The next day, the monsters eagerly awaited the Queen's royal proclamation at New Home. They came from all over the Underground, from far-off Snowdin to nearby Hotland. A few scuffles broke out when a Pyrope insisted on turning up the heat next to several Ice Caps, but overall the mood was cautiously more buoyant than a few weeks ago. Having a perceived strong leader on the throne had that effect.

Sans did not really care. A dog could be sitting on the throne for all he cared. The only reason why he was there at all was because he fell asleep at the bar, and had been physically removed by his bar friends to make the journey to New Home together. As he looked at their hopeful, optimistic faces, he did not have the heart to say no.

The castle was still being repaired, and so the second tallest building in New Home was chosen for the Queen's speech. About five stories high, the topmost balcony was draped with the purple banner of the Dreemurr royal family. Two royal guards stood at attention in front of the entrance, while Captain Undyne and the rest of the guards were to escort the Queen.

Time was crawling slowly. As the minutes inched towards the appointed time, many of the monsters were growing restless.

"By the time she gets here, a riot is going to break out," muttered Sans. Any tiny goodwill he felt had already long evaporated, and he felt increasingly impatient and sullen in the crush of monsters. He was sorely tempted to take a "shortcut" home.

"Don't be so impatient," chuckled the Snowdin shopkeeper who was standing next to Sans. "I'm sure she's going to be here very soon." The bunny was fanning herself desperately. Despite the hat and loose top, sweat was pouring down her face in rivulets. Although the temperature in New Home was average, it was far too hot for the regular Snowdin resident.

Suddenly, a great shout arose from the back of the assembled monsters. "The Queen has arrived! All hail Queen Toriel!"

"I can't see anything," complained the shopkeeper. Standing on tip-toe, she was craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the new Queen. Sans stared straight ahead, nonplussed. It did not make any sense for him to look when she would soon be up there on the balcony. He could not wait for this whole farce to be over.

"Goodness child, be careful!"

A warm, gentle, familiar voice washed over him.

In shock, Sans spun around. He recognized that voice anywhere.

But that voice was lost in the din of the crowd as the Queen drew closer. Desperately, Sans tried to push his way through, to get closer to where he heard that voice. It made sense that she would be here today, when all the monsters are gathered…but it was no use, the throng was too tight to go through.

Frustrated, Sans' eye flashed blue, and he took a step backward and-

"Bless you, Queen Toriel! You are our new hope!" An old, grizzled Froggit cried out directly in front of Sans. Sans started, not realizing he was now so close to where the Queen was. Thankfully, the monsters around him were too distracted by Toriel's presence to wonder how this strange skeleton had suddenly popped up among them.

The Queen was dressed in simple purple, and a gold crown adorned her brow.

Sans stared.

She had the most gentle eyes he had ever seen.

Smiling, she reached for the old Froggit and patted his webbed hand. "Thank you, kind sir," she said, "I will do my best for you and everyone." And then she was gone, swept away by the crowd and her soldiers towards the building.

It was as though a rug had been pulled from under Sans' feet. The person whom he had been exchanging knock-knock jokes, who had the most wonderful laugh, who loved snails and baking and terrible puns was Queen Toriel herself?

Could he have been mistaken? But Sans knew that it was impossible. He knew every tone and inflection of that mysterious voice beyond the door. The self-styled "old lady" and the Queen were one and the same. And he wondered whether he meant as much to her as she did him, and if she would be able to recognize his voice if she heard it.

He felt a pang in his chest as memories from a happier time rose unbidden in his mind.

It all started with a chance encounter with a strange, locked door in the quiet wood. The endless rounds of one-sided knock knock jokes before someone miraculously answered, "Who's there?"And just like that, an unexpected friendship had been born. They traded quips, jokes, puns and even recipes (the mysterious lady had sworn by a butterscotch cinnamon pie recipe). And even though Sans laughed it off at that time that he was too lazy to cook, secretly he had been practicing. Sans never had the chance to show off the pie he tried baking…

Blindly, Sans took another step, and this time found himself back among the Snowdin crowd. "S-Sansy!" cooed Drunk Buns. "Where did you go?"

"I-uh… had to step out for a bit," said Sans, feeling too rattled to come up with an appropriate joke. Almost instinctively, his smile snapped back on and he quipped, "It's way too hot over here. Do you know what happened to the skeleton who stayed by the fire for too long? He became bone-dry."

"That's terrible Sans," said Drunk Bun, but she still laughed.

"And yet you still love me," Sans grinned nonchalantly, putting his hands into his jacket. His jaw felt strained from the constant smiling.

He watched as Toriel finally reached the entrance of the building. When she emerged onto the balcony to cheers, his heart ached. As the Queen of Monsters, he was under no illusion that their days of passing banter in Snowdin Forest were over. In light of everything else that had happened, that thought alone made everything even more unbearable.

As he gazed upon the lonely, regal figure on the balcony, he thought that she looked every inch a queen.

"My friends," Toriel began, using magic to amplify her voice. The steady murmur of the crowd fell silent.

"It has been a difficult and trying time for all of us. We have lost many good and kind monsters. However," Toriel said firmly, "We must not lose hope and cave in to despair." The crowd cheered. Many monsters who had lost family and friends hugged each other. Sans watched as his fellow MTT comedian, a middle-aged Snowdrake, blew his nose. He had lost his only son to the human.

A sharp pain suddenly cut through Sans' chest. Even though he was standing here among monsters, he felt so alone. Papyrus should have been here. Papyrus would have been whooping the loudest, and sharing his infectious enthusiasm with everyone around.

The crushing agony of his loss caused him to flinch. The pain felt like death. But Sans knew that he deserved it, and he could always justify his inaction to himself that it made no difference whether anyone lived or died but he still should have tried something and why was the world not resetting and bringing his brother back and why was this agony continuing on and on and on-

Stop.

Self hate was not going to change anything, so why bother?

With great effort, he pulled himself together, and forced himself to focus on Toriel's words.

"…and we will rebuild again towards a brighter future of peace for all. In the coming weeks, there will be some changes and announcements in that direction, and I seek for your support to make this happen. My door is always open," the Queen continued. "Do stop by if you need a listening ear, a slice of pie, or…" she paused, hesitating. "Or even if you just want to exchange jokes, please feel free to knock. You can be assured that I will answer!"

Sans could hear the smile in her voice. And despite the hollow emptiness in his chest, he felt his heart swell. It was still her, and she remembered him.