A/N Seems I spoke too soon. The email updates are broken once again. UGH! I'm contemplating leaving and just keep posting my stories to DeviantART and AO3. Not sure if I will, but if they can't get their site fixed, then I don't see a point continuing to post here.
Oh well, on with the story.
Frisk was walking through Waterfall, wearing a swimsuit. The new resort had opened a few weeks ago and they had decided to spend time at it. Coincidentally, all their friends were there as well. They walked between the various hot springs and found the pool their friends were lounging in.
"Hey, guys," they greeted.
"Yo! Glad you could make it, dude!" MK greeted.
"GREETINGS, FRISK!" Papyrus said.
"Great to see you," Berdly added.
"Gosh, Frisk, it's good you're here," Noelle said.
"Hey, you made it," Susie commented.
Frisk set their towel down and dipped their feet into the hot water, before lowering their whole body and keeping their head above the water. "Ahh… that feels nice," they sighed.
"ISN'T IT?" Papyrus agreed. "THE STEAM ALSO HELPS OPEN YOUR PORES."
"Why are you here, though?" Susie asked. "You don't have any skin."
"I STILL LIKE HOT WATER," Papyrus protested.
"We are most fortunate that they decided to open to the public," Berdly said.
"So, Frisk, how's things going back home?" MK asked.
"Really good," they answered. "Mom's actually getting ready for another date with Asgore."
"Again?" Noelle questioned. "That's the third one this week."
"How long have they been going out for?" Susie asked.
"A couple months now," Frisk answered. "To be honest, I didn't expect this much this fast."
"But you tried to push for her to forgive him, dude," MK reminded.
"Yeah, but I didn't think they'd get this lovey-dovey this fast," Frisk admitted.
"Well, my dad tells me that's pretty close to how they used to be," Noelle said. "Apparently, they'd do embarrassing adult stuff in public all the time. With their kids present."
"Like what?" Susie asked, sounding curious.
"Like say sick thing to each other, rub noses, tease each other," Noelle listed off.
"So boring adult stuff?" Susie clarified.
"When will they tie the knot, so to speak?" Berdly asked.
"Good question," Frisk said. "I'm not sure how it works, but I think they might be almost there."
"AREN'T THEY STILL TECHNICALLY MARRIED?" Papyrus questioned.
"What?" Susie asked. "They've been apart for years."
"RIGHT, BUT SHE NEVER DID BREAK UP, OFFICIALLY," Papyrus clarified. "SHE JUST… LEFT."
"Huh. Fair point," Frisk said.
"So, re-tie the knot?" Berdly changed.
"Hey, that would make you the prince," MK realized, talking to Frisk.
"It would?"
"Yeah. Toriel's your mom, Asgore's the king, they'll get married, and that would make you Asgore's kid," MK reasoned. "Which would make you our prince."
"Huh. You're right. I would become the prince," Frisk realized.
"So should we start referring to you as 'your majesty'?" Susie sarcastically asked. "Or perhaps 'your princlyness.'"
"I think it's technically 'your highness'," Noelle said.
"Maybe 'Most Royal Human Who Ever Lived'?" Frisk joked. That got a chuckle from everyone. "But seriously, you guys just call me 'Frisk'. You're my friends, so don't bother with titles."
"As you wish, 'your highness'," Berdly mock bowed, getting a laugh from everyone again.
Frisk decided it was time to change the subject. "Noelle, how's your father?" Frisk asked.
Noelle sunk further into the water. "Not good. The doctors can't find out what's wrong with him. They're worried it could be… deadly."
"I hope it's not," MK said. "He's a cool guy. It'd be a shame to lose him."
"And whatever happens, we'll be here for you," Frisk assured.
Noelle rose slightly at that. "Thanks, guys."
"So, what else is there to discuss?" Berdly asked. "Preferably a topic that is much lighter."
"How about… Alphys' experiments?" MK asked.
"How's that lighter?" Susie questioned.
"It's important," MK insisted. "A whole bunch of Monsters went to her lab. She was doing something to them, wasn't she?"
"She was," Frisk said. "She was planning to use the stuff that makes human Souls persist to try and make theirs last longer. She was going to return the dust for the funerals."
"Actually, I think I might have news regarding that," Berdly said. "Okay, now this is just what I heard from Snowy, which he got from his dad, so it's debatable if it's legit or not. But according to him, Alphys called a few days ago, saying that his mom and everyone else just… woke up."
That got stares from everyone present.
"Woke up?" Susie parroted.
"But they were Fallen Down," Noelle said. "How could they have woken up?"
Berdly shrugged. "That's what Snowy told me. He said that his dad said that Alphys said that she would return Crystal to her family soon."
"That's cool!" MK said. "But how did she manage to wake them up?"
"Could the human Soul stuff have done it?" Noelle asked. "We know humans don't Fall Down."
"Maybe," Frisk mused, rubbing their chest. Alphys had gotten a few more extractions from them, though she was never able to completely stop the pain as she did it.
"BUT IS THAT TRUE?" Papyrus asked.
"I have no clue, my skeletal friend," Berdly said. "Maybe he just misheard."
"Well, I could go check," Frisk suggested. "I've been to her lab several times. I can find out."
"What if it's true?" Noelle asked. "Could she really have saved Monsters that were dying?"
Frisk caught the hopeful tone in her voice and knew why she was asking.
"We'll find out," they said.
After they finished spending time with their friends, Frisk went to Alphys' lab. It wasn't a very long walk from the hot springs in Waterfall. They entered through the front doors and headed for the elevator that went down to her real lab. They typed a code on a keypad on the door, but found it was denied.
Frisk was puzzled by that. They tried again, and sure enough, they were denied access. That confused them. Sure, Alphys could be shy sometimes, but she never outright shut them out. Worried, they decided to try her own code, which they had memorized. The door opened and they stepped into the elevator. They pressed the button that sent them down.
Once at the bottom, they left the elevator, and the first thing they noticed was the lights were dimmer. It was strange. Alphys always kept the lights at the level they were on the ground floor. They walked through the halls, passing several panels that had the entries for her work on Souls on them. They entered the main lobby and found the door to the power room was sealed.
They saw the chisps machine and immediately their stomach growled. There were a few bags in it, so they decided to grab one to snack on. They put a few gold in the slot and the bag fell into the dispenser. They reached in to grab the bag, opening it and put one of the chips in their mouth. Their mom didn't like it when they snacked on junk food, but since she wasn't there, they decided to indulge themself.
As they chewed, they heard some strange sound behind them. It sounded like hollow panting. They turned around.
The thing standing there looked faintly like an amalgamate of cat and dog, with a white, dripping, amorphous body, six legs with clawed feet, a head with a single orifice in it, white drool dripping from the opening, and a pair of triangular ears atop the head. It looked down at Frisk, a hollow pant coming from the single opening, goo dripping from its form.
Suddenly, a bright flash nearly blinded it, and it whimpered and rubbed at its head.
Frisk lowered their phone after taking a picture of the strange Monster. They opened their messages app and attached the picture to a text they sent to Alphys, asking 'hey Alphys, who's this?'
"Wait… that's Muttler?" Frisk asked Alphys, as they sat next to her. After their text, she had found them, in a state of panic. After she calmed down, she explained to Frisk what had happened with her experiments.
"Yeah, and a few others," she admitted.
"How many did that happen to?" Frisk asked, worried.
"…All of them."
Frisk gasped, a hand covering their mouth.
"I-it seems w-we aren't supposed t-to have Determination in u-us," Alphys stuttered. "Our bodies don't have e-enough physical matter to with-withstand it. It just c-causes us to b-break down into… those."
"Oof," Frisk muttered, feeling bad. These were friends, people they knew, and it was their Determination that caused this. "But wait, I have more than the dead Souls, a lot more than what those guys got, and I'm not melting."
"Y-you have j-just enough to s-survive," Alphys said. "R-remember, you were b-born with all physical s-stuff."
"Oh, right," Frisk realized. "Have… have you told anyone?"
"H-how can I?" Alphys stuttered. "How can I tell them that their f-families have turned into… those! And if they found out, they'd hate me."
"So then… what's your plan? Keep them down here?" Frisk questioned. "Deprive them of their families?"
"W-what else can I d-do?" Alphys asked.
"Tell them the truth," Frisk insisted. "Explain what happened. Let them know it was an accident. And tell them you're looking for a way to fix them." When Alphys curled up, Frisk realized something was wrong. "You are looking for a way to fix them, right?"
Alphys shook her head, unable to get the words out.
"What? W-why not?" Frisk asked, stunned.
"I d-don't think there's anything t-to be done, Frisk," she explained. "I-I've tried, but there's nothing to be d-done."
"But… there has to be a way to fix them, right?" Frisk asked. "They can't stay like that."
Alphys sighed.
"You have to find a way to fix them, Alphys," Frisk insisted. "You can do it."
"W-what makes you think I c-can?"
"Because that's who you are! You're Alphys, the smartest person in the Underground. If anyone can fix them, you can!"
"Y-you really think so?" Alphys asked, still despondent, but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"I know so," Frisk affirmed. "And if you can't, then don't take it too hard. It just means there's nothing to be done. But I know you can do something."
"I want to believe you, Frisk," she said. "B-but I don't know what to d-do. They've all… amalgamated into each other. I d-don't think there's any way to heal… wait, heal?" Something occurred to her just then.
"What is it?" Frisk asked.
"Frisk, you managed to regenerate Undyne's eye after it had been gouged out," Alphys said. "Do… do you think you could heal what happened to them?"
Frisk was stunned by that request. "I… I don't know. I've never seen this happen to anyone. I've never even heard of it."
"Can… can you try?"
Frisk pondered. "I suppose, but I should probably ask my mom first. And you should tell everyone what's happened as well."
Alphys wrung her hands together. "I-I'm not sure about that, F-Frisk," she said. "C-couldn't we k-keep this a secret?"
"And have them lie to their own families? I don't think so," Frisk denied. "It's better to be honest, don't you agree?"
Alphys wanted to refute that, a part of her saying that she should keep what happened secret. But she knew Frisk had a point. Eventually, word of what happened would get out. Perhaps it would be better to be upfront with her mistake, rather than hide it.
"Okay, I'll tell them," she agreed.
"And while you do that, I'll ask my mom if I can help," Frisk said, helping the lizard up.
Frisk waited at their home for Toriel to come back. It was late by the time she arrived, none too happy to find her child still awake. But Frisk stopped her before she could chastise them, hastily explaining what they found and what they were planning. Toriel nearly fainted when they told her what happened to the Monsters. She was hesitant to agree to let them try to heal the Monsters, but she could see the determined look in their eyes and decided to indulge them.
The next day, Frisk and Toriel went to Alphys' lab. When they got there, they found a small crowd of Monsters present. All of them were friends and families of the ones in Alphys' lab.
"Guess she already got the word out," Frisk said.
"Frisk!" Snowy came up, worry coloring his features. "Is it true, is my mom…?"
"Yeah," Frisk confirmed, not sure what Snowy was asking about specifically.
"And you're here to fix her, right?" the Snowdrake asked.
"I'm gonna try," Frisk confirmed. "No promises, though."
Just then, Asgore walked in. The hubbub that filled the lab died down at his entrance.
"King Asgore? Why are you here?" someone asked.
"This is partially my fault," he said, to the surprise of everyone. Before anyone could ask, he continued. "I'm the one who had Alphys go forward with this research. What happened to your families is my doing."
"NONSENSE, DARLING," Mettaton insisted. "THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD HAVE KNOWN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. HECK, I DON'T THINK ANYONE COULD HAVE KNOWN, IF EVEN ALPHYS DIDN'T."
Everyone agreed with that. They were clearly disturbed by what happened, but no one blamed Asgore or Alphys for what happened. It impressed Toriel that Asgore had come clean with it.
The door to the lab opened just then, Alphys walking out. "Is Frisk here y-yet?" she asked.
"Alphys! Over here!" Frisk shouted, leaping up to be seen.
"G-good," the lizard said. "C-come with me, a-and we'll get to w-work."
"I must insist that I go, too," Toriel said.
"I must as well," Asgore added.
"Very well," she agreed. "O-okay e-everyone. I-if all goes w-well, y-you should have your f-families b-back s-soon."
After that announcement, she returned to the elevator with Frisk and Toriel and Asgore following. Many asked what Frisk was going to do, others gave words of encouragement to the human. Their words continued until the doors closed, at which point, the four went down to the lab.
Alphys led them through the halls to a specific room. In it were all four of the Monsters that had melted into each other. The first one Frisk encountered was present. Another that resembled Snowy, but with Vegetoids for eyes and a half-melted lower torso. Another was faintly avian, blending traits from three different kinds of Monsters Frisk knew best from Hotland. The fourth was mostly aquatic, with a pair of muscular arms, a strange tail, and a face composed of mostly teeth, a pair of strange eyes atop the head. What was more, all four appeared to be melting in some form.
Toriel was rightly disgusted by their appearance. "So, what is going to happen?" she asked.
"Frisk is going to t-try to heal them," Alphys explained.
"Will that work?" Asgore asked.
"I-I don't k-know, but it's the b-best idea I g-got," she explained.
Frisk went up to the dog-like one, first. "Okay, big guy, I'll start with you." They reached up, placing a hand on the melting Monster. They did their best not to recoil from the feeling of its liquifying body. They focused and their hand glowed green as they tapped into their healing magic. They pushed it to the Monster, hoping to help.
As they did, they felt the pain all these Monsters were in. Their bodies were amalgamated together into one giant body, melting into each other. To say it was an unpleasant experience was an understatement. They tried to push their magic into the Monster, but felt it being rejected.
The dogs making up the Monster were panicking, unwilling to accept the magic. Frisk placed both hands on the goo, pushing forward. "It's okay," they said gently. "I'm trying to help."
The dog began to howl and growl, feeling threatened. Toriel made a move to step forward, but Asgore held her back with a hand on her shoulder. Frisk tried grabbing on, pressing themself against the Monster. But when they did, they felt themself sinking into its form.
"Stop, I'm trying to help you," they said, trying to pull their hands free. They kept pushing their magic into the body, but the Monsters making it up kept rejecting it.
"Frisk, get out of there!" Toriel shouted, seeing her child sink into the creature.
"I'm trying," they said, jerking. "Let me go, I don't want to hurt you."
"Alphys, end this, now," Toriel demanded.
"Frisk, just pull out," the lizard said.
"I can't," they said. "They're pulling me in."
Asgore whipped out his trident. "Let them go, before I am forced to harm you," he demanded.
The dogs didn't listen, Frisk sinking up to their shoulders.
Asgore swung, trying to end it, but his swipe did nothing to the Monster.
Frisk saw Asgore fail to free them. It was up to them, they realized. They focused, trying to reach the minds inside this thing. "Calm down, I can help you." They didn't get any response except to be dragged in further. At that point, Toriel ran forward, physically grabbing Frisk and pulling, but she was unable to free them. "Stop this!" Frisk shouted. Their shoulders were starting to vanish, and they knew if their head got pulled in, they'd suffocate. They refused to die.
Summoning all their willpower, they pulsed the biggest healing magic they could from their Soul to their hands into the dogs' body. As they did, they glowed a brilliant shade of green. At the same time, they stopped sinking.
Stop. I'm here to help. I'm a friend. So let me fix you. All of you. Frisk thought the words rather than spoke them aloud and it seemed to finally get through. Their body was pushed out of the amorphous mass, their hands gripping onto something that was slowly solidifying. They could feel the Monsters finally accepting their magic.
Toriel let go of Frisk in surprise and she and the others watched as the green glow lit up the room. To their shock, the amorphous mass began to solidify. The general shape was retained, but goo hardened and fell off, revealing white fur beneath. The ends of the legs shaped into paws, some with three digits, others with four. The long thin whip behind it solidified into a tail, wagging in joy. And the head solidified as well, the single orifice remaining, but becoming a black hole in its head, and the two triangles atop it turned into ears.
When it was done, the glow dimmed and Frisk stepped back. The Monster looked down at them before happily rubbing its head on theirs, making a motion like it was trying to lick them. Frisk giggled at the affection. All in all, the creature was a more solid and furry version of the amorphous being it was before.
Alphys walked forward, stunned. She pulled up a scanner and the readings were much better than before. "Whoa. What did you do?" she asked.
"I don't know," Frisk admitted, petting the being.
"Are you okay, my child?" Toriel asked.
"I'm fine," Frisk assured. "That got scary for a while, but I'm okay."
Alphys laid a clawed hand on the being and it leaned into the touch. "It's not melting," she realized. "Whatever it is you did, it stabilized them."
"Wasn't the goal to separate them?" Asgore asked.
"I tried, but that didn't work," Frisk explained. "This might be the most I can do."
"S-so we still can't fix them," Alphys lamented.
"It's not the worst outcome," Frisk assured. "At least they can go home like this."
Alphys looked over the Monster. She could see that they were content with this. "M-maybe you're right. I guess… I guess this is the best we can do."
"So, shall we continue?" Frisk asked hopefully.
"Are you sure?" Toriel asked. "Do you not want to rest first?"
"I'll be fine. And besides, the sooner the better," Frisk said. They went over to Crystal. "Your turn."
An hour later, the elevator dinged. Everyone in the lab waited, turning to the door. And when it opened, Alphys stepped out with four Monsters following her. "This way," she said, gesturing for them to follow. She turned to face the crowd. "Well, I did everything I c-could," she said to them.
Endogeny stepped forward first, panting excitedly. The Snowdin Canine Unit came up and greeted their family members with great enthusiasm.
Mettaton brought Shyren and Blooky up to the sea-like Monster, who was something of a mermaid with an angler's head. "GREETINGS, SHYRA. YOU'RE LOOKING… WELL, I'M NOT SURE HOW TO PUT IT, BUT AT LEAST YOU'RE MORE OR LESS BACK TO NORMAL."
"Not completely," Lemon Bread said, their voice a mixture of all the Monsters they were fused with.
"YES, WELL, AT LEAST YOU'RE HERE, THAT'S WHAT MATTERS," Mettaton said, Shyren and Nabstablook agreeing.
Snowy went up to his mom, who was more raptor-like now, but still retained her original head. "Mom! You're back!" He hugged her, which she returned as best she could.
"Glad to be here," she said. Though she had fused with several Monsters, her personality was dominant.
Reaper Bird appeared more like a condor in their current state, but they were greeted by their families regardless.
Alphys smiled as all the reunions went mostly okay. She wasn't sure if she did the right thing, but everyone was smiling and talking, so it had to be okay. Snowdrake's dad came up. She was partially prepared for disgust, perhaps disappointment that she had done this to his wife.
"I want to thank you personally," he said, surprising her. "I don't know what exactly you did, but you saved her life, and I know you did the best you could."
"Y-you're welcome," she returned.
A few moments later, Asgore and Toriel appeared with Frisk in their mother's arms. After trying to heal four Monsters of a condition that was completely unprecedented, they were exhausted and on the verge of passing out. They managed to look around and saw the Amalgamates – which is what they had decided to call them – happily reuniting with their families. While their appearances were strange, it wasn't the most unusual thing in the Underground. And all would be happy to accommodate their family members.
Alphys came up to the goat couple, speaking to Frisk. "Thanks, for what you did," she said.
Frisk waved, too tired to speak.
"Let us get you home," Toriel said. "You have had an exhausting day."
Frisk nodded, Toriel weaving through the crowd, Asgore behind her. He laid a hand on Frisk's head. "You did incredible," he complimented. "You're one amazing child."
"Thank you," they whispered. "You're a good man, too."
"I shall let you both go home," he said. "I can see I have some work to do." He gestured back to the lab, where the crowd was still gathered.
"See you tomorrow, Asgore," Toriel said pleasantly.
"Good night, Tori. Good night, Frisk."
With that, they parted ways. Frisk curled up against their mother's chest, smiling to themself.
End of Chapter 14
A/N I know some of you are puzzled why I basically skipped over Asgore and Toriel's reunion. The thing is, I've already done it twice, in both LOVETALE and Divine Soul and I'm planning to do it again in Inextinguishable Spirit. So I felt that treading the same ground here would be redundant, especially since it isn't the main focus of the story. So she's forgiving him and they're dating, period.