"Deep, deep in my soul… there's a burning feeling I can't describe."
Water rushed around you, chilling your bones, rendering you unable to move even without her magic anchoring your soul in place.
"A burning feeling… that WON'T let me die."
The wind was howling, threatening to tear your hood off your skull, exposing your sins to all of the Underground.
"If you get past me, you… you'll destroy them all, won't you? Papyrus… Alphys… Asgore..."
Flower pollen drifted in the air like dust, impossible to tell apart anymore.
"All our hopes. All our dreams. Vanquished in an instant."
You were waiting. Waiting for her to get up again, letting her determination shine in full glory.
"But I WON'T let you do that."
You were waiting for her to conjure up a spear and fight for everyone, and after a long, long battle, finally collapse at your feet, defeated, helpless, unable to save anyone.
"Traitor…"
Just like you couldn't save anyone in the end.
"For the sake of the Underworld -"
In a blinding flash of pure white light, her body reformed itself in front of your eyes, standing tall and proud, stronger than ever.
"- I, UNDYNE, will strike you down!"
*The heroine appears.
The heroine appeared to stop you, the villain of the story. The last hope of monsterkind; the last stand of virtue. Clichéd, sure, but entertaining nevertheless.
Especially since she couldn't stand a chance against you.
How tragic.
How far above you.
Of course, you got tired of the spectacle eventually, no matter how impressive it looked the first time, and in the last few resets you resorted to just teleporting behind her and blasting her in the back mid-speech. It didn't immediately kill her, but it saved you a considerable amount of time. Her body broke and melted and dissolved, but she was smiling as wide as you were, like nothing was wrong.
She wanted to make everyone's wishes come true.
As the heady feeling of gaining a new level washed over you, you turned and set out to Hotland, not even bothering to kick apart the pile of dust on the ground. Darkness and silence fell over the caves once again as somewhere in the darkness above you, the light of a single blue gemstone flickered and went out.
"...?"
Cold.
"Sans?"
Cold and dark.
Where am I?
"C-can you hear me?"
Did they reset again?
"Let's s-see if this helps..."
For a moment, something even colder presses roughly against your sternum, and you let out a weak groan of protest.
My head...
You're lying on your back on some hard, flat surface in the darkness, your eyesockets closed. You make a half-hearted attempt to open them, but the sharp pain shooting through your cranium quickly convinces you to just stay put for now.
"Can you h-h-hear me, Sans?"
"...'mhuh."
"Whew! All r-right, then." The hushed, familiar voice sounds relieved. "He's going to be okay now."
You finally succeed in identifying the voice. It's Alphys'. You must be in the lab. You must be -
"Thank you," another, much sterner voice joins in, hitting you like a ton of bricks. Undyne. Your right eyesocket snaps open, only to present you with an uncomfortable close-up of Alphys' bespectacled face. She lets out an embarrassed squeak and springs back, letting the harsh surgical light above the table blind you for a moment. You scrunch your face in pain and realize that your left eyesocket is sealed shut. You instinctively try to make a move to peel off the material, only for your arms to stay firmly in place, held back by something that feels like straps. You're restrained.
Dammit.
"Don't even think about it."
Pushing back the first wave of panic, you turn your head as cautiously as you can to minimize the headache. Undyne is sitting next to the table in her everyday clothes, arms folded in front of her chest, her expression as cold and hard as stone. Her shoulder seems to be healed already. A glowing spear is hovering beside her, the tip pointed at you.
"You're finally awake," she says while Alphys timidly reaches above you to adjust the lighthead's angle.
"observant as always, undyne," you manage to croak out.
"Good," she says, letting your weak attempt at sarcasm go past her. "We must talk. Or rather, you must talk."
She pulls her chair a little closer to the table, the spear following her every movement.
"Because you're not going anywhere until you tell me exactly what is going on. And possibly not even afterward."
She turns to Alphys, who's fidgeting with her glasses nervously.
"Alph, please leave."
"Uh… I, um, I still h-have to -"
"Please leave," Undyne repeats, and you can tell from her tone that this isn't a request.
"...O-okay," the lizard monster mumbles, putting her glasses back on her nose.
"And turn your cameras off on the way out. Microphones, too."
"Um… s-sure."
Alphys nods and slinks away, closing the massive metal door soundlessly behind her. You remain alone with Undyne. She turns back to you, looking at you like she's trying to gauge where to break the impenetrable wall around your mind. Where to find some sign of weakness that she can use to pry the truth out of you. She reminds you of Chara, in a way: always speculating, always trying to guess their enemy's next move.
Finally, you have enough of the silence.
"so. don't you have a human to hunt down?"
"Don't worry about the human," she says in a measured tone. "Worry about me."
"ok. is everything alright, undyne? you look rather fishy today."
Her voice becomes even colder.
"You better stop with this garbage now, Sans, before I lose the rest of my patience. Your behavior is more than suspicious, and trust me, I'm not going to let you go no matter how much you're trying to get on my nerves."
You close your eyesocket. The darkness is somehow comforting, even though it's unlikely it can protect you now.
Time to face the music, it seems.
"alright," you say, trying to sound calmer than you feel. "i know when i'm beaten. what do you want to know?"
"I want to know who killed me and all the other monsters. And no 'you wouldn't get it' bullshit this time. I want a straightforward explanation."
You want to shrug, only to realize that you're still restrained.
"i told you everything i know back at the pier. a human with an excessive amount of determination has been running around here in the underground, sometimes helping us, sometimes killing monsters whenever and wherever they see them, and starting over when they run out of locals to dust. most of us retain memory fragments of these events, that's why you were able to remember the time they killed you."
Undyne raises a suspicious eyebrow at that.
"Is that all there is to it? What about this time? How are you so sure that the human you were so keen on protecting isn't going to go the same route and kill everyone once again?"
"i talked to them in a previous timeline. they promised me to try and -"
"There's no way you believed them, Sans. I know you. You're not Papyrus. What are you keeping from me?"
You stop to think for a second. How are you supposed to explain it all to someone who barely has a grasp on how human souls work? It was much easier with Asgore, though after a while, you stopped bothering with that too. You decide to simplify it enough to make it sound believable.
"let's just say that it's all a game to them. one time, they amuse themselves with being kind to us. other times, they get a kick out of seeing us suffer. that's humans for you, i guess." Your grin widens a little at the memories. "in the previous timeline, i managed to stop them before - before the end. they had no other choice but to play nice."
"So you stopped them?" The fish monster's gaze is keen and hard. "How exactly? Why not earlier? Is there anything about your own deeds you want to tell me?"
"you mean all the killing? nah. i already told you it wasn't me. never thought i'd be mistaken for a human child."
"I remember otherwise," she says, her voice disturbingly calm. "I remember fighting you. I remember losing to you. And I remember your LV, Sans. I wasn't your first victim. You had killed others before me."
You take a somewhat shaky breath, concentrating on keeping up the facade.
"i told you i had nothing to do with -"
"If you don't give me the whole truth right now, I'm going to leave you here, track down the human and kill them the moment I see them."
"you do that."
"I thought you promised to keep them safe, Sans. Provided that wasn't another lie."
"i never make promises."
"Good," she says, seemingly pleased. "Then it won't make any difference to you if I kill them and take their soul."
You can barely keep your cool at her condescending tone. She's mocking you. Normally, it's the other way around.
"i told you that wouldn't do any good as they'll just reset again -"
"Exactly, Sans. If the human can just reset and fight me until they win, why did you try to stop me earlier? What does it matter?"
You groan inwardly. Why did she have to choose this moment to get smart all of a sudden?
"it does matter. i… i have a plan to defeat them, and it hinges on them not resetting unless absolutely necessary."
Undyne nods, clearly satisfied that she's managed to make you budge.
"Good. Now we're going somewhere. Care to explain about that plan of yours?"
"do i have a choice in the matter?"
"I'm listening."
"okay. thing is, i found a method to destroy the fixed points in the timeline where they can normally reset to. if i manage to get rid of those and kill them afterward, they won't have anywhere to come back to. we'll still be stuck here as we can't use their soul anymore, but - at least they'll be gone forever."
The fish monster is looking at you expectantly, waiting for you to continue.
"That's it?"
"basically."
"You do know that doesn't explain your behavior in the slightest?"
"what more do you want?"
"Once again: why do you have to pretend to be on their side?"
You quirk an eyebrow at her.
"isn't it obvious? no matter how innocent that human looks, we're talking about the most powerful being we ever had to deal with. trust me, wiping us out one more time would be child's play to them. literally. this requires some planning ahead, and truth be told, i'm not super keen on sharing my plans with anyone right now."
"Why? Wouldn't our help make it easier for you?"
"let's just say i work alone and pretend i have a trenchcoat and shades on while saying it."
She shakes her head firmly, her bangs swishing left and right.
"Not anymore, Sans. I can't just go back to doing nothing while you're trying to carry out your plan. This isn't how it works."
"ugh. what do you want me to do?"
"First of all, show me those reset points you've been talking about. I want to see them with my own eyes before I let you destroy anything down here. Then-"
"sorry, can't do that. you, uh, can't see them."
Undyne stares at you like you just told her the moon is made of cheese. Understandable, to be honest.
"So - we're talking about hidden magical places only you and the human can see. For everyone else, they're invisible, intangible, and might as well not exist."
"looks like we've got a quick learner here."
"And why is that? Why is it that only the two of you can in any way perceive them?"
Well, shit.
Think of something, you idiot. Anything.
Think. Think before she -
Undyne stands up and steps to the operating table, hovering over you, looking down at you like a living shadow of your bad conscience.
"I'm going to ask you one last time, Sans," she says quietly. "Did you kill me or any other monster?"
You're tired. So, so tired of hiding and lying all the time.
"no."
She shoots you one final long, searching look, her expression getting darker, yet darker. Finally, she turns away, dismisses the spear and starts heading for the door.
"what the hell are you doing?" you growl. "are you just going to leave me here?"
"Yes. You have plenty of time to think about if you have anything else to confess. And if it ultimately turns out you were telling the truth, you're free to go."
"and what if they kill you?"
"Then Alphys is going to let you out in time."
She unlocks the door.
"Goodbye, Sans."
You're looking at her back, feeling lonelier and more helpless than ever. This can't be happening. You have to stop her. This is your only chance, she cannot do this to you, she has no right to, after all you've been through, she has no right to act like she's above you and cast you aside.
As you close your eyesocket, you feel another surge of the sadistic curiosity that has been nagging you since you first witnessed her reaction to the blasters.
What would she do if she knew?
What would she do if she realized there's no hope?
You can't do this.
"wait."
Your voice is weak and thin, breaking in your throat, and, like a faint echo coming from a thousand miles, you hear yourself speak.
"i did."
Undyne stops immediately, her hands curling into fists by her side. The silence is so heavy, it feels suffocating. She's standing in the doorway, motionless, with her back to you so you can't see her face. Then slowly, slowly, she closes the door and, still not looking at you, returns to the chair. Maybe it's just your imagination, but you see her put a larger distance between you than before. She's looking past you, breathing heavily, like she's trying to calm herself, and you wait for her to speak. It's not like you have a choice anymore.
Well, I did stop her, one way or another.
"Are you telling the truth?" Undyne asks finally.
"yes."
"If you're joking… if you're joking, I swear I'm gonna punish you in a way that you'll never forget."
"i am not."
She looks you in the eye, her gaze guarded and wary, like you're some kind of savage animal that's behind bars for the moment. She presses her lips together, a sharp, thin line like the edge of a knife.
"How did you do it?"
"you saw how," you say flatly. "weapons. bones. dodging. stuff."
For a second, her lips twitch in disgust at your indifferent tone. She sees through you. She sees how far you've gone. You turn away your gaze.
"Beside me… who else?"
"everyone."
She frowns.
"Everyone? What do you mean?"
"by everyone i mean everyone. every single monster, that is. the snails got a pass. most of them, at least."
She pauses, her hand gripping the backrest so hard her knuckles turn nearly white.
"Why, Sans?"
She sounds almost desperate, looking for an answer, something halfway reasonable in all this horrible, tragic mess.
"Why would you do such a thing?"
You let out a breathless bark of laughter.
"does it matter?"
"Yes."
"it was the human."
"Are you on their side now?" she asks, some of her former fierceness seeping back into her voice. "Did you betray us all?"
"no. as i said, i tried to stop them. with zero success, of course. and they killed everyone, undyne."
You turn to look at her face.
"do you understand what that means? everyone i've ever known was murdered. that includes asgore. and papyrus." Your grin falters for a second. "and alphys. oh, and you and me, of course."
Over and over and over.
They killed them.
You killed them.
"i had to… i had to get stronger to have a chance against them."
You had to do it.
"i had to do it," you whisper.
"You HAD to do it?!" Undyne snaps, startling you. "THIS was your so-called solution? Going on a… a mindless killing spree? Slaughtering your friends? Your own brother?!" She leans closer, her voice raised unnaturally high. "You had it in you to kill Papyrus?"
I had to -
I had to -
"What the hell is WRONG with you?!"
You smile.
Smile, you bastard.
You have no right to be sad. You have no right to feel anything.
"pretty much everything by now."
Undyne slumps back in the chair, staring at you in utter shock. She doesn't even try to mask the sheer horror in her eye. You feel an odd sense of satisfaction seeing her fear and contempt. At last you got what you deserve. Partially, at least.
"You are sick, Sans."
"i know."
She leaps up, striding back and forth, burying her claws into her hair, clutching at her temples.
"I don't understand," she mutters. "I don't understand! Why? What did we do to deserve - what did you - why did you - why the HELL did you -"
She stops and stares at you in despair, her voice painful.
"How COULD you?"
A flash of Toriel's face, tears flowing down her cheeks, a fire burning in her eyes.
How could you?
You feel anger and hate bubbling up within you, the same bitterness you felt on that first evening in the pub. She's as dumb and naive as all the others, living in blissful ignorance while you're sentenced to a lifetime of darkness. She has no idea how lucky she has been so far. She has no goddamn idea.
"i've got a question for you, undyne," you say slowly, your eyelights going out. "namely - what would you have done in my place?"
"You're asking ME?" she shouts in your face. "You were the one who remembered their every move! You had a huge advantage over them! Why didn't you put all that scientific mumbo-jumbo you keep hurling at me to good use and stop them in time?!"
"i did just that. in the beginning, i made some attempts at figuring out a way to keep them out of the timelines permanently. a pattern, some kind of weakness they were unaware of. but it was all in vain. nothing helped. nothing mattered. they killed everyone anyway."
Undyne shakes her head, visibly trying to get herself together.
"I don't believe it. I can't! How could we let - how could I let them do this?"
You roll your pupils.
"you didn't let them, undyne. you fought them, remember? tried your best, i guess. dying in one strike, coming back, dying again from over-exertion. the usual shtick."
"Coming back? What? How?"
"eh. it has to do with that determination you have. enough to bring you back once. not enough to make a difference against someone who has a near-infinite amount." Your grin twitches. "unless, y'know. you decide one day to go the same route i did and stack up on the levels. though i doubt you could go past -"
You swallow your words because Undyne steps closer, and for a moment, she looks like she's going to hit you. She stares down at you, unable to move, utterly at her mercy, and her eye dilates, the cold fury in it glinting like a white flame. She's drawing long, shaky breaths, her entire body trembling.
"You just gave up, didn't you?" she whispers in a strained voice. "If you had wanted to save us, you had the means to do so. You just didn't want it enough. You just gave up. You didn't bother, you didn't care, you left us all to die because you're just a lazy piece of shit."
She's going to kill me.
She's going to give me what I deserve.
You shake your head, your eyesockets dark and empty.
"You know that's not true."
Undyne is looking at you like in a trance. Hoping beyond all hope that you're lying. That it's all just a bad dream. You don't care. You don't want to have mercy on her.
Do you?
"you know i did what i could," you go on. "and you know it wasn't enough. you know it."
"You're lying," she mumbles. "You're lying, you're just lazy, you just -"
"oh, of course i was too lazy to bother, undyne," you sneer. "of course it was quite the delightful romp to remember every single fucking time you were all killed. too bad i couldn't swap places with you so i could let you join in the fun, my friend."
You're staring at each other, and for the first time, the reality of the situation seems to sink in with her. You're not joking, you're not lying, you're telling the truth.
The truth that broke you beyond all repair.
Undyne straightens and steps back, leaning against a metal cabinet. She closes her eye and stays silent for a minute, taking deep, slow breaths, unconsciously moving her gills like she's in need of more air. Finally, she looks up at you, her voice sober once again.
"You said you remembered every single time."
"yep. still do. trust me, it's not the most fun way to pass the time."
"Just how… just how many times did they go through with it?"
"three-hundred and twenty-seven times," you recite matter-of-factly. "not counting the runs when they spared one or two of us. i admit, they were pretty creative."
In a way, you were almost impressed.
"after all, they were just playing."
Playing a game they never got tired of.
"so. tell me. what would you have done in my place?"
Tell me, heroine.
Tell me what I should have done to save us.
Undyne grinds her teeth.
"I would have fought them again and again. I never would have given up, I would never -" She stops, taken aback by the number you just told her. "I would have taken the six human souls! Then I -"
"then what?" you snap at her. "you kill them once, twice, several dozen times, and they just reset again. believe me, slaying a demigod is no biggie for them. so? please elaborate."
Undyne slams her fist into the side of the cabinet, making a dent in the material.
"I don't KNOW!" she yells. "Not this! Anything but this! ANYTHING!"
She takes up the pacing again, lifting up random objects and slamming them back down.
"I need to think! I must think of something! I would have - I - I would -"
She stops and looks at you, her eye wide, helpless, and sees how haunted you are, and realizes you can't help her. Not with this.
"Anything but - but this..."
She sinks back onto the chair, one hand clutching the backrest so hard that her claws cut into the plastic, staring into space, her good eye dark. Neither of you says a word, the low whirr of the air conditioning the only sound in the room.
"And what about this time?" Undyne finally asks in a dull voice. "You were right, I did check their LV. They haven't killed anyone yet."
"i told you. we made a deal. they promised me not to kill anyone this time."
"Do you think it'll work?"
"i have reason to do so. but... i need you to leave them alone."
"Why, Sans? After everything, why would I do as you ask?"
"please." Your voice is weak and desperate, and you're decidedly not a fan of it. "undyne - please. just... let me set this straight. then you can capture me to your heart's content. or kill me, or take me to asgore. though he'd be better off not knowing about any of... this."
She'd have been better off not knowing about this.
"No, Sans. I don't trust you. Maybe if you'd told me all of this earlier... but after… after what you've done..."
You take a sharp breath.
"why do you think i didn't tell anyone? would you have told papyrus? or alphys? or anyone else? what do you think they'd have done? what do you think they could have done?"
She says nothing, and you decide to go on.
"i told alphys once in the hopes of getting some assistance. i told her everything about our situation. she did agree to help at first, but after the human killed you and mettaton once again, she couldn't take it anymore."
"Alphys…"
Undyne's voice is so soft, so sad that for a moment, you feel the urge to reassure her with a lie. You push it down.
"they can do nothing, undyne. nothing."
She meets your gaze, looking almost as tormented as you, weighed down by the darkness that has been pressing on your collective shoulders for so long.
You broke her.
You goddamn bastard.
"do you understand now?" you ask hoarsely. "do you understand how this feels? knowing that nothing you do has any consequences? that you have no chance against your enemy? knowing that you couldn't tell anyone be-"
"You could have told me."
Her calm, quiet voice stops you dead in your tracks.
You couldn't have heard this right. There's no way you heard what you think you heard.
"...you?"
Undyne nods.
"Maybe I couldn't have done anything either," she continues, noticing your incredulity. "Probably not. But I could have shared this… this burden with you." Her voice gets even softer. "You were my friend."
You blink at her in confusion, and she smiles at you, a bitter, wry little thing.
"I wasn't very good at showing it, was I?"
Once again, silence follows. You're trying to process what just went down. What she just told you. If any of it was true.
Could I -
Could I indeed have shared this with her?
Would it have been better?
Would it have made any difference?
You awkwardly clear your throat.
"well. better late than never, i guess."
Undyne lets out a weak snort.
"Sans… we were all in this together."
You weren't.
Were we?
"And what about now?" the fish monster asks, returning to the present. "What are your plans for after you… get rid of them?"
"nothing. aside from doing everyone a favor and dust the only monster in this place who deserves it."
Undyne opens her mouth to speak, but ultimately says nothing.
"i did it a few times already. not a high bar to clear."
She still makes no reply. You sigh.
"look. if you're dead set on making a public spectacle of my execution, i won't resist. i don't have much leverage here. but i'd really appreciate it if this stayed between us. papyrus… he wouldn't take it well."
You don't understand why you still care about your brother. You have no right to care.
Undyne stands up and steps to the table, her movements oddly sluggish. Fear, real fear grips your soul, suspecting that the situation is now irreversibly out of your control.
"undyne, please -"
"I'm not going to kill you."
You gasp and clench your fists as with a flick of her hand, she summons your soul, pulling it out of your ribcage. The upside-down heart glows with a faint white light while hovering above her upturned palm. You stare at her as she creates a small spear out of thin air and makes a swiping motion with it. The soul flickers, and in the next moment, a dim aura of green magic is surrounding it. All of a sudden, you feel yourself getting somehow heavier, less movable, like an object pinned into place.
"uh. care to explain what just -"
"A little precaution," she says curtly, examining the soul. "You won't be able to teleport, and I can track your movements."
She lets the white heart sink back into your chest. Then she opens the clasps that hold the belts fast. It takes you a moment to realize your arms are free.
"Go."
What.
"Go before I change my mind."
You wait for her to continue, but she says no more. Finally, you sit up and flex your arms a few times to chase the numbness out of them. You blindly feel for your left eyesocket and ultimately manage to peel the waxy material off, doing a few experimental blinks. The reassuring hum of your magic returns, making you feel whole again.
You get off the table and turn to Undyne, who's staring at the wall with such intensity as if she wanted to burn a hole in it with her gaze.
"...thanks."
"Just shut up and go."
For once, you're glad to obey her orders.
"Wait," she says as you're standing in the doorway, echoing your previous plea. "Sans. I - I wanted to ask -"
And in this moment, time stops, shivers and folds in on itself, and the shock on Undyne's face can barely manifest before -
" - to me if you're so smart!"
You blink a few times dazedly, looking around to get your bearings. You're in Waterfall once again, standing on the rickety planks of Ferry Dock. Undyne is planted in front of you like a statue made of metal and determination and, right now, a whole lot of righteous anger.
"Sans? Are you even listening?! Or did you just fall asleep on me?"
"i'm, uh, all ears, undyne. or rather no ears, but -"
Her good eye twitches.
"I asked something, Sans."
You hear swift footsteps approaching from the far end of the dock behind you. Undyne clearly notices them, too, since she lets out a yell of victory and pushes you aside so vehemently you nearly fall into the pond. Springing left and right, Frisk avoids the first few spears and lands near you on their knees.
"Sans! Are you alright?"
You don't even have time to answer before Undyne swishes her spear, and Frisks's soul immediately becomes green. Regaining your balance, you hastily stand in front of them and keep an eyesocket out for the yellow spears just in case.
"What the HE- what the heck, Sans?!" your captain shouts, sending droplets of water everywhere. "Get out of the way! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"hey, killing children as pastime is already taken, i understand."
The hypocrisy, it hurts.
Undyne stops for a second but quickly gets it together.
"This would be the last soul! This is the only thing standing between -"
"yeah, you already said that."
"What?!"
„nevermind."
"I'm warning you, Sans!" she yells, getting furious. "Don't make me kick your weak little a- your behind!"
Another spear follows to emphasize her threat. You can dodge, but you're not fast enough to pull the kid out of harm's way, and you certainly don't want yet another reset in case Undyne accidentally impales you instead. Frisk grabs your jacket to get your attention.
"Hotland!" they cry. "We must go to Hotland!"
You block another spear and think about your options. There aren't many of them, as it is. A shortcut is out of the question as the child is still under the effect of Undyne's magic, and you can barely counter it enough to make them move at a snail's pace.
So you do what you never thought you would do in a thousand timelines and run.
In the distant past, you'd certainly have thought of this as your worst nightmare. The road is narrow and windy, full of sudden turns, half-submerged tunnels and a bird you have to gently convince to carry you to the other side while spears are sprouting up from the ground all around you, and from time to time, Undyne catches up to you and forces you to face her, the human's pacifism obviously getting on her nerves. Frisk isn't making things easier, either, as they seem strangely weak. Occasionally, they stop to catch their breath, forcing you to stop too, and one time, they sway on their feet, a coughing fit making them double up. They clutch their chest with one hand, groping blindly for some support with the other. You stop and grab them under the arms so they won't collapse. They lean on you, panting from the effort.
"kid. your soul is back to red. let's get the hell out of here."
They shake their head fiercely.
"frisk, i'm serious."
"No!" they cry out faintly. "Please! I must… I must do this, Sans. I remember... how it happened, what I did, and - and I know what to do now. Just… just stay with me, please. Please -"
You grit your teeth.
"okay. watch out, then. here she comes."
Undyne is indeed after you once again, but you notice that apparently, you're not the only ones running out of steam. Though she's trying to hide it, she's getting tired. The closer you get to Hotland, the slower her pace becomes, her metallic bootsteps becoming fainter and duller. As you pass the giant neon sign, you look back and see that she's about to fall on her knees. Not that you're in any better shape.
Finally, you arrive at the end of the bridge, Clam Guy looking at you agape above his shades. You warn Frisk to go ahead, but they shake their head once again, and ask you to stand aside. You do so, curious about what they are planning to do.
Undyne is drawing closer, but she's clearly at the very end of her strength. The air is dry and stuffy, and that armor probably doesn't help things. She is dragging herself forward like a bag full of sand, her posture getting heavier with every step, and just when she's about to set foot on the barren red ground, a tremor runs through her body and she collapses, her tongue lolling out in a decidedly undignified manner.
Frisk stops by the water cooler, fills a cup and gently pours it on the fish monster's face. You could do with some water yourself, so you help yourself to a cup and down it. Then another, and then a third one for good measure. Meanwhile, Undyne gradually comes to, taking deep, slow breaths. She looks up at Frisk who's standing in front of them, showing no sign of fear, surprise and wonder written on her face.
Then she gets up, turns around and, without a word, goes back where she came from.
Huh.
You vaguely remember having to drag her unconscious body back to Waterfall in a timeline long, long ago.
Looks like the kid has learned something after all.
You lean against the water cooler and wait patiently for Frisk to pull themself together. Finally, they turn back to you, crinkling the paper cup nervously in their tiny hands.
"hey there, kiddo. have some time to spare?"
Frisk nods.
"good. i think... it's time we had another talk."