A/N: Hi there everyone! Been a few years since I actually had an account on here for the sake of posting my own content, so I decided to finally get back into the swing of things- or at least attempt to.
I've been pondering the "true pacifist" ending of undertale for a while now, and can't help but see the real world's reaction being vastly different to the in game one, in regards to things such as the rights of monsters, employment, living arrangements and general treatment; and so this story began to form.
Please feel free to leave some feedback! Whether it's in regards to Grammar, character portrayal, or anything else, I'd love to hear it. It's been a long time since I've written anything seriously, and I'd love to build on my skills.
TW: This fic will contain graphic depictions of violence, adult themes, emotional trauma, potential major and minor character death, and a relatively depressing/pessimistic outlook on life post shattering the barrier. I understand these themes are not for everyone, and while there will definitely be sweet and happy parts in this story, I feel the need to give warning ahead of time in case you'd rather avoid the bad parts.
This story will include several OCs, both humans and monsters, as the story begins to branch out.
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The squeaking cry of a glass being repetitively polished was the only noise he had to accompany his thoughts, other than the low rumbling of his own flames. The noise, while grating, was a better alternative to the awkward silence that had befallen his establishment over the past couple of years, as less and less customers dared to step foot outside of their "assigned" areas, let alone to come in and have a drink in the middle of town.
Six months was all it had taken for the humans to once again rob them of their livelihood. At first, things had been bearable- diplomats and negotiators met with them to discuss lodging and employment opportunities, King Asgore pleading the case of their race and ultimately reaching an agreement that seemed to benefit everyone- At least in the way it had been explained to them. With little to no knowledge of the outside world the King was unaware of the true intent behind this contract with the humans, and had unwittingly agreed for their race to be secluded, confined mostly to a small area of the country, consisting mostly of the mountains, forest, and a small part of the city's outskirts. They would be allowed into the city and given a chance to settle into mainstream life, but would not be considered as human citizens. Thanks to this, the rate of monster employment in the urban areas of the city was at an extreme low, making it almost impossible for them to spread from their original encampments and into a better quality of life; Additionally, each monster required a registration number with the local governing bodies, to verify that they were, in fact, allowed these minimal rights in the first place. No registration number, no "benefits".
The final icing on this cake of inter-species conflict was the discrimination. It appeared that the humans themselves were nowhere as near as welcoming as the child that had freed them or the humans that had preceded their saviour, instead, they were judgemental for the most part and preferred to look down on these "inconveniences" with disdain. Many protests and violent attacks had broken out on part of the extremists from the human side, demanding they be sent back underground and that they had no right to take up the already limited space their nation had to offer. Others jumped at the chance for cheap labour, and began hiring monsters as servers and cleaners, until most either opted to leave due to the poor conditions, or were run out by angry protesters.
Of course, there were those unfortunate enough to be unable to leave. There had been cases noted of human "employers" robbing monsters of all forms of identification, preventing them from finding another job or returning to their original encampments, and forcing them to essentially be kept as a prized servant, or a pet.
The flaming monster let out a sigh, before picking up another already clean glass to continue his polishing; He had been lucky, to some extent. He had been allowed to relocate his bar to the city, the idea being it would help bring more monster revenue to the surrounding human establishments, since everyone was well aware that the monsters possessed a plentiful amount of gemstones and gold when they first arrived. Of course, it didn't take long for the humans to bleed them mostly dry, and now it wasn't even worth the risk for most of them to make the trip in, even to sit amongst some familiar faces in a livelier setting than their new homes.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of plastic hitting polished wood, followed by a heavy sigh.
"That's enough, Grillby" Spoke the only other living being in the room; his bony, skinless fingers wrapped around an open bottle of ketchup as if it were any other beverage in a glass. "they aint gonna get any cleaner".
The bartender ceased his polishing and placed the glass down with the rest, turning to face his single customer and using an index finger to adjust his glasses.
"Well, It's not as if I have much else to do" he stated, motioning to the otherwise empty bar before sitting down behind the counter, across from his companion.
"Eh, can't fault you on that logic" Replied the short skeleton, downing the rest of the condiment bottle's contents before tossing a gold coin in the air towards Grillby, who caught it with relative ease and proceeded to place it on the counter, sliding it back towards his only paying customer.
"Sans, please, don't trouble yourself. Unlike most of my stock, the humans make plenty of ketchup; It's of no value to me. Besides, the company is more than enough payment".
"Aite, if you're sure. Guess I'll be heading out then" Sans sighed, hoisting himself down from the bar stool with a grunt and making his way to the exit.
"Take care, Grilbz" He added, pushing open the double doors and stepping out into the warm evening.
"As should you, Sans".
As the large doors swung shut behind him, the skeleton monster let out another sigh, and began his evening walk. Of course, there was a curfew in place for monsters, but when you can afford to teleport a few times a day to avoid conflict if needed, rules like that tend to lose their meaning; not that he was one for rules in the first place.
Initially, he'd begun taking these walks for the simple reason of watching the sun set, over the city, the trees, the mountains. To watch the colours dance in the sky, like nothing he'd ever been able to see underground. However, as conflict had broken out between the races, their freedom went from being a dream come true to a gilded cage, and after two and a half years of struggling against a force much bigger than their race could hope to conquer by themselves, his walks had simply become routine.
Sans willed himself to inhale deeply as he approached Muffet's bakery, a small grin hanging off his face as he passed another of the few monster businesses "graced" with the opportunity of relocating to the city. He raised a hand to wave at her through the glass shop front as he passed, but she appeared busy behind the counter, dealing with customers. At least she still had business.
He continued making his way down the sidewalk, hands in the pockets of his puffy blue winter jacket, feet dragging along in a pair of worn out blue and white sneakers, until the buildings began to thin out, and a large public park came into view. Throwing himself down on a bench with little care, he tilted his head up to look at the sky once more.
"Pity…" He muttered to no one in particular, "It's just kind of boring now".
He allowed his eyes to shut, head still facing the sky, and listened to the sounds around him. The cars, birds, insects and… The pitter patter of feet?
Cracking an eye open to check out whoever the footsteps belonged to, he was surprised to find himself watching a small monster in a ridiculously large turtleneck sweater heading towards the park with a large box of Muffet's goods. He strained his one open eye to get a better look.
It was highly unusual to see other monsters wandering the city at this time of night, especially considering the dangers that walking amongst humans posed for most of them; So he eyed them curiously, assessing their features. They were small, maybe a little under five feet tall, and seemed to be swallowed up whole by their giant brown turtleneck sweater, the neck of which covered the bottom of their face and stopped just under their round, petite nose. A pair of beast ears sprouted out from brown hair, matched by a fluffy tail poking out from under the sweater, bouncing along as they walked. Sans couldn't make out much else from this distance without turning to directly stare at the stranger, and instead opted to shrug it all off, shutting his eye.
As the footsteps approached, he heard them falter and snapped his eyes open again, only to catch bright green feline eyes staring at him apprehensively. He had long enough to notice two curved black lines under each eye, before their owner took a sharp turn right and sped up their pace, small clawed hands almost digging themselves into the box being carried.
"Man, I don't get it. First the humans decide we aren't people, and now monsters are scared to see each other on the street." Sans sighed yet again and stood up from his seat, deciding he'd had enough for one day.