Me:...Wow. I mean, just...wow! I cannot BELIEVE how difficult this was to get out. I mean, seriously. SERIOUSLY!
Frisk: That tends to happen a lot.
Chara: Having no decent way to end a chapter can end up being pretty suckish.
Asriel: But at the very least, you kept trying. That's always a good thing! And now you actually managed to get this out! Feel great yet?
Me: A little...
Red: Monch Monch~
Me: Hey! Cinnamon Bunnies!? I hope you're planning to sha-
Red: *Vicious Snarl*
Me: ...on second thought, you can have them. I don't need cinnamon anyway. *Fearfully backs off*
Red: *Happily continues Monch Monch~*
Chapter Start!
(Four Months Later...)
Red slowly opened her eyes, temporarily blinded by the sunlight. She groaned a bit in defiance, lightly pulling the covers over herself, her hair lightly covering her face for a bit. Maybe if she used all of her willpower, she could make the sun go away at least two hours so she can continue to sleep peacefully.
...Nope. It was still shining, and it wasn't going away. Guess she'll have to wake herself up, with great reluctance. Oh well, time to meet the new day head-on, she supposed. With a audible yawn, Red rose up from her bed and stretched out her arms, her tail also stretching a bit as she sighed with a tired smile. She supposed she could go outside after she got dressed, and she could really use something to fill her currently empty belly while she was at it.
She eventually climbed out of her covers and went over to her wadrobe, slowly opening up the doors and pulling out clothes of her choice. Her crimson cloak was the only thing that she would wear every single day. She never goes anywhere without it, it was far too important to her. She still didn't know why, but she just felt like she shouldn't part herself with it, no matter what. Everything else, however, was decently fair game. She leaned into said wardrobe, trying to pick out the current outfit she tended to wear, tilting her head a hit before she smiled.
"Aha. There we go~"
She's taken in another signature change in outfit for herself. She gently strolls away from the wardrobe and looks into the mirror. Now she wears a white shirt with a red Delta Rune symbol, a red mini-skirt that was slightly longer than her last one, and her usual pink ribbon and red cowl, completing the look for her. She gazed curiously into the mirror, wondering how she looked. With a huff, she pulled her cowl away from her head so she could better see her hair. Pink and still curled, though much smoother than before.
"Alrighty. This feels right. Cool ribbon, check. Cool cowl, check. Cool skirt, decent, and checked. And my tail fits through the hole quite nicely. Mettaton really knows how to take these kinds of things into account." She lightly turned around and looked behind her into the mirror while her back is turned. She smiled brightly as she placed her paws on her hips with a nod of approval. She also did a bit of hip swaying to see how the mini-skirt moved, as well as her tail. It's movements were smooth, and wasn't a big hindrance. So long as she can fight in it, it's quite alright. "Hmph! This is not bad. Not bad at all~" Red chuckled softly to herself while gazing into the mirror. Muffet was probably up to something when she regarded the canine as quite a beauty in her own way. She wondered what Asriel would think of it.
The thought made her chuckle in an even more lighthearted manner, as well as gain a slight blush. While he may actually like the outfit she picked out, he seems to see her as a pretty girl regardless of what she wore. That's just the kind of fluffy sweetheart that he is, a trait he obviously inherited from Asgore. Said King calls it the 'Dreemurr Charm'. Toriel thinks it's silly, but doesn't fully deny that it somewhat works. Asriel's near-constant politeness certainly helped his charm. What makes even sillier was that he was mostly oblivious to how said politeness applies to his charm. Even further silliness, he doesn't fully recognize having much charm. Humbleness might as well be one of his biggest traits. It also made him overwhelmingly adorable. Everyone who knows him personally agrees.
However, those names. Dreemurr Charm, Dreemurr Appetite, Dreemurr Determination...Red was going to be completely honest. She wondered how long they could keep that trend going. It was bordering on outright ridiculousness. The kind of ridiculousness that makes her want to giggle until her belly hurts.
Speaking of her belly, it growls loudly to fully let her know that it was time to stop wasting her time marvelling with surprise at how pretty she was, and to start giving it food.
"Alright alright, I hear you. Pipe down." She snapped at her growling belly before she shook her head and walked out of her room and made her was through the living room.
"Ah! Puppy Red is finally awake!" The bright voice of Dogressa filled her ears, the older canine moving over to Red and kissing the top of her head.
"Glad to see you're awake, Puppy Red." Dogamy smiled from another room.
"Hey Red. Sheesh, your gut is practically roaring." Doggo grinned while leaning against his chair, a dog biscuit hanging out of his muzzle.
Red blushed a bit, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. Greater Dog and Lesser Dog eagerly prance into the room, the former greatly causing vibrations in the house due to still wearing his around. The two of them soon leaned their heads down to Red's level and happily licked her cheeks, making her laugh cheerfully. "Haha! Alright, alright! Good morning, you two! The licks, they tickle!"
Red has been around for a very long time now. Dogressa and Dogamy have noticed this, and Red was feeling quite used to everyone. She still secretly felt like a burden to the Dreemurr family by living in their house. So the two of them were more than happy to take her in. Though it didn't stop there, it was much better than that. The Canine Unit all lived together in one roof, accommodating all of them nicely. Doggo, Greater Dog, and Lesser Dog were supporters of this set up, as well as the Annoying Dog. Dogressa and Dogamy were mostly in charge of the house, especially the former(none of the canines were brave or foolish enough to challenge her for it, especially her mate), bringing the canines full circle with Red as a very warm inclusion.
To put it simply, Red was now an official member of the pack.
"So Red, will you be leaving shortly after you've had your fill of breakfast?" Dogamy asked her while petting the top of her head. Frisk has taught them that it is possible for dogs to pet other dogs. It resulted in an entirely new world being opened up to them. Soon enough, the canines were petting other canines, and it served to demonstrate that the experience was very pleasurable to them.
Red nods softly while smiling at the both of them. "Yeah, I'll be heading out soon. Just gotta get something to fill my belly on the way."
"Going out to see the Prince? The fuzzy one, not the human ones." Doggo guessed lightly munching on the end of his biscuit. Red soon began blushing at the accusation, twiddling her paws. He smirked playfully at her. "You two have been quite the cuddle bugs. You don't even object to him petting you anymore."
"...Shut up. It feels right when he does it." Red muttered grumpily. Frisk was an exception since he was a nice guy himself, and he didn't tease her as much as Chara. Muffet was also an exception because they were 'Ribbon Buddies', best friends. Chara...any movement towards her hair gets him a vicious kick to the shin. Because he always rustled it until it's all messy, and it's really irritating. He's lucky it was just a kick, and she didn't choose to outright bite his arm.
"I know what you mean, dear. Being pet by your significant other is sometimes much more comfortable than most others who pet you." Dogressa smiled as she lovingly nuzzles noses with Dogamy, who gleefully nuzzles back. "We keep thanking Frisk for opening up an entirely new world of possibilities to us in the art of petting."
"Petting isn't an art, Dogressa..." Doggo muttered under his breath. Though since most of the canines had sensitive hearing, she still heard him.
"Well it should be! Why else do we enjoy it as much as we do?!"
"I don't find it very enjoyable, especially since the ones who pet me remain still, so I usually get seriously surprised! Remember? If something's not moving, I can't see it. The humans call it riddoch syndrome or something like that. It's funny, I never thought that there would actually be a name for it." He tilted his head. "Or was it that Dr. Alphys told me about it many times and I just keep forgetting...?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, Doggo...but I'm very confident on the latter being true." Red deadpanned. She shrugged as she reached into the cabinets in the kitchen and grabbed a bag of ten cinnamon bunnies. "I'll just take these off your paws, guys. Kay thanks!" Ree beamed as she turned and began making her way out the front door.
"Woah, Red! Are ya being serious? Ten cinnamon bunnies?" Doggo questioned.
"...Well, yeah. Ten is a light snack at best. I'll actually begin eating a bit later than that. Kay, love you all! Bye!" Red said with a bright smile and wave.
Dogressa chuckled. "There she goes. Energetic, cheerful, strong...and very hungry. Hm~"
"I guess we can say that we're both very happy with the decision of adopting her into the pack?" Dogamy said as he wrapped his paws around his wife, kissing her cheek. She smiled as she turned around and nuzzles his nose, giggling from his mustache tickling her a bit.
"Yes. I'll admit, I was still a bit sore about how she blew you up with one of her bombs."
"I was alright. I CAN take a strong hit, Dogressa. You seriously gotta start having more faith in me." Dogamy pouted childishly. "Besides, than was a long time ago!"
"I know, Dogamy. I'm long since over it. The lost puppy needed a family of her own. We're more than happy to take her in. She fits in rather nicely. Not to mention her relationship with Prince Asriel." Dogressa giggled. "They're so cute together, unbelievably so!"
"Yeah. Adorable and another thing...it's a repeat on both sides." Doggo yawned. "The cycle continues."
"What do you mean?"
"Ya know what I mean. Dogressa. You blow a whistle, Dogamy instantly comes to your aid, tail tucked between his legs. Toriel calls on Asgore, he immediately kneels before her and kisses her paws. Red pulls on Asriel's scarf, he can only gulp and nod to assure her she has his attention. And now even Muffet the Spider Girl, she has Chara wrapped up in her own little web. Like I said, the cycle continues."
Dogamy tilted his head. "What cycle is that supposed to be?"
"...Wuh-psssh!" Doggo imitated the sound of a whip cracking, then held his sides and began cackling loudly. Dogamy simply blushed in embarrassment, lowering his head with a whine. Dogressa...wasn't as tolerant.
"Hey...Doggo." She said softly with a sweet smile.
Doggo's sensed immense misfortune heading his way, but he decided to just take it, and turned towards her with a nervous gulp. "Y-Yeah...what is it Dogre-"
WHAM!
Doggo was smacked upside the head with the flat side of her halberd, knocking him out of his chair and sending him painfully crashing into the ground. She twirled the weapon around with casual ease, then had it lean on her shoulder with a huff. She turned towards Greater Dog and Lesser Dog, who instinctively and wisely chose to stay silent until it was safe to do anything else. Then she turned towards Dogamy, who just stared at her with awe. She smirked at him.
"There. Now he's no longer making fun of you, dear~" The casual wink she sent his way only made him blush even brighter. She truly was a beauty to behold. Though she completely knocked out Doggo. However, Dogamy was sure he would be fine.
...Probably.
(Meanwhile...)
"That's the way, Frisk. Don't force yourself. Proceed slowly and gently." Toriel smiled in support as she sits idly in her precious Chairiel, carefully keeping track of Frisk's progress. Asriel and Chara were also in the room, gazing at Frisk just as carefully. Asgore was busy making the usual daily tea for his daily teatime, wearing a pink apron with yellow flowers to match his shirt. Still, he occasionally sends the usual look, smile, and nod of support towards Frisk.
It's been four full months since Frisk began training his magic a bit more seriously. And the progress he made was outstanding. He had spent almost a full week, sans(heh) the weekends, training to get in touch with his Soul Modes with Gaster. And not just his Soul Modes...but his inner fire, which the rest of the Dreemurrs were more than happy to help him with. Frisk was officially a Dreemurr. And one of the things that can greatly describe a Dreemurr, is their skills in the art of PyroKinesis. Toriel, Asgore, and Asriel tapped into their innate powers and received access to Rainbow Fire, the most powerful type of fire, and is filled with colors and creativity. Chara's fire was black and dark, but he already proved that darkness and the color black doesn't have to mean evil, not anymore in his case. His fire was mostly in how he shapeshifts it, as well as his Umbra-Kinesis, or 'Shadow Bending' as he prefers to call it. He seems confident that it will eventually catch on. It did for Muffet, somewhat.
Frisk's fire was completely white. It wasn't much in the offensive department because it's not always what it's used for, but it can still be pretty useful. It's fire with most of it's destructive tendencies drastically turned down and most of it's beneficial properties turned up. White fire on it's own can heal, enhance, nurture, and protect. It goes to show that fire doesn't have to stand for destruction every time, it's sometimes a beneficial part of life. Not that it can't be used offensively, but it's mostly used for support. That's why Frisk never used it up to now, he tries his best to not strike back no matter what. But now that attitude, noble as it was, was putting his loved ones in danger. He is trying to learn to put his personal feelings aside when all the alternatives are burned out, because he was already pretty sure it can happen again.
To sum: Chara uses the more darker, and destructive aspects of fire. Frisk uses the more positive, and controlled aspects of fire to counter. Asriel, Toriel, and Asgore can use close to all the aspects of fire, as that is what Rainbow Fire Manipulation can grant them, as it is the purest and most powerful. It's also one of the rarest. So rare that it was thought by Gerson to only be accessible by dragons, and became lost long ago. Asriel unlocking the hidden potential within their souls allowed Toriel and Asgore access to this powerful flame all by themselves, while Asriel used the power lent to him by the human souls as a bit of a shortcut. It was fitting, because the prospect of this Rainbow Fire, as well as it's extreme rarity, allows Asriel to put his creativity to the test in order to see what he could do with it and how far he could go. Red certainly seemed interested, and his parents were gently supportive.
Frisk gently lifting his hand as a gentle white fire manifested, then slowly shifted into a dove. He pushed upward, and it flies around the room for a couple minutes, making him giggle brightly at the sight. After a few laps, the fire dove perches on his shoulder, flaps its wings a couple more times, then slowly dissipates. Not a single burn mark. Just the way he likes it. Toriel doesn't mind cleaning up, though it does get incredibly troublesome from time to time.
Toriel nodded brightly in acknowledgement and happiness. Frisk moved up to her and allowed himself to be pulled into a big fluffy hug, which he does his best to return. "Very good, my child. Your improvement becomes more notable every day." Frisk smiled positively and softly nestled into her chest. Asgore smiled at the sight, and of how proud Frisk felt of himself. His confidence was slowly building back up. He was very shaken up back then, but this makes it clear that he'll eventually recover.
"Hmm...I wanna hug from Mom, too~" Asriel beamed as he stood up and went over to Toriel for a snuggly hug. Toriel returns it, lightly rubbing his back in small circles. She also took the time to lightly pet his floppy ears, and he would do happily do the same for her own ears.
Chara rolled his eyes at the spectacle. Once Asriel pulled away from Toriel, she turned towards Chara with warm expectation. Sheesh. I had said and thought this many times, but those two are total Momma's Boys. He once again looked towards Toriel, who still gazed and smiled at him with warm expectation. ...And they managed to turn me into one too, damnit. Chara sighed as he got up himself and moved into Toriel's open arms. She graciously wraps them around him and had him ensnared in a cuddly hug, petting his hair and kissing his forehead lovingly. Nuzzling into her warm bosom, he fought hard to keep a warm and joyous smile off of his face. His heart and soul is completely welcome to all forms of genuine affection, however small. Though outright admitting total enjoyment would be too embarrassing. Of course everyone knew this about him, no one had a problem with him acting this way.
"You're all such lovely children. And you're growing ever stronger as the days go by." Toriel smiles softly. Gently releasing Chara, she stepped away from the three of them. "And yet simultaneously, relations between humans and monsters have been growing more positive. The human children at my school have actually referred to me as one of their favorite teachers."
"Being a hands-on principal/teacher has really helped build a bond with the students there, and is making an excellent impression on other parents as well! Tori has become quite an influence!" Asgore beamed brightly.
"Yay! Mom is the best!" Asriel cheered with his laws in the air.
"The best around!" Frisk beamed with a delighted 'peace' sign.
"Nothing's gonna keep her down!" Chara declared with a fist-pump.
Toriel laughed heartily, holding her sides a bit before smirking. "Oh, come here, you three!" She pulled all three of them in a snuggle, kissing all three of their heads repeatedly. This promoted a multitude of laughs and giggles from Asriel and Frisk, while Chara simply smiles with content. With the motherly snuggle ambush now over, she releases them once more.
Asriel nodded. "Mom, we can go outside, can we? At least now that Frisk has finished his magic lesson?"
"Of course you may, children. Just don't stay out for too long. And I'll have my phone on to be safe."
"You two can go do whatever. I'm gonna go see Muffet." Chara waved casually as he teleported out of the room. This prompted a sigh from Toriel, gently pulling her face.
"We're just gonna go, Mom and Dad. Bye for now!" Asriel and Frisk waved as they went out the door, closing it behind them.
Toriel was still gently massaging the bridge of her nose. "Good grief. Sometimes that Chara...I swear..."
"Don't be too hard on him, dear. At the very least, he has someone else to spend time with. He believes spending too much time with his family is rather 'embarrassing'. I don't know why he would think such a thing. We're so fun to be around!" Asgore said as he gleefully wrapped his arms around Toriel from behind. She smiled as she turned around and returned the embrace, gazing upward and kissing his cheek. He responds by lightly kissing her lips, pulling her a bit closer in for it until they separated just as quickly.
"Indeed we are. I hardly know what there is to be embarassed about. Excellent teacher, amazing gardener, cheerful siblings...I believe expressing that gratitude is still difficulty for him to do on his own on occasion."
"Indeed. But he's coming around, gradually." Asgore nodded a bit. He then leaned for a nuzzle at Toriel's nose, who graciously returns it with a slight giggle. He smiles. "Ah, how I do simply adore the sound of your bright and hopeful voice. It truly puts a cheerful grin on my face."
"You're being rather sappy today, Asgore." Toriel chuckles. "Are you possibly envious of me showing more affection towards the children than you, on occasion?"
Asgore wore a stale expression at first, then he whimpered as he hugs Toriel a bit more tightly, comical tear streams running down his face. "Toriiii...why must you be so mean to meeee...?"
"Oh dear..." Toriel sighed, rolling her eyes in amusement as she returned the hug.
(Meanwhile...)
"Yooooooo! Yo, guys! Hey guys!"
Asriel and Frisk turned around to meet the sound of the energetic monster running up to them. This Monster was Monster Kid, or MK. While he was still very much armless, he managed to find some sort of balance to himself, with enough practice courtesy of Frisk. Though he still tends to fall over on occasion.
SPLAT!
...Like now, for instance.
Asriel and Frisk immediately ran up to his sides, helping him back to his feet. "Golly, MK. You really oughta be careful, rushing yourself like that. You've had quite a while to try and properly gain more control of your balance."
"Of courses I've been practicing! I didn't get lazy or anything like that!" MK said, roughly pouting at the both of them. "I'm not an entirely clumsy oaf, ya know! I've gotten much better, ya see?!"
"We know, we know. Golly, it wasn't meant to be an insult. We swear." Asriel shook his head rapidly, ears lightly flopping around.
MK nodded, smiling. "It's fine. I've been surprising everyone with my improved balancing skills. They seriously don't know what be hittin' them! I'm just that good now! Everyone is beckminf so proud of me!"
"As are we, MK. You're growing just as much as we are." Frisk nodded with a gentle smile. He quietly turned around and turned in the opppsite direction. He saw someone coming by. He smiled a bit wider as he tapped on Asriel's shoulder. "Hey Azzy. Incoming Red comet."
"Incoming wh-"
"AZZY!"
Asriel blinked as he turned around in surprise too little too late, Red jumped up and pounced upon him, causing the both of them to crash into the ground. Asriel blushed brightly as he saw her with her cowl off of her head, even brighter when he sees just just how happy she is to see him. Her eyes were sparkling and she was panting with her tongue out. Speaking of the tongue, she cheerfully licks his cheek upon greeting. The blush on his face darkened from this action.
"Hey there, Asriel! Did I startle you? That was my goal~" Red beamed, eventually getting off and giving him room to stand.
Asriel chuckled weakly as he eventually gets up on his own, rubbing his neck. "Yeah, well...continue that goal reached." Part of that reason was because he wasn't trying to sense her magical presence, and she was also hiding it quite well until Frisk sorta warned him. Undyne would be proud of her and somewhat disappointed in him for letting this happen. He really didn't want to do one-hundred pushups, without snacks.
Speaking of snacks...
"Ooh! Before I forget! I brought Cinnamon Bunnies!" Red pulled out her bag of Cinnamon Bunnies, five of them were left. Crumbs could be seen on her face, she most likely ate half of them. Frisk and MK moved towards them, but she swiftly swtted them away. "Back off you two! The rest of these are for Asriel!"
"Awww..." Frisk and MK lowered their heads in disappointment.
"Thank you, Red!" Asriel smiles as he grabs the bag of the remaining Cinnamon Bunnies. He sees her knew change in clothes as he rubs his neck again, slightly blushing. "You, uh...you really nice today, Red. Very pretty~"
I knew he'd like it~ Red mentally beamed in triumph. While on the outside, she's rubbing her right arm and sheepishly kicking the ground with a slight blush of her own. "H-Hehe...glad you like it. Tried to keep my clothes as close to my name as possible, ya know?" She smiled softly as she lightly patted her skirt. "I'm pretty sure you knew this already, but these are really growing on me. Being easier to move in an all."
"You mostly picked it because you'll still be able to fight in it, did you?"
"Pretty much." Red shrugged. She then moved in and pulled Asriel in for a hug. Asriel returns the hug, wrapping one arm around her, using his other paw to softly pet her head. Her ears flatten against her head to make enough room, and her tail wags in enjoyment. A graceful smile beams across her face as she eagerly leaned into the paw petting her. It's as she said, it feels most right when it's done by him. When he finished, she gently pulled away from him, took a deep breath, and gazed strongly onto Asriel's eyes. "Asriel...I'm ready."
"Huh? Ready for what?" Frisk knew where this was going, and he had to pull Monster Kid away for a little bit so it could remain somewhat private.
"I have to start looking into what happened in my past. I've hesitated long enough."
Asriel blinked. He gently held her with one of his own, grasping it softly as he looked into her determined eyes. "Red...are you sure?"
Red's ears flattened against her head. "...To be perfectly honest...no. I'm not entirely sure I want to know what happened...but I know that I can't keep running away from it, either." Red placed her other paw above her chest. "This is a permanent timeline, which means it's filling in any blanks it might still have all on it's own. It picked me to be the monster that absorbed the first human soul. If that has to be my role, then fine. Not like I can do anything about it, since it's already happened. But the least I can do is figure out how it happened and why. There's no way I could have done something like this intentionally...I have to know. Before we go to anyone about it, I think we should check out those plaques that was mentioned. If someone actually made plaques about what happened, I at least want to see them for myself, first." She looked up to Asriel with a somewhat pleading stare. "Can you take me there, Asriel? I gotta see them for myself."
Asriel blinked at her for a couple moments. He then narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Okay Red. I can take you there, it's not a problem."
Red smiled brightly, briefly kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you for being such a sweetheart."
Asriel turned for Frisk and Monster Kid, who were currently walking towards the both of them slowly. "Guys. We're gonna have to take a little tour through the Underground. Do either of you have anything against that?"
Frisk looked towards Red, who gave a strong nod towards him. He then noddedback towards her to let him know that he was fine with it. With this in mind, Asriel gently held Red's paw as they both vanished in a bright colorful light, leaving no trace of them behind.
(The Underground: Waterfall)
Teleporting around was still disorienting on some level, but nothing Red couldn't handle. She and Asriel moved forward, into Waterfall. Red became entranced by how the glowing crystals were lighting up the pathways and glowing in various places. Even the Echo Flowers were beautiful, and also lighting the way. Red kneeled down a bit to look at one. "Asriel. Is this one of those Echo Flowers you told me about?"
"It is. And it does exactly what the name implies. Watch." Asriel cleared his throat. He then kneeled next to the Echo Flower with a smile and wave. "Howdy!"
"...Howdy!"
Red giggles lightly. "Wooooah! No way! That's awesome!"
"It really is. Sometimes Sans takes a few of them with him to play pranks on Papyrus...obviously Papyrus doesn't find them as funny as he does."
"I can imagine." Red turned towards the Echo Flower herself, head tilted. Then she smiled and leaned in towards it as well. "Azzy is such a sweetheart!~"
"...Azzy is such a sweetheart!~"
"Well look at that! We agree on something!" Red laughed, briefly slapping Asriel's back as he failed to contain the blush growing on his face. Red then said something else. "Adorable Awkward Amazing Asriel!~"
"...Adorable Awkward Amazing Asriel!~"
"Having fun there...?" Asriel smiled weakly, his blush growing ever brighter the more this goes on.
"Tons~" Red smiled, briefly kissing Asriel's cheek, before standing back up and brushing off her skirt. "Okay, gotta focus. Do you think you can jump us to those plaques?"
"Just give me a moment." Asriel nodded as he takes her paw again, before taking a 'shortcut' to a different location in Waterfall. A couple jumps ahead, they reached the gathering of plaques. "Here they are. The plaques that speak of the War..."
Red slowly approached them, brushing her paw against them, her eyes narrowed. Asriel would occasionally jumped them from one plaque to another when she finished reading one:
"The War Of Humans and Monsters"
Why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed that they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievable strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster... Just to equal the power of a single human SOUL. But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their SOUL. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take its SOUL. A monster with a human SOUL... A horrible beast with unfathomable power.
The power to take their SOULs. This is the power that the humans feared. This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's SOUL. When a monster dies, its SOUL disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the SOUL of a living monster.
There is only one exception. The SOUL of a special species of monster called a "Boss Monster." A Boss Monster's SOUL is strong enough to persist after death...If only for a few moments. A human could absorb this SOUL. But this has never happened. And now it never will.
The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy. In the end, it could hardly be called a war. United, the humans were too powerful, and us monsters, too weak. Not a single SOUL was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust...
Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magic spell. Anything can enter through the seal, but only beings with a powerful SOUL can leave. There is only one way to reverse this spell. If a huge power, equivalent to seven human SOULs, attacks the barrier...It will be destroyed. But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come here. We will remain trapped down here forever. Without candles or magic to guide them Home, the monsters used crystals to navigate.
However...There is a prophecy. The Angel...The One Who Has Seen The Surface...They will return. And the underground will go empty.
Red lowered her eyes sadly. "All of this really happened...while I was trapped in the Artifact...?" Red whispered softly. She then sees a drawing of the 'horrible beast with unfathomable power'. she gently placed her paws above her chest with a pained expression. "This drawing gives me a seriously bad feeling...is...is that supposed to be me? What could have happened to me for them to depict me like that...?" She didn't fully realize that she was shivering. "The timeline decided...I have to fill out that blank...I have to be responsible for instigating all of these terrible things..."
"Red..." Asriel placed a paw upon her shoulder.
"...Monsters...they are no longer weaker than humans, because of your Angel's Blessing, right?"
"Yes. It was...kind of a name I thought of on the fly. Like my Dad, naming things aren't exactly my thing..." Asriel rubbed his neck, then softly nodded. "I greatly enhanced the soul strength of every monster, so that they were no longer weak and easy to shatter. It's why my parents, Sans, Papyrus, Master Undyne, and Alphys are so much more powerful now. They fought alongside me and Frisk against Chara. Considering the immense malevolence he had within him, their souls needed to be able to stand up and fight against it."
"I see...so a big part of you defeating him was to get rid of the monsters most critical weakness. As the Angel of the Underground, or something like that."
"That's pretty much what I did, yeah. Me and Frisk were growing tired of that weakness. So we rewrote it." Asriel nodded. "I just hope that the humans don't think too darkly into this and see this as a challenge. We really do just want to keep getting along nicely with them. Nobody wants to start a second grave conflict with the humans. That would render most of our efforts a moot point."
"And then you'd be forced to Reset, or Load. Those options are not gone, right? You only destroyed the True Reset so no one can truly forget the progress, and we'll be able to pick it up easily the second time."
"Exactly." Asriel shook his head. "But we also can't take the chance of it somehow not working at a crticial point. That's why Frisk insists on getting stronger, just in case. We can't count on them as crutches. We can't always rely on them to fix a major mistake, we'll have to learn to power through them. We want to keep moving forward, despite how hard it gets. So we try as hard as we can to make sure we NEVER have a reason to go back to altering time. We went through a lot of pain to get this far, to find this path. We have to protect it, no matter what!"
Red could see Asriel's eyes flash with Determination. This must be that Dreemurr Determination of his that the others continue to call it, ever since Muffet coined it. It really was an amazing thing. Asriel smiled as he gently wrapped paw around Red's. "Dont worry, Red. We're going to figure this out together. If the timeline is making you bear the burden of this magnitude, I can at least help you discover what history it decided to give you. I think you deserve an answer as to how this came to be, and why. Maybe after that...you'll find closure."
Red smiled softly towards Asriel, lightly nuzzling his nose, beaming as he supportively nuzzles back. "You're really willing to continue helping me with this, Asriel?"
"Of course I am. I'm here for you. You don't like turning to lies for comfort, so you seek the truth. I want to help you find it, as much as I possibly can." Asriel smiled. "I might not be too knowledgeable in this whole 'boyfriend' thing, but I'm pretty sure that they're supposed to be there for their girlfriend through tough times, to help them through them. And even if we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend...I still would have gone ahead and helped you anyway."
Red smiles widely at these words, then leans in further to kiss his muzzle. Asriel blushes brightly, still not fully used to this. But he nonetheless returns the kiss, hugging her closer to him, while her tail begins to softly wag with contentment, her paws sliding up until they rested on his shoulders. She had to admit, this was very nice. Just being held in Asriel's arms as he promises to help her through her personal crisis...something about it is very reassuring. Plus, she gets much enjoyment out of kissing him.
Eventually they end the kiss to gain breath, reluctantly pulling away from one another. Though not before Red gives Asriel an affectionate lick to his cheek, giggling as it made his cheeks burn hotter once again. After they cooled down, Red turned back towards the plaques, a paw on her chin. "Something is still bugging me, though. A certain detail on these plaques is really making me curious...and a bit worried."
"What's that?"
"They say that a human can only absorb the soul of a special species of monster, 'Boss Monster'."
Asriel folded his arms and tilted his head. "That's right. At this moment, me and my parents are the only Boss Monsters left. And they say that a human has never absorbed the soul of a Boss Monster."
"...Did they know that for sure?"
Asriel blinked owlishly. "What do you mean?"
"This is a permanent timeline, so it's filling in many of the missing blanks all by itself, as much as it can." Red explained. "Asriel...the timeline already made me the one to fill in the blank of being the monster who absorbed the first human soul. Don't you think that the effects of a human absorbing a Boss Monster soul would be one of the blanks the timeline needs to fill in?"
Asriel's eyes widened in realization, as he grabbed his head in a bit of shock. "No way...even if that were true, how could we know for sure? I'm positive Mom and Dad don't know about this. There isn't anyone who could know about the possibilty of that coming true. At least no one except Gaster creating a close-enough theory, and...and..." He slowly pulled his paws away from his head, another realization hitting him full force. "...Gerson."
"Gerson...?"
"Red, Gerson is a survivor of the Human-Monster War! He and my parents are the oldest monsters alive, except my parents didn't age during the entire time I was dead! If anyone else were to know something about this, it would be him! He's someone who would know about such a thing AND try to cover it up. It must have been really bad if he felt that he had to do that..."
"...if what you say is true...he might know something about what happens when a human absorbs a Boss Monster Soul...and he might also know something about what happened to me."
It was clear what they needed to do next. To gain a clue about Red's past, they need to see Gerson, the Hammer of Justice. And by extension, have a chat with W. D. Gaster. They most likely have the answers they needed, as well as explanations as to why they would try to hide them.
"Okay, Asriel. I think I've gotten the information we needed. We should probably go see Gerson and Gaster as soon as we can."
"Right." Asriel nods as he holds onto Red's paw, and swiftly teleports the both of them out of the Underground, leaving no trace of them behind. Though before they completely disappeared, both of them couldn't help but feel immensely bothered by how far the timeline would go to fill in any gaps it has to satisfy the conditions of being permanent. If it would actually bestow such an intense burden upon Red to satisfy the need for a horrible beast with unfathomable power to make the plaques true...then what else could happen?
...they also didn't notice the Annoying Dog watching them the entire time, then walking backwards and disappearing into the shadows once they vanished.
Me: Wow. I have to admit, I had NO idea how to end this chapter properly. I had plenty of ideas, but they didn't seem to fit. So I just picked one that can most likely work out best, and just risk a shorter but still significant chapter next time.
Red: Those plaques...they make me feel uneasy...all of those things happened when I was sealed away...
Asriel: Gerson has to know something about this. We have to go and see him as soon as we can! And I'm sure Gaster knows something too!
Red: Right!
Me: I smell mystery! It's a pretty terrible one, though. 3: Ah well. Might as well continue onward and stay determined. Until we reach the next chapter! Buh-bye!
River Person: Tra La La! The holes are filling up by themselves, and not all fillings are nice fillings! There's a reason why altering time can be considered a grave taboo...