The Sun dawned brighter than it ever had, appearing precisely where the road met the sky to bathe Chara's guardians in warm rays of golden light. Some commotion from the night before continued to linger as the small army of police officers packed up the last of their supplies, noise dying down as their helicopter droned off into the distance. Quiet and tranquility almost returned to the neighborhood, but Chara's brother was sniffling softly in her arms. The nightmare was dying with the night, and in its place, something sweeter than a lucid dream was being born.

Luna reached for Anta's shoulder, asking, "Is there anything you want me to get for you?" but the gesture made the child jerk back with enough force to knock Chara off her feet. It seemed that Anta would need some time to adapt to his new circumstances. He was, after all, being asked to move underground with his sister, her adoptive sister, and three goat monsters by yet more goat monsters.

"Frisk, maybe it would be more comfortable for him if you tried. I can hardly imagine what's racing through this kid's head right now."

Frisk nodded, walked slowly toward Anta, and said in a gentle voice, "Hi. My name's Frisk. What's your name?"

The child sniffled and replied, "I'm Anta."

"That's a nice name."

"It's a weird name made up by two people who spent every waking moment wasted and every other moment passed-out drunk. I hate it and everything it stands for. You were lucky; your name reflects how kind and understanding you are, and mine is nothing but evil and hatred and pain and suffering."

"Please don't say that. A name doesn't define who you are, but it's what the person with the name does that's important. Take that monster in the striped shirt who's at least nine times as adorable as the rest. His parents weren't the best with creative names and chose 'Asriel' by combining their own, but his character is an inspiration everywhere he goes. And as for the monster with the holographic computer trying really hard to pretend he doesn't hear me, his parents named him Luna, which is pretty hard to beat as weird names go."

"But…isn't that a girl's name?"


Anta HP: 52/60

*Your curiosity is tingling almost as much as your ears are.

*Upright red SOUL.


"A girl's na—what? Yes, I heard you. Come now, I won't bite!"

"Why did you help me, even after I hurt Chara and stole your spaceship and caused all of that trouble with the cops?"

"You couldn't be held completely responsible for your actions after spending years living in fear, especially when there were much, much bigger fish to fry at the time. Many victims defend their abusers because they depend on them for things like food and shelter, and you were clearly no exception."

Chara's brother still had a noticeable amount of tension in his hands and shoulders. Seemingly, the fight and the hand motions and the memory of gripping and firing from the light spear affected him most of all.

"Hey, kid. I'm not mad at you. It was only a matter of time before our cover was blown, anyway, and teenagers like taking joyrides. It's a fact that crosses species lines and yours just happened to be in a highly advanced cockpit instead of behind a wheel. That was one heck of a wipeout, too; let me see if I can't patch you up a little."

The alien waved a green light over the child's face, watching eagerly as a faint crack of a smile replaced the semi-closed knife wound. Anta still seemed unsure of himself. He turned longingly toward the now-deserted, silent home he had just slept in twenty-four hours ago. If Chara leaving felt like a bandage, leaving now would feel like a bandage made of super-glue and duct tape.

"Chara, dear, could I have a closer look at your arm?"

Chara approached her mother and stuck out both her arms, allowing Toriel to take her hands with one paw while feeling around with the other. Showing disgust now would only frighten Chara further, so instead, she showed her curiosity.

"Gorey? Luna? Can you come over here?"

Everyone crowded around Chara. Asgore repeated his wife's motions and came to the same conclusion while Luna jotted as many notes as he could into his device. Asking Chara to turn slightly towards the sun, the goat commander finished with a photograph of the discoloration. Perhaps it was just the stress of last night, but it almost seemed as if the marks formed deliberate lengthwise trails, like curved flames and streaks running up and down Chara's tattered arm. Toriel tried a healing light, but it left the hypothesized pattern completely unchanged.

"These marks…your skin…the scars are rough, but the black spots feel just as smooth as, well, skin."

Either impatient or just tired, Chara broke away from the group and sought out her brother.

"I know you wanted to do what was best for me."

"It's just…Dad's still Dad, you know? And once this blows over, he'll be all alone here."

"You know it in your heart that it isn't safe here anymore. You protected me all these years; please, let me protect you for once. Come live with us."

"I don't know, sis…how would I even fit in? Don't you think they'd be mad at me after trying to make off with their little princess?"

"Come on…do those monsters look like they hold grudges?"

Every goat monster present gave the friendliest possible wave they could. Toriel and Asgore whispered something to each other.

"We stand by our words last night, and we will care for you in any way that you need. You have probably heard a lot of nasty things about us, but do you think you could give us a chance?"

"Um…do I have to start calling you 'Mom' and 'Dad' now?"

"Not at all, my child. If these arrangements still make you uncomfortable, perhaps we can 'rearrange' them…how about a job offer?"

"Mrs. Dreemurr—I mean, Your Highness—I mean…wait, what?"

"It just so happens that the Royal Scientist has just begun searching for a laboratory assistant and we think you will be an excellent candidate for the position. Think not of it as leaving your home; rather, you are on a business trip to a state-of-the-art facility, the benefits include room, board, healthcare, and extremely flexible hours, and your sister happens to live nearby."

"Her Highness isn't kidding about state-of-the-art, either," Luna embellished. "Do you think my fighter designed itself?"

"Well…I guess you all did take care of Chara for all this time…okay. You win."

"Nice. If you're ready, I have a carrier ship waiting in the wings."

A larger spaceship, roughly five times the size of one of the starfighters, gently touched down and flattened Chara's neighbor's front lawn. Everyone except two agents climbed on board and departed for Mount Ebott, followed closely by two starfighters. While the commander busied himself with characteristic maintenance tasks, Anta seemed to be fascinated by all of the technology on board. Pretty soon, curiosity led to snooping and snooping led to touching.


Carrier Ship 0 AT DF=1500

*The caprines' standard cargo transport and ground support craft.

*Length: 40 m.

*Width: 24 m.

*Vertical takeoff and hovering capabilities.

*Maximum speed: 150 m/s. As with the starfighters, G-Forces and the problem of things sliding around everywhere are handled by computer-controlled gravitational field emitters.

*Shares the fighters' cloaking ability.

*Power source: Hydrogen Fusion Reactor providing 120 hours of flight time at full capacity. Modified to conceal heat signature.

*Wormhole generator installed, allowing teleportation at a maximum range of roughly one solar system.

*Cargo varies but always includes light and heavy weapons to be used mid-flight if necessary, medical supplies, magically-prepared food, hydrogen plasma, maintenance equipment, communications devices, parachutes, and survival gear. A large space in the middle had been cleared for the totaled starfighter.

*Not included are anti-aircraft weapons, so Carrier Ships fly with a fighter escort at all times. If you look out one of the hatches right now, you'll see a flying goat nestled in a fighter cockpit.


Seeing Chara's brother dart around the cargo bay brought warm smiles to Toriel and Asgore's faces.

"I'm glad to see that Chara's brother is moving past the bad memories and enjoying himself. Hopefully the adjustment to our home won't be too difficult for him."

"It looks like science and technology are Anta's closest comforts. As long as he has those, he should be fine. That 'lab assistant' angle…crafty move, by the way."

Mount Ebott appeared on the horizon. The carrier ship landed, Luna waved goodbye to the other agents, and everyone started walking to the caverns. Just before they disappeared underground, Asriel tugged on Luna's arm.

"No, Asriel, we will not make him jump into the Ruins even if he's technically a surface dweller. I can still hear the sound my legs made and it's the second worst thing I've ever heard."

The smells of butterscotch and cinnamon danced around everyone's noses and waved them into New Home. Toriel showed Anta where his sister slept while Luna poked his head over her shoulder. On the left was a bunk bed and on the right was a single bed, and presumably, the three children fought over who slept where each and every night. Ironically enough, one of the beds had a stuffed animal lying next to the pillow. There was also a dresser next to one of the beds and a shelf with a picture frame on it; behind the frame was a cyan, fluorescent spear, a polished white bone wrapped with a bow, the faint purple glow of the replica dark energy sword, and a variety of other gifts given by the monsters.

Luna smiled. The frame had a photo of the Dreemurrs taken just after the barrier broke.

"We'll get a bed built by the end of the day, but in the meantime, would you like to see the rest of the Underground?"

Instead of an answer, all four children replied by crashing onto the nearest bed and falling into a sound sleep. Once they slept away yesterday's long night, everyone left for Hotland. All of the puzzles that could be reset had reset themselves, which Luna thought would be a serious health risk given the ambient temperature. Much to his surprise, Chara's brother solved each and every one of them between New Home and the laboratory in less than ten seconds apiece.

"Hey! Anyone home? I don't know if you saw that, but we just found you a lab assistant!"

Alphys answered the door momentarily.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, Commander, Frisk, Chara...who's this?"

"My name's Anta; I'm Chara's brother. Sorry if I made it so you have to invent a bunch of harder puzzles now."

"No, it's all right. Those puzzles are more of a cultural thing than an actual form of security. Anyways, is it true that you wanted to help around the lab?"

"Yes! I mean, um...yes, I'd love to learn more about the research monsters are doing now."

Gaster overheard Alphys, introduced himself to Anta, and invited him to take a look at one of the new contraptions he was building.

"He should be happy here. Now that that's taken care of...Alphys, do you remember that little detail we went over the last time I was here?"

"Yes, um...I haven't told anyone, if that's what you wanted to know."

"I've been thinking it over, and they deserve to know too. Before the rest of the M.B. finds out, I mean."

"Okay then."

Alphys motioned for the Dreemurrs to follow her to a comfortable couch. It would be safer if they were already sitting down beforehand.

"I asked Luna for a DNA sample and the results were interesting, to say the least. I don't have enough conclusive evidence to say for sure, but there is a strong possibility that you three share a common ancestor with him."

"Are you sure, doctor? We'd clearly know if part of the Dreemurr Family Tree came from space, and the only time the history books mention anything like aliens is the prophecy where an angel who's seen the surface frees the monsters."

"Heh, I'm no angel, and I'm saying this before he gets the chance to say that I'm the angel."

Luna took the words right out of a now indignant Asriel's mouth. Meanwhile, Chara and Frisk high-fived each other.

"I knew it! Long live the fluffy goat family!"

"Let's not get carried away here. The two of us haven't proven that kind of relationship, but the more we talk about it, the harder it's getting to deny the connection between the caprines and your family. I'll work with Dr. Alphys to uncover more details, but I'm not that comfortable with you looking at me like I'm Asriel's brother or something."

"Family or not, Luna, you're a friend. You've done so much more for us than anyone should ever have to and we can't ever repay you enough."

"Don't worry about it. None of you owe me anything."

(But if Anta would like to chip in for his trigger happiness earlier, I wouldn't mind...)

The alien sat down next to Toriel and finally got to enjoy a few hours of relaxation. They chatted about the current state of relations with the humans and watched the news on Alphys's giant television; to Luna's slight disappointment, the top stories were about the standoff with Chara's parents and sightings of a mystery aircraft over a quiet suburb. Opting to avoid killing the good spirits, they switched to anime and then listened to thrilling PG field stories from the commander himself. When evening rolled around, they went back to New Home, where a few carpenters had finished converting the single bed in Asriel and Chara's room into a bunk bed.

"Might want to hit the hay a little early tonight. There'll be a lot of investigating and questions in the coming days."

"Oh, dear! We forgot to ask them to build a guest bed! Maybe—"

"You don't need to go through all that trouble for me. I'll find a spot for myself."

"But you're our guest. It wouldn't be right if—"

"Those starfighters are not roomy. After spending hours at a time in the same area as a postage stamp, believe me when I claim that I can basically fall asleep anywhere. Good night, sleep tight, et cetera..."

Luna walked straight into Asriel's room, folded his scarf and a few square meters of carpet into a pile, and curled up on top of it as if he was a kitten. The Dreemurr children tucked themselves into their beds and drifted off into a sound sleep.


The window was open. Footsteps echoed in the pitch-blackness of the caves.

Luna found himself standing alone in the middle of the road in front of the M.B. Earth Office. All of the buildings were dark and the air felt as icy as the street felt lonely. Besides the dim glow from the Moon, the only light came from a metal lamp post at the end of the block. Squinting hard, the alien could barely make out two outlines of agents sprinting through the light and behind the corner of a building.

"Hey! Wait up!"

When they moved out of sight, Luna started running after the agents and nearly tripped when he heard a grisly scream. By the time he rounded the corner, whatever they were chasing had vanished without a trace. Instead, the two agents stood motionless on the sidewalk with their backs turned to him.

"Why didn't you help us?" they asked.

"I came as fast as I could. Any idea where they went?"

"Why'd you let them kill us?"

Luna looked confused.

"What? What are you talking about?"

The two agents turned slowly, letting Luna take a good look at his parents' faces.

"Mom? Dad?"

Luna's parents took a few steps toward him, but there was something strange about their gait. They were definitely walking and talking, but their movements seemed more akin to cold, rigid bodies than to living monsters. He'd rather not get a closer look, but the skin under their ragged hides seemed almost cyanotic.

"What's going on?"

"You disgrace...you failure...how could you just let your own family die? Why didn't you save us, Luna? Why did you hide behind the car?"

"I'm sorry! It all happened so quickly and I didn't know what to do! Please…don't be mad at me…I can…I won't let anyone die next time!"

With an unnatural stretching sound, the two monsters' faces contorted into twisted grins and purple, oozing cracks formed in their heads.

"Wait...no...stay back!"

They suddenly lunged claws-out at Luna's throat, corrupted bodies shattering into dust as their frigid paws touched his face. The fine powder covered Luna from head to toe, leaving him yelping and scratching and frantically brushing off the dust as if it was a swarm of fire ants.

Someone behind him shouted "Help me!", voice piercing the blowing wind and bouncing off buildings such that it assaulted his ears from every direction at once.

Luna turned around, and standing there was a familiar-looking human soldier with a pistol in their hand. It was aimed not at the alien, but at Frisk's cowering head.

"I know you can hear me. Put the gun down and we can talk about this, okay?"

Still fixated on their hostage, they didn't respond to the alien's words in the slightest. Only the hostage, reaching out with her hand, seemed aware of the goat monster's existence.

"So, you think you're one of the monsters, don't you? You've been helping them a lot so far..."

"Let her go! What would your two daughters think if they saw this?"

Frisk tried to struggle out of the headlock, but the human child was more than a few fights short of being a burly wrestler. She reached for the toy knife and jabbed at the soldier, but they laughed and knocked it away.

"Let go of me!"

"There's only one thing a traitor deserves. Maybe in your next life you'll know which team you're supposed to be on."

The alien snapped his fingers and sprung forward for a wormhole-assisted tackle, only to be stopped in his tracks by a bullet. A few drops of blood splattered onto the asphalt, followed by the thud of a body.

"Frisk!"

Luna blew away the soldier with an overcharged black hole to the heart, leaped to Frisk's side, removed his scarf, and wrapped it around the child's head. He started applying a green light from his paw to the wound, but it wouldn't close and the child's breathing kept growing more erratic.

"Just hold on! Help will be here soon!"

Frisk clung to the alien with the last of her strength, trembling with each word.

"It's so cold...I..."

"Cold? Here, let me..."

Luna tried to shield Frisk from the cold wind with the warmth of his own body, hoping against all logic that it would be enough to keep her alive until help arrived.

"I'm sorry...it hurts...I can't..."

"Don't give up! Please!"

There was a cracking sound. Luna found himself alone once more in the moonlit street.


"He's having a nightmare, isn't he?"

Chara and Anta had awoken and were standing before the alien, whose face was tensed into a grimace. His paws were clutching the scarf as if the world would implode if he didn't hold it tightly enough.

"Yep. Grab his legs; we're putting him in my bed tonight. Now move over; you're sharing yours too."

The two slowly and carefully lifted the alien and tucked him into one of the lower beds. Chara knelt down by the sleeping alien and, remembering something that worked in a distant memory, started stroking his head, softly whispering, "The night can't last forever, Luna. Stay determined. It'll all be over soon."