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The roar of a motorcycle speeding past snapped Amelia awake instantly, watching with sleep addled eyes as Chara swerved through the traffic, Frisk holding on tight behind her. Behind the wheel to her left, Toriel gave an aggravated ‘oh dear’ as she glanced at the rearview mirror. Rubbing at the edge of her eye, Amelia craned to look around the headrest, eyebrows pinching together when she saw Undyne precariously surfing on the hood of Papyrus’ sports car, maniacal grin in place as she held up a spear.
“Really?” Amelia mumbled under her breath, wondering for the fifth time if this had been such a good idea to invite everyone along. Or well, she amended as she rubbed the bridge of her nose where an ache was forming, maybe just why did she invite Undyne along?
Oh right. She didn’t.
When she had finally found the book, the one her father once told her might exist if she looked hard enough, the first person she told was Frisk, because without her, there was no way they were pulling this off. Chara, Toriel and Asgore of course were givens to come along; they needed to be there to see this… if she could pull this off. As the boss king couldn’t fit inside his ex-wife’s minivan, they needed Papyrus’ more spacious, open-topped car, which only the tall skeleton could drive. Sans and Alphys were needed for their scientific eye. And Flowey? Well… this was all about Flowey.
Undyne just wanted to see something cool and butted her way in. And the kids, now with no one to watch them, had to come as well. Not that, on normal days, she would mind this. She had grown embarrassingly fond of the little tykes. And Undyne was fun… when she wasn’t being a terrible influence.
Amelia pressed her finger on the window button, hooking her head out once the glass came down. As wind smacked into her face, she could hear Alphys’ crackling warble as she tried to get her wife off the car. Completely ignoring her, the fish monster was yelling orders for Papyrus to speed up.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Amelia shouted.
Undyne jerked her head around, vibrant red hair whipping around like a banner of war. “BABY FISH SAID WE WERE TOO SLOW! I’LL SHOW HER SLOW!”
“AND THE SPEAR?”
Undyne glanced at the weapon before grinning widely. “INSURANCE! NOW COME ON PAPYRUS, LET’S GET AROUND GRANDMA!”
“Well, excuse me!” She heard Toriel grumble and – was she pressing the pedal down harder?
“This family’s hopeless.” Flowey mumbled from where he was planted between the kids in the back, not even looking up from his DS.
Amelia groaned, visions of three-car collisions piling up in her head, and silently couldn’t help but agree.
A buzzing made her glance at where her phone was perched in the cup holder, screen lit up with a new text from Sans.
*don’t worry sis, I’ll make sure things don’t get too car-astrophic
She groaned louder and wondered if this was her true punishment for all her horrible past deeds.
When they finally stopped, thankfully without any vehicular damages, it was at Caroline’s insistence after spotting the lakeside camping grounds. Toriel pulled into the mostly dirt-paved spot, overlooking the view of the sloping field that descending into the water, a pier stretching out to their left. The kids were already scrambling out of the car, but the boss monster sat, rigid, claws pinching along the wheel agitatedly. “Are we not stopping a little too early, my child?”
“If we keep going, we’ll be tired and it’ll be too dark by the time we get there.” Amelia replied, voice idling like the car. “Besides, me and Flowey should go over the spell a few more times.”
“I suppose I have waited this long. Another half a day will not ‘get my goat’ as it were.” Toriel said, but her humor was weak as she stared outwards where the kids stood at the edge of the parking lot, eagerly gesturing to one another. Her eyes drifted to the golden flower perched atop Azriel’s head. “I am just so… anxious.”
Amelia faltered some, slowly placing a hand on the goat monster’s arm. Half-promises and false hopes tried to bubbled from her throat but she clamped them down, saying instead, “I am too. No matter what happens though, we’ll all still be together by the end of this. No matter what that means.”
Her efforts were rewarded with a soft smile and a furry pat to her hand. “Thank you dear. What you’re doing… I can’t tell you what this means to me.” She twisted the keys out of the ignition, cutting the engine before pulling open her own door.
Pretending to busy herself by grabbing her things, Amelia was slower to get out, trying her best to pull a long-discarded mask over the doubt and uncertainly showing on her face.
“Crickets are loud.”
Hours later, after they had set up camp with a lot more spear and bone stakes then were really necessary, a late lunch was made with only one tree being set on fire, Caroline had gotten her shoes and pants all muddy from jumping in the shore, and a few horribly strung together ghost stories shared that couldn’t even scare Alphys, found Amelia staring at the stars through the femur-shaped hole at the top of the tent and whispering to herself about the annoying volume capacity of insects.
Neither Sans nor Papyrus answered her, both still asleep as they had been for hours. She was unable to follow their example, the anxiety itching at her skin and distress weighing her stomach like a heavy stone keeping her far from sleep’s grasp. She pressed the heels of her hands into her face, heaving a frustrated sigh before finally lurching upwards in defeat. Quiet rustles filled the tent as she searched for her things before she edged open the zipper and slipped out, taking a deep breath of the countryside air.
Faintly, she could hear the rumble of a voice in the distance. The king’s voice was too used to be its presence and boom to really handle being quiet, but he tried his best. She couldn’t see Asgore nor Toriel but she turned away from the noise, allowing them their privacy as she headed her own way.
She soon found herself at the edge of the pier, legs dangling over the edge as she watched the moon reflect on the water. Every so often it was distorted by little gray clouds as she drew in deep, slow breathes before blowing out the cigarette smoke, nicotine already doing wonders for her overshot nerves.
The stick was halfway gone by the time she heard footsteps approaching from behind her. Expecting it to be Frisk, she quickly started to contemplate how far she could toss the evidence without getting caught. So, she was surprised when Chara spoke up behind her, “Kind of wish I could have one of those right now.”
Amelia snickered, pulling the cigarette from her lips to say, “Sorry, one beat down a year from your wife is my limit.”
“Heh.” The elder woman plopped down beside her, leaning back on her hands as looked out across the lake. “Betting you couldn’t sleep either?”
She made a noncommittal grunt, taking another drag. “I wish I could have done this alone. Flowey and I.” She finally said, shifting her hand to make the ringlets of smoke coil like snakes. “That way I wouldn’t have to disappoint anyone else.”
“Hey, we know it’s a longshot and the odds of it succeeding are stacked against us.”
The dregs were rolled into the ashtray she had brought as she put out the light, mumbling, “But that’s not preventing everyone from hoping it’ll work out. That I’ll succeed.” She chuckled. It was a bitter sound. “Except the last time I tried to help turned into a disaster.”
She immediately felt guilty for the words when it caused something almost pained to flash across Chara’s face but when she shifted her attention to her, it was already hidden well. “You know there’s nothing to make up for, right?”
“No. Well… yes? Maybe?! I don’t know!” Her fingernails dug into the slate of wood under her, trying to quell the urge to punch something. In the corner of her eye, she could see a hand reach out for her before the gesture was quickly aborted. Chara sometimes forgot she wasn’t her Frisk, that she couldn’t be calmed like her; so, she always appreciated when the other remembered to give her space.
“Look I,” Amelia started, wavered, then tried again, “Frisk and I weren’t too different before. Our goals were the same. Saving the Underground, you… Asriel; it was all the things we wanted to do. But, after things happened, I lost sight of that goal. I made mistakes and I hurt a lot of people and even if the reset took back some of those things, it doesn’t change that I did them.” Besides her, the other nodded, understanding that easily. Guilt was a nasty parasite they both knew too well. “I regret what I did, that won’t change, and I wish so much that back then I could have been just a little stronger… but I can either sit and wallow about it or move forward. Still…” She pressed the tips of her fingers together, curling and uncurling them against each other, “I think I want to also prove to myself I can still be that person, the one who wants to help others. Which is why I’m so terrified of failing.”
Chara looked down at the water, their reflections too murky to see. “I joined the Alliance for a similar reason. I wanted to move past the things I did and protect others instead. It doesn’t automatically make things okay. But the most that I can ask of myself is to try. I have too many people to live for, who count on me to be there, to not at least do that much.”
“Does it ever get easier?”
“Some days.” Was the reply. “But even when it’s bad, I have a lot of people I can turn to. So do you, if you’ll let us. Tomorrow won’t change that, no matter what happens.”
Unsure how to word her gratefulness, Amelia merely nodded. It wasn’t a new offer; Chara had said it back then in the ruins as well, that she’d help her. There had only been wariness and wrath as an answer then. Yet, hearing it again, now, after everything that had happened, sparked a tentative happiness within her she hadn’t felt in a long time.
The woman beside her shifted, getting to her feet and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. Honesty hour was clearly over. “Anyways, I’m gonna head back. Got a long drive ahead.”
Amelia snorted some. “You’ll be fine as long as you stop antagonizing Undyne.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved over her shoulder, already heading down the pier.
She listened to her footsteps grow faint and eventually fade but she stayed awhile longer. As she thought of the coming day, she pressed a hand against her chest where underneath her soul pulsed with determination.
“So this is it huh?” Undyne asked, eyeing the temple before them with a critical eye.
“Sure looks like-”
“Sans-” Papyrus tried.
“This place got taken for granite.” The elder skeleton winked.
“SANS!!”
Chuckling, Frisk tilted her gaze to it as well. Time had not been kind to the old, triangular structure. What was once a strong, grandiose piece of monster architecture carved with precious care into the mountain side had been left, unattended to the elements likely for decades. The hieroglyphic writings were all but undiscernible and the walls now climbed with foliage and vines. The staircase that had led to the mouth of the temple several stories above surface level had been sanded down by wind and rain so much it was now like a steep hill.
Still, her sister looked between her book and the building, giving a sure nod. “Definitely. We’re lucky it’s standing at all.”
“Do you think it’s safe for the kids to go up there?” Frisk asked, looking at her wife.
Chara snorted some. “Um, did you happen to forget we what did at their age, Alice?”
“That!” She pointed a stern finger at her, embarrassed blush completely ruining the effect, “Is not the point.”
“I-It does look rather, s-steep.” Alphys said, holding her snout nervously.
“No way this mountain can beat us!” The royal guardswoman spun to the lizard, hefting her up over her head.
“U-UNDYNE! PUT ME DOWN!”
“Come on nerd! Nothing’s preventing my wife from sciencing!” She cried, started to race up the mountain.
“Nyeh heh heh! Undyne, what an excellent training exercise!” Papyrus said, “Brother, please allow me to assist you! You’re too lazy to climb anyways!”
“Uhh, Papyrus-” Sans tried to edge away but he wasn’t quick enough to escape his sibling’s clutches as he too was lifted up like a weight bar. As they went charging after their friends, the smaller skeleton gave a nonchalant shrug, calling back to them. “Well, this is one way to catch a lift!” Following them, Amelia gave a surprising laugh, covering her mouth a moment later but it was too late as Sans snapped his phalanges towards her, grinning. “Made you laugh!”
“S-Shut up, bonehead!”
“Oh, good one!”
Asgore watched half the team starting the trek up, scratching the back of one of his horns. “Golly, they all sure are lively.” He turned to the couple saying, “As for the young ones, if it is alright by you both, I am certain I can get them up there. These old shoulders of mine haven’t grown any more brittle then when I did the same for you both.”
Frisk smiled at the memory, Chara mimicking it with more sadness to it, before she nodded. “I think that’s a great idea.”
The kids were practically buzzing with excitement as they were lifted up by strong arms and then, like they were a little queen and king themselves, set upon the boss monster’s shoulders. Each one gripped onto a horn securely, giggling at each other over Asgore’s head. Perched in his soil pouch on Azriel’s head, Flowey only rolled his eyes, mumbling how he was still tallest.
“Well then,” Toriel said, her faced schooled into a brave mask, “I suppose we shouldn’t keep everyone waiting.”
“Right.” Frisk caught Chara’s hand in hers, squeezing it reassuringly, before following after their family.
The sharp incline made their trek upwards slow going, stones skittering as feet knocked them loose and the path was overgrown with foliage and crawling vines that they had to pick their way through. It was a relief when nearly ten minutes later, Amelia, sweat beading on her brow and thighs burning, was finally able to plant her feet on even ground where the roof combed out like a porch around the large, sunken-in doors. Though it too was lost, Amelia could almost picture the delta ruin that was one carved upon the massive entrance. There was little need to try and go through it though, as part of the wall to the far left had crumbled, creating a hole like a gaping wound, the boulders from the collapse still scattered around and festering with moss.
Amelia glanced over her shoulder, seeing the Dreemurs not too far behind, before she went to join the others at the site. The floor within was speckled in spots of light in places where the roof had caved in. The vegetation had continued its slow overtaking, as more branching vines crawled along the floor and up the walls around where the opening was. Despite that, the interior seemed fairly intact. In the low light, she could make out intricately designed pillars lining a long walkway, few of them showing signs of cracking or erosion.
“This is incredible!” Alphys said, overcome as she placed her hands on the rocks, leaning forward for a better look. “I can’t believe we’re really standing on one of the old monuments.”
“Wouldn’t it be a monster-ment?” Sans asked.
His taller sibling set him on the floor beside the reptile. “Ugh Sans really. You’re ruining the wonderment.”
“I think I see some torches along the pillars.” Amelia said, squinting into the fairly dark room.
“Well if it’s fire we need-!” Undyne made a grand gesture as if she was about to do something astonishing, “Ask the king! Because I hate that stuff!”
“You do have a fiery personality though.” Papyrus offered.
“Ah, thanks bud.”
While they chattered, Amelia eyed the rocks, seeing no clear path around them and she was definitely going to need both hands. She placed her book on her head, balancing it carefully (she had been practicing. She was determined to one day beat Frisk at the hot dog game), before she started to climb over them. “I’ll go check things out. The ceremony point should be at the back.”
“O-Okay, be careful!” Alphys stuttered.
She managed to make it to the other side without incident, tilting her head to catch the text, before waving back to the others and started to head further into the temple. There was just enough light coming in from the breaks in the ceiling that she could see where she was going, and she headed towards the pillars, following the straight path they bordered.
About halfway there, Sans walked out from behind one and in front of her, making her jump back, holding her pounding chest. “Son of a blueberry!”
Though he had no eyebrows, she could almost imagine him raising one as he gave a courtesy glance to his coat then lifted up one slippered foot. “Does that make mom a watermelon?” When she groaned, he shrugged. “Sorry. Guess I’m off my A-game.” (Was that a pun off her name?) “Come on, let’s go see this ceremonial place of yours.”
Not really having any reason to argue, after all she had asked him and Alphys to come along for this very reason (and maybe he was just trying to uphold his very precious record of absolute laziness by letting no one else see him do any work but her), she merely nodded and they started down the path together. Though the exterior didn’t make the building seem quite so long, the distance between the entrance and their destination was at least a football field long.
Though it wasn’t in the same golden tones, Amelia felt a sense of déjà vu walking the hall alongside the shorter skeleton. A lifetime ago, she remembered standing before him as he told her, almost proudly, how despite the odds and those against her, she had never chosen to hurt those around her. That her heart had remained gentle and kind.
The corner of the book bit into her thumb as she wondered what he would say to her now, if he were to judge her once again.
“Is that it?”
Amelia was pulled from her thoughts, focusing forward to see the end of the chamber, where a circular platform raised up and several pedestals were set in a ring around a single, central ornament. A break in the roof a few feet to the left allowed light to shine down, illuminating the purple crystal that sat atop the middle piece.
“Yes!” She said, hurrying forward. She easily climbed the two steps that looped the entire platform, coming to stand between two of the pedestals. She brushed off some dirt that had caked along the surface of one of them, able to make out the monster writing and the shape of a heart etched along its surface. Though faint, she could just barely make out that the heart was colored orange.
She moved away, walking straight to the center. Unlike the surrounding structures, which were more like podiums one would stand before when giving a speech or declaration, the piece in the middle was more like a scepter. It was also the only thing made of metal, the yellow-gold finish still visible under the dirt caked on its surface. The design of it reminded her of a flower, ironically: a long pole that was no thicker than a golf club, cresting out at the top in oval, leaf-like shapes. Nestled between the leaves was the artifact; a deep violet crystal that was formed like a thistle.
She leaned over, blowing away the dust and dirt stuck between the juts of crystal, coughing some at the cloud it brought up.
“You sure about this kid?”
She rubbed at her noise, feeling a sneeze tickling there as she shifted to Sans, seeing the other walking a slow circle around the area as if he were inspecting the other stands, but his eyes were on her. “Would I really have dragged you all out here if I wasn’t?”
“Yanno, there’s a big difference between redemption and sacrifice.” He said instead, and though his voice was casual, the slight shake on the last word told a whole other story.
Suddenly she realized why he had been joking so much more. “You told me once before that you believed I could do the right thing if I did what was in my heart. Do you still?”
Sans seemed to be caught for words, but finally his eye sockets shut and he heaved a sigh. If he was going to say something though, he was cut short as the room burst into light with a soft cackle of fire. They both turned, hearing some exclamations echo across the walls, seeing the rest of the group making their way down the now torch-lit lined corridor. Caroline and Azriel were swerving around the pillars with their arms held out, making airplane noises.
“Be careful you two.” Frisk called after them. “Who knows what’s lying on these floors.”
Chara inclined her head some. “Rabbit holes.”
“Stop!”
Stroking his beard contemplatively, Asgore voiced, “Now that I am seeing it for myself, it’s vague but I indeed recall being here before.”
“Wowie! To think our king was overseeing the ancient bondings!” Papyrus exclaimed.
The king chuckled heartily. “No, no. I must have been no older than my Asriel at the time when I last visited. When the surface was expanding and both our species began to spread further and further out, this ritual was long ago abandoned in favor of more convenient methods of union. I’d forgotten it entirely, until Amelia found that book.”
“It’s hard to imagine we’re going to use it again for such a reason…” Toriel said, her soft voice barely carrying. But they had grown close enough that it hardly mattered.
“Not so sure about that yet Tor’.” Sans called to her, stuffing his hands in his jacket. He gave a nod of acknowledgment to Alphys as she ascended the few steps. “Everything might be in place but we’ve still got to check the crystal. Not gonna be much light to this show if our battery’s outta juice.”
The clasp of her hands that she held against her chest looked like a desperate prayer. “I know that.”
“I-It’ll just take me a few mi-minutes to calibrate its energy.” The scientist said, setting down her bag and rummaging through it. What she pulled out was a very similar device to a voltage meter with a dial and reading display on the face of it, along with long red and black wires that ended in metal prongs that were used to measure the negative and positive charges. Unlike a normal meter however, the device wasn’t looking for measures of voltage, but measures of magic. She balanced the device on the scepter, flipping the dial and pressing the metal ends to the crystal in various spots, keeping an eye on whatever her device reported back at her.
While she worked, Amelia pointed one of the stands out to her sister as she came over. “They’re all colored.”
Frisk thumbed away some of the grime, revealing bits of a light blue heart underneath. “Where will I be?”
“Behind Flowey.” Amelia said, pointing to the appropriate spot.
“Ah, yes.” The king uttered. “The soul bearing determination stands behind the monster and the soul bearing perseverance stands behind the human. While each piece to the puzzle is vital, the idea was that by having those two souls stand the closest to the two bonding, it would ensure the most successful um…” He grew uncomfortable, as if searching for the right word without actually having to say it.
In the end, terribly creative as he always was, he said it anyways: “Marriage.”
Because that’s what this was. A marriage ceremony. One that was only ever performed when a human and monster joined together in holy matrimony. But, unlike how things were done in modern times, this wasn’t simply done with a few ‘I do’s, some kisses and cutting a three-tier tall cake. Back then, to prove their love for each other, the human-monster couple would have to gather seven humans, each with a unique soul color, who would support the marriage. Together, they would all trek, sometimes for weeks, to this temple where the ritual was to be performed. There, the human and monster would stand on either side of the scepter and reveal their souls above it. They would exchange, not vows, but parts of a spell and, combined with the crystal artifact and the power of the seven souls, the energy that manifested from all these elements split the two souls in half before melding them into the opposite soul.
It was why this ceremony was often called Soul-Bonding. The lovers were literally giving away a piece of their soul to one another. It was an act of absolute faith and commitment. Above all else, it was permanent. Nowhere in the text could Amelia find any instances in which the spell was reversed. In fact, she could barely find mention of the side effects beyond one short sentence that orated:
‘And thus they became bound, forevermore contracted to share their hopes, spirits and dreams until death parts them. And in that, too, they will go together.’
She wasn’t entirely sure what it all meant beyond the last part, which implied if one partner died the other would follow, no matter what the state of their health was; but she’d decided whether she could decipher the meaning or not didn’t matter. The fact was, Flowey needed a soul to be Asriel again. If her giving up only half of hers, alongside some ancient magic and the power of seven other souls, was enough to bring him back, why wouldn’t she give it away?
The problem was there were a lot of uncertainties. Six of the seven souls they would be using couldn’t even be classified as alive. Amelia’s own was already torn, possibly too unfit for Asriel to accept. And there was no equivalent exchange; she was trading away half her soul for nothing. Could either of them even survive like that? She had quickly started to see the whole venture as a suicide mission. She didn’t want to die accomplishing nothing and would have shelved the book entirely; but her father had told her once before to never put an idea to rest until all options had been exhausted.
So, she started to look at sources who knew more about how monster and human magic worked when combined. Her answer ended up coming from the elderly Gerson who, when she explained about her idea and her worries, had been granted a crackly laugh and a pat on the knee with his magnifying glass as he told her, “Wah ha ha! Missy, you got it all wrong. Magic will only complete the task you set it out to do. A spell made of good intent will remain so for both sides; there isn’t any ‘backlash’. So, if you’re trying to share your soul, it ain’t suddenly gonna decide on its own to turn around and kill ya. And either you have enough components together to make it work or you don’t. If you don’t, then nothing happens. If they taught magic like they did in my day, you’d know this.”
With that in mind, she moved forward, convincing the rest of her family to just let her try.
“At least we brought a flower for the occasion.” Sans’ quip broke her from her thoughts, earning a dirty look from Flowey.
“Well I-”
“Oh no, no. T-This isn’t good.” Alphys stutter broke off the impending argument, making the others look at her.
Toriel gripped a handful of her robes. “What is it?”
“These readings are barely registering.” The scientist answered, pressing the wires down towards the base of the crystal. “I-I’m not sure we’re going to have enough.”
“But they are reading, right?” Frisk cut in, “That means we still have a reason to give it a shot.”
“W-Well yes, perhaps maybe, b-but if the main power source isn’t getting enough strength, then it’s going to look elsewhere.”
As she crossed the room to stand beside her wife, Chara asked, “What does that mean?”
“Think of it like an electrical surge.” Sans said, resting back against one of the pedestals. “These two start chatting it up and getting the magic started and the crystal starts to do its thing. But when it comes time for the big finale and the crystal can’t find enough MP, it’s going to draw it from its secondary source. Which is your wife and the other souls. Problem with a surge is, its most common result is a short circuit.”
“F-F-Frisk should be fine!” Alphys stammered as expressions twisted, everyone jumping to conclusions. “I-If that happens, she’ll probably feel weak or pass out for a bit. Her energy will replenish. B-But… The others souls…”
“Inside of you Frisk, the souls have someone to fall back on. But if they’re just out in the open and on their own that short circuit might shatter ‘em.” The skeleton finished.
The room grew heavy as silence thickened the air. Amelia could feel the bite of stone against her fingertips as she leant heavily against another stand. She wanted to say it was a flaw, the hypothesis going directly against magic law. But the way Gerson had explained it when she asked had been very precise: Unless it was the intent and focus of the spell to do so, everything used would return to its normal state once completed.
Dead was the very unfortunate state of those six souls.
“Frisk,” Chara’s voice cut through the room. “What do you want to do?”
All attention turned to the ambassador, low lighting and her bowed head hiding most of her expression in shadow beyond her somber frown. It didn’t shift much when she finally rose her head, but her eyes brimmed with resolve. “I say we move forward.”
“Are you sure? There’s nothing we can do to bring them back this time.” Amelia reminded.
“Mmm.” Her sister pressed a hand against her chest where her soul thrummed. “The truth is, for all that they’ve helped me, I’ve never really felt like I’d ever returned that to them. I know there’s no reset for them but I never tried to help them find peace either.” She smiled, but it was twisted with a sort of shamed sorrow. “Since I’d been relying on them this whole time to help protect me and fight for me, I’ve been too selfish and scared to. Though, it probably makes me a worse person to make this decision now honestly. I guess… I can only hope they’ll forgive me.”
“Frisk…”
She sniffled some, rubbing away at one of her watering eyes. “Anyways, I didn’t come all this way just to back down because I’m feeling a little hesitant. No matter what else happens, if this is what ends up finally putting them to rest, then I can accept that.” She met her sibling’s gaze. “So let’s do our best, alright?”
“Right.” Amelia straightened her shoulders, nodding as she echoed, “Alright. Then let’s get it set up. When you’re ready, take out the souls.” She turned, addressing the room at large. “Everyone else needs to stay off the platform during the casting. Sans, can you hold this for me?”
One bony finger effortlessly balanced her book on one cornered edge, descending the steps with it. “You got it sis.”
Alphys stuffed her equipment back into her pouch, shuffling on by. “I-I really hope this works. I mean! Not that I think it’ll fail. Even though the odds are really, really bad and all the components aren’t right and – oh I’m not helping am I?”
She gave her a smile that she hoped was encouraging. “You helped plenty. Thanks for warning us.”
“R-Right! You’re welcome.”
Chara sighed, nuzzling her wife’s temple affectionately and dropping a kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Love you.”
“Love you too sweetie.” Frisk replied, allowing herself to enjoy the attention for a few moments, before drawing away, “We’ll be okay. All of us.”
“I know.”
As the Alliance soldier headed down to join the rest of their family, Frisk allowed her soul to emerge, the sharp red shade softened by its tender glow. From around it, rays of alternating-colored lights shot out like spotlights from a disco ball, the other six souls forming from them and circling gently around the central one. Together, the sisters rounded the platform, Amelia pointing and announcing the color of each one and Frisk holding out the corresponding soul, leaving it to hover above its pedestal. Once every other spot was filled, Frisk went to stand in her own place.
Now all they needed was the last piece.
Amelia whirled around, only for her expression to ease as she spotted Azriel clutching Flowey to his chest like a stuffed toy. She walked over to them, crouching to his level as she held out her hands. “It’ll be okay Azriel. This isn’t going to hurt him.”
“You promise?” The boy said, unable to hide the upset from his tone. The idea of his little friend turning into someone completely different was probably a bit confusing and scary for him.
“Cross my heart.” She drew a line across her chest, the opposite way her scar went.
The gesture seemed to make him relax, though it took a few overly rough but well intentioned pats from his sister and a bit more cajoling from his mother for him to loosen his grasp and hand the plant over. However, as she started to head back, he ran after her, yelping, “W-Wait! Flowey!”
“What?” Flowey peered down at him.
“If you change back, will… will you still like me?”
The flower could only stare before he twisted his head, giving a tiny scoff. “I’ll probably like you more.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. And we can even play for real, alright?”
Azriel nodded quickly, “Okay! It’s a date.”
As the boy hurried to stand beside his mom and sister again Flowey spluttered after him, “T-That’s not what a date is!”
“Gee,” Amelia started, tone teasing, “Wait until you actually have a heart before you go breaking others.”
“Oh har-dee-har!”
She stepped back up onto the dais, heading for the centerpiece where she set Flowey down to the right of the scepter, before taking her spot on the left. “You ready?”
“For what? Disappointment? Sure. Let’s just get this over with.” He mumbled bitterly.
Ignoring that, Amelia shifted to the crystal between them. To activate it, she had to move the whole rod one half-rotation. “Alright then, all that’s left is to turn this.” As she placed her hands over the scepter’s blooming handles, calls of encouragement pealed forth:
“Good luck, my children.”
“And when this is over young ones, we may have some nice tea and enjoy the view of this lovely countryside.”
“I believe in you humans and blossom buddy!”
“Yeah! Kick the circle of life’s butt! Man I’m so pumped right now! YAARGH!”
“Mom, calm down already and put me down!”
“U-U-Undyne they haven’t even started!”
“It’s a pre-spell casting exercise!”
“OH, EXCELLENT IDEA UNDYNE! BROTHER!”
“Well at least I’m – oof! – warming up to the idea.”
Amelia met Frisk’s gaze across the way, the two of them sharing an exasperated smile, before she focused back on the task at hand. She steadied her feet and tightened her grip, twisting hard. Like a rusty faucet handle, it groaned as it shifted, every centimeter passing with agonizing slowness. The edges of the metal bit into her hands, but she didn’t let up. Just when she got it three-fourths of the way around, it was as if the rest of the gunk in the tract was clear because it abruptly jerked and fell into place, almost making her tumble over it.
The crystal hummed as it came to life, a lavender shade emitting from its once dull depths, before a crackle of energy flowed along the jagged tips and light burst outward. By instinct, Amelia shut her eyes, feeling the warm flush of magic that flowed over her, leaving her skin tingling, body shuddering at the unexpected sensation.
“Whoa!”
Amelia’s eyes snapped open at the yelp. The first thing she noticed was everything was coated in lilac hues from the barrier that now surrounded the entire platform. It flowed in a downwards motion like a misty waterfall, encasing them in its belly. The second and more prominent fact was the bright red glow Frisk was emitting. It was as if something had traced a marker over her form and the ink was smearing, discharging pulses of red waves drifting upwards. Though she was taken aback, she didn’t appear to be in any pain. A look around showed much the same from the other six souls, each giving off their own spurts of color, flushing the room in an array of rainbows.
“You alright?”
The ambassador turned her hands over, nodding after a moment. “It’s not bad it just feel like… I’m getting ready to fight. But it’s not me calling up the power.” She turned her head, looking towards the edge of the platform where the others stood. Behind the purple veil, she could see Papyrus waving his arms and exclaiming and Asgore waving his paws, trying to placate the skeleton. But not even Papyrus’ high tenor or the king’s impressive boom of a voice made it past the wall around them. “We can’t hear them?” She rose a hand, waving it – but even though Chara was looking right at her, the woman didn’t respond to the motion. “Or see us?”
Amelia shook her head. “Guess not. But the ceremony was always meant to be private.”
She lowered her arm, frowning some, before nodding. “Alright. We should get started then, before they worry.”
“Right. Put your hands on the tablet. You have to keep in contact with it the whole time.” As Frisk did so she looked down at the flower, surprised to find he had curled over his stem, petals flopped around his face like a curtain. “Flowey?”
He doubled over just a bit more, silent for several seconds, before whispering, “It’s stupid. I didn’t think I could even feel hope anymore.” He jerked upwards, face twisted in a snarl, “If this fails I’m going to hate you so much!”
Her heart clenched some and she nodded wordlessly. That was fine. In his place, she’d hate herself too. “Got it.” She said, speaking up before her sister could. While always the well-meaning mediator, she didn’t need Frisk to fight her battles for her. “Then you better help me do it right. Grab onto the pole. And you don’t stop the chant for any reason.”
“Yeah, yeah.” A root encircled the metal rod before him, his face turned away from her.
Amelia rose a hand too her chest, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, allowing her soul to emerge. It added to Frisk’s already intense red radiance, threatening to overwhelm the area in the shade. She held it out, letting it hover right above the crystal piece. She had read when both souls were in place the two would circle one another in a delicate waltz, bringing comfort and love to the two souls’ bearers during the duration of the ceremony.
Hers just rotated, confused as if it had lost its dancing partner.
Undeterred, she reached down, gripping the pole just underneath the scepter’s head, the room flaring briefly in scarlet as determination filled her.
“Let’s begin.”
As if her words were a catalyst, the artifact resonated louder for a few moments, washing her soul in purple tints. Amelia felt heavier suddenly, like she was under one of Papyrus’ blue attacks, but also warm like being wrapped within a comforter on a dark, winter night. She took a deep breath to orient herself and started to recite:
“On this day, it shall be beheld the journey of nine,
Hearts unwavering, two essences to intertwine,
And in the presence of seven, thusly we swear:
To one another, we will be honest and fair.” In the corner of her eye, Amelia noticed a flash of blue and yellow but didn’t glance towards it. As she continued, every other SOUL seemed to respond in kind.
“In times of joy and times of sorrow,
Our ordnance from today to the morrow,
Will be steady with tolerance and compassion.
When opposition aims to assault and ashen,
Courage will be our triumphant way.
Hereafter, so that from one another we may never stray,
Allow these things to guide us for our life’s duration,
As we are filled with perseverance and determination. ”
As the last of her vows were uttered, she took note of the flare of energy coming off of Frisk’s soul, the light wisps from before having turned into powerful swells. In the breaks, she could see her sister’s face, eyes closed and expression serene. It eased her thudding chest and she looked down at a slightly awed Flowey, giving him a silent nod.
The flora seemed to stand a little straighter on his roots, voice shaky as he began his part but becoming more sure as he went on. It was all foreign to Amelia, the words completely in monster language, but she knew the gist of it was bringing together the strength of the seven souls to create the bond. He was the only one who could.
She supposed, in hindsight, that she could see how significant such a ritual had been to unions past, which, if the poem carried any indication to it, divulged scornful denunciation and subsequent rarity of interspecies couples. A monster was needed to use their latent magic for the crystal to respond and a human was needed to call forth the ethos of the other souls, all done in the secrecy of a far away sanctuary. It really was kind of romanti-
A shock ran through her, a gasp leaving her as her knees threatened to crumple. Her free hand shot out, managing to grasp onto one of the scepter’s leaves, keeping herself balanced as she blinked away the blackness in her eyes.
It was a surreal experience to look at her soul, a lance of white impaled through it.
It hadn’t been shattered, but she could feel the pressure of it along her spine, like something stiff and cold had been slipped through the hollowness of her bones. Flowey, eyes tightly closed, hadn’t seen it or her falter but across the way she could see Frisk watching her with concern. Offering her a smile, she focused on the thread of magic. It was coming from the center of the crystal and, as she tilted her head back, she could see it climbing up towards the apex of the dome where the other seven souls’ energies were coalescing. As she stared, they too were pierced through.
She wasn’t sure if it was a response to the continuing incantation or the magic itself, but suddenly the rainbow of the souls’ powers started to corkscrew downwards and, watching it, the weirdest image of a kid’s candy cane came to mind. And then the combined energies collided with her soul and her mind was too full to think of anything at all.
It was like the heaviness of a budding headache, not quite painful but dense enough to bother. She could almost pick out strange whisperings within her own mind, the most prominent of them all being Frisk’s – though, that could just be her own inner voice. It was admittedly a little hard to tell.
Amelia struggled to bring herself back to the forefront of her own consciousness, concentrating on the grounding, familiar noise of Flowey’s speech. Though she didn’t understand the words, she knew he was reaching the end of the spell. She had to prepare herself for what was going to happen next, if it was even going to. If just these small things were flooring her, she’d actually be on the floor when her soul gets torn in half.
Her fingers tightened reflexively along the scepter’s handle, closing her eyes to shut out the distracting flashes of color. As the monster plant started on the last verse, she took a few deep breaths to steady herself, tension slowly uncoiling from her shoulders.
And then, as things often did-
KSSSHAK!
-It all went to hell.
Her eyes snapped open, looking on in horror as the crystal started to split down the middle, violet charges of what looked like electricity zapping across the pistils. Flowey had seen it as well and he started to rush, words almost stumbling together. Louder, resounding cracks pierced through the air. Gem shards started to break away, falling to the ground like dying stars.
A chorus of fear sung through her mind, whimpers and cries for help, and at the forefront of it all, she could hear Frisk’s voice reverberating, ‘Everyone hang on! Just a little longer, please!’
But – no, no, no! – Amelia could see the whole left side of the artifact starting to give way, threatening to fall, and she knew they weren’t going to make it.
It wasn’t even a conscious thought as she broke her own orders and let go of the scepter, lunging for the crystal instead, hands closing around either side and forcing them together.
Everything went wrong at once.
Blistering pain scorched the skin of her hands.
Frisk screamed, possibly in pain, possibly in fear.
She felt the blow to her knees as they hit the stone floor.
Waves of power erupted from the broken crystal, her soul, the other souls, out of control and flying everywhere. Magic overload.
She didn’t let go.
A podium crumpled.
The floor around her splintered.
Flowey stuttered through the final three words and yelled, “AMELIA!”
A thunderclap echoed in the air as her soul snapped in half.
It all went white.
It was instinct, one that only those who had died and returned would know, to reach for the load button.
When she didn’t find it, Amelia took stock of her surroundings and realized she wasn’t where she expected to be. Not that she knew where she was to begin with. It was simply white for miles – the floor, the walls, the sky. Nothing but an endless lack of color and shape. As she tried to look down at herself, she had to wonder if she herself had been painted over because she couldn’t see anything at all. The feeling of her own body felt off, too weightless, as if she wasn’t fully there.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Or was it?
“Hello?” She called, her voice resonating as if it were bouncing along canyon walls. “Frisk? Flowey? ……Anybody?”
For several long seconds, no one answered. And then:
Don’t.
Like the whispers of the six souls, it was so faint she had to strain to hear it, unsure if it was really there. “Don’t? Don’t what?”
Don’t… leave.
She may have just been imagining herself walking forward, trying to follow the other voice. She felt strangely drawn to it. “I won’t. Where are you?”
Lost. …So alone. … Please.
“It’s okay. I’ll find you.” She promised. “Who are you?”
Don’t know… Can’t remember…
“Okay. That’s okay.” She consoled. “Just keep talking to me, alright?”
…I’m scared
“You’re gonna be fine. Hey, why don’t you tell something you can remember?”
……………………
“Hello? Hey, where’d you go?”
Can’t. Nothing.
The voice was closer now, somehow, and she could hear the distraught in their voice.
Everything’s gone!
“Sssh, okay. That’s alright! We’ll figure it out together, okay? Maybe, uh,” Amelia fumbled awkwardly in her own head. She just needed to get them to keep talking. “D-Do you wanna ask me something instead?”
She could almost hear the sniffle. Then, softly, Do you… like drawing?
“No, but my sister does. She’s really good. She paints all these big watercolors – or, maybe they were acrylics? Heh, I didn’t really get the difference.”
Sister. I... I had a sister too!
Encouraged, Amelia kept on. “Do you remember her?”
She… she liked… um, candy? No, um… She heard the wobble in their voice. I can’t… I can’t! It’s not fair! She was so important to me, but now she’s gone! Or maybe… I’m the one who’s gone?
With the flicker of emotion, their voice had gotten stronger, and she thought maybe she was racing towards it. “You’re not gone yet. If you were, how could you talk to me?”
It’s been so long… Maybe… maybe… I should just- She heard a hitch; the other was definitely sobbing.
“No! Stay with me okay?” Amelia choked some as unexplainable loneliness threatened to overwhelm her and though she wasn’t sure she could in this state, she wanted to cry too. “D-Don’t leave me here, please!”
Oh! Oh, no! Don’t be sad! If you have to be here too, I won’t let you be alone like I was.
She shook her head vehemently. “We’re not staying here. When I find you, I’m taking you home.”
Home? What’s there?
“Lots of things! Uh, friends and family, a nice, warm bed. Er… root beer?” She laughed, embarrassed. “Or-! There’s anime and video games. Oh and trees. Flowers. Stars.”
…Stars. The voice was but a mere whisper again, this time with awe. And that’s when she spotted it. Almost lost in all the white was the shape of an upside down soul, greyed like dust.
I think… I always wanted to see real stars.
She approached it slowly, reaching out. “We’ll see them together. Promise.”
I’d like that.
As her hands cupped around it, the soul started to chip away, bits of ash crumpling to the floor. Before she could do anything, half of it had broken off.
The other half turned blood red.
Oh!!! I remember!
I!
I’m-!
When she looked up, it was into gentle green eyes and a bright, fanged smile.
“Howdy. I’m-”
The sensation of falling was sudden and as the whiteness was overtaken by black, she could almost feel the warmth of arms that reached out to catch her.
Chara ran the edge of her thumb along the curve of her heart locket, the metal already warm from her constant rubbing. It was all she could do to keep herself together as the minutes dragged on, no shift or change in the cascade of purple that had overtaken the dais. She knew from listening to Amelia and Flowey’s recitals, that the whole incantation only took about five minutes – then again, it could take one, and she’d probably still feel like an eternity was passing. She curled her hand around the pendant, tugging it down, the chain biting into the back of her neck.
A yank on her pant leg made her look down, seeing Caroline peering up at her. When she realized she had her attention, her little nose wrinkled and she stuck out her tongue.
“Heh.” Chara reached down, running her fingers along sand-matted hair. They’d have to stop at a motel on the way back. After three days of sleeping in the dirt, the kids really needed a bath.
She wondered if she was being selfish. She had an amazing wife, two great kids, a supportive (if not dangerously enthusiastic) mom… so why, with all that she had gained, did she still restlessly cling to the past and hope that Asriel could come back? If his death had not been her fault, would she still even feel this way – or would she have been able to move on by now?
She could almost hear Frisk telling her that grief and loss didn’t work that way. That she wasn’t going to wake up one day, or possibly any day, just being one-hundred percent better. But she couldn’t help but be frustrated with herself anyways. And perhaps that made her all the worse for it, wanting to get over it, to put him behind her. What did that say about how much she loved him?
Ugh. Great, now she felt guilty.
Her mind had been such an incoherent mess since this whole trip started, leaving her restless and her emotions unusually high strung and unstable despite her best efforts to hide it. And when – if – when this whole thing failed, she had no idea how she was going to handle that either. She was a little afraid she’d go berserk and punch Amelia, which would be the most inane, hypocritical thing to do since she herself had been the one to say it’d be fine no matter what happened. At least she had already accepted this wasn’t going to work; her sister-in-law however seemed to be holding firm to the thought that this would all just fit into place like a simply-crafted monster puzzle and they could all just live happily ever after again.
Of course, if she didn’t have any hope, why was she here at all?
“How much longer are they gonna be?”
Torn away from her senseless, idiotic thoughts, she glanced at her son, seeing him pushing around a small rock with the toe of his sneaker. “Not much longer Az’.” She replied, ruffling Caroline’s hair again absent-mindedly. “When mom gets out of there, we can have lunch right outside and overlook the whole forest. How does that sound?”
Her son looked up at her, smiling widely. “Awesome!”
“Yeah and you tadpoles can even help me cook again!” Undyne bellowed. At least one couldn’t set stone on fire. Then again, Chara wouldn’t be any more surprised if she was proven wrong on that fact by the end of today. Before she could start laying some ground rules (because she’d had one too many park rangers giving them the Smokey the Bear speech), the room suddenly brightened and she jerked her head around.
The shifting barrier had turned into a whirlwind, pent up energy releasing along its surface in short little rushes of electricity. The density around the room dropped, like a storm was encroaching. As they watched, other colors began to seep into the mess, a violent spectrum of magic. Her soul responded to it, thrumming with the urge to fight even though there was no enemy in sight. A whirlwind herself, she spun to the others, looking from Alphys to Sans to Asgore finally as she asked, more sharply than intended, “Please tell me that’s supposed to happen!”
“I-I d-do-on’t-”
“I truly don’t remember anything like this-”
Sans said nothing, his eyes blank and sweat on his brow.
Chara held back a curse as she turned back, yet she barely got a step forward before she sensed it; her soul shrieked of the danger before she even saw the stream of energy explode out towards them. She pivoted once more, gathering Caroline and Azriel into her arms and pulling them both protectively against her chest.
She heard yells, the sound of the ground cracking open, magic clashing with magic.
But no pain. She looked over her shoulder, the burn in her eyes telling her the sclera had turned black, and seeing a wall of bones and spears, and even some lightning bolts and fireballs, lined on the pathway from end to end like a barricade.
“Is everyone okay?!” Toriel was the first to cry out.
“Well, haven’t fallen apart yet.” Sans quipped back, flares of blue wafting from his left eye socket.
A gloved hand laid on the shorter skeleton’s shoulder, before the taller proclaimed, “And the great Papyrus is nothing short of always great!”
“What in the name of amaryllis happened?” Asgore near growled.
Undyne ran her claws over Alphys shaking head quills, before crouching down beside her daughter. “Baby fish?”
The kids were shivering in her grasp, but Chara tried to soothe them as best she could by rubbing circles into their backs, looking up at her mother, “We’re fine. What did happen though?”
“Dunno. Pretty sure that wasn’t part of our scheduled program though.” Undyne lowered some of her spears, revealing the still frenzied twists the dome had become, though the rest of the colors had faded from it, leaving it a washed-out lavender. As they watched however, they saw the shadow of a figure reflect along its surface before they were walking through.
Relief coursed through her at seeing her wife, safe and alive.
“Are you all okay?” Frisk asked, though she wasn’t asking them; she was talking to the six souls cradled in her arms, all of them pulsing erratically.
“Frisk!” Part of the barricade came down, allowed Chara through as she went sprinting over to her wife.
At the sound of her name, Frisk jerked her head up, a small smile gracing her lips, “Char-ah!” She tried to take another step, only for her knees to unexpectedly buckle.
“Whoa! Easy there.” Chara managed to catch her. She could feel her shuddering hard against her, her breathing a little heavy. “Babe?”
“I-I’m okay.” She said, leaning heavily against her. “Took a lot out of us is all.”
“What happened?”
“The crystal broke.”
A cry of alarm came from Alphys: “W-What!?”
Instantly picking up on her panic, Frisk looked up at her, the fright in her eyes grimly heightened by the purple tones around them. “Amelia and Flowey are still in there.”
“I’ll get them out.” Chara vowed, helping her wife to sit on the ground, before she straightened and charged for the barrier. She stopped just a few feet short of it when another figure cast in shadows began to approach the wall. “Amelia?!”
They stepped through and, with all the components gone, the magic canceled out and shattered into specks of light that fizzled out like firework embers.
Chara forgot how to breathe.
“Uh.” Asriel looked around the room nervously, shifting the load in his arms, which just so happened to be an unconscious Amelia. “Howdy… everyone?”
He had grown up; even without the step for extra height he would easily tower above her. He was a gangly mass of fur and large shoulders that his overly long ears brushed against whenever he moved his head. His horns had grown in, though when he got a look at them Chara knew he’d be complaining about how they hadn’t grown out quite as impressively as his dad’s like he’d hoped. Nestled between the curved projections was his ever present tuft of fur that had only grown more pronounced and ridiculous with his age.
But despite all his changes she could still see the innocent youthfulness in his eyes. The gentle friendliness of his smile. The slight arch of his feet that always made her think he was ready to run after her, follow her lead. And hanging from his neck, his locket; the other part to the pair.
He was Asriel, her best friend.
He caught sight of her, the beginnings of a smile touching his lips, when Toriel’s cry drew his attention. “Asriel!”
The goat’s face twisted into something more yearning as she approached, choking out, “Mom…”
“Oh my child, you’re really here! You’re – oh, dear! Is she okay?” Toriel’s attention wavered.
“Uh, I think? Her hands are hurt but I think she’s just tired mostly. And – wha?! Hey!” An outline of blue surrounded Amelia, her body defying gravity as it was lifted upwards.
Sans grinned as he guided her into his brother’s waiting arms. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of her kid. You just enjoy your reunion.”
Toriel didn’t need much more opportunity then that, embracing her son with the vigor of a mother who had lost and grieved over too many beloved little ones over the years. Asriel was no better, holding her tight – and only grew worse as Asgore dared grow near, a large arm encircling him. “My son…”
“Daaad!” Asriel’s cry came out as a whine, already a mess of snot and tears like the crybaby she’d always known.
“My child, I’m just so overjoyed that you’re back! Oh, you must be hungry! I haven’t made pie for you in years!” Toriel said, on the edge of more sobs. “I mean, I know I make snail pie but I never knew the ones eating it would take years to get to it!”
“Oh Tori,” Asgore murmured to her fondly, though his eyes too were wet.
“Pap, you’re on human duty.”
“Ah! I’m quite excellent at that! Dare I say… the best? Nyeh heh heh!”
“Undyne, I believe it might be best if we bring up some of the supplies.”
“Want me to bring the whole car?”
“No!”
“Mommy? Is that him?”
“Yeah, that’s him. That’s who Flowey really was.”
“Dahdoo okay?”
“Just give her time sweetie.”
Chara tuned in and zoned out of the conversations going on around her, frozen in place as she stared, helplessly, at her brother. Her brain had turned off, giving no indication to her limbs on what they should do and her emotions had stilled as well. It was a familiar feeling, one she’d had when Frisk finally convinced her to step out of the underground for the very first time in eleven years. Her mind could barely believe what was happening before her was real; how could it be? It had to be a dream, something that was certain to be gone tomorrow.
“Ah, and when we get back and get you settled, we could play catch.”
“Haha, it all sounds great!” Asriel said but as his dad started to continue, he cut in suddenly. “H-Hey wait, where’s-?”
He whipped his head about, spotting her, still frozen in place like she might just be another forgotten relic in this old temple. When she didn’t make a move, he squirmed out of his parents’ grasp to approach her instead, “Chara? You… don’t look happy to see me.”
That was what finally broke her from her trance.
“Are you stupid?!” She cried, limbs moving with jerky motions like she really had been a statue that just came to life. “I’ve never wished for anything more then to have you back! It’s just-!” Her lower lip trembled and she bit down on it, everything rapidly blurring around her. When she spoke again, she barely recognized her own shuddery voice, “It’s just… you should of been here the whole time. It’s all my fault you weren’t. How can you ever forgive me…?”
When he looked away from her, her heart cracked a bit. When he spoke though, his own voice was laden with shame. “We both made mistakes, back then and after. A lot of them. I… I should have never let you, we should have never-!” Chara blinked rapidly, warm tracks of tears spreading down her cheeks. Vision cleared, she caught the sight of Asriel’s jaw clenched tight in an angry scowl that soon twisted into one of agonizing regret. “We were… stupid kids, huh? Haha…”
He took a calming breath, something his dad always did when he was about to speak to a crowd, and when he looked at her, he seemed a little more sure. “Look, I know there’s a lot of stuff we need to talk about and work through. But, I’ve spent so many years as a flower just hoping to get a second chance. I don’t want to waste it wallowing in my regrets.” He gave her a watery smile that was a mirror image of the panicky kid she used to tug along with her when they’d go exploring. “More than anything, I just want my best friend back. What do you say Chara? Can we start again?”
Instead of answering, she just flung herself at her brother, throwing her arms around him tightly. “I missed you s-s-so much.” She sobbed.
He didn’t hesitate to embrace her shaking shoulders. “Me-eeh too.” He bleated out, voice thick with tears of his own.
It only made her laugh and cry harder.
The first thing Amelia became aware of when she awoke was a faint ache in her hands and the soft murmuring of voices nearby. Exhaustion was still cloying at her mind, making it hard to think or focus. So, she turned on her side, intending on just slipping back to sleep, when her nose buried into the matted fur of a teddy bear. Her nose wrinkled, batting it aside some – it was Papyrus’ she realized – and that’s when she took note of the tightly wrapped gauze around her fingers. When did that happen…?
“You awake?” Her head shifted along the pillow – one of hers – seeing Sans sipping on some ketchup as he sat against a pillar, one eye watching her. “Heh, almost scared me out of my skin kiddo. But you did it.”
Did it…?
Remembrance shocked through her muddled brain and Amelia struggled upwards, not making it any further than being able to prop herself on her elbows. She looked around, realizing she had been laid on the eastern side of the temple, off of the walkway where it seemed everyone had decided to set up camp. There was no light coming down from the ceiling, indicating it was well into night. She could see Papyrus a few sleeping bags down, reading adamantly to an already slumbering Caroline.
Her attention quickly drew to where she heard some quiet laughter, seeing the Dreemurs gathered together there. Though his back was to her, she saw, settled in between Toriel and Chara, a goat monster clad in green and yellow. There was no doubt. It was him, Asriel. She didn’t even need to see him; because in an odd way, like a magnet drawn to its opposite charge, she could feel the other side of her soul resting within him.
With relief, she sunk back into her makeshift bed, watching the family with lidded eyes. Alphys and Undyne were standing before them, already in their bed wear, and the guardswoman lent over the newcomer, lifting up a bundle from his lap. Amelia couldn’t help the slight smile when she realized it was Azriel, fast asleep.
“I’m glad.” She murmured back to Sans. She buried her face deeper into her pillow, feeling content and a smattering of pride. Sleep would come a lot easier now. “G’night Sans.”
“Night Ames.”
When she awoke again, the hall was dark and the air was cool. Her hands hurt much less, meaning Toriel must have given her another dose of healing magic. The sounds of even breathing and the occasional snore filled the room and as she sat up, eyes adjusting, she could tell all the beds were occupied.
Well, all but one. Her head turned towards the hole in the wall.
Amelia kicked off the blankets, carefully tiptoeing over Alphys’ tail and heading for the exit. Some of the rubble had been cleared, giving her a path out without need to climb over. As she stepped outside, she was immediately faced with that same green-and-yellow clad back. His head was tipped towards the sky but at her presence, it tilted some, as if he had heard a curious sound.
“Howdy.” He spoke up, unprompted. And then he looked back and the world slowed down.
One long ear flopped over his shoulder, large and fluffy and soft-looking. Moonbeams hit white fur in pale lights, making an ethereal halo along the crown of his horns. Spreading gradually along his face, his smile became welcoming, reaching his eyes and making them gentle. He was both everything and nothing his picture promised.
Maybe that was the real reason he could take on the title ‘God’.
Directly after that ridiculous thought, her mind just became one loud, mortified scream.
“Uh, you okay?”
“Huh-wha?” She replied intelligently.
Asriel scratched at the edge of his chin. “It’s just uh, I suddenly felt um, freaked out? And I think that’s actually you. Haha! Wow, this sure is gonna take some time to get used to, huh?”
Amelia swallowed some, lowering her head to take a few deep breathes, trying to calm her erratic nerves. Asking her to rip her father out of the Void probably would have been easier. “G-Guess so.”
“Um, you’re not scared of me are you? Not that I could blame you if you were.” His own gaze became averted, expression turning morose. “I did horrible things…”
“No, that’s not it at all! I mean, if anything, you should be afraid of me! I mean I was the one who, well… you know.” (Yeah, that’s the way she should start off this relationship. Remind him of all her horrible life decisions.)
The goat shook his head. “Golly, we’re just one guilt trip away from being some therapist’s new pet project, huh?”
“Or a mortician’s.”
He let out an unexpected bleat of a chuckle in which he quickly tried to hold back by grabbing his snout. Amelia felt a foreign brush of embarrassment, like a memory, touch her and realized with a start it was coming from Asriel himself. They looked at each other for several long seconds before they both started to giggle.
Feeling oddly eased, or perhaps just too accustomed to adapting to the bizarre, a sort of calm overcame her. “So, why are you out here?”
“Oh! Uh well, I was trying to sleep, really.” He defended like a child being faced with the stern glare of a scolding mom. “But well…” He looked back up. “They’re just so beautiful.”
Amelia followed his example, seeing the great expanse of the black sky above, alight end to end by millions of tiny stars. Out here, without all the light pollution, their glow was stronger, bits of nebula able to be seen. She smiled, letting the other’s wonder wash over her as she viewed them. It truly was majestic.
“I saw them all the time as a flower but I never really appreciated their beauty. I hope you’re not mad.”
“What? Why would I be?” She asked.
“Well, we promised to look at them together. I was going to wake you, but you needed rest.”
When had they…? Oh, right. The white room. Her stare turned to linger at his back, contemplative, and with bravery she forgot she had, she walked over, taking a seat beside him. He shot her a look of surprise which she replied with by giving him a smile. “Well, we’re together now. And, we’ll have a lot more chances later too.”
Asriel swallowed hard, eyes shimmering. “Yeah, I guess we will. Heh, guess I’ve got a lot of chances for a lot of things I’d never thought I’d get to do and it’s all thanks to you.” He beamed at her. “I know you feel like you’re still the bad guy here but… if it counts for anything, from one bad guy to the other, you’re my hero.”
With those small words, it felt like a weight that had been pressing down on her for much too long was finally allowed to come off. Amelia blamed the sudden tightening in her own throat on the fact that Asriel was now crying. “It means everything.”