Alright everyone, settle down. I've finally gotten a PTA update for all of you; and it's being posted on the anniversary! Hurray!

Before we begin, though, I'd like to give a quick bit of advertising for someone I've been working with for over a year. They go by AlanSmithee001, and they've released the first chapter of their new story, "Being Human" today for the anniversary! I've been acting as their Beta Reader for months and months, and they've been working really hard, so if you could take the time, check out "Being Human". It's got OCs, parental issues, friendship, elaborations on canon mechanics, and considerations of what it means to be a monster or a human. Please check it out if you have time! Anyway, back to this story.

Five years ago, Undertale was a thing. Also five years ago, but a couple months beforehand, I got my fanfiction account. Five years is a long time, and a lot has changed. Hopefully, things will be changing for the better in the future.

Anyway, I'll try not to bog you down. See you at the bottom of the page.


Chapter 39: Fifth Anniversary Performance

"Alright, everyone's in position," Eric Richards said, wiping his balding head with a handkerchief. "Are you sure that everything is going to go right?"

"HOI!" The PTA president cheered quietly.

"Yes, Mr. Principal man. We're sure. Have a little faith," The head of the PTA chided.

"Have faith in an… egg?"

"What, you egg?" One of the teachers quipped with a giggle.

"Mom, shut up."

"Strike two, Flowey."

"GOSH—diddly dang."

"That's what I thought. In all seriousness, Mr. Richards, that child has been practicing for a week; and just in case, Sans will be there to keep things going."

"Well… alright. You do have to understand, Ms. Toriel, that a lot of people raised an eyebrow at our school's… contribution."

"Don't worry, I'm well aware."

"Tem… pROUD pARENT!"

"Wha—Temmie, get back in the audience!"

"HOI!1!"

"Not you, Temmie; I meant the other Temmie! The one who's not the president!"

"HOI!"

"What is going on back here?!" Another parent hissed, striding as quickly and quietly as she could behind the stage curtain to join the group. "People can hear you!"

"Really? 'Cause the only thing I can hear is you complaining, Linda."

"Shut up, Sans! Get back behind the curtain!"

"Okay."

"And stay there!"

"Okay."

"For the duration of the show!"

"Okay."

"Darlings…" the conductor sighed, straightening out his black coattails and bowtie over his hot pink dress shirt. "Everything is going to be fine, but only if we all calm down. No one knows the trepidation before a big performance like I do. The best way forward is to get started and do our best with what happens. Also, Linda is technically right, for once—"

"Hey!"

"—I can feel the vibes from the audience. They're wondering what all the commotion is."

"…Did you just unironically say the word 'vibes'?"

"The Author does, sometimes—"

"Shut up! She's not in this chapter!"

"Flowey—"

"Two and a half! Please, Mom!"

"…Fine. But I'd better not hear a peep from you for the rest of the night."

"Yes, Mom."

"Mr. Richards, it's twenty-six seconds past five thirty and counting; you're on, darling!"

"Right." Eric Richards wiped his brow once more before sticking his handkerchief in his suit pocket and walking as calmly as he could from behind the stage curtain and up to the mic. The audience tittered a bit. It seemed that Mettaton EX was right; The "vibes" were a bit off-kilter from what the principal had been hoping to start off with.

"Good evening, ladies, gentlemen, and… gender neutral chibi things." He paused to let the more incredulous audience members chuckle in confusion. "Thank you all for coming to tonight's concert, sponsored by the Ebott Town government and Mettaton EX. Tonight, we celebrate the fifth anniversary of when everyone's lives changed forever: when monsters were freed from under Mt. Ebott." A pause to let that settle. "So much has changed in five years, and we have all grown so much. Friends have been made, relations built, and relative peace established. We have a long way to go for perfect equity, but for only five years, I'd say we've done pretty well." A light applause.

"Now, for tonight's performance: several talented monster and human students from schools all over Ebott have come together over the past few weeks to practice for an orchestral concert, directed by Mettaton. The songs played tonight will tell the story of the history of monsters and humans- a history that spans centuries- in just two hours. Without further ado, please enjoy the show!" The audience applauded more heartily, and Mr. Richards clapped as well as he hurried off the stage to the front row, sitting next to Mayor Elijah Banks and the other local principals.

The curtains over the stage parted. The small group that had been talking behind said curtains a moment ago was gone now, leaving only the impeccably dressed Mettaton EX standing on a small box as a conducting platform. He bowed to the audience, then turned to face his orchestra.

It wasn't the biggest or most varied group the world had ever seen, but a variety of people in a variety of formal outfits sat ready and waiting. Most everyone wore black pants/skirts with dress shirts in the varying colors of the rainbow. String, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments were arranged neatly in a semicircle.

Mettaton raised his baton, a simple black stick with a tiny pink LED light at the tip. The musicians readied their instruments. He pointed the baton at the ceiling, and a thin track suspended by sturdy bracers lit up, just enough to illuminate what was resting at the top of the track: a hardboiled egg. There was a quiet murmur of laughter.

Mettaton then pointed his baton towards the pianist, a blue fish monster with red hair, dressed in black slacks, a black jacket, and a green dress shirt. She raised her hands over the keys. He swung gently.

As soon as she played the first key, the egg began to roll slowly along its track, clicking a button that turned on a PowerPoint. Lights glowed along the sides of the stage in time with the piano, joined by other colored lights as other instruments joined in. A woman's voice read off the slide from off the stage:

"Long ago, two races ruled over Earth: HUMANS and MONSTERS."

The egg continued to roll along the track, flickering every so often with a pale blue light that helped control its speed, and clicked another button. The slide changed:

"One day, war broke out between the two races."

The music picked up a little, the lights glowing more strongly. Another button was triggered, and the slide changed again:

"After a long battle, the humans were victorious."

Just as the music had picked up, it began to slow. Another slide change:

"They sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell." The music stopped, and as soon as the word "spell" was spoken, the egg rolled across another trigger, causing the lights to flash white and making a bell ring. The chime echoed in the silence, haunting and powerful. A sound that seemed to represent one thing:

DETERMINATION.

The piano came in one last time, for a few haunting notes that ended the first song in the program: "Once Upon a Time".

The audience applauded, and Mettaton turned to give a quick bow. One side of the audience was a bit loud from the sounds of intense vibration, but it wasn't enough to cause a disturbance. The audience quieted down and Mettaton and the orchestra prepared for the next song, and the songs to follow.


Head Canon I Don't Actually Think #49: Most of the songs heard in the game Undertale are based on traditional monster songs that sort of act as anthems for certain people, historical events, or areas of the world/underground. Some monsters like to compose their own "theme songs" while others are fine with the songs that represent the area they live in or their favorite historical event. For example, a Waterfall resident might like the "Quiet Water" theme, or choose a song related to monster history.

Head Canon I Don't Actually Think #50: Napstablook's "career" in the Underground involved making theme songs for people, but he wasn't very successful since his music was seen as "weird". His work with Mettaton's group in the present day has helped him vary his music for a wider audience.


*Rolls the dice* Who's going to be in the chapter today? Apparently, it's the egg. Why did the hardboiled egg from Temmie Village get such a major role in the orchestral performance? I don't really know, I just kind of felt like it needed some airtime, and also why not? In-universe, maybe President Temmie managed to sneak the egg's participation into the show until it was too late for them to change it. (Now I'm wondering to myself: are PTA President Temmie and the PTA member Temmie raising the egg together? Like not necessarily married, but just partners of some kind? Maybe the whole village raises the egg, but the PTA member Temmie is the only parent? What do you guys think?)

Who else is here? *checks roster* We've got the Principal of the monster x human school, Eric Richards, the PTA president Temmie, the head of the PTA Flowey, monster x human school teacher Toriel, PTA member Temmie, PTA member Linda, PTA member Sans, PTA Member/school sponsor/conductor Mettaton EX, and passing mentions of Mayor Elijah Banks and PTA member/gym teacher Undyne. What a cast!

What was Flowey and Toriel's deal with the strikes? Toriel promised to get Flowey ice cream after the performance but enforced the "three strikes and you're out" policy after he "accidentally" threw a crumpled pamphlet at Sans (who dodged). Since Flowey ended the night with two and half strikes, he got a kiddie cone-sized ice cream, which he was smart enough to take without complaining (out loud).

Mettaton is definitely more of a radio/TV host and popstar kind of idol, but for the anniversary (and at the request of Mayor Banks, who is both a fan of him and classical symphonies) decided to try his hand at conducting. It worked pretty well. (Would Mettaton be the type to unironically say "vibes"? You tell me; I sure don't know.)

Sans was there to help keep the hardboiled egg moving with his blue magic. Papyrus helped build the track. It goes in a loop, going over button triggers to move slides or make effects, and the buttons change what they trigger depending on the number of times they were triggered. It took a lot of trial and error to make sure it worked every time, but I'd say it was worth it.

The apparel for the orchestra members is based on actual formal attire you'd see concert people wear, though instead of black and white, it's black and SOUL colors. Undyne was green because she's associated with the green SOUL effect. Mettaton had pink because Mettaton.

The lights that glowed in time with the music are actually based on a real thing. Audiences who are deaf/hard of hearing can't really hear the music, but they can see colors flashing in time and intensity with the music. I remember learning about it in a movie about a music teacher who had a deaf son. Can't remember what it was called, but it wasn't a bad movie. Toriel was the one reading the slides, for the sake of those who couldn't see the words. I imagine after the monsters reached the surface; inclusivity became a major initiative.

Also, I'm not actually sure how one would refer to nonbinary people in the "ladies and gentlemen" grouping. "Gender neutral chibi things" is kind of a tradition at this point in my writing career, so I went with that.

Anyway, that's that. Have a happy anniversary! I'll see you all later, eventually. Until then!