Chapter Text
Frisk was walking through the True Lab, well kind of. Frisk hasn’t done much of anything for a very long time. They faintly recall the time before they fell into the underground. Sometimes they have phantom visions of what it was like to be in control of their body and what they did. But that was a long time ago.
So it would more accurate to say that Frisks body was walking through the true lab. Honestly, Frisk wasn’t sure how who ever was in control wasn’t bored, sure the place was creepy and the amalgamates were scary at first, their souls feel so wrong, but they have been here countless times. It had gotten old many, many resets ago.
Frisk could tell Chara agreed, seeing and narrating the same things over and over again had to get boring, but they couldn’t ask the ghost. They weren’t in control, Frisk wasn’t even sure that Chara knew they could feel them.
But there wasn’t anything Frisk could do about it, there never has been. They just have to suffer and do it over and over again. Such is life, Frisk thinks they remember their mom saying that once, but they don’t really know.
As they walk through the True Lab, it is exactly how Frisk remembered it to be. Haunting sounds in the surroundings, something that feeling wrong always just slightly out of reach, horror stories filling the walls that they have to hear over and over again.
A single vending machine that dispensed some potato chisps, Frisk thought Chara had misread the first time they heard that, near the power room. Entering the bedroom, using the save point, finding their way through that horrible place one step at a time.
Finding the DT extraction machine, lemon bread, golden flowers. It was all the same, until it wasn’t. Frisks body went back, they returned to the DT machine, to the path that was blocked. They seemed Determined to get through.
They stayed there for what felt like hours, until something finally happened. Frisk felt their body stretch and snap and bend and fold and contort in ways it was never meant to. Frisk felt themselves get throw into different place, from the dank smelling labs, to the sterile labs upstairs, to the freezing, to the burning, to the warm, to the-
They can faintly hear water and burning and people and-
Nothing.
Everything stopped. Frisk felt like throwing up, like their body had just turned itself inside out and rightside in, like their organs were doing olympic level flips. Frisk fell to the floor, that didn’t feel right, it felt like concrete, not like the tile flooring of the lab. But that didn’t matter, because it was cold and it was grounding(hah). And Frisk couldn’t move either way so what they wanted didn’t matter.
It took a while for the nausea to subside, and for the entirety of it their body stayed perfectly still. Small shallow breaths were taken in when needed. But that was it.
Once Frisk didn’t feel like vomiting their organs out they took inventory of their surroundings. They definitely were not in True Lab anymore. There were too many noises, the air wasn’t quite dank enough, and most of all, there wasn’t that unsettling looming presence that was always in the corner of the lab.
So where were they? They were definitely outside based on the way that they could feel the air, so where? It was too warm to be Snowdin, but too cold to be the Hotlands. It wasn’t wet enough to be Waterfall, and the couldn’t their the sound of water anywhere near by. The ground wasn’t the stone of the ruins, and it felt too open for that anyway. This couldn’t be new home either, So where were they?
Their body sure was taking its sweet time to get up, explore and get them all some answers. God, they wish they had something else to call the thing in their body, but they somehow always knew Frisk’s name, even though Chara had had so many. Chara always seemed to react the most positively to Chara though, so that’s what Frisk suck with. Speaking, er well, thinking of Chara, Maybe Chara knew?
Considering the way that Chara also seemed to be taking inventory of their surroundings, and the slight confusion Frisk could feel from them, it felt unlikely. That was not comforting at all. That meant they were somewhere new.
Faintly Frisk feels a SAVE point near by. Maybe that would giver them some answers? If only who ever was in control would just get up already, maybe they’d be able to figure it out.
Seriously, why were they taking so long? They never cared before when Frisk was still reeling after their first few encounters with death, or when Frisk got nauseous from the ride on the river mans boat. They always just kept moving, so why weren’t they?
Chara seemed to have the same thought as them as Chara floated over to Frisk’s body and sat? Near it.
“Did you give up? Get up already”
Faintly Frisk thinks about how they would huff and nod their head in agreement if they had control, it really was taking such a long time for this entity to get its shit together. (Don’t tell anyone Frisk said that word, they felt like they weren’t supposed, though they were quite sure why.)
Chara jumps back slightly, seemingly startled. What happened? They wish they could open their eyes, but even if they could, it wouldn’t make much or a difference, their vision had been deteriorating for a while and they could barely see by the time they reached the hole to the underground anyway.
“Did… Did you just nod at me? Can you hear me?”
Did my body just nod at Chara? That doesn’t make any sense, its never acknowledges Chara’s presence before, so why now? And why didn’t Frisk notice that it had moved? Frisk had always been keenly aware of when their body was moving, because it always felt wrong, they never quite got used to the feeling of not being in control of their movements. So it was usually very obvious when they weren’t acting how Frisk would have liked.
“Of course you didn’t. That was stupid of me. UGHHH you better up soon or else.”
Chara continued faintly grumbling and Frisk couldn’t help but feel like smiling at them and laughing at their antics. Chara had always been there, and their presence was comforting for Frisk. Chara told some great jokes too, and their company was never unpleasant, even if Frisk could never respond and knew that Chara didn’t think that same of them. It was still nice.
“HOLY SHIT!”
Chara’s sudden exclamation startled Frisk, and they felt their body jump a tiny bit from its place. That was weird, it never controlled anything other than basic movement, all over functions for frisk becoming unused. So jumping was new.
“You just smiled. You’ve never smiled. And then you startle, which you also never do. What is up with you? You almost seem…”
Chara clearly didn’t like whatever they were about to say but now Frisk was desperately curious.
“Almost seem what?”
At that both Frisk and Chara startled. Chara started panicking, talking really fast something about actually talking going into how they responded to Chara. Frisk wasn’t paying attention, they tried to lift their body from its position on the ground.
Truthfully, Frisk had to remember how to control such simple motions, but as much as they hate to admit it, it felt nearly the same as when it controlled their body. So it wasn’t difficult to do. It was too easy.
Both arms extend to support your weight on the pavement, and you push yourself up. And Frisk sat up. They honest to god sat up when they wanted to. Frisk looked deeper in themselves. Looked at their soul.
Where there was usually two connection there was one, one to Chara. The other, the one that was linked to the thing that controlled them was broken. But it was wrong. It was hanging out, and that was dangerous, it was twisting the shape of Frisk’s soul. So Frisk tried to eat it.
Frisk tried to slowly merge the bit of their soul that had stretched to accommodate the outsider into their body and they tried to mold it back into shape. It didn’t really work. But they could feel some progress, they could feel their soul settle a little more correctly in their body, it felt a little less wrong.
“-AND… You’re not listening to me are you”
Surprised by the sudden closes of Chara’s voice Frisk jumps once again. Before slightly shaking their head and bringing their arm up to their neck (all on their own!) in a sheepish motion. But strangely, their facial muscles didn’t seem to move with it. They stayed flat. They tried to apologize but it was difficult to open their mouth, and once they figured out how to, they couldn’t make noise.
Why couldn’t they make any noise. Why was this so much more difficult. It used to be easier, they know it did. Why is it taking so much effort to open their eyes, they could once, they know it. So why can’t they know. They have control. What is going wrong. Why isn’t it working? Why aren’t they moving? Why-
“Alright, calm down. shit-what do people do when freaking out? Deep breathes. Okay. In. And Out. Try doing that for me?”
Chara had moved next to them and was hovering in such a way that it was clear they would be putting a hand on Frisks shoulder if they could. Frisk followed Chara’s instructions. Leaning slightly towards where Chara was, seeking comfort in the familiar presence.
“That’s it. You can’t give up yet. Stay Determined.”
That thought seems to comfort Frisk more than they would like to admit. After steading their breathing they turn their head to Chara and try to muster a thankful expression. When that didn’t quite work out they slightly incline their head as thanks.
“Are you… thanking me?”
Frisk nods eagerly, they were happy their message got across even if they could tell it to Chara personally.
“Don’t. Its weird. What are you even thanking me for anyway? Being stuck with you?”
Chara looked away from Frisk as they spoke. Frisk knew that Chara was stuck with them so they didn’t have much of a choice, but they still wanted to communicate how thankful they were for everything Chara had done.
Chara seemed sad, and Frisk was desperate to get their point across, not to let their only friend feel sad anymore. For the first time in a long time, Frisk was determined.
“everything.”
Frisk voice sounded weak, even to them, but it was clear Chara heard it. Chara’s head wiped towards them so fast it would have produced a slight breeze, if they had a corporal form. Chara felt confused, Frisk could tell, they could feel it. Gathering their will, Frisk continued.
“thank you, for everything. for staying by my side, for the funny comments for-“
Frisk’s sentence was cut off by a cough, it hurt, their throat burned, but they had to keep going, Chara had to know. They refused to give up.
“for being there, always, for-“
“ALRIGHT I GET IT”
Frisk snapped their mouth shut and turned their head up to Chara in surprise. Chara seemed to feel… angry? But that doesn’t make sense.
“Seriously what’s gotten into you. For like, forever you don’t talk or acknowledge my presence then you break out the gratitude?”
Oh. Chara didn’t know. Didn’t know what it wasn’t Frisk, that there was something in their body that wasn’t them, that they hadn’t wanted to hurt everyone, or go back, over and over and over and over. Chara didn’t know, so they were mad at them switching. Frisk didn’t want Chara to be mad, not at them. They weren’t sure they could talk, they really didn’t want to, it had been so long and silence had become a neutral state for them. But.. Chara was so, so angry.
“wasn’t me. It wasn’t me”
Their voice sounded a little more steady than a second ago. But they still weren’t keen on continuing to use it.
“Something else in control. Not me.”
Frisk hoped that would get their point across. They weren’t sure they could handle explaining farther verbally. It just felt so foreign.
The silence that followed felt long. Frisk was about to try speaking again when Chara spoke up.
“Like.. something was controlling your body?”
They sounded doubtful but Frisk was happy they got the message.
“You realize how crazy that sounds right? Like, how am I supposed to believe you?”
That… was an excellent point. It was kind of difficult to prove that something look over your body since it didn’t really leave physical evidence. Unless…. Maybe the severed connection in their soul would work?
Frisk focuses, they try to make their soul visible, to bring it out of their body. From the warm glow they feel infront of their chest, and Chara’s sudden exclamation, they bet they succeeded.
“What are you trying to prove here? You don’t….. what is that?”
Chara motions toward the misshapen hole in Frisks soul, the stretch and shrink done to accommodate something that never should have been there in the first place.
“Control. Attached to soul. Result.”
Frisk was trying their absolute best with the sentences they were comfortable saying, and as few words as possible.
“Holy shit. Yeah that’s pretty good proof. Plus your acting like.. Super differently. Okay. Yeah. We can deal with the implications of this later. Like once we figure out where the fuck we are.”
Frisk was glad that Chara believed them. And made sure to nestle their soul back into their body, it didn’t quite fit at the moment, a little too big in some places a little too small in others. But what can you do?
Frisk nods in affirmation. They really need to figure out where they are.
“So…. You cant see right? Cause I’m pretty sure you can’t? God, it’s weird to talk knowing you’re listening.. but we definitely aren’t in The Underground anymore.”
Truthfully, this wasn’t that much of a surprise to Frisk. They could tell that there were far too many people walking, and the air was far too… above ground? And it didn’t sound like the underground at all. Nothing echoed off the caverns walls, and they couldn’t hear the faint rumbling of the ground that was always present when they were down there.
The problem now was how did they get here? And more importantly how to get back. Does Frisk even want to go back. It would be very easy to. But… what if going back brought that thing back. What if they lose their body again. Frisk turns their head towards the SAVE point at the entrance to the alley way. They knew their options, they just had to see if Chara had a preference.
“That’s so weird… If you can’t see how are you looking around???”
Frisk turns to Chara with what they hope is an expression of “seriously?”.
“Right.. not the time. Sorry.”
Frisk nods. And turn their body to face Chara as well.
“Two choices.”
They hold up their hands in a two motion. Chara tilts their head to the side and prompts them to continue.
Frisk puts one finger down as they speak.
“Go back. Familiar, but they might come back.”
Chara seems to tense at the notion of the thing, coming back. Frisk thinks that Chara is trying to meet their gaze, but with their eyes closed it’s hard to tell. Chara seems to have realized that was a fruitless endeavor and motions for them to continue.
Frisk puts their finger back up.
“Stay. Unknown, but…”
Frisk turns their head to the ground. Chara seems to get what they were trying to say and finished for them.
“But we’re free. And so is everyone else.”
Frisk nods, a grateful expression crossing their face.
“Question about option one. How are we even going to get back the underground in the first place? We have no clue where we are, or where the underground is in relation to us.”
Frisks face becomes flat, and they point towards the SAVE point.
“What are you…”
Chara seems to realize something, as shock then apprehension fill them.
“No.”
Chara’s voice leaves no room for argument, but Frisk looks up in indignation anyway. Frisk was about to open their mouth to Argue but Chara Shuts them down, anger once again filling them. Frisk decides they hate it when Chara is angry at them.
“You are not killing yourself! Look, let’s figure out where we are and take it from here. Let’s stick to option two for now. If we find a method back to the underground that doesn’t involve dying, we can think about it. Deal?”
Frisk nods, a little shocked by Chara’s reactions. They didn’t see the big deal. The biggest concern with this plan would be that it might revert their soul to the way it was, and put them back into that endless cycle. They didn’t see how them dying was the biggest concern for Chara, but Frisk felt like bringing that up would make Chara more upset. So they didn’t.
“Let’s start over.”
Frisk has no idea what that meant, but they really hoped they didn’t mean for them to reset. Sure that wouldn’t technically include dying but it would still really suck.
“Instead of trying to find a way back to the underground, let’s treat this as a new round. A new adventure. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for something new. How about you?”
Something new…? That.. sounded wonderful. Frisk could feel themselves going a bit giddy over that prospect. Besides, they had already broken eh barrier, so they weren’t really needed were they? The two of them could start something. Something new.
Sensing Frisks growing enthusiasm over the idea, they point them to the save point.
“Go save, we can figure out where to go from there. Deal?”
Frisk eagerly nods their head and turn to the save point. They reach out towards it and feel a warm light envelope them.
The thought of starting a new adventure fills you with determination