When the officer had told them that the real question should have been what hadn't happened, he hadn't been kidding around.
Frisk was sitting in the police station on a little cot the officers had set up for them in one of their offices, borrowed laptop in front of them and eagerly working through a plate of high-protein foods and donuts as they read the numerous articles that had sprouted up overnight.
Chara had almost been right; someone had been hacked. An anonymous hacker (whose known usernames were all long strings of binary and random gibberish that no one could decode) had broken into a secure server that housed all of the information the American government had on the monsters, and had leaked the data all over the Internet.
And there was a lot in that data. The monster's habits, including their non-violent, near-pacifist attitudes and their perfect willingness to stay Underground if it was preventing a war, the government's deception when they had told the monsters that humanity was far too violent for them to integrate peacefully into society, and even first-hand accounts from the more sympathetic guards' interactions with the monsters. There were a lot of mentions of Toriel's kindness, Asgore's regret at harming humans, Alphys's social anxiety, Undyne's willingness to give humanity another chance, and Papyrus's innocent optimism and enthusiasm.
There were also quite a few mentions of Mettaton, Lesser Dog's neck-lengthening trick, suplexed boulders, and lots and lots of mentions about Sans's puns.
Mostly mentions along the lines of "whatever you do don't encourage them, please," but still mentions nonetheless.
But the information that had gained the most interest was the stuff concerning the Core.
Now, Frisk had known that a brand-new clean energy source was not to be scoffed at. Even 6 years after the Techno-Crash, renewable energy was as valuable as gold.
But even they hadn't foreseen the sheer amount of indignation that surfaced as people all over the world realized that a very large, very usable, and workinggeothermic source was hidden under the United States, and the government had apparently had no intention of sharing it.
Needless to say, the pro-monster crowd had grown immensely overnight.
*I wonder if our new friend had anything to do with this?
They might have.
Frisk opened a new tab and logged in to their email account. There was a new message from Anonymous sitting in their inbox.
From Anonymous
It's good to see you back in the limelight. I must admit, I became rather concerned when you ceased activity on your blog, but I'm glad to know it wasn't from a lack of dedication, but rather from familial conflict.
Now that you are capable of answering my messages, I have something to ask you. I was the one who exposed the information now running through hyperspace, and during my search, I discovered several files containing monster accounts of your interactions and involvements in their society. Would you prefer this information remain private?
Frisk paused and considered this.
Maybe a few weeks ago they would have been more comfortable with remaining unknown. After all, this particular timeline was likely to be one of the more violent ones, and in their runs as an official ambassador, they were always met with flack and assassination attempts.
But the rallies had been successful. There were so many people willing to help now, far more than in any other timeline. Things were finally looking up.
They typed a reply.
From F. Dreemurr
I don't mind the information becoming public. I think it's about time people know what I've done.
They paused, then hesitantly added, And I have a question for you, too. Were you the one who sent that "tip" to the officer who came to my house?
They clicked Send, and waited.
After a couple of minutes, a notification popped up.
From Anonymous
Of course, Frisk. I doubt that you know another Anonymous capable of such a feat.
And Frisk smiled.
Sitting in a chair in a large plain office, Artemis calmly folded his hands in his lap and suppressed a smile at the screen before him. It was quite large, and split into multiple frames. In each box, the face of a representative in the United Nations Council gleamed in pixelated detail.
The American representative looked almost terrified, and was visibly wilting in his seat.
"Tell me," the French representative said, with deceptive patience, "exactly when waz thee American government planning on sharing this with uz?"
The balding man squirmed. "Er, well, I am afraid I don't know, sir –"
"You mean ta' say that they weren't going ta' tell us at all." Someone else snapped.
"Er –"
"This is in direct violation of the Technological Advancement Agreement! It clearly states that, as of the year 201X, any nation with a delegate in the United Nations Council must share possible new advancements within the first three months!"
"There was no point in telling you all if the monsters were a threat to human society!" The American delegate snapped, nerves frayed. "They could have had malicious intentions –"
Artemis cleared his throat. All conversation immediately ceased as several pairs of eyes searched their respective screens for the interrupter. When they found him, the American visibly blanched.
"It seems is quite clear," Artemis stated, "that these monsters had no such intentions, based on your observations of their culture?"
"Well, yes, but -"
Artemis cleared his throat again, picking up a copy of the data he had hacked. "In fact, the monsters seem rather harmless in comparison to humans, do they not? It states in some of your guard's own accounts that the vast majority of these creatures seemed quite friendly and eager to avoid another war, and their ratio of violent individuals is significantly less than ours."
"Well –"
"Of course," the Irishman continued (the American onscreen was looking more and more haggard by the second), "the violent individuals that are present could be a concern, as they are quite powerful. However, these individuals – namely their king, Asgore Dreemurr, and their Captain of the Royal Guard, Undyne – have stated that they believe their own reasoning for this violence was flawed and are perfectly willing to put aside any prejudice they had in order to forge a better relationship between humans and monsters. What wrongs they have done have been freely admitted to, and Asgore himself has made it quite clear that if we so wish, he will remain Underground while the rest of his kind go free."
"Additionally," he added, as some of the delegates onscreen began to murmur assent, "the benefits of these creatures entering our society far outweigh the hindrances. They claim to have both offensive and defensive magics, including powerful healing elements that are present in their foods and have beenproven to work on humans. They possess historical knowledge that I know many would literally kill to get their hands on, and have scientific proof of the existence of souls. Finally, there is, of course, the Core, which has efficiently powered their entire kingdom for some decades now."
More muttering. Artemis set down the paper and cast a scathing look at the American.
"Not to mention that, according to information recently uncovered, the monsters were freed not by killing a seventh human, as the Americans led us to believe, but by a child who, thanks to circumstances of abuse and neglect by their own parents, willingly considered the former monster Queen as their surrogate mother, and was perfectly willing to assist them in gaining their freedom."
He crossed his arms. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, I hardly think that a society who required the help of a frail ten-year-old girl to break their centuries-old Barrier, and was perfectly willing to abandon their grudges in order to act as a surrogate family for said girl, is a threat to us."
The majority of the other delegates nodded or voiced their agreement. The American ducked his head, looking uncomfortably like a deer caught in headlights.
"Now that we have come to an agreement," The Irishman continued, allowing his signature vampiric smirk to surface, "I'd daresay we should take a higher moral ground and free these creatures, yes? Allow them access to the surface, and the option of international travel and citizenship, should they decide their American oppressors are unsuitable neighbors."
Every eye turned to the American delegate. He struggled internally for a moment – then, seeing the looks his peers were giving him (daring him to disagree and start a third World War), he sighed in defeat.
"I will speak to the cabinet and the President," he mumbled.
Three months later, Frisk was shifting nervously next to a tall human bodyguard, watching the gates sealing the entrance to the Underground.
It had been a busy couple of months. The pro-monster community had been surprisingly okay with their leader (and near martyr, as some people had started suggesting that they had been killed for their political viewpoint) being a little kid. In fact, many of them had used this as a rallying cry, encouraging new people to join the cause. Many had taken Frisk's story of parental abuse as evidence that the government was corrupt, and therefore in need of change, and at every rally that Frisk attended, they told stories about the Underground and it's inhabitants.
Meanwhile, the United Nations had more or less forced the USA to begin the long, slow process of preparing for the monsters' freedom. Segregated communities had been built in the suburbs of Ebott City, much nicer than the ones hastily built in previous runs. There were hardly enough for all the monsters yet, but there were enough that a few hundred monsters could easily move in and begin a new chapter of their lives under the stars. Several countries around the world had begun building similar neighborhoods, just in case some monsters chose to travel or live abroad. (Mettaton, Alphys, and Undyne were likely to be the first to take advantage of this, based on previous timelines.)
Now the big day was finally here. Today, the gates were going to be opened, and Frisk would see their friends for the first time in almost eight months.
Usually the world would have reset by now, and they and Chara would be waking up in the Ruins. But the strange stuttering sensation that came with time preparing to rewind had yet to come.
Hopefully it would stay that way. Hopefully this timeline would be the last.
A group of guards began appearing beside the gate, and the crowd of spectators and reporters around them began murmuring and preparing themselves for the emergence of a new sentient species into society.
*It's almost time!
Chara was vibrating with excitement, their invisible hands tightening on Frisk's shoulders.
After another minute, the guards positioned themselves on either side of the gate, and the huge metal door slowly creaked open.
The monsters who had been waiting on the other side hesitated, then stepped forward into the sunlight. Hundreds of strange creatures, watching the crowds of humans with wary curiosity and varying amounts of enthusiasm, taking their first step onto sun-scorched earth.
In the front, standing tall and regal, and looking cautiously at the gathering before them, were a very familiar pair of horned, goat-like monsters.
"Mom!" Frisk cried. They leaped forward, racing across the gap separating them from their surrogate mother, face split wide with a massive grin.
Toriel's crimson eyes lit up with a warm smile, and she knelt down and swept them up into a hug.
"Oh, my child, it is so good to see you!"
Frisk buried their face in her furry shoulder, and they distantly heard some cooing and murmurs from the crowd as they got over their trepidation, and the first reporters began coming forward.
The next minutes were a blur. Microphones were shoved into the faces of monsters and accompanying child alike. Pro-monster folk came forward to finally see the creatures they had been defending for so long, gaping. Mettaton, who was very visible as the only wheeled calculator among the monsters, was flocked by young admirers of both genders (mostly girls), and, after a minute or so of asking questions, transformed into his other form with a cloud of vibrant pink smoke.
As many reporters made a beeline for the monster celebrity, Toriel finally set Frisk down, and they were swarmed by their other friends from the Underground.
"Frisk!"
"HELLO FRISK! I AM SURE YOU HAVE MISSED ME! NO NEED TO WORRY, YOUR BESTEST FRIEND IS HERE TO STAY!"
"What are you talking about? Obviously it's me who is their bestest friend! NGAAAAAAAH!"
"Hey, kiddo." Frisk turned away as the normal argument between Papyrus and Undyne progressed, which many shouts of "ngaaah!" and "nyeh-heh-heh."
"Hey, Sans."
The skeleton closed one eye-socket in a lazy wink, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Good to see 'ya again. Y'know, I thought we wouldn't be able 'ta."
*I was starting to think the same thing.
"We didn't think so either," they admitted quietly.
"How'd you manage it?" He lowered his voice. "What'd you change?"
Frisk considered this, tilting their head to one side. Then, they gave him a hesitant smile, slow and mysterious.
"We just replied to an email," they said innocently.
