When Frisk awoke, Chara was sitting at the end of her borrowed bed, waiting.
"Chara?" She sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "What time is it?"
"Just past midnight Frisk. Come on, let's go find out how to get out of here."
"We're not staying?"
"No Frisk. We're not staying."
He took her hand and pulled her after him.
A quick glance around the house found Toriel sitting in her chair, reading a book that Frisk couldn't make out the cover of.
"Ask her how to leave."
"But-"
"Ask."
Chara pushed her forward a bit, and as Frisk fidgeted with her hands, she walked up and tugged on the hem of Toriel's robe.
"Oh? Up already I see. I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I have also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise to you but I have always wanted to be a teacher.. Actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising. Still, I am glad to have you living here. Oh, forgive me. Did you want something?"
Frisk's heart caught in her throat, perhaps, if Chara wasn't so insistent. They could stay. The sound of a home, education, a bed it all sounded so nice, but Frisk had been tricked before. So she swallowed the hope in her heart and looked up at Toriel.
"Uhm.. Ms Toriel? When can I go home?"
Chara's hands felt heavy on her shoulders, and Toriel looked up a bit surprised.
"Um, this.. This is your home now. How would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It is called "72 Uses for Snails" How about it?" If Frisk could see more clearly, she would've seen the way Toriel's eyes shifted nervously.
"No Ms Toriel, how do I exit the ruins?" Frisk repeated, determination hardening her heart.
Chara squeezed Frisk's hand as Toriel again tried to avoid the subject.
"Um, how about an exciting snail fact? Did you know that snails, make terrible shoelaces? Interesting. "
"She's avoiding it. She doesn't care about you Frisk, She just wants to keep you locked away."
"No! How do I get out of the ruins!" Frisk stomped her foot at Chara's whisper, his words causing anger to boil up in her chest.
Toriel put her book down and set it to the side. "I.. I have to do something. Stay here." Before abruptly getting up and heading for the staircase in the hallway.
Chara pulled Frisk forward and together they ran after her.
Toriel was at the bottom of the stairs, still walking forward down a long hallway.
"You wish to return home? Do you not? Ahead of us lies the exit to the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the underground. I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs."
"No!"
"Every human that falls down meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come, they leave, they die. You naive child. If you leave the ruins, They… Asgore will kill you. I am only protecting you. Go to your room."
"I said No!"
"Do not try and stop me. This is your final warning."
They were at the door now. Toriel kept her back towards Frisk who was steaming in anger. Anger at Toriel, at humanity.
"You want to leave so badly? You are just like the others. I could not stop them from leaving either. There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself. Prove to me you are strong enough to survive!"
"Toriel blocks the way," Chara said while letting go of Frisk's hand. "You can do it. Let it all out."
"I'm tired of everyone telling me what I can and can't do! I won't go to my room! I won't listen to you! Get out of my WAY!" Frisk ran up and with all her might brought the stick down towards Toriel. Green light flashed in the hallway and Toriel began to disintegrate into dust.
"You… you really hate me that much? N-now I see who I was protecting… by- by keeping you here. Not you… but them! Ha.. ha" and then she was gone, a smoldering pile of white dust, a little floating white heart hovered above where she used to be, Chara took Frisk's hand and led her forward as the heart shattered.
Together they pushed the door open and began to walk. Down the hallway, and through an archway, where a light shined down upon Flowey the Flower.
"Hahahaha! You're not really human! Are you? No, you're empty inside, just like me! Hehehe!"
Frisk kept walking, not interested in the flower's words, and pushed her way through the last door of the ruins, to be greeted by the cold snow and winter breeze.
Chara took her hand, and together they began to walk, they stepped over a stick, much too heavy for Frisk to carry. Too heavy to be a weapon.
Then steps began to walk behind them. The branch breaks.