Sorry it's a bit of a short one. More coming soon!

Toby Fox owns Undertale and all associated characters. However, The Defiler is mine

The three Monsters trained confused looks on Frisk, but the biggest reaction came from within.

You what?!

Well, really it's you. But I'm not allowed to talk about you, am I?

What makes you think I know anything about these things?

Do you not?

There was a moment of silence from Chara. Frisk used that moment to sit down at the table across from Toriel. Undyne was tapping her foot impatiently, but she hadn't spoken out and the other two seemed content to give him time to speak.

Fine. I might know something.

Then tell them.

Seriously? You're putting me in the spotlight here?

If you know something, then tell them! Frisk's sudden frustration bled into his voice.

Chara seemed taken aback at his tone, then she scowled.

Alright then, but on one condition. I don't know much about what's going on, but it's serious. So I want you to promise me. Promise me that when I tell you to give me control, you won't fight me for it. No more getting beaten half to death or letting our mother get swarmed before I can deal with the problem. Deal?

… Deal.

Okay then.

Frisk closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

Chara did not open her eyes, it would be easier that way. She couldn't do anything about her voice, but that was easier to explain away than the eyes. She took a moment to grasp at the fragments of memory that awakened when she had seen the dark beings. There wasn't much, but it was better than what they had.

She could hear Undyne take a deep breath, no doubt upset about how long she was taking. Chara didn't let her speak, however.

"You were right, Undyne." She said quietly. "They're not Monsters. They're not even alive, not really."

"Well, what are they then?" Undyne asked impatiently. Chara hesitated.

"They're… magic. I'm not sure how to describe it. Monsters are mostly made of magic, but they also have physical matter, right? These things don't. They don't have a soul either, they're just made of pure magic." She grimaced. "Well, maybe pure is the wrong word."

Undyne started muttering to herself, and Toriel spoke up. She definitely sounded on edge, and Chara felt a pang of guilt for making her worry.

"How do you know this? Have you met these creatures before?"

"Sorry, Mom, but you're just going to have to trust me on this one. But there's more. These things can't act on their own. Something's controlling them."

"Is this related to what happened in the Underground yesterday?"

Chara stiffened at Sans's question. Damn skeleton, always too smart for his own good.

"Yeah, it is." She replied. "Didn't you go and check down there after you brought us… me back?"

"Yeah, I did. Didn't find anybody though. Just leftover magical residue."

"It's not like normal Monster magic, is it?"

"No, it's not."

There was a crackling sound, and a slightly muffled voice began speaking, presumably from Undyne's walkie-talkie.

"Miss Undyne, we have a situation back at HQ that needs your attention."

"Damn it. I'll be there in a few." The warrior cracked her knuckles.

"Looks like I've gotta bug out. But, listen Frisk. You might wanna talk to Alphys about whatever you know. Then she can build us a death ray so we can blast all these suckers back to wherever they came from!"

"I dunno, Undyne; Alphys's working on a lot of things right now, she might have to take a rayne check on that."

"Dammit Sans!"

"What? I thought it was pretty humerous."

Chara groaned.

"Is now really the time, Sans?"

There were heavy footsteps, the the sound of a door shutting. Undyne had left the house. Though her eyes were closed, Chara could feel the stares of the two remaining monsters.

"Frisk," Toriel said in her best no-nonsense voice. "What happened while you were in the Underground? Is that where you learned all of this?"

Chara hesitated for a moment, then slowly replied.

"I'm… still not completely sure what happened down there. I think I found the magical residue Sans was talking about, and it affected me somehow. I've been feeling strange all day." She shrugged. "Sorry, I know it's not much to go on."

"It's better than what we had before." Sans said grimly. "But do you got anything else for us?"

"Just theories at this point."

"Well, that kinda makes you the expert now, doesn't it?"

"Sans, is this really necessary?" Toriel asked, her tone making Chara want to wrap her arms around her mother. Frisk'd probably do that when he was back in control anyway.

"He's right, Mom. Every bit we can get helps." She turned her head so it was facing Sans, opening one eye to watch the skeleton.

"I think those things were looking for something. I don't know what, but they're not going to stop until they get it. They don't know when to quit."

Sans gave a barely perceptible nod to indicate he'd gotten her subtle message.

"Alright then. I'm gonna go talk with Alphys. Undyne probably had the right idea, if anyone might have some idea on how we can counter these, it'll be her. You two stay safe, alright?"

And just like that, he was gone. Chara heaved a relieved sigh, feeling drained.

Your turn, buddy.

Frisk opened his eyes and immediately ran to Toriel, embracing his mother while looking worriedly up into her face.

"Frisk… you know that you can talk to me about anything, right?" She said, gently returning the hug. "I will listen to you no matter what it is."

A wave of guilt washed over the boy, causing him to clutch at his mother tighter. He gave a little nod, but didn't say anything.

"Asgore, that won't need to come along, but could you get the mix out of the top cupboards?"

Toriel's voice seemed to echo through the house, easily reaching Frisk's ears while he finished packing. It was a good thing his backpack was so sturdy, but he was careful to only take what he needed. Hopefully they'd only be gone for a couple days.

It had been two days since Toriel had been attacked, and the assaults had only gotten worse since then. It seemed that the shadowy creatures had infested the city; hardly an hour went by without someone getting swarmed. Undyne had "collaborated" with the mayor, or, more accurately, had burst into his office and shouted at him. Now she had her hands full trying to keep everyone safe with her force. She had instituted a curfew and had made sure that everyone knew to call her forces at the first hint of danger.

She was not alone, however. Asgore had reluctantly taken up the title of leader once again, though he still winced whenever anyone called him "Your Majesty". He led the Monster's own small military force calling themselves the Royal Guard. It mainly consisted of Knight-Knights, Madjicks, and Final Froggits , with a few Astigmatism's thrown in there. There weren't too many of them, but they had all agreed to help Undyne's police force as much as possible.

Unfortunately, the shadow beings were the least of the city's worries. Early yesterday morning, a massive storm had appeared just north of Mt. Ebott. It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Massive black clouds swirled in a vortex around some hidden focal point, and bolts of lightning would sporadically fire out of the thing to strike anything nearby. And it was headed straight for the city.

While no-one had heard from Alphys directly, her team had confirmed the storm as being magical in origin. A team had been sent out to investigate, but as soon as they got close, all contact had been lost.

Chara knew that power. The storm was not a naturally occurring consequence, but it was being generated by the same being controlling the shadow beings. When she had Frisk inform his friends of this, it was quickly decided not to release the information to the general public. There was already enough for them to be panicking about.

Fortunately, the majority of people had begun evacuating the city the day before. There were so many people leaving that the northern highway had been clogged for hours, and there were more people trying to get out that way.

"Frisk! Are you finished packing yet?"

The boy shook his head to clear his thoughts, then shouldered the backpack. He raced downstairs to give his mother a thumbs up. She was dressed in her old purple robes she had worn back in the Underground, and had a small suitcase in one hand.

"Good. We should go, my child. Papyrus will be waiting for us."

Asgore came into the room, ducking his head unconsciously to avoid bashing his horns into the lowered ceiling. He, too, was dressed once again in Kingly attire, mostly at Toriel's insistence. She knew the effect that having someone to look up to could have on people, and, despite Asgore's reluctance, he was one of the best people to fill that role.

"Everything's ready then?" He asked.

"Yes, I think we have everything we need." Toriel replied. "Fortunately, the Underground is not too far away, and it will make a good safe haven."

Asgore nodded.

"I believe that most of the Monsters not part of the Royal Guard or the police force have already gone there. Some Humans too. Especially since the roads have been blocked."

Toriel hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

"I wish you could come with us."

Asgore gave a warm little smile, then reached out to grab Toriel's hand, raising it to his lips. Toriel gave a little gasp, but did not pull her hand away.

He used to do that a lot.

"Don't worry, I'll be alright. I'm sure we'll have all this sorted out in a few days. Anyway, I will come with you to the edge of the city, at least."

Toriel nodded, then reached down to pick up Frisk. The boy offered no resistance; he felt much safer in her arms.

Fortunately, the Monster district was located at the edge of the city facing Mt. Ebott, so it was not that far of a walk. There were no roads to the mountain, so driving would be all but impossible.

The two Monsters walking side by side were unusually quiet. Frisk could not see the approaching storm from here, but he could almost feel it. He was worried. He feared losing his friends, and this time, he didn't know if he could save them. He snuggled closer into Toriel's arms, wanting the reassurance of her warm body and soft fur.

"My friends!"

Frisk's attention snapped away from Toriel to see Papyrus running excitedly towards them. The skeleton was, for whatever reason, wearing his outfit that he reserved for special occasions. Like dating Frisk, for example.

"Wowie! You came already! This is going to be the best vacation ever!"

The two Boss Monsters exchanged glances.

"Yes… I suppose it will be, Papyrus." Asgore said slowly. "I've not seen you wearing that before, is that a new outfit?"

"Of course not! These are my special clothes! There will be Humans coming with us, and I, the great Papyrus, am nothing if not a responsible host! What could be more special than the opportunity to show Humans the place they trapped us in for centuries?"

"Er… I suppose." Toriel replied. Frisk shrugged. He didn't always follow Papyrus's thought process, but at least he was enthusiastic about it.

"Your Majesty! Will you be coming with us as well?"

"I'm afraid not, Papyrus." Asgore chuckled. "I will just be bringing you to the edge of town. I will be staying behind with Undyne. Someone needs to keep things running while you are all on vacation."

"I hadn't thought of that! No wonder you're the king!"

Asgore sighed. He had given up trying to convince Papyrus that he was no longer king of Monsters.

"Of course."

Papyrus continued to chatter on excitedly as they approached the city boundaries. Frisk was glad for his company. It would be a few hours walk to the mountain, and if there was one thing that Papyrus was good at, it was making even the most trivial things seem interesting and wondrous.

"Hey!"

The small group had turned at the voice, but the sound of metal clanking against asphalt gave away the voice's owner before they had completed their turn.

It was Undyne, once against wearing her full battle-armour. She wasn't wearing the helmet right now though, it hung off a strap around her waist. Frisk hadn't seen her outside of her armour since the first attack.

"Hah! You think you can sneak out of here without giving me a chance to send you off? Fat chance! C'mere, squirt!"

Frisk wiggled his way out of Toriel's arms to rush over to the warrior who leaned down to grab him into an affectionate noogie.

"Yeah, that's right! Hey Frisk, you look after Papyrus and Toriel for me while I'm not around, alright?"

The boy nodded solemnly, earning him a wide smile from the fish-woman.

"Good! I'll feel better knowing you're keeping everyone safe."

"We're lucky to have him." Toriel smiled.

"Yeah!" Papyrus joined in. "Frisk is the greatest friend and protector! Second only to the great Papyrus!"

Undyne let out a loud laugh.

"Hell yeah!"

"Having fun without me, are you?"

Suddenly, Sans was there, standing next to Undyne. The fish warrior frowned and stood up, turning to him.

"Sans, brother! Are you coming with us too?"

"Nah, I figured I'd stick around here. Gotta make sure all the hot cats get sold."

"Oh, no you don't, Sans." Undyne said, narrowing her eyes at the skeleton. "You're going with them."

"Don't worry about me, Undyne, all this is no skin off my bones."

"Sans, this is serious! You're not a fighter, and I don't want you to get hurt."

Chara snorted.

Not a fighter? Undyne, you have no idea, do you?

Toriel, Asgore and Papyrus approached the two arguing monsters, and Toriel placed a hand on Frisk's shoulder.

"Sans, I order you to go with them!"

"Sorry, Undyne. You're not my boss anymore. I'm a civilian now, remember?"

"Ngaaah! Why don't you get it? I know how exactly how much damage you can take, Sans! If you don't leave with the rest, then when whatever that thing that's making the storm gets here, it's going to… going to…"

Oh no.

A dark, menacing laugh suddenly seemed to reverberate all around them.

"Oh, don't mind me. By all means, give me some ideas."