Roof-jumping looked a lot easier in Alphys' anime.
Frisk inhales as deeply as they can to alleviate the rising heat in their lungs. Then, before they can get cold feet, or what others would define as common sense, they break into a sprint across the retailer's green-tiled rooftop.
They build as much momentum as they can while the distance between them and the upcoming gap narrows. Once that time comes, Frisk pushes themselves up and allows their existing motion to carry their body across empty air.
The human's hands seize the railings of a fire escape belonging to a multi-storied residential building. Channeling every last bit of upper-body strength through their slim arms, Frisk hoists themselves up, slides over the railing, and lands hard on the twisting staircase.
This latest success in not becoming street paste makes seven for the total amount of buildings conquered. One benefit of Mirstone's size is the tightness of its infrastructure. Because of it, Frisk's venture into the insane world of parkour was made considerably less risky.
To think some people do this as a hobby...
If Frisk finds a way to make it back home, not under any circumstances is Toriel to be made aware of this stunt. Should she be, they'll likely be filling out algebra workbooks until the day Earth is enveloped by its sun, with no possibility for parole.
After they take some time to regain their bearings, Frisk starts ascending the fire escape while simultaneously bracing for the next jump. Only nine or so buildings are left leading to the dense forest encircling the city. Although, to the fatigued human, nine may as well be nine hundred. All the more reason to get a move on.
Now that they're closer and have had time to ponder the strange 'popping' coming from the distance, Frisk is sure of what they're hearing. Gunshots. And they haven't ceased. The only good takeaway is the monsters are undoubtedly putting up a fight. But every second that passes is another potential casualty.
A nauseating sense of vertigo strikes Frisk as they reach the peak of their ascension and now stand on the roof of the residential complex. Heights have never been a problem for the adventurous youth; part of the reason why the climb up Mount Ebott didn't seem as daring as many townfolks made it out to be. Still, the thought of failing this next jump is enough to coat the human's forehead in a layer of sweat.
"Back up!"
The voice came from somewhere below, hardly registered by Frisk's ears over the passing wind. Curious, they rush over to the roof's edge and lean over to get a view of the street.
Two fully-kitted soldiers, not unlike the one Frisk met earlier, tower over-
A monster? Here?
Not just any monster, but one they recognize. A white, humanoid dog fully dressed in grey royal armor. Both his sword and large shield embedded with the Deltarune symbol lie on the ground, likely having been disarmed from their wielder.
Lesser Dog was always a good boy, and for a long time, remained one of very few monsters Frisk didn't grow tired of throughout their countless resets. By catering to the animal's intense craving to be petted, they were always rewarded with the humorous spectacle of watching his neck reach awe-inspiring heights.
That very dog, who did nothing to anyone, lies at the mercy of two armed men; both of which carrying two automatic weapons.
"I repeat, what are your orders, sir-?" Frisk hears the soldier on the right say.
After a transmitted response made unintelligible by a combination of its radio static and the human's current height, the soldier responds with a simple:
"Understood."
"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Frisk screams.
Their plea came all too late. The weapon's burst of lead is loud enough to echo through the still city. Lesser Dog doesn't dissolve immediately. A weak paw tugs at the fresh hole at the bottom of its neck, and after a strained whine, he finally starts to break apart until there is nothing left.
When both soldiers look to see where the source of the other voice came from, their eyes are greeted by nothing but the empty roof of a boarding house and the reddish sky above it.
"Sounded like some kid," the soldier on the left says. "Ignore them, we have our orders. Pick up the pace 'less you want to miss out on all the real action."
The other soldier scoffs at his pear and looks down at the pool of white dust that used to be Lesser Dog. He nudges it with the tip of his boot.
"Freaks," he says. "Fine, let's go."
Both men break out into a jog. Frisk stays prone, listening to the fading footsteps. Once they're gone, the only audible sound is the rapid thump of the child's aching heart.
This has to stop.
...
Undyne couldn't have imagined a worse turn of events if she tried. On the short car ride to the prescient, Papyrus viewed a livestream of the City Hall conference. The chief previously estimated it'd take about five minutes for something to go terribly wrong. Not forty seconds. And she certainly hadn't predicted a failed assault on the city's most powerful political force.
Just when you think things can't get any worse...
The fish monster certainly has her work cut out for tonight. She and Papyrus approach the large double doors of the Police Station's Common Room and the former of which pushes them open.
Chaos. That is the first word that comes to the chief's mind after her single eye gets the briefest glimpse of the large work area. Papers strewn every which way, officers and staff tripping over each other in their haste to reach a select destination, and most alarmingly, no shortage of tactical gear and standard-issued weaponry being armed. Everyone here may as well be preparing for a war.
"HEY!" Undyne shouts.
All of the officers are rendered nothing more than sentient mannequins at the sound of their chief's dominating voice.
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on here?!"
Clearly not.
No one makes a peep. Each of the officers looks around at each other, making it obvious they know something their superior doesn't. Well, unfortunately for them, the former royal guardsman was never the patient type.
Right as she opens her mouth to demand a response, she gets one from the last person she'd expect.
"Hey, Undyne," Neil Erickson says, walking through the furthest right aisle of desks lining the circular space.
Undyne blinks, not knowing what to make of the city administrator's unannounced showing. But if her intuition is right, which it hardly isn't, his arrival coupled with the officers' unease can't mean anything good.
"Erickson?" Undyne says. "I assume whatever brings you here is important."
"A direct order from the Mayor, actually," he answers with a grave expression.
There it is. Undyne thinks with tired amusement.
"Look, I understand the Mayor has full authority over my department, but couldn't he have given me a heads-up beforehand? And what does he have my men gearing up for?"
"Defense," Neil answers, avoiding eye contact.
"Defense against what?"
"...You."
Under different circumstances, Undyne would have laughed at such an inappropriate joke and gone straight back to business. But after what just transpired at City Hall... her gaze shifts back to the present officers.
All of them are human.
"THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER, NEIL, WE MUST STAY FOCUSED!" Papyrus says, not catching onto the man's honesty. "STOP WITH THE JOKES. I ALREADY HEAR ENOUGH OF THEM BACK HOME!"
"There are multiple monsters on shift tonight, Erickson," Undyne growls. "Where are they?"
Neil breathes deeply but still maintains his professional composure.
"On paid leave. As are the both of you."
It's all Undyne can do to not hurl the politician across city bounds. She wants to punch something. And hard. But much to the regret of her anxious muscles, she decides not to seek an outlet for her fury. After taking a moment to calm herself down, Undyne responds with a single:
"No."
"Look, I-"
"If your boss thinks I'm just going to stand by and watch as he has my men beat down on innocent monsters, HE HAS ANOTHER THING COMING! AND IT JUST MIGHT BE A FIST!"
Not a single policeman or policewoman raises any objections, with some of them even setting down their weapons. There exists no salary high enough to warrant getting on Undyne's bad side. They should know. Every field opp at one point or another has had the chance to witness her wrath first-hand.
"You have every right to be angry-"
"Damn right, I do."
"-but please be smart about this. If you challenge the Mayor's decision, he'll use your insubordination to spread word of a monster mutiny. Panic will ensue, and before either of us know it, he'll have full authority to arrest those he deems a 'potential threat' to the city. And I think you have a pretty good idea what group of people he'll tuck right into that description. Is that what you want?"
Undyne frowns. What she really wants is to head straight to City Hall and pound the Mayor into oblivion. What she wants is for her and Alphys to be safe. What she wants at this very moment is to find a gap in Neil's logic. But regretfully, facts don't just go away when they're not wanted.
Strength isn't going to win this battle.
Neil sees the defeat in the heroine's eye.
"I'm sorry, Undyne," he says. "Really, I am."
He walks past her, on his way out of the department. She should probably be doing the same.
"WHAT RUBBISH!" Papyrus says. "WORRY NOT, UNDYNE! I KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO FIX THIS!"
"There's nothing we can do, Papyrus. Come on, let's head back-"
When Undyne looks behind her, the energetic skeleton is gone. She sighs. Too much is on her mind to be worrying about whatever harmless hijinks her friend will get involved in.
She turns her back to the Common Room and starts to make her own exit. As she does, the police resume right where they left off before her interruption.
Bracing for a fight.
...
It didn't take long before Frisk's sense of direction was stolen by the density of Mirstone Forest. A case hardly uncommon for tourists or those not paying attention to where they are going, which in the human's case, would be the latter of the two. Luckily, all they need to do now is follow the sound of gunshots, which from this distance, is unmistakable in nature.
If their fatigue wasn't at its breaking point before, it certainly is now. By the time Frisk climbed down the back of a casino, which marked the end of their journey across establishments, every square inch of their body burned with exhaustion. And now, as they sprint through the forest, it feels on the brink of collapse.
But the hard part is over. All that is left is a straight shot to Mount Ebott. By now, the logistics of Frisk's plan to stop the fighting, or lack thereof, become apparent. They've settled disputes between both species in the past, but those were often handled in a courtroom. Not a warzone.
Is there really much of a difference?
But their feats in the underground are nothing to scoff at. At the age of nine, they pacified an entire hidden population a hundred times over. A single battle shouldn't be much of an issue. At least, that is what the kid hopes.
Something changes.
Frisk halts in their tracks, trying to get a sense of what it is. The gunshots. No longer are they coming from one direction. They resound throughout the entire woodland. Whatever the scale of the battle might be, Frisk is about to find out.
Because they are in the middle of it.
Now that gunfire is coming from all sides, pinpointing Mount Ebott's position goes from reasonable to downright impossible. Frisk covers their ears to try and shelter their cochleae from the deafening sound of warfare, but their efforts are fruitless.
Suddenly, a man comes into view, previously concealed by a twin pair of brown oak trees. He backs into Frisk's field of vision, steadying his barrel to line up with an unseen target. His intense concentration is broken once he notices the out-of-place human child out the corner of his eye.
"Run, kid!!" he barks. "Get out of he-!"
His words are cut short by an incoming projectile that sends him backward. A tree stands in the way of the soldier's flight, bringing it to a forceful stop. As he slides down the sturdy bark, Frisk realizes he is dead the moment they process his empty gaze. A magic blue spear puncturing his upper torso vanishes only a moment or so after finding the flesh of its target.
Another figure steps from the obscurity provided by the pair of trees. Frisk already knew who it was beforehand thanks to her signature weaponry.
Shielded in medieval armor in various shades of grey is the head royal guardsman. Not even a full moment has gone by since her most recent kill, and already, another blue spear is held sternly in her right gauntlet, searching for someone else to strike down.
And it appears to have found that special someone.
The monster comes to a complete stop, her full attention on the horrified human standing two meters away. Then, slowly, as if deliberately for dramatic flair, the royal guardsmen removes her helmet.
Undyne's face is unveiled, and so too is her wide, toothy grin that betrays the loathsome glare she gives Frisk. Never have they seen a mere expression encapsulate so much hatred.
"You..." she says, poising her spear for attack.
...
Deciphering the technological clutter on the smartphone gifted to her by Alphys proved too daunting of a task for the centuries-old Boss Monster. With enough practice, Toriel managed to work out how to get to Contacts, and since then, has only used the electronic exclusively for calls.
However, being in close contact with city officials made it a necessity for Asgore to stay up to date with current events. And in today's age, the Morning Newspaper wasn't going to cut it. So with initial reluctance, he familiarized himself with the vast landscape of social media and even created an Overnet account which doesn't get much use outside of book recommendations.
It didn't take long before he realized the benefits of receiving instantaneous updates in the palm of his hand. Right now, unfortunately, he'd prefer to be technologically inept if it meant being blissfully unaware of the News flooding his notifications.
With all the excitement over Toriel's unexpected visit, the king forgot all about today's City Hall conference. According to some rather colorful headlines, as well as circling clips of the short-lived meeting, things have gone from bad to worse. Asgore knew it was a matter of time before monster unrest reached a boiling point. Yet, fear for his people strikes him all the same.
He showed Toriel a full video of what had transpired, and through it all, she watched in silent dread. If Frisk's accounting of the Mayor holds up, then he certainly won't take attempted assault lying down. A storm is coming.
"This is all my fault," Asgore sighs, turning the phone off and placing it on the table between him and Toriel. "I shouldn't have said anything about the murders. Maybe they'd be less angry-"
"No," Toriel denies, shaking her head. "What has them upset is the Mayor's sugarcoating. Maybe what they need now, more than ever, are people willing to tell the truth."
For the first time in ages, she smiles at Asgore. It is not a complete one, but it brightens the king's soul regardless. It disappears once her eyes shift back to his phone.
"Am I the only one with déjà vu?" Toriel asks.
Immediately, Asgore understands what she means. He sadly nods. Years ago, it started with negligible feuds between neighbors. Then came the micro-aggressions, followed shortly by fear-mongering, and all of a sudden, Asgore found himself leading a charge against an impossible war. One he lost badly.
"I guess after all this time, nothing has changed, has it?" Toriel continues. "No matter what, we refuse to recognize each other as equals. At this rate, history is bound to repeat itself."
"You're forgetting one important variable," Asgore counters. "Frisk."
Toriel smiles again.
"You're good at that," she says. "Inspiring hope. I'm relieved you didn't lose that part of yourself."
She stands up.
"I should be leaving. It's getting dark out."
Hearing this makes Asgore's heart drop. There is still so much he wants to say- so much to catch up on. But being respectful of Toriel's wishes, he nods, watching her proceed to the door.
"Don't hesitate to come back," he calls after her.
Toriel turns away from the door and faces the king.
"Take care of yourself, Asgore," she says before leaving.
...
Even after all of the senseless death Frisk has recently had to witness, it does little to numb the shock of seeing the now lifeless soldier slump against the ground. Rivaling the traumatic image is his killer, who appears far from satiated.
This isn't the most violent the human has seen her. In fact, it was they who'd been on the receiving end of her righteous fury on numerous runs through the underground. On their first genocide run, Undyne's intimidation had surpassed levels previously thought impossible.
On and on, the two fought. If they were held at gunpoint, Frisk wouldn't be able to recount the number of times a battle between them has taken place. But this is different. Seeing the monster strike someone down without any mercy, any hesitation, any guilt... this isn't the same heroine. This is something else.
"These past years have been uncertain," Undyne says. "Despite my efforts, not a single monster held a shred of hope to break free from our tomb. But I knew it was only a matter of time before another human fell. And then another... and another... "
Undyne's stretched grin widens even further.
"All of them, each and every single one... I ripped their SOULS from their puny bodies. And every time I did, I imagined what it would be like to take yours."
She reels her spear back.
"How lucky I am to find out."
Frisk is left speechless. Undyne's words only prove this is their friend in nothing but name. What they can't figure out is why.
They don't get a chance to speculate.
Undyne swings her spear horizontally with movement so swift, the attack was hardly seeable. Its tip catches the fabric of the human's shirt, tearing it open in the process but thankfully only leaving an inconsequential scratch on the flesh underneath.
Adrenaline at an all-time high, Frisk stumbles back, considering themselves extremely fortunate to still be breathing. It wasn't like Undyne to miss a stationary target.
The human looks down to take in the extent of the damage, only to be met by a scary revelation. Undyne's move wasn't an attack. At least not in the traditional sense. But it did achieve more than a scratch. It altered the very nature of Frisk's SOUL, which is now bright green.
"Oh no..."
With only seconds to react, Frisk conjures the only advantage gifted to them in this form. A transparent kite-shaped shield. It's been a long time since they've felt the light weight of the thin defense tool.
Frisk hears it coming.
They turn left just in time for a blue spear traveling at high speed to meet the shield and dissipate on impact.
Behind me!
The projectile's incoming trajectory doesn't go unnoticed by the human's trained ears. They turn around and block the attack, slightly pleased with themselves for having retained the same reflexes they exhibited all those years ago.
Another one comes in from the left. Then two on the right. Now straight ahead-
Undyne's barrage of spears evolves into the high-stakes rhythm game Frisk is all too familiar with. Over the repeated onslaught of magic projectiles, Undyne's rage breathing can still be heard loud and clear.
For a while, Frisk is doing fine, countering every spear as if it were their job. That is until a curveball introduces itself. Being so engrossed in the rhythmic sequence, they fail to register the significance of a yellow spear that they seemingly block, only for it to whirl back around and slice open their right shoulder.
Frisk cries out, falling to their knees. A brief moment of vulnerability that almost yields deadly consequences when a clenched gauntlet misses their face by a strand of hair. Undyne had gone in for a punch but didn't expect her target to instinctively roll out of range.
If only she knew how many times she executed that exact same maneuver...and succeeded. Back in the underground, one hundred deaths meant two hundred more victories for the fallen child. Every loss was a lesson to take into the next attempt. And Frisk had learned them all.
Still, the close call sets things into perspective. That punch contained enough force to bring down an elephant. It would have been an instant death.
"Undyne, I don't want to fight you!" Frisk says, rising to their feet. "Can't we just talk? Why are you trying to hurt me?"
"HURT IS TOO SOFT OF A WORD!" Undyne says, snapping a nearby tree free of its roots. "LET'S GO WITH PULVERIZE! NGAH!"
She hurls the tree at her opponent, who manages to leap out of the way in time.
"YOU CAN NEVER JUST STAND STILL!"
Another spear is angrily hurled at the human. Frisk raises their hands, and within them materializes another shield just in time to stop the attack.
"Okay, fine, you hate me, I get it!" Frisk says. "But why?!"
The succession of attacks comes to an abrupt stop. Undyne looks on at the human with an expression they can't quite read.
"Why?" Undyne echoes in disbelief. "Why?! WHY?! Don't you dare play dumb with me after what you did! All the pain and suffering you caused..."
She closes her eye, likely fighting off tears.
"All the monsters you slaughtered... and then, as the cherry on the cake, you somehow stole the human SOULS we gathered, dooming us to an even longer sentence beneath that damn mountain, and you're asking 'why?'"
Everything clicks. The monsters' absence, the fighting- this is the end result of a Neutral Run.
Particularly one where Undyne vows vengeance and declares a second war. A declaration that saw no further fruition than the imaginative mind of a child, for after that voicemail reached its end in the abyss, everything restarted. Every time Asgore's SOUL was struck down by his monstrous son, Frisk lacked the power needed to break through the magic conjured by their great ancestors.
They'd die, with Sans' voicemail being all they'd hear in purgatory. After its conclusion, there'd be nothing left to do but either accept oblivion or get to re-experience the most magical tale of their life. The answer was obvious.
No matter what, the only way to live after the journey was if everything was fixed. The barrier's destruction didn't just give monsters their freedom, but also the very human who helped bring it down. Never did they get to see the outcome of any other ending, if there even was one.
Today marks the end of that question.
"I'll tell you 'why', human," Undyne growls. "Papyrus, Asgore, and all of the other monsters who fell at your hand still live through me. And right now, we all want the same thing. Freedom for our people. And above all else... to strike you down."
A formation of blue spears encircles Frisk's surroundings, all pointed at them. As one, they launch forward at the human who is just barely able to squeeze through a gap between two of the magic weapons before they clash together and dissipate.
The rush of battle was effective in distracting the child from their bodily fatigue. But now as that rush wanes, so too does their ability to stand up straight. This can't go on any further. Someone is going to die.
"Listen, Undyne, I'm not the person you have me confused with!"
"Really, 'cause you both look like the same twerp to me."
She swipes her spear, once again trapping her target's SOUL.
"Stop holding back and FIGHT!!!" she screams.
The spear dance resumes. This time, Frisk doesn't allow the yellow spears to fool them. Instead, what hinders them this go around is their movement. Just turning to face a different direction proves to be a strain, which their reaction time pays for.
"Look around, your people are dying!!" the human yells. "This second war is going to get you all killed!"
"Words won't save you, human!" Undyne says. "I once heard: 'A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once.' If we die, we die FIGHTING!!"
Frisk wonders if Undyne is aware that saying comes from a human playwright. Just as quickly as the thought appears, they snap back to reality. They don't have the luxury to let their mind wander. The monster's attacks are only growing more fierce, and the human's body more exhausted.
I can't take much more-!
Catching both opponents off guard is a flashing light that showers the woodland in fluorescent purple. Its brightness is enough to bring a temporary end to the heroine's barrage. Accompanying the radiance is a high-pitched wail.
Frisk can feel the air leave their body upon seeing it. They've seen it before, back before this entire thing started. And a second time when they traveled through dimensions. It becomes clear who is about to emerge from the other end.
Their suspicions are confirmed when a red Sabaton comes crashing down on the dirt below the vortex, followed by the other. The red armor still glows unnaturally, even against the dominating source of purple light behind it, which finally vanishes.
The crimson knight from earlier has caught up at last.
"There you are," the electronic voice says with unhidden satisfaction. "You really had me going there. The amount of timelines I had to comb through... talk about a goose chase."
"Who- who are you?" Undyne asks, visibly shaken by the stranger's sudden appearance.
"You already know who I am."
If Undyne had a follow-up question, she will never get to ask it. In one swing, a see-through red line emits from the knight's lengthy sword- and the heroine is no more. Where she just stood is now a pool of monster dust.
"NO!" Frisk screams, collapsing to the ground.
Only so many times can one person see their loved ones die again and again. The child wants it to stop. They need it to stop.
"A bit of an overreaction, don't you think?"
All of a sudden, Frisk wants to reach out and strangle the bare neck of whoever is underneath the armor. It's because of them that any of this has happened.
This is all their fault.
"Who are you?" Frisk asks, seeking the same answer Undyne sought before her demise. "What do you want from me?!"
At first, the knight says nothing, seemingly taking in the question.
"Interesting... that explains a lot. I'll tell you what I told Undyne. You already know me..."
The stranger places their hands on their helmet and swiftly removes it. Frisk's jaw hangs open.
"...because I'm you," their doppelganger smiles.
...