Chapter 31: Dinner and Discussion

Dinner prep hadn't taken too long. I was worried that Undyne would get overexcited and do something she shouldn't, but she managed to stay calm and listen to me.

Papyrus, on the other hand, was pleased to find a better method of making pasta. No aging or whatever he thought was necessary, but boiling water or a good broth to put the pasta, and a well-made sauce is all you really need.

We kept things simple for now, but I offered to show Paps more tricks at a later date, along with more recipes other than spaghetti. If you're going to be a master chef, you should learn all kinds of foods to make, I told him.

We were dishing out "OUR NEW MASTERPIECE", as Papyrus put it. Sans took a bite, and said, "yep, definitely a masterpiece." Not a hint of sarcasm, but of course, he probably didn't have anything else to judge it by.

"Eh, it's nothing special. But it is edible, right?" I snarked.

He didn't respond.

Undyne took a bite, and her expression said it all. "This IS really good. You're definitely a better teacher than I am."

"Thank you. Papyrus, what do you think?"

He took a taste of our creation. "IT IS DIFFERENT... BUT EXCELLENT! I SHALL GLADLY TAKE THIS NEW PATH IN THE CRAFT OF SPAGHETTI!"

The rest of us laugh, glad to see his enthusiasm.

It's tasty, mommy! Frisk signed. Luckily for me, Papyrus was still too enamored with his new direction to notice. But Sans did give me a questioning look, along with a smirk. Great.

"If you like my cooking, then you should try my pies," I stated. "They're my favorite thing to make. I happen to know a family recipe that is simply the best!"

"What's the flavor?" Undyne asked.

"Butterscotch-cinnamon."

"Butterscotch-cinnamon, huh..." Undyne mused. "You know... Asgore tried making that recipe once... it didn't go well."

"oh, he tried making it, too?" Sans asked. "yeah, i tried it, and it's pretty good."

"Wait... it's a family recipe. How'd you know it?" I asked. "I know your dad doesn't know it."

Sans didn't reply, but Undyne noted, "so... if it's a family recipe... I wonder how Asgore came up with it."

"Regardless, it is a good recipe. Perhaps you can make it for us one day," Gaster said. "On that note, I have something to give you." He pulled out a small red book, and handed it to me. "I believe that this is yours. I've been... holding on to it, since you fell. But I've never used it."

I took the little book, and took a look at it. It was my old recipe book.

"Oh... thank you," I said, putting it away.

Looking up at him, I noticed that he seemed to have something on his mind. He was enjoying my food, but wasn't saying much.

"Wingding, what's on your mind?" I asked him.

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to ignore what Sans said earlier, about your journey."

"Well, what can we do about it?" I replied. "I don't intend to let another Reset happen, I promise you that. But you know, Frisk's memories helped a bit, but I didn't fully know what was going on. I mostly figured it out on my own. And I can continue to do that. Besides, while I have seen that the Underground has changed since I was... gone, the places are still the same, as well as the faces, for the most part."

"Well, we can still plan," he told me, before taking a quick bite of his food. "Prepare for the journey ahead."

"Well, okay, we need to go through Hotland to get to New Home. From there, we need to get to Asgore's castle," I relayed. "Or, we can take the shortcut through the CORE."

"you mean... the place you fell last time?" Sans remarked.

"Yeah... It's stable now, right? Now that it's just a generator...?" I asked.

"It should be. But I'll be honest, I am not... comfortable with you going back there."

"Well, it is the fastest way to the castle. I'll just... stay away from the edges."

"Fair point. Perhaps... if you remember, the CORE's interior layout can be changed. I may be able to gain access with my old credentials, and change it to something safer.

"Wait, you can do that?" Undyne asked.

"Well, I did build the CORE. I may no longer be the Royal Scientist, but it doesn't mean that I left control of my creation completely to the new Royal Scientist. I left 'backdoor access' for myself, so to say." Gaster then focused on Undyne, saying, "with that said, Undyne, you're the Captain of the Guard. Is there any assistance you can provide?"

Undyne thought for a moment. "Well... I hate going into Hotland. I don't handle the heat well."

"And was that before I almost burnt you to death...?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah... I just can't come with you."

"Could you ask the guards in Hotland to stand down?" Gaster inquired.

"Yeah, I could... Well, actually, I already told them to seek out and destroy the humans!"

"...Of course you did," I replied.

"And you can't retract that order?" Gaster asked.

"No, I can't just tell them I've changed my mind. You see, Alphys showed me these animations about... uh, humans? So I can learn their weaknesses?"

"Animations?" I replied. "You mean cartoons?"

"It's anime, but... yeah. And one of them is about this human that, uh... Well, suffice to say, they can control people's minds!"

"i want to see where this is going," Sans commented.

Undyne shot him a dirty glare, then continued, "Well are you surprised? I know your kind's hidden power!"

"Yeah... I may know magic, but I'm pretty sure mind control isn't a spell..." I replied.

"I've read about hypnotism and brainwashing before," Gaster noted. "But hypnotism only works while in a trance, and you can always be woken back up, and brainwashing takes a while to take hold, especially if you have a preconceived notion of right and wrong before the process begins. ...And depending on the method, it can be... quite torturous, as well."

"Yeesh..." Undyne responded. "Anyway... I told my crew that if I ever defended a human... then I must be under some kind of mind control! And to disregard EVERYTHING that I tell them! So, sorry... but my hands are tied."

There was stunned silence. Then Gaster said, "I... was not aware of the sad state of affairs in regards to the Royal Guard's leadership."

"Wha- HEY!"

"Undyne, this is serious! You've basically invited distrust among your guards," Gaster explained, harshly.

"I'm with Wingding on this one," I said. "Plus, I've also read stories with mind control, too. Many of them involve the mind-controlled victims being able to resist the effects, either through the intervention of their friends, or through their own willpower. To me, you've indirectly told your Guard that you're weak-willed."

"A very good point, as well," Gaster replied. "And I would like to add that, one, being weak-willed is a poor trait for a leader, but two, you are not weak-willed Captain. I've seen myself, in the previous timeline, you have much Determination, which is synonymous with willpower. I have no doubt that if you were to be mind controlled, then you could easily resist it."

"wow, nobody played you like you played yourself, undyne," Sand mocked.

Undyne was both ashamed and speechless.

However, I turned to Firsk, and then decided to speak up. "Actually, while the offer is appreciated... this is our journey, me and Frisk. It should be us that face Asgore. I can call you if we need any help, but we've gotten this far by ourselves, so I think we should finish it that way. Do you agree, Frisk?"

Frisk nodded in agreement.

"I see," Gaster replied. "Very well, I suppose you are right. Even still, let us help in other ways. Perhaps you'll need new equipment for Hotland. New clothes perhaps."

"I'm a fire mage, the heat won't bother me, even in a sweater. You know that," I replied. But then I looked at Frisk, with her blue and purple sweater. "Although... Frisk is probably going to feel quite... toasty."

"Well, I've known the king's old Royal tailor for a long time. They owe me a favor, so if I can get Frisk's measurements, I can ask for them to make new clothing. A T-shirt, and perhaps some new shorts, which will be more comfortable in the heat. I could even ask if he could bind some cooling magic to them. It should take only a couple days, if you're willing to wait"

"Well, what do you think?" I asked Frisk.

However, for some reason, she looked nervous, scared even.

"Um... I guess taking measurements makes her feel embarrassed." I guessed.

"Don't worry, you know I'm good with judging measurements on sight," Gaster replied. "I already have a good idea of what I'll need."

"You're good with judging clothing measurements?" Undyne asked. "That's weird."

"I'm good at judging all types of measurements. I'm a scientist, it's a useful skill to have."

Papyrus, more worried about the still nervous Frisk, said, "YOU KNOW, PERHAPS FRISK LIKES HER SWEATER, AND SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GET RID OF IT."

"I mean, she can keep it... she has a backpack," I replied. "But it is rather stylish."

"perhaps her new shirt could be a replica?" Sans offered.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Now, is there anything else we need to talk about?"

Gaster thought for a moment. "Perhaps, we should discuss what you may face in Hotland. Of course, we can't know for certain, that's the point of this discussion, but we can determine what you might face."

"Well, there is the Royal Guard, and probably some of the monsters who live in Hotland. What else?"

"The Royal Scientist."

"The Royal Scientist- oh, right, your old lab is stationed in Hotland."

"Which puts Hotland under the jurisdiction of the new and current Royal Scientist," Gaster finished.

Undyne chuckled. "Ah, Alphys is a good friend of mine. I wouldn't worry too much about her."

"YES, AND SHE IS QUITE BRILLIANT, AS I SAID," Papyrus added, before saying, "...BUT NOT AS MUCH AS MY DAD!"

Gaster, however, looked more concerned, than anything.

"Wingding?" I sounded.

He sighed. "Undyne, Papyrus, I understand your admiration and friendship you have for Dr. Alphys. But to be blunt, I don't trust her."

"you haven't even met her, dad," Sans countered.

"You haven't?" I replied. "I know you're slow to trust, but you should at least meet her before judging her."

"That is a very good point, and I don't completely disagree. However, I have watched her actions, what she's done for the Underground. And well, it's all dubious, to say the least."

"What do you mean?"

"In her time as the Royal Scientist, she's only made two accomplishments, one of which, we've never seen the results of, so I can't even be sure it's true."

"And that is...?" Undyne sounded.

"You all remember what it means to be 'Fallen Down', yes?" Gaster asked.

Everyone was silent. Of course, we all knew.

...Except for Frisk. No, she signed.

"It's a monster coma," I explained. "If a monster gets too depressed... they fall into a deep slumber. And usually, they never wake up." It was a dark topic among the monsters.

"Well, Alphys once claimed to have been able to revive numerous monsters that had Fallen Down, contacting their families and telling them that their loved ones were fine. But then, she never released these healthy subjects, much less any of the results of her experiments, and when she was inquired about this, she refused to respond."

"Yeah... that certainly doesn't sound good."

Gaster took a deep breath. "I can see only two possible explanations for what she did. One, she did succeed, at first, but then something went wrong, and she doesn't want anyone to know. Two, she was simply lying. Either way, not only does this look bad for her, but it is a poor reflection of her as a scientist. Science is about the pursuit of knowledge, for the betterment of all. Sometimes, you get terrible results, but we can always learn from it."

"But didn't you keep secrets, Wingding?"

"I worked on secret projects, yes. But I never intended to lie for the sake of looking good. And this is why I can't trust my successor."

"You know... I didn't know about any of this," Undyne responded.

"So, do you still trust your friend, then?" Gaster chided. "What of those families who thought they lost their loved ones to Falling Down?"

"Well, I- I'm sure she has her reasons!"

"Wingding, let's not chastise Undyne over the actions of her friends," I intervened. "I can see why you don't like her. But it's not going to help Frisk in her journey home. Let's worry about that later."

"Very well. But the second thing Alphys made will be important. Mettaton," Gaster said.

"Mettaton?" I asked.

"That friend I told you about. The one eating grapes on my piano?" Undyne answered.

"OH, I LOVE WATCHING HIS SHOW!" Papyrus added.

"Yes, Mettaton is quite popular," Gaster continued. "Alphys built him as an entertainment robot. But, she also installed human-eradication features."

"Well, that also doesn't sound good. For our journey, I mean," I replied.

"yeah, you got to be worried about a killer robot," Sans summed up.

"Is... Mettaton an effective... human eradication robot?"

Undyne looked down, but spoke up. "So, one of the humans... got past me once. He distracted me, and slipped into Hotland."

"He distracted you?" I asked snarkily.

"HEY, they offered to make me eggs. AND THEY WERE GOOD!"

"Eggs. Really?"

"You're point, Undyne?" Gaster interjected. Although, I had a suspicion that he already knew what Undyne was talking about.

"Anyways, so Alphys had to send Mettaton after the human," Undyne explained. "By the time the Guard arrived... he had already secured their Soul. And the rest of the human... completely eviscerated."

"Oh... I can't believe Asgore would allow that..." I responded.

"Mettaton was actually the project that got Alphys her position," Gaster explained. "Supposedly, she made Mettaton with an artificial Soul."

"...You sound dubious about that? Is this also something you don't believe Alphys did?"

"You know that I've studied the Soul, Chara, and I've explored that same possibility. To create a Soul from nothing. And... well, let's just say, I don't think Alphys would have the means to accomplish what she claims she did with Mettaton."

"Okay...?" Undyne replied. "Still, Mettaton is a tough cookie. So you better be careful."

"I worried that I'm going to have to consider fighting back for once," I said. "I hope it doesn't come down to a fight, but if it does, how fire or heat proof is this robot?"

"I do not know, I have not personally met Mettaton myself. But I have seen Papyrus watching his show. That, and... I, unfortunately, did witness his massacre of that child." Gaster certainly didn't sound pleased with that last sentence.

"Wait... how?" Undyne asked. "Chara said that you were a recluse, that you don't leave much. And I certainly didn't see you at the scene."

"Did you forget he could teleport?" I noted.

"Actually, I saw it through the hidden surveillance cameras placed across the Underground," Gaster corrected. "Much like the CORE, I was the one to install the camera system, to keep an eye out for any new humans, much like what Alphys uses them for now. So, I also installed backdoor access to this camera system. Alphys has yet to figure out that I am tapping into her feed."

Undyne looked at him annoyed. "You know that I might have to tell Alphys about this."

"I know, but I am not using the cameras for any nefarious purposes. Besides, I only placed them in public areas. There aren't even any cameras around my home. Alphys doesn't know what we're doing here."

"You used them to study Frisk, didn't you," I spoke up. "It wasn't just Sans watching her for you."

"...Yes," Gaster admitted. "And when you came back... I was watching to make sure you were alright."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not mad. It's just... weird, but I know that you had your reasons. Thanks for at least watching over us." I took a deep breath. "Okay, back to the point. I don't want to have to fight Mettaton if we can avoid it. But I also plan to protect Frisk. It's been a while, but if we have a few days, perhaps we should use those days to practice fighting, at least in defense."

"SO, YOU PLAN TO DO SOME SPARRING?" Papyrus replied. "THAT SOUNDS EXCELLENT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM HAPPY TO ASSIST!"

"I would love to spar with you, this time on more friendly terms," I told him.

"By the way, how DID you learn how to use magic?" Undyne asked. "Because something tells me there's more to it then, ...what did you say?"

"A redheaded kitsune, but I wasn't serious. You actually said that to me in the past timeline," I admitted. "No, it was actually my mom, my adopted mom, before I met Wingding. She was the one to unlock my magic power."

"Huh... interesting. I wonder how that works."

"As Chara said, I've never seen how Chara first learned magic," Gaster explained. "I saw her practice her magic as she grew up. Without a fire mage to teach her, she had to teach herself, and despite that, her skills are beyond impressive. Even still, as a scientist, I would've jumped at the chance to study how to give humans magic. It could open so many doors into the study of Souls."

"So... you wanted to use me as a guinea pig?" I teased.

"Not necessarily... but this could forward my research. Perhaps even get a better idea on how magic interacts with the Soul."

Then Frisk began to poke me, getting my attention. I turned to her and asked, both signing and speaking, "yeah, Frisk? What's up?"

You got magic with your mom's help? Frisk signed back.

"Yes...?"

Could... could I learn magic... from you?

"Wait, you want to learn magic!?" I exclaimed.

I didn't know what to say to that, and nobody else was speaking up. At least, until Sans said, "hey, look at that, g. i guess you have a chance to study a human getting magic now."

"I'm sure this isn't about my studies," Gaster told his son. "Perhaps... Frisk simply wants to learn magic for fun, perhaps."

To defend myself, Frisk signed.

Gaster raised his eyebrow in response.

I don't want mommy to have to defend me all by myself.

"Frisk, why do you keep calling me 'mom'?" I replied quickly, before everyone got confused by that statement. "Just because I look like her-"

"You know, that idea sounds great!" Undyne interjected.

"What?"

"I mean, we should try teaching the kid defensive magic," she explained, not knowing that it was exactly what Frisk wanted. "I think that's a good idea."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess."

However, for some reason, I felt that there was more to this than Frisk was telling us. But... it was just a feeling.

"Then we should meet at in the Clearing, tomorrow," Gaster stated. "And tonight, I'll set up the crafting for Frisk's new outfit, and other supplies."

"The Clearing?" Undyne asked.

"It's close by, you'll see tomorrow." Gaster finished up his dinner, and sat up. "Chara, unfortunately, I had to turn your own room into a shared room for my sons, as they were growing up."

"I... understand," I replied. "It wasn't like I was around to use it."

"Still, now that Sans and Papyrus live in Snowdin, it is open. I suggest that you and Undyne sleep there tonight. And Frisk can sleep in my father's old room."

"Thanks. I know this must be a lot for you to handle."

"It's okay, Chara."

Papyrus, also having finished his meal got up, saying, "I'LL SEE ALL OF YOU AT THE CLEARING, TOMORROW!"

"been a long time since we trained there," Sans remarked.

"Like you're going to be doing any kind of training," Undyne remarked. Sans just smirked back.


After everyone finished their spaghetti, and the Sans and Papyrus gave their goodbyes, Chara led Undyne to her old room.

The place looked bare, with only a pair of beds, an empty wardrobe, and some boxes in the corner. It was obvious that the skeleton bros had moved out a while ago, and Gaster never redecorated.

As Undyne took it in, Chara spoke up. "Hey, Undyne, I want to let you know, that... I may need to sleep shirtless."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's just-"

"Oh, it's perfectly fine!" Undyne exclaimed. "I just so happen to sleep completely in the nude!"

"I- wha- That's... too much information," Chara replied. "No, what I was trying to tell you is that..." I sighed. "When I was kid, before I came to the Underground, my family abused me, hit me. I have scars that can't be healed."

"...Oh," Undyne replied. That certainly didn't make her feel good.

"They can be really... uncomfortable. And I find that, when sleeping, doing so without a shirt helps."

"I see." But hearing about Chara's old family reminded Undyne of something she wanted to ask. "Hey, Chara, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Well, Gaster said that you are self-taught in fire magic, but you must've learned the basics from someone. Was it your mom, the same one who gave you your magic?"

"Yeah. And she taught me the basics of fire magic."

"So she had fire magic, too. And then, that thing we talked about, that family recipe."

"The butterscotch-cinnamon pie?"

"Yeah, that. You said it was a family recipe, like... no one else knows how to make it. I don't know about Sans, but I do know Asgore tried to make it once. And yeah, he didn't get it right, but he knew what it was with no one else telling him. And maybe I'm reading too much into this, but... Asgore does know fire magic, as did his ex-wife, so-"

"Let me stop you right there," Chara interjected. "You think I have some kind of connection to the Dreemurrs, don't you?"

"Yes."

The adult human took a deep breath. "Well... you're right. Asgore, and Toriel, were my adoptive parents."

Undyne took a moment to take this in. She had a suspicion, but this was still more than she expected. "So, what happened. The Void?"

"No, that happened years after I left their family. Although, I bet you that Asgore doesn't remember who I am because of that. No, Asgore's biological son, Asriel, he was my best friend as well as my brother. And when he died... well, it was my fault. I don't want to get into it. But Asgore, when he called for human Souls to be taken... it wasn't about going to war at the time, but I was there, and well..." I motioned to myself.

"So you thought he'd go after you?"

"Yeah. So, I ran away. That's when I met Wingding. And I've been here since then, at least, until the CORE accident."

"That... that must be hard."

"Yeah. But the thing is... I don't know if I can forgive him for that."

Undyne was silent at that.

"Look, I get it. I know you're loyal to him, and for me to say this after Wingding tore down your friend."

"No, it's fine. I think that I would find that hard to forgive, as well," Undyne said. "Let's... just get some sleep. We've got to get ready for your sparring practice, not to mention helping Frisk. And knowing Papyrus, he's going to be here early."

"Yeah."

Once both of them were in their respective beds, Undyne, as she messed with her eyepatch, couldn't help but think...

Chara was abused by her first family, and then betrayed by her second. And earlier she admitted to having a problem with holding grudges.

Undyne had told Chara that she didn't want her to harm Asgore. But now... she could only imagine how much Chara might hate Asgore.

And Undyne... as much as she wanted to deny it, she couldn't blame her if something terrible happened.


Author's Note: So, this is part two of three for this little Gaster's Home arc. And this time, it was just a discussion on the journey ahead, getting help from friends and getting supplies. Probably not the most interesting chapter, but there are some new revelations.

But before that, a couple things I want to note. One, yes, I wanted to make sure it is established that Chara and Frisk will be continuing on their own. Also, Undyne's excuse for the human mind-control thing is from the game. It's in one of Unyne's calls, outside the Lab.

Anyways, first of all, Gaster being suspicious of Alphys made sense to me. Between her lack of public reports and his own similar research, it would make sense that Gaster would be dubious of Alphys's abilities and honesty. I'm not going to get ahead of myself, but consider this some foreshadowing.

And then Frisk wanting to learn magic. Chara did it, so why not Frisk? Well, I alluded to the idea that perhaps there is more to it. But we'll have to see. As for the magic Frisk will be learning, that comes next chapter.

Finally, I want to talk about the last scene between Undyne and Chara. The first part was something I was considering adding for the whole time I was thinking about this part of the story, but wasn't sure if it would work.

The thing about Undyne sleeping in the nude is borrowed from the Ask Frisk and Company Tumblr blog, and it makes a lot of sense for her character. As for Chara, I am not going to pretend that I know how scarring that bad works. I think it makes sense, kind of, but I would NOT quote me on that.

Anyways, the main point of that was for Chara to reveal her past abuse to Undyne.

But the part where Undyne figures out that Chara was Asgore's adoptive daughter? I wanted Undyne to know that info, but I realized that I didn't have a good place to put that. I found this last scene to be the best place to reveal that info, and even still, it's squeezed in, and actually makes Undyne seem a bit smarter than she is, like a detective. I don't think it's that bad, but I wanted to bring up that I was kind of a last-minute addition.

And with, there is only one more chapter left in this Arc. Should be out soon. See you there!