It couldn't be.
It couldn't possibly be.
That couldn't be him, standing right there, with that innocent, sheepish look on his face that they knew and remembered all too well.
...But she said that it was.
She had told them that it really was, in every way she could think of.
She told them it wasn't a ghost. It wasn't a farce. The human-turned-owl said that he was the one responsible for their freedom. And that she met him. And knew him.
And SAVED him.
And then, finally, brought him back to them. And that he was real.
And it was...HE was.
"Um..."
The young prince was at a loss for words himself. The looks on his parents' faces conveyed several emotions; shock, denial, recollection, a twinge of horror...
...A twinge of joy.
He had to say something. What would you say to the people who saw you die? Who watched on in sheer horror as you fell forward, dusted and scattered across the garden? What were they thinking? Did they really believe it was him? Had Ginger really been able to prepare them enough? It didn't seem that way...But he couldn't just stand there staring at them forever.
"...H-hi, Mom...Hi, Dad," he finally said to them. "I, uh..."
He nervously shuffled one of his feet on the ground, barely realizing that his parents had shortened the gap between them to almost nothing.
"...I'm back. I...I missed you both."
His voice graced their ears, just as soft as they remembered it. Neither of them had thought they would hear it ever again.
But they were.
It was him. It was, really, really him.
Toriel put her hands over her mouth, her eyes glossing over with tears, and the king bent down, barely cupping his hands around the tiny monster's face. The prince's hazel eyes were glistening, too, and they were just as gentle and full of love as they'd ever been. He put his own paw against Asgore's.
That was the selling point.
"...Asriel," the king finally said in a hoarse whisper.
"Y-yeah, Dad. It...I'm-"
"ASRIEL!"
They both practically shouted his name, His mother dropped to her knees and threw her arms around him in a bawling mess, and his father was quick to follow. He was here. They were touching him. Holding him. He was really here, in their arms again.
"It's...It's okay, guys," he squeaked, struggling to hold back his own tears. "It's okay, I promise it's okay..."
He repeated it over and over again, but to no avail against the waterworks.
Ginger stepped back, joining the crowd behind the three Boss Monsters.
"...kid...what'd you do?"
"Something I'm glad I did."
"SANS! WHO'S THE TINY ASGORE CLONE!?"
"I'll explain later, dude."
"But didn't he...He died."
"DETERMINATION is capable of a lot of crazy things, fish-face."
"I don't believe it...I...I-I think I'm gonna happy-cry!"
"Go right ahead; I won't judge."
Ginger tuned out the banter among her friends, and just watched the royal family share their reunion.
"How...!?" Toriel exclaimed. "You...you've been..."
"...Gone?"
"But you've come back to us...!" Asgore wept. "You've come back! It's like my entire broken world is coming back together!"
"I...I missed you guys so much..."
"How is this possible...?" Asgore whispered. "How on earth was this accomplished!?"
"i think we all have an idea who might be behind it."
As soon as the skeleton spoke, everyone's eyes turned down to the Barn Owl.
"...You said you saved him...This was indeed YOU'RE doing?" Toriel awed.
"I, uh, well...You could say I had a wing in it, but it's kinda comp-"
"It's a long story," Asriel squeaked, finally pulling away slightly from his parents. "When I-"
"Oh, never mind it," his mother told him. "Save it for later, Asriel. All that matters is that you're back, you're alive, you're here with us. This...This is more than either of us could have ever asked for."
She drew him right back to her. This was nothing short of a miracle.
Then, all of a sudden, Asgore rose up from where he kneeled, then approached the owl, bending before her and gently picking her up in his massive white paws and bringing her back to the rest of his family's group embrace. The other two Boss Monsters joined back in right away.
"I don't know how you did it, but..." Toriel trailed off.
"How can we ever thank you enough, young one?" the king asked. "This is incredible!"
It was odd, but despite their enormous size and strength compared to her, they were still more than gentle enough to keep from squishing her.
"Don't worry about it," she assured them. "I've already got back more than I could ever ask for myself, now that I'm back the way I used to be...Oh, hey!"
Her exclamation made them loosen their hold on her, and she fluttered to the ground.
"The sunrise! If we don't get out there, you guys are gonna miss it!"
"The...Oh! The sunrise!" the queen realized. "Oh, yes! Come along everyone, let's go out and see!"
"Lead the way, young hum-I-I mean...young owl," Asgore corrected himself.
"are you...egg-cited to see the surface again?" Sans remarked, to which Ginger smirked.
"Wow, Sans. That bird pun was..."
"OH, NO..."
"...Owl-tstanding."
"OH! MY! GOD! YOU TWO ARE TERRIBLE!"
"come on; you're smiling."
"IT'S A PITY SMILE!"
"Come on, guys, follow me! Last one out is a rotten egg!"
"GINGEEEER!"
"Chill out, Papyrus. If we're lucky, she'll flock off soon like the bird she is," Undyne remarked. "Now come on, dude, the sun's not gonna wait for us forever!"
"I'M ON MY WAY!"
"H-hey, guys! Wait for me, I'm not as fast as you!" Alphys called from behind everyone.
Ginger approached the stone gateway, emblazed at the top with the Delta Rune. All of her friends were behind her, and the Barrier was gone, revealing the clear image of the cliff jutting out of the mountain ahead. The stars had mostly disappeared, and the light coming up from beneath the horizon was quickly brightening.
She put one set of talons on the grassy ground just outside the gate, then the other. She had done this before, but as a human, and now she was stepping back out into the light as the Barn Owl she was born as.
She approached the edge of the cliff, and the seven monsters all followed her out of the Underground. For the first time, everyone except the monarchs tasted the crisp, fresh fall air of the outside world.
"wow...not too shabby."
"IT FEELS SO CLEAN AND FRESH!"
"Dang...This is SO much better than that dank cave atmosphere."
"Y-yeah! It is! Phufufu...I-it's kinda chilly, though, isn't it?"
"That's autumn for you, Alphy," Ginger replied. "Don't worry; it's not always this cool out, especially once the sun heats things up...Though, considering the time of year, it IS bound to get colder before it gets warmer."
"...Son," Asgore addressed. "You've...seen the surface before, too, right?"
"Yeah, but...I never really got to enjoy it like I am now."
"Alright, everyone. Brace yourselves..." the owl notified them.
They all turned their eyes eastward. The last remaining stars above faded, and the horizon began to brighten with a vast array of reds, pinks, violets and golds, the dark indigo-grey clouds striping the sky brilliantly clashing against the warm colors of the dawn, giving it a surreal quality. And then the tip of the yellow sun peeked out over the edge of the horizon, rising higher and higher, casting its warm light down on the equally colorful autumn landscape, and painting the dawn colors even brighter.
It was spectacular.
"It has been so long...How long, Asgore?"
"A thousand years, and then some," he answered the queen. "It might just be because of how long we've waited to see this, but...I don't think it's ever been more beautiful."
"Look at that...It's so colorful...!" Asriel marveled, stating the obvious.
"SANS...WHAT'S THAT BIG ROUND THING COMING UP OUT THERE?"
"we call that the sun, brother. what do you think?"
"THAT'S THE SUN!? WOW...I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FINALLY MEETING IT! I CAN'T WAIT TO WAKE UP TO THIS EVERY DAY!"
"Well," Ginger corrected. "Every day it isn't overcast or rainy."
"U-Undyne?" Alphys gasped. "A-are...Are you c-crying?"
"What!? NO!" the piscine creature defended, hastily wiping her face dry as everyone turned to face her, almost not believing she was capable of such. "I don't cry! I'm tough! I like to eat rocks! It's just..."
She sniffed, not caring about the cynical smirk Ginger was flashing at her.
"It's just that it looks so awesome, and this is what we've been working so hard to get after all these years, and...Aw, screw it! C' mere, Al'!"
With one swift swoop, she completely lifted the little yellow monster off her claws; her puckered lips were all Ginger needed to see to know what was about to happen.
"Oh, no...Asriel, look away-!"
They both turned towards the sunrise again, but not in time to avoid catching a quick glimpse of the two monsters locked in a passionate kiss. Asriel smiled nervously at the owl as she mimed a yarp.
Finally, at the sound of the telltale finishing *Smack,* she decided it was safe to look again. Alphys was back on the ground, red as a beet.
"S-sorry about that, guys. Heh...I was just sorta p-pulled into that. Literally."
"Erm...Ginger," Asgore started. "I know this may be a lot to ask of you, but...As you are from the surface world, and you know all of us...We will need to establish peaceful relations with mankind once we are found out, and...Seeing that you're from here...would you do us the honors of being the Ambassador of Monsterkind?"
"Me? Ambassador? Uh...Well, I'd love to, but...I'm not a human anymore. And, uh...the fact that I can talk like them...well...It sort of has to stay a secret. A lot of you guys are kind of like animals on the surface, so I guess I could tell you...Surface animals have been hiding away their intelligence from humans for years; ever since before the War of Humans and Monsters, really. If they were to find out, then...Well...Even more chaos. Especially on our end of the stick."
"Ah...I do see your point." the king nodded.
"If you ask me, you should be looking at Undyne."
"Erm...Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah. She'd make the perfect...Am-BASS-ador."
"oh. my god."
Sans chortled at the pun, and once again, Undyne had to be held fast onto to keep from staining her hands with avian blood. Ginger kept going, relishing every moment of the former Captain of the Royal Guard fuming in her friends' grasp.
"Yeah. If you're looking for skills, she's COD 'em. So she might PIKE your interest. She's a bit on the nasty side, though, so she might need a bit of a..."
"Bird, I swear to God!"
"TUNA-p."
"NGYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream would have rang out for miles, alerting every creature, man or beast, of the re-emergence of monsterkind, if Papyrus hadn't muffled it with his gloved hands.
"Oh, my..." the king exclaimed softly. From what he was seeing of his captain now, he was certainly glad it'd been a joke.
"But, uh...In all seriousness, your Majesty, if you're looking for someone to represent monsters for what they are, look no further than Papyrus."
"ME? AMBASSADOR OF MONSTERKIND?! WOWIE! IT'D BE AN HONOR!...IF, UH...THAT IS WITHIN YOUR BEST INTEREST, KING ASGORE."
"Actually, I think you'd make quite a fine Ambassador, Papyrus. Your enthusiasm and good nature will be key for negotiations of peace."
"REALLY!? W-WELL, THEN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR MONSTERKIND COULD HAVE EVER ASKED FOR!"
"That's the spirit, Papyrus!" the Barn Owl cheered.
"NOW! IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, EVERYONE, I MUST GO MAKE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION!"
And he bolted down the slope of Mt. Ebott, approaching the woodlands at its base.
"Uh-oh," Undyne remarked. "Hey, I don't know if it's a good idea to do it like that! Papyrus, wait!"
She bounded after him.
"H-hey! Undyne! D-don't leave me in the dust!"
Alphys scampered after them, her short legs going as fast as they would allow.
"...well. i guess someone has to stop 'em. see you guys."
Sans walked off...back into the mountain.
"Wait, Sans?" Toriel called. "What are you d-"
"He'll get to them," the owl reassured. "He has a, uh...way of doing things a little different than us. Don't worry."
The queen shrugged, then looked out at the sunrise again. The brilliant colors were beginning to fade into a soft blue, the dark clouds fading away, Only she, Ginger, Asgore and their restored son were left remaining outside the cave.
And then, Toriel suddenly jumped in realization of something.
"Oh, my goodness! Young one! I completely forgot!"
"Forgot what?" she asked.
"Your organization! The, uh...Pure Ones, correct?"
"That's right."
"We need to get you back to them! I...I do believe two of them came looking for you while I was still in the Ruins!"
"They...Really? Did...They didn't fly down, did they?"
"No. But they did have a few words with me. They inquired about an owl that...looked exactly like you. But you were still a human at the time, so I was somewhat confused. Now that you are your normal self again, and we know what had happened, I think it wise we search for them!"
"That was pushing a week ago, though. I figured they'd have left by now, but...The meeting grounds. I need to check the meeting grounds!"
"Erm...Meeting grounds?" Asgore echoed.
"It's were we held the conference with the A.F.F. Small cluster of pine trees off to the southeast, by about eight miles. Hold on, I'll be right down!"
Ginger stretched her wings out and jumped off the cliff's edge, and what started as a graceful glide quickly turned into a powerful upward spiral, and it seemed like only a handful of seconds before she'd become a small brown speck in the sky above.
Having regained her powerful binocular vision, she scanned over the forest below for anything familiar. Far off in the east, she could see it as plain as the dawn they'd just witnessed; a small cluster of green needles nestled among the sea of reds, browns and golds that the leaves gave off. And when she looked even closer...
It looked like there were a few large birds flying about the area. Owls, hopefully.
"I see it!" she called down to them, and then she stooped into a dive, spun to level her flight towards the cliff again and landed before the king and queen's feet.
"I see it out there. It looks like there are still some of them hanging around. I can get there within five minutes if I hurry!"
"Well, then you best be off, child," Asgore cheered her.
"So..." Asriel hesitated. "...You're leaving?"
Ginger's ecstatic smile fell; she WAS leaving them. She had to back to her fellow birds, but...
When would she next see them all?
And come to think of it...she hadn't gotten to give everyone else a proper goodbye; they'd all left already.
Even more still...Would she ever see any of them again once she got back to the Owl Kingdoms? Odds were, after everything that'd taken place on the mainland as of late, they wouldn't be returning any time soon. And she couldn't involve the Tytonic Union with the monsters, could she?
...Could she...
...
...
...Why COULDN'T she?
The monsters knew the secret now, and some likely already did beforehand. Why couldn't she get the two forces-monsterkind and the Pure Ones-to become acquainted with one another? As long as nothing was said once the monsters intermingled with humanity, of course, but the monsters obviously knew how to keep secrets very well. And furthermore, if, for some reason, the humans lashed out at the monsters again, they might be able to help them!
"Guys, I have an idea."
"Pray tell, what is it?" Asgore inquired.
"Come with me. To the Pure Ones. I'll introduce you guys to everyone!"
"You do not suppose we will scare them, do you?" Toriel worried.
"I'll explain things to them before you make an entrance. But we'll have to get the other guys before we head on that way."
"allow me."
"Sans!?" Ginger exclaimed, swiveling her head back to face the skeleton behind her.
She almost overlooked how good it felt to be able to swivel her head around again.
"How long have you been here!? I thought you went to keep everyone else in check!"
"already took care of that. see?"
He pointed down the mountain, and it was revealed that all of the other monsters that'd raced off without them were coming back up to meet them again.
"Did they hear the plan?" Ginger asked him.
"don't think. i'll explain it to them once we're there...which way?"
"About eight miles away, to the southeast."
"Eight miles..." Asgore echoed. "That's a bit of a walking distance, is it not?"
"Well...Oh, boy. I forgot that you guys can't...
"hmm...say, to save us the trouble, you mind if i try somethin'?"
"What are you up to now?" Undyne asked skeptically as she stood beside him.
"here. everyone grab onto me. doesn't matter where, just do it."
Everyone complied. By the time they'd all done what Sans had instructed, he was barely visible beneath them all.
"SANS! WHAT IS THE MEANING IF THIS!?"
"everyone close your eyes for a sec...i might know a shortcut."
They all shut their eyes...
And they felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere, for just a moment.
"...i think it worked?" Sans surmised. "this the place, kid?"
"Did you do that...thing, Sans?" the Barn Owl asked him.
"yep. normally i can only get to places i've already been, but with the directions you gave me, i think it turned out alright."
Ginger freed herself first from the pile of monsters over the skeleton and looked up at the trees.
Pine trees. All of them. And above, she could see who one of the silhouettes she'd seen before really was.
"...Phillip."
"A friend of yours?" Toriel asked.
"Phillip? Is he nice?" Asriel added.
"I think he falls into that category pretty well," Ginger confirmed. "Let me go up there. Oh, boy, will he be in for a surprise."
"Don't give him a heart attack with that face, ya hear?" Undyne teased.
The owl shot her a vile look, and then she realized...
Some things would have to be said in order to make a decent enough impression on the higher ups.
"Alright, everyone, listen up," she told them all firmly. "Everyone needs to be on their best behavior in here, alright? Your majesties, don't delve into the whole human SOUL deal too far; just...Just the basics. And make nice, alright?"
"That won't be an issue," Toriel reassured.
The king looked a might uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"Asgore..." the other Boss Monster addressed him sympathetically. "Do not fret. We will discuss things between us when we next get the chance, alright?"
"...Yes, Toriel."
"Okay...Sans, go easy on the puns. Papyrus, no snapping at your brother, and...maybe turn your volume down a tad."
"WILL DO, GINGER! I-EH...I MEAN...Heh...Will Do, Dear Friend."
"no puns...well, that's a downer."
"Hey, I said go easy on the puns, not 'don't make ANY'. Might lift any tension that might be there. Just don't go overboard."
"understood."
"Good. Alphys and Undyne...Uh...Oh...Oh, boy..."
If Nyra and Metal Beak found out about...THAT, the potential alliance might be nipped in the bud.
"For the sake of this meeting, you two are just friends."
"What!? Why!?" the fish monster snapped. "It's not like they can-"
"Um...Actually, Undyne?" the raptor monster interrupted, motioning for her to bend down to her level before whispering something into her ear fin. The captain's expression contorted into a small, albeit surprised frown, and her eye popped open some before it narrowed.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what she'd heard.
"Oh, really...? So, what do these Pure One punks do to people like us, huh?" Undyne snarled, pointing an accusatory finger down at the somewhat deadpan bird.
"Nothing cruel or unusual, if that's your concern. The worst that can happen is gettin' fired...But anyway, that's the deal, alright, you two?"
"A-alright," Alphys agreed. "We can do that. Right, Undyne?"
The piscine beast huffed out a sigh.
"...Fine. But only because you two are such good friends," she spat at the owl.
"Great. Now...Time to alert everyone to my return. I might be a while, so hang tight, everyone, alright?"
Saying this, she spread her wings and flew up again. The young Sooty Owl was circling around the pine tree cluster, almost like a vulture, perhaps searching for Pure Ones to gather up for their departure. Ginger ascended up the atmosphere and followed after him, slowly rising higher to meet his altitude. It wasn't long until she was flying almost right alongside him.
Phillip saw movement from his starboard side, and turned his head that way to see just who had joined him.
And he nearly went yeep with surprise.
He let out a bit of a holler, and Ginger flew beneath him to keep the Greater Sooty from losing it all and falling to the forest floor. The young general lead him to one of the branches of the pine trees to perch, and she chose another one right across from him. By now, Phillip was beginning to regain his senses, and he scanned the Barn Owl up and down, just to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. But they weren't. She was here. And now a smile was making its way across his ashen face.
"You...You got out. You're free!" he exclaimed.
"Don't go tell it on the mountain just yet, Phillip, old buddy," she instructed him.
"How many were there!? Did they fight you!? Try to kill you!? Are they all goat people!?"
"Um...Oh, oh, the monsters! Right. Well, actually-"
"And what was with that big explosion noise in the mountain!? Uklah thought it was an earthquake at first, but when we realized where it'd come from, we...We thought that something might've happened to you, or the monsters down there, or..."
"Something did happen, Phillip," she confirmed. "That noise you heard wasn't an explosion; it was the Barrier."
"The...The Barrier? You mean that magic shield that keeps the monsters trapped underground?"
"Not anymore. What you heard wasn't anything normal. It was the sound of the Barrier being destroyed."
"Destroyed?"
"Destroyed. Shattered. Demolished. It's gone, Phillip. Mount Ebott's opened up for the first time since Hoole retrieved the Ember."
"So, there's no more Barrier. Does that mean the monsters are going to...come back?"
"Phillip." She scoffed. "...They're already here."
"What...?!"
"That's why I need to see the monarchs. Something's come up, and it's pretty important, so I'll have to explain the situation to them before we-"
"Wait, wait, wait, Ginger, hold on," the Sooty Owl interrupted her, looking concerned. "What do you mean 'they're already here'?"
"Just get me to the others first. I'll explain everything, I promise."
The Sooty Owl sighed, but ultimately followed the General's instructions.
"...Yes. I'll take you to them."
He flew deeper into the grove, and as they passed by, several voices from other Pure Ones rang out.
"Hang on. Who's that behind Phillip?"
"Is that...young Ginger?!"
"It is! It is the General!"
"She's back!"
"Someone tell the king and queen!"
The commotion going outside drew the two owls in question out into the open among the crowd. The Ablah General and High Tyto emerged from their private quarters in the center of the grove just in time to behold Phillip and the missing General Ginger alight on the branch before them. Their eyes bugged out at the sight of her, Nyra's especially.
"Y...young General...!?"
"In the flesh," she responded, spreading her wings out some.
"It is. It is you! You've come back!"
She and her mate were ecstatic, and they approached her, greeting her warmly, welcoming her back.
"...How did you escape?" the white Barn Owl finally asked. "And...What was that noise coming from the mountain? It sounded like a volcano exploding in there!"
"That wasn't a volcano. It was the Barrier. It's broken. Monsters are free."
The smiles faded from their beaks.
"...What did you say?" the High Tyto asked, just to be sure he had heard her right.
"Monsters are free, and...They're here. Right now, waiting on us."
"'Us?'"
"What's going on!? Is it true!? Is she here!?"
The voice came from behind; Ginger swiveled her head around to see Kludd coming in for a landing, Uklah in tow. All he had to do was meet her eyes, and the dull despair that'd been in his gaze for several days vanished, and was replaced by a shimmer of happiness.
"...Oh, praise Glaux!"
Both of them wrapped their wings around their returned leader, and she didn't hesitate to return it threefold. Vaygar flew in to asses the celebration, and he and Phillip were quick to join the group hug. Ginger beamed. This was real. She was actually back...
She didn't want to, but she wriggled out of the owls that'd piled themselves overtop of her.
"Hold on, guys. There's...Your Purenesses," she addressed, turning to the two monarchs. "I'll have to tell all of you what's going on. It's gonna be crazy, but I swear, this can be made into something VERY good, alright?"
"I believe I understand how important this might be," Metal Beak nodded.
"Alright, young owlets, don't drown out the General's words with your bantering!" Nyra screeched.
The other four owlets, who'd been streaming their praise and joy of the reunion without pause, suddenly and finally clacked their beaks shut.
"...Thank you. Alright, Ginger...Do tell me. Tarn and Phillip began the rumor that upon interacting with the Barrier, you were...somehow made human. Is this the case?"
"Well...I'll put that rumor to rest when I sat that...It's true."
A series of gasps rang out among the owls, and the other trainees began spilling questions again.
"What was it like?"
"Had you no gizzard!?"
"What was your first thought?"
"How did you turn back, then!?"
"Owlets, owlets, silence yourselves!" Nyra ordered again. "Save your questions for the end! She did just return, after all, so I doubt we would want to overwhelm the General, is that not true...? Agh...Carry on, Tyto. What went on beneath there, concerning you and the monsters?"
Ginger breathed in. This was going to take a while, for certain.
"Well...I guess it all started with a flower..."
...
"...So now I'm back to normal, he isn't going to turn into a pile of sentient goop, and I brought them all here so we could maybe set something up between us."
"General, that was a dodgy move," Metal Beak scolded. "You are aware that these monsters are going to enter human society with the knowledge that owls, and all of the greater animal kingdoms, possess equal footing of intelligence to them, are you not?"
"I think a few of them knew already," she defended. "Some of these monsters are...well...essentially dogs on two legs. Besides, apparently, it wasn't me, but TARN and PHILLIP who were the first owls to make verbal contact with monsterkind. I was a human at the time."
"...True."
"So, what do you guys say? They're all waiting and eager to meet you guys."
"Well..." Nyra pondered, casting a glance off to the side. "I suppose, if they're already here, that we could see about this whole situation."
"Alright! Everyone follow me down to the ground, they should all be there!"
Ginger hopped off the branch and made a quick descent towards the forest floor, heading towards the outer rim of the pine tree grove.
"Hey! Hold on, I wanna see!" Kludd hollered as he followed after her.
Other Pure Ones in the surrounding area had heard the fuss beforehand, and two loyal slipgizzles turned their heads to see that General Ginger was leading a single-file line of owls down towards the ground. They exchanged glances.
"You suppose this involves the monsters, Allomere?"
"Quite so, Chief Valdimore," the Great Grey nodded. "I say we join them, see what's happening."
"Heigh ho, what's 'appenin' 'ere?"
Tarn was the next to emerge into the morning light from his hollow, and his gizzard pointed him in the directing of the owls gliding down through the trees, so he went after them himself to see just where they were heading.
"Steady, General, slow your flight!"
She was already quite a distance ahead of them, but she finally slowed down once she neared the earth, and not even a minute passed before they were all planting their talons down in the presence of...
"Good...Glaux in glamora..." Nyra marveled.
All of the other owlets were staring up, eyes nearly as wide as their own heads at the sight of the seven monsters looking down at them.
"...Salutations," the one in the front greeted, bending just a tad in their presence.
"...You..." Phillip realized, pointing a feather up at her, exchanging a quick glance towards an equally shocked Tarn. "...Y-you're the goat woman we talked to."
"You two are the ones who called down to me?"
"Yeah, yeah..." Tarn nodded, now shaking as he pointed to Asgore. "...And you're a goat man."
"I might as well be," the king humored.
"And you're a goat kid!"
Vaygar was the one to have said it.
"Yup."
"And you two are undead!" Uklah screeched, staring up at the skeleton brothers.
"WELL...I SUPPOSE THAT 'UNDEAD' WOULD MEAN 'ALIVE,' SO YOU'RE VERY MUCH RIGHT ABOUT THAT!"
"And you're ugly as sin," Kludd grimaced.
"Hey!"
Undyne was staring down at the buff with her own evil eye.
Great minds think alike, it seems, Ginger said to herself, straining not to laugh at his reaction to the detestable fish monster.
Allomere was cautiously approaching the group of monsters, and found himself standing at the sickle-clawed feet of the Royal Scientist, in absolute awe. He pointed a shuddering wing up at her, looking back at the other owls.
"It's..." he stammered. "...That's a dinosaur."
"Uh...S-sort of."
"...Sir," the High Tyto rasped, eyeing the gold crown atop Asgore's head. "I...presume you would be the leader of this recently resurfaced race?"
"That would be right," he answered him. The Sooty Owl raised his feathery brow for a moment.
"Well, this is...This is certainly a far cry from the hideous savages I first pictured when I learned of the legends," he smirked.
Metal Beak was genuinely relieved that most of these monsters didn't look(or act) quite so barbarous. Even the reanimated human skeletons had an oddly friendly aura about them, and the one yellow monster even wore a lab coat and glasses; a sure sign of a sophisticated society.
"Are you the leader of these, erm...'Pure Ones'?"
"That would be a yes," he confirmed, his metal battleclaws clinking against each other as he stepped forward to extend a wing. "Lord Metal Beak; High Tyto of the Pure Ones."
"Oh, I see...King Asgore; King of Monsters."
The white paw met the dark wing in a formal shake. Nyra was the first to step forward.
"So...You are the one who Tarn and Phillip saw down the hole, were you, madame?" she inquired, addressing the monster queen.
"That is true...Queen Toriel; Queen of Monsters and former head of the Underground's Board of Education. It is a pleasure to meet all of you."
"As is with us. General Nyra; Ablah General of St. Aegolius, and second-in-command and queen of the Pure Ones."
They bowed courteously in the presence of each other.
"Young Ms. Wingren has told me some things about you all, and she made you out to be quite strong." Toriel continued.
"Well, she wasn't wrong, your Majesty. We have the majority of our eastern homeland territory in our favor, and I can see us gaining Kuneer and Silverveil in the near future. So, I assume this one is your son?"
Nyra now looked to Asriel, who was shyly staying close to his father.
"Um...Yes, your majesty," he greeted. "I...My name is-"
"Asriel Dreemurr, young man? Prince of the Underground, yes?"
"Y-yeah. That's right. I guess she told you?"
"The General? That she did, sir."
Asriel turned a bit pink; sure, he was prince of the Underground(emphasis on 'was', though) but he'd never been called 'sir' before.
"I hearsay that young General Ginger wishes to establish peace, and perhaps a potential affiliation between our two forces," Metal Beak stated. "So says the General, a race that has been sealed away for over a millennium, and even mostly forgotten about by almost all of humanity, may not necessarily be met with the warmest welcome from them. If there is one thing we know, it is that humans are unpredictable; some may embrace you, but some may lash out, and may even try to shove you back beneath that mountain. Ginger has suggested that we discuss what exactly went on beneath the mountain, and...I will admit, I was quite a bit skeptical at first, but seeing you all now, I believe I've made up my mind on it; you may be decent candidates for a Defense Pact."
"Defense Pact?" Toriel echoed.
"Yes, yes...We'll get into the nitty gritty during the conference."
"Conference?" Asgore repeated.
"Conference?" Nyra asked him again.
"Well, aren't we going to settle this all professionally? In fact, that is the very reason we came here in the first place; to establish international relations. Besides, the A.F.F didn't want our help, so maybe it could give us a chance to aid another force. King Asgore. Would you care for your subjects here to accompany us to the center of the pine tree grove? Small bare patch, right in the center; that's were we held our discussions between the eagles and us."
"That reminds me," Ginger chimed in. "Did the eagles leave already?"
"That they did; they have their own business to attend. The only ones left here are a couple messengers sent to study us for a while. They knew about the situation with you in the mountain, and a few of them even tried to fly down there shortly after Tarn and Phillip finished what they were doing up there. The Commander and I had to stop them; we wouldn't have wanted another soldier to have gone through what you did."
"That wouldn't have been good."
"Well, then...Monsters, follow me," the Sooty Owl alerted them as he made his way back into the pine trees. "We've a meeting to hold."
A.N: We're wrappin' it up here! Wonder how this conference is gonna go?
So, anyway, before I leave, I wanted to say that I had an idea for another Undertale fanfiction, but I'm not sure what kind of reception it'll be met with...If I decide to publish it, you'll know it when you see it, but whatever. I'm glad this one's almost done; I think I accomplished a lot with it.
Hey, thanks again for readin'! See ya next chapter! :D