To the surprise of no one, Papyrus is the first to break the tense silence.
"AHEM!"
The overzealous skeleton takes one step closer to the unreadable knight at the opposite end of the yard. Their extensive sword is still pointed at the apprehensive trio.
"GREETINGS, ER... STRANGER! WHAT A WEIRD COINCIDENCE. YOUR DESCRIPTION EXACTLY MATCHES THE PERSON WHO..."
No matter how hard he tries to force the word: "killed" out of his mouth, alas, the great Papyrus is bested. A rare occurrence that won't happen again. Undeterred, he takes another step forward.
"Don't get too close..." Frisk warns Papyrus with unease, standing at their mother's side.
Toriel's right arm stretches out protectively in front of her child, anticipating whatever might follow.
If they came with the intent to harm, they picked the wrong family...
"I MAY NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY," Papyrus says in a lighter voice. "BUT I AM SURE IT WAS SOME AWFUL MISUNDERSTANDING! FRET NOT, THE PATH AHEAD IS SIMPLE! SURRENDER YOURSELF, AND ME AND THE CHIEF WILL SEE TO IT THAT EVERYONE HAS THE CHANCE TO HEAR YOUR SIDE!"
"The chief..."
Their voice sends chills down Frisk's spine.
"...where is she now, Papyrus?"
A lack of skin doesn't stop the skeleton from blushing.
"WOWIE! I WASN'T AWARE I WAS THAT POPULAR! DON'T WORRY! THE CHIEF IS OUT ON POLICE BUSINESS, BUT SHE'LL BE BACK SOON!"
"I see. Thank you."
Had Frisk not been standing close enough to their skeletal friend, he'd be nothing more than the monster equivalent of ash. When the human slipped from their mother's protective grasp and tackled Papyrus, they both went down hard. By the skin of their teeth, neither of them were caught by the transparent, crimson line that breezed over their heads.
It grazes the fur on Toriel's ear, before crashing into the house behind her. The back door is blown inward, dispersing splinters of wood throughout the interior hallway. Most definitely a fatal attack.
All Frisk saw before it launched was the knight raising their sword to strike. Originally, they assumed it to be a normal bladed swing. However, it ended up being much more. Something that would've, without question, cut Papyrus in two.
"W- WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Alphys screams from the living room.
"STAY INSIDE!" Toriel yells back, hurriedly dragging Frisk and Papyrus to their feet.
"I've borne witness to many worlds..." the knight says, staring solely at the human teenager regaining their bearings. "But your case is most interesting. Finally, some variety."
Content in knowing the others are uninjured, the boss monster turns to face the attacker. She joins her hands together, and on command, a rush of blinding flame beams out from her palms. The knight shields their face with one arm right as the righteous fire makes contact, encasing them in its burning purity.
"Papyrus, take Frisk and get inside!" Toriel commands.
Because of an expectation born from superstition, she's hardly surprised when her fire has next to zero effect against her armored opponent, who continues shielding against the intense heat.
"I'm not leaving you, Mom!!" Frisk cries over the powerful blast.
"JUST DO AS I SAY!" she roars, making the human jump back. "Please... you can't fight. Neither of you could ever hurt a fly."
"Yeah, Frisk," the knight says tauntingly. "Show me some MERCY."
Frisk's entire body stiffens.
"That's enough out of you!!" Toriel yells, doubling the pressure of her attack.
Even while standing behind her, Frisk can still feel its heat. Papyrus doesn't, exemplifying this further when he walks past the child and raises his hand at the stranger.
"I ONLY WISH TO WEAKEN YOU BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT!" Papyrus says. "PLEASE, HOLD STILL! NYEH!"
A single bone flies onward, bonking against the knight's helmet and falling to the ground. Toriel gives Papyrus a side glance.
"UM... THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT COMES FROM!"
If there is, no one gets to see it. Somehow, a source of purple light matches and even surpasses the brightness of Toriel's flame, forcing everyone to briefly look away. Once it disappears, they all turn back in its direction. Whatever it was, it's gone, and so too is the knight.
Seeing this, Toriel ceases her fire, glancing around the yard quizzically. In spite of what her instincts are telling her, there appears to be no sign of the sword-wielding murderer anywhere. Both Frisk and Papyrus are just as bewildered as the boss monster, realizing the stranger has somehow vanished.
"IT SEEMS THAT MY ATTACK SCARED THEM OFF," Papyrus concludes. "I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SO VIOLENT! MAYBE THEY WOULD HAVE LISTENED IF I TRIED DIPLOMACY!"
"You did," Frisk sighs, their patience with Papyrus's nativity wearing thin.
"OBVIOUSLY NOT HARD ENOUGH!"
"Come, let's get back inside," Toriel suggests, turning around and grabbing Frisk's hand. "They may come back."
Possibly summoned by the monster's poorly timed words, another source of blinding purple materializes close by, forcing everyone to protect their eyes a second time. Heartbeat accelerating, the teenager risks permanent damage to their vision to only snag a peek of the light's source.
Frisk cracks open their eyes just in time to see the knight standing behind their unsuspecting mother, sword raised in the air.
"NOOOO!"
Their legs move on their own. One moment, they can feel pain shoot through their shoulder blade as it clashes against the stranger's hard steel. The next, their feet are off the ground. Scratch that, there is no ground.
Confusion escalates to panic. Before, the patch of fluorescent purple seemed to be illuminated from behind the scarlet attacker. Now, it's everywhere. Left, right, up, down. And worse, it has sound. Tremendous whirling similar to that of an EF5 tornado. It's felt in Frisk's throbbing ear drums and quivering chest.
A faint: "Friiiiiisk!" from Toriel is the last thing they hear before the noise takes over completely.
All air leaves their throat. The sensation is familiar. It reminds them of when they used to ride in Papyrus's convertible. Something is pulling their body away at high speed. Whether it be gravity or momentum remains to be seen, though the kid hopes it's not the former.
Tightening pain draws the human's eyes to their right ankle. Seeing what's attached to it motivates their violently thumping heart to work even faster. The iron grip of the red knight.
Frisk tries to move, yet remains shackled to their would-be murderer, who strengthens their hold after noticing the child's desperate struggles. Out of ideas, they reel their free leg back. The knight is too late to process the teen's next move. A swift kick against their visor is all it takes.
No longer having something to steady themself, the knight is propelled backward before being swallowed up by the vortex's spinning walls.
Being safe from the stranger's clutches only brings momentary relief. Above all else, Frisk just wants this nightmare to end. Even though the wish isn't granted instantaneously, after several more moments, it's granted nonetheless, followed up by total darkness.
...
Toriel reaches for the collar of her human child. Instead, her fingers grasp at nothing. She can only watch as Frisk, and the red knight they threw themselves against, stumble into the bright light before dematerializing in front of her very eyes.
"FRISK?!" she calls.
No answer.
"FRISK, WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Again, no answer.
Everything transpired in the blink of an eye. And unfortunately for Papyrus, he missed it by two. By the time he managed to turn to the commotion, his human friend was missing in action.
With great reluctance, Toriel decides to wait. The radiance did reappear after all. Surely it will again, and this time, she'll have the opportunity to guide her child to safety. So she waits. And a minute goes by of the two monsters standing together vigilantly.
Nothing happens.
Finally, she sinks to her knees, alarming the skeleton at her side.
"That devil has my child.." Toriel says, fighting back tears.
Already, Papyrus is kneeling beside her.
"DON'T BE SO SURE!" he reasons. "FRISK IS NOT AN EASY PERSON TO CAPTURE! WHEREVER THEY ARE, THEY MUST BE SAFE."
While certainly well-intentioned, Papyrus's words of reassurance do little to ease Toriel's concern. The whole world could be ending and he'd still keep that same positive outlook. Right now, she doesn't want it. Only confirmation that Frisk is safe and sound. A reality that is increasingly becoming more unlikely, much to the mother's terror.
"Oh my g-gosh."
Papyrus looks to the house's blown-off back entrance. In the door's outline is Alphys, who has her eyes set on the nearby damage. Ruptured wood, the crater near the treeline, and a streak of charred grass reaffirm her suspicion of a fight taking place. Nervously, she meets Papyrus's gaze.
"Is it s-safe to come out now?"
He nods. Toriel doesn't say a thing, staring ahead at nothing.
"ALPHYS!" a familiar voice yells from somewhere deeper in the house.
The scientist just barely turns her neck to its source when she's swept off the ground, held securely in Undyne's vigorous arms.
"Are you okay?" she asks, threatening to crush her girlfriend with the ferocious might of her embrace.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine!" Alphys yelps. "You're k-kinda hurting me."
Hearing this, Undyne quickly sets the short monster down, pleased to know she's unharmed.
"We heard fighting, and-"
Undyne's eye snaps wide open. Having been so caught up in ensuring Alphys's safety, the evidence of a clash initially went by unnoticed.
"Sheesh," everyone hears a familiar skeleton say.
No one saw Sans arrive, who is currently surveying the damage from Undyne's left.
"Did the party get good while I was away?"
"SANS!" Papyrus yells, standing up. He points an accusing finger at his older brother. "WHERE'D YOU WANDER OFF TO? YOU COULD'VE GOTTEN LOST!"
"Sorry, bro," Sans shrugs. "Just went for a walk is all. So, you mind telling us what happened?"
Through it all, Toriel hasn't said a word. In fact, she hasn't reacted to anyone else's arrival. Undyne finds this behavior odd until something clicks in her brain. The absence of a certain little runt.
"Toriel... where's Frisk?"
...
A blurred, indecipherable image is all the child can perceive when their eyes eventually open. Even still, a strong trace of familiarity lingers in the air, which feels suffocatingly thick. Complete silence fills the void save for the human's small movements.
Slight ringing persists in their ears, undoubtedly brought on by the chaotic trip that transported them here. Wherever 'here' is. Aside from a nagging headache, Frisk is thankful to be uninjured. They sit up, glancing down at the smooth grass below.
Where am I?
A question they immediately regret asking once they make out their new, hauntingly recognizable surroundings. It all comes to them at once. The eerie silence, the encompassing darkness of the cavern walls, the taunting ray of sunlight bathing the human child in a heavenly glow...
They're back in Mount Ebott. Where it all started.
Fully awake, and now capable of comprehending what new terrifying circumstances they've now found themselves in, Frisk is thrown into a fit of hysteria. Their eyes dart around to examine the validity of the scene, with a fading hope that this is all in their mind. Tears creep from the bottom of their eyes, ready to come loose.
Did I reset?! No, I couldn't have! This has to be a dream, right? Please, wake up ... please...
"Um... hello?"
Everything is swept aside. The fear, the regret, the rising panic- all of it.
That voice?!
Frisk cranes their neck to see the person standing over them. They hadn't imagined it.
Long, floppy ears hang at the sides of the child's face. Under his snout, his mouth is parted, showing a small glimmer of his fangs. White fur overlays his entire body. Disregarding the absence of horns on top of his head, where only a small tuft of fur lies, his features resemble a blend of Toriel and Asgore's. Because in essence, that's exactly what he is.
Their son... Asriel Dreemur.
He's exactly like Frisk remembers him. Their time together may have been short, but they never forgot his image. His voice. What he gave up. Wearing a long-sleeved, green T-shirt with black pants, his clothing somewhat mirrors the human's, who stares up at him in disbelief.
Picking up on the shock written over their face, Asriel throws his hands up frantically.
"Hey, it's okay!" he says. "I won't tell. Just surprised. I had no idea other kids played here."
He offers the human a raised pinkie.
"This can be our little secret! So... what's your na-?"
His words are cut short. Frisk lunges forward, wrapping their arms around the monster's shoulders and bringing him into a squeezing embrace. Truthfully, it doesn't matter if this is a dream. At this very moment, it's real enough.
"I thought I'd never see you again..." Frisk gasps.
Asriel can only stay in place, incapable of doing much against the stranger's tight hold.
"Uh..." he starts awkwardly. "Have we met before?"
...
In another lifetime, Asgore rarely found himself to be a victim of impulse. Nearly everything he did, ranging from royal obligations down to personal hobbies, was given a careful amount of consideration beforehand. Ruling over an entire kingdom has a way of making one conscious of every possible outcome.
But the hike in and out of his former cage leaves him not only exhausted, but hazy as to what reason rationalized doing so in the first place. The only thing gained from the tiresome climb was bad memories and sore muscles.
Walking across a public sidewalk on the way to his apartment, Asgore moves at a quick pace, desperate to get away from the myriad of onlookers out and about. Most who see him just steal a quick glance, nothing new. What's particularly uncomfortable is when someone decides to take a picture. In all his years, the king has never grown past being camera-shy.
Everyone seems more attentive to my presence today. He observes. Must be the royal attire, I suppose.
If anything, it gives the king more of a reason to remove it as soon as possible. Even with his place of residence only a few steps from reach, he daydreams of retiring the heavy armor once more and tending to his small batch of plants. Having neglected to bring any food for the trip, Asgore's parched mouth craves the refreshing taste of golden flower tea.
He enters the parking lot of the building, located between a local pharmacy and a video rental store. It's far from the Ritz, ranging three stories. Around half of its midnight blue paint has peeled away, evidently being denied a refurbishment since the home unit's construction.
Back when Asgore laid eyes on it six years ago on a quest to find a place to stay, he couldn't envision a more unsuitable place for royalty if he tried. So it was perfect. At long last, the many sleepless nights spent in an empty palace were finally behind him. A fresh start.
Unexpectedly, a flash goes off, making the boss monster stumble back, dazed. Succeeding it is a rush of hurrying footsteps along with a collection of voices that all blend into each other, making it impossible to perceive what any one person is saying.
Asgore is stunned. And not by the plethora of proceeding camera flashes, although, they certainly help. Huddled in front of him is the paparazzi. Four monsters and nine humans to be specific, each equipped with a camera emitting a bright flash.
Were these people waiting outside my home? How long have they been standing here?
"Mr. Dreemurr, over here!" a woman says.
FLASH
"Anything you'd like to comment on, your highness?" a bipedal moth-like monster inquires.
FLASH
"Will you get to the bottom of this?" another reporter asks.
FLASH
"What will you do as king of the monsters?"
"Settle down, settle down," Asgore says patiently, to about as little success as he expected. "If you could all just go one at a time, that'd be-"
FLASH
"Your Highness, how concerned are you over the recent murders?"
Asgore blinks.
"The what?!"
...
An insistent chill invades through the cracks of Frisk's light clothing, making them vibrate from the constant shivering. They keep their shaking arms entwined around their chest out of desperation to find any warmth. But just like the other countless times they ventured through the cold depths of Snowdin, the technique proves futile.
Making it through the Ruins at least gave them some much-needed perspective on their current situation. By now, it's safe to assume this is not a reset. Or at least any ordinary one.
Instead of first encountering a diabolical talking flower, they received a much warmer welcome from the real person hidden away in that empty vessel. Someone who's kind, and sweet, and helped guide them through the multitude of tricky puzzles that awaited them in the purple labyrinth. Some were familiar, others were not. And Toriel's influence was nowhere to be found.
Now, they stand in the freezing wilderness of Snowdin, patiently waiting for Asriel's promised return. The young monster seemed puzzled at Frisk's refusal to head into town but chalked it up to shyness. Unknown to him, it was a decision made mostly out of self-preservation. It's hard to know for sure how monsters around this time will react to the sudden presence of a human, but just in case, Frisk decides against the risk.
Unbothered, Asriel instead insisted on going the long way around. So that's what the pair did. If the teenager knew it would prolong their time in the eternal winter, they would've been less eager to take the offer. Baren, lifeless trees populate the wintry landscape, the true extent of their height concealed by the darkness above. This part of Snowdin terrified them the first time around. Especially after leaving the warmth of Toriel's protection and entering an all-new, chilling reality.
Sans would've appreciated the pun.
Suddenly, they hear soft footsteps heading in their direction. They belong to Asriel, who walks over with two cones topped with rich, creamy goodness.
"Sorry for the wait," Asriel smiles. "The line was longer than expected. Thought I'd surprise you! Since, you know, we're now friends and all."
Frisk smiles at the kind gesture and accepts the cone with a: "Thanks."
"Don't mention it... Frisk, right?"
They nod.
"That's a nice name."
Dubiously, Frisk licks the frozen treat in their hand. The ice cream's sweet and fruity taste mixed with its soft texture makes for a wonderful delicacy. But consuming it only worsens how bitterly cold they feel, with parts of their body starting to go numb from it. Asriel's fur makes them envious.
"Isn't it good?" he asks, oblivious to the human's suffering. "It's the perfect weather for something cold."
Frisk shakes their head with amusement.
Monsters are weird.
Throughout their time getting acquainted with one another, Asriel's presence has not for a second felt like anything more than a dream. Adding to the strangeness of it all is just how happy he seems. A far cry from the kind but downhearted child they encountered at the barrier. This Asriel is still a kid.
Another thing Frisk has to get used to is their new height difference. Before, they stood evenly. Now, the human has a couple of inches on the prince and then some. More evidence to go against the reset theory, as their age didn't revert to the single digit it was back when they first fell. When everything changed.
"So, where to now?" Asriel asks as he makes more progress on his ice cream. "Do you want to head home? I could show you some of the books I've been reading. You could also meet my parents! I don't think they've ever seen a monster like you before."
Alarm bells sound off in Frisk's head.
"Actually, do you know anyone by the name of Sans?"
Asriel tilts his head.
"Sans the skeleton?" Frisk clarifies, knowing there's no point in doing so.
"I'm sorry, but that name doesn't ring a bell," he says. "A friend of yours?"
"Sorta," Frisk mumbles, mostly to themselves.
Given his keen perceptiveness and scientific knowledge, Sans seemed like an obvious person to go to. But an even better one comes to mind.
If anyone can help me understand what's going on, it's gotta be Alphys!
"Can you take me to the royal scientist?" Frisk asks.
Much to the human's relief, Asriel's eyes flash with understanding.
"Of course!" he agrees. "His lab is really far away but I know a shortcut."
Frisk pauses.
His?
"Come on, let's get going!" Asriel cheers before he begins walking deeper into the empty forest. "My Mom will ground me if I'm not back in time for bed."
Fresh out of options, Frisk follows after him, hoping to find some answers once they reach their destination.
...