Chapter 55: Undyne's End
She headed hrough the cavern of glowing mushrooms to an area with violet pink flashing crystals littered on the ground and the ceiling.
The flashing crystals gradually seemed to make the lit path fade. Luckily she had discovered how to relight the mushrooms along the path which lit the way. As she continued further north, she discovered there was more water to traverse.
Unfortunately there were no mushrooms to light up and it was getting too dark to see anything.
Suddenly Frisk heard a chillingly quiet voice.
"Behind you."
"Look out," Chara shouted.
Frisk whirled around jumping at the sight of Undyne standing behind her in a suit of armor holding a light blue spear that lit up the room.
"It's because of humans like you that Asgore wants to take the surface back from humanity to give them the pain and suffering we have endured. This is your last chance at redemption. Give up your soul or I'll tear it from your body."
Slowly Undyne inched closer and closer until she heard a rustle of grass and an armless monster popped out from the left.
"Undyne, I'll help you fight."
"Oh he's working with the enemy. I'm surprised," Chara said.
He turned just as Undyne was about to attack Frisk with her spear.
Kid glanced from Frisk to Undyne then back to Frisk.
"Yo, you did it. Undyne is right in front of you. You've got front row seats to her fight."
"What an idiot."
Kid looked around behind him confused.
"Wait, who is she fighting?"
"See completely clueless."
Undyne grabbed him by the side of his face pulling him away.
"H-hey, you aren't gonna tell my parents about this, are you?"
Once she was gone, Frisk headed back seeing a path to the right lit up by stones.
Walking up this place, Frisk saw more echo flowers softly murmuring wishes to each other.
She heard the sound of a older woman talking.
"...hmmm...if I say my wish...You promise you won't laugh at me?"
"Of course, I won't laugh."
Another woman's voice could be heard.
"Someday I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around...That's my wish."
Frisk heard laughter coming from another echo flower.
"...hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it!"
"Sorry...it's just funny. That's my wish,too."
"HAHAHAHA."
Frisk whirled around.
No one was there.
'Chara, did you hear that?'
"Yeah."
'Someone's following us.'
Frisk ran back eager to find the monster tailing them.
'Could it be Red? Nah, she wouldn't laugh like that.'
Suddenly she heard a hauntingly familiar voice.
"Where am ...I? It's so cold here...And so dark...Someone help me...Anyone...please...Help me..." said a soft pained voice.
'Toriel?'
Frisk ran back.
"Hey, wait it could be a trap," Chara sputtered trying to reach out to stop Frisk.
"But nobody came."
Frisk heard chuckling from behind her.
She whirled around only to see Flowey.
"What are you doing here? Are you following me?"
"Ha ha ha, long time, no see."
Vines came out of the ground wrapping around Frisk.
"Damn it. i told you. What kind of idiot would fall for an obvious trap like that?" Chara sputtered.
Frisk glared at Chara.
"Nighty night."
Concentrating Frisk called on her training with Asriel to conjure a flame setting his vines ablaze.
Flowey flinched releasing her from his clutches.
"I see you've become stronger. Wise decision. I'll be waiting when you kill someone else. See you around, Chara."
With that Flowey sunk back into the ground leaving Frisk bewildered by the exchange.
On the way back to Snowdin, Undyne headed to the house next to the igloo where a wolf monster tossed large ice bricks into the water and she knocked on the door.
A yellow reptilian monster answered the door.
"Can I help you?"
Her eyes caught sight of the monster next to Undyne.
"K-Kid? How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak off by yourself."
Kid blushed.
"I'm sorry, mom.
"You had me so worried. What if something bad happened to you?"
She opened the door wider and Kid walked inside.
"How can I ever thank you?"
Undyne blushed.
"Uh, you don't need to go that far. I mean I'm just a good citizen helping out.
"Well see you around."
"You too."
As Undyne headed back, she pulled out her cellphone texting the royal guard.
RG01 replied.
"Hey."
"I'm headin' off the kid at the bottom of the volcano. If he gets past me be on the lookout for a kid wearing a blue shirt with two magenta stripes. He's very dangerous."
"What about you, dude?"
"Don't worry about me. Whatever happens to me you must move forward. King Asgore is counting on you."
Undyne clicked the phone off.
"Uh oh. Mom, I think I forgot my phone in Waterfall."
"That is a dilhemma. I'll tell you what if I have someone pick up your cellphone will you stay here?"
His mother walked outside nearly running into Sans.
"Sans!"
"can i help you?"
"Well there's a problem. My son's left his phone in Waterfall."
"Can I come with you?" Kid said.
"You're in enough trouble, mister," His mother said.
"I'm just worried about that monster with the magenta striped shirt."
Shock crossed Sans' expression briefly.
"tell you what i'll pick up his cellphone if he can come along."
Past the echo flowers was an array of stalagtites surrounding a narrow bridge.
Sans teleported Kid and himself in the area right before the bridge.
"There he is," Kid said glancing at Frisk a fair distance away.
"be careful alright or your mother will kill me."
'Say Chara, why do you think Flowey called me by your name?'
He shrugged.
"Don't know. Honestly don't know why that of all things would bug you. He tried to kill you."
'I know. Believe me I haven't forgotten that fact, Chara.'
"Could have fooled me."
Frisk was walking across the bridge nearly at the other end when a voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Yo."
Frisk turned around and saw it was Kid.
"I know I'm not supposed to be here but I wanna ask you omething. Man, I've never had to ask this to anyone before. Yo-You're human right?"
"Way to go, Captain Obvious," Chara said.
Frisk nodded.
"Ha ha, man I knew it. Well I know it now I mean. Um, Undyne told me to stay from that human so I guess that makes us enemies or something but I kind of stink at that. You say something mean so I can hate you, please."
"She's right, y'know. You should stay away. I am dangerous."
"You? You don't look dangerous."
"I've killed other monsters. I could kill you too."
Kid gulped.
"But you won't. Barby said you killed them in self-defense. We're not exactly the good guys are we? Here I was talking about Undyne like she was a hero. Who tries to kill a kid anyway?"
"I'm not a hero. Don't be naive. You're stupid for thinkin' that," Frisk said.
"Trying to be a martyr again?"
Sans glanced at the exchange.
A loud stomping coming from the right echoed through his ears.
'must be undyne. can't let her see me out here or she'll scold me for slacking off.'
Sans decided to teleport above the cavern walls peering down as Undyne came marching forth.
He glanced at Frisk, beads of sweat trailing down his skull.
"That the best you can do? My sister calls me that all the time. I-I'm gonna go home now," Kid ran across back, his leg caught on a loose board on the bridge and he slipped, his teeth clutching to the column of stone holding the bridge up.
Sans looked on in horror.
'shit.'
"Yo w-w-wait. Help I tripped."
"What an idiot."
Suddenly the sound of heavy armor reached their ears.
"What's that? Is that Undyne?"
"Great, let me guess you're gonna be the hero and save his ass?"
"Hold on," Frisk said.
"Oh you planning on ending me for good," Undyne said.
Frisk however ignored her entirely and pulled on the collar of Kid's shirt pulling him behind her onto the bridge.
"What are you doing?" Kid asked. "She's gonna kill you."
Chara shook his head.
Kid pushed past Frisk to stand in front of her.
"Yo dude, if you want to hurt my friend, you're gonna have to get through me first."
Undyne backed off until she was off the bridge.
Sans hopped down from where he was sitting.
"She's gone," Kid said. "Yo, you really saved my skin."
"It wouldn't have been necessary if you weren't such an idiot," Chara said.
"It was your fault for coming here in the first place," Frisk snapped. "If you hadn't come here none of this would have happened."
"Maybe but I don't regret any of it. If you wanted to kill me as much as you said you would have left me there to die but you didn't."
"It would be a waste of time. You're probably one of those types who'd just come back to life," Chara said.
Frisk silently agreed.
"Guess bein' enemies was just a nice thought, huh?"
Frisk chuckled.
"You idiot, you said all of that just so you could prove I'm a good person. Don't you have better things to do?"
"No, if it's for for you, it'll always be worth it. I won't give up on you so we'll just have to be friends instead. Man I should really go home. I bet my parents are worried sick about me."
Kid headed back.
'Hey isn't that Sans?'
Chara glanced from where she was standing.
"You must be seeing things."
As soon as Kid was gone, Frisk sat on the bridge letting out a sigh. She chuckled mirthlessly and then it transformed to full blown laughter.
She covered her eyes with her arm and laid back on the bridge thinking about what Kid had said.
"I won't give up on you so we'll just have to be friends instead."
"Idiot, it isn't that simple."
She stood there for quite some time before heading further along her journey eventually reaching a mountain pass.
A voice came from above.
"Hahaha, what a coward. Did you really think I'd let you run after what you did? You're more valuable dead. Your continued existance is a crime. Human let's end this right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be."
Undyne jumped down from the top of the mountain with her spear aimed at her.
'Sh-t.'
"Ready or not, here I come."
She waved her spear.
Frisk couldn't move her legs at all but she felt a feeling of warm energy radiating in front of her.
"You asshole," she spoke.
It seemed monsters never seemed to get it when she wasn't looking for a fight.
Undyne tossed her a blue spear.
"Let us have a battle til the death."
Frisk conjured a fireball and tossed it at Undyne.
Undyne hurled spears at her from above, to the right, the left and below.
Looking up the spear above was about to hit her and she brought out her arms to her head clutching the spear, hoping to protect herself from Undyne's attack.
Suddenly a loud ding passed Frisk's ear.
She looked up and saw the spear was gone.
Frisk used her newly acquired shield to block the other spears.
"Is that the best you could do, how weak!" Undyne said before suplexing a boulder.
Frisk fired another fireball at her.
"You call that an attack? That's nothing."
She fired more spears.
Frisk absorbed them with her shield before Undyne's spear magic got rid of the shield.
Frisk got out her knife and swiped at her.
"Wow, you're tough."
She hurled more spears at Frisk who barely was able to dodge them.
A couple arrows hit her side and her leg.
Undyne snorted.
"But even if you could get past me, no one has made it past King Asgore."
Frisk winced and slashed at her.
"Stop being so damn resilient."
Undyne swiped her spear causing her to be rooted to the spot once more and the spear reformed in Frisk's hands.
"Anyone else would be DEAD right now."
Frisk blocked all the arrows.
Deep within her, Frisk had discovered knowledge of a new power.
A voice chimed through her ears.
'Gravely wounded I called upon the water to heal me.'
She conjured a blue spear in her hand and tossed it at Undyne.
"W-wait, that's my attack. How did you?"
"How did you?!" Chara asked, looking at her attack in shock.
Undyne hurled more arrows.
Suddenly one of them turned to hit her from the top.
Blood trickled from the side of her arm.
"I will not be defeated."
Frisk hurled another spear.
Undyne shook in pain, her hand clutching her chest.
"You were stronger than I thought. So then this is where it ends. No, I won't die. Alphys, Asgore, Red, Papyrus. Everyone is counting on me to protect them. Human in the name of everybody's hopes and dreams, I will defeat you."
She hurled more spears and Frisk blocked them.
She attacked her once more.
Suddenly her lower body began to split.
"Pathetic, you're going to have to try harder than that."
It traveled up to her hands.
"See, how strong we are when we believe in ourselves?"
Undyne hurled more spears.
"Quit it," Frisk said. "Just give up. You can't win."
Frisk slashed at her.
Undyne hurled more spears.
Frisk noticed they were slower than usual.
"Alphys, this is what I was afraid of. This is why I never told you."
All of Undyne's body began to split.
"No...not yet. I won't die. Ngahh."
Her body came together seeming to stabilize into a solid form but her hands slowly were beginning to melt and then her feet.
"I WON'T DIE. I WON'T."
She continued to say like a mantra until she faded to dust.
Frisk sighed.
What could she have done different when the monster wanted to kill her?
She continued forward through the mountain.
Further in the cave was an electric sign to her left with the word, "Welcome to Hotland' scrolling by.
As she headed out the cave she spotted some kind of post.
Frisk looked inside to see if anyone was there but it was empty.
Up ahead was a wide bridge that stood over boiling lava.
"Kinda looks dangerous," Chara said.
The longer she dwelt, the more Frisk began to heat up until she could no longer stand it.
She tossed off her jacket and peeled off her sweater leaving it at the post.
'Much better,' she thought.
"Are you just going to leave your clothes?" Chara asked.
'I'll get them later if I need them.'
Frisk continued along the bridge.
On the other side of the bridge there was a water cooler, a clam-like monster stood next to it.
"Hey!"
"Are you talking to me?" the clam monster asked.
"Yeah, do you know the way to the capital?"
"No, I'm from Waterfall," they said. "I was here to visit a friend but I ran into some troubles. Some spiders were tailing me."
"Do you want to come with me then? It's safer in numbers," Frisk said.
"No, I'm good."
"What's your name?"
"Clam, yours?"
"Frisk."
"Oh it's nice to meet you, Frisk."
Frisk took a up alongside the water cooler and filled it with water.
She drank it until it was gone before continuing her journey.
"Well bye," she said before she continued on her way.
A white building labeled 'lab' was up ahead.
To the left stood the two guards from earlier.
'Sh-t.'
"Dude, you're that human. Ms Undyne told us about you. You're coming with us," said RG01.
"Great more trouble."
'At least they aren't trying to kill me.'
The two guards led Frisk to an elevator further to the left.
"What floor is the king's castle again?" RG01 asked.
RG02 shrugged.
RG01 pressed the button of the elevator leading to R1 and then the elevator closed.
Sans teleported into Hotland next to the post by the bridge.
He looked around.
"i guess the kid already passed by here."
He was about to sit down when he saw the coat and blue sweater laid sloppily on his chair.
Looking across the bridge, he saw the human was nowhere in sight.
He teleported across the bridge.
"Whoa, how did you do that?" Clam asked.
Sans looked around.
"hey, did you see a kid around here?"
Sans turned and was shocked at who he seen. He hadn't thought much of the monster before getting a better glance at him.
"Yeah, just a couple of minutes ago. They were heading further ahead. I heard him talking with the guards."
"do i know you from somewhere?" he asked.
Clam looked confused.
"I don't know. It could be possible. You kinda look familiar. It's strange there was someone else who told me the same thing."
Sans looked excited.
"i have a photo of you in my lab. your name is clam right?"
"How did you-"
"your name was on the back of a photo."
"Really? You should show it to me."
Sans chuckled.
"maybe later. now's not the time. i have something i gotta do," he said before he vanished.
Once Frisk and the royal guards exited the elevator it closed.
The three headed to the left.
"Crap, I must have got the wrong floor."
"What kind of layout does this place even have if the guards even get lost," Chara said.
They headed back back but the doors were locked.
"Until further notice, the CORE is on temporary lockdown."
"Lovely," Chara said.
"RG02, look around there must be another way off this floor."
Frisk looked around.
A couple of buildings were on this floor, a school and an old beat down factory. A couple of diamond-headed monsters stood inside the factory.
"It used to be the old office of Ebenezer but now it's Mettaton's new studio," RG01 said.
Frisk was surprised he even spoke to her.
In a dark corner of the studio, Frisk saw some monsters in back.
A male lion-like monster with a green, white polka dotted dress was tied to a stake of wood. Another one hovered over them.
Frisk crept closer hiding behind a large crate hidden in the shadows.
As she drew closer it was to her horror that she realized the intimidating monster was none other than Grillby.
"What the h-ll?" Chara sputtered.
Frisk covered her mouth stiffling her gasp of surprise.
Why was Grillby here? Did Sans know about this?
"You know why you're here, don't you?" Grillby asked, cracking his knuckles.
"No, I don't. Why am I here?"
"it's nothin personal. I'm just protecting my children."
"What does he mean by that? What is going on?" Chara snapped.
Grillby conjured a fireball and punched him in the gut instantly turning him into dust.
Grillby knelt down and gathered the dust.
"Hopefully this is enough monster dust."
Frisk slowly backed away just as RG01 returned.
"The CORE is back up and running again."
'I don't know but I'm beginning to have a bad feeling about this?'
The two headed in the elevator.
RG01 clicked the button for R2.
"Better be careful. I heard there's a dangerous spider that lurks on one of these floors," RG02 said.
RG01 snorted.
"I'm not scared of spiders. Look dude, I'll watch the old human and you go find us a map."
With that RG02 left.
Chara grinned.
"Are you scared of spiders?"
'Not really. They kind of make me squeamish though.'
Chara glanced at her with narrow eyes giving her a sly look.
"Squeamish, huh?"
'You wouldn't be able to scare me with one of your toy spiders so don't even try. Besides I'm not squeamish around spiders. I just don't like the feeling of them crawling on you.'
Some time passed before he returned with a stained apron and a burnt frying pan.
"So dude, did you find a map?"
RG02 nodded.
"What's that then?" Frisk asked.
"Found them," he said.
"Can I have them?"
"Why?" RG01 asked.
Frisk shrugged.
"No reason."
"Trying to nick a weapon huh?"
'Not really. Don't need one if they didn't take my weapon.'
Chara looked perplexed for a moment before he began to howl with laughter.
'I wonder if the items absorb another human's essence. If none of the humans here are Sam then that means he's still alive.' she thought.
"Wait, these are weapons and you're trying to trick us," RG01 sputtered.
"If that was the case I would have killed you earlier. You forgot to ask me to empty my pockets," Frisk said.
RG01 smacked his forehead. RG02 handed her the accessories.
"Still I wonder who would leave these things on the ground in the first place," Frisk muttered before putting on the apron.
The two headed to the other exist.
"So is that the school?" Frisk asked pointing at a building outside the studio.
"Yeah dude."
"What do monsters learn there?"
RG01 was silent for a moment.
"I guess you don't know huh?"
RG01 blushed.
He glanced at RG02 at the corner of his eye.
"I forgot," RG02 said, avoiding RG01's eyes.
The two headed in the elevator on the opposite side finally having navigated to the beginning.
Heading inside, RG01 glanced at the buttons.
"It's either L3 or L2."
"It's not L3," RG02 said. "I've already looked at the map."
RG01 pressed the button to L2 and the three got out.
To the right was two paths.
One that Frisk assumed led to L3 and one that lead to the castle. They headed to the right eventually coming across a blue building with a red sign with yellow letters that read 'MTT.'
'Wow, this place looks kinda cool.'
"Whoever owns this place has to be a flamboyant jerk."
Inside was a large reception area with peach wall, red and yellow checkered floors and a fountain of a square robot that appeared to be peeing in a fountain, It branched off into two areas. To the left looked to be some kind of resort, to the right appeared to be a hallway. Towards the back on the left hand side was a blue fingered monster behind a desk. Besides them was a back door and next to that were double doors with the words MTT on the top. A hamburger seemed to be painted alongside it.
'Must be a fast food joint."
Next to that was an unoccupied elevator.
The three headed towards the elevator slowly transcending to the castle.
Eventually the three came across a building that looked almost exactly like Toriel's home in the ruins except the walls were grey in color.
The locks blocking the path to the basement were unlocked already and she was lead downstairs.
Upon reaching a clearing, Frisk saw many tall buildings which she assumed belonged to the monsters that lived there.
Eventually they reached a place with yellow walls and tall stained glass windows that were embellished with the delta rune.
The orange and red checkered floor looked like glass beneath her feet with the way she could see her reflection.
They passed by one room where Frisk saw someone watering golden flowers and then she was tossed in a dark room, the door locked behind her.
Frisk felt around for a light switch and suddenly the room was bright.
It was a momentary relief until she saw the coffins.
"What the h-ll!" Chara sputtered.
Why were these here?
She didn't dare open the lids.
Names were etched on the hearts embellished on the coffins.
The name of on the coffin with a red heart was illegible as the handwriting was very sloppy however the lid was loose. Frisk moved it aside.
'Empty, I suspected as much.'
The coffins seemed meticulously arranged to the colors of the rainbow.
Dorothy was written in the cyan heart, Stephanie in dark blue, Tony in purple, Terri in orange, Zack in yellow and Sam in green.
'So he did die down here,' Frisk thought. 'Those bastards. They knew that's why they chased him down here.'
Still not much she could do about it.
She took a rest in the red heart coffin comforted by the soft looking cushion inside.