Chapter 4: Shattered To Mend

"Frisk? What are you doing here?"

…

Huh?

"Who are you?" you wonder, trying to find the source of the voice.

It sounded familiar but oh so different than any voice you had heard before.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I guess we haven't really met before. The one you met was Chara," the voice hummed thoughtfully.

"Asriel?" you questioned, covering your eyes as light suddenly flooded the area.

"Oh, sorry again, but yes, I am Asriel," they replied as you finally found the source of the sound. Asriel...actually looked a lot older than you had expected.

He had white fur just like Toriel, but he had black streaks that started under the inner corner of his eye and followed his eye until it went all the way down his cheeks. He also had two white-gray horns above his floppy white ears and he seemed to be just a little taller than Toriel.

"So, where is this?" you wonder, looking around at the field of yellow flowers.

"My soul," he replies calmly, "You really should leave before Chara discovers you."

"Chara's the one person I actually don't have a problem hitting," you chuckled, raising your hands as Asriel glares at you, "Don't give me that look. You're already aware that Chara used you."

"What can I do about it though?" Asriel sighs, though you can tell he still desperately wants you to leave.

"Fight back?" You shrug as if it was the obvious option, "There has to be something that would make you be willing to take your control back."

"You don't get it, Chara was family," Asriel protests, starting to get annoyed with you.

"Do you know how long it took me to realize family doesn't do what Chara is doing to you?" you growl, "Chara's using you! They've been using you! Stop hiding behind this flowery field and look at the chains you've placed around yourself!"

Your eyes widen as reality seems to shatter, Asriel staring in shock at the chains now wrapped around him. The field of flowers had shattered away to leave behind what appeared to be the remnants of a cell.

"What...Just happened?" you wondered in confusion.

"You," Asriel seemed to choke on the words, "You shattered Chara's illusion, but...how?"

"I'll let you know when I figure that out," you snorted, gasping as you suddenly felt something grabbing hold of your throat. Where was it though?

"They know you're here!" Asriel panicked, "You have to leave!"

Great idea, only, you had no idea how to leave his soul, and the lack of oxygen wasn't helping matters.

"Chara!" Asriel screamed, reaching his hand towards you. "Let. Them! GO!"

Then, something shoved against you and just as quickly as the hold on your throat vanished, the world plunged into darkness.

"Asriel!" you shriek as you bolt upright, looking around confusedly as everyone around you shoots up in panic.

"Frisk?" Alphys asked gently, laying a hand on your shoulder.

"But...Asriel was," you mutter in confusion, reaching for your throat and wincing as your throat stings at the touch of your hand, "Chara...What...Happened?" Everyone jumped as something in Sans' hoodie began to beep rapidly.

"Gaster! Gaster slow down!" Sans seemingly called to thin air as he pulled the 'Void Phone' out of his pocket, looking over the rapidly increasing text. "Frisk...What did you dream about last night?" Sans asked gently as Alphys was looking over your bruised throat.

"I...Met Asriel last night," you muttered, your throat aching with every word, "In a dream. He said I was...In his soul."

"That wasn't a dream, kiddo," Sans sighed, running a hand over his skull, "You really were in his soul. Gaster says Asriel's powers, when he was just starting to discover them, was largely based around dreams. His dreams could become reality or he could force others into his own dreams and hurt them there. After he absorbed Chara, he gained attacks that only worked in a waking world. Gaster thinks Asriel accidentally pulled you into his soul, as Asriel himself is kept in a constant 'stasis' while Chara runs free. His soul itself has been put to sleep."

"Then Asriel...?" Mettaton didn't dare to finish the sentence as you glared at him.

"N...No," you winced again, "Chara discovered me. A...Asriel...pushed...me out...a..away from Ch...Chara."

"He rebelled against Chara?" Sans questioned, watching as you nodded and he looked down at the phone once more, "That explains what Gaster's been seeing. Flowey seems to be...Fighting with himself, mumbling words that contradict themselves. He thinks you must has woken Asriel up."

You could only raise a brow as Papyrus put a hand over your mouth to stop you from talking anymore, apparently tired of you forcing yourself to talk.

"No more talking until this bruise is healed, unless it's an emergency," Alphys said with a finality that told you that you wouldn't win this argument.

"So what do we do now? Are we still going to see...Asgore?" Undyne wondered, and you could only smile reassuringly at her.

She still wasn't the most confident about the upcoming meeting.

"Maybe we should wait," Mettaton began, Papyrus grabbing your head as you shook it rapidly.

Oooow, that hurt.

"I DO NOT THINK THE HUMAN IS WILLING TO WAIT ANYMORE!" Papyrus declared releasing your head as you grinned. At least someone understood how badly you wanted to get going already!

"Alright, alright, but not without eating first," Undyne sighed as she moved into the kitchen, Papyrus quickly following. You went to go after them, but your legs gave out from under you as Mettaton caught you.

"It seems that our little dancer's still worn out from their big debut," he chuckled, picking you up and carrying you over to the table. You weren't going to bother resisting, you actually did still feel tired.

"Here," Undyne said as she laid the phone you had cast away during the concert in front of you. You quickly took the phone, tapping away on the screen.

"Hm?" Sans hummed as he came over to the table, pulling his actual phone out of his pocket as he looked at your text, "You want to go to the ruins? Why?"

More tapping.

"O...Oh. Sure kid, but I don't know how cooperative she'll be," he smiled faintly, blushing as you sent him another text, "I am not nervous!"

"NERVOUS ABOUT WHAT, BROTHER?" Papyrus wondered, looking over at his brother as Undyne started flipping all of the grilled cheese sandwiches onto plates.

"The kid wants to go to the Ruin door back in Snowdin," he explains.

"The Ruins? What's all the way back there?" Alphys wondered, taking your sandwiches and cutting them into small pieces before returning them to you, much to your annoyance.

"Toriel, Frisk's MOMster," Sans grinned as you rolled your eyes with a grin. You almost started laughing when Papyrus shrieked his distaste, but the pain in your throat kept the sound from coming out.

"How do you plan on getting there, darling?" Mettaton wondered, "It would take a long time to simply walk there."

"I know a shortcut," Sans grinned, starting to eat his own sandwiches, "Don't worry. I'll have the kid back by tomorrow at the latest. Depends on how stubborn they decide to be."

You blushed as everyone laughed at the comment, shooting a half-hearted glare towards Sans. It wasn't your fault you were bull headed. Really it wasn't.

After breakfast, and several promises that Sans wouldn't let you walk or talk, Sans took you back to the door you had come through so long ago. He kept you suspended in the air with his magic as he walked up to the door and knocked.

"Knock knock," he called drifting you closer as he waited. You tapped his arm and pointed at the ground, sighing silently when he shook his head. "No way baby bones, the others will have my head, literally," he chuckled, ruffling your hair slightly. You huffed, shifting just enough to look at the door as you took out your phone and started tapping away again.

"What if she doesn't want me anymore? She told me not to come back..."

"I doubt that, baby bones. The way you talk about her, I'd be shocked if she didn't smother you the instant she saw you," he smiled, turning and knocking louder on the door.

"Can I...please?"

Sans looked between you and the door for several moments, sighing and taking you into his arms so that you were right next to the door, "Knock yourself out."

"M...MOM!" you yelled, banging on the door as loud as you could. Please let her hear...Please...Let her hear your calls. "MOM!" you try again, grabbing your throat with a silent scream as the bruise protested loudly.

"Okay, baby bones, that's enough," Sans sighs, pulling you away from the door as he uses some of his magic to help sooth your aching throat.

"D...Don't heal it! I...I need Asriel to see it."

"I know, baby bones. Don't think I didn't notice your magic pushing mine away this morning," he smiled gently, both of your heads snapping towards the door as you both hear a click.

"F...Frisk?" you hear Toriel call as the door opens slightly.

"Nice to know I've been telling jokes with the queen," Sans chuckled, carrying you into view.

"Sans?" Toriel muttered in confusion, the door swinging open when she finally sees you, "WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"They're okay, Tori," Sans quickly assured, "They've just got a sore throat."

"Oh my poor child," she sighed with worry, moving off to the side, "Please, come in."

Sans nodded as he carried you into the door, making you blink as he silently holds you up to Toriel. She pauses for a moment before she takes you into her arms, and you're instantly crying as you wrap your arms around her neck. You had missed her so badly...

"Shhh, my child. I am here," she soothes as she carries you through the tunnel, "So, what brings you two here?"

"You, actually," Sans chuckles, "Frisk wants you to come home with us."

"Wh...What?" Toriel stutters and you slightly tighten your hold around her.

"We're going to meet Asgore," Sans explains, scratching the back of his skull nervously, "Just to talk to him. The kid's found their magic, they can help break the barrier without violence. They just don't want to do it without their mom."

You smiled a bit warily as you released Toriel's neck, showing her your hands and watching as she instantly started looking for dust.

"N...Not a o...one," you forced out, wincing as it still hurt from the screaming, worse than it had before.

"Shh, do not force yourself, my child," she smiles, "But I am very proud of you." She doesn't say another word until you reach the house, "Why do you want me there?" You sighed quietly as you took out your phone and started texting Sans.

"Okay, kiddo. Tori, I'm just going to read right from what the kid's saying," Sans sighed, looking down at his phone, "Never slept through the night here...I heard you sleep talking every night...You miss Asgore, even if you pretend you don't...You need to face him, but...I need your help with something else too...Asriel's alive...Chara has him trapped, but he's alive...I need to convince him to take control back...Gaster already said I woke him up...I just need to give him a reason to fight...Mom...You could very well be that reason he needs."

"A...Asriel is," Toriel gasped, and you felt her hold on you tighten almost painfully.

"He's alive. He accidentally brought Frisk into his soul last night," Sans explained gently, "That's why the kid can't talk. When they broke Asriel out of some kind of 'stasis,' Chara discovered them and tried to...remove the problem."

For a long moment, you thought Toriel was going to have a breakdown until she took a deep breath, and you saw an expression you had never expected cross her face. Rage. Pure, unfiltered rage.

"Very well," she said, shifting you so she could hold onto you with one arm and walking over to Sans, "I will go with you then...For the sake of my children."

"Come on, I know a shortcut," Sans smiled a bit warily as he took Toriel's hand, "Keep ahold of the kid. Even with the tracer spell it took me awhile to find them last time they fell through here accidentally."

Well, that explained why you were never able to sneak up on Sans. Wonder if Papyrus had any part in that? You never managed to sneak up on him unless he let you.

Moments later, you were all inside Mettaton's suite, and your head was reeling.

"Lemme see the kid," Sans chuckled a bit tiredly, holding out his arms as Toriel reluctantly passed you back, "They're fine. Shortcuts just...disorient them for a bit on the return trip."

You closed your eyes, leaning into Sans' hand as he used his magic to help calm your reeling senses. "WHY IS THERE A CLONE OF ASGORE ON THE BED!?" Papyrus yelled.

"That's not an Asgore clone, you numb skull," Undyne snorted, "That's Queen Toriel." The shade of orange that Papyrus turned was hilarious, but you were still feeling too sick to laugh about it.

"APPOLOGIES!" he cried, bowing deeply.

"It's quiet alright," Toriel laughed, "You must be Papyrus, the 'coolest brother ever' that I've heard so much about."

"INDEED! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NO ONE IS COOLER THAN ME!" he grinned triumphantly, Sans chuckled quietly as his brother boosted his own ego again.

"Queen Toriel, you are the one Frisk calls mom?" Undyne asked calmly, watching you carefully.

"I am," she replies calmly, "And I am glad to see they have made so many friends."

"So, now that everyone's here, what's the plan?" Mettaton finally asked, pointing nonchalantly at you, "We can't go much of anywhere until poor Frisk gets their barrings."

"No, we can, I just gotta be the one to carry the kid," Sans spoke up, slowly lifting you into he arms and standing, "My magic's too intertwined with theirs right now. Stopping would make it worse."

"Intertwined?" Alphys wondered, everyone packing up a few last minute supplies.

"I've taken them to Grillby's a couple times for lessons. My shortcuts cause them to become a bit...unstable. I'm using my magic to stabilize theirs."

"Wouldn't it be faster for them to just...expel the magic for a time?" Toriel wondered quietly. Asriel used to get sick as a child when his magic was just beginning to show, he usually felt better after he expelled the excess energy.

"The kid can't use their magic to attack," Undyne explained, stuffing a container full of snacks into her bag. Sometimes you swore she thought you were going to starve if she didn't bring three days worth of food with her.

"They can't?" Toriel wondered, stressing the last word.

"They really can't," Alphys took over, "Frisk tried to use an attack before, their magic wouldn't respond. It only responds to healing and defensive spells. No worries though, they know how to use their shield to strengthen the defensive spells."

Speaking of your shield...Where was it? You haven't worn it since Undyne gave it to you. Mind you, there really was no need to, you haven't been in a fight since before then either.

"I HAVE IT!" Papyrus called, waving your shield around as he saw you looking around trying to find it. It was weird how they always seemed to know exactly what you were looking for.

"Are we ready then?" Undyne wondered from the door, her spear in hand. Everyone nodded as all of you filed out of the room and down into the main lobby, only to be swarmed by Mettaton's fans.

"Look! There's the human!" one of them cried. If Sans wasn't basically numbing most of your senses, you were pretty sure the volume of the crowd would be killing your head.

"ENOUGH!" Mettaton shouted, using his speaker to drown out the crowd, "Darlings, I'm afraid we are terribly busy right now, and I understand you are all very excited to meet my little darling, but you must have patience. Please, darlings, I promise we will answer all of your questions and sign anything...within reason once we return, but until then I must ask that you control yourselves and stop crowding my poor little darling!" You smiled faintly when the crowd parted and Mettaton lead the way out of the resort.

"The burdens of fame," Mettaton sighed when you were finally free of the crowd, "Are you alright Frisk?"

You grinned and gave a thumbs up, gasping as your head lulled back when Sans finally released the hold his magic had on you.

"FRISK!?" Mettaton gasped, sighing in relief when you gave him another thumbs up.

"Sorry about that, baby bones," Sans chuckled, looking at Mettaton as everyone started walking towards the elevator, "It's a momentary shock to their system when I release their magic."

You tugged on Sans' sleeve once the first group was loaded into the elevator, everyone having decided splitting into groups of two would be easier on both the machine and Sans.

"Hm? Wanna try walking now, baby bones?" he asked, carefully setting you on your feet as you nodded, "Okay then."

It takes you a moment to completely gain your balance, but you grin triumphantly when you finally manage to stand on your own again. Of course, Toriel and Papyrus both take this chance to take your hands, leading you out of the elevator when it reaches the top as Sans follows close behind.

"You guys go on ahead, we'll been you on the other side of the next elevator," Sans called, Toriel and Papyrus nodding as they lead you away.

You tug lightly on Papyrus's hand as the three of you enter the next elevator.

"WHAT IS IT FRISK?" he wonders as he looks down at you. You take a moment to get your phone and text him.

"Why is everything so...colorless?"

"AH...QUEEN TORIEL...PERHAPS YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE TO ANSWER THIS ONE! THE HUMAN WISHES TO KNOW WHY EVERYTHING IS GRAY!" Papyrus turned towards Toriel as he spoke, and you could tell he was a little nervous about redirecting the question towards her.

"You wish to know why everything is so gray?" she asked, a little shocked as you nod nervously, "It happened when Asriel...died. The happiness and joy faded from the walls of New Home, along with the hopes and dreams of all of the Underground. Asriel and Chara were the light in our dark times, but...It all disappeared with them."

You blinked owlishly at her for a moment before a grin split your face.

"UNDYNE HAS BEEN A BAD INFLUENCE ON YOU HUMAN!" Papyrus gawked, but you were too busy silently cheering to yourself to really care.

"I figured it out! The attack half of Asriel's powers! The reason he won't finish absorbing Chara! It's hope!"

"Hope?" Toriel wondered, leading you out of the elevator when it finally reached the top.

"He's still holding onto hope that Chara can be saved, that Chara was actually a good person!"

You grin fell away as annoyance took over. Oh you were going to kick that goat's stubborn ass if it was the last thing you did.

"UNDYNE HAS BEEN A VERY BAD INFLUENCE!" Papyrus interrupted your thoughts, and you couldn't stop yourself anymore, you busted out laughing despite your throat's protests.

"Papyrus! What did you do!" Undyne roared the instant the elevator dinged open, running after the slightly taller skeleton as he ran away.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS DID NOTHING! THE HUMAN MERELY STARTED LAUGHING! IT IS UNDYNE WHO HAS BEEN THE BAD INFLUENCE!" Papyrus protested loudly.

If Asgore wasn't aware you were on your way by now, he had to be deaf. Sans froze the two of them in air until you finally managed to calm your laughter, tears in your eyes from both the pain and the laughter. Alphys handed you a bottle of water as Toriel began scolding the suspended pair.

It was several minutes before you all started on your way again, Toriel having been unrelenting in her scolding until you had grabbed her sleeve and pretended to try to pull her. You were all walking through a place Sans told you was called "Judgement Hall" now. You didn't even bother to ask when you caught a glimpse of Sans' proud grin and felt his magic momentarily brush over you. Why did this place give you an odd feeling that Sans was almost always stood here, waiting to be the last judgment for any human stupid enough to gain Levels Of ViolencE?

It was only a few minutes before you all arrived at the throne room and you finally got your first look at Asgore.

"...Fluffy," you said aloud, smiling sheepishly as Toriel turned her scolding glare towards you.

"Oh come on, Tori, you can let that one slide," Sans chuckled, "Every kid says that when they see King Fluffybuns."

You almost started laughing again when you saw Toriel blush so hard it showed through her fur, but Asgore whirling around in shock was enough to keep your mind on the situation at hand.

This was going to be hard...

Considering you couldn't talk without being in pain...

You were at least trying to save that for Asriel...Speaking of which...O...Oh shit...Your eyes widened as you whirled towards Sans and shook him panickedly, tapping your wrist rapidly when he turned his attention towards you. You really didn't want to interrupt the silent conversation Toriel and Asgore seemed to be having, but you were running out of time. You weren't entirely sure how but there was a faint burning in your soul screaming at you that something dangerous was coming.

"Tori, the kid says we don't have time," Sans said quickly, snapping the pair out of their conversation.

"Asgore, this child doesn't want to fight," Toriel quickly began, glancing down at you as you were looking around, "They want to help you break the barrier...Without it costing their life and...They want...They want to help Asriel. He's alive, Gori...He's alive."

"Asriel is...alive?" Asgore repeated quietly. "Sort of," Alphys quickly began to explain, "He's a half soul, trapped in the form of a yellow flower...The one I used for those...Experiments, but we think we came up with a way to undo the damage...If he completely absorbs Chara's soul."

"Wherein lies the hard part," you ground out, "He's got this stupid hope that Chara's got good inside them. They're holding his soul hostage...Oh shit...Sans...There's six other human souls around here somewhere, isn't there?"

"Yeah, why, kiddo?" Sans wondered.

"They're gone," Asgore replied after a moment, "I no longer sense them."

You barely saw your soul appear over your chest it turned blue and everyone scrambled away, Sans flinging you inches from hitting the wall as a rainbow colored laser hit the ground where you had been moments before.

"So nice of you to wake Asriel, little Frisk," a distorted voice laughed, "It made returning to our old form so much easier. I would have needed all the souls in the underground if he hadn't woken up!"

"Oh, so you're openly chaining him now?" you grinned, Sans flinging you out of the way of another attack, "You know, I never took you for a chicken, hiding like this."

Man it hurt to talk, but you were getting the result you were looking for. Chara came into view and you grit your teeth when you saw the form was Asriel's transformed body. His eyes were a furious blood red, but you could faintly see white mixed in. Bastard was making Asriel watch.

"Do you believe me now, Asriel?" you called, hitting your act button and selecting HOPE with a prayer it would do something.

You kept holding on. DAMAGE reduced!

So Asriel really was awake in there. You grinned, Undyne finally seeming to notice why Papyrus always called her a bad influence.

"I really am rubbing off on the kid," she laughed, grinning as a green barrier reflected "Chara's" Star Blazing attack that was aimed for her. Nothing could attack her from the front, and Asgore stood at her back.

"ASRIEL! I KNOW YOU'RE AWAKE IN THERE!" you screech, Chara's attention snapping back to you as you winced, resting your hand under your bruise, "Look what they did to me, Asriel! They tried to kill me for waking you up! Are you really going to let CHARA KILL YOUR PARENTS!?" Sans had to fling you out of the way Shocker Breaker after that, your mind temporarily too focused on your screaming throat as you kept forcing yourself to scream. You so weren't going to be able to talk after this.

"Papyrus! Blasters!" Sans called as he snapped the fingers of his right hand, three large dragon skulls appearing and instantly blasting a hole in the wall as two more, slightly spikier skulls appeared.

Well, that explained the orange and blue light you had seen at the end of the dummy fight...

...Man you really needed to stay focus...

You barely had time to see Chara/Asriel starting to claw at themselves as the two seemed to struggle for control of each other before you were sat on one of the skulls and Toriel lead the charge out of the throne room...To a pitch black room.

"Where are we now?" you asked, trying not to scream at your loudly protesting throat.

"The barrier," Asgore explained, watching the entrance as everyone watched different directions, "There's more room here."

"Hope," you ground out again, feeling the burning starting to return, you didn't have time to explain, "Asriel responds to hope."

"Kid, stop talking for a bit," Sans grinned, giving you a thumbs up just as you all had to scramble out of the way of another Shocker Breaker.

"Asriel, huh?" Undyne laughed, dodging the lightning as she finally located a clawed up Chara/Asriel, "Hope you don't mind me asking, but how wimpy can you be? Letting this little snot have control."

"Darling, over here!" Mettaton called, switching their focus over to him and dodging a Chaos Buster, "Oh darling, no no no. How could I let you scuff my beautiful face? My darling fans are still hoping for an encore!"

…They were doing this the stupidest way possible, weren't they?

"I'M JUST HOPING SANS DOESN'T MAKE ANOTHER STUPID PUN OUT OF THIS!" Papyrus screamed, his blasters destroying the stars that were flying towards him.

Yes, yes they were...

"Hope you're ready, Pap! I got a skele-ton of'em!" Sans grinned, dodging another Shocker Breaker as his blasters kept you safe and out of harm's way. You wanted to laugh when you saw Chara becoming angrier and angrier, they were actually falling for this stupid stunt.

"Asriel," Toriel called, taking her turn and she smiled warmly, easily dodging the weakening attacks, "I hope you can forgive me. I should have taken better care of you, both of you."

"I hope you can forgive me as well, my precious children," Asgore called, easily dodging Chara's Chaos Blaster. You could only grin as you caught a glimpse of Chara/Asriel's eyes.

Asriel was gaining control.

"I hope you can forgive me for doing this to you," Alphys called, dodging the hail of Fire Magic thrown her way.

When Sans shot you a thumbs up while Chara couldn't see him, you knew it was your turn again.

"ASRIEL!" You screamed, Sans' blasters moving you out of the way of Chara's Shocker Breaker II.

Man were they pissed now.

"Can't you hear it?!" You called again, Chara barely being able to focus on you as everyone ran past him, pulling his clothes in mock attacks as they passed, "YOU were the underground's hope! It's about time you stopped dreaming and found your own hope again! Stop clinging to Chara's hope that the world will die, THAT YOUR PARENTS WILL DIE!"

You couldn't stop the pained whimper that passed your lips as Chara whirled on you again.

"Does it hurt?" Chara laughed, firing another round of Shocker Breaker II at you, "I hope so. I did do my best to lace some of Asriel's magic into it before he cast you away."

Their annoyance only grew as you grinned, one of their eyes had completely changed color and Chara was too pissed at all of you to notice.

"Oh I wouldn't say it hurts," you laughed, forcing yourself to ignore the pain like you used to, "It just tickles."

Hopefully the others caught on to the change in plans. Asriel was now fighting for control without anymore pushes, now you just had to keep Chara angry and distracted.

"Yeah, what do you call these things? Pea shooters?" Undyne laughed as her shielding magic blocked another round of Chaos Blasters, "They couldn't hurt a fly."

"Sans," you hissed quietly while Chara was distracted, gaining his attention as he kept an eye on Chara, "Put me down." You rolled your eyes when he paused just long enough to give you a "are you stupid" look. "Just do it," you stress, pulling your shield off of your back and holding it in front of you.

"THIS FIGHT IS NOT EVEN WORTHY OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S TIME!" Papyrus took his swing, grabbing onto his blasters as they moved both him and Toriel out of the way of Galacta Blazing.

You really had to talk to Asriel about some of these attack names when this was over...

"There is no way my fans would ever watch this, it's so...boring," Mettaton huffed, easily dodging a Chaos Slicer, "This would never make for good entertainment."

"Tell me about it," Alphys snorted, Undyne running in front of her to block another wave of Fire Magic, "Mew Mew Kissy Cutie Two was better than this."

"Ouch, Alphys," Sans laughed, easily dodging a Chaos Slicer, "That sent chills down my spine."

"Chara, I taught you better than this," Toriel scolded, everyone having to run to avoid Star Blazing.

"Now, now Tori. It's not their fault their attacks are so...unimaginative," Asgore hummed, everyone running again to avoid Star Blazing once more.

Honestly, you had no idea what ticked Chara off about that one, but it still worked.

"My turn again?" you hummed as Chara whirled on you, your body freezing in place as all their anger focused on you, "Chaining me into place now? Wow, Chara, I thought you were better than that. Guess I really am glad I decided not to become a pathetic coward like you."

From the pull on your soul you know Sans tried to pull you away, but Chara had you locked into place with some kind of attack called 'Angel of Death.' Thankfully, Chara didn't have enough control left to lock down your magic that you were currently channeling into your shield to strengthen your own Protection spell. Both of his eyes were almost completely black with white irises now, only a little bit of red remained. Chara didn't even pay attention to the others anymore as he aimed every spell he had in your direction.

"ASRIEL DREEMURR WAKE UP!" You screeched as your spell was rapidly starting to crack, "THIS IS NO TIME TO BE A LAZY BONES!" You gasped when a clawed hand broke through your shield and gripped you around your throat.

"FRISK!" everyone called, but Chara changed his magic to lock them into place. You couldn't do much with a decreasing supply of oxygen.

"Asriel's not here, Frisk. It's just you and me," Chara growled, grinning as tears of pain started forming in your eyes as Chara began squeezing your throat tighter.

"As...ri...el," you gasped out, trying to pry the hands away as you looked directly at the untainted eye.

Then, just like that, you were dropped to the ground and surrounded by everyone, Toriel's magic quickly caressing your throat as you gasped for air. It felt a little weird that it wasn't Sans' magic, guess you were just used to it.

"Chara! You can't keep doing this!" Asriel screamed, gripping his head and stumbling away from all of you.

"You choose NOW to fight back?! We're so close to our goals!" Chara growled, trying to aim a spell towards you but was unable to force the magic to obey,

"You can't back out now!"

"Yes. I. CAN!" Asriel roared, his magic flaring around him wildly, "Frisk was right, weren't they? You just want to kill everyone! Even mom and dad!"

"SO WHAT?! IT'S NOT LIKE YOU ACTUALLY CARE," Chara laughed, trying to reign the magic into an attack, "You were so willing to go along with my plan, after all. To kill myself so you could go to the surface and gather six other souls, right? Please, I just wanted the power to kill everything."

"Nail in the coffin," Alphys sighed, carefully watching the pair arguing over one body. Toriel was holding you to her chest she continued healing your aching throat, some of her panic having faded when you finally started breathing normally again. She couldn't undo the magic that still made it hurt, but she was at least able to numb the pain.

You weren't planning on talking anytime soon after this...

"No! What are you doing! You can't do this! We were so close!" Chara screamed, the magic finally seeming to focus in on something.

"I'm doing what I should have done to start with. Goodbye, Chara," Asriel sighed, his magic isolating Chara's fragmented soul away from his. It seemed to...attack Chara's fragmented soul until it broke apart and became apart of his magic.

"As...ri...el?" you ground out quietly as you watched the magic fade away.

"It's me," Asriel smiled apologetically, if a bit sadly, "Just me."

You didn't miss Sans brushing his magic over Asriel before he gave a thumbs up again.

"Stay there, Frisk," Asriel called when you tried to get away from Toriel to go after him as he turned away from everyone, "I have all seven souls right now, right? You've done enough, I'll handle this part. It's the...least I can do for all the trouble we caused."

You squinted when everything flashed a blinding white, a shattering sound echoing around you before the light faded until it was just bright enough to see. The barrier was shattered.

"Asriel Dreemurr, there will be no snail pie for you tonight if you cast those souls away," Toriel scolded, causing Asriel to look back in shock.

"That would make things easier," Sans hummed, waving a vial of red liquid, "Less chance of this failing, and those souls are all from people just like Chara. No one's going to miss them."

You finally managed to get Toriel to let go of you as you stand up, taking the vial from Sans and holding it out to Asriel with a cheesy grin.

"Better do as the kid says, punk," Undyne grinned, folding her arms, "They won't change their mind once it's set on something, and they decided a long time ago that no monster was being left behind."

Asriel looked hesitant a moment longer before he nodded slowly, walking over and taking the vial. He looked at it for a moment before he loosely gripped your throat, Sans holding your shoulders to keep you from stumbling away. He smiled apologetically as you felt a pressure release from your throat, a quiet gasp passing your lips as the constant burning in your soul finally vanished. So that's what it was...His own magic had been forcing you soul to react to him.

"St...Star...tled me," you winced, holding your throat as Asriel released it. It still hurt like hell to talk, but at least now it wasn't worsening with every word.

"Sorry," Asriel smiled, popping the cork out of the vial and downing the contents. He gritted his teeth as he lurched forward, Sans pulling you away as he watched closely. It was only a moment, but Asriel's magic once again flared violently before it settled finally, Asriel looking up with a pained grin.

"How ya feel?" Alphys wondered, eyeing Asriel warily. She had Sans and Gaster's help this time, but she was still scared something was going to go terribly wrong.

"Tired, but better than I've felt in a long time," he smiled warily. Your jaw dropped a bit when he summoned his magic to the surface and you saw his soul. It was multicolored...One soul fused together with parts of different souls.

"S...Sans...Where's G...Gaster?" you ground again, blinking when Asriel covered your mouth.

"Shut. Up," he sighed, glaring tiredly down at you, "You're in pain. Just give it up already. You can talk after your throat's healed."

Really? He was giving you the lecture now?

You just huffed against his hand as you glared back at him, pretending you didn't hear the others laughing.

"Gaster?" Sans grinned, holding his phone to his ear hole, "Give me a sec."

You didn't have time to get Sans' attention before he disappeared through one of his shortcuts. Although, you understood why when he returned moments later with a slightly disoriented Gaster at his side.

You didn't really give Gaster a chance to orient himself before you broke away from Asriel and tackled the taller skeleton in a hug.

"Your theory worked, baby bones," Sans chuckled. "It was like walking through a door."

"Come to think of it, Sans," Alphys began, scratching her head, "If Gaster was trapped in a room surrounded by the barrier, how did you get through?"

"I have a skeleton key," Sans winked. You just grinned and rolled your eyes as everyone except Papyrus and Alphys laughed.

Alphys was going on a rant about how it was an illogical answer, and Mettaton groaned as he walked towards Undyne.

"Darling, I need to borrow you for a moment," he sighed, grabbing Undyne by the back of her head and whirling Alphys around.

...Asriel smacked his hand back over your mouth before you could burst out laughing when Mettaton forced Undyne to kiss Alphys.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one that's been waiting for these two to get their heads out of their asses," Mettaton groaned, grinning when almost everyone gave a thumbs up in agreement.

"SHUT UP!" Undyne roared as she broke away from Alphys, the shock finally faded, but no one failed to notice the possessive grip she now had on Alphys's shoulder.

"So what now?" Toriel hummed softly, giggling when she noticed Asriel had picked you up and was holding his hand over your mouth again.

He had apparently decided it was his turn to carry the human...

"I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather go up to the surface, claim enough territory for everyone, and put the barrier back up," Sans sighed, scratching his cheekbone slightly, "I'm pretty sure we've all had our fill of corrupted humans."

"What do you think, Frisk?" Toriel asked, turning her attention towards you as you finally managed to get enough freedom from Asriel to get your phone out of your pocket.

It was like having a fluffy Sans around the way Asriel was acting.

"I don't want to go back to the humans, but I still want everyone to be able to live on the surface like they wanted."

"Well, that settles it then," Asgore smiled, looking warily down at Toriel, "What do you say, dear?" "You have a long way to go before you can call me dear again," she huffed, folding her arms, "But if this is what Frisk wants then I have no objections."

After that, everyone went off to gather up their things and help others get ready to move to the surface.

[One Month Later...]

You yawned as you painted a completed section of the house from atop one of Sans' blasters.

"Getting tired, baby bones?" Sans asked, painting next to you on another blaster.

You shook your head, grinning as you put the paintbrush down and signed, "No, just bored. When does Asgore get back?"

"In a about fifteen minutes, why?" he smiled lightly.

"I want to ask him to destroy the reset...," you paused, huffing as you failed to remember the sign for button.

"You...You want him to destroy the reset button?" Sans gawked at you, watching as you nodded determinedly.

You really needed your cellphone...You didn't know the signs you needed for the next part, and the stupid thing was back on your bed.

"Here," Sans chuckled, tossing his phone to you with his magic keeping it from falling out of reach. You smiled sheepishly, tapping away on the device.

"Asriel said Asgore destroyed the MERCY for all the humans he fought personally. Personally, I don't want to reset the world, but I know you're afraid I will. If Asgore destroys it, you won't have to live in fear of it anymore."

"You won't be able to come back if something happens though," Sans worried.

"You can't come back if something happens to you either, Sans. Besides, I have no problem trusting my family to keep me safe," you typed out, grinning when Sans' cheekbones were dusted a light blue. Sometimes it was so easy for him to forget you no longer doubted they would keep you safe...

"Hohoho! How goes the painting?!" Asgore calls from under both you, causing you to jump and accidentally roll off the blaster.

You didn't get very far as you felt something bite your hoodie and stop your decent, looking up best you could to see the blaster Sans was sitting on holding you in its jaws by your hoodie.

"Oh dear! Frisk! Are you alright! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" Asgore called, putting down the bags in his arms and reaching up until Sans had the blaster release you into Asgore's hold. You just grinned and gave them two thumbs up as they both sighed in relief.

"Still can't talk?" Asgore frowned slightly, causing you to sigh and shake your head.

By the time the fight had ended, Asriel's magic had done more damage to your throat than you had thought. Gaster had checked on it as soon as he had recovered from your hug, declaring that while the the external damage could be mended completely, the internal damage would have to heal mostly on its own. You didn't entirely understand it, but Gaster had been adamant that using magic would have the opposite effect. So, one month later, you still couldn't talk without being in a ridiculous amount of pain. You could breathe without pain now, but talking was still out of the question.

"Hey, Asgore. The kid had a question," Sans called as he landed to stand next to you once Asgore set you down.

"Hmm? What is it, my precious child?" he wondered, kneeling down so he was closer to your eye level.

"They want you to take away their ability to reset, like how to you stripped the humans of mercy," Sans explained, smiling a bit proudly but also a bit warily, "Said they trust their family to keep them safe."

"I...Alright, if you are absolutely sure," Asgore sighed, relenting when you instantly turned your 'puppy dog eyes' on him.

You grinned, nodding happily as you stood a bit away from Sans and called the familiar menu into view. SAVE, CONTINUE, TRUE RESET.

"This might hurt, my child, "Asgore explained softly standing to his full height as he pulled his weapon from his back, "This is apart of your magic, after all."

You simply grinned and nodded determinedly, doing your best to stand still and not jump in excitement like Papyrus the first time he saw the sun.

"One...Two," Asgore counted slowly as he raised his weapon up and you lost track of Sans, "THREE!" You felt the air leave your lungs as he shattered the reset button to pieces, your legs giving out as Sans wrapped his arms around your waist before you could truly collapse.

"You okay, baby bones?" he questioned worriedly.

You just grinned at both of them and gave a thumbs up with one hand while you spun the other in a circle.

"Dizzy?" Asgore chuckled, lifting you up into his arms, "Well, no more painting today then. Come, we better get home before your mom has my head for keeping both of you out here too long."

You just flashed another grin as Sans quickly fell into step next to him.

A long time ago, you would have never expected any of this. You would never have expected to find your reason to live inside a mountain filled with monsters. Yet, here you were. You had a mother and father that loved you, three crazy brothers, a lunatic piranha for an aunt, your other aunt being a completely anime nut, an uncle who ambushed you with a camera every chance he got, and another uncle that was slowly getting you over your fear of doctors.

"Frisk?" Sans wondered, looking up at you as he walked backwards.

"I'm okay, just thinking about my crazy family," you signed with another grin.

They seemed to be permanent these days.

After everyone had gone up to the surface and watched the sun set, plans to take a few miles worth of land had been set into motion. Every monster in the Underground descended the mountain and took the town you had once called home by storm. No human could escape alive or no one would be able to live in peace, not that you cared. Sans and Papyrus kept you with them during the attack, using their blasters to personally destroy every building that held the source of your worst nightmares. Of course, they had left your mother and father to Toriel and Asgore, deciding your new parents deserved the right to erase the ones that had caused you the most pain off the face of the earth.

You had never seen Toriel so pissed a day in your life...

Even Gaster had taken a sick sort of glee in leveling the hospital to the ground, personally dealing with every doctor that had ever once laid a hand on you. It had taken Sans explaining that, while Gaster was a scientist first and foremost, he had also been a doctor, for you to understand why Gaster had gotten in on the destruction. The chaotic wave of destruction, of course, hadn't been what anyone had planned when they had returned to the surface...But your town was the only one anywhere near the mountain, so the destruction had ended when the last human was killed. Only the truly corrupt souls were devoured, the monsters you called family being the ones to go through with the painful act. All the other souls were put in jars and buried in a graveyard that became the center of the massive camp grounds until everyone could build their new homes on the surface.

Now construction was well on its way, your new home taking the longest given the size of both your new family and the members that made it up. Grillby, oddly enough, had been the first to complete his bar. You and Sans had found out the next day that it was because the poor elemental had gone days without sleep because he wanted to give everyone a place out of the elements to eat. Needless to say, he had been shocked when he had woken up the next day to the place being fully stocked and furnished, along with his first customers being the entirety of the new "Royal Family." It had been during that meal that an argument over what everyone was to you had broken out, come to think of it.

"So, if Toriel is Frisk's mom, Asgore is dad, and Asriel is their brother. What's that make the rest of us?" Undyne wondered, biting into her hamburger.

Your cheeks turned an embarrassing shade of red as you shoved your phone into Sans' face. He had become the designated text reader until Gaster taught you a little bit of sign language. He read the text for all of two seconds before ketchup flew out of his mouth, "Pffft!"

"SANS!" Mettaton shrieked, quickly grabbing a pile of napkins and wiping himself clean.

"S...Sorry," Sans blushed, looking over at Papyrus, "Hey, Pap. Kid wants to know if we're their older brothers like Asriel."

"I guess that makes you my sons too," Toriel teased before Papyrus had the chance to answer, causing all three of your faces to light up like a Christmas tree.

"Oh there is no way in hell I'm being Papyrus's sister," Undyne snorted, "I call Bad-ass Aunt."

"Undyne, language," Toriel huffed, going back to eating her sandwich when Undyne shot her an apologetic look.

"Fabulous Uncle!" Mettaton grinned once he was free of ketchup, pulling out a camera and snapping a picture of you just as you bit into your own burger. You just glared at him, knowing you couldn't get payback with your mom watching.

"I...I...I guess that would make m..m..me the Otaku Aunt?" Alphys stuttered.

You almost choked on your burger as you just managed to give her thumbs up, desperately trying not to laugh with your throat still aching and food in your mouth.

"What about you, Gaster?" Asriel had finally spoken up, looking over at the silent skeleton.

"Well...I," he began, and you instantly knew he was trying to back out gaining a family title.

"Whoa!" Sans cried when you almost hit him with your phone, "Kid says you're their Uncle too. No backing out."

You still weren't entirely sure what color Gaster turned because he hid his face in a menu before you got a chance to see.

You sure found yourself one crazy family...

"Frisk? Are you alright, my child?" Toriel called, snapping you out of your memories.

You just smiled and gave her a thumbs up as you looked around.

Undyne and Alphys were reading a manga together, Asriel was tending to the flower he had brought up from the Underground, Mettaton was chatting away on his phone to Napstablook, Papyrus was working on a jigsaw puzzle that had somehow survived, Gaster was reading another book, and Toriel was in the center of the camp cooking.

"We're home," Asgore called as everyone looked up, Toriel just rolling her eyes.

You just grinned, raising your hands to sign the first words you had learned.

"I'm home."