Chapter Text
Frisk woke to the sound of a worried, motherly goat asking her to wake up.
How long have we been out? Chara wondered. Ever since Frisk had fallen into the Underground, Chara had been in her head, as though stuck there by an invisible chain. Frisk hadn’t known about her at first, but once Chara had made herself known and they had started talking, they had become reasonably good friends in the short time they had been together.
I have no idea.
Frisk stood, mildly surprised to find herself at full health. The last thing she remembered was seeing Asriel break the barrier, explain that he couldn’t stay, and leave. Then she had fallen to the ground, unconscious, mainly from the pain that had resulted from Asriel’s final - and strongest - attack.
Toriel and five other monsters stood in a semicircle around Frisk. When they saw her on her feet, they all began to talk, but she was too distracted to catch anything but Toriel’s suggestion that she take a walk. Frisk nodded and walked out of the room.
Ree said he wouldn’t be himself for much longer. Do you think he will have turned back by the time we find him? Chara’s voice had a hint of worry to it.
I hope not.
By the time they had reached the Core, she had stopped acting like she wasn’t worried.
He won’t leave with us. He needs a soul to stay himself. But I can’t leave him. What if I can’t persuade him that we want to be with him whether he’s a flower or not?
Frisk didn’t answer.
I thought he was gone forever. I thought my stupid plan had killed us.
She took the elevator to the bottom of the Core, followed by the Hotlands elevator, and finally the boat to Snowdin in quick succession.
Where are you going? inquired Chara.
To where I - you - fell down, Frisk explained. I can’t think of any other place offhand where he would be. If you have a better idea-
Chara cut her off. No, you’re probably right.
Frisk walked briskly through the snow, waving at the monsters she passed as she hurried deeper into the cavern. Her muscles were somewhat sore from the long, strenuous fight with Asriel, but she pressed on. Not much farther now.
Chara helped Frisk whenever she hesitated in the purplish Ruins. As Frisk hastened through them, she talked with Chara.
What will I say to him?
Ask him to come with us. Tell him that everyone misses him terribly.
And if he refuses…? You said he could be stubborn when he wanted to be.
There has to be a way, Chara insisted, There has to be.
Frisk hoped so.
Five minutes later, they had reached the very back of the cavern.
You were right, Chara remarked, He’s here.
Asriel had been sitting in the golden flowers, but he rose when he saw Frisk approach. “Don’t worry about me,” he pleaded, trying to think of a good excuse. “Someone has to take care of these flowers.”
She started talking, but he cut her off. “Frisk, please leave me alone.”
“No, Asriel, I can’t,” Frisk answered. “You don’t understand. Everyone misses you so much! Even if you came back as Flowey, I’m sure Toriel and Asgore would love to see you!”
His eyes started to water, and he rubbed at them furiously. “I d-don’t want to break their hearts all over again,” he answered. “It’s better if they never see me.”
“Haven’t you been listening?” she chided, “If they knew you were still alive in any form, they would do anything to have you with them. Even if you can’t love them, they still love you.”
He turned away, wiping his eyes. “I really don’t have that much time left, Frisk. I might be a flower even before you leave the Underground. Please don’t stay.” He hung his head. “I can’t bear to see them again.”
Chara who had, of course, been listening the whole time, couldn’t take it any longer. Without realizing what she was doing, she grabbed control of Frisk’s mouth and started talking.
“Ree, please!” Asriel froze at the sound of his nickname, but she didn’t notice. “I can’t lose you again! I’ll never be able to be happy, knowing that you are down here! I’ll never forget you here, sitting where I fell. You’re not going to be happy, either. Right now you’re scared because you don’t want to lose yourself, and-” She took a breath, her voice starting to hitch as she spoke. “I c-can’t go through this again. It’s m-my fault you’re down here. I should be the one down here, condemned to a half-life while you enjoy the Surface with your family. This all happened because of me, and I don’t know if I can even l-live with knowing what my stupid plans cost you.”
When she stopped, Chara realized that Asriel was still frozen in shock. She also became aware of the fact that tears were dripping off her chin, but she made no move to dry her face.
Asriel slowly turned around and lifted his head to look at Frisk. “Chara? You’re…?”
Frisk nodded. “She’s been in my head since I fell down.”
Fresh tears sprang to his eyes. “I’m s-sorry, Chara. I’m- I-” He closed his eyes. “I miss you, too, but- but it wouldn’t be right for you to stay down here with me and frankly… I’ve had enough of the Surface, I think. I can’t go out as a flower, and there’s no way I can be” - he gestured to his furry body - “be me again.” Asriel tried - and failed - to put on a brave face for Chara. “It’s really not that bad down here when you get used to it. A little boring, maybe, but I can live with it. …So don’t worry about me, okay? And hey, maybe it won’t make you feel much better, but I think you have a half-life, too, knowing that I’m not going to the Surface.”
I don’t think it’s going to work, Frisk told Chara.
No… No. NO!
Frisk barely restrained her mouth from releasing Chara’s yell.
Chara, maybe- maybe we’ll find a way to save him when we go to the Surface, Frisk reasoned with her. Maybe we just need to leave and come back in a few days and see if he’s changed his mind.
Chara seemed to be admitting defeat. You’re right. He’s really stubborn. Guess I should have realized after being with him for so long. He really won’t listen. But on the Surface…
On the Surface there might be ways to save him, right? It could take a while, but we’ll do it eventually.
Asriel seemed to realize that Frisk - and Chara - weren’t going to push the point anymore. “Frisk… be careful on the Surface, okay?” She nodded. “It’s not really as nice as it is here. But… don’t kill, and don’t be killed, right? That’s the best you can strive for.”
Frisk nodded again, fighting back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. She turned away.
“Well, see you, Frisk. And Chara.”
“Goodbye, Asriel.”
Chara added her own farewell to Frisk’s. “Goodbye, Ree.”
They felt Asriel’s eyes linger on Frisk, watching them go. She turned just enough for one eye to catch his for a split second. She couldn’t see much in that moment, but one thing stuck with her: He was crying. He didn’t want them to leave, but he didn’t want to go with them.
Frisk would have stayed if she hadn’t promised to take care of Toriel and Asgore for him. She would have called Toriel right then and there to tell her that she wasn’t going to leave the Underground and please don’t ask questions… But when you make promises, you have to keep them. Sans had said that in the MTT Resort, and he had kept a promise to Toriel before he even knew her name. Keeping Asriel’s promise was the least Frisk could do for him.
She walked back to the Capital slowly, pausing to talk to monsters and hoping that by the time she returned to her friends, she wouldn’t be crying or sad. It would just look like she had taken the suggested walk and had finished it.
As she drew near to the edge of Waterfall, she hesitated and turned around. She walked back toward the cheery town that had probably never been more cheery than it was today. Frisk ambled around the side of the skeletons’ house and entered Sans’ workshop - she had unlocked the door before going to see Asgore - and peered at the machine in the corner. She couldn’t see enough of it to get a good idea of what it was - or if it could help Asriel in its condition - so she opened the drawers to look for a - working - flashlight. She couldn’t remember if there had been one or not.
Nothing. But in one of the drawers, there was something new. There was a picture of hm with all her friends. She had no idea when or where it had been taken, or how Sans had already put it into the drawer, though that part wasn’t quite as strange, but then again, Sans was always something of a mystery. But he seemed happy in the picture.
Frisk stepped into the room between the Throne Room and barrier cavern and saw her friends waiting expectantly. She nodded to them, answering the unasked question. “I’m ready. Let’s go.” She wasn’t ready. She didn’t want to go. But what else was there to do? What down here could save Asriel?
But the question in Chara’s mind was, What up there could save Asriel if nothing here could?
She couldn’t decide who was the most happy to see the Surface: Asgore was extremely thankful to be out of the Underground without having to destroy humanity. Toriel, too, was glad to see the land she had never expected to see again. Sans was Sans. He didn’t always show that much emotion, but his smile was wider than usual. Papyrus waved exuberantly at the Sun. Alphys, in her own way, was nervously happy. Undyne was grinning so wide it seemed that her mouth stretched beyond her ears.
Frisk was the only one who wasn’t happy, but the others were too wrapped up in the joy of the Surface to realize that their human friend was not genuinely joyful. She, too, was distracted, but not by the Surface. She had been born and lived her whole life there, except for the few days - a couple weeks at the most - spent where people only knew about the Sun because of waterlogged textbooks or because an old turtle told of it in his tales.
Toriel had to call her name three times before it registered with Frisk that someone was speaking to her. She looked around for the others, only vaguely remembering that they had left to go down the mountain already.
“Sorry, what?” she asked.
“I was wondering what you will do now, my child,” Toriel answered. “Do you have parents to return to, or perhaps a guardian?”
Frisk was quite certain that her parents were still alive. “I do have parents, but… maybe I could stay with you for a little while, until you’re settled.”
Toriel nodded approvingly. “I quite like that arrangement, Frisk. The Sun has nearly set. Are you ready to leave?”
“Well, I, um, want to stay up here a little longer. Um, go on ahead. I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”
Toriel agreed, saying that she would wait for Frisk part way down the path and that Frisk could come when she was ready.
Why did you want to stay up here? Chara asked when they were alone. It was obvious to her that Frisk was thinking about something that she wanted to talk about in private.
…I have an idea, Frisk admitted with a little reluctance. I don’t know if it will work, but maybe… maybe we can find a way to save Asriel.
Chara was fully attentive now. What is it?
You know how I can save and load? Chara affirmed that she knew this, for she had had the same power when she had been alive. Well, there’s one other thing I can do; maybe you could when you had a body. I haven’t done it before, but I think it would work if I tried. It’s called “reset.” I’ll return, not to my previous save point, but to where Asriel is, where I first fell down. It’s like a stronger version of a load. I don’t think anyone will remember anything of what has happened if I reset.
It didn’t take long for Chara to decide. Let’s do it. I think it’s our best chance. We might learn something new, and maybe we can convince Ree to come with us, flower or no flower.
Frisk nodded. Okay. Here goes. She took a deep breath and summoned all her determination to turn time back. Time splintered and shattered into space. In a moment, it had sewn back together, only it was a few days earlier than it had been a second before.
She was winded, her body bruised in more places than she could count, but that was the extent of her injuries. The golden flowers underneath her must have broken her fall.
It worked.
Frisk stood and stretched, testing her limbs just to be sure that everything was in working order.
Yeah, it did.
She started walking. This time it was no surprise to see a golden flower, a different kind of flower than the ones that she had fallen on, standing in her way. It was short enough that she could easily step or jump over it - or even just walk around it - but the smile on its face indicated that it was more intelligent than it might have first appeared. It watched her carefully, smiling a very artificial-looking smile.
“Howdy!” it began, giving no indication that it remembered ever seeing Frisk, “I’m Flowey. Flowey the Flower!”
Frisk stood before him, calmly listening to his short speech again. When he began “sharing” his “friendliness pellets” with her, she sidestepped them, irritating the unsuspecting flower. He tried to convince her to catch them again, but she didn’t.
“Is this a joke?” Flowey nearly screamed. “Are you braindead? RUN. INTO. MY. BULLETS!!” Frisk looked at him with a “Really? That’s the best you can do?” look.
Any pretenses of being nice that Flowey still held vanished, and a ring of small, white, pellet-like bullets appeared around Frisk. They were too low to duck under and too high to jump over. Flowey laughed maniacally. “Die,” he ordered.
What would happen if I died now? She wondered, I haven’t saved yet. Would I go back to my save after fighting Asriel? The bullets began to close in around her.
A ring of fireballs destroyed the ring that had meant Frisk’s certain death a moment before.
I don’t think we’re ever going to know, Chara answered. I’m guessing Toriel will always intervene in time.
Toriel talked excitedly, perhaps too excitedly, saying everything she had said the last time about switches and puzzles. Frisk obediently talked to the Dummy, knowing full well that it would annoy the Mad Dummy in Waterfall. She struck up a friendly conversation with an attacking Froggit, whom Toriel soon shamed into leaving. Remembering how the bridge with the spikes worked, Frisk asked Toriel about it.
“Can I try it myself?”
Toriel hesitated. “This puzzle seems quite dangerous, my child.”
“I think I know how it works. The sign said it had the mirror blueprint of the other room.”
“Well… Alright, but be very careful, dear.”
Frisk walked onto the bridge with a little caution, more for Toriel’s sake than Frisk’s own, but it was not necessary. She knew exactly where to walk.
Toriel was impressed. In the next room she said, “I had originally planned to test your independence here, but it seems that you are quite independent. Still, I must ask a favor of you. I have to do a few errands, and I need you to stay here and wait until I return. I will give you a cell phone so you can call me if you need anything.”
Frisk accepted the cell phone. “Can I go with you? Please? Maybe I can help you on your errands,” she suggested.
Toriel weighed her words and finally nodded. “Perhaps it would not be wise to leave you here on your own for so long.”
Frisk beamed. “Where are we going?”
“We are going to the city. I need to do some shopping,” it was gently explained. “I need some groceries, as I did not plan on having company so soon.”
“Is there a library there?”
“It is not very large, but yes, there is a library there. Would you like to read while I do my errands?”
“Yeah, if that’s okay with you,” Frisk said. Maybe there will be a book on souls, she told Chara.
Even if there isn’t I can tell you what I know about them. I learned a bit from Gaster.
Anything you can tell me will help.
Toriel dropped Frisk off at the library after learning that she preferred butterscotch over cinnamon. It was a very small library, even smaller than the Snowdin Librarby. Frisk walked up to the front desk.
“Croak. How may I help you?” asked the large Froggit behind the desk. He, like the other monsters, didn’t seem to realize that she was human.
“Um… Is there anything here about souls here?” she responded.
He nodded, indicating that the wished-for material was on the left-most shelf.
“Thanks.” Frisk moved towards the books.
“Croak. Of course. Ask me if you have any other questions. Ribbit.”
Frisk assured him that she would and scanned the books on the shelf in front of her: What Happens When a Monster Dies? and Human Soul vs. Monster Soul and Souls: Their Powers and Weaknesses, among others. She pulled a couple of the books off the shelf and sat down in a conveniently-placed chair. First, she flipped open Human Soul vs. Monster Soul.
“There are two kinds of souls,” it began, “human souls and monster souls. A human’s soul is much stronger than a monster soul and more powerful in almost every way. In fact, a human soul is so powerful that it would take all the monster souls in the entire Underground to equal the power of a single human soul…”
The information was good information, but it wasn’t what she was looking for.
What Happens When a Monster Dies? This book looked to be more for little children, but Frisk opened it nevertheless.
“It is easy to tell when a flower dies, for its pretty head droops and wilts.” The pages were interspersed with pictures relating to the words written on the pages. “It will not smell nice anymore, or put out new leaves. In one sense, it is just as easy to tell when a monster dies. Death is often preceded by the monster falling down, in which they no longer become responsive or active. When one actually dies, however, his body scatters into dust, which his family members will collect for his funeral.
But unlike flowers and pretty plants, a monster has a soul. It is the culmination of his being. Without a soul, a monster cannot feel love. When a monster dies, his soul shatters and disappears before it can be seen or absorbed. The only exception is a boss monster’s soul. His soul will last a few seconds after death before shattering. All monster souls are weak, just like monster bodies…” Frisk sighed and looked away from the book.
We aren’t really learning anything, she pointed out.
Yeah.
Should I keep reading?
I doubt we’ll find anything new relating to what we want to learn. It’s a very small library, anyway. Probably Alphys or the Librarby will have more information. So no, if you’re tired of reading about souls, I don’t mind if you choose something else to read. There might be some snail books.
Frisk put the books back on the shelf and turned in time to see the door open and Toriel walk in.
“Are you ready to go, my child?” she asked, coming to stand by her. Frisk nodded and took her hand. As they walked out of the library, the Froggit at the front desk waved goodbye. Frisk smiled and waved back.
“What were you reading about, dear?”
She shrugged. “Monster and human souls.”
Toriel raised her eyebrows. “Oh? Why did you want to learn about souls?”
Frisk scrambled for a plausible answer that wasn’t a lie. “I… I know some stuff about souls, and I was wondering if-” if there was a way to give Asriel a soul, she thought. Outloud she continued, “what would happen if someone had deter- the will to live but not a soul. And if there would be a way to give him a soul again. Because if your soul is the culmination of your being, without it you wouldn’t- I don’t think you would be able to feel some things, like love.” And I want to give Asriel the ability to love again. Frisk bit her lip and looked away, thinking about why she was still here and not on the Surface, why she had destroyed everyone’s freedom more effectively than the barrier, why she had erased the happy ending she had worked so hard to attain.
Toriel interpreted Frisk’s face to mean that she felt that she had spoken too much, and she hastened to reassure the girl. “Forgive me, my child. I did not mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s fine,” Frisk answered. “I was just… thinking.”
“Alright.”
Toriel did not have any helpful advice or information, but she did have pie ingredients. Frisk took a suggested nap, more in preparation for the fight that would soon occur than anything. She wanted all the energy she could get, for this was her least favorite fight in all of the Underground.
She woke to the smell of butterscotch-cinnamon pie, a slice of which was on a plate beside her bed. Picking it up, Frisk took a tiny nibble and added it to her supply of food. The other two items she had were a piece of Monster Candy and a Spider Donut, both of which she had gotten on the way through the Ruins.
As she walked into the living room she was greeted by Toriel, who was reading a book. “Oh, up already?” she asked. Frisk nodded and took a deep breath, speaking before Toriel could continue.
“HowdoIleavetheRuins?” she blurted in one breath.
Toriel froze so completely for a moment that she could have been a statue. Frisk thought she saw her shoulders tremble slightly. The boss monster took a deep breath and stood, reading forgotten.
“I have to do something. Stay here,” she answered with more force than usual.
Frisk ran after her as Toriel hurried down the hall. The way Toriel carried herself suggested that she was barely keeping her composure.
Her warnings were useless. But when the fight started, it was only Frisk’s knowledge of the happy - mostly happy - ending she would determinedly attain, provided that it would be the same as before, and Chara’s support that kept Frisk from abandoning the fight.
Eventually, the fight ended. Two hearts - three counting Chara’s - had been broken again, but nobody had died. Frisk hugged Toriel tightly; she would need to remember her in the next steps of her journey. One of the things that kept her going was knowing that she could see Toriel again. It would just take sweat and determination to get there.
When a specific strange flower’s monologue finally finished, Frisk stepped out into the dazzling white of Snowdin. In less than a minute she was talking to a short, squat skeleton who looked like he would mistake a human for a rock. It was only experience that kept Frisk from underestimating him at first glance. She knew of his teleportation powers, and she was sure he had other strange things hidden up his sleeves. Sans was a very secretive skeleton.
In another few minutes, Frisk met Papyrus after watching him confuse her with a rock. When he left, leaving his final “NYEH HEH HEH!!” to hang in the air, she decided she would actually try to get captured this time. It wouldn’t be that bad, and if he accidentally killed her she wouldn’t lose much.
Sans promised to keep an eye, or rather, an eyesocket, as he was a skeleton, out for her. Frisk thanked him and continued on her way. One dog, a snowman, and an Ice Cap later, she met up with the brothers again. When the orb landed on her head, she walked onto the maze and purposely walked off the safe path, despite the fact that Papyrus’ footprints clearly marked it for her.
A jolt of electricity shot through her body, causing her to fall onto the ice, where she was met with more electrical shocks until the orb rolled off her head. She shrieked in pain. Papyrus ran onto the ice, heedless of the electrical quality of the puzzle, for the orb was not touching him or the human.
“NYEH HEH HEH!! I DIDN’T EVEN NEED THE OTHER PUZZLES!”
He scooped a half-conscious Frisk up and started moving towards the town, chattering endlessly to Sans about the prestige he was about to gain. Sans patiently listened to it all, shooting Frisk a curious look.
Chara’s incredulous voice cut through the pain. What was that for? She asked.
Frisk let out a small moan. I wanted to let him capture me. It probably won’t change much.
Well you didn’t have to get captured by being half-electrocuted!
Yeah, whatever.
Chara sighed. I hope he heals you before you go to the capital or wherever we’re going.
Frisk passed out from the pain, and when she woke, she was at full health in… Where was she? She rolled off of the dog bed she had been lying on and rose to her feet. After a quick glance around the room, she decided that she was probably not at the Capital. Her room - or cell - was bare, save for a bowl of dry dog food, a squeaky chew toy, the bed, and a note.
Walking over to the note, Frisk picked it up. It was from Papyrus, who explained that she would be locked in the “guestroom” until Undyne came. Unfortunately for Papyrus, he had built the bars of the cell too wide.
You’re not going to wait for Undyne to come get you, right? Chara queried.
Nah.
Frisk carefully tore the note into a handful of letters and arranged them to spell a word: LIBRARBY.
What…?
The Librarby might have helpful information about souls.
But telling him you’re going there?
Why not? Frisk retorted.
Chara sighed.