:-"Sleeping is really just flirting with death"-:
* FRISK FLOATS IN THE VOID WHILE CHARA ATTEMPTS TO WAKE THEM.
"...Frisk? Hey... Wake up..."
* No response...
"Frisk... this isn't funny. Wake up."
* No response...
"...Frisk... what happened?... Please wake up, Frisk..."
* THE ARCHWAY LEADING INTO THE RUINS APPEARS.
"Come on Frisk, wake up! You have to go..."
* No response...
"If you won't wake up... then I'll just have to force you to go back!"
* CHARA GRABS FRISK AND PULLS THEM THROUGH THE ARCHWAY.
:-:
Chara wakes up in a familiar room. 'This isn't good.'
The smell of a Butterscotch-Cinnamon pie gets Chara's attention. 'Is that... mom's pie?'
While attempting to get out of bed, Chara notices that their movements are sluggish.
'I've been dead for so long... I forgot how to move... wait... how do I talk?...'
Chara's thoughts are interrupted as Toriel peeks into the room.
In a gentle and quiet voice, Toriel asks "Are you having nightmares, my child?"
Speaking is difficult, but Chara manages to say "n-no, mo-... Toriel..."
Toriel finds the slip endearing, and chooses not to bring attention to it, instead she goes over to the bed and sits at the edge.
She places her hand on Frisk's forehead, making sure they don't have a fever, and says,
"Hmm... You are a little warm, but it should not be a problem. Rest for as long as you need, my child."
Toriel gets up from the bed and leaves the room, taking the slice of pie with her so it doesn't go bad.
Chara slowly and carefully begins trying to move...
Their movements are sluggish and imprecise, but eventually they manage to get Frisk's body into a standing position.
They force Frisk's SOUL into view... 'That isn't good... it's... Turning green? Why didn't anyone notice? Wh-...what are those purple cracks?'
After putting Frisk's SOUL back, Chara slowly makes their way to the door of Asriel's old bedroom.
Frisk's body is mostly slumped over, because Chara cannot keep her head up...
Because they aren't used to moving Frisk's legs, one of them is mostly sliding along.
It takes several minutes, but eventually Chara is able to gain more control over Frisk's body as they walk down the hallway.
By the time they get to the living room, Frisk just looks tired.
Toriel looks up from her book, "...little one, you should not be up if you are still tired."
Chara speaks. "M-... Toriel... something... is wrong. F-... m-my SOUL... looks... funny."
Hearing that alarms Toriel, she discards the book she's holding while quickly moving to kneel near Frisk.
After placing a hand on Frisk's shoulder, she pulls their SOUL out.
Other than a small circle in the center of their SOUL, and what appears to be a thin red outline, Frisk's SOUL is green.
Purple squared cracks, with an other-worldly glow coming from them, mar the surface of Frisk's SOUL. It looks like it's about to shatter.
The cracks seem to originate from the edges of the small circle of red in the center of Frisk's SOUL. The cracks have not reached the edges of their SOUL.
Toriel's eyes go wide in surprise "Oh dear, this is cannot be good at all! Stay here for a moment, Frisk... I'll be right back..."
She rushes to her room and returns moments later wearing a hooded cloak.
When Toriel returns, she picks Frisk up, holds them close within the cloak, then leaves HOME down into the rest of the Underground.
:-:
Moving quickly, but carefully, Toriel makes it through the long passage in record time.
She passes through the door leading to Snowdin, eventually making her way to Riverperson, and requests a ride to Hotland.
'If anyone would know what is happening to their SOUL... surely the royal scientist would...?'
Toriel does her best to hide her face from others, she does not feel ready to truly leave the RUINS, and she cannot afford distractions.
As she approaches the Hotland Lab, Toriel looks down to Frisk and says, in a reassuring tone,
"be not afraid, my child, everything will be alright..."
Toriel enters the lab, but no one is there; she shouts. "Hello?! I need immediate assistance! Alphys?!"
Frantic shuffling can be heard upstairs and, after a few minutes, Alphys comes down the escalator.
"T-toriel? What's wron- Is... is that the human? Are they hurt? They were fine y-yesterday! Wh-what ha-"
Interrupting Alphys, Toriel says, "Frisk's SOUL is... Something is wrong, there are purple cracks all over it and it is turning green!"
Alphys is surprised by the information. "What? I've never heard of a human's SOUL cracking from magic... May I see?"
Toriel nods and pulls Frisk's SOUL into view...
The red outline appears to be getting thicker very slowly... the purple cracks have almost reached the edges of Frisk's SOUL.
Gently, Alphys pulls the SOUL closer to herself for further examination.
After a few moments, she takes a picture and sends someone a message with her phone.
To: funnybones
IMG_7314_43_21 . PNG
SANS, I NEED HELP!
:-:
A few seconds after she presses send, Sans quickly walks out from the elevator and approaches.
"... hey tori, alphys. mind giving me alone time with the kiddo?"
Toriel is surprised to see her joke-buddy here, but not for long... 'He does share some features of that old scientist...'
She places Frisk down slowly and makes sure they can stand on their own. Then, she and Alphys leave to the second story.
Chara is wary, they don't know what's going on.
Sans becomes more serious. "Why don't you walk over here for me, Chara?"
Though startled, Chara complies as well as they can... and says "...Frisk wont... wake up..."
Sans' eyes go dark. "what did you do?"
Chara almost falls backwards in shock from the accusation, "n-nothing! I... I just... tried to pull them... back..."
Taking a moment to consider the information, Sans' eyes return. He brings their SOULs closer for examination before texting someone...
To: ALPHYS
i need a x40 magnifying glass.
:-:
Alphys rushes down and goes into the True Lab.
After a few minutes, she returns with a powerful magnifying glass and hands it to Sans, then rushes back upstairs.
Sans examines the edge of Frisk's SOUL... after a few minutes, he speaks. "weird... guess i was wrong..."
He sends another message through his phone.
To: ALPHYS
you can come back down.
:-:
The two ladies come downstairs and Sans asks "hey alphys, do you have a recording of the fight?"
Alphys responds promptly "Y-yes... Why? Everything looked f-fine when I watched."
Sans doesn't respond, he just looks at her... Eventually she leaves to get the video.
The group watches the video in x2 speed from the beginning, and, up until the fight begins, everything looks normal.
Sans notices a problem as soon as Frisk uses magic to change the playing field.
Sighing, Sans says,
"seems the kiddo used so much purple magic that it damaged their SOUL. it couldn't fix itself, so it slowly turned green as perseverance leaked out. ...where's muffet?"
Alphys replies with a hint of worry,
"last I saw, she was g-going to get the spiders from the RUINS... I d-don't know where she is right now th-"
Chara interrupts, "I... feel funny... It feels like...-"
Suddenly, Chara's SOUL pops out from Frisk's body and Frisk begins to fall to the ground.
Moving quickly, Toriel catches them. "Frisk!" Tears well up in Toriel's eyes as she holds Frisk's limp body close to her.
Sans vanishes for a moment and returns with a small cylindrical container, then scoops Chara's SOUL into it.
Chara's SOUL appears to be filling in very slowly.
As casually as ever, Sans says
"don't worry tori, it wasn't the kiddo's soul. just a... passenger. seems like more's going on than i thought."
Alphys speaks up, "Toriel... let me t-take them up to my room. They can sleep on my b-bed for now..."
Toriel hesitates but says, "...please, allow me to carry them."
With a nod, Alphys guides Toriel back upstairs and unpacks her bed for Frisk to lay on...
Unsurprisingly, it's adorned from head to foot with Mew Mew Kissy Cutie paraphernalia.
:-:
Sans contemplates the events that have taken place while the two are upstairs...
'let's see... frisk used purple magic and somehow caused a chain reaction, causing their soul to crack and leak perseverance, and chara's soul is filling in... one lost something... the other gained something? ...did frisk inadvertently provide chara's SOUL with perseverance?...'
Forgetting to notify the ladies upstairs, Sans places Chara's SOUL on the desk and leaves to search for Muffet.
'no... that isn't possible... is it? no... without perseverance, their soul wou-... oh no...'
Sans looks for Muffet faster, realizing that, without any Perseverance, Frisk's SOUL will shatter faster than normal; alive or not.
Meeting only the occasional small spider, none of them really know where Muffet is. 'seems she's been quite busy today...'
Sans decides to check her lair, having not done so already since he was under the impression that she was out.
'probably should've checked the security cameras first...'
Muffet is attending her bakery stand, and her prices are more reasonable now. "Hello dearie~ care to purchase a spider pastry?"
In his usual tone, laced with a sense of urgency, Sans replies,
"not now muffet, i actually need your help with something. remember your fight with the kid?"
Happily, Muffet replies "Oh, yes I do. It was lovely, and I can't really call it a fight. It was too fun! Ahuhuhu~ ...Is something wrong?"
Sans nods and replies, "yea, when they used magic their soul cracked and started leaking perseverance. they're about to be bone-dry."
Unsettled, but otherwise unaware of how dire the situation is, Muffet replies "That can't be pleasant... Is there any way I can help, dearie?"
Casually reassuring, Sans says "yea, i think we can give 'em some purple magic as a replacement. they're at the lab, i'll meet you there."
Sans turns and leaves before Muffet can reply. Muffet closes shop, then makes her way through Hotland and meets up with Sans at the Lab.
Upon entering the Lab, Sans guides Muffet upstairs where Frisk is laying. Toriel and Alphys are beside the bed.
"hey, tori, alphys, we're gonna try givin' the kiddo some perseverance. might want to stand back, just in case."
Toriel shakes her head, refusing to leave Frisk's side, but Alphys nods and goes downstairs.
Sans sighs and says, "i understand tori... c'mon muffet, lets try to fix 'em up."
Muffet and Sans go to different sides of the bed and hold their hands above Frisk's body.
Sans pulls Frisk's SOUL into view, then the two begin channelling Perseverance from themselves and into Frisk...
The room is filled with a dull purple glow.
After a few minutes Sans stops, and says,
"this isn't working... they're absorbing the magic, but not the right way... i have an idea... can you turn them purple?"
Curious, Muffet asks "how will that help, dearie?"
Sans replies,
"we're gonna try giving 'em perseverance while they're purple. might be what their soul needs to absorb it correctly."
Her curiosity satiated, Muffet pours magical purple tea over Frisk's SOUL. It turns purple, as expected.
The cracks in their SOUL are still visible, due to the strange light coming from them.
:-:
Sans holds his hands above Frisk's body again, and Muffet follows. The two begin channelling energy from themselves and into Frisk.
No one in the room except Sans can see the changes taking place, since Sans can see through the forced Purple colour.
He sees that Frisk's SOUL, aside from the red center, is slowly turning white.
After half an hour, Muffet becomes restless. "As much as I would love to keep helping, dearie, I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this up."
Sans stops, which prompts Muffet to stop too. "what a coincidence, i was gonna say we're done. you can set 'em back to normal now."
When Muffet removes her magic, everyone in the room, except Sans, is surprised to see that Frisk's SOUL is pure white, with a red circle in the center.
The cracks are still there and have reached the edge of Frisk's SOUL, but the glow is gone.
Toriel grabs Frisk's hand gently and holds it with her eyes closed.
Alphys returns and sees Frisk's SOUL, she's concerned.
"Uhh... Sans... Th-that... doesn't look right at all... Isn't their SOUL s-supposed to be... red?"
In a casual but reassuring voice, Sans replies,
"actually, 'pure' human souls are white. the red comes from dt... but don't let the old royal scientist hear that. he was sure dt's colorless, since the other soul colors aren't changed by dt. ...hey, can you go get that other soul?"
Confused, but feeling way out of her area of expertise, Alphys hesitates for a moment before going back downstairs to get the SOUL.
When she returns, Sans notices that the SOUL has stopped filling in, but it's still fairly thin.
"alright, we're gonna put this soul back. i think it took the dt when the kiddo destabilized."
Before he can take the container, Alphys speaks up, concerned.
"W-wait... Are you s-sure we should? T-this is another h-human SOUL! How was it e-even attached to Frisk's SOUL in the first p-p-place?!"
Sans sighs. "i'm too lazy to explain it all. have a better idea?"
Alphys thinks for a moment... then she remembers the DT Extraction machine.
"We can extract the excess DT from this SOUL, using the DT Extraction machine, then inject Frisk's SOUL with it."
As casually as ever, Sans retorts,
"that could work... but you don't know how much dt belongs to this soul, and how much is the kiddo's. we don't have long, so we've gotta do something now."
The pressure from the situation, and also having self-doubt due to her own failures, causes Alphys to hesitate for a moment...
But she finds some... forgotten strength? It feels familiar, and yet not.
Alphys finds herself feeling more assertive, due to the surge of hidden self confidence.
"I w-won't let you do that... There's no way th-that another SOUL being attached to Frisk's, human or not, will h-help them! Take Frisk down to the True Lab, we're doing it my way."
After taking a moment to breathe, Alphys turns to Toriel.
"Toriel, I would appreciate it if you and Muffet would... No... you and Muffet are going to wait up here, it's.. too d-dangerous."
Toriel considers ignoring Alphys' demands, but ultimately relents... She realizes that she'd just get in the way.
Sans is surprised by Alphys' sudden assertiveness, but he's OK with her choice. "alright, let's go. we don't have any time to waste."
:-:
The two go down to the True lab in a flash... Alphys is initially taken by surprise, but snaps out of it quickly.
Alphys hurries to the DT extraction machine and places the SOUL within it, while Sans puts Frisk in one of the beds.
Working quickly, Alphys starts up the machine and calibrates it, then goes to the hidden control room.
The loud humming of the old device sends vibrations through the Lab.
The extraction process is significantly less flashy than one would expect... disappointingly so.
Carefully, Alphys pulls DT energy out from the mystery SOUL.
A thin red strand shoots out from the SOUL and into the machine, and the already thin line that makes up the SOUL grows thinner...
After a few minutes, Alphys begins to second guess herself... but Sans walks in and puts a hand on her shoulder, with a reassuring expression.
An hour passes by and Sans speaks up "alright, stop extracting, if you take any more they'll vanish. i'm gonna check on frisk."
Before he leaves, Alphys asks, "Sans... wh-who... does this SOUL belong to?..."
Sans pauses for a moment, but doesn't answer. Alphys decides she will just ask again after they are done, and goes to collect the extracted DT.
There's a lot more than she expected...
With the extracted DT energy, Alphys goes into the bed room where Frisk is laying and looks to Sans.
"H-here it is... I... I don't think I c-can do this after all... Sans..."
Understanding her dilemma, Sans takes the vial and syringe. "no worries, alphys. wait upstairs if you want."
Alphys responds quickly "No. I'm g-going to stay here."
Sans shrugs, then pulls Frisk's SOUL into view... it's dimmer than before.
Sans uses the special syringe to pierce the very center of their SOUL, and injects the DT energy into it.
As their SOUL is filled with Determination, it slowly starts to take on a pinkish hue and the cracks begin filling in.
The area around the needle is already bright red, but it's slowly spreading out.
The two monitor Frisk's SOUL after Sans is done ejecting the DT into it. Eventually, their SOUL is one solid shade of bright red.
Alphys takes the opportunity, while they are waiting, to question Sans. "Sans, you never t-told me whose SOUL that is..."
Ignoring her question, Sans says "hey, i bet tori is really worried. could ya go tell her everything's ok so far? i'll stay and watch the kid."
Huffing in frustration at Sans' diversion, Alphys replies. "Fine. But when I come b-back, I want answers."
A few amalgamates wander through the room, one looms over Frisk and Sans... but they keep to themselves.
When Frisk stirs, Sans breathes a sigh of relief. He pokes Frisk's forehead, and they stir briefly...
He decides to up the ante, and pulls out a small feather and tickles their nose with it... Frisk swats at the feather, and Sans' grin widens slightly.
He continues to tickle Frisk's nose with the feather, and eventually they sneeze a little...
Alphys enters the room just as Frisk sneezes.
"Kawaii~! ... Ahem... I-I mean... Th-that sneeze was so cute~!... *sigh*... So, are you going to tell me who that other SOUL belongs to?"
Sans replies bluntly, "nope. we can't let certain people know. you already have too many secrets." Then points to the amalgamate next to them.
Alphys blushes out of embarrassment... "F-fine... do you think we can take Frisk upstairs before they wake up?"
With an amused tone, Sans replies "if you're worried 'bout the kiddo seeing the amalgamates, i think they already know."
Shaking her head, Alphys says,
"no, I am more worried about Toriel. She's worried sick... Frisk already told me that they know about the amalgamates..."
Sans replies with a brief chuckle "heh, well let's not keep 'em waiting." Then he picks up Frisk and they both go to the elevator.
:-:
As the elevator ascends, Alphys finally realizes a question she has been meaning to ask. "Sans, when did you m-meet Toriel?"
With a mischievous look on his face, he replies "oh, i broke into her house yesterday..."
Alphys is taken by surprise, "Sans! Th-that-!"
Sans interrupts her, "heh, i'm pulling your leg. she left the door open and i was curious, so i wandered in and we met."
After taking a moment to reminisce, Sans continues.
"that was before frisk got to hotland. we told knock-knock jokes to each other when the door was closed, so i recognized her voice."
Interested in the possibilities, Alphys asks, "so... are you t-two... a thing?"
Very amused, Sans replies,
"heh, no. i've been helping her cope with the kiddo uh... exploding, and then coming back to life. also helping her work through her fears and failures from the whole 'left to the ruins' thing... and asgore."
Alarmed by the word "exploding," Alphys begins to ask Sans for details... but the elevator stops and the doors open.
Frisk pokes Sans' forehead and sleepily asks, "hey, where are we?"
Before Sans could answer, however, Toriel rushes forward and takes Frisk from Sans' arms.
She holds Frisk tightly against her, hoping that, by doing so, they will never be hurt again.
Holding back her tears, she says,
"my child, I was so worried about you! I feared the worst was going to happen... I... I can not let you go any further... It was foolish of me to let you go in the first place. It doesn't matter if you have done this all before, you are still just a child..."
Frisk squirms, they are uncomfortable in the fuzzy boss monster's tight hold. "Hnng...! ...Then come with me."
Toriel responds, frustrated and scared, "why can you not just stay down here, with us? We will keep you safe, healthy, and happy!"
After ceasing their attempts to be more comfortable, Frisk replies.
"...My parents will miss me, and I'll miss them... I fell down here because I was being bad... I went off exploring, alone."
Toriel relaxes her hold on Frisk, and looks at their face with sorrow.
"I am sorry, Frisk... I... should have considered that you have a family to return to... It was self-"
Interrupting her, Frisk puts on an adorable smile and says,
"you just want me to be safe, like any mom would... You may not be my mom-mom, but you are my goat-mom... Please, come with me?"
Seeing that adorable face, and hearing those wonderful words, brings more tears to Toriel's eyes.
She sighs and puts on a bittersweet smile, then says "it looks like I do not have much of a choice, do I?"
Frisk shakes their head.
Reluctantly, Toriel sets them down.
"Very well, I will leave the RUINS for good... we will have to move the monsters in the RUINS to waterfall, though."
Muffet curtsies to Toriel and says,
"you can leave the spiders to me, Queen Toriel. I received a generous donation and will be able to get them. Ahuhuhu~."
Toriel nods and says "Very well, lady Muffet, I will leave the spiders' transfer to you."
Curious, Frisk asks "so... why are we at the lab? What happened? All I remember is falling asleep..."
Sans speaks up. "you used too much magic, kiddo. should've waited for your lesson."
Muffet says "if I'm not needed here, dearies, I should start moving the spiders out of the RUINS."
Amused with himself, Sans replies "i think weave got it now, muffet. if we need help, we'll send a message through the web."
Everyone, except Alphys, snickers at the puns while Muffet leaves.
Alphys is confused as to how the mood could have become so relaxed so quickly...
"Uh... F-Frisk almost died... just minutes ago... How c-can you make jokes right now?"
Nonchalantly, Frisk replies "Danger is the spice of life. Besides, I almost die all the thyme. ...It's pretty normal for me down here."
Exasperated, Alphys covers her face with one of her hands and replies "Oh GOD... Sans is rubbing off on you..."
Sans shrugs while Frisk points at Alphys with 'finger guns' and says,
"to be frank, I've always bean this way. I just needed a kindred spirit to show me the ropes."
Alphys looks to Sans with an unamused face. Amused, Sans replies "don't blame me alphys, the kid's got their own funny-bone."
:-:
A moment of silence passes...
Becoming more serious, Frisk breaks the silence and says,
"Alphys, I need you to make something that can travel long distances, preferably through the air, and can carry up to seven passengers... plus some luggage."
Curious from such a specific request, Alphys asks "I c-could do that, but why do you ask?"
Frisk replies,
"I think that if you can make something like that, it would get humans to be more accepting of monsters. A lot of people were suspicious last time... Also... A flying vehicle will make us superior. Remember, we only have horses on the surface."
Sans interjects "hold your horses kiddo. we should find out how the artifact works first, don't ya think?"
After shaking their head, Frisk replies,
"time moves slower in here. If we get better transportation now, it'll save us time later. Oh, that reminds me! We need to expand the UnderNet and Cell networks out to the surface too."
Still worried, Toriel speaks up.
"I think you should rest for a while, Frisk... at least for a few hours. You should take some time to take care of yourself..."
Sans speaks before Frisk can. "i've got an idea, how 'bout having the kiddo stick with me for awhile. we can do all my favourite things."
With an incredulous face Alphys replies, "Sans... You don't do anything."
His grin wides a bit and Sans replies,
"exactly. it's the perfect way for frisk to relax. i can even throw in some jokes, maybe a little food, and a few pointers on magic so they don't almost kill themselves again."
Toriel is hesitant at first, but she nods.
"I think that is a good idea, Sans. Just... please be careful. I would join you two, but I need to help move monsters from the RUINS."
Sans replies casually, "don't worry, tori. i'll take care of the kid, just like i promised."
Toriel nods, then hesitantly leaves after giving Frisk a hug. "I will be back, Frisk. Stay safe."
Only Sans, Alphys, and Frisk remain in the Lab.
Frisk looks to Alphys again,
"so, will you be able to do that Alphys? Make something for transportation, and a thing to bring the UnderNet to the surface?"
Curious, Alphys asks "I need some more information first... Who are you expecting to have ride in this vehicle?"
Without hesitation, Frisk replies,
"You, me, Undyne, Sans, Papyrus, Toriel, and Asgore. We'll be the first to talk with humans. ...I'm not the ambassador yet, but I should prepare for that duty anyway... I didn't really do anything last time."
Beginning to make plans in her head, Alphys says "OK, I will get s-started on that..."
Sans waves for Frisk to follow him, but Frisk asks Alphys "Any news on the artifact before we go?"
Alphys shakes her head, then says "excuse me, I need to go think... If you need me, send a text."
:-:
Frisk leaves the lab with Sans, they head to waterfall together and go to the bench where the Abandoned Quiche used to lay...
When they are both sitting on the bench, Sans speaks. "i might've found a way to help chara... but it's dangerous."
Their interest piqued, Frisk asks "how?"
Sans pulls a small container from under his shirt, it has Chara's SOUL in it.
Frisk is puzzled... "Wait.. how did you remove Chara from my SOUL?"
In a matter-of-fact tone, Sans says,
"actually, when all your perseverance leaked out of your soul, it stopped being the same color as theirs. so they couldn't stay attached. i'm surprised they were attached for so long."
"But... how did that happen?"
Sans replies,
"when you were purple and used magic, the uncontrolled release caused your soul to crack. the magic took most of your perseverance with it."
Frisk is still confused.
Starting to feel exasperated from the explanations, Sans replies.
"souls are made of the same magic we use. you accidentally used your soul's magic when it cracked. i've never seen it before, to be honest."
The pieces are slowly coming together in Frisk's mind. "So... did you fix it by... giving me perseverance while I was purple?"
Sans nods.
"i don't know why it worked, though... hey, i've been meaning to ask... where'd you get all that magic? you haven't been here long enough to get it naturally."
Frisk touches their face with one of their hands, before looking to Sans, and replies,
"my SAVE stars had a weird purple glow after the RESET. I tried to pull it away from one and it exploded. I think I got it from there."
Curious, Sans asks, "huh... that's pretty strange. i'm guessing it has something to do with that creature you talked about?"
Nodding Frisk replies "yea... maybe." They shiver briefly as they recall the horrifying creature... then continue speaking.
"I could feel them reaching for me... even when I was dead I could feel them pulling at my SOUL... until I RESET."
Sans pats Frisk on the head, "don't worry kiddo, i wont let that thing get you again..."
A moment of silence passes before Sans continues.
"sounds like some pretty twisted magic's at work. something must've been wrong with the magic you absorbed, might've been from that creature... if that's the case, we can't use that method to help chara. too dangerous."
Frisk nods in agreement.
:-:
Another moment of silence, and Sans decides to play some small games with Frisk.
They start off with rock, paper, scissors... Sans doesn't lose... because he cheats.
When Frisk catches on, they switch to "I spy."
After a few rounds, Frisk starts feeling hungry... "Hey, Sans, you think we could get something to eat?"
"sure kiddo, have anything in particular you wanna eat?"
Frisk thinks for a moment, but shrugs and says "surprise me."
Sans smirks, and says "alright. follow me."
They both get up from the bench and Frisk follows Sans. After turning the corner... They're back at the bench.
Proud of himself, Sans asks, "surprised?"
Frisk replies with an unamused tone, "you know what I meant, Sans."
"alright, c'mon, i know a great place on 'king's path' where they serve 'pho.' it's an old human food from before the war. vietnamese I think."
Curious, Frisk asks "...Fuh? ...What's the name of the restaurant?"
Sans' gets a mischievous look on his face, and says "you'll see."
Frisk follows Sans again... and they appear inside a restaurant. It looks much different than Grillby's. The walls are light pink, the floors black tiles, there are more tables than booths, and the bar stools are bolted to the ground. It's also a bit larger than Grillby's.
There are no signs indicating the name of the restaurant... The only sign is a bowl of noodles wearing a crown, with "PHO" above it.
"Sans... I don't see a name anywhere."
With a wink, Sans says "don't worry, kiddo, the barkeep'll say it if you order the noodles."
'Their menu has more items than Grillby's, but the noodles are the only logical choice right now...' Frisk orders some noodles.
Sans does as well.
The monster behind the counter opens a metal cover on the wall, most likely to the kitchen, and yells "TWO ORDERS OF PHO-KING NOODLES!"
Frisk's eyes go wide and their mouth is agape, they turn to Sans. "Sans!"
Sans' face is one of a kid who is super proud of himself, his smile is huge.
"heh, funny huh? they're not even swearing. i tried asking papyrus if he wanted any, but he felt insulted... he went crazy when he saw the place."
Frisk contemplates how such an establishment can exist... then remembers Asgore's simple naming scheme...
'A Pho restaurant... on King's path... that serves noodles... Named "Pho-King Noodles"...'
Gently applying a generous helping of palm to their face, Frisk sighs and says "bless king Fluffybuns and his simple names..."
The two eat their Pho in silence.
As they finish their meal, Frisk comments "we need one of these on the Surface... Not because of the name, but because the noodles are great."
Sans smirks in response, then talks to the monster behind the bar. "Hey, barkeep, put 'em on my tab."
The monster nods. As Sans gets up, Frisk follows.
When they leave, they are back at the bench.
Sans stretches a bit, then says "hey, kiddo, feel up for a magic lesson?"
Frisk thinks for a moment, then replies.
"I learned from a friend that, after a good meal, it's nice to lie on the ground and feel like garbage for a bit... It really helps clear your mind. Maybe we can do that, before the lesson?"
Replying with his usual voice, with a trace of amusement, Sans says "sure thing kiddo, let me know when you're ready."
Frisk sits on the ground, and looks up to see Sans still standing.
Curious, Frisk asks "why don't you join me? We can lie down and feel like trash together!"
Sans shrugs and sits on the ground. "sure, why not?"
Frisk lies down on the ground and Sans follows.
Sans' head is above theirs like a mirror image. The two lie there and let everything fade from their mind.
The calm lapping of the nearby water, the echoes of daily life further in the cavern, and whispers from the echo flowers... it all slowly fades away. Once again, Frisk clears their mind and allows reality to creep into their consciousness. They feel like a small piece of a larger whole, insignificant, but still useful.
'One man's trash, is another man's treasure' they think to themselves as the weight of everything fades away. It's unusually refreshing.
The twinkling gems on the roof dance and glitter in Frisk's mind. The sound of reality is a symphony of... 'an annoying dog?'
Frisk gets up. There is darkness in all directions... The only thing visible is a small white dog in front of them... It's wearing a red robe?
The annoying dog yips and Frisk wakes up. They stand up and notice that Sans also dozed off... They let him sleep for a little longer.
Frisk takes a few moments to contemplate all of the events thus far. After a few minutes, Sans starts to wake up.
They go over and poke his forehead.
He swats at their finger and says, sleepily "no paps, i'm not sleeping... just checking for light leaks."
Frisk pokes his forehead again, and this time he stirs more and eventually sits up.
"oh... heh, sorry kiddo. i must've dozed off. ready for the lesson?"
Frisk nods excitedly, then sits with their legs crossed and their hands facing each other in front of them.
"heh, eager to learn huh? lemme see your soul first; gotta make sure it's ok."
Frisk complies. Their SOUL looks normal.
"looks good... i was worried there'd be scars, but, since the center was solid, it healed properly..."
Frisk puts their SOUL back and returns to their previous pose.
Sans thinks for a moment, then speaks. "ok, first i wanna see how many green bullets you can make."
Frisk nods, and focuses. The magic within them... feels different.
Or... maybe the other magic they had is what felt different? Either way, it feels better.
Clearing their mind is easy, since they already did, and their face relaxes... After a few seconds, they summon a single green Band-aid shaped bullet.
"that all-?"
Another.
"oh, y-"
Another, this time faster... then another, and another.
Each new bullet forms twice as fast as the last, and Frisk makes as many green bullets as they can.
Only slightly concerned, Sans says,
"woah there buddy, not too much. you're gonna use up your magic till you're bone-dry. can't teach you how to use magic you don't have."
Opening their eyes, Frisk sees... too many. Frisk can't count them all... but it feels like there are about 34 bullets.
With a subtly impressed undertone, Sans says "looks like you're getting the hang of that, good. what type of magic would ya like to work on next?"
Frisk thinks for a moment, then tosses the bullets at Sans, who doesn't react to them, and says "Cyan."
With a smirk, Sans replies, "purple it is."
Confused, Frisk asks "Wait, what? But... Are you playing a joke on me?"
Somewhat dismissively at first, Sans responds.
"you can learn Cyan from undyne, she's better at teaching that than me... besides, gotta make sure events don't repeat. not sure tori can handle you almost dying, again, anytime soon."
Only a little disappointed, Frisk nods.
Back to his usual tone, Sans says,
"the trick with purple magic... is to imagine lines. it's all about patterns, and the easiest pattern to learn is a straight line. so, i want you to imagine a connection between your hands, then feel it."
Frisk follows the instructions and a purple line forms between their hands. They don't need to close their eyes to focus any more.
"good job kiddo, that was faster than i expected."
With a hint of pride in their voice, Frisk replies "I made a small spear out of purple magic to defend against Undyne."
"oh yea? remember how you did it?"
Frisk thinks for a moment... then shakes their head. "All I remember is that I was copying her."
"heh, well, let's see if you can repeat it. while you're focusing on making the spear, keep in mind that you need to be specific, because if you're not you'll explode. again."
Frisk nods, and returns to focusing. The purple line between their hands fades as they switch to holding one hand out, acting as though they're going to grab something. Frisk begins to focus and tries to repeat making a small spear. Carefully, Frisk pulls magic from their SOUL and wills it to their desired shape. It takes a few moments, but eventually Frisk is able to make... something. It isn't quite a spear.
Teasingly, Sans asks "is that supposed to be a dry spaghetti noodle?"
Frisk sticks their tongue out at Sans and replies "no, it's supposed to be a spear."
Sans replies casually,
"try again, but this time feel the weight and power of the spear as it forms... also, instead of taking the magic out slowly, imagine a space for all the magic the spear needs and fill it. that way you wont risk taking all your magic, and you can still conjure the spear quickly."
After tossing the fairy-sized spear aside, Frisk tries again.
They hold their hand out and imagine the spear being as long as themself, with a weight and hitting power equal to a branch.
Trying his best to restrain himself, Sans replies teasingly "i'm glad to see you're branching out, kiddo, but that doesn't look like a spear."
It isn't... Frisk was so busy imagining a branch... that they made one. They get up and toss it in the river.
Frisk looks disappointed.
In a reassuring and cheery voice, Sans says,
"don't worry kiddo, it takes practice. you're a lot further along than ya think. that was a grade-a branch. if it wasn't purple, i'd say it was a real one."
Frisk feels a little better...
Sans speaks up again "tell ya what, how 'bout trying to use purple magic to find patterns, instead of make stuff? that's the usual starting point."
Frisk nods, then asks "how are we gonna do that?"
Waving for Frisk to follow, Sans moves to leave the small area and says "we're gonna go to the lab, lots of stuff to practice with there."
They follow Sans to the Lab. The sounds of tinkering and science can be heard upstairs.
Sans walks over to Alphys' desk and pulls out a small broken circuit board from one of the drawers.
Holding the board out for Frisk, Sans says,
"alright, kiddo, i want you to use purple magic to trace the lines on this. you shouldn't have to think much about it, just let the magic do its thing. when you get the hang of that, i want you to trace the full path from the plus sign to the negative sign."
Frisk nods and takes the circuit board... but they are not entirely sure what to do. "Uh... how do I get the magic to do that?..."
Slightly embarrassed that he forgot to explain it, Sans replies,
"oh, heh, sorry. while gathering purple magic, imagine that it wants to follow and fill in a pattern on your target. you only need to know where part of the pattern starts. when you've gathered enough magic, move it to your target and let it go. for the first exercise you only want it to follow the lines, not the flow of energy. don't forget to feel the same desire you want the magic to have, and then give that feeling to the magic."
Frisk feels like they understand it a little better now. They concentrate and follow the steps provided.
After several attempts, Frisk is able to trace the lines on the circuit board. It's a lot easier than they anticipated. At first they were ambiguous when imagining the magic searching for a pattern, so it just splintered out everywhere, but once they began imagining the magic following the lines it worked perfectly. Frisk has an idea.
Using their new knowledge, Frisk attempts to conjure a spear again.
They imagine the magic following the same pattern as one of Undyne's spears, and let it form on its own.
It works. Frisk smiles subtly.
"hey, good job kiddo. just be careful or you'll poke someone's eye out."
Frisk drops the spear quickly and backs away from it while asking, "I-is... Is that what happened to Undyne?"
Amused, Sans replies "what? heh, no that was something else."
With a relieved sigh, Frisk picks their magic spear up... 'Huh... I wonder how far down the river the branch I made got.'
In a casual tone, Sans says "i think that's about it for today. keep practising, and be careful."
Slightly disappointed, Frisk replies "OK," Then they remember Papyrus' last call. "I'm gonna hang out with Undyne and Papyrus, OK?"
"k."
In a questioningly-hopeful tone, Frisk asks "Will you let me know if there is any progress with the artifact, and stuff?"
Sans replies "yea, don't worry kiddo, i'll keep you up to date. go have fun." Then messes up Frisk's hair.
Frisk smiles back subtly and leaves the Lab, they take the broken circuit board with them for practice.
:-:
Alphys is working furiously on a prototype vehicle as Sans appears upstairs. Sans stays out of the way, but waits for her to take a break.
When Alphys turns to get a tool, she sees him standing nearby. "Sans? I thought you're s-supposed to be watching over Frisk?"
As casual as ever, Sans replies "we finished the lesson early. they went to go hang out with papyrus and undyne."
Somewhat worried, Alphys asks "a-are you sure that is a g-good idea?" Then returns to her work when something makes threatening noises.
Shrugging, Sans says "i think they know what they're doing, i'm sure it'll be ok. oh, I gave 'em a broken circuit board from your desk."
"Huh? Oh, that's fine. Probably from their old Cell phone. Even if it isn't, there's nothing important in those drawers anymore..."
"i'm gonna head down to the true lab. mind filling me in on what you were doing last with the artifact?"
Surprised by Sans' statement and question, Alphys almost thinks he's pulling her leg...
"Oh! You're s-serious... I c-can't find anything with the magnifying glass set, so I was going to try having someone use p-purple magic to find the patterns."
Sans considers the information for a moment, then says "k" and leaves.
In the True Lab, Sans wanders around until he finds the room where the Legendary Artifact is being held. He disables the Anti-Magic Field and begins examining the artifact.
Thanks to purple magic, he's able to trace the spaces where all of the arcane patterns used to be. They're all messed up, and look like someone switched to a ridiculously thick font.
It doesn't take long for Sans to discover a small crack in the Artifact. He would have missed it if he wasn't skilled with pattern magic.
He pulls out the magnifying glass he forgot to give back to Alphys, and checks to see if there is any debris in the small crack.
There isn't.
He uses a Divination spell to recover the arcane patterns, and a Transmutation spell to mend the Artifact.
Upon completion, a bright flash of light suddenly erupts from the Artifact.
Sans is caught off guard and drops it...
Despair flashes across his face... until he notices a small white dog in front of him.
It stands on its hind legs and transforms into a tall human wearing a red robe, who is now holding the Artifact.
The Artifact is no longer red.
NOTES:
I got help with the spider joke from CoramDeo over in "The Fanfic Paradise" Discord.