1. Fly By Night
As evening fell, the young officer felt it his duty to step outside the police station and speak to the crowd of monsters that had gathered. "Attention!" he called out confidently, and all stopped to look at him.
"Thank you," he continued. "I understand your concern, but we don't yet have decisive evidence to make a conclusion one way or another on the Papyrus case. You have the right to peacefully assemble, but not at the cost of impeding justice, and if you keep crowding the station, you'll end up doing exactly that." He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
The sun was setting, and between the lateness of the hour and the officer's speech, many monsters began to disperse. Toriel only did so after a longing last glance at the station, thinking not of the complicated case but of the one whose fate had already been decided.
"I'm not going anywhere," Undyne insisted, stamping a foot."
"And I'm s-staying w-with Undyne," Alphys added.
Deciding that two monsters could hardly cause all that much harm, the young officer simply nodded and walked back into the station. "They're clearing out out there," he informed Sans, Ruby, and Sora. "It's up to you what you want to do. You just can't get in anyone's way, and this doesn't mean it's visiting hour for your friend."
Sans responded with an audible snore; he was already asleep.
Sora shook his head. "I can't stay here anymore anyway." He stood up, planting his feet firmly on the floor. "Not when Papyrus needs my help. I'm going to go out there and see if I can find out what happened!"
"Where are you going to look?" Ruby asked.
"I…don't exactly know that yet," Sora admitted. "But I'll figure out something! I always do!"
"I think I'm just going to stay here, if you don't mind," Ruby told him. "It doesn't feel right to just LEAVE him. Even if we can't talk to him right now."
Sora nodded. "I get it. I'll come back here after I've figured more things out. I promise!"
"Good luck!" Ruby wished as Sora darted out of the station.
That left the officer and Ruby alone in the room with the sleeping Sans. "So," Ruby asked, "what's your name?"
"Lyons," the young officer responded. "Dan Lyons. It's not that I don't want to chat, but you really can't interrupt me from my work."
"Sorry," Ruby said meekly.
Still, Lyons was glad someone had asked his name. It seemed all too often that people preferred to know the names of the villains of the story rather than the heroes. They wanted to see the guilty as innocent, the innocent as guilty, and the corrupt as the face of the force. As for civilians who'd never run afoul of the law or been connected to it at all, did they even get recognition? Lyons was just trying to do the best he could. And if he were allowed to make decisions based on his heart, he would have let Papyrus go in an instant. He knew better than to believe the energetic skeleton was a murderer. But no one's heart is decisive evidence.
...
A villain who would have preferred his name never be known made his way carefully and deliberately down toward the police station in a stolen car. The Huntsman kept his headlights off, sticking to back streets. His staff lay across the passenger seat beside him. He'd been careful to leave without alerting any of the others; Yzma, Roman, Snatcher, and Neo had all been busy elsewhere in the underground city. The Huntsman knew that Snatcher would only try to impede his quest in the name of the longer, more complex plan. That was why he had wanted to go alone. He didn't know that there was anyone else in the car until he felt a delicate finger tap him on the shoulder.
He slammed on the brakes, nearly swerving into a lamppost. Angrily whirling, the Huntsman's fiery eyes fixed upon the mischievous grin of Neo. "What are YOU doing here?" he roared.
As usual, Neo didn't answer in words, only giving him an unnerving grin.
"You're here on behalf of Mr. Snatcher or Mr. Torchwick, aren't you?" the Huntsman accused. "You want to stop me from upsetting their scheme."
Neo's grin faded, and she shook her head somberly.
Realization settled in. "You…wish to come with me to kill the imprisoned monsters."
Now Neo's smile nearly split open her face as she nodded vehemently, producing her umbrella and drawing its thin blade.
"Very well," the Huntsman sighed. "You may come. But stay out of my way."
Neo gave a nod of assent.
Turning back to the wheel, the Huntsman reminisced; "I'm sure I've told you of my days as part of the Huntsclan. I have told you of the Huntsgirl, have I not? It is a tradition for the Huntsmaster of the clan to fight with an apprentice alongside of him in hopes that the apprentice will become the next generation's Huntsmaster. Perhaps you can act as a Huntsgirl this night. However, if you turn traitor as the last one did, it will be you who becomes the hunted."
Neo, thinking over the Huntsman's words, cast a new illusion over herself. Her body did not change, but her clothing and hair underwent a transformation. The Huntsman caught sight of her in the rearview mirror. She was now wearing a suit of green cloth that covered her entire body and sheathed all of her face but her mismatched eyes. She fitted herself with dark gloves, shoes, and epaulets, and her hair appeared to lengthen, traveling down her back in a tricolored braid. It was the uniform of the Huntsgirl, and she was all too happy to step into that role.
...
Frisk checked around the corner, looking up and down the main hall. The coast was clear. Frisk slipped into the foyer, making for the door.
"Young lady, where do you think you're going?"
Their mother's voice stopped them cold. "I was just going to bring out the garbage," Frisk lied.
"You might want to actually get the bag from the kitchen, then," their mother said coldly.
Frisk turned to face the older woman slowly, swallowing hard.
"You were going out to see monsters," Aya Tobias said coldly.
Frisk shook their head. "I…" They meant to lie. Instead, they said, "…don't think it happened like you think it did. I KNOW Papyrus, and – "
"We're not taking any chances, Frisk. You're not going outside."
"But, Mom – "
"In fact, you're going to your room right now so we know where you are. Safe."
"But, Mom!"
"NOW, Frisk."
At least it was a good deal quieter and calmer than their father would have been. Defeated, Frisk turned to walk back up the stairs to their room. They briefly contemplated making a run for the door, but their mother would have outpaced them, grabbed them forcibly, dragged them indoors and locked the door on the way. Then would come the lectures and ever so much yelling.
There would be yelling anyway, Frisk knew as they ascended to their room. Almost immediately when they closed the door, they heard the strong voice of their father break in. Though Frisk couldn't make out the exact words, they knew it had something to do with their attempting to leave the house again, coupled with some derogatory slur toward Papyrus or Toriel. Then their mother, overcome with guilt, would plead that maybe they were being too hard on Frisk, to which their father would reply "TOO HARD ON HER?" – and there it was, he'd just yelled it. Now they were bound for another long night of arguing, and in the morning, it would be Frisk's fault they had fought. Well, technically, it was Frisk they were fighting about, but did that put Frisk at fault, really?
"No," the tiny voice said. "They're just being stupid, again. I bet the old man is getting his gun down from the shelf again so he can try and shoot any monster that comes too close to the house. I really hate them, you know."
Quickly pulling the lock to their room tight, Frisk hurried over to the mirror to look at themselves. "You don't usually talk when it's this early," they whispered to the reflection.
The eyes staring back looked less brown than they did bright red. "I got bored with sleeping," the little voice said inside Frisk's head.
Chara was something that Frisk didn't dare try to explain to their parents. It was already hard enough telling them that they had several friends who weren't human, and that they weren't a "young lady" like both of the Tobias parents insisted on calling their child. Frisk couldn't imagine what would happen if they ever told their parents that there was an actual voice inside their head. Frisk had worried momentarily that the voice was a sign of mental illness, as their parents would most certainly believe, but it had been made increasingly clear as they progressed through the underground on their fateful journey that they had picked up a hitchhiker in their soul, a person long dead who was looking for a place to rest. And her name was "Chara." Chara tended to tune out for most of the day, preferring to make herself known for evening chats; she could choose when to "sleep" and leave Frisk's soul alone in its body. But now she was wide awake.
"I know you don't like them," Frisk whispered. "But they're my parents."
"And they're awful. Don't you remember what your dad called Mettaton the other day? I got my TV taken away for a week for using that word once. Hey, you know what we should do?"
"Don't say 'run away,' Chara."
"Why not? You hate it EVERY time I bring it up. But if we ran away, we wouldn't have to hear them screaming anymore!"
Frisk turned an ear to what was going on downstairs:
"Oh, now you think your GUN is going to solve all your problems? Are you just going to start shooting things until you think your daughter is safe?"
"I'm trying to protect this house, Aya, and you know it! Do you want to find Frisk with her throat cut on our back step?"
"You're real mature, you know that? Just whipping that thing out and firing at whatever – "
"I DON'T FIRE AT WHATEVER, AYA! I KNOW HOW TO USE A GODDAMN GUN!"
"See what I mean?" Chara posed. "And you KNOW what he wants to use that gun on. What if it's Alphys? I would've said Papyrus, but I don't think he's coming around to the house anytime soon. The longer you stay here, the more your friends are in danger."
"I think you're just saying that because you want to leave," Frisk replied.
"But it's true!" Chara argued.
"I know," Frisk sighed. They glanced toward the window.
"You're actually thinking about it!" Chara gasped. "See, there's a bit of roof we could walk on, and then all we have to do is climb down the big tree – "
"It's not forever," Frisk whispered. "It's just for tonight."
"What? Where are you gonna go?"
"To Toriel's," Frisk answered softly. "It isn't…it isn't just my parents. It's all this stuff with Papyrus and Asgore. I just…I need her right now."
"She's a really good mom, Frisk. We could live with her."
"We can't, Chara. You know that." Frisk was already getting up and moving toward the window, pulling back the white linen curtain, undoing the latch.
"But I miss her," Chara said plaintively. "I really screwed up with her, Frisk."
"I'm sorry about that," Frisk said as they stepped over the edge of the window. Even outside, on the roof, they could still hear their parents' screams. ("For Christ's sake, Den, one of them is her teacher!" "She's not going back to that school, Aya. Not until they learn from this and put a leash on that creature!") "Maybe someday, we can fix it." They tested a tree branch for strength, then stepped out onto it, keeping a tight hold on the plant.
Down the tree, out of the yard, into the empty street, finally, Frisk and Chara couldn't hear the cries anymore. Frisk thought about going back for their bike, but it was in the garage, and the noise would certainly alert the Tobiases to the fact that their child was running away. And so Frisk went on foot, hurrying down the road and round the corner, mentally mapping out the way to Toriel's home.
There was almost no one out on the streets, and all the lamps had come on in the dark. Frisk let their guard drop, failing to pay attention as they rounded another corner and crashed into the other person who'd been out running at that time of night. Frisk went tumbling to the ground with a scream.
"Frisk!" the other cried worriedly. A hand was extended down next to the fallen child. "Are you okay?"
Frisk looked up tentatively, heart beating at double rate. "Hi, Sora," they greeted, taking the offered hand.
Sora hoisted Frisk up to their feet. "Where were you going?" he asked.
"Please don't tell anyone," Frisk begged.
"O…kay?" Sora tilted his head in confusion.
"Sorry," Frisk panted. "My parents don't exactly know I'm out. And I want it to stay that way."
"He's cute," Chara whispered. "I like him!"
"Why don't you want your parents to know you're out?" Sora asked innocently.
"After…you-know-what happened…they don't want me to be near monsters," Frisk answered.
"WHAT?" Sora replied. "But Papyrus didn't…" He shook his head. "Some people just don't get it. But I'm gonna try and fix that."
"How?"
"He's REALLY cute," Chara insisted. "You should flirt with him!"
"Not now," Frisk hissed.
"Huh?" Sora replied.
Frisk shook their head. "Nothing."
"Well, I don't know exactly how I'm gonna do it," Sora admitted, "but I couldn't just sit around anymore. I'm gonna find a way to prove Papyrus innocent and figure out where the real bad guys are!"
Frisk no longer wanted to take refuge with Toriel. "I want to help Papyrus, too," they stated. "Can I help you?"
Sora shrugged. "Sure!"
"Are you just holding back on flirting with him because you have a thing for my brother?" Chara accused.
Frisk just sighed. "Sometimes it almost feels like everyone would have been better off if we'd all stayed in the mountain after all."
"You don't mean that," Sora replied.
"I don't," Frisk admitted. "But…" They were struck with it then, looking up to Mt. Ebott. "The mountain! Sora, the mountain! Nobody ever goes up there anymore! Not since the monsters came aboveground!"
"Yeah?" Sora responded. "What about it?"
"If I were trying to hide from everybody else," Frisk continued, "that's EXACTLY where I'd go!"
"So that might be where Roman and his friends are!" Sora realized. "Frisk, that's genius! Let's go!"
The pair took off swiftly through the night, upward bound.
...
As soon as Mozenrath, Even, Mim, and Aghoul arrived back at the edge of the Everfree Forest, they charted their course for the enchanted tree at its heart. They had only galloped a short ways into the wood when they noticed the thick cloud cover overhead.
"That had better be bad weather," Mozenrath growled.
It wasn't bad weather.
Grimhilde swept downward on dark wings, beating heavy currents of air at the four unicorns, nearly bowling them all backward. As soon as she landed, a great hemisphere of magic spread out over the quartet, hitting them hard with a Graviga spell that pinned them flat to the ground, legs splayed, stomachs against the grass.
"Well DONE, Grimmie!" Cruella cackled, striding next to the harpy and observing the four trapped unicorns.
"You." Mozenrath's horn glowed; he tried to throw off the Graviga, but failed. "You don't know what you're DEALING WITH – "
Grimhilde flicked a wing at Mozenrath, and a bolt of lightning boomed down into the forest and struck him directly, sending high volts of pain coursing through his every muscle. He couldn't bite back the scream of agony.
"I'm afraid YOU don't know what YOU'RE dealing with!" Grimhilde threw back her head and laughed. A ring of fire sprang up around the unicorns, growing ever smaller, threatening to turn them all into a pyre.
"No…no, not again…" a profusely sweating Even babbled.
"You know, perhaps THEY'LL be my next accessories," Cruella laughed. "That jet-black mane would make a lovely set of gloves, wouldn't it?"
"There won't be any mane left of them," Grimhilde said wickedly.
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Wuya skidded in behind the harpy and the Diamond Dog. Wuya could just catch glimpses of her associates through the ring of fire. "Now, NOW!" she barked. "Before it's too late!"
Grimhilde and Cruella spun to face the trio of fillies and their chaperone with a simultaneous "WHAT?"
"You think you can mess with ponies like that?" Apple Bloom snapped. "Well, think again! C'mon, girls! ELEMENTS…OF…HARMONY!"
The trio was surrounded by a sphere of light, the crystals rotating about them glowing ever brighter. Had Grimhilde thought to go for the gems, she might have successfully disarmed them. However, her mistake was to flick a wing directly at the bodies of the three fillies, casting a great wave of fire at them. The flames flickered uselessly around the sphere of light, inside of which the new Element bearers were levitating off the ground. Grimhilde cast another spell, this time one of cold winds and ice. At the same time, a striking rainbow arced forth from the light sphere, knocking the chilly spell aside as it wrapped Grimhilde in color.
Cruella watched in shock as Grimhilde, completely surrounded by rainbow light, cried out in defeat: "No…NO…NOOOOOOOOOO!" Her body began to petrify, becoming granite from the claws up. When all was said and done, Grimhilde was transformed entirely into a stone statue.
The light subsided, and Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo dropped onto the grass. At the same time, the circle of flame surrounding Mozenrath, Even, Mim, and Aghoul doused itself, and the Graviga lifted, prompting its prisoners to stand. Cruella, looking for all the world like she was caught in the headlights of her own vehicle, hoisted Grimhilde up over her head and made a run for their shared Gummi ship. At least they would get away with the Crystal Heart.
"Well." Even used one hoof to dust off his chest. "THAT is an experience I would rather not repeat."
Mozenrath staggered once on his feet. His muscles still shivered from the direct hit by lightning, and his heart was thumping at a high rate. He wondered how much voltage had been put through him. He decided then and there that electricity was his least favorite form of magic. Trying not to quiver, he turned toward the fillies; "If it isn't our heroes of the hour. How can we ever repay you for saving our skins? Oh, wait. I know. By doing this."
He focused on the crystal of Magic, and it zoomed away from Sweetie Belle so it could circle around Mozenrath instead. The other five crystals dropped to the ground; Mozenrath summoned the Generosity crystal to himself as well. Mim took up Loyalty, Aghoul took up Honesty, Even took up Kindness, and Wuya took up Laughter.
"HEY!" Scootaloo stomped a hoof. "Those are OURS!"
"Not anymore," Wuya laughed.
The fillies backed into each other as Mozenrath, Even, Wuya, Mim, and Aghoul formed a circle around them. "What should we do with them?" Mim asked, a wicked grin forming across her face.
"The unicorn might be useful if we can find a way to utilize her power," Mozenrath decided. "I don't see how the other two can be of any use to me, though. Might as well dispose of the witnesses while we still have the upper hand in keeping a lower profile."
"You were the good guys!" Apple Bloom protested in a panic.
"WRONG!" Mim cackled. "We're the WORST of the worst!"
"LEAVE THEM ALONE!" a voice boomed; a shockwave of deep blue magic radiated outward from the three fillies and sent the five unicorns staggering. Luna quickly galloped toward the Cutie Mark Crusaders, taking them under her wing.
When Mozenrath regained his balance, he realized Twilight had taken a position in front of him, staring him down. "You lied to me?" she said in shock.
"To be fair, I never said my interest in the magic of this world WASN'T so I could collect it for myself," Mozenrath told her, still fighting the quivering in his bones.
"I thought you were different," Twilight told him. "I thought we were…friends."
"And you know, maybe we could have been if you weren't the kind of person who thinks she can play hero," Mozenrath replied. "I value knowledge like yours. Guess I'm just going to have to settle for taking on Even instead."
Even replied with a derisive snort.
"Maybe you could have done good things with your power," Twilight told him. "But you would never do that, would you?"
"Now you're getting the idea."
Twilight's eyes were visibly watering, and Mozenrath somehow found he couldn't bring himself to taunt her about it. She really did have a mind that qualified her to work with his associates. It was altogether too bad her heart was in the wrong place for it. "If you'll excuse me," he told her, "I'll be taking these." He motioned with his head toward the two crystals that orbited his body.
"NO!" Twilight sent a blast of magic toward Mozenrath. He knew she would aim for the crystals, and so he put up a blue deflection shield around himself in the shape of a dome. He smirked proudly at her until his front knees collapsed and he was brought to the ground. Using magic was a strain in his current condition.
"Run," Luna told Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. The fillies gladly did so, taking off in the direction of Ponyville. Luna stared down Wuya, Even, Mim, and Aghoul.
"You can't think you can take on all five of us," Wuya taunted.
A cold wind blew around Luna, and her eyes glowed brightly, obscuring iris and pupil with white light.
"Please tell me you're the one casting that wind," Wuya hissed to Even.
"I wish I could," he retorted.
Luna flapped her wings, rising into the air; there was an audible thunderclap in the skies above.
"DO YOUR WORST!" Mim challenged, bracing herself.
Luna's horn glowed deep blue, and she summoned forth a horde from deep within the Everfree Forest. Hundreds of spiders, each the size of the average hoofprint, rushed forth, crawling upon Mim, Aghoul, Wuya, and Even.
"That tickles!" Mim laughed.
"Why, hello, cuties!" Aghoul giggled.
The others weren't reacting quite as gladly to the rush of spiders. Wuya shrieked, throwing herself to the ground to attempt to roll them away and crush them. Even swiped at them with a hoof, his voice growing higher and higher in pitch as he cried, "Get them off me! GET THEM OFF ME!"
Giving one last effort, Mozenrath channeled the dome of magic, transferring it into a beam of energy that surged toward Twilight. Twilight braced herself, surrounding herself with a dome of her own; Mozenrath's magic settled in as a dome over it, trapping her. "What…?" Twilight looked around herself, stunned. Her own shield fell, and she fired a beam at the inside of the blue dome, only for it to dissipate upon contact.
"Take the Elements and GO!" Mozenrath snarled.
Wuya and Even were all too glad to oblige, taking off so fast the spiders flew off them. Mim and Aghoul followed, and Mozenrath placed himself in the lead.
"And all because Wuya and Even had to be babies over a few spiders!" Mim huffed.
"I wasn't able to identify if their bites were venomous!" Even argued.
"They were just love bites," Aghoul told him.
"If you weren't already dead," Even huffed, "you would be now."
"Oh, please," Mim scoffed. "Like those do-gooder princesses would POISON us to death."
Mozenrath's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. The others got a few paces away before turning back to face him in concern. "Don't," Mozenrath snarled, trying to position his legs beneath him to force his body back to standing.
"You don't have any say in what we don't do anymore," Wuya told him, surrounding him in a bright aura and levitating him.
From within the dome that trapped her, Twilight felt the dismay within her harden into rage. She put her mind toward powers she'd once seen Celestia display, powers she'd used to reveal the dark secrets of the Crystal Empire's palace when it was still threatened by Sombra. A surge of Dark magic rushed through her, bursting through her horn and shattering the dome.
"YOU SHALL NOT GET AWAY!" Luna boomed, her voice taking on an unearthly volume as she and Twilight gave chase to the escaping unicorns.
"Corridor!" Even snapped. "To the ship! NOW!"
Aghoul obliged, casting a portal. He, Even, Mim, and Wuya fled through, taking the crystals and the downed Mozenrath with them. The portal closed just as twin beams of magic surged toward it, attempting to grip the five unicorns and drag them back.
"We're too late," Luna observed, skidding to a stop. Twilight did the same, gritting her teeth in anger as she watched where Mozenrath had vanished.
Luna turned to face her companion. "Twilight!" she gasped.
"WHAT?" Twilight snapped back.
"Your eyes…"
Twilight hadn't realized that the Darkness had begun to leak out of the corner of her eyes, the way it had done to Celestia when she'd first used Darkness to show Twilight what the fate of the Crystal Empire would be if Sombra regained power; the way it always had done to Sombra. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head until the wisps of Darkness subsided. "I can't believe I thought he was…"
"It is all right." Luna put a wing over Twilight.
"He didn't try to kill me, though" Twilight observed. "Just…trap me."
"Do not read into it, Twilight. Who knows what he was thinking?"
"At least the girls are safe," Twilight sighed. "But the Empire…and now they have the Elements…"
"We must return to the Empire to deliver the news," Luna told Twilight.
A flickering in their peripheral vision made them both turn; black, thorny vines were forcing their way up throught the ground and winding around the trees of the Everfree Forest.
"The Plunderseeds!" Twilight realized. "Without the Elements, the Tree of Harmony can't hold them back!"
Luna cast a Corridor of her own. "Hurry, Twilight! We must alert the others!"
As the two unicorns disappeared into the portal, the creeping vines thickened, twisting their way toward Ponyville.
The laugh of a draconequus who was very, very amused could be heard faintly in the distance to anypony close enough to listen.
...
For quite a while, Ruby did nothing but sit quietly in her chair and worry. She had tried to strike up a conversation with Sans; "Soooooooo…what do you think about…"
A loud snore cut her off. Sans was still fast asleep.
"Okay, you're still sleeping, then," Ruby muttered. "That's okay. I'm fine on my own. Not lonely or anything. It's cool."
After worrying in place for long enough, she took out her scroll to wear down its battery by playing a mobile game. Nearby, Lyons' eyes were fixed upon a computer screen.
The door creaked, and Undyne and Alphys came through. Ruby's eyes instantly flicked to them. "Hi!" She waved fervently.
"H-hi," Alphys replied shyly, stepping a few paces behind Undyne.
"You can be here," Lyons told her without looking away from his screen, "so long as you don't interfere with police work."
"I know, I know!" Undyne sighed.
"It was getting c-c-cold out there," Alphys said softly.
"Well, there are empty seats if you want 'em." Ruby patted Sora's chair.
Undyne slumped back in one, and Alphys settled herself in the adjacent seat. "So," Undyne asked with a nod toward Sans, "how long has he been out?"
"I think a couple hours now," Ruby replied.
The group was made vaguely aware of the sound of a car pulling into one of the parking spaces outside the station. Lyons tore his eyes away from the computer to glance over at the door. "Hello," he greeted. "How can I help – "
He knew from the moment he saw the masked man and his female cohort, also masked, that they didn't mean well. "You can stand down," the Huntsman threatened.
Lyons stood, sensing trouble. He was immediately hit with a blast from the huntstaff that sent him stumbling back to the floor, one arm twisted and broken.
"OFFICER LYONS!" Ruby rushed to the fallen man, eyes twitching back to her seat, under which was the case for her weapon.
The Huntsman turned to Neo. "You go for the souls. I'll take care of the beasts."
Neo gave a longing look back to Lyons, not wanting to leave the job unfinished.
Undyne had also risen from her seat, rushing forth to grab Neo by the shoulders in hopes of giving her a piece of her mind, either verbally or physically. Neo, however, twisted and dodged, slipping behind Undyne and dealing a kick to her lower back that sent the warrior sprawling out across the floor.
"UNDYNE!" Alphys shrieked.
Neo whipped out her blade, but the Huntsman put a hand on her shoulder; he was only able to do so because she allowed it. "The souls first," he told her. "Then you may do as you wish."
He and Neo took off running into the depths of the station together.
"I'm sorry!" Ruby told Lyons before the man could manage to get a word in. "But I have to stop them from doing…whatever they're doing before they hurt Papyrus!"
As Ruby darted first to her case to grab her scythe – Lyons really regretted not checking out that case earlier – and then down the hall after the pair of villains with Undyne in close pursuit, Lyons reached for his radio to call for backup.
"Th-this is awful!" Alphys gasped.
She was met with another loud snore.
"S-Sans!" she snapped with all the disapproval she could muster. "Are you seriously s-sleeping at a time like this?"
Sans shifted positions ever slightly, not about to wake up for anything short of the end of the world.
Partway down the hall, Neo's eyes alit upon the word "EVIDENCE" stamped on one of the doors. Recognizing her goal, she flung open the door and slipped inside. The Huntsman continued down to the end of the hall, where he found himself facing the bars that made up one of the walls of the holding cell.
"Who's there?" Asgore called out in concern as he and Papyrus turned to see who had entered.
Beneath his mask and balaclava, the Huntsman was grinning madly. "Your end is here, monsters," he announced, readying the huntstaff.
Asgore protectively stepped out in front of Papyrus, putting out a hand. His magical aura flickered within it only briefly, then winked out.
"Of course," the Huntsman very nearly chuckled. "The humans here are used to magic. They would have fortified the cell so that prisoners could not use it from the inside." His staff glowed brightly.
The weapon was hooked and pulled aside by Crescent Rose; Ruby's silver eyes stared the Huntsman's red ones down hard as behind her, Undyne barged into the evidence room after Neo. Ruby pulled hard on the scythe, jerking at the huntstaff; the Huntsman flicked the weapon out of the grip of Ruby's own. "You would protect these vermin?" he growled.
"I'm protecting my FRIENDS!" Ruby insisted, swinging Crescent Rose around to try and break the shaft of the huntstaff in two. The Huntsman let the shaft parry the blow; the staff was too durable for her ploy. Twice more the weapons spun through the air and clashed against each other before Ruby realized she had to do something different. She ducked; the huntstaff sailed over her head. When she came up, Crescent Rose slashed twice against the bars, and a large section of that wall fell in, offering Asgore and Papyrus passage out of the cell.
Stepping out of the cell's confines, Asgore, desperate to stop any harm from coming to Ruby or Papyrus, filled his hands with flame, launching them toward the Huntsman in a fiery rain. The Huntsman twirled his staff fast enough to deflect the spell, making sure that when he brought it out of the spin, it smacked directly into Ruby's stomach, sending her skidding down the hallway.
"RUBY!" Papyrus ran after the girl, who had landed flat on her back just outside the evidence room. As Ruby sat up, dizzied, she turned her head to look inside the nearby room and gasped at what she saw; Papyrus looked and did the same.
When Neo had diverted her course toward the evidence room, she had expected the six souls to be stored somewhere relatively obvious. She was right. In six glass canisters, they rested against the far wall, each taking the form of a heart shape with a different bright color: light blue, dark blue, orange, violet, yellow, and green. It only took one sweep for her to collect the canisters in her enchanted purse.
"YOU!" Undyne barked from the doorway. "PUT THOSE BACK!"
Neo turned; Undyne grinned madly, sure she had stricken at least a little fear into her opponent's heart. Neo stared back, and Undyne was unaware that Neo was bearing a grin of her own beneath her mask. What Undyne did see was Neo's eyes, and she suddenly realized she recognized them, as well as the woman's body shape. This was the same woman Undyne had faced on the beach. "So it's you," Undyne remarked. "I was hoping we'd meet again. I still have to teach you a lesson!"
Neo brandished her blade outward at Undyne.
"You don't scare me," Undyne told Neo. "Does THIS scare YOU?"
Neo was suddenly surrounded by almost innumerable spears crafted of blue energy, hovering in the air, all pointed down at her. She wasn't fazed in the slightest. When they plunged toward her, she began to duck, to dodge, to dip, to twirl. Every single spear was evaded, simply striking the floor hard enough to shake it before dissipating. Neo danced ever closer to Undyne, knowing she'd have to be careful and not get in a position where Undyne could freeze her aura again. Undyne lost track of Neo among the rain of spears up until she felt the shooting pain in her thigh that indicated Neo had run it right through with her sword.
Undyne grunted, falling to her knees as Neo withdrew the blade. Neo darted to Undyne's other side, ready to drive the blade through her other leg. She didn't just want Undyne to die; she wanted the warrior to suffer. However, her blade clashed immediately against a small fence, or perhaps it was more accurately a large shield, composed of enormous magical bright blue bones that had sprung up in between Undyne and Neo. After Papyrus had cast the shield, Ruby sprang up on top of it, converting Crescent Rose to a rifle and aiming it down at Neo. "Leave my friends ALO – " she began.
She was stopped short. She saw what Undyne had seen: the eyes, the shape of her body. But unlike Undyne, Ruby could put a name to those looks, and it was a name she feared: "Neo?"
Neo immediately took advantage of Ruby's surprise, leaping up and kicking Ruby back down over the fence before taking her place standing above it.
"PAPYRUS!" Ruby yelled. "CLOSE US IN!"
Papyrus rushed to where Undyne crouched and Ruby was scrambling to her feet, summoning more bones to create a circle around the triad. Neo, looking down in, realized that jumping into such an enclosed space with three warriors of that power was an idiot's play. Had she a ranged weapon with which to pick them off, it would have been the other way around, but it was they who had ballistics and projectiles while she carried a blade. Neo gave up on Undyne, Ruby, and Papyrus in their miniature bastion, leaping up over them and darting out of the evidence room to take a turn in distinctly the direction of the front office.
Papyrus let enough of the bones fall to provide a gateway out. "STAY WITH UNDYNE!" he told Ruby. "I THINK SHE'S GOING TO HURT SOMEONE ELSE! I HAVE TO STOP HER!" He took off like cannon fire, bolting down the hall.
Undyne gave Ruby a hard shove. "Go after Papyrus!"
"But you – " Ruby replied, eyes fixed upon Undyne's wound.
"I'm fine!" Undyne grunted. "But if he goes up against someone who wants to kill him that bad, he's DEAD! UNDERSTAND?"
Ruby nodded firmly before speeding after Papyrus.
Out in the hallway, Asgore and the Huntsman were locked in close combat. The Huntsman's staff swung out again and again, only to fall short and pull back when Asgore provided another rush of flames. The Huntsman was soon reduced to the defensive, spinning his staff rapidly to block an onslaught of fire. He edged ever closer to Asgore, strategizing inside his mind. Once he was near enough, he made a bold move, dropping his staff for just a moment to reach for a cuff concealed on his person. His arm shot forward, clamping the black cuff on Asgore's arm. The flames ceased; Asgore found he could not produce any more.
"It stifles your magic," the Huntsman told him. "Here is where you meet your end, monster."
A blazing blue energy spear slammed down right between the Huntsman and Asgore. The Huntsman turned about to see its source. Undyne knew better than to put weight on her injured leg, but she powered through the act of holding it straight up in the air as she walked on her hands, and now she was only balancing on the palm of one hand as she used the other to direct her magic spears. "You know something?" she taunted. "I haven't had this much of a challenge in a WHILE!"
Ten spears accosted the Huntsman from the side, striking at his edges, missing his skin but piercing his clothing and pinning him to the wall. Asgore took the opportunity to push past him, scooping up Undyne to carry her out in his arms.
"PUT ME DOWN!" Undyne commanded, squirming. "I'm FINE!"
"YOU WON'T ESCAPE, MONSTERS!" the Huntsman roared, forcibly tearing free from the wall, ripping his cape right off and creating deep gashes in his shirt that showed glimpses of the great red reptilian birthmark that traversed his upper body.
Out in the front lobby, Neo skidded to a halt in front of Lyons. She turned to him, eyes flickering, as an idea occurred to her. She raised her blade.
Lyons responded by drawing and aiming his gun in his good hand; "Put your weapon down."
Neo was confident she would be quick to kill, but before she did, she wanted Lyons to know what an awful mistake he'd made, what a deed he had on his conscience. Her outline shimmered, and she took on the guise of Papyrus once more.
"I said PUT YOUR WEAPON DOWN!" Lyons bellowed. Now the pieces were falling into place; of course Papyrus would seemingly be in more than one place at the same time if someone was using magic to create his image…
Neo advanced. Lyons fired. Though Neo's blade was thin, she was still able to bring it up to exactly where it needed to be to deflect the bullet. She rushed Lyons, blade outward –
And suddenly found herself having to dance out of the way of a charging Alphys, who brandished her phone; the phone had been modified to act as a taser if needed, and its edge crackled with electricity.
That gave the real Papyrus enough time to skid into the room, followed shortly by Ruby. Papyrus and Lyons made eye contact before the skeleton put up a shield of blue bones in front of him to protect him from Neo.
"So YOU'RE why everyone thinks Papyrus killed somebody!" Ruby accused. "It was you the whole time!"
Neo, still wearing Papyrus' face, nodded proudly.
Asgore burst into the room with Undyne, the Huntsman in hot pursuit. Panicking, Ruby rushed to the far side of the room, toward the only person to not yet be involved in the fight. Grabbing the small skeleton's shoulders, she shook him hard: "Sans! SANS! WAKE UUUUUUP!"
Sans just snored harder, in the midst of a very good dream about ketchup and sledding.
"THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK," Papyrus said forlornly.
Lyons' call for backup was then answered. A host of officers burst into the station from all available doors, guns brandished.
Lyons peered around the shield of bones. "It's him!" he cried, using his good hand, still with a gun in it, to point at the Huntsman. "And one of the skeletons isn't the real Papyrus! Don't shoot any of them! It's someone using magic!"
All firearms were pointed in the Huntsman's direction. "Drop your weapon," one of the officers ordered.
"I would rather kill you all," the Huntsman replied. He braced his staff, stepping forward, ready to make a run and cut down as many as he could.
Several of the guns fired; he was ready for that, spinning the staff to deflect them. As another salvo went off, the bullets appeared to pierce their target, only for what looked like the Huntsman to shatter like glass until there was nothing there. The officers then became aware that one of the skeletons was missing.
A car revved into gear outside, speeding backward out of the parking lot.
"They're in a car!" one of the officers barked.
The Huntsman was back at the wheel of the car, with Neo, now resembling a human in her standard clothes, in the back seat. He had been more than ready to fight the crowd, but when Neo presented him with an illusion to use to escape, he realized it was far more convenient to simply take it. He practically floored it, taking the car up the streets of Knightdock as the sounds of sirens indicated pursuit. Flashing lights of red and blue appeared in the Huntsman's rear view mirror.
Neo twisted around in the back seat, getting up on her knees to wave out the window at the pursuing police cars. The Huntsman wasn't sure exactly what she did, but he was aware of the moment when every single police car turned down a side street, abandoning the Huntsman's car completely, and he knew it was her doing. He took advantage of the moment to speed toward Mt. Ebott as quickly as he could. His hands were tight on the wheel, and his teeth were gritted.
Neo tapped him on the shoulder, opening her purse to show him the miniaturized canisters with the souls inside.
"I am well aware that we got what Mozenrath wanted," the Huntsman growled. "But we did not get what we came for."
Back at the station, Lyons' adrenaline simmered down just enough for him to finally feel the pain of his injured arm full force. "Request medical," he ordered. "For me and for her." He set his gun down, using his good hand to gesture toward Undyne.
"WHAT exactly are Asgore and Papyrus doing out of their cells?" another officer asked.
"And what is SHE holding?" A third gestured toward Ruby's Crescent Rose.
"They were defending themselves…and me…from those two," Lyons explained, collapsing back into his chair, his arm shooting new pain through his body. "And I think we have proof that Papyrus isn't our man after all. We should have thought of magic earlier. Of course monsters could use it to change shape…" He shook his head. "No. The person I saw was human. Not a monster. They both were."
"What about Papyrus?" Ruby asked worriedly, looking toward the taller skeleton in the room. "Is that the real one?"
"I SINCERELY HOPE I AM THE REAL ONE," Papyrus answered.
"That's the real one," Undyne sighed.
All were suddenly aware of a stirring at the side of the room; Sans stretched out his arms as he stumbled into wakefulness. "what'd i miss?" he asked innocently.
...
Sora and Frisk knew that once they approached the entrance – or perhaps it was the exit – of Mt. Ebott, the passage leading back into the castle, they had to proceed with caution. They checked around every corner before entering a room and they spoke in hushed tones.
When they gingerly entered the throne room, Frisk looked around at all the notes that had been pinned to the walls. "Those weren't here when I left," they informed Sora in a whisper. "Someone else was using this room."
"I'm guessing Roman or his friends," Sora whispered back.
They proceeded into Judgment Hall, where the twelve-pointed design on the floor stood out. "What do you think this is?" Sora asked, tilting his head.
"It looks like someone's trying to summon something from another plane," Chara suggested.
"I have no idea," Frisk volunteered. "I've never seen anything like this before. Though…maybe it's supposed to summon something?"
"Then what are those for?" Sora pointed to the crystal and the small case, blissfully unaware of what was inside.
Frisk just shook their head.
The sound of hard shoes clicking against the floor alerted them to an approaching presence. "Hide!" Frisk hissed. They and Sora ducked behind a nearby column, staying close to the wall.
Yzma entered from the far door just as Snatcher and Roman exited the hall branching off to their quarters. "You two will be glad to know what I've been working on in the lab – " she began.
"Have you seen the Huntsman?" Snatcher interrupted her.
"He's been quiet for WAY too long," Roman added.
"If he's gone and done something imbecilic to upset the entire plan…" Snatcher ran his hands over his hair and down the back of his neck in a nervous gesture.
"I'm sure he's somewhere in this mountain," Yzma told him. "After all, this kingdom is quite large. For all we know, he's somewhere in the Snowlands or whatever they're called. I haven't seen Neopolitan in a while either. Doesn't mean she's taken off to ruin our schemes."
"Unless she's gone with him," Snatcher pointed out.
"Why would Neo go anywhere with the Huntsman?" Yzma replied in exasperation.
"Because Neo likes to kill things!" Roman reminded her. "And the Huntsman likes to kill things!"
Sora chanced a glance around the column; all three villains were too engrossed in their conversation to notice the flash of movement. Quickly ducking back into his hiding place, he leaned down to whisper to Frisk in the quietest of voices: "I recognize two of them. I think one is Roman. The other was definitely with him last time they were causing trouble. I don't know who that woman is, but I bet she means trouble too!"
"I'm sure you're worrying about nothing," Yzma sighed. "Here. Let me show you." She removed her scroll from a pocket, tapping at its screen. "I'll just call him and – "
The beat of a rock song echoed through the hall. "You just called MY phone," Roman sighed.
"THAT'S your ringtone?" Yzma said in awe.
"Just – " Roman plucked the scroll from his pocket, answering it. "Just shut up," he told Yzma through the scroll. "I'LL call him." He hung up on the connection with Yzma, beginning another call.
"But seriously," Yzma grunted, "of all the songs you could have picked for your scroll, you had to pick the one that makes my ears literally BLEED every time it turns up on the radio."
"Your ears don't LITERALLY bleed," Snatcher retorted.
"As far as you know, they might," Yzma snapped.
"I am TRYING to make a call!" Roman barked, sending both of the others into silence. After a pause, he sighed. "Voicemail." He hung up. "All right. Let's try this. Now texting Neo…" His fingers danced across the screen. "Where…are…you?"
"Tell her she better not be screwing things up," Yzma suggested.
"No thank you," Roman replied. "I actually DON'T have a death wish."
"We should go," Frisk whispered to Sora. "We have to tell everyone they're here!"
"Okay," Sora said with a nod. "We just have to wait for them to leave so we can – "
At that moment, Snatcher was beginning a long pace down the hall: "If he goes and does something like murdering those monsters, he could lead the authorities right back to our base, and who knows where we'd be THEN – "
He passed Sora and Frisk's column, glimpsing them first in his peripheral vision. As he turned to face them directly, they froze. For a moment, Frisk, Sora, and Snatcher were locked in a silent stare of shock.
Then Snatcher's face folded into a sneer.
"Uh-oh," Sora muttered.
"Look what we have here!" Snatcher announced as he gripped Sora and Frisk by the backs of their shirts and shoved them into the center of the hall.
"Spies?" Yzma spat.
"I was thinking more along the lines of…" Snatcher's sneer did not fade. "The next two victims of the monsters."
"You had something to do with framing Papyrus," Sora accused, "didn't you?"
"Why, I'm certain I've no idea what you're talking about," Snatcher replied, hands moving toward his weapon.
Sora, sensing what was to come, summoned the Keyblade in a brilliant flash, brandishing it defensively. Roman, Snatcher, and Yzma all flinched; Roman was the first to recover. "So, you think you're a little hunter wannabe, don't you?"
"Hold on." Snatcher took a better look at Sora. "I've seen you before."
"And I've seen you!" Sora snapped. "In Remnant, when you messed everything up!"
"So," Yzma deduced, "you've been stalking us!" She was already hiking her skirt to reach for her atlatl.
"Well, you've followed us to the LAST world, boy," Snatcher growled, pistol and bludgeon in hand.
"Frisk, RUN!" Sora yelled.
Frisk attempted to dart down the hallway, but Snatcher, Yzma, and Roman repositioned, blocking them off. All three fired their weapons, two elemental blasts and a dart careening toward Frisk at the same time.
"FRISK!" Sora cried in horror.
But at the very last minute, Frisk dodged, slipping past all three blows before turning to run down the opposite end of the hall. Roman and Snatcher kept blasting at them; Yzma loaded up another dart. With only a brief backward glance, Frisk was able to keep zigzagging out of the way. "This way!" they called out to Sora. "Don't fight! Just run!"
Sora wanted to stay and fight, sure he could take on Snatcher, Roman, and Yzma all by himself. However, he wasn't sure Frisk could keep dodging blows that long. He turned to follow Frisk out of the hall.
They bolted, and the trio of ne'er-do-wells gave chase. Frisk first led Sora to an elevator, waving him inside. The doors closed just before a dart ricocheted harmlessly but loudly off them and one of Roman's blasts shook the foundation. Frisk jammed the controls to take the elevator to the lowest level.
"There's a river," Frisk explained quickly. "I think it goes all the way up here. If we can get to it and find some kind of raft, it can take us to the other exit on the other side of – "
"Um, excuse me?" Chara interrupted. "We're not just going to casually float to safety with three of the bad guys in hot pursuit."
"…Never mind," Frisk finished. "That's not fast enough. We need to find another way."
"A raft could be fast," Sora assured Frisk. "I could MAKE it fast."
"How?"
"With magic!"
"He better know what he's talking about," Chara grumbled.
"I hope you know what you're talking about," Frisk muttered.
The elevator doors opened, and the pair could hear the not-too-distant footsteps of Roman, Snatcher, and Yzma, who had found a stairway. "That way!" Frisk yelled, pointing in the direction of the river.
"Okay!" Sora grabbed Frisk's hand to take them along all the more quickly.
Upon Sora touching her host body, Chara let out a high-pitched squealing noise of pure joy that made Frisk flinch.
A raft was already parked on the bank of the river, left there by the ferryperson. It took Frisk and Sora only moments to drag it into the water and climb aboard. On the horizon, Yzma, Snatcher, and Roman were coming into view, all weapons raised.
Sora pointed his Keyblade directly back over the river: "WIND!" An Aerora blast cycloned out from the massive key, propelling the boat forward just before one of Yzma's darts landed in the water where it had been. "WIND!" Another propulsion of wind took it just enough out of the way that Snatcher's lightning fell short. The three villains were soon specks in the distance, though that didn't stop them from continuing to fire at the boat.
"DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!" Yzma screeched loud enough for Frisk and Sora to hear long after leaving her behind.
"What now?" Sora asked Frisk.
"Can you keep us going the rest of the way down the river?" Frisk asked.
"I'll do my best!" Sora replied with a smile.
"There's another way out of the mountain, and we'll probably lose them on the way," Frisk explained. "But it's a while until we get there, so I'm going to start calling. I'm going to tell as many monsters as I can that we found the bad guys we were looking for!"
"And I," Chara insisted, "am going to sit back and enjoy the ride next to this cutie."
Sora nodded. "Sounds like a plan!" He turned to fire another spell out the back of the raft: "WIND!"
...
Papyrus' red automobile sped (within reasonable limits) down the roads of Knightdock, tailing the ambulance that was transporting Undyne and Alphys to the hospital. Ruby sat next to him up front; Sans had been awake for fully seven minutes before going back to sleep in the back seat.
"THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID," Papyrus told Ruby. "I HAD THE WHOLE SITUATION UNDER CONTROL, OF COURSE, BUT IT NEVER HURTS TO HAVE A LITTLE HELP!"
"I'm just glad you're okay," Ruby replied. "We make a pretty good team, don't we?"
"I'LL SAY WE DO!"
Ruby stared out the side of the car for a moment, the night air whipping up her dark hair. "I was going to say it was too bad we'd have to leave you behind when we moved on," she brought up, "but…well, maybe I shouldn't ask this without Sora here, but something tells me he won't mind. Would you…maybe wanna come along with us to other worlds?"
"WOULD I?" Papyrus was practically squealing with delight. "OF COURSE I WOULD! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M ACTUALLY BEING OFFERED THE CHANCE! WHAT WILL I SAY WHEN I GET THERE? WHAT WILL I DO?"
"Well, you could always start by shopping for cinnamon rolls," Ruby joked.
Papyrus' phone began to ring. "DO YOU MIND?" he asked, holding the phone out to Ruby. "ONE SHOULDN'T USE THE PHONE AND DRIVE, AFTER ALL!"
Ruby put the phone to her ear; "Hello?"
"I think I have the wrong number," a voice replied. "I was looking for my friend – "
"If you're looking for Papyrus, this is his phone," Ruby told the voice. "He's just driving right now, so you get to talk to me! My name is Ruby Rose! What's yours?"
"Ruby!" The voice on the other end sounded a lot happier then. "This is Frisk!"
"Hi, Frisk!" Ruby chirped.
"IT'S FRISK?" Papyrus gasped. "HELLO, BEST FRIEND! TELL THEM I SAID HELLO!"
"Papyrus says 'Hello, best friend!'" Ruby related.
"I heard," Frisk giggled. Their voice immediately turned somber: "Listen, I don't have much time. Sora and I found out where…um…what was his name…?"
Ruby heard Sora muttering something in the background; then Frisk continued: "Roman Torchwick. We found out where he's hiding out."
"WHAT?" Ruby nearly dropped the phone.
"WHAT IS IT?" Papyrus asked in a panic.
"They found Torchwick!" Ruby informed him.
"He and some other bad guys are hiding out in Mt. Ebott," Frisk went on. "You have to tell EVERYONE. Sora and I are trying to escape right now!"
"We'll come get you as soon as we can!" Ruby promised.
"Make sure you tell the others first," Frisk emphasized. "They're pretty strong, but they can't take all of us together!"
"Got it!" Ruby affirmed before Frisk hung up the connection.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?" Papyrus asked.
"We need to make some calls," Ruby told him. "You have Toriel and Mettaton's numbers in here, right?"
...
Monster called monster, monster called human, and human called human. The name "Roman Torchwick" didn't mean much to them, but Ruby had been able to supply the connection: the associates of the one who'd framed Papyrus for murder were taking refuge in Mt. Ebott. Despite everything, there were a great many monsters and humans alike who cared for Papyrus, and when they heard that the one who had done him wrong as well as murdered an innocent child was now in reach, they wanted blood.
...
The raft reached a dock in Snowdin, at which point Frisk and Sora disembarked and ran madly through the Ruins at the far end of the mountain. Sora was curious as to why the Ruins seemed to resemble a house, not to mention one identical to the inner layout of the castle where they'd entered, but he figured such questions were for later.
He and Frisk skidded to a stop at the almost pitch-black end of a dark tunnel. "Look up," Frisk told Sora. Sora did so, and was able to see an opening in the stone far overhead through which the moon and stars shone. "That's the way out."
"How do we get up there?" Sora asked.
"I…didn't plan that far ahead," Frisk admitted.
There was a rustling from a corner of the cavern; Sora and Frisk braced themselves in fright, not knowing how quickly Yzma, Roman, and Snatcher had been able to catch up to their position. A tiny voice sounded out: "You're back?"
Frisk gasped. They'd completely forgotten, and they felt bad for forgetting.
"Oh, NO," Chara grumbled. "I KNEW you had a thing for him. I knew it."
"Who's there?" Sora called out.
"Who are YOU?" the voice replied in disdain.
"His name is Sora," Frisk told the voice. "He's my friend." They turned back to Sora. "Sora, this is another of my friends. His name is Asriel."
"Uh…hi, Asriel," Sora greeted. In order to get a better look at who he was talking to, he pointed the Keyblade, setting the end of it alight; "Fire!"
"Hey, hey, HEY!" Asriel snapped. "Watch where you're pointing that thing, will you?" Given the faint illumination from the end of the Keyblade, Sora could see that the bottom of the cavern was carpeted in large-petaled flowers, one of which was moving, recoiling away from the flames. Realizing that Asriel was the flower, Sora stepped back, not wanting to burn him.
"Why did you come back?" Asriel asked. "You know nothing's changed."
"Not yet, anyway," Frisk replied. "I still think maybe one day…" They shook their head. "Asriel, you have to hide. We're being chased, and we're trying to get out."
"Me? Hide?" Asriel forced a laugh. It was then that Sora realized he hadn't been able to really detect any true emotion in Asriel's voice from the moment the flower had begun speaking. "Did you forget everything I can do, Frisk? I don't need to hide from anything. But if you need to get out of here…I can help you."
"Thank you so much," Frisk said gratefully. "I promise we'll come back for – "
"Don't, okay? Just don't. Because I know you won't. You'll want to. But you'll never find a way to change anything."
Sora, listening to it all, couldn't help but wonder exactly what had happened between Frisk and Asriel. "You never know," he offered. "Sometimes, when it looks darkest – "
"Weren't you being chased?" Asriel cut him off. "Or did you WANT whoever it was to catch up and kill you?"
Sora became aware of a movement going up the cavern wall. Repositioning his Keyblade torch, he saw a network of roots and vines climbing up the wall in the shape of a ladder.
"Don't just leave him without – " Chara began.
"I won't," Frisk promised out loud.
"Won't what?" Asriel and Sora asked in unison.
"Chara says hi," Frisk told Asriel. "She misses you."
Asriel froze. "That isn't possible," he said, and now his tone was cold. "She's gone."
"I'll explain it when I see you again," Frisk vowed. "I promise." They put a testing hand on the vine ladder; it held weight. "I WILL see you again."
Asriel turned his face away.
Frisk scurried halfway up the ladder, and Sora followed. From below, they suddenly heard a tiny voice call out: "Frisk! I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay!" Frisk called back down to Asriel.
"What was all that about?" Sora asked Frisk.
"He used to have a soul, once," Frisk said by way of explanation as they continued to climb.
Down below in the darkness, Asriel knew what else he had to do. He had to make sure that whoever was chasing Frisk and Sora wouldn't get the chance to catch up. He turned his attention away from the cavern, ducking into the dirt to search underground.
Yzma, Snatcher, and Roman were startled when their pursuit was rudely interrupted; a set of vines sprang from the ground and wrapped around all six of their feet, sending them plunging to the ground face first.
"The HELL?" Roman snapped, kicking at the vines.
"Are the plants of this kingdom out to get us now?" Yzma groaned.
Snatcher had turned to methodically disentangling his feet; it almost seemed as though the vines had a grip on him. "This is not good in the slightest," he muttered. "Not good at all. You two…keep your scrolls on you and return to the castle."
"Why…?" Roman asked.
"Because," Snatcher told him, kicking the vines aside and starting work extricating Roman's feet, "there's a good chance they've gotten away by now. And if they betray our position, especially if the Huntsman has already gone and done something stupid…"
"Don't say it," Roman groaned.
"You just continue to attempt to contact the Huntsman and Miss Neopolitan," Snatcher ordered. "In the meantime, collect the Cornerstone and the Dust from the great hall."
"You're not suggesting we leave!" Yzma hissed.
"Believe me, it isn't by choice!" Snatcher was now working on the vines around her heels. "While you two secure preparations, I'll make a final attempt to locate and dispose of the witnesses!"
But it was in vain, as Asriel had already withdrawn the ladder. Frisk and Sora were making their way down the side of the mountain.
...
For having hooves instead of hands, Even was able to maneuver the Gummi ship surprisingly well, steering it into the abyss of interspace. Mozenrath had enough energy to join auras with Mim once more and return all five unicorns to human form not long after takeoff; after that, he collapsed into a chair, refusing to stand. He drove away the shame he felt at his weakened condition by raising his right hand and letting all six Elements of Harmony circle it lazily; this brought a smirk to his face.
"That could have gone worse," Wuya remarked.
"I still can't believe you were afraid of a few little spiders," Mim huffed.
"I am not afraid of spiders," Even grunted. "If I have to reiterate to you once more that I was merely being cautious of venom…"
"Drop it," Mozenrath ordered. "We have what we came for, and we managed to lose our pursuers in the process. All in all, I'd call it a good day." He thought it over. "Though it's probably been a few days back at Knightdock, hasn't it?"
"What?" Aghoul was confused.
"Time passes differently on different worlds," Even reminded him. "A wise traveler knows how to mark the rate on each he visits."
"So." Mozenrath glanced up at Wuya. "I guess I owe YOU my life. Try not to rub it in."
"Oh, I won't try one little bit," Wuya teased.
"And as for you, Even," Mozenrath continued. "You've been a surprising help throughout all of this. There just might be room for you back at home base."
Even's lips curled into a smile. "I was hoping to hear that," he admitted. "In fact, once we get to a place where valuable items can be more safely stored, I had hoped to ask a favor of you."
"And that favor is?" Mozenrath inquired.
"Remove my heart," Even told him. "I haven't the Dark magic necessary to accomplish such a feat. You have. You can rid me of countless senseless fears and attachments that hold me back from my true potential."
"And in return?" Mozenrath replied.
"In return, you won't have a finer geneticist among your ranks," Even promised. "I specialize in everything from memory harvest to replication."
"Useful things," Mozenrath admitted. "Not to mention the ice comes in handy."
"On occasion, it does indeed," Even agreed.
"All right," Mozenrath decided. "As soon as you're settled into our new home, you can say goodbye to your heart."
"I would still like to keep it close by," Even insisted. "In case."
"Understood."
"I have a caveat," Mim voiced.
"And that is…?" Even asked.
"We promise to remove your heart and make you one of the team," Mim told him, "and you let me control the guns for the rest of the flight home."
"But of course," Even sighed.
...
The Gummi ship landed on the side of Mt. Ebott just as the Huntsman and Neo arrived outside the entrance in the stolen car. Mozenrath, now re-energized, was the first to disembark the ship, followed by Even, Mim, Aghoul, and Wuya. He was rather dumbfounded to see the Huntsman and Neo exiting the car; he hadn't expected that pair to break away for a mission.
"Didn't expect to see you out here," he greeted.
"Mozenrath," the Huntsman said in return. "Welcome home. We had been wondering as to your whereabouts."
"It's a long story," Mozenrath replied, "but I think you'll like the ending." He held up a gauntleted hand, and the Elements circled it.
"I think you'll ESPECIALLY like the part where Mozenrath fell in love with a unicorn," Aghoul supplied.
Mozenrath shot him a glare. If looks could kill, it wouldn't have mattered, as Aghoul was already dead, but it certainly would have been a valiant attempt.
"We had a victory of our own," the Huntsman announced; Neo held her purse open so that the miniaturized canisters of souls were in view.
At that moment, Snatcher, Roman, and Yzma came jogging out of the mountain entrance. Yzma clutched the Cornerstone of Light, Roman had a firm grip on the Dust crystal, and Snatcher had an eye on the nearby Xerxes. "Lord Mozenrath!" Snatcher greeted, out of breath. "Excellent timing!"
"Why…?" Mozenrath grew suspicious as he looked over the items Yzma and Roman were carrying. "Why do you have those?"
"Don't freak out," Roman began. "We MIGHT not be in as much trouble as Archie thinks we are."
It started out as a low hum, then rose in volume: the sound of hundreds of voices yelling. Looking down the mountain, Mozenrath saw a veritable army of humans and monsters alike, summoned by calls that had stemmed from Frisk's to Papyrus and Ruby's to Toriel, gathering at the base, wielding flashlights and magical flames. Sirens soon punctuated the sound, and police cars pulled into view, not to break up the mob but to follow up on a tip that the one who'd framed Papyrus had been located. Though they were too far off to see, the ones leading the charge were Sora, Ruby, and Papyrus.
"They BETTER not be here because of why I think they are," Mozenrath growled.
The Huntsman stared Snatcher down; "I'll have you know this was not MY fault."
"What did you DO?" Mozenrath growled.
"As though it wasn't a matter of time until they found us anyway," Yzma sighed. "You only had to pick the most obvious landmark in town as our base!"
"We can take 'em!" Aghoul announced, summoning his scythe.
"That many?" Even barked. "We most certainly cannot!"
"So you're telling me," Mozenrath, "that the moment I get back to base, we already have to ABANDON IT?"
"Long story!" Snatcher told him, unceremoniously grabbing him by the arm to drag him back onto the Gummi ship. "We'll explain on the way!"
"But – " Mozenrath sighed, transitioning to silently fuming. He knew it was futile.
Down below, Sora, Ruby, and Papyrus watched as the Gummi ship containing now ten – eleven, if one cared to count Xerxes – evildoers zoomed away from the mountain, disappearing into the atmosphere.
"YOU DON'T THINK THAT WAS WHO WE WERE AFTER, DO YOU?" Papyrus asked.
"It probably was," Sora said forlornly.
And when the mob got to the back entrance of the mountain, the only trace they were able to find of the ne'er-do-wells at all was the twelve-pointed etching on the floor of Judgment Hall.