*File Loaded.
File loaded? I didn't load that! I wanted to watch her die! I wanted to watch him scream and suffer! I knew immediately who had done it too. Orange and Green. Those two, those TWO IDIOTS! They thought they could RESIST ME? Oh I'll make them suffer! I know just how to make Green pay. Kindness was she? Oh I'll give them KINDNESS!
Monika gasped for air as she suddenly found herself floating again. She had been certain- positive even- that she had been here before, but the girl could hardly determine how or why she felt that way, partially due to something very uncomfortable floating in the back of her mind, and partially because Flowey's attacks seem to be repeating themselves as well. Addressing the latter first, Monika leapt out of the way of a sea of vines before glancing over as she felt herself start to be sucked in by a rather large Venus Flytrap. It was then that she had a moment to cope with the uncomfortable feeling in her chest. 'Did I die?' She remembered it with only a little bit of trouble, the feeling of the vines impaling her, the sensation of being ripped out of by the thorns- thinking of what she had done to Yuri- and then hitting the ground and it all starting to go cold. Her hands tingled and Monika glanced down at them, half expecting to see a coating of thick crimson blood dripping from her fingers- her blood- and half expecting to see Player's hands in hers.
'I did." The words felt cold in Monika's chest and for the first time, she felt the flames of her PASSION start to dwindle, the feeling like the cold breeze of a particularly bad winter night, the kind that cut through your warm clothes like they weren't even there, the kind that bit into your skin. The chill ran up her body, but stopped at her heart, which skipped a beat as she recalled exactly why she had died. 'Player.' The thought of it being him in her position was enough to throw the girl back into action. She recalled what had done last time, and knew better than to let it happen again. Like the roaring flames of a fireplace, Monika's SOUL ignited in PASSION and the girl launched towards Player, leaving a trail of pinkish flames behind her. Seeing the bombs being pulled towards her darling, Monika extended her aura out and reached towards one, the flames licked at its metal shell and quickly spread across it, turning it pink and giving her something to hang on to as she steadied her Trident.
Player was just as terrified as Monika, similarly only vaguely recalling the events that had transpired- would transpire?- seconds ago but knowing how they ended with remarkable clarity. "Monika-!" But as he finally found the time to focus on the bombs, still struggling somewhat with understanding how the battle physics worked, he paused and his eyes widened as he saw that the girl he was planning on saving had come for him. Or at least, it looked that way, but as his darling pulled her arm back, Player got the feeling she intended to hit him out of the way of the bombs and braced himself to be struck-
Only for the trident to sail right by his head and lodge itself inside of the Flytrap's mouth, suddenly cutting off its sucking breath and allowing the boy to easily dodge past the still-incoming bombs with only slight difficulty as they exploded. Monika grabbed him as she went by, holding her darling with one hand before using her SOUL's new control over the bomb to turn its trajectory back onto its master. She kicked off with Player in tow as the bomb sailed upwards. It exploded in Flowey's face, and the monster roared in pain before vanishing.
"Monika!" Player gasped, holding her tightly as they took the small break they had between phases to hold one another. Monika let out another, stronger gasp as she found herself burying her head between his shoulder blades in spite of their new height difference. She might have evaded the cold grip of death, but its tendril had not fully faded from her mind, she could still feel it tugging away at her SOUL. For Player, the body he inhabited now might have been without a face- at least from everyone else's perspective- but what it didn't lack was a heart, and as he felt Monika's breath on his shoulders, felt her tremble in his arms, he realized that the brave young woman had, for possibly the first time since they arrived, finally been shaken up. He felt the same. His arms curled around her tightly and gently stroked her hair. "When this is over..." He whispered to her softly. "We'll find somewhere nice. I promise."
It wasn't much, and frankly he didn't know if what he was saying even made sense, but he knew he had to say something and he knew they didn't have much time. Two SOULs looked down at them now. Orange and Green. His mind was rattled, he couldn't remember what Green's attack was and Monika's shaking might have made him forget what Orange's was too if the pair weren't suddenly surrounded by hands. "Moni..." Player whispered.
The Club President was terrified but remarkably resilient. The way her face slid back into a determined, if not apprehensive look as she pulled away from him reminded the boy of a lake. Throw as many stones as you want into it, the water always returns to how it was before. But in truth, that was merely Player's interpretation of her. In her own mind, Monika found herself leaning more on Player's strength. Always keeping her focused on their next objective, even now that he was in danger as well. Seeing that filled her with love, and love filled her with PASSION.
Above them, fireballs rained down from bouncing skillets while odd glove-shaped magical constructs surrounded them, forcing them inside of small spaces that shrank while allowing the fireballs inside. Forcing them to dodge between gloves while dipping over and underneath fireballs. It wasn't a fair match, and the pair felt themselves be struck and burned as the attacks came down, but they never wavered, they remained close to each other through it all, the President leaning on her boyfriend, the Player leaning on his girlfriend and, soon enough, they found themselves beneath the hands, safe enough to dig deep...
*Monika called for help.
*Player called for help.
The constructs moved for a moment, then stiffened and struggled, the fireballs turned to a downpour of donuts while the gloves flashed thumbs-ups with hearts in the center. On the screen...
PERSERVERANCE! INTEGRITY! OH THOSE TWO ARE JUST THE WORST OF THE BUNCH! Who needs 'em? I sure don't need those dumb emotions! Oh but I need their power, I'll punish them next, maybe this time I'll get a kill off of their powers, that would be fun. And if that one speaks up, I'll enjoy peeling them apart bit by bit. I always hated Justice. But I needed time to get the other two back in line and put together a new plan. I hid my real expression behind the TV I was using, playing that disturbing face I found in the File Menu while getting ready for something big.
I started out with trying to separate them first. Summoning a bit of my real power, I fire something big and blue from the DT Extractor I'm using as a mouth, intending to vaporize them. Sadly, they manage to jump out of the way just in time, but I'm not willing to let up. My eyes dazzle with magic as I fire off a rain of stars towards them, summoning Friendliness Pellets to surround them and force them to move as I go, but no matter how hard I try, they refuse to split from each other, the boy taking hits meant for the idiot and the idiot taking hits meant for the boy, it makes me want to puke, but I keep going! More bombs fall from the sky, flytraps open wide on both sides, this time with the flies added! Fingers with little flowers on the end of them race from side to side and dentata bounce off the walls.
It should have been enough. It SHOULD have been pandemonium, but no matter how hard I hit them, they JUST. WON'T. BREAK!
I load a File, the girl gasps in surprise and I grin in nostalgia as I strike them both with thorn-covered vines that tear their flesh and leave warm red gashes through their clothes, I laugh as I reload the save again, this time catching her off-guard by dropping a beam right on her head. Oh now THIS is fun! I could do it all day, and maybe I will... But for now I feel the two I've summoned wriggling, trying to break free.
Well, here you go!
Monika and Player let out a gasp as Flowey vanishes from view again, this time Player looks up towards the TV display and sees the next upcoming SOULS. Purple and Dark Blue- he knows what they do. Turning to Monika, he manages to speak. "Okay, honey. Get ready to-" He is cut off as the pair find themselves suddenly beneath a wall of shoes and between a series of what Player can only guess are cassette tapes. That much is familiar, but as the cassette tape behind them fires a word off, the one in front does the same while the shoes begin falling, forcing the pair to run away from the word "Terror" while narrowly ducking under falling ballet shoes... and straight into the word "Trapped".
"A rigged game?" Monika hisses as she puts herself in front of Player, letting her aura enshroud her body as she tenses up. "I swear to God, I'm going to murder that plant!" Monika only grunts in pain as a shoe falls onto her whole body at the same time that she touches the T in "Trapped", her aura barely managing to hold on. But her assertion is unfortunately correct, Flowey has them bought caught in a rigged game. Even as the flames of PASSION burn away the letter, then slowly the whole word, more words emerge from both their front and back while at the same time, the ballet shoe begins to rise again.
"Monika!" Player begins, getting her attention. "We need to talk about the killing thing, and also- remember what to do!" The girl was confused at first, but then...
*Player called for help.
*Monika called for help.
Once more, the attacks turned Green, but as they did... something changed. This time, this time there was no SOUL waiting on the screen above, but more importantly the struggle for the attacks to change was less-so. As if they were becoming stronger. As IF. I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH THEM.
NO MORE. NO MORE GAMES!
WELL, MAYBE One more couldn't hurt. I've been denying her the chance to see how her attacks have been "affecting" me up until now, but this body is just like any other. It can't take too much damage. So this time, as my attack run ends, I stuff the SOULS back down so they can't get in the way anymore and I go a little easier on her. Lowering my DEF, using some more basic attacks. I even add a health bar. The girl notices it, her attacks land harder and harder as her "Passion" gets hotter.
The boy seems to join in now too, flying up and punching me in the TV screen, I let him. I let my attacks start to wane, like a boss who's entering their final stage. Fire arcs up the green parts of my body and turns it to cinders, orange and blue attacks sweep across my Extractor and I even find a trident in my eyes once or twice. I reel back, I pull away, I thrash and I scream and at last, as my health bar reaches close to nothing...
"No... NO! This CAN'T be happening! You... YOU..!" I wail as dramatically as I can, flailing my arms and thrashing around like some big dumb monster. I lock eyes with her and I see her... Oh, she doesn't smile. If anything, she looks almost sad. Maybe she wanted to torture me more, I could relate to th-
"I told you." Monika whispered, jerking her trident up at the monstrosity. "I was going to kill you! But..." She glances back at Player. "Maybe..."
Oh. Gross! Well, I'm not going to sit here and let her monologue at me again. Seriously what is this lady, some kind of writing major? Whipping up speeches out of nowhere like she's some kind of big hero, blech! Well, anyways.
I roll my eyes well before she finishes her thought, but I can't help the grin on my face when she suddenly stutters in place as I reload an older save, bringing me back to full health. "You IDIOT." I giggle at her. "Did you really think I'd let you defeat ME? HAVEN'T YOU BEEN LISTENING?"
"Monika" suddenly finds herself pulled right next to her precious little boyfriend, the pair of them unable to move as I force them in the center. This time I don't hold back even slightly. My vines explode out and puncture them both, shattering them to pieces. Before they even realize it, I reload and do it again. And again. And AGAIN! Lasers and vines and flames of my own, they crash against her cute little shield and BREAK IT. I watch the look of hopelessness on her face with glee as she realizes it. Over and over again. I could watch it all day, but I want to make my point.
"I told YOU. I'M THE GOD OF THIS WORLD." I'll give her credit, she doesn't drop to her knees and sulk, but I see her little boyfriend holding her up with one arm, looking at me defiantly. I just can't wait to watch HIM die next. I don't know why but... I don't really like him all that much. I surround them with Friendliness Pellets again, just like I did in the ruins. "So go ahead!" I giggle. "Call out some more, beg for help! Cry for mommy and daddy!" My face twists to look like them, him, before I set it back to normal, my eyes almost looking disappointed at her. "See what that gets you."
*Monika cried out for help.
*Player called out for help
But nobody came. "Isn't that shame? Nobody else is gonna get to see you DIE!" I'm over it now. She's broken and soon enough he'll be too. I close the Pellets in-
And you lose.
Monika looks up, suddenly feeling her wounds close, her stamina restore itself, her mana replenish. She blinks. Player grins and glances down at her with a knowing smile that she can't see, but one she feels. "I told you, you just had to trust me." He turned back to Flowey as Monika slowly began supporting her own weight again. "I love this part."
"What? How did you..?" I go to reload again, to send her back to no health at all but you lose. I shudder involuntarily. My fingers- the claws I designed for myself- they clench and twitch outside of my control. My vines stop moving, the Extractor suddenly feels heavier... and then lighter. The box shines not with my new face but with us them!
And then we're around you. One by one. All of us.
"The SOULS?" His voice seems strange to them, and for perhaps the first time in his life, Flowey is scared. Not merely with the fear of being a lonely little boy, but with real fear. Inviting the SOULS into him, invited their hopes, their dreams, their emotions with them. "What are they doing?!" Monika feels herself grin as the SOULS surround Flowey and begin to glimmer each one, shining down on her with feelings that she's missed. Perserverance strengthens her resolve, Bravery lets her stand proud, Integrity has her hand wrapping around Player, Patience causes her fingers to tighten around her Trident, Justice pulls out her mana reserves and finally... Kindness smiles at her and tells her that everything will be alright.
But for Flowey, our words are not so soft. Bravery and Justice stand to him first, telling him precisely what we mean. Patience and Perserverance are next, warning him of what is to come if he continues. He curls his tendrils around us, trying to make us serve him. Integrity makes it stop! Stop! And Kindness reaches a hand out, offering him one more chance. He knocks it away.
"NOOO! NOO YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Now he truly writhes around, trying to force them back into their place and being forced himself. "Stop! STOP IIIITTTTT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY MEEEE!" The world begins to shake and dance with colors as Monika looks at Player.
"Are you ready?" She asks him, offering him her trident to use. He looks at it quizzically and Monika gives him a big smile. "Its the least I could do." She touches her Jacket. "After all, you gave me something. Besides, it'll look less silly than using your fists." Player pushes it back into her hands, shaking his head. Above them, lights dance as Flowey seems to have a seizure.
We pull at him, dragging him down and forcing him to regain all the damage he had so arrogantly allowed himself to take on. He won't escape Justice, and though some of us hope she is Brave enough, that she- this girl who was never meant to be here- can maintain the Integrity needed to do what is right... Others hope she can Persevere and offer the flower the Kindness he needs. We pull him down, sapping his strength and removing his power. God no more. Soon enough, we leave. As the world darkens around us, as it fades away, we find our powers diminishing as well. Our hold on reality is breaking and soon enough...
They're gone. Everything returns to how it should be, and as it does, Monika finds her hands no longer touching anything solid. Player grimaces, his chance to be with her had ended the same moment that Flowey's chance to rule the world did.
Monika notices immediately. Her knuckles turn as white as sheets as she tenses her hand around the Trident. "That's just cruel." She whispered, looking towards Player's blank face. "He gave you a body just to torment me, torment you." She muttered, turning her attention onto the weed sitting below them, its head hung. "I'll-!"
"Monika." Player finally spoke up, snatching her attention away from Flowey for at least a moment. "About killing him..." Though she still could not see his face, Monika could imagine the outline of a pensive expression on his lips. "Please? I... I hate him too but killing him now, while he's defenseless..." There was more he wanted to say, but Monika turned away from him before he could get the words out.
"I..." Her teeth bare. She hated how right her partner was. Being better, being a good person... "I'll try." It wasn't something she could turn on and off when it suited her. She had made a resolution, and even though Monika felt like she could wring her hands around Flowey's stem and tear his head off, she wanted to try the other way. But if it didn't work, she knew what she'd do.
She approached the weed. He was hunched, his golden leaves turned to the ground and shrouded his face like the veil of a widow, or like a flower that had begun to wilt. He didn't meet her gaze, didn't even move as she took a deep breath in. "Spare." The word felt like bile on her tongue.
"What are you doing?" He hissed. "Do you really think I've learned anything from this? No."
His voice no longer sounded as demented as it had before. Gone was the gleeful sadism of a murderer. Now he reminded her more of a child. "Spare." The word tasted a little less bitter.
"Sparing me won't change anything." The reply seemed almost automatic, like she was speaking to a machine. "Killing me is the only way this ends." Then it looked at her, and Monika saw the vaguest hints of the deranged smile she had come to hate. "We both know that." He could see her LOVE too, couldn't he?
"Maybe. But I... I told you. I'm going to stomp you out. Maybe that doesn't have to mean killing you." She said gently. "Truthfully, I think I want to. I think I want to take this trident here and get rid of you. I hate you, but..." Her green eyes trailed back to her Player. "If I'm going to be better, it starts with this. The same way I offered Asgore a chance to be better I..." Her own words rang in her mind "You're me." "I want to give you that same chance." This time it tasted almost sweet. "Spare."
"...I..." He looked up at her. "I'll kill you."
"Spare." It felt warm. It felt light. Maybe she was making the wrong choice, maybe he really was going to find a way to kill her.
"I'll kill everyone!" His voice shook with desperation. "You know I will! I'll kill them all! Even HIM!"
She paused, her fists tightened on the Trident. Player reached for her but pulled back at the last second. Maybe, Monika thought, maybe it was the wrong choice to let him go. Maybe he would find a way to reach the surface, maybe he really could find a new way to kill her and her darling. Maybe. "Spare." Or maybe not. Truthfully, Monika didn't know. But as the word left her lips, she felt another weight lift off of her SOUL. She felt warmer than she ever had.
The plant shrunk back. "I- I can't understand." He looked at her fully now. His eyes were wide, his voice ached with the kind of uncomprehending tone that was normally reserved only for the truly insane. "Why are you doing this? Why?! You're a killer too! You're just like me! I can't- I can't understand... why are you letting me go?!" Tears welled in his own eyes. Then slowly, his head bowed. "I just can't."
*Flowey ran away.
Monika felt lighter than she ever had. And as she stepped out of the cavern, the girl took a deep breath of cool air. Her palm opened and she almost felt Player's soft hand in it.
Monika:
Lv2
Author's note: It is done. We have achieved Omega Flowey's ending and with that, the story is concluded! It was a good tale all around, I'm glad you all enjoyed it. I'll be sad to see it go, but hey, it's been a long time. Doki Doki has been a huge part of my life for years now, but I guess its time I got around to our final batch of reviews...
I'M just messing with ya! We all know there are things left to get through, but this is an ending. If you're satisfied with Omega Flowey being defeated and Monika and Player riding off into the sunset together, that's fine! A perfectly valid way to see the story out. But for me and hopefully the rest of you? Oh we've still got 4 chapters left. Why only 4? Well... it could turn into 5 depending on how long I want to spend in the True Lab, but shh.
Oh and in case it wasn't made clear enough in the text, I do want to make clear that the reason behind Player suddenly having a physical body was purely due to Flowey altering reality with the SOULs. With 6 Human SOULs, you're able to do meta stuff like control the Files in Undertale, and in this story that translates to being able to effect Narrators like Player- even bring them into physical form so you can hurt them. As for why he loses his body when Flowey is defeated, without the SOULS holding Flowey's changes on reality together everything returns to how it was meant to be. Now then...
OriChar: Very enjoyable battle, making it a moral battle was definitely a good move, this was very much a 10/10 chapter
and i cannot save myself from not reading this at 3am (3:07 specifically) although thankfully this time i can just oversleep without consequences, dont have theories since at this point itll just be seeing what will happen and enjoying whatever ride you have planned
Me: I'm glad you enjoyed it! To be honest, Monika vs Asgore was something I've been planning for a while. I wanted to draw the most heavy parallels between their characters and use those parallels to make the fight more interesting. After all, Asgore killed because he just wanted to do what he thought was right and that was, in a sense, Monika's reasoning as well. I also wanted to actually fully interrogate Monika's statement in Act 3 about "Actually killing someone" and see how well it could hold up when it looked like her only option was to kill someone, something I spent a lot of Chapter 28 on. In the end, I was very happy with how those chapters came out. I hope you enjoyed this one just as much, though its probably rated lower since there's not a big moral question at its center.
Maybe I should post this chapter earlier, it might help you sleep... Nah, what's a little 3am fun? But on a more serious note, I hope you enjoy the ride I have planned for these final chapters. I promise, these next few are all bangers.
Isaasol2: Aw, my heart! This chapter had been a roller coaster of emotions! God!
I can't help but to imagine the rage that Monika will upon seeing Flowey. I wonder if in a fit of rage if she'll point at the evil flower, and yell "Delete," and he gets his existence denied and becomes like Gaster.
Speaking of Gaster, I wonder if their's a 0.001% chance that Moni will encounter him do to her coming from outside the game, and Gaster himself doesn't really exist inside the game. He exists in the fandom's imagination.
Me: YES! The pain of readers fuels me! I crave your angst! But no really, I'm glad I was able to get the emotions I wanted to get through to you effectively. Asgore vs Monika was planned from early on to be a pretty emotional battle compared to all of the others, so I'm glad it turned out how it did.
Regarding the Man Who Speaks in Hands... Well, I don't want to talk about someone who's listening, but, he hasn't been present in this timeline so far, but I'm sure he's noticed it by now...
setokayba2n: /"I refuse to fight you."\\ Those are the best words of the chapter, it's not much related to the chapter but when I was reading the fight I was listening "Undertale - Asgore, The Broken King (Orchestral Suite)" by "Osirois Music" and I somehow could think it fit... It could be good if somehow this was a secret scene in the original game, as how you refuse to fight and could ACT or miss all the fight, too bad you are forced to fight him.
Great chapter as always and good work waiting to see what Monika does with Flowey in the next chapter or if she somehow do like "the Bodyguard" and try to save him, whatever happens, I will see in the next chapter, as said before, good work.
Me: I agree wholeheartedly. Monika choosing to stick by her morals is something that's really nice to see, and I enjoyed writing her that chapter. About the music, I've always imagined this scene in conjunction with Undertale: The Musical's Asgore cover, but I could just as easily see it using your song option. Berguntrucking in general is a really good piece of music, definitely in my Undertale top 5.
Well, it wasn't easy for her, but Monika ultimately spared Flowey by choosing to be better than him instead of giving into her rage like she wanted. I think its uplifting, what about you?
MysticBoywastaken: FLOWEEYYYYYYYY I WILL KILL YOUyou gently open the door. ASGORE hangs from a rope.*
Me: We all want to kill him for killing Asgore, but we can't always have nice things. Also if Asgore is Sayori in this scenario does that make Monika MC? Is this secret Sayonika shipping? IN MY PLAYONIKA FANFIC?!/j
Guest1: Great work on this chapter! I loved that the battle against Asgora was a moral fight, and she managed to present arguments that made him give up fighting. I agree that was 10/10. All that story is 10/10!
Welp, Monika will suffer in the next chapter. My poor girlfriend... Oh, and I caught the reference to MOTI's Undertale The Musical.
Me: Glad you enjoyed it! I won't repeat myself but I will say...
S. h. e. b. e. l. o. n. g. s. t. o. m. e. p. a. l
Guest2: Speaking of Undertale Yellow, which battle did you like the most between Asriel and Ceroba in the Pacifist Route? Personally, I think Ceroba's fight is more difficult, but Asriel's has a special touch of emotion. And what was your favorite battle and OST from that fan game?
Me: I haven't played it so I can speak on Ceroba's difficulty, but I'll always be biased towards Asriel's battle for the emotional weight that's behind it. I've actually started crying before thanks to Asriel, which is an honor that is only shared by crying for Monika's death in DDLC so that's a high bar to clear.
As for my favorite OST, I'm not sure. I'll have to think on that.
Guest3: I feel compelled to say that Flowey is smart, but he's kind of dumb, too. I know he's sadistic and all, but he himself said that Frisk's soul was the last one he needed to break the barrier and destroy the world. But instead... he preferred not no achieve his goal, but decided to play with the SAVES to torture Frisk. It is, at the very least, counterproductive. Will he try this with Monika, too? Or will he really try to get her soul?
Me: I wanted to try addressing this in this chapter with Flowey's narration. He's SO confident in himself and his power to torment Monika/Frisk that he doesn't see them as any kind of threat to his plans. Moreover, he wants to "play" with them because this is the only chance he'll get to do so as after he takes their SOUL he won't be able to torment them as easily as he can now.
Toolazytologin: *reads end of chapter* well, I'm pleasantly surprised that Monica managed to make asgore see reason with out pummeling him into submission. …aaand the cursed interfering plant just made his presence known on the worst way possible, right on schedule.
Me: Monika was on the debate team, and she IS a member of the Literature Club. We often these facts, but Monika's backstory was "real" to her, she has all of the skills needed to be a decent public speaker and make good arguments to win debates. She's not good with conflict resolution in the Club because she feels like its not her place, which is less of an issue here because the conflicts in Undertale are always centered on her and usually go "either you fight me or you die". In the case of Asgore, her public speaking skills are what save her here.
Guest4: ONE way to fit something in from UTY, you say? If I had to guess, I would say seeing Kanako in the True Laboratory as one of the Amalgams. I would really like to see that! (Even if it's tragic, scary and sad. At least Ceroba would see her daughter again in the Epilogue. Probably she will be mad with Alphys, but Kanako would be happy in see her mother again)
Me: I'll genuinely consider it. It might take a bit more research to get that to work properly in this story, but I'm open to adding small cameos like that. Mew Mew was intended to show up in one of the earlier chapters when the Switch version of Undertale came out, and I took some inspiration from the PS4 version during the Monika Piano sequence back in Waterfall, so its not like I'm opposed to adding content that wasn't in the original game to this story... I'm just a little unsure about doing too much fan content.
Welp, that's all of the reviews this time around and WOW you guys went crazy for last chapter! I hoped you enjoyed this one just as much and, as always,
Until Next Time True Readers!
...Click
The noise of the city hit her ears like she had stepped out of a soundproof room and onto an open street. To one side, cars hurried past. Some filled with families on their way to shop or headed to the park, others filled with men and women, young and old, on their ways to or from work. Some still held teenagers- boys only a bit younger than herself- off to spend the warm spring day with their friends, she envisioned them visiting a skatepark or hitting the mall, seeing a movie or even heading to the park themselves. On the other, the bustling cafe was abuzz with life. Servers darted from table to table, passing out food and drinks with one hand while balancing gigantic saucers with the other, their soft green aprons fluttering in the stiff breeze that blew through the terrace.
With gentle hands, it swept the hair out of her eyes and caressed her face with the light touch of a parent to a child. It felt cold against her skin, yet she leaned into it. Beaten and warmed by the hot that gleamed down at her from just behind the cafe building, her skin felt hot to the touch, but not uncomfortably so. Just enough that the springtime breeze was more than appreciated. The cellphone in her palm- still that same unusual purple hue- felt heavier than it should have been. Its weight hadn't come from nowhere, and as the girl sat it down on the table, she let out a sigh like she was setting down gym equipment. Her other hand, chilled by the touch of her morning iced coffee, relinquished the glass and moved to her first before wrapping its fingers around her palm and squeezing.
"I can't help but feel like there was more we could have done for them." Monika said gently, not worried about being looked at as strange for talking to herself. She brought her hands up and set them out just in front of her nose as she leaned her elbows on the table, then turned her emerald eyes onto the empty seat across from her. Empty to the world, that was. But for Monika, a dark shadow had claimed the chair as his own. His face, usually buried in the File Menu- even now, more than a month after their adventure Underground- was now focused entirely on Monika. She couldn't see his features, but part of her wanted to think he was offering her a reassuring smile. "I mean, everyone's still trapped-" Monika raised a finger, the start of a count. "Papyrus lost his primary goal in life, Undyne lost her job (and wants to beat me up but that's less important), Toriel was forced to be Queen, Flowey's still down there and..." She sighed, five fingers raised. Slowly, they dropped. "It isn't a bad ending, I can tell that much but..."
A month had gone by for the pair of them. In that time, Monika quickly learned that this world was not like her own. Either someone had very well thought-out how this simulation functioned or... it just wasn't a simulation. That part had been easy to wrap her head around in theory, while she was trapped underground in a stuffy, occasionally dark, cave, but now that she was here? Now that she could see stars and feel the warmth of the sun and experience- really experience- what it was like to feel wind on her face? It was almost too much for her. Thankfully, with Player's support and the Gold they had recovered from the Underground- which was real gold, worth quite a lot in Human currency- she had managed to emerge into this world on her feet. But despite these things, these wonderful, amazing things that Monika would have, and did, killed for in her universe...
The young woman couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Like there was more she could do. Her mind drifted back to the Underground time and again, especially when she laid in her hotel bed late at night. Especially when she was at her most alone. It always felt like there was more. She had voiced these thoughts to Player a few times, but this was all too much. The phone call from Sans had finally been enough to push her over the edge. "We should go back." Monika decided. "We'll prepare first, gather up as many humans as we can, get them to help me break the Barrier and-"
"Or..." Player interrupted, surprising Monika. Her eyebrow quirked at the intrusion, but she could feel the smile settling onto her face as her darling floated over to her, tilting the File Menu over for her to see. Her mind drifted to the files. She wondered, in her lowest moments, if this world was a simulation after all, just a really advanced one. Player denied it of course, but she still had to question it... "I've been working on something, a core mechanic of the original game that was disabled- at least for us- when you came in. Of course, calling it a mechanic probably isn't good for your existential dread but-"
"Honey." Monika began in a clipped tone she often took regarding this subject. It was something she was going to have to personally deal with on her own, Player had helped her accept the possibility that this was real, but it wasn't a conversation she liked to have. Relaxing a bit as Player mumured his sorries, Monika let her eyes soften. "Its okay, what were you going to say?"
"Well dear..." Player cleared his throat. "In simple terms, how Determined are you to go back and help the Monsters?" She could imagine the grin on his face as he continued. "Because darling, lets just say you're right. There are three things we can do better." A button appeared on the File Menu. It seemed to shine a bit different from all of the others, it even seemed like it existed in... A 3-D space.
Monika's eyes widened. "Reset? Is that what I think it means?"
"Its something I only found recently, and it'll only work if you push it." Player replied. "So what do you say, darling? One more time?"
Monika smiled and slowly lifted a finger. Her nail gently pressed against the button and then... She began to fall.
(The world glitched once. Then twice. And when it glitched a third time, a girl and her shadow were falling down a mountain. This time, she smiled.
MONITALE)