Going Back

Frisk's POV

Frisk's eyes popped open. They were standing in a dark gray hall, a yellow object in front of them.

"You did it!" Chara exclaimed. "We're back before the… Asgore battle." Frisk made their way inside.

"This is the barrier," Asgore informed, standing before it with their back turned to Frisk. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground." He paused. "If… If by chance you have any unfinished business… Please do what you must."

"I… I have something," Frisk admitted, taking a step back.

"Do what you must, Asgore murmured, dipping his head. Frisk nodded. They made their way out of that room before bolting down through the garden.

"Why are you running?!" Chara demanded.

"I don't want to leave my friends alone for any longer than I already have!" Frisk exclaimed, making their way down the Judgement Hall. "They could be anywhere by now!" They stopped in the gray hallway. "Kat! Teri! Ray! Clover! Poppy!" They turned to the elevator, spamming a few buttons until the door opened. Frisk jumped in the elevator. The moment it stopped moving, Frisk rushed out of the elevator and straight into another one: the elevator to the CORE. They bolted down the hallway. They stopped in the room where they had previously faced Mettaton to see same figures ahead. "Guys!" Frisk called.

The group turned around, their eyes widening. "Frisk!" Kat exclaimed, rushing toward Frisk. She flung her arms around them, pulling them as close as she could. Frisk let out a muffled grunt, their eyes wide.

"How are you back already?" Poppy asked, raising an eyebrow. "You couldn't have possibly defeated Asgore that fast."

"There's been a change of plans," Frisk informed, backing out of the hug. "Follow me." They made their way down the hallway, into the elevator, and out of the CORE. A ring sounded in the middle of the bridge. Frisk pulled their phone out, answering it and putting it on speaker for the others.

"Hey… Uh, this is Undyne.." She covered the receiver to snarl, "Shut up, Papyrus! This was your idea!"

"Um… hi Undyne," Kat replied, waving.

"Yeah, hi," Undyne replied, uncovering the phone. "You have to deliver something for me! Uh, please? I'm at Snowdin in front of Papyrus's."

"We're on it," Frisk replied.

"Thanks! Undyne exclaimed. "See ya, punks!" She hung up. Frisk pocketed the phone, leading the group through Mettaton's resort, down the elevator, and finally to the Riverperson. They took them to Snowdin. Frisk lead them through the snow before spotting Undyne.

"Hi, Undyne!" Teri called, waving.

Undyne glanced at them. "Hey… um, so have a favour to ask you." Her cheeks reddened. "Uuuuh I… I need you to deliver this letter." She took out an envelope, holding it out to them. "It's addressed to Doctor Alphys."

"Why don't you do it yourself?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Um well, i-it's kind of personal but we're friends… so… I'll tell you… HOTLAND SUUUUUCKS!" she exclaimed. Teri giggled under her hand. "I don't wanna have to go over there."

"That's understandable," Kat replied with a nod. Frisk took the letter with a nod.

"Oh, and if you DO read that…" Undyne's eye narrowed. "I'll KILL you." She smiled again. "Thanks so much! You guys are the best!"

"Okay, then." Poppy waltzed off, her eyes wide.

"You go deliver the letter." Ray pointed at Frisk. "The rest of us can stay here with Papyrus and Undyne."

"NO!" Frisk exclaimed. Everyone glanced at them, eyes wide. Frisk took a step back. "I mean… I, uh… don't want to be alone."

"You don't want THEM to be alone," Chara corrected. Frisk's eyes narrowed.

"We don't mind coming," Kat replied, glaring at Ray. "Right?"

"No, I guess not," Ray grunted, kicking up a clod of snow. Frisk lead the group back through the snow and toward the Riverperson.

"They'd be safe with Undyne, you know," Chara insisted. They'd be safer with me! Frisk lead the group to the lab. They pulled on the doorknob but it wouldn't turn.

"It's locked," they grunted, taking a step back.

"Just slide the letter under the door," Clover suggested, gesturing with his hand. Frisk kneeled down on the ground, sliding the letter under. Kat knocked on the door.

"O-oh no, is that another letter…?" It was Alphys's voice. "I don't wanna open it. Can't I just slide it back out?!" There was a pause. "No…" Alphys sighed. "I can't keep doing this. I'll read this one!" There was a flicking sound, like paper in the wind. "It's… shut kind of strongly. Hm…" The whirring of a chainsaw followed. Moments later, the door opened, revealing Alphys with the piece of paper.

"Hey, if this is a joke it's-" Her eyes widened at Frisk. "Oh my god? Did YOU write this letter?" Frisk's eyes widened. "It wasn't signed so… I have no idea who could have…"

"I… Uh…" Undyne seemed pretty nervous about this... "Yeah, I did." Frisk lied.

"Frisk!" Chara snapped. Come on, what harm could this have?

"Oh my god… that's adorable." Alphys smiled. "And I h-had no idea you, um, wrote that way. It's surprising too... After all the gross stuff I did..." Teri let out a grunt behind them. "I don't really deserve to be forgiven. Much less, um… This?" Frisk's eyes widened. Wait, what was in that letter? "And so passionately, too." She paused, looking around for a bit. "You know what? Okay! I'll do it! It's the least I can do to make it up to you! Y-yeah, let's go on a date!" Alphys rushed back inside the lab. "Just let me get dressed first!"

"A date?!" Kat exclaimed, glancing at Frisk with wide eyes.

"That's a weird way to apologize…" Ray replied, with a shrug.

"Was that a letter a love letter?!" Poppy exclaimed. Frisk's eyes widened. Shoot.

"Well… should we tell her?��� Clover asked, pointing into the lab.

"No." Frisk shook their head. "It might hurt her feelings if she learns it wasn't me… Just let me go along with it." The others exchanged glances.

"Okay." Kat shrugged. "You do that, we'll wait for you guys in the lab." The group made their way inside. Frisk reached out, eyes wide.

"Frisk, don't make them come on your date," Chara grunted. "They'll be fine in the lab." But what if Flowey gets in?

"Lock the doors after we leave!" Frisk ordered their friends. "And stay on alert just in case something gets in!"

"Lock the doors?" Teri asked, raising an eyebrow. "But how will you get back in?"

"I-I have a key," Alphys's voice cut in. Frisk glanced at her to see that she was wearing a black dress with white spots. "I-I can easily… g-get in... uh, anyways… did you… uh, w-wanna start that date?"

"Sure," Frisk replied, taking a step toward her. The two made their way out of the lab, locking the door behind them as they left.

Kat's POV

Kat watched as Frisk and Alphys left, feeling a twinge of concern.

"That was weird," Teri commented, sitting down on the ground.

"Oh, good," Poppy sighed, sitting down beside her. "So I'm not the only one who noticed."

"I think we all did," Kat added. Clover and Ray nodded as they sat beside the others. The group formed a circle. "Frisk is definitely acting weirder than usual."

"Which is saying something," Clover added. "Frisk has always been a bit…"

"Eccentric?" Poppy suggested, with a shrug. "But right now, they're not being… their type of eccentric. Does that sum it up?"

"Yeah, basically," Teri muttered, nodding.

"Something clearly happened to them after they left," Kat insisted, adjusting her apron.

"Yeah, but what?" Clover asked, resting his finger on his chin. "We couldn't have been separated for more than a few minutes." It might have only been a few minutes for us, but for Frisk…

"And now they want us to stay locked up in this boring lab instead of with Papyrus and Undyne," Ray grunted, folding his arms.

"With the doors locked," Teri added, pointing at the back door.

"We forgot to do that," Kat gasped, jumping to her feet. She rushed to lock the front and back doors, her heart pounding in her throat.

"Why would they want the doors locked though?!" Ray demanded, standing up.

"They're concerned about us…" Kat explained, "I don't know why, but I know something happened after they left, even if it only felt like a few minutes. We should take their worries seriously."

"But they have nothing to worry about," Poppy protested, leaning against the wall. "We can defend ourselves…" Clover and Ray nodded in agreement.

"Let's at least humour them," Teri insisted. "They're clearly panicked."

"Okay," Clover replied with a nod. Ray and Poppy nodded as well.

"So what should we do in the meantime?" Ray asked, slumping onto the ground.

"We could look around," Clover suggested, pointing at something. "I've always wondered what's on the other side of that conveyor belt."

"Yeah, me too," Teri admitted, walking towards it. The group walked single file across the conveyor belt, skidding to a halt in front of some bookshelves. Kat observed the cases, most of which were adorned with Japanese symbols.

"Anime!" Teri exclaimed, pulling out a case. "Ooh! This is one of my favourites!" She let out a sigh, sliding it back onto the shelf. "I would've loved to watch that with her…"

"You always could," Kat suggested, leaning against the bookcase.

"I know," Teri sighed, folding her arms. "I just… what she did stunk. It'll take a while to get over it… if I ever do…" Give it time...

"Hey, Teri!" Ray called, gesturing to her with his head. "Look, it's Mettaton!" Teri whipped around, her eyes wide. Kat followed her lead. Sure enough, Mettaton's head and torso sat on the table, his eyes still closed. There was a screwdriver on the table beside him.

"Looks like he's turned off," Kat informed, pointing at the robot. "And disassembled."

"Probably going through repairs," Poppy replied with a shrug. "Me, Teri, and Frisk did give him quite a fight."

"I guess that explains what happened to his arms and legs," Clover replied, with a shrug.

"Hey Teri," Ray chuckled as he glanced at her. "I dare you to kiss him."

"What?!" Teri demanded, her cheeks turning bright red. "N-no! That's… weird!"

"Why?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow. "He's turned off."

"That's exactly why it's weird!"

"So you wouldn't mind kissing him if he were awake?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow. Teri let out a grunt.

"Okay, you don't have to kiss him for real," Ray replied, walking down the hall. He stopped to point at a poster of Mettaton. "How about a poster of him?" Teri's cheeks reddened.

"Okay fine," she grunted, shambling toward the poster. She jumped up to press her lips against the poster-Mettaton's face. Her cheeks burned red.

"If we're doing dares now, then I dare you to lick that screwdriver," Teri replied, pointing at a rusty screwdriver.

Ray's face scrunched up. "Fine." He picked up the screwdriver. Eyes narrowed in disgust, Ray ran his tongue over the rusty thing. Kat giggled to herself. The group continued spouting out random dares to burn time.

Frisk's POV

Alphys lead Frisk back to Waterfall, down to the garbage dump.

"Who in their right mind would go on a date in the dump?" Chara asked. Frisk shrugged in response.

"Here we are!" Alphys announced, stopping in front of a trash can. "This is where Undyne and I come all the time… We find all sorts of great stuff here." Alphys's cheeks reddened. "Heh, she's really… Uh…" Alphys glanced to the side, her eyes going wide. "Oh no. That's her over there!" Frisk glanced over there shoulder and sure enough, Undyne was nearby, glancing at the piles of trash. "I c-can't let her see me on a date with you!"

"Why?" Frisk asked, cocking their head.

"Because, uh… well…" She paused to gasp. "Oh no! Here she comes." Alphys ducked behind a trash can. Right! Alphys has a crush on Undyne! But why would she take me on a date then? Undyne showed up in front of Frisk moments later, looking around.

"Hey! There you are!" Undyne exclaimed, pointing at Frisk. "I uh, realized, if you deliver that thing… It might be a bad idea. So I'm gonna do it! Give it to me!"

"I… don't have it," Frisk informed, raising their hands.

"What?! NNNGAAAAAAH!" Undyne stomped her foot into the ground. "Have you at least seen her?" Frisk nodded. "Yes? So she's around here somewhere… thanks! I'll keep looking." Undyne dashed past the trash can. When she disappeared down the hall, Alphys emerged, shaking.

"Oh my god…" she muttered. She met Frisk's gaze. "W-well… I guess it's obvious, huh? I… uh… I really like her. I mean, more than I like other people!"

"Why'd you bring me on a date me then?" Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Other than the fact that you gave her a love letter and said that your wrote it?" Chara grunted. Shut up! I didn��t know it was a love letter until it was too late!

"I'm sorry," Alphys sighed, looking down at the ground. "I j-just figured, y-you know… It'd be fun to go on, like a cute, kind of… pretend date with you? T-to make you feel better?" Frisk's eyebrows dropped. "Oh no, it sounds even worse when I put it like that… I'm sorry. I messed up again. Undyne's the person I um... really want to go on a date with."

"Tell her then," Frisk insisted, taking a step closer.

Alphys's eyes widened. "B-but she's way out of my league. N-not that you aren't cool!" she exclaimed, raising her hands. "B-but... Undyne… She's so confident… and strong… and funny…" Alphys's gaze darted toward the ground. "And I'm just a nobody. A fraud. I'm the royal scientist, but… All I've ever done is hurt people. I've told her so many lies, she thinks I'm… She thinks I'm a lot cooler than I actually am. If she gets close to me she'll… she'll find out the truth about me."

"Tell her yourself then," Frisk insisted. Whatever it is, it'll be better if she tells her than if she finds out on her own.

"But if I do that, she'll hate me!" Alphys protested, taking a step back. "Isn't it better this way? To live a lie where both people are happy... than a truth where neither of us are? They always say 'be yourself' but I don't really like who 'myself' is. I'd rather just be whatever makes people like me…"

"If you don't tell her, she'll find out on her own eventually."

Alphys let out a sigh, forcing herself to meet Frisk's gaze. "You're right. Every day I'm scared… scared what will happen if people learn the truth on their own. They'll all get hurt because of me… but how can I tell UNDYNE the truth?! I… I don't have the confidence… I'm going to mess it up! How can I practice something like that?!"

"We could… roleplay it?" Frisk suggested with a shrug.

"Roleplay?" Alphys smiled. "Okay�� that sounds kind of fun. Which one of us will be Undyne?"

"I'll be Undyne," Frisk replied, resting their hand on their chest.

"Oh, right… obviously." Alphys cleared her throat. "H-hi Undyne. How are you doing today?"

"You're cute," Frisk replied, pointing at Alphys.

"Frisk!" Chara exclaimed. "Now is not the time to flirt!" Now is the perfect time to flirt!

"Thanks!" Alphys exclaimed. "You say that to me a lot and I never know what to say but I know you just mean it platonically because we're just friends!" She giggled to herself. "Uh… so I'd um, like to talk to you about something."

"What is it, Alphys?" Frisk asked, winking at her.

"Well… I guess you could've said something worse," Chara grunted.

"Umm, you see… I… I…" Sweat dripped down Alphys's forehead. "I h-haven't been exactly truthful with… with you… You… you see I… I… Oh forget it!" she exclaimed. "I… I want to tell you how I feel! Y-you're so…. so brave and… and so strong and… and nice and… and you always l-listen to me when I… when I talk about nerdy stuff with you. You always… you always try to make me feel ssspecial! Like… like telling me that you'll b-beat up a-anyone who… who gets in my way." Alphys began convulsing rapidly. "UNDYNE! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANY LONGER! I'M MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU! HOLD ME, UNDYNE! HOLD ME!" As if on cue, Undyne appeared beside them, her eyebrow raised.

"WHAT did you just say?" Undyne exclaimed.

Alphys froze in place, eyes wide. "U...Undyne! "I… was… just… um…"

Undyne grinned. "Hey, woah, wait a second! Your outfit's really cute! What's the occasion?" Undyne glanced at Frisk. Her eye narrowed as she glanced back at Alphys. "Wait a second! Are you two… on a date?!"

Alphys shook as she spoke. "UHHH YES! I mean, NO! I mean, we were, but… I mean, actually we were only romantically roleplaying as you!"

"What?" Undyne's eyebrow raised.

"I MEAN!" Alphys let out a sigh. "I mean… Undyne, I... I've been lying to you!"

"WHAT? ABOUT WHAT?"

"About… well… everything!" Alphys approached Undyne step by step as she rambled. "I told you that seaweed was like, scientifically important… really, I just use it to make ice cream! And those human history books I keep reading… those are just dorky comic books! And the history movies! Those are just anime! They aren't real!" Alphys stepped as close to Undyne as she could. "And that time I told you I was busy with work on the phone… I was just eating yogurt in my PJs. That time I…"

"Alphys," Undyne cut her off, her voice soft.

"I… I just wanted to impress you," Alphys admitted, her cheeks reddening. "I just wanted you to think I was smart and cool. That I wasn't some… nerdy loser."

"Alphys." Undyne rubbed Alphys's head.

Alphys's voice was softer than petals now. "Undyne, I… I think you're really neat, okay���" Undyne got down on her knees, pulling Alphys into her arms and rubbing her back. She made soft soothing sounds. Frisk put their hands over their smile, their eyes wide.

Chara let out a sigh. "Okay, I admit, that's pretty cu-" Chara stopped as Undyne stood up, tossing Alphys into the air. Alphys landed in the trash can. Frisk's jaw dropped. "OH COME ON!"

"Alphys!" Undyne exclaimed, looking at the ground. "I, uh, think you're neat too, I guess, but you've gotta realize… Most of what you said really doesn't matter to me. I don't care if you're watching kid cartoons or reading history books. To me, ALL of that stuff is just NERDY CRAP!" Undyne's voice shook the cave. "What I like about you is that you're PASSIONATE! You're ANALYTICAL! It doesn't matter what it is! YOU CARE ABOUT IT! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT! AT MAXIMUM POWER!" Undyne voice softened as she continued. "So you don't have to lie to me. I don't want you to have to lie to anyone anymore. Alphys�� I want to help you become happy with who you are! And I know just the training you need to do that!"

Alphys's head poked out of the trash can, her eyes wide. "Undyne… You… Y-you're gonna train me…?"

Undyne snorted with laughter. "Pft, what? ME?" The room fell silent. A smiling figure emerged from one of the trash piles, smiling brightly. "Nah, I'm gonna get Papyrus to do it." Papyrus leaped out of the trash, holding his arm in the air. His shirt read: "Jog Boy."

"GET THOSE BONES SHAKIN'!" Papyrus exclaimed. Frisk covered their snickers with their hand. "IT'S TIME TO JOG A HUNDRED LAPS HOOTING ABOUT HOW GREAT WE ARE!"

"Ready? I'm about to start the timer," Undyne informed, pulling out a stopwatch. Alphys scrambled out of the trash can.

"U-Undyne… I'll do my best…!" Alphys and Papyrus jogged away as Undyne pressed a button on the stopwatch. Her eye suddenly widened.

"OH MY GOD!" she exclaimed, turning to Frisk. "She was kidding, right?! Those cartoons… Those comics… Those are still REAL, right? ANIME'S REAL, RIGHT?!"

"It's not," Frisk answered.

"No… NO!" she exclaimed, falling to the ground on her knees. "I CAN FEEL MY HEART BREAKING INTO PIECES!" Undyne let out a sigh before she forced herself to her feet. "No, I can survive this… I have to be strong… for Alphys. Thank you, human, for telling me the truth. I'll try my best to live in this world…" Undyne rushed off.

"Well… that was weird," Chara mused. Frisk nodded as they made their way through the murky trash water. They stopped to save before continuing. They had just pushed themself out of the water when a ringing sound echoed through the cave. Frisk answered their phone, putting it against their ear.

"HOWDY!" Papyrus's voice greeted, bringing a smile to Frisk's face. "IF IT ISN'T MY GOOD FRIEND WHO TRUSTS ME. THIS IS PAPYRUS. YOUR ALSO MUTUAL FRIEND. ALPHYS AND I FINISHED OUT TRAINING EARLY. VERY EARLY. SO I SENT HER HOME. VERY HOME. UH… NOW. I FEEL STRONGLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON YOU SHOULD ALSO GO… THERE… TO HER LAB… HOUSE. I HAVE ONLY GOOD FEELINGS ABOUT THIS."

"Okay, I'll go," Frisk replied with a nod. "Bye."

"GOODBYE." Frisk pocketed their phone, making their way to the lab. They knocked on the door.

"It's Frisk!" they called. "You can open the door!" Footsteps echoed from the other side of the door. It swung open, revealing Kat.

"Hi, Frisk," she greeted, giving a curt wave. Frisk shambled past her, pushing the door closed again.

"Where's Alphys?" they asked, looking around the empty lab.

"Oh! She came back a while ago asking for a pen and paper," Teri informed, leading the others toward Frisk.

"We were wondering why you didn't return together," Clover added.

"Pen and paper…" Frisk muttered to themself. They raised their voice to ask, "Did you see where she went?"

"She went down that elevator," Teri replied, pointing at an elevator. On the ground in front of it, was a piece of paper. Frisk rushed over to pick it up.

"Oh, she also wrote that before she left," Poppy informed, pointing at it.

Frisk squinted at the note, struggling to make out the words through the bad handwriting. "Hey. Thanks for your help back there. You guys… Your support really means a lot to me. But… As difficult as it is to say this… You guys alone can't magically make my own problems go away. I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine but if you don't ever hear from me again… If you want to know 'the truth,' enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did." Frisk put it aside. "And that's all she wrote."

"Wait, what's going on?" Teri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Alphys is having self-confidence issues and has been keeping secrets," Poppy informed, taking a step forward.

Frisk glanced at Poppy. "How did you know that?"

"I figured it out," she replied with a shrug. "So… we're going after her, right?"

"We should figure out if she's okay," Teri replied, nodding.

"B-but it could be dangerous!" Frisk protested, turning to the elevator. "I have to do this alone… Stay in the lab and keep the doors locked." A hand rested on Frisk's shoulder, forcing them back. Frisk turned to see Kat.

"Frisk… what are you not telling us?" she asked, her eyes wide with concern. "Why are you so worried about us?"

"I-it's nothing," Frisk insisted, looking at the ground. "I just... don't want you guys to be in danger."

"We've been in danger for our whole journey!" Poppy snapped, "Why do you only now wanna leave us out of it?!"

"Frisk, at least let me come," Kat insisted, removing her hand from their shoulder. "You know you can tell me anything."

"And what about us?!" Clover added, making his way toward Frisk. "You need us! Alphys needs us!"

"We're your friends!" Teri protested. "What can't you tell us?!" The group continued to protest, their words mingling together as Frisk convulsed in place.

"I don't have time for this!" Frisk snapped, stomping into the ground. The group fell silent, gazing at Frisk with wide eyes. "Kat, you come with me," Frisk sighed. I can protect one of them… "The rest of you, stay here with the doors locked. I MEAN it."

Teri let out a sigh. "Okay, fine. We'll stay." Frisk and Kat made their way in the elevator. Frisk pressed a few buttons. Kat grabbed the railing as the elevator went down.

"WARNING! WARNING!" a robotic voice filled the elevator as it shot down, red lights blaring in the elevator. Frisk and Kat let out screams. "ELEVATOR LOSING POWER! EM TETHER STABILITY LOST! ALTITUDE DROPPING!" Frisk was tossed around the elevator, slamming into walls before the world went dark.