Frisk walked through Snowdin to meet up with their friends. It had surprised them when Toriel allowed them to make the journey on their own. Normally she would hold their hand and lead them everywhere. But over the last few months, she had been letting them have more and more freedom. It had delighted them when she agreed that they could see what was beyond Snowdin. Frisk got to see Waterfall and Hotland.

They didn't know what had changed to make her decide that, but for the past year they went places they had only heard about from their friends. It was a delight to see more of the Underground. Toriel still advised against going to New Home, saying it was too big and too dense and warning that they could get lost without any sort of guide.

They were slowly getting better at magic as well and able to guide the flames into patterns just like Toriel showed them. They were also getting better at healing as well and could use it quite effectively.

Frisk waved to their friends as they arrived at Papyrus' house.

"Frisk, you made it!" Noelle said.

"Where's your mom?" MK asked.

"She's letting me go on my own today," Frisk explained.

"REALLY? WOWIE," Papyrus said. "SHE ALWAYS GOES WHERE YOU GO UNLESS I'M WITH YOU. SHE MUST REALLY TRUST YOU. ANY BY EXTENSION, ME!"

Frisk giggled at the skeleton's enthusiasm. Though he was definitively a teenager now, he never lost that energy.

"Where's Snowy and Ice Cap?" Frisk asked when they noticed those two were missing.

"Snowy said his mother's not feeling so good so he's staying at home today," Noelle said.

"Ice Cap said he's gonna hang out with his cousins so he's not gonna be here," MK explained.

"THEN IT SEEMS IT IS JUST US," Papyrus said. "WELL, SHALL WE VENTURE FORTH?"

"Yeah!" Frisk agreed.

"Can we go see Waterfall?" Noelle asked.

"Oh, can we go see Undyne's house? I heard she lives there!" MK asked.

"I DON'T THINK THE CAPTAIN WOULD BE IN A MOOD TO ENTERTAIN GUESTS OF YOUR AGE," Papyrus said. "BUT THERE ARE OTHER PLACES WE CAN VISIT."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Frisk ran off first, leading for the first few feet. But Papyrus easily overtook them and led the way.

They walked through the caverns of Waterfall, each place filling the young children with awe. They gazed at the crystals on the ceiling in the Wishing Room, marveled at the glowing lake, and even trotted through the garbage dump.

"Man, this place is so cool!" MK said with glee.

"I especially love the Wishing Room," Noelle said. "I wonder if that's what real stars look like?"

"Well, we'll find out one day, right?" Frisk encouraged.

As they walked they came through a cave that was filled with gemstones, each one sparkling in the light from outside.

"Wow, so pretty!" MK said.

"THEY'RE JUST SHINY ROCKS," Papyrus said. "THEY'RE NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE."

"Wha ha ha ha. Kids find amazement in anything that glitters, young skeleton."

Everyone turned to see an aged turtle standing there wearing a camouflage vest and pith hat.

"Who's that?" Frisk asked.

MK suddenly squealed very loudly. "OH MY GOD! IT'S GERSON BOOM, THE HAMMER OF JUSTICE!"

"Eh, not much these days," Gerson said. "Now I'm just an old turtle exploring this cave we Monsters call home."

"WOWIE! AN ACTUALY CELEBRITY!" Papyrus said.

Frisk walked up to Gerson and the turtle Monster looking down at them. "You look… funny," Frisk said.

"Heh. Not seen many old men, kid?" Gerson asked, rustling their hair. "I'm several centuries old, so it's no surprise I look all old and wrinkly."

MK came running up. "Yo! I'm MK! It's awesome to meet you! You were the captain of the Royal Guard before Undyne!"

"Heh. Indeed I was. Lived through a lot," Gerson said.

"You used to be the captain?" Frisk asked. "Why'd you leave?"

"I'm too old to be fighting anymore, kid," Gerson explained. "These old bones just aren't what they used to be. Luckily, the king already had a replacement for me who was more than willing to take over. So, I decided to retire while I had the chance."

"EXCUSE ME, BUT IF I MAY ASK, WHY ARE YOU HERE?" Papyrus asked.

"Well, I was lookin' for parts of our history that might have been forgotten but then I found this place, and thought 'why not set up a shop here?' I got lots of old junk I can sell. Someone outta find use for all that stuff."

"Hey, can I ask a question?" MK asked.

"What is it, kiddo?"

"Is it true you fought in the war between humans and Monsters?"

"Yep, sure did."

"What war?" Frisk asked.

"Eh? You don't know of it? Geeze, what do they teach you kids in school these days?" Gerson grumbled.

"I don't go to school. My mom teaches me," Frisk explained.

"Well then, allow me to tell you a little history, kid." Gerson grabbed a chair that was off to the side and sat in it. "You kids might want to sit, it's a long tale."

Respectfully, all four sat on the floor to listen to Gerson's story of the war between humans and Monsters.

Once Gerson finished the kids asked a few questions which Gerson gladly answered.

"Wow. So, the humans trapped us all down here?" Frisk asked.

"Yep. The barrier that keeps us all locked here was made by seven of their greatest wizards and only the equivalent of that power can break it," Gerson explained.

"Wow. Sounds like the humans were real jerks," MK said.

"MK, WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE," Papyrus chided.

"Kids don't have any kind of filter, Papyrus. Let 'em say what comes to mind," Gerson said. "But don't think that way, MK. Before the war, we were at peace. Humans and Monsters got along. Not all humans are bad, just remember that."

Frisk raised their hand. "So, what were humans like?" they asked.

"They were like us yet different in many ways," Gerson answered. "They could be anywhere from the gentlest soul imaginable to the most aggressive person you could imagine."

"What did they look like?" Frisk asked.

"Oh, that's a rather interesting answer," Gerson said. "…" He paused for several moments as he thought. "I don't remember."

That caused the little kids to giggle.

"But I'm sure if you ask me that question again much later, I'll remember," Gerson added.

"Well, can I ask something else?" Frisk asked.

"Sure, kiddo."

"Um, what happened to the queen?"

"Eh? What brought that up?" Gerson asked.

"Well, you keep talking about the king, but you don't mention the queen. Is there a queen?"

"No one knows," Gerson said. "After the death of the royal children, she vanished. Which is sad because Queen Toriel used to be the brains behind the throne. Not that our king is bad, necessarily. But she did help him out as much as she could."

"Toriel?" Frisk asked.

"Yep. That's her name."

"That's also my mom's name," Frisk said.

"Heh. Wonder why her parents would name her that," Gerson said.

"Maybe because she looks like the king," Frisk said.

"What do you mean?" Gerson asked. "You don't look like the king."

"But mommy does," Frisk revealed.

"YEAH, SHE ALMOST LOOKS LIKE ASGORE'S CLONE," Papyrus added.

Gerson's open eye widened at that. "Does she now? Where is she, if I might ask?"

"We live in the Ruins," Frisk said. "But she shows up in Snowdin on occasion. She might be there now."

"How about that," Gerson mumbled. "Well, I best be sending you kids on your way."

"Aww, but I want to hear another story," MK said.

"Eh, some other time," Gerson said as he stood up. "You kids did want to go somewhere, right?"

"Oh! That's right!" Noelle said. "We were going to Hotland. Thanks for the story, Mr. Gerson."

"Yeah, thanks, sir," Frisk said.

The four waved goodbye to the turtle as they left, heading for Hotland, leaving Gerson by himself.

"Hmm. Could it have been her?" he mumbled. "Well, no reason not to go see." He grabbed a cane and began walking to Snowdin.

Frisk followed Papyrus as they entered Hotland. The first thing Frisk noticed was the magma all over the floor and the second was the intense heat. It was hotter than what Frisk was used to since they grew up in the cool Ruins and the cold of Snowdin.

Most of the kids shed their extra layers which was a welcome relief in the heat. Papyrus led them to the residential district, away from the lab. Fortunately, there were air conditioners on the upper levels which were also much cooler because they were far away from the boiling magma.

Papyrus led his posse around the district as the kids marveled at how high-tech it was compared to Snowdin. There were powered doors that slid open when approached, high-tech lasers that were part of the place's defenses, and conveyer belts to travel on.

Of course, all that paled in comparison to the CORE, which dominated the background. The massive powerplant loomed over them, partly imposing in its sheer size but also awe inspiring as it provided the entire Underground with power.

The Monsters of Hotland were not like the Monsters of Snowdin, being mostly reptiles and other cold-blooded folk.

"Wow," Frisk said. "This place is incredible."

"INDEED. IT IS IMPRESSIVE, ISN'T IT?" Papyrus added.

"Can we go see the CORE?" Frisk asked.

"I'M AFRAID NOT. ONLY AUTHORIZED PERSONEL ARE ALLOWED THERE," Papyrus explained. "AND AS WE ARE KIDS, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY THEY WOULD LET US THROUGH."

"I wonder who made it?" MK said. "It's been here forever but I don't remember who made it."

"OH, THAT WAS – "

"Heh. Look who showed up."

Frisk noticed that Noelle and MK froze up at the newcomer's voice. Only Frisk and Papyrus turned to see who it was.

"OH, GREETINGS, NEW PERSON," Papyrus waved.

"Who the heck are you?"

"Who are we? Who are you?" Frisk asked.

"No one you need to know."

Frisk looked at Noelle and MK and saw they were both still rooted in place. "Do you know her?" Frisk asked their friends.

"Yeah. She goes to our school," Noelle explained.

"She's mean and scary," MK added.

Frisk looked at the Monster but didn't see anything frightening about her. She was purple and scaley with yellow teeth, yellow eyes, and brown hair with a pink bowtie in it. Ignoring their friends warning, they went up to her.

"What are you doing?"

Frisk stopped just short of her before holding out their hand. "My name's Frisk. What's yours?"

She looked down in bewilderment at the offered hand. "Uh, what? What's going on?"

"You're supposed to shake my hand and tell me your name," Frisk explained with a smile.

"Why?"

"It's what you do when you meet people," Frisk answered her. "It's what mom calls 'manners'."

"Your mom, huh? Does she tuck you in at night and kiss you, too?"

"Yeah! She's really great," Frisk said, still holding their hand out.

"Wow. So, you losers are hanging out with a baby?" she said to the other kids.

"I'm six," Frisk said. "You sound like you're six, too."

"How would you know? Have you seen any others like me?"

"No. I just know."

She scoffed. "Wow. Very smart, aren't you? Well, smart baby, listen well. I'm not a good person. Your friends over there? They're hiding because they're scared of me. So, why don't you skedaddle and I won't bite your face off."

"That sounds really mean," Frisk said. "And my arm's getting tired."

"Didn't you hear what I said? Get lost."

"Not until you shake my hand and tell me your name," Frisk insisted, supporting their arm with their other hand.

"How about I break it and you go running home to your momma?"

"That sounds really mean."

"That's the point! Why don't you get that? I'm a bad person!"

"If you were, you would have hurt me already," Frisk stated.

That seemed to unsettle the Monster somewhat, surprising her.

"Please? My arm's going numb," Frisk requested. "My name's Frisk. What's yours?"

She stood there for a long moment trying to process what this kid was doing. They weren't scared of her and they believed she wasn't actually mean. Sighing, she decided to indulge them. She raised her hand and shook theirs, lightly grabbing it.

"Susie."

Gerson arrived at Snowdin and looked around at the place. He fondly watched as the residents went about their lives in the constant snow. He walked through the town looking for one Monster in particular. Many recognized him as the former captain and waved at him and he returned the gesture.

Eventually he found who he was looking for. She was sitting on a bench in the middle of town chatting with a reindeer Monster. He walked up to them although neither noticed him at first.

"…and she just sauntered in, completely owning it," Rudy finished.

"Goodness," Toriel said. "That is quite a daughter you have."

"Yeah, but she's great. The way she just owns it is so impressive," Rudy said.

"Ehem," Gerson said, getting their attention. Both turned to face him but their reactions were slightly different.

"Gerson?" Toriel asked in muted surprise.

"My lady, it really is you," Gerson said. "It's been so long."

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"A kid came by my place of business and mentioned that their mother shared a name and appearance with the former queen," Gerson explained. "I knew then it was you."

Toriel looked down unable to meet Gerson's eyes.

"I… I won't ask what you are doing here or why you left," Gerson said. "Just know, I am very happy to see you again."

"Is that all?" Toriel asked.

"Yeah. I just had to come see that it was you," Gerson said. He thought for a moment before lightly chuckling to himself. "Heh. Can't believe I didn't recognize it at first."

"What?"

"Your kid," Gerson said. "I didn't realize what they were at first. It's been so long and my memory ain't what it used to be."

Toriel stiffened when he said that.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," Gerson assured. "I get that you're lookin' after 'em and I'll try not to let anything happen to 'em if I can help it."

"Thank you," Toriel said.

"Well, I better head back. Snowdin ain't exactly the best place for these old bones," Gerson said. "See ya around, my lady." With that, he turned and left, leaving Toriel with Rudy.

"Well that was something," the reindeer Monster said. "Now then. What next?"

"You are not… going to comment on any of that?" Toriel asked.

"Nah. Nothing I hadn't figured out already," Rudy said nonchalantly. "Which reminds me of this other time with Dess. She pretended nothing was wrong but I was able to figure out what she did."

"Do tell," Toriel prompted. A moment later Rudy launched into another story of his eldest daughter.

A couple of hours later, Papyrus returned with the kids. Their adventure in Hotland was over and it was getting late enough that he felt their parents would want them home.

"I HAVE RETURNED," Papyrus declared to Toriel and Rudy upon getting to them. "AND NOW, I RETURN YOUR CHILDREN TO YOU."

"Thanks, Papyrus," Rudy said. "Did you have a good time, Noelle?"

"Yes," she said, though Rudy could see the attempt to hide something.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"We just met someone in Hotland," MK said. "She's…"

"Kinda mean but friendly," Frisk interrupted.

"Oh?" Toriel said, curiosity piqued.

"She tried to be all mean and scary but she was actually really nice," Frisk said.

"SHE THREATENED TO BITE YOUR FACE OFF, FRISK," Papyrus pointed out. "AND BREAK YOUR ARM WHEN YOU OFFERED YOUR HAND FOR A SHAKE."

"She didn't mean it," Frisk reminded. "She was just pretending."

Toriel felt her nerves spike at the mention of harm to her child. But that Frisk had managed to handle it on their own calmed her somewhat. She also had to remind herself that locking them in the Ruins wouldn't solve anything and that she promised she wouldn't overreact like that again.

"Well, if there is nothing else, we shall head home," she said.

"Cool. Same time tomorrow?" Rudy asked.

"Yes, I believe so," Toriel agreed.

"SPLENDID! I SHALL EAGERLY WAIT FOR THAT DAY!" Papyrus said. He walked away and MK followed him to be escorted back to his house.

The whole walk home Toriel kept thinking about what Gerson said. She started to worry that more people recognized Frisk as human but the child in question still didn't know that's what they were. She needed to tell them. But she could never find the right way.

Over dinner, she tried to find a way to tell Frisk the truth, before they found it out the wrong way. She didn't know how to approach the subject, though.

"You okay, mommy?" Frisk asked. "You're… quiet."

"Yes. I am just… thinking, my child," Toriel answered.

"Does this have to do with Susie?"

"Who?"

"The mean-but-not-really girl?

"Oh! No, not at all," Toriel assured. "It is… well, I met an old Monster today."

"Turtle-like?" Frisk asked.

"Yes. He told me that my child informed him of my existence," she explained.

"Was that wrong?"

"Well, no," she hedged. "You did not do anything wrong, my child. Just… in the future, try to keep any similarities between myself and the king to yourself."

"Okay."

"But more than that. Some things he said weigh heavily on my mind," Toriel explained.

"He did say some weird things when I met him," Frisk added.

"Yes, well, there are some things I have never told you," she admitted. "And… I did not tell you because you were too young to understand. But you are older now, and I feel you are ready."

"Like what?" Frisk asked.

"Well, did Gerson say anything to you about your appearance?"

"Not really. Though I did tell him that my mommy doesn't look like me. After that, he looked kinda funny."

"Yes, well, there is a reason for that," Toriel said. "Children usually resemble their parents in some way."

Frisk nodded, showing that they were paying attention.

"You see, the reason you do not look like me… is because… you…"

"Aren't your kid?" Frisk finished for her.

Toriel froze up at that. They already knew?

"I knew for a while," Frisk explained.

"How?"

"Well, Noelle looks like her mom and dad, MK looks like his parents, Snowy resembles his family, and Papy and Sans look alike. In a sense. But I don't look like you."

Toriel was shocked. Frisk had figured it out on their own. Did they already know they were human or did they still think they were a Monster?

"Well, yes, that is true," Toriel confirmed. "I have raised you since you were a baby. I have cared for you and provided for you, but I am not your mother."

Frisk looked down. "Well, that's okay. You're still my mommy." They smiled at her to show it was genuine.

"Thank you. But I feel I need to tell you about your real mother," she said.

"Nah. I'm good," Frisk dismissed.

"But… there is something you should know about – "

"No," Frisk insisted, cutting her off. "I don't want to know. Whatever it is, I don't care. You're my mommy. That's all I need to know. I don't want to know about my real mom."

Toriel opened her mouth, trying to persist, but Frisk's insistence won out. Combined with her own reluctance she simply responded, "Very well."

"So, what are you reading for me tonight?" they asked.

Toriel smiled before resuming her meal. She still felt she had to tell them but Frisk wouldn't let her at this point. One day she would try again. But for now, she would let them believe what they wanted to believe.

End of Chapter 9