Discord and Rhymes (UNDERTALE)

[gantzgun74]

It had been a number of days since Frisk had reunited with a good majority of their friends at the hospital. It had been a number of days since they had come across Undyne and Papyrus again. It was even a great pleasure more since they also made a bunch of new friends that day too; Bayonetta, Elsa, Prishe... This Island was insane, it was definitely out of control in a number of ways... But then again, so too had been the Underground in a number of ways as well. Such a new setting was definitely scary... But Frisk felt prepared for anything this world was ready to throw at them...

And besides, even if it COULD get scarier?

It was hard to be scared anyway. If not because of one little factor.

This world was EMPOWERING them. It was somehow making them stronger. Not just Frisk. IT was making Undyne stronger. IT was making Asgore stronger. It was making Papyrus stronger-it was making ALL of them stronger in some way or another! It was like this world was wholy welcoming them in. Like, no matter what happened from this point on, they had the help and support of something beyond their understanding. Frisk wasn't sure what yet... But they found it hard to be afraid at all with that knowledge in mind.

----------------------------



Which brought them back here. To this abandoned lab way up north.

A place that, days before, they had some trouble with, but were now reasonably confident was cleaned out. [That story to which, we shall tell another day.] And it was thanks to that cleaning out that Alphys, THOUGH NOT BEFORE INSTALLING A NUMBER OF HEATERS ALL OVER THE COMPOUND, settled down in ready to do more lab work, ready to study this island and the mysterious energy that made it...

The second Frisk opened the door, the first thing they were aware of was a blisteringly warm breeze coming from within, warming up their multitude of fuzzy sweaters and jackets that were given to them by their friends to just make the trip. They had mentioned that they survived the cold of Snowdin fairly easily, but they would not be swayed... It was probably a good idea they made them take the jackets though...

It was likely due to the winter season, but there was definitely some pretty tough snow storms out this way. Frisk was grateful to walk into the lab and be greeted by the warmth of Alphys' heaters permeating the facility.

"PHEW...." Once Frisk closed the door, they were quick to remove the multiple layers as they walked down the lit hallway to go and find the main lab. "Hellooooooo!!! Alphys?? I'm HEEEEERE! Alphyyyyyyys!"

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Frisk!" Having been alerted to Frisk's presence, Alphys scurried down the hall to meet them halfway, beaming with delight.

"Ah! Good to see you! P-Please, come in! I was... just about to make some lunch, actually." As she led the way back to the lab's main room, Alphys continued, "I-I trust the others are settling in well. W-Wait... Did you come here yourself?"

[gantzgun74]

The smile on Frisk's face pretty much said it all. "Papyrus offered to come along, buuuut.... I sorta just wanted to walk myself here. It's not like I don't remember where it is." Alphys likely sweatdropped a little at this. That Determination of theirs just seemed to make them more and more fearless every day. "Besides, miss Prishe wanted some time with him and Undyne today anyway, and dad's still waiting for official closure from the Hospital... Well at least he's almost done right?"

Frisk smiled even more as they shed the last layer of warm jackets, showing their most recently purchased dress and ultra warm stockings with winter boots. "I almost hope Spring will come here soon. The weather outside was REEAAAALLY bad though. I think I almost got lost once or twice. Good thing I found the road leading back to Bonsai Village."

... FEARLESS INDEED.

Noticing Alphys' expression, Frisk just smiled. "Hey hey, don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm already getting a feel for this island~."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"I-I see. Well, it's good to know everyone's doing well!" Alphys cheerfully mused. "Yes, the cold weather is taking some getting used to... I-I can't admit to spending too much time in Snowdin back in the Underground."

She had to double-take when Frisk mentioned that they had nearly gotten lost a few times. "O-Oh dear! Y-You're sure you're alright?" But of course Frisk assured her that they were. After all, this was the child who traversed almost the entire Underground unsupervised. She offered an awkward smile and replied, "A-Ah... Yes, of course. Well... regardless of circumstances, I'm happy you made it."

Soon enough, the duo entered the decrepit building's main laboratory, running at full power and looking not quite at peak condition but still impressively close. A large screen mounted on the wall displayed a paused frame of one of Alphys's anime DVDs. A gas stove softly crackled as it heated up a pot of water. Amongst the tidied array of technology was a work desk messily stocked with books, notes, a few stray pieces and parts, and that odd blue orb Alphys had shown her friends back at the hospital.

"S-Surprisingly, I'm settling in fairly well myself!" Alphys offered as she went to check on the boiling water. "I feel like I've... already made a bit of a mess, and I haven't really even started on any serious research yet. Heheh..."

[gantzgun74]

"It's good to see you're making yourself at home~." Frisk said simply, smiling at the mess. It brought back so many warm memories of Alphys' old lab in Hotland, and even memories of Alphys and Undyne's old apartment back on the surface. "The boiling water looks promising~. At the risk of asking an obvious question, what are you making~?"

Hah, he likely knew her all too well if he had ALREADY guessed instant noodles.

[ParamountKeymaster]

Alphys chuckled and held up said package of instant noodles, bashfully poking fun at her obviousness. "C-Can't say I'm much good at cooking anything else either."

As she ripped the package open and placed the hard brick of uncooked pasta in the hot water, Alphys asked, "S-So... has anything else occurred in my absence? Undyne has been sending me updates, of course, and it's... relieving to know that Asgore is on the road to recovery. But, uh... anything else of interest going on?"

[gantzgun74]

Frisk pulled up a seat, smiling to Alphys as she continued with her cooking. "Well let's see.... Just recently Dad came across this.... Guy that's as flat as paper. Called himself Paper Mario or something along those lines." The child chuckled. "Paper's a really funny guy, a lot of fun to hang around with. Also pretty good with puns and jokes too~!"

Frisk gave it another moment of thought before snapping his fingers. "As if that wasn't enough though? I also ran into Red again recently too~!" That likely caught Alphys' attention. "Yeah, yeah! Red's currently spending some time with some new friends she's made here. One of them's a Fire Elemental~. Kinda like Grillby. The other is another human, but with blue hair. It's really cool~."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Oh, wow!" Alphys absorbed Frisk's recap with fascination. "A-A man with paper-like qualities... That's certainly something, isn't it?" Her smile widened at the mention of Red. "Aw, that's wonderful! I do hope she's faring well... I-It seems there's no shortage of friends on this island. Heh..."

As she stirred the noodles, she continued to muse, "E-Elsa has been dropping in every now and then, helping me arrange some things here and there. She is... quite the character, isn't she? I-I can never really guess what she'll do next."

[gantzgun74]

Frisk chuckled at the mention of Elsa, nodding in clear agreement. "Yeeeaaaah... But that's what makes her fun I think. You never know what she's going to do next." The child nodded a moment... Then started sniffling.... "Sniff... Sniff... Aaah... AACHOOO!!"

The sneeze likely made poor Alphys jump a bit. Frisk meanwhile was holding a hand to their nose, "Eww.... Um... Where's the tissues? I guess the cold got me a bit better then I thought it did..."

[ParamountKeymaster]

"Heheh... Well... she certainly has been helpful despite her unpredictability," Alphys chuckled. "A-At the very least, I've learned to anticipate her huggy nature-"

Alphys did indeed flinch at the sharp sound of Frisk's sneeze, turning around to gaze worriedly at their predicament. "O-Oh my...! Y-Yes, of course! One moment!" She quickly scurried over to her work desk, swiped the entire tissue box and brought it back to Frisk. "H-Here... That- That weather... Goodness, these mountains likely reach below zero temperatures! P-Perhaps walking here was a bad idea..."

[gantzgun74]

The smile was both comforting and slightly pitiable. Honestly Frisk felt fine... At least for now anyway. They knew a bit about how to stay still and just let the cold pass on with rest... Maybe it would make sense to wait out the cold here in the lab. Poor Papyrus would likely panic his poor skull off his neck if the child showed up with a small cold. Plus without Toriel around, they didn't really have a primary care-giver for such things.

The child pulled out one of the tissues with their free hand and used it to wipe off the other, throwing the tissue away once they were done. They then pulled out another one, holding it up for the poor lizard nerd to see. "M-Maybe... But don't worry Alphys. I'll be okay. I just need to rest for a little while in even temperatures... That soup could also help too." Letting out a breath and breathing in, Frisk brought the tissue to his nose...

SNEEEEEEEE-!!!

Frisk grimaced at the slight mess of mucus in the tissue. "Ugh... Th-thanks for the tissues Alphy-"

Alphys had not moved an inch.

...............

........................

? "Um... Alphys?" Frisk threw the tissue into the trash can and walked up to Alphys, looking her over. "Alphys-?" The child snapped their fingers, before clapping their hands... None of the sounds seemed to register at all... "What's-?" Then the child noticed...

It wasn't JUST Alphys that was frozen in time.

THE ENTIRE LAB WAS.

When Frisk looked to their left to the oven timer, it only confirmed his suspicions when they found it was stopped FIRMLY on 2 minutes left to cook.

"...................." OH NO... OOOOOOOH NO....

THIS CHILD KNEW TIME BULLCRAP. DEAR SWEET HEAVENLY FATHER THEY KNEW ABOUT TIME BULLCRAP.

"D-DID I DO THIS-??" OH NO. OH NO OH NO OH NO. DID HE ACCIDENTALLY RESET?? N-NO WAIT, HE WOULD BE BACK AT THE GOLDEN FLOWER GARDEN IF HE HAD. WHAT WAS GOING ON-??

[Monolilith]

That's where the door opens. In steps a man with a tie, a duster, and snowflakes cresting his windswept hair. He closes the door, shakes his hands uut with a disgruntled mumble, and straightens the jacket. "Don't worry, kiddo, time bull's me. Aaand gesundheit."

He adjusts his tie, sticks his hands in his pockets, and looks up, rocking on the balls of his feet. "Hi. A word?"

[ParamountKeymaster]

Ahhh... The mountains! Miles of peaks and valleys coated in blankets of white, blustery wind nipping the air and filling the grey sky with crystalline powder. A perfect locale for Roman's duel! It reminded him so much of home, but was just big and picturesque enough to serve as the perfect backdrop!

Of course, that's what Roman told himself after practically being traumatized by Captor's means of transport. ...Not that he actually was! It was certainly odd, but not enough to deter the Mighty Roman!

And this laboratory... Despite its apparent age, it seemed quite functional and even somewhat cozy. No doubt the work of the one and only Dr. Alphys. And if such was the case, it made sense that Frisk would be here to visit their friend. It made Roman wonder what meeting the good doctor would be like. First things first, though...

There they were. The human that liberated monster kind.

Roman peaked out from behind Captor, staring at Frisk with an odd expression. He seemed to be scrutinizing the child, but inside he was making painstaking efforts to hide his joy. This was... just so exciting! He was FINALLY meeting this famous human! He had finally made it!

Now was the exciting part. At long last... it was time to show Frisk who Roman was!

[gantzgun74]

.........

Who the heck-?

Frisk was... Completely caught off guard by this new happening. Taking in the man before them, it was hard to tell what they should feel or what they should think... This man...

This man apparently froze time on a WHIM. That was... Incredible...

And slightly scary.

Frisk wanted to be suspicious but... That was the thing about this man. No matter how much Frisk 'EXAMINE'd' this man, his expression, everything... The more they did, the more the feeling of suspicion wore away.... No no, he could tell. No matter how... Powerful this figure appeared to be, he didn't appear to mean any sort of harm... The wolf cub at his feet meanwhile also caught their attention... Wait... That familiar sensation. A soul. a weaker one but an apparent one none the less.

That cub was a monster. Maybe from their world.

".... Um.... Okay-?" Frisk decided to turn back to the man since he was clearly the bigger concern at that moment. ".... But... Who are you-?" Then the even more pressing question. "You said you're the one freezing time here?" the human's expression turned to Alphys, frozen mid-worried expression.

[Monolilith]

"Just long enough to fulfill a request." In he walks, checking a pocket watch placed in creatively in his pocket - perhaps for comedic effect. "I didn't want to bother Alphys. Roman, stay back. Warm up your magic, maybe?"

In he goes, not waiting for a response, and stops just next to Frisk. A hand goes to the child's shoulder. From here, his expression is hidden from Roman, but Frisk can see it - the facade of ease is gone, and he's exhausted. And worried. No... terrified. "listen. roman's a kid, he's not strong. he tries way too hard to be someone he's not, and it hurts to see. don't go easy on him.

"he has to learn from this."