Chapter Text
"Um, Frisk?" They looked up at me, chewing away without a care at their donut. "There's a little something on your cheek." They wiped it away, glancing down at their sleeve to see half of a spider's leg.
"Oh dear, it seems someone didn't mix the batter well enough." Muffet was almost omnipresent in her bakery, moving swiftly and silently at the slightest disturbance. Her skin's violet hue seemed everywhere and nowhere, blending in with the rest of the room's color scheme. "I do hope it's no bother."
They just shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with popping it in their mouth like a stray chocolate chip. Muffet was pleased, but I wasn't. I didn't think I would ever be able to stomach the original spider bakery recipes. I'd stick with the vegetarian menu.
"How is your cider, my liege?" I was thankful for my thick, white fur, which helped hide my blush.
"It's good, miss. And please, just Asriel is fine. Really." She did a proper curtsey, gliding back into her establishment like the picture on one of those magic eye puzzles.
'You really don't like the royal treatment anymore, do you?' As always, they were the one person who could read me perfectly, even after all these years.
'It used to just roll over me, but then, well...'
'Years of being Flowey kind of messed with the idea of being on a throne.' I gulped. They mellowed out, but it didn't stop them from being so blunt about things. It made getting to the point easy, but left more than a few ripples. I could feel the memories flowing, hacking away at my self image.
'Please don't use that name, Chara. The wound's kind of fresh.' I felt the shift in their Determination, trying to wipe away my guilt. It still hurt, but having someone so understanding with me helped.
'Sorry, bro. Kind of hard to watch your mouth when you don't have one.' I reached back inwards, wrapping my being around them in the closest thing to a hug we could do anymore.
"Az?" Frisk's quiet, worried voice brought me back to the outside. It was way too easy to get lost in myself anymore. I hadn't even noticed the tears building up. I was lucky that everyone was polite enough to not stare, and to have someone like my new sibling to keep me anchored. They helped hold me steady, even if their arms weren't quite working yet. Muffet had to put the donut in their hand for them.
"Sorry, just thinking about junk. It's no biggie." They knew it was a bluff, but didn't prod too much. We had both seen enough serious for a long time. I glanced up at the clock. "I think we should get going. Mom and Dad would worry if you were out past dark." They nodded, finishing off their pastry.
Wiping the last few drops of the cider from my upper lip, I got to my feet, hurrying around behind Frisk. I took hold of the familiar handles on the back of their chair, ready to push them the whole way home. It wasn't as tiring as you'd think, but I had to remember that I was physically different from other monsters.
Greater Dog was a big help, too, opening the doors for us while he did his job as royal bodyguard. I was thankful for having the big guy around, but that didn't mean I'd let him take over pushing duty. I still owed Frisk too much, so I was happy to help them get around while their body recovered.
We weren't two steps out the door when I felt something staring at us. Something big, otherworldly, and, from first hand experience, playful. Looming over us was the amorphous form of Endogeny, stretching out to nuzzle with its, uh... Okay, I wasn't exactly sure what its relation with Greater was, but they were still family, even after the True Lab. Frisk was over the moon to see it, smile threatening to split their face in two.
"Hold on, think I have some chisps here." They rummaged through the bag in their lap, looking for a treat as Endogeny's body vibrated with excitement. It was like clockwork. Frisk sees dog, Frisk plays with dog. I didn't mind, just glad to see them happy despite the injuries they got because I left them in the dust like a total...
Nope, stopping there. Frisk was alive, they didn't blame me, and they were insistant that I got that through my thick head.
I took the chance to take in Endogeny's melted, flowing body. I had to admit, I felt a weird closeness to the Amalgamates. We both went through some dark stuff thanks to the Determination Experiments, but were only alive because of them. We understood each other, even if the exact results varied a little.
Endogeny turned to me, the kinship not lost on it. Its tale wagged, a kind gleam passing its eyes. His golden armor gave me the impression of the deep strength and respect he had from...
Wait, it wasn't wearing armor. And it didn't have eyes. It was just a hole in the middle of its head, a slight trail of happiness froth dripping from its lower lip. I must've been getting tired, starting to see things. Maybe a quick nap wouldn't hurt. I had the big guy there to look out for me, his shining form standing head and shoulders over his already impressive little brother...
In the pit of my chest, my energies stirred. It started as a slight discomfort, but even as I leaned on Frisk's chair for support, I felt the DT in me starting to boil. My vision went blurry, and my grasp on the world slipped. I felt a sudden pressure on my front, whatever had been holding me up slipping away.
"Asriel!" The voice sounded far away. I gasped for air, grabbing at my chest. I focused inward, the vast dark of my being becoming clear. Deep down, in the nothing, I saw two lights, growing brighter and brighter. Yellow and purple. I felt myself drawn towards them, my pain forcing my sight to tunnel until they were all I could see. Yellow and Purple.
A white flash. My eyes were lit up by a string of lights, going too fast to piece together. I saw a few fleeting shapes. Buttercups, Mom, something red, a revolver...
Then I returned to black.
-
I was laying on something soft. My mouth was a little dry, and I was dizzy, but other than that I was pretty comfy. I was sure the confusion would pass soon. Maybe a few more minutes asleep would help...
'Oh no you don't. Open those eyes or I'll do it for you!' My body jolted, control taken away just long enough to trigger my eyelids to slide open. It didn't exactly help my head feel better, but I was awake.
"Asriel!" My hand lifted a little from my bed, grabbed softly by a very tired looking Frisk. There were heavy bags under their eyes, and their movements were even slower than before. I remembered passing out on them, and shame hit me like a truck. I wanted to apologize, pulling myself up to hug them.
My head throbbed, everything turning a shade of purple or yellow. When I landed on my back, all exertion stopping, the pallette of the world went back to normal.
"D-don't move yet!" A yellow hand passed, tapping a moist cloth to my forehead. It took some of the sting away. "You might be awake, but your insides are still highly unstable." Alphys was a doctor, so I took her word as the cherry on top of the 'stay down' cake.
"Is he awake?" Dad's voice was soft, but still demanded attention. When I looked, his fur was all out of order. I could tell exactly where he had been twirling his beard, waiting for me. He was by me in moments, setting a hand over mine. "I heard you are bed ridden. That is fine, I can bring you tea myself. It is quite good at dealing with aches, you know."
"Asgore, please, give him some space!" Dad backed up a little, but kept his hand where it was. Hearing Mom being so stern with him was still really weird, and kind of sad, but I understood the wedge that was between them. At least they still seemed to get along, most of the time. She came in to fluff my head, but did so gently, and was out of my personal space before she could come off as a hypocrit. "How are you feeling?"
"I've been better, but I think I'll be fine if I don't move again." It wasn't exactly a long term solution, but it would work for a day or two at least. "What happened to me?" The haze in everyone's eyes said they didn't know, but Alphys brought our attention to her with a cough, professional looking folder in hand.
"I did some s-scans, and I th-think I found the p-p-problem." Her stutter always got worse when I was in her line of sight. She pulled a picture out of her folder, turning to show a ring of Souls. Four of them were dulled out, as asleep as they had been since I turned back into a flower. The other two, however, were active. They shined with their native strengths, one yellow and one purple. Those colors were too familiar.
"It seems the h-humans S-souls in you are waking up." Dad's hand tensed, and when I looked, his eyes had darkened. The Souls were still a mark on his consciounce, even this many years later.
"Cliff and Lily..." Mom still knew who each one was by name. They each avoided the subject when I was around, trying not to lay their old wounds on me.
"They're just l-like a human's Soul would be in their b-body, b-but their energies are all skewed." She put the folder away, seeing how it was affecting Mom and Dad. "Asriel, your eyes were t-twitching a lot while you were asleep. Did they sh-show you something in your d-dreams?" I tried thinking about those few pictures I saw before I blacked out, but they were an incoherant mess.
"I think so, but it's all a blur. Whatever it was went by too fast." Alphys closed her eyes, thinking it over. "Is there some way to slow the feed down? Alphys's eyes shot open, my suggestion sparking something in her brain.
"Of course, my VR device! If I could rework the wires to take a video from your mind, I could slow it down and let you see it in real time!" When it came to ideas, she was on top. "It'll take a bit of leg work, but I should have it ready by sundown if I go now."
"Of course, Alphys. Please, take whatever you need." Dad sounded kind of distant. Frisk was eyeing him, and I could almost see their heart throbbing, being unable to do anything from in their chair.
"Don't worry, I have everything I need in my lab. I'll be back soon!" She was gone, leaving us all alone with our thoughts. I glanced up at Dad, getting an idea of my own.
"Hey Dad, my throat's dry. I think I'd like that tea."
-
Keys ticked on Alphys's portable setup. We were the only two in the room, my eyes covered by a helmet.
"Are you ready? Once it starts, I don't think it would be safe to stop until the whole feed plays out." I nodded, my thirst and hunger taken care of. There wasn't much else to attend to in my stationary state. "Alright, I'll be inserting you into someone's head to make things smooth. Everything you see and hear will be through them. Just stay calm and take it all in. I'll be out here monitoring everything, so don't worry."
"I trust you. You know that, right?" I didn't get an answer, but the typing got even faster.
'Hey, you sure you can take it?' Chara had been quiet all day. They woke me up, but that was it. They usually kept to themself, letting me live my life, but I thought the lack of anything happening would at least make them want a conversation.
'I don't really have much choice. Why do you ask?'
'Whatever those guys showed you was from inside. Their memories. You might see some messed up stuff. We both know what happened to them.' Right, Dad... 'Besides, they might know some stuff that'd hit even closer, if you catch me. I mean, Frisk wasn't...' They went quiet on me again.
'Chara?'
'...Nevermind. Just, I'll be open to talk when you wake up. Stay safe.' I was about to question them, but didn't get the chance.
"Here we go. Dive in five, four..."
More pieces of the helmet came down, inserting themselves in my ears and nose. My connection to my body got foggy, sucked away into my own mind. At that moment, I fell into a deep sleep, the memories of one of my Souls filling my dreams.