After the Dreemurr's tearful reunion, they went to the upper levels using a staircase because the elevator was still non-functional. Alphys wanted to make sure that Asriel was alright so she set up a battery of tests for him. However, since the power was still out, she was forced to use more mundane means to test Asriel.

It was concerning when they stepped into the upper level and found that it was as dark as the lower level. As Alphys got to work making sure Asriel was alright, Frisk decided to check with his friends to see what the situation was. When he tried to use his phone, he found that it was unable to find a signal.

"Weird. Undyne, you getting a signal?" he asked.

Undyne pulled out her own phone, only to get the same result. "Nope."

Asgore tried the same from his son's side, only to have an identical situation. "Nothing here, either."

"Huh, weird," Alphys mused. "I thought the lab's connection to the CORE shorted out. Could the entire Underground have lost power?"

"That's not good," Undyne said. "I'll go to Waterfall and see if anyone's got any power there." She made for the exit, but the doors didn't open. She jammed her hands into the gap and began pushing the door apart and was able to create a gap big enough for her to slip through.

"Did I do that?" Asriel asked, referring to the blackout.

"Asriel, you had nothing to do with this," Toriel chided.

"But you were using the CORE to make my Soul," he said. "Did… did you damage the CORE for me?"

Asgore laid a hand on his shoulder. "If we did, it's a price worth paying," he affirmed.

Frisk kept trying to call his friends, repeatedly putting in Noelle's number to check on her. But again, without any reception, he got nothing. Not even a dial tone.

"Alphys, do you have a hard line?" Frisk asked.

"Um, let me think," Alphys said, pausing her examination. "One, I think. Down the hall, first room on the right."

Frisk went to the specified room. The internal doors weren't powered doors, so he was able to swing them open. He looked around the room using a fireball for light. His eyes settled on the ancient analog phone on the wall. He picked up the receiver and held it to his ear. He heard a dial tone. He quickly dialed Noelle's number, hoping the phone in her house was old enough. Once the phone started ringing, he pumped his fist a little. There was enough power for the old phonelines to work.

After a few rings, he heard the line click, and Noelle's voice came through. "Hello?"

"Noelle, it's me," he said.

"Frisk!" she exclaimed. "Are you alright? What's going on? Everything suddenly went dark."

"I'm in Alphys' lab. The power went out. We're still taking stock, but we think the CORE shorted out," he explained.

"Alphys' lab? Why are you there?" Noelle questioned. Before he could respond, she spoke again. "Wait! Did you do it? Is he…"

"Yeah. He's back," Frisk confirmed.

"Wow! Congratulations!" she said.

"Thanks. Though it seems we broke the CORE doing it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd explain, but I'm not sure I understand what happened myself," Frisk admitted. "What I do know is that we used the CORE to recreate his Soul and body and possibly broke the CORE doing that."

"Oh," Noelle said. "Well, is it worth it?"

"So far, yeah."

"Good."

"By the way, how's your family doing?" Frisk asked.

"We're okay. Mom's going around town to see the extent of the damage while Dess is staying to make sure I'm alright. It happened rather abruptly."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Frisk apologized.

"It's fine. Like you said, it's worth it."

"Good. Well, let us know what the situation there is. I'll probably be here for a while."

"Alright. Have you checked with everyone else?"

"They are next on my list. Seems when the power went out, it took out our cellphones."

"Oof. At least these old things still work."

"Yeah. I'll call Susie, see what's going on in New Home."

"I'll call after my mom comes back."

"Okay. Good luck," Frisk said. He hung up, preparing to dial Susie's number. It was going to take a while.

An hour later and the Dreemurr's got at least part of the picture from Frisk and Undyne. Every single region had lost power at approximately the same time. Alphys finished her examination of Asriel quickly, determining that he was healthy and okay, then set off for the CORE. She had Undyne go get her assistants, as most Monsters didn't have access to the old telephone lines.

Asgore set off for the rest of the Underground to check on his people. Toriel took the boys home. It was decided that they would announce Asriel's return tomorrow after Alphys had managed to restore power.

Asriel was still wrapped in Frisk's cape, blushing as he walked through the streets of New Home to his old house with that as his only covering.

Once in their home, he relaxed a little and Frisk took him to his room.

"Okay, let's get you something to wear," Frisk said, rummaging through his wardrobe. "You look about my size so it shouldn't be too hard to find something that fits."

Asriel did his best to conceal his blush. Frisk grabbed a pair of underwear and handed them to Asriel.

"First things first," Frisk said. Asriel took the underwear and slipped it on under the cape. Frisk continued to look for more clothing. "Hmm. Here, these might work." He pulled out a blue shirt with purple stripes, and a pair of jeans. "These are my old casuals," he said. "They look like they will fit you."

Asriel took the offered clothing and tried to put them on, but only the pants fit, and barely at that. The shirt, however, wouldn't go over his head. "Mmf. I don't think this fits."

Frisk helped Asriel pull it off. "Okay, let me find something else." He rummaged through the various shirts and eventually found an older sweater that he never wore. It was green with yellow stripes. "Here, maybe this."

Asriel took it and it was able to go over his head. "Yeah, that fits," he said.

Frisk took his cape back, slinging it back into place. "Well, now that that's settled, what do you want to do?"

At that moment, Asriel's stomach growled. "Um, maybe eat?"

"Well, let's see if mom can fix us some lunch," Frisk said. He headed out with Asriel following behind.

Lunch was eaten in almost total darkness. A few fireballs created by Asgore and Frisk, aling with a few candles, provided light. Better yet, Toriel made Snail Pie, which everyone had a generous helping of, Asriel more than the others.

After lunch, Frisk fiddled with his phone, trying to get it to work. While all the apps still functioned, he still couldn't make any calls with it. Hours passed and the lights still hadn't come back on. Asgore went out and about to talk to Monsters and calm them down, assuring them that Alphys was on the job, working hard to repair the CORE.

By evening, Asgore had come back. He talked to Toriel about what Alphys had told him. Frisk was able to hear them talk. As it turned out, several critical components that converted the magma to magical electricity had been damaged when the CORE overloaded.

The CORE had been pushed to its limits in generating power to recreate Asriel's Soul. That along with maintaining everything else that had already been on during the whole operation drained the power plant completely. Then, when power flooded back into it, it overloaded several systems at once. Fortunately, the Monster that designed the CORE had the foresight to expect that scenario and built in a kill-switch that was triggered automatically once it sensed too much feedback, forcing the CORE to completely shut down so it wouldn't explode.

Unfortunately, that kill-switch was also making it hard to turn the CORE back on. It seemed that the CORE's original designer had gone overboard in making sure everything shut off, as everything had been forced to turn off, even the systems that converted the magma, so it was receiving no power. Alphys was currently working with a few assistants to try and get the CORE operational. But she estimated it would be tomorrow before it came back on.

Frisk finished up his homework by candlelight before starting to prepare for bed. During that time, he decided to call Noelle and check on her. Luckily, the house had an old landline that Toriel never got rid of for some reason. He dialed her number, waited, then heard her voice.

"Holiday residence," Noelle answered.

"It's me," Frisk said.

"Oh, hi Frisk."

"Just wanted to see how you're doing."

"Well, the power's still out here in Snowdin," she informed. "Luckily, my phone provides enough light for me to do my homework."

"So, you're fine?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm not scared of the dark," Noelle said.

"Really? Because when we were younger, you couldn't stand it," Frisk teased.

"I'm a big girl now. And we live in a cave. I can handle a little darkness."

"About that, I overheard dad talking to mom. He said that Alphys said that the CORE was badly damaged when we brought Asriel back. It shut itself off to prevent the overload from destroying it."

"Well, that's good."

"Except for the part where it turns back on," Frisk added. "Alphys has been having trouble with that and says that it won't be operational until tomorrow morning."

There was silence as Noelle reacted to that. "That seems like a design flaw."

"Yeah. But we'll manage. Also, you gonna be there at the announcement tomorrow?" Frisk asked.

"Probably. My mom will at least make sure we all attend, as we've been there for every single other announcement."

"I'll see you then," Frisk said.

Noelle was about to hang up but decided to say one last thing. She held the receiver close, checked to make sure no one was watching, then whispered as quietly as she could, "I love you."

Frisk chuckled. He checked to make sure no one was around before returning the gesture. "Love you, too." Then they hung up. Frisk finished up his nightly routine before heading to bed. However, when he entered his room, a problem immediately presented itself.

Asriel was putting on a set of pjs when he heard Frisk enter. They looked at the only bed in the room, then at each other.

"I, uh, forgot to ask dad to bring a new bed in," Frisk said.

"So, who's gonna sleep in it?" Asriel asked.

"You haven't slept in a proper bed in a month," Frisk said. "You should get it."

"But it's your bed, and I don't think I could be comfortable if you had to sleep on the floor," Asriel responded.

"Well, I'm not going to ask you to do the same," Frisk stated. "So, which of us is it going to be?"

Asriel wrung his hands as he debated, thinking the problem over when an idea came to mind. It was embarrassing, but it might work. "Well, what if we… shared it?"

Frisk stared at him. "What?"

"Well, there's just enough room that we won't have to lay on each other," Asriel argued. "So… we could… sleep on opposite sides."

Frisk was weirded out by the suggestion, but he supposed it would work. And he wasn't about to ask Asriel to sleep on the floor, and it was equally clear that Asriel wouldn't ask the same.

"Okay. You can take the side facing the wall," Frisk agreed.

They climbed into the bed, Asriel going in first. Frisk immediately noticed that the bed was warmer than usual. Probably due to Asriel's presence.

"Comfortable?" Frisk asked.

"Yeah. It's a really nice bed," Asriel said. "Reminds me of mine. Though, the bedmate is a bit strange."

"Just don't roll on me," Frisk said. He rolled onto his side, falling asleep within minutes. He had to tell his dad they needed another bed. Though, he didn't mind Asriel's presence too much.

The power still wasn't on the next morning. Alphys assured Asgore it would be on in time for the announcement. Unfortunately, that meant word of the announcement had to be passed through word of mouth, rather than the digital system Alphys had set up. Asgore assigned it for late in the afternoon, which would give enough time for Alphys to finish repairing the CORE. He also said that he was planning a party for later that day, though Frisk wasn't sure what it was for. Celebrating Asriel's return didn't seem like occasion enough for it.

While waiting for the announcement, Frisk decided to take Asriel shopping for some new clothes. While Asgore and Toriel still had a few spare shirts and pants for Asriel, they were old and worn, and not good enough for a party. So, Frisk took Asriel to the shopping district in New Home to hunt for some clothes and a suit. During the whole adventure, Frisk also suggested that Asriel work at Papyrus', as he himself worked there and could give Asriel some good experience.

Asriel, though, just felt embarrassed about the whole thing. He always preferred his modest sweater and pants, but Frisk was gleefully choosing new shirts and pants with many alternate designs on them, along with looking at various kinds of suits, hunting for something for his brother to wear.

After an hour of trying on various clothes and browsing various suits, Frisk picked five shirts and four pairs of pants that he felt worked the best, along with a suit for Asriel to wear for the announcement. Frisk paid for everything, which surprised Asriel, as the clothes hadn't been cheap, yet Frisk had more than enough gold to pay for it all.

While they were at the store, the lights eventually flickered on, informing them that the CORE was restored.

When they got home, Frisk hung up Asriel's new clothes in the wardrobe. After lunch, Frisk got to work helping Asriel into his suit. It made Asriel blush how eager Frisk was to dress him up. The whole experience was foreign to the Monster. Asgore had never taken him to events that required him to look this. Then came the tie, which Frisk had Asriel pay attention to, as he said Asriel would have to learn to tie on his own. For the handful of announcements he had attended in the past, his sweater and jeans were more than nice enough for his parents.

After Asriel was all dressed up, Frisk got to work putting his own suit on. While this was a royal announcement, Asgore insisted that his kids didn't have to wear the formal royal attire for it or the party afterward.

While Frisk was tying his tie, he heard Toriel squeal. He looked into the hallway to see that she had caught sight of Asriel in his suit. She was hugging her son and complimenting him on how sharp he looked, much to her son's embarrassment.

Once dressed, Toriel decided to touch up Asriel's appearance, wanting him to look as nice as possible. This even involved combing the patch of long fur on the top of his head that just barely counted as hair.

As for Frisk, Toriel put a little bit of makeup on him and tied his hair into a ponytail, making sure the red part was a separate braid.

Eventually, the time of the announcement had come. Asgore had made a few final preparations for the party afterward, which Frisk still didn't get. Regardless, all four of the Dreemurrs went to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, where Asgore would make his speech.

Asriel was once again wringing his hands in nervousness as the crowd outside gathered. Frisk noticed this and decided to confront him about it.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Just nerves, I suppose," Asriel answered. "The last big announcement I attended was when dad adopted Chara. I haven't done this a lot."

"Really? Dad has me attend every single one of these," Frisk stated.

"I'm a little worried what people will think when they see me," Asriel admitted.

"Don't be. We'll be right here beside you," Frisk assured.

"And this party after. What's it all about?" Asriel questioned.

"Not sure. Guess we'll find out."

The bells began to ring, informing the crowd outside to be quiet as Asgore stepped onto the balcony.

"Monsters of the Underground!" the king shouted, a microphone nearby to transmit his words. "Today is a momentous day in our history. Almost a hundred years ago, we mourned the loss of my son, Asriel. He was cruelly murdered by humans on the Surface, while paying his respects to his lost sibling."

Frisk noticed the way Asriel's head bowed at that. He hoped no one caught his slight flinch at Asgore's words.

"That was a dark day in our history," Asgore continued. "But despite that tragedy, we have endured, and we have healed. And just yesterday, a miracle occurred." He turned around and gestured for Asriel to step forth.

Frisk saw Asriel smooth his features out in what looked like a practiced motion. Then he stepped forward to his father, who laid his massive hands on his son's shoulders. Much of the crowd gasped when they saw him, as it was clear they recognized him.

"Thanks to the efforts of Doctor Alphys, and the strength of my son, Frisk, Asriel had been restored to us. He once more stands before you all and none are happier than my wife and I."

The crowd cheered at the words, applauding the prince's return. That applause only grew when Frisk came forth. He could hear a few congratulations from the Monsters, all for bringing back someone who they had thought lost.

"Frisk, how about you go stand with your father," Toriel suggested.

Frisk did as asked, standing next to Asriel before the king.

"Today is a bright day in our kind's history, but that is not our only cause for celebration," Asgore said, pushing Frisk a couple paces forward so he was more visible. "For today, we are also celebrating… Frisk's twelfth birthday!"

Frisk's head snapped around so fast his neck cracked. His twelfth birthday? That was today? He had forgotten that.

"Yes, not only are we celebrating my son's return, but we are also celebrating Frisk's ascension to the next stage of life," Asgore continued. "And everyone is invited to his birthday party."

The crowd cheered and applauded, sending congratulations Frisk's way that were drowned out amidst the noise. Frisk just stood there, stunned. He had forgotten all about his birthday. That explained the party. He waved out to the crowd, looking for Noelle amongst them. He felt so happy. This would probably become the greatest day of his life.

The party was great. Frisk got to talk to all his friends, each one congratulating him. The party was large and extravagant. There were snacks galore, balloons and streamers, along with many types of party favors and games. Frisk had a lot of fun, though he could see Asriel was shy throughout the whole thing, usually hiding in a corner somewhere.

Frisk was able to excuse himself to go talk to his brother. "You okay?" he asked.

"There's just… so many people," Asriel nervously admitted.

"It's a birthday party and a massive celebration for your return. Why wouldn't it be?" Frisk retorted.

"I'm just… not used to this many people," Asriel confessed.

"Why? As the prince, I would think you'd be a social butterfly," Frisk asked.

"My mom and dad… didn't let me wander far from the castle," Asriel explained. "I met a few people, but I barely interacted with anyone before Chara."

Frisk winced. That explained a few things. "Mom and dad don't do that with me. I take that back. Mom used to do that with me. She doesn't anymore."

"That was probably the thing I hated the most about you," Asriel said. "You've been given all this freedom that I never got. You wander around the Underground unobserved. You talk to people without your parents' help. You even have a wallet and pay for stuff yourself! I never got all that."

Frisk just shrugged. "Well, it had been nine decades. Maybe they just wanted to do things a little differently with me."

"I guess," Asriel said, looking down.

"You're not jealous, right?"

Asriel shook his hand a little. "Somewhat," he admitted. He looked out at the crowd. "I'm amazed that they all came for you, to celebrate your birthday."

"Not just me," Frisk reminded. "They're also celebrating your rebirth. When you died, the whole Underground fell into despair. Now you're back. And they're rejoicing."

Asriel smiled a little at that. "Thanks. I just wish Chara was here as well."

Frisk flinched. He still hated Chara for what they had done. He wanted to tell Asriel the truth, but he couldn't. Not yet.

"Well, I think they'd want you to move on and have fun," Frisk lied. "So why don't you go find Susie and the others. They can introduce you to some people and maybe help you make a few new friends."

Asriel sighed. "I'm not sure I want to. I have a best friend."

"That doesn't mean they have to be your only friend," Frisk encouraged. He then began shoving Asriel lightly. "Now go on, go meet some people."

Asriel hesitantly walked into the crowd, before spotting MK and going over to him. Frisk watched as MK took Asriel around to mingle with people. He had a lot to learn. Luckily, Frisk and his friends would be there for him.

As he watched, a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him out of sight of the crowd. He spun around and came face-to-face with Noelle.

"I saw all that," she said. "That was really impressive."

Frisk nodded. "He needs help moving on and I'm not going to let him cling just to me. He obviously needs some people to help him."

"Yeah," she agreed. "And we'll help however we can. But the important bit is that you did it. You brought our prince back."

"Yeah," Frisk nodded. "He's back."

"Wonder what that's going to do to the succession of your dad's crown?" Noelle wondered.

"Topic for another day," Frisk said. "But is there a reason you hauled me out of sight of the crowd?"

"Yeah, there is," she admitted, shuffling on her hooves. "You're twelve now. That's a big step. Almost a man."

"What? Are you afraid that I'll be too old for you?" Frisk asked teasingly.

"No," Noelle giggled. "But gifts are going to be presented soon."

"Oh! Do you have something personal to give me?"

"A little thing. And I didn't want it to be in full sight of everyone," she admitted.

"Well, what is it?" Frisk asked, holding his hands out.

Then, quick as a flash, Noelle leaned down and kissed Frisk on his cheek, which made him blush.

"That's my personal gift to you. You'll get something physical from my family when the thing starts," she said, blushing herself.

Frisk rubbed his cheek. "Uh, um, it's… nice," he stuttered.

Noelle giggled a little, suppressing it with her hand. "Well, you've been out of sight for long enough. Better get back into the crowd before people get suspicious."

"Uh, yeah," Frisk agreed. "Just, uh, give me a minute to calm down."

Noelle did her best not to laugh before walking away. She was able to smooth out her features better than Frisk and vanished into the crowd. After a minute, Frisk was able to get the color in his cheeks down and walked out of the little hiding place. He checked to make sure there wasn't any lipstick on his cheek before walking out. He quickly looked for Asriel, hoping his brother could get his mind off what just happened. Eventually, he spotted him, still with MK, and they were talking to MK's family, probably being introduced. Asriel was still tense, but Frisk could see him slowly relaxing.

A minute later, Asgore announced it was time for presents. Frisk and Asriel both sat in tall chairs. The Monsters formed up in lines, handing the princes the items they had brought. Frisk happily accepted everything, though Asriel was flustered through the whole thing, barely getting a 'thank you' out with each present.

Eventually, when the gifts had all been presented the festivities resumed. Frisk decided to stick with his friends and brought Asriel along so they could mingle.

"So, how's having a body again going so far?" Noelle asked.

"Much better," Asriel said. "I didn't realize how much I like my hands until I didn't have them." To emphasize, he flexed the limbs in question.

"Heh. You're just one big puffball," Susie said. "Though, I was expecting you to be… I dunno, bigger."

"Why? What's wrong with how I am now?" Asriel asked.

"We're just used to your parents, dude," MK explained. "And they're adults, too."

"And I must say, you do share a lot of their traits," Berdly said.

"Yeah, he's definitely his parent's kid," Frisk agreed.

"And you're so cute," Noelle added.

Asriel blushed at the compliment. "Um, thanks," he said.

"So which game should we play?" MK asked, pointing with his tail at the various setups.

"How about ski ball?" Noelle suggested.

"I prefer something a little more intellectual," Berdly said.

"Well, I prefer something that gets the silt flowing," Susie said.

"Are they always like this?" Asriel asked Frisk, leaning to whisper to his brother.

"Pretty much."

Frisk was about to voice his own opinion when the lights flickered. Everybody stopped as they watched the light fixtures flicker once, twice, then go out completely, plunging the whole area into darkness.

Frisk immediately grabbed his brother's hand when the light went out. "Noelle? Susie? Berdly? MK?"

"Right here." Noelle's voice came from their right.

"Asriel, grab Noelle's hand," Frisk advised.

Frisk then felt a scaley hand grab his left hand.

"Susie, that you?" Frisk asked.

"And Berdly and MK," she said.

"What's going on? I thought Doctor Alphys fixed the CORE," MK said.

"I don't know," Frisk said.

Then the lights slowly flickered back on. Frisk's group was all holding hands, and they could see that everybody else got the same idea. Questions were being thrown around about what just happened.

Frisk had a bad feeling in his gut that something was very wrong.

End of Chapter 22