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It took some effort, as well as a lot of pulling and cursing... but eventually, Sans was able to free himself from the spear that kept him pinned to the rock. As soon as he was freed, he took a moment to check and see if there was any real damage inflicted by Undyne's previous attack.... Fortunately, the only real damage he had were the holes that were in his shirt and favorite hoodie, much to his dismay. On the brighter side of things, none of his bones were cracked or broken, and his single HP was still intact.

But, for the time being, that was unimportant. He had other things to worry about.

After discarding Undyne's spear, Sans looked around, his skull nearly turning 360 degrees as he searched for signs of Undyne and Frisk.

"frisk!?" he cried out. "frisk!"

He started running off into the direction Frisk had gone, his Soul hammering against his ribs as he already started dreading for the worst.

"frisk! where are ya?! frisk!"

oh, god, this can't be happening, he thought as he started searching for his human friend. if something happens to frisk, dad won't be happy. our promise to toriel will be broken... asgore will have her soul.... please, undyne, don't kill frisk....

"Sans? Is that you?"

Sans nearly tripped over his own feet and slippers when he heard Robyn's voice calling out to him. After regaining his balance, Sans looked over to his left and saw that he had wound up near the river of the Underground. And there was Robyn, disembarking from her magical canoe as she kept her royal blue cloak tightly wrapped around her body. Her hood was down so that her bronze hair freely flowed over her shoulders and down her back.... She looked a little tired, mainly from the pregnancy, but she was still alert.

Sans sighed as he started walking over to her, feeling relief flood through his bones. But that relief didn't alleviate his fears and worries for Frisk's safety.

"thank god," he huffed. "you're here...."

"What's going on?" Robyn asked as she approached him. "Where's Frisk? I thought she was with you...."

"sh-she was, but.... oh, god, mom... i lost the kid."

Robyn's eyes widened. "What?"

"i lost frisk. we got separated...."

Her ears twitched as she set a hand down on his shoulder. "Tell me everything. What happened?"

Sans' eyes dimmed. "we... we were ambushed by undyne, but we got away. keito actually found us and took us in for a while, and when we thought the coast was clear, frisk and i set out to find you. but then undyne showed up again. she pinned me to a rock, and then started chasing frisk. i haven't seen either of 'em since...."

Robyn withdrew her hand. "Oh, dear...."

"i... i-i-i-i dunno what to do. i don't know where they've gone, i don't know what's gonna happen.... what are we gonna do?!"

Robyn looked back at her canoe, and her face hardened with determination as she pulled her hood over her head.

"Come on," she said. "You and I are going to fix this."

"what?" Sans gasped. "what do you mean?"

"We're going to save Frisk. And stop Undyne."

"are you serious? could we really do that...?"

"If Frisk is still alive around here, we have a chance. We have to take advantage of that while we still can."

"are you sure? i mean... you're pregnant, so shouldn't you be--?"

"Don't worry about me. The baby and I will be alright. Besides... there's another child's life that's in danger, so we need to remedy that as soon as possible. Now come with me."

Sans managed to smile and let out a shaky sigh. "thanks, mom."

His bones rattled a little as he followed Robyn into the canoe. The wooden boat creaked under their weights, but that was normal, and neither of them paid attention to that.

"Now," said Robyn. "Which way did they go?"

"they were heading east," Sans answered, pointing straight down the river. "it looked like they were running towards hotland, but i doubt they'll end up all the way down there...."

"There's only one way to find out, then, isn't there? Now hold on tightly, Sans. Keep your eyes open, because we don't want to miss a thing...."

.,.,.,.,.

"It sounds like it came from over here..... Oh, no! You've fallen down, haven't you? Here, get up.... Hm? 'Chara'? That's a nice name! Chara.... My name is...."

As Frisk was slowly regaining consciousness from her fall, she swore that she heard voices speaking from afar.... Or were they up close? It was hard to tell. Frankly, she was quite disoriented, and her body felt sore and achy from all the running she'd done.

The young girl slowly opened her eyes, and saw that she had wound up in another part of Waterfall. The sound of running water and large, thunderous waterfalls could be heard from nearby.... Frisk sat up in the place where she'd fallen, and was surprised when she felt how soft and cushion-like the ground beneath her was. Confused, Frisk looked down and saw that... she'd landed in a bed of golden flowers.

Golden flowers that were planted on a lonely wooden dock, that is.

How odd.

She then remembered when she had first fallen into the Ruins a few days ago, and how she had wound up on a bed of golden flowers, very much like the one she was sitting in now. Frisk stood up, brushing off any pollen and petals that had stuck to her clothes, and she stepped off the flowerbed, stepping into the ankle-deep waters in the process.

These flowers are quite common in the Underground, aren't they? she asked herself. They were in the Ruins, they're here in Waterfall, and even the monsters make tea out of them.... Guess these flowers got really popular after Prince Asriel died, huh...?

While walking away from the random flowerbed, Frisk took in her new surroundings... and was quite surprised to see that there were mounds upon mounds of garbage scattered around the shallow water.

A... garbage dump? Huh.... Didn't think there'd be a dump down here.

Aside from the roaring waters of the falls, Frisk soon realized how lonely she was, and now that she was separated from Sans... she had no idea where to go or what to do. Undyne was still prowling the grounds, but it didn't seem like she was anywhere nearby.... That was good.

Oh, dear.... I hope I find Sans again soon....

Knowing that sitting in one place wasn't going to do anything, Frisk decided to press onward. She tightly hugged herself as she walked through the shallow waters, which sometimes went up to her ankles and even up to her knees. Whenever she found another wooden dock, she's step up and try to shake all the water out of her shoes. Along the way, she found what appeared to be a puddle of black tar near the edge of one dock that overlooked a dark abyss, but said puddle had dried up with time, and felt like nothing more than plastic. Still, she pressed onward, marching past the small hills of garbage until she found dry land.

As soon as she reached dry land, she came across a forked path. One path led to a group of houses, the other two paths led to different marshes and fields of Echo Flowers. Frisk decided to settle on the east path, and kept walking onward.

She walked... and walked... and walked.... And all the while, everything was so quiet and peaceful. There was no monster in sight. The monsters were probably eating lunch somewhere, or having tea with friends, or visiting Snowdin.... Either way, Frisk was completely alone. And wet. And muddy. And sore.

But despite it all, she was still determined.

I have to keep going, she thought. If I'm still lucky, maybe I'll find Dr. Gaster or... somebody. As long as I don't run into Undyne again....

Eventually, as she continued walking down a path, she stumbled across a wooden post, which had arrows that were pointing in various directions. On each arrow read the following:

TO TEM VILLAGE
TO HOTLAND
TO GERSON'S SHOP
TO THE SPRINGS
TO SNOWDIN

"Oh, boy," Frisk muttered to herself. "Which way do I go...?"

At this rate, I'll get lost....

For a short time, she was unable to decide which way to go. But eventually, she chose the path that led towards Hotland, and started to walk in that direction. A part of Frisk told her to go to Tem Village, or to Gerson's shop... but then again, there was a chance that Undyne was waiting at either location, considering that there were locals to protect.... Maybe there would be someone over in Hotland who could help her. If luck was still on her side.

So Frisk went on to walk some more. She was getting a little tired at this point, but she was still patient, and paid close attention to her surroundings. After all, she didn't want anyone to sneak up on her again, nor did she want to lose her Soul to the monsters.... She had to proceed with vigilance.

Finally, at long last, she came across a tunnel that had a massive neon sign built beside it, propped against a rock wall and blinking in bright colors, for all to see: "WELCOME TO HOTLAND!"

Guess Hotland's through this tunnel, huh? she asked herself. Welp. Only one way to find out....

Taking a deep breath, Frisk kept her chin up, lowering her arms as she started towards the tunnel.

"Well, well, well...."

Frisk tensed as a feminine, husky voice muffled by a metal helmet spoke to her. Taking a step back, Frisk forced herself to look up, and she saw that Undyne had turned up again. This time, she was sitting on top of the mouth of the cave that led to Hotland, her posture somewhat casual while she twirled her spear around like a baton. A single eye of gold watched her from within the dark helmet, glittering like a yellow topaz.

Frisk gulped, feeling incredibly small in the captain's presence.

"You know," Undyne said, "I didn't think you were gonna walk out of there in one piece. I expected the fall to kill you.... You're a persistent little human, aren't ya? Kinda determined, huh?"

"I... I-I-I could... say the same about you," Frisk replied in a stammering voice.

"Heheheheh.... Too bad. If I were you, I would've wanted the fall to kill me."

Frisk cringed at that.

Undyne rose to her armored feet, watching her with that unblinking eye.

"What kind of Soul do you have, kid?" she asked. "Is it a red one? A Determination Soul? I hear those are rare for humans.... It would also explain the red eyes you got there...."

Frisk averted her eyes, but nodded in response to the question.

"Huh. Interesting.... Well, that explains your persistence, at least. I've never seen one myself, you know...."

She looked up at the rocky, cavernous ceilings above, as if she was lost in thought.

"Hmph. Human Souls.... We need seven of them, you know. Seven human Souls.... Seven of those, and our King, Asgore, will become a god. So far, we've only collected six. They're sitting in the King's castle as we speak.... Through your seventh and final Soul, our world will finally be transformed. Understand?"

Frisk shuddered, but nodded. Thanks to Keito, she had a better understanding of what was really going on here.

"But first, as is customary for those who make it this far... I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started a very long time ago...."

Frisk seemed to relax a little. If Undyne started telling a story about the history of monster-kind, then maybe it would be enough to buy her some time... and maybe it would be enough time for Sans to turn up and save her.

But....

"No. You know what? SCREW IT! WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE?!?!"

With a battle cry, Undyne jumped down in front of Frisk, tossing her helmet aside. Frisk saw what she really was: a blue fish-like monster with an patch over her left eye, and a menacing grin full of sharp yellow teeth. Her ponytail of bright red hair whipped around her like a flag in the midst of battle as she aimed her spear at Frisk's tiny chest.

"YOU!" she barked. "You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys' history books made me think humans were cool, with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen... but you? You're just a COWARD! Hiding behind Sans so you could run away from me! But you know what would be more valuable to everyone? If you were DEAD!"

"I... I..." Frisk squeaked.

"That's right, human! Your continued existence is a crime against monsters! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! You have the final Soul we need, and I'm gonna TAKE it from you whether you like it or not! But first, since you're so resilient...."

With her free hand, she conjured a second spear, and tossed it forward so that it landed in front of Frisk's feet. Frisk looked down at the magical spear, and with a shiver, she already knew what was going to happen.

"I'll give you a fighting chance. I'd like to see you TRY and put up a good fight! No more running away this time! I can can assure you, though, you're going to lose...."

"I... I-I don't want to fight!" Frisk protested. "We don't have to fight! We can just talk... right?"

"Talk? TALK?!" Undyne barked, and then she laughed. "Fuhuhu! Why talk when we can duke things out with our spears? Now c'mon! Pick up your spear so we can fight already!"

"But I--"

"JUST PICK IT UP ALREADY!"

In an instant, and purely out of being startled, Frisk bent over and picked up her new weapon. The glowing spear quivered in her tiny hands, but she held it upright, staring back at Undyne with wide, terrified eyes. Undyne grinned, twirling her spear around in her hand, in perfect 360-degree angles, and Frisk couldn't stop her knees from buckling against each other.

"That's more like it," she chuckled. "Now... en garde!"

Without a second thought, Undyne lunged, raising her spear high. Frisk squeaked and instinctively turned her spear sideways, just in time to block the incoming blow. With a loud CLANG!, the spears clashed against each other. Undyne was unbearably strong, but Frisk was miraculously able to stand her ground against the fish monster, who was grinning wildly in the light of the spears.

"Now this, I like," said she. "I've always wanted to fight a human like this -- and now I have my chance!"

"Please! We don't have to do this!" Frisk cried.

"Oh, shut up!"

There was a flash of turquoise light, and Frisk was blown back, the spear nearly slipping from her hands as she fell flat on her butt. Undyne towered over her with a sneer on her face.

"Ha! Pathetic," Undyne growled. "Surely you can do better than that!"

With shaky limbs, Frisk forced herself to stand up. Tears brimmed her eyes while sweat trickled down her forehead, and she clutched onto the spear more tightly, balancing herself while she stared up at her opponent.

"Come on," the captain grunted. "I thought humans were supposed to have some fight in their veins! You disappoint me.... Now come on. Come at me again! Show me what you humans are REALLY made of!"

Frisk didn't want to. She really didn't. But at this point, Undyne was starting to get under her skin, and she was also goading her into a fight. Without thinking, Frisk rushed forward, swinging her spear almost blindly. Undyne blocked every single attack that came her way, effortlessly parrying each strike that Frisk clumsily threw at her. Then, finally, Undyne caught the tip of her spear, with one armored hand. Frisk squeaked with fear, knowing that she was screwed this time.

"Is this really all you got, punk?"

Another flash of turquoise, and Frisk was sent tumbling backwards again. This time, there was a cut on her right cheek, and both of her knees were scraped from the fall. But Frisk was quick to get up this time, and she stood before the captain of the Royal Guard, wiping the blood off her cheek.

"Seriously, kid -- you're starting to disappoint me! At this rate, I might as well take your Soul and put ya outta your misery."

"S-Stop it!" Frisk remarked.

"Stop what? Doing my duty?" Undyne chuckled. "Sorry, punk. It can't be helped."

"Stop being such a bully! I'm just a kid, and I don't know how to fight like you!"

The fish monster rolled her eyes. "Oh, puh-lease! I'm pretty sure all you humans know how to put up a good fight. You're just not trying hard enough! Or maybe you're just a little wimp!"

Now Frisk was starting to get angry. Undyne's constant taunting and goading was starting to remind her of things that had happened in her past, back on the Surface... and it was making her mad. With a battle cry of her own (which really sounded like nothing more than a kitten yowling with anger), Frisk raised her spear and went to attack Undyne again. But Undyne just effortlessly knocked her spear away, but backhanding her and sending her cartwheeling against the rock floor like a rag-doll. Frisk sat up, groaning and putting a hand to her aching head, while Undyne starting sauntering towards her.

"Looks like I've won, kid," said Undyne. "It's the end of the line for you. This time...."

"Stop..." Frisk said, rising back to her feet despite how sore and beaten up she was.

"You've run your last mile, and fought your last battle...."

"Stop it."

"And now, you must DIE!"

Undyne raised her spear, one last time --

"I SAID STOP!!!"

Frisk raised one arm, bracing herself for the next blow -- right as a shield of bright red materialized itself on her forearm, just in time to block Undyne's spear. As the spear clashed with Frisk's shield, she let out a gasp of surprise, her good eye dilating with shock.

"Wh-What?!"

The circular red shield let off a spark of crimson light. Undyne let out a startled cry as she was forced backwards, her heels skidding against the rock and soil. Undyne quickly recovered from this surprise, looking back at Frisk with disbelief, bewilderment and, believe it or not, awe.

"I don't believe it...!" she breathed.

Frisk looked at her own shield, just as surprised as Undyne was. She had never expected her own body and Soul to manifest such a defensive form of magic.... But as the light passed through her red eyes, she found that she was even more determined than ever. She looked up at Undyne, feeling braver than before, and she seemed to know what to do. She raised her free hand, and a blade of pure red appeared in her fist. Frisk stood up straight, pointing her sword at Undyne while she kept her hips squared, and her body balanced.

"I... said... stop," Frisk repeated, firmer than ever.

"So... that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Undyne growled, and then she chuckled again, her grin broadening as she summoned more spears. "Fuhuhu... alright, then. Let's see just how good your determination is now."

.,.,.,.,.,.

As Robyn and Sans traveled down the river, heading in the direction of Hotland, they heard what sounded like the clanging and crashing of metal against metal. By the sounds of it, someone -- or perhaps a group of people -- somewhere in the Underground was having an epic duel of sorts.

"mom... are you hearing that?" Sans asked.

"I am," Robyn replied. "It sounds like someone out there is having a fight...."

Sans looked back at her, scared and worried. "mom... you don't think...?!"

"That's what I'm thinking as well," Robyn said, her expression grim. "But we won't know for sure until we get there."

She put a hand to the cat-like carving on the head of her canoe, and the wooden boat increased its speed down the river, heading for its destination ahead.

.,.,.,.,.,.

If Frisk thought that Undyne was being challenging before... well... let's just say that things were really starting to get intense now.

Not only did Frisk have to shield herself from a whole array of raining spears, but she also had to clash with Undyne -- who was, at this point, starting to get pissed off that Frisk just wasn't dropping dead. Frisk was starting to get all sorts of different cuts and bruises on her arms and legs, but for someone who didn't know how to fight, she was doing fairly well. It was honestly a miracle that she hadn't died yet, as Undyne was extremely tough.

After a while, Undyne backed off, panting and cursing under her breath while her yellow eye narrowed at Frisk.

"You got some moxy, human," Undyne exhaled. "More than I thought you would.... But don't think this is gonna save your little hide! You wait and see... I'll get you yet! RAWR!"

Like a feral cat, Undyne lunged. Frisk instinctively ducked and allowed Undyne to crash into the wall behind her. Then, when Frisk looked forward, she saw that the mouth of the tunnel that led to Hotland was left wide open. Finally, she could make her escape! Drawing a quick breath, Frisk let her sword and shield vanish, and she looked over at Undyne, who was recovering from her impact.

"See ya!" Frisk squeaked, and then she made a break for it.

"Huh?!" Undyne gasped, and then she growled with anger. "GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE COWARD!"

And so Undyne started running after Frisk, determined to take her down. Frisk, who heard those thunderous footsteps of Undyne's pounding against the Earth, ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, avoiding any spears that came sailing her way. Frisk kept running, internally praying that Sans, Papyrus, Gaster, Robyn... anybody... would come to her rescue.

She wasn't paying attention in her moments of panic, but the environment around them started to change. Suddenly, everything was starting to get really hot, as the water turned into rivers of boiling lava, and the ground became more loose and gravelly underneath their feet. By this point, they had already entered Hotland, and when Frisk whipped around one corner, she saw a tall building of white dead ahead. On its front, above the door, was the word "LAB" in big red letters.

Frisk's face lit up as she started going faster. That has to be Dr. Gaster's lab! Or maybe it's someone related to Dr. Gaster.... Either way, I'm saved! I'll be all right!

The young girl hurried onward, eager to reach the door and get inside....

"Urgh...."

Something made Frisk stop. She no longer heard Undyne pursuing her. Frisk, despite being out of breath, slowly turned and saw that Undyne had stopped in her tracks. The fish monster had fallen onto one knee, leaning against her spear to keep herself upright, and she started panting and sweating uncontrollably.

"Armor... so... hot..." she gasped while glowering at Frisk. "But I can't... give up...! I must...!"

And then, with a groan, Undyne fell over and passed out.

For a moment, Frisk just stood there, petrified and unsure of what to do. At first, she wondered if Undyne was faking it... but as Frisk gained the courage to approach and check on her, she knew for a fact that the fish monster was indeed out cold. The captain looked like she was in bad shape, though, as she wasn't just unconscious. She looked half-baked! Especially since she was still stuck in that heavy suit of armor....

A voice in Frisk's head told her to make a break for it, that she should get as far away from Undyne as possible.... But Frisk knew that if she did that, Undyne would most likely get a heatstroke and die. And Frisk would have to live with that for the rest of her life.

Leave her, that voice said in her mind. Leave this place and get to safety! Get as far away from her as possible! She doesn't deserve anyone's help after what she tried to do to you!

But if I leave her here, she'll die, Frisk thought. I can't just... leave someone like this....

Frisk straightened up, and she knew what she had to do. She had to go find help, and quickly. She looked around, hoping to find someone, but there was no one else around. She thought about knocking on the door to the lab, but as soon as she turned around, she found just the thing she needed: A water cooler, complete with ice and paper cups. It was probably there for travelers who were dying of thirst, especially because Hotland was so hot.

Without further ado, Frisk hurried over and grabbed a paper cup, before filling it to the brim with ice-cold water. Then she went back to Undyne, careful not to spill a single drop, and she dumped the water onto the captain's face.

At once, Undyne lurched upward, gasping loudly as she launched to her feet. Undyne looked around wildly, slightly panicking as she wondered who it was that cooled her off. Then, a few seconds later... she saw Frisk standing in front of her, with the empty cup in hand.

Undyne and Frisk stared at each other for a few moments, Undyne startled and confused, Frisk scared and nervous. Then Undyne frowned a little. Not out of anger, but out of genuine confusion.

"Why?" she growled. "Why did you do that?"

"You... passed out," Frisk answered timidly. "I... I couldn't just--"

"You 'couldn't'...." She reached up and scratched the back of her head. "I can't believe it. You could've just let me-.... After everything I just did to you back there, you-...."

"Well... I-I... I didn't...."

Then Undyne turned around, her expression conflicted. "Looks like this charade's over. I'm outta here."

"Wait. You're... not gonna kill me?" Frisk asked, now startled by Undyne's reaction.

"I... got some thinking to do. But rest assured, we'll meet again. Soon."

Exhausted from today's battle, Undyne left without another word.

Frisk stared after her, even after she'd gone, and she was bewildered by what had just happened. She sure didn't expect Undyne to spare her after their fight, and she even surprised herself by saving the person who tried to kill her....

What happened just now?

"Frisk! Frisk, are you there?!"

"frisk?! frisk!"

Two familiar voices called out to her from behind. Frisk swiveled, just in time to watch as Robyn and Sans were running towards her. Frisk's eyes lit up, and she felt instant relief sweep through her.

"Robyn! Sans!" she cried. "You found me!"

Sans skidded to a stop in front of her, and Frisk could see that the short skeleton monster had been sweating for a while.

"you okay?" he panted.

Frisk nodded. "I'm okay. I'm a bit... banged up, but I'll live."

"thank god. i... i'm so sorry, frisk. i didn't mean for any of this to happen; i--"

"Sans," Frisk interrupted. "It's okay. Really! I'm fine...."

"Where is Undyne?" asked Robyn. "Sans told me she was chasing you...."

"She... walked away," Frisk replied, glancing over her shoulder again.

"but what happened?" Sans asked. "it's not like undyne to just walk away from something, so...."

Frisk sighed, and she told them everything that had happened since she got separated from Sans. Robyn and Sans paid attention to everything she said, and were especially surprised by how Frisk had summoned her weapons with magic, and how Frisk had decided to save Undyne instead of leaving her for dead.

"well... that's, uh... wow," Sans stammered. "wasn't expecting all that...."

"It looks like your fight with Undyne didn't leave you unscathed, though," Robyn said. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Frisk nodded. "It's just a few scrapes and bruises here and there. I think I've had worse."

Robyn smiled out of relief. "Well, the important thing is that you're all right. I'm glad we found you when we did...."

"i still feel bad, though," Sans mumbled. "i mean... it's kinda my fault this happened. if i'd known that undyne was walkin' around, i wouldn't have--"

"Sans," Robyn interjected, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Blaming yourself for things that were beyond your control isn't going to do any good. Instead, we should focus on the more important things: Everyone is alive and safe, and no real harm was done here."

Sans calmed down at that, his shoulders slumping while he exhaled. "heh... i guess you're right. sorry."

"Now then," Robyn said, bringing her hood back over her head. "How about we head back home, to Snowdin? Frisk... when we get back, I'll make you some tea, and you can wash up and recuperate from today's, err... adventure."

"But what about Undyne?" asked Frisk. "Won't she... I dunno... come after me again?"

"don't worry," said Sans. "we'll deal with undyne later. you're safe with us, so nothing's gonna happen to you now. at least... not again. we'll be safer once we get back into snowdin. i promise."

Frisk smiled tiredly, trusting every word of Sans'. "... Okay."

"Come along now, you two," Robyn said, her voice gentle and soothing. "Let's head back home, shall we?"

Sans and Frisk looked at one another before they turned to Robyn.

"okay," said Sans. "let's go."