New Beginnings

Frisk's POV

"Frisk!" Frisk flinched at Toriel's voice in their ear. "This is all just a bad dream…! Please, wake up…!" Frisk let out a grunt. Their eyes fluttered open as they forced themself to sit up.

"Frisk!" Kat flung her arms around Frisk. Ace, Ray, and Teri joined her, smothering Frisk in their hugs. Clover and Poppy stood with the others.

"Okay, okay," Frisk giggled, nudging their friends away gently. "Was I out long?"

"W-we don't know," Alphys informed, looking at the ground. "But it felt like forever. W-we were so worried…!"

"Yeah!" Undyne agreed with a nod. "Any longer and I would've freaked out! Tell us next time you decide to take a nap, okay?!" Frisk giggled. I'll do my best.

"Yeah. You made Papyrus cry like a little baby," Sans informed, nudging his much taller brother.

Papyrus glared at him. "WHAT?! I DIDN'T CRY! I DON'T CRY! I JUST… CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE."

"What did you catch?" Sans asked.

Papyrus sniffled. "TEARS!" he exclaimed, a tear dripping from one of his eyes.

"That sounds like crying to me," Ray replied, smirking.

"Now, now." Asgore's soft voice cut through the chatter. "The important part is that Frisk is alright." He kneeled in front of Frisk, holding out a mug. "Here, Frisk. Why not drink some tea? It'll make you feel better." Frisk took the mug.

"It's… kind of cold, isn't it?" Teri asked, taking the words right out of Frisk's mouth.

"Oh… sorry about that." Asgore looked away. "It's from… before… but it should still help you feel better." Frisk took a sip of the tea. Though cold, they could tell it was the same tea from Undyne's house, and it made them smile.

"Hey, Frisk, what happened?" Kat asked, her eyes wide.

"What did Flowey do?"

"How did you win?"

"Did you kill him?"

"What made you go unconscious?"

"Children, children." Toriel's soft voice cut through their questions. "Why don't we give them space first? They must be very exhausted." Kat and the others took a few steps back, leaving only Chara's ghostly form beside Frisk. "Though from what, I am not certain. Frisk…" Toriel met their gaze. "We do not remember exactly what happened. There was a flower… And then everything went white, but now the barrier is gone. When you are ready, we will all return to the surface."

"But before that, we should take a walk!" Teri suggested, leaping toward Frisk. "There are…" Her cheeks reddened. "Some people I wanted to see before we leave."

"You just wanna see Mettaton," Poppy teased, nudging Teri's shoulder.

"So?" Teri grunted, sticking her tongue out.

"Well, I admit, I wanted to see Napstablook before we left," Poppy replied, turning to the others. "Anyone else wanna go?" Ace clung to Toriel, shaking his head.

"I'll go," Kat replied, with a shrug. "A walk might be nice."

"I think the rest of us are good," Clover added, pointing at Poppy. "You guys do what you want."

"You coming, Frisk?" Poppy asked, glancing at them.

"Um… yeah… just let me do something real quick." Frisk pushed themself to their feet, making their way into the garden. Chara walked by their side. Slumping down against the side of the throne, Frisk glanced at them.

"I know what you're gonna ask," Chara cut Frisk off before they could even begin. "And to be honest, I'm not completely sure either."

"Well, I'm gonna ask anyway," Frisk replied, rolling their eyes. "Why can I see you now but not before?"

"I don't know," Chara grunted, scratching at their jeans. "I couldn't even see myself. It was more like my consciousness had merged with yours, thus why we can read each other's thoughts."

"Can anyone else see you?" Frisk asked, cocking their head.

"Nope," Chara sighed, glancing at the ground. "Still just you. Trust me, I tried to talk to the others. They can't hear or see me… I do have a theory though. When we reached out to Asriel, I may have bonded with your soul as well. We already had a link so…"

"Now it's stronger?" Frisk asked.

"I guess," Chara replied with a shrug.

"Frisk!" Teri called, rushing through the garden with Poppy and Kat trailing after her. "Are you talking to Chara?"

"I was," Frisk replied, standing up. "But I'm done, so we can go now. Let's go find the Riverperson to take us to Waterfall." Poppy and Teri nodded.

Teri's POV

Teri, Kat, and Poppy followed Frisk down hallways, elevators, and through Mettaton's resort, and finally to the Riverperson.

"You excited to finally see your family again?" Teri asked, sitting down in the boat.

"Yeah," Poppy replied with a nod. "I've really missed my Mom and Dad…. And my cats. I'm guessing Ray missed them, too."Teri nodded. "And I've really missed my Dad." Her smile faded. "I'm just wondering how I'm gonna everything explain to him…"

"Oh yeah…" Poppy bit her lip. "They might think we're crazy, or making stuff up because we're kids," she grunted.

"Just ask a monster to go with you to explain," Frisk replied, stepping off the boat.

"That's a great idea!" Kat exclaimed, jumping off the boat. Yeah, it is. Poppy and Teri followed her lead.

"Yeah!" Poppy agreed, her eyes bright. "I could ask Napstablook… or maybe not, they're kind of nervous around new people. Maybe Alphys?" Teri's smile faded. "She's gotten more confident from what I've seen." Poppy paused when she noticed Teri's frown. "What? Am I wrong?"

"No…" Teri looked at the ground. "It… wasn't anything you said. I'm just… kinda bitter still. I mean, I know I forgave everyone else and trying to kill us is worse than lying but… I don't know. Even if she had good intentions, it makes me feel like a can't trust her…"

Poppy shrugged. "Trust takes time to build again. Just give it that time." Teri nodded. Maybe in time I can learn to forgive Alphys… and watch anime with her. Frisk lead them down the hall to Napstablook's house. Two figures stood outside. Teri's cheeks reddened when she spotted Mettaton, sitting beside Napstablook. The two appeared to be chatting. However, they were too far away to hear what they were saying. Teri was frozen in place.

���Well? Go!" Poppy nudged Teri forward. Teri jumped back to her spot, eyes wide. "Go talk to Mettaton!" Poppy smirked. "Tell him you love him!"

"What?!" Teri gasped, her eyes wide. "I'm not telling him that! It would just be another confession to add to his pile!"

"At least talk to him then," Poppy grunted, rolling her eyes. "Kat and I'll hang back with Frisk for now." Teri's eyes narrowed. Is she waiting for me to embarrass myself or something?! Teri emerged from the hall. She ran her fingers through her hair as she approached Mettaton.

"Hey…" she greeted.

"Darling!" Mettaton exclaimed, glancing at her. "There you are. Feast your eyes!" Mettaton pointed at himself. "Doctor Alphys has completed my wonderful new body. What do you think?"

"It's…" Teris' voice was soft. "Great. Um… what's different?"

"Well, it was mainly just one little addition." Mettaton pulled his hair back with his hand, revealing a second eye.

Teri smiled. "Y-you look as great as ever," she replied.

"Thank you!" Teri sat down next to Mettaton, leaning against the wall of the house behind them. "OOH!" Metaton's eyes lit up even brighter, if that was even possible. "Did you hear? The barrier's open!"

"Yeah, I was there," Teri replied with a nod. "You, uh… looking forward to seeing anything?"

"I can't wait to see the sun…" Mettaton admitted. "The greatest spotlight of all!" Teri giggled into her hand. "Oh, yes. I suppose I should thank you, darling."

"What for?" Teri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, before fighting you and your friends, I had… Forgotten how fun it was to perform with others. So I've been searching for hot talents to fill my troupe."

"Oh? Really?!" Teri cast a glance at Poppy, who gestured to her encouragingly.

Mettaton nodded. "So far, Shyren's agreed to my back-up singer." Shyren?!

Mettaton pointed at Napstablook. "And Bl… Napstablook here, will be my sound mixer!"

"Really?!" Poppy exclaimed, emerging with Frisk and Kat from the hallway. "Oh my gosh that's awesome Napstablook!"

"Oh… thanks... Poppy," Napstablook murmured, glancing at the ground.

"Come on," Poppy gestured to them. "You gotta tell me all about it!" Poppy, Frisk, and Napstablook went to chat at the other end of the cavern, leaving Teri and Mettaton to talk.

"So, uh…" Teri's hands fidgeted in her lap. "Is it just gonna be the three of you, or are you still looking for more people?"

"Well…" Mettaton's lip twitched up. "I could use another dancer." Teri perked up. "And you do have talent. Would you be up for something like that?"

"YES!" Teri threw herself at Mettaton, wrapping her arms around him.

Frisk's POV

"Frisk, this is a dumb idea," Chara grunted, shambling after Frisk with their hands in their pockets. I don't care. "He could've gone anywhere. He could've left the Underground."

"I have to at least look," Frisk insisted, trudging through the snow.

"What if we find him and he's already turned back into a flower? I'm telling you Frisk, there's nothing you can do to save him."

"Then I should at least keep him company for a while before we leave." Finally, at the edge of the forest, Frisk stopped in front of the Ruins. The huge door was wide open. Frisk let out a sigh of relief as the cold faded further into the Ruins. They made their way down the long hallway, through Toriel's house, past the completed puzzles, over the spikes, and finally, to the room where they had first fallen. Sunlight was still shining through the roof of the cave, revealing a patch of flowers. Beside the flowers, was a white figure.

"Asriel!" Frisk called, rushing to his side. Asriel glanced at them.

"Don't worry about me," he insisted, brushing his paws over the flowers. "Someone has to take care of these flowers." Frisk stood their ground.

"Frisk, he doesn't want to see you," Chara insisted.

"Frisk, please leave me alone," Asriel sighed, hanging his head low. "I can't come back, I just can't, okay? I don't want to break their hearts all over again. It's better if they never see me." Asriel turned away. However, Frisk still stood their ground.

"Why are you still here?" Asriel asked, meeting Frisk's gaze. "Are you trying to keep me company?"

Frisk nodded. "I figured you would want some company before you… you know."

"Frisk…" Asriel let out a sigh. "Hey. Let me ask you a question. Frisk… Why did you come here? Everyone knows the legend, right...? 'Travelers who climb Mt. Ebott are said to disappear.' Frisk. Why would you and your friends ever climb a mountain like that?"

"We did it on a dare," Frisk admitted, "It wasn't the best decision we ever made…" Frisk cast a glance at Chara, whose head hung low, their hair covering their eyes. "Uh… why did Chara climb the mountain?"

"It wasn't for a very happy reason... Frisk, I'll be honest with you. Chara hated humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it but they felt very strongly about that. Frisk… you really are different from Chara. In fact, though you have similar, uh, fashion choices… I don't know why I ever acted as if you were the same person. Maybe… The truth is… Chara wasn't really the greatest person." Frisk cast a glance at Chara. Their hair still covered their eyes, blocking any possible expression from view. "While, Frisk… You're the type of friend I wish I always had. So maybe I was kind of projecting a little bit. Let's be honest, I did some weird stuff as a flower."

"Yeah…" Frisk nodded.

"He's not wrong," Chara grunted, pushing their hair behind their ears. Their eyes were narrowed.

"Oh." Frisk glanced back at Asriel. "There's one last thing I feel like I should tell you. When Chara and I combined our SOULs together… The control over our body was actually split between us. They were the one that picked up their own empty body and then, when we got to the village… They were the one that wanted to… use our full power." Frisk cringed to themself. "I was the one that resisted… and then, because of me, we… Well, that's why I ended up a flower."

"That wasn't your fault," Frisk protested, taking a step closer.

Asriel blinked. "I… I know. Thanks to you, I don't blame myself for that anymore. I know it was the right thing to do. If I killed those humans, we would have had to wage war against all of humanity. And in the end, everyone went free, right? I still feel kind of sad knowing how long it took… so maybe it wasn't a perfect decision but you can't regret hard choices your whole life, right?" Frisk nodded. "Well, not that I have much of a life left but that's besides the point." Frisk clenched their teeth, glancing down at their feet. "Frisk... thank you for listening to me. You should really go be with your friends now, okay?"

���You are my friend," Frisk insisted, resting their hand on Asriel's shoulder.

"But there's nothing you can do for me." Asriel stared at the ground. "Just… um… in the future, if you uh, see me… Don't think of it as me, okay? I just want you to remember me like this. Someone that was your friend for a little while. Oh, and Frisk… Be careful in the outside world, okay? Despite what everyone thinks, it's not as nice as it is here. There are a lot of Floweys out there and not everything can be resolved by just being nice. Frisk… Don't kill and don't be killed, alright? That's the best you can strive for. Well, see ya." Asriel crouched down in front of the flower patch, his gaze intent on them. Frisk let out a sigh.

"Come on Frisk." Chara was gesturing to Frisk. "You heard him, there's nothing we can do." Frisk cast one last glance at Asriel before turning away and following Chara down the hall. Their heart ached with every step they took. There has to be something I can do. Something, anything! I can't leave someone to suffer like this! And yet they did.

Poppy's POV

So apparently it takes a human soul and a monster soul to cross the barrier. So all but one of us were stuck here and that one had to kill Asgore and take his soul. We decided Frisk would do it but not five minutes later, they came barreling back to us with a different plan. Undyne called us asking us to do something for her. We delivered a letter to Alphys for her. Yes, it apparently takes six of us to deliver a letter according to Frisk. Then Alphys thought the LOVE LETTER was from Frisk and Frisk didn't bother correcting her. Okay, in their defense, none of us knew what was in that letter and they had already said they wrote it before we found out but STILL! So Frisk went on a… 'date' with Alphys and locked the rest of us in the lab. Yeah, it didn't take a genius to figure out that something was off about Frisk. Even my bonehead brother noticed it. Anyways, we played truth or dare in the lab for a while until Alphys came back, asking for a pen and paper. She wrote something before disappearing down an elevator. We were all a bit too wrapped up in our game to care (call me immature but I really wanted to see Ray lick his own foot). Frisk came back later, and they and Kat went down that elevator. Alphys came back way later, telling us that we had to stop Frisk and Kat from fighting Asgore. So we followed her through New Home and we all reunited. Seriously, ALL of us! The skeleton brothers, Undyne, Alphys, TORIEL, Frisk, Kat, and even ACE! Then Flowey showed up and trapped us all in vines! He said he was going to take our souls and then everything went white so I guess he did… Then I woke up a while later with everyone else and somehow the barrier has been destroyed. Yeah, I'm not really sure what happened but I have a strong feeling that our souls were involved….

Poppy put her notebook aside. I really should ask Frisk to fill in the gaps. Poppy gazed up at Teri and Mettaton on the other side of the cave. They were both smiling as they chattered like rabbits. Kat and Napstablook sat beside her, Kat talking at Napstablook as they struggled to make replies. However, Frisk was nowhere to be seen. Poppy inched closer to Kat and Napstablook, catching snippets of their conversation.

"Wait… Mettaton is your cousin?!" Kat gasped, her eyes wide. Napstablook nodded. "Not to be rude but… how does that work?"

"His ghost possessed the robot that Doctor Alphys made so he could be a star," Napstablook explained. "...I guess he's fully corporeal now… or something… I haven't asked him yet…"

"Hey…" Napstablook and Kat met Poppy's gaze. "Do you guys know where Frisk went?"

"They said they had someone else to see," Kat answered with a shrug. "They didn't say who it was, they just said they'd be back as soon as they could."

"Okay…" Poppy walked away. She walked in circles around the cave, her mind wild with thoughts. Finally, a shape appeared at the entrance.

"Frisk!" Kat and Poppy rushed in front of them.

"Hey," Frisk greeted with a wave. Their head hung low, their hair covering their eyes. "We can… go now…"

"Okay!" Poppy glanced at Teri. "Teri, come on! We're leaving!" Teri perked up.

"Okay!" she called back, before turning back to Mettaton. Poppy rolled her eyes. She glanced at Napstablook.

"You coming?" Poppy asked.

"I'll go with Mettaton…" Napstablook replied. "Uh… see you later."

Poppy nodded. "Yeah, you too!" Poppy inched closer to Teri and Mettaton, to hear their conversation.

"Aren't you coming to the surface, too?" Teri asked.

"Of course! I just have to get all my supplies from the lab first and that'll take a while, trust me."

Teri giggled. "Okay… Well, see you later." Teri pushed herself to her feet, making her way toward Poppy and the others. Poppy nudged her, grinning.

"So, you're gonna perform with Mettaton?"

Teri nudged Poppy away, looking away as she beamed. "And Shyren and Napstablook! And I'm gonna be dancing! How could I turn down an offer like that?!"

Poppy chuckled. "Yeah, well you'd better tell me all about it," she insisted, nudging Teri again. Teri nudged her back, but nodded. Poppy followed Frisk as they lead them to the Riverperson, boarding the boat like a bench.

"Hey." Kat leaned in to whisper in Poppy's ear. "Does something seem off about, Frisk?" she asked, pointing at them.

"Even if there was, they'd never tell us what it is," Poppy sighed, shrugging.

Kat's POV

Kat walked at Frisk's side out the final doorway, sunlight already piercing through. They walked across a cliff. The sun shined in front of them, peeking out over the horizon. The group stopped at the edge of the cliff.

"Oh my…" Toriel gasped, resting her paw on her mouth.

"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?" Asgore asked. Kat glanced at the others. Alphys, Toriel, Papyrus, and Undyne stared at the sun wide-eyed.

"Wow…" Alphys breathed. "It's e-even better than on TV." She smiled. "WAY better! Better than I ever imagined!"

"You guys live with this?!" Undyne demanded, casting a glance at Kat and the others. "The sunlight is so nice… and the air is fresh!" Kat smiled. I can't even imagine how incredible this is for them. "I really feel alive!"

"HEY SANS! WHAT'S THAT GIANT BALL?" Papyrus asked, pointing at the sun.

"It's the sun," Ray replied, covering his mouth as he chuckled. Sans nodded.

"THAT'S THE SUN?!" Papyrus gasped. "WOWIE! I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY MEETING THE SUN!"

"I could stand here and watch this for hours…" Asgore sighed.

"It is nice seeing the sun again," Teri replied, nodding. "I've missed feeling the sun on my skin… the wind in my hair."

"Yeah," Kat replied with a nod.

"Yes." Toriel nodded. "It is beautiful, is it not? But we should really think about what comes next."

"Oh yeah…" Poppy clutched her notebook. "How are the humans gonna react to you guys being free?"

"Probably not well," Clover grunted, putting his hands in his pockets. Poppy nodded.

"Don't be so negative," Asgore murmured. "This will be the beginning of a bright new future. An era of peace between humans and monsters."

"But we can't just waltz up and say that," Poppy protested. "We need some kind of… embassy?"

Asgore chuckled. "I think the word you are looking for is 'ambassador,' child." Poppy put her hands in her pockets.

"Yeah, I knew that," she muttered.

Asgore's gaze shifted toward Frisk. "Frisk, will you act as our ambassador to the humans?" Frisk's eyes widened.

"I can do it if you don't want to," Kat offered, resting her hand on Frisk's shoulder.

"Not it's okay, I'll do it," Frisk insisted, glancing at Kat. "But... it would be nice to have a partner." Kat gazed at Frisk, before nodding.

"I'd like that," she replied, wrapping her arms around Frisk. Frisk returned the gesture.

"YEAH!" Papyrus exclaimed. "FRISK AND KAT WILL BE THE BEST AMBASSADORS! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE BEST MASCOT! I'LL GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!" Papyrus dashed off, his usual smile plastered on his face.

"Papyrus, wait up!" Ray called, rushing after him.

"Ray wait!" Poppy called, trailing after her brother. "We have to check in with our parents first!" The three of them disappeared from sight.

"Welp," Sans shrugged, turning around. "Someone's gotta keep an eye on them." He made his way back into the cave for some reason…

Undyne grunted. "Do I have to do everything?! Guys, wait up!" Undyne dashed in the direction Papyrus, Ray, and Poppy had gone. Alphys trailed after her. Asgore mumbled something before he followed. Now only Kat, Ace, Frisk, and Toriel remained on the cliffside, gazing at the sun.

"Well… it seems as if everyone is very eager to set off," Toriel mused. "You three must have places to be as well, do you not?"

"I wanna stay with you, mom," Ace insisted, gently tugging on Toriel's robe.

"You do not have anywhere else to go, my child?" Toriel asked, her eyes wide. Ace shook his head.

"Nowhere safe," Frisk grunted, wrapping their arm around Ace.

"Nowhere safe?!" Kat gasped, her eyes wide. "What do you mean?! What about your fa-" Frisk covered Kat's mouth with their hand.

Ace let out a sigh. "My Mom died and my Dad… he… he hits me…"

Toriel's eyes widened. "Oh goodness… Well, I could not make you go back to someone like that. I suppose we shall figure out a solution at a later point…" Toriel glanced at Kat Frisk. "What about you, my children? Do you have places to return to?"

"Yeah, my Dad and Papa are probably worried sick about us," Kat replied, tugging on Frisk's wrist.

"Actually… I kinda wanted to stay with Toriel, too." Kat took a step back.

"Oh… okay… I'll… tell Dad and Papa…" Kat turned and shambled down the cliffside. "See you around!" she called, her smile returning.

Frisk's POV

"Well, if you both truly have nowhere else to go… I will take care of you for as long as you need."

"Thanks, Toriel," Frisk replied, nodding. Ace grabbed Toriel's paw. Frisk held Ace's hand as the three made their way down the cliffside. Chara walked at Frisk's other side.

"Be honest, did you choose to stay with Mom just so I'd be close to her, too?" Chara asked, tilting their head to the side. Frisk shook their head. "So… you really want to stay with her?" Frisk nodded. I wanted to have a family of my own. "What about Kat's parents?"

They just took me in after my mom died. I love them but I always longed for someone that felt like my family.

"I guess that makes sense." Chara smiled. "And… even if Mom can't see me, at least I'll still have her… and maybe Dad… And of course you Frisk."

I thought you hated humanity?

"I did…" Chara looked away for a moment, then met Frisk's gaze again. "But… You showed me that… good humans do exist… You're a good kid Frisk, and so are your friends." Frisk smiled.