Author's Note

I know I don't say much, but know that I always look forward to feedback. Even if I don't reply, I appreciate all the kind words very much, and I hope you all continue to enjoy my work! I can only hope I don't disappoint.

Frisk lied in bed, holding their blanket close to themselves, staring blankly at the wall meeting the side of the mattress. Their thoughts were constantly locked onto the conversation they'd had with Sans a few days prior. They replayed it in their head over and over, dwelling on one thing or another.

They thought about Sans. He said he couldn't forgive them, and they couldn't find it in themselves to blame him for that. Despite all the work they put into making things right again, he couldn't forgive them, and they couldn't forgive themselves. Did they really deserve forgiveness? Probably not, considering the consequences of their choices.

They thought about Chara. The little devil had been quiet for awhile now. Ever since Sans had confronted Frisk, specifically. They were almost starting to miss the voice in their head keeping them company. They were also fairly certain the demon child was plotting something. Just what, they couldn't be sure, but it definitely couldn't be good. They didn't like being kept in the dark, especially not by someone who could take control of them at any given moment.

They thought about themselves. Their deteriorating health was making them weaker and sicker by the day. Their stomach begged them to feed it, but with no appetite, they simply couldn't bring themselves to swallow anything substantial. Their continued sleep deprivation impacted them on both a physical and mental level. They hadn't properly bathed themselves in far too long. Their hair felt matted and greasy, and fell in clumps over their face. Their skin felt filthy, many days' worth of dust, dirt, and grime building up all over. They were sure they had an odor about themselves too.

Part of them didn't feel too bad about being in such poor of health. At least it meant that, whenever Chara did decide they were done waiting, the shell they'd get would be useless. Frisk took solace in the closest thing they could get to retribution. Unfortunately, it still meant that they spent every waking moment in pain.

They sat up in their bed, turning themselves such that their legs were hanging off the side. Sans promised them that he would figure out a solution. Maybe they should give him a chance. It was the least they owed him, after all. With that, they may as well get to work on fixing one thing at a time. Standing from the bed, they stripped themselves of their clothing, threw on a towel, and headed down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower. Despite the fact that monsters had no need for such rooms, Toriel had been so kind as to turn the empty renovated room at the end of the hall into a proper bathroom with all the amenities Frisk would need.

The child felt waves of refreshment wash over them as the water ran down their body, washing away all the sweat and dirt layered upon them. Their hair slowly began to feel cleaner and silkier as the grease and oils were washed out. They felt a sense of relief come over them, surprised at how something so simple as a shower had such a positive impact on their mood. They took a deep breath, the steamy air of the warm shower filling their lungs, and let out a sigh, for once not out of exhaustion, but out of relaxation. They still weren't so sure about the brightness of their future, but this moment right now felt good.

They allowed themselves to relax in the water for another half-hour before cutting off the water flow and opening the curtain, cool air blowing past them as they did so. It made them shiver slightly, but it still felt nice. They draped a towel over their body and made their way back to their bedroom. As they lied down on their bed, letting the water droplets covering their body soak into the sheets, a yawn escaped from their throat. Their eyes slowly drifted downward, their vision going blurry as they slipped into unconsciousness.

Soft footsteps fell forward, slowly making their way towards the hooded figure.

They had done this quite a few times now. They'd exchange 'pleasantries' and Sans would open up with his attack. It always reached the same point.

"listen." He spoke, "i know you didn't answer me before, but... somewhere in there. i can feel it. there's a glimmer of a good person inside of you. the memory of someone who once wanted to do the right thing. someone who, in another time, might have even been... a friend?"

He looked up with one eye at his adversary. The child's eyes looked wet underneath the shadow created by their bangs. "c'mon, buddy. do you remember me? please, if you're listening... let's forget all this, ok? just lay down your weapon, and... well, my job will be a lot easier."

It went like this so many times. The child stood there, looking cold and empty. Metal clattered and echoed through the corridor as the knife dropped to the ground. They dropped to their knees, weak in body and spirit, letting tears escape as they waited for the inevitable. "I don't want to fight anymore, Sans..." They spoke quietly.

Sans was silent for a moment as he stared at the child. They'd gone through this routine time and time again, and they always gave up here. Why do they keep coming back?

"you're sparing me? finally. buddy. pal. i know how hard it must be... to make that choice. to go back on everything you've worked up to. i want you to know... i won't let it go to waste."

He extended his arms and moved toward the crumpled child, embracing them. "c'mere, pal."

A series of bones materialized around the child and, after a short moment, they lied slain on the ground. Sans could only stare coldly at the kid's body, hollow in his vengeance. The world was silent.

He blinked.

Soft footsteps fell forward, slowly making their way towards him...

The door burst open with a mighty kick, the doorknob ricocheting off the wall adjacent to it and deepening the series of cracks forming into it. Sans popped an eye open, awoken from his slumber.

"SANS!" The deeper voice of his brother rang out, announcing gloriously "WE HAVE RETURNED FROM THE HUMAN WORLD!"

Sans weakly raised a hand and waved at his brother, then promptly returned to his nap. Over the years, he'd grown immune to his brother's booming voice. After all, he didn't have ears.

"SANS, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Papyrus chastised, "HERE WE ARE, MONTHS AFTER THE BARRIER WAS BROKEN, I SERVE AS AMBASSADOR OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND YOU'RE STILL A LAYABOUT!"

Sans' smile widened, amused at how riled up his brother could get over the simplest action, or inaction. "yep." He replied blankly. Papyrus stared at him, waiting expectantly for him to say anything else. The longer Sans said nothing, the more Papyrus felt his mock rage building up.

"IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?"

"sorry, bro. i'm just so-"

"SANS."

"bone-tired these days."

"SANS!"

Sans chuckled to himself, satisfied with his brotherly teasing, as he rose to an upright position. "actually." He said as he came to his feet and walked towards the door, "there is something i need to do today."

Papyrus raised a brow inquisitively. "AND WHAT IS THAT?" He asked.

"i need to talk to Alphys." Sans answered plainly.

"OH REALLY?! WHAT ABOUT?!" Papyrus questioned further, excitement growing in his voice.

". . ." Sans was silent for a beat, thinking of an answer. "stuff."

"COOL!"

Sans walked outside in step with his brother, pulling up his hood to shield his head from the gusts of icy wind. The air smelled of sushi.

"hi, Undyne." Sans spoke, seemingly at nothing. Papyrus looked at his shorter sibling suspiciously. Suddenly, a pointed object flew at them from the bushes, landing uselessly on the ground several inches away from the pair.

"Punk!" A voice rang out. The familiar form of the cycloptic fish knight came into view as she rose from behind the shrubbery, rubbing the back of her neck shamefully with an embarrassed smile on her face. "How'd ya know?"

Sans tapped his finger on the point of his face where his nostrils should be. "i can smell ya." He answered, a cheeky grin decorating his expression. Undyne could only stare silently, confused at the concept of how that would work.

"Aw well." She spoke, quickly getting over her failure at stealth, "I heard you were goin' over to see Alphys. Thought I should head that way too!" As per routine with Undyne, her request to go with Sans sounded less like a question and more like a demand. He really had no choice.

"CAN I COME TOO?" Papyrus asked, childlike in his usual manner.

"actually, bro." Sans answered. He'd been thinking about this for a few days now, ever since he and the kid had their talk. Things had been pretty quiet since then. He could only assume they were doing at least a little better since he hadn't seen them come to their usual spot overlooking the cliff since then. Still, they needed some positive reinforcement. "there's something i need you to do for me."

Despite being hollow holes, Sans could see a glimmer light up in his brother's eye at the opportunity to take on a mission for him. "our little human buddy's not doing so good." He continued, "i want you to go over there and make 'em feel better."

Papyrus struck a heroic stance, his scarf flowing triumphantly in the wind. Sans could almost hear glorious horns playing in the distance. "GREAT IDEA, BROTHER! SURELY THE COMPANY OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL CHEER THE HUMAN UP!" He declared, "I PROMISE THIS, SANS! I WILL GO TO THEM AT ONCE! NYEH HEH HEH!" With not a moment to lose, Papyrus dashed off in the opposite direction of the remaining two, heading into the woods. Sans and Undyne exchanged glances at each other as they watched the taller skeleton's silhouette disappear over the horizon in a matter of seconds.

"So." Undyne began as they both began walking in the direction of the river person, "What'd ya need to talk to Alphie about?"

Sans again pondered how to dodge the question. "science stuff, it'd bore you." He answered.

"Yeah, probably!" Undyne bellowed, a wide grin on her face, "You're both total nerds!"

"yep." Sans smiled to himself as they boarded the small boat and sailed off in the direction of the Hotlands.

Papyrus marched forward, swiftly but steadily, confidence marking each fall of his foot. As he marched, he pondered, one hand on his hip and the other resting a finger on his chin. He wondered what sort of trouble had befallen the human since the last time they'd seen each other. Of course he noticed the way they'd grown so listless over the months, but being so busy with helping the king made it difficult for him to spend any time with the poor kid.

It was a topic oft-discussed between the trio of Asgore, Undyne, and himself while they were on the surface, during the occasional private moment between bouts of politics. The three would stay in fancy human hotels around the world to attend political meetings, doing some of the most important work to ensure a peaceful coexistence between humans and monsters.

From time to time, the king would call home in the early hours of the morning, speaking to Toriel on how things were going. Papyrus and Undyne would question vicariously through the king, asking what Sans and Alphys were up to in their joint absences. It was through these conversations that Asgore would learn of how terribly Frisk was doing. The conversation would grow quieter and the king's expression would turn morose as he listened.

When Asgore explained what he'd heard from his ex-wife, Undyne would just sit on the edge of the bed, staring downward with a mixture of anger and determination in her eyes. Part of her felt sorry for the kid, while most of her just didn't understand what they had to feel so bad about. They'd done a hell of a lot for everyone, they could call themselves a hero. She didn't understand, and that made her angry.

Papyrus would try to propose that they go back home immediately to help their little friend, but Asgore would explain how they couldn't do that, as the work they were doing was too important to abandon, and Papyrus would wanly agree. Undyne's mood would worsen and she'd grow a little more abrasive as they got on with their day. In those moments, she was thankful it wasn't her job to talk to people.

Papyrus snapped back into reality as he reached his destination. A large set of double-doors leading into the queen's home. He confidently steeled himself, ready to see his good friend again, and proceeded through the door. It was at this moment that it occurred to him, he had never actually been inside Toriel's home before. A long, dark tunnel wasn't quite what he was expecting.

A short walk later and he was making his way up a small staircase into a much cozier atmosphere. He could hear the light crackling of flames in the other room, accompanied by the rhythmic creaking of a rocking chair. He peered around the corner to spy the queen, sitting alone with a book in her hands.

"HI, TORIEL!" He shouted in greeting, to which the old woman responded with a startled scream. After she got a better look at who stepped in, and after catching her breath, she lightly laughed.

"Oh my, Papyrus! You nearly scared me to death!" She responded with a smile. "Is your brother here too?"

"I ASSURE YOU IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION TO KILL YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS! SANS AND UNDYNE HAD TO GO SEE ALPHYS!" Papyrus answered, declaring proudly "BUT I'M HERE TO SEE FRISK!".

Toriel gave him a heartwarming smile, confident that the bright and enthusiastic personality of the taller skeleton brother would help improve her child's mood. "Frisk is in the first room in the hall, dear. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

Papyrus nodded gratefully and quickly turned around, rushing over to the child's door.

Sans and Undyne made their way through the Hotlands, onward to the core. Since the monsters had gained their freedom, the core had been expanded to serve as an underground-to-surface transport hub. It was how most monsters made their way back and forth between worlds, and as such, was usually quite busy, not unlike that of a human airport, but on a much smaller scale.

Being the king's personal bodyguard, however, came with certain perks, including priority clearance through the facility, a fact that Undyne was quite thankful for, and felt no shame in abusing. The pair skipped around the lengthy lines and took the express elevator up.

The elevator gently hummed as the pair were taken hundreds of feet upward. "so." Sans started, after the pair spent a few long moments in silence, "short trip. where'd you guys go this time?"

Undyne rubbed her forehead in exaggerated frustration. "Oh man. I don't even want to THINK about damn stupid politics right now." She answered, clearly anxious after all the time spent away, "I mean, this time it was just a few meetings some hours away from here, but still! There's so many of them, I haven't been able to spend any quality time with my girl!"

She roughly nudged the shorter skeleton with her elbow, a bright grin on her face. "Or my pals!"

"heh." Sans chuckled, rubbing the back of his skull sheepishly. "yeah, things get boring without you two around. pretty quiet these days, but who's complainin'?" He gave a casual shrug and the two allowed an air of calm silence to fill the room as the elevator slowed down to its destination.

The doors came open and the light outside was briefly blinding as Undyne's eyes struggled to focus so quickly. Sans, however, had no eyes. The two stepped out and beheld the sight of the setting sun, overlooking the various towns dotting the foot of the mountain far below. "Our place is on the beach." Undyne spoke, gesturing a thumb in her home's direction and leading the both of them forward. She marched powerfully while Sans somehow managed to keep up with her pace. "So what's up with the kid?" She asked, "I heard a lot of stuff on the road, and it didn't make me too happy."

While his outward expression didn't change, Sans frowned internally. The child had occupied his thoughts a lot lately, and it was a topic he was trying to avoid discussing too many details of. To even start, he'd have to explain the concept of timelines and how previous lives had gone. They'd think he was pulling one over on them.

"the kid's gone through a lot. it's kinda the reason i'm goin' to see Alphys." Sans answered after a brief moment.

"I thought you said it was about science stuff!" Undyne quickly interjected, throwing a suspicious glance at the shorter skeleton.

"well yeah." Sans answered, amending himself, "it is about science stuff. but it's science stuff concerning the kid too."

Undyne shrugged, apparently satisfied with that answer. The pair continued walking down the dirt path leading to the shore at the bottom of the mountain "kid's doing a little better, at least." Sans spoke up, "we had a little heart-to-heart the other night. got a lot of things out in the air, but i think we can start improving things now."

Undyne nodded, absorbing the information but saying nothing. After more time spent simply following the trail, the two finally arrived upon the doorstep of a quaint and cozy home on the beachfront. The taller woman fiddled with her keys for a short period, quickly growing impatient with it as she often did.

"I'M HOME!" She announced, loudly and proudly, violently opening the door with a mighty swing. Shortly after, Alphys came shuffling along from out of their bedroom, showing a mixture of excitement and sleepiness as she rubbed her eyes. Undyne ran to meet her, scooping the smaller girl up in her strong arms and planting a kiss on her forehead, eliciting a deep blush.

Sans coughed aloud to gain the attention of his old colleague. In all the commotion, she hadn't noticed him standing so calmly near the door. "sup." He greeted, waving casually at her. She adjusted her glasses and offered him a nervous smile in response.

"S-Sans! It's good to see you, but I, uh... wasn't expecting visitors." She spoke, stammering through her sentence as she often did. "N-not that I don't want you here or anything! I just, um..." Her eyes scanned back and forth, trying desperately to get past her inherent social awkwardness. She smiled, starting over, "What can I do for you, Sans?"

Sans chuckled to himself, amused by the lizard girl's charming lack of finesse. "got some things i wanna talk to you about." He answered, glancing at the taller of the two, "it's kind of a private issue, if you wouldn't mind."

Undyne rolled her eyes, smiling. "Oh, fine." She obliged, "I could use a rest anyway." She put her girlfriend down and headed upstairs to the bedroom shared by the couple, closing the door behind her.

Alphys nervously fidgeted with her shirt collar. She was nervous over the idea of a 'private talk' with Sans after so much time had passed between them. Sure, they would talk occasionally, but it had been a long time since either of them saw each other regularly. What exactly was it that he wanted, she wondered.

"well, i'll cut to the chase." Sans spoke after a period of silence, "i need to know if you can synthesize a soul."

"W-what! What kind of question is that?" Alphys exclaimed, taken aback by the unexpected question, but quickly calming herself down. She adjusted her glasses again, switching to scientist mode. "I mean, it c-could theoretically be possible, but I'm not really sure." She answered as directly as she could, "It was one of the t-targets of my research as a Royal Scientist, but... w-we gave up on that."

"Besides... I don't have any of my equipment here." She continued, her voice growing quieter, "All that stuff's at m-my old lab."

Sans' brow furrowed as the light died from his eyes. He wasn't one to give up so easily, though. If this was the one future where he might make a difference, he wasn't going to let it go. "we need to go back there, then." He stated stubbornly.

Alphys' eyes were downturned as she thought about the atrocities committed within that lab. "I... I can't..." She replied somberly.

Sans looked to his former partner pleadingly. "i'll explain more later, Alphys." He spoke matter-of-factly, "but this is real important."

The good doctor sighed in defeat. "Fine." She conceded, "Just let me get a few things ready."

A powerful bang rocked the foundations of the room as the door exploded open. The child nearly jumped out of their skin as they were startled awake, frantically wrapping their blanket around themselves to cover their still-undressed body. Eyes straining to focus against the light coming in from the hall, they could see a tall, shadowed figure looming in the doorway. Panic rose in their heart as they struggled to identify the intruder.

"HUMAN." It spoke loudly. "I HAVE COME..."

The lights flipped on and there stood the red-clad skeleton brother. "TO CHEER YOU UP!" Papyrus declared with a wide grin.

Frisk stared blankly for a moment, their brain struggling to comprehend what just happened in all the excitement. Once they'd fully realized who was standing at their door, they couldn't suppress a small smile from showing on their face. The towering skeleton strode into the room to scoop the tiny blanketed child up into his arms, squeezing them in a tight embrace. Frisk's cheeks burned red, holding the blanket around themselves as tightly as possible, struggling to breathe as the skeleton man held them close to his chest. Even through the embarrassment, the child couldn't resist leaning into him.

After a shared moment of tranquility, Papyrus released the human, placing them back on their bed. "YOU ARE QUITE LUCKY TO HAVE SUCH A GREAT FRIEND AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He announced with excitement in his voice, "I CANNOT ALLOW MY FAVORITE HUMAN TO FEEL BAD! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE LOTS OF FUN TOGETHER AND YOU WILL FEEL HAPPY AGAIN!"

Frisk hid their face within their blanket, face burning redder and redder. They must have looked like a little nervous cherry by now. "P-Papyrus!" They shouted, voice quivering and muffled by the blanket. It succeeded in getting his attention, though, as he quieted down and looked to his friend. Frisk took a breath and peeked out from the sheets, resting their chin on their knees. "That's great, but... I need to get dressed!"

"YES, OF COURSE!" Papyrus exclaimed happily, "FRIENDS WEAR CLOTHES WHEN THEY HANG OUT! I SHOULD GET DRESSED TOO!" And with that, he exited, slamming the door shut. Frisk let out a relieved breath. This was an unexpected turn in their day, but they weren't resistant. They might even enjoy themselves.

They threw off their blanket and proceeded to throw on their usual attire, along with a dark hoodie over it. While they dressed, their thoughts drifted around. Between their friends' work and the child's own seclusion, they hadn't seen most of their friends in some time. Sans was usually around, but Alphys lived too far for regular visits. The rest of them were usually away from home, dealing with politics.

Part of them was genuinely happy to be seeing the upbeat skeleton man again, but another part of them was wary of allowing themselves to get attached. With the knowledge of what could come next for them, they just wanted to disappear one day and have everyone forget they existed.

Despite this feeling of dread, their thoughts drifted back to when they were all together, just after the barrier was destroyed.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL ALWAYS BE YOUR FRIEND!" He had said to them, to which Sans added on, "no matter how hard you try to get rid of him."

"HEY! THAT'S TRUE."

And here he was, steadfast in his dedication to his word, no matter how they felt about it. That was what mattered now, and they had no real choice but to deal with it.

Frisk stood by their door, hand ready on the knob, as they slipped on their shoes. Stepping out into the hall, they spotted Papyrus, considering his outfit in the mirror.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK, FRISK?"

The child snickered to themselves. "Why are you wearing one of mom's robes?"

Papyrus' cheekbones glowed in an exaggerated blush. "IT WAS ALL I COULD FIND! THE QUEEN HAS A VERY... CONSISTENT WARDROBE!"

In a few great strides, the statuesque skeleton moved down the hall to their small human friend, picking them up and carrying them like a football. "OFF WE GO!" He declared, rushing downstairs and out of the house with not a moment to lose.

"Where are we going, Papyrus?" Frisk spoke up after several minutes spent running through the woods, tucked under his arm.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Papyrus answered blatantly, with not a hint of uncertainty in his voice, "I HAVEN'T FIGURED THAT OUT YET! BUT IT IS SURE TO BE AMAZING!"

The child shuffled and fidgeted around in his grasp. "This isn't exactly comfortable." They quietly complained.

"MY APOLOGIES, FRISK!" He replied, and without hesitation, he lifted the child to the back of his neck, allowing them to ride on his back. "WHAT COOLER RIDE IS THERE THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS?"

A small smile escaped from Frisk as they wrapped their arms around Papyrus' neck, resting their chin upon his head and feeling their eyes grow heavy. They still hadn't had a full night's sleep, a fact that was growing increasingly irritating for them. Maybe they could just take a nap right here...

. . .

They were awoken by a sudden jolt, confused to find that the snow-filled woods they were just in had before their eyes turned into the MTT Resort. They hadn't even remembered falling asleep, yet here they were, as if time had just skipped ahead. The place's business had increased exponentially due to its connection to the core, the child noting the great amount of people moving through the building. Despite all this, the fountain still hadn't been fixed.

Papyrus moved swiftly through the crowd, each step carefully calculated. From their seat atop his shoulders, Frisk felt like they towered above everyone else. Being so high up made them a little dizzy, as the change in perspective took some getting used to.

As they crossed over to the core and approached the express elevator, the skeleton man pulled a small badge from his pocket, showing his human friend. "I GET SPECIAL ACCESS BECAUSE I'M SUCH A COOL GUY!" He proudly bragged with a laugh. Frisk took a closer look at the object to notice that it was merely a VIP card with the words 'VERY COOL PERSON' written prominently in red marker. He swiped the card in front of the scanner and the elevator doors came open.

Frisk stepped down from the shoulders of their friend and the two entered, the soft hum of the elevator soon filling the room, relaxing the child. The last time they had seen the surface was when the barrier was broken, but it didn't matter to them very much. Their thoughts drifted to their old life up above. Before they fell into the mountain, all they knew of monsters were stories and legends. Curiosity and stubborn recklessness had been what led them below, and now that they had a new life here, the human world didn't matter to them anymore.

They didn't remember their family very well. Their appearances, the sounds of their voices, everything had been long lost to the child. Fuzzy images of faceless people were all that came to mind when they tried to remember them. They did, however, remember spending a long time alone. They remembered coming home to an empty house one day. They remembered the days they spent scared, huddled into a corner, waiting for someone to come back for them.

But nobody came.

They looked up to meet the eyes of their taller skeleton friend, who looked back to them with a bright grin. Averting their gaze, a small smile colored their face. The monsters of the underground had become more of a family to them than anybody else. Despite everything, it felt like things might be okay.

Finally, the elevator doors swung open, sunlight beaming directly on the pair. Frisk shielded their eyes, struggling to focus, as Papyrus led them outside. The city in the distance glowed vibrantly against the steadily darkening backdrop of the evening sky. "I KEEP MY CAR AT UNDYNE'S HOUSE!" Papyrus shouted, eyes shifting back and forth, "ALPHYS TELLS ME IT'S BEST NOT TO BRING VEHICLES INTO THE MOUNTAIN, BECAUSE THEY'LL TURN IT INTO A GREEN HOUSE!"

The tiny human tugged on his robe, gaining his attention. "OH RIGHT!" He spoke as realization hit him. He grabbed the child under the arms and raised them up, returning them to his shoulders. "BETTER, PAL?"

Frisk nodded, squeezing him around the neck and nuzzling his head. With that, the two were off again, marching briskly down the mountain path and towards the shore. The cool wind nipped at the child's cheeks, eliciting a shiver, causing them to pull their hood over their head and hide their face under their arm.

Minutes passed, and the gentle sound of waves crashing against the shore came closer as they approached the beach. Quaint, contemporary homes lined the beachfront, stretching down into the distance. A short walk down the street and the pair were standing before Undyne and Alphys' home. Under the covered driveway was Papyrus' fancy, cherry-red convertible, which the skeleton man looked upon with great pride.

He strode up to the doorstep and prepared himself to kick open the door, only to succeed in pushing himself over backward. "IMPOSSIBLE!" He shouted from the ground, lamenting his failure, "THIS DOOR MUST HAVE SOME KIND OF... ANTI-SKELETON SEAL!"

Frisk stepped over their collapsed friend, jiggling the doorknob. "No, it's just locked." They corrected under their breath. Papyrus stood himself back up and puffed out his chest, knocking on the door. Shortly after the second strike of his knuckle, the door burst open, and without warning he was again thrown to the ground, his arm pinned behind his back.

It all happened in a flash, Frisk seeing nothing more than a blue and red blur rush past them and slam into their companion faster than they could react. Turning back to observe the damage, they saw the dynamic fish woman mounted atop the skeleton's back, a mischievous grin splayed across her face.

"Say 'uncle'!" She commanded to her protégé, slowly forcing more of her weight down upon him.

"BUT YOU'RE NOT MY UNCLE!" Papyrus countered, a confused look on his face. He reached his free arm toward Frisk. "NYAH! HELP ME, HUMAN! YOU ARE MY ONLY HOPE!" He called pleadingly.

As the child timidly approached the wrestling two, Undyne flashed her frightening grin at them. "Gimme your best shot, punk!" She challenged. Frisk weakly put up their dukes and hesitantly threw a punch at her leg. A tiny smack broke the air as their fist collided. Undyne looked at the kid in disbelief, clutching a hand over her heart and slowly falling backward off of Papyrus.

"No..." She spoke softly, "S-somehow, with just one hit... I'm already..." Letting out a gasp, she flopped over limply on the ground, with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.

Frisk took a sharp breath, covering their mouth with their hands in shock. Quickly, they rushed to their fallen friend's side, calling her name through a panicked voice. She remained unresponsive as they shook her as hard as they could. Tears soaked into her shirt as the child threw themselves onto her, wailing 'no' repeatedly.

"OH NO, FRISK! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" Papyrus shouted in an exaggerated tone.

Undyne could no longer keep a straight face, her expression growing tight as she attempted to suppress her snickering. Holding it in no longer, she burst into laughter, holding the human close against her. "Chill out, kid! I was just messin' with ya!" She consoled through hysterics, "Come on, you know you'd have to try a little harder than THAT."

Frisk threw a sore look Undyne's way, folding their arms over their chest and pouting their quivering lip, their eyes still wet. The fish woman responded by playfully ruffling the kid's hair. A confused look shot across her face as she glanced toward Papyrus. "Why are you wearing one of Toriel's robes?" She asked flatly.

Papyrus nervously fidgeted with his fingers, excessive sweat pouring off his brow. "SEE, UH, FUNNY STORY ABOUT THAT-" He started, but was interrupted by Undyne's booming laughter.

"Y'know what, don't tell me!" She loudly spoke, gesturing a thumb to herself, "I like MY version better!"

She spent another moment laughing to herself, thoroughly amused by her own imagination, before speaking up again. "So what are you guys doing out here?" She asked.

"ACTUALLY, WE WERE COMING TO SEE WHAT YOU WERE ALL UP TO!" Papyrus answered excitedly, "WHERE IS EVERYONE ANYWAY?"

Undyne barely disguised an irritated expression, looking away from Papyrus. "I don't know where they went, actually. I took a short nap and when I woke up, they were gone." She answered, her attitude clearly sore. "So not much going on here really!" She exclaimed, again throwing on a grin.

"OH. WELL." Papyrus replied, taking a moment to think to himself. "MY CAR IS ALSO HERE!"

In the blink of an eye, Undyne jumped into the passenger seat of Papyrus' convertible. "Oh hell yeah!" She shouted in excitement, "Nightlife!"

"You're lucky I kept the key to this place..." Alphys muttered under her breath to her skeletal companion, waving a small card key in front of the door to her old home. An electronic scanner positioned to the side of the door beeped a positive tone and the automatic doors swung open before the pair.

As they stepped inside, motion-detecting sensors activated the lights, revealing the empty lab. Without the lizard girl's possessions to bring personality to it, the whole place felt dismal, unsettling Alphys more and more the longer they stuck around.

The pair crossed the perimeter of the lab, coming to a stop before the 'bathroom'. The door towered ominously over her, memories causing her to shake nervously. She turned away, looking to her friend. "Before we go in there, Sans..." She stated firmly, "I need to know what this is all about."

Sans' grin was unrelenting as always, but the look in his eyes was anything but pleasant. "it's... kinda hard to explain." He replied, looking away, "i'll explain it in due time, but... i need to know what this is gonna take."

Alphys' expression turned uneasy as she sighed in resignation. "I don't like this, Sans." She said plainly as the two of them entered the secret elevator. The ride down below felt agonizingly slow while an uncomfortable silence mounted between them.

"the kid's in a lot of pain." Sans spoke dryly, the light dying from his eyes, "i know it's a long shot, but if this doesn't work, it could cost all of us a lot."

Alphys swallowed tensely as the elevator slowed down. The lights dimmed and the door slid open. Feeling her heart beat rapidly in her chest, she mentally steeled herself and stepped forward...