At last, after all the drama of the last few months, after all the heartache, fear, tears, and unexpected battles, the funeral was ready to begin. Alphys sat back on a folding chair, sipping a simple punch and taking a moment to breathe. She was wearing the same black, spotted dress she had worn to the concert; it was the darkest piece of clothing she owned.

Mettaton had kept the decorations for the hall simple. Round tables draped in white cloth surrounded by folding chairs were spread across the floor, so monsters could sit together and talk. The hall seats were also open, and an entire section of the hall had been turned into a temporary aquarium for any strictly aquatic monsters. Alphys was certain that nearly every monster in the underground was there. Most everyone seemed to have a connection to the monsters who had been lost, whether it was a family bond or just a friendly one. Mettaton had set up a podium in the middle of the hall, so if anyone wanted to say a few words, they could. Already, Mr. Snowdrake had made a speech with his wife for support. Reaper bird had made a speech about a few Froggit and Whimsun all at once, and while nobody could really understand them, they were appreciative. Lemon bread had also made a speech about their sister, and the Arron part of them had stayed respectfully quiet.

Undyne was just returning from giving a speech about Papyrus. Alphys eyed Sans at the table next to hers. He seemed to have really appreciated what Undyne had to say, his head rested on his hands and his eyes were half closed and thoughtful. For once, he looked truly relaxed.

Undyne had lost a lot of mass during the fight. She wasn't much taller than Alphys now. The two sat, holding hands, eventually leaning onto each other as they eavesdropped on the soft chatter that filled the hall. So many monsters, so many stories to share.

Hours dwindled on calmly as other monsters gave speeches. Eventually it was time for the procession. Monsters began to gather the things they had brought, putting them in packs to carry or giving them to other monsters if they were unable to travel to Snowdin themselves.

Sans had been cheering up a scarf wearing mouse monster by stacking empty punch cups on their head. Alphys beckoned him to come along to the front of the line, and he waved the little monster goodbye, leaving them in a slightly precarious position. Nacarat Jester ran to catch the cups as they fell.

And then they were walking. Asgore led the way, dressed in a dark robe and carrying a large purple flame in his hand. Undyne followed, leading the royal guard, who carried decorated bones for the fallen dogs from the forest. Endogeny and Toby followed close behind. Endogeny's head hung low, but their tail swung slightly out of gratitude to the guard for remembering their fallen brethren. Alphys and Sans stood farther back, amongst the general crowd. Most of the monsters were silent, except for a few that still had stories to whisper to each other, or those who were crying. Alphys was glad that, for once, those who cried could simply cry; they were offered comfort, but no one was trying to force them to stop.

Some monsters stayed in Hotland, passing their things off to friends and family. Others were met in Hotland in order to give something to the procession.

Upon just entering Waterfall, the procession passed Elder Puzzler, who turned away with a huff. He seemed disinterested in the whole affair. Sans went over to talk to him regardless.

Alphys waited for him. She couldn't hear whatever it was that they were discussing, but eventually Elder Puzzler's face softened ever so slightly, and he gave Sans something. His expression hardened again when he saw Alphys watching, and he glared her down bitterly.

Sans came back to the procession just before it left.

"What did you talk about?" Alphys asked.

Sans shrugged. "Just Paps. He's a huge fan of the guy, ya know?" Sans fiddled with the contraption that Elder Puzzler had given him. It was a handheld, hand carved, miniature block puzzle. "Never knew why he admired the grump so much, But I think I get it now."

By the time they reached the river in Snowdin, Sans had solved the puzzle.

The river person provided the boat. It was non-sentient, of course, and looked hand carved. Alphys wondered for a moment if it had belonged to someone the River Person had known. Perhaps they had once taken an apprentice.

Tears and sighs were shared as Monsters began to place things in the boat. Some monsters put their items in bag and all. Others carefully removed their items from their carrying cases to take one last look. They hugged them, showed them to others, and held them in the firelight so they could shine. The monsters had only brought one or two of the many items their lost loved ones had owned, but in this moment of finality even the things that they could bear to part with seemed like a great loss.

The items began to pile up. The guards placed their decorated bones. Undyne added one of Papyrus' wrapped bones. The Snowdrakes placed a small clip-on tie. Mettaton placed a large bouquet, which he had dedicated to all his lost fans.

Alphys added a container of half frozen spaghetti. She hadn't known what else to bring.

Sans was among the last to place his things. He looked at the puzzle box for a long time, finally deciding to mix it all up. "There you go, bro. Now you can solve it too."

Alphys noticed him pull something else out of his pocket, a small sheet of paper. She was barely able to read the title before he began wrapping it. It looked like it was a recipe for snail pie.

She was startled when she realised he was wrapping it in Papyrus' scarf. She had not expected him to give up something so valuable. He held the package to his forehead for a while, and he stood still, eyes closed, just breathing. Then the package was in the boat and he was back in the crowd. Alphys swore she never even saw him move.

The king put a golden flower in the boat, as well as a pair of green and yellow sweaters and a necklace. Some of the older monsters looked distressed by these items. Gerson almost said something, but snapped his mouth shut and lowered his hand.

The king spoke instead.

"My dear subjects, my friends, my people. We are here today, not only to mourn death, but to remember life. Within these items, each of you have locked memories. Today, we let those go. Today we promise our loved ones that we can, and will, move on. We promise that we will rise and continue to live like they would have wanted. We promise that we will continue marching towards a better future, to one day defeat humanity and take back what they stole from us."

He fell silent.

A murmur rose in the crowd, approval mixed with uncertainty. They had seen the damage that only one human could do. They were not eager to witness a full war.

"And I would also like to thank Alphys for planning this day of love and remembrance."

A much happier murmur filled the crowd now. Alphys' head sunk down as she blushed, both out of gratitude for the approval, as well as slight nervousness from having so much attention placed on her. Undyne slid over and gave her an enthusiastic and encouraging pat on her back as the crowd's attention returned to the river. Undyne's hand drifted down into Alphys', and Alphys gave it a light squeeze in return.

The boat floated out into the water, weighed down a little by its new, precious cargo. Asgore's flame turned orange as it hit the boat. The River Person gently shoved it away with a wooden pole, and it drifted, illuminating the water, shimmering yellow and orange on the walls of the cave.

Then, slowly, gracefully, it sank beneath the surface.