The Human finished yet another page in her journal, placing the quill down beside the inkwell.
"You know, there's a mountain of pens downstairs, right?" Someone said behind her, placing a saucer of tea next to her.
"I know, but I like writing like this." They replied, taking a sip from the steaming drink. "Just like Mother taught me. Any appointments today?"
"Yes, you have the speech at the Monster-Human school today," A fuzzy paw rested on the woman's shoulder. Frisk took the hand in hers and kissed it, nuzzling into the furry arm. "Other than that, just a normal day at the office."
"It's never a normal day at the office, Asri." The being behind her massaged her shoulders, feeling the body melt in his hands. "Always something happening with the humans and us."
"You're human too, don't forget. Your Soul is too strong to be one of us." From the age of 7, Frisk had lived her life as a Monster, one of the ones trapped Underground for so many years.
"We'd best get to school then, before heading to work." Frisk stood up, stroking one of Asriel's ears playfully, like he were a pet, before grabbing her handbag and both of them heading a waiting black car.
"I'm not a puppy…" Asriel grumbled, sliding in.
"Yes you are," Frisk immediately replied, sitting next to him. The black car was chauffeured by one of Monster Police, a task force established by Undyne and Sans to deal with troublesome Monsters on the Surface, as well as Humans committing crimes against Monsters. A small fleet of similar cars followed them, filled with all sorts of gifts that Asriel had handpicked to help the school stay alive and well, such as sporting equipment, textbooks, and special foods for the more exotic monsters that attended the school. Frisk's mobile rang in her bag, and they were talking into it on a blur.
"Ambassador Frisk, how can I-? I see. Schedule a meeting next Thursday." The calls came in one after the other, and Frisk fluently dealt with each situation. "Another temmie tried to drive a car? I'll speak to the local counsel about the damages." Asriel couldn't help but glance her way. Frisk had grown into such a fine young woman. Brave and compassionate to the core. They made his fur stand on end at times, and his face red. They had been friends ever since-
"I'll ask him," Frisk interrupted his train of thought, nudging him with the toe of her shoe. "Who do you want to preform at the dinner on Tuesday?"
"Erm, is Mettaton and his band around? If not, Onionsan is okay." Frisk relayed the message, but changing Onionsan to Frostdrake, they really didn't like Onionsan's singing. Frisk caught wind of him starring at her, and scrunched up her face, lips pouted and eyes squinting.
"Stop it," Asriel snickered, as Frisk scrunched her face up more and pushing it up close to his snout.
"Phtell me Er'm pre'ey!" Frisk managed to squelch out, saliva dribbling down her chin.
"Frisk, you'll dribble all over your blouse!" They paused, realising the situation that could occur if they spoiled her fine clothing before a publicity event. What was they to do in a situation like this? Wipe her face on his ears.
"What the- EWW!" The goat shrieked, bumping his horns against the roof in shock as Frisk used his ears like a bib. Asriel backed away from the laughing woman, desperately wiping her slobber from his ears. "What are you, six?"
"Something like that…" Frisk grinned, as the car pulled up along the school's driveway.
"God, how long has it been since we've been here?" Asriel asked, looking out the window keenly. Seeing the children play on the playground. There were both Human and Monster children playing together, as if they were all the same species. "They got a new slide, remember the old one?"
"The one that a Vulkin melted?" The human laughed at the memory, and how all the human children went ballistic, but the monsters took in stride. "They had to get the Core workers up here to build a fire-resistant playground!" As soon as the car rolled to a stop, the pair stepped out and they were swarmed by paparazzi, both Monster and Human alike. Standing at the door to greet them was an entourage of teachers and the principal.
"Mum!" Asriel beamed, ignoring all formalities of him being a prince and sprinting up to her, wrapping his arms around her.
"Hello my child," Toriel hugged her son tightly. "It's good to see you again! I'm glad you could- Why is your ear soaking?"
"Ask Frisk," Asriel grumbled, biting his thumb at her. Frisk giggled, waving at the her adoptive mother and giggling as if they were no more than an innocent schoolgirl.
"Frisk Dremurr, you behave yourself!" Toriel scolded, before wrapping her arms around the human.
"Hey Ma," Frisk hugged her back, much to the joy of the media. The Runaway Human, some people called her. The Girl who Abandoned Humanity. Even though it had been about nine years since the Human-Monster Equality Act had passed, there were still segregation and discrimination against monsters. It was mostly the adults and the conservatives. Frisk knew that it would take years, more than Frisk had in their lifetime, for them to reach true equality. "How's the school going?"
"Very well, thank you." Toriel smiled, leading her children inside. "There's going to be an assembly later, but some of the students form the fifth grade wanted you to speak to them!" Frisk and Asriel looked at each other, shrugging.
"I don't see why not," Asriel agreed, following Toriel to the classroom. As soon as they stepped in, as was customary at most school speeches, the teacher introduced the class to the guests, and the guests to the class.
"Hello, children." Frisk started.
"Good morning, Miss Dremurr," They droned, as if the ambassador and prince were just regular teachers.
"I haven't heard a class say morning like since I was your age!" Asriel laughed. "Have you been working hard?"
"Yes." The kids droned in the same tone. One thing that Frisk noticed was the arrangement of the desks. The entire room was set out so that a monster was always next to a human, and vice versa.
'Always one to encourage monster-human bonding,' Frisk thought. "What things have you been learning in class recently?"
"We've been learning about how monsters first came to the surface, and how welcoming humans were!" The human teacher answered. A wry grin grew on Asriel's face, and he started snickering. Frisk couldn't help but join in, howling with laughter. Toriel couldn't help but smile, seeing her children having such fun.
"Are… are you okay, Miss Frisk?" The teacher asked, looking concerned.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Frisk answered, wiping a tear from her eye and recomposing herself. "I just find what you said hilarious. Tori, I think we're going to have to change the curriculum. Kids, gather round. Here's what really happened, the day the Barrier was broken…"
.
.
With the barrier shattered, the remnants of the tunnel returned their condition the very day that the barrier was placed in. Dripping wet, dank, and dark. Yet when the seven of them left the caverns, they were met with the most beautiful sight.
"Is…Is this a dream?" Asgore asked.
"No," Frisk answered, smiling. "It's the surface…"
"Oh my…" Toriel gasped, standing with Frisk at the mouth of the cave.
"Isn't it beautiful, everyone?" Asgore asked as the group of friends filed into a line to admire the view.
"Wow… It's e-even better than on TV!" Alphys mumbled, shaking excitedly. "Way better! Better than I ever imagined!"
"Frisk, do you live with this?" Undyne asked, her facial gills reaching out to catch every speck of the warming sunlight. "The sunlight is so nice… and the air is so fresh!"
"I do live with this," Frisk answered, looking at her "And now everyone else can too."
"I really feel alive!"
"Hey Sans," Papyrus nudged his older brother. "What's that giant ball floating in the distance?"
"We call that 'the sun', my friend." Sans answered, a wry grin on his face.
"That's the sun!? Wowie! I can't believe I'm finally meeting the sun!"
"I could stand here and watch this for hours…" King Asgore sighed.
"Yes, it is beautiful, is it not?" Toriel asked rhetorically. For Frisk, it was a welcoming sight, after being underground for so long. Frisk could hardly imagine how the monsters were feeling, after being trapped underground for a thousand years. "But we really should think about what comes next."
"Oh, right. Everyone, this is the beginning of a bright new future," Asgore announced, as if he were addressing his subjects. "An era of peace between humans and monsters. Frisk, I have something to ask of you,"
"What is it Dad?" the human turned to him.
"Did the human just call the king dad?" Papyrus whispered to Undyne.
"Even though Frisk calls Toriel Mum, and she's his ex!" Undyne hissed back.
"Wish I had my trombone right about now…" Sans grinned.
"Yes, anyway!" The King continued. "Will you act as our ambassador to the humans?"
"Yeah, Frisk would be the best ambassador!" Papyrus chortled. "And I, the Great Papyrus, will be best mascot! I'll go make a good first impression!" Toriel and Alphys looked confused at the skeleton's idea, but Sans just shrugged it away. Papyrus was already gone, running down the winding path that led to the city. You could hear him laughing 'Nyeh heh heh!' as is dust trail faded.
"Welp, someone's gotta keep him from getting into trouble." Sans sighed, nudging Frisk platonically. "See you guys," The smaller skeleton walked the complete opposite way his brother went, going up a path that led further up Mount Ebott.
"Shouldn't he...?" Toriel started.
"Don't worry, the little punk always find his way." Undyne chuckled. "But man, do I have to do everything? Papyrus, wait!"
"Hey Undyne, wait up!" Alphys squeaked, the fish lady and the dinosaur following Papyrus down the mountain. Before they knew it, it was just Frisk, and the king and queen. Frisk could see in their peripherals how Asgore was almost hopping from foot to foot, a nervous wreck.
"Heh…" he started. "They're a funny bunch." Frisk nodded, but Toriel didn't say a word, pushing the girl to the opposite side of her so Asgore couldn't see them. "Should I uh… say something?" Toriel snapped her head to him, glaring daggers. It didn't take a genius to know she was still furious at him, and rightfully so. After all that he had done to the monsters, keeping them locked away in the underground for so long when he had the power to save them all sitting at his fingers, he couldn't be forgiven. But he was still the king, the one that the monsters would look to for leadership. "I-I guess not…" Toriel snorted, the cold morning air turning to steam in her snout. "Well, gotta go!" The king hurried off, following the group of friends that were already making their way to the city. Toriel watched him leave, a tiny smile growing on her face. After all this time, it was just the two of them, mother and child reunited.
"It seems that everyone is quite eager to set off," Toriel cooed. The goat woman turned to the little girl, dropping to her knees. "Frisk… You came from this world, right?"
"I did," Frisk nodded. "Why do you ask?"
"So you must have a place to return to, do you not?"
"Toriel, I-"
"What will you do now? Will you go back to your family?" Toriel looked heartbroken at the concept of them being separated again after so long apart. "What will you do now? This is your choice to make." Frisk thought for a moment, toeing their boot into the mud. Did they really have a choice?
"You're my family," Frisk started.
"Eh?"
"Family sticks together, no matter what! I didn't have a family before I met you, now I have the best family a human or monster could ever ask for." Toriel pulled the little child in to her body, holding her close. Frisk could feel their shoulder begin to moisten, tears from the goat slipping onto her.
"You really are a funny child. If you had said that earlier, none of this would have ever happened."
"But look where you are now," Frisk countered, pointing to a pair of birds gliding over them and into the foliage. "You're free from the Ruins, from that hole in the ground."
"It is a good thing that you took so long to change your mind," Toriel giggled, ruffling Frisk's hair. "I suppose if you don't have any other place to go, I will do my best to take care of you, for as long as you need, alright?"
"Thank you, Toriel." Frisk smiled, her hands clinging to Toriel's shoulders.
"You can call me Mother, if you still wish." Toriel stood up, taking Frisk's hand in hers. "Now come along, everyone is waiting for us!" Together the two of them began the long walk down the mountain, following in the paths their friends had taken to a new adventure…
.
.
"W-wait!" Alphys piped up, tugging on Asgore's cape "I'm getting s-some strange radio signals on my phone!"
"Well, let's hear them!" Undyne squatted down next to her, waiting for the others to gather around.
"W-wait, let me just turn up the volume and find a better signal… there!"
"During the strange and unpredicted earthquake at midnight last night, many residents of Ebottson reported strange lights and sounds coming from inside Mount Ebott, despite the nature reserve the mountain sits in being closed due to a public holiday. Police are investigating as we speak."
"Strange lights? Earthquake? Noises? What on earth is she talking about?" Papyrus asked, scratching his skull.
"The fight with Asriel…" Frisk mumbled.
"In other news, today marks the 18 month anniversary of a seven year old girl being kidnapped in the Mount Ebott area. Her family has not given up the search, despite investigators coming up with no evidence."
"That's horrible," Toriel gasped, putting her hand on Frisk's head. "Who would harm such a young child?"
"We're still looking for our little girl," A distraught woman sobbed, choking back tears. "If anyone has any information PLEASE come forward. We just want our little Beatrice to come home…
She was last seen running from home wearing a stripped blue and pink sweater."
"A…blue and pink sweater?" Asgore looked at Frisk. "You don't think-"
"Don't move!" A voice shouted, followed by the cocking of a pistol.