Chapter Text

The next day arrived with a few thick clouds accompanying the bright blue sky. By the time Frisk woke up, the sun was already well above the peak of the mountain range. Laughter from his neighbors playing outside reminded him that today was Saturday. A smile slowly crept across his face as he thought about his friends and all the time they would spend together.

As the young child forced himself upright to get ready for the day, a sharp pain ran through his legs as they met the floor, causing him to almost lose his balance. A groan filled the room as Frisk sat back down on the edge of his bed, rubbing his aching calf muscles. The journey back home from the monster city the night before had taken a lot out of him, even with Undyne’s help navigating him to the sentry station. He had very little time to make it back home before dinner. Running while panicking certainly didn’t make the return trip seem any shorter.

A small knock came from his door, and after a few seconds, Toriel let herself in. Her light blue T-shirt and blue denim jeans were mostly covered by her spotted kitchen apron. As she approached him, the smell of fresh food followed close behind her.

“Are you okay, my child?” she asked with a worried look on her face. “Are your legs still sore from playing with your friends yesterday? You should have taken a break once they started to hurt, especially if you’re going out today.”

“I’m okay, mom. I just forgot how bad they were and got up too fast,” he said, continuing to soothe his muscles. “I promise I’ll be more careful next time.”

After looking him over a few times and giving him a quick hug, Toriel made her way back to the kitchen, stopping briefly at the doorway. “Breakfast will be ready soon,” she said, smiling. “Be sure to show me your invitations for tomorrow before you leave. I want to make sure you don’t forget to bring any.”

She closed the door and Frisk carefully stood up from his bed, walking as fast as he could towards his small desk in the opposite corner of the room. A black metal desk lamp and several pens and pencils of various colors were scattered across the wooden surface. After adjusting his sitting position to give his legs some rest, he opened the top drawer and pulled out a blank sheet of paper and several sealed envelopes. Each one addressed to one of his friends. There was only one left to complete. He would have written it last night, had it not been for his long journey home. Grabbing a black pen, he began writing out the last invitation:

Howdy!

You’re receiving this letter because you’re formally invited to my birthday party this Sunday! It’s going to start early in the afternoon and last however long everyone decides to hang out. It’s going to be held at Toriel’s house.

I hope you can make it!

- Frisk

“Breakfast is ready, my child!” came Toriel’s muffled voice from the living room.

Quickly and carefully folding the piece of paper into thirds, Frisk placed the invitation in its envelope and licked it shut. The taste of glue made him reflexively scrunch his face. He grabbed a few colored pencils and carefully drew some pictures on the front, giving it a unique visual flair. After looking it over one last time, he grabbed the rest of the invitations under his arm and headed out of his room.

As soon as he opened the door, the sweet aroma of breakfast surrounded him. Toriel was already sitting at the dining table, smiling as he walked into the living room.

“Ah, there you are! I believe Undyne said she would be here soon, so eat up!” she said.

Placing the invitations on the table next to him, the young child joined his mother at the table and they began to enjoy their meal together. Frisk’s orange juice disappeared in an instant as he desperately tried to get rid of the taste of glue in his mouth while Toriel took a few bites of her snail omelette. Several minutes passed as they ate in silence until she noticed the pile of envelopes next to him.

“Are those all the invitations for your friends?” she asked after taking a sip from her glass. “Looks like there are a few more than I thought.”

Toriel reached over and grabbed the envelopes to see their recipients before Frisk could react, reading them out loud as she went:

“Let’s see here… Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus, Sans and-”

Her voice trailed off as she read the last invitation. Her smile slowly faded and she looked down at Frisk, whose hand was extended across the table, hoping to grab the invitations before she could read them. His face was stricken with panic as he withdrew his hand. Toriel looked back at the name on the invitation with a stern face.

To: Asgore

From: Frisk

The envelope had yellow flowers drawn on the front, surrounding the two names. She noticed each envelope had their own unique patterns as well, showing how much time and effort Frisk had put into each one. Yet, as she stared at the first name, everything inside of her rejected the notion of having Asgore present in her home for the party. Her head swam thinking about everything she had done to keep Frisk away from him and the monster city.

There’s just no way I can do it, she protested. Nothing good can come from it! What would Asgore say, after everything we’ve been through? What if he doesn’t even attend? Frisk would be heartbroken.

Her attention returned to Frisk, prepared to tell him how she felt. But seeing her child’s face, she couldn’t bring herself to say “no.” He stared at her with pleading eyes as if he knew every argument she would use against him. It was clear that he had thought about this for a long time, and nothing she could say would cheer him up or change his mind. The room remained quiet for a few seconds, the only sound coming from children playing outside.

Breathing deeply and mustering all her courage, the loving caretaker finally smiled. “Frisk… I…” she started to say. “I think they look great. Especially the pictures you put on the front. They’re… very creative.”

Her words were like music to the child’s ears. His panicked look was replaced with a shocked expression in an instant. Before he could verbally respond, Toriel rose from her chair and began collecting the dishes from the table.

“You had better get ready soon. Undyne will be here any moment,” she said quietly.

She turned around and headed towards the kitchen as Frisk followed, still rendered speechless by her response. As she emptied her hands of the dirty dishes into the sink, she felt two arms wrap around her from behind, holding her tight.

“Thank you…” came Frisk's voice from behind.

He quickly unwrapped his arms and ran to his room, eager to get ready before Undyne arrived, leaving his mother to return to her thoughts. As she turned on the faucet to begin soaking the plates, her head hung low and she let out a pained sigh.

I hope you know what you’re doing, my child.

--

A half-hour had passed after the dishes were cleaned when a loud knock came from the front door. After sampling her butterscotch pie custard to make sure it was just right, Toriel removed her oven mitts and apron and headed towards the living room to greet her guest. At the same time, Frisk came running down the hallway with his backpack, wearing a solid green T-shirt with brown shorts, excited to start the day with his friends. As Toriel opened the door, a warm morning breeze washed over her and Frisk as Undyne greeted them. She was sporting her favorite black sleeveless tee with denim jeans, with sneakers instead of her normal ankle-high boots.

“Morning, Toriel!” she said. “Sorry if I’m a little late. Alphys and I were hanging out late last night and we sort of lost track of time. I didn’t think both of us could sleep through two morning alarms.”

“That’s quite alright,” Toriel said with a chuckle. “Frisk’s legs were bothering him this morning after playing yesterday, so I’m sure he appreciates having the extra time to relax.”

The young child stepped forward and waved enthusiastically at Undyne, who immediately bent down to deliver her typical noogie greeting.

“Heya squirt! What’s this I hear about you hurting yourself? I better not hear you whining about that later when we get to the park!” she warned.

After freeing himself from her grasp, Frisk looked up at his best friend, who winked at him knowingly. Before he could respond, Toriel knelt down and nervously looked over the red patch on his head. Undyne put her hands in her pockets, unsure how to properly respond.

“Undyne. I know you and Frisk are planning on playing in the city today,” Toriel said with a serious tone. “And I know you’ve both been looking forward to it for a long time. But please, do be careful. Tomorrow is a busy day and I don’t want Frisk being injured any more than he already is. I hope you understand.”

“Uh, yeah. I understand. Sorry about that,” Undyne responded nervously. “I’ll be sure he gets home safe and sound.”

Toriel nodded her head in thanks and smiled. “Well, don’t let my concern keep you from your playdate. You two have fun!” she said.

After the front door shut completely, Undyne rubbed the back of her head and laughed. “Man, she seems even more on edge than usual, huh? Wonder what’s bugging her so much?”

Frisk looked down at the pavement as they walked, reaching inside his backpack to verify the invitations were still there. He decided not to mention what had happened between him and his mother that morning, hoping to keep things light-hearted for the day. Undyne, noticing how distracted he was, stopped and smiled at him. She grabbed his sides and lifted him onto her shoulders, holding onto his legs to keep him steady. He could see the city’s tall buildings on the horizon.

“Well, mother knows best, right?” she joked. “Plus, what kind of bestie would I be if I let you pass out a few minutes into our hang-out today? Would’ve made our secret escape yesterday pretty pointless, don’t you think?”

Trying to hold on to her as best he could, Frisk wrapped his arms around his friend, grateful for her trust and loyalty.

“Fuhuhu! Alright alright, enough of the lovey-dovey stuff,” she requested. “I won’t be much fun if you keep choking me to death like that!”

The duo passed by Frisk’s school and made their way towards the city where Alphys worked. Their plan was to spend the late morning together in the park until lunch time, and then make their way towards the science lab where Alphys worked and enjoy lunch with her.

“Do you know what kind of work Alphys does at her job?” Frisk asked Undyne as they approached the city limits.

“Not much, actually,” she replied. “All she’s ever told me is she works with human scientists and they’ve been really interested in studying monsters ever since they returned from the Underground. Apparently all the research done before we were sent down there didn’t last, or got lost, or something.”

The city’s skyscrapers began to surround them, accompanied with a claustrophobic feeling. Living in a suburban area, Frisk was used to open spaces where he could run around without having to worry about running into people every step. Undyne herself felt boxed in despite having lived in the Underground for many years. Even on a Saturday, the city was jam-packed with human and monster residents making their way to various stores and offices. The sea of people seemed endless as Frisk looked on ahead atop Undyne’s shoulders, serving as her navigation towards the park.

“Man, even the monster-only cities weren’t this bad,” Undyne remarked. “I can’t imagine anyone regularly walking around in this mess, let alone having to live with it. How do these people sleep?!”

--

After several minutes and city blocks passed by, the two finally found their destination. To say the park stood out from its urban surroundings was quite an understatement; it was as if someone had taken a large piece of land from the uninhabited mountains, placed it in the middle of the city and then filled it with flora from Asgore’s garden. The grass was evenly cut, dotted here and there with patches of flowers and small man-made lakes.

Yet, like the city, there were still plenty of residents around, enjoying the mostly sunny Saturday morning before they settled down for lunch. Splashes could be heard in the distance as children played in the cool water to relax after running around all morning. Others had settled comfortably on the park’s many benches, either watching their kids carefully as they chased each other or enjoying a nice book under the shade of the trees.

“Whew, I thought we’d never get here,” Undyne sighed, helping Frisk down from her shoulders. Inhaling deeply, she twisted her arms to stretch her muscles. She could never get enough of the park’s fresh air and open spaces. “I swear, sometimes the city is worse than the Underground when it comes to personal space. Wish we could come here more often, ya know?”

Frisk nodded in agreement and the two began making their way towards the baseball field located near one of the park’s corners. Despite Undyne graciously carrying him all the way through the city, the young child’s legs reminded him of his rough journey the day prior with every step. However, not wanting to spoil the entire day, he tried his best to ignore it.

Located at the park’s center was a large fountain, made with white marble stone that glistened in the sunlight as the water danced through its spouts. The center was designed to look like a tree stump, and the main water flow erupted from it. Surrounding it were several stone vines wrapping through and around it, though instead of thorns, there were stone flowers placed all over them. The flowers located at the ends had their own smaller water spouts that sent water to the edge of the basin. The fountain's floor was littered with various coins of different colors and sizes, which were collected at the end of every week. Surrounding the basin were a few brown signs with white lettering:

TOSS IN A COIN AND MAKE A WISH!

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE LOCAL TEMMIE SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Frisk decided to take a short detour as he reached into his pocket for a coin. Pulling out a quarter, he closed his eyes and thought about what he wanted the most. The yelling and laughing from the park residents around him became muffled as he concentrated. He let out a sigh and tossed the quarter into the water while thinking to himself:

I wish… that I can be there to help all my friends, no matter what happens.

As he opened his eyes, a Frisbee whisked by him to the left, breaking him out of his trance and causing him to flinch. As he turned around to see where it had come from, a giant figure bounded towards him and leaped after the Frisbee right into the fountain’s basin. The splash sent water in every direction, much to the delight of a few children walking by. The back of Frisk’s shirt was almost completely soaked. Another splash arose as Greater Dog emerged from below with the Frisbee in his mouth, despite his armor giving him opposable thumbs.

“Hey, you okay squirt? I didn’t mean to throw it THAT close to you,” Undyne said, rushing over to check on Frisk.

The damp child backed away from the fountain as Greater Dog shook himself dry, dropping the Frisbee to the ground to show he was ready for another throw. Frisk smiled at him and instead reached up to give the canine a good petting, which he accepted with equal enthusiasm. Grabbing the Frisbee off the ground, Undyne observed the two for a few minutes, chuckling to herself over the silly scene.

“Fuhuhu! Alright, you crazy dog,” she said. “Hate you break it to ya, but Frisk is mine for the day, and I have to get him back at a decent hour this time. Now go fetch!”

At the sound of her last word, Greater Dog immediately ran past Frisk and prepared himself. Undyne sneered as she gripped the Frisbee tight and gave it a good whirl. After letting go, the disc whizzed off into the distance. The guard dog pursued it as fast as he could, jumping over benches and dodging trees as he went. It was quite the sight to see, and many people cheered him along as he went.

After gathering their bearings, the two besties continued to make their way towards the baseball field. The area was surrounded by a tall chain-link fence that prevented any stray balls from escaping onto the street or through someone's windshield. Knowing he wouldn’t be able to participate in any sports, Frisk sat down on the bleachers to watch a game of kickball being played by a small group of monster children. His shirt was almost dry by the time they reached the field.

“Not feeling up to it right now, huh?” Undyne asked, sitting down next to him. “Something tells me you gotta get out and run more often! Or maybe I should give your gym teacher some lessons on how to train their students better.”

The young child chuckled as he removed his backpack from his shoulders. He reached inside, deciding now would be a good time to give his friend her invitation to his party tomorrow. As he shuffled through the envelopes to find the right one, Undyne suddenly shot up from her seat and caught a kickball headed straight for him, causing the startled child to flinch and throw his hands up in surprise.

“Hey! Watch where you’re aiming, would ya?!” Undyne shouted. “My friend’s legs are killing him. The last thing he needs is a busted skull to go with it!”

The group suddenly realized they had spectators. Monster Kid, who had kicked the ball, came and greeted them.

“Yo! Undyne! I didn’t even see you show up,” he said excitedly. “Sorry about that, I promise we weren’t aiming for you. What’s going on?”

“Nothing much, just hanging out with my bestie, enjoying the only place in this city that isn’t completely crowded” she said, pelting the ball back towards the pitcher. “Looks to me like your gym teacher is working you guys pretty well after all. That was a pretty sweet kick there, even if it did almost eviscerate my friend over here.”

Monster Kid chuckled, blushing a bit from the compliment from his hero. “T-Thanks! I’ve been working really hard to become stronger since we got to the surface. I decided I want to help other monsters be stronger, just like you do!”

“Fuhuhu! Well, in that case, get back on that plate and let me show you how it’s done!” she bellowed. “Come on, Frisk! Let’s move up and give these kids a real game of kickball!”

After checking to make sure none of his invitations had fallen out, Frisk grabbed his backpack and followed Undyne down to the lowest seat on the bleachers. As the game continued on, Undyne began shouting encouragement from the sidelines, as if she was coaching a team. Though, at times, her former military experience made it seem like she was instructing a new group of soldiers for the Royal Guard.

“Come on, you wimps! My lazy skeleton friend can run faster than that!”

“Imagine the ball as the head of your enemy!”

“What?! How did you get hit?! Learn to slide into the base next time!”

While the group of monsters may have seen it as a bit intrusive, Frisk couldn't help but laugh at his friend’s enthusiasm. An hour and a half passed until the two teams finally decided they would break for lunch, though Frisk suspected they probably just didn’t want to hear anymore encouragement from Undyne.

“Whew! That was a lot of fun,” she said, beaming at Frisk. “I would’ve preferred if you were there, kicking some butt. But at least that gives us a reason to hang out again later, right? Now, let’s get over to Alphy’s lab so we can get some food. All that coaching made me hungry!”

--

Before Frisk retook his place on top of her shoulders, he quickly reached inside his backpack and grabbed the invitation for his friend. The front was decorated with pictures of her spear, and a rough sketch of her armor stood right next to her name. As they both made their way back into the city, he handed it to Undyne.

“Fuhuhu! Nice try drawing me and my armor, Frisk. Next time call me up and I’ll pose for you! What’s this all about, anyway?” she asked.

Navigating through the afternoon lunch rush, she sliced open the envelope and pulled out the letter, switching her attention between the letter and the crowd to make sure she didn’t run into anyone. After reading it through, she let out a hearty laugh and reached up to rub Frisk’s head.

“Looks like you were one step ahead of me, squirt!” she said. “Of course I’d be up for coming to your party tomorrow! Hopefully by then you’ll be able to actually walk around and enjoy yourself.”

Frisk smiled and wrapped his arms around her, excited to know at least one of his friends could make it. As they both stood at the last intersection before they reached Alphys’ lab, he grabbed Asgore’s invitation from his backpack and gave it to her.

“Since you live in the monster city, do you think you could give this to him for me?” Frisk asked. “I’m still not allowed to visit.”

Undyne started at the invitation and paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. “Does Toriel know about this?” she asked nervously.

Frisk nodded. “She saw it this morning. She… didn’t look too happy at first, but she didn’t say I couldn’t invite him. In fact, she said they all looked great.”

“Hmm…” Undyne replied, sucking in air between her teeth. “Well, I guess if she allows it, there’s no reason not to. Heck, maybe this will cheer up the big guy for once.”

The crosswalk light turned white and the crowd of people in front of them began to move. After walking to the end of the block, they turned right and around the corner stood Alphys’ lab. It was a fairly new-looking facility, with a wrought iron fence surrounding the compound. Unlike the skyscrapers around it, the building was only a few stories tall, yet its width took up several city blocks worth of space. As the two got closer, they saw various groups of human and monster scientists having conversation with each other.

Undyne helped Frisk down as they passed through the visitor’s gate. They walked towards the entrance to the main floor, and the young child thought about his mother’s reaction that morning and his meeting with Asgore the day prior, looking distraught.

“Hey, what’s eatin’ ya, squirt?” Undyne asked, noticing the frown on his face. “We made it on time, didn’t we?”

“Undyne…” Frisk started. “Do you know why Asgore won’t live with the humans?”

Taken aback at first by the question, the former captain of the Royal Guard sighed. “That’s a pretty tough question to answer, kid. I don’t think I’m the one you should be asking.”

“But you were there yesterday, right?” he continued. “You spend time with him and-”

“Yeah, I know I do Frisk, but that’s not the point.” she protested. “Look… all I’m gonna say is there are lot of reasons why some monsters stay in that city. Some of them may have the same reasons, but Asgore is different. A lot different. I don’t think I’m the person to tell you, and even if I was, I’m pretty sure he hasn’t told me everything himself.”

“Oh… okay,” Frisk said quietly, disappointed by her answer. “I guess I didn’t think about it that way.”

Not wanting him to be depressed for lunch, Undyne quickly hoisted him back up on her shoulders and smiled at him. “But hey, don’t worry about it too much. I’ll still give him his invitation, so maybe you two can spend some time tomorrow talking about it yourselves. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you.”

Frisk nodded and they continued forward towards the dining area of the facility, ready to enjoy lunch together.