//------------------------------// // Frisk // Story: Of Monsters and Girls // by Fullmetal Pony //------------------------------// Sunset watched the steam rise up from the tea Asgore had set in front of her. He held the kettle with just his thumb and index finger. Sunset blinked and envisioned Celestia pouring her a cup with the same magic she used to life the sun. She rubbed her eyes and took a sip. Her head shot back when the tea scorched the tip of her tongue. The tea kettle’s handle crumpled in Asgore’s grasp. While Sunset fanned her mouth, he looked down at the dented metal and sighed. “Sorry, I always prefer my tea a little hot.” Sunset put her hands on the table and looked straight at Asgore. “No, it’s my fault. Getting through all the research wasn’t easy.” “I see.” Asgore reached out and pulled the first journal from the stack sitting in the middle of the table. “Well, I know I’ve been quite busy lately, so perhaps I can schedule a time to meet with you la—” “No.” Sunset clenched her hands. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need to hear everything about this from you now.” Asgore stared across the table at Sunset and saw the spark behind her baggy eyes. “Of course. I do owe you a great deal for calming the other humans down, and your work with Alphys is a great first step for human-monster relations.” Asgore looked down at the journal. “Can you just give me a few minutes to look over this? This project took so long and Frisk’s arrival drew all my attention away from it, so the details are a bit fuzzy.” Sunset furrowed her brow. “They are?” Asgore stroked his beard. “Well, I remember asking Alphys quite a bit what had happened, but there must have been some science language mishaps or whatnot.” “Okay.” Sunset bit her lip. “There’s a bit of that, but the thing I wanted to talk with you about won’t be hard to understand.” “Would you care for a blanket?” Asgore asked. “You look a little cold.” “I’m…” Sunset glanced at her arms and saw they were covered in goosebumps. “I’ll be fine.” She then picked up her cup, made sure to blow on it, and then took a sip. The flavor reminded her a bit of oolong, but less robust and earthy and more flowery. Asgore downed his cup in one sip and poured himself another and then he brought his attention down on the journal. At first, the dinning room was filled with the sound of Sunset and Asgore having their tea while her read. Soon though, Asgore’s drinking pace slowed to Sunset’s level. Eventually, the only sound in the room were the faint ticks of a clock from somewhere in the apartment. Sunset stared at her glossy reflection stretched across the kettle and then at the tepid cup of tea at Asgore’s side. When he finally finished perusing the research, he set the last journal to the side but kept his eyes down. Sunset felt the table quiver a little from his breathing. “I’d known there was an accident, but with everything else going on, I’d just put it off as another failure to reach the surface. Oh, Alphys, that poor girl.” Asgore buried his face in his hands. “It may be reversible.” Asgore’s head shot up and he looked over at Sunset. “I made a similar mistake to Alphys in the past…” Sunset pulled her arms tight across her chest. “But thanks to an application of the correct mixture of different magics, the imbalance was corrected. It will take time and a greater understanding of monster magic and DETERMINATION, but it should be possible to separate out the bodies and souls from the DETERMINATION.” Asgore said nothing for moment. He then bowed his head to the table. “I owe you almost as great a debt as I owe Frisk now.” “Then I have a question to ask.” Sunset bit her lip and then steeled herself. “I need to know what happened with your sons.” “Oh…” Asgore turned his head to the side and stared out the window at the setting moon. “I’m not sure I understand. Asriel’s and my other child’s passing brought about this research, but they had long since passed by the time it started.” “That’s what I thought too,” said Sunset. “But reading about Alphy’s experiments with the flowers made me notice something. Nothing came about from those experiments it seems, but that left me with a question: where had your other child’s soul gone? There being only dust for Alphys to work with doesn’t fit with how human souls are supposed to work. It may be crucial to understanding the effects of DETERMINATION on monsters.” Asgore took a deep breath and clasped his hands in front of him. “It was just one mistake. My other child had been sick for some time, but we thought if they could just stay determined, they’d make it through. There was a crisis in the Core and I had to go and help. Toriel must have done everything she could have for our child in their last moments, but it wasn’t enough. Asriel and their body were already gone by the time I got back.” “We searched everywhere in the Underground for them,” Asgore continued, his voice growing strained. “We both tried to put it off as long as we could, but we eventually accepted they had gone beyond the Barrier. We were just going to see if we could see something, anything beyond it, when he appeared back at our home. I can still remember the power that radiated off him, how his body could barely contain all that DETERMINATION. But there were all those wounds. Not a scratch on my other child’s body though. We tried to get to him as fast as we could. The field in front of our house wasn’t that big, but seeing us one last time must have been all he could withstand. I can’t remember how far away he was when he turned to dust. If… if there was a soul, it was lost by the time Toriel and I came to our senses.” Asgore was choking on his tears by the time he finished. Sunset moved out of her seat and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I can understand why you did what you did afterwards. I’ve done worse for pettier reasons… I’m sorry, I should go now.” Sunset backed away, scooped up the journals, and made her way to the door. “Wait,” Asgore called out. Sunset spun around. Asgore had managed to raise his head and clean up his face with a few wipes of his hand. “Please tell Alphys what you’ve told me,” he said. “I’ll get Undyne to find her as quickly as possible.” “I promise, I will.” Sunset smiled. “Thank you.” Sunset turned and left that apartment. The cold air night air bit at her face while she walked through the mostly deserted streets. A monster could be spotted sleeping beside a garbage can or resting up on a fire escape. Eventually, Sunset came upon an alley, ducked into it, and checked one last time to make sure no one else was around. Then she put an trembling hand to her face and allowed the void in her stomach to spread across her whole body as a shudder. They did it on purpose. How could a child… Sunset felt the world spinning around her and bile clawed up her throat. She braced herself against a wall and sank to the ground. Her breathing came out in uneven phlegmy gasps for some time until a glint of dawn caught her eye. “Celestia…” she coughed. “Twilight, what should I do?” ~~~ A rapid string of notes from an electric guitar forced Undyne to open her eye. She leapt off her bed and over to the dresser where her phone rested. Her pupil widened seeing Asgore’s number attached to the text. She clasped her phone and read through the message. As soon as she was finished, she threw on her clothes and bolted outside. A few stars still twinkled in the western sky while she jumped up the alleyway by her apartment to the rooftop. She paused to catch her breath and massage her ribs and then looked out across the city. Taking a big gulp of air, she darted over to the edge of the roof and vaulted onto the building next door. While she jumped from roof to roof, she scanned over the empty streets. In the midst of a jump, she pounded out a number into her phone and jammed it up to her ear. “C’mon, you stupid nerd,” she huffed. After a minute of listening to some digitized Japanese lyrics, the anime theme tune cut out and Alphy’s voice came through. “Uh, this is Alphy’s…” “Hey, where are you?” asked Undyne. “Asgore just left me a message and yo-“ “Um, I’m probably doing research right now, so can you ca-“ Undyne crushed the phone and landed on another roof. Bits of metal and plastic tumbled out of her hand and clinked against the ground. She gritted her fangs. “Crap.” Undyne stood up and pounced off the roof. A burning sensation was spreading down her left side and her arm was tingling a bit. The bandaged areas around her shoulder and ribs felt like someone was holding a flame next to them. She continued to plow through the city while her breath quickened and sweat poured down her face. The pavement cracked underneath her when she landed back on the street and looked up at the horse statue in front of Canterlot High. She bolted over to the library, but a jolt of pain running up her side sent her into a tumble. She thrust out her right arm and caught herself, leaving a basketball-sized crater in the pavement. Gasping for air, she wobbled to her feet. Placing a hand over her aching ribs, she limped across the courtyard and over to the library’s door. She tugged at it, but it wouldn’t budge. Her muscles tensed up and she planted her feet, but then she stopped and let out a sigh. “Gotta respect their property,” Undyne muttered. Undyne shuffled over to one of the library’s windows and peered inside the darkened room. The desk, chairs, and shelves were all in proper order with not a notebook or even a scrap of paper out of place. A wind howled around Undyne that chilled her sweat and made her blood run cold. The faint echo of something clattering perked up Undyne’s ears. She backed away from the window and moved as fast as she could in the sound’s direction. A few minutes later, she rounded a corner and she found herself staring out at the sports field. Rainbow Dash stared back at her while in the middle of a crunch. She flared her nostrils and flipped into a sitting position while taking care to avoid putting pressure on her bandaged foot. “Is it too much to get a little private training in?” Undyne clenched her fist. “Not here for training, dweeb. I’m looking for Alphys.” “The doctor?” Dash blinked and noticed how heavily Undyne was breathing and the sweat that soaked through her shirt. “You feeling okay?” “Of course I am,” Undyne snapped. “I’d probably have even found Alphys by now if someone hadn’t electrocuted and rammed into me!” “I…” Dash clenched her teeth and shook her head. “Alright, Fishhead, you may be a jerk, but I owe that doc for fixing up the field and my foot. Plus, I can’t have you tearing up town looking for her.” “Fine,” Undyne grunted. She looked away from Dash and held out her hand. “Can I try calling her again first… please?” “Where’s your own phone?” Dash asked. “I…” A bit of red crept up Undyne’s. “I got a little mad when she didn’t pick up.” “Well, hopefully, they’ll pick up if I call.” Dash got on her knees and crawled over to where her sports bag rested beside a pair of crutches. Pulling the phone out, she looked up at Undyne. “What’s her number?” “Can I just call her?” “And who just said they destroyed their own phone?” “Fine,” Undyne grumbled. “Her number is 555-234-7119.” Dash typed in the digits and held the phone up to her ear. When Undyne squatted down and brought her head close, Dash shot her a glare while the ringtone continued to play. Both of them suddenly looked up when an echo of the same tone carried over on the wind. Then the voice mail started and the tone died away. Undyne clasped Dash by the collar of her shirt. “Call them again!” Dash grabbed Undyne’s arm and tried to pull her off. “Woah! Easy!” Undyne looked down and saw her fingers tearing through Dash’s shirt. She’d also lifted Dash a bit up as well. She let her arm flop to her side and Dash plopped back onto the ground. “Just call them again… please.” Dash took a deep breath and then pushed the call icon again. Undyne stood up and looked around. Her fins twitched back and forth. When the faint ringtone whistled through the air, she spun back over to the school. A fresh wave of pain washed over her side and back, forcing a pained grunt out of her. Resting a hand over her ribs, she trudged forward. Her fins perked up when the click-clack of crutches sounded behind her. “For a fish, you sure are a hothead,” Dash quipped while she hobbled over to Undyne. “I don't have time for your crap, human,” Undyne hissed. “And I don't wanna wait longer until I finally show you how awesome I am because you beat yourself up.” Dash eyed the bandages poking out of Undyne’ shirt. “If your friend’s in trouble, how are they gonna feel seeing you look like that?” “Alphys is…” Undyne pressed her lips tight. “Alphys is such a nervous nerd. Can't have her thinking a ‘tore up town’ just looking for her.” “Hey, looks like you can think ahead.” Undyne flashed her fangs at Dash. “Don't push it, Crash.” “It’s Rainbow Dash.” “My back and ribs say otherwise.” Dash lowered her head to hide the fresh blush on her cheeks. “Let's just find your friend, okay?” The pair limped their way across the field and came to a stop by one for the doors that led into the school. Dash pulled out her phone and called again. This time, the other end of the ringtone came in clear for few seconds but then cut off. Dash and Undyne both looked up. “There a way up?” asked Undyne. “There is,” Dash answered, “but we need the key and the door is on the other side of school.” Undyne clenched a fist. “We don't have time looking around for a stupid key! I can just tear the door off!” A fit of coughing seized Undyne. Dash managed to balance herself on one crutch and gave Undyne some pats on the back. When the coughs died down, she helped Undyne stand up straight again and looked at her. “Tearing off the door is out of the question for more reasons than I can think of,” said Dash. She then glanced at her back. “How are your legs doing?” “What does that have to do with anything?” Undyne grumbled. “You may be a jerk…” Dash closed her eyes and took a breath. A glow formed around her back and ears. Undyne brought a hand to her face when the light grew stronger and then faded away. Dash gave her wings a flap and grinned. “... buf I'd be an even bigger jerk to not get you up to your friend. So, think you can manage a jump?” “Heh.” Undyne spun around and crouched in front of Dash. “You humans and your DETERMINATION are always a surprise. Well, hop on before I realize how stupid we both are.” Dash leapt over on her good foot and clasped on Undyne. Undyne locked her arms around Dash’s legs and the looked up at the sky. “If we don't make this, I blame you.” “Same to you.” Dash fessed her wings tight against her sides. “So let's not mess up.” Undyne took a huge breath and pressed into the ground with all her strength. The cement cracked underneath her and she rocketed into the air. Just as gravity snapped back on her and Dash, Dash flapped her wings and lifted them higher. She tilted left and right while Undyne swung underneath her, but they managed to crest over the roof and tumbled onto it, gasping for breath. While Dash’s wings faded away and her ears shifted back to normal, Undyne grunted, planted her feet, and stood up. She wobbled a little, but managed to stay upright. Her pupil shrank when she spotted Alphys slumped against the side of the roof with her phone strewn beside her. Undyne rushed up and grabbed her by her lab coat. “Alphys! Wake up!” she shouted. “C’mon! Don’t mess around with m—” Alphys’s eyes flew open and she decked Undyne across the face with a right hook. “The dub of Mew Mew doesn’t count!” Undyne’s eye spun and then she smacked onto the ground. Alphys landed on her tail and let out a yelp and then swung her head back and forth. “I… Oh, um… what?” “Damn, Alphys.” Undyne snorted and rubbed her jaw. “Remind me to incorporate ‘insult anime’ into your training.” “Oh my gosh, Undyne!” Alphys shrieked. Her claws darted across her body and sweat coated her face. “I didn’t mean to! Let me just find my phone and I’ll fix you right up!” Undyne swung her fist into Alphy’s shoulder. The blow sent shocks running up Alphy’s arm and she rubbed the stricken area to return feeling to it. A smile stretched across Undyne’s face. “You stupid nerd. That was a good punch, but it’ll take a bit more than that to hurt me.” Before Alphys could reply, Undyne shot her arm out again and pulled her close. “Heh, and to think I was worried about you.” “Worried about me?” Alphys looked around for a second and then her vision focused and her pupils shrank. “Oh… that.” “Yeah, whatever you did with Twilight and Sunset.” Undyne tapped Alphys on the head. “I knew you’d short out. There’s too much nerdiness between the three of you.” “But Undyne, I had to tell them.” Alphys brought her head lower. “They deserved to know. Oh, I promised I’d help them with so much but now they probably just wanna stay as far away from me as they can.” “Then they’re even bigger jerks than I thought candy-head was,” said Undyne. “I heard that!” Dash shouted from the other side of the roof. “I said thought!” Undyne shouted back. She shook her head and the looked straight at Alphys. “Besides, did you talk with them after you gave them all that stuff about your work or did you run off like that time with Frisk?” “Well, I mean…” Alphys let out a sigh. “You didn’t see their faces when Reaper Bird showed up.” “And remember how you told me how scared Frisk was of them too until you saved them?” Undyne glared to the side. “Tch, I still can’t believe a few monsters was enough to get to them but there was nothing wrong with me. But that’s beside the point, Alphys, you may have the best brain in the whole world, but sometimes you let it go crazy.” “I… I know.” Undyne slapped Alphys on the back and grinned. “Which is why I need to punch it back into place. The others can do it too, just not as good as I can.” “Undyne, you really mean that?” Alphys sniffled and glanced over at Dash. “I mean, you’ve been busy since we’ve gotten to the surface and if I slow you down…” “Then I’ll get you up to speed. You know I’d never leave you in the dust, Alphys. I’d be a disgrace as the royal guard.” A little red dotted Undyne’s cheeks. “And, you know, as a bit more that that.” Alphys leaned forward and hugged Undyne. The wide grin on Undyne’s face faded to a soft smile and she bent down and gave Alphys a smack on the lips. She pulled back with a renewed grin while Alphy’s eyes spun across her reddened face. “Just be sure to pick up your phone next time.” Alphys eyes cleared. “Pick up my… oh my gosh!” Alphys flopped out of Undyne’s grasp and scurried over to her phone. Her face went white looking over the screen. “Gah, what was I thinking? I thought it was my alarm!” Undyne raised an eyebrow. “Your alarm?” “Yes, well…” Some sweat dripped down Alphys’s face. She turned so that she wasn’t directly facing Undyne. “Back Underground, the only ones that really called me were Mettaton and Asgore, so I just thought it would be easier to have the theme from Pop Pop Cutie be both my ringtone and my alarm. I didn’t know where else to go after I gave Sunset and Twilight all my research, so I came up here and just looked at the moon for a while… I guess I must’ve fallen asleep.” Dash had managed to limp over and put a hand against her waist. “Who falls asleep on a roof?” “You’re talking to someone that fell asleep at garbage dumps,” Undyne chuckled. “Only a few times,” Alphys murmured. “I guess everything is okay now then?” Dash asked and then blinked and looked at Alphys. “Wait, how’d you get up here in the first place?” Alphys blushed and typed a few numbers into her phone. The screen glowed and a key shot out of it. “It wasn’t hard to duplicate, so I, uh, just… did.” “Man,” Dash chuckled. “It’s a good thing you’re an egghead or I might be worried about someone having something like that.” “Yeah, Alphys,” said Undyne. “Imagine all the cool stuff you could do! I need a new phone anyway so add that to it.” “No!” Alphys and Dash both shrieked. Undyne let out a roar of laughter and then clasped her side and wheezed, “K-kidding. Worth it, f-for the looks on your f-faces.” “Undyne, you’ve been pushing yourself,” said Alphys. “You need to rest more.” “Just… just had to make sure you’d didn’t do something stupid,” Undyne coughed. “I’m ready to sleep for days now.” Alphys tapped on her phone again and a floating slab popped out of it. “Then let’s get you home.” “Think I could get a ride down too?” asked Dash. “Oh, right, let me just…” Alphys entered a few more numbers and extensions shot out of the slab. “There.” “Heh, this isn’t exactly what the movies promised,” Dach chuckled as she climbed onto it. Undyne got on from the other side. “What are you babbling about?” “Nothing,” said Dash. “Just a silly kids movie that had something like this.” “Really?” asked Alphys. “I haven’t seen any levitation technology up here yet.” “No it’s…” Dash shook her head. “Nevermind, it’s just a movie. It’d be like if the girls in Mew Mew actually could turn into ca—” Dash shot her hands up to her mouth and turned bright red. A gleam came to Alphys and Undyne’s eyes. “Heh,” Undyne chuckled. “Says the human that grows wings and horse ears. Alphys, you may need to check her again to make sure I didn’t hit her head too hard.” “I didn’t know it was still popular on the surface!” Alphys exclaimed. “Please tell me they managed to finally collect all the shards of the Mewtarian Crystal!” “I mean they did but then…” Dash clenched her jaw and shook her head. “I wouldn’t know! I mean, only little kids watch that stuff! I just have a good memory is all!” “Sure,” Undyne said with a grin. “You owe me for spoiling that plot point though.” “I don’t owe you any—” Dash cut herself off as the group neared the ground and she caught sight of a hooded figure creeping over to the library. Her heart rate fell when she noticed swirls of gold and crimson hair poking out of the hoodie. “Hey, Sunset!” Sunset jolted up and turned towards the group. She pulled her hood up a bit more and then made her way over to them. “Uh, hey…” “Hitting books early?” said Dash. She peered a little closer at Sunset and noticed the bags under her reddened eyes. “Maybe a little too early?” “Oh…” Alphys lowered her head. “Sorry about tonight. I mean, if you’re upset, I understand.” Sunset sighed. “It’s a lot to process, but you aren’t a Princess’s former personal student without tackling some heavy issues. With our research, we might even find a way to reverse the condition.” Alphys’s eyes went wide. “Really?! That’s amazing! When can we start?” Sunset shut her eyes for moment, causing her face to scrunch up. “Later. I just… just need to read a little.” Dash frowned. “You sure? Maybe get some coffee at Sugarcube Corner first?” “No.” Sunset felt some sweat beading up on her brow and she turned toward the library. “Look, I’ll be fine, you just have fun with Undyne and Alphys. I’m sure you’ve got at least five anime to talk about.” “Oooh! We should compare series!” Alphys gushed. Undyne glared at Dash. “You better hope you don’t watch the crappy ones though.” “Me?” Dash pressed her face up to Undyne. “I bet you just watch those cheap OVAs cause they’ve got lots of violence and swearing.” “But the stories are awful,” Alphys whined. “Are you kidding?” Undyne growled. “Angry Cow 43 is awesome!” Alphys and Dash both groaned. “Well, have fun.” Sunset smiled and then sped off to the library. Dash broke from her arguments to wave goodbye and shouted something about Pinkie’s party but it came out blurred to Sunset. She leaned against the library door and fumbled for the key Principal Celestia had loaned to her. Stumbling into the library, she made her way to a nook amongst the shelves and collapsed into the reading chair placed there. Her stomach still roiled thinking about what had transpired with the fallen human. Every time she closed her eyes, she imagined what they could have done with all the power. Sunset pulled her arms tight across her chest and took some breaths. Her thoughts kept getting pulled back to it though: the desire for power and the abuse of magic. She forced herself to sink deeper into the chair’s confines and recalled the many nights she had spent here at first, alone and bitter. Even while the night’s revelations haunted her mind, she managed to think of how she now sat in the library with her friends and drifted off to sleep. ~~~ And you were doing so well. The voice chilled Sunset to the bone. She looked out but saw only darkness. The wind roared around her as if she were in the middle of a storm. But you’re letting your feelings get to you. I can help with that. Sunset pressed her hands against her head and shook it back and forth. “No, you can’t. Twilight and everyone else will understand.” They might, but that won’t change what you know… or what you’ll do. Sunset lowered her hands and balled them up into fists. “Yes it will. I’m better now.” My, such DETERMINATION. A laugh that made Sunset’s skin crawl rang in her ears. She felt her heart drop into the pit of her gut when fiery pupils flared out from the darkness. A blood red face formed around them and showed off its fanged grin. Sunset spun around and sprinted away from the demon but a clawed hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back, forcing her to stare right at her corrupted double. “But you made one mistake.” The demon’s black sclera flooded out of her eye sockets and dripped down onto Sunset. “Since when were you the one in control?” Sunset screamed and jolted up from her chair. She gasped breath and then collapsed back into her seat. A glance out the window showed the sun had already crossed into the western sky. Sunset massaged her forehead and then felt something bundled around her feat. She looked down and saw that a blanket was wrapped around her legs with a card lying beside it. Bending over, she picked it up and read it. Hey, We were a bit worried about you, so we came back after breakfast. Ms. Dash says you do this sometimes and to just leave you be, but I still feel bad about what I did and I didn’t want you to get cold. I’m sorry about dumping all that on you and I understand if you don’t forgive me for what I did. A bit of the letter was scratched out. The rest was scrawled in larger characters. But if you don’t forgive Alphys, you’ll have me to deal with! Sunset smiled at the letter and let her head fall back. “They’re nice, right?” Sunset jumped up and spun around. Frisk ducked behind the chair, only daring to show a little bit of their face, but Sunset’s height made it easy to peer over the chair at them. One of their elbows was a bit red and their eyes were a little wet. “Sorry,” they said in a low voice. “I probably shouldn’t have woken you up.” Sunset squatted down so that she was at Frisk’s level. “It’s… it’s fine, Frisk. I was having a bad dream anyway. What are you doing here though?” Frisk said nothing. Instead, they shivered. A few tears tumbled down their face. In a flash, their hand shot out and pulled out something from their backpack. They pressed it up to Sunset and she gently pulled it away from them. It was a thick stack of bound black construction paper with an illustration of a heart on the front of it. “Please don’t tell my mom,” Frisk whimpered. Sunset looked up and down between Frisk and the papers. She then reached out and laid a hand on Frisk’s shoulder. “I promise, but you’re sure you don’t need something? If you’re hurt, I can help.” “Just… just read,” Frisk sniffled. “That’ll help… I’m sorry, I can’t say it right.” “Okay.” Sunset sat down and crossed her legs. Frisk did the same and hunched over so that their hair covered up their face. Taking a breath, Sunset opened the book. In place of a heart on the cover was a yellow figure in the rough shape of a person with a block of brown hair. Words in white crayon filled the top of the page. When I first fell down, I was so scared. It was dark, I couldn’t move, and I couldn’t even talk. Sunset turned the page. It was almost identical to the last, but now with rays of light shooting down from the top. Then something moved me. I thought it was a monster at first. Like a real monster, not like mom, Mr. Papyrus, or anyone else underground. It made me say things and do what it wanted.” The yellow figure now stood before a large white figure in a purple dress. Orange blobs floated around it. But it also helped me through the Underground. It must have had more DETERMINATION than anything else in the world. A heart split in two graced the next page. Sometimes that wasn’t enough though. Sunset looked up from the book. Frisk was shaking like a leaf, but they managed to lift a hand and turned the page. Now the heart was reformed and glowing. It must have hurt whatever moved me, too, but it didn’t give up. The next page was filled with multiple yellow figures. Each one stood before a differently colored monster: one bone white and surrounded by blue femurs, another blue and clad in armor, a third purple with several arms, a fourth made of glistening silver crayon and magenta, and a final one far bigger than all the other monsters and wreathed in golden armor. It fought so many monsters, but it never hurt them too badly, even if they hurt us a lot. I could never talk to it, but the further we got, the more I felt a feeling growing inside me. If it could be that brave… Unlike the rest of the book, both the left and right pages were illustrated this time. It appeared that Frisk had taken every crayon they could find and used it to transform the top of the left page into a nightmare mash of thorny plants, eyes, and what Sunset assumed were teeth and flesh. In contrast, the right page featured a rather complex rainbow design with a horned white creature in the center. In both though, the tiny yellow figure stood before the creatures with a heart radiating light out of their core. Words were written in thick white across the bottom of the page. So could I. The next page was only illustrated on the right and showed the figure being held up by all the monsters from two pages ago. A crack ran through their heart and a frown and some blue tears marked their face. But when we reached the surface, it made one last choice for me and gave me a new home. And then, it was gone. Everyone said I was a hero, but all I’d done was help out a little right at the end. I want to help monsters and humans get along, but I don’t know what to do. Sunset reached the last page and felt her heart pang. The final illustration was that off a taller figure the same color as the other one but with gold and red hair. The yellow figure from before was hunched in front of it with its hands clasped together. You’re brave Ms. Shimmer, braver than I’ve ever been. “Please help,” Frisk sniffled. Sunset set the book down and pulled Frisk into a hug. They sobbed into Sunset’s shoulder and she patted them on the back. “Sounds like we’ve both had a rough time lately. I’m sorry though, Frisk, I’m not sure I’m the best person to help you.” Frisk seized up and pulled back. “Why?” “Because I’ve seen how Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne treat you. I barely even know you.” Sunset glanced at the book. “I know you’ve been through a lot, but if you can trust me with the truth, you can trust your friends too.” Frisk sniffled and wiped their nose with their sleeve. Their lips shook, but they managed to lift them up and form a smile. Sunset smiled too. Then a ring of pellets materialized around her neck. Frisk spun around and was met with a trio of girls standing outside of the nook in the shelves. One stood in the back with a grin that made goosebumps creep up their arms. The other two stood at the front with one laying a hand on the other’s shoulder. Both were trembling, causing the flower in one of the girl’s hands to scowl. “You didn’t say Frisk would be here,” Flowey hissed. Sonata gulped. “W-we didn’t know.” “Whatever,” Flowey sighed. “Let’s just get this over with.”