//------------------------------// // Chapter 28: Fishing A New Friend // Story: Harmony of Heroes: Ultimate Multiverse Explorers // by Lucar //------------------------------// The trio stood in front of the house looking like a sea-monster head. A piano being (very badly) played could be heard from inside. Papyrus knocked on the door that served as the mouth of the head, and a few seconds later, it revealed Undyne, now out of her armor, revealing to be wearing a black tank top and a jean with boots. "HELLO AGAIN, UNDYNE! I FINALLY ARRIVED FOR OUR TRAINING!" the skeleton said. "Great! Let's hurry so I can put behind the..." Undyne stopped as she remarked Sweetie Belle and Frisk slightly behind Papyrus, the two waving at her at this moment. She made a grimace before glancing at Papyrus. "Why did you bring them?" "I WANTED THEM TO COME TO HAVE OUR TRAINING TOGETHER. ALSO, YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THEY SOLVED YOUR PIANO PUZZLE!" "What? Really?! These punks did it?!" "THAT'S WHAT THEY TOLD ME!" "Yup! We activated the music box in the statue by putting a umbrella on it and played the revealed song with the piano!" Sweetie Belle said. "I got the idea of putting the umbrella on the statue, and Sweetie Belle is the one who thought that the song of the music box was the one that we had to play with the piano," Frisk informed. "We haven't taken the legendary artefact yet however. Papyrus wanted to be with us." "YES, I DIDN'T WANT TO MISS THIS!!! THE DISCOVERY OF A LEGENDARY ARTEFACT! THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE!" "Fuhuhuhu!" Undyne laughed proudly. "So it took the minds of a human and of an alien from another dimension to solve my puzzle! Maybe I should make more!" "I AGREE! JUST MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MAKE THEM OBLIGATORY, OR NOBODY WILL BE ABLE TO TRAVERSE WATERFALL ANYMORE UNLESS THEY HAVE THEIR OWN HUMAN AND ALIEN FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION WITH THEM." "Of course! Of course! Now, why don't you come in?" Undyne said even if she gave another grimace at Sweetie Belle and Frisk. She then let them enter. As seen from outside, the house was rather small, as the room they were in seemed to both serve as the living room, the dining room, and the kitchen. There was a big squared table at the right with a giant sword against the wall, a purple carpet and a piano at the left, and an oven with a stove between two tables, the left one having a sink, and there was a fridge in the right corner. A door, probably leading to the bedroom, was at the left of the table with the sink. "HERE, UNDYNE. MY FRIENDS BROUGHT A GIFT TO YOU, ON THEIR OWN!" Papyrus then said before he gave a wrapped bone to Undyne. "Uhhh... Thanks." Undyne obviously didn't believe Papyrus but still took the bone. "I'll, uh, put it with the others." She then went to put the bone in a drawer full of them before she returned to them. "So, are we ready to start?" she asked. "WHOOPSY DOOPSY! I JUST REMEMBERED! I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!! YOU THREE HAVE FUN!!!" Papyrus suddenly said before he jumped through a window. Undyne didn't even bat an eye at this. Smooth, Paps... Sweetie Belle thought. "...So why are YOU here?" Undyne eventually asked to Sweetie Belle and Frisk. "To hang out with you," Sweetie Belle answered. Frisk nodded. "We would like to be your friend." "And get to know you better," Sweetie Belle added. "Really? How delightful!!" Undyne shouted in obvious fake joy. "I accept! Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship!" She then looked back at the children in anger. "...NOT! Why would I ever be friends with YOU!? A filly who beat me up again and again, stopping me from doing my duty! And a human whose SOUL should now be in a jar in the king's possession with the six others, ready to be used to free everyone! You two are the enemies of everyone's hopes and dreams! I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND," she finished with finality, almost growling the words. "Now get out of my house!" Before the children could react to Undyne's words, Papyrus suddenly reappeared behind the window through which he previously jumped and said, "DANG! WHAT A SHAME... I THOUGHT UNDYNE COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU. BUT I GUESS... I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE'S JUST NOT UP TO THE CHALLENGE." And he was almost immediately gone. "CHALLENGE!? WHAT!? PAPYRUS! WAIT A SECOND...!" Undyne yelled, to no avail. "Darnit! He thinks I can't be friends with YOU!? Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with pipsqueaks like you any day! I'll show him!" she shouted with determination. Sweetie Belle's jaw dropped. Did Papyrus just use reverse psychology to convince her to be our friend?! And with success?! And I thought that I was starting to know him... "Listen up, you two," Undyne continued, unaware of her guests' shock at understanding that Papyrus could be cunning. "We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be... BESTIES. I'll make you like me so much you won't be able to think of anyone else!!! Fuhuhuhu! It's the PERFECT REVENGE!!" ...Why did they have a foreboding feeling? Undyne then proposed to them to have a sit, but there wasn't enough chairs for the three of them. So Sweetie Belle created one for herself with her powers. "Uh... Thanks for the new chair..." Undyne said with a hint of admiration. "I'll get you something to drink." Undyne then opened the fridge and took out a sugar jar, a bottle of soda, a container of hot chocolate, and some teaboxes that she placed on the over and the tables beside it. "All set! What would you like?" "I would like the hot chocolate, please!" Sweetie Belle answered. Frisk nodded. "Me too!" "Very well! Wait, wait, I just remembered... That container is empty. I stopped getting it because it was always a hassle... Asgore kept getting marshmallows stuck in his beard." "Oh? The king comes here?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Yes, sometime. He may be my king and my boss, he's also and most of all my friend." Undyne glanced aside with a saddened expression. "Friends is what he needs..." Sweetie Belle and Frisk glanced at each other at this before Frisk said, "Then I wouldn't mind tea. Uh... Not sure why, but I want to have the golden flower one." "Well, I will take the same," the filly said. "...tea, huh? Coming right up!" Undyne then prepared the tea, heating the water on the stove inside a tea-pot. Once it was ready, she poured the water in the cups she had prepared before giving them to her guests and sitting on a chair, warning them that it was hot. "Thanks!" they both said before Sweetie began to drink. Frisk, however, decided to wait. Undyne quickly got impatient. "It's not THAT hot!! Just drink it already!" Frisk obeyed. "It's really good!" Sweetie Belle praised. Frisk agreed with a nod. "Thanks! Nothing but the best for my ABSOLUTELY PRECIOUS FRIENDS!!" There was then a moment of silence as they enjoyed the delicious tea. "Hey..." Undyne eventually began. "You know... It's kind of strange you chose THAT tea. Golden flower tea... That's Asgore's favorite kind." This got their attention. Especially Frisk's. "Actually, now that I think about it... You kind of remind me of him," Undyne said as she looked at Frisk. "You're both TOTAL weenies!!!... Sort of." "Am not!" Frisk shouted, cheeks pink. "Don't think I haven't remarked how you almost always let your friend talk first. And hey! Don't take it bad! It's my specialty to be friends with weenies! It's like I have a soft spot for them!" After another moment of silence during which Frisk pouted, she continued. "Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid." "You don't say," Sweetie Belle said with a snicker. "Shut up you furball! I'm not as bad anymore! Anyway, so, I wanted to prove that I was the strongest, so I tried to fight Asgore. Emphasis on TRIED. I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated... Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy... "Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?" I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt... bad. But he was beaming... I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked. Anyway, long story short, he kept training me... And now, I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight!... Like, uh, Papyrus." Sweetie Belle giggled. "I can't wait to encounter King Asgore. The more I hear about him, the more I want to. Even Princess Celestia, the ruler of where I live, isn't as approachable, and she's really nice." "That's because he never goes all mighty on us like most royals do. He remains very close to his people. He plays with the children, doesn't hesitate to help even if it means getting some mud on him, and even gives gifts to all the monsters in the Underground during Gyftmas. He's not just a king, he's a father, to all of us. Speaking of, you said you were the second in command of a king, uh? How was he?" "Oh boy, where to start. When I first met him, Dedede was very selfish and egotistical. Pretty much the opposite of what you just said about Asgore. He actually self-proclaimed himself as the king of Dream Land, and he went to the point of taking all the food of the kingdom just for himself, because he's also very gluttonous, and lazy too when he felt like it." "And you worked for such a guy? It must have sucked." "As surprising as it sounds, not really. Well, it has more to do with the fact that I never had to follow orders such as stealing all the food of the kingdom. When I arrived, Dedede had recently gotten his butt kicked by a newly arrived hero named Kirby, so he was now putting all his energy into trying to defeat him. Soon enough, seeing potential in me, he personally began to train me so I could fight Kirby too. He was strong! He had that big hammer that he could swing around very easily! So I found myself with broken bones more times than I can count! But thankfully, thanks to the food having healing properties, the injuries never lasted and I was ready to continue the training the next day." Sweetie Belle giggled. "But then, things got complicated when a real villain actually appeared, and this is where I discovered that despite all his faults, Dedede wasn't that bad. He actually tried to fight the villain to protect Dream Land and all its people, and he managed to trap him for a time. Kirby then came and defeated the villain for good. After that, villains continued to come one after another, and little by little, everything changed. Instead of fighting Kirby, I found myself fighting at his side to protect the kingdom and even the world and I became his closest friend. Dedede's hate toward Kirby turned into a more friendly rivalry, and while he remained a jerk most of the times, he became... nicer, and I developed a real complicity with him, and I even began to consider him like a second father. Dedede also joined Kirby on some occasions to defeat villains, and even saved me once, becoming himself a hero. As for me, I quickly grew stronger, to the point that from simple servant, Dedede made me his second in command. And then, one day, I was able to defeat him in an intense duel, and on this day, he became the proudest person in the whole universe. It wasn't long after that that he made me queen of a kingdom after we defeated the local evil corrupted queen, and thus, conquered it. And you know the best part? He didn't even ask my opinion! He just assembled the peoples of Floralia and pretty much told them "Here's your new queen!" before showing me to everyone!" Undyne burst into laughter, hitting the table a few times with her fist. "He seriously did that?! I can't believe it!" "Oh but don't worry, I totally made him regret this later! I eventually managed to defeat the leader of a powerful army of mercenaries that was kinda rival to Dedede and his army, and he then asked my help to recruit them into his army. I countered that since he made me queen of my own kingdom, then if I helped him, I would just end up recruiting the mercenaries in my army, and if he insisted, then I would also recruit him and his army, annexing by the same occasion Dream Land. This shut him up." "Ah!" Undyne laughed again. "You got him right! What about you, human? What can you tell me about the humans, their alien-fighting robots and magical princesses? Wait, maybe you ARE a magical princess too! Are you?" Frisk found herself at a lost of words at her sudden question. She was saved by Sweetie Belle. "She's amnesic. She remembers nothing of her life before she fell in the Underground." "Uh... Really? Damn... Do you want me to hit you on the head? It could help you recover your memories." "Uuuuhh... No thanks!" Frisk shouted. "I'm hoping they'll come back eventually on their own!" "As you wish. By the way, uh, Sweetie Belle, right?" "Yup!" the filly answered. "I totally want to hear about your heroic adventures beating up bad guys one day! It's no wonder you're so strong if you managed to defeat some! Because of being trapped in this place, I didn't get the occasion!" "No problem!" "Well, I guess that for now, I will content myself with training dorks and giving stars in the eyes of the children. Speaking of, about Papyrus... Well, to be honest... I don't know if... I can ever let him into the Royal Guard... Don't tell him I said that! He's just... Well..." "He's too innocent," Sweetie Belle said. "Yeah, exactly. He's actually pretty freaking tough! But you saw him, he just can't hurt a fly. He's too nice. I mean, look, he was SUPPOSED to capture you..." she said as she looked at Frisk. "And he ended up being FRIENDS with you instead! I could NEVER send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds." Both Sweetie Belle and Frisk nodded in understanding. Even if it was his dream, Papyrus really wasn't made to be a Royal Guard, even if he proved his strength. "That's part of why..." Undyne continued. "I started teaching him how to cook, you know? So, um, he can do something else with his life." They nodded again. "I totally see him opening a restaurant at the surface once the Barrier is destroyed," Sweetie Belle said. "Yeah... Once it is destroyed..." Undyne mumbled as she glanced at Frisk before she looked back toward Sweetie Belle. "Do you REALLY think you can destroy it?" "I'm not sure at one hundred percent, but I can at least try. I really wish to help the monsters, and Frisk too." Undyne nodded before she remarked the empty cups. "Oh, sorry, I'll get you more tea." She then got up to prepare more tea when she thought about something. "Wait a second. Papyrus... His cooking lesson... HE WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE THAT RIGHT NOW!!! And if HE's not here to have it... YOU'LL HAVE TO HAVE IT FOR HIM!!!" "Uh oh..." both Sweetie and Frisk said as they began to sweat in worry, remembering what they were told about her... passionate cooking. Undyne then jumped on one of the tables beside the oven and kicked off the sugar and the rest. "That's right!" she then shouted. "NOTHING has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you this lesson... WE'LL BECOME CLOSER THAN YOU CAN EVER IMAGINE!!!" Seeing Sweetie and Frisk's reaction, she then laughed. "Fuhuhu!! Afraid!? We're gonna be best friends!!!" "Actually, I'm wo-Eep!" Sweetie Belle began, only to be interrupted by Undyne landing between her and Frisk in one jump before grabbing the both of them and bringing them to the table beside the fridge. "Let's start with the sauce!!" Undyne yelled before she kicked the ground, causing fruits and vegetables to drop from nowhere. This prompted the children to look at the ceiling to see if there wasn't a hidden trapdoor. "Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy! Now!! Pound them to dust with your fists!! And hooves!!" Frisk and Sweetie Belle exchanged a glance before the human began to pet the vegetables in an affectionate manner, making Sweetie Belle laugh. "Is this how you treat your worst enemy?" the filly asked. "I can't help myself! I don't want to hurt anyone!" "OH MY GOD!!" Undyne yelled. "STOP PETTING THE ENEMY!!! You! The pony! Show her how it's done! I know you can do it!" "Uuh... If I attack them as if they were my worst enemy, nothing would remain of them, not even the juice. And I would probably destroy half of your house by the same occasion." "Fuhuhu! I like your style! But we need sauce so... Just do your best!" And Sweetie Belle did so. She crushed the fruits and vegetables with a powerful punch, splattering juice everywhere, including on their faces... And she also broke the table. "Oops!" "Don't worry! I'll just buy a new one! This is exactly what I asked! But, uhh... I guess that we will scrape this into a bowl later. But for NOW!" Undyne shouted before she kicked the ground again, making a big pot with a big wooden spoon and a box of noodles drop from the ceiling right on the stove. "Okay, how do you do it?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I'll tell you another time! Right now, we add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best! BUT I JUST BUY STORE-BRAND! THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST!!! NGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" She quickly calmed down when she saw the kids staring at her. "Uhh, just put them in the pot." They nodded, and Frisk took the box before she began to place the noodles one at a time. "Now you're doing it on purpose, uh?" Sweetie Belle deadpanned, but a smirk could be seen on her face, and Frisk giggled. "Give me the box. I will put the noodles in." Frisk nodded and gave the box to Sweetie Belle, and the filly poured the noodles in the pot in one go. "Good! Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir... THE BETTER IT IS! Ready? Let's do it!" Wait! What about the water? Sweetie Belle thought. Frisk began to stir under the watchful eyes of Sweetie Belle and Undyne, the filly nodding in approval of how Frisk was doing it despite still having doubts because of the absence of water. However, Undyne shouted, "Stir harder!" So Frisk put in more strength. "HARDER!" So Frisk put in even more strength. "HARDER!!!!" Now, Frisk was stirring as if her life depended on it, making the pot move a little on the stove. "Ugh, let me do it!" Undyne then shouted before she used a spear, pretty much destroying the pot and turning the noodles into mush. "Fuhuhuhu! That's the stuff!" Sweetie Belle forcefully resisted the need to facehoof. Even she hadn't been that bad at her worst! ... Okay, she had been that bad, but at least, she didn't destroy the tools. "Alright," Undyne continued. "Now for the final step: TURN UP THE HEAT! Let the stovetop symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into a burning fire! READY? Don't hold anything back!!!" With hesitation, Frisk began to turn up the heat, making fire appear under the partially crushed pot. She eventually stopped, only to be prompted to continue by Undyne who shouted "Hotter! HOTTER, DARNIT! HOTTER!!!!!!!" making the fire growing stronger and stronger. Sweetie Belle prepared herself to cast a shield. And then... "Wait, that's too-" And the next thing they knew, the whole house was on fire. This time, Sweetie Belle couldn't stop herself from facehoofing. She took it back, Undyne WAS WORSE than her! "Ah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking," Undyne eventually said. "Let me put off the fire," Sweetie Belle said before she used her powers to stop the fire. "Thanks. So, what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?" That was so painful to watch... "...Oh, Who am I kidding. I really screwed this up, didn't I?" "But it was fun, at least, even if it was scary," Frisk said. "But I think that Papyrus isn't the only one who needs cooking lessons," Sweetie Belle added with a giggle. "I can totally cook! But I guess that I got carried away. And, well, I guess that I can understand if you don't want to be my friends after that. Sometimes, it just doesn't work. And if we can't be friends... That's okay. Because... If we're not friends... IT MEANS I CAN DESTROY YOU WITHOUT REGRET!" Suddenly, Sweetie Belle and Frisk's SOULs came out as Undyne materialized one of her spears in her hands. "I've been defeated... My house is in shambles... I even failed to befriend you. That's it. I don't care if you're my guests anymore. One final rematch! All out on both sides!!! IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!!! NOW COME ON! HIT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT! NGAHHHH!!!" "Uhh, don't you think you're..." Sweetie Belle began only to be stopped by Frisk who put a hand on her head before advancing with a determined look. She then took her stick and swung at Undyne with all her might... Only to do almost nothing. ... "What. That's the best you can manage? Even attacking at full force... You just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?... Heh, you know what?" She dropped her spear. "I don't actually want to hurt you either. At first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick, but... The way you hit me right now, it... Reminded me of someone else I used to train with. Now I know you aren't some wimpy loser. You're a wimpy loser with a big heart!" This made Frisk hesitate between pouting and giggling. Sweetie Belle didn't hesitate however and laughed. "Just like him..." Undyne continued. "Listen, uh, Frisk, and Sweetie Belle. I hope that you can pull off what you said. Or else, you would have to fight Asgore, and knowing him, he probably doesn't want to..." "If I can't destroy the Barrier, then I can find other solutions. We won't fight Asgore," Sweetie Belle said. "Heh. You... You know, where Frisk reminds me of Asgore, you remind me of myself. Doing everything you can to help and protect others, to give them hopes and dreams... Excepted that you can do much more than me who can only wait for a human to kill. You inspire me! You know what? I will train even harder than before and become stronger! Then... ONCE we reach the surface, I will be ready! Because I know that the surface won't be easy. They will need me!" Sweetie Belle nodded. "People need someone strong to fight for them." "Exactly! Now, uh, how about we leave this place? Even if you stopped the fire, the house still took some damage." So they left the house, only to find Papyrus waiting for them not far. "HEY! I GUESS THAT THIS WENT WELL! THE HOUSE DIDN'T EXPLODE!" "Yeah, just a little fire, that was nothing," Sweetie Belle said. "You missed your cooking lesson, Papyrus!" Undyne shouted. "You can be sure that once we reach your house, we will have it." "THAT'S FAIR. JUST... AVOID PUTTING THE HOUSE ON FIRE THIS TIME. BUT BEFORE THAT, HOW ABOUT WE GO RECOVER THAT LEGENDARY ARTEFACT?!" "Hey! Right! There's that! Frankly, I don't know what it is for. I didn't manage to make it work. So I just put it here calling it a "Legendary Artefact." It may actually be a simple fancy stone." "We can still go look. Maybe I can determine what it is," Sweetie Belle said. "Now, let me teleport all of you to the piano room. Watch out, you may get some sickness." Then, she did as she said and teleported everyone to the room with the piano. Surprisingly, or not, Papyrus was the only one not getting sick because of this. Once they all recovered, they entered the room with the Legendary Artefact, which revealed to be some kind of red spherical stone. "SO THIS IS THE LEGENDARY ARTEFACT!" Papyrus said in awe. "Mmh... I can sense magic in it. It definitively is not a simple fancy stone," Sweetie Belle said. "Frisk, maybe you should grab it." "You sure?" Frisk asked. The filly nodded and signed her to go on with a wave toward the artefact. Slowly, Frisk advanced toward it, and then, grabbed it. Almost immediately, she felt it interact with her SOUL, filling her with a power. When she tried to see what it was, she then sent from her hand a ball of pure red magical energy that almost hit her head before exploding against the ceiling. "Pinch me I must be dreaming..." Undyne said. "WOWIE! THE LEGENDARY ARTEFACT GAVE FRISK MAGICAL POWERS!" "More like it helps her using magic more easily. Humans can use magic, or else, the Barrier wouldn't exist," Sweetie Belle said. "So that artefact was made to help humans use magic. That's great for you, Frisk!" "YES! NOW, I CAN TEACH YOU TO DO YOUR OWN MAGICAL PATTERNS! I WONDER WHAT IT WILL BE... BONES? AFTER ALL, HUMANS ARE SKELETONS WITH SKIN!" "I don't think it will be that, Papyrus," Undyne said. Frisk looked down at her hands as she began to think about this magic she now could use. She actually wasn't sure if she should use it. It seemed too risky. But just by curiosity, she began to ponder Papyrus' question. What form would she make her magic take? Everyone used their magic in different ways. Papyrus and Sans' bones. Undyne's spears. Toriel's fire. The Chilldrake's crescents. For some reason, she wanted to form her magic into a knife, but she immediately resisted this urge. A knife could be useful in a kitchen, but right now... Why did she want to materialize a knife? Some kind of obsession of her past-self? She wasn't sure if she wanted to know... Instead, she thought of something else, and a few seconds of focus later, she grew an entirely red-colored golden flower on the palm of her hand. Feeling that she was starting to get the hang of it, she made vines, and more flowers, grow out of it and from her SOUL, wrapping her body here and there with them. "Golden flowers, uh? Why?" Undyne asked. "They... They're the first thing I saw when I woke up in the Ruins. I found them very beautiful. I guess this is why I also wanted to try the golden flower tea... They make me feel at peace..." "I THINK THAT THIS ABSOLUTELY SUITS YOU, FRISK!" Papyrus said. "Yes, that's exactly your style," Sweetie Belle agreed. "Yeah, not as badass as my spears, but for someone like you, they're perfect," Undyne said. "Thanks!" Maybe she will keep it finally. It felt nice.