Don't you put it in your mouth Chapter 24:
The room Sans had the key to was at the very top of the hotel: one of the suites with a huge bed and its own fridge and TV. It had two big, fancy armchairs, a toaster, and a washing basket all arranged together as if that was the way they would be most useful. The whole place was a tacky yellow and pink, from the wiggly-lined wallpaper to the plaid bedspread.
.
The place wasn't Mettaton's— in fact, he might not even have existed in that form yet. Instead, it was the Checked Inn, and was run by a monster that looked like a giant red token with the face of a dog, who had come up to their room to personally hand them some plastic crowns and battenberg cake.
.
Frisk could hardly move by now, so Asriel set some pillows around the headboard to hold her up and rest her back. He helped her out of her hoodie, drained the pockets, and dumped it in the washing basket to get the blood out. It was still all over her t-shirt and pants, but she didn't have replacements for those.
.
Papyrus gladly cuddled up with her, magic glowing from his eyes and fingertips. The kid finally allowed herself some reprieve. She rested, limp, exhausted, and closed her eyes, letting tears run freely down her cheeks. Asriel sat at her side, glaring off into nothing; rubbing her head absently. Nobody felt like eating, but they all did anyway. The the cake with the marzipan and undefinable jam was pretty good.
.
Papyrus's healing was slow, but effective. The sparks from his magic filled in the illogical holes Gaster's attacks had punctured into her, glowing through her clothes. He cradled her hand in both of his, instinctively feeling the broken bones. He pushed the fracture straight but, for some reason, it didn't hurt. His magic began to stitch the cracks.
.
After a stretch of tired silence, Asriel got up, rolling his shoulders and yawning widely. He checked the fridge. "They got some sea teas in here, wanna try?"
"Got some in my phone," Frisk said quietly.
"Yeah, but you could save those and just take these," he said. He brought over a can for each of them, making sure Frisk could hold it. He popped the tab for her. "Go on, it'll help."
"Sorry about all this," she said quietly.
"Why? All you did was try to tell Gaster that he was wrong," Papyrus said. "Which… Actually. No wonder he got so mad at you. He hates that."
"He's gotta get used to it," Asriel said.
"He tried to pull my soul right outta me." Frisk couldn't conceal the hurt in her voice. "I think that mightta been more it."
"Is that not how it worked in your world?" Papyrus asked.
"It was," the kid admitted. "It just… wasn't a guy who looked like my dad trying to do it."
"This is a bunch of crap," Asriel grumbled. He chugged his tea and tossed the can onto the floor. "Man, I didn't wanna come out here for this."
"Doesn't matter," Frisk said. "I mean… Not how you feel, that matters, it's just… gotta do it. For Sans. And for these guys, now, too."
"I know. I know! I just…" He sighed heavily. "Didn't want you to get all beat up."
"Me neither," she said with a tired laugh. She sipped the cool tea. "Ooh. It's more oceany."
.
Papyrus hid a yawn behind his hand. Frisk sat up a little. She was dizzy but she tried to blink through it.
"You can take a break," she said. "I'm not so bad now."
"No way! The great Papyrus never tires." He yawned again. "N-Nope, that's just… uh…"
Frisk patted him on the shoulder. She peeked under her sleeve at where she'd been shot through. It was clear that she had been— the scarring was stark— but the wound was gone, as was most of the pain. She lifted up a bit of her shirt to check her side. It was the same, but it made Asriel's eyes go wide.
"Oh my god," he said.
"I know, right? He did a really good job. That wasn't that long, right? Half an hour?" She smiled up at him as she readjusted her shirt, though her expression dimmed when she saw his. "What's wrong?"
"Wh… I mean. That's a big mark, though," he said.
She shrugged.
"I can keep trying?" Papyrus suggested quickly.
Frisk shrugged again. She could still feel an ache in her leg, but it wasn't so bad. "Nah, it's okay. Seriously. Why don't you take a break?"
"Ah! No, I'm doing just fine for now," Papyrus said brightly. "Let me finish with your finger bones, first!"
"Drink first," Asriel insisted. He sat back down and patted the skeleton boy on the head. "Keep that energy up, right?"
"Ah! Right!" He opened his can and began to drink it as fast as he could, tipping himself back with the can.
Frisk snickered. She leaned into the pillows and closed her eyes. Her head was heavy and her heart thumping in her chest was making her nauseous.
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There was a knock on the door. Sans and Alphys came in, though the latter was somewhat winded.
"A-A-Are you guys all okay?" she asked, hurrying to the bedside. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were flushed. "Human, did he hurt you?!"
"Oh sure," the kid said with a laugh. "Don't worry, Papyrus's got me covered."
"It's true, I do!" He threw the can like Asriel did and then latched onto Frisk's hand again.
"Should I try…? Oh, no, I… I probably can't, um…" Alphys looked up at Asriel. "Can you…? Oh, no, I guess you c-can't either. Is it really only him? He's so small."
"Monster's gotta retune a bit to heal a human right a lot of the time. Or. You know. Not be a walking mess like me," Asriel said with furrow in his brow. "But for some reason…"
"I told you! I saw in a dream," Papyrus said proudly.
"How long ago?" he wondered.
"The first one was a month or so, maybe?" he said. "I didn't know what it meant? Then I had another one at naptime."
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Sans and Alphys shared a look, the skeleton seeming like he wasn't the least bit surprised. Alphys sighed.
"W-Well," she said, "I'm glad y-you guys, um, at least got G-Gaster out of the CORE."
"Did he mess a lot up?" Frisk asked.
"E-Enough that it took me a little bit to, um… Well, a-anyway, it's fine for now," she said. "We, um… Sans got the program y-you guys needed going again, so it should be fine in, um, a few hours."
Asriel held Frisk's hand. She slumped and a relieved smile crept across her face.
"So… So we might even be able to see him today, then," she said hopefully to him.
He couldn't help a little prickle of excitement as well.
.
Sans plunked down beside his brother and kicked back against the headboard. Alphys sighed heavily again. She waddled stiffly over to the cushy chair near the TV and flopped into it, pulling out her laptop and resting it heavily on her legs. She fumbled with it for a moment and then pushed the toaster off the side table nearby and replaced it with the computer, turning it so the screen was facing her. She took out a second one— Gaster's, with the holes through either side, and put that on the arm of the chair. She rubbed her temples before turning her gaze on Frisk again.
"I'm, uh… Human? I'm sorry all this h-happened to you. I mean. I know that… y-you're a human and we're technically a-at war and all that, but… w-we're usually not… It's n-not usually like this here."
"Yeah, I know," Frisk said.
"I just… I mean, I n-never thought of Gaster to be so reckless."
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Sans snorted. Alphys shot him a questioning look.
"He made me without consultin' anyone and dumped me on the King. Same with Paps. Half the experiments he did on my magic were unprecedented and with no prep time. Made that time hole without tellin' anyone. And he just grabbed that guard girl outta nowhere because he thought he needed more determination for god knows what. He's an arrogant bonehead."
"He's st-still the best w-we have," Alphys said gently.
"Not anymore," Sans said.
"Then who?" she asked.
"You. Bet you a hundred gold if he actually let you look at his formulae, you'd be all over it."
Alphys blushed, but she shook her head furiously.
"I think you'd do great, Doctor Alphys, plus you didn't magic attack my new friends," Papyrus said brightly. "That's important. To listen to other people even if you don't think they're gonna be right. Because they might be. That's what my brother always says."
"I said it, like, once," Sans said with a laugh. He patted the little skeleton on the head, though his eyes drifted over to Frisk. "Never thought I'd say this, but it's a good thing humans are so durable, huh?" He leaned forward a few inches, raising his brow. "Still seem kinda worn out, kid."
"Of course she's worn out, her max HP is only twenty! And Gaster the meany-bones stabbed her all the way through at least three times!" Papyrus said loudly as Frisk stuck her thumb up.
Sans's eyes went wide. Alphys choked on nothing and her jaw dropped.
"Wh-What?!" she demanded. "That's a lot!"
"It's fine! I'm fine," the kid said quickly.
"Almost fine." Papyrus held her hand again. "Just have to finish up these finger bones."
.
Sans leaned forward before he could start up again and carefully took Frisk's hand from him with a curious expression on his face. His eyes darted to the blood on her shirt and he froze. The kid looked back at him, tilting her head. Papyrus took her hand back and held it in both of his again, shooting his brother a smile.
"I think this will be faster, bones are a lot easier to heal than squishy bits," he said. "It's almost done anyway."
Asriel folded his arms tight and pouted, glaring glumly at the wavy wallpaper.
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Frisk dozed off and Asriel soon found himself cradling her like she was a lazy puppy. He didn't mind. When Papyrus finally finished up, the goat boy took her hands and felt the bones. There was a little crookedness left in her middle finger, but not enough that it would be a hinderance, probably. He was flushed under his fur and his eyes watered when he rested his chin on her head and huffed. Papyrus put a hand on his shoulder and shot him a reassuring smile. He tried not to laugh.
"Kid, I'm fine, don't worry," he said.
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Unusual heat was starting to seep from his sister's skin. He leaned in close. "Frisk?"
She didn't stir. He got a lump in his throat, and a racing, worried thought of not again shot through his head. He turned to Sans, who was mostly asleep.
"Yo. Is your magic cold?"
"Hm? Uh. Yeah kinda," Sans said, sitting up.
Asriel offered the kid to him, though the skeleton looked confused. "She has a fever," he explained.
"Fever…" Sans repeated the word like he'd never heard it.
Asriel took his hand and put it on Frisk's forehead. He stared with confusion and Papyrus leaned in as well.
"Oh. Her skin is… Got it." Sans's fingertips lit with cool blue and he accepted Frisk into his lap so he could try to chill her out. "Is it that red magic that does that?"
Asriel frowned. Might have been, now that he thought about it. "Means a human's gettin' kinda sick, at least."
"I don't blame her," Alphys said quietly. "I h-heard the whole end of h-her battle with Gaster, it d-didn't sound very good…"
"Yeah, I could hear a lot of it, too, I was just… climbing," Asriel said. "She hasn't pushed herself like that since…" He wasn't sure. Was it their fight at the end of the world? She actually pushed back on this guy, though. She'd probably never outwardly used that much magic in a battle before, now that he thought about it. "Well, whatever, I dunno, I'm just worried about her, I guess."
"Well, she's your little sis, right? Course you're worried," Sans said. "…She's, uh, sleepin' pretty heavy, huh? This normal?"
"Only when she's not doin' great," Asriel grumbled.
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Alphys leaned forward in her chair, biting her lip nervously. "…Do you think we should bring h-her to Asgore?"
"What?! Why?" Asriel asked sharply. "Don't think he could heal a human."
"M-Maybe not, but I think the, um, tea he makes might b-be one of the best c-curative foods in the whole underground," she said. She squinted and readjusted her glasses. "But her HP d-doesn't look too bad. That's… odd." She tapped the side of them and a panel lit up over her eye. "I d-don't think I've ever e-even heard of these d-debuffs before…"
"Then we should definitely bring her to the King, then, right?" Papyrus asked worriedly, eyes wide. "But… B-But why wasn't mine enough?"
"Humans kinda have different ways of gettin' sick that we're not used to, Paps," Asriel said. He grimaced. Unless Asgore fainted again, he guessed he had a shot of getting her some of that tea without outright stealing it. "But wasn't Gaster over there?"
"He w-won't try anything around the King," Alphys said shrilly, wide-eyed.
"Hopefully," Sans said quietly. "Look. Kid, if you trust me, you can sit this out. I don't mind takin'—"
"No. I mean. No, it's not… I'm just not letting her outta my sight again," he said quickly. His insides roiled with nerves and he rubbed his brow.
"Know that instinct," the skeleton said sympathetically.
"L-Look, I really think it's the best way," Alphys said gently.
Asriel turned his focus on Frisk. The skeletons around her looked worried, and she still hadn't moved. He sighed and nodded. Had to risk it.
xXxXx
Asgore's home was brimming with loose magic by the time they arrived. Asriel's hackles rose and he cradled his feverish sister close, hanging back behind the other monsters. Alphys pushed her way into the house first, announcing them by clearing her throat. Before she'd said a word, Asgore slid from the dining room to meet her, bed-headed and wide-eyed.
"Howdy, I—" His eyes shot straight to Asriel, who winced under his gaze. "A-A-Asriel."
"As… Wait, you're Asriel?!" Alphys whipped around to look at him with wide eyes. "You didn't tell me that! How are you A-Asriel?!"
Asriel sighed. Sans put a hand on his arm, and he gritted his teeth and stood up tall.
"Yeah. We met before. Sorry. You okay?"
Asgore dipped his head, but he hurriedly closed the distance between them and put a hand on each of the boy's shoulders. "I-I thought you were a dream."
He winced. "Sorry. I just… uh… Oh. Jeez, don't cry."
Asgore chuckled and wiped his eyes. "You must tell me how this happened."
"Look. I will. But, Asgore, I really need your help. My sister is sick."
Asgore's eyes shot between the boy and the human kid in his arms a couple times. Asriel tried his best not to grimace. He knew the name that was shooting through the King's head.
"I-I don't understand," Asgore said, his voice croaking, "but please, come in, everyone." He beckoned and then rubbed a hand through his golden mane of hair. "Th-This has been an, um, absolute shocker of a day, I'll tell you what."
.
He brought them in to the grey table with a grey gingham tablecloth. Though Alphys and Papyrus gladly sat on the grey chairs, Asriel did not, and Sans slumped on the wall closer to the kitchen, folding his arms, eyes fixed on the doorless entryway and the stairs that lead downwards from the foremost room in the house. Asgore bustled around, doing very little and trying not to look at Asriel for too long.
"Did, um, the… the Lieutenant m-make it here okay?" Alphys asked.
"Hm?" Asgore rubbed his beard. "Ah. Undyne. Y-Yes. With my… With Doctor Gaster. She said he was under arrest and Gerson agreed? They're downstairs. He was, um, pretty stunned, though, so I didn't have a chance to ask what happened."
"He tried to kill my sister is what happened," Asriel growled. "And he tried to drain the determination out of Undyne in the lab."
"He… What? Oh. I'm not sure I understand," Asgore said quietly. "I would be a hypocrite if I… Wait, he did what to Undyne?" He rubbed his temples. "Oh dear."
"Don't faint," Sans said.
"I am doing my best." The King chuckled.
"Can you help Frisk, though, King?" Papyrus asked worriedly. "She's the good human from before, remember? From another universe? Like my brother said."
Asgore stared at the little skeleton, and then at Asriel. His eyes welled up. He sighed out deeply and rubbed his palms over his face. He smiled. "Let me make some tea for us all."
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He went to fetch the tea pot, and Sans shot Asriel a look and nodded after him. The boy grimaced, but he knew he was right. No avoiding it now.
"Well, th-that didn't go… terribly," Alphys said, smiling a little. "But… Asriel…"
"Hm?" he said.
"Y-You're the Prince," she squeaked.
"Not here I'm not," he said.
"So is she…?" She pointed at Frisk.
"No. She's Frisk." He gently handed the kid off to Sans and slipped away into the kitchen.
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It was weird how almost nothing was different in Asgore's home than what Asriel was used to, with the exception of the colours— or the lack of them. He was hesitant to get too close as the big monster pulled out a jar of tea leaves and flower petals from the cabinet. Asgore was careful placing them into the strainer of a striped teapot.
"You are my son, are you not?" he asked quietly.
"Uh… I mean, I guess. Not from this world," Asriel said. "I'm… not your kid come back to life. I'm real sorry."
"No no." Asgore turned around to face him with an exhausted smile on his face. "I'm sorry for fainting before. It was such a shock. But it's so… So good to see you again. You look just like your mother."
"Pfff, dunno about that," he joked.
"It's true." He poured water into the kettle and then blew a gentle, magic flame underneath. "Are you… happy? Where you are?"
"Yeah," he said.
"Do you have a lot of family around?" Asgore's eyes shimmered. "Am I…? I mean… In your world, is it…?"
"It's kinda similar to this one," Asriel said. "I… Yeah. I do. My younger sister you met. I also have two brothers, Sans and Papyrus. And another sister, Undyne. And a mom and a dad."
"Both? I…" He smiled warmly and put a paw on his shoulder. "Sounds like your world is doing very well, my boy."
"I'm really sorry about all this," he said. "If I could have made it so you… didn't know." He put a hand over his soul spot. "You're not my actual dad but I never want to hurt you like this."
"No, son, no, I'm glad," he said. He grinned despite tears in the corners of his eyes. He patted him on the shoulder heartily. "This is a gift."
.
Asriel's ears lifted slightly. He cracked a small, cautious smile. Maybe this wasn't the worst thing in the world after all. "Did, uh, all those other monsters with Gerson find you okay?"
"Oh! Yes, they didn't need to have been so concerned," he said with a chuckle. "But it was nice to see everyone, even if they didn't have time to stay for tea. But I suppose when the power is out and the King is taking a heavy nap…"
"Yeah… Sorry about that, again," Asriel said, though Asgore shook his head and smiled. "The power thing, that was Gaster in the CORE."
"Ah. Yes. And this other world talk," he said hesitantly. "That's… Gaster's doing, somehow?"
"He blew a hole into our timeline." When Asriel received a blank stare in reply, he rubbed his head and leaned back on the counter. "Okay. Our worlds. They're like, uh… bubbles, kinda. Yours and ours are pretty close. And this Gaster, he blew a hole from yours into ours in his research, I guess. And it knocked our brother into a coma. So me and my sister, we figured we had to follow the energy to fix our brother, but when we got here, Gaster wasn't havin' it and he decided that it would be better to try to kill my sister and take the determination outta her to keep doing time experiments even though it could bring in worse things than us, y'know? Does that… make sense?"
"Gaster was… doing time experiments? Why?" Asgore wondered.
"No clue," Asriel said.
"Well! Whatever his reasons, I'm sure it was to help us escape the mountain. But, I don't think he should be harming your home to do so. I'll talk to him soon, I'm sure we can work something out."
Asriel doubted it, but he smiled nonetheless. "Thanks."
.
Once the tea had steeped, Asriel awkwardly helped Asgore carry mugs back into the other room. Sans had taken an armchair now and was still holding Frisk close. He was gentle with her, holding her hand and inspecting the bones. Papyrus was on the arm of the seat, hands clamped together worriedly.
"She still hasn't really moved," he said.
Asgore put his big paw on the back of the boy's head. His gaze lingered on Frisk before he turned and placed the ceramics down on the table with a gentle clink and the blub of the sloshing tea.
"Who is she? That human?" Asgore asked tentatively.
"My sister," Asriel said.
"She's, um, f-from another world or s-something," Alphys said. "She's, um…! She's n-not dangerous t-to us, and she s-seems to have magic of some kind. S-So… So…"
"Off-limits," Sans said.
"She can't die. By the way. Literally impossible," Asriel said as he poured tea into one of the mugs. "Time'll just reverse to… I don't even know when. So."
Asgore put his hand on his shoulder and smiled fondly. Asriel felt a prickle of hope. Before he could say a word, though, the floor rumbled and the boy nearly spilled the tea.
"What on earth—?!" Asgore's eyes got big and he shot a worried look at Asriel. "E-Excuse me for a moment." He walked briskly towards the downstairs.
Asriel grimaced. He shoved the teacup towards Papyrus and took off after the King. He didn't like that feel of the magic in the air.
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Down below, in a grey stone pathway under the house, Gaster was awake and recoiled against a wall, armourless now as the metal plates lay in a heap on the floor. A shield of spiked bones protected him, jutting into both the floor and ceiling, and his eyes were blazing green and bright. The big turtle, Gerson, had his arms crossed against his chest and a heavy frown with big eyebrows weighing his brow down. Undyne was bristling, spear in hand, fangs bared and gleaming.
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"What is going on down here?" Asgore demanded worriedly. He hurried to his old friends, though Asriel lagged back by the base of the stairs cautiously. "Gaster! Gerson! Come now, what's the trouble?!"
"Your Highness?!" Gaster's head snapped over to look at him. "Thank goodness. Your guards are out of control. They arrested me for—"
"Kidnapping, Gaster. And an unfair, dangerous battle situation," Asgore said gently. He raised his hands. "Please, old friend, relax. We need to talk about this. And what you've been up to. Sans said—"
"Sans?! You can't—! You can't trust a word from him, he's compromised!" he snapped.
"He keeps sayin' that and not explainin' it one whit," Gerson said, looking over his shoulder at Asgore.
"She is as well!" He pointed at Undyne, who growled in reply. "The human is out of control, it's… It's doing something I don't understand; it's turned them all against me, don't you see?"
"What do you mean?" Asgore asked, wide-eyed.
"A human… An otherworldly human; it's an imminent, catastrophic threat," he said swiftly. "The only reason I borrowed this fish girl was because her determination levels were high enough for me to siphon some off. It's the only way to combat this human, don't you see? If I can just… handle it, I can defeat it, I'm sure. I almost had it last time, it's just…! Asgore, you have to understand, it… turns them."
"Turns us? The hell you talkin' about, bone man?!" Undyne spat. She stomped forward, but Gerson held her shoulder. "That human you wanna fight saved me from you!"
"See?!" Gaster said urgently, pleading eyes turned on Asgore. "They take its side. It… It speaks like it knows you and it says… things. Things it shouldn't know. It's wooed both the boys and this girl and my own assistant! And it's got this bodyguard, I suppose? It's meant specifically to hurt us, I swear, but it looks just like—"
"Gaster, enough," the King said, his voice soft and reassuring. He came closer and he reached across the shield to the skeleton's shoulder. His big paw held warm and tight. "You must relax. I promise. It's not all as dire as it seems."
"You've defeated it?!" he asked hopefully.
"Ah. N-No, um, not exactly."
.
Gaster looked worried. His eyes scanned the King's face and then the guards. Then, they settled on Asriel behind him. Shock painted itself across his face and was swiftly overtaken with anger. "No. No! You…!" He pointed a stern finger at the scowling boy and then looked at Asgore. "He looks like Asriel just to—"
"Gaster, please. You must relax," Asgore said. "I understand. I do. You've always been such a good defender for us. But please, if we can just discuss this…"
The skeleton shook his head frantically. He grabbed a red vial out of his coat and popped the top off. Asriel's hackles raised and he rushed forward, but the skeleton had already downed it. He choked and Asgore immediately pushed his way through the bones to hold his shoulders gently.
"My friend, what are you—?!"
Gaster buckled forward, but red energy sparked along his skull and arms. Undyne bared her teeth and held up her spear.
"STAY BACK!" he yelled.
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Asriel could feel it before he could see it. Gaster sparked bright red and the energy arced around the room like wild electricity, knocking the King back and forcing Gerson into his shell. Undyne snarled and was struck and sent flying as another burst of magic ripped through the air. She cried out and Asgore dove for her. As red magic burned its way out of the skeleton, Asriel put himself between him and the others in time to catch take the brunt of it that exploded like a dying star. He gritted his fangs and held steady as his vision was overtaken by red, the shapes of bones vanishing in the light.
.
Asriel's soul pulsed. The melody twisted and burst loudly, and its glow shone through his shirt. He braced himself. The energy poured through him, red binding with red, his vision scrambling with big chunks of extra colours. It was over in an instant. The second the magic was gone, he buckled, coughing up a mouthful of black sludge. He stared at it as it vanished to nothing, chilled to the soul, and then quickly righted himself. There was nothing left of Gaster but red sparkles and a dark, pixelated shattering in the air that vanished quickly. Asriel reached out his hand to the spot. No dust.
.
When he turned around, he saw Asgore was cradling Undyne close with one arm and holding onto a thoroughly stunned Gerson with the other.
"What in the hell was that?!" the old turtle barked.
Asriel hurried in close to the King and the fish girl he held. She had her hand clamped over her left eye, but even so it was clear that that there was a deep, shining red wound cut across her face.
"Oh no, no no no." Asriel put a hand on her shoulder. "Undyne, I…"
"Just catch him," she growled.
Asriel met Asgore's eyes. The big, worried King nodded solemnly. Asriel jumped to his feet and raced back upstairs.
.
There was a small commotion in the living room. Frisk was up, though looking sick, and Papyrus held her steady as she gripped to the table, trying to make her way to the stairs.
"Are y-you sure you should…?!" Alphys's words got lost as Asriel entered, and she hurried to him and grabbed his hand. "What h-happened?!"
"He either blew up or he can teleport now," he said as he bent down to hold Frisk. "Can you walk?"
"Y-Yeah. Just stiff," she said. "Is everyone okay?"
"I dunno. What now?" he asked.
"Huge fluctuation," Sans said. "I'm sure we could…"
The lights went out with a loud thoom of energy. Alphys yelped and Sans put a hand to his face to massage his brows.
.
"He didn't g-g-go back to the CORE, did h-he?!" Alphys demanded. She dropped her computer from the inside of her coat onto the table and typed on it furiously. "Oh, nooo, no no no, there's—"
"Breathe," Sans said. He leaned over her shoulder and gently moved her aside. "Ah… I see."
"Whatever's going on," Frisk said, "we gotta stop him from doing something nuts before he dusts himself or worse."
The skeleton frowned slightly, but he patted her on the back.
"Worse? Wh-What could be worse?" Alphys squeaked.
"Tell you later," Asriel said. "First we gotta find the guy and…"
.
Fragments of red lit the room. Asriel looked at Frisk, but she wasn't glowing at all. He grabbed her tight just as a warbling form of a skeleton appeared as if from nowhere, crackling with red energy and distorting the air around him. Alphys screamed. He laid a hand against Frisk's shoulder and the two of them vanished. Asriel was left clinging to nothing.
.
"No." He recoiled, nauseated by empty air.
Papyrus put his hands to his mouth. Sans stared, wide-eyed.
"Oh shit," he breathed.
"No, no no no no." Asriel leapt to his feet, looking all over frantically. "Frisk?! Frisk, are you…?!" He yanked his phone from his pocket, but there was no signal. There was a quiver in his hands and a seizing in his chest. His fur bristled, his eyes welled up, and his lip curled in a snarl. He ran out of the house without another word.
xXxXx
All that had been before was replaced with pitch darkness and cold. Suffocating. Frisk took in a mouthful of water and all her senses were reeling. Directions were meaningless. She scrabbled but her limbs wouldn't cooperate. She'd never drowned before, she thought through her panic.
.
A deep, muffled splash caught her and there might have been a voice somewhere. She struggled towards it, but her lungs were burning and her arms were failing. The collar on her shirt got caught and, all of a sudden, her head was pulled out into air. She coughed and retched and gulped air greedily, her whole body heaving.
"Whoa, jeez, kid, are you okay?!" A girl's voice. Young. Faintly familiar.
Frisk felt a strong grip under each arm and let herself be dragged along the surface of a pitch black lake as she caught her breath. "I-I… I th-think so. Th-Thanks."
"How the heck you end up in there? I didn't hear a splash or anything."
.
Frisk tilted her head back to look blearily up at her rescuer. It was a lizard monster with soft, friendly features, yellow in colour, and wearing a cozy poncho over her head with pistachio green and light pink stripes. She was sitting on a small, wooden plank of a raft and was holding onto Frisk with her feet. The kid's mind stumbled. Was that Flora?
.
"Don't worry, I'll pull you out," she said. "Better not to go to the burbs down there anyway, I hear all the hippocamps just, like, challenge you to a flex-off if you're new. I heard it lasts hours."
"B-Burbs?" Frisk repeated.
"Yeah, Bubbleburb, it's only like five houses and half a gym, so I guess it's not really surprising if you haven't heard of it," she said. "Plus, I bet you're from out of town, right? New Home?"
"Y-Yeah," Frisk said.
.
The plank came to a stop with a gentle thunk and the lapping of water as they connected with a boardwalk. The lizard pulled Frisk onto solid wood, where the sopping kid sat on her knees, panted, and shivered.
"Aw, jeez." The lizard girl sat and nestled close to Frisk; grabbed her with little t-rex hands. A sparkle of orange magic lit from her body, warm and soothing. "S'cold, huh? You gonna be okay?"
"Think s-so… You don't gotta get your coat wet," Frisk said.
"Don't worry about it!" She smiled bright. "Whatcha doin' out here, anyway? Don't think I saw a single other monster out here."
"Ah. Y-Yeah. That might be because of the alert."
The lizard kid looked back at her blankly. Frisk tilted her head.
"You d-don't have a phone, huh?" she asked.
"Naw, my dad's the only one in my house with one, why?"
Frisk shook her head. "There was a f-false alarm for a human before, I dunno if it got taken back or not yet. Guess n-not."
"Oh! So that's why I didn't find her either…" She grinned bashfully when Frisk shot her a curious look. "I sooorta been sneaking out to watch the new Lieutenant? She's really cool and pretty and strong, and she's, like, still a teenager, too, so that's really impressive. But she wasn't on her schedule today, I guess it was to do with that, huh?"
"Y-Yeah. Yeah. I guess so." Frisk straightened up and rubbed her head, brushing her wet hair from her face. "Thanks a million, um…"
"Flora," the lizard said, smiling as she got to her feet. "No problem, glad to help! You okay, though? You frozen? You look cold."
.
Frisk shook her head despite being exactly that, and she looked around to get her bearings. They were on the Snowdin side of the huge, obsidian lake. She couldn't see a hint of red magic or white bones anywhere. She took a moment to look Flora over. She couldn't have been older than fourteen or fifteen. She was a little sleeker than Kid, but her resemblance at this age was uncanny. Frisk took a deep breath. She put a hand to her chest and her thoughts went straight for Asriel.
"Ah, jeez," she said, rubbing her head. "I gotta go back across."
"There might be a bubble guy who'll take you, or we can push the raft back," Flora suggested. "I'll come with you."
"What? Oh, no no, it's okay," Frisk said quickly.
"But, like, you were just coughing up goo, you probably shouldn't walk alone," she said. "I don't mind, seriously. My dad always says if you see a monster limping, you better walk with 'em, so that's what I'll do! It's not like I have anywhere to be but home, and I'm sure my parents'll understand."
"Was I…?" Frisk frowned to herself. She sniffled and wiped her face. She stared at the bleak darkness of the water and gulped. "…Okay. Thanks."
Flora grinned wide.
.
The bubble monster she mentioned didn't seem to be around from a quick check, so they used the raft again. Frisk sat this time, holding her shoes in her lap and dangling her feet in the water as they drifted by magic. Flora sat, too, her back against Frisk's.
"So, uh," she said, "what were you doing in the lake again?"
"Think I got thrown in," Frisk said.
"That's a bad prank," she said.
"Tell me about it," she said. "My brother's gonna be pretty worried."
"Oh yeah? Wish I had my dad's phone for you." She splashed absently. "You can't swim, huh?"
"N-No, um, not really," she said.
"Here's a trick. If you're at the surface, just lie flat on it and you should probably float," Flora said.
"Oh. Okay. Thanks," Frisk said. "Didn't know that."
"Yeah, it's easy to panic," the lizard said, nodding understandingly.
.
When they bonked lightly against the dock, Frisk was eager to get off that raft again. She helped Flora up and immediately took off along the planks, awkwardly shoving her shoes on as she went.
"Whoa, wait up! What's the hurry?" Flora asked, skipping to keep up.
"Ah. Sorry," Frisk said quickly. "I just… I gotta get to Hotland, at least. I was separated from my brother s-so I kinda gotta get back to him."
"Oh! Okay. But don't rush, you're limping for real, actually," Flora said.
"I gotta, though, he's gonna be super worried and I…" She stalled in her tracks— red sparks again, dancing in the air. She recoiled a few steps, grabbing to Flora and drawing her back. "We gotta hide."
"Hide? Wait, what?!" The lizard shrieked as the distorted, glowing form of a skeleton stumbled out into the world.
.
Frisk tried to drag Flora back towards the lake, but Gaster reached out with long arms, eye sockets burning with red, and he grasped the lizard and ripped her away, holding her up and to the side.
"Leave that child alone!" he growled, glaring down. "She is not your shield!"
Frisk gawked as Flora went limp, the little lizard's jaw falling open and her expression spacing out. She let out a strange, incoherent sound, and the colour began to drain from her where Gaster's hands were, leaching from her clothes and up onto her face.
"Put her down!" Frisk said shrilly.
"I will not let you—"
"OH MY GOD, GASTER, PUT HER DOWN!" Frisk screamed, hands on her head. "YOU'RE GONNA KILL HER, LOOK!"
.
Gaster froze. He took a cautious look at the child he held. Stunned, he stared as the colour seeped from Flora's eye, leaving only black and white. He hurriedly placed her on the ground and recoiled, staring at his hands with horror. Frisk raced for the lizard kid and grabbed her in her arms.
"Nooo no no no, oh my god." She put a hand to Flora's cheek and lit her magic, trying to turn her back. She could feel the determination flowing just under her fingers; felt scales starting to smooth into a strange texture she'd hoped to never feel on someone new. She gulped heavily. "Why won't it…? Come on, come ooonnn…"
"What are you… doing?" Gaster asked stiffly. "…What have I done?"
"I told you," Frisk said, her voice breaking. "The determination is too much."
"No, it can't be, I…!" He took a few stiff steps backwards. His red sparkles swirled around his shoulders, dancing between his bones. He started to look glossy with sweat. "I… I can become stronger. I can fix her!"
"Just leave it to me, you're just gonna make it worse now," the kid said. "S… Sorry."
The skeleton shook his head. He stumbled backwards and vanished.
.
Frisk gulped heavily. She clung to the lizard kid tight and lit her soul. "Flora? Can you hear me?" she asked. "I'm… I'm gonna fix you, okay? H-Hang on."
The song whirled around her and she took a few deep, steadying breaths. She focussed; tried to roll back the clock for the monster, but the determination was stubborn and refused to budge in that direction. However, the red in her reached out carefully and little fragments of extra magic seeped from her. The second it hit Frisk's soul, her stomach tumbled, but she knew what she had to do. She put her hand on Flora's soul spot and, sticking her tongue out in concentration, drew out the flickering glow.
.
Red crept across Flora's shining soul like snakes. At the touch of Frisk's fingers, it slithered onto her skin and down her arms, vanishing inside her. She winced, but she let it do its job. She could hear a strange, discordant song fighting hers, trying to twist its way louder; trying to guide the rhythm. Frisk wouldn't have it. Her hum was steady and solid, and the other one was drowned out and absorbed in, contributing only the smallest of bass notes in an already seamless song.
.
The magic calmed. Frisk puffed. Lightheaded, she rubbed her brow and she carefully lay Flora down. Though she didn't move, colour flushed back into her cheeks and into her eye, the only remnants of what had happened being a white fleck in her green iris.
"Hey. Flora? Can you hear me?" Frisk asked hopefully.
It took a second, but the lizard blinked. "Whoa." Her voice was soft and groggy.
"Are you okay?!" Frisk asked.
"Y-Yeah? I think so? What happened?" She sat up and crossed her wee arms. There was a dazed look in her eyes. "I thought I was totally gonna puke."
"I'm so sorry, that was… Really weird," she said. Her stomach flipped at the thought of crossing that black lake a third time. "Come on, let's, umm… Let's get you home."
"But what about your brother?" Flora asked.
Frisk bit her lip. Her heart ached. She stood and lifted Flora to her feet. "He'll understand."
xXxXx
Frisk's heart wouldn't stop thumping heavily. She jittered at every flicker of energy around her, but she didn't see any more red sparkles all the way to Snowdin.
.
The town seemed to be back to normal. The huge snowfall had receded and monsters were milling about doing normal business, but instead of the festive, colourful lights around town, there were torches and lanterns lit along the roadside. Judging by the windows, the power was mostly still out.
.
Frisk walked with Flora all the way up to her front door, making sure she got inside safely before turning and booking it back towards Waterfall. Her leg was fighting her again and her hair was getting icy, but there wasn't much she could do about it now.
.
A flash of blue near the skeleton house at the end of the road towards the caves startled her enough that she slowed. Through the blowing, misty snow, she walked right into Sans. He caught her and gave her a big, relieved smile.
"Hey, frosty, good job keepin' your cool," he said.
"Pfffff, oh man." She hugged him before she could help it.
He stiffened under her grip, but he patted her gently on the shoulders. She jerked back, cheeks flushed, and smiled sheepishly.
"Um! S-Sorry, um… Thank you," she said. "Is everyone still at Asgore's?"
"You kiddin'? Your bro zoomed off the second ol' Gas-bag took you," he said. "He, uh, do anythin' weird to you? You okay?"
"I'm fine, he almost did the the worse than kill thing to a monster kid, though," she said.
Sans looked more shocked than she'd ever seen him. "He what?"
"He didn't mean to, just by touching her, he… His determination is too high and it's just leaking outta him," she said quickly. "I don't know where he went but I gotta, like, pull it outta him or something or he just has to sit in a room and not touch anyone forever and ever, and that's, like, best case scenario."
"Ah…" Sans tapped his teeth. "Welp. Super trash. Gotcha." He put a hand on her shoulder— her sleeve was stiff like cardboard and made a cracking sound at the touch— and he nodded back down the street. "First. Let's get you changed and, uh, defrosted before you pass out again."
"But Asriel—"
"Chill out. You get lost, best thing to do is stay in once place," he said. "I'll wait outside. There's, uh, a cardboard box under my mattress. Should be somethin' in there you could wear. Sorry if it smells kinda like ketchup, though."
"Th… Thanks."
Ketchup-smelling skeleton hand-me-downs sounded like the best thing in the world right about now.
.
The mysterious box was right where he'd said in his messy but sparse bedroom, not disturbing the mattress but not squished underneath either. Stashing stuff in her phone and swapping over all her pocket things, Frisk took what little she could find in her size: black slacks, a sleeveless white tee, and a snug blue and light grey striped hoodie. There was nothing quite so nice as changing into warm clothes after being wet and frozen.
.
Outside, Frisk plopped heavily down onto the steps beside Sans and slumped. The wind was still blowing specks of snow. It chilled her damp hair. She rubbed her hands through it to brush away the frost.
"You can wait inside if you want," he said.
"No. Better here," she said. "Thanks for the clothes."
"Good thing I'm basically a hoarder," he joked. "Keep 'em. They're too small for my brother."
"…Thanks a million." She sighed tiredly and rubbed her brow. "Poor Az. Jeez. I wish I could call him or something. He must be freaking out."
"We all did, to be fair," he said.
"Sorry."
.
Sans chuckled. He leaned back and shoved his hands into his pockets. "What a frickin' mess, huh?"
"Yeah." She pouted. "I'm really sorry about, like… literally all of this."
He shook his head. "Kinda feel like this was a long time comin'. But, uh, why d'you keep apologizin' to me?"
"Hate to cause you problems," she said.
"Me? Nah. I just feel kinda bad that Gaster's makin' this so damn difficult," he said. "Not… that that's any of my business, but when you're technically related to someone, I dunno…" He grimaced. "You're just… such a young kid, y'know? Feels bad you gotta keep dealin' with this. And more on your own than not, seems like. Not that that's your bro's fault; it just keeps happenin'."
She shrugged. "It's not new. Kinda got used to it being like that, I guess. Having Az with me now is so good, though, you don't even know."
.
Sans stared at her silently for a while. He got that same look on his face she'd seen in the kitchen. Before she could ask what was wrong, he shook his head, chuckled dryly to himself, and then leaned back, folding his arms.
"Any idea where the knucklehead ended up?"
"Who, Gaster? I'd guess lab or CORE," she said. "He… seemed upset. That he hurt that monster kid. Said he wanted to fix her. I told him to leave it to me and he actually didn't argue and left."
"Huh." He folded his arms. A wary, concerned look passed over his face. "She okay?"
"Oh. Yeah. Think so. I, um… He put too much determination in her by accident, and I took it out again and she seemed to mostly go back to normal. She seemed groggy, though."
"Anyone I know?"
"Flora," she said. "Little yellow lizard kid."
"Tiny arms, wears a poncho— I seen 'er," he said. "I'll, uh, keep an eye socket out for her after you leave, I guess."
"Thanks," she said. She thought she heard frosty crunching past the wind. She perked up and looked down the road into the blustering snow.
.
Asriel was upon her like a hurricane, lifting her up into his arms and squishing her tight. He buried his snout against her and she could hear him mumbling rapid-fire swear words into her shirt. She hugged onto him and blew out a sigh of relief.
"Sorry," she said.
"I'm gonna kill him," he growled.
"Not if I kill him first," Sans said with a wink.
"Not if he turns to slime first," Frisk said. "Nobody's killing anybody, okay? But we gotta find him. I kinda got a feeling where."
"I will run back and forth across this whole damn mountain if I have to," Asriel said.
xXxXx
Guards in shiny armour adorned with festive lights like scarves had cordoned off the way into the CORE with barriers made of tables from the Checked Inn's restaurant. Asriel ignored them all and rushed into the bleak, dark tower. Felt like they'd been in and out of there all day.
.
Sans had shifted there ahead of them on Frisk's hunch— was in the main room, illuminated by the glow of his phone. He paced near the stairway, nodding to himself. He was tense, and the prickle of energy in the air here was like static. Red was pulsing up from the stairwell that lead down as if it opened up to fire at its base.
"Got it. Got it. Okay, Alph, chill," Sans said into his phone. "No. Don't come here, it's… Right. We'll deal. Take care of him for me, will ya?" He hung up and looked up at them, blue flaring in his eye. "There's a CORE core below us. It's goin' haywire."
"Knew it," Frisk muttered. She looked up at her brother. "Let me go first."
"Don't be dumb, we'll go together," he said. He looked at Sans. "Coming?"
"Ah. Nah," he said apologetically.
Asriel frowned. His eyes darted between the skeleton and Frisk, though Sans merely shrugged.
"It's too dangerous; we gotta do it," Frisk said, grabbing Asriel's sleeve gently. "He already stuck his neck out enough for me."
The boy snorted and folded his arms. "What neck?"
"Accurate," Sans said.
Asriel smirked; dipped his head nonetheless and started on his way. "Then let's go."
.
Frisk darted down the stairs, following after him with careful steps.
"Hey," Sans called. He dropped a phone down from the top of the stairwell, right into Frisk's hands. "Call if you need a door code or some crap. Elevator's 6-6-6-G-W and then a thumbs down to get all the way to the core." He winked. "Not gonna leave you totally high and dry."
"Thanks a million," she said, tucking it away in her pocket. When she looked back up for the skeleton, he was gone.
.
There was a strange glow in the air as Frisk and Asriel delved deeper underground. The place looked almost just like the kid remembered from back home, though now it was coloured stark black and red. Shockingly, when they came upon it, the elevator was not busted. Frisk took a deep breath as she hit the down arrow. Asriel put a hand on her head.
"We're okay," he said.
"I know," she said.
"Just don't faint this time," he said.
"No promises." She shot him a tepid smile.
.
The doors opened, blasting them with bright red light, as if it were some otherworldly gate. Frisk winced. Nerves were getting to her, but she pushed them down and hurried inside, grabbing Asriel's hand. The keypad was high up and was made up of letters and numbers, including ones in the old skeleton script. They seemed to be arranged randomly, so it took the boy an extra, excruciating few seconds to get the code.
.
The elevator slammed its doors shut and dropped so fast both of them stumbled. Frisk squeaked and held tight to Asriel's legs, and he grasped to the wall in turn. The hum of magic got louder the lower they went, but not more coherent. The kid squeezed her eyes shut and hid her face against him, but sunspots dotted the black she saw. Her stomach did a flip.
.
They crashed to a stop and Asriel grunted as he was thrown into the wall. He buckled and dropped down to solid ground, grabbing Frisk as she lost her footing. They held each other for a minute, catching their breath. The air was speckled with drifting red pixels. When Asriel got up and pried the doors open, they were greeted with more that blew in like the embers off a raging fire against a backdrop of hot orange light.
.
This place was different from their world's CORE. A sleek hallway stretched out before them, walls lined with large windows that overlooked rock and magma. Heavy double doors at the end, framed by a potted plant on each side, quivered with the rumbles of the inner mountain. The leaves rustled disconcertingly.
.
Opening the doors blasted the two kids with intense heat. Before them were more stairs, going upwards this time, and though it seemed to look a lot like the lab, even from here they could see there were cracks in the walls that let the outside seep in. The air was steeped in heavy magic, the tingle of determination singing faintly.
.
Frisk's soul lit up on its own. Asriel's, too, flickered.
"So. What now? We jump him?" he asked.
"I got no idea. Maybe," she said. She started to climb the stairs, grabbing hold of the railing. She squeaked and recoiled, shaking her hand out. "S'hot!"
.
Just at the top, a room opened up, painted orange by the light. It was wide and scattered with control panels, and in its centre, caged in by a thick column of glass, was the sparkling, spiralling tower of radiant magic that made up the deepest heart of the CORE.
.
A slot in the casing was open. Gaster stood before it, arm already in it up to his elbow. His other hand pushed up on a lever with a handle. Red sparks swirled around him, weaving in and out of any gaps in his frame. His bones were sleek with sweat and his eyes flashed with the colour of determination.
.
Frisk's jaw dropped and she grabbed onto Asriel. "Nooo, no no no no, Gaster, wait!"
He whipped around, panic all over his face. The tower of magic pulsed and he stumbled, and the whole room rocked and groaned, rumbling so deep it sounded like a massive creature's roar. He vanished.
"Oh no, oh my god, we shouldda jumped him," Frisk said dismally, hands on her head.
"But what did he do?!" Asriel crossed the room quickly, only to feel a tug on his arm.
Frisk grasped tight, shaking her head. "Don't touch it. Please don't touch it."
"I won't, I just—"
.
A wail of pain spiralled around them and Gaster returned, but just for an instant. He disappeared, only to come back on their other side and vanish again. Asriel grabbed Frisk as, all around them, Gaster phased in and out of sight. He was so quick and chaotic, it soon started to look like he was in more than one place at once— a distorted, miserable skeleton, dyed red and orange, forming a ring around them.
"H-He can't control it," Frisk breathed. "Oh man. Oh no."
"So what do we do?!" Asriel demanded.
Frisk gulped. Her vision scrambled trying to follow him, and the reek of magic in the air put pressure in her head. She let go of her brother's hand. "Gonna tackle him."
"What?! No, don't you dare leave me here, I promised I'd—"
"What else we got?" she asked worriedly.
Asriel winced. He didn't have anything else.
"I'll go. You turn this thing off," she said, pointing at the lever she saw. "And don't touch that magic. Is that okay?"
"Ugh. Has to be, right?" he said.
.
Frisk took a breath and stuck her thumb up. She ran into the ring and tried to grab him, but he was gone. The next one wasn't right either. She caught only air.
"Is he even here?!" Asriel demanded.
"I… I think so, I…" Frisk winced.
"Use that future sight crap Sans has," he said.
"Oh! Y-Yeah, I…" She did her best to focus despite the pounding in her head. Red shone faintly in her irises. She thought of her brother; how he'd shown her how movement could trigger it. She took another deep breath. To the left.
.
Frisk reached out and grabbed, and her fingers met bone. She was suddenly nowhere and everywhere at once, her vision scrambling beyond recognizing anything at all. Black, red, and white flowed into puddles of nonsense. She clamped her eyes shut, wrapped her arms around the skeleton, and demanded they stop in her mind.
.
They did and crashed heavily onto metal flooring of a room almost identical to the one they'd just left. Frisk rolled away from Gaster, nursing her head, but when she got up, she saw he was on his hands and knees, retching up tar. She stumbled to him and grabbed his shoulder. It squished in her grip. He recoiled, scowling despite the tears running down his face, and he stuck out his hand, grasping her soul. In his stuttering grip, he threw her down the stairs and staggered back towards the pillar of the CORE.
.
Frisk scrambled upright from the bottom of the stairs, grasping tight to the railing, but a burst of energy overtook her, red spilling up from underneath them as if it were magma, flooding the room completely. The floor rattled and the stairs broke off and tilted away from the main floor. Frisk yelped and clung to them tightly. They slammed and rested against the quaking wall.
.
Gaster staggered at the other end of the room, slumping to the floor before he reached the column. Frisk lit her soul brightly and climbed to the top of the stairs. The magic was persistent in its singing as it clung to her. She gladly let it. There was no way he could take much more of this.
"Gaster, please, stop! You're not gonna be able stand it!" she shouted.
.
Around them, the tower began to calm and the rumbling and whirring, mechanical sounds softened. Asriel must've gotten the controls, Frisk thought. The magic, however, had not abated. It pulsed and whipped around the room like a hurricane. It ripped away at Gaster's clothes and bones as it hit him to the floor. She took a deep breath and allowed it into her soul. The magic burst and her vision was filled with red. The song was so intense it was dizzying, but she wasn't about to let this go farther. Her soul sung with it, louder and louder until it engulfed it, and, burning red, it sucked all the energy in and then faded into nothing. She took a long, deep breath and cupped her hand over her soul. It felt fine.
.
Her eyes were watering, but she couldn't see the skeleton now when she looked.
"Hey! Are you okay?" She stood on her toes to try to peer over the ledge the cracked floor made. She wondered if she could jump up there and climb. "Gaster! Come on!"
Quivering, the skeleton sat up, but he didn't seem right, even from there. When he turned to look at her, his face was askew. His jaw hung at a funny angle. He heaved himself up and slumped over to her, eyes burning red. His ribcage exposed, she could see two perfect circles were missing from his bones in a way that looked like they might have trouble holding together. His soul was flickering white behind that. His leg gave out at the the edge and he slumped, mumbling something incoherent. His fingers extended and Frisk felt his grip on her soul, but it faltered and vanished.
"I'm not gonna fight you!" she insisted. "I'm not here to hurt you, or hurt them, or anything, okay? I'm serious, I just wanna… I just wanna help."
His face began to contort. Dust drained from his palms and his eye socket ran like melting putty. Frisk held out her hand.
"Please. This isn't right. I can still help you, but not for long," she said. "You'll lose everything."
"…Just… have to… to protect them," he muttered.
"I know," she said. "You can. But not like this." The second his hand dipped close enough, she grabbed it. She pulled herself up onto the broken floor and sat on her knees before the decaying skeleton. She put a hand on each of his shoulders. "I'm s-so sorry, Gaster. I didn't… I never wanted this to happen. I'm sorry. Will you let me help you?"
He stared at her with vacant eyes. He put a weak, ruined hand around her neck and his other went to her soul.
.
A big femur struck the skeleton in the head and he fell away from Frisk with a grunt. The kid scooted backwards, wide-eyed, and turned to look behind her as soft steps hit the metal.
"Déjà vu, huh? Guess I couldn't stay away," Sans said, an amused look on his face.
"S-Sans?! What are you…?! It's dangerous!" Frisk squeaked.
"Not for me it ain't." He winked. "But, this guy…" He looked down at the crumpled heap that was Gaster and tutted mockingly. "Well, well. Ol' Doctor G, in a heap again, huh? You never learn do ya?"
"Can still… stop it," he gurgled.
"Nah. Can't. Nothin' to stop," he said. "You shouldda listened. What you call, uh, determination, here? I'm callin' bone-headed stubbornness. Face it. You were wrong."
"Sans, chill, okay?" Frisk said gently. "He really thought you guys were in danger from me."
"No offence, but I don't buy it." He frowned at Gaster. "He knew. Deep down, he knew, you were no threat. Neither was your brother." He smiled ruefully. "As if he cared about us. All he cares about is the King and the surface, and gettin' that soul of yours."
"…I… made you…" Gaster rasped.
"Yeah, and you screwed that up, too," Sans said. He leaned on the wall, his jacket steaming, and folded his arms. "He's yours, kid, do what you want."
.
Frisk winced. She edged closer to Gaster. He tried to recoil, but he was starting to become putty. She gently lifted him up against her. She grabbed his face in both hands and pulled his brow in against hers. As she touched on his wracked soul, she shared with him the memories of her father. She hoped he would understand.
.
After a second, she pulled back, and the skeleton stared at her blankly.
"It's really, really bad, I don't know what I can do, but if I can pull that determination out of you, you might stand a chance," she insisted. "I… I never wanted to hurt you, I promise."
His jaw moved but no sound could make it out. He dipped his head. The red around him swirled and Frisk grabbed him and held him tight.
.
The kid's vision swam. She could see so many versions of the skeleton all at once as he melted. She grimaced and forced her soul bright, and the determination flowed into her body as she became its conduit. Her resonance sang louder and faster and she squeezed her eyes shut tight until his discordant song had faded away.
.
She opened her eyes and drew back from the skeleton. His skull was still broken with a crack inching down from his eye socket, but he wasn't turning to ooze anymore. Green flickered in his eyes and he swooned backwards and clunked into the floor with a faint grunt. Sans leaned forward to watch curiously. Frisk panted and wiped her brow. Gaster shoved his jaw back into place.
"Y-You're… You're a fool," he croaked.
"You're welcome. And you're a huge jerk," she said as she settled back to rest.
He coughed and flopped a broken hand down over his forehead. "…What was that…? What you showed me?" he asked.
"My dad."
"…Sentimental nonsense…"
"It worked, didn't it?" she said. She forced herself up and stood above him, holding her hands out. "Gimme, let's see."
With limp movements, he flopped his hands onto hers. The palms of each were mostly gone, left in a clean, perfect circle where the bone had dripped away. She pulled him upright and he sagged, taking off some of his tattered jacket to wipe his face. He cursed softly under his breath, held his brow. He cut his eyes at Sans.
"You really hate me so much?"
"I told ya. No danger from this one," he said, pointing at Frisk.
"I have seen… how you die. And it was her," he said.
"Think I didn't see that, too?!" Sans snapped. "You think I didn't think of that? Wrong again, bucko. Ain't her. Not this one."
Gaster frowned with concern. He tried to stand, but plopped back onto his tailbone and then collapsed again.
.
Frisk squeaked and hurried to him, squatting down. She half expected him to reach up and grab her, but he was out cold. She blew out a heavy sigh and rubbed her hand through her hair. She took what remained of his jacket, folded it, and put it under his head. Then, she returned his phone.
.
Sans chuckled. He stood up straight and stretched before strolling over to join the kid. He put a hand on her back. "Leave 'im. We'll get the King to pick him up, okay?"
"I… I guess." She stood up and folded her arms. "Why'd you come, anyway?"
"Got at least three reasons." He winked. "You did good, kid. C'mon. You okay to wait around outside; I'll grab the King?"
"Y-Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Thank you," she said.
He stuck his thumb up and then disappeared.
.
The door outside the room lead into a mostly vacant hallway and the dimmed door to an elevator. The buttons didn't work, so she sat on the floor and played a game on her phone.
.
It was only about five minutes before the lights came back on and the elevator split open. She was greeted right away, much to her surprise, by a hug from Papyrus. She had expected Sans to come back, but not alongside his brother, Asriel, and the King as well. To say she was relieved was a massive understatement.
.
"Oh my. Is everything alright?" Asgore asked worriedly. He hesitated for only a second before kneeling in front of the two kids. He gently took a hold of Frisk's shoulder. "Human, what happened?"
"Gaster's okay now," she said. "Mostly." She pointed to the chamber door. "In there. The stairs broke, though, sorry."
Asgore sighed, shook his head. He patted her reassuringly and then headed that way. "We will have to have a very long talk."
.
Before she could ask any of the fifteen or so Asgore-related questions in her brain, Asriel huffed and plopped heavily down beside her.
"Jeez, Frisk." He put his hand on her head. "You okay?"
She nodded and leaned into him. "Buuhhhh, I'm tiiirred."
"You did a lot, new friend!" the skeleton said. "I'm so happy you're okay."
She clung tight to him. "I'm kinda done with today, though, is that okay?"
"So did he melt or what?" Asriel asked.
"No, I took the stuff outta him," she said.
"Oh. That hurt?" he asked.
She shook her head. Sans shot her an amused smile before his eyes darted back over to the door. He jerked his thumb at it before shoving his hands in his pockets and ambling over that way to join the King.
xXxXx
Finally, it seemed like everything was back on track. After Asgore left, gingerly carrying the unconscious Doctor Gaster in his arms, the rest of them made their way back to the lab. Alphys was waiting for them, and was also patching up Undyne as best she could. The side of the fish monster's face had been badly wounded when Gaster's determination-tainted magic had overloaded the first time. Her eye was gone in a big, red gash. The concentrated determination had seeped in and stuck for too long; Frisk could not reverse her to bring it back. Undyne wasn't perturbed, though. She chalked it up as a super cool new battle scar that lent itself to her street cred.
.
With no more interference, Sans went back to work. Frisk watched on until she fell asleep on his shoulder. She didn't wake— and no one bothered her to— until there was an audible woosh of energy finally be siphoned away back into the core of the CORE, where it belonged.
.
In that room, around that gate that framed the rough, starlike rip, Frisk tested the tear into the void cautiously with her fingertips. The flow was stemmed and the energy felt relaxed. The kid wilted with relief and laughed. Asriel sighed out long and loud.
"Finally," he said.
"I guess… I guess that means we can go," Frisk said. She brushed her hand over the tear, feeling the tingle of energy through it. "I'm not sure I even need to shut this now, to be honest."
"Might be best," Sans said apologetically. "I mean, on the off-chance you need back in, you can open it yourself, right?"
"R-Right." She turned to look at all the monsters before her— Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, and Undyne. She smiled sheepishly. "Thank you guys all so much for everything. And sorry to give you so much trouble."
"Man, it wasn't like you were the one who stole me and my stuff and punched me in the face!" Undyne said.
"Y-Yeah. I-It was a good l-learning experience, actually," Alphys said with a bashful smile. "And… And that stuff with G-Gaster, well…" She put a hand on Papyrus's head. "It was probably f-for the best."
"Not sure about that," Asriel said. "But yeah, thanks." He shot Frisk a look and raised his eyebrows. "So? Should we go?"
.
"Nyeeehh, waaait, wait wait." Papyrus dashed over and squished Frisk tight, his voice breaking. "I n-need to give you a… A great hug f-from the great Papyrus, first!"
"Aw, don't cry!" she squeaked. She hugged him tight, gently holding his head. "Don't cry, don't cry. Aaah, I'm gonna cry."
"S-Sorry," he said, snickering through the tears. He pulled back and wiped around his eye sockets with his knuckles. "I'm j-just… going to miss you, is all. N-Not that I've never had another friend outside of my house, or anything, not at all, b-because that would be very embarrassing and—"
"Heeeey, hey, hey, hey," Frisk cooed, holding his face gently. "Just take your time. You're great. And anyone would be lucky to have you as a friend."
"I know," he said. He wiped his eyes again. "You're right. Yes. For sure."
.
Frisk smiled fondly. A thought occurred to her and she quickly reached into her pocket. "Hey. You said you sorta liked my big brother's style from those pictures, right?"
"Nyeh! I did!" he said.
Frisk grinned. She pulled out her red striped scarf and placed it around his neck, gently adjusting it and flipping one end over his shoulder. "There! What do you think?"
"OoooOOOOOH!" Papyrus held the red cloth in both hands, eyes sparkling. "For me?!"
"Yeah! You keep it," she said. She put an arm around him, scooted over to his side, and snapped a selfie of the two of them. She showed him with a big smile on her face. "Like it?"
"I LOVE IT!" He threw his arms around her shoulders. "Nyeeehhh, thank you, good friend!"
She laughed. "You're super welcome."
.
Papyrus beamed. He ran to his brother and posed proudly, then ran to Asriel to hug him as well. The big monster laughed and bent down to squish the little skeleton. Frisk smiled apologetically.
"Sorry I don't have much to give you guys, but—"
"Oh, jeez, don't even," Sans assured her.
"You don't owe me nothin'," Undyne said.
"Y-Yeah, gosh, this place g-gave you so much trouble," Alphys agreed.
"But you guys all helped a lot." She frowned to herself and tapped her foot. "Oh! I know! Can I borrow your phones? And if you have any transfer cable thingies?"
Sans shrugged and handed his over without question. Alphys patted her pockets down and gave her what she had on her, and so did Undyne.
.
Frisk hurriedly connected her phone to theirs. For Undyne, she transferred over a bunch of the music files her own Undyne had given her a while ago.
"Here," she said, handing it back. "I think you'll like it."
"Whaaaat?! Music?!" She stared at it, wide-eyed. "Music from another dimension?! Cool!"
.
Frisk grinned and went to work on the others' stuff. She transferred SOULSCN over for both Sans and Alphys and booted it up at the same time. Somehow, the program ran exactly as intended.
"Whatcha doin'?" Asriel asked.
Frisk held the science phones against her chest. "Just a second." She held still for a moment and then checked the screens. Her soul imprint recorded onto each program, bright red. She offered them to Asriel. "What do you think, good enough?"
"Oh… Shit, yeah, that's probably…" He smiled and copied her, recording his own soul's information into the program before handing them back to her. "It work?"
It only took a second to check that it had. She returned their stuff with a smile on her face.
.
"There. Um. That might help? If you still study timeline stuff after this."
"What is…? Oh. OH!" Alphys's eyes went wide. "But your…? Oh wow, it's…" She tapped furiously on the screen with her fingertips. "This data, it's… Oh m-my god…"
"It's a good app too, for soul research stuff," the kid volunteered. "Our Alphys made it. It had to be built special because my soul info used to make her computer turn off."
"She's good," Alphys said. "This is… Th-Thank you, human."
"No problem," she assured her. "Could I… Um… Could I take a picture with all of us?"
.
The monsters agreed. After shoving Asriel in with them, Frisk took another selfie, careful to get everyone in. At Papyrus's request, she took another on his phone, too. She gave him one last hug, then pointed back over her shoulder.
"Guess we better go."
"Have a good trip, however the hell that works," Undyne said, shaking her hand so that she jittered up and down like in a paint mixer. She did the same to Asriel.
"S-Sayonara," Alphys said with a sheepish grin. "It was, um, good to meet you two."
"I'll m-miss you guys," Papyrus said.
"We'll miss you, too," Frisk said gently. "But you're gonna do great."
"You're gonna be okay out there, yeah?" Sans asked, brow furrowed.
"It wasn't too bad last time," Asriel said.
.
Frisk edged closer to Sans. She hesitated for a second, but then gave him a hug, too. "Thank you so much. For the CORE and… and for everything."
Sans stared at her blankly for a few seconds. He was hesitant, stiff-armed, but hugged her regardless. She hadn't expected that. Her soul hummed and his joined her despite his cautious pause. A soft entwining of energy conjured a purple spark. The skeleton, finally, relaxed.
"I guess, uh…" He coughed, as if clearing his throat. "Guess I filled his shoes okay for a day, hm?"
"You mean slippers," she said, grinning up at him. "Thank you."
His cheekbones flushed blue, but he smiled wide in return. He squeezed her and then playfully mussed up her hair. She laughed.
"Don't go easy on the other ones, though, okay?" she said.
"What? Never," he said. "Hopin' they go easy on me, though." He winked. "Probably not."
"Hey." Asriel raised his brows. "Me neither, huh?"
"Goat-cha, kid," he said.
Papyrus squawked in dismay. Alphys rubbed her brows. Undyne snorted and Sans shot her a wink.
.
Asriel smirked and offered Frisk his hand. She took it, raised her other to wave, and then reached out for the tear in time, despite her heart thumping hard.
"Bye, everyone. Thank you. And be careful!" she said.
.
The world vanished, replaced by endless black and stars. Asriel clung to her and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked like a kid again, just a bit taller than Frisk. She hugged him tight and couldn't help a tired laugh.
"Oh my god. I'm so glad they were nice. What a dumb day," she said. "Thank you so much for coming with me, holy crap."
"Duh," he said. "You gonna shut that thing?"
.
Frisk floated around to look back at the gap back into the other timeline. She could hardly see the shadowy shapes that had to be the monsters they'd left. She rested her hand against it and focussed. With a little red glimmering from her fingers, the edges of the blow-out smoothed and reduced, contracting until it more closely resembled the classic, four-pointed star they were used to. She tilted her head back to look at Asriel.
"What do you think, looks good?" she asked.
"And the stream is gone, right?"
She nodded. He grinned.
"Well, then. Guess we can head home."
Frisk tried to temper her excitement. She wasn't even sure if this would work, but the chance that Sans would be awake when they got back put a smile on her face.
.
Asriel jerked forward slightly and, startled, turned and rubbed his head. "Huh." He pulled some small, black and green object out of space and looked at it inquisitively. "Is this a phone?" He squeezed on it and the screen lit up. He snorted out a laugh and handed it to Frisk. "It's your dad's."
"What?! That's weird," she said, stashing it away in her pocket. "Thanks! I wonder how it…?" She thought she caught a glimpse of something over his shoulder— white, and moving quickly. "Hey, is there, like, supposed to be a bunch of junk floating around out here?"
Asriel turned to follow her gaze, squinting into the dark. "I dunno, I don't think I see any—"
.
A massive, draconic skull appeared before him in a flash of white. Its maw split, opening into a gaping void; the only reason he wasn't struck by a laser that spewed from it was that Frisk grabbed his hood and dragged him out of the way.
"What the HELL?!" he yelled.
"I d-don't know, I…!" She yelped with shock as a second burst from nowhere ripped the blackness just in front of them. "Are these freakin' Gaster Blasters?!"
.
White beams of energy pounded in around them like the bars of a cage, and Frisk weaved through them, pulling her brother along. The skulls moved so quickly she couldn't tell how many there were, and she could have sworn a skeletal shape flittered behind them.
.
A beam from above struck them and sent them tumbling. They did their best to cling to each other, and Frisk focussed to send them elsewhere. As they stopped somewhere new, she was confronted with more skulls— an orb formed in an instant, each one staring in with big, dead eyes.
"What the heeeeeeck," she said shrilly. "How did he…?! Did he follow us?! He's still mad?!" She gulped hard. "We can't let him follow us back, right?!"
The jaws began to open and split apart, focussing energy between the bones. She took a deep breath, determination sparkling on her fingers. Asriel held out his hands and his magic did the same, forming up into two sabres with uneven, claw-shaped blades and a guard like flared wings. He frowned deeply and braced himself against her.
.
White magic beamed out at them, utterly blinding. Frisk's soul pulsed and she caught it all in a halo around them, twisting the energy back on itself. Asriel grinned. He tightened his grip on the blades and they pulsed, lighting with red along the edges.
"Still got it," he said. He raised one up high. "SHOCKER—!"
"Are you gonna shout it like an anime move?!" Frisk asked.
"Man, I can do what I want." His sword flared brighter still. "SHOCKER BREAKER!"
.
Lightning crashed down from nowhere and he used a swipe of his sword to direct it through the oncoming magic, destroying blasters left and right, their beams bursting into blazing sparkles. The second a dark spot appeared, Frisk grabbed Asriel and whisked them through it. She flew them away as fast as she could, though she had no idea where they were going.
"I guess he's still real mad, huh?" she asked worriedly.
"Since when did he get this strong?" he wondered.
"Should I try to talk to him? Maybe time's been weird and it's been a while, and he thinks we're someone new?"
"That's a pretty big benefit of the doubt, though, isn't it?" he asked, frowning. "He's probably just a huge jerk still." He cast a cautious glance behind them and grimaced. "He's right on our tails."
"What?!" Frisk yelped. When she turned to look, a massive draconic skull loomed just feet away. She turned, throwing out her hand to freeze it— it was replaced by three more.
.
Asriel whipped around and leapt at the incomers, slamming one blade into the forehead of one and raising the other, calling down more lightning. The energy slammed into the others, piercing through them. He bounded back, stabbing the one stuck in stasis as well. All four shattered to glittering dust.
"BAM!" he cheered. He grinned and turned back to his sister, only to gawk at another skull looming behind her.
Her eyes were flared with faint red. She was turning; not fast enough.
.
He reached for her but she was snapped up in its jaws. Every inch of him sunk. He roared and launched himself at it as it tried to back up and speed away. Asriel plunged his sword into it to hold on. It was impossibly fast. His ears blew into his face and he snarled. Grasp tightening on the hilt of the sword stuck into bone, he swung himself towards the jaw and stuck the other blade partially between its teeth.
"Frisk?!" he demanded. "Frisk, can you hear m—?!"
.
The skull exploded in a shower of white. Asriel toppled away, winded; heaving for breath. His swords slipped from his hands and vanished into red sparkles. His vision spun. He struggled upright, eyes scanning the void. His soul sang and shone bright red, and far in the distance, a red light answered. Frisk. Hurtling like a comet towards nothing, her form limp as she dropped. A shadow cut the light of stars to follow her.
.
Asriel's vision tunnelled. He snorted flame, his fur bristled, his horns sharpened; the shadow of wings burst from his shoulders. Another set of four blaster skulls phased into the darkness before his eyes and they spewed magic without windup. It hurt tremendously. He roared and flew straight through one of them, smashing it to pieces.
.
Panicked, his eyes scanned the darkness. The red light deep in the void called to him. He dove for her, plummeting like a falcon at a speed the pursuing skulls couldn't match.
.
Black hands crept up on him and crushed into his shoulders, pulling him back. He was spun around, a hand at his throat, to face some horror in a shroud, pinpricks of blue and gold boring into him. His assailant froze, and Asriel breathed a roaring flame into its face. It peeled away from him and he rammed forward, head-butting the thing as hard as he could. It spun and he lost it in the void; he didn't care. He cast around for the red and caught a glimpse of it at a dizzying distance.
.
He launched himself at it. Tunnel vision set in. All he could see was the soul of his sister. All he could hear was their song struggling to sing a round. The red light was consumed in the white of a star. He aimed straight for it.