Chapter Thirteen: The Last Hurrah
Frisk walked out into the light of the monsters' capitol city, New Home. He walked down, what seemed to be an alleyway, and saw the grand city of the monsters. The stone was all gray, it reminded him very much of Medieval castles and towns in Europe. The buildings were grand, but there was a coldness, a lack of color. A lack of hope. He looked around, and it was silent. Eerily so. His footsteps were almost as loud as small gunshots in the deafening quiet. He walked on, and on, and on, never seeing any movement of any sort, anywhere. He followed the path towards the castle in the distance. All the while, his mind was putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.
He knew now that the Mirror of Elde had somehow killed this Chara, who was Asriel's sister. Since the mirror was of human make, that would explain why Asgore hated humans, and wanted to kill them. But, some things were still unresolved, some pieces still missing. He also now knew that Toriel was the King's wife, the former Queen. So, then, why was she in the Ruins? Did he exile her for siding with humans? Could she not stand to be in a city and place that reminded her of her dead daughter? What of Asriel? Did he still live in the castle with the King? There were still holes in the story to be filled.
Frisk looked up as he entered a courtyard, and was shocked to find he knew it. It looked just like the outside of Toriel's house! The only differences were the color of the stone, and the absence of a tree, but it was almost an exact clone of that place. Frisk slowly walked along the stone path, into the house ahead. Just as outside, the inside was also exactly the same, save for a few, tiny differences. The walls and floors were various shades of off-white and grays, but the stairs were the same, the vase in the same place. He noticed the golden flowers, the only color he had seen thus far. He walked into the living room. There was a chair sitting by the fireplace, just like Toriel's. Chairs and a table sat nearby, a vase with more of the golden flowers inside sitting in the middle. He glanced into the kitchen, and it also was exactly the same. As he walked back, he heard the voices of monsters, echoing in the air.
"A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by her fall, she called out for help . . ." Frisk stopped and stared as he listened. More voices began to drift to his ears, telling the story.
"Asriel, the King's son, heard the human's cries. He brought the human back to the castle . . ." Frisk found a golden key, laying on the table, and picked it up, continuing through the home. He came to the hall, and saw several doors. He opened the door, and his guess was right.
Inside was a children's room, but instead of a single bed, there were two. The toys were dusty, and the beds had obviously not been used in a very long time. He noticed a picture frame on a dresser. He looked, and saw, to his amazement, a whole family. Toriel was smiling at the camera, along with a large monster with a beard, wearing a crown, who could only be Asgore. Between them were two tiny children. One was a monster, who looked to be a little boy. The other was a human, to Frisk's surprise. Even more surprising, was the how much they looked alike. The pictured child had similar hair, clothes, was mostly the same size. He couldn't tell their gender, so they could easily be mistaken for a boy or girl, but this was obviously Chara. Asriel was smiling, his arms filled with golden flowers, as was Chara, but the human partially hid their face, looking shy.
He looked down, and saw, at the base of the photo, was a gold and red locket in the shape of a heart. He carefully turned it over, and saw an inscription engraved on the back: Best friends forever. He set it back down, and saw, on the other side of the dresser was an old, beaten and worn-looking knife in a sheath. It clearly had seen better days. He stepped back, and could almost hear the ghostly echos of the laughter of children. Frisk looked sadly at this sacred place of innocence. Frisk left the room, making sure not a single thing was disturbed, and left as it was when he entered.
He went further down the hall, and found, what would have been Toriel's room was locked, a sign said "Under renovations". There were more golden flowers in vases. He heard more voices of monsters, echoing their story.
"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human as their own child. The Underground was full of hope." Frisk opened the last door, and found it was a large room with a King-sized bed. There was an open diary on the desk, and it looked like it hadn't been left there too long ago. The ink was still fresh. The simple entry just said Nice day. He looked around, and saw a trophy. Engraved on the base were the words No. 1 Nose-Nuzzle Champs '98! Frisk felt pain in his heart. This had been such a happy family. He saw a silver key on the desk, and took it. He swallowed the lump in his throat, walked back down the hall and unlocked the chain that barred access to the stairs. He went down the stairs. More monster voices echoed.
"Then, one day, something awful happened. The human was badly hurt."
"The dying human had only one request: To see the flowers in their home village. But, there was nothing we could do."
"Then, the next day . . . the human died." Frisk walked on, but listened to the tale, as on the echos of the breath of legends.
"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul. He became a being of incredible power." Frisk's eyes widened as he heard this.
"With the power of the human soul, Asriel crossed the Barrier. He carried their body into the sunset, back to the human's village." Frisk was hardly at all aware of his steps through the hallway, winding around.
"Reaching the center of the village, he found a bed of flowers, and laid their body onto it."
"Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding the child's body, and thought he had killed her." Frisk came out into another section of the city, and now he could hear thousands of monster voices, echoing, speaking, praying, weeping.
"The humans attacked Asriel with everything they had, every weapon and tool. Asriel had the power to utterly destroy them all." Frisk listened, captivated and moved by the tale.
"But . . . Asriel did not fight back. Clutching the human's body, he smiled and walked away."
"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed, his dust spreading across the garden." Frisk continued to walk as he felt hot tears sting his eyes.
"The kingdom fell into despair. The King and Queen had lost two children in a single night. Once again, the humans had taken everything from us." Frisk swore he could feel the pain of the monsters as he listened.
"King Asgore decided to finally put an end to our suffering. Every human who falls down into the Underground must die. With enough souls, we can shatter the Barrier forever." Frisk stopped and wiped his tears.
"It's not long now."
"King Asgore will free us. He will save us. He will let us go." Frisk choked back a sob, his hand covering his eyes.
" . . . Why do you cry? You should be smiling too. You should be happy."
" . . . You're going to be free." Frisk fell to his knees.
Now it all made sense. Now all the pieces had fallen into place, and the picture finally complete. New Home was once again silent, save for Frisk's soft sobs, that seemed to echo everywhere. He sniffed and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He gave a shuddering breath, steadied himself against a wall, and looked out at the city. The monsters never did anything to deserve this. They deserved to have hope, and happiness as much as any humans did. Frisk stood up to his full height, his resolve steeled. He turned and strode onwards.
He came into a hall that was filled with golden light from beautiful stained glass windows that displayed the Delta Rune. Ornate, carved pillars were everywhere, all along the walls. He glanced around as he walked. He was surprised when he heard a bell tolling. It chimed three times, and then fell silent. He looked around, and when he glanced back, he saw a shadow, cast by a figure by one of the pillars.
"So . . . you finally made it." Frisk did not move, or react at all. "The end of your journey is at hand. In a few moments, you'll meet the King. Together, you both will determine the fate of this world . . . But that's then, this is now. Now, you shall be judged." Frisk stared at them, not betraying any emotion at all. "You'll be judged for your every action. Judged, for how much LOVE you've gained." Frisk stared at the shadow. "LOVE is an acronym. It stands for "Level Of Violence". In short, it quantifies your ability to hurt, and inflict pain on others. The more you have, the easier it is for you to hurt others, and the less you feel. The more you kill and hurt, the easier it becomes, the easier it is to distance yourself."
The shadow moved, and revealed it was Sans, who grinned at him. "But you never did that, did ya?" Frisk smiled softly, but sadly at him. "Course, that doesn't mean you're innocent, or naïve, but that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart, no matter the struggles or hardships that you faced. You always strived to do the right thing. You refused to hurt anybody. And even when you ran away, you did it with a smile on your face. I'm proud of you, buddo." Frisk smiled sadly at him.
"Thank you, Sans. That means a lot." The skeleton nodded.
"Now . . . now the greatest challenge of your journey awaits. Your actions will determine the fate of the whole world. If you refuse to fight, Asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. But, if you kill Asgore and go home . . . monsters will remain trapped underground." Frisk sighed and looked up at the windows, at the Delta Rune. "So, what will you do?" Frisk continued to stare at the soft, golden light.
"I'm not sure." Sans watched the boy, and he saw that look again, that depth in his eyes.
"If I were you, I'd have thrown in the towel by now." Frisk chuckled.
"Yes, well, we can't all be like you, Sans. Then you wouldn't be so special." Sans laughed.
"Well, you've got a lot of Determination, kid. Follow your heart. We're all rooting for you." With that, Sans stepped back into the shadows and was gone. Frisk took a deep breath and headed down the corridor. He followed it down, and around until he came to a large door with a sign next to it. Throne Room it read. He steeled himself for what was ahead. He headed inside.
Frisk was quite surprised by the throne room. Soft light was filtering in, grass, bushes and a large bed of golden flowers replaced where human monarchs would have lavish floors of polished marble, sumptuous velvet carpets, and the like. Standing in the middle, with their back turned, was a large monster who could only be the King. Frisk took a few steps forward, and heard the King humming. Frisk cleared his throat, but there was no response. He tried again, louder this time.
"Oh? Is someone there? Just a moment. I've almost finished watering these flowers." Frisk was surprised, not just by how deep his voice really was, but also by his kind demeanor. Was this really the King who wanted to exterminate humanity? Then again, Frisk had known many people who were good at hiding who they truly were, and he had known some people who were very kind to their own people, but ruthless to enemies. "Ah, there we go. All done!" The King put down a watering can of brass and tin, and turned to face Frisk. His horns were even bigger than they looked in the photo. "Howdy! How can I . . ." he trailed off and stared when he saw Frisk, taking a few steps back. Frisk took a deep breath and bowed.
"Your Majesty, it's an honor to meet you." Asgore seemed genuinely shocked by this.
"Oh, it's . . . ah, nice to meet you, too." Asgore looked to the side, looking conflicted. "I do badly want to say "would you like a cup of tea?" But, well . . . you know how it is." Frisk nodded slowly. Asgore slowly paced a few steps away. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? Birds singing, flowers blooming. Be a nice day to play catch." Frisk smiled sadly and nodded. It was quite clear that Asgore didn't want to do this, really. He didn't want to fight. Asgore looked at him. "You know what we must do."
"Why? It's not necessary." Asgore looked surprised at Frisk's words. Asgore looked at Frisk, and he saw deep into those deep, sapphire eyes. Saw a depth of wisdom there, as well as weariness. He looked down at the flowers, then back at the back of the room. He looked back at Frisk.
"Follow me," he instructed. Frisk followed, and didn't fail to notice the second throne, covered with a cloth at the back of the room. Frisk followed Asgore, who was silent, but still seemed hesitant. He followed him to another door, and stepped into a room where there was a strange presence.
Frisk stared in awe as he felt the power pulsing in time with the colors of the Barrier before him. "Behold the Barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground." Frisk stepped forward, awed at the powerful magic, but also a bit angry. He recognized some of it. Asgore watched as Frisk knelt and tapped the Barrier with his finger. To the King's surprise, the whole, pulsing thing rippled like a pond when an acorn drops in. Frisk glanced up, and could see a bit of vague sunlight shining through with the golden light of sunset.
"So . . . this is the Barrier. This is the magic wrought by the seven greatest wizards of humanity. All for an unjust cause. They all should have had their magic sealed." Asgore was surprised at the force Frisk spoke with as he stood. "Fools. Fearful, blind, idiotic fools, all of them." He turned to Asgore, eyes bright. "Your people never did any harm. They never deserved this." He stared as Frisk spoke. Frisk looked at the Barrier again. "I know. About the Mirror of Elde." Asgore gasped at this.
" . . .You . . . know?" Frisk nodded.
"Yes. And I came here to find and use it to break the Barrier. But, since it's beyond the Barrier, now, well . . ." Asgore closed his eyes and sighed.
"Child, you have no idea what that mirror was capable of. All it brought was chaos and destruction to us. It killed our greatest scientist, destroyed a lab utterly, and took the life of an innocent child! And a human child, no less! No. That thing was an abomination, and had I the strength, I would have shattered it gladly." Frisk could feel the pain in his voice. Frisk closed his eyes and sighed.
"Let us talk plainly, you and I. What do you want? Truly, in your heart of hearts, your deepest soul, what do you want?" Asgore looked at Frisk, and felt not like he was talking to a child, but more like he was talking with another adult.
"I want my people to be free. That is all I want."
"And what of humanity? Do you really wish to kill them all? With more than seven billion human beings in the world, that's a tall order." Asgore looked shocked.
"Seven . . . billion?" Frisk nodded.
"Do you want all that blood on your hands? Do you really want to hear the screams of women and children?" Asgore looked horrified.
"No! I-I . . . I would never . . ." Frisk sighed.
"Your Majesty, I have lived among humanity, and I can say that their lot is already a hard one. Many try to struggle just to get by each day. Many would gladly be friends to monsters. Wasn't Chara human?" Asgore trembled, a lone tear shining on his face. Frisk walked around and stood a few feet away from Asgore, who stood with his back to the Barrier. The King sighed, and made a motion with his hands. Seven glass jars appeared, each holding a glowing, amorphous light. They each were a different color: light blue, dark blue, purple, orange, yellow and green. The last jar was empty. Asgore looked at them, staring deeply at the energy of the captured human souls. He looked at Frisk.
"Human . . . It was nice to meet you. But, I must put the good of my people first." Frisk smiled sadly.
"As any good ruler must do. I don't fault you for it." Asgore gave a small, sad smile as he nodded.
"Thank you. And . . . good bye." Those words hard hardly left his lips, when a shrieking hiss cut through the air. Frisk was shocked when a blazing blue fireball hit Asgore square in the chest, knocking him back into the Barrier, to then bounce away like a pinball with a yelp. Frisk stared in shock, and looked back as a tall figure came running up. No. Was he seeing things? Was it really . . .?
"What a nasty creature, torturing a poor, innocent child." Frisk's eyes welled with tears. Toriel smiled as she stopped a few feet away. "Don't be afraid, my child. I'm here." Frisk couldn't, and wouldn't hide his emotions. He wiped his eyes, but smiled at her, so glad to see her again. Her smile was as warm and tender as he recalled. "At first, I thought I should let you make your journey alone. But I couldn't stop worrying about you. Your journey must have been so treacherous." She smiled at him, and his heart filled with warmth and joy once more. "I received a message, and when I read it, I knew that I couldn't leave such a sweet, innocent child, and one so kind and caring, to have to suffer, to have to make a horrible choice. So, I came as fast as I could." Frisk smiled at her. Toriel. His mother. "Even if he has done horrible things, Asgore deserves mercy as well." Frisk wanted to run up and hug her right then and there. He was surprised when Asgore stumbled up to Toriel, looking dazed, but also pleased.
"Tori! You came back!" Toriel whirled and faced him with The Look. Her arms were crossed, foot tapping.
"Don't "Tori" me, Dreemurr! You pathetic whelp. You were about to kill this innocent child! Besides that, if you really wanted to save our kind, you could have crossed the Barrier after you got one soul, and then gathered six more from among the humans and broken the Barrier long ago and freed us peacefully, instead of letting us all languish down here while you futilely waited, hoping another human never comes." Frisk saw Asgore's face, and he couldn't hate him. Frisk smiled at her.
"Well, maybe I'm nuts, but I think Asgore couldn't bring himself to go out and take the souls of random humans." They both looked at him, Toriel with an eyebrow raised, Asgore with surprise. "I think, he couldn't bring himself to just go out and take any soul he saw, and thought any human who fell down would likely be a straggler or have no family to miss them." Asgore looked even more shocked.
"H-h-how . . . did you . . .?" Frisk smiled at him happily.
"Not hard to tell, you big softy." Toriel looked at Frisk, then Asgore.
"He's right, Tori. I . . . I couldn't just do to humans . . . what happened to us." She looked surprised, but sighed.
"Well, I'm glad to hear that." Frisk smiled at this.
"Tori . . . is there any chance we could . . . at least be friends again?" Toriel sighed and rolled her eyes.
"We'll see . . ." Frisk smiled wider at this.
"Ngaaaah! Asgore! Human! Nobody fight! You're all gonna be friends, or I'll-!" Frisk was startled at that familiar gruff voice. He turned as Undyne came running in. He smiled and waved.
"Oh! Is this one of your friends? How wonderful to meet you! I'm Toriel." Undyne looked surprised.
"Uh . . . yeah. Nice to meet you." Undyne stared at Frisk, then Asgore, who looked still a bit forlorn. Undyne walked over and patted Asgore's shoulder. "Asgore, is that your ex? Jeez, dude, that's rough." Frisk giggled at this.
"Nobody hurt each other! Don't fight!" Frisk was surprised when he hard Alphys' voice. The scientist came running up and stopped. Toriel looked happy as she lightly clapped her hands.
"Oh? Another friend? I'm Toriel."
"H-h-hi!" Alphys scampered for Undyne. "Oh my . . . is that the Queen?" Frisk smiled and nodded. Alphys gulped and looked nervous.
"All right, nobody fights anybody!" said Papyrus as he came running into the room. "If you do . . . I'll . . . I'll . . ."
"Have a bone to pick?" Frisk asked.
"Agh! Don't you start, human! My brother's already a bad influence!" Frisk and Toriel giggled at this.
"Hello, nice to meet you," said Toriel.
"Oh, uh . . . Hi, Your Majesty." He looked at Frisk. "Psst. Human. Did Asgore shave? And . . . clone himself?" Frisk laughed at this. He wasn't too surprised to see Sans walk in as casual as anything.
"Hey, guys. What's up?" Toriel looked surprised.
"That voice . . ." She walked over and stopped a few feet away from Sans. "Hello, I think we may know each other." Sans grinned.
"Yeah, hey I recognize your voice, too."
"I'm Toriel. It's nice to meet you." Sans nodded.
"Name's Sans. Same here." Toriel looked surprised. She looked at Papyrus.
"Then this must be your brother, Papyrus. It's so nice to finally meet you! Your brother has told me so much about you." Papyrus looked embarrassed.
"Wowzers. I can't believe that Asgore's clone knows my name. This is the greatest day of my life!" Frisk was all smiles at this. Toriel looked at Papyrus, smiling.
"Hey, Papyrus? What does a skeleton roof his house with?" Frisk held in a snicker at this.
"Hmm, snow proof roofing tiles?" he replied. She giggled.
"No, silly. A skeleton roofs his tiles with shingles!" she laughed. Papyrus looked horrified.
"I changed my mind! This is the worst day of my life!" Frisk laughed at this. Undyne was trying to comfort Asgore.
"Come on, buddy. Cheer up. There's lots of fish in the sea." Alphys smiled at them both.
"Y-yeah! She's totally right about the fish thing! Sometimes you've got to stop going after furry boss monsters and, uh . . . just get to know a really cute . . . fish?" Alphys looked at Undyne, and looked embarrassed. "Um, it's a metaphor," she hastily added. Undyne smiled at her.
"Well, I think it's a good analogy," said Undyne. Frisk smiled at them.
"Oh my god! Will you two just smooch already?! The audience is dying for some romantic action!" said Mettaton from somewhere out in the hall.
"Hey, shut up!" shouted Undyne, her spear appearing in her hand. Undyne let her spear disappear. "Man, the nerve of that guy," she muttered. Frisk grinned and looked at Sans.
"Hey, Sans? Did you just hear a small, tasty bird?" Frisk teased. Sans chuckled and nodded, which made Undyne growl, her face red as her hair.
"Watch it, you little shrimp."
"Who're you calling so short a bug could stomp on him?!" Frisk shot back, getting a few more laughs. Undyne sighed.
"No, they're right! Let's do it!" Frisk was actually surprised.
Go, Alphys. Way to go for the initiative, Frisk thought. Undyne blushed, scratched her head and tilted her head. Alphys tilted her head up and Frisk looked away as his cheeks heated a bit.
"Wait! Not in front of the human!" Toriel scolded gently. They both snapped back at that.
"S-s-sorry. Got a little carried away!" said Alphys sheepishly. Toriel just giggled. She turned and looked at Frisk, all of his friends together.
"My child, it seems as if you must stay here for a while. But, seeing all the wonderful friends you have made, I think you will be happy here." Frisk smiled as the warmth in his heart filled him. She then reached under the neck of her dress, and pulled out the Amulet. "Here, this is yours. I took good care of it for you, Frisk." He gently took the medallion from her.
"Wow! That's beautiful!" said Alphys. They all stared in awe at the beautiful bronze medallion, and the gems set in it. Undyne whistled.
"Wow. Where'd you get that, kid?" Frisk smiled sadly as he put it back on.
"From a place that no longer lives, and hands that are long dead," he replied. They all stared at him. He smiled and shook his head. "I'll tell you all about it. You all deserve that." They all smiled, even Asgore.
"Hey, Papyrus? You called everyone here. Well, besides Toriel. So, I'm pretty sure I got here before you. So, how did you know to call everybody?" Alphys asked. They all looked at Papyrus.
"Oh, let's just say . . . a little flower told me." Frisk and Alphys both froze at that.
"A . . . little . . . flower?" she squeaked, terror clear in her voice.
Frisk was knocked back by a huge vine that shot out of the ground and wrapped around his friends. It was bigger around than a grown human man, and studded with thorns. Frisk got up, and saw his friends being squeezed.
"No!" He looked down as a familiar face appeared out of the ground.
"You idiots." Frisk growled at Flowey. While you morons were having your little pow-wow, I took the human souls! And now, not only are those under my power, but so will be your friends!"
"Damn you, you noxious weed! You let them go!" Frisk screamed.
"Or what? What are you gonna do? Tell me I'm being mean and ask me to stop? Oh, boo-hoo." Frisk growled as he held the Amulet.
"Or I'll bomb you like Hiroshima!" Flowey looked mildly surprised, but hissed at him, seeming amused.
"Hee hee hee. You can't do anything. I've been watching you. All this time. I've seen you, and I know you don't have it in you to fight back." Frisk growled at Flowey.
"Don't judge by appearances, stinkblossom." Flowey growled at the name.
"Don't you see, you stupid child? It's your fault! If you hadn't made them like you, hadn't listened to them, made them your friends, then they wouldn't be here. Congratulations. You killed your friends." Frisk was almost trembling with rage. "Now, I can achieve my true form," hissed the flower. What? True form? Frisk looked at his friends, struggling in the vines.
"Leave them alone, I'm the one you want, you retarded rhododendron!" Flowey hissed, seeming happy.
"Oh, yes indeed. I only have six souls. I still need one more. Thanks for reminding me." Flowey laughed as he launched a volley of his white pellets at Frisk, who, much to his surprise, leaped up into the air, twisting and dodging them. "Hmm, clever. But, not enough!" Another wave flew at him, and this time, they connected, knocking Frisk out of the air, a few trailing blood from where they pierced his body.
"No! Frisk!" screamed Toriel.
"Human!"
"Buddy."
"Child!" Frisk hit the ground and groaned as he pushed himself up. Flowey laughed again as he hit him with a vine, the sharp thorns shredding his shirt and leaving cuts behind.
"This time, there's no one to save you." Flowey laughed as he gathered a cloud of pellets and several vines. They all moved at once, with lethal intent.
A wall of flames flared up around Frisk, burning the pellets and vines to a cinder. Flowey looked shocked. "What?"
"Don't be afraid, my child. No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you," said Toriel. He looked up, and saw her smiling at him from where she hung in the grip of the vines. Frisk struggled to get to his feet.
"Oh no you don't!" yelled Flowey, launching another attack of pellets. These were blocked by a bone, and a familiar spear.
"Human, Asgore's clone is right! You can win! Just do what I do! Believe in yourself!" Frisk grunted as he managed to plant a palm on the floor.
"Yeah! If you can get past me, you can do anything! We're all with you! One-thousand percent!" called Undyne. Frisk grunted in pain, shoving his body up, blood seeping from the wounds.
"Come on, kid! This guy's a pushover! This weirdo's got nothing on you," said Sans. Frisk managed to push himself up and put one foot on the ground, the front of his shirt red with blood. Flowey attacked again, and this time, it was blocked by a shimmering force field and more flames.
"Statistically, the odds are against you, but they were before, too! I know you can win!" said Alphys. Frisk's joints crackled as he stood.
"Human! For the future of humans and monsters . . . you must stay Determined!" called out Asgore. Frisk managed to get his body off the ground, swaying, but not about to give in. He glared at Flowey.
"We're here for you, cutie-pie!"
"We got your back, dude!"
"We're with ya, bro!"
"We're all behind you, dearie." Frisk and Flowey looked up, stunned as it seemed every single monster in the Underground was coming. Flowey seemed to actually look scared.
"Uuugh, no!" Flowey moaned.
"Why don't you join me for dinner with my pet?" Muffet hissed.
"Pick on someone your own size, ya big meanie!" called Shaun.
"I'll smash you flat for hurting him!" roared Knight Knight as she smashed the ground with her Morning Star.
"We'll slice ya!"
"And dice ya!" crowed the Royal Guards. All the Snowdin dogs were there, weapons ready and growling.
"uwawawah! Human hurt! Here, Temmie flakes help!" Little Temmie leaped up and threw a glittering pawful of flakes into the air, and as soon as they touched him, he felt the pain leave him. He stood up and smirked at Flowey.
"No! This is unbelievable! This can't be happening!" yelled Flowey.
"Like, get lost!"
"Leave our friend alone!" More and more of the monsters arrived every second, all cheering Frisk on against Flowey. He felt stronger than he ever had. He felt a tiny bit of his Old Strength.
"No . . . no. You . . . you." Suddenly, Flowey laughed. "You idiots," he hissed. "All your souls are mine!" There was a huge rumble, a bright flash, and Frisk had to shield his eyes.
When Frisk opened his eyes, all the monsters were gone. All of them. Toriel, Undyne, everyone. He was not alone, however.
"Finally. I was so tired of being a flower . . ." Frisk was shocked. He knew that voice. He saw a monster only as big as him. He was dressed in a green shirt with yellow stripes, and black pants. They turned, and he knew the face. Frisk was shocked. They opened their eyes and looked at him. "Howdy! Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend." Frisk stared.
"Asriel." The little monster smiled and nodded, and there was another flash. The boy monster was replaced by one as big as Toriel was. His clothes were similar, save for the high collar. The whites of his eyes were black, and he had black stripes down each cheek. He grinned menacingly as he floated above the ground. Asriel threw out flames, almost the same as Toriel did, and Frisk dodged them like before, what seemed a lifetime ago. Asriel looked unimpressed as the room glittered and glowed, the Barrier shifting colors as they battled. Asriel almost lazily threw a hand up, and balls of energy began to fall from the sky, like shooting starts. Frisk jumped, bobbed, wove and avoided the fragments. He seemed more impressed by this.
"Not bad. You know what? I don't care about destroying this world anymore," said Asriel with an amused shrug, hands raised. Frisk sensed danger, and leaped back to avoid lightning that came very close to cooking his goose. More strikes followed, and Frisk dodged. Asriel crossed his arms and looked mildly amused. "You're not half bad. Pretty light on your feet . . ." Frisk looked up as Asriel lunged with a pair of swords. He just barely dodged, ducking, leaping, tumbling and dodging, but he still managed to gain a few more cuts, though very shallow ones. Asriel swung a sword down at Frisk, who stood his ground, knocked his hand and the sword aside, and tapped him on the nose.
"Beep!" Frisk taunted. Asriel's ears raised in both surprise, and irritation.
"Why you little-!" he lunged again, and Frisk avoided every stroke. Asriel growled, but looked a bit amused as well. He leaped back, and a strange device appeared on his shoulder. The way he was holding it . . . Oh boy. Frisk hoofed it as the gun began to fire like a machine gun. Frisk leaped and wove and jumped, and just barely managed to dive out of the way of the huge blast that ended that little attack. Asriel flew at him and tried to backhand him, but Frisk avoided it, just managing to tumble out of the way of a sword that almost took his head off his neck. "Pretty persistent, aren't you?"
"Come get some!" Frisk taunted. Asriel seemed amused.
"If you insist," he said as he vanished, only to appear right next to Frisk, swiping at him with clawed hands. Frisk felt those razor-sharp claws just graze his skin, and shred his shirt as he leaped back, and then dove to avoid a follow-up. Frisk just narrowly avoided the attacks. "If I can't have a happy ending, then you can't either!" Frisk backflipped away as Asriel pressed his attack. Asriel grinned as he brought up the gun again, and Frisk started to run, weaving around to try and throw his aim off. "Gonna have to do better than that!" Asriel taunted in a sing-song voice as he fired into Frisk's path, but was surprised when Frisk jumped straight up, and somehow, managed to adjust his leap over the bullets in mind-jump.
Asriel lunged at Frisk with his twin swords again, but this time, he caught Frisk as he was coming down from a jump. Frisk's mind raced, as Asriel was only the length of a man's arm away. Frisk saw one of the swords to his right, and the other to his left. Frisk threw himself backwards, but was just slow enough that Asriel's thrust caught him in the chest. However, to Asriel's shock, the saber violently exploded in a shower of fragments and flames. "Argh!" The God of Hyperdeath held his throbbing hand, and looked at Frisk, who was struggling to get up. Through the hole in Frisk's shirt, Asriel could see the medallion, the gems glowing, the metal shimmering. "Ah, so that's it! That's how you do it! That little trinket of yours." Frisk touched the medallion, and said something in a language Asriel had never heard.
"What makes you so sure it's the Amulet?" Asriel sneered at him.
"Wow, you really are something special. But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my true power. Let's see . . . how you handle this!" Asriel flew up high and disappeared as his voice echoed. "Time to stop fooling around, kid!" Frisk looked around, waiting for another attack. Suddenly, there was a roar like a howling wind. Frisk turned, and could only stare at the huge form.
It was bigger than the largest plane, towering over and dwarfing him. There were no legs, only a lower body resembling a glass jar in the vague shape of a heart, electrical energy crackling inside. The huge arms were not fully connected, instead floating a short distance away. Huge wings made of wispy clouds of energy slowly changed from blue, to red, to green, and back. Asriel glared at him, his horns even bigger, more teeth, larger fangs, everything had become barbed and sharpened. The beast laughed deeply. "Well, little one, do you like it? I'm the angel, who will see you to your death!" Frisk suddenly recalled the prophecy, what the monsters believed about the Angel of Death. No! He wasn't going to let his friends be hurt! Asriel grinned ferally, raised his hands, and steaming balls of energy seared forth.
Frisk barely dodged them. "Once I beat you . . . then I'll show the humans what true fear is! I'll pay them all back for what they did!" Asriel swept Frisk up in a tornado of energy, magic blades inflicting cuts as he spun in the vortex. Frisk curled into a ball and tightened his muscles to lessen the damage as best he could. The tornado abruptly vanished, and Frisk dropped to the ground with a flop. He groaned as he forced himself to get back to his feet. "Still? You still fight against me? You still try and get up? Oh, this is too rich. Come on, then! I'll show you what good your Determination is!" Frisk growled and forced his aching body into a leap, sending him up and over the volley of energy balls. Frisk was panting as he landed, blood flowing from several wounds, his shirt in shreds. He staggered and gagged, coughing up a glob of clotted blood. He looked up at Asriel, who sneered at him.
Frisk thought on his foe. Asriel had absorbed the six human souls, and all of the souls of the monsters. He could feel his power, pulsing, beating. Even a normal person could feel it. Frisk swayed, dizzy from blood loss, exhaustion and blows. What could he do? This was a very powerful enemy, and fighting him was almost certainly suicide. Even a seasoned Wizard or Warrior would have a hard time standing against such a foe. Frisk held his medallion with his right hand, and clenched his left fist. Only a few, tiny sparks appeared. He groaned. There had to be a way! He thought, quickly and hard.
Wait . . . every soul . . . Frisk looked up at Asriel. There was a chance. A small one, but even they could work. Frisk stood up defiantly, medallion held tight as he walked forward, and raised his right hand. Frisk began to chant in a language that had not been spoken since the days of King Arthur. Frisk's hand began to glitter and shimmer. Asriel raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What, what is this?" Frisk gazed through Asriel.
"Soul who is lost, I call unto thee! Come forth now, and remember me!"
Asriel was shocked when he felt something resonating inside him. Frisk closed his eyes, and focused, calling on that power within. He opened not the eyes of his body, but those of his mind's eye. He saw a hazy figure with red hair, but they looked like a form caught by a camera that was out of focus. He smiled at Undyne, like she used to do.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Somebody lost, like you are, I assume."
" . . . You're a human, and humans are enemies."
"How many do you know? Have you ever tried their cooking?" He smiled when she blurred a little less, slowly coming into focus.
"Humans are our enemy. You must die," she replied. Frisk only smiled.
"I won't, but you may die laughing. Ticklish much?" Suddenly, she snapped into total focus, grinning at him.
"Won't catch me like that again, shorty!" Frisk could only smile and give her a thumbs up, which she returned. Frisk closed his eyes and focused again. He felt another soul, one that was familiar. It felt lonely, fretful, worried. He knew it well. Even though unfocused, he recognized Alphys by her colors.
"Hey, I need help for a quiz about anime. Think you could help me?" The whole form shook.
"Why would you want my help? You hate me, don't you?" He shook his head.
"Not at all. By the way, did you know they're making a movie of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie?"
"Oh my god! They are?! I-I've got to reserve tickets!" Alphys came into focus and Frisk smiled at her.
"Why don't we all go and watch it? That's what friends do, right?" Alphys smiled brilliantly at him. Frisk took her hand and smiled before once more focusing. He felt two souls this time, and they both were very familiar.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't my two favorite boneheads!" Even while blurred, it was easy to tell Sans and Papyrus.
"Why do you keep trying?" Sans asked.
"It is futile, human," said Papyrus. Frisk only smiled.
"Oh, come on you two. You looked bonedraggled!" They both seemed to shake at the joke, and came into focus a bit. "Say, what do you call an animal who stars in a Western? Clint Beastwood!" Sans was almost vibrating, but Papyrus still needed something more. "Hmm, sure could go for some spaghetti and meatballs right about now . . ." Frisk mused.
"Never fear! For the Great Papyrus is the best chef around!" Frisk smiled as his friends came back into focus.
"Hey, not bad, kid. Your jokes are almost as bad as mine!" Frisk grinned at Sans.
"I'll take that as a complement, you little bone-bag," he laughed and focused again.
This time, he felt two very strong souls, and knew, without any doubt, who they were. He smiled softly at the two forms that stared at him, so unfocused, they almost looked shattered.
"Hello," Frisk greeted with a gentle wave of his hand. The two forms were silent, but looked like they wanted to speak. He looked at who he knew to be Toriel, and he felt a bit of sadness. "Toriel, I know you're there. I know you know this, but I wanted to say it, have wanted to for so long. I love you. You saved me, and not just my body. You saved my heart and mind. You saved me from myself, from a dark, cold place I had trapped myself in for so long. You brought warmth, and love, and trust back to my heart." Toriel's soul looked like it was shaking. He looked at Asgore. "Asgore, I know you don't want to fight, don't want to hurt anybody. I know what that's like. I also know what it's like to hurt inside when you do have to fight. I don't hate you, or blame you. Not at all. If anything, I understand. God, I understand." The King's soul quaked and shivered.
Frisk's hand moved over the cloth bag, and he recalled Toriel's gift to him. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He reached in, and pulled out the slice of pie. He sniffed, and it smelled warm and delicious. He took a bite, and the wonderful tastes of cinnamon and butterscotch flooded his mouth in a wonderful harmony. "Mmm. Moms are always the best cooks. That's a universal constant," he said with a wink, as they came into focus.
"Frisk, I love you, too, my child. I'm always with you." Asgore smiled at them.
"Yes, you have great courage, and a good heart. I know you can win." Frisk smiled, and hugged them both. He closed, then opened his eyes, and was staring at Asriel again.
Asriel looked mostly the same, but there was something different, as if he had diminished a tiny bit. It was small, but it was there. There was still no way Frisk could fight him head-on. Even if he had freed his friends, Asriel still had all the power of the other monster souls, plus the six human ones. He could feel a sensation, a pull in his heart. He felt something resonating. He looked more carefully at Asriel. The sensation was getting stronger and stronger. Frisk realized that it was Asriel himself who was resonating. He recalled that, underneath the monstrous form before him, was a sad, scared little boy. Frisk closed his eyes, and as he focused, he recalled.
"I wish . . . I wish . . . For a friend." "It sounds like it came from over here. Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you? Are you okay? Here, I'll help. . . . Chara, huh? That's a nice name. My name is . . ."
"Asriel," said Frisk, and the memories began to flow like water.
He saw when Asriel found Chara, fallen and hurt, her leg twisted, head hurting. He saw sweet, kind Toriel pick them both up and carry them. He saw how happy they were, felt their laughter and their joy. He was not the only one who felt it.
"What . . . what is this . . . feeling? What's happening?" Frisk smiled at Asriel.
"You're remembering who you are."
"Wh, what did you do?"
"Only awakened what sleeps within. Do you remember, Asriel? Do you remember who you are?" Asriel growled and raised his hands.
"No! I don't need anyone!" Asriel fired several energy blasts at Frisk, one of which hit Frisk right in the side, tearing a hole in what remained of his shirt, and his side, the gaping wound bleeding profusely . . . before sealing back up right before his eyes. Frisk acted as if nothing had happened, walking forward, hand gently raised.
"Asriel, please come back," said Frisk in a soft, gentle, tender voice. Asriel shook.
"Stop it! Get away from me! Do you hear me?! I'll tear you apart!" He launched another volley, more impacting, tearing away flesh, making bleeding wounds that began to close as Frisk refused to back down, refused to fall, refused to stop.
"Asriel, come back to us," Frisk pleaded.
"Stop it! Stay away from me!" He launched more energy balls, but they all missed, and they were few, and slow. Frisk smiled at him, feeling warmth in his heart, in his very soul, his Determination growing with every second.
"Ariel, please. Please come back. Ariel Dreemurr." Asriel clutched his head.
"Argh! Stop it! Stop it!"
"Asriel Dreemurr, please come back to us. We still love you. Your mom and dad still love you."
"Shut up! Stop talking!"
"They miss you. They're very sad without you. Please come back." Frisk saw tears in Asriel's eyes.
"Ugh! Chara . . . do you know why I'm doing this? Why I keep fighting to keep you around?" Frisk continued to walk towards him as small fireballs fell like rain, but none of them even tried to touch him. They were the tears of the God of Hyperdeath. Asriel was visibly shaking. "I'm doing this . . . because you're special, Chara. You're the only one who understands me." Frisk could hear all the loneliness, all the pain, all the hurt. They were so familiar, because he knew them all too well. Asriel wrapped his great arms around himself. "You're the only one who's any fun to play with anymore." Asriel was openly weeping now. Frisk had tears in his eyes as well, but his steps, and Determination never faltered. He listened to those pained words, let the poor, tortured soul bear his heart. Any thoughts Frisk had of anger, of fighting, they had long since gone to dust, replaced by nothing but empathy and compassion.
Asriel shook his head. "No. That's not just it. I . . . I'm doing this, because I care about you, Chara. I care about you more than anyone else!" Frisk was close now, he could almost touch him. Asriel's words hit harder than tempered steel. Frisk could feel his pain, his sorrow, his anguish. "I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready for you to leave. I'm not ready to say goodbye to someone like you again." Frisk could hear the fear, the hurt, the torment in his voice as tears flowed freely from both of them.
"You don't have to. I won't leave you. I refuse to! Asriel!" Asriel shook his head.
"Please! Stop doing this and just let me win!" Frisk was shocked when Asriel brought both arms down and blasted him with a great, multi-colored beam. Frisk was blown back several feet, but pushed against it, the gems in the medallion glowing like stars, the beam curving around him. Frisk gritted his teeth and pushed as hard as he could, each step as heavy and hard as if walking in ten times gravity, but he never wavered, each step slow, but sure. "Stop it! Stop it now!" Asriel roared, pouring everything into the beam. Frisk stood his ground, pushing back. Asriel trembled as he let the beam fade. Frisk panted as he staggered forward, shredded clothes smoking, blood running from his hair, but he never stopped, he walked firmly and confidently.
"Asriel, come back to us! Asriel Dreemurr!" Frisk called out. Asriel trembled.
" . . . Chara . . ." Frisk continued forward, quickly breaking into a run.
"Asriel Dreemurr, we still love you! Please come back to us!"
"I'm so alone, Chara. I'm so scared."
"Ariel, come back to us! You don't have to be alone! Or scared! Or in pain anymore!" Asriel was trembling.
"Chara, I . . ." Frisk leaped at him, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around him. The whole world seemed to swirl as if he was dizzy.
Frisk felt soft fur, a warm body, and he heard weeping.
"I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!" little Asriel wept. Frisk hugged him tighter.
"It's okay. It's okay. Shh. Shh. It's all right. Shh." Asriel sobbed into his shoulder as Frisk gently rocked him back and forth. He was himself again. Frisk just held him and let him cry, gently soothing him.
"I . . . I always was a crybaby," he sobbed. Frisk stroked his back.
"It's all right to cry." Asriel sniffed and buried his head against Frisk's shoulder.
"Oh, Chara. I'm so sorry." Frisk smiled sadly. Asriel pulled back a bit and sniffled. "I know. I know you're not actually Chara. She's been gone . . . for a long time." Frisk smiled sadly at him.
"I'm sorry you lost your friend." Asriel sniffed.
"Um . . . what's your name?" Frisk smiled.
"You can call me Frisk." Asriel smiled a bit.
"Huh. That's a nice name." Frisk smiled a bit more at this. Nobody had complemented him on his name in a very long time. Most thought his name was strange. "I haven't felt like this for a long time. As a flower, I was soulless. I lacked the power to love other people. But, with everyone's souls inside me, I have my compassion back. And I can feel all the other monsters' as well. They all care about each other so deeply. And you, too." Frisk smiled weakly at this. "I wish I could tell you how much everyone cares about you. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys . . . Toriel." Frisk could see the pain in his eyes and feel it in his voice. Asriel gave a soft laugh. "Monsters are weird." Frisk smiled.
"I think humans are weirder still." They both chuckled a tiny bit.
"They all really love you, even though some barely know you." Frisk smiled.
"Because monsters have more capacity to love than humans do. Sadly, that's part of why they ended up down here. Because humans wanted to hate." Asriel tensed at this.
"Frisk . . . I did so many . . . horrible things. I hurt so many people, and there's no excuse for it. I . . . I understand if you can't forgive me. Or hate me." Frisk pulled him into another hug.
"It's not your fault. Sometimes, we can't control how things happen. Sometimes, we do hurtful things, make mistakes. That's a part of life. As long as we learn from them." Asriel teared up and hugged him back.
"Frisk . . . you're gonna make me cry again . . ."
"And I'll hold you if you do." Asriel sobbed softly.
"I . . . don't want . . . to let go."
"Then don't." They just held each other, silent.
"Frisk . . . even if you forgive me, I can't keep these souls inside me. I have to return them. But first, there's something important I have to do." Asriel pulled back, and Frisk saw the Determination in his eyes. "Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts, and they all are calling out for the same thing. It's time for monsters . . . to finally go free!" Asriel stepped back, raised his hands, and began to rise off the ground. He closed his eyes and the glow of the six human souls appeared, as did numerous others. The souls of all the monsters, and those of the six human souls, their power was combining. Frisk saw the Barrier behind Asriel, saw it begin to shimmer and ripple, faster and faster. Asriel looked in concentration as the colors swirled, faster, until they all blurred together. There was a cracking sound, and a huge crack went down the Barrier, as if it were glass. More cracks appeared, crawling all over it. With the sound of plate glass hit by a sledgehammer, the Barrier shattered and vanished, a soft, golden light filtering in, raw and warm. It was the sun. Asriel landed, and Frisk caught him when he almost fell.
"Are you all right?" Asriel swallowed.
"Frisk . . . I . . . have to go now." Frisk gasped. "Without the power of the souls, I can't keep maintaining this form. Soon, I'll turn back into a flower." Frisk hugged him. No. No, he wasn't going to let that happen! Not after everything! He wasn't going to let another life slip through his fingers! Not again! Frisk fought tears as he looked up. He stared at something. Asriel looked up with him at what stood a few feet away.
"The Mirror of Elde . . ."
It was tall, oval in shape, about as tall as a man. The mirror looked like it was made of fine, highly-polished silver, the legs on either side were polished bronze. The surface of the mirror itself was covered in a swirling, spiraling design that depicted nothing, and suggested everything. Frisk's eyes grew wide. Here it finally was, at long last. His long quest was finally at an end. Frisk gently eased Asriel to the floor and moved towards the mirror. Asriel grabbed his hand.
"No! Don't touch it!" Frisk looked at Asriel, who had fresh tears in his eyes. "You don't know what awful things it does! It's the reason Chara's gone!" Frisk looked at Asriel, then back to the mirror. Frisk hugged Asriel, gently patting his back.
"She didn't know what she was doing. I do." With that, Frisk strode to the mirror.
Frisk walked up, and saw his reflection, saw it reflect the truth of truths, which none but him knew. He stood firm, and took a deep breath.
"Ancient glass of elemental sorcery, awaken now and hear my plea!" Frisk called. There was a deep rumble, the ground shaking ever so slightly, power radiating out from the mirror as the surface of the glass shimmered. A sound was heard, like many voices, muttering in languages long-since dead to the ears of Men. Asriel stared, in both horror, and awe.
" . . .Thou hast the right. What is thy desire?" the Mirror of Elde spoke, not in a single voice, but many. Male and female, human and otherwise. It was not an Entity that was bound by such concepts. Frisk looked at the mirror, at his reflection.
"I wish . . . that Asriel have his life and soul back." Asriel gasped, eyes wide.
" . . .That wish . . . cannot be granted." Frisk growled.
"Mirror of Elde, explain thyself!" he roared.
"To obtain . . . something of equal value must be lost. To restore a life, a life must be forfeit," the Mirror replied. Frisk set his jaw, stared at the mirror, saw little Asriel in the mirror. His Determination had never been stronger.
"Then take my life!"
"Frisk, no!" Before Asriel could move, there was a huge rumbling boom, the ground shaking and shattering. The Mirror of Elde glowed brighter than the sun.
"Thy wish . . . is granted."
"Frisk!" Everything went white.
Toriel moaned softly. She felt warm dirt under her fingers. She felt a gentle warmth caress her all around. She inhaled, and her nose was assailed by scents she had never smelled before. She heard a soft breeze, and some birds singing.
"Oh, what happened?" asked Sans, sounding dazed.
"I don't . . . remember," said Papyrus. She opened her eyes, and saw golden light everywhere. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, and got to her feet. She looked, and stared in awe.
"Oh my . . ." They all looked. They were on the surface.
The sun was setting, casting the world in hues of red, gold, purples, mauve and orange. They were on a cliff, looking out at a vast forest. Mt. Ebott was in the distance, as was a human city.
"Wow . . ." said Papyrus.
"Oh, it's glorious . . ." murmured Asgore.
"Whoa . . . It's beautiful. But, how'd we get here?" Undyne asked.
"I don't know," said Alphys.
"Yes, the last thing I remember . . . was something about a flower . . . and . . .?" said Toriel, sounding as confused as the others. There was another moan. They all looked up a something moved.
"Mommy?" Toriel froze, and so did Asgore.
Asriel looked up from where he was curled on the ground. Toriel was shaking as her eyes welled with tears.
"Oh my . . . It's not possible . . . Asriel?" He looked up.
"Mom?"
"Asriel!" She ran forward and scooped him up, Asgore right behind her.
"Mommy!" She sobbed as she cuddled him.
"Oh, my child, I missed you so much!" Asgore was shaking as he wrapped his arms around Toriel.
"Asriel, my son . . ." He had tears in his eyes, they all did. The others stared in shocked awe, and confusion.
"Oh my god! He's alive! The Prince is alive!" Alphys yelled, eyes wet with tears. Papyrus had miniature waterfalls from his eye sockets as he hugged Sans, who grinned. Undyne grinned.
"Well, ain't this swell? Hey, wait a minute . . ." Undyne looked around, alarm growing. "Where's Frisk?!" They all gasped.
"Oh no! Frisk! The Mirror!" Asriel cried.
"What?!" Asgore and Toriel yelled.
"Frisk! My child! Answer me! Frisk, where are you?!" They all were frantic as they ran around looking for their missing friend. Asriel spotted something by the edge of the cliff, something curled up.
"Frisk! Oh no!" He ran towards the fallen form, the others following. They stopped when it began to move. It unfurled, revealing it was a large cloth, like a . . . cloak. The form slowly stood up, almost as tall as Toriel. The silhouette stretched and stood up straight. The form turned, and regarded them with deep blue eyes. The form was not that of a child. It was a man.
Author's note: I apologize for the long wait, but life was a real mess for me, and it's hard to write when you are constantly worried and stressed. I also wanted to take the time to make sure this was as good as I could make it.
And, as a nod to the game, there will be a special surprise: Multiple endings! Stay tuned!