warmth of the house. They were standing on the table. He sat down where he was. By the time she'd hopped to the floor, Pidge was opening the front door. She pouted and levelled her gaze at Sans.
"Cheater," she teased.
He winked. "What else is new?" He stretched. "Welp. I'm goin' back to bed."
"But you just got up, brother," Papyrus said.
"Got a lotta work to do later. You get some rest, too, pigeon, I'm gonna need your help again."
"Yeah yeah, I will," she said, sticking her tongue out at him as he teleported away. "Frisk, you okay?"
"Uh-huh."
"Gonna get some rest?"
The kid shrugged. Pidge smirked as she ditched her outdoor clothes.
"Do it, okay? I wanna train with you tomorrow."
"Train with me?" Frisk echoed.
"Yeah! Think you could use it," she said. She clapped Frisk on the shoulder. "It'll be fun."
"O-Okay."
Pidge grinned and headed upstairs. "And come up if you need anything!"
.
Frisk nodded, though she had no intention of sleeping anymore. Papyrus put a hand on her head and smiled knowingly down at her.
"I'll keep you company," he said.
xXxXx
Frisk spent the next couple hours trying to work through the knot of anxiety over Asriel in her gut and reading her new book. The words were easy enough, and the music notes weren't too bad either. She could whistle a couple, simple melodies, but that didn't do much. Papyrus explained that casting a spell as written was more along the lines of playing music with one's soul. Frisk couldn't quite figure it out but still ended up with red bands on her wrist for her efforts. This time, though, Papyrus wasn't worried. He said the house was safe. Since Mistral never came bursting in, it seemed he was right.
.
When Sans lugged himself out of bed, he wiped Frisk's bands back to blue and plunked down with her, gently correcting her when she got a note wrong. He didn't stay long, though. Pidge got up and they vanished to get back to work, whatever that meant. Frisk wanted to help, but Sans simply asked her to be patient. She was still having trouble with that.
.
For fun, Papyrus took the kid around town again. She took photos of everything. There was a little yellow lizard kid with black wasp stripes that she thought might be Kid, and had to convince herself to not to rush over to say hello— mostly so as not to risk hugging him. She missed him a lot, too, now that she thought of it. Maybe they could do a big sleepover when they got home, if Sans was okay.
.
There were still many kinds of monsters here Frisk had never seen. Some had names she hadn't heard before, like the grimms for those little devilish monsters and mer for the fish people that were the same type as Undyne. She saw an orc for the first time— an olive-brown, scaly type of monster that looked like a cross between a dinosaur and a bulldog. They weren't around anymore back home.
.
She was pretty sure she was getting the world figured out, at least a little. This place had never had the devastating war with humanity that had wiped out whole groups and erased so much knowledge from the monsters. If Papyrus was right about the sun— which she was pretty sure he was— these monsters hadn't been light-starved, either. Their powers seemed a lot more potent here, except the healing. Tech was magic with sparse human influence, and spell books not unlike the one her father had found so precious could be bought in a store. In fact, there was a store filled with them not too far from the pub. Frisk made a note to take a trip there before heading home.
.
She couldn't quite put her finger on the Soul of the World, though, nor how Pidge as this world's anchor really tied in. Then again, they hadn't talked about time travel much. Maybe it hadn't messed up as it had back home. Maybe this Sans being an oracle had allowed him to subvert part of it, or maybe they'd never been thrown askew at all. There were no saves, though. No mention of an angry ghost, or alternate anomalies flitting in and out, either. Reset to midnight, Pidge said. Papyrus didn't have much in the ways of answers. He could feel time when it shifted, he said, but couldn't remember much of it— just like Pidge had told her. Maybe it was best not to get hung up on it, for now, despite a fleeting hope that, somehow, it might help her.
.
To kill some time, Papyrus brought Frisk to a large, icy maze he'd help build out near the river. It was guarded by a massive, glittering wolf who gladly accepted an ear rub before the kid and the skeleton delved into the frosty pathways. There were puzzles within puzzles there to help open some secret doors, and it was all a good time until Frisk goofed up a switch and fell into a trap of ice-cold water. Once again a Frisksicle, Papyrus brought her back to the house so she could change as he went to go get lunch for everyone out in the town. He asked her to go pull the others out of work-mode while he was gone. It was almost noon and they needed a break, too.
.
For the first time in a while, Frisk was back in her own clothes. She spent an extra moment of consideration on her blue and pink hoodie with the little horn-points on the hood. She hoped people would just think the Delta Rune in white on the back was a misprint, because she was way too chilly to not wear it.
.
She straightened out her hair a bit with her fingers, and then headed to Pidge's door. She knocked, but there was no answer.
"Guys?" she called. "Papyrus said he's getting lunch? And that you should take a break?" She wished she knew what they needed to take a break from.
Sans's door was her next stop. Knocked again. Nothing.
"Sans? Pidge?" She thought she might have heard a voice in there, whether it was replying to her or not. Cautiously, she opened it up.
.
Sans's room wasn't at all what she expected. The small, dim area near the door was a mess of books and clothes on a wooden floor beside a bedroll and a pile of blankets strewn about everywhere. The only things on the walls were a few drawings of varying quality, presumably done by Pidge or Papyrus, when he was younger. However, beyond that, there was another threshold, shimmering with magic like a mirage, that opened onto a room of dark wood panels lit by firelight and chunks of crystal on a small, stone pedestal. Once more, the interior of a monster house defied logical space.
.
Frisk edged forward, peeking through the odd, empty doorframe. The room beyond was lined with messy bookshelves, with yet more tomes stacked up haphazardly on the floor, in most abundance beside a huge, wide old table with two wooden chairs near it. The ceiling drew the kid's eyes immediately with a glimmer of light. They were covered in stone panels with crystals imbedded in: constellation shapes arranged in a huge circle around a glowing orb at their centre. Frisk could have sworn she'd seen them before somewhere.
.
A creak of wood to her right made the kid jump and she turned to look. She froze. There was a large, unusual-looking skeleton in the corner of the room, leaning over top of another, pitch-black crystal orb on a pedestal. The skeleton was a bit taller than Papyrus, but more heavily-built. They wore a black coat with a fuzzy hood, though it had no sleeves covering any of their four arms. The lower pair held the pedestal while the upper pair clasped red magic between sharp claws. The main shoulders had curved, blade-like spikes protruding from them like petrified wings, piercing the coat. Parts of their forearms were translucent like frosted glass. A long, boney tail with a blade-like tip waved gently back and forth behind them.
.
Before Frisk could say anything, the skeleton perked up and the magic they held fizzled out. They turned, blinking three eyes with shimmering purple irises back at her. The whole right side of their body was scarred faintly, including a little chip at the bottom of the right eye socket, and they cracked a pointy-toothed grin at the kid's startled expression.
"Uh. Whoops," he said in a voice that was two at once, but sounded very much like Sans. "Did I spook ya?"
"Huhwhat?!" Frisk squeaked. "How are you—?"
"Aah! No, no, Frisk, it's okay," he said, raising his hands, though his voice sounded a bit more feminine now. "I'm, uh… I'm… Sans's, uh…"
.
The kid stared. Her heart thumped. It took her a second, but she knew exactly what this monster was. She gulped hard, but a weak smile crept over her.
"You didn't think up a fake name first?" she joked, though her voice warbled.
The big skeleton froze. Half his face twisted into an amused smile and he rubbed the back of his skull bashfully. "Ah… So, you figured it out, huh?" He laughed. "'Course she did, she's a smart little nerd."
Frisk let out a deep breath and her shoulders slumped. "Y-You guys…? Are you okay?"
The skeleton smiled. "Yeah. No worries. This is how we do our work." He chuckled at the look on her face. "You're confused."
"Y-Yeah," she said. "So you're not hurt?"
"Hurt? Why the heck would I be…?" All three of his eyes went wide. "Oh…. Right, right right." His brows tilted apologetically, and he came close to her and knelt down. "Sorry. Don't be scared, okay? It's safe." They pulled the collar of their t-shirt down a little to reveal a red glow in their ribcage. "See?"
Frisk didn't really understand. But, something the snake at the apothecary shop said suddenly made a lot more sense: soulbonder. She cautiously got a little closer. "C-Could I…?"
He nodded. She took one of his hands. The bones were freezing cold. On the back of another, that half moon and circle mark she'd seen on Sans at the Soul shimmered like glistening ice. She looked up at his face, gaze lingering on the eye in the middle of his forehead. He smiled sideways.
"Took a bit of gettin' used to," he said. "But he isn't blind in this one when we do this!" He pointed at the right eye, and then laughed quietly and rubbed it with his palm. "You always gotta sound so enthusiastic, huh?" The skeleton's eyes brightened again and he grabbed the kid's shoulder gently. "Since you're here, wanna see what we're working on?"
"U-Um! Sure?" she said.
.
He picked her up under her arms and ferried her over to the crystal he'd been looking at before. "So. Alright. This thing. It channels what you can hear through the Soul of the World. Still rough, but with pigeon's red, makes it a lot smoother. Easier to separate melodies out without havin' to focus on a bunch of visions, too." He tapped a finger against it and a crystal of red shone up through the blackness. "That's yours. From yesterday, right?"
"A-And… this helps you search?"
"Mhm! Sure does. Gives us an easy thing to match against." He pointed upwards with one of the hands that wasn't holding her. "This room mimics some of the star signs from down there, too. Channel 'em in different ways and we can scan big sections of the out there."
"And… I guess you didn't find anything yet, huh?" she asked.
"Mmm no. Not yet," he said. "There's a lot of magic to sort through. This way works best, but we, uh…" His face fell and voice softened. "We can't keep it up for a very long time. But we'll keep trying."
"I know. Thank you," Frisk said. "Um. Any sign of my brother?"
"No. But there's, uh, silent parts. Might be him."
Frisk shook her head. "N-No, his soul's hum merges with mine. It wouldn't just be quiet."
"It does?" The big skeleton looked surprised. "Can you whistle for us?"
"Well, it's kinda two songs," Frisk said apologetically. "I could do it in parts?"
"Hm. Find her a piano or somethin'?" He suggested. He nodded. "Yeah. Good idea. Can you play the piano at all? You can, right?"
Frisk cracked a smile. Finally, something she could actually do. "Yeah, a bit."
The big skeleton lifted her up to look her in the face. All three eyes were bright. He grinned. "We're gonna get this. I know it." He gave her a hug— or more, Pidge did— before carefully putting her back on the floor and stretching, two arms up and two forward, cracking his knuckles. "Whew. Think we're about done for now."
.
A shiver of magic hummed in the air. The skeleton's bones began to glow white until their whole form washed out. Just a second later, Sans and Pidge stumbled away from each other. They were wearing each other's jackets. Pidge was fully red for a few moments until the colour seeped back into her soul, but it dyed her irises deep crimson. Something about that sent a chill down Frisk's spine. Sans snorted out a laugh and took off the too-small hoodie to pass to the girl. She, however, pulled his big coat tighter around her shoulders and stuck her tongue out. He mussed up her hair.
.
"Okay, wait, like, my mind's kinda blown right now, though," Frisk said. "You guys can just do that whenever?!"
"Not quite whenever," Sans said.
"It's a lotta work," Pidge said.
"But you can give your soul without dying?" the kid insisted. "That's what soulbonder means?"
"Who said that?!" Pidge's cheeks flushed. "Well, it's… It's a little complicated. It's not really… giving it, it's more like lending it. And I can't do magic much, other than that. But, um! Ooh! Your magic's a lot stronger than anything I do. You should try it!"
"M-Me?!" Frisk squeaked.
"Yeah! Like, with your brothers or something."
The kid's mind raced. "B-But… No, I can't, unless it's Sans, I can't give over his memories, I—"
"Memories?" Sans repeated. "…Oh. I see. We, uh, don't have that problem much."
Frisk blinked. "What?"
Pidge grabbed Frisk's hand. "Don't worry about it, okay? Sorry we surprised you."
"What? No, no no, it's fine! It was pretty cool, actually," Frisk said. She rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry to burst in, um… Papyrus just wanted me to tell you guys to take a break, actually. He's getting lunch."
Sans grinned. "Lunch."
"He's been hungry for like two hours," Pidge teased. She yawned and stretched again. "Hey, Frisk, don't forget, we're training after."
"We are?" she squeaked.
"Yeah! I know just the place." She thumped her on the shoulder. "It'll be fun!"
"Okay, but like… You gotta tell me all about that stuff, okay?" Frisk insisted.
Pidge grinned nervously. "Ah! Um. I'll do my best."
xXxXx
Frisk had about a thousand questions, the first of which was repeatedly asking how. Pidge explained— through mouthfuls of a big sandwich— that she'd figured it out by accident when she'd taken a near-lethal hit in a battle and been grabbed by Sans, which had put him in harm's way at the same instant. Their determination combined seemed to have triggered it, somehow. They didn't share memories, and they had to be large enough to safely hold Pidge's form, but the way they controlled it seemed pretty similar to what Frisk had experienced.
.
Once more, Pidge suggested she try it. Frisk had no idea how. The other kid wasn't sure how to explain without guiding her to actually do it. But, she admitted, it might be something unique to this world. Nobody was sure. Frisk couldn't stop running it over again in her head, but she'd hold it back for a little while. It was an interesting thought, but her focus for now had to be on Asriel.
.
While Sans and Papyrus went off in search of something with a keyboard, Pidge took Frisk down to the edge of town and to the portal hut, equipped with her blunt blade and thick, wooden training sword. She touched her bird pedant against one of the crystals within and opened a red and white portal for them. They emerged in a sheltered, rocky alcove amongst glittering trees, but were only a minute's walk from the huge, grassy field that surrounded the Soul of the World. It was just as nice out there as the first time Frisk had seen it.
.
Pidge stretched her arms high into the air and let out a long, satisfied sigh. The wind was blowing, cool and refreshing under the warm sun. She turned and tossed Frisk the wooden sword. The kid caught it easily at the carved hilt. It was a bit big for her.
"You don't use any weapons, right?" Pidge asked.
"Um. No, not really," Frisk said.
"Well. That's okay. This's good for your arms," she said. "Undyne always told me, if you're feeling weird and worried and your mind's all over the place, nothing like a bit of battle training to get you all focused up. Good for venting, too!"
"My Undyne's kinda the same," Frisk said. Oh no, she thought, now she missed her, too.
"You'll at least block me, right?" Pidge said.
"Guess so," Frisk said.
"And no magic," Pidge warned. She flashed a grin and the red still in her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Just 'cause, uh, if you go red here, the autocatchers are gonna have a field day." She tapped her sword against the ground. "Field day, get it? …Don't tell Sans I said that."
"What's an a—?"
"Turret defence system," Pidge said. "'Cause we're around the Soul, right? A lot higher security. But! Also! Not too many people near here that aren't guards. Safer, I figure."
"Right," Frisk said. She grasped the hilt of the fake sword tightly. She smiled sideways. "I'm probably gonna suck."
"That's okay! It's just for fun," Pidge said. She grasped the sword in both hands, holding it fairly loosely, and stood, one foot before the other. "Don't worry. Mine can't cut."
"I'm not worried," Frisk said.
Pidge grinned. "Good!"
.
There was no such thing as an official battle start between humans. Frisk had forgotten until Pidge darted forward with a diagonal swing of her blade. The kid sidestepped to the right as the sword sailed by. Pidge grinned and turned, slicing up as she went. Frisk jumped back.
"Hah! C'mon, y'dork, I didn't give that thing to you so you could just run away the whole time," Pidge teased. She tapped the underside of Frisk's sword with hers, raising it up a little. "Hold it up like this. So, if I come at you…" She jabbed forward as if in slow motion and Frisk cautiously raised her weapon so Pidge's aim was set off. "Yeah! Like that."
"Y-You do this a lot?" Frisk asked.
"Oh yeah." She took a step back. "Look. I know you're, like, tiny. But, things go wrong sometimes. Especially if you end up more than one on one. Learning to block a hit might be the difference between reset or not."
"You think guys are gonna be coming at me with swords?" she asked.
"You never know here," Pidge said. "Sometimes, in this world, it's, um… smack or be smacked, y'know? Good offence is a good offence?"
Frisk flinched. "What about, um, block or be smacked?" she said sheepishly. "…Is it dangerous here, is that why you wanted—?"
"What?! Oh, no no no," the girl said hurriedly, putting her hands up apologetically. "No, it's pretty safe here, it's just…" She sighed and rubbed her head. "Ah, sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. I mean, it really is just for fun. But fun can be useful, too, right? And I just… would really like you to feel… safer, y'know?" The red in her eyes began to dim and she smiled bashfully. "I wish I'd know this when I was as small as you. Plus, it's totally safe if you accidentally whack me!"
.
Frisk had a sudden feeling of déjà vu. She cracked a smile. If it'd put her mind at ease, Frisk would spar. She mimicked Pidge's stance and tried to hold the training sword the same way she'd seen. The girl's face lit right up.
"I'll get you a shield next time instead, okay?" she said.
"Sure, but show me this first," Frisk said.
.
Pidge excitedly threw herself into it, guiding Frisk on how to stand, how to hold the sword; how to deflect the point. Frisk could tell she was going really slow for her— she must've known what she was doing. The kid had to stop herself from reflexively leaping away, and though she wouldn't strike, she had to admit that deflecting was pretty satisfying, even if she took a few whacks on the arms and shoulders.
.
Though she was slowing down on purpose, there was something chaotic about Pidge's style. Her strikes were heavy and strong. Frisk guessed she must have practiced a lot. They kept it up for about an hour.
.
Under the afternoon sun, the kids took a break in the grass, sharing a canteen of cold, sweet tea and sandwiches from another world. White, puffy clouds rolled past overhead, though none broke the light. The wind was cool and refreshing.
"Wasn't so bad, right?" Pidge asked.
Frisk shook her head. She took off her hoodie and stretched before readjusting the hem of her t-shirt. The other kid almost spit her tea out, then started coughing.
"You okay?" Frisk asked.
"Do you not…? Where's your bellybutton?" Pidge asked.
"What's a bellybutton?" Frisk wondered.
The girl blinked blankly. "You said your dad was Gaster?"
"Yeah," she said with a nod.
"Huh." Pidge took another swig. "Welp." She passed Frisk the drink. "You're probably the weirdest human I've ever met, Frisk." She winked. "That's a good thing."
Frisk scoffed quietly. She sipped the tea and then held her knees. "Sometimes… I wonder why I had to be one. Kinda wish I was born one of them, y'know? Is that weird?"
"No way! I feel the same," Pidge assured her.
She held out her hand and looked at her fingers. "Guess I'd be a skeleton or something," she said. "That'd be pretty cool."
"Very breezy," Pidge said with a nod.
Frisk snickered. "Yeah." She handed the canteen back. "So, um, who taught you to fight like that? Was it Undyne?"
.
Pidge smiled fondly. She screwed the cap back onto the tea and then leaned back in the grass comfortably. "Nah. My mom. Well. Both my moms. My first mom, back where I came from? She used to be a knight." Her eyes lit up. "She always said she was more of a protector than a fighter. But she could swing a sword really well. I mean, she never let me use a sword. Just a stick. But it was good exercise, doing the moves. Y'know, kinda relaxing, when I was little. And I'd do duels with my brother! I was always a little too rough, though."
"…You have a family, back there?" Frisk asked worriedly.
"N-No. No. They were… gone. By the time I came here," she said quietly.
"I'm sorry," Frisk said.
Pidge smiled and shook her head, but there was a forlorn look in her eye. "When I got here, mom thought I had some magical destiny or whatever. She trained me for real. Like the footwork, how to parry; how to whack people with the hilt if I had to. Some weird sneaky tricks. When you're gonna be smaller than everyone you might need to battle, things are a little different. I'm sure you know that, though."
"Yeah," the kid said with a laugh. "Boy, do I. Paps said you battling freed some people from the curse."
"Oh, um. Yeah. That was the magic destiny thing. Determination soul and all that. And it never totally broke it, just the stuff that would make them all go nuts at night. Did he tell you about that?"
Frisk nodded. "Yeah, something about sun and moon magic. It was pretty interesting. I'm glad you could help them, that moon-blind thing sounded pretty bad."
Her cheeks flushed. "Yeah, well, it was the least I could do after everyone was so nice to me." She stretched. "How're your arms?"
"Little sore, I guess. No big deal," Frisk said.
"Ask Papy for a bruise-goo when we see him next time," she said, and then smiled proudly. "I'm sure he can make one for you. He invented all kinds of new ones to deal with weird stuff about me."
"Do you not bruise?" Frisk asked teasingly.
"Not much since coming here, it's kinda weird," she admitted. "But he's a really great alchemist. How 'bout yours?"
"I'm not sure if we have that back home," Frisk admitted.
"Well, you should," Pidge said with a puzzled frown. "I don't know why you wouldn't, unless… Well. It's helpful, even if you can heal with magic."
"Maybe I can borrow a book on it?" Frisk suggested. "It seems kinda like cooking, right? And Paps loves that."
"You got it." She flopped on her back into the grass and folded her arms behind her head. "Hey. Thanks for humouring me. I had fun."
"Yeah." Frisk smiled. She wished her brothers were with them, too, but she kept that in. She lay back on the ground and looked up at the bright blue sky. "Yeah, this is nice."
.
"I wonder if they're having any luck," Pidge said quietly.
"I hope it's not too much trouble," Frisk said. "Ugh. They have little pianos apps for phones and stuff but I never downloaded one."
"I'm gonna pretend I totally understood what you just said," the girl joked.
Frisk snickered. Pidge suddenly shot up, startling the kid.
"Ah! I know!"
"What?" Frisk asked, sitting up.
"There's a Sun Temple in the woods." She got to her feet and brushed herself off. "It's a bit of a hike. But they're gonna have at least, like, three instruments in there for sure." She held out her hand. "Up for it?"
Frisk took her hand and let her pull her up. "Yeah, sounds good."
.
As Pidge pulled a compass out of her pocket and wandered into the field, shielding her eyes and peering around, Frisk took a moment to take a breath. She guessed Pidge didn't have to warn her brothers where she was headed too often if Sans could see bits of the future so clearly.
.
She yawned. Her skin prickled. The air was suddenly chilly enough to send a shiver up her spine. She looked up at the sky. Nothing had changed. Felt like a storm coming in, though.
.
An abrupt, stabbing pain in her soul made her squeak, and she cupped her hand over it. It flickered on its own accord and she could see the blue bands on her wrist flicker, too.
"Oh dang, what…?" she muttered shrilly. "P-Pidge, I…!"
There were whispers in the back of her ears, beckoning her. She froze. There was something uncomfortably familiar about this. Her vision shattered into fragments of light from days and nights, sun and rain. Her stomach did a flip. She was afraid to, but she turned around.
.
There was a black gash in the broken world. Widening, seeping a pitch ooze out into the pristine grass, and everywhere it touched drained of colour. A deep blackness so cold and intense that it hurt her eyes and made her dizzy. The air was molasses, her body stiff and slow like fleeing in a dream. Her throat tightened. She thought she heard something she knew. She reached out a tentative hand and the claw marks pricked under her knuckles began to shimmer as if light shone under her skin.
.
Splatters of leaking shadows split with white as long, thin fingers burst through, grabbing tight to her wrist. A twisted, white maw and two wide, broken eye sockets lurched forth, rings of white iris shining back at her. Her heart pounded with dread and she grasped tight to his hand.
"D-Dad?!"
.
He was twisted and jerky in his movements, a jump cut in space, distorting like a recording looped over itself. His bones weaved together with more definition as he leaned in towards her.
"Wh-What happened to you?!" she demanded.
"I… I am alright," His voice didn't sound real. It was a broken radio in another room. He reached out his hand and gently touched her cheek with his frozen fingertips. "…A stór, we were so worried."
Frisk's eyes welled up as her mind tripped over itself. "I-I'm sorry. I'm trying to g-get us back, it's just—"
"Forget that, are you safe?" he asked.
"Y… Yeah," she said.
"Good." The word oozed out in a deep, long sigh. "I… don't have much time."
"Dad, no…"
"Oh! Don't be afraid." He cracked an exhausted, bashful smile. "I should have worded myself better. I don't have much time to talk with you. I was less stable in this spell than I thought." His dark eyes grew hard and serious. "We need you and your brother. The world is moving randomly and chaotically through time."
"I-It WHAT?!" she yelped.
"It's distressing, but not dire yet," he said. "You are lost, is that right?"
"We need to f-find our way back," she agreed quickly. "B-But, dad—!"
"It's alright. We…" His form shuddered. Black ooze crept up his hand, wrapping into his broken palm. "We… We'll send you a sign." His body wavered and the light left his eyes as the void began to swallow him up. "A… A beacon. Somehow. Don't worry. Just…" He brushed his fingers through her hair before his hand vanished into a pond of pitch darkness. "Watch for us."
"Dad, wait, what about Sans?!" she shouted.
.
The dark faded. Colour shattered through the greyscale and intense vertigo knocked the kid to her knees. She heard Pidge's voice and was quickly pulled up into the girl's arms.
.
"What the hell was that?!" she barked. "Are you okay?!"
"D-Did you see that?" Frisk asked shrilly.
"That weird black stuff? It looked like the air was melting," she said, a tremor in her voice. "What…?!"
The ground rumbled. Pidge's eyes bugged out. The red was burning from Frisk's wrists. She yanked the kid upright.
"Run," she said.
.
Frisk could hardly see. Pidge began to sprint, dragging her along. The rumble grew louder. A thin pillar of stone stabbed out of the ground behind them and began glowing deep green. Others followed. Pidge juked around shimmering barriers erecting between the pillars.
"We just gotta get to the warp!" she shouted.
.
Blue warnings slammed Frisk from left and right, then right ahead. She jerked back away from Pidge just as a pillar shot up where their arms had been. Green tried to seize on her soul but couldn't, and Pidge whirled, only to bonk into a shimmering barrier between them.
"I-It's okay!" Frisk called. She put a hand over one eye. It didn't help much.
Pidge ignored her. She pulled her blade and ran her finger along the blunted edge. It glistened with red.
"Back up!" she yelled.
Frisk dizzily did, just as Pidge plunged her blade through the translucent, magic wall. It shattered. Didn't matter though. Ground gave way. Frisk dropped.
"FRISK!" Pidge reached but caught only air.
.
Frisk tumbled blindly for a bit too long until she thumped heavily into a squishy pile of something. She huffed, but when she tried to sit up, she found herself tangled in what felt like a pile of soft pants. The air smelled like distant flowers.
"Heck," she muttered.
Trying to pull away tightened the cloth. She slumped and took a deep breath. It was fine. They'd be taking her alive, anyway.
.
She sensed another fall before it happened and braced herself. Her stomach dropped regardless and, after a considerably shorter distance, she plunked onto another soft pile. She felt it move, and she did her best to stay calm.
"You a biter?" asked a voice from somewhere.
"N… No?" Frisk said awkwardly.
"Oh good!"
She heard writing, scratching quickly. "Alright. Let's see. Extra small. Brown scales. Brown hair."
Suddenly, Frisk could see again, as a big fluffy blue chow dog moved a stray cloth away from her face. She blinked in the warm, low light of a small stone room with a big fireplace in the centre. At least all the fragments were gone now.
"Brown eyes! Easy!" the dog said proudly. She headed for a lever beside the fireplace. "Okay, dungeon time!"
"Aah, wait, I'm supposed to ask for Sans," Frisk said quickly.
"Oh? Okay! Easy! Queen time!" The dog grabbed the big clunky lever and pushed it forward. "Good luck!"
.
Before Frisk could ask a thing, she was tumbling again. Coloured lights flashed in her dizzy vision and there was a big pop of magic as a portal opened and she fell through it.
.
She landed facedown on a purple rug and groaned into it. "Heck…"
"Huh?! What's that?!" Undyne's voice boomed. "You again?!"
Frisk sat up, rubbing her face. A pile of mismatched scarves fell away from her. She looked up to Undyne glowering down at her from the base of the stairs up to her throne.
"Me again. Hi. Sorry," she said bashfully.
.
The big monster squatted down and grabbed her by the wrist, lifting it up to show that red glow beaming. She squinted. "Sheesh, this again? What'd you do?"
"I had a weird vision and it just went kinda wonky," Frisk said apologetically. "I'm sorry to cause trouble."
Undyne snorted. "You know, you're lucky Sans stuck his neck out for you. Because these things read like you been fightin' for a week."
"Yeah, I'm sorry," she said dejectedly.
.
Undyne stared down at her for a silent few seconds. She sighed and stood, lifting the kid up under her arms as she went. "Well. Come on."
Frisk could only look confused. The big monster smiled sideways.
"Listen. You're a weird freak, but if you're Sans's pal, I got you. You want some tea while you wait?"
"Wh…? Um! Y-Yes, please. I'd like that a lot."
"HAH! You can be my test subject." She might have winked, though she only had one eye. "I got a new blend or two."
.
She bounded up the top of the stairs and plunked Frisk down in her cushy throne. It was massive compared to the kid, and also exceedingly comfortable. No wonder the monster kept falling asleep there.
"Don't tell Mist I let you sit here, okay? She will freak right out." Undyne took a certain amount of glee from the thought. She held up one finger. "Wait here." She leapt all the way to the bottom of the stairs and ran down to the doors. "I'll be back, punk!"
.
She kicked open the doors and they slammed closed behind her. Frisk was left alone in the quiet, royal throne room. She kicked her feet from the height of the huge chair, and then looked at where the marks on the back of her hand had been. Her eyes welled up.
"Dad, you better not be a void goo guy again, I swear," she muttered. She wiped her eyes. She reflexively reached for her phone before recalling that it was back in her hoodie. She hoped Pidge wasn't too worried.
.
The big doors creaked and Frisk jolted upright. She half expected Mistral, but instead saw a short yellow lizard monster. She perked up right away.
"H-Hi, Alphys," she said, raising a hand.
The lizard grinned. She hurried to meet her. "You r-remembered my name!"
"Yeah, of course," Frisk said.
"Are you alright? Here. Let me…" Alphys gently held her face and looked her over. "You don't look very injured… What happened?"
"The, um… a-autocatchers?" she said. "It was an accident, I just saw—"
"A v-vision, Undyne told me," the lizard said. "Is… it like S-Sans's, or…?"
"It was of my dad. Through, like… a lot of out there void stuff," Frisk said sheepishly. "Does that mean anything to you?"
Alphys nodded thoughtfully. "Sans told me a little. So, the vision, it… m-made your soul s-sort of overcharge, i-is that about right?"
"I guess so," Frisk said.
"Well! N-Not to worry, ol' Archwizard Alphys w-will have you right as rain in no time!" She passed her fingers, glimmering with magic, over top of the red band on Frisk's wrist.
Nothing happened. Alphys began to sweat. She tried again. Still, it didn't change at all.
.
"Uuuhhh… Th-That's… unusual," Alphys said.
"Oh no, did I get it stuck?!" Frisk squeaked.
"M-Maybe?! Unless… Oh! Unless Sans gave you a special kind!" She nodded to herself. "That must b-be it…"
Frisk hoped so. She sighed. "Sorry."
"Aw, human, it's okay," Alphys said gently. "D-Don't be too hard on yourself."
Frisk shrugged, then folded her arms tight. "Kinda feel like I've been screwing up for months."
"Oh… Do, um…? Do you want to talk about it?" Alphys straightened up and gestured to the throne. "D-Do you mind if I…?"
.
Frisk shook her head. The lizard easily fit in the seat with her, and she put a consoling arm around her.
"I know, wh-when you're young, sometimes e-everything feels like the end of the world," she said gently.
"But what if it is, though?" Frisk asked worriedly. "I'm dealing with big dumb stuff and I just want everyone to be okay and—"
"What k-kind of big dumb stuff?"
"Well, like…" She put a hand to her head. "M-My dad just told me time is going totally off back home without me and my brother there and that sounds really bad?" She also had no idea how Gaster had managed to reach her through different universes, but that was a whole other issue.
"…Oh." Alphys blinked. "Ooooh. You're a timechild! Of course! Ugh, Sans. Wh-Why didn't he just say it like that?!" She sighed. "So, you're far away home, it's… very far away."
"Yeah," she said dismally. "I gotta get my brother. And I gotta get home. But I just… I need to wait. I gotta be patient, and I'm, like, really having an issue with it."
The lizard nodded thoughtfully. "Especially h-having just heard that, I bet."
Frisk nodded. Her eyes welled up. Alphys cooed gently and carefully pulled the kid into a hug. She was warm. She kind of smelled like soup. Frisk needed this.
"J-Just stay determined, okay?" the lizard said. "You're g-going to get through this. It's t-tough, I know, but… But! You're strong. I c-can feel it. I'm sure you can do it."
Frisk nodded. "Thanks, Alphys. Oh, and, um, th-thanks for the book."
"I got your letter," she said with a smile. "D-Deep breaths, little human. Pogihajima. Um, don't give up, okay? Just… Just pick something. E-Even if it's small. Pick a direction. And work o-on that. It'll help. I p-promise."
.
Once more, doors crashed open. Undyne stormed up with a big grin on her face, carrying a massive tray of tea and scones.
"Heeyy, Queen Alphys," she teased.
"Aaah, no no no," the lizard said blushingly.
Undyne gave her a kiss when she got close and then laid out the massive tray on the ground. She beckoned to them to join her on the steps. "Tea time, nerds!"
"Ah, I should g-go get back to work, actually," Alphys said. She slid off the throne and carefully lifted Frisk down with her.
"Dude, take a scone a least, Mist spent forever on 'em," Undyne said.
Alphys snickered. She plucked one off the plate. "I'll tell h-her they were very appreciated." She turned and shot Frisk a smile, and then crossed her thumb and index finger so it formed a heart. "You're going t-to be okay. Send me a note any time, alright?"
"Right. Thanks, Alphys." Frisk cautiously mimicked the gesture, and the lizard beamed before heading on her way.
.
Undyne clunked down to sit on the steps and grinned. "Man, I got a cute wife or what?"
"She's great," Frisk said.
"Good pep talk?"
"Yeah." She sat beside the big Queen and was instantly presented with a teacup. "Thanks. I'm, uh… I'm gonna do my best."
"Yeah, you better," Undyne teased. "Sans's got a lotta faith in you. So. I think you'll be okay."
"Well, he's psychic, so he better be right," she joked weakly.
Undyne guffawed. "That's what I tell him, too."