THE LAST HOPE
Rain poured heavily on clay-like dirt. Puddles collected in small furrows on the ground. Two cloaked figures ran across the dirt careful not to leave any noticeable tracks.
One pair of feet were covered in boots their owner young once full of hope for a bright future now lost. Before they tried to solve all their problems with peace. After this they realized that doesn't always work.
The other pair were covered in yellow scales and tipped with claws with three toes on each foot. He was taller than his companion and used to get in trouble. Now he fought to protect others much like his idols.
As they ran they kept a sharp ear out for any noises other than the rain beating the ground. Sight wasn't much use in the downpour so they had to rely on their other senses. They had to keep alert because being found meant being killed and what they carried was too precious to lose.
Suddenly the yellow one's foot fell into a hole that appeared as soon as he put weight on a patch of dirt and the sogginess meant he couldn't easily pull out.
"Frisk!" he called out. His companion stopped and turned back for him. He stretched out a metal arm while a pair of yellow ones in blue sleeves grabbing and pulled with all their might to get their friend out of the muck.
As they pulled they heard stomping from nearby and knew what it was. They pulled harder desperately trying to get their friend out before it found them. As the stomping grew louder the shorter one realized they weren't going to get him out in time so they threw their cloak over the both of them and they huddled on the ground.
They lay prone under the cloak colored the same as the ground allowing them to blend in nearly perfectly. They heard the stomping stop just in front of them and through the cloak they could see a large spindly shadow over them. It lingered for several moments presumably looking for them. Eventually it gave up and its stomping resumed getting more quiet as it left.
The two waited until they were certain it was gone. The shorter one threw off its cloak and the rain began pelting them again. They reached into the folds of their cloak and pulled out a red handle which extended into a magnificent trident. Using the weapon they managed to dig their companion out and he pulled his mud-soaked foot free.
"Thanks for the save," he said.
"No problem MK," they replied. The trident returned to its original size which they replaced on their belt. "Now let's get moving."
After a few more minutes of travel they arrived at a nondescript pile of rocks. MK used his arms to move aside a specific rock to reveal a wheel underneath. Frisk grabbed it and turned it half a rotation clockwise. Then they yanked up and a hatch opened. Frisk and MK climbed down then the rock returned to its previous place concealing the entrance.
They went down several feet before reaching the bottom. A set of metal doors were closed before them. Frisk typed in a set of numbers and the doors unlocked. They pushed them open and walked into a spacious cavern where many Monsters sitting on the hard ground. The two of them walked around various families many taking note of their returned friends.
MK and Frisk waved to many young children who were overjoyed to see them again and greeted the adults who were relieved to have them both back.
As they walked a tall skeleton came into view.
"Yo, Papyrus!" MK greeted.
Papyrus turned away from the family he was helping and smiled at seeing them again. He ran to bring the both of them into a hug.
"FRISK! MK! YOU'RE BOTH BACK! WE WERE STARTING TO GET WORRIED." He set them both back down. "WE WERE EXPECTING YOU BACK THREE DAYS AGO."
"Sorry Papyrus," Frisk apologized. "We had to take a detour to avoid a patrol which added three days to our journey."
"IT'S OKAY, I FORGIVE YOU," Papyrus assured. "WHAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU MADE IT BACK AND IN ONE PIECE."
"Did you expect anything less from us?" MK asked playfully.
"NEVER," Papyrus said, placing his right arm – which was completely covered – to his chest. "AFTER ALL, YOU BOTH LEARNED FROM THE BEST THERE IS!"
"hey, you made it back."
All three turned to see Sans limping up to them with his wooden leg making muted thumps.
"great to see you're both still in one piece," he complimented.
"Great to see you too, Sans," Frisk returned.
"We need to see Alphys," MK said.
"straight to the point as usual," Sans said. "c'mon. she's waitin'." He turned and led them away Papyrus following.
"How's the leg?" Frisk asked. "You're walking better."
"eh, still itches," Sans answered. "you'd think being a skeleton that shouldn't happen but nope."
"And your arm, Papyrus?" MK asked.
"SAME AS ALWAYS," the tall skeleton answered rolling his right arm.
The four of them entered an antechamber that was separated by a set of metal doors. Inside Alphys was working on a console directing Undyne, dressed in her armor, to move machinery to specific places.
"DOCTOR!" Papyrus shouted getting both of their attention. "OUR INTREPID EXPLORERS HAVE RETURNED."
Alphys came over rubbing some smudges off her goggles with her gloved hand. "Thank god," she said relieved. "I was starting to fear you both had been killed."
"We're fine," Frisk assured. "And we got what you wanted."
MK reached into a pocket and produced a vial of gold-colored liquid. "Straight from the True Lab. The last vial of Determination." He handed it to Alphys.
She tapped the side of her goggles, analyzing the vial.
Undyne knelt next to the lizard woman. "Will it work?" she asked.
"Yes," Alphys confirmed. "There's just enough for the trip."
A small mound of dirt appeared on the ground then a flower shot up from it. "Hey, just heard," Flowey said. "Is Frisk really…?"
"Right here," they interrupted. Flowey whirled around to face them.
"Thank goodness! I… we were all starting to get worried," he said. He saw the vial in Alphys' gloved hand. "So, are we sure this is the right thing to do?" he asked. "I get that trying to continue fighting is pointless; we've lost. But I'm not sure if this is the way to do it."
"We have no other choice," Undyne said. "We've already figured out there's no way to change the outcome of this war."
"But we can change another," Alphys said. "And with this I can get my time machine working."
"I'm still not so sure about this," Flowey admitted. "Traveling into the past and changing things… the same power Frisk and I used to have… even I think it's a little crazy and questionable. Frisk and I only ever went back a few days - a week at most. You're suggesting we go back…"
"A thousand years," Alphys finished. "And it's not just any war we're changing. It's the most pivotal war in history which affected all our lives."
"The human-Monster war," Frisk said heavily. "We change that then we change everything."
"Including, hopefully, this war," MK added.
"Yes, but what happens to us?" Flowy emphasized. "That is assuming we can even change the past."
"you and frisk were able to do that," Sans pointed out.
"Yes, but this isn't the same thing," Flowey said. "After all, we're talking about trying to change centuries of history. How do we know we can succeed? How do we know we haven't already tried this and it failed?"
"We don't but we're assuming we didn't," Undyne said.
"Okay, but then after. What happens then?" Flowey questioned. "We have no idea at all what happens when we change history, let alone something as big as that. What will become of us?"
"We don't know that either," Alphys said, fiddling with the vial. "Anything could happen including us being erased."
"BUT IT'S A RISK WE'RE ALL WILLING TO TAKE," Papyrus said. "AFTER ALL, IF THIS DOESN'T WORK WE'RE DEAD ANYWAY."
Flowey sighed. "Just wanted to make sure we all understood that and are okay with it."
"If we didn't we wouldn't have gone to these lengths," MK pointed out.
Undyne turned to Alphys. "How long until you can get the machine operational?" she asked.
"If I work through the night it will be operational next morning," Alphys answered.
"Get to work," Undyne said. "Sans, Papyrus, inform the rest we're leaving first thing in the morning. The sooner we go back the sooner we get out of this nightmare. Frisk, MK, thank you both for your hard work. Get some rest and be ready to move out."
"But we can't leave just yet," Frisk said. "We've got to let the other humans know. We need to give them time to get here so they can come back with us."
When nobody immediately spoke Frisk realized something had happened.
"Nobody's told them, yet?" Flowey asked.
"They just got back. Haven't had the chance," Undyne admitted.
"Told me what?" Frisk asked.
Papyrus was wringing his hands, Sans was shuffling on his feet, and Alphys looked away.
"They're gonna find out eventually," Flowey pointed out. "Might as well say it now."
Frisk looked at all the adults expectantly. MK shared their quizzical look.
"W-we've lost contact with the remaining human bases," Alphys eventually said. "One reported that they thought they might have been discovered and we never heard from them again. Another tried to send a message but it was garbled and got cut off abruptly. And for the last, we haven't heard from them in five days."
"Because of all this, including the radio silence, we've had to assume the worst," Undyne told the human. "I'm sorry."
Frisk clutched their chest trying to fight back tears and taking deep breaths to steady their heart. They took a couple shaky steps back to avoid looking anyone in the eye. MK rested a metallic hand on their shoulder. After a moment, Frisk looked up while rubbing their eyes.
"It's okay," they said. "If we do this and succeed then none of this matters. It will all be erased."
"That's the hope," Undyne said.
Frisk shook their head slowly releasing a breath. "I'm fine."
Undyne turned to Alphys. "Get to work." Alphys nodded before returning to work. "You have your orders," Undyne said to the rest. As they departed Flowey vanished into the ground to go elsewhere.
Frisk and MK went to a specific section of the cave that was understood to be theirs. It was separated by drapes hanging from wires. All the families had a similar setup, though Frisk and MK had the privilege of two alcoves which has been shaped into beds for them with one above the other. Frisk took off their boots and set them on the floor next to their bed. MK was on the one above taking his cloak and scarf off.
As Frisk removed their own cloak a tail was dangled over Frisk. This meant MK was asking for permission to hop down. They touched it and a moment later MK was before them.
"What is it?" they asked.
"It's my arms," he answered. He tried reaching behind himself but the shoulder wouldn't rotate far enough. "I can't reach the button. Can you do it?"
"Of course." MK sat next to Frisk with his back to them. With MK's scarf off, Frisk was able to see the button at the base of his neck. They pressed it and a click was heard. Frisk grabbed the arms by the shoulders as MK wiggled out of the brace as Frisk lifted them off.
"Thanks, dude," he said. "I think something got in the servos."
"We'll have Alphys take a look at them as soon as possible," Frisk assured. They laid the prosthetics next to their boots and cloak.
"So, how are you?" MK asked turning to face them.
"I said I was fine," Frisk said.
"That's not what I meant," MK clarified.
Frisk didn't respond right away. "Mostly I'm sad," they admitted. "I know things weren't great but we could have used their help and that might help ensure peace."
MK nodded. "I know you have mixed feeling about humans. I just want to make sure you're alright, dude. You're… you're all I have. If something happened…"
"You'll have to deal with it someday you know," Frisk reminded. "You're going to live a lot longer than I will."
"I know, but not yet," MK said. "Not for years. Assuming this crazy plan works and we get to see the aftermath."
"I have a feeling we will," Frisk said with a smile. "Now we should get to sleep. We've been gone for days."
MK nodded and hopped up to his bed. Frisk laid down in theirs using the cloak as a blanket and their arm for a pillow. Before they drifted they heard something emerge next to them and saw Flowey a foot away.
"Um, mind a little company?" he asked. "It's been cold without you."
Frisk smiled. "Not at all."
Flowey vanished and a moment later Frisk felt him emerge beneath the cloak. Then his flower head came out from underneath and laid down next to theirs. Frisk huddled with the flower drifting off moments later.
Above MK saw it and glared. He rolled back into his alcove using his own cloak for a blanket trying to get some sleep.
The next day everybody was gathering in the antechamber where Alphys was building her project. Sans and Papyrus were directing people into the chamber.
Frisk and MK arrived with their cloaks hanging off their shoulders. They were greeted by everyone as they walked through the crowd.
"Please keep calm and no shoving," Undyne shouted over the hubbub. "There's room for everyone. We'll get underway in a moment."
As Frisk and MK walked to Undyne they were stopped by for a moment by a small rabbit child.
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked.
"We're going to be traveling to the past," MK answered. "It'll be safe there."
"Do we have to?"
MK knelt down so he was eye level with the child. "I'm afraid so. We can't survive this way. I know it's scary but I promise it's better than the alternative."
"If you say so," the child agreed. They were pulled along by their mother. Everyone was being positioned in specific places to maximize the space. Not that it was needed. With less than three hundred survivors there was plenty of elbow room for everyone in the large chamber.
"okay. that's everyone," Sans informed.
Undyne looked out at the crowd and only now realized how small it looked. Packed into the chamber it really drove the point home how few in number they were. The spaces between families were larger than she would have liked. And the few fighters they had were herself, the skeleton brothers, Frisk and MK, and the Canine Unit. This made it painfully clear how much of a toll the last two years had on their number since once they numbered near fifteen thousand.
"Okay everyone, listen up!" she shouted. "We've been planning this for months and made all the necessary preparations, but just in case, Alphys will explain this to you."
Alphys stepped to the center. "So, this machine will take us back to shortly before the end of the human-Monster war roughly a thousand years ago. Our objective is to change the outcome of said war. We hope that doing this will erase this timeline and destroy our enemy. To be clear this is volunteer only. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, feel free to opt out."
When no one did, Undyne resumed. "Since we're hoping to ultimately change things, that means we don't need to keep ourselves a secret. However, be cautious when interacting with the locals because we aren't sure how they'll react to time travelers. And try not to tell anyone about our future. We don't want to potentially mess up the timeline anymore than we are planning. You're free to do what you want. Just be aware that the humans of that time period are at war with Monsters. If you come across one and they aren't feeling merciful…" Undyne didn't finish that, as everyone could guess.
"Okay, I'll start up the machine," Alphys said while walking to the console. She typed in various commands. She programmed the end points for their trip to be a thousand years into the past.
As she worked, Frisk heard a muted thump. It sounded again louder and again. On the fourth time Alphys stopped and everyone looked around.
"SANS ARE YOU TAPPING YOUR LEG ON THE GROUND?" Papyrus asked.
"that's not me," he said.
Undyne looked at Alphys. She changed her focus from getting the machine running to activating a camera she had placed outside. The screen changed to show the desolate landscape and the torrential downpour. She had it scan the land. Suddenly, a shadow fell over it and a screech was heard before the feed was abruptly cut.
Alphys jumped in shock then the thumping resumed louder and more intense than before.
"They found us," she realized. With that people began to panic.
"Everyone, calm down!" Undyne shouted. "The doors are reinforced so it will take time for them to get through."
"You don't know that!" someone shouted. "They can vaporize steel. We've seen them do it!"
"There's no way out of here! What do we do?"
"I'll hold them off," MK suggested. "I can at least slow them down."
"There could be an army out there," Alphys said. "There's no guarantee you'd survive."
"Then I'll go with him," Frisk suggested. "The two of us can do it."
"We can't lose you, Frisk," Undyne said. "You're our ambassador and our best hope of changing the past."
"We'll do it," Doggo interrupted. "Me and the rest of the dogs will stay behind and buy you time."
As the other four stepped forward, Undyne felt her breath hitch. The Canine Unit were the only group of fighters to have survived this whole thing and now they were going to stay behind and buy them time. And she knew they were going to buy it with their lives. "You don't have to do this."
"It's our choice, captain," Doggo said. "We don't have time to argue but it's okay. If you succeed and change things for the better then maybe you'll see us again."
Everyone knew that rang quite hollow. They wouldn't be born for a thousand years and nobody expected to live that long. But they also knew it was partially true. If they won, everyone who died would have a second chance in a new timeline.
Undyne nodded wordlessly giving them her permission.
"It's been an honor," Doggo said, brandishing his swords. "We'll give you as much as you need." The five of them left the room and they could hear some small shuffling sounds from outside as they barricaded the door.
Alphys turned back to the console and input the last few commands before hitting 'enter'. With that the machine began powering up. They could hear whirring all around them. Lights lit up, gears turned, and the air was filled with a feeling of static.
Just outside they heard a loud bang and then the sounds of fighting began a moment later. Barks, growls, and hisses could be heard as the five dogs fought their foes to delay them entry as long as possible.
"Can they really do it?" someone asked.
"They're good dogs," Frisk said. "They will."
Suddenly, a second bang was heard. Then a loud shout.
"It's them!" one of the dogs shouted.
"Group up!" Doggo shouted. "Hold the line! Hold the – "
The machinery continued to increase in pitch but it wasn't enough to drown out the sounds of fighting. With each yelp, people worried that another of the dogs had fallen. Abruptly the barks were cut off. There was a brief period of silence before the doors to the room shook.
People began to panic again.
"Alphys, how much longer?" Undyne asked.
Alphys glanced at the console. "Just a few more seconds."
Light began to flood the room nearly blinding everyone. Even so they could still see the doors fly off their hinges. Something stepped in but not into the field of light. Frisk could just barely make out the shape of the weapon they carried and saw it pointed at the console. A blast of light emerged from the sickle-like blade heading for the controls. A second before it struck the light went completely white and all sound was abruptly cut off.
End of Prologue
A/N Here it is, the first chapter of my next story. Now, just brace yourself, as it is rather dark compared to my previous two stories, hence the higher rating. Anyway, hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback.
Just a quick note in case this is my first story you've read, I post on a weekly basis, so new chapters will come every Saturday.
