On the grey, stone walls were panels. They all had entries on. "'Entry 1: This is it...time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the soul.' I wonder what she meant?" I read. I moved onwards and found another entry. 'Entry 2: The barrier is locked by soul power. Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. I will have to use what we have at the moment. But, extracting a soul from a live monster requires incredible power. A power that we have yet to find. It would also destroy the monster body. Unlike humans, monster souls shatter almost instantly after death. I need to find a way to make them persist after their body is destroyed.' I kept walking. Another panel bleeped into life. 'Entry 5: Using blueprints, I've extracted power from the souls. I believe this is what they use to persist after death. The will to keep living. Let us call this power, 'determination'.' I read. I didn't like this place. I came across another golden glow. I saved. "What is this place?" I ask Charlotte. "It's Alphys's true lab." Charlotte said. I saw a vending machine and bought a bag of popato chisps. I saw a big door to the right of it. It had different colours on it. To its right, was another door. It was locked. It also had a colour on it. The colour red. I went to the left of the big door, looking for the red key. I entered a room full of operating tables. They all had sticky stuff on. I always hated doctors. Especially operations. A flash back caused me to fall. Being hurt by my peers, constant visits to Dr Carol. I hated it. Charlotte helped me up. "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned. "Y-yeah. Just a bad thought. I'm okay." I tell her. She holds my hand. There were sinks in the back of the room. I turned on one of the taps and wash my hands. We went into the room to the right of the sinks. It had a metal box on the wall with a keyhole. There was a little red light beside the keyhole. I the corner of the room was a note. "It's a note. You can't make it all out. 'Drain...dropped it.'" Came Charlotte's voice. We went back out to the sinks. We turned on all the taps. The very last one was different. Instead of water, white, dripping liquid flowed out. It filled the sink. It gave a laugh as it reformed into a monster. We entered a fight. The creatures I faced...were horrible. They were melted and dripping. They shifted in and out of focus. "What do I do?" I asked Charlotte, trying not to panic, but failing. "I... I don't know. I'm sorry." She said sadly. I pulled out my phone and tried to call Papyrus. But, I stopped. I heard faint voices through the reciever. "Come join the the fun." The voices whispered. I refused to join them. Their names appeared. 'Memory head.' I pressed spare and won the fight. In the sink, the red key sparkled. I attatched it to my keychain. I went back into the other room, still shaken from what I saw. I inserted the key and turned it in the slot. I saw another panel glow on the wall near the entrance to the other room. 'Entry 6: Asgore has asked for monsters who had 'fallen down'. They came in today. I only hope that I can help them.' It read. There was another just a few steps down the wall. 'Entry 9: Things are not good. None of the bodies have turned to dust, so I can't take their souls. Without them, I cannot continue my work.' It read. I left the room and went back to the one with the big door. I entered the door to the right.
I read a few more entries on the walls. 'Entry 12: Nothing happened. I do t know what to do. I just keep injecting everything with 'determination'. I so badly want this to work.' 'Entry 13: One of the bodies opened its eyes. This is a breakthrough. But, in the wrong direction.' They read. I entered a room of beds. One had its sheet drawn back. I needed to rest. My legs were tired and my eyes heavy. The dim light of this place and the brightness of the screens were making me sleepy. I crawled onto the bed. Charlotte tucked me in. I rested for a few moments. Soon, I became uncomfortable. I rose up from the bed. Charlotte took my hand again, worried that I might have a relapse. I found another screen. Another entry. 'Entry 14: Everyone who had fallen down has woken up. I thought they were goners...?' It read. I left the room and went along a corridor. I saw two more panels. 'Entry 15: Seems like the research was a dead end. But something happy came out of it. I sent everything back to Asgore. I called everyone's families. I'll send them all home tomorrow. :)' The first entry read. I was pleased for a brief moment, until I read the next entry. 'No no no no no NO!' It read. I was scared. Along the corridor was an opening to another room. It had a bathtub in. A shower curtain was hung over it. Something was behind the curtain. Charlotte squeezed my hand and we walked towards it. As we got closer, whatever it was behind the curtain seemed to thrash wildly. Charlotte pulled back the curtain, revealing nothing there. There was a green key in the tub. I picked it up and put it on my keychain. I exited the room and continued down the corridor. I entered a room with a scary looking machine. To the right of it was another room. In front of it was what looked like the glowing gold lights, but it was off. I approached it only for it to turn white and become another monster. This one was different. We entered a fight. The monster was called Lemonbread. It looked like a moldbugg, Shyren and Aaron. It was concerning to look at. I opted to hum a tune. It went silent. I spared it. I won the fight. I ran into the room next to the machine. I was terrified. "Wh-why are they all like this? Wh-why are they here? Wh-what are they?" I cried to Charlotte. She just held me in her arms, as my tears fell. I just wanted to get out of here. She stroked my hair. "It's okay. I know you're scared but we have to get through this okay? I know we can do it. I remember something my mom told me: 'don't get scared, get angry.' So, don't be afraid. Just put on a mean face if something approaches." She said. It cheered me up a bit. I wiped my tears and looked around the room. It had video tapes in it. There were a few stacked on the floor in a certain order. "Hey. Let's watch these." I suggested. "Okay." She agreed. I put in the first tape. The first had Asgore and Toriel speaking. Toriel made some bad puns about being a mother. This must have been before Sophie was born. It was funny to listen to. There was no picture. It was too dark. I put in the next one. "Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face!" The voice said. There was a small pause. "Ahhhhh! Hee hee hee!" The voice said. Charlotte laughed with the laugh. "I'd forgotten all about these." She said, quietly. "Oh, wait! I had the lens cap on..." The first voice said. "Well, I'm not doing again!" Another voice said. It sounded like Charlotte's. "What!? You're not gonna do it again...? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!" The original voice said. I decided to put on the next one. "Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!" The voice from the previous video said. There was a pause. "Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the lens cap on... On purpose! No you're smiling for no reason! Hee hee hee!" They laughed. The other voice gave a small chuckle. "Hey, do you remember when we baked together one day?" The other voice asked. "What? Oh, yeah, I remember." The voice said, sadly. "When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right?" They asked. "Yeah. That one." The other voice said. "The recipe called for cups of butter...but we accidentally put in buttercups instead. Yeah. Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off like you did..." The voice sounded disheartened. "Um, anyway, where are you going with this?" "Can you turn off the camera for a minute, please?" The other voice asked. "Huh? Turn off the camera...? Ok." The first voice said. Charlotte looked sad. I put in the next tape. "I...I don't like this idea, Chara." The first voice said, sniffling slightly. "Hey, you're not crying on me, are you?" The other voice teased. "Wh-what? N-no, I'm not... Big kids don't cry." The voice said. "Heh. You know I have to do this. Afterwards we'll help everyone." The other voice said. "Yeah, you're right." The voice said. "Hey, you're not doubting me, are you? I, we, can do this." The other voice said, full of determination. "No! I'd never doubt you, Chara... Never!" The first voice said, fiercely. "Good. We need to be strong to free everyone. Okay? I really need you to help me with this. Please. Those flowers are our best shot." The other voice said, pleading. "Y...yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone. I'll go get the flowers." The first voice said. Charlotte looked lost in thought as I put in the last tape. The first voice to play sounded like Toriel's. "Chara...can you hear me? We want you to wake up..." She said, desperately. Another voice spoke. It was Asgore. "Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up...you are the future of humans and monsters..." He said to them. His voice was cracking up. The voice from the other videos spoke too. "Psst... Chara...please...wake up... I don't like this plan anymore." They whispered. They sounded terrified. "Hey. It's okay. I thought you said you wouldn't doubt me." The other voice croaked out. "I... I... No, I said... I said I'd never doubt you. Six right? We just have to get six... And we'll do it together, right?" The voice said as the video ended. "Right." Charlotte croaked. It was my turn to comfort her. She cried, begging for forgiveness. "I'm so s-s-sorry! Sophie, please forgive me. I... I... I..." She sobbed before more tears fell. She clutched my jumper as if I would disappear if she let go. "Charlotte, what's wrong?" I asked. "I'm Chara. It's my nickname." She sobbed. I wrapped my arms around her, sheltering her from all her troubles. "Hey, hey now. Don't cry. We're nearly there. Remember what Flowey said? We just have to do this and then we're free." I soothed. "Heh. You're right. We can't stop now." She said. I wiped her tears away and stood up. In the corner of the room was a note. Like the other, was hardly readable. "Under... Sheets..." It read. I went back into the room with the beds. I had a hunch it meant bed sheets. I found a bed that didn't look like the others. I pulled back the sheets to find a yellow key. I went back into the video room. It had a key slot on the wall. I slid in the yellow key and turned it. The light lit up and I left the room.
I walk to the other side of the machine and through the doorway. It was difficult to see anything. I left the room. I went back to the corridor and decided to check out the other side. The room was clouded like the other one but, it was more visible. Another panel shone through the dark. 'Entry 11: Now that Mettaton has made it big, he doesn't talk to me anymore. Except to ask when his body will be finished. I can't really work on it. I can't concentrate. Plus, I just get really sweaty when I try to.' It read. I sighed. Poor Alphys... Mettaton will be getting a chewing out later... I thought to myself. I walked to the end of the room and flicked a switch. It turned on the wall of extractor fans. Suddenly, another monster appeared. They looked like a huge puppy. We entered a fight. It was a huge melted mess of dogs. I felt so bad for them. I pressed ACT and chose to call to them. "C'mere, c'mere." I called as I tapped my knees. They approached me. I pressed ACT again and petted them. They were so happy. They laid on my lap as I stroked them. They got up and crawled on the walls, their tail wagging. *Play. I waved my stick in front of them and threw it into the back of the room. They brought it back to me and dropped it at my feet. I waved it again and threw it. I did this a few times. They became tired. *Pet. I patted one of the other heads. They were very happy. I chose Pet again. I pet them all decisively. They all smiled at me. I pressed Spare and went on my way. I went back to the other room. On the wall was another panel. 'Entry 19: The families keep asking me when everyone is coming home. What should I say? I don't answer the phone anymore. I can't take the questions.' It read. I walked down the rest of the wall and found another panel. 'Entry 20: Asgore left me five messages today. Four about how everyone was mad and one about a cute teacup he found that looked like me. Thanks, Asgore.' It read. I gave a small chuckle. I found another panel. 'Entry 21: I spend all my time at the garbage dump now. It's my element.' It read. I sighed for Alphys. I checked all of the items in the room. There were five refrigerators. I checked them all. Some had nothing in, some had a few samples in. The last one I checked shifted into another monster. Another fight ensued. It looked like a snowdrake. I told her a joke. She laughed. I told her another one and she smiled. I said another bad pun and she had calmed down. I spared her afterwards. On the floor was a blue key. I attached it to my keychain. I entered the room off of this one and saw another key slot. I put in the green key and turned it in the slot. I walked out and back to the room of beds.
I turned right in the room and found a corridor of golden flowers and mirrors. On the walls were more panels. 'Entry 7: We'll need a vessel for all of the souls when the time comes. After all, a monster can't absorb monster souls and humans can't absorb human souls. So what about something that's neither human nor monster?' The entry read. The next entry was strange. 'Entry 10: Experiments on the vessel are a failure. The result s are no different from the others. Whatever. They're a hassle to work with and they're seeds just stick to you. I moved further into the room. A line of mirrors were propped up on the wall. I stopped in front of one and a monster appeared. It was terrifying. Another fight was entered. It was scary. It looked weird. It was strange to look at. I prayed. It spared me and I spared it. I ran into the next room. It was the last one that needed a key. I took the blue key off my keychain, placed it in the slot and turned it. I left the room and went back to the big door. All of the lights were on. I opened it and went through it. It was an elevator. It had no power. I wen to the left of it and through another corridor. The had panels on but the power was off. I shrugged and went into the next room. I found the fuse box and turned on the power. Suddenly, I heard a laugh. I turned and saw all of the monster coming towards me. I couldn't move. I froze. They had cornered me. I cowered on the ground. Then, a voice called out. "Hey! Stop!" It was Alphys. "I got you guys some food, okay!?" She said. And with that, they disappeared off to go find it. I lifted my head. Alphys stretched out her hand to help me up. I took it gratefully. "Sorry about that..." She said. "They get kind of sassy when they don't get fed on time. I think they smelled the potato chips on you, and... Anyway! The power went out, and I've been trying to turn it back on! But it seems like you were one step ahead of me. This was probably just a big inconvenience for you... But I appreciate that you came here to back me up!" She said. "Of course I came down here to help you. You're my friend Alphys. This wasn't an inconvenience. It was interesting." I told her. She gave a little smile. "As I said, I was afraid I might...not come back. But that's not because of these guys or anything! I was just worried I would be too afraid...to tell the truth...that I might run away or do something...cowardly." She said sadly. "Uh...I... I suppose I owe you an explanation. As you probably know, Asgore asked me to study the nature of souls. During my research, I found a power called 'determination'. I injected dying monsters with it so I could study their souls after they died. But the experiments failed. Unlike humans, monsters don't have enough physical matter to house those concentrations of determination. They started to melt, and lost what physicality they had. Pretty soon, they all melted together, creating well...those. Seeing them like that... I couldn't tell their families. I couldn't tell anyone. No matter how many times I was asked. I was too afraid to keep working, knowing...everything I had done was a failure. But now... Now, I've changed my mind. I'm going to tell everyone what I've done. It will be difficult. But, I know that my friends will support me. Thanks." She told me. The monsters came back and looked at Alphys expectantly. "Come on, guys. It's time for everyone to go home." She said. Then, they all walked out together. Charlotte nudged my arm and we left the room. We noticed that the panels had been switched on. We read the entries. 'Entry 8: I've chosen a candidate. I haven't informed Asgore yet, as it is a surprise. In the centre of his garden is something special. The first golden flower to ever grow. I wonder...what happens when something without a soul gains the will to live?' 'Entry 18: The flower is gone." I wondered what happened. Did she succeed? Oh well. It was time to leave the lab. We entered the elevator, ready to face the last step of our journey.