Disclaimer: I don't own Doki Doki Literature Club or Undertale, but I do own our Player.
Monika observed the small woman as she frantically tried to explain herself. Alphys fought through her labored breathing and her gasps for air to push out an explanation for what had gone wrong with trying to keep Undyne busy or why Mettaton had suddenly gone so far off-script. Her tongue stumbled over her words as her hands fumbled with each other nervously, only pausing to occasionally wipe away the beads of sweat that were accumulating on her forehead. As Alphys finally managed to ground out her final apology, Monika could hear the Monster's heartbeat thundering in her chest, and she sighed. Carefully, the Club President stepped over to her and put her hand on Alphys' shoulder, causing the dinosaur-shaped Monster to freeze up almost as soon as she did.
"Alphys, I'm not blaming you for any of that." Monika smiled and gently shook her head. "You did your best and kept Undyne from getting to me earlier, and besides, Mettaton was probably always going to go off script, he seemed really unhappy with playing the bad guy, so I can't really blame you for that either." Slowly, the woman began to calm down. Her breathing lessened and her heart's rhythm became soft and casual once again. But as Monika retracted her hand, her eyes caught Alphys' hands still running over each other over and over again. The girl frowned and looked back at Alphys. The Monster's gaze immediately shyed away, and Monika spotted her hands moving quicker now. They rubbed up against each other like they were freezing, but that was a tell that she had seen on Yuri from time to time, whenever her hair was out of reach. "But... that's not all you wanted to tell me, is it?"
Alphys' hands kept moving even as the rest of her went still. For a moment, Monika might have believed the woman to have been hypnotized by the floor, the way her eyes became transfixed upon it. Eventually though, Alphys' throat grunted and cleared away whatever frog had jumped into it and her frozen posture- aside from her hands which still moved as though if they stopped she'd shut down- melted away as she found the words to speak. "I... I just... I just..." She tried to smile. Her lips turned upwards and her cheekbones rose, but her eyes couldn't shake the truth from them, no matter how hard she tried. "I just want to say..." She turned her head away. "Goodbye..." Alphys mumbled, and her hands at last came to an abrupt halt. They held each other now, one hand clasped over the other as if in defense of it. Alphys' smile drifted down until it matched her eyes, until that faux grin had transformed into a frown on the verge of a sob. She shut her eyes. "I can't... do this anymore... There's something else you need to know about all of this..."
Monika took a step towards the Monster again and the Royal Scientist didn't move as she did. Instead, her hands drifted away from each other, up her arms and closed over her shoulders in a mimicry of a hug. Monika pursed her lips, a bit annoyed. "If you lied to me again... I won't be happy with you, but I won't hate you, if that's what's keeping you from telling me." Monika didn't have any grand moral opposition to lying; she had done her fair share of that sin, same as anyone else, but she had specifically asked Alphys to be honest with her from here forward. If the Monster had kept something from her even though she'd asked her not to...
But before her thoughts could turn to what she might do, Monika's attention was snatched by Alphys quickly and frantically shaking her head and hands at her. "I-Its nothing like that! I never... actually got the chance to tell you about this actually, its just..." Her animated expression faded as her hands dropped back to her side. A sweeping noise filled the air, and Monika's eyes drifted down to find that Alphys' tail had begun to wag back and forth against the ground. Nervously, just like the rest of her. "I-I... I guess I'll just come out and say it." She looked into Monika's eyes for only a moment, then averted her gaze as if the girl might turn her to stone. Monika paused as she noticed Alphys do that- was her gaze really that piercing? She might have been angry a second ago, but was it still showing on her face? Before she could do anything about it, Alphys spoke again, and her words froze Monika in her place. "You won't be able to cross the barrier with a Human SOUL alone."
Monika stared at the Monster like she'd told her that God was dead. At first, incomprehension crossed her face, and then it turned to denial, and then it became anger, or maybe both at once. "What do you mean? I-I've heard that Monsters can't cross the Barrier but Humans, they- made it! What do you mean?" Leaving the Underground itself was one thing, but if Monika was incapable of reaching the surface and ending the game's narrative- or, in the event that this was reality, reentering normal society now that she had her Player with her- then what was the point in any of the travels she'd gone on? She may as well have saved herself the trouble and remained in the RUINS if she was trapped down here!
Alphys was fast to try to assuage Monika's fears. "I-Its not that bad, just let me explain!" She tried, then flinched as Monika's teeth grit. She couldn't help it. She'd been able to manage her anger down here fairly well, but if what Alphys had said was true then... Monika had every right to be infuriated. Even so, the Club President knew that anger wouldn't solve her problems... And as she watched Alphys recoil away from her, a pang of guilt skewered her right through the heart. Immediately, her face softened, and her eyes turned away from wrath and towards apology.
"Alphys, I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Now it was Monika's turn to stumble over her words. Her anger had come and gone like a flash, but like lightning, it left behind a reminder of its existence. Her chest was hot and her face was flushed over, but that spear of guilt was quick to remind her: no matter what the answer was, Alphys wasn't to blame for any of it. It would be humanity- or this universe's version of it, at least- who'd be to blame for sealing not only the Monsters, but one of their own under a mountain. They'd be the ones deserving of her ire, not the poor Scientist who stood before her.
Alphys managed to stay rooted in place, and Monika breathed an internal sigh of relief as she watched the flinch fade from the Monster's face. Alphys breathed an external one, but though she seemed relieved not to be in Monika's crosshairs, the woman didn't seem any happier. "In order to cross the barrier... you'll need both a Human SOUL a-and..." She swallowed, and once again her hands came up and clasped each other nervously. "A Monster Soul." She finally breathed. Alphys' eyes dropped down to the floor mechanically as she spoke, but Monika didn't interrupt her this time. Her lips moved once or twice more as she stuttered out a few uncertain "I"s and "yous" before finally managing to come to a consensus on what she wanted to say. "If you want to cross the barrier, there's only one way to get a Monster Soul that can persist after death..." Her voice rattled, shaking with something other than fear, something other than nervousness. It was less like Alphys was afraid to speak... and more like she was mourning. "You'll have to kill him... You'll have to kill ASGORE."
Monika froze, and for the first time she became aware of the pounding in her chest. The stiffness that came over her body was deeper than anything she'd felt before, it settled in over her skin and muscles, soon it encompassed her bones, encasing her in a block of frigid ice. 'Kill?' It was a word that Monika had grappled with before on a number of occasions, and not only in the Underground. When she first drove Sayori to end her life, Monika wondered if that had been her first kill. When she allowed Yuri to bring the knife to school, allowed Yuri to be alone with MC and her Player, and drove the changes in Yuri that pushed her to plunge the weapon into her torso, she questioned if that had been her second. When she clicked her fingers and watched Natsuki cease to exist, Monika settled on an answer: those weren't kills. They weren't real, they had to be unreal. She wasn't a killer, she couldn't imagine, couldn't picture herself driving a knife into another human being. She couldn't fathom the idea of letting blood run over her palms, even just the concept of it made her nauseous.
But she'd come close to it here. Against Undyne, against Toriel, against Flowey, she'd come close to being a killer, hadn't she? She'd attacked them, she'd lowered their HP values, she'd nearly brought them down, nearly finished them off... but she'd never actually finished them off. She always stopped short of it, even when she imagined them as nothing more than sets of 1s and 0s, code who's deaths would mean nothing to the real world, she always held off on taking that last step. She wasn't a killer. She hated the idea of ending a life- a real life. She imagined herself with all of her hopes and dreams and goals and love, and she imagined how her loved ones would feel, how she would feel if someone stole all of that potential away from her. She couldn't bring herself to take that away from someone else. Even Asgore, even someone who was trying to kill her deserved to live. Or at least, she knew she couldn't be the one to do him in.
Alphys turned away from her. She lowered her head one more time. "I'm sorry." Monika wanted to call out to her, wanted to move, wanted to do anything at all... but she couldn't. And as the Royal Scientist hurried away from the girl, her hands coming up to hold her face as she did, Monika watched with wide eyes. Then, eventually, she released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and warmth, however unwelcome that it was, flooded her body. Monika didn't know exactly when she stumbled, but at some point, her feet moved against her mind's instructions and her back slammed against the wall before she herself slumped down it. Player hovered over her, doting as always. Monika wished she felt like she deserved it.
But as the word Killer played back in her mind, over and over again, as her arms carefully wrapped around her legs and pulled them to her chest, Monika found something slightly more horrific than the idea of becoming a murderer. She reminded herself of her beliefs on killing, begged herself to empathize with the man she'd have to take the life of if she was to have a normal life herself, but nothing worked. Despite wanting to cry, no tears came. Because the more she thought about it, the more she realized. If it meant that she could be with her Player, if she could live the life she had always dreamt of living...
She would have no reservations in killing a man she had never met.
Monika felt inhuman when she eventually clambered into the elevator and left the previous area behind. The understanding that she would have to take a life, immediately followed by the horrific realization that she would feel nothing in taking a man's life, felt like someone had torn her insides out and replaced them with a clockwork machine. Over and over again, her mind went over Sayori and Yuri and Natsuki's deaths, now turning her previous rationalizations that she hadn't been a killer into reasons for why she was. She had already killed three people, hadn't she? She was already a murderer, even if she hadn't physically done them in with her hands, wasn't she?
Monika was smart enough to recognize what it was her brain was doing. Before, she had rationalized all of the girls' deaths away as merely modding a game. She was no more evil for killing those girls than a player was for stomping a goomba or cutting down Ganondorf in Smash... Did they kill in Smash? As much as Monika felt that was "her favorite game", she knew so little about it. Whatever the case, she had managed to convince herself wholly and completely that she wasn't a killer. She was just playing a game, like anyone else. Now faced with a realization that the game was going to force her to take someone's life, her mind was trying to convince her of the opposite. It was desperately trying to prepare her for the moment when she was going to stare down Asgore, the moment where she'd end his life. But this was different than with the girls. There was no convenient button she could press to be rid of him, she'd have to stab him herself. There wasn't any code she could change to make him unwilling to fight her, she'd have to stab him herself. And worse, she had a feeling that this wasn't a boss battle she could cheese her way out of.
She'd have to stab him herself.
"Moni..." Player muttered.
Monika snapped out of her own thoughts for the first time since she'd hit the button to enter the elevator. She focused on her Player, but didn't bother to offer him an easygoing smile this time. There was no way she was going to be able to trick him into thinking she was fine, and if she was honest with herself, she wanted him to try and reassure her this time. "Yes, my love?" A fragment of a smile made it through her malaise as she spoke. Maybe she wasn't quite as inhuman as she thought. For as terrible as the situation made her feel, the knowledge of her Player being within reach managed to soften the pain.
"Well first... we've reached the top." Player pointed, and Monika followed his finger towards the open door. Her eyebrow lifted as she peered through the elevator doors. The world... had suddenly lost all of its color? That was... an ominous sign. Every writing instinct in Monika's head told her- this sudden a shift in the color palate of a story could only mean that things were about to get very serious. Which was about right, given what Alphys had warned her of. "And second." Player's voice pulled her attention back to him. "Are you okay? I know... how you feel about you being able to really kill someone, and I know that what Alphys told you is probably tearing you apart inside. I just want to make sure that you're not letting it really tear into you. Or, if it is..." He floated a bit closer to her, then lowered himself so that he was eye-to-eye with her. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'll always love you, and I'm here for you, no matter what." His hands extended out and tried to take hers. Monika humored him, raising her hands in tandem with his. If she pretended, it was almost like they were really holding hands.
"Its..." Monika sighed. "It is bothering me a lot. I know we disagree on if I actually killed the girls, or I think we do, but you know the way I did it isn't the same as the way I'm going to have to do this." She shook her head. "I've never done anything like this." Monika began, then cleared her throat and corrected herself. "I mean- I've never finished someone off before. I always stopped before... y'know." But as she spoke, a spark of light flickered into place and she looked up towards Player with a renewed sense of vigor. If it had worked on someone like Undyne, maybe she could do the same for Asgore? Maybe... "Actually... honey, do you think I could do that again? Like with Undyne and Toriel? I could stop just before finishing him off and give him another chance to rethink... his..." Monika slowly stopped speaking as she noticed Player's head turned away from her ever so slightly. "...Position."
He was silent for a moment, just long enough for Monika to get what he wanted to tell her without him even having to say it. "I know I'm supposed to give you spoilers, but... Asgore isn't the kind of person to accept Mercy, my love." He looked at her again, his face unreadable but his voice filled with sympathy. "Even if you beat him that way, he won't accept it. I know that's not what you want to hear but..." Player sighed, then looked back towards the black and white world outside of their elevator. "I don't want you to get there and try that and... have it not work on him."
The spark existed in her like a candle. One that needed to be shielded from the elements raging around in her soul or else it would surely die, but as she heard her lover explain that to her, Monika no longer felt the need to maintain that spark. She felt her insides starting to die again, and as the spark withered away, as its light was finally consumed by the darkness of the elements, Monika sighed. Back to square one. But unlike before, she wasn't going to let it hold her up. She didn't have a choice anymore, she was going to kill Asgore. But to do that, she had to reach him. She nodded softly towards her Player with her eyes closed. "Thank you for not lying to me about my chances." She whispered, wishing with every cell in her body that she could reach out and hug him right then. She ached to hug him, so much so that it physically hurt the muscles in her arms to resist the urge. "I think I'd like to keep going now."
Player nodded and, after a moment, let her hands go. But before Monika had even fully turned to face the world outside, a black, wispy form enshrouded her body. He couldn't feel her, but here he was again, trying his best to hold her. Even if he couldn't feel her. Even though she couldn't feel him. He still wanted to make her feel loved, even if she wasn't sure that she deserved it. Heat rose in her chest and ran up her throat as a force beyond Monika's control pulled her lips down and scrunched her eyes up. She wasn't sure when it happened, but at some point, she started to cry.
"Its the Ruins." Monika said absentmindedly as she strolled across the long hallway overlooking the absolutely titanic city. While the city itself wasn't part of the Ruins she'd gone through, the walls were made from the same stone the Ruins walls had been made from, and the floor had that same oddly soft feeling against her feet. And when they passed the city and into the next room, Monika might have assumed they'd walked right back into the Ruins if it weren't for the fact that the entire place was bathed in black and white. She shook her said softly. "Smart, it ties the beginning of the story to the end of it. I can't speak on it being good game design." She admits. "But its great story design to have us end in a similar location to where we began. I have to give the creator props, though part of me wants to be cynical and call it laziness."
"All the best creators are a little lazy." Player chimed in as they walked towards the door at the end of this corridor. "Cutting corners and taking shortcuts is something everyone does, even if just a little bit." He explained, lifting his hand and pretending to run his palm over the stone. "And sometimes, cutting those corners is the right thing to do. Reusing assets like this, reminding the players of where they came from and how far they've come..." He looked back at her, and Monika could feel the warmth in his expression, even though she couldn't see it. "You said it yourself, its wonderful storytelling."
Monika fell silent as she walked deeper into the not-Ruins. Once again, the thought that she might be forced to take a life was pushing its way through her mind and wreaking havoc on her ability to stay focused, but she didn't let it get too far. She cut those thoughts off at the root as she stepped into another room and looked up. Once again, her thoughts turned back to the Ruins, specifically the end of them. "Toriel's house." She acknowledged with a nod. "If I had to guess... the final fight is just ahead." Monika paused for only a second after she spoke. Just long enough to breathe in deeply and calm her nerves. The air flowed through the girl and turned her willpower to steel. Her heart thumped hard, every hit against her ribs felt like a hammer against hot iron, slowly but surely forcing her resolve into place. Irrespective of how this went down, Monika knew she had no choice but to continue forward.
And so, she stepped into the New Home.
As soon as she did, she knew she had assumed incorrectly. There must have been dozens of Monsters milling about in the home, but all went eerily silent as they noticed the Club President enter. A moment ago, the place had been abuzz with chatter and voices, and now those voices had gone, replaced only with cold stares. Monika felt herself frown. 'Preprogrammed behavior?' She asked herself as she began making her way through the house, but before she got too far, she noticed one of the Monsters turn to another just outside of her peripheral vision. Then, slowly, the chatter began to rise through the building again in scattered pockets of guerrilla resistance. Not quite enough to disturb the illusion, but enough to remind Monika that these were no mere NPCs.
Slowly, she noticed that the Monsters were lining themselves up as she passed by them- two Froggits did, specifically. No matter where she went, the small frog-shaped creatures tried to get in her way. Eventually, she allowed them to, and as soon as she did, the world darkened around her as if preparing for a battle, but no attack came. In the low light, her SOUL seemed to grow brighter than usual. Instead of attacking, the creatures spoke. "A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins." One began, and then the other picked up the slack. "Injured by their fall, the human called out for help." Then at once, the pair stepped away, and the color returned to the world.
Monika wasn't sure what to make of that, not immediately at least. And, to be honest, the girl was hesitant to ask the Monsters to explain themselves. They all looked so serious, as though this had become the most important thing in the universe for them, Monika didn't want to ruin it by speaking. Knowing how unserious this game usually was, it was fair to assume that there was a very good reason for it to suddenly change tones like it had. Even though this was its own universe and not merely a game, the tone switch caught her off-guard. In any case, Monika stepped towards the stairs that led to the basement of the home. Unlike in Toriel's home, there was a chain lock preventing her from entering the next room, it looked like she'd have to find the key. She considered simply stepping over the chain, but again thought better of it. Not only was she worried about ticking this many Monsters off at once, but Monika was curious- she wanted to know the rest of the story.
And so, she walked through the house, through the living room and into the Kitchen, where she came across two Whimsums. "Asriel, the King's son, heard the human's cry." Said one. "He brought the human back to the castle." Finished the other, before they stepped away. Monika sighed when they did, then quickly stepped towards the counter, where a large green Key waited for her to grab it. She took it quickly, then turned and left the Kitchen before returning to the chain and the stairs. She understood why the Monsters were here now. They wanted to tell her the story of Asgore, since it was likely that he himself... would only appear at the very end.
She unlocked one of the locks and gently set it down on the ground. Then, feeling a small chill over her arms, the girl unraveled her Jacket and pulled it over her body again, letting the warmth flow through her... and also being thankful for the stat bonuses her boyfriend had told her it gave her. She'd need them for the future. Monika turned and walked down the other hallway, where she stopped and entered the child's room first since it was closer. There, she found two presents and three Moldsmalls. Monika approached the presents first, then knelt down and pulled one open. Inside was a heart-shaped locket.
"Best friends forever." She whispered the inscription on the front before she clicked the locket open. Two faded faces greeted her, but though she couldn't tell what they looked like, both were dressed in the same green and yellow sweaters and both seemed to be children, if she had to guess. "Asriel and... the other one..." Monika squinted at the image of the children, then ran her thumb over the picture as if trying to scrape away years of photogenic decline. Her thumb pulled away, and the photo was no more faded than it had been before. She stood up, then glanced to Player. "Check?"
"Fifteen Defense." Player said, not even bothering to look at the File Menu as he did. "Its a... rather famous item." He explained after Monika gave him a strange look. "There's another... one in that other box over there." Player added after a moment of hesitation. Monika hesitated too as she took note of Player's tone, then pressed on in spite of that, her curiosity getting the better of her. She sat down and unraveled the second gift, taking care to pull the wrapping paper apart as softly as she could as to avoid creating too much of a mess. That was just how Monika was when it came to pulling off wrapping paper- she didn't like to destroy it completely. But this time there was another problem that kept her from peeling the paper apart like an excited child on Christmas morning. Nonetheless, the box came open when she undid the bow, and Monika slowly lifted out a worn dagger. Player didn't wait for her to ask this time as he softly muttered- "Fifteen Attack. The offensive counterpart to The Heart Locket."
Monika stared down at the items now in her possession, considering them. More than likely, the game was preparing her for a significant challenge ahead- the final boss. Or at least, that was the intention when this world was nothing more than a game on her Player's computer. Now, however, the items held different value. These had once belonged to someone, they meant something to someone who probably wasn't around anymore if the state of the children's bedroom was any indication. Taking them wouldn't be right... But as she observed The Heart Locket and the Dagger, Monika's brow furrowed as her brain began to put pieces together. If nothing else, these items could be used to force Asgore to remember his past, right? If Monika knew where the story she was being told was going- and she had a feeling she did- then there was a chance that she could talk Asgore down through them... Or a very real chance that bringing them would only infuriate the Monster further.
Ultimately, Monika set the Dagger back into its box, then pulled The Heart Locket over her head. It wasn't as though the Worn Dagger was a better weapon than her Spear, and besides... With her Spear, there was a small degree of space between herself and the man she'd be laying to rest. With the Dagger, she would be forced to move in much closer than she wanted. Monika closed the box, wrapped the bow back around it, and stood up. Only then did she turn towards the Moldsmals.
The trio were quick to speak, which was a surprise given how untalkative they usually were. "Soon enough, Asriel and The Human became like siblings..." One said, then fell silent as the other spoke up. "The King and Queen treated the Human Child as their own." Added the second, who too, fell silent. "For the first time, the Underground was full of Hope." Added the final one, and Monika was once more free to move as she liked. As much as she was hesitant to learn more about Asgore's past, she wanted to know more about the story, to learn more about what had happened and... why both children seemed to be missing. It wasn't long before she turned away from the Monsters and left the children's room.
Once back in the hallway, Monika spotted another Key that hadn't been there before she'd entered the room. She guessed it was because the Monsters had wanted her to listen to all parts of their story before she moved on, which she respected. She grabbed the key and turned to head back towards the stairs, but before she did... she noticed something. A small mirror at the end of the hallway. Monika watched the mirror for a moment, then sighed and smiled sadly. It had been a long time since she'd actually seen what she looked like- Waterfall had been the only other place in the game with a reflective enough surface for it. She couldn't imagine what her appearance must have been after all this time. So, she moved towards the mirror, then stopped in front of it and stared for a moment.
Her hair was a mess, but that much she probably suspected. From the humid climate of Waterfall to the dry heat of the CORE, Monika knew her hair wasn't going to last in its usual perfected shape. Her uniform was scuffed, burnt, torn and- she was pretty sure- stained with blood in places, but her Jacket remained as pristine as it had been when Player gifted it to her. A smudge of some kind had found its way onto her cheek, and Monika was quick to lick her thumb and wipe it clean. She couldn't completely fix her appearance, but she could do what mattered. But as she ran her hands through her hair, her Player said something that made her stop.
"Despite everything, it's still you." He muttered, then scoffed a bit as he shook his head, and Monika could swear she saw him grinning. "What do you think, honey? Is that true? Everything we've gone through, all the people we've met and the friends we've made... We're still us, right? Still the same people who used to sit across from each other every night?"
Monika thought for a moment. It was an impactful question for her, she had to admit. She looked into her reflection, focusing on the green eyes she'd always loved, then turned her attention onto the beautiful brown hair she'd always had, and the soft, white bow that she'd used to define herself for so many years. She smiled. "We are still ourselves." She answered softly. "But things are different now. I don't feel as... empty as I used to." She looked at him, still smiling. "I... No matter how this ends with Asgore... I am glad I came here. Thank you, Player."
Player didn't answer her, his expression unreadable as ever. After a moment, he nodded. "I'm glad we came here too, Monika."
But of course, the pair couldn't stay there forever, and eventually the time came when they had to move along. They reached the stairs and unlocked them before heading down it. This time, a pair of Monsters that Monika didn't recognize popped up. They reminded her of bees if bees walked on two legs. "Then, one day..." The first one began, leaving room open for the second. "The Human fell ill..."
Monika made a face at that information, not liking where it was heading. Even so, she continued down the large corridor, where a small armada of Monsters had lined up to tell her the story. Monika walked through them all, listening intently to each and every piece as she did.
"The sick Human had only one request. To see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing we could do." A series of Carrot-shaped Monsters that Monika didn't recognize said, and despite their grinning faces... they sounded sad.
"The next day..." Began a small one-eyed monster. "The next day..." It repeated, then looked towards the ground as it did, as though ashamed. The other Monster picked up its slack. "The Human... died." Monika knew it was coming, but that made it no easier to hear. The death of a child was something no one should ever be made to experience, and she couldn't fathom how the King and Queen must have felt.
A pair of Snowdrakes came next, ones that Monika thought she recognized directly from Snowden. "Wracked with grief, Prince Asriel absorbed the Human Soul..." The elder of the pair set the younger up. "And transformed into a being of incredible power." Just like the mural from Waterfall had told her...
A trio of small Monsters with ice caps on their heads came next. "With that power, Asriel carried the human's body across the Barrier." One said softly. "And into the sunset." Added the next. "Returning them both back to the village of the humans." Monika nodded at them, feeling a pang of sadness in her chest. The death of the child being hard on the parents was one thing, but she couldn't imagine how it must have been for Asriel, who was only a kid himself at the time...
A series of Woshuas appeared as Monika rounded the second corner at the end of the corridor. She didn't bother questioning who designed the place as she listened to their part of the story. "Asriel made it to the center of the village..." The first sad, a bit sadly... "There he found a bed of golden flowers..." Added the second. "And set the human on top of it."
Three Shyren appeared, each with their faces closed off, as if covering them with a veil, in mourning. "Suddenly, a series of screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding the Human's body. They thought he had killed the child." Each one spoke in the same soft tone, their melodic voices belaying such sorrow that Monika could feel it in every word.
"The humans struck him with everything they had." Monika had seen this coming. It only made sense that humans would react that way, she knew... she might have assumed the same thing. "Asriel was struck with blow after blow..." The Dummies, or rather the Ghost possessing the Dummies, explained. Then, his already grave tone darkened further. "Asriel had the power to destroy them all."
Madjack appeared, flanked by Knight. The Knight spoke first. "But..." He began, and Madjack continued. "Asriel did not fight back." The Knight took over again. "Clutching the human..." He set up his partner once more. "Asriel smiled, and walked away."
Final Froggits arrived next, three of them. "Wounded, Asriel stumbled home." One croaked. "He entered the castle... and collapsed." Monika fought the urge to cover her mouth. Two children in the span of possibly less than a day? "His dust spread across the garden..." Sighed the Final Froggit.
"The Kingdom fell into despair." Explained an armored Whimsum. "The King and Queen had lost two children in a single night." Her worst fears had come true. It was awful, she couldn't imagine what it was like for their parents. "Once again, the humans had taken everything from us."
"The King decided it was time to end our suffering." Creepier creatures arrived now, these with one eye... until they grinned, and their face changed shape completely. "Every human who falls down here must die." Monika didn't like how the middle leered at her. "With enough SOULS, Asgore can shatter the barrier forever..."
"Its not long now." A series of different Monsters appeared now.
"King Asgore will save us all!"
"King Asgore will give us hope!"
"King Asgore will let us go!"
Monika walked forward, nearing the end of the corridor as she did. She understood better now. The King would fight her to take her SOUL, free his people and then, if Undyne spoke the truth, bring about the end of mankind. With even one SOUL, Asgore would be powerful enough to murder dozens of humans... if she lost here... was she condemning this universe's version of humanity to be destroyed?
"You should be smiling too." One Monster said softly. "Don't you understand?" It was a Froggit at the end of the hallway. "You're going to be free."
Monika didn't answer him. Even if he didn't know what she was, she knew what she was. This was the end of their ritual, and she was the final piece of it. With her SOUL, Asgore would at last have the power he needed to end humankind, but it would cost her life first. As much as she wished there was a way to free the Monsters as well, Monika knew she wasn't going to leave the Underground as a corpse. She was leaving it with her Player, and there was no fighting her on that.
Golden light spilled through the windows, Monika felt it on her skin. For the first time in her life, the sunlight felt real. Liquid gold poured in through the windows, bathing the entire room, pillars and all, in the gentle glow of a rising sun. She took a step forward and felt the heat wash over her bare legs. Another step and her entire body was engulfed in the vibrant summery heat of the sun outside. Monika sighed, then closed her eyes and let herself bask in the warmth. In her world, the sun had felt distant, far off. Like the entire simulation was trapped in an eternal winter, the "planet" being trapped so far from any warmth that hardly any ever made its way to the people below. But here, here things were different. The sun felt real, it felt close, like a sun should feel. It felt like a warm blanket draped over her shoulders on a particularly cold day.
Monika knew she had reached the end of her journey. Soon enough, she will encounter Asgore and leave the Underground, dead or alive. Her eyes opened again, and when they did she saw that she was not as alone as she first assumed. Ahead of her, standing beside a pillar which blocked the sunlight from hitting him, causing him to be engulfed in darkness, was none other than Sans. Shadow fell across his whole body, and the way he carried himself- the way his hands slotted themselves into the pockets of his hoodie, the way he stood up just a bit straighter than usual- told her that something was different. His eye sockets, usually sporting a pair of small, white dots that acted as his eyes, had gone unusually black. Monika frowned as she noticed it and wondered briefly if she'd be forced to fight Sans. He never gave her the impression that he was much of a fighter, so she wasn't worried about defeating him... or at least, she wouldn't have been worried if it weren't for the uncharacteristic dead seriousness that plagued his skeletal face.
She stepped a bit closer to the Skeleton, then halted as he held his hand up towards her. A pair of bells called out in the distance, their voices reverberated across the Hall like some far off choir before bouncing away, leaving behind only the vaguest echo of their ringing as they faded away. Then, in a voice that was unlike Sans, the Monster spoke. "So you finally made it." He announced, unmoving. "The end of your journey is at hand, and in a moment, you will meet the King." His voice was smoother than the one Sans usually used, but it was just as deep as the voice she'd come to know since Snowden. "Together..." Until now, every word felt practiced, artificial, but here... something changed. He faltered only for a moment. Monika understood why, she had done public speaking many times, and even the most rehearsed script is no use when under buckling pressure. "You will determine the fate of this world." Then, Monika's eyes squinted. No, it wasn't that he was under pressure at all, was it? Sans wasn't trying to find the right word, he was trying to come to terms with that fact. That Monika was going to decide what happened next. "That's then." He stood straighter, sockets darkening as he continued. "Now, you will be judged. You will be judged for every action. For every EXP you have earned. For all the LOVE you have gained." Monika tensed up. Love? Flowey had mentioned it to her at the start of all this, at the time she thought he was merely praying on her desire to share love with the one she, well, loved, but now...
"What do you mean?" Monika asked quietly, almost timidly. Her voice just barely managed to keep from wavering. Monika was still good at that, even after all this time. Over the years, she had gotten very good at faking her confidence. It had been a trick she hadn't needed to use in a long time, because it had served its purpose when she was a girl. She'd faked it until she made it, just like everyone had always told her to do. But now, faced with so many new and terrifying things, the confidence she had earned over the years needed some reinforcement, and Monika was all too happy to oblige it. Especially in the face of what she had been wrestling with for the last hour. "What do those words mean?"
Sans regarded her, his skeletal grimace never changing, and his eyes never brightening. "EXP is an acronym, it stands for execution points. A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted onto others." Monika's chest suddenly felt very, very cold. "Whenever you kill someone, your EXP increases. Whenever enough EXP is gained, your LOVE increases. LOVE too, is an acronym. It stands for Level of Violence. It is a way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt." Her heart had suddenly become the loudest thing in the room. She could hear it ticking away beneath the frozen floorboards of her ribcage. Beating, pounding against her insides, the one hot thing in a room made of ice. With every beat, its heat increased, and more of her secrets began to thaw. "The more easily..." Beads of sweat against her forehead, her telltale heart thundered in her skull until Sans' voice seemed incredibly distant. "...you can bring yourself to hurt others." Her hands wrung unconsciously, the memory of rough rope. Her fingertips tingled; she could still feel the plastic keys of her keyboard working away. Her eyes danced; strings of code, dashed across the screen.
"Its time to begin your judgement." Sans' voice was the only thing that pulled her free from her memories. He spoke plain and clear, almost entirely neutral, as if he couldn't hear the beating in her own chest. "Look inside yourself. Have you really done the right thing?" She did, and she saw only her heart, slamming away at her ribs, longing to be free, longing to scream. "And, considering what you've done, what will you do now? Take a moment to think about this."
Sans fell silent, his eyes closing. Monika was sure he had heard her heart, and even if he hadn't, she was sure he saw her hands wringing, or maybe he had seen her eyes reflecting back the bright, cold light of a digital screen and the Jormungandr of 1s and 0s she'd pried apart and welded back together to create her own mishappen Frankenstein in pursuit of her own love. That hadn't been the right thing to do, not even slightly, and she knew it. But she'd still done it, and worse... Monika couldn't shake the feeling that she'd do it again and again, as long as it kept bringing her to the same outcome. Just another reminder of the kind of person she really was.
"...truthfully, it doesn't really matter what you thought." Sans spoke up again after a long moment. "all that matters is that you were honest with yourself..." Sans looked at her, his eye sockets once again filled with light. Based on the way he observed her, Monika knew he'd seen her reaction. "but you... you're a special case, Monika." Sans said gently, his voice returning to how it usually sounded. "you aren't like any other human i've judged. ever since you've arrived, you haven't killed a single person. you've gone out of your way to be kind to others, and even when you did fight, you ultimately still chose to show mercy to the monsters who made you do it." Sans eyes locked onto hers, and his smile seemed a bit less neutral. "but despite that, you still somehow gained LOVE, you've definitely murdered people before this." Sans glanced down. "that's probably bad... i don't know what happened to you on the surface to bring you to lv4, or whatever you did to get there... but whatever the case may be... you don't strike me as the same person you used to be." Sans glanced away, his smile turning a bit goofier now. "can't say you're a good person, but... well, i have a question for ya." The goofy look faded, and though he didn't seem to be as serious as he once was, he smiled a bit more genuinely than before. "do you think even the worst person can change? that anyone can be a good person, if they just try?" He scoffed, then laughed good-naturedly. "heh, think on that a bit, kid."
And then, she was alone. Barely even a blink, and Sans was gone. It was true, she had done awful things in the past, and she would have to live with those horrible things for the rest of her life. But maybe... Maybe she had changed. After all, when it came to taking the lives of Sayori, Yuri and Natsuki, Monika had done it without even a thought. It had been easy to distance herself from Sayori enough to drive her to kill herself, and it had been easier to drive Yuri insane, and then it was as easy as breathing to delete Natsuki from existence. But now? Now she was agonizing over the mere idea that she might end someone's life. It wasn't just the fact that she'd have to do it herself, it was the fact that ultimately... she didn't want to hurt anyone. That was the part of her she'd ignored when she'd taken the girls' lives from them. Her own moral compass. She didn't want to hurt anyone, she never did. That's why she rationalized things so hard when it came to killing the girls. They had to be simulations, or else... or else, she was breaking her own code of ethics. Maybe she hadn't changed into someone completely different. Maybe, this was a return to how she had been before all of the things she'd done. "After everything, its still... you..." She muttered softly.
Monika wanted to try being a good person again. Maybe it wouldn't work. Maybe she wouldn't succeed. Maybe, she was too tainted with LOVE to redeem herself. But she was going to try, and if she did... she could really become a good person this time, like she's always wanted to be. All this time, Monika believed that being good was just about the actions she took. Eating vegan, caring about the environment, being nice towards others. But those alone weren't enough. She did do all of those things, all of those things that she was convinced made her a better person... but none of them stopped her from killing the girls. None of those moral rights had been enough to turn her away from being a killer. They didn't make her good. Being good was something more than that. Something Monika had always known, but had tried to bury deep down when she had her epiphany. Being good meant sacrificing things for others. Maybe she'd never be forgiven for what she did to her friends, and maybe that was something she'd have to deal with for the rest of her life. But Monika wanted make up for it. She wanted to try.
Monika set her shoulders and headed towards the next room. She didn't know if she'd be able to defeat Asgore without killing him, but she had to at least attempt it. She'd seen how he ruled his kingdom, she'd seen how the people loved him, she'd seen his home. She didn't think he was a bad person, and maybe, just maybe, there was a way through to him. Getting to the surface might have been a goal for her, but if it meant taking another person's life... she didn't want it. But Monika had a feeling that there was something she could do to both not kill Asgore and leave the Underground. She'd broken games before, and every time she'd done it selfishly. She broke her game to take the love she wanted and broke this game to avoid battles. Now... Now she wanted to break a game to help someone else. She didn't know if it would work, but this game... this universe, had been accommodating to her breaking its rules up until now. If there was even a small chance, she wanted to go for it.
And as Monika walked towards the end of the hallway, she felt something else change in her chest. Something warm, something fuzzy. Something, she couldn't quite explain. She didn't know what had changed, but as she approached the end of the hall, Monika felt herself smile ever so slightly.
Monika: Lv3
Author's note: Merry Christmas! Surprise! I managed to get this one done a bit earlier than usual. I'm probably going to go through the last part with a comb tomorrow since I have a lot of extra time on my hands before I send it in. I want this part to hit as hard as humanly possible, since we're finally getting to see Monika acknowledge not only how she's changed, but also how she was a hypocrite in her original game. Yes indeed, the bits about wanting to be a good person there? They don't come out of nowhere; during Act 3, she mentions to the Player how she strives to be a good person. I wanted to integrate parts of that into here as well, but this is one of the scenes that MoniTale has been building up to. Showing Monika how far she's come, how different she is from how she used to be, and exposing the hypocrisies of what she did in the past. Oh and before I forget, you might have noticed a switch in which tense I'm using in this chapter. I've decided to try out using more past-tense for this chapter to give it a test run, let me know what you think about it and if you prefer past or present tense more! Thankies!
Now then, tune in next time as I take us into the final part of MoniTale's neutral route. And then, then I think its time to stop blueballing everyone who's interested in what's happening with our friends over in the Literature Club. For now, however, I should answer some reviews.
Ahem...
Guest: Hey, man! Do you use Wattpad? I intend to post a story on Wattpad called "A Determined Smiler", which will be a crossover between BNHA and Undertale. In short, Himiko Toga falls in the Underground and follows the Neutral and Pacifist routes. What do you think of the idea? Oh, yes! My account in Wattpad is JuliaeJulio.
Me: Its a fine idea, though I wish you wouldn't advertise on my story. I will respond to you because I don't want to crush any enthusiasm you might have, but in the future, its very poor taste to use someone else's fic to advertise your own. Additionally, I don't think Wattpad is great for fanfics, try somewhere else like Ao3 or even this very website.
Xian0451: Question: Will you have Monika and the player play Deltarune and have her replace Kris as the main character? Since Undertale is about choices, and Deltarune is about the opposite, I wonder how she will react to it.
Me: I've considered a "Monirune" story a few times actually! If I was to do it, I'd want it to coincide with Project Libitina, and I'd want to know the full story of Deltarune beforehand. Currently, however, I don't have any intentions to do a Deltarune story. Once Monitale is complete, it will be complete and I wouldn't want to mess with the ending too much outside of fluff...
But if I was to do Monirune, I wouldn't have her be the one to replace Kris, and that's all we'll say on it~
Guest: You know... sometimes, i imagine the characters with voices of actors and voice actors of pop cultura. You can say if agree with the choices or not.
My list is...
Monika - Canon voice of Jillian Ashcraft, but sometimes i imagine Emma Stone's voice, because sounds more mature.
Toriel - Estelle. She is the voice of Garnet in Steve Universe, a very maternal voice.
Sans - George Clooney. More specifically, with the tone he uses voicing the character Mr. Fox.
Papyrus - Todd Asayer. He voices Dr. Flug in Villainous. Is a comical and frindely voice i think is good for Papyrus. Besides, is a bit similar to Papyrus's voice in MOI.
Undyne - Anne Hathaway. She voices Jewel and Rio. Her voice sounds brave and, sometimes, agressive. Is definitely a voice of a strong woman.
Alphys - Kristen Schaal. (I definitely wrote the name wrong, but I tried). Mabel, in Gravity Falls. Lively and charismatic voice that I think is good for our good doctor.
Mettaton - Thomas Middleditch. His voices is comical and determined. Sounds like the star.
Asgore - Christopher Judge. Why? Because this the great KRATOS'S VOICE!
Flowey - Tom Kenny. Is a good character for have Spongebob's voice.
Asriel - Zach Callison. The calm and soft voice of Steven Univere. The same voice for his form of God of Hyper Death.
Napstablook - Gary Oldman. But in a higher tone in soft. His voice is like Lord Shen, but without the machiavellian tone.
Muffet - Chloe Grace Moretz. Her voice as Nimona is very mischievous and chaotic, so I think it fits our spider queen well.
Sayori - Millie Bobby Brown.
Natsuki - Kate Micucci.
Yuri - Christine Auten, but more jovial.
Frisk, Chara and Player - You choose.
Oh, yeah! I love all DDLC girls! I have totally a crush in all the four! Monika, Yuri, Sayori, Natsuki... i will protect you all no matter what! If someone want hurt them, you must go through me first! And I don't fall easily!
Good morning/night! )
Me: I unfortunately don't know too many actors or voice actors, so I can't really comment on your list or give you a list of my own, but I do actually think that the voice of Kratos would make a great Asgore, and Tom Kenny would do a wonderful job as Flowey! In addition... You might want to skip the upcoming FFLC chapter if you're worried about someone hurting the girls, aheheh =)
Guest: Your changes are fascinating me. The way you're writing, I'm looking forward to the fight with Asriel at the end of the Pacifista route, which is my favorite fight in the game, along with "Hopes and Dreams", which is my favorite Undertale OST. (Yes, even more so than Megalovania) I just don't know how he will react to Monika bringing up his memories, given that Chara went to DDLC with Frisk. But since Flowey seems to have vague memories of Frisk, it might not be so far-fetched.
Oh, and... although you have plans for the Genocidal route, I can't imagine how you'll write it, given that Monika would have no motive for genocide and Chara is with Frisk in DDLC. But, the decision is yours.
Me: I'm really glad you like my changes and my writing! It warms my heart to know that I have someone who really appreciates what I'm building towards here! In regards to the Asriel battle, I can completely promise you that you'll be very pleased with what I've got planned out for the end of Pacifist and Asriel's battle. No spoilers, but we've got something really good planned here.
As for Genocide, I'm actually considering not covering it. I don't think it fits with the overall message and tone of MoniTale, though if I did do Genocide, the reason for why Monika goes through with it will have something to do with why she goes through with murder in DDLC, the same reason she does everything she does in both this story and her game... Love. And that's not an acronym.
MysticBoywastaken: As joe biden i approve this story.
Me: Have we been here before? I feel like we've been here before...
Welp, that's everyone! I appreciate each and every one of your lovely comments, and I'm glad to have them! But, with that all said, as always...
Until Next Time True Readers!