Look here! Another chapter!

Chara: FInally, we're speaking again. We were shocked that someone outright ordered an invasion upon Ebott that we didn't comment until now.

Asriel: But now we're here, and things look like they're quieting down for the most part.

Frisk: Hopefully...though I can't say that I was a fan of getting blown up...

Flowey: You're tough. Get over it.

Asriel & Chara: Unhelpful!

Chapter Start!

"Oh my goodness! Pappy, you're alright!"

"The lanky moron actually woke up from his injuries. Lucky guy."

"heya, pap. ya had us a bit jumpy there."

Papyrus slowly regains consciousness, lightly wincing as the pain in the back of his skull was still clearly there. He was able to see the very concerned Mettaton and and the slightly less concerned Flowey. He rises from his bed, which he quickly discovers was his own, and rubbed the back of his skull. He could feel the slight fracture still persisting, but it as highly likely that it would go away with a bit more healing. Toriel must have done a majority of the work until he was safely stable, and then left to heal the others. That's the best scenario he came up with at the top of his head. Though with great honesty, his head was hurting a lot simply in general. Nevertheless, he was finally awake.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS...HAS SUCH A HEADACHE RIGHT NOW. IT BORDERS ON BEING PREPOSTEROUS..." Papyrus sighed, shaking his head. "THOUGH I CANNOT EXACTLY ARGUE THE SAME ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. EVEN AFTER I SENSED MYSELF ACHIEVING MAGIC AWAKENING, I WAS STILL FELLED BY ONE DECISIVE STRIKE TO THE HEAD, HARD ENOUGH TO FRACTURE MY SKULL..."

"Duh! Of COURSE you got blindsided!" Flowey huffed while stretching his stem and getting very close to Papyrus, face-to-face. "How many times is it, Papyrus? Twice? This is the second time that you dropped your guard at a very crucial moment and it almost completely screws you over in the long-run. When will you learn? You know that a monster is at their most vulnerable when they're not paying attention!" Flowey shook his head in annoyance. "Honestly. Your confidence sometimes goes way over what's allowed. Shouldn't it be high-time for you to rein that in? You can't always expect your opponents to play fair like you. Because I speak from semi-experience, you WILL get thrashed. Do you want that to keep happening to you?"

"...NO. NO, I REALLY DON'T WANT THAT." Papyrus said solemnly, shaking his head with a sigh. Too much confidence and not enough caution...Undyne will surely criticize him for getting sloppy in that regard. Both times he had assumed that a situation was completely under his control, and moments later, a lack of attention was more than enough to land him on the verge of defeat, and someone had to save him afterwards.

"You were saved by Sans last time. This time Red was intuitive enough to know that person was coming for you, and stabbed right through him before he could kill you." Mettaton said with a metallic hand placed over his chest. "Thank goodness you're okay..."

Papyrus looked a bit baffled. "RED...SHE...SHE DID THAT...? SHE KILLED A FELLOW MONSTER SO SHE COULD PROTECT ME PERSONALLY...?"

"Yeah. She did. And I must say I'm a bit impressed with how serious she was about it, and she doesn't gloat about it at all. She was completely serious about the subject whenever it came up." Flowey said while looking towards Papyrus. "It's strange how she's not very mature and is very excitable and somewhat cheerful, which allows her to relate with the rest of the Pack. But in the middle of battle, she takes the entire thing seriously. She showed no hesitation in doing away with the monster that attempted to kill you. I suppose her loyalty does stem that steep. "

"she only regrets the situation having to come to that conclusion, not the conclusion itself." Sans added for slight clarification towards Papyrus. "her friend's life was her priority, not her enemy's. she fully believes in that, and doesn't really show much remorse or angst over the fact. i gotta admit, she has some pretty hard nerves while she's in the middle of a serious battle. outside of that, she acts like the a curious pup." Sans sighed as he ran a hand around his skull. "though in the long-run, i don't think too heavily on those things, she is who she saved your life. and i'm pretty grateful for that. very grateful."

"OH...I SEE..." Papyrus sighed to himself.

Red had done quite a hardened thing for his sake, because he was the one who got distracted for a brief moment. It's not like he wasn't grateful as well, but he too wished that it wouldn't have come to that. Though he could see why it would be an option she wouldn't hesitate to make; the Pack doesn't take threats to any of their own, or their friends. Red's reaction time, and the reaction itself, was understandable. Still, it was rather difficult for Papyrus to accept, and Asriel must be having a difficult time accepting it as well. Frisk would be the most difficult one to receive this troublesome reality. Those three monsters were going to cause intense amounts of destruction with the souls of the comrades they killed; Red wasn't hesitant on ending the threat before it worsened, and neither were the Dogi.

Still, he wished things could have gone differently.

"...SANS. I DO APOLOGIZE FOR CAUSING YOU SO MUCH CONCERN FOR ME. I REALLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO BETTER THAN WHAT HAPPENED. MY PERFORMANCE WAS...VERY LACKLUSTER AT BEST...AND PATHETIC AT WORST. UNDYNE IS GOING REALLY GOING TO LAY IT ON ME AS SOON AS I FULLY RECOVER." Papyrus sighed while rubbing his skull and sitting up further from the bed.

Sans noticed the solemn expression, and he shook his head. "no, pap. ya can't go thinkin' li-"

"HOWEVER..." Papyrus continued, noticing his signature scarf lying on the dresser next to him. He slowly picks it up and drapes it around his neck. "WITH THIS, COMES EXPERIENCE! AND EXPERIENCE WILL HELP ME IMPROVE MY GROWTH EVEN FURTHER, SO I CAN DO MY BEST TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ME AS OFTEN. I CANNOT GUARANTEE PERFECT SUCCESS. BUT ALAS, I MUST TRY."' He turned towards Sans and a nod. "SANS. I'M GOING TO TRY HARDER. YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO EXHAUST YOURSELF WORRYING ABOUT IF I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF IN BATTLE. I HAVE NOT BEEN LIVING UP TO THE PROMISES I MADE BACK THEN...I WILL FIX THAT SOON ENOUGH, FOR THE BOTH OF US."

Sans seemed surprised by the amount of resolve Papyrus placed in those words. He can tell he really means it. Not that he had any doubts. Papyrus was many things, amazing things. What he wasn't, as a liar. And even if he tried, he wasn't very good at it like Sans was at times. Sans went for a statement, but was cut off by Papyrus pulling him into a hug. "pap...?"

"ENOUGH OF THAT TALK FOR NOW, THOUGH. NOW WE HUG! HUGS MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER!"

"I can vouch for that!" Mettaton said gleefully as he stretched his arms around the two brothers.

Flowey simply huffed at the display, which directed Papyrus' attention towards them. "FLOWEY. YOUR CRITICISM WAS WELL-HEARD AND WILL BE ACCOUNTED FOR. IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT YOU HELD SO MUCH CONCERN FOR ME."

"W-What...?!" Flowey stuttered, looking baffled and almost offended by the claim. He didn't realize he was blushing slightly. "You stupid moronic skeleton! I wasn't worried about you! It's just that your carelessness can be infuriating and Sans will get pissy every time you're hurt! I don't wanna hear that crap!"

"sure bud, sure." Sans scoffed, succumbing into brother's embrace.

It was going to be alright...for now.

"I was pathetic out there..." Shamir angrily hissed to himself as he was standing against a wall with his paw on his chest. It was a very close call, with Asriel having helped close the wound, But once he was able to get his paws on some monster food, he was close to being as good as new. Regardless of that, however, it was quite obvious that he was less than pleased with how things turned out in the long-run. Parvos very nearly killed him, and with almost no effort at all. He sensed the human soul in his chest, recalling that he absorbed one some time before any of this happened.

"Please, Shamir. Don't beat yourself up like this." Rasha informed him gently, placing a paw on his own, while Ribras had a paw around her as well. "None of us could have predicted that something like this might happen. It was completely out of the blue for Parvos to do something like this so blatantly...but we know better, don't we? We know that Ratoveros is the one most responsible for what's happened. He's surely the one who ordered for this to happen...he's simply insufferable for this!"

"It's just difficult to adjust to...I mean, just some time ago, months ago, we worked with them...we were deluded, so we left before we were considered unable to be saved. Parvos...he's not only rejected leaving, he's actually relishing in the chaos he's taking part of at this point. I know we've never really been on the best of terms with him, but now he's truly become our enemy." Ribras added solemnly. "Going as far as killing their human comrades to absorb souls for their power...and they didn't even reject that...we were really a part of that...it just feels...so sickening."

"As long as we're not a part of it anymore, then perhaps there is still a chance for us to redeem ourselves, even if those chances are slim. In any case, we need to keep trying. This time it was us that attracted that kind of trouble, but Undyne and the others stood up for us anyway. They saved us, and we don't have much to show for it." Rasha sighed. "We need to start doing better than that. There must be more we can do than what we can right now."

"Well...until we can properly figure out exactly how to do so, our best compromise is to simply keep doing what we're doing right now." Shamir decided after heeding both of his long-term comrades. "Ebott is our home now...protecting it is a must. Especially when we understand how they've given us their hospitality regardless of what we've been involved with."

"Because the Prince sensed that we weren't bad people..." Rasha added quietly. Even then, she was surprised at herself for letting the Prince talk her down the way he did. She didn't think she could be talked down, and the same went for the others. It's just that someone else actually caring about how they felt about what they were doing...it really got to them. Unfortunately, the monster and human leaders behind the attack weren't so easy to sway. They imagined that the Prince was feeling just a tad inadequate because of that. It wasn't hard to imagine that Parvos was wearing down everyone's patience, disregarding nearly everything else.

Maybe...that's precisely what Parvos wants.

Meanwhile, in a much larger room within the police headquarters-Undyne prefers it to be called a base, considering it sounds a bit cooler-Undyne and Alphys were standing in the very front of the room. Undyne was out of uniform and in her casual clothes for the most part, leaning back against the wall. The Pack was there as well, minus Red, who went to see the Dreemurrs on her own. The incapacitated subordinates to the siege were simply staring at Undyne and Alphys with a mix of great confusion, though the warning glares sent towards them by the Pack was enough to keep themfrom saying anything too rude or unnecessary. Twenty-five humans and monsters, respectively. Eyus was right in front of all of the men and occasional women, simply gazing at the two women ahead of him, especially Alphys. He decided to break the ice, as the silence was becoming a bit too much to bear.

"...Why...?"

"You'll have to be a bit more specific than that, punk." Undyne replied coolly.

"...Hmph. Fair enough." Eyus shook his head a bit while looking at the two of them again, Alphys in particular. "Even though that spider girl and rosy-cheeked kid both finished off the human mages leading this thing, and those canines finished off the monsters co-leading it, aside from Parvos since he got away...yet you intentionally let the rest of us live. Why did you let us live...?"

It was particular to note that ever since their Magic Awakening, the Pack looked a bit more...like wolves. Not too much, but there are subtle differences here and there, such as sharper fangs, eyes appearing as slits, slightly wild fur, and this subtle feeling of control over their inner feral nature, which they didn't think they had until now. Well, Dogressa certainly had it, but it was a surprise to the rest.

With the questions now fully and clearly stated, Undyne sighed while closing her eye, a vein pulsing from her head. "A small piece of me still wants to kick your ass for picking on my girlfriend back then...I'm a bit vengeful like that. But then I remembered that, whether you wanted to or not, you helped us back then, so we could find Mettaton, Napstablook, and Shyren when it came to Seloms Archipelago. So you're a bit of an asshole because of your 'profession', but you're not that horrid a guy. And as for the rest of you..." She opened her eye and stared at then all seriously. "A show of hands, paws, whatever the hell you have...how many of you participated in this because you wanted to, or because you actually enjoyed it?"

"W-What...?"

Alphys sighed as she stepped up a bit to reinforce Undyne's point. "What she means to say is...did you come and do what you did on your own volition? Is everything you've done within this city because you actually wanted to be here doing them...?"

There was an extended pause after that, as they all exchanged nervous looks with one another. They weren't sure how to proceed since the couple's questions were genuine and concerned. The Pack were standing by, also watching them, if warily. Eyus turned towards them, then back towards the others, then one by one, they answered clearly.

"We didn't want to go through with this...of course we didn't want to go through with this."

"But we didn't have a choice."

"Or to be more precise, we weren't given a choice. Our only path was forward..."

Undyne narrowed her eye while hearing just three of these satements. The hopeless tone of her their voices gave her a hunch on what their situation was. "They...forced you into this? How can they force you all into doing this...?"

"Well...we're that pretty small minority that didn't want anything to do with this in the slightest, but we didn't have a choice...they took it away from us." One of them spoke, certainly a monster. "Some of us couldn't really go back to our homes or our families...we didn't really have any left after they were done. They made sure we had nothing to go back to, and we would have to stay with them and continue doing things for them, terrible or otherwise...and defiance to their commands would be certain death."

"Believe us when we say that some did try to defy Ratoveros, or anyone who was in a higher status than them...we would be unceremoniously killed, and they wouldn't have a care in the world afterwards...Parvos seems especially fond of that method. But there are others as well. Other cabals control their subordinates in different ways..."

"Some control their subordinates through authority. Corruption. Fear. Fanatical Loyalty. Mind control. Power is the most obvious, as well as fear, but there are MANY cases of the others. Those human mages you killed were participating in this through pure sadism, as well as those two monsters. That avian monster, however...Owdium. He was participating through pure blind obedience through indoctrination... he was no longer capable of having a will of his own..."

Alphys lowered her eyes and shifted her glasses. "Heavy indoctrination...that must have been how Richard and Ace, the souls of Kindness and Justice, were morphed into tools of destruction. In fact...they were ALL re-crafted into tools of destruction...but the souls of Justice, Integrity, and Perserverance were especially victim to this, given how they were somehow turned into monsters. Justice through blind loyalty and prejudice, Kindness through gratitude and respect, Patience through acceptance and not caring enough to resist, Bravery through power, Perseverance and Integrity through simple command inducment magic. They wanted to resist, but because they're so powerful, that choice was purposefully and forcefully taken away from them to keep them from going rogue on their own volition..."

Undyne thought over the issue at hand, folding her arms and sighing. This was rather troubling information to take in. Magic cabals out there have many ways to subjugate their subordinates and to keep them on their sides. It can be something surprisingly simple, or deeply complex, to outright disturbing, and even completely horrid and malevolent. How were monsters out there even capable of such methods? It disgusted Undyne just to think about it. And there were more out there, more malevolent cabal leaders than Ratoveros, human or monster. Undyne shook her head, refocusing herself.

One battle at a time.

"...Here's the down low, everyone. Obviously just letting you go free isn't gonna slide. So I'm suggesting that you all just sit in here and think about how you're going to repay the city for the damage that you did, willingly or not. I'll discuss the finalities with Alvina, later."

They all seemed surprised by this. "Wait...you...you're not going to kill us...?"

"Unlike the ones who lead you on this little escapade, you all actually have a chance to better yourselves, and you actually want to take it. Why would I take that away from you?" Undyne said resolutely, pushing off the wall.

Alphys twiddled her fingers, smiling nervously. "What she means is...as long as you don't intend to be bad anymore...then we'll have no more trouble between us. So...so think about that, okay...?"

Eyus turned towards Alphys, especially curious. "You...you beat my ass into the ground the first time we met. The second time was even faster. You spared me both times."

"Well...you were definitely a jerk, but not evil at heart. Why should you or the others be punished any more than the person who trapped them down that path in the first place?"

"Ya know those kinds of events when the bad guys are given more mercy than the subordinate guys simply working for them? Yeah, we don't roll like that." Undyne explained rather bluntly. "Maybe if you guys were all doing this purely for selfish enjoyment like five of your captains were, then yeah, we wouldn't have gone so easy on you. We realize that there might be some cabal followers out there who do this kind of thing just for the hell of it. They won't be treated so kindly. But you guys were forced into this position because all of the other ways out were taken away from you...you deserve a chance to start over. We suggest that you take it."

As she said this, she thought to herself about something. Shamir, Ribras, and Rasha. They were constantly being haunted by the shadows looming over their heads, the shadows known as Ratoveros and Parvos. Sans has already said he would put down Parvos the next time they meet. She resolved herself to a decision:

She would definitely see to it that Ratoveros be struck down one day, and she'll be the one to do so, if need be.

Alvina, like nearly everyone else, was not having the best of days today. Not at all, she was actually having a very difficult time processing everything that has transpired over the last couple of hours. She sighed while massaging her forehead, as well as the bridge of her nose. Civilian casualties from that earth mages moderate quake resulted in twenty humans and thirteen monsters. This has made a majority of the city quite uneasy, and some were outright scared. At least a majority of the humans were feeling uneasy and scared. The monsters?

Only the minority of monsters were scared. The majority were pissed. It wasn't even a question that Undyne was one of them. The only, only ones who could possibly be more angry than herself were the monarchs...

"How dare they do such a thing right in front of us...such blatant, intentional, malicious impertinence will NOT be tolerated...!" Asgore snarled viciously, as a flaming aura surrounded him with his ears rising a little, his eyes glowing bright crimson instead of their usual green.

"They have the audacity to attack us in our own home city, intentionally involving civilians, regardless of race...!" Toriel hissed also covered in a flaming aura, her eyes also glowing crimson, as well as her ears rising slightly in place. Their control over their flames was astounding, seeing as they weren't leaving a smoking spot on the couch they were both sitting on. They were also too furious to even shout out their frustrations. Instead they were terrifyingly quiet, not unlike Asriel's attitude against Parvos.

Calm, quiet anger must run through the family as much as their kindness and patience.

Aside from that, the sheer intensity of their fury was enough to nearly bring the current occupants of the room to tears; Helen, Linda, Gloria, Diana, and Alvina were meekly staring at them on the opposite end of the room, trying not to say or do anything to provoke them further. Only Gerson and Temmie were completely unaffected.

"Oh dear. They're both pretty fired up." Gerson noted with a huff.

"N-Now now, Mr. and Mrs. Dreemurr, c-calm down...w-we're just as upset about this as you are..." Alvina weakly smiled towards soon noticed that they were scaring the human occupants in the room, and decreased their auras so they would feel a bit safer around them. Again, Linda was wracking her brain, criticizing herself for believing that constantly antagonizing the Dreemurrs was in any way a safe idea. Their patience with her was amazing to say the least, compared to what transpired today,which they were showing true and genuine fury over. The main emotion that Toriel showed towards Linda's attitude was annoyance, but also a will to connect with her, at best. She was showing no such pleasantries towards the ones responsible for this. Neither was Asgore, which was surprising to Helen because he's always the calmer of the two.

Asgore manages to calm himself down first, taking a deep breath while holding and caressing Toriel's paw, gazing at the humans. "Our apologies. This has been such a stressful day for everyone. I think what we need is some rest. So you ladies, please go home and rest yourselves. And as your positions as teachers...we'll place it under consideration. We promise we'll come up with a solution."

"Indeed." Toriel nodded as she briefly gazes at Linda and the others. "...I haven't forgotten our discussion, Linda. We'll continue it under a more comfortable atmosphere. Right now...this simly isn't the time. But you're still more than welcome to come over for tea and pie, and perhaps the occasional plate of cookies."

"...Okay." Linda nodded in defeat. The events of today erased all of the hostility she carried towards the Boss Monster for the moment, especially since Toriel has placed herself in danger to protect her and her friends. These women went out of their way to antagonize Toriel purely out of envy, which Helen wanted no part, and they began antagonizing her in response. And yet despite her annoyance with them, she still chose to protect them. She was annoyed with them, but she never hated them back. None of them had the energy or will to act hostile towards her after that. With these thoughts in mind, they left the house without a word.

Alvina sighed as she gently caressed her forehead. "I'm in for a super serious headache later...the citizens are afraid to leave their homes at the moment. And it's even more complicated because human mages AND monsters were causing a significant fuss. So neither can really blame this entirely on the other even if they tried. Geez...who knows how long this'll take to clean up..." Temmie gently hopped on Alvina's lap and laid down calmly. Alvina sighed and began petting her head, slightly relaxed by the resulting purrs. "Ah Temmie...you're great for so much more than secretary work..."

"Nevertheless, we cannot simply let this go." Toriel glared while clutching her skirt over her knees, visibly, quietly seething. "Those six children...I once tried to hold them against their will. Then because of my own self-rigtheousness, I allowed them to walk into death..."

"And I was the one who ordered their deaths because I was too cowardly to choose the more pragmatic solution..." Asgore mumbled, just as angry.

"After being imprisoned for so long by us, they forgave Asgore and myself, as well as the rest of monsterkind, and they were finally free..."

"But now... someone has tainted that sacrifice. Someone tore them from the afterlife and brought them back to the realm of the living against their will, and turned them into living weapons...fully knowing how important they were to us..."

"There shall be no forgiveness for that insult."

"Nor shall there be any negotiations over it."

"It's not a matter of the severity of the retribution that shall input fear in their souls."

"It's the CERTAINTY of the retribution that will make them tremble at the mere idea of deliberately provoking us."

Alvina was grimly intimidated by the looks on their faces despited not being the target of it, and she was just as impressed by the synchronization of their fury. It wasn't hard to tell that whoever was responsible for this has just harshly exposed a VERY sensitive subject of theirs with the intent to hurt, and they would NOT tolerate it. Especially since...

"...Mom...Dad..."

The current occupants of the room turned to see Frisk standing on the stairway, visibly tired, as well as having several glowing bandages wrapped around his body, mostly his head. His soul was still slightly cracked, and much dimmer than usual; he was that close to death because of what happened today. Magic food was effective, but there were a few limits they couldn't handle on their own.

"Frisk! What are you doing awake, my child?! You should be in bed resting!" Toriel exclaimed, maternal concern kicking in, and paternal concern kicking in for Asgore. Frisk didn't heed her criticism; he simply wobbled over to her and pulled her into a hug, burying his face in her bosom. Her eyes widened as she felt him cling to her even tighter, as well as his violent shaking that followed afterwards.

"I..I don't want to be left alone..."

There were no more arguments from Toriel, and Asgore didn't bother trying to provide any himself. Frisk was very clearly bothered by this incident, the implications of it, as well as the results. Right now, he dearly needed their comfort, and they were fully willing to provide. Toriel genty wrapped her warm and loving arms around him, and Asgore did the same. Both of them lowered themselves and took him completely into their embrace. Both of them lightly kissed his head, gently petting his head and back until they gradually felt his shivers cease. Gerson, Alvina, and Temmie frowned sadly at the sight, Frisk was very shaken bt recent events, but even so, he was trying to be strong.

"...Where are Asriel and Chara...where are my brothers...?" Frisk asked, his voice slightly muffled.

"They've stepped out once they were sure you were okay. They needed time alone." Toriel informed him while petting his head. "Do you want us to call them...?"

"No...no, it's fine. I just wanted to know if they were both alright."

"...Asgore." Gerson sighed tiredly. The Boss Monster turned towards his long-time friend, who was gazing in his reflection caused by his tea. "This is not the first time something like this has happened...and it certainly will not be the last. With that in mind, I've made a decision with myself. We've been through far too much effort and hardship to surrender our place on the Surface. So I'm gonna have to try and do my part to help actively defend it."

Asgore blinked owlishly, as Toriel too turned her head towards Gerson. Asgore was slightly surprised, having figured out what this meant, and was quick to voice it first. "Old friend...are you really...?"

Gerson gently sipped more of his tea, before he sets it down and gazed at everyone else with half/cheer, half/seriousness. "It's about time that Gerson: The Hammer of Justice, officially comes out of retirement."

The sounds of a certain fish woman fangirling her lungs out-without having the slightest clue as to why-filled the confused city for an entire minute. Gerson simply lets out an amused 'Wa ha ha!' and begins sipping more of his tea, enjoying the temporary peace while it lasts.

Asriel and Chara, after they were completely sure that Frisk was alright and on the way to recovery, as well as the status on Papyrus and Shamir, decided to simply hang around the entrance of th Underground, mostly around the cliffs that surrounded it, and they got a view of Ebott as a whole. They have been thinking oif the events have transpired, and they could even see a couple of smoke trails still resulting from the incident. Neither of them said anything at first, they simply gazed at the large city, with Asriel's scarf and ears flowing with the wind, as well as Chara's poncho and hair. This has definitely been a long day for them, and not one they enjoyed.

"Boys. I have news." Tempest appeared out from the Underground's entrance, deactivating his invisibility cloak caused by his wind magic. "Darkness has all of the six human children under stabilization, and will be working their heardest to make sure that they've been removed of the heavy influence placed on them."

"Yup. It's definitely gonna take a while, though. And overall, we have to keep them completely safe in the meantime." Darkness informed them through a headpiece around Tempest's ear. "These kids have been through some troublesome times, boys. Whatever's been done to them, it's NOT gonna be easy to undo."

"You all had a major fight up there and didn't invite me?! Lame!" Lunar could be heard on the line as well, and she sounded bored. "I see why the monsters wanted to get outta this stupid mountain. How did they stand this for so long?!"

"Lunar, please! Behave yourself. Remember, we're supposed to stay hidden for the most part." Darkness criticized her, in which only a huff of annoyance was heard. "As I said, they shall be under our care and protection until they make a full recovery. So don't worry about us. That will be all." The transmission ended. Tempest nodded to the two boys, before he swiftly disappears back into the Underground.

Asriel and Chara nodded in acknowledgement. A moment of silence passes between the both of them, until the other brother decides to break it. "Hey...Azzy."

"Yes, Chara?"

"I'm not gonna sugarcoat this...this has been a really cruddy day."

"That's an understatement..." Asriel sighed, which got a brief chuckle out of the both of them. The somber laughs soon died down, and they continued watching over the city from their perch. "Chara...some people died in this fiasco. Humans and Monsters alike, innocent ones. And many others got seriously hurt..." Asriel mumbled quietly, solemnly while holding his Rainbow Heart Locket in his paw. "And to top it all off, Frisk got hurt as well..."

"I've got more reason to feel cruddy about that than you. He was under my supervision." Chara grumbled as he clenched his fist. "He outright got blown up, Asriel. It was crazy lucky that he was able to barely survive it. Emphasis on barely. If he didn't pull through..."

"...I know." Asriel sighed, shaking his head. "Chara...did...did you really kill one of them...?"

"Yeah. Right when I had the chance to finish him, I finished him. No delay." Chara responded easily. "We had to put them down like the dogs that they were. Not nice, kind, loyal dogs like the Pack, Asriel. Rabid dogs. Sometimes...those dogs just happen to look like terrible people." Chara said chillingly, but Asriel wasn't too affected, just saddened. He already knew that this side of Chara hasn't completely gone away. "I know Frisk probably would have wanted us to spare them...but you saw the look in their eyes, Asriel. Didn't you? They weren't going to stop hurting good people no matter what we said to them. There are going to be more cases like that."

"...I know." Asriel nodded numbly, staring at hs feet with half-lowered eyes. "It's not like I don't understand the circumstances...I just wished it could have been better. I said 'Don't Kill, and Don't Be Killed' would be the best we could go for...but I never said that it could always work out that way. I also remember that I said not every situation can be solved with kindness. I'm not going to be a hypocrite and denounce that statement. Still...that doesn't mean I won't at least try. After all, we succeeded with you when you were at your worst, didn't we...?"

"My connection to you, Frisk, Asgore, and Toriel was the only reason I had a chance at all. In other words, I lucked out. Others won't be so fortunate, and we can't gamble with innocent lives until we get it right...that wouldn't be fitting of a Prince to do that with his people, would it?"

"...No. No it wouldn't. We'll find ways to solve problems that will never resort to that. Whether they be easy...or difficult."

Another moment of silence passes between them...though this time, someone else breaks it.

"There you boys are...!" They both blinked as Muffet and Red were both making their way towards them, both wearing concerned expressions. They did their best to ease their own tense looks so they wouldn't have more reason to be worried about them. Though considering what they would soon have to tell them, this wouldn't last very long. Red, being slightly faster than the other, made it to them first. Muffet was walking alongside her beloved pet, whom was still enlarged and seemed awfully happy and cheery itself, for obvious reasons. Muffet sighed as she stopped in front of them, pushing her hair away from her eyes. "We were worried about you boys. What are doing out here by yourselves?"

"Once we were sure that Frisk was alright, we decided to hang out on our own. We wanted some time to ourselves for a bit." Asriel said while nodding towards them. "So...uh...Muffet...I heard that your pet actually...um..." Asriel rubbed his neck with an awkward sigh. "Is your pet okay...?"

"Huh? You're talking about how my pet gobbled those two up like morsels?" Muffet blinked as she gently pats her pet's cheek, and it happily murrs at the contact. "Well, my dear pet doesn't seem to have gotten a tummyache, so I'd say that it was all fine and dandy." Muffet...didn't seem to have any qualms about the fact that her enlarged pet mercilessly devoured two human enemy mages. The main thing she was worried about was if they gave said pet indigestion, nothing else.

"Anyway, what else is tha matter with you two? It seems to be much more than all this fisaco and being worried about Frisk." Red asked with slightly narrowed silver eyes, her hood pushed back.

Asriel and Chara looked at one another; their eyes were having a silent conversation of their own, and they were coming to some sort of agreement. A very sound and firm agreement. They couldn't hide the truth from them anymore. They had to be completely honest. Asriel sighed and turned towards them, feeling the need to go first. "Red...Muffet...there's something we need to tell you. It's...it's very important that you know this about us, as well as Frisk."

"How you feel afterwards...we won't blame you in the slightest. But we're not gonna keep it from you anymore. Not after all this craziness that seems mostly aimed at us and our family." Chara elaborated slightly. Muffet and Red blinked slightly, before they both nodded, willing to heed their words.

Asriel and Chara told the both of them everything significant. Their beginnings together, the incident with the Golden Flowers, Asriel's death, Frisk's involvement, the timelines with drastically different events, their brief brothers feud, and their reconciliation. Muffet and Red listened intently. Red was obviously more shocked than Muffet, who seemed to be taking most of it in stride, and was showing more interest than shock. Brief lapses of surprise at best, but not outright unbelievable shock. They were also able to easily understand that these two weren't making any of this up, giving how solemn and serious their eyes became when they recalled all of it up to now.

They eventually finished, with a deep breath of finality. They didn't say anything afterwards, they simply hung their heads and waited silently for Muffet and Red to give their responses. They were anxious, but they couldn't take it back now, nor were they interested in doing such a thing. They expressed their complete honesty in their fall and their rise, their deaths and their revival, their sins and their path of atonement...they couldn't, and wouldn't fake anything about any of that.

...Muffet reacted first.

"Hmmm...my unwillingness to leave my nest cost me my life in a different time...that sounds like me alright. Lukcily I kinda fixed that." Muffet said with a nod. Red seem completely flabbergasted by Muffet's near-nonchalant response to everything she just heard.

"Muffet...is that all you have to say about this?"

"...Actually, there is." Muffet nodded as she turned back towards Chara. Chara noticed the gentle smile gracing her lips. "Chara-Dearie...I won't pretend that I will be completely able to understand what your experiences were. But that's fine. Because regardless of my lack of complete understanding, I want to help you anyway. I have full confidence in you, that you can overcome the mental and real-world obstacles that try to hold you back from what you wish to be.. All I ask of you is to reach out to me, tell me when and how I can help...and I'll gladly lend you a hand. All six of them.~"

Chara was completely baffled by Muffet's devoted desire to helping him overcome his issues, regardless of whether or not she has a deep understanding of them. It didn't matter to her. She listened to his story and didn't judge him. All she wanted to do was help him through his troubles however she can, whenever she can.

"Muffet...just like that? After hearing all of that, of what I did...you're seriously willing to help me regardless of all of that? Why...?"

Muffet smiled. "I can be a simple girl, Chara. I want money, I work for it through my parlor. I dote on my spiders and pet, I find the means to do so. And the basic premise of your story is that you feel horrible for being bad and now you genuinely want to be good...really, what other reason do I need?" She then takes gentle hold Chara's head, lightly kissed his cheek, then sits back a little as she places the back of his head on her lap. She smiled while tenderly running a hand through his rough and messy hair. Chara was very surprised by the gesture, but simply closed his eyes and calmly rested. Muffet smiled softly at this. "Take a little rest, Chara-Dearie. You've had quite a rough and tiring day."

Asriel and Red were observing the two of them with various amounts of curiosity. The latter was quite surprised by Muffet in particular. Not only did she take some rather shocking revelations about Asriel and Chara in stride, she offered to help Chara anyway regardless of that fact. How strange; Muffet can be mischievous, sneaky, and sometimes outright naughty. But these short but significant bits of maturity she shows during moments like these show that while Red is more serious as well as stronger than Muffet, Muffet is ultimately the more mature of the two, and a deeper thinker than she lets on. Red shook her head as she turned towards Asriel.

"Hey, Asriel."

"Oh. Yes, Red?" Asriel blinked, turning towards Red with a bit of confusion.

Red nodded strongly, and Asriel took quick notice that her appearance changed slightly with the revelation of her silver soul. According to Geno Alphys, her silver soul was the Soul of Intuition. She was able to use it's power to detect danger by level of intensity, but not the exact danger or origin. She also retained her silver eyes, gained sharper ears and fangs, and a longer-and fluffier-tail. She was now a canine closely resembling a wolf. But for now, there were more important things to speak about.

"Asriel. Unlike Muffet, I literally have close to NO understanding with everything you've told me. But I do know that it doesn't matter. I know that you're a good person. And you don't like to kill. I, on the other paw, don't have such qualms if it will save and protect the innocent." Red began, taking a deep breath, and sighing. "So...you just keep being the shield for monsterkind, and save those that can be saved. While I act as the blade cutting down those who can't be redeemed, and are still intent on being a threat to everyone we care for. Let me bear that burden for you, Asriel. I promise you I can handle it." She proved this by what she did it earlier today, to an Owdium preparing to kill Papyrus. Not even a flinch.

Asriel sighed. His views on kindness not being the answer to everything truly exposed itself today. Sometimes there was no use in reading a person to try and find the good in them, when there is no such thing within them. Their atttempt to defy this before such extreme examples nearly got Frisk and Papyrus killed. It wasn't a lesson either would enjoy, but it would surely stick now. As they said, Chara may be a rare case. Still, he did agree that they at least had to try.

"...I'll...I'll be sure to consider it." Asriel decided. Red nodded, accepting the answer for now. Asriel slowly reached for her paw, and gently holds it. "Thank you for your help, Red. I appreciate it." Asriel smiled fondly towards her. Red could only turn her head away quickly in order to hide her growing blush, forgetting she wears a cowl. Muffet and Chara lightly chuckled, while naive Asriel was confused by how she was acting. For the moment, they would recover from the incident. For a moment, everything would be fairly peaceful.

...Emphasis on moment.

It's been three days since the siege. Alvina has been a bit stressed as of late, trying to keep the commotion from getting too out of hand. And that has not been easy on her, and she's lost at least a few hours of sleep each day that passed, and sometimes forgot to eat. Temmie has been working a bit harder in response, playing a much more active in making sure that she didn't collapse from exhuastion. Bringing her warm blankets on the colder times, and air conditioning on the hotter times. In other words, Temmie was slipping in some caretaking alongside being a secretary. She was really worried about Alvina, but she insisted that she could push on. There wasn't anything that could sway her or deter her.

...Until now.

Temmie suddenly pushes through the doors with papers in her arms as she waddled up to Alvina's desk, and hopping on top of it. "MisS MaooyoR!~ YoU hev v1isTOrs!~"

"I, um...can't really take visitors right now, Temmie. Can it wait...?" Alvina asked politely.

"No, Ally. Afraid not."

Alvina immediately stood up from her chair at the voice. Her eyes widened with disbelief as the doors were pushed open.

The one leading it was a women that looke much like her but a bit older, wearing a black dress and having darker red hair. Behind her, were the rest: A man with trimmed red hair and a beard stood behind her in a business suit. Behind him was an elderly man with no hair at all and was moving around in a wheelchair, his lower half covered by a blanket. The one pushing him around was one around his age as well, except she could still walk on her own, but not well. She was wearing a brown robe to cover her dark pink pajamas. Guess she didn't bother changing. Balanced aound her neck was a red-furred cat, with obsidian eyes, meowing quietly. And finally there was a young man closest to her age standing behind the woman in front, mostly wearing more casual suit, without the top half but keeping it over his shoulder.

Alvina slowly smiled. "Oh...my family...my family is here...how nice...hooraayyyy~" She said wth a bit of a tremble. Temmie didn't notice it at the time, and as she recalls this memory, desparately wished that she did. Alvina was putting on a happy smile and cheerful demeanor so she wouldn't alarm her. That she was actively happy to see her parents, grandparents, and brother here. And they got a cat, apparently. No. What she was feeling wasn't a welcoming emotion that symbolizes a family reunion. Family reunions are supposed to be times of happiness. So Temmie wondered...

...Why wasn't Alvina happy...?

Out of one arc and into another. 'Six Children Revival Arc' to simply the 'Alvina' arc. No breaks on this one?! What is this madness?!(Well as described, they had three days, but STILL) but don't worry, readers. I already know exactly what I'll do for this entirety of this arc, and good news, it's gonna be four to five chapters. So its not going to be named parts' or anything, it won't be named that way. Just a heads-up.

Asriel: I hope everything will be alright...

Chara: But just in case, I'm keeping my guard up.