Chapter Fourteen: SAVE the World!
Asgore was still waiting for me, at the barrier. He asked me if I had any pressing business to take care of and said I didn't. The fight started, he said it was nice to meet me and said goodbye. I prepared myself to fight him again, but we were both shocked by the appearance of a fireball aimed straight at Asgore! It knocked him over and a voice I hadn't heard in forever rang out.
"Miserable creature! How dare you torture this poor, innocent youth!?" I turned to look behind me and there she was… Mother was here!
She ran up to the white border trapping me. It seemed like she couldn't come through any more than I could come out, but she pressed her hands to the invisible wall, anyway. "My child, are you well? Are you hurt!? What has that wretch done to you?"
I pressed my hand to the wall, opposite hers, while I smiled. "I'm fine, Mother! He's done nothing. What are you doing here?"
She looked abashed. "I thought I would let you make this journey alone, but I could not stop worrying. You would have to face so many treacherous obstacles, only for you to be forced to make a horrible choice. I… I finally realized that I cannot allow it. I cannot let you sacrifice yourself, or anyone else. Is that not what I have been trying to prevent this whole time? So for now, let us suspend this battle. Terrible as he is… Asgore deserves mercy, too."
The king had gotten back on his feet, his eyes full of hope and wonder. "Tori! You're back!"
Mother leveled a truly regal glare at him. "Do not 'Tori' me, Mr. Dreemurr." Asgore was crushed, but she wasn't finished. "Pathetic whelp. If you truly wished to free our kind, you could have crossed the barrier after gaining the first SOUL and returned with the other six. Instead you made everyone live in despair, waiting with the meek hope that another human never comes."
Asgore only nodded. "Tori… You're right. I am a miserable creature. But even so, can we at least be friends, again?" Mother answered in the negative and he was crushed again. The air shook with a familiar roar as Undyne jogged into sight.
"NGAHHHHH! Asgore, Frisk! Nobody fight! We're all gonna be friends or I'll…!" She stopped herself before she hit the fighting field, beside mother. She seemed surprised and Mother introduced herself, smiling.
"Hello, I am Toriel. Are you Frisk's friend? It is nice to meet you."
Undyne looked like… a fish out of water. She smiled uncertainly. "Uh, yeah? Nice to meet you, too!" She looked over to me, as though to see if I was alright. I gave her a thumbs-up, then she went to Asgore's side. I heard her say, "Is that your ex? That's rough, buddy."
Alphys suddenly burst in, saying, "H-hey! Nobody hurt each other!" She, too, fell silent upon seeing Mother.
"Is this another friend? I am Toriel. Hello!"
Alphys was very nervous. "Uh, h-h-hi!" To me, she whispered, "(There's two of them?)" I nodded, then she went to go stand next to Undyne. The two of them smiled at one another as Papyrus made his appearance.
"HEY! NOBODY FIGHT ANYONE! IF THEY DO! I'LL! BE FORCED! TO ASK UNDYNE FOR HELP!" He noticed Mother and she just said "hello!" He did, too, then gestured for me to join him on one side of the field. He whispered to me. "(HEY, DID ASGORE SHAVE? AND CLONE HIMSELF?)" I shook my head, then it was Sans' turn to show up.
"hey, guys… what's up?" Mother recognized his voice right away and introduced herself. Sans was a little surprised that "old lady who" had shown up but introduced himself, as well. Asgore looked sad at how happy Mother was to see Sans, but then she turned to Papyrus.
"So this must be your brother! Greetings! It is nice to finally meet you, Papyrus. Your brother has told me so much about you."
He was overjoyed. "WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE ASGORE'S CLONE KNOWS WHO I AM! THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"
Mother was smiling. "Oh, Papyrus! Do you know what a skeleton tiles their roof with? SHIN-gles!" She and Sans cracked up, but Papyrus wasn't amused. He took back what he'd just said. Undyne was trying to console Asgore, telling him there were plenty of fish in the sea.
Alphys nodded. "Yeah! Undyne's totally right. You just have to, uh… S-stop going for furry Boss Monsters and, well… get to know a cute fish?" She blushed. "It's a metaphor."
Undyne said she liked the analogy. Then one of Mettaton's legs burst in from nowhere, pointing at the two of them while the robot told them to "just smooch already!" Apparently an audience we couldn't see was waiting for some "romantic action…" Undyne yelled for him to shut up, then smiled at Alphys and marveled at his nerve. Alphys, however, was all for the idea… Undyne was about to oblige when Mother shoved herself between the two of them, saying "Not in front of Frisk!"
While that had been going on, Sans had been looking over at me. I smiled for him, which seemed to satisfy him. Everybody gathered around me.
"It is good to see how you've made so many friends, my child," said Mother. "Although you must remain down here… I think you will be happy."
I agreed with her by saying, "Of course I will be!"
Before I could say anything more, Alphys said to Papyrus, "That's reminds me. YOU called everyone here, besides Toriel. I got here before you so… How did you know Frisk needed help?"
Papyrus was trying to look sly. "LET'S JUST SAY… A TINY FLOWER TOLD ME."
My heart plummeted.
As though he'd been waiting for such a cue, Flowey's vines snaked around everybody and grabbed them. Sans tried to dodge… but he was hit from behind and the lights of his eyes went out. The others were struggling but the vines held them fast. I hadn't been released from the fight the entire time and I could do nothing to help them. Finally, my "best friend" showed himself.
"You IDIOTS. While you were all chatting, I took all the SOULs! Not only are THOSE under my control, but now I have all your friends' SOULs, too! Hee hee hee~ You wanna know the best part? It's all YOUR fault, Frisk!
"They're only here because you MADE them love you. All the time you spent listening to them, encouraging them, caring for them… Without that, they wouldn't have come. And now, with all these SOULs together, I can show you my real form."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Flowey, why…? Why are you doing this!? How can you still want to do this?"
He looked at me like I was being stupid. "You don't get it yet, do you? You're DREAMING. If I let you wake up, you'll never come back to 'play' with me again. What'll I do then? But no, you're NEVER gonna wake up! I'll hold victory just out of your reach, and tear it away before you can grasp it. Over, and over, and over… Hee hee hee!
"Listen. If you can defeat me, I'll give you your fairytale ending. I'll give back your friends, destroy the barrier and everyone will be satisfied. But that WON'T happen. I'll keep you here, no matter what! Even if I have to kill you a million times!" He launched a bullet right at me… but it was blocked by a wall of fire!
Mother was using her magic. She said they would all protect me… Flowey kept firing bullets but they were all being blocked by my friends' magic.
Papyrus said to do what he would do, and believe in me.
Undyne said that, if I could get past her, I could handle anything. She said she was with me the whole way.
Sans woke up and wondered aloud why I hadn't beaten Flowey, yet. He said the little weirdo had nothing on me.
More and more bullets were blocked and Alphys said that, while it was technically impossible, she believed I could do it anyway.
Asgore told me to stay determined, for the future of all monsters and humans. Then the room was full of monsters, everyone I had faced on the way here! Flowey was screaming.
"No! Unbelievable! This can't be happening!" He suddenly smiled. "I can't believe you IDIOTS all came to ME! NOW ALL YOUR SOULS ARE MINE!"
Flowey was laughing and everyone was absorbed, body and soul, into his vines…
Darkness. I could see someone else and, even without seeing his face, I knew who it was. He moved slowly, as though growing accustomed to his current form. The young voice from the recordings came from his throat…
"Finally. I was tired of being a flower." He turned to me, his little white face looking just like the family portrait in Asgore's house. "Howdy! Frisk, are you there? It's me, your best friend." There was a flash and he changed, again.
Asriel Dreemurr stood before me to take his throne as the prince of this world's future.
I held on to my hopes. As I did, Asriel summoned stars to fall upon the field still confining me. They all shattered but I still did my best to dodge. Once his attack was over a little voice in the back of my mind said that he was charging an attack named the "Shocker Breaker." I didn't know why I knew that, but I didn't have the time to question it. Every time I spared him and dodged his attacks, it went like that, and he slowly told me what he intended.
He wanted to defeat me and control the timeline, so he could "reset" everything. He could erase all my progress, everyone's memories, and make it as though it all never happened. I would have to do everything, all over again.
He knew I'd do it, too. I would come right back here and lose again, and again, because I wanted my happy ending. Because I "loved" my friends. Because I "never gave up." He thought it was funny, that "determination" allowed me to make it this far but now would only prove to be my downfall.
He used a move called "Hyper Goner." I didn't really know what it was doing, but I thought I saw people's souls being sucked into it. I managed to survive and he seemed impressed, even calling me "special." But he'd been holding back and was ready to show me what he was really made of. He changed shape again…
He looked like an angel. A dark, warped angel sent to burn me with despair… I couldn't move my body at all, and all I could do was struggle. He laughed, and sent a magical attack at me while I couldn't dodge…
My soul tried to split in half… but I pulled myself together and refused to die.
Asriel only laughed again. "I can feel it. Every time you die, your grip on this world slips. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Once your life ends, it'll be a world where no one remembers you…"
Still, I struggled. Still, he killed me. Still, I refused to die.
He seemed mildly confused. "How are you still hanging on? Fine. In a few moments you'll forget, too. We'll see how well your attitude serves you in the next life!" He killed me one more time… but I still refused to die.
Asriel was looking annoyed, now. "Oh, come on… Fine, then. Show me your determination. Show me what you think you can do."
I kept struggling but I couldn't move any part of my body. I concentrated on the save star I thought I could feel in my soul… but it was out of my reach. I concentrated harder, begging it to take me back… but it didn't work. "Saving" my dream was impossible…
But maybe… I could save something else. Maybe I could "SAVE" somebody else.
Fresh power coursed through me. I still couldn't move but I didn't have to. I used nothing but my soul to reach out to my friends, because I could feel them all inside of Asriel. Something resonated and I chose to SAVE Papyrus and Sans, first…
I could see them. Something was blocking their faces, like it was trying to blind them. They didn't seem to remember me... Papyrus attacked me with bones, saying he'd capture me while Sans just said there was no point to any of this, that it'd just all start over again. He sounded so tired…
I had to remind them of who I was. I told Papyrus I was hungry and that I could go for some spaghetti. Then I told him that I liked alliteration. I let Sans judge me, and when I said I would think about what I'd done he nodded solemnly. Then they both remembered me, remembered that I was their friend.
The whiteness over their faces was gone! They said they believed in me, and were rooting for me.
I faced Asriel again. I chose to SAVE Mother and Asgore next and was taken to them.
I gave her a hug and told her I preferred butterscotch. I gave Asgore mercy and stared into his eyes, firmly telling him that I was not going to fight him. The whiteness disappeared from them, as well.
It was Undyne's turn, next. I conducted a fake attack, just like I had before. I asked her to teach me how to cook and gave her a big, toothy grin just like hers.
Alphys was the last. I asked her about the book she had talked about earlier and she couldn't help but give me an extremely detailed answer. I pretended to give her a quiz, then tried to call her on my phone.
They all remembered who I was. But… there was someone else. Someone deep inside Asriel. Someone kind and sweet, that never wanted to hurt anybody. Someone in a great deal of pain…
I chose to SAVE Asriel. I reached deep into his soul and I saw it. I saw the day he met the first human to fall into the Underground. When I came back to the present he was bewildered.
"Wh… What did you do…? What's this feeling…? What's happening to me?" He shook his head violently. "No! NO! I don't need you! I don't need ANYONE!" He launched another attack but I still refused to die. "STOP IT! Get away, you hear me!? I'll tear you apart!"
I chose to SAVE him, again and again. He spoke like he was talking to someone else… but he slowly told me why he was doing this.
He said it was because I was special, that I was the only one that understood. He said this dream was nothing without me, but that wasn't the only reason. He cared about me, more than anyone else! He wasn't ready to let this dream end. He wasn't ready to say goodbye to someone like me, again.
I SAVED him again and he begged me to stop. He tried to blast me into oblivion and begged me to let him win. My HP fell until it was only a fraction of a percent… but I still refused to die. I chose to SAVE him again, and again, and again…
He sounded like he was about to cry. "I'm… I'm so alone, Frisk… I'm so afraid… I… I…!"
He was no longer an angel. He was just a lonely little boy that missed his real best friend. A little boy standing in the dark, weeping. He wiped at his eyes with a sleeve, then apologized, saying he'd always been a crybaby.
"I know… I know you're not really Frisk. They've been gone a long time… I guess something about you just reminded me of them and…" He sniffled. He shook his head and said, "It's been a long time since I've felt this way. When I was a flower I was soulless, and couldn't love others. But with everyone's SOULs not only do I have my own compassion back, but I can feel theirs, too. They all care about each other so much… and you. All your friends, especially. Monsters are so weird. They barely know you, but they really love you."
He closed his eyes with regret. "I understand if you can't forgive me. I've been so strange and horrible to you. I've hurt you so much, hurt so many people… I have no excuse."
Softly, I said I would forgive him. He was surprised, and smiled weakly. "Wh… What? Come on… You're gonna make me cry again…" His smile faded. "Besides, even if you do forgive me, I can't keep everyone's SOULs. The very least I can do is return them, but before I do there's something that needs to be done. Something that everybody is determined to do."
He closed his eyes, using the power of every single soul he had to shatter the barrier, once and for all. When he was done, I could feel all the souls leaving his body…
Asriel spoke softly. "I… have to go. Without everyone's SOULs… I can't maintain this form. I'll turn back into a flower and stop being 'me.' I won't be able to feel love anymore, so… Forget about me. Go be with the people that love you."
His smile was breaking my heart. I hugged him and the fur on his ear was soft against my cheek as he hugged me back. His voice broke as he said he didn't want to let go, and he sobbed a little into my shoulder. I held him until he eased his embrace.
"You… You're going to do a great job, okay? No matter what you do, what you decide, everyone will be here for you." He took a few steps back and said, "Time's running out… for the both of us. Goodbye." A white light enveloped everything…
"My child, please wake up!"
"Frisk! This is all just a bad dream! Stay determined…"
"BROTHER, ALL OF THIS EXTENDED NAPPING BETTER NOT BE DUE TO YOUR INFLUENCE!"
"hey, i'm a great influence! i'm not gonna take that lyin' down." There was a general groan around the room with a stifled chuckle from Mother.
I opened my eyes and everyone was surrounding me. They all looked relieved, even Undyne. "It's about time you woke up! Tell us before you take another nap like that, alright!?"
Alphys was wringing her hands. "Y-yeah! We were all so worried about you, Frisk... It felt like you were out forever!"
Mother helped me to stand. Asgore tried to give me a cup of tea to help me feel better. Mother suggested letting me have some space because I must be tired, but she didn't know why I would be. None of them remembered anything while their souls were in Asriel. The last thing they remembered was a flower and things going white until they woke up. The barrier was gone and I had been lying on the floor unconscious for no apparent reason.
They all suggested I go take a walk. I could go say goodbye to all the other friends I had made on my way here. They would wait for me until I was ready to take them to the surface…
There was somewhere I needed to be. I felt compelled to return to where this all started, if I could. The beeping was becoming incessant but there was someone I needed to see. Someone with answers I needed.
Through the Core, through Hotland, through Snowdin Town and all the way through the forest I went. The doors into the Ruins were open… and I made my way through back to the flowerbed where I had first fallen. I found him, standing there. He turned when he heard me approaching and shook his head.
"Why'd you come all the way back here? Shouldn't you be going to the surface right about now?" he asked.
"We will, but there are some things that I need you to clear up for me, first."
He raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't really have the time for that, you know…"
"Maybe so, but I still need to know." I had so many questions… but I had to start, somewhere. "How do you know I'm dreaming?"
He smiled sadly. "I know you're dreaming because I'm part of you. It's not how you originally wrote me, but you don't remember that because… well, you'll see. You still have a little way to go before your 'immersion' completely breaks. It's already shredding as it is, isn't it?" He shook his head. "I shouldn't even be breaking away from the script or be acting out-of-character, right now. The other person in charge of this dream will be mad…"
My head was floating, but I held on. "Who would that be?"
Asriel only said, "You'll see." He changed the subject and went back on his "script." When he was done, I told him I still wanted him to come to the surface.
"You don't have to come with us today," I said. "I'll give you some time to consider it. The monsters need to establish some living places, anyway. But soulless flower or not, I don't want to leave you down here. Being alone before certainly didn't help you, and I don't think it'll help you in the future."
Asriel just stared at me. "But Frisk… it's not like I'll be able to appreciate your kindness, or anyone else's! I'll just be a flower-shaped lump of determination."
I crossed my arms and frowned at him. "What do you think 'determination' is? Do you think it's simply the 'will to live'? I don't think it's just that. It's defined the dictionary as 'the act of making or arriving at a decision,' or 'firmness of purpose.' Maybe, using the knowledge you've gained, you can make better decisions from now on. And maybe… if I give you a purpose, then you'll have something to focus on besides the emptiness inside you."
"…what kind of purpose?"
I was a bit abashed. "Honestly… it's a little selfish of me, but I just want somebody to talk to. Somebody that won't think I'm crazy when I say I've died so many times. And there's still a lot I don't know about these abilities of mine, all this 'saving' and 'loading' and 'files' business… If you could help shed a little light on them, I'd appreciate it."
Asriel looked away, considering. He finally said, "I won't make any promises but… I'll think about it."
"Thank you, Asriel. That's all I ask." He let me hug him one more time and I left the Ruins. I made it back to the barrier and led my friends outside… or I tried to.
I was back in the dark. There was a light up ahead but it wasn't the surface. It was the gray window, again. This time, I had the strength to look beyond it. When I did, I remembered. Who I was, why I had made this journey, who else had made this journey with me… Everything.
My name used to be Francine Isabella Kane, and I was dying.