The first thing Frisk felt when they came to was a warmth on their skin. It was a heat which covered their entire front. It felt familiar too, but it had been so long since they felt it they struggled to recall where.
They opened their eyes and saw a dark blue sky. But the sky wasn't the only thing they saw. They also saw trees. Tall, strong, healthy, and alive. They sat up and felt the blades of grass bend beneath their fingers. They looked down in awe. The sight nearly made them cry. When they looked up, they saw everyone else passed out around them.
Frisk got to their feet and first went to MK and shook him awake. "MK, wake up," they said gently.
"Ohh, my head," he groaned. "What… what happened?"
"We did it. We made it," Frisk said.
MK's eyes slowly opened but he started when he saw the grass. He began nuzzling it, relishing the feeling of it.
All around them the other Monsters slowly came to. As they did, they all saw the grass and began rolling in it or staring up at the rapidly lightening sky.
Undyne stood up looking over everything with both eyes wide as she took it all in. "Wow," she muttered. "I forgot how nice trees look."
Suddenly an intense light nearly blinded them all. They all turned to the source of it while using their hands to shield their eyes. They lowered their hands when they realized they were looking at the sun slowly rising above the horizon. It shone its light on them and every single Monster relished in the feeling of the sun's rays.
"Wow, I forgot how nice the sun feels," someone said.
"I'm never taking the sky for granted again," another said.
"I'm never taking plants for granted again," someone else chimed in.
After spending a few moments bathing in the light and warmth, Undyne turned to face the crowd smiling for the first time in months. But that smile vanished when she realized how puny their numbers were. "We need a headcount," she said. "There's too few of us here."
When she said that everyone realized how uncrowded they were. People began grouping up in families. Alphys, Papyrus and Sans counted everyone. Frisk looked around for Flowey.
"Flowey?" they asked. "Flow-"
"Right here," he said, popping up next to Frisk. "Sorry. I got too caught up in the sunlight."
Frisk knelt down and hugged him as best they could. "I was starting to get worried."
"I'm fine Frisk, calm down," he assured. "See? I'm in one piece."
Alphys, Sans, and Papyrus came over to Undyne with their heads low. "How many do we have here?" she asked.
"including us?" Sans said. "seventy-three."
Undyne gasped. "How did we lose over two hundred people?" she demanded.
"I-I don't know," Alphys admitted. "I-it could have been a malfunction in the equipment or an error in the system. Maybe they didn't even make it through, or wound up somewhere else."
"ISN'T THERE ANYTHING WE CAN DO FOR THEM?" Papyrus asked.
"No," Alphys said. "That vial only had enough DT for one trip. We can't go back."
"Even if we did, it would be right into the middle of a battle. A battle we can't win," Undyne said.
Papyrus let out a heavy sigh. "THIS STINKS. WE LEFT SO MANY BEHIND."
"M-maybe they just wound up somewhere else," Alphys suggested. "It's… it's impossible to be sure especially as we have no way of… contacting them."
Everyone took a moment to mourn their losses standing there as the sun rose past the horizon.
Undyne looked around, the rising sun illuminating the area. They seemed to be in a clearing between the trees. Then, she saw something above the trees. It was a darker grey than the sky and faded the further up it went. She realized it was a pillar of smoke.
"Everyone get your things together," she said. "We're heading for that smoke."
"WHY?" Papyrus asked.
"Because where there's smoke there's civilization," Undyne explained. "We need to figure out where and when we are. Also, I think many of us could use a bed after everything that's happened."
Everybody gathered their stuff which had been strewn on the ground. Once everything was collected they began heading towards the smoke. Someone found a dirt path not too far away that went in that direction so they followed it.
After a half hour of travel, they reached the top of a hill and stopped to look at a village below them. The village wasn't large, but it wasn't small either. It would take another minute of walking to reach it. All the buildings were made of wood and people were already milling about.
Undyne focused on the people. Her cybernetic eye allowing her to see much further and in greater detail than normal. She saw the various colors, feathers, scales, horns, tails, and wings, and knew they were Monsters.
"This is definitely a village of Monsters," she said.
"Then we're definitely before the end of the war," Alphys concluded. "Though when exactly, we won't be able to tell without consulting people."
"So, what do we do?" someone in the crowd asked.
"We'll go down into the village and look around," Undyne decided. "We need to find out where and when we are exactly. Alphys, Papyrus, Sans, MK, and Frisk will be coming with me. The rest need to stay here and make camp."
"why us?" Sans asked.
"I trust you guys to get the answers we need," she explained.
"Small problem," MK said. "My arms are too advanced to show off and Frisk is human and if we arrived during the war, they're going to have a problem with them walking around."
"Conceal your arms beneath your cloak," Undyne suggested. "The rest of us will do the same with our prosthetics. As for Frisk, they can hide in their cloak. For now, don't tell anyone we're from the future."
"YES, UNDYNE," Papyrus agreed, saluting her. With all that out of the way they made their way down the slope to the village. MK and Frisk adjusted their cloaks to better conceal them. Frisk brought the hood over their head and with a wave of their hand concealed their face beneath a veil of shadow.
Undyne realized she wouldn't be able to cover her eye but figured that no one would ask if she didn't draw attention to it.
As they walked into the village the first thing they noticed was that all the Monsters who wore clothes had clothing that was considered ancient in their time. The clothing color wasn't as bright or as eye catching nor did they have intricate patterns or details. Many of the men were wearing tunics that went to their knees and the women were wearing gowns.
"Their clothes are definitely dated by our standards," Alphys noted.
"Yeah, but it still doesn't tell us where or when," Undyne said.
"And this is before the invention of the newspaper so there's no way to check the date except through word of mouth," Alphys pointed out.
"perhaps we should split up?" Sans suggested. "go in groups of two to cover more ground."
"Not a bad idea," Undyne agreed. "Go with your brother. See if there's a place we can stay. Alphys and I will stick together. We'll check out the tavern, if there is one, and see if we can't figure out where or when we are. You kids check around. See what you can hear from around the village. Meet outside the village near camp in an hour."
"Got it," MK agreed. "Let's go Frisk." He went off in a random direction with Frisk following.
"i think i saw an inn, bro," Sans said. "let's check it out."
"JUST DON'T FALL ASLEEP WHILE WE LOOK AROUND," Papyrus chided as they walked off.
Alphys and Undyne looked around and spotted a hut with people going in and out. They guessed this place was a tavern and headed in.
They saw people drinking from mugs that were frothy as well as munching on bread. They also both noticed that many of the people seemed to be slurring and falling over themselves.
"Well, at least getting information out of everyone shouldn't be a problem," Alphys snarked.
"Let's order something," Undyne suggested. "And try to not let any man touch you." They walked up to the bar where a beaver Monster was polishing a keg. Undyne tapped her knuckles on the wood getting his attention.
"What can I get for ya?" he asked. "I don't recall the last time we had a soldier in here."
Undyne realized he was referring to her armor which she kept on at all times now. "A couple drinks and maybe some food," she asked.
"You both look weary," the bartender noticed. "Tough trek?"
"You could say that," Undyne responded.
"Good god! You're a woman," he said. "I didn't- I hadn't noticed that." He turned and started filling up a couple mugs. "Well, I guess I can fix you something. Provided you can pay, of course."
Alphys reached into a pocket and produced a few gold coins. "Will this cover it?"
"That will do," he said. He handed them the mugs then grabbed a few baguettes placing them on plates and sliding them to them. The two ate the bread eating slowly to be respectful even though they wanted to devour it. "So, what are a couple of ladies like yourselves doing here?" he asked.
"We've been traveling for a while," Undyne said.
"And we mean a long while," Alphys added. "It's been so long we don't know what day it is."
"Well, I can help with that," he said. "It's the middle of September. Fall is actually just around the corner. Though some of us aren't sure if we're gonna get to see it."
"How come?" Undyne asked.
"Because of the war," he explained. "The humans are making more advances every day massacring villages. If it keeps up we might be gone before winter."
"So the war is still going on?" Alphys asked.
"Yep. People are getting concerned," he said. "We might have to go elsewhere if the king isn't able to negotiate with the humans." Another customer came in and he moved away to tend to them.
"Well, we're definitely in the right time," Undyne said to Alphys.
"Yeah, but near the end," Alphys said. "Which means we have a limited window to change things."
Undyne grabbed her mug. "Well, here's hoping." She clacked her mug against Alphys' and they both drank but almost spat the drink back out. "Okay, that's not beer."
Alphys took another sip, and nearly retched again. "I think it is. Just very watered down compared to what we're used to."
"Fantastic," Undyne said sarcastically.
Meanwhile Sans and Papyrus walked into the local inn. They looked around at the lobby which was very bare with only a couple tables and a few sets of chairs accessible to the public. There was a reception desk with a bunny woman behind it.
"Hello there," she said to the two skeletons. "What can I do you for?"
They walked up to her. Papyrus handled the conversation. "HELLO. WE'VE BEEN TRAVELING FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND WERE WONDERING IF YOU HAD ANY ROOMS AVALIABLE FOR US AND OUR PARTY."
"Party? You mean there's more of you?" she asked.
"quite a few," Sans said. "how much room you got?"
"Let me check the log." She pulled out a book and began going through the pages. "While I look might I ask where you came from? Not a lot of skeletons out this way."
"ER… WELL WE'RE FROM PRETTY FAR AWAY," Papyrus admitted. "IN FACT THE REASON WE CAME HERE WAS BECAUSE OUR HOME WAS DESTROYED."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, hun," she said. "A lot of people have been displaced thanks to the war."
"you mean the war against the humans?" Sans asked.
"What other war is there?"
Sans and Papyrus shared a glance.
"Well, we do have about twelve rooms available," she said. "How many are in your party?"
"bout seventy-three." Sans answered.
The bunny's eyes went wide. "Um, well we don't have that much room for everyone so some are going to have to stay outside for a couple days. I'm sorry."
"IT'S ALRIGHT," Papyrus assured. "I'M SURE WE CAN FIGURE SOMETHING OUT."
"wait. what do you mean a couple days?" Sans asked.
"We're expecting a large entourage sometime tomorrow so we've had to reserve a few rooms for them," she explained.
"are they only staying for a couple days?" Sans asked.
"Indeed. Once they leave we'll have more space available so your entire party might be able to stay with us."
"WELL THANKS FOR LETTING US KNOW," Papyrus said. "WE'LL GO INFORM EVERYONE." He turned and left, Sans beside him.
"a large entourage," Sans muttered. "i wonder who it could be."
"I'M SURE WE'LL FIND OUT SOON."
Frisk and MK wandered around the village listening in on as much gossip as they could. They were able to figure out they had arrived during the war so they were at the right point in history. They also learned that the village was preparing to host a large group of Monsters soon. Right now they were trying to figure out who this group of Monsters was.
Eventually they found a small group that was discussing just that.
"We need to make sure the road is cleared off by then. Don't want their carriages running over anything," one of them said.
"Why would they be coming out this way in the first place?" another asked.
"Because the king wants to show that the royal family is thinking about us," the first said.
Frisk and MK looked at each other when they heard that. "The king?" MK said. "Could they be talking about Asgore?"
"It's possible," Frisk said. "We know he was alive at this point in time."
"So, the king is coming here," MK realized. "That actually works out great. Part of the plan is to talk to him right?"
"Yeah. Help him and we could change this war," Frisk confirmed. "We should go tell the others this."
"Wait a moment," MK said grabbing Frisk's shoulder. "It's Asgore that's coming here. You know the same Asgore that took care of you," he emphasized. "So…"
"We can't think about that right now," Frisk said. "It's been an hour and we need to regroup."
MK respectfully let it drop and followed Frisk as they left the village.
"Are you sure it's Asgore?" Undyne asked. They were just outside the village and everyone was informing each other of what they had learned while there.
"Not entirely," Frisk admitted. "After all, we don't know when exactly he ascended to the throne."
"if it's not him we might have a problem," Sans reminded. "from the little we know of his dad, he wasn't very nice to humans."
"Or his son," Undyne said bitterly.
"But chances are it is Asgore," Alphys said. "We've arrived late enough in history that it should be Asgore and his dad is long gone."
"still, maybe we should take precautions?" Sans suggested. "doesn't hurt to be too careful."
"I agree," Undyne said. "We'll handle the initial meeting with the king. If it's Asgore we'll bring him into the fold. If it's his dad we'll have to be very careful. So Frisk, you and MK aren't going to be a part of that. We'll try and greet him when this entourage gets here and go from there."
"NOW THAT THAT'S SETTLED, WE SHOULD FOCUS ON THE IMMEDIATE FUTURE. LIKE TONIGHT," Papyrus said. "THERE'S NOT ENOUGH ROOM FOR EVERYONE AT THE INN. THEY CAN ONLY HOUSE THIRTY OF US."
"We'll sort out who sleeps in the village and who sleeps in the forest then," Undyne decided. "It won't have to be forever. Just for a day or two until the king's group leaves. We'll also be leaving with the king's group if it is Asgore, as that is part of our plan."
"Some of us should stay with the group in the forest," Frisk reminded. "While our enemy isn't here, wild animals are still a problem. I'll be one of those."
"I'll be the other," MK added. "I'm not leaving your side, dude."
"The help is appreciated," Frisk said.
"Frisk and MK will stay in the forest," Undyne decided. "The rest of us will sleep at the inn."
Night came and less than half went to sleep in the village. They had spent the rest of the day exploring the village to interact with the people and learn about the present circumstances. Many also found ways to entertain themselves, which was needed after the high stress of the last two years. As the sun set, those who were camping returned to the forest where tents were erected and firepits were burning.
Some bought food from the village to make dinner. Though the gold they used was minted in the future the Monsters of the past still used the same currency. They just didn't realize that the symbols on the coins weren't current.
Though most of the food was from the village the rest was gathered from the forest. Fruits were picked from bushes and trees and a few small animals were hunted for meat. As the sun vanished below the horizon, Frisk and MK were eating a decent stew that had been prepped over the fire.
They gathered around the various fires letting the roaring of the fire warm them. They also relaxed to the sounds of crickets and watched as fireflies buzzed about. Some of the little children tried to catch a few of the bugs. Everyone relaxed to the sounds of nature which they hadn't heard in so long.
"I forgot how nice the surface gets at night," someone said.
"It really is something," MK agreed.
"So what's the plan now?" someone asked Frisk.
"Tomorrow, the king and his escort are coming to this village," they explained. "Undyne and the rest are going to meet him and determine if it is Asgore. Once they make contact they're going to explain to him what's going on and get his help. From there, we will return with him to the castle and hopefully, find a way to end this war in the Monster's favor."
"King Asgore? Your father?" one asked the human.
"Not the same one. He'd be a thousand years younger," Frisk reminded. "I haven't even been born yet."
"Aren't you excited to see him again?" they asked.
Frisk stared into their food as they pondered that question. "I'm not sure," they admitted. "He won't be the same man I knew. And right now, I don't know if that's good or bad."
"What about Flowey?" someone asked. "Asgore was his dad. How does he feel about seeing him again?"
Frisk looked over at the flower who was next to them. The flower looked caught off guard by the question and was frozen for several moments as he tried to think.
"I… I don't know," he admitted. "On the one hand, I should be glad to see him again. On the other, I'm terrified what he'll think when he sees me, but then I remember that this is long before I was even a thought in my dad's head, and then I remember the last time I saw him and then I feel really sad and guilty and mad and – and…" Flowey didn't finish.
Frisk laid a hand on his head to comfort him. "You're not alone," they said. "And whatever we face, we face together now."
Flowey smiled up at Frisk. "Thanks, Frisk," he said. "Still I'm not sure how I'm going to react to seeing him again."
Nobody asked anything regarding the king for the rest of the night though someone had to say something while everyone was quiet.
"Um, Frisk," they said getting the human's attention. "I've been thinking and talking to some of the others and we've decided to stay here in this village."
Frisk was taken by surprise. "Why?" they asked.
"Don't get me wrong. We still support you and the others, but I'm done with all this," the Monster said. "If these might be our last days then I want to spend them seeing this world as much as I can. Others are of a similar mind or want to settle down and enjoy a quiet life before things get worse."
"Are you quitting, then?" MK asked.
"No. It's just… we're all very tired and we don't want to fight anymore," the Monster admitted. "We just want some peace and quiet for a while before it gets shattered."
Frisk nodded. "If that's what you want you can stay. You and anyone else who wants that. Undyne and my friends can handle the rest. You don't have to keep following us."
"Thank you, Frisk," he said gratefully.
MK stretched and yawned. "Well, it's late and the king's group is going to be here early in the morning so I'm going to bed now to be up early." He stood up setting his empty bowl on the log he had been sitting on. "I'm going to my tent."
"I'll take the first watch," Frisk said. "I'll come wake you when it's your turn."
"Okay. Goodnight," he waved walking into his tent.
"The rest of us should be sleeping, too," someone agreed. "We'll see you in the morning." Everybody went to their tents while Frisk put out the fire. They sat down and watched as the other fires were put out as people went to bed. Flowey stayed next to Frisk.
"Mind a little company on your watch?" he asked.
"Not at all," Frisk said. They kept watch through the night occasionally glancing up to see the stars through the trees.
End of Chapter 1
