Ace's POV
Ace trailed after Toriel and the others. She had found Ray and Clover before going to get Ace and Teri, who she praised for following her directions. Her praise made Ace's heart light up. He hadn't done it for praise, yet it still felt good. Toriel dealt with all the monsters along the way, frightening them away with her gaze alone before leading Ace and the others onward. Finally, she stopped in front of a quaint cottage. She ushered everyone inside. When Ace entered the house, he was immediately greeted with a sweet smell wafting through the air.
"Toriel's back!" a voice called. Ace looked to see Kat, Frisk, and Poppy rushing into the main room. Toriel held up one finger.
"So that makes..." she pointed at each of them. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! Good, all seven of you are here."
"What is that smell, Toriel?" Teri asked, tugging at Toriel's robe. "It smells good."
Toriel smiled. "It is a cinnamon butterscotch pie. I thought it would be a good way to-"
"PIE?!" Ray exclaimed. He jumped up so high that when he fell back down, the floor creaked beneath him. "HECK YES I WANT PIE!"
Toriel chuckled. "I will cut it so you can each get a slice. In the meantime, however, there is one other surprise waiting for you." She made her way down a hallway. Ace followed her, keeping a steady pace behind the others. "It is a room for you!"
"All of us?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes... sorry I only have one room to spare..."
"It's okay," Kat insisted, smiling brightly. "We can find a way to share it."
"Can we?" Ray muttered, raising an eyebrow.
"I may have spare pillows and blankets lying around somewhere," Toriel insisted. She paused, her eyes going wide. "Is something burning... Um, make yourselves at home, my children." She turned and rushed away. "But I will see if I can find those pillows and blankets after we have some pie!"
"Thanks, Mom!" Ace called, waving.
"Mom?" Ray scoffed. Frisk pulled the door open, ushering everyone in. Ace rushed in. He avoided everyone's gazes as he plopped down on the floor.
"It just slipped out," Ace admitted.
"It's understandable," Clover replied, sitting on the bed. "She does act like a mother."
"Wait..." Poppy froze "Did she just surprise adopt us?!"
"Probably," Ace replied with a shrug.
"Well, that's not happening," Frisk replied, crossing their arms.
"Why not?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We have to get back to our real families," Teri insisted.
"Yeah!" Kat agreed, "My parents are probably worried sick by now!" Ace glanced at Frisk. His friend was staring at the ground, letting out a sigh.
"It's not just that," Frisk replied. Everyone glanced at them, cocking their heads. Frisk let out a sigh. "There's a reason we're here... I don't know what but... we have to keep going."
"But... but I want to stay," Ace admitted. He wrapped his arms around his legs.
"Why?" Clover asked, cocking his head. "Don't you have a family to return to?" Ace cringed as thoughts of his parents flooded his mind. His mother's smile... his father's scowl... The first being a distant memory, the other being his reality. Plus the yelling... and empty bottles everywhere...
"Not really," Ace sighed. "Besides, Toriel's really nice..."
"Ace, you can't stay," Frisk insisted, marching toward him. "We all have to keep going... we have no future staying with Toriel." Ace let out a sigh. Arguing with Frisk was a lost cause.
"Okay," Ace sighed. Kat rested her hand on Ace's shoulder.
"But how do we leave the Ruins?" Clover asked.
"Yeah." Poppy stood up. "Did any of us seen an exit?" Everyone shook their heads. Frisk let out a sigh before making their way to the door.
"Guess our only choice is to ask Toriel." They opened the door.
"WHAT?!" Poppy exclaimed. "Are you crazy?! She's not going to just let us leave!"
"We don't know that," Teri insisted, brushing leaves off her tutu. "Besides, she would be sad if we left without saying goodbye."
"I'm sure she'd let us leave if we asked really nicely," Kat added, clasping her hands.
"It's worth a try, I guess," Frisk muttered, sitting on the bed. "But we should sleep first." Everyone nodded. Frisk and Ray shared the bed while everyone else attempted to make themselves comfortable on or under the rug. Ace laid on his back, part of the carpet covering his legs. The next morning, Ace woke up to find a pillow beneath his head and a blanket covering his body. He looked around to see the others with similar setups. The sweet smell of cinnamon and butterscotch also filled the air. Ace looked to see seven plates, each with a slice of pie on them, were lined against the wall. Ace took one of the plates.
"Hey," Kat yawned, sitting up. "Good morning- is that pie?!" Shoving the rug aside, Kat dashed toward one of the plates.
"ESPERATE!" Clover gasped. Kat paused, raising her eyebrow at Clover. "Foods are healing items," he informed.
"Yeah, we should save the pie for the road," Frisk replied, stashing their pie. Everyone else did the same. Ace let out a sigh as he followed the others. Toriel was sitting on a chair in the living room, her eyes fixed on a book. Ace looked around the living room. The fireplace crackling softly, the bookshelf neat bookshelf beside it, and the table with three chairs at it.
"Hello Toriel," Kat greeted, waving. Ace's heart ached as he went over to join the others.
"Up already, I see," Toriel mused, looking up from her book. "Um... I want you to know how glad I am to have you all here." Something stabbed Ace's heart. "There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favourite bug-hunting spot." Kat visibly grimaced. "I've also prepared a curriculum for your education. This may come as a surprise... but I have always wanted to be a teacher."
"That's... not very surprising," Poppy grunted, rolling her eyes.
"Still, I am glad to have you all living here," Toriel continued. "Oh, did you want something?" NO! Ace longed to shout. Toriel was clearly lonely here, with no one but herself, and she deserved better. Ace glanced at Kat. Surely she had realized the same thing?! She always did.
"We want to go home," Kat sighed.
"Home? This IS your home now," Toriel insisted, resting her paw on Kat's head. "Um..." Toriel looked at her book. "Do you want to hear about this book I am reading? It is called 'Seventy Two Uses For Snails.'" There are seventy uses for snails?
"Toriel, we need to leave," Teri insisted, resting her hand on the armrest. "How do we exit the Ruins?"
"Um..." Toriel looked away for a moment. "How about an exciting snail fact? Did you know that snails... sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature?" WHAT?! "Interesting?"
"Stop dodging the question!" Ray snapped, stomping into the ground. "How do we leave the Ruins?!"
Toriel blinked. "...I have to do something. Stay here." Setting her book aside, Toriel made her way out of the living room. Frisk immediately followed her. Ace dragged his feet, walking far behind the others. Toriel was rushing down a flight of stairs as Frisk pursued her, the others trailing after Frisk like a mob.
"Where is she going?" Clover asked, following Frisk down the stairs.
Frisk paused before replying, "We're about to find out." They made their way down the stairs and into a hallway. Toriel stood there.
"You wish to know how to return "home," do you not?" Toriel didn't even face them as she spoke.
"Yes," Teri replied, nodding.
"Well, ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground. I am going to destroy it." Kat gasped. "No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be good children and go back upstairs." Ace longed to obey, returning to his room and maybe even eating that pie with Toriel. However, Frisk continued, so everyone else did. "Every human that falls down here will meet the same fate. He promised it... you naive children... if you leave the Ruins, they... Asgore... will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?" No one replied. "Go to your room." Yet again, they continued through the hall. "This is your final warning," Toriel muttered. They kept going. Finally, Toriel stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. "You want to leave so badly?"
"Uh, yeah?!" Ray replied, clenching his fists.
"Please?" Teri begged, clasping her hands together. "We really need to go home."
"Hmph... you naive children... fine, there is only one way to solve this. Prove yourselves. Prove to me you are all strong enough to survive." Toriel turned to them, her eyes narrowed. All their souls appeared in front of their chests, shining in the crushing darkness.
"Fine!" Ray snapped, slipping his tough gloves on.
Frisk leaped in front of him. "No! Don't hurt her!" Toriel said nothing. Ace gasped as flames shot down from the sky, setting parts of the ground on fire. Jumping away, Ace was barely able to dodge a fireball.
"You don't have to do this!" Kat insisted, stomping out the fire. Toriel didn't reply. Her gaze was cold as if she was looking right through them. It seemed... familiar. More flames shot from Toriel's paws. Attack after attack lit up the room and some zipped by Ace, burning his skin. He let out a cry. Glancing back at Toriel, her cold gaze made him shrink away. Then it hit him. This was the same way his father looked at him... The flames hurt so much more than the pieces of glass... and her silence told so much more. Ace's eyes filled with tears. Before he could react, a fireball slammed right into his chest. His entire body stung, even his blood. Ace let out a hoarse cry. The flames seemed to have drained his entire body of any water.
"ACE!" Frisk cried. His friend's brown eyes were wide as they rushed toward him. The last thing Ace saw before his vision went dark was Toriel, her paws pressed against her mouth and eyes wide with horror.
Frisk's POV
"ACE NO!" Frisk rushed toward their friend. Gasping, they tripped on their feet, falling face-first into the flames. They let out a cry. Frisk's eyes filled with tears as he watched Ace's body go limp and his light blue soul separate from his body. I failed him. The world went dark and Frisk was motionless.
"You cannot give up just yet." A new voice whispered in their ear, much deeper and gruffer. "Chara! Stay determined..." Something burned inside Frisk. Their entire body was tense and surging with a strange feeling. This isn't how it ends! Frisk's eyes popped open. They were standing back in front of the yellow object near Toriel's cottage. Kat and Poppy were walking through the doorway.
"What happened?" Frisk murmured, resting their hand on their forehead.
"You died," the voice replied, flatly.
"But why am I back here?" Frisk asked, gesturing toward the house. "Is this the afterlife? Am I a ghost?"
The voice let out a groan. "You don't know anything, do you?"
"I guess not," Frisk sighed, shrugging.
"Your determination brought you back to life," the voice explained. "Those 'yellow objects' you kept touching, they're save points. When you die, you return to the last one you touched." I have another chance then?!
"How?" Frisk breathed.
"Your determination," the voice repeated. "All humans have it but you... you have so much it defines you. That's why your soul is red." So that explains the different colours.
"So I went back in time?" Frisk asked, tilting their head.
"Exactly."
"Am I the only one who remembers what happened?" Frisk asked, glancing at the ground.
"Other than me, yes. Any more questions?"
Frisk asked the first thing that came to their mind: "Who is Chara?"
The voice chuckled. "Chara is me."
"Toriel's back!" Frisk watched from afar as Toriel counted everyone with a smile on her face, the conversation progressing the same as it had last time.
"What is that smell, Toriel? It smells good."
"It is a cinnamon butterscotch pie. I thought it would be a good way to-"
"PIE?! HECK YES, I WANT PIE!"
"I will cut it so you can each get a slice. In the meantime, however, there is one other surprise waiting for you." Toriel led them down the hallway again. Frisk sat on the bed, tuned out the conversation for a while to focus on their thoughts. I have a second chance. How should I handle it? Frisk's gaze was fixed on Ace as they opened the door and ushered everyone inside. Is it a good idea to force him to come again? Does he really need to come when he really wants to stay?
"Wait..." Frisk tuned back into the conversation. "Did she just surprise adopt us?!"
"Probably."
"Well, I can't stay here," Frisk replied, putting emphasis on the fact that this was their quest.
"We can't either," Clover added, taking off his hat.
"Yeah," Kat replied. "We have to get back to our families. My parents are probably worried sick!"
"Who else is with me?" Frisk asked, raising one of their fists. Clover and Ray immediately raised their fists, shouting "I!" in unison. Kat, Teri, and Poppy did as well. As Frisk expected, Ace didn't raise his fist or even reply.
"What about you, Ace?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you wanna come too?"
"Not really," Ace admitted, wrapping his arms around his legs.
"Why not?" Clover asked, cocking his head. "Don't you have a family to return to?" Frisk squinted at Ace to see him cringing, his eyes wide.
"Not really," Ace sighed, clenching his fists. "Besides, Toriel's really nice..."
"You don't have to come with," Frisk replied. Ace glanced at Frisk, eyes wide. "You can stay if you want."
"R-really?" Frisk nodded. "Th-thanks."
"But how do the rest of us leave the Ruins?" Clover inquired.
Frisk stood up off the bed. "You five sort that out." Frisk stopped in front of Ace, resting their hand on his shoulder. "I need to talk to Ace." Clover nodded.
"Wait, why?" Ace asked, shrinking away from Frisk. They didn't answer. Frisk got up and opened the door, gesturing at Ace to follow. Ace shambled after them. Frisk closed the door behind them, walking down the hall.
"What did you want to talk about?" Ace asked, his shoulders tense as he shambled after Frisk.
"Why don't you want to go home?" Frisk asked, stopping in front of the mirror.
Ace's eyes widened. "I never said that," he protested, freezing on the spot.
"Then why do you want to stay with Toriel?" Frisk asked, stepping closer to Ace. He took a step back. "I know you have a family, Ace. I've met your parents and sister. Don't you want to see them again?"
"My sister won't miss me," Ace grunted, crossing his arms. "She's got her own apartment now."
"But what about your parents? Surely they're worried sick about you."
Ace let out a sigh. He looked down at the ground as he continued, "My mom... is dead." Frisk's eyes widened. "She has been for a while now."
"And your dad?"
Ace fell silent. After a long time, he replied, "He hurts me..." Frisk's eyes watered. "T-Toriel doesn't hurt us."
"Not on purpose at least, Chara muttered, a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"She makes me feel safe."
"Why... why didn't you ever say anything?" Frisk asked, biting back tears.
"I hoped he would stop." Ace's voice was barely above a whisper. "I thought I was doing something wrong so I tried not to but he kept doing it..." Ace covered his eyes. Frisk closed the distance between them, resting their hand on Ace's shoulder. Sobbing, Ace let his hands fall to his sides again. He finally met Frisk's gaze. "If you guys need me, I can come."
"No, no, you can stay if you want," Frisk insisted, stepping away from their friend to face him. "We'll manage... and... I'm sure we'll see each other again one day."
"I hope," Ace sighed, looking back at the ground as he rested a hand on his shoulder. "I'll miss you guys, I'm sorry it has to be this way." It's better than you being dead.
"It's fine, Ace," Frisk insisted, resting their hand on Ace's shoulder. "You do what you want, okay? Don't let people pressure you into something you don't want to do." Frisk wrapped their arms around Ace, pulling them closer. Ace hugged back.
"Okay," he whispered into Frisk's ear. Frisk rubbed Ace's shoulder, closing their eyes for a few moments before they backed out of the hug.
"Let's go back to the room," Frisk suggested, "It's getting late, we should get some sleep." Ace nodded, trailing after Frisk as they made their way back into the room.
"We wondered if you would ever come back!" Ray exclaimed, spreading his arms.
Clover rolled his eyes at him. "We were just discussing how we're going to leave tomorrow. We don't know where the exit to the Ruins is so-"
"We're going to ask Toriel," Frisk interrupted. Everyone stared at them in confusion. "I figured. Anyways, we should get some sleep before then."
"Yeah..." Kat replied. Her voice seemed to come from elsewhere. Clover and Ace shared the bed while everyone else attempted to get comfortable on the bed. Frisk was unable to sleep until Toriel brought pillows and blankets. Everyone else was asleep at that point so Frisk closed their eyes as Toriel gave them a pillow and blanket.