A/N: Before I start this chapter, I feel the need to stress something for some reason. A village is just a smaller step than a town, which is why I refer to Crystallea as a village. With more population, however, it will become a town. Sorry, but I felt the need to state this because it never occurred to me that it might be taken the wrong way. Thank you for your time.
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Frisk ran as fast as they could, ignoring their flustered face. They tried to push unnecessary thoughts from their mind, but found themselves still thinking of the way sans looked at them. The skeletone had blushed and just stood there, not saying anything! Why didn't sans coolly brush it off, like he always did? Frisk understood sans' actions as much as they understood their own feelings. They felt like they had just ran through a crowded place without clothes on. The embarrassment overwhelmed them.
Frisk wanted to look back to see if sans was following them, to see if he would just make a funny remark, a pun, something! But the human continued to walk forward, stubborn to forget the whole dilemma and focus their thoughts on the oncoming events of the day.
Asgore was going to announce to the Underground that the barrier was broken. The king would confirm the rumors that sans had started the day before, and everything would be set right. Monsters and humans would live alongside each other, and Frisk's journey through the Underground would finally be fulfilled.
The human stared ahead, the mayor's house coming closer as they approached the edges of Crystallea. With a final pull of their thoughts, they looked back. sans was coming down the mountain at a slower pace, head hung low. Frisk thought about waiting for him, but decided against it. They thought it was better wait for the awkwardness to settle before approaching sans again. Frisk made their way to the house.
The young human greeted some of the people and merchants in the plaza before opening the door to the mayor's house. They entered the hall, and looked around to see no one there. Frisk shrugged and assumed that the group was waiting in the dining room. They wandered off to the right and only had to walk a few feet to find the dining room where Undyne's passionate voice could be heard through the brick walls.
"What the fuck, Asgore? I thought we were going to live here in the village? Roscoe said it wasn't a problem!" When Frisk entered the room, they saw the Head of the Royal Guard towering over the seated goat king, fists ready to punch his soft face in.
The king flattened his ears, and looked away, "I do not want to be a burden to the mayor, or the people. It would be better if we just-"
"NOOO! Asgore, if we want to start out right, we've gotta live IN the village!" She stamped her foot down harshly, creaking the floorboards. The mayor witnessed the spectacle with a dumb smile.
"Okay, fine Undyne. We will reside amongst the humans, but-" Before Asgore could finish, the fish monster had already thrown up her arms in victory.
"Alright!" She yelled, as her eyes fell unto the incomer. "Oh, hey, Frisk! Guess what? We're going to live in the village with everyone! Isn't that cool?" Undyne grinned toothily at the human in the doorway. Frisk nodded their head happily.
The sound of a door opening and closing was heard, and Frisk looked back to see sans walking in casually. Frisk's heart did a little jump, and scooted inside the dining area to let the skeleton pass. He didn't look up at Frisk at all, and instead slyly waltzed in, smiling at Undyne.
"so, what's for breakfast?" sans looked at the mayor, ignoring the human behind him with difficulty. He felt a little awkward, but decided to quell his thoughts for another time.
Roscoe grinned joyfully, "Ho! So this is Papyrus' brother, eh? Nice to meet you, I'm Roscoe Edric! Now that we're all here… No, wait. Where's my daughter and Papyrus?" He didn't need to wait any longer, since a wailing child came bursting into the room.
Joanna's tiny arms clung to her father's leg, burying her face into the fabric of his pants. Papyrus dragged himself in, holding a finger up.
"J-JOANNA, STOP RUNNING!" The skeleton was panting heavily, and leaned against one of the chairs tiredly.
Roscoe picked his child up. "What's wrong, Joanna?" He frowned slightly, watching the tears stream down her face. "Oh, no don't cry anymore, Daddy's here." He pulled her close and hugged her tightly.
"Papyrus," the mayor addressed the tall skeleton, while bouncing the child in his arms, "what happened?"
"UNDYNE SCARED HER, AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALM HER DOWN! SHE KEPT RUNNING AWAY!" Papyrus threw his arms into the air in frustration.
sans giggled to himself and walked over to his brother, patting his back. Undyne huffed and crossed her arms. "Hey, it wasn't my fault that someone decided to wake me up!"
Roscoe chuckled and put Joanna down, hushing the child gently. "Oh well, no harm. My daughter's always over reacting. Anyways, Dahlia! Come out of the kitchen!" He called his wife, and she immediately came out from the kitchen door with a notebook and pencil in hand.
"Good Morning!" She chimed happily, "Looks like we have a new face! I'm Dahlia!" She briskly walked to sans to shake his hand.
"hey, i'm sans." The short skeleton casually said, though he flinched at the woman's unexpectedly strong handshake. It felt like his hand was going to fall off if she shook it any harder.
The mayor's wife politely nodded her head in response. "Nice to meet you, sans! Okay everyone, I'm going to go around and ask what you want to eat."
Dahlia went to the group and asked what they wanted to eat. Once she was finished, she retreated into the kitchen with the list to tell the chefs what everyone ordered.
The friends sat down with Roscoe at the head of the table, and Papyrus and Joanna at the opposite end. On the right side sat Toriel, Frisk, Undyne, and Alphys. On the right Asgore left a seat for Dahlia to sit by her husband, with sans seated on the far right by his brother and Joanna.
While waiting for the meal to be brought in, the mayor, king and queen discussed how the villagers and monsters would help each other out to build basic houses for the monsters on the edge of the village. Undyne and Alphys were going over plans to move in together; it looked like Alphys was having a nervous breakdown of some sorts. Joanna and Papyrus were happily conversing about how she would love to meet all of the other monsters from the Underground. The only two who were silent in the room was Frisk and sans. Frisk nervously glanced towards sans, only to see him look up at the same time. They eyes met for a spilt second before they tore their eyes away.
A few minutes later, a bell rung from behind the door and the breakfast was carried out. Delicious smells of bacon and maple syrup wafted in, making Frisk's mouth water. Different villagers were carrying the plates this time, but they were friendly nonetheless.
Frisk grabbed their fork with newfound delight, and cut up the fluffy, warm pancakes on their plate. They grabbed the warm syrup pitcher and drenched their food in it. Toriel salted her fried eggs lightly, breaking the yolk and soaking it up with toasted bread.
The friends enjoyed the delicious meal. "Does everyone like it? The villagers worked hard to prepare the meal for you." Dahlia sipped her orange juice, smiling at the group.
"oh yeah, i think we like it an waffle lot." sans held a piece of waffle dripping with syrup on his fork before stuffing it into his mouth. Dahlia and Toriel almost choked on their food out of laugher. sans giggled, "you think that yolk was eggcellent? i got a ton more just bacon to come out." He winked and the ladies burst out in laughter, almost falling out of their seats. Papyrus groaned while Joanna covered her sticky mouth, accompanied by giggle fits. Even Frisk joined in the merriment.
After the meal was over and the villagers had come back to retrieve the plates, Asgore and Roscoe stood up.
The king shook Roscoe's hand. "Thank you for the meal, my friend. Now, we must return to the Underground and spread the news. I'm sure that they have noticed my absence by now."
The mayor gripped Asgore's paw tightly. "Asgore, If I may, could I go with you and your friends? I've always wondered about the top of the mountain since I was a child." Roscoe's brown eyes gleamed pleadingly, like a child's.
The Monster King grinned cheekily. "Of course! But only you, I do not know how the monsters will react upon seeing so many new humans. Many are still wrapping their heads around how it was a young hUman child who saved us all." Roscoe nodded happily in an understanding manner.
Asgore gathered the group, and started to head off towards the opening of the mountain where they first emerged. The trek up the mountain was long, and the shining sun bore down on their backs.
Toriel held her child's hand tightly. She was anxious to tell everyone the news. 'I wonder what they will do. I wonder what they will think. They will surely be surprised…'
Alphys walked a little faster to catch up with Asgore and Roscoe, who seemed to be in a hurry to reach their destination. She balled her hands and looked up at Asgore's towering frame.
"A-Asgore, I was wanting to know if you th-thought about how you're going to tell everyone." She looked back down at the dirt nervously.
Asgore seemed to slow his steps, "Hm. I suppose I could use Mettaton's help… He is your creation, correct? He could aid us in spreading the word on the television! Do you think he would mind?"
Alphys almost tripped when she heard Mettaton's name. She had already rebuilt him in her lab… But she was unsure of whether he was going to be willing to cooperate. Ever since his newfound fame, Mettaton had almost forgotten she was the onewho built his new body.
"S-sure, Asgore… I'll ask him." The geeky scientist faltered back to Undyne. The fish monster was enjoying the hike up, but she looked down to Alphys who seemed to be in distress. Without saying a word, she picked Alphys up and onto her broad shoulders.
"Undyne! W-What are you d-doing?" Alphys hugged Undyne's throat tightly, but it didn't bother the monster at all. She kept walking normally with the group, with a giant smile plastered on her face. Alphys trembled at first, but started to relax when she looked to the right of the mountain. She could see a city in the distance. She riveted her gaze on the landscape and loosened her grip on Undyne's throat.
"It's still so beautiful…" She whispered to herself. The mass of trees leading down the mountain followed up to the city, then thinned out. The city itself contained tons of skyscrapers and building, and Alphys found that she couldn't possibly count them all.
Frisk looked over at the city as well, and a memory best forgotten almost came back to them. A shiver ran up their spine, and they forced their eyes to the path ahead. Asgore and the mayor were way ahead of the group, only about a hundred feet from the entrance to the Underground. Papyrus, Undyne and Alphys were also ahead of them by a little. Frisk increased their pace, tugging Toriel's hand to walk faster with them.
"What's wrong, my child? Anticipating to tell everyone the news?" She let go of the human's hand, and pushed their back lightly. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up with all of you later, I want to enjoy the outer world a little longer." She smiled warmly at her child, and Frisk nodded.
Frisk caught up with the group, and they realized they had forgotten about someone. They turned their head to look back, and found that only Toriel was behind them. sans was nowhere to be found. They shrugged to themselves and figured sans was in the Underground already, probably using one of his shortcuts.
Asgore and Roscoe had reached the entrance and disappeared inside of it. Undyne furrowed her brows, and gripped Alphys' knees. "Hold on! I'm going to catch up to those losers!" She reared back slightly, then lurched forward to run up the small stretch of mountain.
"UNDYNE, WAIT!" Papyrus raised his hand, then ran after her. Frisk grinned, and ran after their friends.
Toriel was left behind. She giggled to herself, and stopped to look at the city. "I want to go there one day, with you, Frisk. Show me how the humans have changed." She stayed staring out for a moment, before sighing and continuing her walk. 'We still have a long journey ahead of us, my child.'
Asgore and Roscoe walked past some rubble mixed in with shimmering fragments of the barrier. The mayor pointed at one of the larger pieces of barrier fragment.
"What are those, Asgore? Crystals of some sort?" Roscoe took a moment to pick a smaller fragment up. It sizzled in his hand, making him drop it immediately with a yelp in pain.
"Be careful! Those er, crystals are very dangerous. They're only found here." Asgore hurried to his friend, whose hand was blistering red in pain.
Roscoe gently touched the area where he was burned. The skin was taut and shiny, and he couldn't distinguish the touch of his fingers from the pain. Asgore worriedly looked at the mayor's palm, unsure of what to do.
"Don't worry too much Asgore! Let us keep going!" Roscoe put on a brave face and kept walking forward. Asgore followed cautiously, making sure none of the fragments were in their path so the others wouldn't step on them.
At last they reached a corridor which lead to a small room on the right. The path was paved and Asgore could relax a little. He picked up a few echoes behind him, signaling that the group was close. Asgore realized that Roscoe had kept going. He heard him shout from the next room over.
"How gorgeous! Asgore, is this your throne room?" The mayor exclaimed delightedly, swooning over the glorious golden flowers in the room. The king came in to see Roscoe kneeling down at the edge of the garden, feeling one of the soft petals on a flower. The throne room had a ray of sunlight radiating from a hole in the ceiling, creating a warm, golden glow.
The Monster King approached and knelt by Roscoe. He plucked one of the flowers and sniffed it. The smell was delicately sweet, reminding Asgore of his favorite tea. "Yes, this is the throne room and my personal flower garden." He held the flower up to the mayor, "And these Golden Flowers are my absolute favorite."
The mayor took the flower from Asgore's paw. "We have these imported from a town on the other side of this mountain! To find them growing in here though, is amazing!" He stood up and waved Asgore along. "Let's keep going? I want to see more of your home!"
Asgore followed the rushed human out of the throne room, but heard Alphys' voice right behind him. He and the mayor rose up to face the other direction.
"W-Wait, Asgore!" Alphys, who was still on Undyne's shoulders, halted the king with her hands up in the air. "Do you know where you're g-going first?"
Asgore paused to realize he didn't think anything through, and gave her a dumb smile. "I suppose not. What did you have in mind?" He asked curiously.
Undyne groaned. "You big dummy, you would forget what we're doing."
"We need to go to Hotland and use M-Mettaton's show to broadcast our new freedom, sire," Alphys gently reminded Asgore. She smiled at the king's face when he remembered what the objective was.
"Oh, yes that's right!" He started to walk the other way to the corridor. Papyrus and Frisk walked into the throne room to see the group already heading out. They all continued together.
The corridor after the throne room was spilt. Asgore headed to the right, and the mayor was curious about the other direction.
"What's in the left side?"
Asgore shook his head vigorously. "There is nothing. Just a dead end." A bead of imaginary sweat seemed to slide down his face. He wanted to forget the past, but it kept flying into his face at every turn.
The mayor frowned at the king's uncharacteristic behavior, but did not speak. They continued on with the group as they went under an archway and into a beautiful grand hall with stained glass. The roof was held up by elegant, large pillars. Roscoe gasped in amazement, and carefully touched one of the towering pillars. Everyone else passed him by.
"Come on, Roscoe! We'll never get there if you keep asking about everything!" Undyne returned and grabbed the mayor forcibly by the collar of his shirt. Alphys wanted to protest, but the mayor didn't seem to mind.
They exited the hall and ended up outside, above the town, on a large bridge. A few monsters down below could be seen, but none of them bothered to look up. Asgore went straight to an elevator on the right. He pressed the down arrow, and the doors opened. He was about to step inside when he realized that not all of them might fit at once.
"Erm, How about Roscoe, Papyrus and I go in first? Then Alphys, Undyne, Frisk and…?" He paused to look around. "Where is Toriel?"
"I'm here." Toriel's voice echoed from the archway. She smiled as Frisk scurried to her to hold her hand.
"Right then. Come on, let's get in." Asgore, Roscoe and Papyrus went into the elevator. The skeleton was nearly lost between the sheer sizes of the two men, but dealt with it valiantly, i.e. he cracked a big smile. Asgore pressed a button to go down, closing the doors to the elevator. As the trio descended Papyrus tried to stretch his arms out, but only found himself squished even further.
A moment later, they arrived at the bottom level of the town. They stepped out, and the elevator immediately went back up.
"PHEW, THAT TOOK A WHILE. I FELT OUT-OF-BREATH, AND I DON'T EVEN BREATHE!" the tall skeleton said, and accompanied it by a small 'NYEH'. He was proud of his non-pun-natured joke.
"Let's keep going, the others will catch up with us, they know the way." Asgore went into the other elevator, and the other two crammed in with him. Poor Papyrus wassmashed once again.
Roscoe noticed the temperature was starting to get warmer. When the doors opened, a rush of hot air swept across his body. He stepped out in a hurry, finding little relief outside the shaft. Papyrus raised a brow curiously.
"ARE YOU OKAY?" The skeleton looked at the mayor leaning on one of the blue walls.
Roscoe nodded his head. "Just fine. It's awfully warm in here, however. What is this place?" He looked along the bottom of the walls, finding intertwining pink wires running along them. A soft hum could be heard all around them.
The goat king grinned. "This is the Core. It's where we harvest our power for the whole Underground. At the moment, Alphys is the one in charge of running maintenance on it." His tone was full of pride.
The mayor looked around the small corridor, nodding his head at the intriguing architecture. "This is a very unique building. Who designed this place?"
The monster king briefly stopped and frowned. "…Strange. I do not remember."
Asgore continued on with the friends, passing a dark, empty chamber and emerging on the other side where another elevator awaited. Another descent finally brought them to the MTT resort in Hotland.
The king barred the mayor from exiting. The action made Papyrus groan loudly. He was looking forward to escaping the tiny cube.
Asgore whispered to Roscoe. "You will be seeing monsters here. They will be just as intrigued of you as you will be of them. Please don't be frightened." He dropped his arm and walked towards the three monsters waiting for the elevator.
A green, dragon-like monster stepped forward first. "Look! Asgore fixed the elevator!" He waited for the king to exit. When he saw the human, his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"Wh-What? Another human!" The dragon stared at the mayor following Asgore out. Papyrus huffed angrily.
"YES, ANOTHER HUMAN. DON'T YOU HAVE SOMEWHERE TO BE?" Papyrus crossed his arms and strutted out. The dragon flinched and ran over to the elevator that was about to close. He barely got his arm to make the doors swing back open. The other two monsters went in, still staring at Roscoe as the doors closed.
Roscoe blinked. He couldn't say he didn't expect the monsters to react. Asgore chuckled.
"Alright then, let's wait here for the others. Meanwhile, would you like to look around a little, Roscoe? I'm sure this is all new and exciting for you." The king warmly smiled at the gawking human. Roscoe had noticed a little, star shaped monster walking to the trio. She was barely a foot tall, and polygonal.
"Hello, Welcome to MTT Resort: Hotland's biggest apartment-building turned hotel! How can we help you today?" The little monster smiled at Roscoe, curious about the human. Asgore spoke for the human instead.
"Hello, Tiffany! How are you this morning?" The king knelt down to look at the monster. She bowed in return.
"Doing just fine, sire. Have you heard the rumors lately?" Tiffany tilted her head in question.
Asgore frowned, "What rumors?"
"People are saying that the barrier's been shattered. Is it true? I heard that someone in Snowdin started it."
The goat widened his eyes, hoping Roscoe didn't respond to the subject of the barrier. He leaned in to whisper to Tiffany. "Don't mention the barrier around this human. The rumors, however, are true." He leaned away, and noticed the monster's face. Her polygonal eyes opened in amazement.
"It 's true…? IT'S TRUE?!" Tiffany started to shake, and she ran over to the receptionist. She sucked in air, and screamed at the hand monster, "I FUCKING QUIT. SCREW THIS JOB, I HATE WORKING HERE!" Tiffany started to laugh madly, "WE'RE FREE, FREE I TELL YOU!" She ran out of the glass doors of the resort, like a child high on sugar.
The receptionist's fingers were spread out in surprise. She rose from her stool on the other side to lean over the desk to face Asgore. The king was still knelt down, expression drawn in surprise. When he saw the hand monster, he rose his hands in defense.
"I-I'm sorry, Vanessa! I had no clue she was going to hit the fan. I'm sure you'll find another Greeter…"
Vanessa signed with her other hands. The message that came across to Asgore was, "it's fine. She was starting to crack anyways. What's this about freedom?"
Asgore rose up and walked to the desk, leaving Roscoe to look around the resort with Papyrus. The goat monster signed back, "the barrier is broken, and I will be making an announcement shortly with Mettaton."
Vanessa clapped, her main hand showing a thumbs up. "That's wonderful! Mettaton should be in the studio right now, too! What great timing," She signed andbowed politely as she walked back into the office behind the desk.
Asgore heard the doors of the elevator open up, and out came the rest of his friends. Alphys scampered out to the king.
"I k-keep trying to call Mettaton, but h-he won't answer!" She looked for the receptionist. "Where's Vanessa?" She pointed to the empty stool.
The king pointed to one of the doors in the office. "I believe she went back to get him, she told me he was in the studio."
Alphys clutched her phone nervously. She hoped that Mettaton wouldn't refuse.
The receptionist came out followed by Mettaton in his EX form. He placed a hand on his cheek tenderly.
"OH MY. If it isn't the fuzzy king and my darling friend. What do I have the pleasure of seeing you for?" He smiled alluringly.
Papyrus perked up as soon as he head Mettaton's voice. The skeleton made a beeline for the desk and shoved himself over it to stand right in front of the robot.
"OH. MY. GOD. METTATON! I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN!" Papyrus smiled wildly. Mettaton observed the skeleton for a bit before placing his hands on his hips and grinning.
"Why thank you so much. I always love to receive feedback from my fans. What's your name, if I may?"
The skeleton thrust his chest out and stuck his face up. "I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I HOPE MY CHARMS WON'T OUTSHINE YOURS."
The robot giggled. "I don't know, someone as fabulously fantastic as you could definitely win at mine." Mettaton sashayed closer to the skeleton, trying to intimidate him. "But then again, maybe I'll be the one to charm you." He stepped back to observe Papyrus. The skeleton had frozen, arms dead at his sides. The robot touch a metallic finger to the Papyrus' skull. "You okay there?"
Somewhere in Snowdin
sans felt a chill run up his spine as he sat on the couch, reading a quantum physics book. He narrowed his eyes. "feels like someone's hitting on my brother..." The short skeleton gripped the edges of the book. "…no way, the bone zone is CLOSED." He took a moment to think. "nah, maybe it's something else." sans shrugged and continued to read his book.
…It had better be, or someone was going to have a bad time.
Back at MTT Resort
Papyrus shied away, touching the tips of his gloves together. "ERM, YES! DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!"
The clearing of a throat caught the duo's attention. Alphys was tapping her claws on the reception desk, glaring at Mettaton. The robot swayed his hips and leaned over the counter on his arms. Papyrus scurried over the desk to run over to where Frisk and the others were.
"Yes, Alphys? I can tell you didn't come here for a social visit. So why are you here?" He smiled nicely.
The dinosaur sighed, collecting her confidence. "Mettaton, we need your help. Can we use your show to broadcast the breaking of the barrier?"
The robot's eyes turned to slits. "The barrier? You mean those silly rumors are true? No, it can't be! You shouldn't lie like that, Alphys, it's rude." He shook a cartoony finger at her.
The dinosaurs threw her head back in annoyance. "No, I'm not lying, M-Mettaton. The barrier was broken and we've already been to the Overworld." She pointed to the right, where Roscoe was speaking with Toriel. "That human over there is the m-mayor of a town we just went to."
Mettaton looked over to where Alphys pointed. He nodded his head in acknowledgement when he saw the mayor. "Fine, let's say I believe your story; Frisk came down here somehow, so why not him? But why should I have to let you use my show? Can't Asgore call a conference or something?" He stood straight and crossed his arms, mouth turned into a frown.
The king shook his head, "I could, but I'm afraid that it would simply take too long." The goat's face was scrunched pleadingly. He hoped Mettaton would accept the request.
The robot cocked his head to the left. "Well… I suppose I could let you use it as long as I'm still the star. Imagine the ratings!" He splayed out his arms. "I can see it now! 'Freedom With a Fabulous Robot!' Oh, yes! I love it, I love it!" Mettaton's eyes sparkled brightly. "Asgore!" He pointed at the king. "Do you have anything planned yet? We need to do this now, NOW!" He clapped his hands and turned to Vanessa.
"Venny, do please get the camera crew ready! Interrupt any of my re-runs! Do it with style, though, please?" Mettaton clapped his hands again. "Come on, you fuzzy oaf! We don't have all DAY!" The robot retreated to one of the office doors. The label on it said, "Mettaton", with a font so cursive and incomprehensible, it was as if a doctor designed it.
The receptionist went to a door on the left and emerged out of the MTT Burger entrance. She held the door open with her large hand, and signed to Asgore. "Step this way please. Bring your friends, if you would like."
The king went to the door, and called out to the mayor. "Roscoe, could you come over here, please?"
The mayor, who was busy chatting with a slime janitor, ceased his conversation to look at Asgore. "What is it, my friend? Excuse me, please." He walked towards the double doors.
"Would you be so kind, as to join me? I think it would be nice to have you on the show with me." The king's question surprised Roscoe. The human looked down for a moment, before agreeing enthusiastically.
"Of course! Anything for you, Asgore." The human walked into the burger joint where Vanessa was patiently waiting for the two. She bowed slightly to the mayor, then guided them to the office.
They walked past a series of doors, some with ridiculous labels like, "Mettaton's power room," or "Mettaton's super-secret hideout." Roscoe stifled a laugh.
They stopped at another set of double doors, and the receptionist opened one of them for the two men. Asgore and Roscoe stepped in to see a whole set ready to record. Cameras littered the edges in front of a snazzy array of couches and recliners with the background of a typical home.
Mettaton was being shined by an assistant for the casting, and pushed them away when he saw the duo.
"Marvelous, you're here! Okay, come on now, don't be shy! We start rolling in a few minutes!" The robot strut over to Asgore and waited while staff members stood in front of the cameras and lights. Out of nowhere, Vanessa attached microphones to Mettaton, Asgore and Roscoe. The human jumped at the touch.
Another monster, who eerily resembled a backwards merman, clapped his fins at the staff. "Okay people, we're on in thirty seconds! Where's my host? Where's the damn host?!" His fish eyes looked around independently, like a chameleon. An anthropomorphic female Gryftrot ran out with a microphone.
"H-Here I am, sir!" She saluted him right away. The trees on her antlers shook nervously. The reverse merman grunted at her.
"Cyndi, about time! Center stage, and don't screw this up!" He left Cyndi alone on the stage.
A crewmember started a countdown. "We go on in, five, four, three, two, one, On Air!"
The Gryftrot put on a serious face, and lost her previous nervousness, putting on a brave façade. "Hello ladies and gentle monsters. I'm your lovely host, Cyndi here. We have a mega IMPORTANT announcement here on the MTT show! So please, tell all of your family and loved ones to tune in, because we need all of you fabulous people to hear this! If you're still not convinced, here's the one, the only, METTATON, and his sexy legs! OOOhhh!"
Cyndi smiled and backed off of the stage to let the robot lead. Mettaton bowed and blew kisses towards the camera while a cheering track played. The ratings, which showed on a wall outside of the set, soared when he was on stage.
"Hello, my lovelies! I hope you're all doing as fabulously as I am!" He flipped his hair flamboyantly. The ratings escalated. "OH YES. As my darling assistant told you, we have a major announcement here on the MTT show, 'Freedom With a Fabulous Robot!' It's going to be quite a treat for you all. I'm sure some of you remember the human from my previous shows, like 'Cooking With a Killer Robot'. This time, I have yet another human who will be joining me today. But wait, there's MORE! I also have the most powerful monster in the Underground!" He posed dramatically, hand over his chest daintily. "That's right! I have King Asgore here with me today! Will you two please join me?"
He exotically turned on his heel to sit on one of the red recliners, patting the arm of the sofa right by him. The two men were pushed by staff members onto the set. They understood the gist of things, and sat on the sofa by Mettaton. The ratings on the wall rocketed when the mayor was in view. A staff member gave a thumbs up to the robot off-screen to show that ratings were good. Mettaton nodded subtly.
"Give a great welcome to these two strong men! Oh my, don't break the sofa! Now please, tell all of us who are tuned in, what exactly is the big hubbub? We've been hearing some dastardly rumors about the barrier being shattered, but are they true?" He crossed his legs elegantly, gazing at Asgore.
The goat almost stopped Mettaton from saying the word'Barrier'. Now Roscoe would have to know the truth. 'I suppose it's better than lying. I'm sure he'll understand, right?'
He cleared his throat, "Ahem, people of the Underground. These rumors are indeed, true. The barrier has been shattered, and we are all now free. The human beside me is the mayor of a village where we will be settling. Please, introduce yourself." The king anxiously eyed the mayor's reaction.
Roscoe was puzzled. Barrier? What barrier? The king had said Frisk led them out of the caves. He decided not to say anything about it, and ask Asgore later. For now, he would go along with whatever they said.
"Hello, monsters of the Underground. My name is Roscoe Edric, and I am the mayor of the village of Crystallea." Roscoe beamed.
Asgore sighed in relief. Roscoe was going along with it. That was good.
Mettaton clapped. "Bravo! Everyone, give a round of applause for the kind human! Asgore, Roscoe, please give us all the juicy details!"
The king nodded. "Well, the mayor has generously given us permission to settle in the village of Crystallea for a fresh start. The people are extremely nice, and most will help us build some homes. Roscoe, would you like to add anything?"
The human nodded firmly. "Yes, I would. Monsters of the Underground, I personally invite you to settle with us humans. As I understand, you have been waiting for many years to ascend to the surface world. This is your chance to leave an imprint on the world, and change it for the better. I ask that we make a joyous union where we can all live in peace, no matter what our race is, just like the nation above us has. Make your mark on the world, leave no stone unturned. This is your moment in history." Roscoe ended the speech, not realizing he had actually stood up in the midst of it.
During the speech, the ratings had risen so high, that the monitor could hardly keep up with the numbers. It started to overheat and sizzle. Mettaton was highly pleased when a staff member gave him two thumbs up.
The robot rose, "Well then, my little monsters, there you have it! We're all free! Asgore, some final words, please: What do we need to do to prepare for the upcoming migration?"
The king's face glowed with admiration for the mayor's speech. He stood up beside the human. "Just wait for tomorrow. We will get everything ready for the oncoming days. All the monsters that wish to reside above, please start to pack. In a few days' time, I will hold a conference in the city of New Home to announce when we will head to the Overworld. As I have said before, some of the carpenters in Crystallea will help us with some basic homes. On the day of the conference I will have some forms for everyone to fill out so we can gather everything in an orderly fashion. Thank you, monsters of the Underground. It has truly been a blessing to see this day with all of you, my people."
With Asgore's final words, the reverse merman made a cutting motion across his neck with his fin. Mettaton acknowledged it.
"Thank you so much, darlings! I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Ladies and Gentlemen watching at home, thank you so much for tuning in to the MTT show. Goodbye lovelies!" The robot ended with a wink at the camera, and then the feed was cut.
The reverse merman clapped his fins again. "Alright people, that was a hit! Now clean up the set, we got another recording in ten minutes!"
Mettaton took Roscoe and Asgore to the entrance of the studio. The group of friends were all gathered together there.
Toriel clapped her hands. "Well done, you two! Roscoe that was a magnificent speech. Truly, it made me feel as if I was a very important individual."
Frisk went over to give the furry king a hug. Asgore patted Frisk's brown hair. "This all happened, thanks to you, Frisk."
Undyne slapped the mayor in the back. "Way to go, Roscoe! Everyone will like you better than Frisk if you keep it up!"
The mayor's back ended up popping several times in conjunction with Undyne's slap. He stood up straight and rubbed the area. "I believe you just fixed my aching back! Thank you."
The fish monster laughed and hugged Alphys close to her. "See, Alphys? Not everyone thinks my hits are painful!" Her statement made Papyrus cringe a little.
The yellow dinosaur nervously grinned. "I-I guess so."
Mettaton loved the display. "Oh, what kinship! Such a lovely little group. Okay, now out with you, I have another show to produce!" He shooed them away with flailing hands, following them out the door. The robot noticed Papyrus had exited immediately.
"Oh darling Papyrus, why are you in such a hurry? I thought you were my biggest fan, hm?" The robot sang.
Papyrus froze with his spine straight up, and then turned around lightning fast. "I AM! I JUST THOUGHT I SHOULD RECORD YOUR SHOW AT HOME INSTEAD OF BOTHERING YOU HERE."
Mettaton giggled lightly. "You may stay. Besides, you may not make it back in time to record it, unless you live in the city."
The skeleton knew Mettaton was right. He also knew this was his only chance to see his favorite television star, live! Well, besides the show he just watched a few moments ago. That didn't count.
Papyrus balled his gloved hands into fists. "YOU MEAN IT? CAN I REALLY STAY?"
"Of course you can, darling."
The skeleton jumped for joy. "WOWIE, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! OH, FRISK, CAN YOU TELL MY BROTHER I'M GOING TO BE STAYING HERE FOR A WHILE? I'M SURE HE'LL BE WORRIED ABOUT ME."
The human in question agreed with a shake of their head. Mettaton instantly grabbed Papyrus by his scarf and dragged him into the studio, slamming the doors.
Frisk stared in shock at the motion. 'Weird.'
The others had gone ahead without Frisk, leaving the human to scamper after their friends. Once Frisk caught up to them, the group was already exiting the resort.
Outside of the resort the group was starting to split off. Toriel took Frisk's hand and led them to the wall nearby.
"My child, it seems that we will all be heading our separate ways. Would you like to accompany me back to the ruins, or go with one of the others? I understand if you would like to stay with someone else." She spoke calmly, reassuring the human that she wouldn't be hurt if they decided to go.
For Frisk, the choice was immediately obvious. This was the second time Toriel had asked them if they wanted to leave. If they had wanted to leave in the first place, Frisk wouldn't be in the Underground.
The human took Toriel's hand and started to head to the ruins. The goat giggled to herself as she let herself be guided. As the couple left, Toriel waved her hand at the group in goodbye. Only Asgore and Undyne waved back.
As Frisk and Toriel exited the area of the MTT Resort, the human took their phone out and checked the time. It was already five in the evening. Where had the time gone? It flew by in an instant, and Frisk felt like only a few minutes had gone by, when really the whole day was almost at an end.
The two descended the stairs, passing the Nice Cream Man and Guards, and heading to the right to take the L1 elevator. Frisk felt sick to their stomach; they hated elevators now.
Toriel pushed a button to arrive on the floor closest to the River Person and Alphys' lab. She stepped out first and started to walk a little ahead of Frisk, as if leading the way. The human didn't mind, and followed her with a happy smile. They ended up arriving at the stream with the River Person. As usual, the boat person was cryptic with their greeting.
"Tra la la, where to this time?" The cloaked figure stood motionless on the boat. They seemed to be really stiff today.
Toriel stepped onto the boat, with the human following her lead. "Snowdin," she soothingly replied. The boat started to lurch forward with tremendous speed. The river person stood their ground, but then started to turn around slowly. Their dark hood made it impossible to distinguish any kind of facial features, but Frisk was sure they saw a glint of red eyes. The river person was now facing Toriel and Frisk, making them feel a little uneasy.
Toriel was the first to respond. "What is it? Is something wrong?" She took a step back. The river person advanced slowly on the tiny deck of the boat. Frisk protectively stepped in front of Toriel to shield her. The boat person bent down at their back at an almost ninety degree angle, cloak billowing in the breeze. Frisk didn't flinch, and stared into the void of where the river person's face would be. The human saw nothing.
Frisk felt a puff of air come from the hood. They tensed up, expecting some kind of fight to commence. The moment lasted for a few seconds before the river person spoke quietly.
"Tra. La. La… Beware of the man who speaks in hands…" The river person hissed out the last word before jolting back around, facing the wind. Frisk widened their eyes as a recollection of a memory came back to them. A menacing laugh resounded in their mind, and they felt seasick. Frisk grasped their stomach to quell the nausea. Toriel placed a hand on their shoulder gently, "Oh my, Frisk, are you alright?" Frisk nodded in response, patting her hand lightly. They needed to get off of the boat, away from the water.
Toriel glared at the river person's back. "What was the purpose of doing that? What did you do to Frisk?!" The boat person responded with silence, and came up to the bank of Snowdin.
"Tra la la, come again sometime." The boat person finally spoke, breaking the awkward quietness. Toriel quickly stepped off the boat, tugging Frisk along with her. She glowered at the river person as they sped off in their boat.
"Hmph, what nerve! I sure hope they never do that again or I will have words-!" Toriel let go of Frisk, stomping away in anger.
The human turned around to follow. The cold snow crunched delightfully under their feet. They thought about the confrontation with the river person. What did the phrase even mean? 'Beware of the man who speaks in hands…' Frisk went over the phrase again. A feeling of doom hung over them the more they thought about it, and the laugh replayed in their head every time. It sounded so familiar, as if they had heard it somewhere recently. Their mind went to the night they spent with sans…
"Oh right, Papyrus." Frisk remembered they needed to tell sans that Papyrus would be home late. A blush creeped onto their face, but Frisk shook their head, and ran after Toriel.
The goat was already passing Grillby's when she heard Frisk's footsteps. She waited for the human to catch up, and she bowed her head apologetically, "Sorry, my child. I did not mean to leave you alone."
Frisk smiled. "Its fine. I needed to tell sans that Papyrus would be late today. I think sans might be at home, so I'll be over there for a while."
Toriel glanced over to the skeleton brother's cabin. Sure enough, a light was on in one of the windows. She gestured at Frisk to go ahead, "That will be okay, my child. In the meantime, I will make us some dinner and pie. Take your time."
Frisk hugged his goat mother before walking off towards sans' house. Dogamy and Dogaressa were stationed outside the "librarby," and wagged their tails as the human walked by. Frisk waved to them, then came in front of sans' home.
Frisk decided to knock a few times instead of going in directly. The doorknob turned slowly, and the door opened a crack. A bright pupil shone throw the crack, and dilated when it saw Frisk. The door swung open all the way to reveal sans. Frisk tried to crack a smile, and ended up giving the skeleton a clumsy grin. sans' eternal grin widened in return.
"hey, what's been going on? i saw asgore and that mayor guy on tv. they did pretty great." The skeleton swooshed his head to eye the area behind Frisk, "where's pap?"
Frisk pointed towards the outskirts of town. "That's what I came here to tell you. Your brother is with Mettaton, and he told me to tell you that he's staying there for a while."
sans' face expressed immediate worry. "oh boy, that's probably why i got that weird feeling earlier…" He trailed off, looking down to the side. His gaze returned back to Frisk. "welp, nothing to do about it now but wait. wanna come in? i'm fixing to watch a movie."
Frisk thought about the offer for a moment. The awkwardness from earlier was gone, and Toriel said to take their time. What's the worst that could happen?
"Sure, what movie is it?" Frisk replied. The skeleton stepped aside to let the human enter the home, shutting the door behind them. Frisk hopped onto the green couch, waiting for the skeleton. sans went over to the television, and rummaged through the drawer below it. He pulled out an old VHS tape, then a newer DVD case, then presented them to Frisk. The VHS and the DVD were the same title, "The Beauty and The Beast." The human grabbed the VHS and studied it. Frisk remembered having a VHS player when they were younger, and the nostalgia brought a warm smile to their face. They gave it back to sans, nodding their head.
"okay then, old school it is. i remember finding this in the trash pile in waterfall, and watching this as a kid when pap was barely learning how to walk. good times." sans fondly reminisced about his younger brother for a bit before snapping his fingers, "oh, sorry. lost myself there for a second." He looked in the drawer again and took out a large VHS player, placing it on the TV stand. After hooking it up, he inserted the cartridge into the player. The blue screen displayed the word, "PLAY" for a second before flashing to some old movie previews. sans plopped down beside Frisk on the sofa, leaning back into the soft cushions. He reached over the arm of the sofa to retrieve a remote, and skipped all of the trailers.
Frisk's eyes were glued to the screen once the prologue started. The gorgeous music that played had always caught their attention, and the story was so captivating. sans looked over to see the human's face and chuckled softly. Old movies never lost their rustic charm. The pair watched the scenes play out as Belle was constantly misunderstood, then locked up in the castle. Then Frisk's favorite song, "Be Our Guest," started to show on the screen. The human smiled to see the array of dishes dance about the table. It reminded them of some of the Underground's more eccentric monsters.
Then it cut out. The movie stopped, and all fell silent. Frisk saw their own confused face staring back at them through the TV's reflective black screen.
sans cocked his head, getting off of the couch to inspect the TV. White noise glitched onto the screen, then a blurry film started to play. The voice of a small child was heard from the television, followed by a small skeleton with a large red scarf.
"…what…" came sans breathless voice.
"hey pap, look here! that's it!" The child's voice called to the small baby onscreen. sans took a step back from the television, and held a hand to his lower jaw.
"…this is an old home movie from back when me and pap were… with our parents…" The short skeleton stared at the television screen. The old movie panned to the left, where a female skeleton looked like she was grinning. sans fell onto the ground, mouth agape.
"m-mom…"
Frisk stared at the TV. They wouldn't be home for a while.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Edited Lovingly by Miss Sleep.