Toriel was still discussing the logistics of eye surgery for Frisk with Alphys. The more the doctor told her, the more convinced Toriel was that it might be worth it. The only problem was that Frisk's eyes would be weak for a day or two while they adjusted, but she could manage.

During the discussion, the lab doors opened, and Frisk rushed in, minus their coat. They ran to their mom and hugged her. "Is something the matter, my child?" she asked.

They looked up at her, tears still falling from their eyes.

She knelt down to lay her hands on their shoulders. "Hey, what is the matter?" she gently asked.

"It… it's Undyne," they sniffed. "She was… really mean."

"What did she do?" Toriel asked, anger spiking.

"S-she refused to say that I was l-like her. S-she called me… cruel," they cried.

"But you are not," Toriel said. "Where would she get such a ridiculous idea?"

"B-because I'm h-human," Frisk admitted. "S-she says I'm j-just as bad as the people that t-trapped us down h-here."

"That is ridiculous," Toriel insisted. "You may be human, my child, but you have no relations to the people responsible for our imprisonment."

"Yeah," Alphys interjected. "Just because you're human, that doesn't make you guilty of their crimes. You weren't even born when it happened."

"B-but…"

A scream cut off anything else that was said.

"What was that?" Toriel asked.

"Undyne?" Frisk said. They ran out, their mom and Alphys following. They found Undyne outside, lying on the ground. Frisk ran to her side and rolled her over.

They nearly screamed when they saw a hole where her left eye was, silt pouring from the wound. They struggled to hold the contents of their stomach in at the sight.

Alphys, though, lost the battle, running over to the edge and leaning over the side, ejecting whatever was in her stomach.

"Oh, my," Toriel exclaimed, a hand covering her mouth.

Frisk looked over. A few feet away, silt was covering a stalagmite. "She fell on that," they realized.

Alphys recovered and put a hand on her mouth. "Okay, that looks really bad," she said. "From here, I c-can see the whole eye is g-gone."

Frisk looked over her body and saw bits of dust flaking off. "She's dying," they realized.

"Um, I can save her," Alphys said. "I have the equipment in my lab."

"But her eye…" Frisk said, gesturing to the cavity where the organ once was.

"T-there's nothing I can do for that," Alphys said. "We should move fast."

Frisk looked down at her, their fear warring with their conscience. They should just let her suffer and lose the eye, but a part of them insisted that they try to save it.

"Frisk, what are you doing?" Toriel asked.

Frisk knelt down. "I can help her," they said, raising their hands.

"No, you will not," Toriel insisted. "Just let her suffer."

"But she'll lose the eye," Frisk insisted. "I have to try."

Toriel knew it was selfish, knew it was petty, but she didn't want her child to even attempt healing this woman. "Frisk, do not… just let her suffer." Her pleas were half-hearted, her own conscience warring with her anger.

Frisk placed one hand on Undyne's chest over her heart, the other over her missing eye. They closed their eyes and focused, a green glow coming from their hands, lighting up the area in a soothing aura.

Frisk remembered from their mom's teachings that limbs and organs could be healed, but only if they were healed fast enough. There was a small window where a body part could be saved without permanent damage. They just hoped they were in time for that.

They pulsed their magic into Undyne. Though she had been exceptionally cruel to them, they couldn't let her suffer if they could do something about it. As for Undyne, if she were aware, would reject any healing from the human. But delirious with pain, her guard was down, and she accepted the healing from someone she had trained herself to despise.

For several moments, Frisk pulsed soothing magic into Undyne's body, the fish-woman accepting it. But as the pain-numbing effects of the magic started to kick in, awareness returned to her. Slowly, her presence of mind came back. Her good eye opened and the first thing it saw was the human kneeling over her.

Like that, clarity returned and she responded by punching them square in the jaw.

"Ow!" Frisk yelped and the spell stopped. Toriel ran to her child's side, healing magic already at hand, placing her hands where Undyne had struck her child.

"Get away from me!" Undyne yelled, a hand going to the left side of her face, scrabbling back.

"Hey, Frisk was just trying to help you," Alphys said, standing next to them.

"I don't need their… help?" Undyne's spiteful remark was cut off when she felt her face. Specifically, where her eye was. She could still feel it! She rubbed her eyelid, and sure enough, the eye was there. In fact, when she blinked that eye open, she realized she could still see with it. "W-what?"

"Your eye…" Alphys said in awe. "It… I don't believe it."

"W-what did you do?" Undyne demanded of Frisk.

"I healed it," they said, their jaw sore.

"Why?"

"It… was gone," Frisk said. "I… I couldn't…"

"You couldn't…" Undyne repeated. "Are you for real? I just shouted at you, insulted you. I made you cry for Christ's sake! Why would you help me?"

"You were hurt and I knew if I didn't do anything, you'd lose it," Frisk explained. "So… I had to do something."

Undyne couldn't believe this kid. After everything she had done, they didn't even hesitate. She couldn't understand them. "But you're human," she insisted. "A human wouldn't do that. They'd let me lay here and suffer. They'd let me die. They wouldn't help me. And you are human. Why? Why would you help me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Frisk responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Undyne was yanking on her ears in frustration. "That makes no sense. Only a Monster would do that! You're not a Monster! I don't understand! Where… where does that compassion come from?"

"Well, I've lived with Monsters my whole life, so it must have come from them," Frisk answered.

Undyne couldn't reconcile that statement with her view of humanity. It was simply too much for her. She got up and ran away.

"W-wait!" Alphys said. "I need to…" She didn't bother as Undyne was out of earshot by now.

"Are you okay, my child?" Toriel asked.

"My jaw still hurts," they admitted.

Toriel placed a hand on their chin, channeled a little healing magic to it, then pulled away. "Better?"

"Yes."

"That was incredible!" Alphys said.

"What was?" Frisk asked.

"You regenerated her eye," Alphys explained. "I can't believe it."

"Frisk is a good healer," Toriel said.

"No, they didn't just heal her eye," Alphys elaborated. "It was gone. Probably smooshed by that rock. But your child regenerated it. I've never heard of any Monster being capable of that. Healing damaged body parts, yes, but never an entire organ."

"Really?" Frisk asked.

"Yes! Toriel, could I trouble you to examine Frisk for an hour? I-I want to see what their magic reserves are like after that," Alphys requested.

"I suppose," Toriel cautiously agreed. "Just be careful."

"Of course! Come along, Frisk." Alphys led them both back to the lab, eager to see what she could learn from this human.

"SHE REALLY PUNCHED YOU?" Papyrus asked.

"Yeah, and it hurt," Frisk admitted, rubbing the spot where Undyne had hit them.

"Geez. I thought she was cool," MK said. "But the way you describe her… she doesn't sound that cool."

"Well, it seemed like she couldn't understand how I could be human and compassionate," Frisk justified.

"Gosh, Frisk," Noelle chuckled. "She made you cry, said things that were outright cruel, and you're still defending her, even after she punched you while you were trying to heal her?"

"WELL, I'M PROUD OF YOU, FRISK," Papyrus said. "YOU SHOWED HER THAT ANYONE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON."

"I think that's her biggest problem," Frisk commented. "She has trouble wrapping her mind around the fact that a human is capable of the same things as Monsters. She just sees them as… well, bad people."

"Think she'll change her mind?" MK wondered.

"Hope so," Noelle said. "So, what should we play today?"

"How about red light green-light?" MK suggested.

"Good idea," Frisk agreed. "Papyrus, you want to be the light?"

"SURE THING!" he agreed.

Alphys followed Asgore through Waterfall. After her checkup on Frisk, she called the king to let him know what happened. And he agreed that they needed to check on his captain. Alphys was there to make sure that the eye was functional.

They stopped outside a fish-themed house. Asgore knocked on the door.

"Go away!" came Undyne's voice.

"Undyne, it's me," Asgore said. "May I come in?" He didn't get a response, but concerned, he opened the door anyway. He ducked down to fit through the doorway with Alphys behind him.

When they stepped into the house, they saw the living room was in shambles. Furniture was tossed around or smashed, and spears embedded in the walls. Undyne herself curled up against a wall.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, voice absent of its usual energy.

"I heard about your accident and I wanted to ensure you were alright," Asgore explained. "And I brought doctor Alphys here to examine you."

Alphys walked forward. "Yeah, we've never properly met and I don't think what happened yesterday counts," she said. "So, I'm Alphys. But you already know that! Eheheh." She forced herself to shut up, taking out the medical equipment she brought.

"I don't need a doc to look at me," Undyne spitefully said.

"You had lost your eye, Undyne," Asgore said. "You need to be looked at."

"I'm fine."

"I will not have my captain injured," Asgore said. "I'm ordering you to comply with this examination."

Undyne groaned but didn't move otherwise as Alphys got to work. She did her best to focus on the exam, trying hard not to focus on this woman's muscular form or anything else about her.

"Is something troubling you?" Asgore asked.

"…How? How can you just… let them… do whatever they want?" Undyne got out.

"Excuse me?"

"The human," she clarified. "Why aren't you hunting them or taking their Soul?"

"They are a child," Asgore answered.

"That didn't stop the other six from being killed," Undyne pointed out.

Asgore looked down in shame. "It is different with Frisk."

"How? Why do they get special treatment?" Undyne asked. "We only need one more Soul, then we can get out of here. And the final one is here. So why not take it?"

"They are too young," Asgore admitted.

"But they're as old as the others, aren't they?"

"It's not the same," Asgore said. "Undyne, how much do you know of Frisk? Of their history?"

"Nothing, really," Undyne admitted.

Asgore sighed before sitting next to her. "Truth is, I do not know much either," he admitted. "But I can make a few guesses. They have lived in the Underground since they were a baby. At least long enough that they don't know what another human looks like."

"How do you know that?" Undyne asked.

"Because I met them when they were only three," Asgore explained. "I was in Snowdin, talking to people, when I felt something bump into my leg. I looked down and saw them."

"Why didn't you do anything then?" Undyne asked.

"Because the first words out of their mouth caught me completely off guard," Asgore answered. "They said, 'you look like mommy'."

"Huh?" Undyne hummed.

"It took me several moments to realize what that meant," Asgore continued. "It meant that my wife was alive and had been caring for that child long enough to see her as their mom."

"Your wife? You mean the queen?" Undyne questioned. Then it hit her. The other Monster that had been tending to Frisk after she punched them! How hadn't she seen that?

"Yes. A few moments later, Papyrus showed up and said that he was looking after the child and several others," Asgore continued. "During the whole conversation, they revealed that they thought they were a Monster. And right then, I knew, I could not, in good conscience, take that child's life. If I did, the guilt would destroy me."

"Oh," Undyne said. "But then… why not…"

"If you are going to ask why I did not simply have someone else do it, it is because I knew they would not be able to," Asgore explained. "No one would be able to murder such a young and innocent child."

"But we need their Soul to get out of here," Undyne reminded. "So what do we do?"

"I have tasked Alphys with finding an alternative," Asgore answered. "I believe she will pull through."

"Oh, I w-wouldn't say that," Alphys blushed. "It might be years before I figure anything out. Though w-with Frisk's help, I s-should get answers faster."

"And if she can't?" Undyne questioned. "I'm not doubting you, doc, but what if you can't find an alternative. What then?"

Asgore looked down, not answering.

"That kid is our key out of here," Undyne reminded. "If Alphys can't find another way, are you going to do nothing?"

"There is no other way," Asgore shamefully admitted. "We'll wait for another human to fall and use their Soul, or, preferably, Frisk dies on their own and they give us their Soul."

"But that could be decades," Undyne said. "You're really gonna postpone our freedom for them?"

"I will not have their blood on my hands, or on anyone else's," Asgore insisted.

"But what if they want out?" Undyne questioned. "What if they decide to leave? What then?"

"Frisk isn't that kind of person," Alphys said. "I can't imagine them leaving us to suffer while they escape. They'd rather stay down here with all of us. I'd bet my reputation on it."

Undyne sighed. "You're really okay with letting them stay here?"

"There isn't any better alternative," Asgore answered.

"I still don't get how you can care for them so much," Undyne said.

"Then perhaps you should go see for yourself," Asgore suggested.

"Huh?"

"Talk to them," he explained. "Invite them over for tea. Ultimately, we do have to live with them. It'd be better if you could be on reasonable terms."

Undyne groaned. "I'll try."

Alphys finished her examination. "Okay, seems the eye is intact, but it looks like there's little bits floating in it. Also, you still don't look good."

"I'll be fine," she insisted.

"Well, I think you should see a healer just to be sure," Alphys suggested.

"Is that all, doctor?" Asgore asked.

"Yeah, I'm done," she confirmed.

"Then we shall take our leave," Asgore decided. He headed out, Alphys following. Before walking through the door, he turned to face Undyne. "Remember what I said." With that, he left her house, closing the door behind him.

Undyne sat there in the remains of her living room, thinking things over. She didn't want to talk to Frisk. But she knew that was her hatred talking. Asgore was right. Ultimately, she was stuck down here with them, probably for several decades. She might as well get to know them better.

Frisk was playing with their friends in Snowdin, making snowmonsters. They were trying to make one look more like Papyrus when Sans showed up.

"heya, kids," he said. "wha's going on here?"

"We're making snowmonsters," Noelle answered.

"SHOULDN'T YOU BE ON PATROL, BROTHER?" Papyrus asked.

"i'm on break," he nonchalantly answered. "oh, by the way, undyne wanted me to give this to frisk." He held up an envelope, handing it to the human.

Frisk opened it to find a letter from Undyne, inviting them to have tea at her house at three.

"Huh. Wonder why she would want to see me?" Frisk puzzled.

"MAYBE SHE WANTS TO APOLOGIZE," Papyrus suggested.

"Maybe so," Frisk agreed.

"you should check with your mom before going," Sans said. "not sure she'd be too happy letting you get near her after she almost broke your chin."

"Fair point."

Frisk asked their mom, and she tentatively agreed after reading the letter, but she also had Frisk deliver a letter to the captain on her behalf. Frisk didn't read it, which was a good thing, as it was a threat to Undyne if she hurt Frisk in any way.

Frisk arrived at Undyne's house five minutes before three, having gotten directions from Sans. They knocked on her door, which was a pair of spikey jaws. They parted to reveal Undyne in her casuals.

"Five minutes before," Undyne said.

"Mommy says it's impolite to be late, and it's good to be early," Frisk explained.

"Well, uh, come in," she said, though she had to force herself to say that. Frisk followed her in, wiping their feet on the mat outside.

"Wow! Your house is so big!" Frisk said in awe.

"Uh, thanks," Undyne said.

"Oh, mommy wanted me to give this to you," Frisk remembered, handing her their mom's letter.

Undyne took it and opened it up. She read it over, her eyes going wide as she read Toriel's threat. If she hadn't already been convinced to be gentle with the kid, that sealed the deal.

"So, what do we do with 'tea'?" Frisk asked.

"Wait, you mean you've never had any before?" Undyne asked, putting the contents of the letter out of her mind.

"Is it something you eat?" Frisk asked.

"It's a drink," Undyne clarified.

"Cool. So where is it?"

"I have to make it first," Undyne informed. "It'll take a few minutes. You can go sit down at the table while we wait."

Frisk did as suggested and sat cross-legged on the floor. "Um, how come there aren't any chairs?"

"It's how some humans on the surface sit," Undyne explained while getting the pot out. "They sit down on mats."

"Why?"

"Uh… I don't know," she admitted. "It's just what I've seen in the comics I found."

Frisk hummed at that. As they sat, they looked around. They noticed there were several nicks on the walls and furniture, and some things looked brand-new. They liked her fish wallpaper. They even spotted a piano. Did she know how to play it? If so, Frisk wanted to ask if they could take lessons.

Eventually, Undyne arrived with a kettle and two teacups. She poured some for herself and Frisk.

They picked theirs up, looking at the steam rising from the liquid. They were about to drink it when Undyne stopped them.

"Whoa! Careful. It's hot. Give it a moment to cool, or you'll burn your tongue off."

Frisk sat it down, slapping a hand over their mouth. They looked down at the cup, waiting for the contents to cool. "Um, how come there's so little?" they asked, taking their hand away from their mouth.

"Tea isn't like other drinks," Undyne said. "You're supposed to sip it."

"Oh." Frisk figured that was long enough and took a sip from their cup. It was very hot, but in the little amount they got, it was bearable. It also tasted very good, too. "Tastes nice."

"Glad you like it," Undyne said.

"So, why'd you invite me here?" Frisk asked.

Undyne took a brief sip before answering. "I… I am sorry about… you know, hitting you."

"That did really hurt," Frisk said, rubbing their chin.

"I know. I shouldn't have done that. You were helping me and it was uncool what I did."

"I forgive you," Frisk said smoothly, surprising Undyne again.

"Really? That easily?" she asked. "I would think you'd be mad at me and make me work for an apology."

"Nah. You're fine," Frisk assured.

Undyne chuckled, a hand to her head. "And once more, you surprise me." She looked right at them. "I just don't get it. How are you so… kind? After what I said, I'd be furious. But you healed me, and even after I punched you for that, you forgive me. How can you do that?"

"It's what you do," Frisk said. "Mommy tells me that you forgive people for what they've done when they're sorry."

"Not everyone deserves it," Undyne said. "Some people just don't deserve that kindness."

"Well, I've never met anyone like that," Frisk stated. "Everyone I've ever met has been nice. You're no exception."

"Heh. Just like any Monster," Undyne muttered. "Where does that mercy come from? You're not one of us."

Unlike before, when she said that, it had been spiteful. Now, it was a genuine question, a curiosity of why that was.

"Well, I've been raised by you," Frisk said. "Guess I've just been raised right."

Undyne took a second look at Frisk. Now she could see what Asgore was saying, and why he wouldn't want them dead. Frisk was, in many ways, a pure soul. There weren't that many around. Asgore probably saw his son in Frisk, which explained why he didn't want to do it. Killing them would be like murdering his son.

"So, where do you come from?" Undyne asked. "I know you're from the surface, but do you have any idea where?"

"I'm not from the surface," Frisk answered, which shocked the captain.

"Uh, what?"

"I'm not from up there," Frisk explained. "Mommy said I was born down here. She said that she helped deliver me."

"How?"

"My mom – my birth mom – she fell while pregnant with me," Frisk said. "Mommy found her, brought her to her home, helped her deliver me, then my birth mom died. I've been with mommy ever since."

That surprised Undyne. "You mean… you've never seen the surface? Not even for a moment?" she questioned.

"No?"

Undyne sighed. "That explains a lot, actually. So, I take it you have no desire to go see it, then?"

"Not really," Frisk admitted. "I mean, someday, maybe. It sounds like it'd be a good place. But we're all stuck down here, so that'll never happen."

Undyne did her best not to smile. The kid really was like them. She almost couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hey, Frisk," she began. "I'm sorry for what I said that day. I just… you're all that stands in our way, and I tried to view you as the enemy. But… you're just as imprisoned as the rest of us. I'm sorry I was so mean. I should have known better."

"That's okay, I forgive you," Frisk said with a smile.

Undyne returned it. "Oh, you're almost out of tea, aren't you? Would you like some more?"

"Sure!"

End of Chapter 12