The True Ending

~Chapter Five~

AN: Sorry for not updating sooner! I wasn't feeling well the past few days, but I'm better now so don't worry!

Here's a special longer chapter to make up for it >.<

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A journey that took a thousand days, now to be completed in a mere few hours. Making their way from the ruins and all the way back to Asgore's castle and the barrier, the trio walked slowly, wary of Chara's unsteadiness and curious monsters. Thankfully, the Underground was almost completely deserted, everyone gone to the broken barrier and to freedom.

    When they reached Waterfall, quiet and wrapped up in their own thoughts, Chara finally spoke. "I think I can walk on my own now."

    Frisk looked at them, concerned, but took their arm from around them. They held onto Chara's hand though, and Asriel did the same. They continued on for a few more minutes before they spoke again.

    "Asriel, Frisk, I'm not sure if I'm, you know, ready to see everyone just yet."

    They stopped and brought their hands to their chest. "I caused them all so much pain. Toriel and Asgore lost not one but two children because of me. I- I deserved to die. I deserved my fate. Maybe...maybe you should have just left me there in the ruins."

    They could barely hear those last few words over the rushing of the water. Asriel reached out to Chara, but they turned and ran ahead of them, tears streaming down their pink cheeks.

    Asriel ran after them, but Frisk stayed behind. They felt immeasurably guilty. They should have told Chara their plan. They shouldn't have acted so rashly, assuming that Chara wanted to come back. Assuming that their own perfect ending would be the same as theirs. Frisk knew, of course, that something had made them want to fall, most likely the end the act promised. They must have been surprised to still be alive after such a fall, same as Frisk. The demons that chased them underground must be coming back, as well as the unpleasant memories of them and Asriel's failed attempt to free everyone.

    Frisk felt their own demons, pushed to the far corners of their mind by their determination to save the monsters, slowly creeping back into the foreground. They felt the same despair that filled them before, the feeling that was the finally push before they jumped. What good was any of this, what good were they, if they couldn't even save their best friend?

    Faintly, they heard something familiar.  A few soft notes, a pause, then more music, gradually becoming louder and louder until it's lovely song called to Frisk get up. To find the source of such a beautiful tune. They walked through the next few rooms in a daze as the music continued, only pausing every now and then. It was a sad tune, filled with regret and mourning, but as Frisk got closer they could hear hints of acceptance and maybe even possibly love within it's melody.

    They reached the room with the statue that played a song when they gave it an umbrella. They had though maybe the music was coming from it, but to no avail. The statue was umbrella-less and it was still continuously being rained on. Frisk closed their eyes and listened a little more. It sounded like now it was coming from behind them, but they had seen nothing in the previous room. Then they remembered a little puzzle in the room above, one that involved a piano, one that Chara had to step in and help them with one their first time through.

    They hurried to the room. When they reached the doorway Frisk slowly looked inside. Chara was sitting at the piano and Asriel was laying on the ground beside them. Asriel's eyes were closed and he looked content, like they had done this a million times before. And Chara, they sat at the piano, eyes closed with tears escaping every once in a while. They played from memory, or maybe from their own imagination, but whatever it was sounded like something that was all their own. Seeing Chara like this, so vulnerable and so, so beautiful, it made Frisk's knees weak. They didn't dare make their presence known, so afraid that Chara might stop playing.  But eventually Chara did, and they stayed quiet for a long while.