Attack Of The Killer Queen
And now for the climax of the Cyber World arc! I hope you guys enjoy! There will be some changes up ahead, due to the effects Frisk and Tina had on both Noelle and Queen, so things will play out differently.
...
"Ah... she left before I could..." Berdly sighed before turning to Noelle and looking down, ashamed. "Noelle. It's hard to say this. You've done so much for me, even though I haven't done nearly as much for you, and I... Noelle, I'm sorry. For a lot of things."
"Berdly...? You're...actually apologizing?" Noelle asked in shock, knowing her friend wasn't that good at apologizing. "...Thank you. I... I understand, you know. You've always... been nice to me when it's just the two of us. You just wanted to make a happy world for me. I'm... glad you realized, um... it sucked."
Berdly rubbed his arm with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry I wasn't...as good of a friend as I should have been. Frisk was right. I should have listened to you about what you wanted, and...I know you're capable of protecting yourself... But when Queen betrayed us, captured you again...I just couldn't..."
Noelle smiled reassuringly and put her hand on his shoulder. "Berdly, it's okay. I, um, might have been mad at you for a bit, but you're still my best friend. I'll always care about you. Even if I don't need you to protect me all the time, I still need you as a friend."
Berdly grinned. "I'm glad to hear that. Really glad." He then got serious again. "But, um, Noelle... I...I can't be more than a friend to you. I'm sorry for leading you on. I know you only always helped me out because, well... You had a crush on me, so..."
"WHAT?" Noelle asked in shock, then burst out laughing.
Berdly's eyes widened. "O-Oh, sorry! I didn't mean to make you hysterical!"
Noelle tried to stop laughing, not wanting to embarrass him, and held her hands up. "Berdly, I love you, but not in THAT way!"
"H-Huh?"
"You're more like a brother to me than anything. And I'm a lesbian, so..."
"Oh. Oh!" Berdly said, his eyes widening even further. He then relaxed and grinned. "So my sweet Noelle has a taste for the fairer sex. So is there a girl lucky enough to win your affections?" Noelle blushed deeply and Berdly grinned wider. "There is! Do I know her?"
"Umm... yeah, you do actually." Noelle admitted, her cheeks on fire.
"Ooh... let me guess..." He thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "It's Frisk, isn't it? No wonder you've been spending so much time with her!" He put an arm around Noelle's shoulders. "Don't worry, Noelle! I'll help you win her prickly little heart!"
"First of all, Frisk isn't prickly. But she's also not the one I have a crush on." Noelle told him. "I...I mean I like her as a friend, but... She's more like the everyone's big sister type, y'know? It's, um, another girl that I like."
"Oh! Is it Catti?"
"No."
"Temmie?"
Noelle laughed. "Definitely no."
"I give up. Who is it?" Berdly asked curiously.
Noelle turned bright red. "It's...um..." She took a deep breath. "S...Susie."
Berdly stopped short. "O...Oh." he said, sounding a bit disappointed. Before Noelle could ask what's wrong, Berdly perked back up. "Well, I can see what you see in her. She is a...rather charming girl once you get to know her. And she's a gamer too! And now that I think about it... Strong tough girl with shy nerdy girl? Scientifically, it's a perfect match!"
"You really think so?" Noelle asked in surprise.
Berdly hesitated for a second, then nodded with a smile. "Yeah... I do." He puffed his chest out proudly. "And don't you worry, Noelle! Big brother Berdly is on the case and will help you get your woman! You can count on me!"
Noelle smiled softly. "I know." Just as she spoke though, something whizzed past her vision. She gasped and whirled around, ice forming around her fingertips. But before she could do anything, a teal plug attached itself to Berdly, covering his whole face and lifting him into the air. He let out a muffled scream and struggled to get it off for a split second, then his body went rigid and he stood at attention as Queen walked up to them.
Noelle screamed and fired an IceShock, trying to keep Queen away from Berdly. Queen leapt out of the way just in time and the mind controlled Berdly rushed to her.
"Noelle Honey Calm Down! You're Safe Now!" Queen cried out but Noelle barely heard her, another IceShock powering up in her panic. Berdly leapt in front of Queen protectively, starting to form a tornado in his hands.
Queen gasped, jumping between them with her hands thrown out. "Stop!" Berdly immediately powered his attack down, but before Noelle could do the same with hers, a set of wires came from above, wrapping around Noelle's wrists and dragging her backwards. A giant hand came out of the ground and the wires pulled the screaming and struggling Noelle to it, anchoring her by her wrists to the hand.
"Noelle Honey You're Hysterical. Try To Breathe. Everything Is Under Control." Queen's voice came to her as if from a distance. A hand stroked her cheek.
She screamed and recoiled, trying to summon her magic again, but she couldn't. "Let me go! Berdly!"
"Burghley is under control. There will be no more erratic behavior from him." Queen soothed, clearly not understanding why Noelle was upset and angry.
"Queen, stop this! Let..." Noelle started, but was cut off when a Swatchling came hurrying out the door towards Queen.
"My Queen, the heroes are approaching the final floor." the Swatchling told Queen. "They wish to talk to you. Shall I let them in or send them back to their rooms?"
"Let Them Come. I Will Make Them See Sense." Queen told them. She gently stroked Noelle's cheek. "Wait Here Sweetie And Try To Calm Down. The Wires Will Keep You From Losing Control Of Your Powers. I Will Be Up Soon With Your Sisters And Then We Will Enact The Plan. Come Burghley." Before Noelle could reply, Queen headed off, the mind controlled Berdly floating obediently at her side.
Tears flowed down Noelle's cheeks as she tried again and again to use her powers, but failed. She needed to get free, to free Berdly, but Queen's restraints were too strong for her.
Just like Queen herself was.
What was she going to do?
...
"Damn, that creepy Ultimate Werewire...Werewerewire, whatever the hell that thing was, it was freaking tough." Susie grumbled, rubbing a burn on her arm as Ralsei handed her a ButJuice.
"Tell me about it," Frisk agreed, sipping her own juice. "Hey, this stuff is really good."
"I helped make it." Ralsei said proudly after taking a bite of his CD bagel.
"Geez, guy of many talents, aren't you, Goat Boy?" Susie asked with a grin.
Ralsei slid up his scarf, clearly trying to hide his blush at the compliment. "I...um...had a lot of time to practice."
"And you do awesome, Ralsei." Frisk said with a smile, then looked over as they passed a room. "Hey, what's in here? Is this where we're supposed to go?"
"Oh, that's the room Queen was keeping Noelle in." Susie said as Frisk peeked inside, seeing a dark but beautiful room with snowflakes all over the walls and beautiful white Christmas tree portraits, a tasteful winter theme that suited Noelle.
Susie looked in too. "I know Noelle's a Holiday, but damn, she likes Christmas stuff. She's got good taste though." She pointed to a faceless statue that was shaped like her in her Dark World form. "That statue rocks!"
"Yeah, it looks just like you." Frisk agreed.
Susie laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Frisk, that's not me! Why would Noelle have a statue of ME? It's obviously one of the dragon warriors in the Dragon Heroes series. I didn't know Noelle was a fan too!" She turned to Ralsei. "Hey, Ralsei, can we take this for my room?"
"Huh? Umm... th-that would be stealing..." Ralsei started.
"Yeah, I don't care." Susie said and pulled off her bag, walking into the room.
"Then why'd you ASK me?" Ralsei asked, a little annoyed. He looked to Frisk. "I swear she just does that so she can do the opposite of whatever I say." He pouted and Frisk patted his shoulder sympathetically.
Susie just ignored him and stuffed the statue in her bag. Somehow, it fit.
"How the heck did you DO that?" Frisk asked in shock.
Susie shrugged. "Same way your six year old sister can carry an armory effortlessly in one tiny backpack. It's probably a Dark World thing. Damn, it's cool to have video game inventories in real life!" She peeked in a cupboard. "Huh, never seen Noelle wear anything like this...?"
"Susie, will you quit committing grand larceny? What if Noelle comes back?" Ralsei scolded.
"Relax, Noelle's with Berdly and she probably didn't want any of this considering she didn't take it with her." Susie pointed out. "But if it makes you feel better, I GUESS I can give the statue back if she asks for it."
"Fine, now let's just go. We need to stop Queen." Ralsei sighed.
They headed out of Noelle's room and after heading down a corridor, were forced to run through several plugs shooting electric currents at them. Thankfully they weren't hurt too much. Continuing through the scarlet halls, they entered a large room.
Susie growled, showing her teeth as she planted herself in front of Ralsei and Frisk protectively. "There she is!" And indeed Queen was there, reclining in her throne with her chin on her hand, her ever present glass of battery acid in her other hand. She was facing the other way though clearly waiting for them.
"Queen! Stop right there!" Susie ordered.
"We need to talk to you." Frisk said firmly.
Queen swiveled her throne around, smiling welcomingly. "Ah My Sweet Children. You Are Just In Time To Witness My World Domination. With Noelle In My Possession, It Is Only A Matter Of Time Before Her Will Turns And She Unleashes Her Power, Blanketing The World In-"
"Too late, dumbass!" Susie crowed, cutting her off. "Noelle's with Berdly!"
Queen pouted. "Oh. Then Who This?"
With that, Berdly dropped down from the ceiling, dangling by a wire with a teal plug attached to his face. Susie and Ralsei fell back and Frisk covered her mouth in horror as her now mind controlled acquaintance dangled in front of Queen. The slight rise and fall of his chest at least reassured her that he was alive, but she knew he was now fully under Queen's control.
"B...Berdly!? But he's been..." Ralsei gasped.
"Intercepted" Queen said proudly.
Frisk felt sick. How could she have let herself almost trust Queen again?! She glared at Queen, her hand twitching in her desire to reach for her sword, but stopped herself, not wanting to hit Berdly. "How could you?! You told Tina you weren't going to hurt Berdly! She trusted you!" she yelled.
Queen looked utterly confused at Frisk's anger. "Frisk Dear I Haven't Hurt Burghley. I Simply Cured His Erratic Behavior." She grinned proudly. "My Control Plugs Are Now Suitable For Teenagers. Now The Whole Family Can Enjoy Eternal Servitude."
Before Frisk could tell Queen how horrible that was, Susie cut them both off, her eyes wide and terrified. "Where's Noelle!? What the hell did you do to her!?"
"Did you put one of those foul things on her too?!" Frisk asked angrily.
"No She Is Simply In Time Out While Her Magical Outburst Settles." Queen explained.
Susie growled and swung her ax. "Enough already!"
"Oh Dear." Queen sighed. "I Do Sincerely Care For You Children. Frisk Dear Haven't You At Least Understood That?"
"If you cared for us, you wouldn't be doing this!" Frisk yelled. "Let Berdly and Noelle go! Stop trying to control them! All you're doing is hurting them!"
"I Am Sorry Girls I know You Are Merely a Victim Of Your Programming." Queen said sadly. "It Will Be A Shame To Force You To Serve Me, But I Made A Promise Long Ago To Create A Happy World For Everyone, Especially My Sweet Noelle. And I Made A Similar Unspoken Promise To You Today. For Your Own Sake, I Cannot Let You Stop Me." She turned to Berdly. "Subdue Them. Knock Them Out But Do Not Seriously Harm Them."
With that, Berdly formed tornadoes in his hands, sending them at the group. They did their best to dodge, but Berdly was strong, and Ralsei was caught up in a tornado and thrown across the room, landing hard. Frisk and Susie rushed to his aid, though both were damaged a few times.
"Ralsei, are you all right?" Frisk gasped as she and Susie helped him to his feet.
"I'm fine." Ralsei reassured them.
Both sighed in relief. Susie turned to Frisk. "Frisk, I see some weak points in the wires! See the loose points there and there?" she whispered, gesturing to two bulging spots in the wires that moved as Berdly did. "Can you get them if I throw you?"
"Yes." Frisk told her.
"Good. Now Ralsei, you distract Queen."
Ralsei nodded, stepping forward and facing Queen. "Queen, think of the Lightners! Aren't we supposed to make them happy?"
"Is That Not What I Am Doing?" Queen asked. She waved her glass of acid, nearly spilling it. "Think! Lightners Have Already Been Enslaved By Me And My Kin."
As she spoke, Susie picked up Frisk, throwing her at the wire in a swift motion. Frisk twisted, aiming herself for the weak points, yanking on both of them and loosening the wire. But it wasn't enough.
Queen glanced over, spotting what she was doing. She grabbed a bottle, pouring more battery acid in her glass. As she did, it shimmered, forming a shield in between them. The shield itself sent globs of acid flying at them, which the group dodged.
"Great. Now how are we supposed to get to Berdly?" Frisk sighed.
"It looks like the shield's power comes from her glass. If we can get it emptied..." Ralsei suggested.
Susie quickly turned to Queen. "So, uh, you gonna drink all that?"
"No This Is All Mine You Can't Have It" Queen told them, holding her glass protectively and taking a huge gulp from it before continuing her conversation with Ralsei like there had been no interruption. "Each Day Lightners Spend Hours Worshipping In Glowing Rapture Our Screens Of Funny Animals And Candied Games"
As she spoke, there was a rumbling noise and a square sign with an exclamation point appeared. The group instinctively dodged it, which was lucky as a giant bullet, shaped like Queen's boot, stomped down from above. The sign showed up several more times, marking where the boot was going to appear. Susie was hit hard and Frisk hurried to check on her while Ralsei turned to Queen. "A toast to you, er, making me wear a butler outfit."
"Bro That's Weird But Ok" Queen shrugged, sipping from her acid, which made the shield lower further.
Frisk gave Susie a ButJuice before turning to Queen. "Queen, people care about you, and the Internet, for being what it is! They like using it to look up information or for fun! No one's going to stand being enslaved!"
"But They Already Have. They Need Me Frisk." Queen told her. "Day After Day They Come To Me. Staring, Tapping To Receive Joy. Staring, Tapping To Avoid Pain."
With that, digitized versions of Queen's head surrounded them, then one by one exploded, releasing small bullets that were also shaped like Queen's head, forcing them to stumble back and avoid the small projectiles.
Once the attacks stopped, Frisk held up an invisible glass and Ralsei and Susie copied her. "A toast to you, for um, having cool looking attacks?" Frisk said awkwardly.
"Thank You Frisk Dear." Queen said proudly and drained her glass. Her shield exploded and she let out a drunken laugh. "Frisk Susie You Have To Understand The Situation I'm In. Everything Was Fine Until Recently When The Town's Internet Disappeared. Now The Refuge They Take In The Screens Will Slowly Fade." Screens appeared around them with arrows pointing towards their souls. White lasers came out one at a time, in the directions the screens were pointing, forcing them to dodge.
With Berdly unprotected, the group rushed towards him, loosening his wires. Frisk turned to Queen. "Queen, this isn't necessary. WiFi outages sometimes happen in the Light World. People are probably working on it now and it should be resolved in a matter of days. The Lightners will be totally fine until then, and they'll be back before you know it."
Queen still was in genuine though drunken distress. "But Noelle...Who Will Help Her? Her Strange And Sad Searches... Who Will Answer Them? And Who Will You Go To For Help Frisk? Who Will Answer Your Parental Searches And Give You Aid? Who Will Give Susie The Skateboarding Games That Bring Her Joy?"
Frisk was nearly speechless, her anger starting to cool and be replaced by a strange sympathy. Queen was this upset, this desperate, because she wanted to help and was terrified of being disconnected from those who needed her aid, especially Noelle, who was saddened by something. And reflecting on it, oddly enough, despite not knowing her search engine was alive, Queen HAD been the one adult she had come to for help when she needed advice her birth mother certainly never would have given her.
Susie grabbed her arm as boxes surrounded them. "Frisk, look alive!" she called as the boxes shot out bullets shaped like words, leaving them in a panicked dodgefest for well, maybe not their lives, but to keep themselves from getting hurt.
Once the attack stopped, the group hurried to Berdly again, loosening his wires as he waited for orders from Queen.
"...Is What I Wondered Until The Knight Appeared And Created This Wonderful World Of Darkness." Queen continued, casually pouring herself another glass of acid. The shield reformed, shooting out its defensive drops of acid, forcing the group to back off. One drop struck Frisk's arm and she yelped as it burned it.
Susie growled as a concerned Ralsei used Heal Prayer on Frisk's arm. "Here's a toast to you, Queenie. To us kicking your fucking ass. That's four of my friends you hurt now."
"It's A Good Thing I Have No Standards For Toasts." Queen said and sipped from her acid. "And I Have No Desire To Hurt Anyone But I Cannot Let You Stop Me. My Path Is Clear. I Must Expand The Dark World."
An electric cage formed around them, shooting large balls of lightning at them. Despite doing their best to dodge, Frisk was hit several times by the balls, burning her once again, Susie's scales were burned and scraped from accidentally dodging into the sides of the cage, and Ralsei lay limp, his fur smoking.
"RALSEI!" Frisk screamed in horror and ran to his side as Susie let out a feral roar and struck the barrier with Red Buster, obviously trying to get at Queen. Thankfully, he was still breathing and not severely injured, just knocked out by the attacks. She remembered the ReviveDust and quickly used it. Ralsei groaned and opened his eyes.
Frisk let out a soft sob of relief, helping him to his feet quickly and pulling him behind her, only to see a pissed off Susie powering up another Red Buster towards a now unprotected Queen.
"Susie, stop!" Frisk cried. "You could hit Berdly!"
Susie quickly powered down her attack as she turned to Frisk and Ralsei. Frisk heard the dragon girl let out a sigh of relief as they rushed to join her.
"Geez, you scared the crap out of me! Don't do that again, nerd!" Susie told Ralsei as they yanked on Berdly's wires to loosen them.
"Yeah, I'll try not to get hit by lightning again." Ralsei said with playful sarcasm before smiling. "Was that better, Susie?"
"Yeah, you're a natural." Susie told him with a small, fond smile.
"Don't You See Frisk Susie And Other Guy? With The World Covered By Darkness No One Will Have To Suffer Any More." Queen pleaded. She was clearly growing even more desperate, and it unfortunately showed in her attacks. More lasers shot at them, along with the boot bullet slamming down on them. It was all the trio could do to stay out of the way.
Frisk was barely standing now, but thankfully Ralsei had gotten the chance to power up his own spells, and cast DualHeal on both of them. Now revitalized, Susie threw Frisk at the wires, and Frisk yanked on the weak points, cutting them further.
"Instead Everyone Can Live In My Perfect Mansion. Everyday Blissfully Worshipping Me Like We Both Deserve." Queen told them and Frisk could hear her voice shaking. More computer bullets came out, firing more words Frisk didn't have time to read. Once the white boxes were done, a blue one with Queen's face on it came out, shooting red words.
Once the attack stopped, everyone once again loosened Berdly's wires, only for Queen to yet again refill her stupid glass. "Now Please Stop Resisting And Welcome The New Age Of Darkness." she told them sternly as they dodged her acid droplets.
The trio toasted to Queen to get her to drink more acid and lower her shield, but then Ralsei glared at her. "We won't let you control everyone with your wires!" he yelled.
Question marks formed on Queen's visor. "Woah When Did I Say I Would Do That?"
At that Berdly came forward, firing tornados at them. Frisk and Ralsei were knocked off their feet and Susie slid back. Ralsei had been hit pretty hard and was limping, so Frisk gave him a CD bagel while Susie faced Queen. "A toast to you for being a fucking liar. You're literally controlling Berdly now."
Queen sipped from her acid. "Oh Yeah. That's Just For Him Only." More vectorized Queens formed and exploded, forcing the group to dodge the Queen shaped bullets, which moved a little faster this time. Thankfully they were able to escape without injury.
Everyone toasted Queen. Frisk was surprised at herself for actually willingly getting someone drunk, but they needed that stupid shield down if they wanted to free Berdly.
Queen took a huge gulp of her acid and waved her hand, lowering some plugs. "Why Did You Want One?" she asked Susie.
"No!" Susie growled and surprisingly Queen respected that and sent the plugs away again. Frisk just wished she respected the rest of their "No's," too, as she formed another electric cage, which once again moved around, forcing them to dodge both the walls and more lightning balls.
Susie handed Frisk a CD bagel for the ensuing burns she received and Ralsei held his scarf in front of her while she spoke to Queen.
"A toast to you for um, caring about us, but seriously Queen, this isn't right!" Frisk pleaded. "We don't want our world taken over, and the rest of the Lightners won't either! They'll just panic or rebel against you! You don't know what you're getting into!"
Queen drained her glass and the shield once again went down. "Frisk I Appreciate Your Concern But You're Being Foolish. Enough. I Am Far Stronger Than The Attacks I'm Using Against You Show. I Do Not Wish To Hurt You But If It Will End Your Terrified Rebellion, Let Me Demonstrate My Ultimate Attack That I've Been Downloading This Whole Time."
Frisk tensed and saw Ralsei and Susie do the same. If Queen had been holding back, what was she going to unleash on them now?
...
Noelle too was feeling despair, hanging on that stupid hand. She had tried and tried and tried to overpower the wires, but she was too weak. She had always been too weak.
And then Frisk and Tina's words came to mind, and she could practically hear the girls telling her she was strong. She remembered how Berdly had too begun to believe in her and know she could take care of herself.
She narrowed her eyes, determination filling her. Her friends believed in her. Supported her when she needed them most. It was her turn to help them. To believe in herself, and her new powers, just like they did.
Taking a calming breath, she examined the wires. The ones on the Werewires always had a weak point. She had seen Frisk pulling at it while she powered up her Sleep Mist. Maybe Queen or whoever built them had made the same mistake here!
And then she found the spot, a little frayed bit on her right wrist. Finding a spot to brace her feet on and concentrating deeply, she focused all her power on that spot.
And the wire snapped.
With one hand free, she quickly formed a sharp ice shard, using it to cut the wires attached to the giant hand. Her ice sliced through them like butter, and she unraveled the wire, fully freeing herself.
She had done it. She had been strong. She had believed and freed herself, all on her own.
And now it was time to stop Queen and save her friends.
She rushed back into the castle.
...
After expecting a giant, terrifying attack, the results of Queen's download were...anticlimactic.
Mostly because the download failed, and the only danger was that some stupid pop-ups obscured their vision from the Queen bullets that came after.
"So That Final Move Was Supposed To Be Cooler But The Internet Is Down." Queen admitted sheepishly as the group loosened Berdly.
Her next attack however, WAS cool, or would have been if it hadn't been aimed at her and her friends. It combined most of the moves Queen had made so far, and they were forced to dodge the giant boot, lasers, and Queen head bullets sent at them.
And then salvation came in the form of a huge blast of ice that hit Berdly's wires, knocking them fully loose. Berdly snapped out of the mind control, yanking the plug off as everyone whirled around, turning to where the ice had come from.
Noelle was standing in the entryway to the roof, looking madder than Frisk(or probably anyone else for that matter) had ever seen her. The wind was howling around her, making her look like an avenging angel.
Berdly was, unsurprisingly, the first to speak. "Noelle! That was the most epic gamer move I've ever seen!" he cheered, then glared at Queen. "Queen, thanks to my comrades' kindness, their MERCY, and Noelle being completely awesome, your time as a tyrannical dictator is..." He then clutched his head and swayed dizzily. Thankfully both Frisk and Susie reacted quickly, catching him and lowering him to the ground.
"Berdly!" Noelle cried out and barged past a Queen that was too shocked to stop her, hurrying to his side. "Berdly, are you okay?!"
"I'm...fine. Couldn't be better." Berdly reassured her. "See?" He tried to stand up, but nearly fell again.
Noelle helped him sit back down. "Just rest. I'll take care of this from here." she told him and glared at Queen. "I won't let you hurt my friends again! I'm done listening to you!" Snowflakes whirled around her as she stood protectively in front of her friends.
Queen looked more confused than threatened. "Noelle Darling Honey Sweetie Gravy I Don't Comprehend What's Wrong. All I Want Is To Give You (And Your Sisters) A Happy World Where You Will Flourish Under My Loving Care."
"You think listening to you makes me happy?! You think watching you hurt people I care for just because they don't agree with you makes me happy?! No!" Noelle screamed at her. The snowflakes whipped up into a frenzied maelstrom, chilling the air but bringing no harm to the group, instead surrounding them protectively. Despite Noelle's rage, she was in complete control. "I'll never be happy! Not if I'm controlled by you! Why can't you understand that?!"
Queen stumbled back, looking both horrified and ashamed. "...Noelle...Perhaps My Computations Were...Miscalibrated." She glanced to Frisk. "Do You Feel That Way Too Frisk Dear? Is That What You Were Trying To Tell Me?"
Frisk fought the urge to look at her like she was a moron and say 'Duh.' Instead she kept a neutral expression on her face. "Yes. I feel that way too. We all do. There was no bad programming on my part. You were being controlling, and...and that's not how a parent should be with a child. I may be a sister instead of a mother, but I've taken care of Tina long enough to know that much."
"I feel that way too!" a little voice called and Frisk turned to see Tina at the top of the stairs, Tasque Manager, a bunch of Swatchlings, and some Darkner Frisk didn't know with spiky black hair, a monochrome suit, and a diamond shaped head with colorful glasses behind her.
"Tina? What are you doing here?!" Frisk asked in shock.
"I heard a lot of loud, scary noises coming from upstairs. I wanted to make sure you were all okay." Tina told her, then looked up at Queen pleadingly. "You shouldn't control people and force them to do things they really don't want to do. It's mean and scary. You're a lot better when you're all nice and being a mom. Can't...Can't you just do that instead of enslaving everyone?"
Queen was quiet for a moment and Berdly took the opportunity to speak. "I...understand the desire to protect someone you care about from anything. To want to keep them in your life for as long as you can. But...part of caring about someone means not only supporting them, but listening to them and letting them make their own choices. My friends taught me that important lesson today." He smiled at Noelle, and she smiled back. Then everyone looked to Queen, tense and awaiting her response.
"I...Understand." Queen said finally, giving a small smile as she looked at Noelle like a proud mother. "...Noelle. Disregard Me And With Your Own Power, Choose The World... That Makes You Happy. If You Wish To Expand The Dark World, Take The Angel Pin I Gave You And Stab The Earth. Focus Your Will, Your Determination, Into It And Create A New Dark Fountain. If...You Do Not Wish To Do This... If You Wish To Return To Your World, The Fountain Room Is On The Roof. You Are Free To Go If You Wish, Or You May Stay Regardless Of Your Choice. I Will Be There For You No Matter What, Even If I Cannot Come To You In The Light World Until The Internet Returns." Queen got off her throne. "I Do Not Want You To Feel Pressured. I Will Give You A Moment." She smiled to Noelle again, then headed over to talk to Tasque Manager and Swatch as Tina went over to her sister's side. Frisk listened in case this was a trap, but Queen was simply reiterating the situation to them and Frisk could tell she was genuine about making this Noelle's choice.
Ralsei sighed in relief at this. "I guess we can seal the fountain now, right everybody?"
Frisk and Susie nodded, but Noelle hesitated. She wasn't looking at them, instead the angel pin she now held in her hand.
Berdly put his wing on her shoulder. "So what do YOU want to do, Noelle?"
"Queen said... Choose the world that makes me happy." Noelle said softly. Frisk couldn't tell if she was talking to them or herself. "I...don't want to live in a world ruled by her. ...But, if that wasn't the case, I wonder if this world... wouldn't be so bad?"
"Huh?" Ralsei asked in shock.
"...Susie, don't you think so too...?" Noelle asked, looking at Susie hopefully.
Susie froze. "Um...I... Well, it is BETTER here, but, um, Ralsei, didn't you say..."
"I like this world a lot! Queen's mansion is really cool, and everyone's so nice, and if Queen's not going to be scary any more, it would be really fun to live here!" Tina said happily.
Noelle smiled at this. "I've never...had an adventure like this before. I feel...so strong. And down here...everything can be healed with a little spell. I...can bring this to Dad. One Heal Prayer and some healing food, and he-he won't be sick any more!"
"So is there any reason not to?" Berdly asked excitedly.
"Not that I can think of." Noelle grinned.
"We should do it!" Tina said excitedly.
"Yeah, go ahead, Noelle!" Berdly agreed happily. "I wish I had my high definition camera; this is going to be so cool!"
"STOP!" Ralsei shouted, snapping out of his shock and running and grabbing the pin from Noelle. "What in the world are all you all doing?"
"Hey! What's your deal?!" Berdly demanded, then summoned his halberd. "Here, Noelle, we can use my..."
"Stop." Ralsei ordered.
"Listen to him." Frisk told Berdly and Noelle firmly. "Ralsei's spent his whole life learning about stuff like this." She then remembered their conversation this morning, which seemed like a second lifetime ago. "And...I think he's stopping you from doing something really dangerous."
"Thanks, Frisk." Ralsei told her and stepped forward. His eyes softened as he looked at a now nervous Tina. "Look, I didn't mean to yell, but do you realize what will happen if you do this?"
"I...We'll...Just..." Berdly stammered.
"You'll bring the Roaring." Ralsei told them bluntly.
"The hell's the Roaring?" Susie asked before thinking it over. "Wait...You told me and Frisk this morning that things would get bad. Apocalypse level bad. Didn't you?"
" 'Bad' is a mild way of putting it." Ralsei admitted. "Frisk, Susie, I'm sorry I didn't give you the full details earlier. I didn't want to frighten you, but... This is what the prophecy says. When the light is subsumed by shadow... When the fountains fill the sky, all will fall into chaos. The Titans will take form from the fountains. And envelop the land in devastation. The surviving Darkners, crushed by the darkness, will slowly, one by one, turn into statues, leaving the Lightners to fend for themselves, lost eternally in an endless night." He glared at Noelle and Berdly. "Is that your idea of paradise?"
Frisk and Susie had been pre-warned that it would get bad if there was too much fountain, but the depth of the horror was indescribable, and they both stood in shock as Berdly and Noelle looked horrified. Tina started to cry, and Queen, Tasque Manager, Swatch, and the Swatchlings were no less horrified.
Queen came up to them. "Oh Damn I Did Not Know That." she gasped.
"You... didn't?!" Ralsei asked in shock. "But your whole plan was to-"
Queen laughed, though her laugh was shaky. "I'm Just A Computer LMAO I Don't Know Everything. I Was Just Guessing Based Off The Knight's Actions. Why The Heck Would I Want To End The World?"
"Well, that's a relief." was all Noelle could think to say.
"Uhh... umm... I'm sorry. I... I..." Berdly stammered.
"I'm sorry too." Tina said softly.
"You didn't know." Ralsei told them gently. "Just...don't make another fountain. Two only makes things slightly unstable, but if there's more..."
"Wait." Swatch spoke. "That rude man who invaded our mansion... He was encased in stone up to his neck..."
"And there's a small statue of a spade-shaped boy downstairs!" a Swatchling gasped, and the room was soon filled with the screeching of panicked Swatchings, and the yelling of an equally panicked Tasque Manager trying to regain order.
"STOP!" Ralsei yelled again. Thankfully everyone did. "The Roaring isn't in effect right now. Everyone is safe! Lancer and Rouxls are from a different Dark World. They were unable to adapt to this one and their bodies turned to stone, but they will be all right when we seal the Fountain and take them back to Castletown."
"L-Lancer?" Queen said softly in a vulnerable tone no one had ever heard her use.
"Do you know him?" Frisk asked softly.
"Yes. Seal The Fountain Quickly And Take Him Back To Castletown. I Will Not Have That Little Boy's Life Be In Danger. Or Yours For That Matter." Queen ordered. She led them all to the roof, then smiled, though sadly. "Running TenderGoodbyeEXE." The words, in a swirly cursive, floated in the air. "Noelle Your...Somewhat Needed...Honesty. Susie Your Foolish Bravery. Frisk Your Big Sister To Everyone Vibes. Tina Your Sweet Adorableness." As she said each one, their pictures appeared below the words. She skipped over Ralsei without missing a beat like she had forgotten he was there, then she reached Berdly and paused. "B...Burghley?"
"It doesn't matter!" Ralsei quickly interrupted as Queen was trying to think of something she liked about Berdly. "You don't have to say goodbye, Queen! Frisk and Susie can take you back to our Castle Town! You, and everyone else here, can live there with us!"
"Oh" Queen said in surprise, then grinned widely. "Deleting TenderGoodbyeEXE. I Shall Let Everyone Know." She hurried off.
"Alright! Time to do what we came here for. Let's go seal the fountain, Frisk." Susie told her.
"Right." Frisk said before turning to Ralsei. "Will you be okay making the jump?"
Ralsei nodded. "Of course. I'll meet you guys in Castletown. And Noelle, Berdly, Castletown will be always be open for you as well."
Both Noelle and Berdly were delighted to hear this, though Susie seemed very slightly unsure about something. Frisk decided to talk to her about it later. "Noelle, Berdly, we'll meet you in the computer lab. Ralsei, we'll see you in Castletown tonight."
Frisk said goodbye to her classmates and gave Ralsei a quick hug before she, Tina, and Susie headed for the fountain, entering the room once again. The fountain looked much the same as before, glowing softly in all different colors.
"Frisk... Looks like we're here again." Susie said softly. "The Knight, whatever they are, they're making these fountains. But even if they might be an evil bastard... they did something right. I'm pretty sure Queen's family to Lancer or something, and now she finally gets to see him again. The Great Divide... Whether they mean to or not... They're making it close. And...they're making things a lot more interesting, aren't they? They changed everything for me., and for the better." She smiled at Frisk and ruffled Tina's hair. Tina smiled up at her adoringly, and then Susie blushed at how she was acting. "You two better not tell anyone I said something that soft." she threatened playfully.
"Is it really that bad to be soft?" Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I GUESS not. But you better not tell anyone I said that either." Susie said, playfully punching her arm. "Now do your thing, Frisk."
Frisk nodded and stepped forward, feeling the now familiar pull of her soul as it resonated with the fountain. And this time, as the world lit up around her before going briefly dark, she wasn't afraid.
...
I hope everyone liked this chapter! I'm sorry about skipping the Giga Queen fight too, but I had a few reasons for it. First, the changes in Noelle. Frisk is able to talk to Noelle, unlike Kris who's forced to keep silent, so she was able to encourage her, plus Noelle had become comfortable with her magic. These subtle changes gave Noelle confidence, which helped her use her powers to break free and stand up to Queen sooner.
The second reason was that Queen had started seeing Frisk and Tina as her children as well as Noelle, and considering the way she feels about them, I couldn't see her harming Frisk, Ralsei, and Susie by pushing them off the roof any more. So I decided to only have the inital Attack Of The Killer Queen battle with some dialogue changes due to how Queen was effected by becoming even more of a mom than she already was. But the Giga Queen robot will definitely be used later, and the Thrash Machine might too.
And now only two chapters remain! Please stay tuned!