Chapter 5: Papyrus and Chara
"Dr. Alphys!?" Called Mettaton-EX as he searched his large house for the reptilian scientist. After the barrier broke, Mettaton and Alphys moved into the penthouse suite of MTT resorts, so that Alphys could be close to her lab and Mettaton close to his studio, while the two still enjoyed the lifestyle that comes with Mettaton's fame. Alphys also completed her work on Mettaton's EX form so he could stay in it for an extended period of time before losing battery power.
"I-I'm over here Mettaton." Replied Alphys, she was in the living room laying out snacks for when Frisk and Papyrus arrived so they could watch anime together.
"Ah, there you are darling." Said Mettaton when he saw Alphys. "I just wanted to let you know, I'm about to leave for my performance at the Ebott theater."
"Oh, well… good luck Mettaton." Replied Alphys.
"Ha-ha, don't you mean break a leg?" Corrected Mettaton with a laugh as he walked out the door waving goodbye.
"Right." Replied Alphys nervously as she waved goodbye. When Mettaton was gone Alphys turned back to the table where the snacks were laid out. "Alright, it looks like I have everything… Wait, where did this bottle of ketchup come from?" Asked Alphys to herself when she noticed a bottle of ketchup on her table.
"No idea." Joked Sans.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" Screamed Alphys when she realized Sans was behind her. "How long have you been standing there!?"
"Oh, not long." Replied Sans "I used a short cut to get here before Frisk and Pap."
"Sans you almost gave me a heart attack." Pointed out Alphys.
"Yeah, sorry about that, but I had something to ask you and it couldn't wait." Explained Sans. "What I wanted to ask was, can you keep an extra close eye on Frisk while she's here?"
"Well, I suppose." Replied Alphys. "But why?"
"Heh, Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I'm worried there's something up with the kid and I could use a hand watching her." Replied Sans.
"Alright, and I take it you don't want me to mention this to her?" Asked Alphys.
"Yes please." Replied Sans. "If we did tell her, I doubt she'd find it very humorous."
A few minutes later, Papyrus and Frisk arrived at Alphys's door. "SANS! HOW DO YOU KEEP APPEARING OUT OF NOWHERE!?" Yelled Papyrus as he realized Sans had beaten him to Alphys's house.
"I took a shortcut." Replied Sans.
"WE TOOK THE RIVER-PERSON'S FERRY AND THE ELEVATOR THAT LED STRAIGHT HERE! WHAT SHORT CUT COULD BE FASTER THAN THAT!?" Asked Papyrus.
"The one I took." Replied Sans.
"AND I'M ASKING YOU WHICH-" Papyrus was cut off when Frisk interrupted.
"He can teleport Papyrus!" Snapped Frisk as her eyes gleamed red for a moment before returning to normal.
"OH… WELL, THAT WOULD EXPLAIN A LOT." Said Papyrus.
I see what Sans was talking about. Frisk seems really on edge. Thought Alphys. "So… I set up everything we'll need to watch anime." Said Alphys as she led everyone to the living room. "Uh, help yourselves to any of the snacks I've set out."
"Ugh, there's no chocolate." Complained Chara.
"Thank you Alphys." Thanked Frisk. Chara don't complain. Alphys wouldn't know to leave out chocolate for you, and even if she did it's not like you could eat it. Thought Frisk.
After that, the group sat down on Alphys's couch and watched Alphys's favorite anime 'Mew Mew Kissy Cutie' for a couple of hours before it was time for them leave for Mettaton's concert. After using the elevator to get to New Home, the group then had to take a short walk to get to the surface and another walk down the mountain to arrive at the Ebott theater where Mettaton was performing. On the outside it looked like a large domed stadium, but on the inside, it was like a very large theater and was almost completely full, but the group had reserved seats in the front row. "S-Sans, is something wrong?" Asked Alphys as she noticed Sans had been staring at his phone for a while.
"Huh? Oh, I've just been trying to call Undyne for a while, but she hasn't answered." Replied Sans as he put his phone back in his pocket.
"Oh, well I'm sure she has a good reason." Replied Alphys. "And that reminds me, how are things going between you and Toriel?"
"What do you mean?" Asked Sans.
"Well… you know, how much time the two of you spend together… has anything happened yet?" Asked Alphys nervously, but before Sans could answer the lights dimmed and a spotlight focused in on the stage which was completely covered in mist so that Mettaton could make a dramatic entrance.
"Beauties and Gentle-beauties, I hope you're all ready, because it's about to get…" Mettaton dramatically paused for effect. "ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!" Exclaimed Mettaton as all the stage lights came on and the mist began to clear up, revealing Mettaton, Napstablook, and Shiren were all on stage. The audience cheered loudly as Napstablook began to play 'Death by Glamour' one of Mettaton's most famous songs. Mettaton looked out at the audience as he prepared to begin performing, first he saw Alphys, then Sans, and then Papyrus, but when Mettaton spotted Frisk, he immediately noticed that something was wrong with her, but he couldn't figure out what.
"Mettaton." Whispered Shiren, making Mettaton snap back to reality and begin his performance.
When Mettaton finished his performance, it was already sunset, Alphys, Frisk, and Papyrus had all really enjoyed the performance, while Sans had used it as an opportunity to take a nap. While most of the crowd was leaving, Mettaton quietly called Sans and Alphys over. "Hey Pap, why don't you go ahead and take Frisk back to Tori's place? I'll catch up later." Suggested Sans.
"VERY WELL BROTHER. LEAVE IT TO ME." Said Papyrus confidently as Sans and Alphys walked over to talk with Mettaton. "ALRIGHT FRISK! LET'S RETURN TO LADY TORIEL'S HOME!" Cheered Papyrus as he held out a hand which Frisk gladly took.
"Alright Papyrus." Said Frisk. "And thank you. This was a lot of fun."
The human girl and skeletal monster walked out of the theater through the nearest exit, which put them by the side of the theater where the least people were, and where there was a large forest to the side of. Frisk let out a loud yawn and used her free hand to rub her left eye, but when she did, she felt something wet on her face, then when she looked at her hand, she saw there was blood on it. "FRISK, YOUR EYE." Said Papyrus as he realized that there was blood running down from Frisk's left eye.
"Sorry Frisk, it looks like it's my turn to be in control." Laughed Chara.
Chara no! I have to get her away from Papyrus! Thought Frisk as she pulled out of Papyrus's grip and took off running into the forest.
"FRISK WAIT!" Called Papyrus as he took off after Frisk.
Ignoring Papyrus's plea, Frisk continued to run through the forest, determined to keep Chara away from Papyrus. When Frisk had finally managed to lose Papyrus in the woods, she collapsed, allowing Chara to take control of her body. "It's about time." Said Chara as she gained control of Frisk's body.
"THERE YOU ARE!" Called Papyrus as he spotted Chara. "I WAS REALLY WORRIED FOR A MINUTE THERE!"
Heh, Perfect timing. Thought Chara as she turned to face Papyrus, revealing her blood red knife, as well as her unusual eyes. While Chara's right eye simply had a red iris, her left eye was completely black, except for a red pupil and blood red tears running down from it.
"HMM, A KNIFE? ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A TRAINING SESSION?" Asked Papyrus, making Chara snarl at his ignorance. "WELL, AS ODD A TIME AS IT IS FOR SUCH A THING… I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!" Cheered Papyrus as he posed heroically.
"Ah, Hello darlings." Greeted Mettaton as Alphys and Sans approached him. "I hope you enjoyed the show."
"Yeah, it was great Mettaton." Said Alphys.
"Uh, yeah… it was great." Said Sans.
"Nice try Sans, I saw you sleeping the whole time." Pointed out Mettaton. "Honestly darling, have you ever tried to stay awake for a whole day?"
"Heh, no way, I would hate to be charged with resisting a rest." Joked Sans with a wink. "But I don't think you called us here to ask that. So, what's bugging you?"
Ignoring Sans's computer pun Mettaton replied "Alright, what I wanted to ask you was… is everything alright with Frisk?"
"…Well tibia honest, she's been a little on edge lately." Said Sans nervously. "But hey, it's nothing I can't handle." Added Sans a little unsurely.
There was a loud clashing sound as Papyrus used a bone attack to block a swing from Chara's knife, he then pushed back with all his strength and sent her flying across the forest's small clearing. Chara growled as she landed on her back, but she quickly got back to her feet and prepared to attack once more. "NOT TO BE RUDE, BUT ARE YOU REALLY SURE TRAINING IS WHAT YOU WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW? YOU SEEM TO BE UPSET AT SOMETHING, AND I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE BEST TO TALK ABOUT IT BEFORE RESUMING OUR TRAINING." Said Papyrus.
"Shut up and fight!" Screamed Chara as she charged at Papyrus. Papyrus pointed his right arm towards Chara and caused a line of bones to shoot out of the ground, towards Chara. However, Chara moved to Papyrus's left to avoid his attack, but as she prepared to slash Papyrus with her knife Papyrus stomped his left foot on the ground and caused a blue bone to shoot out of the ground and into Chara's shoulder, making her stop moving.
"ALRIGHT, YOU'VE PROVEN TO BE VERY STRONG, BUT NOW I MUST INSIST WE SPEAK ABOUT WHAT HAS BEEN TROUBLING YOU." Said Papyrus. "I'VE NOTICED YOU'VE BEEN DOING SOME WEIRD THINGS LATELY, THE KNIFE YOU HAD THIS MORNING, CUTTING THE BREAKS ON MY CAR, SNAPPING AT ME WHEN WE ARRIVED AT ALPHYS'S HOUSE. ALL THESE THINGS LET ME KNOW THAT THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON THAT YOU NEED THE HELP OF A COOL FRIEND FOR. SO, PLEASE TALK TO ME, THAT WAY I CAN HELP YOU!"
Chara looked down at the blue bone in her right shoulder that was keeping her in place. "Let… go… of… ME!" Shrieked Chara as she moved her right arm to throw her knife to her left hand, the movement causing the blue bone to truly pierce her shoulder, drawing a small amount of blood. Chara then used the knife to cut the blue bone in half, making it fade away. "STOP REACHING OUT TO FRISK!" Screamed Chara as she swung her knife at Papyrus, cutting a gash in his 'battle body'. "SHE'S NOT GOING TO SAVE YOU!" Yelled Chara before she kicked Papyrus in the chest, causing him to fall on his back. "Well, what do you have to say now?" Asked Chara as she loomed over Papyrus.
"I'M SORRY FOR CONFUSING YOU, BUT I ACTUALLY WASN'T TALKING TO FRISK." Said Papyrus.
"Alright kid, I was trying to be nice, but if you keep going this way, buddy… You're going to have a bad time." Said Sans to Frisk as they stood by the final bridge connecting Snowdin forest to Snowdin town.
"We'll see about that, comedian." Said Frisk. Sans quickly used a shortcut to move from the bridge into the forest on the other side of Snowdin town, where Papyrus was waiting for his chance to fight the human.
"Alright, there's nothing to worry about, there's no way the kid will be able to bring herself to kill Pap. After she realizes she can't go through with this she'll reset, and everything will go back to normal." Thought Sans to himself as he hid behind a tree and prepared to watch Papyrus face Frisk.
Sans walked through Waterfall, now wearing Papyrus's scarf. Frisk had killed every monster who crossed her path, and her exp. And Lv. Had been increasing rapidly. "Clearly kindness isn't going to stop this kid." Thought Sans. "Maybe facing a challenge, she can't conquer will make her reset." Sans came to a stop on top of a large hill and looked down on the fight between Frisk and Undyne.
Undyne already had a large slash across her body that looked fatal, but despite that she rose to her feet, filled with determination. "No… My body… it feels like it's splitting apart… like any instant, I'll scatter into a million pieces… but, deep, deep in my soul… there's a burning feeling I can't describe… A burning feeling that won't let me die!" Yelled Undyne as she began to radiate with power. "This isn't just about monsters anymore, is it? If you get past me, you'll destroy them all, won't you? Monsters… Humans… Everyone… Everyone's hopes… Everyone's dreams… vanquished in an instant! But I won't let you do that! Right now, everyone in the world! I can feel their hearts beating as one! And we all have one goal! To defeat you! Human… No! Whatever you are! For the sake of the whole world, I, Undyne, will strike you down!" When Undyne finished speaking there was a bright flash as she became Undyne the Undying, but the human was unfazed. "You're going to have to try a little harder than that!" Yelled Undyne.
Sans now stood at the end of the large judgement hall, waiting for the one who had killed his brother and friends to arrive. "Well, there is officially no way to stop this kid." Thought Sans "Unless… maybe… If someone who remembers who they were before confronts them, maybe they'll finally see they can't keep doing this to us." As Sans finished his thought, the human entered the judgment hall, only now she was wearing a green sweater with yellow stripes, and a golden heart locket with a gilded knife to match it. "Heya, you've been busy huh?" Asked Sans before the human took a step forward. "So, I've got a question for ya. Do you think even the worst person can change? That everyone can be a good person if they just try?" Asked Sans, but the human just ignored him and took another step forward. "Hehehe, alright, well here's a better question. Do you wanna have a bad time? Because if you take another step forward, you are really not going to like what happens next." For a brief moment, Sans thought he saw conflict in the human's eyes, but they took another step forward anyway. "Welp, sorry old lady. This is why I never make promises." Said Sans to himself before addressing the human again. "It's a beautiful day outside, birds are singing, flowers are blooming, on days like this, kids like you… Should be burning in hell!"
Drained of energy, Sans fell asleep while fighting the human, and they quickly seized the opportunity and attacked. However, Sans woke up in the nick of time and side stepped the attack. "Heh, did you really think you'd be able to-" Sans was cut off when the human suddenly changed their attack and cut him across the chest. "So… I guess that's it, huh? Just don't say I didn't warn you." Said Sans as he slowly made his way to his feet. "Well, I'm going to Grillby's. Papyrus, do you want anything?" Asked Sans, seemingly to no one as he began to walk past the human, but as he did, he saw something that made his blood run cold. Blood began to run down the human's face, but not from any injury. The face that had so closely resembled Frisk's moments before was now unmistakably Chara's. Her left eye had turned solid black except for a red pupil and blood red tears running down from it. The change from Frisk to Chara was complete.
"Sans? Are you alright?" Asked Alphys, getting Sans's attention.
"You've been staring into space for quite a while now." Pointed out Mettaton.
"Oh, sorry about that… I've just got something on my mind." Said Sans. "But it's getting pretty late, so I think I'd better bolt." Joked Sans.
"If that was a machine pun, never do it in my presence again." Said Mettaton.
It was then that Sans's phone began to ring, and he quickly answered. "Undyne? I've been calling you for hours! Ha, and people call me lazy." Said Sans into his phone. "Sorry, I gotta take this." Said Sans to Alphys and Mettaton as he stepped away from them.