A/N - From this point forward, when Chara and Frisk are talking to themselves, inside of either of their minds, their text will be italicized! I hope that will make it easier to read!
"I told you, these monsters are basically demons, people. Five years ago, I came knocking on your door, and you laughed at me. Make fun of me on CNN all you want, but I said it, waaaay back then, I was like 'Hey, maybe we shouldn't trust this monster scum.' But no, we didn't wake up sooner and here we are.
See people, this is basically an interdimensional invasion through a portal at the center of the earth. We always knew that the devil would really from below! It's in the Bible, the ancients knew it, it's so obvious y'all! These monsters are just the beginning of a massive inter-dimensional invasion. It started with California, it spread to Cascadia, and now they want to spread it to the entire world. But you better believe that we're not going to sit down and accept what the new world order wants us to! No, we're finally awake, and we're going to stop those monster pieces of trash, do you hear me? We're going to stand up strong and fight for our liberty! Haha, this animated contest of liberty is just getting started, and you all better be ready!"
- Jameson Jones, Host of the Syndicated Talk Show Cascadia Today. Monday, April 29, 2120.
Windsor Castle
Tuesday, April 30th, 2120. 11:24 AM
"so, you're finally awake. i was beginning to wonder when you were finally going to get up."
Frisk blinked for a bit before shooting up in surprise. "Sans? You're here? How long have you been here!? And where...where am I? Where's Cage…"
Sans chuckled. "nothing to worry about here. it's me, sans the skeleton. nice to greet an old pal. i've been here for about four days, first in recovery with you and then just waiting on you. you're in windsor castle. the queen kicked us out because now that pendragon palace is…well, a crime scene, all the queen's men had to go somewhere to put london back together again. plus, uh…i don't know how you feel about this, but…we have fans…"
Sans winked as he pulled back the window shade of the room to a gaggle of onlookers and paparazzi that had gathered despite the rain outside. They all began to scream as they saw Frisk's through the window and Sans's bright white skull. Sans waited a few seconds to let Frisk's disbelief sink into their face before closing the window.
"That's…okay! Jeez! I get it, I get it! it sounds like the world has sorted itself out." Frisk breathed a sigh of relief. They appeared to sink down into their hospital bed before the memories of that fateful night came rushing back to them. Of fighting the legates, infiltrating the cathedral, meeting Cage, and…
"WAIT! I WAS STABBBED!" Frisk pulled up their shirt to see a small but substantial wound where Owl's arrow had entered their body. Being four days old, it looks absolutely awful, but what was even more surprising was how little it hurt. Frisk took a second to marvel at how far medical technology (and magic) had come since their time. "Sans! When were you going to tell me about getting stabbed! and Cage!
Sans displayed his trademark wide smile. "what? i thought you would remember. i mean, it's not every day you have a near death experience. i got there pretty late, but it look like you were hurt pretty bad. it looks like cage was able to get away too."
"I…I see…" Frisk frowned and stared down at their wound as they tried to recall whatever they could about that night. It was honestly all kind of hazy. Frisk could remember the fight, and falling in front of Cage, but nothing afterwards. It felt like there were bits and pieces of memories that should be there. And yet, they weren't.
Frisk internally called to their confidant. "Chara, do you remember anything?"
"…"
"Chara? I know you're there. What happened last night?"
"…Frisk, I…"
Meanwhile, Sans sat, waiting. His trademark smile strained as he looked for words to fill the silence. "so buddy, how are you feeling? the docs had to do a lot of work to put you back together again. kinda made me happy to be all bones and no skin."
Frisk rubbed their temples as they tried to remember through their sudden headache. "Honestly Sans, I feel so out of it. I'm kind of disappointed Cage got away, but that's fine. I'm…I'm alive. And apparently a celebrity."
"you really don't remember anything after you were stabbed?"
"Chara, do you?"
More silence followed from Chara before they finally said "Frisk…please. Please don't be mad at me…"
"What!? What do you mean?"
Sans closed his eyes. "kid. do me a favor and check your stats."
Frisk began to break out into a cold sweat. "What...what is he talking about? Chara, I need you to tell me what my stats are…p-please…" Frisk started to go pale.
"Frisk. It's probably better if you use your communicator."
Frisk reached over to the nightstand aside their bed and re-attached their communicator to their wrist. Turning it on, they gasped and covered their mouth when they saw the display:
Frisk Dreemurr
LV: 20
HP: 99/99
EXP : -
"What…This…this can't be right…no…" Frisk was beginning to shake as they read the display over and over again, checking to see if some number would change the more that they looked at it. "This has to be broken, right? There's no way my…my LOVE is this high…"
"Frisk, it's true…we…I attacked Cage that night. I took control of you. I didn't know that was even possible! But I had to do something! Or else…"
Frisk sounded distraught. "Who are did you kill!? How many people did you hurt!?"
"No one! I swear. I just…got angry. I lashed out at everyone. But I had to! Otherwise, they were going to take you away. I had no choice."
"But then, this doesn't make any sense. Why is our LOVE so high…?"
Sans looked away as he continued. "the only reason we were able to find you under that church was because alphys was able to track your LOVE. so in a way, i guess i can't be too mad. but i gotta say, it was still shocking to find you all melty and stuff. at first, i considered if cauldron had done this to you. or if we were feeling their explosion of energy. but you looked like you were plenty in control of your own actions." Sans turned back to face Frisk, expression unchanged. "Or were you?"
"I-I….I wasn't…it wasn't me! I…" Frisk stammered as they wracked their mind for solutions out of this. Five years of keeping Chara secret, only to be blown in a night? Does Sans know? Does everyone know? What would they do if they did? What would Sans do if they really know about their past? Frisk brain froze at all the outcomes of the situation."
"Chara, what do I do? Is this it? How do we get out of this?"
"…That skeleton…Frisk, I'm sorry. This...this was my fault. You don't deserve this."
Sans grew a little worried at how distressed Frisk looked and tried to break the tension a bit. "whoa! kid. i'm not gonna kill you or anything, promise. i just needed to make sure that you aren't gonna hurt me, or anyone else, honestly. no human has ever had a LOVE as high as your's. and yet, it makes no sense. you've been good this entire time. you've excelled at mercy, at diplomacy, at talking instead of fighting. you didn't even report any fatalities that night. so why?
Frisk, calming down just a bit, hesitated before speaking. "…I don't know either. Honest. I was feeling angry all day, but there was something about that cave. Or was it Cage? I honestly don't know. But when I was down there, fighting, I felt something I hadn't felt in a very long time. It feels like something overtook me. It felt furious and vengeful."
Sans closed his eyes. "was that chara?"
Frisk furiously sat up. "What did you just say!?"
Without missing a beat, Sans repeated "was that chara?"
"How…how did you know!?"
"because they said so. and you just did too."
Frisk slumped back into their bed, on the verge of tears. "How many people know?"
"just willow and me. no one else."
Frisk felt some of the tension leave their body but it only caused the tears to follow. "Sans, no…it…it was me. My emotions, my actions, they weren't Chara. It was all me. I know they might have attacked Cauldron, or even seemed scary, but they were just hurt! They were angry that I was angry and they were trying to protect me…so please don't think of them as a bad person."
Frisk felt a little absurd saying that when their stats clearly said otherwise. But on edge and fearing for their safety, they didn't know how else to convince Sans that they weren't a threat to themselves or humanity. Their heart raced as both of them remembered the countless times they faced Sans in battle and all the things they did to him, sometimes out of necessity but mostly out of spite. Frisk feared that their final attempt at change truly was over.
Sans opened his eyes and gave Frisk an almost pleading expression. "Look kid…frisk. i know i don't say it much, but I really care about you. i'll be…i'll be honest. when i first met you, i didn't know what to make of you at all. you're clearly a troublemaker, and a time-traveling one at that. you really knew how to rattle my bones when you wanted. but as the years have gone by, i can tell that you ain't bad. you promised me you wouldn't reset anymore. you've always gone out of your way to help tori and me. you ain't a bad person. so…so" Sans sighed. "i trust you."
Frisk couldn't tell if they could believe that or not. but Sans' overall vulnerability affected them nonetheless. He continued. "i know who chara is. i know they're asgore and tori's former kid. i know the story everyone else knows, about asriel and the barrier. and i know that their body is deep in the ruins. but what i don't know is how?"
Frisk tried their best to hold back their tears as they spoke. "Sans…you…thank you. I know that had to be hard. When I fell into the underground, I landed on top of Chara's grave. I think my determination woke them. They've traveled with me ever since, telling me things and guiding me through life. But it wasn't until I was kidnapped three years ago, during the Sovereignty Crisis, that I could finally see them. I certainly didn't know that they could take control of my body like they did. That was all entirely new."
"i see." Sans paused for a bit and looked down, as if to take in everything Frisk had just told them. The bells signaling the change of the hour rang through the castle as Sans looked up to face Frisk again. "i only have one question. who are you?"
Frisk let the bells ring as they deeply mulled over their answers. How do they respond anymore? To a question that big, to answer that complex? What could they say that captured the essence of their experience? They let the last chime pass before taking a confident breath.
"It's me, Sans. It's me, Frisk Dreemurr."
"Sans closed his eyes and sat on the answer before, surprisingly, getting up and raising his shoulders. "thank goodness! what a relief. i was a little worried for a second." Sans got up from his chair and let his voice relax into its usual lazy tone. "i was honestly scared at what you had to say. i feel like there's so much i don't understand now. but you know what, that's okay. i believe you, buddy. and well, i guess everything will make sense in time." Sans began to move to the exit. The door in front of him slid open as he approached. "we've got a flight arranged for tomorrow morning, so i'd finish up your business here before then. you're free to move around, but i've taken your weapons for now. it'd be in your best interest to stay out of the spotlight until we can get you in front of dr. alphys. not telling you what to do, but you may want to talk to willow."
"Sans, wait!" Frisk held out their hand. "Promise you won't tell anyone else, please! I swear that I'll do it, when the time is right. But they can't find out like this, especially Toriel. And…" Frisk slowed down. "Are you really okay with this?"
Sans turned and winked. "don't let me down, frisk."
Buckingham Palace
State Room Hallways
Wednesday, April 30, 2120. 1:24 PM
Frisk walked down the ornate hallways of Buckingham Palace. After learning of Willow's whereabouts, they went ahead and traveled back into the city while the other monsters did their best to enjoy Britian. Papyrus and Undyne had traveled North to see some fish monsters in a lake. Apparently they had never left Britain in 1,000 years? Toriel was spending the day at Oxford University speaking to education professors and learning about British cooking. Sans had gone back to sleep at Windsor Palace (was he waiting for Frisk awake the entire day?). That only left Asgore, who was strolling the gardens in Windsor when Frisk had left. They took the opportunity to talk to their dad as they tried to find Willow in this mammoth building.
"Frisk, it is such a joy to hear that you are okay! All of us were so worried when it turned out that you were infected. It's been such a pain to have to keep our distance." Asgore, despite the rainy weather, was wearing his "dad" clothes, a bright, floral pattern button-up shirt with cargo pants and a sun hat, taking full advantage of a rare day off. A detail of police kept everyone else at their distance. "Everyone's overjoyed to know that you've made nearly a full recovery."
"You're telling me! It's so nice to know that everyone made it through okay! I heard Willow's going to be in a cast for some time, but otherwise, everyone seems to be okay. I'm sorry that you can't be next to me right now, but thanks for taking care of all of us, dad."
Asgore blushed a little. "Come now, everyone performed beautifully in our last fight. I can't take all the credit. Plus, we will be able to see you tomorrow, at the ceremony."
"Ceremony!? Sans never told me about that!"
"He did not? It was scheduled this morning, when you woke up."
"You mean that – Willow, you didn't…" Frisk looked up to see a laughing Willow approaching them from down the corridor. She wasn't fazed by Frisk's shocked look at all. in fact, as she approached, it almost seemed like she just enjoyed it more.
"It never ceases to be fun to mess with you, Frisk. Plus, this is my payback for you rushing me so much! There's no way you could have been prepared for this."
"What!? Asgore, I'll call you back!" Frisk clicked their communicator as they incredulously turned towards Willow. "What's the ceremony even about? It's not like we have a lot to celebrate right now."
"Ohhhhhh yes we do!" Willow skipped to Frisk's side as she swung her not-broken arm around Frisk's shoulder. "We, young royal, are alive! We lived through the battle of our lives and here we are, on the other side to see it. It won't be a celebration, per se. But I'll be honoring a couple of people, including you love, as an honorary knight of the land. And before you even say it, because I know you're going to, you deserve this!"
"Ughhhh…if you say so." Frisk rubbed the back of their head and blushed at Willow's praise. But before they could respond with thanks, their mind jumped back to Willow's thoughts of that night. It stole their attention enough that their expression visibly faded, even as Willow giggled and rustled their hair.
"Willow." Frisk moved to put some distance between the two. "About what happened…that night…I'm sorry…if I hurt you. I'm really not sure if I deserve this."
Willow's face straightened as she regained her composure. She turned towards the palace's large picture windows and let herself ruminate on the gardens where they had first fought. Willow tried to carefully pick her words, and then gave up as she turned back to Frisk. "Frisk, that was so scary! Bloody hell, I thought you were definitely going to kill me! Not even Raven made me fear for my life the same way you did! I gotta admit, I didn't know what to think at first…" She paused to step in and comfort a thoroughly ashamed Frisk. "…but then I decided that it didn't matter. You're still my family anyway. So I forgive you."
"W-What…!? Just like that?"
Frisk, I…" Willow sighed "You know I couldn't be scared or mad at you. When you…or I guess, when Chara had me cornered, I looked into your heart. It's a special ability I had been hiding from you. And while there was a deep darkness, I also felt an incomprehensible sadness. It wasn't like anything I'd felt before. And well, I knew at that point that you weren't going to harm me. That underneath all the pain and scars, it's still you."
"Willow…I'm so happy to have you in my life! I'm so sorry!" Frisk couldn't help but cry, but they pulled themself together so that the two of them could continue. The pair separated as they walked towards the garden rotunda. "I'm sure that you must have a lot of questions –"
"I DO! First off, what was that icky stuff that leaked from your eyes? It burned my arms to heck and back! The doctors said cleaning me up was nearly impossible. And how did you get so strong!? You did some literal earth-shattering stuff in there! And –
Frisk put their arms up in front of them, as if to stop a car from running them over. "Whoa! One at a time please. Just pick one at a time."
"Okay." Willow breathed in and out to collect herself. "Can I speak to Chara?"
Frisk froze in their tracks. "Come again?"
"Can I speak to Chara? You know, the dem-the person inside of you."
Frisk looked wracked with confusion. "I…I don't even…can we..."
"It's okay if you can't. Or if…it doesn't want to. I'm not even really sure how this works. Maybe I'm going to get attacked again, but…I get the feeling that Chara isn't something I should be afraid of. After all, you're not."
Frisk was at a loss for words. Internally, they turned to Chara. "Well, what do you want to do?"
"I…I…I don't know how to talk to humans! Let alone her, after…well, everything she saw! She'll hate me!"
Willow looked at Frisk with a serious but soft look. She looked tense, but Frisk could tell from her eyes that she had zero intention to judge what happened next. If anything, she did look a little scared. But who could blame her?
"I think…I think you'll be okay Chara. I trust Willow."
Chara sighed. Frisk closed their eyes, and when they opened them again, their Irises burned red. Willow swallowed when they saw their eyes changed but gathered the courage to remain steady. Chara curtly said "What do you want?"
"Are…are you Chara?"
Chara sighed as they crossed their arms and slightly turned away from Willow. "…Yes. What did you want to ask me?"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for everything!" Willow exclaimed. "If I had been there to protect you, then maybe things wouldn't have had to go the way they did."
Chara was thoroughly flustered. "W-What!? You idiot! Why are you apologizing to me!? I should be the one who…who…" They looked down, not quite ready to confront their actions. Willow took it as a sign to continue.
"It's okay, really. I can't imagine how scary all this must have been. Ugh, this is so weird! I'm talking to Frisk, and yet, you're not them. I could have never imagined there would be a person inside Frisk's SOUL. How did this happen?"
"It's…it's a long story. But when Frisk fell into the underground, I attached to them somehow. Like how flower seeds stick to clothes, I, stuck to them. It's been this way for the past five years."
"Could you always talk, y'know, like this?"
"No. This is literally the first time I've ever been able to do this."
"And Frisk, where are they now?"
"I don't know. I assume they're inside…me? Or that they're still there? It's hard to tell."
"You wouldn't hurt them, right?"
"I WOULD NEVER!" Chara's outburst and sudden display of emotion caught Willow off guard. Chara looked a little offended, but backed off in an effort to not scare Willow. "…I would never hurt Frisk. Never again."
"I'm sorry if I upset you." Willow showed Chara a hurt look before checking her old-fashioned watch. She sighed. "I unfortunately don't have that much time. But one more question. Who are you…what happened that hurt you so much?"
Chara turned away from Willow as they looked outside the palace windows. "You're ridiculous. How am I supposed to answer something like that…?" Indecision struck them. Can Willow be trusted with the truth? And even if she could, would she even believe them? She really was just a mere human, after all. What's the point, anyway? To have some girl pity them? Chara didn't need that. They had more than half a mind to rebuke them before Frisk spoke up, from inside…them?
"I promise Chara. You can trust them."
"Gah! That was exceedingly weird." they said aloud, shocked at the voice that had found itself inside of their head. They were so not used to it that they didn't even stop and consider that Willow heard them too.
"What…was exceedingly weird? My tone?"
Chara glowed a bright red. "No! Not you! Ugh, fine! I'll tell you! We're not from here, okay!? We're…we're…" They struggled to find words that could fit their situation. Just how do you describe a pair of time-travelling teenagers? "We travelled here, from another time. A worse one, with worse people and worse things." Very smooth, they thought. "Is that good enough?"
Willow had to keep herself from giggling, but seemed to buy it. She sat on their response as she turned to look outside too. "A different time? What do you mean by that? That makes no sense, unless…" she excitedly turned back to Chara "you can travel through time!?"
"SSHHHHHHH! Quiet down! Why do you yell so much, honestly!? And I literally just said that! How is that a revelation!? Yes, we're time travelers. End of questions!" Chara retreated into Frisk, and as they did, Frisk's consciousness found itself in the front again. They laughed a little at the comedy of the situation and would have laughed more if they didn't immediatedly feel dizzy after taking control again.
Frisk held their head with their hand as they sank into the nearest chair. "That was insane."
Willow still looked as if she was in disbelief. "You're telling me. Time travelers? That's bonkers! I can't believe you held out on me like that!"
"How do you come out and tell someone that!? It's impossible." Frisk said, turning serious at the end of the sentence. "Plus, no one else can know. I have my reasons, I promise. But if the others knew this, it would ruin everything. Willow, you have to promise not to tell anyone else."
"I won't Frisk. I swear on the crown." Willow smiled as her communicator started to beep. "Ugh, there's a ton more that I want to ask you, but I guess now, between the honorary knighthood and this, I've got a reason to call you back now. So that's fine." Willow answered her communicator only to hear angry screaming from an irate Collette.
"Your majesty! Where are you!? We needed you back in the state rooms yesterday! You can't call for a ceremony and not be here to plan it! Honesltly, if nearly getting yourself killed in combat wasn't enough. Please, show some restraint!"
"Hehehehe, sorry Collette! When I heard that Frisk was awake, I couldn't help myself. Frisk! Did you see Collette?" Willow turned so that both she and Frisk would be visible to Collette. "She's doing well enough now to be in braces! Isn't that great?"
"Yeah! It's good to see you up again, my lord."
"Heir Frisk!" Collette exclaimed. "Always a please to see you! Excellent work at the cathedral, Britian really owes you a great debt. But never mind that! Willow! Get down here now! Before I have to send your boyfriend to come find you!"
"Wha, boyf- Do you mean Justin!? He's not my boyfriend! Ugh, fish sticks." She stepped up to Frisk and gripped them tightly, giving them the hardest hug a human probably has ever gave them. "I don't say this enough, Frisk, but I really am grateful you're in my life. You're like a sibling to me. I love you so much. And no matter what happens, I know this world will need your light. So, thank you so much for fighting. Keep it up, okay?"
Frisk heavily blushed as they felt like the life was being squeezed out of them. "I…love you too…Willow!" Before they could complain about their wounds aching, Willow kissed them on the cheek and ran down the halls of the palace. Frisk saw Willow smile back at them as she rounded the corner.
"Stay determined love!"
"Yeah…" they said to themselves. "Stay determined."
London Elizabeth II Airport
Thursday, May 1, 2020. 12:10 PM
"Ugh, I'm so TIRED! We had to get up so early for that ceremony! And now we gotta leave just as I've finally gotten used to the time…" Undyne was first to board the plane, taking up her and what would usually be Alphys' seat as she plopped down to rest.
"CHEER UP UNDYNE! AT LEAST WE GOT TO SEE FRISK GET THEIR AWESOME AWARD!" Papyrus followed and sat down opposite Undyne, still beaming from the ceremony.
"YEAH KID! That was great! You totally deserve it for kicking the stuffing out of Cauldron! Keep it up and maybe someday you have as many as me! Fuhuhuhu!"
"BUT UNDYNE, WE ONLY HAVE TWO! AND FRISK ALREADY HAS BOTH!"
"I-I know! I've gotten other too, you know!"
Toriel giggled as she boarded the plane. "Never mind that, I am so proud of you, my child. Thank you so much for defending us."
"Mom, it honestly just makes me really happy that you're doing okay! It's so good to see you out of bed." Frisk followed their mom in and moved to sit up front. In order to ensure Frisk kept their distance, Asgore and Frisk swapped usual seats. They could almost curl up in his roomy seat.
"I feel the same. Thanks to everyone, I have nearly made a full recovery. I'm so thankful."
Asgore looked as if he wanted to speak, but refrained. It wasn't as if Toriel and him weren't on speaking terms – they could at least do that – but maybe he didn't want to push his luck. He simply smiled as he stepped on the plane and squeezed his way to the back. It was almost comical to see Asgore overflowing out of Frisk's comparatively tiny seat. They kept themselves from laughing the best they could.
Eventually, the transport made the short taxi to the runway and lifted into the heavenly afternoon sky, leaving London behind as the monsters found themselves within the world's enchanting light. Despite claiming to be tired, Undyne had glued herself to the windows to stare down at the world below. Papyrus did the same, and the two excitedly talked about the land below. Sans had taken the opportunity to sleep, again, and Toriel and Asgore were tending to their own interests. Frisk, admittedly, had never grown used to flying in the five years they had been doing it, and took advantage of the opportunity to see the world whenever they could. Seeing London, a sprawling city of 13 million people, from this high up weirdly comforted them, and it wasn't until their plane had turned and was finally moving past London when Frisk was finally found after being lost in thought.
Asgore called to them from the back of the plane. "Frisk, they are showing Willow's address on the television. Do you wish to watch it again?"
Frisk brought up the monitor and stared upsettingly at the proceedings that had occurred not even a few hours ago. It was nice to be praised by their peers, or to be trusted by their friends. But they couldn't shake the feeling that they didn't do anything right. Cauldron got away, Chara went berserk, and Frisk let it happen, losing their cool and years of training at the first sign of real trouble. Their friends were safe, but was this really okay? They listened through the conferral of their medial and decided to politely decline Asgore's offer.
"It's okay dad. But let me know if anything changed, okay?"
Asgore smiled. Frisk returned to the window as the entire world turned their eyes onto Buckingham Palace. To many, it would seem like this moment would come to define the beginning of the end of life in the world as they knew it. But for Frisk, this day would only be the end of the beginning to their truly fateful story.
"To the citizens of the Commonwealth, both here and abroad, the Great State of the European Union, and all who live in the free world, it is regrettable that I must come to you today during our time of mourning. But I believe that it is in this fateful hour of world history that it is more important than ever to affirm the values of our rapidly changing world."
Elsewhere, a young purple reptilian monster watches from a public screen in the middle of Oakland. The streets are quiet save for the occasional early worker, and she savors a rare moment of alone time to feel vulnerable about themselves and their future. She sits on a bench and watches Queen Willow as she speaks.
"Nearly a week ago today, the European Union found itself under the largest attack on sovereign lands since World War III. Three of London's most treasured institutions, Heathrow Airport, Pendragon Palace, and St. Paul's Cathedral, all sustained serious damage that will take years to recover from. Two different set of terrorists, the Human Liberation Front and the Order of the Black Cauldron, have claimed responsibility for this senseless loss of human life and liberty. If left unchecked, both groups stand to threaten the foundation of togetherness and unity that have supported our world in the decades following The Great Peace."
Elsewhere, a young man covered almost completely by a brown cloak listened intently to the speech, his back to the screen as he turned to face the lush gardens of Vatican City. A scowl grew on his face as he continued to listen to the young queen's ramblings. Behind the doorway to his office, another young cardinal listened intently. They both reminded themselves to report to the pope later as she continued.
"It must seem tempting to give in to fear. We live in uncertain times, on the cusp of an uncertain age that will certainly be the defining moment of our generation. For the first time in our world's history, we are faced with the extraordinary task of ushering in a new age of society with beings who have never known the light of our world. While some may see this as a crisis and a reason for hostility, our situation is a golden one, one where we are able to right the wrongs of our ancestors and to set a new precedence for mankind. While this may seem daunting, our efforts will ensure that our children, our grandchildren, and our great grandchildren will have the chance to enjoy the shade of the tree of peace that we will never get to see. It is important that now, more than ever, we do not give into the nameless, unreasoning, and unjustified terror which paralyzes our efforts to advance into the future."
Elsewhere, in the sprawling capital of the American Empire, a young man sits at the Resolute Desk in the audience chamber as a table of his advisors watch Queen Willow's speech intently. He rests his elbows on the table and his hand on his stubbly chin as he judges her, and the girl next to him, a red-haired young adult dressed in the nation's finest (and most fashionable) military uniforms sneers as the British queen. She continues.
"It is my devout belief that we must continue the work that our ancestors once set out to accomplish. When we embrace the future, we open ourselves to new possibilities and stories that expand our outlook of the world. It is natural to want to reject ideas that are foreign to us. It is human to believe that through power, we can gain the means necessary to protect ourselves. But it is through the acceptance of others that we grow into the best version of ourselves. Without this work, we remain doomed to be blind to the ways of the world. And while it is easy to distance ourselves from pain through power, we cannot hope to fix the problems of the world though domination and isolation. We must depend on each other."
Elsewhere, Alphys watches from the throne room back at the castle. Still in her limited-edition Mew Mew Kissy Cuties All-Star Special pajamas, she yawns and rubs her eyes as she takes in the Queen's presence. She's surrounded by Muffet, Grillby, Mettaton, Red, and scores of other monsters who all made their way to the castle to watch the ceremony.
"To that end, I stand before the world today, on behalf of the European Union, affirming the right of existence to the Kingdom of Monsters, and articulating that no matter the threat, Europe stands tall in the face of adversity. It is our duty to ensure the continued peace of the world, and I call upon every willing nation to support the Union, and in all their acts, continually affirm and defend the right to existence for all beings. Our work is hard, and in no doubt arduous. But, through our acts and the blessing of God, we will surly prevail.
The Underground
Deep Waterfall Area
Thursday, May 1, 2120. 4:35 AM
The fountain of light rippled, surged and gave way as a tired-looking Cage limped out of it. Sighing that he, once again, found himself in a secret lab deep at the bottom of Waterfall, he ignored the display and the canine scientist Sirius working at her desk as he past and moved straight for the door. "I've done the work you asked me to. Don't really know how, but the London fountain is flowing. With that, I believe Cauldron's work here is done."
"Wait wait wait, Cage my dear, aren't you going to watch this speech? This little queen you bullied is hilarious! 'Without this work, we remain blind to the ways of the world!' I can't believe her right now."
Cage remained straight-faced at Sirius' howls of laughter. "Yeah, you're not going to think this is so funny when Sans and that girl come hunting for answers. Willow will probably have her hands tied, but what are you going to do when that skeleton shows up on your doorstep?"
"Oh, don't worry" Sirius smiled to let their jagged teeth show, heavily contrasting against the dog's jet black fur. "I have my own plan for Sans that I'm sure is gonna change his world."
The scientist snickered to herself as Cage continued to look unamused. "I'm grateful for you for ensuring that my operatives had safe harbor as they escaped out of here. But I hope you know our debts as paid. Next time we cross paths, I can't guarantee we'll be on the same side. So farewell, Sirius." Cage was half outside the door when he remembered to turn around and yell "Oh yeah, don't forget to disable the security to the exit! If I get caught here, that will not bode well for you."
"Yeah, yeah, I understand. Go ahead and go."
The door to Sirius' lab closed behind Cage and she turned to her computer, quickly imputing various keystrokes before turning back to the blueprints that lay on her desk. Her smile grew as she read over her plans with a ferocious intensity.
"So, Flowey, are you ready for your big debut? No backing out on me now."
"I can't believe you'd partner with that disgusting man. What kind of monster would conspire against their own kind?" Flowey popped out of the earthy soil behind Sirius, who didn't turn from their work to acknowledge their presence at all.
"Ehh, it barely matters me." Sirius said, waving her hand as if asking for no dessert at a restaurant. "No matter what they do now, it can't undo everything I have planned. Soon, my goals will be realized! And he'll finally be back in my arms."
Flowey displayed a look of contempt at the excited dog before looking back at the display. Their look of disapproval at Sirius' conduct quickly turned to one of hurt as they examined the news conducting an analysis of Willow's speech.
"Yeah Sirius, I'm ready. We can start tomorrow. I'll go along with whatever you say."
Sirius turned and smiled. Save for her red eyes and white teeth, her silhouette disappeared among the darkness. "Okay then. Let's truly make it a day to remember."
A/N - I honestly thought I would never make it this far, but here I am. Almost an entire year since I started writing Heavenly Blue, I finally finished the first arc! I know this fic isn't the best or the most well-written, but I can't begin to describe the feeling you get when someone genuinely enjoys your work. It's such a privilege to be able to write for all of you, and I'm so happy everyone's stuck with me this far. I have some really great stuff planned, so I hope that everyone really enjoys it!
The next arc has a heavy focus on our royal family: Asgore, Toriel, Asriel and Chara. In order to move forward into the future, we have to deal with the past, so I think it was inevitable that my fic would return to Mt. Ebott. Strap in, folks. There's gonna be a lot of drama in this one (and much less fighting).
The next chapter should be out soon, by the end of the month. Thank you so much for everything
