Chapter 3
Murmurs filled the air as the last spectators found their seats in the dim auditorium, which was no trouble at all since it was a grand chamber with ample capacity. The darkened stage, framed and floored with fine wood paneling, was vacant except for the thick black curtains set at the back. Once the crowd had settled, the stage lights came on and a reptoid monster kid burst onto the stage through the center divide of the curtains. She came forth with such enthusiasm that she nearly tripped over her own feet.
"Long ago, two races ruled over the earth: monsters and humans," she announced with a bright smile. "One day, war broke out between the two races."
Three monster kids emerged from the right stage entrance along with another three from the left, all brandishing tinfoil-wrapped cardboard swords. The one notable difference between the two groups was that the three on the right wore Guy Fawkes masks. The children growled and postured aggressively at each other until they paired up to engage in mock battle.
Meanwhile, a little skeleton boy nervously peeked out from behind the curtains and a quiet rattling of bones could be heard above the din of cardboard swordplay. Soon, he stumbled forward onto the stage, as if propelled by an unseen nudge from behind, and chattered, "A-After a long battle, the humans were vic-victorious. They s-s-sealed the monsters underground with a magic spell."
The monster kids on the right dropped their weapons and put up their hands while the Guy Fawkes trio pointed their swords at them. One of these 'humans' stomped his foot twice and a trap door opened in the center of the stage floor. Then, they rounded up their prisoners and forced them to plunge through the opening. Guy Fawkes #1 seemed to spot the reptoid girl and the skeleton boy behind him and signaled the other Guy Fawkeses to approach. After some protest from the reptoid, the two humans dragged her toward the trap door while the first human crossed his arms. She huffily lowered herself into the hole. The skeleton boy began to rattle again until the humans all stared at him. Finally, he bolted for the opening and leapt in. There was a brief chuckle from the audience before the humans shut the trap door and marched off the stage.
How droll…
A froggit hopped out from behind the curtains and said, "Many years later, a human fell into the ruins."
A young astigmatism wearing a Dora the Explorer costume hurtled through the curtains and tumbled onto center stage with a loud, "Ow!"
"Injured by its fall, the human called out for help," continued the froggit.
Dora lifted their head and cried, "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!"
Oh, brother…
A whimsun floated out to join the froggit and said, "Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call. He brought the human back to the castle."
A young baphomorph girl in a striped shirt entered from offstage and saw Dora. This 'Asriel' framed 'his' white fuzzy cheeks in 'his' hands to appear shocked at the sight of the human. 'Asriel' quickly came to Dora's side and aided them off the stage.
Hmm…How appropriate. She looks just like you.
Asriel – the real Asriel – couldn't help but agree as he watched from his front-row seat, sipping his tea. To see Charebelle so aptly perform her role filled him with pride and yet he could barely bring himself to smile, for his tea was bitter and he knew what was yet to come.
A moldsmal slid onto the stage, leaving behind a slimy trail, "Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The king and queen treated the human child as their own. The underground was full of hope."
Charebelle and Dora returned to the stage, holding hands and prancing about in circles. Then, a lesser dog and a greater dog, both pups, regally glided onto the stage. They each wore vibrant robes with a crown and a pair of costume horns atop their heads. The greater dog must have been the king because he bore a much larger set of horns. The royal couple affectionately patted Charebelle and the human on their heads before they sashayed away to the opposite stage exit. The king struggled to keep all the headgear steady on his little head and could be heard whining as he disappeared from view.
A migosp crept in to take his place. "Then, one day, the human became very ill."
Dora stopped prancing, pressed the back of their hand to their head and swooned exaggeratedly. Charebelle, showing concern, helped them off the stage once more.
A vegetoid hopped forward to join the other monsters. "The sick human had only one request: to see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing anyone could do."
The king and queen returned the stage, holding each other supportively as they slowly treaded across the stage. Their heads were bowed, their shoulders were slumped and they whimpered softly to each other before exiting.
The young astigmatism returned uncostumed from behind the curtains and said, "The next day, the human died." The stage lights faded until it was dark in the auditorium. The shuffling of little monster feet was heard. When the lights came back on, the stage was empty save for Charebelle who knelt at center stage and gazed pensively at the Dora mask she held in her hands.
At this point, Asriel tore his gaze from the stage, his hand trembling as he took a longer sip of his tea.
A frostdrake walked in from behind the curtains. "Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul. He transformed into a being with incredible power."
Charebelle shifted her eyes left and right and promptly slipped the Dora mask under her shirt. Then she theatrically made her way to exit the stage, doing a few balletic twirls on the way out.
An icecap moseyed in, "With the human soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier. He carried the human's body into the sunset, back to the village of the humans."
Charebelle returned through the curtains, clothed in vibrant robes, with the set of fake horns worn over her real horn buds. She carried a training dummy dressed in the outfit of Dora the Explorer. Charebelle stepped slowly, determinedly toward center stage.
A woshua crawled in to form a line with the other monsters. "Asriel reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of golden flowers. He carried the human onto it."
Charebelle continued to the front of the stage and knelt to solemnly deposit the training dummy upon the floor.
A shyren slinked upon the stage to join the others. "Suddenly, screams rang out." And so they did, offstage. "The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body. They thought that he had killed the child."
The Guy Fawkes trio from earlier rushed onto the stage. This time they carried nerf bats.
A small knight-knight clattered in, "The humans attacked him with everything they had. He was struck with blow after blow."
Charebelle rose to face her attackers, who savagely beat her with the nerf bats, causing her to crumple back onto her knees.
The knight-knight continued, "Asriel had no choice but to use his power to fight back the humans."
Suddenly, Charebelle leapt up with a mighty uppercut and the Guy Fawkes trio fell backwards. They lay on the stage and did not move.
Asriel drooped in his chair and sighed.
A madjick entered through the curtains. "But the humans did not die in vain. Asriel absorbed the souls of those humans, too. He used the power of the human souls to destroy the magic barrier."
Charebelle unmasked the humans and shifted her gaze before tucking the three masks under her shirt. She then marched back to the curtains and slipped behind them to pull one back so that a gap appeared. Through the opening came a procession of young monsters – the ones that had formed the first chorus – led by the froggit, who said, "All the monsters rejoiced. They were now free to leave the underground."
All the monsters on stage leapt and cheered and danced or whatever monsters of their respective kind did when they had a good time. The unmasked 'humans' that had been lying there got up to join the other monsters. Charebelle nodded proudly and disappeared behind the curtains.
Asriel's eyes grew so heavy that he could no longer bear to keep them open.
Come on, try to stay awake. How am I supposed to watch if you don't keep your eyes open?
Asriel willed himself to do so… just a little while longer…
"But the humans did not welcome the return of the monsters," said the whimsun.
From the right stage entrance came three more monsters donning the Guy Fawkes masks with cardboard swords in hand. The humans looked rather cross and the monsters scrambled to line up against the curtains.
"The king and queen pleaded with the humans to allow everyone to coexist in peace," continued the whimsun.
In came the king and queen through the curtains and knelt before the humans. They presented their cutest puppy-dog expressions and whined up at the Guy Fawkes trio.
The moldsmal in the chorus said, "The humans' only answer was a new declaration of war. Many lives were lost on both sides…"
Several monsters and one of the humans dropped dead at once. The lesser dog queen curiously sniffed at the fallen human.
"…including the king and queen," resumed the moldsmal.
The king and queen abruptly collapsed to the floor and played dead. The remaining pair of humans dragged their fallen comrade offstage. Charebelle re-entered the stage.
"With a heavy heart, Asriel picked up the crown that had been his father's," said the migosp as Charebelle did so. "He promised to bring us the peace that his parents never could."
Charebelle reflected upon the crown momentarily and then placed it atop her head. She turned to the monster chorus and roused the 'dead' ones to rise. Theatrically, she bounded side-to-side across the stage, flailing her arms at the monsters with gestures of encouragement before she marched through the right stage exit.
She will make a great queen someday, you know.
Asriel nodded wearily to himself and he felt the crown upon his own head grow especially heavy. He knew now that his daughter was capable of anything she put her mind to and that she could weather any storm, despite her young age. Her strength brought him comfort as he drank the last of his tea.
The vegetoid said, "After many years of fighting, the monsters had won."
As before, three monster kids emerged from the left and three humans from the right, and another cardboard sword dance ensued. This time, Charebelle accompanied the monsters, brandishing a sword of her own. One of the humans ducked past his opponent and charged straight at Charebelle. Charebelle pointed her sword at the charging human and the human skidded to a halt. Charebelle lightly tapped the human on the shoulder with her sword and the human collapsed. Soon, the remaining humans surrendered.
"A-Asriel used his powers to seal the humans underground," said the skeleton boy with more confidence than before.
Charebelle and the monster kids escorted the humans to the trap door. She opened it and the humans dropped through the stage. Charebelle then closed the door and sat upon it, wiping her forehead with an expression of relief.
The reptoid girl grinned broadly and announced, "Asriel's promise had come true. The earth was finally at peace."
Next, the entire chorus of monsters chanted altogether, "King Asriel let us go! King Asriel gave us hope! King Asriel saved us all! Long live King Asriel!"
But Asriel did not heed their cheers, for he had fallen down.