This one's gonna be a short intro, because I simply want ya to experience the chapter ahead.
Strange-sounding, sure does! That...and this chapter is long enough as it is. Then again, the past few chapters have been long, so let's not make it any worse.
Chapter Start!
Asriel opened his eyes first. He rubbed his eyes a little and sits up in his bed...then realized that he was somehow in his bed. He blinked owlishly and looks around. His brothers were here with him, both still being asleep. He could see his scarf neatly folded on the dresser to his right, along with Chara's poncho. He took a moment to collect his thoughts and try to remember the last thing that happened.
He and his family were fighting Photoshop Flowey. He used Hyper Goner to finish the fight for good, then Flowey calmed down. They each talked for a little bit, then they shook paw and vine. Then he said something strange.
At this very moment, until after I do what I'm about to do, I'm a living cheat code. And like Smiley Trashbag, for the sake of everyone, I'm perfectly okay with cheating a little.
"MY CHILDREN!"
"BOYS!"
Chara and Frisk were startled awake, with Asriel himself turning towards their doorway. Toriel and Asgore burst into the room, the former wearing her nightdress and the other in simple shirt and pants. Toriel immediately rushed over to the boys and pulled them into a big, maternal hug. It didn't take them very long to notice that not only did Toriel forcibly shake herself awake, but she had comically large, relieved tears gushing from her eyes.
They didn't comment on it. She's earned to cry a bit today.
"Oh my goodness, my precious babies! You're all alright!" Toriel babbled while hugging all three of them. Asriel arguably received the brunt of it, being smothered in the center of her ample motherly bosom. This was fine with him, as well as his brothers. Considering what all of them were barely able to survive, they definitely wouldn't try to keep her from having her cuddles...though they would gently tap her shoulders to let her know that they needed air to breathe.
"Mom...unlike stuffed toys, we need oxygen to breathe." Chara muffled.
Toriel briefly apologized and eased her hug, but definitely didn't let go of them. The boys sighed with relief while gently returning said hug. They didn't forget about Asgore, either. Asriel and Chara shifted a bit and made way to hug him as well. The good King appreciated this, and gently hugged them as well.
It was a Dreemurr Hug-Fest, and none of them were complaining.
"We're relieved to see that you're all alright." Asgore sighed as he takes a seat on their bed, bashfully proceeding to ignore the creaking nose it made from his weight. "That was quite a scary ordeal we've went through."
"You're right, that was pretty intense." Chara observed. "And it doesn't look like you or Mom got out unscathed."
Indeed. Asgore had a large and vicious scar right in his side, courtesy of the dark ice spike spike impaling him through. And Toriel had a slash scar across her cheek and a larger one across her stomach, after being struck by a Kaiju-sized Akai that took all of her current power to knock down and keep down. The wounds were greatly faded and healed, but it was clear that they aren't ever fully going away.
Asriel chuckled nervously. "I guess we can say that we all have something physical to share. We each have some pretty obvious scarring." He said while thinking to his severely burned paw, the fur having never came back fully. Then there's the scar across Chara's eye, along with his loss of an arm. And the X-shaped scar across Frisk's chest, ironically representing the symbol that accompanied the 'Mercy' option.
"Well...I don't really mind." Asgore began with a smile. "Sure, these scars are pretty obvious, but that's fine. These scars can be a symbol of how we survived those battles."
"Barely." Chara huffed.
Frisk turned towards Toriel with a tilted head. "Well...Mom is still very pretty, even with the scar across her cheek."
"Thank you, sweetie." Toriel smiles towards him. Frisk smiles back, with his eyes gently opening. Toriel gasped. "F-Frisk! Your eyes! You opened them fully!" It was pretty obvious that Frisk's eyes have been hidden rather well for as long as everyone has known him. So seeing Frisk's full open eyes after getting used to seeing them closed-and of course having time to process it, now that the fighting has died down-it was quite a surprise.
"I...didn't really put a lot of thought into opening my eyes. I could still see well enough that way." Frisk began. "Having been around the kind of people I have before I met all of you, I didn't really want them to see my eyes. It's that quote where the eyes are the windows to the soul, but they weren't willing to look through them, just at what they perceived me. So I kept my eyes closed...and I've gotten used to keeping them that way while still being able to navigate somewhat effectively."
"Picking on you for something out of your control wasn't enough. They picked apart your appearance as well." Chara grumbled. He could definitely relate there. His eyes were a deep crimson...some say a demonic crimson. No points for guessing where that lead to.
Toriel of course got her own words in, lightly cupping Frisk's face with a smile. "Frisk...your eyes are beautiful."
Frisk blinked a bit, his mouth slightly open in surprise. "Really...?"
"Of course, Frisk." Asgore smiled. "Crystal Blue for one, and Gold for the other. As you say about eyes being windows for the soul, perhaps we shall say they represent your youth, inexperience, and purity of heart for the former, and your heart of gold for the latter? Of course that's a hopeful interpretation."
"It is also one we can get support." Toriel lightly kissed his forehead, then hugged him once again. "From what we've been told of your past, and what you just told us about your eyes just now, having fully opened them indicates a vast increase of your self-confidence. And that is something to be proud of, my child."
Frisk smiles softly and returns her hug, gently nuzzling into her warm bosom with a comforted sigh. "That's...really nice. Thank you, Mom. Though...I might still keep my eyes closed from time to time, out of habit."
"Whatever you want, sweetie. We will continue accepting you, wholeheartedly."
A soft rumble was soon heard, interrupting the moment.
"What was that...?" Asriel blinked.
"I know what it is. One of us is pretty hungry." Chara mumbled. Really, they all were. But who was most eager to eat right now?
"I wonder who's tummy that belongs t-" The stomach rumbles turned into a stomach roar. And the culprit...Toriel. Her eyes widened and she pulled away with her arms around her stomach, her entire head turning bright pink. "Goodness gracious, that was my tummy!"
"Well boys, we'd better get Teacher Toriel some breakfast. Her Tum-Tum Tactfully demands it." Asgore chuckled."
"T-Those alliterations don't work as well as you think they do!" Toriel mumbled in embarrassment. Though the idea of breakfast sounded like the best thing in the world right now.
Grrrr!
The very best.
"Good Lord...!" Toriel gasped, her blush deepening even further as her tummy roars even louder than before, furiously and impatiently demanding a sacrifice. The boys chuckle aloud at this as Asriel looks outside. Going outside for brunch was a good idea. It would be an excuse to go outside and see what Flowey has done to the city.
How better to gauge the change than by seeing it for themselves?
Ebott wasn't exactly a prestigious city. It wasn't completely BAD by any overall means in terms of it's structure. It was very average, but an okay kind of average. Not much was too big, not much was too small. Sometimes it got rowdy, but it was fairly minimal. Crimes was about, but that's almost completely disappeared at this point. Over all, Alvina definitely made sure that Ebott was a self-sufficient city. Maybe it wasn't the BEST, but it was enough for those that resided in it.
...NOW, however...it felt like the entire city has been through a very thorough upgrade.
First, while it wasn't exactly a tiny city, it definitely wasn't sure large either. So the fact that there were several more improved buildings than usual, along with newly established roads that definitely weren't there before, it sure seemed very strange. And it wasn't simply the city's either. A bit of land outside the city has suddenly gained quite a bit of rich farmland for farmers to better do business in. The city has become at least thrice as big, and seems to have the materials, structure, and funds to support such an increase in both size and quality. One of the strangest parts about this is that the humans don't seem to be too mindful about this sudden change. Even more so, they believe that it's always been this way. Well, most who weren't too aware of how it got to this point, anyway.
Some of the most major contributions of them all are the vastly improved City Hall inside and out, much to Alvina's appreciation. Toriel's school having been completely repaired, bigger, and better than ever. Built to hold many more students, facilities to suit different styles and subjects of teaching, gyms, massive lunchroom, it was amazing. There was also an expansive lab around the center of the city, where many scientific ideas could be born and brought into reality, with the tech, space, and energy to match. Also, there seem to a much more higher degree of energy throughout the entire city. That would seem to be the cause of something very familiar. And throughout all of this, someone came to a significant detail.
"Guys! At least half of these improvements were from my own design!" Alphys mumbled in excitement while having pancakes stuffed in her mouth. "Most of these architectural designs were of my own making! Toriel's school, Alvina's Mayor Hall, the new Lab on the Surface! Sure, Darkness helped me on a few beginning sketches and finalization, but I came up with them!"
"Hell yeah ya did, babe." Undyne beamed, the cute scientist sitting comfortably on her lab as she eats her breakfast. Most of the gang were at Grillby's. And it too got a more sophisticated makeover while still remaining somewhat the same in spirit, and Sans was definitely okay with that.
"I know, but...I didn't expect to actually have these designs fulfilled to completion for several months, even with magic to help us." Alphys mumbled while swallowing said pancakes and went with orange juice in paw. "But then we wake up, mostly healed in the morning, and suddenly many of these things have come into fruition overnight as if they've always been there. I mean, how did that even happen?! Oh these are sooo good..."
"...Flowey." Chara muttered easily, biting into a chocolate muffin. "He said that he was going to 'cheat' a bit so that we might have a better chance at better lives. Needless to say, with the much bigger, stronger, better city, as well as the resources to support such sudden growth...yeah, there was definitely a bit of shortcuts taken. MASSIVE ones." He shrugged. "I'm totally cool with it though."
"ain't no argument here." Sans shrugged with his feet up on a table a few spaces away...and of course the pink bunny slippers make their fabulous return. "the easier our development, the better our overall growth. i don't mind a few shortcuts if they help in the long run. i take those all the time."
"Quite obvious, that is." Gaster said stoically while standing beside him and Papyrus. His obvious and sudden appearance was indeed noted as peculiar.
"SO, DR. GASTER." Papyrus began curiously, while rubbing his bone chin.
"Please, Papyrus. I know it's been a while, and I apologize for not being there for a very long time." Gaster raised a hand. "But...do you mind calling me Father? Or Dad? Something along those lines. I know it's a high request for me to make, for someone you haven't known or remembered for a while. But...can you indulge me...?"
"...WOWIE! WE HAVE A DAD, SANS!~" Papyrus beamed brightly. He accepted that rather easily, despite his curiosity. "OR MORE LIKE, OUR FATHER HAS RETURNED? WELL, EITHER WAY, WE HAVE A DAD! OH THIS IS SUCH A JOYOUS DAY!"
"yup. gaster's our dad. our gaster blaster master is gonna be our dadster." Sans grinned.
"...SANS. I LITERALLY JUST SAID THAT THIS WAS A JOYOUS DAY...AND THEN YOU DROP THAT MESS ON ME." Papyrus glared. "WHY DO YOU INSIST ON RUINING MY ENJOYMENT OF THESE THINGS...?"
"you're smilin' tho.~"
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT OKAY!" Papyrus shouted while grabbing Sans by the collar of his jacket and began shaking him about in exasperation. Sans was completely nonchalant about it, smiling rather proudly at his wordplay.
"Hm~" Gaster hummed while Grillby handed him two drinks, with two floating hands taking them, while the hands connecting to his arm grabbed several biscuits. Indeed, he can find himself adapting to everyone's eccentricity quite well. "Thank you, good friend."
Asgore and Asriel were in a bit of amused shock as they watched their wife/mother down as much brunch as she could. Of course they were eating quite a lot as well, but Toriel had much more on her plates than then at the moment, and the food occupying the plates vanished very quickly. Each of them expended quite a lot of energy, even if it replenished with this sudden 'reboot' of their home city. Eventually she did pace herself and take a brief break from her brunch binge, leaning back while rubbing her tummy, satiated by the 'sacrifices' she offered it.
"Hoo...forgive me, boys. I was quite unsightly for a while." Toriel says with a mild hiccup while lightly smiling towards them. She dressed casually late in the morning, wearing her flower-patterned muu-muu. Asgore wasn't bothered at all, only marveling at how cute she was during those moments. Asriel simply smiled, this was normal by now. She turned towards the entrance of the restaurant, looking very pleased ti see a certain trio. Gerson, Adam, and Alvina. They were alright as well. "Ah! You three made it as well, without incident I hope."
"...More or less." Adam sweat-dropped, as Alvina kept moving as if there was nothing wrong with the very real beast bunny ears sticking from her head. "Alvina's got her magic. Apparently it's Beast Magic she awakened purely upon instinct...and I realize this magic fits her quite well. She behaves like a beast, anyway."
"How so?"
"The lass can't be tamed. Waha!" Gerson chuckled with a cough as he takes his own seat. "How you doin' lass? I know ya remember what ya did to Aindreas, Literally beat him to death despite the vast experience between the both of you."
"I'm fine." Alvina waved off, her bunny ears flicking a bit. "I don't really feel bad about offing that bastard, though I definitely didn't expect to be able to do so." And they could tell she meant it, too. Both not expecting to awaken her magic to protect her brother and Gerson, but not regretting killing Aindreas. There's only so many things she can bear before she gets violently tired of it, and that includes attacks on her city when she can do nothing about it. "Though I'm still trying to get a hold on this magic...kinda actin' up on it's own, as you can see." She huffed, her bunny ears flapping a bit.
"You'll require a lot of practice with your magic, dear. You obviously have the immense free will to retain a majority of your personality while transformed, despite the dark magic within you bringing out the most bestial of their forms, but you don't really decide what you transform into. Plus, you're unable to speak while transformed." Gaster informed calmly. "Though I'm not too worried, Adam will most likely help you. It might take a while, but you might find this to be a very useful magic."
"I hope so. I don't wanna have to wake up with my arms turning in wings without my consent. Can't change clothes with those." Alvina mumbled while gratefully drinking the coffee that Temmie gleefully stretched towards her. "Thanks, Tem. I owe you a whole bunch."
"We1coM3!~" Temmie beamed while returning to her own seat. With all the seriousness having gone down, Temmie is cheerful and wacky again. Alvina really missed that, for some strange yet warm and friendly reason.
"You awakened your magic. Amazing! I'm glad you're alright." Frisk said with a smile, opening his eyes to her, which caused her own to widen.
"Oh my God, Frisk. You fully opened your eyes! It's been so long since you've done that fully!" Alvina said excitedly. "I'm glad you chose to do so, they'e such beautiful eyes! There's no need to hide them away so often!"
"...You know what, I JUST noticed that! Damn, Frisk! Those are some cool blinkers ya have!" Undyne exclaimed with a grin while leaning closer to him. "Both of them are practically glittering!"
"They're so pretty...also, this is some pretty good OJ..." Alphys said while sipping said orange juice.
"Oi, Frisk. Show those blinkers more often, alright? They're really good. Point me towards anyone who tells ya different! I'll give em' a good old fashion suplex through the ground!"
Frisk smiled fondly towards them, feeling much better about his own eyes. Course he wouldn't want Undyne suplexing people who thought differently about his eyes, he did appreciate the sentiment.
Undyne sighed as she sits back with her arms spread across her seat. Alphys leans back as well, her belly sufficiently filled, leaning back against Undyne's chest rather absentmindedly. Undyne seemed to be in deep thought, and decided to change the subject to something more serious. "Hey...I'm glad everyone's alright. For real, I am."
"So are we, Undyne." Asgore said with a soft smile.
"I mean, I KNOW all of us got out of that mess alive, we even got a pretty sweet trade-off for it. Papyrus's and Sans' Dad is back from the Void, and I guess that's pretty good. And yet...I still feel a bit hurt." Undyne mumbled, reaching out a bit to lightly feel her soul beating, as well as her heart. "Even though I know in my mind and heart that everyone made it out safely...I still have an aching feeling that we've lost someone. Someone important to us. And I feel seriously shitty for not remembering who they are in the slightest..."
Gaster showed immense shock on his face, but only for a fraction of a second. That's impossible...Geno Alphys shouldn't be remembered by anyone, down to their very subconscious. Yet Undyne...?
"...I don't know. Maybe I'm just imagining it. But if I'm not...I don't want to lose anyone else." Undyne said resolutely.
Gaster lowered his eyes as he clenched his fist. Geno Alphys...of course Undyne is the one to feel some semblance of your loss, even if it's a fleeting one. I swear, I will prove worthy of your sacrifice. Indeed, we shall not lose anyone else.
Soon enough, everyone was pretty much done with their brunch. Sans raised a hand. "hey. how about you guys check upon the others that accompanied ratoveros and aindreas? we spared them, and they're likely to be incapacitated right now. me and paps got our own thing to work out, so we'll catch up with you at a later time."
"Yup. I checked. They're all sitting tight in cells. They're not going anywhere. And to be honest, I don't think they want to." Undyne muttered. "...In fact, the Pack is there as well. And a few others are looking for Alphys...there's a lot of important things to go through, apparently."
"Very well. Meanwhile, we shall accompany you. It does seem like they've something important to say." Asgore said with a soft nod. The other Dreemurrs nodded in support of this.
"Alright then. After this, we can go and look for Flowey." Frisk nodded, and the others agreed. They definitely needed to chat with the flower about this when they get the chance. Each have paid for their rather large brunches and some went their separate ways, with the aforementioned group members that would accompany Undyne and Alphys to the prison. And besides, Asriel and Chara wanted to see of Red and Muffet were doing alright. So with their minds cleared, they would soon be on their way.
One unruly belch rang out.
"...Pardon me." Toriel shyly whispered, blushing madly again.
"Nice.~" Undyne chuckled to herself.
"...Oh my God." That was all Alphys could mutter due to the sight in front of her. "This...this can't be. This is impossible. It should have been impossible!"
"Well babe, clearly it was possible, and the evidence is right in front of you." Undyne said while patting the stunned scientist's shoulders. She too was surprised, but she was also glad, in a way. There, right in front of her. The Amalgamates: Reaper Bird. Lemon Bread. Endogeny. Snowdrake's Mother. All of them who were thought to have been permanently fused together...
Each of them have been separated into their own components, their own bodies. They were standing around each other's loved ones, who were in tears that they were suddenly able to see them again and in their own bodies. The Packs other family members within Endogeny have been separated into their own monsters, with the Pack happily nuzzling their restored family members. Reaper Bird has been separated into their own monsters. Snowdrake's Mother has been returned to normal, leaving Snowdrake himself bawling his eyes out in sheer happiness and joy, with his Father nearby trying not to break down in happiness as well. Lemon Bread was separated as well, leaving Shyren to tearfully reunite with her restored sister in a subdued, but just as happy manner.
It was all too much for Alphys to clearly comprehend.
"H-How...why...?" Alphys muttered. She was clearly on the verge of crying. It was a miracle she's always dreamed of but thought would never come true. And yet here it was, right in front of her.
"How ironic." Gaster stated with his arms behind his back, a floating hand caressing his chin... "It seems that out of everyone on an individual level, Flowey went the farthest for Alphys. Not that he didn't go far for everyone else, but he definitely went very, very far for her."
That was an understatement. Bringing her biggest contributing projects to Ebott to life, restoring the Amalgamates to their original forms...this was a lot of kindness towards the very person responsible for his existence, which hasn't always been a good thing.
"...I...I need a minute, Undyne. Please, go in without me..." Alphys mumbled while taking off her glasses and wiping her tears. When she sees Flowey, she's going to give him SO many kisses.
"Right, Al. Take your time." Undyne said in understanding as she sweetly kisses her head. She takes a deep breath and continues onward, pushing through the doors with the Pack saluting her on the way. As for the ones waiting inside...well...
"CHAAAAARAAAAA-DEEEEAARRRIIIEEE!~"
Chara immediately sidesteps Muffet attempting to pounce him from the wall she stuck to, forcing her to gracefully land on her feet with a disappointed pout.
"Darn. Why did you dodge...?"
"It was too obvious." Chara deadpanned.
"I told you it wouldn't work." Red muttered with a roll of her eyes. Though once she saw Asriel, she ran up to him and gave him a cuddly hug. "Are you alright? Heard you got into quite a heavy fight. You didn't get yourself seriously hurt, did you?"
"A little." Asriel chuckled softly as he rubbed his neck. "It wasn't anything we couldn't handle, though. We're all okay now, right?"
"I guess...it was really ruff." ...The two were giggling before they knew it. It was so bad, which was why Toriel was laughing as well. Red nonetheless regained her focus by coughing into her paw, turning towards the hallway. "They're down this hallway, Lady Undyne. They're waiting for you."
"Right, thanks." Undyne nodded as she lead the way down the hallway with the others following right behind her. Things seemed to be slightly tense, realizing that Parvos would be there, looking like quite the intimidating feline...more like being completely relaxed since he didn't seem to care about his incarceration that much. And Undyne was right to suspect this, as she reached the cells and saw that Shamir, Ribras, Rasha, Lesser Cat and Greater Cat were the ones guarding his specific cell. Dynamo was smoking slightly in his cell with Dyra resting on his lap. Will was curled on the ground watching everyone carefully. Akai and Warkie were gathered close to Dyra and Dynamo, looking quite shy from Undyne's even more intimidating presence. She stopped in front of Parvos' cell, who was more restrained than the others, and looked to be rather relaxed.
"...Smells like fish in here. Oh wait, there's one right in front of me." Parvos huffed while looking up towards her. "So, Warden. What's next for me? Lifelong imprisonment? Or simple execution? Either one doesn't really bother me that much."
Undyne took a deep breath, then sighed as she placed a hand on her hip. "I'm gonna cut to the chase. You're here to stay with us, and you're gonna spend quite a lot of time making up for the majority of bullshit you either caused for us or pushed into our direction."
Parvos blinked. "...Seriously?"
"I don't joke about things like this, Parvos. Your Father and I fought hard. If I didn't stop him, he was gonna keep killing others, so I killed him. I don't feel the least bit bad about it. But his last request involved making sure you kept living. Not surviving, living."
"Is there a difference?"
"...Dammit, that's how much he mentally messed you up?" Undyne groaned while scratching her head. "Of course there is. But apparently you're not too knowledgeable in that aspect, so we'll all have to show you ourselves."
Parvos blinked as he stood up and brushed himself off. "You're all really willing to take responsibility over a trouble-making feline like me?"
"Master Undyne takes hospitality VERY seriously." Asriel informed, helping Undyne fill in a few blanks in her explanation towards him. "Regardless of how she personally feels about you, she always takes care of people under her charge, no matter what. She'll try her best to teach you what she knows and to help you grow. She'll do her best to make sure you're comfortable and that you feel as welcome as you can be. And she'll do whatever she can to protect you, especially if she promises it. And she's not the kind of person to betray a promise of protection."
Parvos slowly turned towards Asriel, looking quite curious. "...She's your teacher, right? And a bit of a teacher for the Pup as well. I keep wondering, she always seems incredibly intense, while you're significantly more laid-back. I gotta say, that's an odd combination. Ya really take what she's teachin' you to heart?"
"Of course I do. Master Undyne definitely doesn't go easy on me when she has to be rough, Royalty or not. I wouldn't be able to learn otherwise." Asriel says quietly while placing a paw on his chest. "Of course she does plenty of harsh things in order to help and protect people, but she always does plenty of nice things to reassure them and give them hope. She's a hero. And there are two important aspects to being a hero that she always to adheres to. A hero has to win at all costs, and they also strive to help everyone they can. A balance between winning and saving."
"And that is why I chose Undyne to help groom Asriel as someone who can not only hold their own battle, but also do whatever it takes to win said battle while keeping innocent casualties as minimal as possible, preferably none at all. And just as importantly, help the people that need him" Asgore interjected with clasped paws. "Asriel is a Prince. As such, he has a solemn duty to not only protect his Kingdom and his people from threats, but to also help them strive to better themselves alongside him. The same duty applies to myself as King, and Toriel as Queen. In some ways, it's not too different from being a hero. Golly, royalty can be heroes to their people if they believed they could! And who better to train a Prince to be a Heroic Prince than a True Hero?'
"...think I'm getting an inkling on just how dangerous you all are." Parvos muttered. He slowly turned towards Shamir and the rest of his gang, with a bitter smile. "...Yo. Guys. I'm gonna have to offer my humblest apologies. I hope you can best me enough to try and return to your good graces."
Shamir slowly turned towards Parvos, and the two of them briefly made eye contact. Then they simultaneously nodded to one another. Ribras seemed content as well. Rasha, however... "...Get over here." She said lowly as her hand paw began heating up, and clenched into a fist.
Parvos sighed. "It's always the women...alright, hit me with your best shot." Parvos stood up and shook about a bit before bracing himself for the inevitable pain to come. Though not in the way he expected. Instead, Rasha simply heated her paw and pressed it hard against his chest. He hissed harshly but didn't pull back. She eventually relented, leaving s steaming paw mark, right over his heart. She lightly poked it afterwards, causing a wince. ...Was expecting something much worse..."
"There's your mark. We each have each other one over our hearts, we are once again connected and this time we'll stay that way." Rasha muttered seriously. "Through the good or bad, we don't leave each other again. We stick together, and we'll earn our place. Understood?"
"Hmph...yeah, I got it." Parvos huffed while folding his arms. "So...you were ALL marked on your chests, huh?~"
Rasha huffed, folding her arms under he breasts. "Nice try, Parvos. Only my husband gets to see, as he's the one who placed it on me. You just have to take our word for it."
"That so? Hey Dynamo, does that include your step-sister?"
"I will break your spine...over my knee...if you continue that line of thought."
"Got any good grub in this place?" Will said with a slight yawn.
"Ah. The team is back. How I missed you all.~"
Undyne rolled her eye as she stepped away from the cells and moved away with the others. She shook her head a bit while lightly pushing hair out of her face. First I'm in charge of dogs, then cats, and now lizards. While I'm grateful for a bigger squad, I sometimes wonder if I'm building a kennel instead.
"Are we all quite done here?~" Muffet's beamed as she latched onto Chara, nuzzling his cheek.
"...Not just yet. Still one more thing to take care of. Flowey." Chara mumbled. The others nodded in agreement as they followed them out. "He's really pulled the extra mile for all of us. Now we get to find out what he has to say for himself..."
"You make it sound like he did something horrible, Dearie. When it's nothing of the sort." Muffet's pouted slightly. "Take it easy on the poor flower. He likely feels everything and genuinely wanted to make amends."
"Oh, none of us really doubts that." Asriel shook his head while pushing out the doors. "But we want to hear what he has to say about it..."
It'll definitely be something, for sure.
Flowey looks overhead from where most of this started. The entrance of The Underground, as he looked over Ebott City. Well, from the massive upgrade he gave it with what remained of his Omega Flowey powers, it very well might as well be called New Ebott City. It was the least he could do after all the massive amounts of trouble he caused it under madness he didn't see coming. He'll expect the others to say something along the lines of 'its not your fault' or ''you couldn't have seen this coming'. Course he couldn't, he doesn't need to be told.
...Flowey couldn't help but groan and shake his head. "Things used to be so damn simple when we were in the Underground. Now that we're outside with all of this compounded crap, one after another, everything had to be so sodding complicated. And yet despite having the chance to return things to the way they were, I chose not to. Seriously, what in the hell was I thinking? Someone soulless like me shouldn't...be able...to..."
Flowey blinked. W-What the hell?! Something was wrong. Something was incredibly wrong. Or...incredibly right. He didn't know which. But it was strange all the same.
...Why can I feel...?
It wasn't him simply imitating these emotions, either. No. This was true, genuine emotion flowing through him. And it felt surreal, and strange, despite having felt this way WITH human souls. He shouldn't have been able to feel without them. So why...? He checked himself real quick. Everything felt the same. Except...
Except the floating soul right in front of him, gently pulsing. It was a mixture of grey and white, human and monster alike, but it was definitely a soul. But...that was impossible. Sure, he did do a lot of favors for everyone when he didn't have to, but even he wasn't able to give himself a soul. So how did...?
"You did good, Flowey." Lisa said with a soft smile. Flowey immediately turned around to see the other six children restored once again, looking good as new. Lisa adjusted her glasses. "You've come a long way, truly. I've written most of it down, actually.~"
"W-What is this...?" Flowey muttered.
"Ya see, it was becoming more and more surprising to us." Ace continued.
"You're Flowey the Flower. The results of an experiment gone both horribly right AND horribly wrong." Lizzie said with it her hands in her pockets.
"It turned you into a malevolent creature who can't feel any emotions, due to being completely soulless." Verena said softly.
"But from everything that's happened so far, that's changed. You've become more than a failed experiment. More than a soulless being. More than Asriel's former shadow. Throughout, you've managed to forge your own identity to the best of your ability." Richard smiled.
"And it all culminated to you making sure your loved ones not only have a bigger, better more stable home, but also a fighting chance in the battles that are sure to come. You've went so far for them when it mattered, even though you were soulless and therefore wouldn't get any extended benefits from it aside brief elation." Justin huffed while tilting his hat. "I'll definitely say that I'm very surprised by your actions. You really did impress us all."
"So, while you were doing what you were doing with our power, we took whatever we could. Half of that guy Ratoveros' soul, and half of Aindreas' soul, put them together...and made the new fusion soul yours." Lisa informed. "It's definitely not as powerful as Asriel's Rainbow Soul...but it can definitely serve it's purpose. Their influence is gone, the soul is now your own. We're sure you'll find much better use for it than those two."
"I...I don't know what to say..."
"You can say thank you, for a start." Lunar said from the entrance with her arms folded. When she said she would guard their bodies and keep them sustained until their souls returned, she did indeed kept that promise. What she didn't expect was everything afterwards.
"Yes, he can...but we don't have to say so for YOU!" Tempest protested, stomping his feet at his sister in aggravation. "Me and Darkness were put to sleep, yet you didn't find it within your best interest to wake us up and let us help them?!"
"Meh. Wanted them to handle it themselves. They clearly have the power and the drive, so of course I'd want this win to mostly be theirs."
"And if they failed?"
"Pfft, they weren't gonna fail. You worry too much."
"And you don't worry enough! You do NOT get to be nonchalant about this!"
"Thus, some amount of normalcy has been restored...with some changes." Darkness sighed with a tired smile. They would be arguing about this for hours. He had a good book to read in the meantime.
Flowey still couldn't believe what happened, even though both the children and the dragons disappeared into the caverns. He could genuinely feel a swirl of emotions within him. Though two of them emerged the most.
Confusion. And Joy.
He can actually feel.
"Flowey. You've got a lot of explaining to do, mister!" Frisk called out before the others, who were following him up the hill. Asriel, Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Papyrus and Sans were among them, with Gaster following a decent distance behind. Muffet and Red were even further behind, to give them privacy. This particular subject would easier for the main monsters involved with Flowey to understand. Flowey turned around to meet them face to face, and Frisk was the first one to stop. Frisk's expression switched from curiosity to worry. "Flowey? Are you okay? You're..."
"You're crying." Asriel finished.
Flowey looked up towards them with a very small smile. "I...I have a soul of my own...I...I can feel..."
"What?!" Alphys gasped, surprised at the revelation.
"I have a soul. I feel GENUINE emotion!" Flowey said with an enlarging smile. "I feel a sense of camaraderie, friendship, love, and protectiveness towards all of you! Wait...there's still a bit of hatred left over..." Flowey turned to Sans with a frown. "I actually still kinda hate you."
"that figures."
Flowey briefly explained how this came to be, at least regarding what he was told. And when he finished, he could see all of them looking a mix of confused, yet happy for the flower. Asriel and Frisk especially, considering their relationship with him. Chara simply feels grateful for the others being considerate enough to do this for Flowey. After all, everyone managed to save them a third time, they must have been feeling rather grateful towards everyone. And they were greatly impressed with what Flowey did for the others. Speaking of which.
"Flowey. You used all of your remaining power to do all of this?" Asgore said while waving his arm out towards the new and vastly improved city.
"I mean, so many things. The restored city, the cured Amalgamates, certain architect plans of mine reaching fruition, everyone is healed...you did so much for us in the briefest of moments after all the trouble you caused." Alphys said while clasping her paws and walking up towards him. Then, as she mentally promised, she bends down and lightly kisses his petals and face several times. "Thank you...thank you...!"
"...You're welcome." Flowey feels connected to Alphys gratitude, and is actually able to appreciate it...and it feels great. "You're very welcome." The irony doesn't escape him. Once upon a time, he hated Alphys more than Sans, specifically because she's the reason for his painful existence. But now...he couldn't bring himself to hate her anymore.
He can bring himself to hate Sans, though. Smiley Trashbag makes it too easy.
"This is huge, Flowey. You've made so many contributions with one grand action. That's both incredibly gracious and highly impressive." Alphys continued slightly.
Flowey nodded. "Yeah. I guess I've went up and beyond for you all. You'd better appreciate it..." Flowey mumbled grumpily. It would take some getting used to, having feelings and all. He's still in his usual grumpy mindset. Due to being one of the more jaded members of the faction, it's unlikely to change too much.
Gaster hummed softly as he clasped his hands behind his back. "Indeed, you've made grand improvements to the city as a whole, and the citizens themselves don't seem to notice the difference much. It's like it's always been this way. However...you've definitely took it a step further."
Flowey didn't comment, though the comment did leave several of them curious. "HOW SO? HE'S DONE SO MUCH ALREADY IN ONE FELL SWOOP. WHAT ELSE COULD HE HAVE DONE?"
"...Everyone. Flare your magic. Just a little." Gaster requested simply. The others blinked owlishly at his request, before they fulfilled said request and flared their magic for several moments...it was all that's needed to get the point across.
Their magic, all if their magic has gotten significantly denser. Larger. More expanding.
"WHA...WHAT IS THIS...?" Papyrus said after the surprised silence died away and turned into curiosity. "I'M FEELING QUITE A LOT OF MAGIC RADIATING FROM MYSELF...I DON'T THINK IT WAS THERE BEFORE..."
"A much larger magic pool to draw from. Flowey has drastically increased how much magic you can draw from at a time." Gaster explained, his own magic flaring a bit to demonstrate that he has it as well. "Greatly enhanced magic reserves to call upon before getting exhausted. That's one other thing Flowey has done for us."
"Intense..." Undyne muttered in surprise while clenching and unclenching her fists.
"And that isn't all." The others gaped at Gaster in disbelief. There's more? "It's not just us. Ours is simply among the greatest. Every monster, every human's, everyone's magic potential and reserves has been greatly increased, some more than others. Some drastically, some are simply enough to better handle and improve their everyday lives and/or defend themselves. Think of it as Flowey triggering a city-wide Magic Awakening, and giving them the intuition to handle at least know the very basics that are, again, meant to improve everyday life. Whether they choose to advance their magic or not is solely up to them. That way, the citizens will be able to somewhat take care of themselves against threats that aren't too drastic."
"...that's definitely more than simple generosity." Sans said, genuinely shocked. Flowey did much for the entire city and then some, and then some more. He assured that the City's main protectors have gotten and would get much stronger, and also assured that the citizens could better look after themselves.
Flowey was right. So much given to them, it definitely feels a bit like cheating. And even more, it sounded like something he would do. But doing it for their sake? That was unexpected to some of them.
Gaster rubbed his chin with closed eyes. "Let us see, I can try to accurately gauge our levels of sheer magic reserves from greatest to least." He hummed before each of his floating hands began pointing. "The strongest monsters in Ebott with immense magic reserves: Asriel, Asgore, Toriel, Undyne, myself, Gerson, Papyrus, Alphys, Mettaton, Red, Muffet, and Sans."
"HA! Smiley Trashbag remains the weakest! Not surprising in the least!~" Flowey cackled.
"now that's just rude..."
"VERY RUDE! FLOWEY, PLEASE APOLOGIZE TO SANS AND MAKE UP."
"No time for that. Now, in terms of humans with immense magic reserves: Frisk, Chara, Alvina, Adam, Justin, Lisa, Verena, Lizzie, Ace, Richard, Linda, and Helen."
"Linda and Helen...?" Toriel asked in intrigued surprise.
"Give them time." Gaster said cryptically. "And to clarify, these are in terms of how much magic they have within them. Implementing them in combat or otherwise is an entirely different matter."
Asgore hummed while stroking his beard, nodding his head. Memories of his past relation to Gaster have been returning slowly and surely...he remembers how much he trusted his word. As much as Gerson's. "Is there anything else Flowey that might have been altered...?"
"I don't believe so. If there have been further alterations, we'll have to wait and discover along the way." Flowey nodded in confirmation. If he did any more, not even he was aware of it at the moment. Asgore sighed at this, but accepted it as the way things currently are. With the confirmations given and no more questions about their newest increase in power to be asked, Gaster waved over to Red and Muffet, letting them know it was alright. The two girls caught up with them, and before they could say much, Gaster sighed. "You heard everything, did you?"
"H-"
"Canine ears are quite sensitive."
"Oh..."
"Oh well, what can you do about accidental eavesdropping?" Muffet shrugged casually.
"She could have easily closed her ears to it. She chose to keep them open." Chara informed her.
"Pish-Posh.~"
"...How did I know you were going to say something like that...?"
"Meh~"
"You're not even trying anymore."
"Bleh~"
"Muffet..."
"Pbblt!~"
"MUFFET!"
"AH! BACK TO OUR USUAL ANTICS! WOWIE, SUCH A BREATH OF FRESH AIR AFTER SUCH A VERY STRESSFUL AND LONG BATTLE!" Papyrus beamed while his scarf flowed in the upcoming wind. "NYEH! NOW WE CAN FINALLY ENJOY THE PEACE FOR THE TIME BEING." Sans smiled sadly at 'for the time being'. Even Papyrus realized that this sort of thing was not simply going to stop because he wishes for it.
"Yeah...for the time being. There's still some stuff we gotta work out in the meantime...I realized something while fighting Ratoveros. As much as I hated that guy, and as much as disagreed with much of what he said...one thing did strike out at me as something highly important." This gathered everyone's attention as she turned towards them with a serious glare. "Shit like this is only gonna get worse. And as we are, it's all going to completely overwhelm us, sooner or later. And the reason why? We've been standing alone. And not as individuals. As a city. As a Faction. From this point onward, that's clearly not gonna work anymore. We gotta make a change, and we have to make it soon."
"HOW DO YOU FIGURE, UNDYNE?"
"Well the way I see it, we've got two choices. One, we keep going on as we are until we get completely annihilated by the pressure. Two: If we wanna survive-"
"-we have to get stronger. In both personal power and trustworthy allies!" Alphys finished. Undyne snapped her fingers and pointed to her with a cheeky grin. Alphys twiddled her fingers nervously. "S-So what you're saying is..."
"In order to survive any further than this, we must venture outside our city-actually venture outside-and gather allies to form a strong and capable union..." Toriel sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose. Not because the idea was bad, but because she already knew how immensely difficult that would be. "Things used to be so simple..."
"I know, right?!" Flowey agreed in exasperation.
"I was being arrogant before. We're definitely not gonna stay alive for long by ourselves if we don't buddy up with others." Undyne said with folded arms. "So, after we take a bit of time to recover, the first thing we're gonna do is go out there, and find some strong allies!"
"sounds like a plan. a risky plan, but it beats one faction against who the hell knows how many. that...doesn't sound fun. no thanks." Sans said with a nervous chuckle.
After things quieted down slightly, the gang simply began chatting among themselves, showing relief for their newest respite after everything that's happened. Among them, Asriel and Chara were sitting next to Red and Muffet respectively. Muffet wasted no time laying her head on Chara's shoulder, very gently.
"Ah, Chara-Dearie. We're soon to be out on yet another mission for everyone's sake. Might be good for business!~"
"Figures that you would see this as yet another chance to earn money."
"I can't help myself, so I decide to help myself as much as I can!~"
"...That doesn't make any sense...yet it kinda does...why do you have to confuse me like this?"
"I'm complex, like a web.~" Muffet giggles, while lowering her eyes. "...And just like a spider web, whenever you feel like you're about to fall, my webs will be there to catch you every time. Not as your predator, of course. But as your partner."
"...you managed to turn a spider theme into something that warms my heart...damn it." Chara muttered with his blush deepening. Muffet lightly snickers at this, before she turns his head towards her face, as she lightly kissed his lips. Brief surprise completely overtook him, but he retained enough control not to jump in surprise. She pulls back, leaving Chara's entire head glowing pink. "And then you go and do THAT...DAMN IT."
"Ahuhu~"
Red rolled her eyes at their antics. But then again, it brought attention to something that this entire incident helped her confirm for herself. She turned towards Asriel as a result.
"Asriel. Your ambitions lie within bringing in peace between humans and monsters, right?" Asriel collects himself and nods affirmatively. Red herself nodded as she grabs her sword by the hilt, tilts it and presses the blade into the ground, and then-surprising everyone-gets on one knee with her cowl over her head and eyes closed. "I knew how important your ambitions are to you, but only now do I realize how important it is for everyone to see them to fruition. So I'll create my own solemn vow." She says while raising her head so her silver eyes could gaze at Asriel. "I shall continue following you. There's a storm coming to snatch away everything you care for and trample it underfoot. A squall...So Asriel, allow me to use my sword to tear those clouds to pieces and become your champion, so we can make good on all of our unfulfilled dreams, and find our way to the peace that you wish for."
At such a bold and genuine declaration, Asriel did the only thing he felt sensible at his current age with all the wisdom he acquired so far as the royal Prince of Monsters...blush and babble. "R-Red! I'm honored and happy, really! But t-there's no need for you to kneel down like that!"
"O-Oh, sorry!" Red blushed as she quickly stands up while brushing off her skirt, twiddling her paws. "...So...do we kiss now? Or...?" She didn't know for sure. A competitive side of her didn't want to be outdone by Muffet...but simultaneously wants to know if Asriel's okay with it.
"Um..." Asriel blushed softly. "...I don't think either of us are prepared for an extended one...maybe a simple peck...?"
"T-That might work. In storybooks I read, Princesses do give kisses as affectionate rewards towards their heroes for their accomplishments. Though it's kinda reversed. Y-You're a Prince. And I'm a female warrior...who's also gonna be your champion...and...stuff...u-um..." Red was losing her nerve the more she rambled. She furiously shook her head to get it back. "Don't mind my stalling! Just do it!" She stuttered, eyes shut tight.
"A-Alright!" Asriel stuttered with his own eyes shut as he quickly leans in to peck Red's muzzle for several moments, before quickly pulling back. Both of them opened their eyes with a bright blush on both their faces. "...Is...is that good...for now...?"
"S-Sure..." Red stuttered as well. Both of them smiled as they both gently head butted one another while holding each other's paws.
"Aw. No fair. Her declaration is much more passionate and detailed than my own." Muffet pouted. Chara simply rolled his eyes, with Asriel laughing slightly.
In the meanwhile, Asgore and Alphys were currently huddled together, with several things going through their minds at once regarding what they were seeking to accomplish.
"It's not going to be easy managing the formation of an alliance..." Asgore muttered while stroking his beard.
"I know, right? We have to take so many things into account!" Alphys said while adjusting her glasses. "Political strength, economic assistance, shared technology..."
"And the simple reality that many might be in the same plight as us." Asgore said with a small nod.
Toriel and Undyne were both watching them worry and worry. Both of them looked at one another for a moment, rolled their eyes, and decided to take action. Toriel smiled slyly as she approached Asgore, turning towards him and lightly kissing his cheek. Undyne snuck behind Alphys, sliding her arms around her waist and picking her up, kissing her atop her head. Both of them began blushing profusely.
"Gorey. You have a greater ability of reaching out to people and connecting with them, and I have a better focus for the finer planning that accompanies that. You focus on bringing them together and giving them hope and reasons to stay together, while I focus on the assiduous details that comes with those goals."
"Hey, Al. We both know that you're a smart girl. Ya might still feel a bit insecure because of stuff that happened way, WAY earlier on, but ya gotta know. You've got this handled. Whatever you think is right, I'll back you up. Remember your biggest, Undying supporter is always in your corner!"
"Understand?" Toriel and Undyne asked simultaneously.
"Y-Yes Tori/Undyne!" Asgore and Alphys also said in unison.
Both are happy by their cooperation. Undyne sets Alphys on her feet and scoots her along-which she did by patting her butt, unhelpfully increasing her blush-to go join the the others. Toriel meanwhile stayed by Asgore. She smiled and playfully bumped him with her hips to regain his attention, surprising him and-just as unhelpfully-increasing his blush. When his initial surprise calms, Toriel eases into his arms, prompting a gentle hug between the two of them. She gently nuzzled his nose, which he is more than happy to return.
"Asgore...our path ahead...it is long, and likely to be filled with significant hardship. But it is worth enduring to ensure the happiness of our loved ones." Toriel said softly while gazing into his eyes. "...I won't leave you to do this alone. This time we'll all work together."
"...Thank you, Tori." Asgore smiled kindly, with Toriel gently returning said smile as they both shared a gentle, soothing kiss, while their children and friends were relaxing in the background. They will gladly enjoy this newest respite. They'll take the time to breathe and relax. Because once it ends, the real struggles will truly begin. They had to prepare for it.
"Azzy! Looks like the road ahead is rough! We're gonna have to continue training hard!" Undyne said gruffly, roughly patting his back. Asriel grunted a bit from how hard it was. Then he smiled and nodded affirmatively. Becoming much stronger is a definite must for the Prince of Monsters.
"Yes, Ma'am!"
The Prophet had been long gone before Ebott suddenly reappeared from nonexistence-The Void-which should have been utterly impossible. Though as this thought crosses his mind, he could only sigh and shake his head.
Of course they did. To truly survive what should be considered un-survivable, the most hellbent of individuals are just crazy enough to try anything that works. And now with what's just happened, that problem is only going to get worse. And he had played a huge part in it regardless of his personal thoughts.
...Whatever. Nothing he can do about it now. With this failed attempt at annihilating a seemingly insignificant city, the events top come are now set in stone.
He was explaining this to his highest superiors. Ten in all. Nine of them were undoubtedly human. While one of them was a large and tall monster with big sharp horns and floppy ears...any other details were obscured in shadow.
Probably for the best.
"I see...so Aindreas and Ratoveros failed despite that...pity." The Prophet could tell that wasn't genuine, but ignored it as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"I knew it wasn't gonna work."
"They both accepted this mission without any regrets, though it seemed only Ratoveros was fine with either winning or losing, even though he preferred the former."
"His son Parvos will probably celebrate his death rather than mourn it. He wasn't exactly Father of the Year."
"That's an understatement..." The Prophet while looking the other way. Of course the Dreemurr Faction certainly wouldn't take kindly to Ratoveros' method of training. Why is it that the truly power/glory hungry have to resort to turning their children into living weapons?
It's a question he really wants answered. He's one himself, whether he wants to be one or not.
"Well, damn. Aindreas was actually quite useful. Though without him maintaining the status quo in his assigned region, things are quite likely to fall apart over there."
"And THAT'S when the Dreemurr Faction will swoop in, clean house, and claim the territory, allying themselves with those within it."
"Whaddya talkin' about, kid?"
The Prophet began pacing, not looking them in the eyes, while his own narrowed. "I'm actually impressed it took this long, which says much about their patience, but it's worn out by now. They're not gonna sit down and take your shit anymore. They're gonna start hitting back. Hard."
"Are you sure you're not simply overestimating their abilities, child? Many lower factions tend to do that."
"No. No. You do not understand what we've just unleashed." The Prophet shook his head. "Think of it as a cross between repeatedly poking a nest full of hornets, and awakening a sleeping giant. Every single hornet in that nest is a giant. THAT'S what we've done. Why I was COMPLETELY against provoking them any further. Now that they're getting started, they're never going to stop until all threats to their home and peace are eliminated."
"Ooooh! So we're actually going to get to fight them at some point? FINALLY, something worthwhile to do!~"
"You can all keep being arrogant for all I care, but it's going to backfire immensely on you." The Prophet narrowed his eyes. "You all may be powerful Archmages that's kept a pretty firm grip on this world, but that's not going to save you in the endgame. I can see it. You all will fall, one at a time. Some of you might be spared, albeit deeply scarred from their wrath, but some won't make it out alive." He then pointed to the three main figures in the very center. "And you three..you definitely won't be getting out of this unpunished."
"..." The Monster was silent, looking down at his feet.
"Calm yourself, Prophet. We have prevailed for this long. They may be more resistant than expected, but that doesn't guarantee anything." The male human hummed with folded arms.
"You're definitely the most arrogant out of everyone here. I'm almost looking forward to your confidence getting pulled out from under you." The Prophet snarled. "Your days are definitely numbered."
"You may be quite skilled for a seer, but you're still quite young. If they can shape their own fate beyond their restrictions, then so can we. It's a simple matter of who bends first. And I've been at this for too long for it to be me."
"Every one of us has some serious sins to answer for, you're not exempt."
"Relax, little Prophet. No need to be so angry.~" The lead female in the very center said, in a sickly sweet voice that sent intense shivers across the Prophet's entire being, soul included. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're wrong. Who really knows, until it happens? The only thing we can be sure about beforehand is that everyone will be trying their absolute best, and we'll just have to live with the results! No need to hold grudges.~"
"...You're the worst out of everyone here...I can't understand you at all." The Prophet muttered.
"Little Prophet...everything we have done, are doing, and will probably continue to do, is overall for the sake of humanity AND monsterkinds continued growth. Do believe us when we admit this. The conflicts and hardships they endured and will endure is all for their constant improvement." She continued. "And look, our method works quite well! The Dreemurr Faction is growing exponentially with each conflict they survive! Of all the factions subjected to this, their performance is the most remarkable and unprecedented! And monster kind has returned from the brink with these same methods! Isn't it amazing?~"
"Not everyone is okay with the former part though."
"If they have a problem with it, they can rectify it themselves. But they're growing too scared to do so with every failure. That's their own fault for being too weak-willed to see their goals to completion...and being weak overall." She waved off.
"...You know what. I don't care. Do whatever you want, I'm going home. I've done my part for today." The Prophet threw his hands up and turned away. "...But before I go...I have one good question."
"Hm?"
"Why are you so interested in the personal growth of Chara Dreemurr?"
"...Wow, you were right. That IS a good question.~" And with that, his hopes for an answer vanished, along with patience.
He sighed. Well, he gave it a shot. "Whatever, I'm gone." He muttered as he fully left the room with a bitter feeling in his soul.
"Alright everyone. Better follow his advice, just do whatever you want from here on. Basically keep doing what you're doing. Until our next meeting, at least.~"
"Yes, Mistress." At this, the other seven projections vanished. Only the three main ones remained.
"...Are we really going to continue like this...?" The monster finally spoke up, his voice slightly raspy and exhausted. They both turned towards him with different yet casual expressions. "It's only a matter of time before they discover us...the truth. I'm...I'm not sure I'm prepared for the repercussions."
"We cannot back out now, brother. We've come too far, invested far too much time and energy into this, as well as sacrifice." The human male said quietly while patting his shoulder. "Our ideal world, we must continue to preserve it. Are you really thinking about retreating from that goal now?"
"...No. Of course not. Forgive me."
"It is no trouble. Reassurance is needed sometimes." He patted his shoulder again. "Close your heart to their suffering, like the Prophet. It's the only way to focus and make the most reasonable decisions."
"Of course."
"See, this is why I'm glad I chose you two to take the lead. You know what you're doing, and why you're doing it. It's refreshing, really." The female spoke up once again, as the two males knelt down before her. She gently patted both of their heads. "I leave this in your capable hands/paws. Continue doing your very best, without regrets. Valantis and Parides."
"Yes, Mistress." Both of them said simultaneously, though Parides greatly flinched at the female's taunting smile towards him specifically. His human comrade didn't seem to notice how uncomfortable it made him, so he kept it that way.
Besides, he couldn't back out. He wouldn't. Not after everything he and the others have done; he might as well see it through to the end and deal with the results. He...he just had to keep playing things safe. And above all else:
Avoid direct confrontation with Asgore, Toriel, and/or Asriel at all costs.
Meanwhile, far outside the hideout at this point and making his way home, the Prophet was walking up to a rather large monster with a cloak covering his entire body, aside from his muzzle and yellow eyes.
"...You took longer than usual, boy." The large canine huffed, stream billowing from his nostrils.
"It was a pretty important meeting, course I took longer than usual." The Prophet sighed. "...They're definitely gonna be more active soon. The Dreemurr Faction's forcing them with their continued defiance. So that means you and your group will have to get moving too. Hiding is no longer a safe option."
"Hm."The large canine nodded calmly and began walking. The Prophet began moving as well...
"Hold it!"
"Shit..." The Prophet sighed as he turned around to see a group of cloak human elite mages each preparing a powerful magic blast towards the two. "Look, this doesn't need to escalate more than it probably has..."
"Should have known there was something sketchy about you, kid! You're a mole, aren't you?!"
"I'm not a mole, I'm the Prophet!"
"No one cares." The large monster chuckled.
"...I'm too tired for this. Can't we j-" His eyes widened as he clumsily fell backwards, in time to dodge a magic blast that nearly blew his side off. "H-Hey! There's no need for that!" He was hyperventilating from the sudden danger he should have seen coming.
"Kill them both!"
"S-S-Stop!
The large canine huffed again. "Good grief, child. Must I defend you in every plight involving combat?" As he finishes saying this, his eyes flashed yellow for several seconds.
Suddenly, the human mages magic...stopped. It completely dissipated. They blinked in confusion as they tried using it again, to no avail. "W-What...?! What just happened?! Our magic...!"
The canine grinned as he cracked one knuckle. Before he swiftly moved forth and punched one of the mages in the chest. His ribs collapsed on itself and punctured his ribs, killing him instantly. The others panicked at how someone so big was so fast, before they two were struck down in a flash, only seeing his bare paws being used to beat them to death. One had his neck broken with a chop, another's skull shattered to pieces with a punch, and another was punched so hard in the chest it caved in on himself and left the mage dying slowly on the ground.
He slowly turned towards the last remaining mage, who has just seen his comrades literally beaten to death. The large monster huffed as his eyes slowly returned to normal. The mage felt his magic returning, and quickly attempted to fire his magic towards the monster. He dodged every single blast almost without really thinking about it. The monster slowly moved towards him as his paw opens, and a tomahawk appeared within it.
"I know that kind of desperation on each of your faces. When you have absolutely nothing left once you have no magic." He muttered gruffly. "Has anyone ever told you that you rely on your magic too much? Without proper training, it can make you quite careless and heavily dependent upon it. Monsters are somewhat excused, magic is ingrained in our lives, our culture. However, for humans like you, who pervert what gifts you possess and use them to assist selfish and destructive means...you aren't so easily forgiven."
"M-Monsters have been doing the same thing, utilizing magic selfishly and for destruction's sake! You can't fault only us just because you're a monster!"
"Believe me human, I am completely aware of my kin's fall from grace. And soon enough, I shall take steps to rectify that. And among those steps, I intend to cut the weights that drag them down."
The sound of a tomahawk impacting a skull, followed by a body falling to the ground, echoed through the area.
The large monster softly sighed as his weapon disappears from the corpse. He soon turned towards the Prophet, who was hurrying with his inhaler and tried to calm himself while breathing He gently kneeled next to him and gently rubbed his back. "Breathe, child. Slow and steady. Do not force yourself."
After several moments, the Prophet sighed as he eventually regained control. Sometimes Hehe seriously hated having asthma. He looked up towards the monster and nodded. "Hah...thanks, Caderas..."
"You are welcome, child."
SMACK!
"GAAAAAH! Dammit, the hell was that for?!" The young man grimaced while rubbing his now aching head.
"I know you are a frail and sickly young man, but that is no excuse to be mentally careless. If you were more observant, your clairvoyance should have seen them coming." Caderas reprimanded with an irritated frown akin to a disgruntled grandfather.
"Whatever. I just wanna go home and crash on my bed for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we start preparing for what's to come, so you let the others know that things will be getting more difficult from here on out."
"You shall eat dinner first. Sustenance is necessary for you to competently continue our cooperative mission."
"I'll eat if it gets you off my back, old man."
"It just might."
"Thank you."
"You should restock on your inhalers as well. You are running low."
"Dammit, I know what I gotta do! Don't be that guy, Caderas! Don't! Be! THAT guy!"
"Hmph.~"
Despite their bickering, these two were kindred spirits. They had a mission that would take quite some time and effort to accomplish. It was time to begin returning monsterkind to glory whether they liked it or not, even if Caderas had to drag them to it. Though according to very recent events, it seems that the Dreemurr Faction was on it's way to building a similar motivation. Whether that made them allies or enemies...that would have to be decided when they meet.
It was only a matter of time...
We survived yet another intense ordeal. Like, SERIOUSLY intense. Photoshop Flowey intense. I wasn't expecting to experience that again.
But somehow, someway, we survived. And because of that, we know have the potential to thrive even more. Flowey used all of that remaining energy within him to greatly enhance our magic reserves, and awaken magic within a great number of humans and give them the most basic knowledge of using it. It depends on them if they want to advance it or not. So overall, Ebott just became monumentally stronger, larger, and better at Photoshop Flowey's whim...it DOES feel a bit like cheating, but in our current position, we aren't about to turn away a kind gesture such as that.
Also, Gaster is back, and wants to be Sans and Papyrus's father again. Though we don't know how he restored himself...the look on his face suggests that it took great sacrifice, and he's taking it VERY personally. If something like that really did happen, we have to make sure it doesn't need to happen again.
...That's right. We can't let this happen again. And the only way we're going to get it to stop, is to get some help from the outside. We're going to have to actually venture outside of Ebott and find some allies...to form an alliance.
That way we won't have to stand alone. At this point, the only way we'll survive what comes next is if we stand together.
We each came out of this disaster stronger than ever. The biggest example would have to be Frisk. He's really stepped up, and he seems more determined than ever. And so does everyone else.
Photoshop Flowey...he was our test, I'd like to think. We've come out as better and stronger people, in body and soul. We have to be willing to fight to defend our peace in order to truly savor it. It doesn't matter who our enemies are or how powerful. We've come too far for all of it to be rendered moot. For everyone's sake, we will fight for peace. The day will come when monsters and humans will once again stand together, and live in peaceful harmony.
This is Our Vow.
{Act Two: Souls}
FINALLY done with this act! Alright readers, you can relax now. The super long chapters are over for the time being. Take a deep breath and relax. We can chill for now.
The brief respite will only last so long, though. Photoshop Flowey was just the beginning of both a new realm of possible hurt for our heroes, yet also as a larger semblance of a fighting chance. Simply defending their home is no longer enough. They gotta go out and find some help, some amicable help that can help relieve some of the pressure of having a monumental target on their backs. Yeah, surviving on their own will no longer cut it. Time to make some powerful and dependable friends, If not friends, then simply allies.
As Undyne said, time to suck it up and find some help, quick. But not too quick, they need to rest. As well as planning and all of that. But others are planning too...many have plans. What they entail, is to be seen.
Well, this was Act 2, everyone! Until the next one!
{Act Three: Alliances}
Next Time...