It had started with a question.
"Hey... Hey, can you hear me?"
Frisk had not been expecting to hear that question. In fact, they hadn't even been expecting to have someone else with them.
They were immediately alert and crawling away from the person, (a teenager, it looked like), alarm coursing through them. No, this was not supposed to happen; they were always alone when they fell down, no one else was supposed to be here! They didn't want Chara to have another body to maul, another SOUL to shatter. Frisk had gone through enough with killing every monster they encountered; now they were giving Chara the opportunity to...
They could hear the spirit now, giggling with glee at the thought. It had been quite drab for a while now. After all, dozens of genocide runs get a bit boring and predictable! Beheading the same annoying skeleton, watching the same fish melt while proclaiming monsters will stop them, slicing down the same ruler after doing the same to the short skeleton... Having a new toy was sure to be fun! They couldn't wait to have their blood spill onto the ground, watch their SOUL crack and shatter into a million pieces--
"KID!" A pair of hands gently shook Frisk out of their panicked daze. They came to focus on the figure in front of them. They were older than them, much taller, too... They had (Eye Color) orbs that were filled with concern, (Hair Color) hair that suited their (Skin Tone) face.
"Hey, are you alright? You don't look so good..." They murmured, before snorting unamusedly and looking down at the ground. "Although you did just fall down a giant hole in a mountain. Would any kid be alright after that?" They shook their head.
Frisk merely stared at them as they looked at them again with a smile.
"What's your name?" They asked gently.
"So I don't call you kid all the time, " they explained at Frisk's questioning glance. "Or would you rather me call you Shortie?"
They seemed to smile a bit brighter when Frisk smiled shyly.
Frisk quickly signed their name to them, only to get a blank look at their hands from the stranger.
"I don't see sign language often... So correct me if I'm wrong... Frisk?" Frisk nodded in confirmation. "Oh. Well then, Frisk. I'm (Name)." The (male/female) smiled at them kindly. "Do you know where we are?"
Yes, Mt. Ebott. Where they always were when they awoke. Every. Single. Time. Frisk thought bitterely, but maintained their emotionless façade and shook their head.
(Name) sighed.
"Yeah, neither do I. This is great..." They thought for a few seconds before rising. "Well then, we better find a way out, unless we wanna stay stuck down here..." They held out a hand to Frisk.
Frisk stared at the hand silently. Were they trying to help?
Heh. Pathetic. We can easily eliminate them, Frisk, Chara cooed. They're weak and foolish.
Frisk furrowed their brows and shook their head a bit, taking the hand and pulling them self up with the help of (Name). No, no, they were nice to them, even if they had just met. They didn't deserve to die.
Chara giggled a bit in amusement. And how long will it last, Frisk? Once they see the damage you will cause, they will hate you. Just like the others.
Frisk shook their head. They won't. They won't hurt anyone this time. They refused.
Oh, this will be fun.
***
Saying no doesn't always mean it won't happen.
It had happened. Again. They had dusted all the Froggits and Whimsums they came across as Toriel led them through the RUINS, hands and clothes becoming covered in white powder.
Yet, (Name) never yelled. Never screamed. Only froze for a second before wiping off the tears from Frisk's dusty cheeks and taking away their stick, asking them not to do it again.
Frisk didn't tell them about the toy knife they had found, and (Name) had only learned of it when they had stabbed Toriel, the kind monster who had brought them here and fed them and loved them like they were her own children.
"You really hate me that much...?" Toriel asked in pain and sorrow, breathing heavily as her hand came to cover her gaping wound instinctively. (Name) stared at the goat woman, a dark gray heart in front of them, as Frisk smiled a bit, feeling Chara's mania inside them building. Toriel noticed the smile and continued.
"Now I see who I was really protecting by keeping you here... Not you... But them... Ha ha..." Toriel's eyes wandered over to (Name). "Please... Take care of yourself... My child..."
Frisk had bursted into silent tears after Toriel's remains fell away, dropping the knife in horror and staring at their hands, the same ones that had killed dozens of monsters over and over and over again--
A larger hand took one of their own, and they looked up to see (Name)'s concerned face before they were brought into a tight yet gentle hug. Frisk froze up in shock. They had just murdered someone, and yet... They still cared for them...? Why?
"Frisk, I know... I know that things may seem bad... That we have no other solution to a problem, but you have to listen to me, okay?" (Name) pulled away from the hug and took Frisk by the shoulders, staring at them with a serious voice. "There is always, always, another way. Alright?" Their voice seemed to crack a bit as tears filled their eyes. "You don't have to hurt anyone, or anything, or yourself." Their voice dropped to a whisper. "You just have to find another way."
Frisk stared at them before sobbing even harder, falling into their warm arms. They could not hear (Name)'s kind and reassuring words, just Chara's maniacal giggling and whispery promises of death and destruction and mayhem.
They could only remember that (Name) smelled faintly of butterscotch and tea.
***
To say that having another human around changed things is an understatement.
Flowey just kept smiling evilly at Frisk while saying his usual lines about destroying the world together, turn all monsters into dust, same old. But what made Frisk freeze was when he turned to (Name) and said,
"They'll kill you too, you know? Once you have no use, you'll die by their hand! Heeheehee! And there won't be anything you can do about it!" The flower's innocent face had morphed into a more demonic look, sending shivers down Frisk's spine as Flowey winked at them and popped back underground.
(Name)'s face was slightly lowered, their hair masking their expression from Frisk. The smaller human looked down at the ground emotionlessly, but inside their mind, they were screaming for a permanent release from this madness.
"Come on, Frisk. We should keep going." (Name) looked at them, a soft smile on their face. They held out their hand, and once again,
Frisk took it.
***
They never knew why they started this in the first place.
They had been fine with the first outcome they had experienced. Everyone was alive. Everyone was happy. They were all on the surface. Frisk was living with Toriel. Papyrus had become the mascot of the monster race. Asgore was creating good relations between humans and monsters. Alphys and Undyne were dating. Heck, even Sans' smile didn't look as empty.
So why did they reset? Why bring it all back to where it started? Why... Start to kill anyone?
As (Name) and Frisk started to walk down the snowy path that Frisk knew would lead to the gate Papyrus had made, they thought, Maybe Sans was right. Maybe a person like them won't ever be happy. Is that why we keep doing this, Chara? Killing them over and over? Because we won't ever be happy with any other way? Because we don't want it to end yet?
Chara, for once, did not respond.
***
Papyrus seemed twice as happy to see (Name) and Frisk. Sans had seemed slightly surprised at the change, but had quickly wiped any evidence of it off of his face.
(Name) had tried to take Frisk behind the lamp, but the child had refused to move. Chara had refused to move. So when Papyrus arrived, the two stood there.
"GASP! A HUMAN!" Papyrus had been shocked. "AND A..." The tall skeleton had looked down at Frisk, a look of confusion across his face. He shook his head and looked at (Name). "HUMAN AND COMPANION! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL CAPTURE YOU AND DELIVER YOU TO KING ASGORE! THEN, SURELY, HE AND UNDYNE WILL ALLOW ME TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD! BE PREPARED TO MEET MANY CHALLENGES AHEAD! NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus had cackled while running off.
"man, isn't my brother the coolest?" Sans had asked, winking at the two. (Name) had nodded with a smile while Frisk just looked at the ground.
"you two better get going. he might come back soon, and if he does, i'll have to tell some pretty bone-tickling jokes."
(Name) held their giggles in and nodded, leading Frisk away from Sans.
"... hey. actually, can i ask a favor of you?" (Name) had paused and turned around, looking confused. "my bro has been kind of down lately, so if you could play along with him, that would really help."
"Of course, Sans." (Name) had agreed happily, not noticing as Frisk's expression became darker. Sans seemed to, as he began to sweat a bit.
"...we should probably talk later, too. i'll meet you up ahead." Sans had gone back the way the trio had come before (Name) could ask any questions.
"Well... That was weird, huh, Frisk?" (Name) looked down at their small companion. "Frisk?"
Said child shook their head and looked up, expression nonchalant while nodding. They signed that they should keep moving.
It was getting cold outside, anyways.
***
They had done it while (Name) was gone.
The teen had gotten a key and unlocked a room in a (freshly) abandoned inn in Snowdin, putting Frisk in a bed and tucking them in. They told Frisk they had some things to do and to get some sleep. They had left their supplies for the child in case they got hungry or bored, and, after giving Frisk a gentle kiss on the forehead, they left.
Frisk had searched for a weapon in the bag (Name) had when they fell down but found none. They went to the shop next door and took a Tough Glove. It wasn't the best, but it was good enough for now.
After going back and dusting all of the monsters that had been spared on the way to Snowdin, they had gone down the path.
Where they encountered Papyrus.
"TINY HUMAN. I SEE YOU ARE WITHOUT YOUR LARGER HUMAN FRIEND." Frisk moved forward against their will, hearing Chara giggle in their mind.
"HEY!" Papyrus yelled in his loud voice. "WAIT THERE!" His tone softened as he continued. "I ALSO SEE MUCH POTENTIAL IN YOU, AND THAT YOU ARE HEADING DOWN A DESTRUCTIVE PATH. PERHAPS IF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, TRAINED YOU, YOU COULD BECOME NICER." Frisk walked forward again, clenching their fists. "I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING. ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE?" He seemed giddy at the thought, and his eyesockets seemed to be sparkling. "WOWIE! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!"
They entered a battle. Papyrus spared them.
Frisk murdered him again and remained emotionless as his body disintegrated, leaving only his head. "W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED... B-BUT STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! AND SO DOES THE BIG HUMAN!" Frisk froze up at the mention of (Name). "YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BIT BETTER!"
Rage over took Frisk as they went to Papyrus, putting their foot on his skull. How... How dare he!?
"I... I PROMISE..." He managed to get out before Frisk stomped down, reducing his skull to dust.
***
When (Name) found them, they said nothing. They wiped Frisk's tears away again with the same gentleness as before, but this time... They avoided looking into Frisk's eyes. (Name) took their hand and the two continued walking. (Name) paused at the bright red scarf lodged in the snow. Frisk didn't look at them, but they could hear (Name) say something before wiping at their eyes and pulling Frisk along.
***
The walk through Waterfall was rather uneventful, aside from the appearance of Monster Kid. They were accompanying the pair as they searched for their hero, Undyne, captain of the Royal Guard. (Name) found their spunky attitude to be absolutely adorable and asked them many questions, like what their favorite color was, how was their education, were their friends nice to them...
Frisk remained silent throughout all of this, ignoring the happily conversating pair as Chara mocked them. You know, when we fight that stupid fish, we could kill (Name), too!They giggled happily. I doubt they would be worth much EXP, but hey, it would be the first human we killed!!
Frisk clenched their fists, feeling annoyed with the spirit. We aren't going to hurt them. They're nice to us. They don't want to hurt us!
Everyone else was nice to you, but that didn't stop you then.
Frisk felt themselves stop when Chara said that. Then, realization hit them.
Chara was right.
They felt tears sting their eyes. They had killed everyone they cared about over and over... For what? Curiousity? Anger? Their amusement? Out of boredom? Hot tears spilled onto their cheeks. They were a horrible excuse for a human being.
No, they shouldn't even be called a human. They were a sick demon.
A hand brushed their tears off of their cheek gently. "Frisk?"
They looked up, seeing (Name) crouching in front of them with a look of concern on their face.
"Yo..." Monster Kid said awkwardly. (Name) seemed to sense their discomfort and looked to them with a gentle smile. "You can go on without us, Kid. We'll catch up in a bit."
Monster Kid looked like they wanted to protest, but after receiving a pleading glance from (Name), they scurried down the path.
"Frisk, what's wrong?" (Name) asked gently.
'I'm a bad person, aren't I?'
(Name) blinked at the question Frisk had asked with their hands. "W-what? Frisk, no..." They trailed off when they saw Frisk make even more signs and gestures.
'I've hurt so many monsters that are nice and wanted to help me...' A tear slipped down their cheek, followed by another and another. 'I killed them. And... I...' Their hands began to tremble. 'I don't know why I do it anymore. I don't know why I started, and I want to stop, but I can't--'
A larger hand grabbed their own, stopping their rambling. Frisk was pulled into (Name)'s chest as (he/she) gently hugged them. Frisk stiffened up, feeling their heart skip a beat.
"Frisk... You aren't a bad person... No one is, okay? Everyone has goodness in them." (Name) sat on the floor, releasing Frisk and having them sit down as well. "Even the baddest, most evil person can have a sliver of goodness inside," (Name) said quietly as they released Frisk's hands. The child stared down at their lap, before signing a question that had been embedded into their mind since the first time they had heard it.
'Do you think that even the worst person can change? That anyone can be a good person, if they just try?'
(Name) nodded immediately, not showing any sign of hesitation. "They would have to try hard, but anyone can be good."
'What they've done the unforgivable?'
(Name) looked at Frisk before smiling gently. "Being unable to forgive is the unforgivable."
Frisk felt more tears leak from their eyes, and (Name) brought them into another gentle hug.
As Frisk silently sobbed in their arms, they could swear they saw a hooded figure watching the two in the distance.
***
When the pair encountered Monster Kid again, they could tell something was wrong.
Or, (Name) could. Frisk automatically knew it was that time.
Monster Kid looked at them both, eyes wide. "Yo. Undyne told me to stay away from you both. She said you guys... You guys hurt a lot of people..." They trailed off, looking at the ground. (Name) looked like they wanted to say something, but Monster Kid looked back up with tears in their eyes and asked in a disbelieving voice, "But, yo, that's not true, right!?"
Both humans remained silent, which caused Monster Kid to panic. "Yo... Why won't you answer me? A-and what's with that weird expression?!" Frisk's grin widened even more at the fear in Monster Kid's voice.
Hehe! Chara giggled in their mind. Their face is hilarious! They look like they're about to piss themselves!
"Oh... Oh man..." Monster Kid stared at the two; they looked like they were about to faint. They shook their head, eyes narrowing.
"Yo... Y-you better st-stop r-right where you are..." They swallowed nervously and straightened. "Cause if you w-wanna hurt anyone else... you're... you're gonna have to get through me first!" They yelled weakly, freezing when they saw Frisk's red eyes open a bit and look directly at them.
"A... an... and..."
"Kid, listen, we--"
A red heart appeared in front of Frisk, a gray one appearing in front of (Name). Their face paled as they looked over to Frisk, who was dressed innocently enough in their tutu and ballet shoes. Their face, however...
"In my way." Frisk and Chara chorused, Frisk rushing at the Monster Kid and swinging as (Name) screamed at them to stop.
"Undyne... You're... You're hurt..." Monster Kid whispered in fright as the warrior stood in front of them, gasping for air.
"Hurt...?" The woman laughed, ignoring the pain. "It's nothing." She glanced over her shoulder, looking at the young monster she had encountered earlier. "Next time, listen when I tell you to leave, okay?"
Frisk looked up at Undyne, glaring at her in annoyance. Undyne gritted her teeth, hatred for the small human obvious in her expression.
"Undyne... I..." Monster Kid stared at her.
"I'll take care of this. Get out of here!" She ordered. Monster Kid swallowed and backed away, looking back at Frisk. Their eyes fell onto (Name), who swallowed and mouthed to them, Go.
That was all it took to make them run off.
Undyne waited until they were out of sight before speaking, coughing weakly and collapsing to one knee. A smirk struggled onto her lips. "Heh... It's 'nothing'." The smirk melted away. "No... S-somehow, with just one hit, I'm already... Already..." She weakly took in a breath. "D... damn it!" She gritted her teeth, slamming her fist against the ground as she felt herself dying. Frisk walked back to (Name), who was staring at Undyne with tears in their eyes. They grabbed their wrist roughly and began to pull them along, towards Undyne.
"Papyrus... Alphys... Asgore..." Undyne rasped as the humans walked past her. "Just like that, I..." She felt herself begin to dissolve into dust. "I've failed you." She closed her eye, hearing one of the humans let out an amused laugh.
Undyne clenched her fist. Those... Those stupid humans! They had no reason to hurt anyone trapped Underground! They... They were sick... They laughed at other's pain and suffering, not helping anyone but themselves... They... They deserved to die.
A strange feeling entered her SOUL, and as a few seconds passed, she felt herself stop dissolving. She mentally thanked whatever God there was as she forced herself to get back to her feet.
"No." (Name) immediately stopped, forcing Frisk to as well. They turned back around, eyes wide and full of hope. Frisk grinned as they heard Undyne begin the little speech she always said all over again.
"My body... It feels like it's splitting apart. Like any moment, I'll scatter into a million pieces..." Undyne clenched her fists, head lifting up a bit. "But...
"Deep, deep in my soul, there's a burning feeling I can't describe. A burning feeling that WON'T let me die." Particles in the air began to move to the captain of the Royal Guard. "This isn't just about monsters anymore, is it?" Undyne growled out. "If you get past me... You'll destroy them all, won't you? Monsters. Humans. Everyone. Everyone's hopes. Everyone's dreams. Vanquished in an instant."
(Name) swallowed the saliva in their mouth. "N-no!" They cried out, looking at Undyne. "We won't kill anyone... We've made mistakes, but..." Their voice was quiet by the end of their outburst.
"Hah!" Undyne spat angrily. "You expect me to believe that? You've killed so many... All innocent. Or... The brat did." Frisk growled, feeling their eyes narrow in hatred. "And you did nothing to stop it! NOTHING!" She yelled. "You're just as bad as them. You can't save any SOUL but your own, can you?"
(Name) lowered their head, falling silent. Frisk clenched their fists. How dare Undyne talk to them that way?! (Name) had been nothing but nice to everyone they had met, and U-Undyne... Frisk gritted their teeth. They... THEY WOULD MAKE HER PAY!
"But... This is the last time." Undyne said as the particles landed on her, starting to glow. "Right now, everyone in the world... I can feel their hearts beating as one. And we all have ONE goal." Black armor formed on Undyne, much more intricate than her former armor. "To defeat THE BOTH OF YOU. Humans. No, whatever you two are... For the sake of the world, I, UNDYNE, will strike you down!"
Undyne whirled around, ripping off her eyepatch. A glowing light came from the blackness as she smirked. A blue spear appeared in her hand and she pointed it at the pair of humans.
"You're going to have to try a little harder than THAT."
Frisk growled. "FINE THEN!" They screamed in rage as they rushed at Undyne.
"FRISK!" (Name) yelled as they ran after them, seeing Undyne's smirk grow.
Frisk kicked Undyne in the chest, immediately bringing down her HP. They kicked her twice more and punched her once, leaping back before she could lay a finger on them.
Undyne growled as dozens of spears appeared behind her, and she launched them and the one in her hand at Frisk and (Name). Frisk fell onto the ground, grabbing a spear flying by and using it to deflect others. (Name) grabbed one of the spears Frisk had deflected, doing the same.
"Frisk, please, we don't have to do this! Let's just go!" (Name) pleaded, eyes wide with fear. Frisk ignored them, rushing at Undyne again and delivering three blows before leaping back again. Undyne let out a yell of rage as she suddenly rushed towards Frisk, conjuring another spear in her hand.
The small human froze up. Undyne... had never done this before.
Before they could process what was happening, Undyne grabbed at them and drove her spear forward.
(Name) gasped in pain as the spear impaled their chest, HP dropping to zero.
Frisk felt their heart stop as they saw bright red blood drop onto the floor, barely visible on the dark bridge on which they stood.
Undyne's eyes widened as she saw the older human in her grip, not the smaller one who was putting up the fight. What-- How- How is their HP already-- Did she really pack that much into one blow?
Frisk looked towards where they could see their HP.
(Name) could only have 10 HP at most.
Frisk stared at (Name), who was smiling shakily as a trail of blood leaked from their mouth. A fine crack appeared in the gray SOUL that was in front of (Name).
No... no, they couldn't be... Did (he/she)... just... sacrifice themseles for them? A murderer? A good-for-nothing killer who got them into this whole mess!?
"Frisk..."
The child snapped out of their thoughts, looking at (Name). (His/Her) eyelids were fluttering as another crack appeared in their SOUL.
"Please... Don't cry..."
Frisk brought a hand to their cheek, feeling cool tears beneath their fingers. They hadn't noticed they started crying...
They wiped their cheek and pulled their hand away, staring at the tears left on their hand. It began to shake.
"Miss... Undyne..." (Name) looked up at the fish, who gave them a surprised look. Undyne stared into their eyes, searching for a sign of anger, hatred, rage, guilt, a murderous intent...
Instead, she only found a pleading human who lay dying in her arms.
"Please... Don't hate them." (Name) whispered, before their SOUL shattered into a million pieces.