Refreshing and toasted Chapter 74

It was a bit past one in the morning when Sans showed up, heavy-eyed, bundled in his thick black jacket; carrying a large, brown paper bag in his arms. He was greeted with the gentle sound of a lyra and Papyrus's welcoming grin.

"Took you a while, brother," he said.

Frisk was flopped tiredly against the skeleton's side. She looked as if she were asleep, but she raised her hand to greet Sans and then leaned her head back to shoot Papyrus a small smile.

"Told ya," she said.

"Felt it, huh?" Sans said. "Pretty good."

"It's not super, um… c-consistent." Her eyes opened to bright slivers of red. "But yeah."

"Y'should be in bed," he said.

"Can't sleep."

"If you could feel her heart beat right now, Sans, you would feel that it is still going quite fast, in fact," Papyrus said.

.

Sans grimaced. He put his bag down and sat down on the opposite bed. "Hey. Kiddo."

"Sup?" she said.

"Sorry 'bout before," he said.

"It's fine," she said. "You already said sorry."

"Shouldda suspected."

She shook her head. "You said yourself, right? That your future vision thingy doesn't work super good around me or Az. Right?"

"Thing is, I did see a thing," he said, "but it was me and the Archon havin' a laugh about somethin'." He grinned sideways. "Turns out that somethin' was how fast the Councillors bolted when I showed up." His smile widened. "They, uh, may have a new skylight in there, by the way."

"I hope you don't have to pay for that," Papyrus said with a stern frown.

Sans shrugged. The younger skeleton scoffed loudly.

"Un. Be. Lievable."

.

Frisk snorted out a soft laugh and Papyrus's crossness faltered completely. He carefully put his lyra and bow aside and gave her an affectionate squish.

"Okay. Break time. How is your tiny head?" he asked.

"Mostly okay," she said.

"And what about your normal-sized mind?"

"You don't wanna know."

Papyrus smiled sympathetically. He grasped her head in both hands, his fingers lighting with warm, reassuring magic.

"Hey, uh… Maybe I kinda do." Sans said.

Frisk raised her brows. "Didn't you already yell at them?"

He shrugged. "Maybe I wanna throw their words back in their faces later."

Frisk frowned slightly. She sat forward a little. She might have simply put it aside, but the worried look in his eye was too familiar. She nodded.

.

Sans joined them and slid in close to Frisk. "Same as last time?"

"Yeah." Hoping it wouldn't shatter her disguise, Frisk cautiously let a flicker of red come to her fingertips. Nothing faltered. She reached up to touch the skeleton's temples, letting her soul connect to his and project what she'd seen, despite an anxious flutter in her heart.

His shoulders sagged and he closed his eyes as her memories seeped into his head.

.

As soon as she was done, the big skeleton pulled her close and wrapped her in a cushy hug. She was a little embarrassed by the fleeting thought that it was almost all worth it for that.

"You're really goin' through it, huh?"

"Yeeeah," she said. "I'm real glad they let Az come in with me, though."

Sans patted her on the head. "Yeah. He's a good kid." He slumped and squished her. "You, too. Y'did good."

"I almost had a panic attack," she joked.

"But ya didn't." He grinned sideways. "Not that it wouldda been wrong if y'did. Just. Glad ya stayed on your feet."

"So what was their issue, anyway?" Papyrus asked.

"Crap you'd think people like them would know better than to get hung up on," Sans said. "Not to mention the stuff they just, y'know, straight up made up."

"Like what?!" Papyrus asked shrilly.

"Is it my soul? Is that what you mean?" Frisk asked.

"Yup."

"Why the heck would they get hung up on that?!" Papyrus asked.

"Saw monster spots in there and assumed the literal worst," Sans said.

"Oh my god, was that it?!" the tall skeleton squawked. He crossed his arms and frowned. "Hmph! Well! Obviously they weren't paying very close attention, then, because if they were, they would feel those little bits of magic in there were both perfectly fused and given with love! Honestly! For all of them having so many eyes on Frisk, I can't believe they couldn't see that."

Sans winked. "Hell, I got just the one and I can see it fine."

"Pfff, you guys," Frisk said bashfully.

.

Sans pulled back and mussed up her hair. "But, uh. One thing. And maybe this is too deep, but…" He poked her on the forehead. "What gives with all the throwin' yourself under the train, huh?"

"Huh?!" Frisk's eyes went wide, her face flushing. "I wasn't—!"

"Look. Not here t'call ya out," he said. "All I wanna say is: take it easy on yourself, huh?"

"O-Oh." The kid's face flushed. "You… felt that, huh?"

"Duh."

Frisk smiled sheepishly. "I-I forgot it does that."

"Felt what?" Papyrus asked. "Is it the guilt gremlins?"

"Basically," Sans said.

"Aww, Frisk, whyyy?" the skeleton asked, leaning towards her. "What's wrong?"

"I… I dunno," she said with a tepid shrug.

"Are you sure? Now that he mentions it, though, I have noticed that you've been pretty hard on yourself this whole time," he said. "Like when you thought you were doing a bad job because you couldn't get home fast enough. Or when you were upset you weren't a real skeleton for your grandma as if that was bad. Or when you worried about your brother wanting to stay as if you aren't also important to him because you haven't been his sister as long. Whiiiiich I really don't think you should be. Worried about, I mean. Or hard on yourself. That either."

.

Frisk froze up, the fur on her neck standing on end. Her ears drooped as she wilted beneath the monsters' eyes. "Sorry."

The skeleton brothers shared a look. Sans's brows raised and he shrugged. Papyrus scooted a little closer to Frisk. He took her hands.

"It's okay! Don't worry! Even if all of that was true. Which it definitely isn't, by the way. We'd still like you," he said.

"Y-Y'think so?" she asked shrilly.

"Of course!" Papyrus said, smiling warmly. "Why wouldn't we?" He gasped, eyes widening. "Did someone say we wouldn't?! Who told you that?!"

"Nobody! N-Nobody said anything like that," Frisk said. "…I guess I just… don't like causing problems for people, is all. E-Especially when you guys were so nice to let me stay with you!"

.

"Ah." Sans's good eye flickered with colour. "…I see what's goin' on."

"You do?" Papyrus asked.

Frisk's thoughts echoed him. She gulped. Sans nodded. He put his hand on the kid's head.

"That way of bein', it's real stressful. Most folk are a lot more forgivin' than whatever you're thinkin'. So just, uh… chill out when y'can, yeah?"

Frisk blinked, her heart thumping hard in her chest. Leave it to Sans to cut right into it. Maybe he'd seen a lot more than she'd meant to share? "Okay. Yeah. That… That makes sense."

.

Papyrus grinned. He pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry, friend. One day, you're going to feel better," he said. "I know, it's hard, when bad things happen when you're little— especially when you're still little— it's your whole life, isn't it? Buuuut it won't always be. Not that you'll forget! But you'll get better at saying things aren't your fault and believing it. Because it's true."

"Y-Yeah?" She sunk into him. "Thanks, guys. Sorry I'm a mess again." She cracked a smile. "I really gotta get to where I don't need like twenty big pep talks a night."

"Eh. Tonight's pretty shit, though, ain't it?" Sans said.

"Sans!" Papyrus scolded.

"What?"

"Sigh." The younger skeleton drew back and lightly squished Frisk's ears. "Listen to me. Your great friend Papyrus. You. Are going. To be. Okay."

"I-I'm…! I'm gonna try," she said.

"Good!"

.

Sans patted Frisk on the head before getting to his feet and stretching. He reached for the bag he'd brought and passed out some square things wrapped carefully in paper. "Snacks."

"Ooh, thanks," Frisk said. She carefully unfolded the paper to reveal a toasty grilled cheese sandwich. Her stomach still hurt from nerves, but there was no way she was turning down free food.

"Where're the other dorks at?" he asked. "Tower room?"

"Tower room," Papyrus confirmed.

Sans grinned.

"They're setting traps," Frisk said.

"Oh. Nice." He picked up the bag and his eye brightened. "Almost forgot." He reached inside and pulled out a wooden, oil-paper parasol in blue with a golden edge to its canopy. He offered it to the kid. "Here."

"…Me? Th-Thank you!" she said, taking it carefully.

"Just in case it rains." He winked. "Anyway." He flicked a finger gun their way. "See ya kids soon."

.

Sans and his bag vanished into the other room, only to be instantly tackled by Chara. They clunked onto the floor together with a grunt. She cursed under her breath and he chortled loudly, patting her on the back with one arm. Asriel loomed above them with a flame in his palm, though his expression was one of suppressed mirth.

"Sorry," Chara said, rolling off him and slumping on the floor. "Realized it was you in midair."

Sans snickered. "S'okay. You're, uh, real jumpy tonight, huh?"

The girl gently elbowed him. Asriel sighed. He clasped his hand and the fire disappeared.

"Yeah, guess we are." His gaze flitted out through the window and into the dark of the city. "Just, um… don't wanna risk anything, y'know?"

"I just wish we knew where he was right this second," Chara said quietly. "It's really frustrating just… waiting like this. He could be nowhere near here. Or he could already be in the castle."

"Ugh, nooo, don't say that," Asriel whined. He turned to Sans. "Th-There's really nothing you can do to see?"

The skeleton sat up. He pulled a pillow out of the back of his coat and tossed it onto the bed. "I can, uh, focus on someone if I touch 'em. If they're makin' a choice. Just seems like this Gaster's pretty hidden from me, so I can't promise it'd be accurate if it's him who's gonna be interactin' with ya. Papy's the one that's always been easiest for me, no contact required," he said. "But. So far, 'bout the big bad? Nada."

Asriel nodded. "Hey, are they sleeping? The music stopped."

"Nah. Eatin', hopefully," Sans said. He handed them each a wrapped sandwich. "Oh. And, uh, kiddo— got 'er what you suggested."

Chara perked up. "Perfect. Thank you."

.

"Hey, uh, Sans?" Asriel asked, his hand resting over his soul spot. "Did you talk to her? About… y'know, what happened?"

"Yeah." He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall. "Kid's got some issues." He looked at Chara. "Reminds me of you."

"Oh." Chara frowned. "Oh. Right. I… almost forgot about that."

"What?" Asriel said.

"Do you remember, when we were little, if I… broke something, or I did something wrong, even if it wasn't really a problem, how I would throw a tantrum? I'd… hit the walls or…" She screwed up her face. "Y'know, stuff like that?"

"Yeah," he said.

"This is her version of that."

"Oh." Asriel's eyes widened. "Y… Yeah. I get it." He sighed. "Well, if anyone can help, it's Papyrus."

Chara nodded, cracking a smile. "Yes. Absolutely."

.

The goat boy's ears drooped. He unwrapped his sandwich and took a hesitant bite as he gazed out the window, pale eyes skimming for any sign of unusual movement. "Ugh. I wish we could all just hang out together tonight instead of…" He looked back at the others. "Do you think Pasithea's is open? Maybe I could just, like, sneak out and have her do the weird soul thing to me?"

"Don't think y'should be headin' out on your own, kid," Sans said.

"I know, but—!"

"We can just ask her to be summoned tomorrow," Chara said, a sly smile crossing her lips. "I bet it'd be better for her business than being open all day."

"Aw, c'mon, be nice, she helped us out a lot," Asriel said.

"I am being nice!" Chara protested.

.

She put her hands up onto the windowsill and hopped up to sit on it, leaning her back against the wall. She pulled out a long, pale red crystal and spun it between her fingers. Asriel stared, losing his thoughts to the smooth, repetitive motion for longer than he'd like to admit.

"How many of those do you have?" he joked.

"Oh. A few," she said, holding it up. "Just waiting for it to infuse."

"Here." Sans tossed her another small, round one about the size of a coin as he flopped lethargically onto her bed.

"Oh. Right. Thanks," she said.

"What's that for?" Asriel asked.

"Umbrella."

"Okay." Asriel sighed quietly and folded his arms, his brow bent in a light, confused frown.

"What?" Chara asked.

"Nothin'."

"Oh. Just looked like you were thinking." She flashed a grin. "Good thing you weren't, I'd have been worried."

.

When the boy didn't react, she leaned forward and put her hand on his arm.

"Seriously. What?" she asked.

"I wish I knew what was going on," Asriel admitted.

"Which part?"

"Any of it." He huffed. "Well. Whatever. Think we should get away from the window?"

"…Prrrrobably." Chara snickered and hopped back down onto the ground. She looked at Sans and wandered over to his lump of a form. She put both hands on his shoulders. "Hey. You can go hang out with Papy and Frisk, if you want."

The skeleton opened one eye. He stuck a finger into the air and the faint sound of Papyrus's lyra began to drift in from the distance. "Think they're alright." He folded his arms behind his head. "Plus, if our guy shows up, I got some questions. And, uh, hopin' I'll feel if the wall's about to blow or not."

"That'd be good." Asriel slunk back and sat on the other bed, shoulders hunched, fists balled on top of his knees. He could hear the faint whistling of Frisk's ocarina and the melody helped to flatten the fur on the back of his neck.

.

Chara slid up to his side and grabbed his face in both hands.

"Stay alert," she said.

"I-I am!" he said.

She nodded, steadfast, and returned to the other bed. She crouched, catlike, beside Sans, her eyes locked on the window. Asriel sighed. Morning couldn't come soon enough.

xXxXx

As the earliest hints of light stained the sky beyond the castle a pale purple, it was Alphys, not Gaster, that caused the sleep-deprived kids to jump when she slipped into their room. She looked at them with wide eyes, her scales flushing faintly.

"W-Were you guys a-awake all night?" she squeaked.

"Unfortunately." Chara's voice cracked a little and she coughed to clear her throat. "What's going on, is something wrong?"

"No! N-No, nothing. I was just coming to, um, check on you guys." The lizard smiled. "But! S-Since you're up. How about some breakfast?"

"We're not gonna get jumped again, are we?" Asriel asked.

"Uh. No." Alphys beckoned to them. "I'll, um, show you the way."

.

Both kids were stiff as they got up, uncurling like gargoyles emerging from stone. Chara gave Sans a nudge and leaned close to whisper to him for a moment before stretching her arms high above her head. She stole one final glance out the window before following her brother and the lizard out into the hall.

.

Frisk and Papyrus were already out there. The latter was as bright and alert as usual when he grinned and waved to them, while the former looked like she was about to nod off where she stood. As soon as she saw them, though, her ears perked and her tail began to wag. Asriel bent to give her a hug and she slumped against his shoulder.

"Weee stayed up for nothing," she said.

"Same." He let out a hoarse chuckle. "Aaah, I hate it."

"Better to be cautious," Chara said. She had to stifle a yawn under her hand. "Ugh. But, I'll feel a lot better once this is over."

"I th-think we all will," Alphys said gently.

.

The lizard monster escorted them to the portal entrance on their floor and brought them out to a massive, high-ceilinged hallway much like the ones leading to the throne room. However, there were many more doors on their side of it and the wall at the end was marked by a great, lavender banner marked with the four-winged Delta Rune that hung from the ceiling and almost all the way down to floor.

.

The largest set of doors led to a massive, royal mess hall, headed by a table and chairs that dwarfed all others and a long buffet of food. It was quiet inside, though there were a few guards scattered around the various, long tables, munching an early breakfast or playing cards.

.

Alphys brought them to one of the shorter tables close to the buffet. As soon as Papyrus sat down, Sans filled one of the chairs across from him. He slumped his elbow onto the table and stared ahead under heavily lidded eyes.

"Sup?" he asked.

"Hello, brother, you look terrible," Papyrus teased. "I guess you didn't sleep, either?"

"Nah, I slept great."

"Oh."

Chara snorted loudly. She pulled out a chair beside the tall skeleton and all but plopped Frisk into it. "Okay. I'm grabbing some stuff. Frisk? Pancakes?"

"Oh, um," Frisk said, "I'm not really that hungr—"

"Pancakes it is." She clapped Frisk on the shoulder and hurried off. "C'mon, Azzy."

"Aah, okay?!" Flustered, he followed closely at her heels.

.

Alphys chuckled. She folded her hands into her sleeves and let out a little sigh. "This has all been, um… p-pretty crazy, hasn't it?"

"Oh, extremely," Papyrus said. "And even now in a situation like this, nobody will let me use a cauldron!"

"Oh? Oh! R-Right, because you're… Hm." Alphys tilted her head, her eyes skimming him quickly. "A-Anyway! Um. You guys'll be happy to know, I'm sure, th-that we didn't spot— or smell— anything s-suspicious overnight. We've, um, also had c-contact from some roaming patrols, and it doesn't seem like we've had any repeats of the, uh… time trap incident? I think that's what we're calling it."

"That's good," Frisk said.

"So either the guy was too far off, or he's a lot sneakier than we'd like, yeah?" Sans said. "I have a feelin' he'll turn up before too long."

"I-Is… that a feeling feeling, or a normal feeling?" Alphys asked.

Sans shrugged one shoulder. "Intuition, I guess. There's somethin' about skeletons with that name…" He grinned sideways, his eyes brightening just a little as he just barely straightened up. "Anyway. Need a favour. For the fuzzball. The uh, tall one."

"Okay."

"There's a pesanta in New Home called Pasithea. Oneiromancer. Need 'er for somethin'."

"A…" Alphys pulled out a notepad from nowhere and wrote on it quickly. "A… pesanta from…? Do you know the street?"

"Mugwort, I think," Frisk said.

"Mugwort… Oh!" Alphys perked up. "Near the b-bookshop with all the Y's. Alright. Is it, um, u-urgent, or—?"

"Yeah. She can get the tracker off the kid," Sans said. "Might be too late to stop the ol' jerk from headin' this way, but it ain't good to have regardless."

"That is very t-true." She pulled the sheet of paper from her pad and folded it into an airplane shape. She gave it a toss and it zoomed off, steering away and under the door.

.

Chara and Asriel returned with plates of large, fluffy pancakes for everyone, each one stacked with fruit and cream— except the two Chara held, which were both doused in chocolate chips and fudgey syrup.

"You like chocolate, right, Frisk?" she asked as she plopped one plate down in front of her.

"I, uh…" Frisk's eyes were wide— she wasn't sure she'd ever even see that much chocolate. She caught a worried crease in Chara's brow and nodded quickly. "Y-Yeah, I love it."

"Oh, good!" The girl beamed and sat down beside her and instantly dug into her own plate.

Asriel held in a laugh and passed out the others' breakfasts around the table before he sat down beside Sans and shoved a forkful of berries into his mouth. Frisk grabbed her phone and took a quick shot of the indulgent breakfast before she tried a little. It was more chocolate than pancake, but she didn't think she minded.

.

"I h-hope it's, um, not too early to talk a little strategy," Alphys said as she settled in.

"The sun ain't up," Sans joked.

The lizard chuckled with a high-pitched lilt of nerves. "I'd j-just really like us all to b-be on the same page."

"Did you guys figure something out?" Frisk asked hopefully.

"Ah… N-Not… Not really," Alphys said. "All that we've really learned is that he's a-able to trap our soldiers without h-hurting them, but… I'm not sure why he didn't do that s-sooner?" She took a bite of her pancakes and her eyes went wide. She looked at Asriel. "H-How did you know I liked red bean?"

"Our Alphys back home would," he said.

"O-Oh!" She laughed. "Well. I'm g-glad!"

"I, um. I think I know about the bubble thing?" Frisk said. She scrunched up her face as she tried to recall. "…A dozen… charges? Um… I'm pretty sure that's what he said."

"Oh?! Did you overhear something?" Papyrus asked.

"I was kinda in his head, I guess, when I was dreaming. So, kinda?" The kid drummed the back of her fork lightly against the table. "The thing he used to trap the guards looked sorta like a robot wand? It felt like he didn't really wanna use it, and he used up whatever made the bubbles— or almost did, anyway."

"Wait, so we might not even have to worry about that?!" Asriel asked, ears perking up.

"Let's just assume that we do," Chara said, "in case it's just a simple recharge."

"Oh. Yeah. Guess you're right," the boy said glumly. He traced the tines of his fork across the top of his pancake as he pouted. "That'd… be really nice though, huh?"

"Assumin' the worst is smart," Sans said.

.

Alphys nodded thoughtfully. "Right. O-Oh! Sorry! What I r-really wanted to talk about is, um, our plan for you guys." She carefully pushed her plate aside and spread her fingers out, aligning her hands with each other in the air.

Strands of blue magic like a cat's cradle stretched between her claws, and she laid them out flat on the table. A small tug upwards, and the magic pulled out into a faintly-glowing floor plan.

"S-So, our idea was, um, you guys can stay here until things are… settled, I guess? Until w-we, um… arrest this skeleton," she said.

"How are you even gonna keep him if that huge ice thing didn't, though?" Asriel asked.

"W-We're, um, working on that." Alphys smiled, a hint of pride on her face. "I've actually b-been overseeing it myself, ever since the, um, meeting at the c-cabin." She winked. "I think we aaaalmost h-have it, actually! But! I don't want to say t-too much, just in case he… I d-don't know, has a truth potion on h-him or something."

"It can stop the teleports?" Frisk asked.

Alphys smiled knowingly, but simply answered, "We'll s-see." She turned back to her blueprint. "A-Anyway. Let me just, um, explain the castle layout. Chara sh-showed you the way into the secret path in the throne room, I th-think?"

"Yeah." Frisk sat up on her knees in her seat to see a little better and pulled out her phone. "Ready."

.

Alphys's magic set the scene. The castle was huge, fit for the size of the massive, old King. Up on a hill and guarded by two huge walls, even if much of its old weaponry had been scrapped for materials, it was still highly defensible.

.

As the Archwizard ran them through the hallways, showing each portal location, which rooms had no windows; where might be good to hide if the situation arose, Frisk did her best to keep up. She took photos of the changing map as they went so that it wouldn't all be left to memory. Papyrus, too, paid rapt attention. Asriel tried to, but he almost nodded off until something across the mess hall caught his eye. He perked up a little, gently tapped the table near Frisk, and pointed behind her.

"It's your bud," he said.

.

Frisk shot a look over her shoulder and saw the large, planty beast that was Leirak had just entered the room, escorted by a monster in full guard armour. The kid's ears perked up and she grinned and waved at him. He jolted with surprise, but then cracked a smile, using extra vines near his shoulder to sheepishly return the gesture. Asriel stood up and beckoned to him. The other monster's dark eyes grew wide, but he quickly thanked the guard who had brought him in and trotted across the hall to join them.

.

"Howdy," Leirak said.

"Greetings, friend!" Papyrus said brightly.

"O-Oh! You! N-Nice to see you again," Alphys said, her eyes brightened as they came to rest on the monster's necklace, which bore a new crystal with a single fish scale pattern inlaid onto it. "Ooh! Y-You decided to join up with the Dragonguard, then?"

"I… Yes. I did," he said. "I talked it over with myself, and I figure I can do a little more good without having to hide quite so much."

Frisk shot him a smile. "I'm glad! Did you talk to Undyne yet?"

His pale cheeks flushed with gold. "N-No. Not yet. I—! I will."

"Don't worry," Frisk said quickly.

"Talk about what?" Chara asked.

"Uhh…" Leirak's mane flattened.

"Just about this stuff, it's no big deal," Frisk said quickly. "I was just curious. Sorry."

"No, no, that's alright," he said.

.

"Take a seat, kid," Sans said, gesturing at Leirak with his fork.

"Would you like some breakfast?" Papyrus said, offering his plate to the newcomer. "This is very good but it's way too much for me."

"Oh. Um." The plant monster wagged his tail. "S-Sure. Thank you." He sat down on the floor at the end of the table and gladly accepted as the skeleton handed over what was still quite a large amount of fruit and pancakes. He pulled a set of wooden chopsticks from his tangled body with a vine and scooped up a small bite. His eyes shone red. "Ooh. Haven't had these in forever."

.

Chara eyed the monster up and down. As soon as he caught her, he suddenly looked a little sweaty.

"Thanks again for your help the other day, by the way," she said. "You made everything go a lot more smoothly."

"I'm happy to help," he assured her. "It… kind of feels like my purpose. Hah. I know maybe that's a little cheesy. Though. Um." He leaned forward curiously. "What… had your plan been to escape before I showed up?"

"Oh! Easy! There's a secret way in and out of a room in that cabin we were at," Papyrus said. "It goes through the river. We would have been zoomed away by the current!"

"Jeez, kinda glad we didn't do that," Frisk said, eyes wide. "'Cause, uh, I can't really swim."

"Gotta work on that," Chara said.

"N-Not right now!" she squeaked.

"I can teach you!" Papyrus said.

"Paps, you sink," Asriel teased.

"So?! I still understand it in theory!"

"Maybe Undyne would be better to—"

"Guys! Come on! Not important," Frisk said quickly. She turned to Alphys. "Keep going. Um. Please."

Alphys chuckled. "Alright. Where w-were we?"

.

They were somewhere around the third floor. There were two more, and the towers, to get through. After they covered it all, though, it seemed to Frisk like the safest place was still the ground floor. At least if they got stuck and had to jump out a window down there, it wouldn't hurt too much.

.

She settled back into her seat to review her pictures and the kids got back to eating. Papyrus, though, eagerly leaned towards Leirak, eyes shining.

"So! Tell me how it went!" he said.

"How… what went?" the big monster asked.

"Joining the Dragonguard," he said. "They wanted you especially, right? That must've been exciting! I was in it back when it was conscription only, but I hear it's a lot more exciting now with Queen Undyne in charge of the whole thing. What do you think?"

"Oh!" He looked around the table. "If… nobody minds?"

"Course not," Frisk said.

"If I fall asleep, it's not 'cause of you," Asriel said. "We pulled an all-nighter."

"Alright." Leirak's tail wagged. "Let's see… First, there was a puzzle maze…"

.

A few minutes into Leirak's story of racing around while having to manage a block puzzle and an invisible maze section at once, Alphys got a weird gleam in her eye. She got up, darting around the table and drawing out magic strings to measure just about everyone at the table except for Sans before she hurried off, promising to return soon. Meanwhile, Chara's bright gaze kept wandering over him analytically.

.

After he'd finished, the girl mopped up the last of the chocolate syrup on her plate and leaned towards him, putting her elbow on the table.

"I don't think we've fought, have we?" she asked.

"Excuse me?" he asked shrilly.

"When I got here. When the monsters were moon-blind," she said. "Sorry if you were stuck for a while too long."

"Oh! Um. N-No. I…" He smiled sheepishly. "My body was pretty twisted, but I was immune, luckily."

"Oh yeah? Nice," Sans said, barely opening his good eye. "Haven't found many others like that."

"Interesting," Chara agreed. "So. Immune to moon-blindness, and then a notable vigilante. Very interesting."

"I-Is it?" Leirak's mane flattened, his eyes darting to Frisk.

She could only shrug in reply. "It's pretty cool."

"I think it's very cool!" Papyrus said brightly.

"And that you're a plant monster," Chara continued. "That's pretty uncommon."

"I think so," he said.

"Chara, what're you interrogatin' him for?" Asriel asked with a laugh.

"Nothing! I just find him… interesting," she said.

"Wait." The goat boy straightened up a little, suddenly looking a little more awake. "Sorry, but what…? Twisted how?"

"Oh, you know, much smaller, like gnarled vines in some spots, uh…" Leirak's words trailed off to silence as Asriel's jaw dropped. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No! No! Nothing!" Asriel said, his voice cracking. "Um! Just… s-sorry that happened. I… know what it's like to be a… twisted weird plant thing, is all."

.

Frisk caught his eye as she felt the uncomfortable roiling of his soul tug on hers. Before they could ask more, a deep horn blared from afar. A couple of the other guards across the mess hall got up from their spots and headed towards the large set of doors. Leirak's face carried a hint of relief as he quickly stood up, too.

"Guess that's me, too. We can talk more later. It was nice to see you guys again," he said. "Thank you for the food. I'll be stationed here for the next couple days before I head back north, so hopefully I'll see you around."

"We'll be here, too," Frisk said. "We're, uh, hiding out."

He smiled. "Stay safe." He waved to them with his vines as he hurried away.

.

As soon as the monster left the room, Asriel quickly leaned across the table to Frisk, fur standing on end; eyes wide and worried. "Yo. Is he…? He's… me, right? Other me?"

"I thought so, too," Chara said swiftly. "That's why I was asking questions."

"Really? Wait, how could he—?" Papyrus squeaked.

"Teeechnically," Frisk said quietly. "He's, um, Prince and the Princess, but as someone kinda new. That's what he told me, anyway."

"What?!" Chara demanded. "You're serious?!"

"Wait. Was that a secret?" Sans asked.

"You knew?!" Papyrus asked.

"…Uh. Yeah?"

"Why didn't you say something?!"

Sans grinned sideways. "Why would I say somethin' if I thought it was obvious?"

"Nyeehh, you're right." Papyrus pouted. "That didn't even occur to me!"

"Well, why would it? It's… It's…" Chara put a hand against her head. "Mom is going to freak out. Do I tell her? I don't, do I? I should wait for him to…?" She blinked. "…Does that make him our brother?"

Asriel shrugged widely.

"I… guess, if he wants to be mom's kid again," Papyrus said. "I mean, who wouldn't, though?"

"But he had years to show up if he… Ugh." Chara sighed. She shook her head. "I… don't have the energy to manage whatever this is, to be honest."

"Totally fair," Sans said. "Leave it to him."

Though the girl didn't look very satisfied, she nodded.

.

"Holy shit," Asriel muttered. He looked to Frisk with wide eyes. "When did you figure it out?"

"Oh, um, after the ice dome thing. I kinda realized I knew him from our dream, and then I figured out his name was probably an ana… anagram? Yeah. It's Asriel. But without the S and a K instead for like, the same sound as Chara's C-H."

Chara groaned. Asriel gawked and then wilted, rubbing his temples with his fingertips.

"Are we all just bad at naming stuff?!" he demanded. "Is this like, just a fact of the universe?! Dreemurrs just can't name things?!"

"Gonna go with yes on that," Sans said.

"G… Goaty the goat," Frisk said under her breath.

Asriel slumped into a heap on the table. Chara reached over to pat him reassuringly.

"I dunno what's worse— meeting another Plantsriel, or that bad names are literally just destiny," the boy muttered.

"I think it's the bad names," Chara joked. "Could be worse. At least he's not soulless."

"And he's pretty nice," Frisk added.

Asriel sighed heavily. "I guess…"

.

"I-Is something wrong?" Alphys had returned with a large notepad and a box of round crystals in her arms.

Sans shrugged. Asriel straightened up quickly and rubbed his head.

"No! No, it's fine," he said.

"Oh!" Her eyebrows raised, but she didn't push. "W-Well! Good!" She smiled. "I, um, had a couple more things. N-Nothing you really have to d-do, but, um—" She sat down again and pushed the box of crystals to the centre of the table. "—i-if everyone can t-take one of these? They're, um, location crystals. J-Just in case something happens."

Frisk plucked one up and turned it over in her hands. "Is it kinda like what we used in the city?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Chara said.

"Then…" Her ears perked up. "Alphys, would it be okay if we take some extra?"

"Of course!" she said.

"You look like you have an idea," Chara said.

"I was just thinking, um, if this Gaster guy does show up again," Frisk said, taking a small handful and ferreting them away into her pocket, "in case he doesn't actually get caught, maybe we could, like, chuck some of these into his coat or whatever."

"Sounds like a long shot," the girl said.

"Well, yeah, I don't wanna get too close to the dude."

Sans snorted loudly and Chara and Papyrus both groaned— Frisk simply smiled.

"I'll take some extra," Papyrus said, "I have excellent aim!"

"I-It's not a bad idea, to be honest." Alphys took a page out of her notebook and scribbled something on it, then sent it away as a paper airplane just as she'd done before. "Okay. Now, um, sh-should I show you around in p-person, too, or—?"

"I can do that if you're busy," Chara said.

"I'm n-not, really. It's… b-barely six in the morning. I'd, um, l-like you guys to feel at least a little bit at home while y-you're here." Alphys smiled, but her cheeks suddenly flushed and she whirled on Frisk. "Oh! And you… Do you…? I mean. You… d-don't happen to need… o-one of those rooms, do you?"

"…Those rooms?" Frisk repeated.

"You know." She lowered her voice. "B-Bathrooms?"

"Oh! No. Just for baths," Frisk said.

"Oh phew!" She grinned sheepishly. "B-Because, um. Ours is… um. P-Pretty p-pathetic, to be honest. We, um, don't h-have many human guests. Anyway." She gestured over her shoulder. "Sh-Should we go?"

"Sounds rivetin', but I'll meet ya around," Sans said. He vanished.

"Just, um, follow me, then," Alphys said.

.

Even though the meal was large and good, Frisk was still feeling pretty lethargic. Alphys took them around different sections of the castle, using so many portals that deposited them seemingly at random that the kid lost count. She was doing okay at first, but it was getting more difficult to pay attention as her body ached for sleep. She did notice Chara seemed strangely self-satisfied though. She wasn't sure what had caused the turn in her mood, but Frisk was glad the Leirak thing wasn't bothering her too much.

.

All the rooms were huge, and so was about a third of the furniture. Some of the windows would have easily fit the width of their garage back home, and most looked out upon massive trees or crafted hedges. Cute birds and dark butterflies with segmented wings flitted by around the greenery and flowers. Frisk tried to imagine an Asgore or a Toriel large enough that this is what they had left behind, but she wasn't sure if she could grasp it. The cauldron in a room specifically for making potions was about five times as the large one Miss Naja had back in Snowdin. Awestruck, Papyrus hung back with the old tapir babushka who was working in there already, urging the others to go on without him.

.

Once the rest of the group got to a huge entranceway and a corridor laid out with a regal, purple rug, Alphys was intercepted by twin, scholarly-looking heron monsters that urgently asked for her attention. When she excused herself, Frisk was grateful for the mental pause. She leaned against the pale, stone wall and looked up at the vaulted ceiling, then down to where the rug ended and some guards stood, guarding heavy, wooden doors.

"I think this is one of the only actual doors to outside," Chara said. "There's a portcullis in front. Remember what that is?"

"Yeah," Frisk said. "It's, uh… A big place, huh?"

"Yup. We had to scale the walls outside one time," she said. "That took forever."

"I bet." The kid looked up at Asriel. "Doing okay?"

"Mhm." He rubbed his eyes. "I need a nap." He crinkled is snout. "This might just be the no-sleep talking, but like… what if. Instead of fixing my soul stuff. I just, like, hid in a bush and was like a bait or something."

"I don't think he'd fall for that," Chara said with a laugh.

"And you being bait is illegal," Frisk said.

"Says who?" he said.

"Me. It's illegal."

Asriel snorted.

.

"Are you feeling weird about our plant friend?" Chara asked.

"Well. A little, I guess," he said. "But. It's not… as bad as I thought." He smiled sheepishly. "I thought I was gonna faint. But I'm glad he's been around, actually. How 'bout you?"

"Good, actually." She smiled, a tinge of bashfulness coming to her face. "If he's… If he's really both of them, I'm… That means I'm not inevitable."

"Uh." Asriel stared at her blankly.

She laughed. "It's a good thing."

"Ohh." Frisk reached out and gave her a hug.

Chara froze up for the briefest of instants before drooping to hold the little blue kid, too. "Thank you. I… Hah. I do hate to admit it, but I'm getting a little sleepy, too."

"Maybe we can sleep in the secret tunnels," Frisk said.

"Pff. That's an idea."

.

A low rumble shook the floor beneath their feet, and though Frisk and Asriel jumped, neither Chara nor a single other monster in the hall reacted with any kind of alarm. After a few seconds, a stone imbedded in each of the doors shone with cyan and they swung open on their own. Queen Undyne, still in full armour and horned crown, ducked under the portcullis as it raised up on the outside of the entranceway and strode in on quick, heavy feet. She stuck up her hand to greet the kids, then stopped to give Alphys a smooch. She was off again, blowing past them with a heavy frown on her face.

"I hope everything's going okay," Frisk said quietly.

"That might just be her thinking face," Chara said.

"…Do you think Alphys'd be really disappointed if we, like, asked to cut this short?" she wondered.

"We're almost done. It's good for you to know."

Frisk pouted. "Kay."

.

Asriel snickered, reaching out to pat her on the head. He sniffed and his ears perked. Frisk caught it after a moment, too. Lavender.

.

Pasithea had arrived— escorted by a large mantis-like guard— looking very hunched and nervous as she stepped onto the carpet. Frisk waved to her, and the monster hardly had time to catch her from the corner of her eye when Undyne stormed back down the hall. Pasithea squeaked with alarm and tried to scoot out of the way, but the Queen stalled heavily right before her and looked at the guard escort.

"Hey, who's this comin' in here at a time like this?" she asked.

"The, um, M-Magnificent P-Pipathea— Pasithea!" The pesanta dipped in a low bow, exaggerated by her cloak draping like a bat's wing along her arm. "Y-Your Great Grand Highness!"

"O… kay…" Undyne cocked her head. "You can, uh, stand up."

Pasithea hopped upright instantly.

"I was told she was summoned," the guard said.

"Oh? That's weird. Not by me."

Pasithea looked like she could have fainted dead away.

.

"It was us." Chara strode forward with a faint smile on her lips. "She was helping us earlier."

Pasithea's purple eyes glimmered. She quickly picked out Asriel and Frisk as they came to join her and her face split into a smile. "Kids!"

"Hi again!" Frisk said brightly.

"Oh. You're pals, then?" Undyne smiled and thumped Pasithea on the back so hard that the smaller monster almost fell over. "Nice! Okay, welcome!"

"Th-Thank you, Y-Your Glorious Emine—"

"Hey, uh, chill out a little bit," Undyne said with a sideways grin. She looked at the kids and jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "I'm gonna be out front for a bit— heard a weird blaster mightta been seen. Send someone to shout at me if you need anything, yeah?"

"Got it. Thank you," Chara said. She waved at the guard, too.

He waved and turned to follow Undyne out. Pasithea drooped with relief.

.

"Are you okay?" Frisk asked.

"Oh! Yes, of course I'm peeerrfectlly… fine! I've… neeeever been invited to the castle before, is all," Pasithea said. "What are you kids doing here?"

"The guy that's hunting us escaped, so they made us come here," Asriel said. "We're kinda stuck for now."

"Oh?! Stars, I'm sorry," she said. "That's scary." Her eyes went wide and she looked down at Frisk and Chara. "Are you okay?!"

"We're all just, um, a bit nervous," Frisk said. "But thanks a ton for coming here."

"I, uh, forgot about the removing-the-thing-from-my-soul thing," Asriel said bashfully.

"Oh! M-Me too." Pasithea let out a warbly laugh. "I'm sorry, I guess I got caught up in the moment."

"Same, though."

"Oh! Also!" She looked at Chara. "Did you want to discuss your project while I'm here? I've… started."

.

Chara's eyes went wide. "Um."

"Ooh, you guys are doing something?" Frisk asked.

The girl's eyes gleamed. "It's… sort of a surprise!"

Asriel winced. Chara cut her eyes at him and dragged him down to whisper right into his ear.

"Do not say a word until I bring it up," she warned. "If it doesn't work, she's going to blame her magic." She smooched him on the cheek and then whirled and clapped a hand onto Frisk's shoulder. She leaned in, lowering her voice. "Truth is, it's some high-level crystal work, and I will definitely let you in on it once it's a little more solid. Alright?"

"Well." Frisk raised her eyebrows. "Sure, I guess, whatever you like. Just, no secrets if I can help, okay?"

"That's more than fair." She perked up. "On that train of thought, do you have that umbrella? The one Sans gave you."

"This?" Frisk pulled the oil-paper and wooden parasol from her phone and passed it into Chara's waiting hand.

The girl unscrewed the flat, wooden top and then slipped a disk-shaped crystal inside before sealing it up again. "There. Let me know if it runs low and I'll charge it up again."

"Oh, wow, thank you!" Frisk gladly accepted the parasol back. "That'll definitely help, 'specially while I'm still, y'know, not magic-ing."

"I know." She smiled proudly and looked to Pasithea. "So. Any thoughts?"

.

"Well, I… Um." Pasithea puffed herself up. "I have done some research! And! Some trials! And! My conclusion is. I…! Can't do it. I'm sorry."

Chara grimaced. "O-Oh."

"But! I am from a line of illustrious sun dogs! Even if I am nnnnot quite one myself." She smiled. "So I think my grandmother can help you. If I am a crystal expert, she is a crystal supreme master!"

The girl instantly perked up again. "Then…! That sounds perfect. Thank you."

Pasithea's tail wagged. "I'll send her a letter. And as soon as you are allowed out of the castle, I'll bring you to her."

"Whoa, this sounds important," Frisk said.

"It's really just…! W-Working with very unusual magics, is all," the pesanta assured her quickly.

The kid looked at Chara. "You sure you won't tell me what for?"

"I-It's a surprise for you!" Asriel blurted out. "Just, um, don't worry about it, okay?"

"…Not suspicious at all," Chara teased under her breath.

Asriel slumped. "It's nothing bad though!"

Frisk burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, relax! Sheesh! Don't worry about it, just tell me later. This soul thing's probably more important right now, right?"

"R-Right!" Asriel said.

.

"One thing, though," Pasithea said, looking to Chara again. "Do you happen to have an example of one of the crystals you'd like worked on? If I can send it ahead with my letter—"

"Ah, good thinking." She nodded. "I have an extra in our room." She started off down the hall. "Don't worry, I'll find you."

.

As soon as she was out of sight, Frisk turned a curious eye on Asriel. He dramatically clammed up and folded his arms. She laughed.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Is it that big of a deal?"

"Nnnnnooooomaybe." He shook his head quickly. "It's not bad!"

Frisk snickered. She looked at Pasithea. "Thanks again for coming."

The pesanta nodded, cracking a bashful smile. "I almost thought I was in trouble when they came to get me. I'm glad it's you again. Now." She clapped her hands together and looked at Asriel. "What do you think, should we get to it?"

"Yeah. Sure. Shouldn't take long, right?"

"Not too long," she said. "I'll have to do a small ritual to prepare you. Do you have somewhere comfortable we can set up?"

"Oh." Asriel snickered bashfully. "Yeah. Up in the room."

"That'll save Chara some time, at least," Frisk joked.

"Alright!" Pasithea smiled. "Lead the way."

"Cool." He looked at Frisk and grinned sideways. "Hope you remember which portal to take because I got nothin'."

"Pfff, jeez," she laughed. "C'mon, that was right at the start!"

He shrugged. She snickered and began to lead them the same way Chara had gone. She stopped abruptly and turned back to the hall.

"Alphys! We're going back to the room, is that okay?"

Alphys perked up and raised her hand. "Y-Yeah! Of course! S-Sorry about the, um…! W-We can finish up later!"

Frisk formed a heart with her thumb and forefinger and the lizard absolutely beamed and did the same.

.

On the way down the hall, Papyrus jumped them from the potions room, a big grin on his face.

"Greetings, friends! And the magnificent Pasithea! Hello!" He whirled on Frisk with big eyes. "Do you still have your beltaine and chamomile on you, by any chance?!"

"Um. Yeah?" she said.

"Would youuuu come with me in here?!" he asked, eyes glimmering. He leaned in close and whispered loudly, "The nice little old lady in here said I could use the cauldron as long as she was there and it wasn't battle magic!"

"Aaah, nice!" She grinned and looked at the others. "Do you mind?"

"Nah, that's cool," Asriel said. "But, uh… portals."

"End of the hall, then right and smack it until it turns orange," she said.

"Oh! Right. Yeah." He nodded. "Okay, see ya soon."

.

Frisk waved to them as she split off to follow the elated skeleton, and Asriel and Pasithea continued on. There was only one portal at the end of the hall, so that wasn't too hard. With a gentle tap and a spark of magic, it seemed to recognize Asriel and opened up for him in a misty haze.

"It seems very busy here today," the pesanta commented as they emerged into the next area. "I mean, not that…! Not that I've been here before, or anything."

"Sorta my fault," he said as he scanned the new, similar hallway for another set of the portal's crystal entry spots. "We're, uh, trying to be defensible against that guy we mentioned."

"That sounds… really scary, honestly." Pasithea paused him with a gentle hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Kinda worried, I guess." His ears pinned back slightly. "It's fine. Thanks. Ah! Here."

He found the second set of portals past a few doors— these ones were in a set three. He gently bonked the crystal in the right one until it turned orange and they stepped inside the matching portal that spiralled out before them.

.

They came out in the area that was all fancy bedrooms, as far as Asriel knew. He walked ahead to the room he and Chara had been staying in and knocked on the door.

"We're coming in," he said. He pushed it open and was meant with the subtle scent of mint and toasted sesame.

.

His soul went cold. He was dragged forward a step and the door shut solidly behind him. The walls were crawling with bones. He tried to draw back, but a touch against the door sparked him with a sharp, icy pain. He twisted— bright blue magic at his back, lining the door. A row of similar bones flickered into view before him, like prison bars.

"…I am sorry." Gaster stood just off to the side, holding his hands out as if in placation.

Asriel's vision tunnelled. "What the hell?! How did you—?!" He pushed forward only to be bounced back into place. "Where's—?!"

The skeleton gestured to the side. In the corner of the room was a similar cage of blue. Chara was on the ground within, in a heap on the floor. Asriel's eyes blazed.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!" he roared.

"Nothing," he said quickly. His shadowy, phantom hands were gathered around her, propping a pillow up beneath her head. "I tried to speak with her and she threw herself against my magic until she became dazed. Please believe me when I say I will not harm her."

"You—!" He snorted flame and grasped his hands into the magic despite the pain. "Chara! Get up!"

His sister grunted quietly.

.

The skeleton's eyes gleamed. "I-It… really is her, isn't it?" His voice cracked. "A-And… it's you, too, isn't it? Prince Asriel? Y-You… survived?"

"…What?" he asked.

"To find you, here… I suppose you must be a little like I am, then?"

"What?!"

"I am… so sorry," Gaster said. "It's a curse in some ways, isn't it? But. At the same time, I… I am glad." He tilted his head, his brows furrowing softly. "How are you?"

"Sound worried all you want, I'm not tellin' you anything," he growled.

"I understand." He smiled. "Then. I would like to talk to you."

"Let me out, tough guy, then we'll talk," Asriel growled.

"You and I both know that is not going to happen," he said apologetically. "But. As I'm sure you've guessed, my concern is about that anomaly you're harbouring."

"Oh, man, you really got the wrong guy." Asriel's lips curled back to show sharp teeth in a wide, sardonic grin. "You're wastin' your breath if you think for even a second that you're gonna get anything from me. And once I get outta here, you're really gonna regret it."

Gaster smiled fondly. "I'm glad you've grown up to be so bold, Prince Asriel. Your parents would be proud."

.

Asriel snorted, his fur bristling. He looked at Chara, his soul aching. He shoved his hands hard into his pockets, trying to be subtle as he felt around for his phone. His thumb brushed the screen.

"But, you do not need to tell me anything," the skeleton continued. "I am the one who would like to tell you what is happening here."

"Let my sister out," he said.

"I will. Just… please, be patient." Gaster clasped his bandaged hands together and let out a long, deep breath. "I apologize that this will be a lot like a school lesson, but… hear me out. It is about the fate of… Well. Everything."

xXxXx

One hand grasped to the side of the cauldron, the other onto a ladle so long it was more like blunted spear, Papyrus leaned over a bubbly, glowing blue liquid with eager eyes, stirring it confidently. The scent of chamomile and honey filled the room.

"That's nice, right?" he asked. When he received no answer, he turned back to look over his shoulder. "Frisk?"

Frisk's face was scrunched up, her arms folded tight, her eyes blank.

"Um. Friend? Are you okay?" Papyrus asked.

She blinked and her small form relaxed a little. "Oh! Yeah. Sorry, I just… I felt kinda weird."

"Well! Then, let's try this." He pulled the ladle from the glowing potion and poured it carefully into a crystal cup and handed it to her. "Tell me what you think."

.

The kid took the cup carefully and downed a quick swig. It tasted like sweet, floral tea. "Ooh. It's nice." A soft zap of magic tingled across her body and she snorted a little puff of red magic. She snickered and wiped her snout. "Yeah. S'good."

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Like, um…" She rolled flexed fingers. "I dunno, good. Kinda more awake."

"Hm! That's funny, chamomile is usually the reverse of that," he said. "Interesting."

"It's…" Frisk frowned. "It's like… I can kinda feel the magic in me better? I think?" She handed him the glass. "Try some."

"Ooh. Alright." He took a swig and a gentle, cyan glimmer shone over his bones. "Nyeh! You're right! That's good!"

.

Frisk smiled. But, as quickly as it had gone, that odd feeling in her soul came back. She wondered if it was Asriel. Was that what Pasithea was doing to him?

"Maybe we should go upstairs," she suggested tepidly.

"What's wrong?" Papyrus asked again.

"I'm not sure, it's—" Frisk squeaked as her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out quickly.

.

She had a new text from Asriel.

.

"gaadfgtywerasderhwererw"

.

Frisk's heart sunk and she put a hand to her soul spot. "Oh. Oh crap. Ooooh crap."

"What?" Papyrus leaned around her. "Gaad fidgety werasder hewerer? What does that mean? Is it a cipher?"

"No!" She raced for the door. "It's a button mash, come on!"

"Nyeeeh, coming!"

.

Papyrus and Frisk raced upstairs to the rooms as fast as they could, only to see Pasithea frantically banging on the door to the tower where Asriel and Chara had been staying.

"What happened?!" Frisk demanded.

"I—! I don't know, the d-door closed on its own and I can't get in!" She looked back at them with frantic eyes. "I think something's wrong!"

Papyrus cringed. "H-He's… In. There. Isn't he?"

Frisk leaned up against the door, pressing her floppy ear against it. She couldn't hear anything from within except a soft, muted magical hum. But, she could smell toasted sesame seeds. "Craaaap." She whirled on them. "What do we do?"

"Call the guards?!" Pasithea said.

"Break the door down," Papyrus said.

"Yeah, both, okay," Frisk said. She opened her umbrella and its surface flashed over with red, changing the blue canopy to purple. She pointed at Pasithea. "Guards."

"B-But wait, you guys are kids!" she squeaked. "I can't just let you—!"

"I helped save the Kingdom before, don't worry!" Papyrus said. He took a step back and rolled up his sleeves. "Frisk?"

"Ready," she said.

"We get them and we run," he said.

"Yep," she said.

Pasithea whimpered and put her hands to the sides of her head.

.

Papyrus counted down on his fingers from five. Frisk desperately hoped they wouldn't clunk anyone in the head with the door. She grasped the handle of her umbrella as hard as she could. Papyrus's hand became a fist. His eyes lit up bright with orange and a massive, false blaster appeared in midair and angrily fired a barrage of bones at the top of the door with such force that it imploded. Magic sparks burst from everywhere and Frisk rushed to Papyrus and grabbed his arm. They locked eyes— he hefted her up and whipped her as hard as he could straight into the mess.

.

Frisk and her parasol flew in, slamming straight into a boney figure that staggered underneath its hardened canopy. Bones that lined the walls jutted out but a burst of flame seared them to glittering dust. Asriel uncurled himself from the floor and reached out to drag Frisk towards him as the skeleton staggered back against the window. The stone cracked.

.

A horrendous, feral shriek erupted from the corner as Chara jumped straight upright, her eyes beaming red. She charged Gaster, wrapping her arms around his middle and slamming him to the ground. He teleported from her grip— her fist slammed hard into the floor— only for him to be forced back again as Asriel rushed to headbutt him, banging hard into the wall instead. His horns and claws tore up the wallpaper as he whirled and spewed fire from his mouth, overwhelming most of the room.

.

Frisk sheltered beneath her parasol, backing up towards the door until her soul froze. She squeaked as it surged with indigo out of her chest.

"H-Heck," she squeaked

"Oh no you don't!" Papyrus vaulted over the half-a-door, grabbing Frisk tight in one arm and yanking back.

The blue flickered out, and he shot out with his own burst of gravity magic. His efforts locked onto Gaster and he tossed him back and out of window as far as he could.

.

Frisk's soul surged blue again and yanked. Papyrus's grip slipped. The kid yelled as she, too, was jettisoned from the building.

.

The wind whipping past her ears drowned out all other sounds. Frisk's stomach dropped and she clutched tight to her parasol. Something yanked her sideways and giant boney teeth closed in around her. Before she'd even had time to yell, she was gently deposited on a roof and a big blaster with one busted eye blocked her vision. She could have melted with relief. She stumbled to her feet on the thick, solid roof tiles, patting the blaster on its snout as she peeked around it to get her bearings.

.

Right away, her vision was cut with the white light of second blaster searing the air. She shielded her eyes with her arm. As soon as it faded, another blast of white magic shot off like cannon-fire and burst in a puff of mist. Frisk couldn't see Sans or Gaster, but she could see Asriel a ways away, halfway out the now-busted tower window a storey above where she now stood. He leapt down and flame burst up around him like a meteor as he struck into the roof, definitely collapsing something beneath him. Within a second, she saw him flung from there, leaving a steaming trail behind. He clunked heavily into a wall and slid down into a large hedge.

.

"A-Az!" Frisk wheezed, grabbed her parasol close, and took off running.

Something slammed heavily somewhere and she stumbled, dropping down to one knee and grabbing the tiles to keep her footing. She couldn't see any guards— weren't they supposed to be on the roof? She pulled her ocarina from the front of her shirt and covered a couple holes, then blew into it as hard as she could. The shrill sound pierced the air, over and over, until Frisk ran out of breath and had to stop.

.

"Frisk!"

Frisk whipped around to see Pasithea with her head and shoulders out a few windows behind her, waving frantically.

"Frisk, come here! You have to get away from there!" she yelled.

"I-I gotta help them, though!" the kid called back, gesturing to the battle she could still hardly even make out.

"What?! B-But you're tiny!" the pesanta yelped.

"I know!" She took off running again. "Sorry!"

"Wait…! Wait, the—! The guards are—!"

Another slam. Pasithea shrieked and Frisk nearly lost her footing again. She regained herself and kept going.

.

All of a sudden, blasters rose up out of the smoke— two different kinds, grappling with each other. Frisk quickly raised her parasol like a shield before her, hoping that maybe those blaster's eyes might not catch her right away. Blue alerted all through her mind— a very tall, very stern looking skeleton was in front of her in an instant.

.

A purple streak of magic shot across his face like bubbles and perfume, and Gaster took a step back, teleporting twice in awkward, staggering movements.

"St-Stay back!" Pasithea yelled. She stumbled to stand in front of Frisk, her arms out in front of her, her knees shaking so hard that her metal leg rattled. "D-Don't come any closer!" Her purple magic glowed from her talons and she shot it out again in a stream of bubbles.

Frisk gawked. The skeleton blinked, hard, and put a hand to his face.

.

The kid quickly fished in her pocket for the little crystals. "A-Again?" she asked.

Pasithea whined but she let out another burst of magic; Frisk tossed what she could at the same time. Gaster stumbled almost as if he were inebriated, but she couldn't tell if she managed to hit him or not.

.

"This is enough!" Papyrus hurtled down from above with a loud nyeh, holding out a long bone like a spear.

Chara was on his shoulders and quickly dropped, sprinting to Frisk to wrap her in her arms the second she hit the shingles.

"You… You don't understand," Gaster said under his breath.

"As much as I'd really love for this to be a big misunderstanding," Papyrus said, standing between the others and the skeleton, "this is really getting out of hand! I can't let this continue, so…! So! I! The great Papyrus—!"

"Papyrus?" The other skeleton stared blankly. "P… Papyrus. Of course…"

"Yes, of course, Papyrus! Now! Please!" He waved his spear back and forth, forming protective walls of bone before the others and the nearest windows, too. "Surrender!"

The old skeleton cracked a smile. "I'm… sorry. Papyrus." He pointed upwards.

.

The sky above was dotted with pairs of hands, aiming their palms down onto them. Armoured blaster skulls emerged from the other sides of the rooftops, jaws agape.

.

"I did not come completely unprepared, after all," Gaster said. More of the hands appeared around him, like wings that were missing pieces. He moved them forward slowly. "Please. Give me the anomaly. And this will all be over. I'll never trouble you again."

"BITE ME," Chara shouted, pulling Frisk sideways towards the castle wall.

"Nnnno, no, this isn't right," Papyrus said, pointing his spear at the older skeleton. "This. Is. Desperate."

"It is. Exactly," Gaster agreed. "Now, I…" He bristled. He put a hand to his head. "Hm."

"Y-You can't do this!" Pasithea yelled. "They're all j-just kids!"

.

The skeleton frowned deeply. He opened his mouth, but a deafening boom silenced him as the air itself shuddered. A loud horn blared and a torrent of icy water raced into the sky, twisting with a mass of thorny branches to pierce through the blasters from their flanks; shredding most of the extra hands, as well.

.

The air shimmered and, like a crocodile from placid water, Leirak emerged from empty space and seized the skeleton in his jaws, slamming him down to the roof.

"AAH!" Alphys toppled from his back awkwardly, shimmering into a visible range, too. "K-Keep him there! Keep him there!"

Gaster was already free from Leirak's grasp, teleporting awkwardly in a burst of three— almost losing his footing off the side. His coat was ripped and his arm hung at an odd angle.

"Sorry," Leirak grunted, spitting a torn, thorny fang from his mouth.

.

"NOW!" Undyne shouted from somewhere.

Nothing happened.

"OH COME ON!" She rode up onto the roof on a wave, dragging a leaf-covered and spiky-furred Asriel with her, her sharp teeth bared in a wide— and somehow furious— grin. Water spiralled around her like blades. "Okay. So. You took out the guards."

"He did what?!" Frisk yelped.

"But I don't care how many big stupid BOOMS you make, PUNK!" Undyne yelled. "I don't care if we have to RIP half the damn castle down! I'm takin' you in."

Frisk and Chara shared a look, with the same thought in their heads: that hadn't been Gaster, had it?

.

The old skeleton sighed. He grabbed his shoulder and shoved his arm back into place and finally turned around to face the angry Queen. The air around him darkened and his eyelights flickered out.

.

Another boom, like thunder. Something silvery shot across the sky, shattering everything the skeleton had left above to sparkling dust. Chara's jaw dropped. She clung tighter to Frisk and, without warning, whatever it was smashed down onto the roof before Gaster and seized him in one massive, clawed paw. With wings like a dragon spread, the newcomer shot into the sky and spun, whipping the skeleton off somewhere far beyond the city's walls as easy as tossing a rag doll.

.

"YO, WHAT?!" Undyne yelled.

Papyrus shrieked. Frisk let out some shrill, disbelieving noise. Pasithea dropped to her knees and wheezed. Chara began to laugh so hard she almost collapsed.

.

Descending like some celestial being, a massive, silver monster with the horns of a ram, garbed in a purple and white robe, alit gently on the roof between the other monsters. As she closed her wings, they vanished into lavender dust. She folded her arms into her sleeves, looking over the ruined roof and other, gawking monsters with gentle, red eyes.

"My. That was certainly eventful, was it not?" Her brow crinkled with worry. "Now. Where is my daughter? And would someone kindly mind explaining what has transpired here?"