The Art of Being Human

by Kathryn Hart/MangoMegs27

Summary: After Undyne's soul accidentally merges with Frisk's/Chara's soul on the brink of death, Undyne awakes from a sudden reset, appearing vastly different in appearance and filled with determination that doesn't belong to her. She must seek out the help of her friends to find out what went wrong and fix her broken time line before it's too late. A Multi-Undyne story with Human Undyne in the lead!

WARNINGS: Character Death, Mentions of Non-explicit soul torture, violence, resets, BS science, emotional Undyne, body horror, too many Undynes to count, nightmares, alternate timelines, swearing, too many heart to hearts, brutal fighting, genocide/neutral run mentions, soul torture both intentional and unintentional

Characters: Human Undyne, Underfell Undyne, Underswap Undyne, Swapfell Undyne, Sans, Alphys, Papyrus, Toriel (briefly), Flowey (briefly), others.

SEQUEL TO "Battle Against the Last Hero" HIGHLY recommend reading that before coming here. It's a single chapter story and will be referenced over and over in this fic. Pretty much every chapter in fact heh.

A BIG thank you to animeandgamerlover2 for helping me with this idea for a sequel and for supporting me as I write this intimidating thing! (This will be 12 chapters.) I have never seen a fic even close to being similar to this one before so I hope this will be interesting enough! Thanks for visiting! :)

Undyne raised a hand and the soul floated to her chest. After it was in her grasp she strode forward, nearly making it to the doorway before her legs gave out, literally. Her whole body was numb, her ability to move fading. At least she had done it. She hadn't failed anybody, she had saved the world.

The soul of the human's beat in front of her eyes, as if watching her. Undyne was comforted somehow, glad that someone was here by her side as she left this world.

Using her last ounce of strength she pulled her own soul out to look at it. It was transparent and trembling, beginning to melt just like her body was. The human soul drew near to her own and Undyne smiled sadly as one last memory played before her eyes.

"You're a wimpy loser with a big heart!"

Undyne shuddered as the edges of her vision began to blacken.

"Heh. Th-thanks...kid." At that she closed her eyes, her body finally melting away. Her soul was the last part left, floating near the human soul. They drew near together, taking comfort in each other until suddenly, the white soul finally shattered.

Chapter One: Visions and Butterscotch Pie

Undyne gasped suddenly, jerking awake. Her first thought was "What the hell?" Her second: "WHAT THE HELL?!"

That was some horrible dream. She thought she had actually died. Good thing she hadn't...

Her eyes finally registered where she was. She was sleeping in some sort of bed, a bit small for her as her feet reached the end, in a sort of homey child's room. Where was she?

She couldn't hear anything, so she attempted to wiggle her ear fins to listen better, but was met with a weird sensation on the sides of her head. She reached her hands up to see what was wrong but the sight of her hands stopped her cold. They were fleshy and pink, the color making her stomach churn dangerously.

She had human hands.

Waiting until her heart felt like it wasn't going to pound out of her chest she wiggled her non-blue colored hands experimentally, the feeling of moving her fingers nearly making her sick. Eventually she reached up and felt the sides of her head. She was met with human ears, not her beloved fins. Her fingers continued their journey to the rest of her head. No scales, a human nose and mouth, two eyes, TWO EYES, and thankfully still her mop of long, red hair. Having two eyes again was making her dizzy, being used to only having one for years.

"What the hell?!" She thought for the third time that morning. If this was some sort of twisted dream or sick joke, she'd find out who was responsible for this and pound them into the ground so hard they'd reach a new Underground.

Speaking of which, where in the Underground was she? If she even was Underground even, suddenly being human. She had never seen any place like this before. Ah well, couldn't hurt to look around, could it? She felt a little afraid, instinctively knowing if she tried to use any magic it wouldn't work. Without magic, she felt like a fish out of water, pun intended.

Climbing out of the bed, she nearly fell over at the sight of her very non-fish like legs and feet. Stars, this was going to take some getting used to. She used this chance to examine the rest of her body. Human, human, HUMAN. Undyne nearly screamed in frustration. She HATED humans (or at least one of them) and now she was one too! Was the universe looking for some way to punish her for saving it?! It wasn't fair!

Shaking her head, she returned to the matter at hand. At least she wasn't as short as the last human she had encountered. Judging from her human studies she looked a bit younger, maybe 22? 23? Good thing she was still tall, albeit not as tall as her monster form. 5'11''? That seemed about right.

She was clad in a vibrant blue t-shirt (now that was just cruel) and black leggings. She shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms to get warmth into them. She wasn't used to being this cold in a place that wasn't Snowdin.

Spying a white and yellow striped sweater nearby she threw it on gratefully, regarding ruefully that the colors would have clashed horribly with her old skin color but didn't seem too bad now. At least it fit. In fact it fit really well, like someone had made it just for her. There were also a pair of brown boots just her size sitting by the door. She slipped them on, sighing at the familiar feeling. They weren't her favored red boots, but they were close enough.

With that over with she looked around, trying to find anything in the room she could use as a weapon. Nothing. She could try pulling off part of the door frame, but she didn't feel she had the strength anymore. Maybe she'd find something in the next room.

Using all the stealth she had as a (former) Royal Guard Captain, she opened the door and stuck her head out. She nearly shouted in shock.

It looked exactly like Asgore's home. There were a few minor changes, such as the absence of golden flowers and the place being a bit cleaner. That's why she didn't recognize the room she was in, she'd never had a reason to go into any of the bedrooms in the King's home before.

Wait, if this place looked like King Asgore's home, then that must mean...

Her realization was cut off by the sight of a large goat monster watching her from the end of the hallway.

So much for her stealth tactics.

Recommended Background Music: Home - Undertale - Piano Remix/Cover by Nahu Pyrope

"Hello there," The former Queen spoke softly so not to startle her guest. "You seem to like the sweater I've made for you. I've also prepared a pie if you would like some, you seemed too tired to eat earlier when I found you. It is in the kitchen if you would like to come out." The lady left the hall without waiting for Undyne to answer.

"What. The. Hell." She said out loud this time. Not only was she human, but she was also in the Ruins with the Queen who had left the kingdom who knows how many years ago.

She had never met the Queen herself before her departure but the resemblance to Asgore was uncanny. There was no doubt in her mind who this woman was.

She struggled to remember why the Queen had left in the first place. Something to do with the humans Asgore had killed? Yeah that sounded right. Undyne didn't understand it herself, she agreed with the king, something had to be done to save monster kind. However the thought that her once-father figure would try to kill her with her looking like this sent a shiver down her spine.

But more importantly, why was she here? The last thing she remembered was collapsing in the hall outside the throne room on the way to give King Asgore the last human soul, Frisk's soul.

Frisk. Maybe that brat had something to do with this. She didn't understand, but maybe if she could get to the royal lab in Hotland maybe Alphys could help her.

Alphys. The name made her soul clench painfully, remembering the betrayal and hurt her once lizard friend had inflicted on her.

Couldn't worry about that now, the smart thing to do would to find someone that could help, someone that wouldn't try to kill her right off. She thought of all her well-trained guards and sentries between here and Hotland and shivered again. Without her magic and strength she didn't have much of a chance, but there wasn't anything else she could do at the moment.

The first step would be to leave the Ruins. And that would mean making friends with the former Queen. That thought scared her more than she thought it would. If she had any chance of leaving she couldn't let anybody know who she really was. They would think she was crazy and kill her quicker. Or worse, think she was impersonating a monster. What...what if there was an Undyne already in this world? That thought was just too horrible to think about now.

Undyne growled in frustration, not used to this much fear. She was Captain of the Royal Guard for crying out loud! She could do anything she put her mind to! She could get out of here, make it through Snowdin and Waterfall and be back to normal in no time. Not that she knew how to fix anything, but hey, it was better than doing nothing, right?

Okay, so it wasn't a very good plan. She'd have to make do.

It took her a good ten minutes to gather up the courage to make it into the front room. The Queen was sitting the armchair near the fire, reading a book, 72 Uses for Snails, she noticed. She tried not to look disgusted, remembering her old neighbors on the Blook Snail Farm. Some of those were her friends after all.

"Oh, greetings child." Undyne stiffened at the term. She hadn't been a child since she was well...a guppy. The lady didn't seem to notice. The human struggled to remember her name but was ashamed that she couldn't. "I was not sure if you were coming out today or not. I have to admit I was using the smell of the pie to draw you out so we could finally talk."

At that she set aside her book and stood up. Even with Undyne's height the Queen still towered over her. "We didn't get much time to talk before, after you collapsed in the far side of the Ruins yesterday." Undyne didn't remember any of that. "I am Lady Toriel, caretaker of these Ruins. I know this is quite soon to ask but I hope you will stay here with me. I will take the best care of you as I possibly can." She smiled. "I know you are a little old for a bit of mothering but I hope you do not mind. Now what may I call you?" Undyne didn't think before she spoke.

"My name is Un..." Damn it! "Un-Undynah." She finished lamely. It was the name of her long-gone aunt, but her slip-up could cause some problems later. Oh well, better to jump in all at once than wade at the edge, that same aunt used to say.

"Undynah, what a beautiful name. Strangely, I knew an Undynah, years ago..." shit shit shit! Thankfully, the Queen...Toriel, didn't seem to care. "Would you join me for dinner?" Dinner? How long was she asleep for? "You just sit right on down at the table and I'll bring out the pie." Undyne didn't want to stay any longer than she could but, as if in protest her stomach growled loudly. Toriel heard the noise and laughed softly, leaving the room into what Undyne assumed was the kitchen. Oh well, another half an hour here wouldn't change anything, would it?

Plus she needed her strength if she was going to make it all the way to Hotland. She doubted she could run the distance now, her lungs and legs painfully reminding her she was no longer a part of monster-kind with, ugh, inhuman abilities. How humans lived as long as they did, Undyne would never know.

Shrugging, she sat down at the table and waited patiently. What she really wanted to do was suplex the table and smash it into a million pieces in her anger and frustration but knew that would be rude. Plus she had to get on the former Queen's good side if she wanted to get out of here. Toriel talked like she wanted Undyne...Undynah to stay, quite possibly forever, and that wouldn't do at all.

Her stomach growled again as Toriel returned, placing the pie on the table.

"It is Butterscotch Cinnamon, I hope you don't mind."

"I...I don't. Thank you." Trying not to be too hasty she reached out and took a piece, setting it on the plate in front of her. Her eyes widened as the flavors exploded in her mouth.

"Holy crap!" She shouted, startling Toriel with both volume and her language. "This is amazing!" Toriel laughed, placing a paw to her mouth.

"Thank you my dear, it has been quite a while since someone complimented me on my cooking." Abandoning any sense of decency, Undyne cleaned off her plate and attempted to grab another slice before glancing at Toriel to see if that was okay. Thankfully the goat mother nodded, and Undyne wasted no time finishing off that piece. Then another. Then another, the size of the pie not intimidating to her in the slightest.

She was slightly embarrassed about how much she was eating but it felt like she hadn't consumed any food in months. Or maybe monster food didn't fill her human stomach up like before? She'd read something about that but couldn't quite remember the details. Thankfully Toriel didn't seem too offended, rather appreciative at how accepted her pie was.

Once dinner was finished Toriel stood up, clearing the dishes. Even though Undyne's much-too full stomach protested she went to help her. However Toriel waved her off.

"Please." Undyne asked politely. "I...I like doing dishes." At Toriel's confused look she explained. "It's the water. I like the feel of it." She hadn't been lying, washing dishes was one of the only chores she didn't mind doing back when she was a fish monster. After a few seconds Toriel nodded and Undyne followed her to the kitchen.

She still couldn't get over how much this place looked like Asgore's home. She had been there a lot growing up. Regretfully, the king's food wasn't as good as the pie she just devoured, but she had come to cherish the king like a father. A father who let her beat on him from time to time, as much as a child could beat up the King of Monsters.

Toriel volunteered to dry as Undyne washed. As she stuck her hands into the soapy water she sighed in relief. Although no longer having scales, the feel of the water sloshing between her fingers felt as good as it ever did. She wanted nothing more than to splash the water over her face and arms as well but knew that would raise some unanswerable questions, so she settled for keeping her hands underwater as long as she could.

Within fifteen minutes all the dishes were clean and the pair returned to the sitting room.

"I do not know how children your age entertain yourselves nowadays, but I do have some books over on the book shelf if you would like to join me. You're the oldest child to have fallen down here in a long time." Again, she stiffened at being called a child, she was an adult for crying out loud! But yet, she guessed compared to Toriel she was a child, the Queen being an immortal Boss Monster and all...

The thought of reading put a scowl on her face (it was never one of her favorite past times unless it was one of Alphys "manga" history books), so she opted to sit down on the floor next to Toriel and stare at the fire that was burning softly. She doubted it was warm enough to even dry up her scales a little...oh, right. She needed time to come up with a plan anyway.

Asking Toriel to leave would be easy enough, but would the former Queen let her go? She wasn't sure, so she wasn't going to take any chances. She'd wait until after Toriel was asleep and sneak downstairs, suspecting that that was the only way out of this place.

Undyne intended to stay awake but the combination of her stuffed stomach and the warm atmosphere quickly put her to sleep, lying against the side of the chair. She missed the goat monster looking down at her sleeping form and smiling softly, running a furry paw over her head and through her voluminous red hair that was out of its usual ponytail. Undyne sighed deeply in her sleep and leaned into the touch.

Undyne cried out in shock as the human's knife plunged into her abdomen. She collapsed as the pain became unbearable, the magical essence resembling blood running out over her hands and covering the ground. As she fell onto her back the last thing she saw was the human standing over her, preparing to deliver the final blow...

Once again Undyne woke up suddenly in the bed in the children's room, dripping in nervous sweat. She was shaking slightly from the nightmare. Trying to get the images out of her head, she grew angry at herself for falling asleep again. Curse this human body and the need for sleep!

Undyne herself as a monster usually only slept a few hours a night, using the rest of the time to train and watch anime with Alphys, who also didn't sleep much at night, no matter how much Undyne suspected the doctor needed more than she got.

Glancing over at a clock on the dresser, she knew she'd have to leave soon if she wanted to make it out before Toriel woke up.

Sneaking out into the living room, she realized she still needed a weapon if she was going to last a second outside the Ruins. She wouldn't harm another monster of course but any sort of defense would keep others from trying to harm her. Undyne crept into the kitchen and grabbed a small knife, feeling bad about the theft but not bad enough to put the knife back.

With that done she tiptoed as quietly as she could until she made it down the stairs and into the basement. Thankful for finally being out of earshot, she began to sprint, coming around the corner and releasing a small, relieved laugh at seeing the door on the far end of the corridor.

"It appears that my food and the comfort of my home were not enough to keep you satisfied here." Undyne skidded to a stop at the shaking voice behind her. Of course, it was Toriel, standing behind her with a sad look on her face.

"Uh...I-I'm sorry," Undyne tried to explain. "B-but look, I need to leave, for reasons I can't really say right now. You've been really good to me, honestly. Thanks, uh, for the sweater and the pie, but I have to go." Toriel didn't seem to be listening. Instead she had her head down, staring intently at a spot on the floor.

"No matter how hard I try, I seem to lose every child that comes to me." Finally she looked up. "I must warn you my child. Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die." Her voice had a note of finality to it. "You naive child! If you leave the Ruins, they...ASGORE, will kill you. I only want to protect you, do you understand?" Undyne didn't reply to that. She knew the risks. If only Toriel would let her go.

"You want to leave so badly? Hmph. I thought for once, you were different. But no, you're just like the others." She sighed. "There is only one solution to this. Prove yourself..." Uh oh. Undyne didn't like the sound of that. Suddenly she felt the pull on her soul that signaled a battle was about to start. Toriel shouted, fireballs summoning in both her hands.

"Prove to me you are strong enough to survive!"

Oh hell.

What do you think? Will Undyne FIGHT or MERCY? Leave a comment with your guess! :)

By the way, this isn't Undyne in Frisk's place for a whole pacifist run. The plot will branch off quite quickly and soon.