"They've been talking for a long time now."
Undyne said as she looked around at everyone. Hours had passed since Asriel was reunited with his family. Frisk was the only one who could shed any light on the situation, but she never followed the rest of her friends out. Asriel dragged her away at the last moment to share in the happy reunion, even calling her his sister, a part of his family.
None of them even noticed that Frisk had been pulled away from the group until they were back at the entrance to the Ruins. Only Sans and Alphys knew who Asriel really was, and only Sans knew what was really going on, but the rest of them were completely in the dark.
And Alphys was still in complete denial of what she had just seen.
"I-I can't believe he's back!"
Papyrus didn't even have a clue.
"WHO THE HELL IS THAT WEIRD KID ANYWAY!? HE'S LIKE A MINIATURE TORIEL AND ASGORE! SOMEBODY FILL ME IN!"
"that 'weird kid' is their son, paps, and the future heir to the throne."
Sans knew pretty much everything that was going on, what had happened to make it possible, because Frisk had told him earlier what she was planning to do, and eventually he went along with it. But the one thing he couldn't account for was why Frisk was still alive. He never even expected to see her again, she had made it clear at the time that what she was doing meant certain death for her. Suicide by all accounts.
"AND WE WERE NEVER TOLD ABOUT HIM BEFORE!? HUMAN FRISK IS GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO WHEN SHE COMES OUT!"
Papyrus spoke out, and Sans recalled the promise he made to Frisk earlier, to watch out for Asriel, to make sure no harm was done, and he felt compelled to make good on that promise by keeping quiet about what he knew. Asriel and Frisk were already spilling everything to their parents anyway, and if they really wanted to, they could tell everyone later, but Sans knew it was not his place to say anything. They knew as much as they needed to know already.
"i think we should just leave well enough alone, to be honest. frisk is okay and toriel and asgore have their son back. i don't really understand it either, but like they said, it really doesn't matter how. let's just be happy for them."
Undyne shared Sans sentiments completely.
"Yeah, I don't even want to know anymore. I haven't seen that big fluffy goofball smile like that in a long time. It's the happiest I've ever seen him, to be honest."
But Alphys wouldn't let it go, and the look of passion...no, OBSESSION on her face horrified everyone. The conniving grin on her scaly face could make even the bravest person shake in their boots. She looked like a mad scientist who had just come up with an ingenious evil plan for world domination...which was scarily true in some ways.
"N-NO! I HAVE TO KNOW HOW THIS IS POSSIBLE! I'M A SCIENTIST! I HAVE TO DO RESEARCH, PERFORM EXPERIMENTS..."
Undyne put a hand over Alphys's mouth and yanked on her ear.
"MPPPPHHHHFFFF! OUCH!"
"Oh no you don't, Alphys! Let this one remain a mystery. Let it be."
Alphys sighed with weary resignation.
"...oh, fine. They probably wouldn't want me poking and prodding their son anyway."
...
"So, Alphys was..."
Immediately following that thought, Toriel lashed out in anger.
"YOU MISERABLE SON OF A..."
Asgore looked away from Toriel in shame. Her eyes burned with rage, but she was mindful to watch her language, knowing there were children present.
"I know what I did was wrong. I just..."
"THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!"
Toriel already knew what he had done to the previous children that came to the Underground. That was her primary reason for leaving him in the first place. But she never knew about the research that he ordered or the experiments that he authorized on resurrection and other taboo fields of science. If anyone was to blame for the things Flowey did (not that Asriel would ever pass the blame on somebody else), it was Asgore, his actions being the catalyst which spawned that entity in the first place. Not even Alphys was fully to blame for this. She was merely following orders.
Asriel was crying again. Neither he nor Frisk wanted to hear them fighting, even though Asgore knew he deserved no better for what he had done in the past. It was unrealistic to expect them to even be civil with each other after such a horrid revelation, but...
"...Please, don't fight. Not now. I'm so sorry, Mom. Dad. I'm..."
Asriel had finally finished explaining everything to his parents, what he and Chara had planned, what happened to them, Alphys's research, the things he did as Flowey, and how he was able to be here with them now. Frisk was able to fill in the finer details of what had happened in the moments leading up to this reunion, unfortunately going into detail about what she had to do to make this possible. It wasn't easy for either of them. They were able to confess their sins to themselves, but confessing it to everyone else was another matter entirely, and neither of them could blame Toriel or Asgore for being angry with them, disappointed, or even hurt.
They weren't though.
"Oh, my child, I'm sorry. We're not mad at you. It's okay. We forgive you, no matter what you...no. The things that Flowey did...they weren't your fault, Asriel. There is nothing to forgive."
I'm glad they agree with that at least.
Asriel smiled now, still sobbing. It was nice hearing Frisk and Chara forgive him earlier, telling him that Floweys deeds weren't his fault, but hearing his PARENTS say it...now he was truly beginning to feel like he had some degree of absolution.
"To have you back, now, alive and well...it's more than either of us could ever ask for."
Asgore nodded with tears in his eyes, sharing his wifes sentiments as well.
"Everything is gonna be okay now."
Toriel shot Asgore a dirty look.
"I'll deal with you later."
He was visibly worried now. That was the best he could ask for though.
Toriel now looked at Frisk, a glance of happiness, but one laced with heartache as well.
"Frisk...thank you so much for this. You don't know what this means to us, to have our precious Asriel back."
The smile on Frisks face didn't even have time to take form.
"But...you shouldn't have done what you did."
Huh?
Asriel looked up at his mother now.
"Mom?"
Toriel began to cry again, grabbing hold of Frisks hands.
"What would I have done if I had lost you too? We might have been mourning over YOU right now. I'm overjoyed beyond words to have our precious Asriel back, but...if I had lost YOU in the process..."
"...I know, Mom. I'm sorry. I-I was just trying to...I..."
Asgore spoke up in Frisks defense now.
"Toriel, what matters is that she's here now, with us. Can't we just be happy with that?"
But Frisk remembered something important in this moment.
The letter...
"...no, it's okay. I deserve it for the stunt I pulled. I guess it's now or never."
She looked over at Asriel now.
"Azzy, can I..."
He interrupted her with an excited response. He loved being called that name, it was what Chara used to call him all the time, and he was beaming to hear Frisk call him by that name as well.
"Y-you called me Azzy! Aww, Frisk!"
Frisk squinted at him with renewed joy.
"Guess I know what to call you from now on, heh."
She held out her hand now.
"Can I have that letter back please?"
"OH!"
He dug into his pockets, pulling out the letter Frisk gave him before...well, the one she asked him to deliver to Toriel as a last request.
"Here."
Frisk took the letter delicately from Asriels fuzzy hand, and, her own hands now shaking, held it out for Toriel.
"What's this?"
Frisk looked away, ashamed of what Toriel was about to discover.
"I...I wrote it, right before coming to see Azzy."
Toriel took it from Frisks trembling hands, looking at the front.
To Mom.
She carefully opened it with a gentle swipe of her claw and took out the folded note inside. Asgore leaned over her shoulder now, and, putting her reading glasses on, she read the letters contents aloud.
Dear Toriel,
If you got this letter, then you've no doubt been reunited with your son at this point...and I am now dead. It feels strange to be writing something like this in such a way, but I guess I can't be surprised, knowing what comes next. I am sorry for not telling you, or anyone else, what I was planning to do, but it was necessary. I'm sure you understand now, why I couldn't say anything.
Even now I can't tell you why I've done this. It wouldn't make any sense to you, or anyone else. It doesn't even really make sense to me, because I have no idea if what I'm doing is even going to work. All I know is the person I've done this for means the world to me, even if I've technically only known him for a few minutes. It was really much longer than that in retrospect, but...well, it's hard to explain. Maybe it's better if I don't.
When I first realized what I had to do to save him, I was terrified. I wasn't sure if it would work, but even worse, I wasn't sure if I would have the courage be able to even go through with it, and I hated myself at the time for admitting that I could be so weak. I hated myself even more knowing how much pain this was going to cause you, and everybody else, when it was all said and done. I'm still terrified, even as I write this, and I can't blame you all for being mad at me for doing something so stupid and reckless.
But, in spite of it all, I have no regrets. I've had a wonderful life, short as it was. I've made so many friends, so many happy memories, and it's more than I deserve. If I were in this same position a second time, I would do the exact same thing all over again, because he's...because he's my best friend, and he deserves this chance to experience what I've already shared in a hundred times over. And you and Asgore deserve to have him back. I'm content to leave things at that.
Don't be sad for me, Mom. I got to see you again. I got to feel the warmth of your embrace one last time. After how I had treated you at the beginning of this whole ordeal, to be able to make amends with you, it's enough for me. I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you then. You've given me so much, more than I could ever repay you for.
Well, I'm running out of time, so I should wrap things up. If you do get this letter, thank you so much, both of you, for everything. You, Asriel, all my friends...you made me feel loved. You made me happy. It's more than I could have ever asked for. And if by some miracle I survive this, if I should somehow make it home, I hope I can come back to your waiting arms to tell you all of this myself, hand in hand with my new friend.
Love,
Frisk
Toriel was in tears after reading the letter, and Asgore too. Frisk was staring down at the flowers, afraid to even look at any of them, feeling so ashamed of herself for causing so much worry to everyone she loved, forcing everyone to relive this nightmare again and again as she frantically searched for the key to saving the young prince, and what she had to do in the end to make it possible.
"I...I can't blame you all if you hate me for what I've done. I deserve it. I deserve it ten times over."
She was shaking uncontrollably, feeling guilty, ashamed, knowing she had done a terrible thing, even if it was to save someone very dear to her. She knew she couldn't expect them to understand, much less forgive her for what she had done, no matter her reasons.
...but Asriel reached out and pulled her closer, putting a hand on each shoulder, and Frisk had to screw together what little courage she had left to meet his gaze. He never stopped crying, and was in fact a bawling mess at this point, but when she finally looked up at him, she saw how touched he was by her true feelings, her efforts.
"Frisk..."
Now a sobbing wreck herself, Frisk threw her arms around her new brother. He immediately returned the embrace tenfold, putting one hand on the back of her head and nuzzling her cheek gently, their tears mixing with each others.
"I-I'm sorry, everyone..."
This time he was the one to comfort HER, gently patting her back.
"It's okay, Frisk. Everything's gonna be okay now."
Asriel looked up at his sobbing mother now, still holding his new sister in his loving embrace.
"Please don't be mad at her, Mom. She did this for me...be mad at me instead."
Toriel looked at Asriel, then Frisk, and pulled them in closer, hugging them both as tight as she could.
"I-I...I'm not angry at either of you. I just...I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BOTH BACK! I LOVE YOU BOTH SO MUCH!"
She kissed both their foreheads and tightened her grip on them, Asriel and Frisk still locked in each others arms.
"Just, please, promise me you won't do something like that again Frisk. If I lost either of you again, I'd never be able to..."
Frisk shook her head immediately and swore on that oath without hesitation.
"I won't, Mom. You're not gonna lose either of us ever again. No more crazy stunts, I promise!"
"Yeah, I promise too!"
Asriel shouted with her.
Toriel smiled, squeezing more tears out of her eyes with a squint, and she spoke to 'her' now.
"And Chara...if you can hear me, we love you very much too. I wish...I wish I could hold you again and tell you that in person."
Asriel held a hand up to his mothers cheek now.
"You're holding her right now, Mom. She's right here."
He touched his heart with his other hand now.
"She loves you too. All of you."
Frisk touched her own heart and supported her brothers sentiments. Toriel nodded happily, while Asgore remained silent for most of the ordeal. He didn't really need to say anything, and words wouldn't even be enough to convey how much joy he felt in this moment. He was happy just to be a part of this, and they all knew it.
Frisk pulled away from both of them now. She took off the heart locket she was still wearing, the one Asriel put around her neck earlier.
She handed it back to him.
"Here, this belongs to you...to her."
Asriel shook his head with a smile, pushing it back towards Frisk.
"No, please, keep it Frisk. Chara would want you to have it. I do too."
Frisk was unsure about his request.
"I...I don't know, Azzy. It doesn't feel right, keeping something that doesn't belong to me, something that was so precious to her."
Asriel cocked his head in contemplation for a moment, trying to think of a compromise, and he was almost immediately struck with inspiration.
"I have an idea! Mom, do you think you can..."
He was whispering into her ear now, as Frisk cocked her head in curiosity.
"Asriel, that's a wonderful idea!"
She held out her hand to Frisk now.
"Here, give it to me, Frisk."
With a curious look on her face, she handed the locket over to Toriel, who dropped it carefully in the pockets of her robes.
"When we leave, we'll pick up Asriels locket too. And a camera."
Asriel looked surprised at hearing that.
"You still have mine, after all this time?"
Now Asgore was the one to speak up.
"Of course we do! We'll pick it up on the way to the surface."
Toriel nodded at everyone.
"It'll take a little while, at least a few weeks, so be patient. You'll get them back soon."
Asgore stood, looking back towards the Ruins.
"So, what now?"
Frisk looked up at the hole that she fell through so long ago. Sunlight no longer filtered down through the opening, and the only thing visible was the starlit sky above.
"It's already night time."
Toriel looked up through the hole with Frisk.
"I don't think we should leave for the surface tonight, it could be dangerous. We'll leave first thing in the morning."
Asgore agreed with his former spouse and offered up a solution.
"Why not stay at our old house for the night then? There's plenty of room to put up everyone and it's not far from the entrance to the mountain. Asriel can take a look around his old room and pack some things for the journey."
Asriel spoke up in response to that idea.
"That sounds okay to me, but it's pretty far from here."
Frisk answered that concern with another solution.
"Sans will be able to help us there. He knows all the cool 'shortcuts."
Toriel cocked her head in confusion at that statement.
"Short...cuts?"
Frisk responded hesitantly.
"It's uh...hard to explain. You just have to see it for yourself. I don't think he'll mind."
She nodded, and Asriel spoke up once more.
"I'm ready then. Let's go see our friends."
Frisk was worried about that idea though.
"I wonder what we're going to tell them..."
Toriel was way ahead of everyone on that one.
"Leave that to me."
They all nodded at her, and Asgore knelt down to Asriels level now.
"Want to fly, son?"
Asriel had a huge dopey grin on his face as his father picked him up, letting him ride piggyback on his shoulders, his legs dangling in the air. Frisk, meanwhile, took Toriel's waiting hand, nodding at each other with a smile, and started walking towards the Ruins, with Asgore and the fuzzy little dork following close behind.