Rising Up

Poppy's POV

"Find the body," Frisk ordered, gesturing toward the cliff with their knife. Poppy blinked. Once she was sure she'd heard them correct, she nodded. Gripping the edge of the cliff, Poppy allowed herself to hang over the edge, finding decent stones to step on as she made her way down. She jumped down the final few feet before looking around. Immediately, she spotted something yellow glowing in the suffocating darkness. Poppy inched closer to it. The shape was a heart, floating inches above a limp body. Clover… Falling to her knees, Poppy's heart pounded out of her chest and her arms shook as she reached toward Clover's body. She pulled him into her arms, letting her tears loose.

"Why…" Poppy's voice shook. "Why did you let go…? Why did you… k-kill yourself?" Frisk would've just killed him… Like they killed everyone else. Ace… Ray… and now Clover... There are no exceptions… Not even her… Poppy slapped her forehead, allowing her head to hang low as more tears dripped free: How could I be so foolish?! Undyne was right… Monster, human, friend, Frisk doesn't care… All they care about is power, all I cared about was power…

Poppy was sobbing now, too overwhelmed to stop the pitiful sounds from echoing off the stone. Taking Clover's soul in her hand, Poppy started climbing back up the rocks. She struggled to bite back her tears. When she made her way to the top, Poppy wiped her tears away with one hand, holding the soul in the other. Frisk glared at her, fiddling with their knife.

"Well?" Poppy revealed the soul in her hand. Frisk took a step closer, observing the soul. Then turned away. Without another word, they made their way through the cave. Poppy followed. Her hands were clenched around Clover's soul as she continued to choke back sobs. They carried on through several more halls of Waterfall before finally making it to the end of the cavern. Ahead of them, was a bright orange landscape. Immediately upon stepping out of the cave, Poppy was suffocated by the heat, nearly coughing on it. They stopped in front of a huge white building. Frisk only hesitated a moment before entering so Poppy followed them, glaring at them. They're going to kill me no matter what… Why am I even playing it safe?

"OH, THERE YOU ARE." A sudden voice snapped Poppy out of her thoughts. She looked up to see a rectangular robot rolling toward them, the tiles of his face a dangerous red. "YOU UGLY LITTLE CREATURES. YOU'VE MADE QUITE THE NAMES FOR YOURSELVES." Poppy took a deep breath. Yeah, we deserve that. "SUCH INFAMY…! I'M IMPRESSED. OH, YES. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ALPHYS, SHE'S NOT HERE. WHILE YOU WERE BUSY DOING YOUR." The robot cleared his throat. An odd, almost choke-like sound. "THING… SHE WAS RUNNING AROUND EVACUATING PEOPLE TO SAFETY. NOW THEY'RE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU'LL NEVER GET TO THEM. DECIDING NOT TO FIGHT YOU... MY MY, SHE REALLY IS THE SMART ONE, ISN'T SHE?" Frisk took a step closer to the robot, knife pointed forward. "OH? HOW SASSY. YOU'RE JUST ITCHING TO GET YOUR DUSTY LITTLE HANDS ON ME, AREN'T YOU? WELL TOO BAD! THIS WORLD NEEDS STARS MORE THAN IT NEEDS CORPSES! TOODLES!" The robot rolled out the door. Frisk marched after them, knife at the ready.

Poppy stood in place. Opening her clasped hands, she gazed at the heart-shaped soul. She recalled the words on the wall. The words on the signs that Frisk had walked past without a second thought, Poppy had stopped to read: If a monster defeats a human, they can take its soul. A monster with a human soul… a horrible beast with unfathomable power… Unfathomable power…. Poppy put the soul down on the messy table, then turned to leave. It was unlikely that anyone would see it… but at least there was a chance that someone could use it. And it's what Clover would want…

Frisk's POV

Frisk made their way across a conveyer belt, stopping to save before their soul appeared. A little volcano-like monster appeared before them.

"A Vulkin," the voice murmured. Frisk lifted their knife into the air. Before they could do anything, the knife was snatched out of Frisk's hand, kicking them forward. Frisk turned around, eyes wide. In a heartbeat, Poppy slashed the knife across Frisk's throat, spraying blood all over her face. Frisk fell onto their back with a gasp. Their heart screeched to a halt, their eyes frozen wide with shock. The world went dark.

"You cannot give up just yet…" The deep voice murmured to Frisk. "Chara! Stay determined…" Frisk's eyes popped open. They were back past the conveyor belts, moments before encountering the Vulkin…

"That traitor killed us!" the voice exclaimed. Frisk nodded, gripping their knife. A pale hand reached out to grab it again. Leaping back, Frisk slashed the knife side to side, spraying blood in their face. Poppy staggered back, letting out a cry. Frisk stepped forward. They thrust the knife forward into Poppy's stomach, kicking her over before she could move. She let out a cry, arching her back. Blood gushed from her throat and stomach like a rushing river, coating her in red.

"Leave her," the voice growled. Frisk nodded, walking off without another thought. The Vulkin blocked their path. Slicing them from the top, Frisk cut the Vulkin half. A cry filled the air. The two halves had immediately split into dust, sticking to Frisk's hands as they walked away. Tsunderplane was next. Frisk lifted their knife just below Tsunderplane, slicing them open.

"B-but I never got to-" She began to protest. Frisk ducked as the plane crashed to the ground, exploding into pieces. They shielded their eyes. Standing back up, Frisk gazed down at the wreckage, or lack thereof. Nothing remained of Tsunderplane, not even dust. Frisk walked away. Pyrope bounced in next, with a smile bright enough to match the scorching climate. Its head was gone within a matter of seconds.

Poppy's POV

Poppy laid on the ground, struggling to lift her arms. She pulled her legs under her, pushing herself up as she gripped her stomach with one hand and neck with the other. Her own blood has created a pool around her. Exhaustion kept her from getting up, but terror and pain kept her glued to the scorching ground. Pushing herself forward, she advanced in a crawl. I have to… go… somewhere… find help… I can't let Frisk continue! I don't want to die!

The world seemed to pull her down, slamming her wound into the blazing ground. Poppy let out a yowl. Rolling over, she gripped wound, which stung like a thousand bees.

"HELP!" Poppy cried, now shaking. "SOMEONE! PLEASE!"

But nobody came.

Finally, Poppy couldn't fight anymore. Her arms to fell to the ground, and she closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. "I never go to say goodbye to Mom and Dad…" Were her final thoughts before her world went dark for the last time.

Frisk's POV

Frisk stopped in front of two heavily armoured figures. Their faces were entirely covered by their helmets, and they each held a sword.

"You're here!" One of them exclaimed. "So that means Undyne... she's…" The guards lifted their swords, stepping forward. "Like, Undyne! We'll avenge you!" Frisk's soul appeared before them. It took one hit to knock over the first guard, turning it to dust. Frisk lunged at the next one as they cried out, slicing their neck and watching the body split into dust. They wiped their lips with the back of the hand. Was that supposed to be difficult?

Frisk continued through the mostly empty Hotland. They made their way toward the elevator, going to the only floor that wasn't blocked off: 'Left Floor Three.' The walls were a dark shade of purple. Meanwhile, the hall was thick with the stench of cobwebs and… something else. Were those… donuts? Frisk ignored it, walking onward and jumping across the steam vents. A gray and red trail formed behind them. The gray specks floated through the hot air, like mini tornadoes. Frisk only stopped to save. Then they glanced up at the cave ahead of them, which was a much darker purple. Shrugging, Frisk made their way inside. Frisk weaved around the cobwebs, slicing off the pieces that stuck to their shirt.

"Did you hear what she said?" a voice echoed through the hall.

"They said a human wearing a striped shirt will come through." Frisk didn't bother to look for the source of the voices as they continued forward.

"I heard that they hate spiders."

"I heard that they love to stomp on them."

"I heard that they like to tear their legs off." Frisk skidded to a halt in front of a particularly big web, stretching toward the end of the hall. They stepped into the webs, sinking into them. Pulling out their knife, Frisk sliced the strings of the web, allowing them to walk on. However, it was still a slow process. The ground beneath them refused to let go of their feet, forcing them to push as hard as they could for each individual step.

"I heard…" Frisk glanced at the side of the hall. Standing above them, was a strange lady with five, empty eyes and six purple arms. "That they have some awful taste. What a shame. A human comes through and they aren't even fit to be eaten. Oh well! Rotten ingredients can always be discarded." Frisk's soul appeared.

"Muffet!" the voice gasped. New webbing formed around them, tying around them like snakes. They could barely keep hold of their knife. They struggled in place.

"Don't look so blue my deary..." Muffet smiled, pouring her teacups onto the webs. A purple colour to traveled through them before reaching Frisk's soul. They squirmed slightly as their soul changed purple as well. "I think purple is a much better look on you."

"Let me go," Frisk growled, glaring right at Muffet.

The spider lady raised an eyebrow. "Let you go?" She paused to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand as she did. "Don't be silly. You've been scaring off all my customers! I can't let you get away in one piece." Frisk stopped struggling, their eyes widening. A swarm of spiders crawled through the web, snapping their jaws as they got closer to Frisk. They struggled to lift their knife up to their face. Barely able to move their knife, they struggled among the web, slicing at strings and the occasional spider.

Something sharp sank into their cheek. Frisk let out a gasp, the knife slipping out of their hand and into the web. They reached out to grab it. Before they could, three spiders crawled by, taking the knife in their jaws before rushing down the web. Frisk was blazing with fury.

"Guess attacking's off the table," the voice murmured. Frisk let out a grunt. However, they were right… Without their weapon or even a way to move, Frisk had no choice but to just wait out the battle.

"The person who warned us about you…" Frisk glared at Muffet. Boomerangs were now swinging through the air, slicing parts of the web as they passed. Frisk weaved around the ones that zipped by them. "...Looked like a total nerd. She was very adamant I run away with her. She even left a route for me to escape from. She said she would block off the rest of Hotland after I followed her..." Muffet chuckled as she threw donuts at them. Frisk didn't even flinch as they hit their head, falling back into the web. "Foolish nerd, a spider never leaves her web… except to sell pastries."

More boomerangs and spiders were next. Frisk threw their upper body side to side to avoid the spiders, then ducked as the boomerangs zipped overhead. Other boomerangs zoomed past them. As they passed, they sliced the strings of the web, loosening their grip on Frisk. They shook in place. Frisk pushed the stray strings away, their gaze panning around the hall. Where is the knife?!

Muffet continued her monologue, one of her many sets of fingers rested on her chin. "Ah, but I do feel a little regret over it now… Yes, I should have wrapped her up when I had the chance. She looked like she would have made a juicy donut." She suddenly let out a gasp, placing her hand over her mouth. "Oh, how rude of me! I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet. It's breakfast time, isn't it? Have fun, you two." She waved at Frisk, letting out another cheeky laugh.

Another figure appeared at the end of the web. The huge thing crawled into view, revealing stubby legs, huge teeth, and empty, soulless eyes. Its roar shook the whole room like an earthquake. Chomping its huge jaws, the pet crawled onto the web, flecking slobber all over the spiders. Frisk leaped toward the top of the web. They scanned the area, eventually spotting a glimmer in the dark room. The knife! Dashing forward, Frisk was careful to only jump on the strings, avoiding holes that would make them sink deeper into the wall of webbing. They ended up leaping side to side, across the web.

Finally, they reached the knife. Frisk grasped it in their hand, standing up straight to point the knife at the pet. It skidded to a halt. The creature's eyes widened, the empty gaze now fixed on the knife. Frisk glared at it. The creature backed away, withdrawing into the shadows while still keeping its empty gaze fixed on Frisk.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Muffet demanded, from the higher part of the web. Shooting a quick glance at Muffet, Frisk flung the knife through the air. It shot forward like a bullet. A cry pierced the air as it made its impact, staining the floor gray. Everything in the room seemed to freeze. The spiders had stopped crawling about, the web had lost its purple colour, and no more boomerangs or donuts shot through the air.

From the shadows, a single spider crawled toward the dusty wall. It stared at it for a moment. Then, it disappeared into the shadows again, reappearing moments later with a single yellow flower in its jaws. The spider dropped the flower just above the dust. Then crawled away. Frisk climbed out of the web, pulling themself to the top and grabbing the knife.

"Thirty-five left…" Those words echoed through Frisk's mind as they left the room.

Teri's POV

Teri, Kat, and the numerous monsters in the lab sat clustered around the television. It showed two intense battles. Frisk was fighting Undyne, slipping past her crazy spear attacks to stab or slash her every now and then with their knife. Meanwhile Clover and Poppy were fighting with spears. Frisk charged at Undyne, weaving past each of her attacks with ease, forcing her to back away. Teri let out a gasp. Just before Frisk could approach, the television went black.

"We have to go!" Alphys exclaimed, rushing toward one of the doors at the side of the building. "This isn't going to end well!" She pressed some buttons on the wall. A door opened. "Mettaton, stay here and make sure those murderers don't get downstairs. Everyone else, follow me." Teri pushed herself to her feet. Everyone dashed after Alphys, shoving themselves into the elevator in packs. That had been the beginning...

"Everyone follow me!" Alphys called. Teri shambled after her. She and Kat walked side by side behind a cluster of many different monsters. Among them, were Sans, Papyrus, two monsters made completely of fire, a cat that walked on two legs, two bunnies and an alligator-like creature, of similar stature, a yellow child with spikes and no arms, a little volcano-like creature, a duck-like creature, and several others. They all followed Alphys, crammed together like a mob in the tight hallways, like they had for the past few hours. Mettaton was not among them. He hadn't come back since he went out to check for Frisk and Poppy. I hope he's okay… Something slipped across the ground, a sloshing sound echoing down the hall. Alphys skidded to a halt.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Papyrus asked, ducking down.

Alphys shook as she turned to look at the group. "I… I d-don't know!" The sound only got louder. Teri whipped around, her eyes wide. Another figure was behind her, its body dissolving like melted ice cream. Teri gasped, jumping back. The group turned around to see the new figure, a chorus of gasps now echoing through the hall. Some were just shocked, others were terrified.

"Wait!" The duck-like monster pushed his way through the crowd, nudging Teri aside. Teri stepped back toward the crowd. The duck-like creature stopped in front of the melting monster. Side by side, it was clear they were the same type of monster, though the melted one's eyes seemed to be the eyes of another.

"Honey?" The male one asked, his eyes wide. The melted one met his gaze, eyes widening.

"Frosty?" The melted one's voice was nothing more than a rasp. "I-is that you?"

"Yes!" His eyes were bright, and he leaned in to rub his cheek against the melted one's face. "Yes, it's me!"

"Where is Snowy?" She asked. The male one took a step back, his eyes watering.

"He's dead… he was all the way in Snowdin when the humans…" He looked away, hiding his face under his wing as tears were undoubtedly pouring. "I'm so sorry…"

"Are all those fallen monsters down here?!" A voice demanded, cutting the silence like a knife.

Alphys ducked down. "Y-yes…"Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. "They all… m-melted together into…" A shaking claw pointed at the melted monster. "Things like that." As if on cue, more shapes filled the hallway, all melting in a similar fashion to the first. They were all composed of many different faces and body parts. "I'm sssssorry I kept this a secret…" Alphys backed away, standing in between the amalgamates. More voices rose to protest.

"How did this happen?!"

"Why didn't you tell us?!"

"We sent you letters every day, wondering where our families and friends were and you just ignored us!"

"I… I didn't want you to be mad…" Alphys replied, stepping behind one of the wider amalgamates. "I swear I didn't mean for this to happen to them!"

"We know you didn't," the snowy monster replied, still pressing his cheek against his wife's. "We're not mad, we've just been worried for months."

"Besides, Alphys still, like, lead us to safety," one of the cats replied, pointing at her.

"Yeah," the gator-like creature added. "If it weren't for her, the rest of us would be dead too!"

"ALPHYS IS A HERO!" Papyrus added, throwing his fist into the air. More murmurs of approval rippled through the crowd. Alphys peeked out from behind the amalgamate, her cheeks a bright shade of red.

"You don't… hate me then?" she asked, her claws still shaking.

"Of course not!" One of the bunnies exclaimed. "We would've preferred the truth sooner but we're not mad… We know you didn't intend this." The room fell silent. Alphys had stepped in front of the Amalgamates again, a small smile forming on her lips. The other monsters approached the Amalgamates. Some reached out to touch the melting figures, others simply gazed at them with a mix of confusion and happiness in their eyes. Teri and Kat stood to the side. I don't know what happened to these monsters… but I guess it's good that more people survived.

A new sound echoed down the hall, like a bike wheel spinning over the road. Mettaton appeared at the end of the hall. Every tile on his face was bright yellow, and his hands were clasped around something.

"ALPHYS! YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE WHAT I-" Mettaton screeched to a halt. "THEY FOUND THE FALLEN MONSTERS?!"

"Y-yes." Alphys made her way through the crowd, which parted to the sides allow her to pass. "They… showed up. Everything is okay. Um…. now that they know, I'm gonna take everyone to a less crowded room. What were you going to say?"

"OH! YES…" Mettaton opened his hands, revealing a glass jar with a yellow soul inside!

"CLOVER!" Teri and Kat cried, dashing toward Mettaton. Kat took the jar in her hands. Mettaton rolled back, the room suddenly falling silent around them as Kat and Teri observed the jar. Tears were already rolling down Teri's cheeks.

"Where did you find this?" Teri asked, struggling to bite back sobs.

"IT WAS JUST-"

"Was there a body?" Kat cried, gripping the jar in her arms.

"NO… ALL I FOUND WAS THE SOUL. IT WAS ON THE TABLE UPSTAIRS… I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS YOUR FRIEND…"

"I… I saw who left it," Alphys replied, her voice soft. Everyone turned to her.

"How?!" a monster exclaimed, pointing at her.

"I… I have cameras all over the Underground," Alphys explained, staring at her fidgeting claws. "Including inside my lab. It was one of the murderers… the female one…"

Kat and Teri exchanged glances. "Poppy…" They murmured at the same time. Why would Poppy leave Clover's soul in the lab?

"What happened to her?" Kat asked, taking a step closer to Alphys. Her eyes darted away, and she did not reply.

"Well?" Teri demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"I…" Alphys took a step back. "I didn't want to have to tell you this… she… she…" Alphys covered her mouth with her claws for a moment. "She's dead." Something stabbed Teri's heart. "She tried to steal the other human's knife, but they attacked her before she could. She died soon after or I would've helped… I'm so sorry."

Teri put her hand over her mouth as she sobbed. Tears rained down her cheeks. I don't have any friends left… Ace… Ray… Clover… all dead. Poppy turned herself around just to die and Frisk is evil. Teri cast a glance at Kat. Her face was similarly covered in tears, and her eyes were red. Teri threw her arms around Kat. She pulled her closer, the two of them sobbing into each other.

"Come on," Alphys sighed, gesturing everyone forward with her claw. Teri and Kat pushed onward, still sobbing to themselves. Eventually, they stopped in the middle of a wide room, where everyone in the group was allowed to disperse and get some space. Kat and Teri went separate directions. Teri immediately made her way toward the wall, sitting down against it as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Mettaton rolled toward her. Stopping beside her, he rested a hand on her shoulder. It made her shiver.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, DARLING?" Mettaton asked, glancing at her.

"Um…"

"OH," He sighed before Teri could reply. "RHETORICAL QUESTION. NONE OF US ARE ALRIGHT…"

Teri nodded. "I can barely process any of this," she admitted, pulling her legs into her chest. "This morning, everything was fine… Then we fell down that hole and… Frisk… Frisk…" Teri covered her mouth, shaking as she remembered the Froggit turning to dust. "I thought they never wanted to hurt anyone, but they hurt everyone!" her voice starting to echo off the walls. "Toriel took us in! Ace, Ray, Clover, Poppy... were all our friends, and they killed them all! I don't even know them anymore!"

"YOU TWO WERE CLOSE?" Mettaton asked, rolling a bit closer.

"We all were… Kat, Frisk, and I met in Kindergarten… in school, I mean. We met Clover the following year and Ace and Ray the year after that. I met Poppy one day when I hung out at Ray's house… After that, all seven us started hanging out. Frisk was always sort of the leader. They were so… kind. They wouldn't hurt a fly, really. I don't know what happened but…" Teri let out a gasp. "OH NO!"

"WHAT?" Mettaton asked, wheeling back a bit. "WHAT IS IT?"

"Frisk had no problem killing our friends! Human, monster, it doesn't matter to them now. When they leave the Underground…"

"ALL HUMANS WILL BE DEAD TOO…" Mettaton's tiles turned red. "IF THEY GET TO ASGORE… THEY'LL TAKE HIS SOUL AND… AND NO ONE WILL BE LEFT ALIVE." Mettaton rolled away, revealing a switch on his back. "I HAVE TO STOP THEM."

"Wait!" Teri exclaimed, jumping to her feet. Mettaton turned back to her. "...I'm going too."

"BUT YOU'RE ONLY A CHILD!" he exclaimed, wheeling back a bit. "AND THAT HUMAN WAS ONCE YOUR FRIEND. I CAN'T POSSIBLY LET YOU FIGHT THEM!"

"But that's why I have to fight them! They're going to kill everyone in the world. I can't sit here knowing I didn't even try to stop that!"

Mettaton stared at her completely speechless. "OKAY FINE… I'LL LET YOU COME." He held up one finger. "UNDER ONE CONDITION."

"Yes?"

"YOU LET ME GIVE YOU A WEAPON OR TWO," he replied, rolling across the room. Teri rushed to his side.

"Okay, fine," she replied, glancing around the room. Clusters of monsters stood or sat all around the room, exchanging words between themselves. However, Kat was not among them. Teri raised an eyebrow. Where did she go? Mettaton screeched to a halt in front of Alphys.

"ALPHYS, WE'RE GOING TO KILL THE HUMAN," Mettaton announced, pointing at Teri.

Alphys took a step back. "Y-you and the kid?"

"YES, AND I NEED YOU TO GIVE HER A WEAPON… SOMETHING SHE CAN CARRY."

"Uh… okay, I'll see what I can do." Alphys walked off, disappearing down a dark hall.