Chapter 6: Undyne the Undying
Chara loomed over Papyrus with her knife in hand and asked "Wha- What do you mean, you weren't talking to Frisk?"
"SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN CLEARER, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW YOUR NAME, OTHER HUMAN." Said Papyrus "I COULD TELL YOU WEREN'T FRISK FROM THE MOMENT I SAW YOU, I WASN'T SURE WHAT WAS GOING ON WHEN YOU WERE ONLY TAKING CONTROL FOR BRIEF MOMENTS, BUT WHEN YOU FINALLY DECIDED TO COME OUT AND TALK TO ME DIRECTLY, I REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING."
Chara was taken aback by this, and she quickly moved further away from Papyrus, allowing him to rise to his feet. "I don't understand… If you knew I wasn't Frisk… Then why were you being so nice to me?" Asked Chara.
"BECAUSE YOU'RE IN PAIN, OTHER HUMAN." Responded Papyrus. "I CAN TELL FROM THAT LOOK IN YOUR EYES… IT'S THE SAME LOOK THAT MY BROTHER SANS HAD, THE TIME I ASKED HIM ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR PARENTS… OR THAT MY FRIEND UNDYNE HAS WHENEVER SHE TALKS ABOUT HER FATHER… IT'S THE LOOK OF SOMEONE WHO HAS LOST SOMEONE DEAR TO THEM."
Tears began to rise up in Chara's eyes when she heard this, but she fought them back and said, "Shut up."
"I CAN TELL WHOEVER THEY WERE, THEY MEANT QUITE A LOT TO YOU, AND THAT IS WHY I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WISH TO HELP YOU THROUGH THIS." Cheered Papyrus.
"Shut up!" Warned Chara.
"SO, WHAT DO YOU SAY? WILL YOU ALLOW ME TO ASSIST YOU IN YOUR TIME OF NEED?" Asked Papyrus.
"SHUT UP!" Screamed Chara as she charged at Papyrus and slashed at him with her knife, but Papyrus quickly used his telekinesis to drive back Chara, changing the red heart on Frisk's necklace to blue in the process. "Is that all you can do!? The comedian's telekinesis was stronger." Mocked Chara.
"COMEDIAN… YOU MEAN SANS? WELL OF COURSE HIS TELEKINESIS IS STRONGER THAN MINE, THE ONLY TIME HE'LL STAND UP IS WHEN HE'S DOING COMEDY." Joked Papyrus. Despite being pushed back by his telekinesis, Chara forced her way closer to Papyrus, intending to finish him with one blow. "ALRIGHT, OTHER HUMAN, IF FIGHTING IS YOUR WAY OF DEALING WITH GRIEF, THEN I SHALL NOT HOLD BACK! BEHOLD, MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" Yelled Papyrus, and while he continued to hold Chara back with his telekinesis, Papyrus's right eye burned red as he summoned a Gaster-blaster, far larger than any of the Gaster-blasters that Sans could summon.
There is no way he would use that against me! Thought Chara as she continued to push through Papyrus's telekinesis, but before she could reach him, Papyrus fired the Gaster-blaster, making it shoot a bright red beam of energy down at Chara. There was a large explosion as Chara took the full force of the blast, and when the dust settled, Chara collapsed to her knees. N-No! I just got here! I won't let Frisk comeback that easily! Thought Chara as she struggled to hold back Frisk while injured. "H-how?" Was all Chara could manage to say.
As the red light faded from Papyrus's eye he bent down and hugged Chara. "DON'T FEEL BAD BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WIN, OTHER HUMAN. AFTER ALL, YOU DID DO VERY GREAT AGAINST ME, BUT FIGHTING WASN'T THE ANSWER TO YOUR PROBLEM. SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED THE HELP OF A COOL FRIEND, AND IF YOU'RE READY TO TALK, I'M ALWAYS READY TO LISTEN."
"You can't help me." Said Chara weakly. "One way or another I will bring him back… and I won't be separated from him again." When she finished speaking, Chara collapsed in Papyrus's arms, unconscious.
Frisk woke up moments later, gasping and coughing, her eyes back to their normal amber color. "FRISK!" Called Papyrus.
"Papyrus?" Asked Frisk.
"HANG ON, LET ME HEAL YOU." Said Papyrus as he began to use healing magic on Frisk's injuries.
"Papyrus… I'm so sorry." Cried Frisk. "I tried to stop her, but she-" Frisk was cut off when Papyrus began speaking.
"WORRY NOT FRISK, THE OTHER HUMAN CAUSED ME NO HARM." Said Papyrus. "BUT I REALLY MUST ASK, WHO WAS THAT? AND WHY DO THEY SHARE YOUR BODY?"
"I… I really would like to tell you Papyrus, but… I don't think I should." Said Frisk, fearing Papyrus's reaction to her power to reset.
"… I SEE, WELL WHO EVER THEY ARE, THEY REALLY NEED THE HELP OF A FRIEND RIGHT NOW, AND IF I CAN'T BE THE ONE TO HELP, THEN I'M GLAD IT'S YOU WHO GETS TO HELP THEM. AFTER ALL YOU ARE ALMOST AS GREAT AS I AM!" Cheered Papyrus.
"Help? What would she need help with?" Asked Frisk.
"YOU DIDN'T NOTICE? SHE HAS CLEARLY SUFFERED A GREAT LOSS, AND SHE NEEDS SOMEONE TO HELP HER DEAL WITH IT." Responded Papyrus.
I've always wanted to find a way to help Chara… Is this really what I should do now? Wondered Frisk.
"THERE, ALL DONE." Said Papyrus, as he finished healing Frisk's injuries. "NOW, LET'S GET YOU HOME BEFORE LADY TORIEL STARTS TO WORRY, AND IF WE'RE LUCKY SHE MIGHT NOT NOTICE OUR TATTERED CLOTHES." Added Papyrus as he looked at the gash in his 'battle body' and the rips in Frisk's sweater from when he used his special attack on her.
Well, that was a bust. Thought Chara to herself as Frisk and Papyrus started on their way to Toriel's house. Clearly Frisk is still too determined for me to take full control of her now, if I want to take control, I'll have to wear her down first.
"Now that, was interesting." Said Flowey to himself, revealing he had watched the fight between Chara and Papyrus from a distance. "The other guy is going to love this."
Undyne sat on her couch, speaking to Sans on the phone. "Sorry Sans, I kinda passed out on my couch after you left. Did anything happen?" Asked Undyne.
"Nope, after the incident earlier nothing else has gone wrong. Me, Pap, and Alphys took the kid to Mettaton's concert, and I just sent both Pap and the kid home so Toriel wouldn't worry." Explained Sans.
"Oh… well good." Replied Undyne.
"Hey Undyne, are you ok? You sound distracted." Said Sans.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just had a strange dream is all." Responded Undyne.
"Really? Tell me about it." Said Sans.
"I don't think I should. It's kinda personal." Said Undyne.
"Come on, I believe in dream interpretation, maybe what you dreamed of can help us figure out what's going on." Said Sans.
"I doubt it." Replied Undyne.
"You won't know until you try." Said Sans.
"Fine, but don't you dare say a word about this to Toriel or Asgore!" Yelled Undyne.
"Sure, make no bones about it." Joked Sans, and even though Undyne was only talking to him through the phone, she was certain he had winked while saying it.
"Alright… I called it a dream, but really it was more like a memory." Said Undyne. "Do you know about Prince Asriel and Princess Chara?"
"Well, I heard about them from Tori, but they died when I was just a baby-bones." Said Sans.
"Well, a really long time ago, when I was the newest guard at the palace, I was put in charge of watching them. However, I wound up losing them in the garden… and when I found them, the two of them were kissing. Chara was adopted, so I wasn't sure if it was incest or not, but it didn't feel right. So, I broke it up and never told Asgore or Toriel about it. That's what I dreamed about." Said Undyne.
"Seriously!?" Asked Sans, genuinely shocked for the first time in years.
"Yeah." Replied Undyne.
"Well, it's definitely odd you would dream of something like that after what happened…" Said Sans.
Sans woke up with a gasp and instinctively clutched his chest where the human had cut him, but to his surprise he found nothing there. "The kid… SHE KILLED ME!" Thought Sans angrily. Sans then quickly used a short cut to get to the woods outside the ruins so he could wait for Frisk. Sans waited for a long time, before the door to the ruins finally opened and Frisk stepped out, this time with no dust on her hands. Sans followed Frisk to the bridge like normal and said "Human-" before quickly being cut off by Frisk.
"I'm sorry!" Cried Frisk before she quickly turned and hugged Sans. "I'm so sorry!" Cried Frisk again as she began to sob.
"…Kid, why?" Asked Sans when he finally decided he needed answers.
"There's this demon… she calls herself Chara… she promised me an even better ending if I let her use my body… but she lied to me Sans!" Cried Frisk. "I know I can't make you believe me! And I understand if you hate me, but…" Frisk couldn't finish her sentence as she once again began sobbing on Sans's shoulder.
"A demon… well that would explain the weird transformation thing she did after stabbing me." Thought Sans. "Don't worry kid, I believe you. Just promise me you won't do anything like that again." Said Sans, making Frisk shake her head vigorously in agreement.
"Tell me Undyne, does Frisk remind you of Chara in anyway?" Asked Sans with a serious voice.
"Well… they do look a bit similar, and they both always wear striped sweaters… but other than that they're almost nothing alike." Said Undyne.
"Hmm, Undyne by any chance was Chara's sweater green and yellow?" Asked Sans, even though he already knew the answer.
"Yeah. How did you know?" Asked Undyne.
"Well, I also had an unusual dream recently. I dreamed I was in the judgement hall in Asgore's palace… fighting against a girl who looked like Frisk but was wearing a green and yellow sweater." Explained Sans.
"Huh… well that's… Hold on! Are we crazy or something!? Are we seriously just going to stand here thinking that Frisk and Chara are the same person, despite the fact that Chara is dead, and Frisk wasn't born until after the fact!?" Exclaimed Undyne, trying to laugh it off.
"Well, you know… I heard from Toriel that Chara's body is still buried in the ruins… if we want to think Frisk and Chara are the same, we could always go check it out. It wouldn't be too bad; I always feel at home in a bone-yard." Joked Sans.
"…Let's do it." Said Undyne after a moment of thought.
"Seriously?" Asked Sans.
"Yeah, I know it's not a great thing to do, but I need proof those dreams don't mean anything." Replied Undyne.
"Alright… I guess I can stay with Papyrus in Snowdin for the night after we finish." Said Sans.
Later that night
In the ruins, Undyne stood digging in the flower bed where Chara was buried, while Sans laid on his back staring up at the night sky through the hole Frisk had previously fallen through. "Hey Undyne, have you ever just stared up at the stars and thought 'hey stars… I'm better then you' Hehehe." Asked Sans.
"Are you stoned?" Asked Undyne.
"No, just drunk." Replied Sans as he took a sip from a bottle of ketchup.
"Whatever, I've finished digging. Get over here and lift the casket out so we can see if Chara's still in there." Said Undyne.
"Huh?" Asked Sans.
"Seriously, how are you that waisted? Your drinking ketchup! The deal was, I dig up the coffin and you lift it out so we can open it." Explained Undyne.
"Oh, alright." Replied Sans as he lifted his arm and made the coffin lift out of the hole and sit on the ground next to it.
"Wait… you have telekinesis?" Asked Undyne as she fought the urge to scream.
"Yep." Replied Sans.
"So, I spent two hours digging so that you could magically lift out the coffin without any effort?" Asked Undyne.
"Yep." Replied Sans.
"Ugggh, why are we even doing this at night!?" Complained Undyne.
"Because you said you wanted this done as soon as possible and me, Papyrus, and Frisk are going to be on the Mettaton show tomorrow." Replied Sans. "Now let's crack open this small child's coffin and make sure she's dead."
"I think you've had enough ketchup for one night." Said Undyne as she used one of her spears to pry the coffin open. Inside was a white sheet over a small corpse. "Alright, she's still in there, now let's put this thing back in the ground." Said Undyne.
"Wait, we've only seen the sheet on top, we don't know if it's really Chara in their until we check." Said Sans.
"Really? Who else could be in there?" Asked Undyne.
"Boy are you going to feel horrible when it turns out the real Frisk is buried in that casket while the person we thought was Frisk turns out to be a resurrected Chara." Said Sans.
"Fine." Said Undyne as she quickly pulled off the sheet, revealing the corpse of a young girl in a green and yellow sweater with brown hair and rosy cheeks. "Yep… That's Chara." Said Undyne solemnly. "Now can we bury her back?" Asked Undyne.
"Wait a second, Chara's been down here for years. Shouldn't her body have decayed by now?" Asked Sans.
"I don't know, maybe they can't decompose down here?" Suggested Undyne.
"Well then why did her bouquet decompose?" Asked Sans as he pointed to Chara's hands, which had once held a large and beautiful bouquet, but now only held badly decomposed flower stems.
"I get that that's weird, but she's dead Sans. There is no way that Chara is connected to this." Said Undyne as she gestured to the body, but then something they didn't expect happened.
"I am the demon who comes when its name is called." Said Chara as blood ran down from her eyes and mouth.
"AAAAHHHHH!" Screamed Sans and Undyne in unison as Sans leapt into Undyne's arms. Looking back at Chara, the two saw her body lying exactly as it had before, with no blood to be seen.
"Sans." Said Undyne.
"Yeah Undyne?" Replied Sans.
"Why is it that I'M holding YOU in MY arms?" Asked Undyne sarcastically.
"Oh come on, that scared you too." Replied Sans.
"Whatever, let's just bury her back before anything else happens." Said Undyne.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to mess with the dead?" Asked a male voice from the shadows.
"AAAHHH!" Screamed Undyne and Sans as Sans used a shortcut to take himself and Undyne to Papyrus's house in Snowdin town.
"Well, at least I got another chance to see you Chara… even if it's just your remains." Said the male voice, who stepped into the light and was revealed to be hyper-death Asriel. He then bent down and kissed Chara's forehead, before pulling the sheet back over her.
"Hey necrophile!" Called Flowey as he came out of the ground near Asriel's feet. "We need to talk."
"Sans! What did you do that for? We could have taken that guy!" Yelled Undyne.
"Again, you were scared too." Replied Sans.
"Well, we shouldn't have left Chara's body like that!" Yelled Undyne.
"Are you going back for it?" Asked Sans.
"Yes! …tomorrow… at noon." Replied Undyne.
"Sounds more like it." Replied Sans.
"Uh… any chance I can sleep on your couch tonight?" Asked Undyne sheepishly.
"Sure." Replied Sans as he locked the doors and windows.
"NYHEHE, THIS IS FUN!" Cheered Papyrus as he drove a race car around a track at high speeds, until it suddenly came to a stop. "HUH? I DIDN'T KNOW DREAM CARS COULD RUN OUT OF GAS." Said Papyrus.
"Hey bro! Hurry or you'll miss the big show!" Yelled Sans who was standing next to Frisk while she ate a chocolate bar. Papyrus quickly jumped out of his car and ran to the two of them. Sans started walking so Papyrus followed him while Frisk brought up the rear. The three of them walked through a large forest until, without warning, Frisk slashed Papyrus's back with a red knife.
"Ahh." Whimpered Papyrus as he fell and was caught by Sans. "Frisk… you hit me." Said Papyrus weakly. "I don't understand why… but you're my friend, so I know you had a good reason."
"Papyrus don't defend her!" Yelled Sans.
"No Sans, please forgive Frisk. Help her through this… I know she can be better." Said Papyrus while Frisk began to cry tears of blood.
"Why? Frisk why would you do that!? Papyrus was a saint! He's still trying to defend you after you betrayed him! Why!?" Yelled Sans. Soon Frisk's sobs turned into maniacal laughter and then she let out a horrifying scream as she became Chara once more.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Screamed Papyrus as he woke up in bed. Soon Undyne and Sans burst into his room asking what had happened. "OH, I HAD THE WORST NIGHTMARE! MY CAR RAN OUT OF GAS AND FRISK WAS WEARING A GREEN AND YELLOW SWEATER WITH A GODDY GOLDEN HEART LOCKET!"
Sans and Undyne quickly exchanged a nervous glance. "Uh, you take care of Papyrus… I'm going to go nail a crucifix to your door." Said Undyne to Sans.
"Howdy, what is it you need Flowey?" Asked hyper-death Asriel as he turned to face Flowey.
"Last night, while I was watching Frisk, she really turned into Chara! It was only for a minute, and she didn't get to kill anyone, but I'm certain she became Chara!" Cried Flowey in excitement.
"Good, now that we know where Chara's soul is, all we have to do now is find a way to get it." Said Asriel.
"Forget that! Let's just make her use a true reset! If we get her started on a genocide run, then she'll turn back into Chara for sure!" Cried Flowey.
"No chance! We'll get her soul in this run!" Snapped Asriel, before he took a deep breath and continued. "Sorry about that, but we don't need another reset. Let's just keep working on getting her soul now."
"That won't work." Replied Flowey. "She only turned back into Chara for a minute, before her lousy friends turned her back into Frisk. As long as she still has them, we won't be able to bring Chara back." Argued Flowey.
Asriel thought for a moment, then said "I'm sorry Flowey, but this isn't about bringing her back. Chara is dead Flowey, no matter how much we want her back, the only thing we can do for her now is make sure her soul ends up in the right place."
Flowey looked appalled, even though he saw the sadness in Asriel face, he couldn't stop himself from screaming "YOU'RE GIVING UP!? AFTER ALL THIS!? WE BOTH KNOW YOU ONLY TOOK THIS STUPID JOB TO BRING HER BACK! YOU IDIOT! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU CAN CALL YOURSELF HER BEST FRIEND IF YOU AREN'T WILLING TO BREAK A COUPLE RULES FOR HER!?" Flowey's words stung like needles, but Asriel didn't know how to respond. "Fine, if you won't do it, I will!" Said Flowey before he quickly disappeared into the ground.
Tears ran down Asriel's cheeks as he walked back over to Chara's casket. "I'm sorry Chara… I guess I really am a crybaby." Said Asriel as he struggled in vain to wipe away his tears. "It's too bad… now that I know what I feel for you… I barely have the time to say… I love you, Chara!"
While sleeping in her bed at Toriel's home on the surface Frisk rolled from side to side on her bed. "I l-love you… too." Replied Chara's voice through Frisk's mouth, though no one heard it, nor was either of the girls aware that they had said it.