Chapter 39: Inequitable

"Let's get a move on then."

I ushered Melody out of the house to join the others in Snowdin, making sure we had everything.

"Okay Mel, are you absolutely sure that you have everything?" I asked, taking her hand and starting to walk down the stairs.

Melody nodded, smiling happily, "Yep, I'm positively sure. Frisk, now that we're going back to the Surface, I can see Monster Kid again, right? And my other friends? And everything will go back to normal?"

I looked down at Mel's big hopeful eyes, "Uh, yeah. Well, Melody, I'm going to be honest with you, okay?" No Frisk, don't involve her.

Melody kept a small smile on her face, but her eyes had seemed to age, "We're going to be in a war, aren't we? I heard you guys talking the other night. The Ambassadors cut ties with us, because you did something bad."

I looked down at Melody, my lips turned into a deep frown, "No, Melody, we're not going to be in a war. I'll make sure of that. And I didn't do the bad thing that the Ambassadors think I did, we just have to prove to them that I didn't, and then everything will be okay again. Okay?"

Melody looked up at me, her eyes calm yet raging at the same time, "But you did do something bad. You killed people. You killed the other Ambassador, the man, Mr. Cohen."

My lips parted in shock, my eyes widened in dismay, "I-I-... What are you talking about, Mel?"

Melody's eyes were boring into my soul, her entire being solemn, "I saw you kill him. In a dream. It was in Tabatha's bookstore, right? And you looked different." Melody looked to her feet, "You did what you had to. It's okay though, I forgive you. You're my sister, and I love you, even if you've done some bad things."

I put a hand on Melody's shoulder, stopping our walk to Snowdin, "You shouldn't have been able to see that. I'm sorry Melody, I am so sorry."

Melody's eyes suddenly brightened, and she practically glowed as she smiled, "It's okay, everything's going to get better! I'll get to see MK and my other friends again, I'll get to go to the park, play outside with you and Sans, I'll get to see the puppies next door, everything will be amazing!"

Melody skipped off ahead of me, humming a tune to herself, as I stood behind, watching in confusion as she left.

I let my hand drop to my side, standing up slowly, "What the hell just happened."

My stomach was killing me. We had made our way through the Underground, and were now back up on the Surface. The foreboding feeling in my abdomen increasing into a debilitating pain. But I didn't let it show.

We were currently calling a community meeting with the monsters, hoping to spread information to this area, so they could spread it onward and so on and so forth.

"Frisk!" Monster Kid came running up to me, surprisingly, without falling. "My parents have questions about a lot. They said they're really worried about how safe it is up here. What do you want me to tell them?"

I looked down at MK with a heavy heart, "Are they here?" MK nodded, and I let out a sigh, "Okay, um, just tell them that I will explain everything in a moment. Can you do that?" MK nodded vigorously, earning a small smile from me, "Okay kid, now go do this super important mission for me, and don't let me down!"

I watched as Monster Kid eagerly weaved through the crowd, finding his parents. Grillby's was definitely packed tonight, and there was still a crowd outside as well.

Grillby came up to me, putting a warm hand on my shoulder, his voice a bit louder than usual because of the hum of the crowd, "It's good to have you back, Frisk. Do you have everything under control?"

I looked over the crowded establishment, my palms sweaty, "At this moment in time, yes. It's just... what if they disagree with my decision? I'm sure people are outraged because of yesterday's incident, but I don't want to fight. What if they don't want to be peaceful anymore?"

Grillby was quiet for a moment, before speaking again, "Well then, they'll just have to go with your decision. They have no other choice, you're the Ambassador, and you're looking at their best interests."

I gave Grillby a small smile, "Thanks Grillbs... I've missed you. It's been too long."

"Yes, well, you'll just have to visit more often. Now, the spotlight's on you, young one," Grillby said quietly, crossing over to the opposite end of the bar counter.

I took a small breath, before clearing my throat loudly, catching the attention of a group of monsters near the front, who then began to shush everyone else. Now that it was almost silent, and all eyes were on me, I felt a bit more nervous.

"As you all know, things have... not been going good, lately," I began, watching most people nod in agreement. I continued on, the pain in my abdomen increasing, "We- I, have already come to a decision on our next course of action, but before I announce my decision, I would like to hear what you as a community have to say about everything."

A female monster, looking similarly to Undyne, raised her hand near the middle of the crowd, "Where have you been? You're the one who's supposed to negotiate, to talk to people, to help protect us. And for the past few months, you've went AWOL on us. How the hell are we supposed to feel safe when you're never here to fight for us and our rights?"

A Pyrope in the far back spoke out, "What's your big plan to keep incidents, like the shopping mall, from happening again? If stuff like this had happened centuries ago, it would call for war!"

The crowd burst into shouting after that, panic of war coursing through everyone in the establishment. Many were getting closer to me, shouting panicked questions, others were turning to the Pyrope, scolding him for mentioning war when the outcome of all of this was unknown. It was getting harder for me to breathe, and the pain in my stomach made me want to double over. I looked for Sans, before remembering that him and the others were outside, hoping to manage the crowd out there and answer some questions.

Grillby saw that something was wrong, and was by my side in an instant, "What's wrong, Frisk? Can I help in any way?"

I held my stomach and fell to my knees, finally giving in to the pain. I only shook my head to Grillby's questions, knowing that I couldn't answer over the commotion of the monsters.

Grillby got ready to ask something again, before giving up. I watched as he stood up, his flames rising, "EVERYONE, SHUT IT."

Instantaneously, it was as silent as it had been when I had first started speaking. No one had ever heard Grillby raise his voice above a soft tone, let alone a shout directed towards the entire establishment.

Grillby directed his attention back to me, putting an arm around my waist and lifting me up, "Now that I'll be able to hear you, can you tell me what's wrong?"

I gave Grillby a gentle pat on the arm, before stepping away from him, "I'm fine, just an upset stomach. And even if it weren't just that, I still have a crowd to address. So if I may?" I gestured toward the waiting crowd.

Grillby studied me for a moment, before quietly saying, "You can lie to Sans and the others, but your lies won't get past me. If it gets any worse, I'm going to bring my concerns up with Sans and Alphys."

I gave Grillby a small nod, before turning to the crowd, pushing my pain to the back of my mind, "We are not going to war. So you guys can stop panicking, you can stop talking about war because it is not going to happen. And I know, I've been absent and unable to perform my duties as Ambassador. I have no excuses for my absence, and I will personally take the blame of everything that has happened since my absence. Now though, I am going to do my duties as your Ambassador. I am going to fight for your rights, I am going to stop this violence, and I will protect you all. I can promise you that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to attend to. If you have any questions, any questions at all, you can email me or you can stop by my house anytime tonight, tomorrow night, and Thursday night."

As I went to leave Grillby's through the back door, Grillby himself stopped me by gently grabbing my elbow, "Come visit with me tonight, before I close up. We can talk about what's been going on and get some things off your chest, or we can just enjoy each other's presence. Okay, young one?"

I gave Grillby a small smile, "Of course. Like you said: It's been too long." I gave Grillby a hug, before pulling away and heading toward the exit,

"See ya later Grillbs."

I was walking Melody over to MK's house, since I didn't exactly like the idea of her going alone, even if it was only a block away. Since that time at the mall where Mel had gotten kidnapped, and because of everything that's been happening... I just wasn't comfortable with her going alone.

Melody tugged on my hand, grabbing my attention, "Frisk, after I play with Monster Kid, and when we get home, can we play a game? Or draw? I just miss spending time with you."

I looked down at Melody, trying to give her a reassuring smile, "Of course. We can do anything you want to do, even if it's just sitting in silence. And I promise, I'll find more time to spend with you, okay?"

Melody gave me a smile, before letting go of my hand and running to MK's front door, "Bye Frisk, I'll be ready at 6:00 pm, I love you!"

I waved goodbye to Melody, a smile on my face as she raced inside the house to find Monster Kid.

As soon as I turned around I jumped, "Jesus Liam, you can't do that! How long have you been following me?"

Liam looked over me, concerned, "Something felt off about your magic and energy, and there still is something off about it. I thought you might be hurt."

I shook my head, starting to walk back to the house, "Nope, I'm fine."

Liam was still looking over me, looking for an injury of some sort, "You're a bad liar Frisk. As soon as we get to the house, I'm examining you. Something is seriously off about your magic and energy, and I want to know what."

I looked over at Liam, a bit nervous, "Liam, there's nothing wrong, I'm fine. Can't I just go take a nap once we get home? I'm exhausted."

Liam took me by the elbow, steering me inside the house, "C'mon, let's head to your room. You can lay down on your bed, and I'll look for what's wrong."

I plopped onto my bed as soon as we entered the room, reluctantly laying on my back, "So why do I have to lay here? Can't you just wave your hands over me and poof, you've found the problem?"

Liam sort of smiled, but then shook his head, "It's easier for me to find the source of the problem when people are laying down. When people are standing or sitting, it's all kind of janky."

I could hear the amusement in my voice, "Janky? Is that what you just said?" I propped myself up with my elbows, "What does janky mean? You do know that it's not-"

Liam rolled his eyes, "You don't understand, you're too old. Anyways, you need to lay back down, so I can keep looking for what's wrong with you."

I laid back down, scoffing, "I am not old, I'm like, almost 19." I thought about that for a moment. I was almost 19 years old, and I had the threat of war looming over me, and my actions could either save or destroy monster kind. I looked at Liam then, realizing how young he actually was, "Liam, you're 15, aren't you?"

I lifted my head to see Liam nod, "Yeah, I'm 15. I'll be 16 in November though, so yay me. Why?"

I lay my head back down on my pillow, "I was just thinking about how young you are. And how young I am. And just how fucked up our- Ow ow ow, Liam stop!" I quickly sat up, putting my arms around my abdomen protectively, "Liam, that hurt! Why'd you have to press so hard?"

Liam looked at me with furrowed eyebrows, "Frisk, I barely grazed you. If your abdomen hurts that much, then how in the absolute hell have you been able to stay standing?"

"First off, watch your language. Second, it doesn't hurt that bad," I said, standing up.

Liam gently pushed me back down onto my bed, "Stop lying. Just tell me how bad it hurts, where, and how long it's been hurting. I can find out what's causing the pain and then fix you up."

I slowly lay back down on the bed, exhausted, "I want to collapse all the time, because I've been ignoring the pain and hiding it from everyone because I don't want them to worry. It's so fucking tiring. It always hurts around my abdomen area, never anywhere else. And it's been hurting since we escaped from the compound."

Liam gently placed his hands on my stomach, starting to probe for answers with his magic, "First off... language. Now, why didn't you just come to me sooner? If it's been hurting this badly, for this long, it could have fatal results."

I shrugged, trying not to flinch from Liam's hands on my stomach, "I just don't like worrying people, because all the time every day it seems like I worry everyone. And don't worry, if I die, I'll just come right back."

Liam paused his work for a moment, before continuing, "Frisk, death is permanent. You can't just come right back."

As soon as Liam stopped working, I sat up, "Well, for others it's permanent. For me... I just come right back. I can't die. Not permanently, at least." I thought back to when I was shot and hadn't reset right away, "Well, at least for the most part. Anyways, it's just a long story with questions that I can't exactly answer."

Liam nodded, before looking back at me with worried eyes, "Well, while your inability to die is a tiny bit comforting... I can't find the source of pain. I don't know what's wrong with you."

I gave Liam a small smile, "I was gonna say, I didn't think your healing had worked. Anyways, it's fine. I'll figure this out on my own. Thanks for trying to help me out though, I really appreciate it."

Liam nodded, before holding out a hand to help me up, "Before I felt something off about your magic and energy, I was coming to find you so I could tell you that Alphys is looking for you. She said she wanted to check in on you. She's in her lab up here on the Surface."

"Thanks Liam, I'll head right there. Now, can you make sure that you go to pick up Melody from MK's house at 6:00? And if I'm not back by then, can you tell her that I'll be back soon?" I asked Liam, already tired of putting time with Mel off.

Liam went to leave my room, "Yeah. Now you should get going, so you can at least try to make it back in time to see Melody."

I nodded, before throwing on a sweater and teleporting to Alphys' lab.

I appeared right in front of Alphys, causing her to almost walk into me.

The dinosaur woman jumped, "Frisk, you c-can't be doing that! You can s-scare people doing that!"

I gave Alphys a small smile, "Sorry, I didn't mean to teleport right in front of you. Anyways, Liam told me you wanted to see me."

Alphys nodded, her professional front on, "Yes, that's correct. Since you've been at the compound and such, I've been doing a lot more research about Humans and Mages and such. A lot of it is about history, magic, and so on and so forth. I've already talked to Liam and Selena about a lot of it, learning more about them and their abilities. Now I want to talk to you and find out more. But before we get started- if you want to, of course- I have a question."

I slowly nodded, taking everything in, "Okay... Were you gentle with them? Did you make sure that they were comfortable with everything?"

Alphys nodded, "I-I would never make anyone do anything they weren't comfortable with, and I used incredible care and gentleness. That's a-actually what I was curious about. Liam and Selena were very on edge and suspicious of me. Of course, what can I expect? I am a stranger after all. But... there was just something about their behavior that made me think..."

I immediately got what Alphys was hinting at, "Oh, yeah, well... They've both been through a lot, too much for kids their age. The people at the compound weren't exactly..." The sound of whip meeting flesh echoed in the room, something wet starting to creep down my backside. "They weren't exactly the nicest there, the people, at the compound. And I can only hope that those two didn't go through even a quarter of the stuff I went through."

Alphys got a look in her eyes, as if her suspicions were confirmed, "I see... Okay Frisk, I'll need a full workup. I need to evaluate your mental health, physical health, your magic, your energy, your stats, your soul, everything. And while we get ready to do that, you should call up Liam, Selena, and Gabriel."

I quickly shook my head, "No, Alphys, we're fine, really. Besides, I promised Melody that I'd be there when she got home, so we could spend time together."

Alphys ignored me, getting on her phone, "Hey Undyne, can you do me a favor? I need to keep Frisk here for a while, so can you go get Melody and tell her that since Frisk is busy, you'll be playing with her today?" I made a move to grab the phone from Alphys, but she quickly moved away, "And while you go to get Melody, can you tell Liam, Selena and Gabriel that I want to see them at my lab? Okay, thank you s-sweetie."

I didn't even notice that the dinosaur woman hadn't stuttered once until the end, I was too agitated, "Alphys, you know damn well that I barely get any time with Melody. And with everything that's been going on lately, I'll be shocked if I even get to see her everyday!"

Alphys winced as I raised my voice, "I'm s-sorry, but I can't let you go, not in good conscience."

I was too agitated to be considerate, "Yeah, okay, fine. Until the other's get here, I'm going upstairs."

I rushed past Alphys, finding the stairs to go to the lounge. When Alphys was funded the lab, she requested that the downstairs floor was for testing, the middle floor for data organizing and collecting, and the upstairs to be a sort of resting place. The resting place, was where I was going.

I lay down on a small sofa, curling up into a ball. I lay there for a few minutes, staring into space, making up scenarios of the future that would never happen. I don't know when, but my eyelids had shut, and I had drifted off easily from exhaustion.

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I could tell by how cold it was that I was in the void again, "See, I told you I could come here in my sleep. That's just yet another ability of mine to check off of a checklist. Frisk, the freak Mage with endless abilities." I looked around the void, seeing no one, "... Gaster?"

"I am here, Frisk," Gaster called out from a far corner. Gaster stopped whatever he was doing, crossing over to me, "But you shouldn't be... you have set boulders into action, and you should try to prevent as much damage from those boulders as you can."

I looked up at Gaster, subconsciously putting a hand on my aching abdomen, "What... are you trying to say?" I know what he's going to say.

Gaster's eyes momentarily flared in his anger, one blue, one red, "You chose your path! I told you that there were other ways to go about these situations, but you decided to remain ignorant!" Gaster took a moment, his energy draining as he sank low, "You've made your decision. And now you must pay."

I looked at Gaster with wide eyes, my breathing get a faster, "Gaster, what-"

"You will see. Now if you will be ever so kind, leave. Immediately," Gaster replied vaguely.

Before I could ask more, I was back in Alphys' lab, blinking rapidly as someone gently shook me awake.

I squinted up into the light to see Gabriel, "Why'd you wake me up, I thought we weren't getting started until everyone got here."

Gabe put his hands up in mock surrender, "Sorry, the doc said the other two should be here in a minute or so. She sent me up here to wake you up, so we could all just get dressed and ready for her workup."

I swung my feet onto the floor, putting my head to my knees as I suddenly felt sick. What had Gaster been so upset about? And why was he so-

Gabe's voice startled me out of my thoughts, "Who's Gaster?"

I looked up at Gabe for a moment, before standing up and heading to the stairs, "We should get dressed for Alphys' workup."

Gabriel immediately got the sense that I wasn't in the mood for talking at the moment, and kept quiet as we descended the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Selena was talking urgently with Liam, the girl looking very pale.

All of my agitation and anger seemed to die away in that moment as I approached the 15 year old, "Hey, are you okay? Wait- dumb question, you don't look okay. What's wrong?"

Liam put a hand on Selena's back, trying to soothe her, "She's incredibly anxious right now. When the Royal Scientist talked to us earlier, it took a lot out of Selena. And now, the Royal Scientist wants to do a full workup? It's anxiety inducing."

I looked over at Alphys, who was approaching us, before looking back to the pair in front of me, "If you guys aren't comfortable with this, just say so. You don't have to cooperate."

Selena took a shaky breath, shaking her head, "No, Alphys said she wanted to check for anything that needs to be taken care of, or helped or whatever. She said she could help. So I want her to help."

I narrowed my eyes, "Help? Help with what?"

Alphys came up then, handing each of us a hospital robe, "Nightmares. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Energy Levels. Magic levels. Soul conditions. You. I'm helping you."

Liam raised his eyebrows, "You're helping us? I mean, no offense, but why? You don't know us."

Alphys softened her professional front, "I didn't do much good in the Underground, so I've been hoping to do more up here on the Surface. No one knows about this yet besides the Human's Ambassadors, but I've been planning on creating a foundation, or program, to help find and heal victims of abuse." Alphys had looked over at me with meaningful eyes when she mentioned the abuse, and I understood completely. "I also planned to extend it past not just victims of abuse, but war heroes, self-deprecating individuals, and more... O-of course it's not a reality just yet, the progress is at a standstill, but it will become a reality someday."

I took a moment and looked at the hospital gown I had been given, thinking about everything that would be revealed if Alphys did this workup. "... Okay everyone, let's go get dressed."

I started walking with Selena to the ladies restroom, the boys obviously went to the gentlemen's.

It was silent as we took our clothes off and put the gowns on, leaving our undergarments on for obvious reasons. The only sound was the ruffling of fabric, and then the opening and closing of stall doors.

Selena silently came up to me, holding the strings on the back of her gown up for me. She only spoke when I moved on to the second set of strings, "She won't hurt us? I mean, that sounds rude, but I don't know her. All I know is that she has the same type of lab coat as the people at the compound, and she wants to run tests."

After finishing up tying Selena's gown, I gave her a small smile, "Alphys isn't like those people. She won't hurt us. Now, let's go get this over with, okay?"

Selena returned the small smile, "Okay. I trust you, Frisk."

As we stepped out of the restroom, Selena immediately burst into giggles, and I rolled my eyes while smirking.

The boys were in hospital gowns, like us, but they decided to put a burst of humor into the situation. Liam was laying on the floor, one arm propping his head up, the other draped across his body in what was supposed to be a seductive manner. Meanwhile, Gabriel had his back to the wall, a leg revealed and pointing outward, while he had a hand across his forehead.

I looked over the pair, wanting to get this on video, and gleefully realizing that Alphys had cameras set up and recording the lab 24/7. I crossed my arms, still smirking, "So, looks like you boys were ready for this."

Liam had made his voice as breathy and 'sexy', as he could, "Well, aren't you girls ready for some of this?"

Selena doubled over laughing, while Gabriel broke as well, unable to contain his laughter.

Gabe stood up and crossed over to Liam, holding a hand out to help him up, "You said poses, not voices or acting. C'mon dude, up you get."

Liam jumped up, falling into Gabe's arms, making his voice go up as high as it could go, "My love, my dearest most handsome love, I love you. Now, kiss me!"

Liam pretended to go in for a kiss, earning himself a spot back on the floor as Gabe dropped him with a deadpan expression on his face.

Selena wiped away the tears in her eyes from laughing too much, while Liam got back up from the floor and crossed over to her, "Hey Little Blue Bird, feeling better about this whole thing now?"

Selena gave Liam a dazzling smile, "Definitely. Like you said, we can get everything over and done with in a heartbeat."

I wistful smile resided on my lips as I looked at the pair, before I shook it off and turned to Alphys, "So, what's the plan?"

I was sitting anxiously in my seat, waiting for Selena to finish up with her soul scan.

Alphys had invented a new machine, much like an x-ray, where you could see a person's soul and everything about the soul, without even making the soul leave the body. The scan would also record your energy and magic levels, showing how much of each you had and where it was mainly concentrated. Gabriel and Liam had already gone, Selena was in there now, and I was up next. The others were in another room at the moment, waiting for me and Selena to finish up so everyone could get their results back. Alphys had refused to give everyone their results until each individual person was done with the soul scan and such.

"Okay Frisk, Selena's done now. This should only take 4 minutes or so, and then you can go join the others," Alphys beckoned me.

I walked into the room, following Alphys' instructions and standing where she said, in whatever position she said, and was absolutely still. While this was a good thing, I also felt incredibly anxious. I personally hadn't seen my soul in... months, now that I thought about it. So there's no telling what condition my soul is in right now. But this would be good, because we'd be able to see my soul's condition, and how I'm doing energy and magic wise.

I had been standing perfectly still, listening to the hum of the soul scanner as it did it's job. But I jumped when I heard the shattering of glass meet floor from the opposite side of the darkened glass that Alphys was standing behind.

I tried making out Alphys' features behind the darkened glass, but failed to do so, "Alphys? Are you alright?" When Alphys said nothing I continued, "I'm sorry I moved, I tried not to. It's just, you kinda startled me there."

Still nothing.

I squinted my eyes, trying to look behind the glass, "Alphys?"

The sudden sound of her voice startled me again, making me step back, "O-oh, sorry Frisk. Yeah, I'm f-fine. I just... knocked my cup over. You can join the others now."

I quickly left the room, going to sit with the others as we waited for Alphys. I didn't have a good feeling about my results. I knew that they'd be bad, but bad enough to make Alphys drop her coffee cup?

Alphys came out after several minutes, with four files, each containing our results.

Alphys took a breath, handing us our results, "Your results were as I f-feared, maybe- maybe even worse. Selena, your results were the best out of all of them, your soul and energy and magic levels need a bit of work, but otherwise, you're in the clear. But Gabriel, Liam, and F-Frisk, you guys aren't doing so well. And for one or two of you, your magic and energy levels are either too high, too low, or too concentrated in one place."

I deftly pulled out the scans, inhaling sharply as my eyes raced over each scan. It was a lot worse than I thought.

My soul was close to being shattered, the candy apple red of my determination seemingly peeling, as if it were old paint. The myriad of rainbow hues that had once surrounded my soul, were now replaced with a sickening acid color, and the once healthy glow of my soul was now nonexistent. My magic was concerningly high, and it was all over my body where the magic was concentrated, though the magic was brightest near my abdominal area. My energy levels were just below what would be considered a healthy limit.

I put my results back in the folder, holding my scans tightly. Instead of dwelling upon my results, I checked in with Liam, Gabe, and Selena. They all decided to show me their results, hoping I could explain the soul aspect.

I looked over Selena's scans first, finding that she did, indeed, seem really healthy besides a few minor things. "Your magic levels are high, extremely so. And your energy levels are right up there with your magic levels, which may or may not be good. Putting that aside for now: you have the emerald soul, which is benevolence, or kindness. The color should always be this vivid and your soul should always give off a healthy glow like this, that means that you're healthy and in a good state of mental and physical health. The only issues that I see with your soul, are these cracks right here, see? They're not that severe, but it does mean that you've suffered some emotional trauma, and need to heal. Other than that, your soul looks excellent." I explained to the young girl.

Selena looked relieved, "Okay, thank you for explaining that. Alphys briefly went over my magic and energy levels, said I needed to release some more magic because my magic levels were a bit high. But other than that, I'm all set. What about you, Frisk?"

I waved the folder with my scans around, "What, these? Eh, they're not the best, but it's nothing that can't be fixed. Okay kiddo, Alphys wants to do a few more things, and then we can leave. Why don't you get started while I explain the soul thing to Liam and Gabe?"

Selena nodded and joined Alphys in another room, while I sat with the boys.

I turned to Gabriel, looking over his soul scan, "Okay Gabe, you've got the purple soul of perseverance. As you can see, your soul isn't as healthy as Selena's, although it is giving off a faint glow and the color is vivid, so it means your soul is strong, but with the faint glow, your soul seems to be a bit ill. And if you look at the bruises, the cracks, it's not so good. And your magic is unusually high, same with energy, and it's more concentrated in your chest than any other place." I paused, looking at Gabriel's perturbed features, "Hey, it may not be the best of news, but now we know what you need some help with. Now cheer up some bud, a few more things Alphys wants to check out and we can go home."

Gabe gave me a small smile accompanied with a small nod, before leaving me and Liam alone in the room.

Liam leaned back in his chair, tossing me his scans, "Knock yourself out with those. Just a warning though, they're not good."

I caught Liam's scans, pulling them out of the folder, "You have the silver soul of charisma. And... yeah, you're scans aren't exactly the best. You have a multitude of cracks, severe bruising, and is that... scarring? It's deep. Really deep... Um, your soul barely even has a glow. And your magic levels are pretty good, though your magic is mainly concentrated in your hands, it's flowing throughout your body as well. And while everyone else had high energy levels, you... your energy levels are barely high enough to be healthy."

Liam took in this information, before shrugging, "But other than that, I'm good. I would ask you, but something tells me that you're not doing so hot either." Liam continued after pausing to see if I would say anything, "You haven't shown anyone else your scans, and you quickly changed the topic when Selena asked about your results. It's not that hard to tell if something's up."

I was quiet for a moment, before tossing my scans to Liam, "Knock yourself out Kiddo. I'm gonna go see what's up next."

I heard Liam inhale sharply as I entered the room Alphys had gone into.

I sat down quietly as I watched Alphys look at some computer screens and charts and sets of data. Selena and Gabriel were over on the opposite side of the room, with electrodes, EEG's, and EKG's (EEG's monitor brain activity, EKG's monitor heart activity).

I watched as Alphys jotted a few things down before turning to me, "The last thing for today is seeing how your brain and heart activity is when you use magic. That's what Selena and Gabriel are doing right now. I just need to put the EEG's and EKG's on you and make sure all of the electrodes are connected and functioning properly. But... I'm c-concerned on whether I should let you do this or not, F-Frisk."

I put a hand on Alphys' shoulder, "My soul has probably been as bad as it is for a while. I'll be fine. Now, hook me up to this sciency medical stuff."

I felt a warm hand on my shoulder, and grabbed my scans as they were handed to me over my shoulder, "Don't forget me, Doc."

Alphys gently took my scans from me, placing them on her desk, before grabbing her equipment, "Okay, I'll need you to head over to Selena and Gabriel, and then I can set you up. While we head over, I can sort of explain the procedure, if you want."

"Go ahead," I encouraged the scientist.

Alphys held her equipment close to her chest, "What I plan on having you do is really simple, you'll use your magic and your soul abilities, and I'll record the brain and heart activity. And then I want to... well, it's something r-risky, and you only have to do it if you are willing to." Alphys continued on after hesitating, "I want to put you guys to rest for a period of time, to see if there is anything going on while you're unconscious. I'd put you under general anesthesia, and I'd conduct my experiment."

I took a moment to think about what she was asking, "So, you want to put us under, I understand that part. But what exactly are you going to do to 'conduct your experiment'?"

Alphys readjusted her glasses, "Just a few small things with your abilities, maybe get your souls involved. It's just as risky as anything else, but you guys should be fine."

Selena's head suddenly whipped over to face us, "Doctor Alphys, I like you, but please do not lie to us. If you're going to be doing stuff like this and test it out on us, then at least be honest and tell us the risks."

Alphys let out a big breath, "I-I'm sorry. You're right, I should be honest with you guys." Alphys beckoned Selena and Gabe over as she grabbed some paperwork from her desk, sitting down, "I've been researching and finding out more about this experiment. Humans do it all the time and come out perfectly fine, though, they aren't all Mages and not every human has magic. I want to include the magic, and possibly your souls if I deem the situation safe enough. You would be unconscious for about half an hour at the most, and I'd induce hallucinations, or scenarios where you might be forced to use your magic, which will let me record your data and results."

I crossed my arms, "And this is safe? For you?" Alphys looked at me questioningly, so I continued, "If you induce the hallucinations, will you be safe out here? We'll be unconscious, so we won't be able to control our reactions or powers. If we send an attack your way while unconscious, can you guarantee that you'll be unharmed?"

Alphys hesitated, "Yes, I can guarantee that I will remain unharmed while you four are unconscious."

I narrowed my eyes, "You hesitated, Alphys."

Alphys let out a small sigh, "Frisk, can you please stop making this difficult? Can you just listen to me? For once?"

I thought back to what Gaster said about being ignorant, and looked back up to Alphys, "Okay. But if anyone is in danger at all, you stop this. Right away."

Alphys gave me a small smile, "Of course. Now, I just need you four to follow me."

I summoned my gaster blaster, firing a rose pink laser behind me, aiming for whatever the hell was chasing me.

I slid around a corner, almost tripping over my own feet, breathing heavily as I kept running. I don't know how long I had been running for, but I was at my limits for the day, and I wouldn't be able to continue on for much longer.

Imagine my relief when I finally saw another room, the door big and metal with multiple locks on it. If I could get in there fast enough, I could lock whatever was after me outside, and I would be safe inside.

I picked up the speed and pushed myself harder, hearing screams from behind me, daring me to look back.

I dove into the room, immediately whipping around and slamming the door shut, using my magic to send the locks flying into place.

I took a deep breath, welcoming air into my lungs as my hair stuck to my face, which was slick with sweat. After I had taken a moment to control my breathing, I turned around to take in the room, eyes widening in surprise when I saw that I was now in the void.

I cautiously took a step forward, remembering both how angry Gaster was last time and what I had just been running from. I cleared my throat, "Hello? Gaster?" I looked around for Gaster or any cameras, before realizing this was a hallucination, "Alphys? Stop the hallucinations, I don't want to do this anymore."

I felt a cold hand on my shoulder, and tilted my head back to reveal Gaster. His eyes seemed dead, his skull even more cracked than what it had been before, but his voice was the same welcoming voice it had been before, "Frisk, dropping by so soon, in the same day."

I took a step back to look at this broken skeleton before me, "Gaster, what's going on? Is this a hallucination, or is it really you?"

Gaster gave a wave of his hand, the familiar screens of my reality and alternate universes popping up, "It's me. Something... came up, with Alphys. She stopped the hallucinations for you."

A wave of alarm came over me, "Something came up? What- What's happened, Gaster."

Gaster's left eye lit up in a familiar shade of blue, and he waved his hand, bringing a screen closer, "This, Frisk. This has happened."

The screen showed Alphys, injured and warding off attacks in the corner of her lab. The dinosaur woman was bleeding, and it seemed as if her breathing was ragged. The screen switched suddenly to show Gabriel, Selena, and Liam on the other side of the lab, throwing the attacks at Alphys. I was with the others.

My heart tightened in fear. At the rate the others were throwing the attacks, Alphys wouldn't last much longer.

Gaster's voice was low in my ear, "You did this. You will be at fault for her death, as well as many others."

I spun around to face Gaster, "Stop saying that! Please! She's not going to die, and neither is anyone else! Now, how do I get out of here."

Gaster ignored me, turning away and looking at Sans and Papyrus on another screen.

I clenched my hands into fists, "Gaster, stop being a coward and help me get the hell out of here! You want to save everyone you love? Then stop being so idiotic and get me out of here!"

Gaster glared at me, one eye glowing blue, the other glowing red, "You are an arrogant, insolent, despicable woman! You're no longer the so-called 'angel' of the Underground, and you are no hero. You have grown into someone that I no longer recognize, and I wish my son had the awakening that you are no longer the girl he fell in love with."

Once I realized what he had said, I threw as much animosity and venom in the glare directed towards Gaster as I could, snapping my fingers to summon my gaster blaster. My voice was low and dangerous, "Get me out of here."

Gaster laughed at me, snapping his fingers as well to summon an even more chilling gaster blaster than mine, "You imbecilic child, have you forgotten that I invented this weapon? You cannot frighten me with a toy such as you have summoned before me."

I gave Gaster a glare that could bring down kingdoms, "Get. Me. Out of here. Now."

Gaster returned my glare, speaking vehemently, "It would be my pleasure."

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My eyes snapped open, the sound of floor tiles shattering under attacks loud and clear.

My eyes raced over to Alphys, finding that she was even worse off than what she had been just a few seconds ago. I used my magic to freeze the others in place as I sprinted over to Alphys, throwing up a quick shield around us.

I turned on the scientist, my voice permeated with concern and fear, "Alphys, how low is your HP?"

The scientist was tense, but her eyes showed me that she was relieved to see me, "R-Really l-low. B-but you're here now, so it'll be f-fine."

I crossed my arms and narrowed my eyes at the scientist, "You still have three incredibly and dangerously skilled Mages out there who are ready to kill us. I don't know how long I'll be able to hold them back, because as you and I both know, my soul, magic, and energy levels are exceptionally unstable. And, you are close to dead, and I don't know if I'll be able to hold them back, shield us, and heal you all at the same time. So, Alphys, everything is going to be just 'fine', huh?"

The dinosaur woman went quiet, looking timid and guilty. Alphys took a moment, before speaking again, "I can reverse the state they're in, I just need you to get me to my lab station."

I took a deep breath, "...I'll release my hold on them, to put more power into the shield. Liam can heal you when you fix this. Just... tell me when."

Alphys got ready to run, "Now, do it, quick."

I released my hold on the others, reinforcing my shield as they frantically threw attacks my way. I watched as Alphys tripped and scrambled up, grabbing hold of her desk to help her up. All at once, a sharp, aching pain went up my right arm, up the right side of my chest, and to the side of my neck, making fall and my shield falter and disappear. That's when the others seemed to notice Alphys, and went after her.

No.

I scrambled up, throwing myself headfirst in front of Alphys right as the attacks would have hit her. I felt my HP drain almost completely from their combined attack, and wondered how Alphys lasted so long on her own. My body hit the floor with a thud, and everything ached, but I spun around to face Alphys, "Stop their hallucinations, now!"

Alphys moved hastily, shutting both the program down and cutting the wires to the EEG's.

Selena, Liam, and Gabriel all froze, and then collapsed.

As they lay there, unconscious, I turned to Alphys, "I know this is completely random after everything that has just happened, but I have a question."

Alphys readjusted her glasses, eyes curious, "Yes?"

I thought back to what had happened with Melody when we were leaving the Underground, "Is it possible for Melody to have... any sort of capabilities that a Mage may have? Like, could I have transferred some of my characteristics and abilities to her when I was young or something?"

Alphys looked at the others, "Well, I-I don't know. Mages are usually the only child in a family, meaning that there's never been a Mage with any siblings until you. It could be entirely possible that you transferred something to Melody when you were younger, or it could be entirely impossible... I'm guessing something has been going on with Melody?"

I left Alphys' side, going over to the other's sides as they began to wake up, "Hey, are you guys hurt at all?" Selena shrunk back and hid behind her hair, Gabriel scrambled up, and Liam's hands ignited in silvery battle magic as he jumped onto his feet. I put my hands up, showing that I was unarmed, my voice soft, "Hey, you're alright. They were just hallucinations, you're here, in the lab. See?"

Liam's hands slowly lost their magic, and Liam's eyes widened as he spun around and crouched down, "Selena, are you okay? Selena? Kid, look at me, please."

Selena's hazel eyes flitted to Liam's, a weak smile working it's way onto her face, "I thought I told you not to call me a kid, we're barely even a year apart."

Liam threw his arms around Selena, holding her tight, "I know..." After several moments of silence, Liam pulled away from a red-faced Selena, "Are you okay?"

Selena's face lost it's color, but she put on a smile and sarcastic voice, "No, I'm not okay, I'm so wounded and hurt, help me Liam, I'm dying... I'm fine, Liam."

Liam furrowed his eyebrows, moving a strand of hair from Selena's face, "Please don't joke about that. And tell me the truth, are you okay? Psychologically?"

Selena got really pale, but stood up, pulling Liam up too, "No. But I'll be okay." Before Liam could continue on and get his opinion in, Selena went on quietly, "I'll tell you later, okay? I kind of just want to relax and forget some things right now."

Liam nodded in understanding, before turning to Alphys, his gray eyes stone cold, "We did not sign up for what just happened."

I put a gentle hand on Liam's shoulder, "Hey, there's no use dwelling on it. It's done and over with, we can't change that now." I took a small breath before saying what I wanted, "But, Liam, Alphys is injured. Badly. Things went wrong when she induced the hallucinations, and we went after her with our attacks. I can't heal her like you. Can you fix her up?"

Liam lost the coldness in his eyes, exhaustion taking place, "Yeah, I can fix her up in a jiffy. Come on, Doc, let's get you all healed up. Frisk, keep an eye on Blue."

I made Selena sit in Alphys' chair, letting her rest. And I made Gabriel sit as well, making him keep an eye on Selena.

With Gabe watching Selena, I went to the restroom, closing the door and locking it behind me. My legs gave out without warning, making me land hard on my knees as my breathing got harsh. I choked back a cough, putting my hand up to my mouth to silence my sudden coughing fit. My hand shook as I uncovered my mouth, and my eyes widened as I stared back at my hand.

There was a crimson liquid on my pale palm.

Melody was asleep already, what with it being past midnight.

My nostrils burned as I took in the crisp night air. The air was so fresh though, I couldn't seem to get enough of it.

My eyes flitted to each and every thing I could see in the darkness, taking in and memorizing it all. Everything was so beautiful. How had I not noticed before?

I took off my jacket as I came up to a familiar building, ready to pay my dear friend a visit.

The bell rang in the silence of the restaurant, and I watched as Grillby turned to see who had come in, "Hey Grillby, sorry I didn't come sooner. Alphys had some things she wanted help with."

Grillby gave me a gentle smile, putting a strawberry milkshake on the bar counter for me, "No need to apologize. You showed up, yes?"

I looked at the strawberry milkshake, before giving Grillby a sheepish smile, "Actually... do you happen to have any Spirytus Rektyfikowany?"

Grillby dropped the glass he was cleaning, resulting in it shattering against the wooden floor, "...What? Frisk, that- that- you're not even of drinking age yet! What could you possibly want with a drink that has 96% alcohol in it?"

Another coughing fit came on before I could answer, and I grabbed a napkin, putting it up to my mouth. As soon as the coughing had subsided, I showed Grillby the blood stained napkin, "Grillby, I'm sure you know that this is not good." Grillby froze, hesitantly holding his hand out for me to put the napkin in. I gave the flame monster a grim smile as he examined the parchment, "I don't have much time left. Maybe another month or two, but not much longer. I just need that alcohol, okay?"

Grillby was silent as he set the napkin down on the counter, turning around to grab the bottle of Spirytus Rektyfikowany.

Grillby set the bottle down in front of me, and I grabbed it, opening it and chugging half the bottle, even if it did burn. After half the bottle was gone, I looked at Grillby, "Don't worry, I'm a mage. I can't really get drunk. It takes a lot to just give me a buzz."

Grillby came around the counter to sit with me, "...Who knows?"

I took another swig of the alcohol, "You."

Grillby was silent for a moment, "Do you plan on telling everyone else?"

Another swig of the alcohol, "...I don't know... No. I don't want my last months to be filled with worry and heartbreak from everyone, I just want everything to be normal."

Grillby put a hand on the bottle of Spirytus to keep me from drinking more, "Then why tell me? Why not just keep it a secret?"

I fully set the bottle of alcohol down on the counter, "I needed to tell someone. One reason is because when I die, they're not going to know why. You will. The other reason, is I'm scared. I don't want to die. And this isn't like every other time where I could reset. I'm not coming back at all this time. And I just... I know I can trust you. And I don't want to scare anyone else away."

Grillby turned in his chair and spread his arms for a hug, which I gladly accepted. The flame monster hugged me tightly, "Okay. Okay, let's figure this out. We know you have at least a few months left, so what do you want to do in those few months?"

My voice was small, "Spend time with you guys. Have fun. Live. Only good things, okay?"

Grillby nodded, "Okay, only good things. And what about the Ambassadors, and our people? Who do you want to take over for you as Ambassador of the Monsters?"

I was more assured in this area, very confident in my answer, "I'll take care of our current problems in this first month. After that, I want Liam to take over. He's a smart kid, he has good judgment and stays level-headed. But he'll only be Ambassador for half the time. I want Selena to take over for the other half of time. They'll both need breaks, because this will be a lot for them. But they seem... ready, to take care of things. They seem ready to get involved and make a difference."

Grillby seemed to agree, "Okay." Grillby hesitated, his voice quiet, "And when... when you leave us?"

I finally broke the hug between me and Grillby, grabbing the bottle of Spirytus and chugging the other half, "I don't want a big funeral. Only friends and family at the service. I want all of my things to go to Melody. And I want to be buried on Mt. Ebott, close to where the barrier to the Underground used to be." I took a moment to think about anything else, "I'll speak with everyone when I know that my time is close. I'll talk to them all individually. But when I die, if they need any help financially or anything, I have a stash of money hidden in my mattress. I have just about half a million in cash hidden there."

Grillby took all of this in, before nodding slowly, "Okay. Anything else you want to add? Anything you want to take care of?"

I looked at my chipped fingernails, "I want to try and find a way to get rid of Alexandra, or at least get her put behind bars, so she can't hurt anyone else. But I don't know if I'll have enough time to do so."

Grillby put a reassuring hand on mine, "I can take care of Alexandra. I'll get help and put her away for good. She won't be able to hurt anyone else, and all of her lackeys will be taken down with her. I promise. And I'll help protect our loved ones against anyone who may wish to harm them. Okay?"

I nodded, fighting back tears.

I looked at the empty Spirytus bottle, before chucking it at the wall to my right, the shattering of glass satisfying in the silence. I grabbed the milkshake Grillby had originally offered me, scalding and heavy tears gliding down my cheeks, "It's not fair. So many people get to live their lives, and grow up, and get their dream jobs, and get married and have kids. I don't want to leave this world for good, not this soon. I want to marry the love of my life, I want kids, I want to see my little sister grow into a beautiful young lady, I want to do so many things and I don't even get the chance to do those things. It's not fair!"

Grillby put a warm arm around me, pulling me into a tight hug, "I know Frisk. I know."

A whimper escaped my lips, "I just want to be with you guys. I want to grow old with Sans, and have kids. I want to live. I don't want to die, not like this."

Grillby tried to comfort me, "I know, I know. It'll be okay. Everything will be okay..."

My voice was broken as I hung onto Grillby for dear life.

"It's not fair..."

...