Chapter Text
Frisk hated the constricting feel of the straps that bit into their shoulder blades and bound them tightly to the cushioned chair inside Sans’ time machine. It had been three hours. Three hours of tests and of minor adjustments and of nothing to do but watch Alphys pace as she waited for readings to compile. Three hours of waiting. Three hours of anticipation.
Frisk needed distraction. They needed someone to talk to. And unfortunately, Alphys had been very clear that any distraction would at best make this take longer and at worst… Well, that was exactly what Frisk was trying NOT to think about. And if Alphys was off limits, that left only Chara, who hadn’t exactly been quiet about not liking this plan. Still, it had been three hours and Frisk craved the company. Even if it was all in their head.
How are you holding up? Still mad?
It smells like stale air and sweat down here.
Heh. Well no denying that. Even with the fans running at maximum output, the ventilation in the True Lab was awful.
You know, I’ve always wondered. Why do you fixate on smell so much?
You’ve never been dead. I don’t think you’d understand.
Oh come on. We both know how many times Asgore and Asriel killed me. And they were just the two biggest offenders.
It’s not the same if you immediately come back to life, stupid.
Try me.
Ugh. Fine. Think about that moment right between the pain of dying and your return from death. That moment when your soul has left your body, but hasn’t yet broken. What did you feel?
Frisk thought about it.
Nothing. I don’t remember feeling anything.
Exactly. When you’re dead you don’t feel anything. You can’t touch. You can’t smell. You can’t taste. You can’t hear. You can’t even see. You’re left with an emptiness. A void. And only your memories to fill it. After a while like that you’re not even sure there is a you any more.
Is death like that for everyone?
How the heck should I know? That’s just how it is for me. And whatever it is that ties me to you, it gives me all that back, ok? So if it seems like I point out the smells to you a lot, well, maybe it’s just that you’re not appreciating that sense enough.
Frisk bowed their head. So that was what they had to look forward to if this plan didn’t work. Well, probably. Sans had been very clear about the dangers. A death that they couldn’t reset from. The possibility of being erased from time itself.
Frisk had thought they would be ok with that. The monsters would go back to being trapped Underground. They would forget Frisk. They would forget they had ever been free. Asgore would once again be awaiting one last soul, would once again have to face his promise to destroy humanity. But at least they’d still be alive.
Heh, looks like you’ve got company.
Frisk opened their eyes. A small yellow flower was staring up at them. He had lost another petal, leaving only three.
“Flowey? What are you doing here? I thought you were helping with the defense?”
“There’s no point, cause gee, wouldn’t you know it. We lost! Oh, that reminds me, I thought you might like to know that everyone you love so much is dead now. That’s right! All that effort to reach the surface and everything I sacrificed to get them there and nobody was willing to do what was necessary to keep it. It’s pathetic.”
A clipboard clattered to the floor. Alphys stood at her console, staring at Flowey, stunned by the news.
“T-they’re dead? Everyone? Even-? Damn it. Sans promised to buy me enough time to be certain I had these calibrations right.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve clogged the elevators all over the kingdom with vines. That should buy us more than enough time to fix this. All we need is for Frisk to reset the timeline again.”
Frisk shook their head.
“I told you, I’ve tried that. It’s just not enough any more. I’ve lived through this over and over and over again and it always goes the same way. At first we have our peace. The Humans think of magic as a new energy source. It is a fantastic bartering chip. But then the Humans learn about the six souls. They learn what the Monsters had been planning. And just like that, magic is scary and everything falls apart. Something has to change. I need to go back further to undo that fear.”
“Boy, you really are stupid, aren’t you? Just because you’re tired of how this scenario plays out doesn’t mean you have to risk Doctor Skrewup here scattering you across time and space. Look, you’ve always wanted to ‘save’ me haven’t you? Don’t bother denying it. I’ve seen the way you look at me.”
He’s got you there.
“Well, in the next iteration, we’ll let all the monster souls go free without shattering the barrier and I’ll keep the human souls. Hee Hee Hee. That should be enough to maintain my original form. Everyone will be so happy to have little Asriel back and we can all live like a happy family, safe and sound behind the barrier.”
“Asriel?” A strange look crossed Alphys face. “Frisk, is Flowey-?”
Frisk nodded. There was no point in keeping that secret any longer.
“Oh my god. How could I not have- I mean, I should have- I need to sit down.”
“I’m sorry, Flowey, but I’ve seen what you’re like with the human souls. And even if I thought that would be enough to truly restore you, it still wouldn’t be fair to everyone else. I can do better.”
“Heh, you’re strapped to a chair and helpless. I could kill you right now. I could force you to reset.”
Frisk sighed. Somehow Flowey always ended up back at the exact same threat. Even though they both knew he wouldn’t do it. Not after everything he’d been through.
“If I reset back to the beginning now, you’ll forget everything. You’ll still shatter the barrier and we’ll end up right back here again.”
“Fine, get yourself erased from time then. See if I care! If you’re gone at least I’ll get back my ability to save! Then I can have lots of fun! Hee Hee Hee!"
Flowey abruptly burrowed into the ground and was gone. He was upset, but Frisk knew he would behave. There were much bigger problems to worry about.
“Alphys, it’s time for me to go.”
“W-what, but there are still subroutines to double check. A-and I should probably take more readings just to be sure that everything is working properly, and-”
“Alphys, I’ve been watching. You’ve already been over everything three times. I know you’re worried about making a mistake, but I trust you. I know you’re just trying to be careful, but we’re out of time. Even if the Humans can’t easily reach us here, that doesn’t mean they won’t damage the Core. And if the Core goes down, this machine isn’t going to have an energy source.”
“Eh heh… right. You’re right. I suppose I haven’t found anything still out of alignment in a while now. Um…”
Alphys reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out two letters. Hesitantly, she passed them to Frisk.
“Sans asked me to give these to you. He said, uh, you should open yours when you got to the other side.”
Frisk looked down at the two letters. One had their name penciled on the outside of the envelope. The other had a strange script that Frisk didn’t recognize.
“What’s this other one?”
“He, uh, wouldn’t tell me. He just said to give it to you. T-that’s Sans for you right? Eh… heh… heh… um… I’ll just go start the machine.”
Hey Frisk. I uh-
Please not you too. I’m not going to change my mind.
Ugh, I know that. I know there’s no helping you when you’ve set your mind to something. So just- shut up and listen for a sec ok?
I’m listening.
It’s just- before I met you I was a bit of a mess, you know? I’d gone through some stuff and maybe it had twisted my outlook a bit. Living in the Underground helped with that a little, but in the end I- well, you know. But following you around, we had some good times and some hard times, but all of it, your example, it really changed me for the better. Maybe it doesn’t mean much since I’m already dead but, uh, thanks. That’s all I wanted to say.
Chara. Are you? Saying goodbye?
Duh. Idiot. You’re planning to go back in time to a point before I died. Did you think I could just follow you? But uh, I guess I’ll be there. So maybe this is more of a ‘see you later’?
Sorry. We’ve been connected for so long now. I hadn’t stopped to think that we could be separated by this. I- I-
Are you about to cry? Geeze. And I thought Asriel was whiny. If your plan works I will literally be alive again. Just, you know, be you. And don’t let me kill myself. That plan was even stupider than this one.
“Frisk, are you ready?”
Alphys stood at the control panel sweating nervously. Flowey had come back and was hiding behind the trash can. Frisk smiled. He just couldn’t stay away.
“Yeah. Wish me luck.”
Alphys pulled the lever. There was flash and Frisk felt the sensation of a yank and then nothing.
Nothing.
Just emptiness.
Nothing. The tightness of the straps gone.
Nothing. The sound of the fans vanished.
Nothing. The musty taste of stale air missing.
Nothing. The acrid odor of sweat absent.
Nothing. Everything was black. Darker than Dark. A Void.
Was this death?
Chara?
Nothing.
Anyone?
Nothing.
Well this sucks.
Another flash, blinding next to the nothingness, and Frisk found they were back, once again strapped tightly in the machine, two letters clutched securely in their hand. Strangely, a curtain had been pulled over the entire contraption blocking their view of the rest of the lab.
“Alphys?” Frisk coughed and it felt like they were clearing a thousand years of phlegm from their throat. They tried again, louder this time. “Doctor Alphys? Are you out there?”
There was no response. Something must have gone wrong. Frisk struggled against the restraints, but had no way of undoing them on their own.
Chara?
There was still no response from Chara. Whatever else had happened, it seemed they really were separated. The chair they were sitting in had a thick layer of dust.