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Chapter Text

—Steven—

The senses beyond one through five can be subtle things, and the more you learn to use them, the more you understand that. Eyes and ears are well-heeded, taste and touch and scent have their uses, but beyond them, simple intuition is a tricky business. More to the point, it’s a tricky business that you’re still learning. A spider sits at the center of its web, feeling vibrations from as far as the silken strings stretch; intuition is like that, especially for Gems. The tiniest pluck, according to Pearl, can have the greatest meaning.

This particular feeling, midmorning on a cloudless spring day, is more like someone slamming out a power chord on guitar strings attached to your gem.

Garnet and Pearl have their weapons out in an instant, with Pearl leaping for the nearest high vantage point – Garnet’s head. Amethyst, aiming a bit higher, nearly hits the roof. You spring up with a yelp, shield half-formed at your arm.

A terrific shriek rings out as Peridot tackles you in a fit of panic. It’s not enough to knock you over, in fact it’s a little like being tackled by a bunny rabbit, but her frantic yelling comes closer to throwing you off. “No! No, it can’t be – it’s too soon! It’s too soon, we’re not ready, it’s way ahead of schedule, this isn’t right – this isn’t-!”

Dismissing your shield, you hug her on instinct, because she’s upset and you hardly know what else to do. Peridot’s ensuing silence is more out of shock than comfort, but it works anyway. “Guys, what’s going on?” you ask, without letting go. (At this point it’s just as much for your comfort as Peridot’s.) “That’s not – that wasn’t the Cluster, was it?”

“I’m not-” Cautiously Pearl climbs down, with a sheepish glance at Garnet. “I’m not sure, but… it can’t be, can it?”

“We can’t rule it out.” Garnet frowns, speaking slowly as if she’s thinking about something other than her own words. “We’ve never encountered anything like the Cluster before. Even with Peridot’s information, we can’t know for sure.”

“Yeah, but we do know one thing!” Amethyst pipes up. “It’s gonna be huge. Big fusion monster cracking out of the earth, it’d be breaking way more, wouldn’t it? I mean, look-” She waves her hand to the window. “Look how nice it is out there. It’s a beautiful day outside, guys! Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, no storms, no weird magnet stuff, not even an earthquake. Just – whatever the heck that was.”

“Well if it’s not the Cluster,” Peridot hisses, finally extricating herself from your arms. “What was it?”

“We need to analyze it, look for any immediate effects,” says Pearl. “The sooner we find out-”

“Pearl.”

All eyes turn to Garnet. Her gauntlets are gone, her hands at her sides, but she looks as grim as ever. Behind her shades, her eyes seem fixed upon Pearl. “Pearl, you don’t think…?”

“I don’t think what?” Pearl blinks, and her eyes widen as Garnet’s meaning dawns on her. You squirm uncomfortably – you’re used to feeling like everyone else knows more than you do, but that doesn’t mean you hate it any less. “But, Garnet-”

“I haven’t felt something like that in a long time,” Garnet says quietly. “Not since before Amethyst. Not since…”

“It’s impossible,” Pearl says. Her voice is hollow, but beneath that she sounds… hopeful? “Garnet, do you really think so?”

“You’re both speaking in riddles,” Peridot grits out.

“Guys?” you say cautiously. “What are you talking about?”

Pearl and Garnet exchange a single look – what is it? More hope? Fear? Uncertainty?

“Warp pad,” Garnet says finally. “Everyone.”

They hurry to obey. On instinct, you take Peridot’s hand.

---

“Hey…. Mom?”

“Yes, my child, what is it?”

“Um, how loud do you think that was?”

“How loud do I think what was?”

“…Never mind.”

Chapter Text

---Steven---

You don't recognize the place that the Gems warp to – which surprises you, because you would have thought you had seen all the warp pads by now. You bring this up to Pearl, and you don't like the way her chin crumples and her mouth tightens. Garnet is silent. You aren't sure what you're feeling from either of them – it's not fear, not quite. It's more like old shame. Regrets that have gone stale like bread left out too long – still edible, but tough to swallow.

You wish you knew more. Peridot's grip on your arm is almost painful, and you can't explain her fears away like you could with thunderstorms.

“What are we gonna find?” you ask finally. The woods are thick. The only trails are those made by animals, not humans. You haven't even asked what continent you're on. Above the treeline, a mountain looms, and you wonder what its name is.

“Honestly? I don't know, Steven,” Pearl admits. “Oh, perhaps you should have stayed at the temple.”

You shake your head; you're a Crystal Gem, and you've proven yourself on missions dozens of times. The days of being left behind where it's safe are long past. “What do you think we'll find?” you press.

“Monsters,” Garnet replies.

“Gem monsters?” you ask, almost relieved. At least that's something familiar. Though, you have to wonder what sort of poor, corrupted Gem could have made such a big noise.

But Garnet shakes her head, pushing you back into worry. “No,” she says as she lifts half a thicket out of her way. “These would be monsters from Earth.”

You weren't expecting that. “Monsters from Earth?” Your eyes widen, and in a twinkling your brain makes the connection to one of Dad's stories – the closest you have to history class, since you don't go to school. “Wait a minute, my dad told me about this, I remember now!” You can feel Peridot turn her laser-focus on you, even without looking at her. She's still a little sensitive about things she doesn't know, so you explain for her benefit. “It was a super, super long time ago, and Dad says some people think it's just an old legend, but it really did happen.” You think hard, furrowing your brow a little. “Let's see, there were humans and monsters, but then there was a war, and the monsters disappeared. Nobody's sure if they all died or if they just hid.” You could have smacked your own forehead – why hadn't you ever thought to ask the Gems about it? Of course they'd remember it. You'd never thought to ask about dinosaurs or sabertooth tigers either.

Amethyst smacks her fist into her palm. “So. Monsters? Now you're speakin' my language.”

The thought doesn't sit right with you. “If they're not Gem monsters... couldn't we just talk?” you ask. “We don't know what's going on.”

“Maybe,” Garnet says, bringing you hope. “Maybe. But it could get ugly.”

“You two should stay back,” Pearl says. “Until we're sure it's safe.”

You pout.

You're approaching the base of the mountain when Pearl finally makes you stop and wait. Peridot is perfectly fine with this, but you clench and unclench your hands, feeling helpless in how much you simply don't know. It's not fair. You'd thought you were past all the secrecy – you're a Crystal Gem too, aren't you?

Well... someone has to look after Peridot.

From behind the trunk of a great fallen tree, you watch as the Gems make their way forward. The trees give way up ahead to something like a small clearing, letting the sun shine through the leaves overhead. The mountain looks even taller up close, and it fills you with... something. You're not sure what. It might be fear, especially when you start to hear rustling in the undergrowth beyond the Gems. Footsteps. Up ahead, the Gems halt.

The first monster steps out of the trees, and your mouth drops open.

He's taller than Garnet, and that's not even counting his horns. He looks like a goat, like Steven Jr., except he's on two legs and he's wearing clothes and he's taller than Garnet. Not as tall as Opal, but still big and broad. He's wearing battered but shiny armor, draped in a flowing purple cloak, and between his horns sits a golden crown. In one hand (it's a paw, not a hoof) he clutches a trident. You almost miss the dazzled, faraway look in the monster's eyes, as if he's caught up in a wonderful daydream. It's gone the moment he sees the Gems. The daydream turns to shock, then anger, then horror.

He steps back, his voice rumbling. “No... no, it can't be...” His grip on the trident tightens, and it's all you can do to keep from leaping out of hiding.

“Garnet, you were right,” You can't see Pearl's face, but her voice sounds small. It hasn't sounded so small since back when Garnet was mad at her.

“Why are you still here?” the monster demands. “It's been thousands of years – this world does not belong to you!” His head lowers like a bull about to charge, and you almost cry out at the rage in his eyes.

Garnet's gauntlets appear, to your dismay. The last thing you want to see is a fight. “We are the Crystal Gems,” she says coolly. “What is your name? What is your purpose here?”

“I owe you nothing,” the monster snarls, and you see sharp teeth – not so much like a goat after all. “Least of all answers.”

There's crashing in the underbrush. “Your Majesty!” Another monster appears, leaping out into the open. She's much smaller, dark blue and scaly – more like a fish than a goat. But she's still big and dangerous-looking, missing an eye, and the spear in her hands has a meaner look to it than Pearl's. She sees the first monster ready for battle and falls smoothly into a fighting stance beside him. “Who're these guys?” she asks grimly. Her lip curls, showing sharp white piranha teeth. “They sure ain't humans.”

“They're Gems.” It's spat out like a curse. You lunge upward, ready to leap out over the log.

Peridot catches your wrist. “What are you doing?” she hisses.

You aren't sure what you're doing. You don't even know what you should do. All you know is that there's going to be a fight if you don't do something, and there doesn't have to be one, not when this is all obviously a big misunderstanding. The monsters are outnumbered two to three, but there's definitely more of them coming. Someone's going to get hurt, and you don't have enough moisture in your mouth to fix it.

You're halfway over the log, and the two sides look ready to throw down at a moment's notice, when another voice rings out.

“Wait!”

Someone else is struggling through the forest behind the monsters. They trip and stumble, yanking at snagging thorns and branches, but they don't stop until they're out of the underbrush and grabbing a fistful of the monster king's cloak, tugging sharply for attention.

“Wait, wait,” they pant. “Wait a minute.”

You stare. It's a kid. Just one very small, very scruffy, very human kid.

It's more than that, too – in the thicker woodlands beyond, you can see movement. There are many shapes moving in the background, more than you can count.

“Get back, child.” The monster's teeth are still bared. The kid cringes and steps back, but goes no farther even when the horned king growls again. “These creatures are dangerous.” He tries to push them back with his free paw, but the kid dodges around it and plants themselves firmly between monsters and Gems. The monster king jerks his trident back, careful to point it to the ground. Beside him, the fish woman looks uncertain.

“Aw, geez,” she mutters. “You're great at dodging, kid, but this is really pushing it.”

The kid ignores her, instead staring levelly up at Garnet. Garnet stares back, and already you're kind of impressed. Most people get scared of Garnet because they don't know her so well, but this kid's barely blinking at her.

“I know about you,” they say – almost too quietly for you to hear. “You're the – the Crystal Gems. Right?”

“That's right!” Pearl says eagerly, looking surprised but relieved by what looks like a possible lifeline.

The child turns to look at the first monster. They fidget when he looks back, wringing their hands like they want to look away, but still they hold their ground. “It's okay. I've heard about them. They protect people.”

“Frisk, you don't understand,” the monster rumbles. “They're Gems. I thought-” His voice catches for a moment. “With the humans falling into the Underground, I thought that maybe – maybe they had left.” He turns his hostile glare back to the Gems. “But if there are Gems here, then we're all in very great danger.”

“The Gems did leave,” Pearl speaks up, quiet and polite but urgent. She lowers her spear as she steps forward. “We're almost all that's left.”

“Seriously, dude, we've been spending the last thousands of years making sure the Homeworld jerks don't come back,” Amethyst pipes up, though she still has her whip at the ready.

The monster hesitates. “I – don't understand.”

“We turned on our own kind, duh.” Amethyst ignores the way Pearl winces, or she just doesn't notice. “Look, I dunno what this is all about, it was before my time, but we're the good guys now. Question is, are you?”

“Hey!” the fish lady barks. “What's that supposed to mean?”

“It means we've been cleaning up the messes the Gems left behind for thousands of years,” Garnet says firmly. “We protect humanity. We thought that all the monsters died in the war. If you're back, we want to make sure you aren't here to start it up again.”

“We're not,” the child, Frisk, speaks up again. “We're not here to fight. Right, Asgore?” They glance up at the monster king.

He hesitates, and you hold your breath, ready to jump in and add your two cents if they need more convincing. But before you need to, the clearing gets a little more crowded. Perched on top of the fallen trunk, you watch in open-mouthed awe as the monsters slowly emerge from the trees.

There are all kinds, all shapes and sizes. Some of them look like animals you recognize – rabbits, dogs, lizards, all walking on two legs. Some of them hover with buzzing wings, others crawl or walk or hop. At least one of them looks like an eyeball with legs. At the head of them there's even another one like Asgore – her horns are smaller, and she's unarmed with her paws folded in her wide sleeves, but she holds her head high and watches the scene with a carefully wary eye. There's something grand about her, something that reminds you, with a little tugging feeling in your chest, of the pictures you've seen of Mom.

If Asgore's the king, then she must be the queen.

A reedy voice rings out loudly over the gathering, and one of the monsters comes bounding to the front. “DID I MISS SOMETHING?” It skids to a halt right behind the fish lady. “UNDYNE, OH MY GOD, WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME? YOU KNEW I WANTED TO BE IN THE WELCOMING PARTY!” You goggle again – this one's a talking skeleton.

The fish rolls her eyes. “Papyrus, we're the ones being welcomed, remember?” She glances to the Gems. “Well. Sort of.”

“THE WELCOMED PARTY THEN! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE OPPOSITE OF A WELCOMING PARTY IS! SANS! WHAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF A WELCOMING PARTY?”

“a wel-going party.” You're not sure where the second skeleton came from, but there it is.

“SANS!”

If nothing else, it eases the tension. Asgore looks less angry and more abashed by this, especially when he glances back and sees the queen eying him.

Her eyes narrow when he looks at her. “Well, Asgore?”

He turns back to the Gems, clearing his throat. “Perhaps... I mean, yes. No. No, we're not here to fight, if that can be avoided.”

Garnet nods. “Gems, dismiss you weapons.” Her gauntlets vanish, as do Pearl's spear and Amethyst's whip.

There's still an uneasiness in the air that you can feel even from the distance. Frisk steps forward, hands wringing at their sides. “They've been trapped,” Frisk explains. “In the Underground, for a long time. They were trapped there after the war, but the barrier's broken now.” They fidget again, hands twisting in front of them like they're nervous, but they hold their ground when Garnet looks at them again. “They don't want to fight anyone. They just want to be free, and see the stars again.”

A smile comes unbidden to your face, and you slide down the trunk.

Garnet nods, and as you run forward you can hear her smile. “Well. I certainly can't fault anyone for that. I am Garnet. This is Pearl, and Amethyst. We left two of our own further back, but they're noncombatants.”

“I'm Frisk-”

You can no longer contain yourself. Overtaking the other Gems, you skid to a halt between the two sides. “Hi!” You're face to face with Frisk now, sticking your hand out for them to shake. “Nice to meet you, Frisk! My name's Steven, I'm a Crystal Gem, too! Are these guys your friends?”

Frisk stares at you, and you're surprised to see your bright friendly smile met with deer-in-the-headlights blankness. You try smiling wider, wondering if you might have done something wrong.

“You're human, right?” you prompt hopefully.

Instead of answering, Frisk just gapes at you and twitches a little. You hope you didn't say something hurtful by accident. You blink in confusion, and suddenly Frisk is several feet back, hiding behind the second skeleton, peeking at you from behind the monster's sleeve.

“wuh oh.” The skeleton grins down at Frisk. “feeling a little shy, kiddo?”

“Oh that's cute,” the fish lady says.

Awkwardly you look back at the Gems. “Did I come on too strong?”

“Maybe a little,” Pearl says.

“I thought you were fine,” Amethyst mutters.

“You have a human among you?” Asgore looks surprised, and curious.

“Sort of, um...” You glance back at Garnet. She nods encouragingly. “I'm actually half Gem, half human!” Emboldened, you step closer, ready to offer the monster king a friendly handshake. Again you're surprised when Asgore – the big, hulking monster with the cape and the trident and the huge horns – steps back. His trident is still pointed very firmly at the ground, and he moves away from you like he's afraid.

Not like he's afraid you'll hurt him – more like he doesn't trust himself not to hurt you.

You frown, feeling a little put out. That's two handshakes turned down in a row. You really need to work on this.

The stocky skeleton turns to look at Frisk again. “care to jump in, ambassador?” The child gives him a dirty look, not that he seems to mind. “thought I taught you how to greet a new pal.”

Frisk dares to peek out further to look at you. Hesitantly, they stick out their hands and make a few strange-looking gestures. You blink in confusion.

The skeleton sighs. “i asked toriel, ya know, you were never this sheepish with her.”

The queen giggles – she must be Toriel. A smile spreads across your face, and in spite of the lingering tension you laugh. “I get it! That was a good one!”

“No it wasn't,” Amethyst whispers loudly.

An idea comes to you in a flash. You clear your throat – this'll take a bit of setup. “Well, I don't know much about monsters and wars and stuff, but I say, welcome to, uh, up here, I guess!”

Asgore smiles through his hesitance. “Er, thank you, little one. It is good to hear.”

“I think you all look like a ton of fun,” you continue, then point to the skeleton that Frisk is still hiding behind. “Except you. 'Cause I think you look like a skele-TON of skele-FUN!”

There's a pause of silence, broken by a loud, unladylike snort of laughter from the queen. The tall skeleton lets out a frustrated scream. You smile in satisfaction – both are high praise for a good pun.

The shorter skeleton, on the other hand, looks like all his dreams are coming true before his eyes. “oh my god. oh my god. heya.” He sticks out a hand. “i'm sans. sans the skeleton.”

“I'm Steven!” You take the hand, eager to finally get that handshake that's been denied you so far, but further words and actions are cut off by a long, drawn-out fart noise. Grinning – the skeleton hasn't stopped grinning since appearing, and since his face is just a skull you aren't sure he can stop – Sans shows you the whoopee cushion hidden in his hand.

You know a kindred spirit when you see one.

Chapter Text

---Frisk---

All in all, the monsters' return is handled with quite a bit more tolerance than you could have hoped for. That's not to say that everyone's happy to see monsters roaming the surface, but between humanity's history with the Crystal Gems, and the rampaging-variety monsters they've been fighting off, the arrival of the friendly talking kind is probably more of a relief. You're still kept busy, running back and forth, smoothing feathers and repeating reassurances ad nauseum. Sign language interpreters are a godsend – you probably would have passed out near the beginning without them. As hard as you work, you doubt you could have managed it all without Papyrus and your mother. The monsters are lucky to have them – never mind that Papyrus's official job is “bodyguard”, but he's just as much an ambassador as you are. It's one thing for a little kid to sign “They're friendly,” and it's another for that friendliness to come straight from the horse's mouth. Well, the skeleton's, anyway. And if Papyrus is outgoing, infectiously cheerful good will, Toriel is quiet, warm tranquility.

You do your best. You're still embarrassed, after meeting the Crystal Gems that way. You were doing so well, and then one kid shows up and you freeze like one of Snowy's puns. You've never been able to talk to kids your own age; even MK took a while to get any words out of you. And Chara...

Well, Chara didn't leave you much choice.

It's exhausting, what you do. By the time each day is done, you don't have the energy to talk or cook or watch anime, or do anything but lie down and feel like garbage. You had looked forward to being with your friends on the surface, clowning around with Sans and Papyrus and Undyne, playing with MK, or just sitting in Mom's lap with a book, catching up on time you lost when you left her in the ruins. But there never seems to be enough time to do that.

(There could be, of course. The big, shiny reset button hovers in the back of your mind, always tempting. You won't do it, of course. Everyone is happy, and the thought can't even cross your mind without Chara throwing a hissy fit.)

It gets a little easier – either people are starting to believe you, or you're getting used to all the running around. The monsters even have a place to stay; the forest around Mt. Ebott has been abandoned and avoided for years, what with all the legends, so no one's getting displaced if the monsters set up shop there. Plus it's not too far from Beach City, which is a hot spot of weirdness activity already, so your friends fit right in.

Not everyone stays. Mettaton is the first to strike out on his own. Absolutely no one is surprised by this. You're a little surprised that he takes Napstablook with him (and a little crestfallen – you'll miss your garbage lie-downs with him) and even more so when Shyren joins them. You're not sure what to think when Burgerpants tags along. You wish him well. Live the dream, Burgerpants.

After a few weeks in your new home – Overground as it's now known, good effort there Asgore – you're taking a break near the end of the day. Your break consists of sprawling on a heap of pillows on your bedroom floor – all the free pillows you could find, plus several donated by Sans. A few blankets thrown in, and you have something with the potential to become a pillow fort, but none of the energy or ambition.

It's comfortable anyway, and you think Sans would approve.

There's a knock at the door. You hold still, praying that your mom won't make you answer it, and you're rewarded by her footsteps as she goes to answer it herself. Curiosity overcomes your mental burnout, and you grab a blanket and throw it over yourself. Thus camouflaged, you inch along the floor like a fleece caterpillar until you make it out into the hallway. You find a decent vantage point in view of the door.

*You're being stupid.

You don't remember asking for Chara's opinion.

*It's them again. Those Gem things. Three of them, including that kid.

You stay under the blanket.

*I don't know about them. You know more than me.

That's a first, you think.

*You're still scared. You're not even scared of the big ones – you're scared of the little kid.

You're not scared. You just don't feel like talking to him, ever. There's a difference.

*Is he scarier than me?

Under the blanket, you shake your head. Chara doesn't get it, and you're not sure you can explain it. Monsters and soulless ghost children, big Gem creatures and lying flowers, those are one thing–

*Those are a whole lot of different things, actually.

But human kids? Regular human kids? Kids your age? What do you even do with them?

*I dunno. Stab them, maybe?

Chara doesn't mean that anymore, not really. It's like a very terrible joke between the two of you that you should never, ever share.

“Oh, well – this is a surprise!” Mom is saying. “Thank you – I'm sorry, I can't remember your names, do forgive me.”

You strain your ears, and you pick up three names – Pearl, Amethyst, Steven. Steven is here – all the more reason to stay under the blanket.

“It's very nice to meet you again. My name is Toriel. Do come in, please.”

You inch back as rapidly as you can. You don't need to worry, though – they're going the other way, into the living room.

“We made you a fruit basket!” That's Steven. “Um. Fruit and motor oil!”

“That was my idea!” That's... Amethyst? You think it's Amethyst. “The motor oil. The fruit was Steven.”

“We wanted to welcome our new neighbors!” Steven pipes up.

“Yes...” Pearl adds delicately. “Even though you're... ninety miles from where we live.”

The voices fade, and you can't make out anything more.

*You should snoop.

You shake your head. You really do want to snoop, but you also have a moral obligation to contradict everything Chara says.

*Dad won't tell you why he doesn't like Gems. Maybe we could find out.

It sounds just reasonable enough for you to blanket-slug your way out of the hallway, across the front room, and to the living room door. You stay under the blanket, but you leave yourself a small opening so that you can see.

“-so, we thought it best to pay a visit to the, ah, ambassador,” Pearl is saying. “Are they here, by the way?”

You inch back on instinct.

“Frisk has had a long day,” Mom says. Something clinks – she must be making tea. “They're sleeping at the moment.”

“Aaww...” Steven sounds honestly disappointed. You fidget.

“Do they always sleep on the floor like that?” Amethyst asks loudly. “Not judging or anything, I'm just wondering 'cause Pearl complains when I sleep on the floor.”

“Amethyst, what are you talking about?” Pearl asks.

You freeze, Amethyst points, and everyone looks at you.

“Did you need something, my child?” Toriel asks gently, as if this is something you do all the time (this is totally something you do all the time).

You've been spotted. Abort mission. Quickly you begin shuffling backward. Your efforts are in vain – someone catches up with you, one corner of the blanket is lifted carefully, and you're face to face with Steven. You do not have the mental fortitude for this. Not by a long shot you don't.

*This wouldn't be such a problem if you had a knife.

“Hi, Frisk!” He looks happy to see you. No, he looks happy by default. Which would be great if he was Papyrus, but he's not Papyrus, he's some strange kid you don't know, and you're tired. Getting drawn into talking to more strangers is the last thing you wanted to happen today.

This is why listening to Chara will always be a terrible idea.

Trapped, you reluctantly stand up and ball the blanket into a bundle that you clutch to your chest. It's no stained apron, but it's all the armor you have. You wave a little, because the least you can do is be polite.

“What are you doing up, little one?” Mom asks. “Did one of the others call you?”

She's giving you an out, you realize. All you have to do is nod, and you have an excuse to turn and flee and take refuge elsewhere, maybe with Sans and Papyrus.

But – no.

You're still curious.

You don't look at Steven; you duck around him and hurry to the safety of your mother's side. You open your mouth to speak, but it's too hard, so you sign instead.

“I want to know about Gems and monsters,” you tell her. “Why does Asgore hate them?” Her face falls.

“What're they doing?” Steven asks. “What's that thing with their hands? It looks cool.”

Mom recovers herself, fixing her warm smile back on her face. “It's sign language,” she explains. “Frisk uses it whenever it's difficult to speak.”

“There's a whole secret language with just your hands?” Steven sounds awestruck, and his eyes light up. “I wanna learn!”

You tug on Toriel's sleeve insistently. She's getting off track.

Mom purses her lips. You see one of her fangs pressing into the fur around her mouth. She sighs, lightly, and offers three cups of tea to the guests. Steven sits down and waits for his to cool before sipping, Amethyst dumps her steaming cup straight into her mouth in a way that makes you wince, and Pearl just sort of... holds hers. In a polite way. Seating herself, Mom translates to them what you signed. You position yourself at her side, leaning with one hand on the arm of her chair.

Steven's feet swing. “I... kind of want to know that, too,” he admits, with a brief little grin at you. You blink slowly back at him.

“Don't look at me.” Amethyst picks her teeth with her pinky nail. “I didn't have anything to do with that junk, and Pearl and Garnet don't talk about it, like, ever, so I didn't even know this was a thing til you guys showed up.”

You look at your mother's face. It's... blank. Like she's trying her hardest not to show how she feels. It's how she looks whenever she's around Asgore. But Asgore's not here, and she's looking straight at Pearl.

Pearl just looks sad. “The Gems... er.” She glances at you. “They invaded Earth. Thousands of years ago. Did you know that?”

You shake your head.

“Well, it happened,” Pearl continues. “They intended to destroy this planet – to harvest it for resources, but at the cost of its inhabitants. But some of us decided that wasn't right, and we rebelled.”

“That was my mom's idea,” Steven breaks in, in a small voice. “She was the leader.”

“Rose Quartz.” A deep, painful sadness flashes in Pearl's eyes, and you press your lips closed. You've only ever seen that kind of sadness on one other face.

“...I know. You're not actually Chara, are you? ... Chara's been gone for a long time.”

You grit your teeth.

“But what about monsters?” you sign.

“Did you ever wonder how the war started, my child?” Mom's voice is dry and bitter.

“The humans were scared,” you sign, remembering the history written on the walls of the Underground. “Because the monsters could take their souls and become powerful.”

“That's right,” Mom says quietly. “The humans, strong as they are, were afraid of our power to absorb human souls.” She quirks an eyebrow. “But who do you think put it into their heads that we wanted to?”

You look at Pearl, and you see regret on her face. “It was a war tactic,” she whispers. “Divide and conquer.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “I wasn't a warrior. I was a servant, an ornament. But I still remember.”

Steven's fidgeting uncomfortably, and you don't blame him. He said he was half-Gem, didn't he? And his mother was the one who decided to kick the Gems off Earth in the first place? Where's his mother now?

You bite back your questions, and he asks a few of his own. “What happened to you?” he asks Toriel. “If the monsters survived, then where've they been all this time?”

“The monsters fled to the Underground,” Mom says simply. “We were sealed there behind a magical barrier – monster souls were not powerful enough to pass through it, so we were trapped. We carved out a life for ourselves as best we could, but it was still a prison. Until, one day...” Her voice trails off, and she smiles fondly at you.

“That was the turning point.” Pearl's bowed head rises, slowly as if she's not sure she's allowed to look up. “For whatever it's worth – that was what tipped the scales. We thought you were extinct, not just trapped. After that, the magical resistance on Earth was virtually gone, and Rose Quartz – she saw that humanity would share the same fate if Homeworld had its way.” Her mouth tightens. “So we put a stop to it. We drove all Homeworld presence from Earth, and we've been protecting this place from the corrupted Gems that were left behind ever since.” She pauses and looks away, ashamed. “I suppose it was too little too late.”

*She looks like she could use a hug.

You don't hug her, but you do step in, and you do tap her wrist lightly for attention, and you do sign. Your mother's voice speaks the words as your hands form them.

“It wasn't too late. You protected humans, and I'm a human. I couldn't have helped them if I was never born.” Mom's voice catches as she translates, and your hands shake. “It's never too late. You can always change, no matter what.”

You're afraid to look back at her, but you do anyway, and find her watching you with a strange expression on her face. It makes you wonder. She's old, even if she doesn't look like it – you know that much. You're not really sure how old, though. Is she as old as Asgore? Was she around for the war between humans and monsters, or was she born later? If she did, and if she doesn't remember the things Pearl is talking about, can she forgive them? Could she still forgive them even if she did? Could she understand what it means to change your mind only after you've already hurt someone?

You hope so.

You hope she can understand, because if she can forgive this Gem for trying too late to fix what was broken, then maybe she could forgive you if she knew how sloppily and cheaply you washed her blood from your hands.

Asriel is worth forgiving.

Chara is worth forgiving.

You are worth forgiving.

And, if the small smile on Toriel's face is anything to go by, she thinks maybe these Gems are, too.

Steven is beaming at you. You're not sure why, but it fills you with determination.

Chapter Text

---Frisk---

The moment things die down, you all take a field trip to the beach. There are a number of reasons for this.

1. Papyrus just got his driver's license.

2. He has a car now, too.

3. Undyne really, really wants to check out the ocean.

4. After the past hectic months, you could really use a break.

5. The beach is like right there, come on.

Long story short, you all pile into Papyrus's car – you, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and MK. Sans mutters something about taking the bus, and you ask him to save a good spot when he gets there, because he's definitely going to shortcut his way into beating you all there. He winks at you and then he's gone.

Undyne demands shotgun and gets shotgun, leaving you, MK, and Alphys squashed in the back with the coolers and umbrellas and beach bags. MK is ecstatic to be going with you, and you're very happy they're coming too, but their tail keeps smacking you in the ear.

After a harrowing hour or so of driving, you reach the shoreline. Your heart beats a little faster at the sight of it – even before your fall, you'd never been to the beach before. There's a little town to the side – that must be Beach City – and you smile to yourself at the sight. Humans might be hard to talk to, but you still look forward to what your friends are going to get up to. In fact, Papyrus has barely stopped the car when Undyne leaps out and charges out of the parking lot, over the sand, past bewildered beach-goers, and straight into the waves, bellowing a wordless battle cry.

You'll catch up with her later.

Sans finds you on the beach – of course you'll find Sans on the beach, you tell him, and he high-fives you. You help Alphys lay out towels and coolers and umbrellas, and then kick off your shoes and run off down the shoreline with MK. The first thing they do is tackle you and dunk you into the waves. You scramble up, soaking wet and spitting out saltwater, and the two of you take off over the beach.

It's tough going for them. The sand doesn't do their balance any favors, and you get into the rhythm of catching them before they faceplant. You don't want to waste any time – there's a huge rocky cliff, towering over the sandy beach with a lighthouse at the very highest point, and it looks ripe for exploring.

“Yo, check out all those holes!” they say. You follow their pointing tail to where the rock face protrudes from the sand. They're right – the stone is peppered with more holes than Swiss cheese, and you run in for a closer look.

MK sticks their snout into one of them. “Whoa. Check this out, Frisk – it looks like something chewed its way outta here!”

You can't really tell the difference between chewed rock and chiseled or broken rock, but you take their word for it. You stick your hand inside, because why not. MK's already running on ahead, sending sand flying behind them. The next thing you put in the hole is your ear – did something alive make these holes? Must have, if MK says they were chewed. What sort of creature could chew through solid rock?

Curiosity battles with your impatience – MK's already out of sight, around the curve of the high cliff. You dawdle for a few more seconds – they probably won't get too far without tripping – before your friend's voice rings out with unbridled excitement, high enough for you to hear above the crash and hiss of the waves.

“Whoa! Whoa, whoa, whoa! Yo, Frisk c'mere! You gotta see this, Frisk!”

You leave the holes and run after your friend. The cliffs are high and the beach curves around them, so it takes some time for you to see them. You find them kicking up more sand in a hopping dance of excitement, and when you slow your pace and look up, you see why.

*Well. That's pretty cool.

You've gone far enough to see the other side of the cliff, and it's not just a cliff anymore. On the side facing out to sea, it's been carved into the figure of a woman with – two? three? More pairs of arms than you and MK put together, that's for sure. Most of them have broken off long ago; the statue looks ancient. It has two faces, one normal one and one higher on its head, like a mask pulled back. The lighthouse sits at the highest point of its head, and at its base, cradled in one pair of arms, is a small house. The base of the cliff curves up from the beach like a ramp, leading up to the little home. You feel like you're looking up at the face of some ancient goddess.

The sight alone fills you with determination, and you surreptitiously Save.

“So... cool...” MK breathes. “What is that?”

You shrug.

“Who do you think lives there?”

You think you can guess.

Papyrus's voice carries, so you hear him well before he catches up to you, raving to Sans about how big and bright and beautiful the seashore is. For a split second you revel in how glad you are that the ocean exists, if only for Papyrus's sake. “YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THE OTHER SIDE, SANS! IT JUST KEEPS GOING! DO YOU THINK THERE'S A WATERFALL ON THE OTHER SIDE THAT SPILLS INTO SPACE?”

“that'd be awesome, bro.”

As they catch up to you, you can hear the exact moment Papyrus sees the statue, because that's when you hear him completely lose his mind. You're not even sure how to spell some of the noises he makes. Not that you blame him – the sight is breathtaking. You kind of want to go up to that lighthouse to see the view.

In the midst of Papyrus's overexcited ranting, another voice manages to make itself heard – an impressive feat, if you're any judge.

“Hi again!” You actually jump when Steven pops in beside you, reminded of Sans and his shortcuts. Thankfully you don't hide behind anything this time, and you manage a thin smile and a wave. He beams at you, and you hesitate. It's like he just likes you automatically for no reason, and he's not even a monster with a soul made of mercy and compassion and love. What's up with that? That's not something human kids have ever done before – maybe it's because he's part Gem?

*Some humans suck and some don't. You're proof of that, aren't you?

Fair point, but you're still not used to it.

At the sight of a potential new friend, Papyrus has left off babbling. “OH! IT'S THE OTHER TINY HUMAN! HELLO!”

Steven's eyes light up like little stars. “Hi! Oh man, it's so great to meet you guys again! Um, um... sorry, I didn't catch all your names.”

“OH MY GOD, WHERE ARE MY MANNERS?” Papyrus strikes a noble pose, and his scarf flutters dramatically in the wind. He's wearing a T-shirt that says “Beach Hunk” on it instead of his battle body, but the effect is still pretty much the same. “ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF, GEM-HUMAN! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! I BELIEVE YOU KNOW MY BROTHER, SANS.”

“Awesome.” Steven smiles brightly. “I love your shirt.”

“THANK YOU! MY BROTHER GAVE IT TO ME FIVE MINUTES AGO!”

You hang back and let Papyrus do his thing.

---Steven---

You can barely contain yourself. If you'd known Frisk and the monsters were coming to visit, you would have set up something. A beach party, or a barbecue. Maybe two barbecues.

You still kind of can't believe it. You're talking to a skeleton. A real live magic skeleton wearing a very classy shirt. Two skeletons, an armless dinosaur (“Yo, I'm MK! It's great to meet you!”), and the cool kid who lives with them.

“So what do you think of the beach?” you ask.

“I LOVE IT! WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY BEACHES UNDERGROUND1 IT LOOKS LIKE SO MUCH FUN!”

“ “Of course it's fun, it's the beach!” You edge closer and cup your hand to the side of your mouth as if you're telling a secret. “You might even say it's... a whale of a time?”

Sans the skeleton doubles up with a snort of laughter. Papyrus turns to give his brother a dirty look – which is really interesting to look at, actually. His face is a skull, so how does he make different expressions?

Sans winks at you, and you resolve not to think about it too hard.

“SANS, WHY MUST YOU CORRUPT EVERYONE.”

Wow, way to take the credit away. “Hey, don't blame him, I've been punning since I was little!” you say. “I'm a PUNdit! A PUNgeon master!

“i like this kid. i think i found my second favorite human.” Sans reaches over to mess up Frisk's hair.

You consider correcting him, but you inwardly shrug and let it slide. it wasn't that he was wrong, just... rounding up. Besides, you haven't even said hello to Frisk yet. And you are excited to say hello to Frisk.

Frisk blinks politely at you when you step closer – but not too close. Here we go. You speak slowly, not because you don't think Frisk will understand, but because you're kind of new at this, and your hands can't quite keep up with your mouth. Especially since Frisk's name has five letters in it. “Hi, Frisk!” you say, signing along. “It's nice to see you! Do you want to be friends?”

Frisk stares at your hands, then at you. Their eyes light up. Their hands move.

Their hands move fast. It's so fast that you can't follow it – you can only make out words and snippets, like “friend” and “me” and “learn” and maybe “thank you,” but that's okay because Frisk is absolutely beaming. It's impossible not to grin back, even as you're asking them to please slow down.

“Man, you're so lucky!” MK says wistfully. “I wish I could do it, but...” They glance at their empty shoulders glumly, and you're hard-pressed not to burst into tears (it's snakes all over again).

Frisk signs something to Sans, too quickly for you to read. The skeleton grins and signs back, and you catch most of it.

“Told you – he's good.” Then Sans makes a sign that you don't recognize. It's the letter F, but he touches it lightly against his chest.

“Yo, Steven.” MK nudges you with their tail. “So, uh... what exactly is that?”

“What's what?” You follow their pointing tail. “Oh, that's my house! The Gems live there too, in the temple. It's really cool, they each have their own room and it's all made of Gem magic.” You leave out Mom's room – that's a conversation for another time.

“WHAT'S THAT LITTLE POINTY THING UP THERE?”

You crane your neck to see where Papyrus is pointing. “You mean the lighthouse? That's... well, it's a lighthouse.”

“FASCINATING! WHAT'S IT FOR?”

Of course he wouldn't know, you realize. There's no ocean underground, so they wouldn't need lighthouses. “It's really neat!” you explain, eager to show the monsters something new. “There's a big light at the top, so that boats can see it even in the dark. That way, they don't crash into the shore.”

“HOW PRACTICAL! HUMANS ARE VERY SMART!”

You grin. “Wanna see the inside of it?”

“DO I!” The tall skeleton takes off down the beach, sand flying in his excitement. “RACE YOU TO THE TOP, FRISK!”

Frisk doesn't hesitate to run after him, and MK follows with a whoop. You're about to rush after them when you feel a nudge against your arm.

“hey.” Sans is – what else – grinning at you. “listen, i really respect what you did back there.”

“What? Oh, you mean the sign language?” You scuff your sandal in the sand as you walk with him. “I'm not that good, I mean I just started a few weeks ago, and I'm not-”

“still. you're learning. putting in effort.” Sans shrugs. “we've only been up here maybe a couple months, but some humans... they aren't so kind.”

“You guys are, though,” Steven says. “Even Ms. Toriel – she was a little angry about stuff, but she listened to all the sides of the story, and she's still so nice.”

“heh, she sure is.”

“And your brother, too!”

“yup, my brother's pretty much the coolest.”

“And you're hilarious!” you say firmly, because you don't think that could possibly emphasized enough.

Sans' smile widens. “knock-knock.”

“Who's there?”

“the cow says.”

“The cow says who?”

“pretty sure cows say moo, kid.”

Your laughter echoes off the cliffside.

---Frisk---

You expect to find Sans waiting for you when you reach the top, but to your surprise he seems to have taken the scenic route instead. By the time he catches up, you've had time to chase MK around the lighthouse several times. You hear him coming up with Steven before you see either of them – Steven's voice is very distinctive.

“-and I said, I guess you could call it a balanced breakfast?”

Sans' gravelly laughter brings a grin to your face. You hope he can tell you the full joke later.

“SANS!” Papyrus calls – he's closer to the cliff edge, too far away to hear Steven's punchline. “SANS, COME LOOK AT THIS! THE VIEW IS AMAZING!”

“comin', papyrus.” The skeleton ambles over, too slowly for your liking. You breeze past him to join Papyrus, squinting in the sunlight. He's right about the view. The ocean ebbs and flows on the beach far below, deep and dark blue except where it's blinding white from the reflection of the sun.

It's a beautiful day to be outside. The sun is shining, birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these

kids like you should be burning in hell.

*STOP!

The cliff drops away at your feet. For a split second, caught halfway in your not-flashback, you're afraid you're going to pitch forward into empty space. But then there's a firm little hand on your arm and – you think – a flash of blue in the corner of your vision, and suddenly you're three paces back and Chara is cursing in your ears about your clumsiness.

“Maybe let's just... stay away from the edge.” Steven's grip on your arm is almost painful, and the smile on his face is nervous and strained. You match it with your own.

You're going to have to be more careful, if moments like that are going to be a regular thing. It's really not fair, you think – if you're going to have nightmare flashbacks, aren't they supposed to be about things that have actually happened to you?

(Of course – just because you didn't do them, doesn't mean you don't know exactly what would have happened if you had.)

You remember the blue light, the cold ethereal grip on your soul that you've technically never felt before, and your teeth grind in your smile.

Chapter Text

---Garnet---

You would be lying if you said you weren't wrestling with yourself, just a little. It's not a fight, or a lover's quarrel, or even really an argument; it's more like a very thoughtful debate. Your very existence is that debate; every breath is a sentence, every blink and footstep a gentle rebuttal. You're deep in discussion with no one but yourself. There's a lot to talk about, a lot of feelings to sort through. There's never any use in brooding over them, after all. They are you; they are the very culmination of your being.

The biggest one, at least right now, is unease. It's been a part of you ever since the monsters came. It's a reflex, and you know that. An unconscious reaction of your mind, in the same way Steven's leg jumps when you tap his knee. You can't help it (neither of you can) because there are so many directions these events could take, and so many feelings and thoughts you never quite unlearned from Homeworld. The past mingles with the future in your mind, and it muddles the present.

There's no wonder you're uneasy; the monsters were beings to be wary of, back before you existed and your two halves owed their loyalty to Homeworld. The monsters of Earth were objects of concern, for all that they were weak and humans were strong, and Gems even stronger by several orders of magnitude. Body and soul, they were weak, but they were made of magic the likes of which was unfamiliar to Gemkind. Humanity alone was a stubborn pestilence yet to be overcome, but with monsters, the two races gave Homeworld pause.

Monsters had their own kind of fusion, it was said. Not with one another, but with humanity. It was different, of course – Gems recoiled with disgust when they heard tell of it. A fusion of two different species? Disgusting. Wrong. And it was a relationship of dominance, not of accord. The absorption of human souls, their very essence, would transform these weak creatures into beings of unimaginable power. With a human soul inside them, any monster could shatter Gems at will. All they would have to do was defeat a human and take that power for themselves.

And yet, they didn't.

It was a great boon, to Gems and humans alike, that the monsters were peaceable. More willing to sit a while and talk than rush into battle. And yet, the Gems knew, even peaceable creatures could be pushed too far. For what the Gems had in mind, they could risk both species taking... drastic measures.

Alliance. Even now, you remember how the word sounded on the tongues of Ruby's commanders and Sapphire's fellow courtiers. Suspicious, wary, yet... dismissive. Homeworld would conquer all, in the end.

(Had your parts possessed even half the knowledge and experience you now have, they might have recognized creeping fear when they heard it.)

An alliance of humans and monsters seemed absurd, if only because of the very nature of their combined power. It was a work of violence and control, not of collaboration.

And yet... it could be.

Could humans give up their own souls willingly? The idea was preposterous to most – humans were selfish, primitive animals. But still, the possibility hung heavy over Gems' heads, until their plan was in motion: divide the two species by any means necessary.

Forever.

In the present, you shake your head. For all their scheming, all their great power and influence, Homeworld's plan had come to naught. The work of years of whispered hints, lies, seeds of doubt planted in fertile human minds, had been undone by a single child.

You've never doubted Rose's wisdom, but sometimes, when you catch a glimpse of what she saw in these creatures, you still find yourself surprised.

Steven has gone out to play. Most of your visions for today have monsters in them, so they'll probably be nearby. There's also a good chance that the human child will be among them. That's good. Steven has been eager to show them the sign language he's been learning (you can't see any future in which the child isn't pleased with it). You're glad. The last very good friend Steven made was Connie. Only good things can come from Steven making friends.

A troubling possible future rises in your sight, as troubling possible futures tend to do. You see the cliff above the temple, you see Steven romping with the monsters and their human. You see Frisk wander too close to the edge, and you see them fall.

You pause, batting an eye. That would be regrettable. Steven would be so upset. Against your better judgment you prod at that future the way Steven sometimes pokes his scrapes and bruises. The least you ought to do is see the best way to console him, just in case.

You don't get very far.

You're holding a car battery in the present. Your hand twitches, and your fingers press dents into the metal. Normally in your visions, each thread of possibility frays and splits, as more and more futures spring forth, creating an infinite branching web of events. It's a lot to keep track of, but you're used to it.

What you aren't used to is the thread simply snapping before it has the chance to split. Instead of possibility, you're met with static.

You blink again.

That is... strange. Human deaths, while an end to the human, are hardly the end of the world. Why would your vision stop at this one? It's not that the child's demise is impossible; it's more like everything else will be if it ever comes to pass.

You're not even sure what that means.

Steven has been out long enough for the present to catch up with previous futures you've seen. If eighty-five percent of your visions are correct, the monsters should be there as well. Frisk will be there.

Perhaps you ought to take a closer look at this human.

---Frisk---

You all make your way back down to the beach, though this time Sans cuts ahead of you instead of taking the slow path. MK scampers at Papyrus's heels, alternating between chattering excitedly and hanging on to the skeleton's every word. You and Steven have your heads together as you try your best to teach him a few useful phrases and words, without actually translating them out loud. You're not sure when he'll ever need to sign “I would smooch a ghost,” but it sure came in handy when you needed it. It gets a laugh out of him anyway.

When you make it back down to the beach where you first left the others, Sans is there already, sprawled out and fast asleep on a beach chair. Alphys is beside him, seated on a brightly-colored beach towel with cartoon cats on it. She's hugging her knees to her chest, with her tail wrapped around her ankles, closed off like she's afraid of all the other beach-goers staring. You wouldn't blame them if they were; her new flowery sundress is very eye-catching.

“Hi, Doc Alphys!” MK greets her. Alphys smiles and waves, but doesn't turn her attention away from the ocean. “Whatcha doin'?”

“Oh...” Alphys fidgets, sighing dreamily as she watches the sea. “Just enjoying the view.”

For about two seconds you're convinced she's talking about the ocean itself. But at that moment, at least twenty yards from the shore, Undyne breaches the surface with enough momentum to send her rocketing upward out of the water in a spectacular leap that most dolphins could only dream of. At the apex of her flight, she turns a graceful flip, scales flashing wetly in the sun, before letting gravity take her back down. She dives back beneath the waves with hardly a splash.

An appreciative cheer goes up among some of the other humans present – Undyne's got herself an audience. You clap loudly, even though Undyne probably can't hear you.

Alphy is curled up on her towel, quietly squealing with glee.

Steven whoops and cheers at the top of his lungs. “That was amazing!” he shouts, bouncing in his sandals. “I remember her from when we first saw you guys, she's that fish lady with the spear, right?”

You nod.

“She's so cool!”

“I know!” MK kicks up sand in an eager hopping dance. “I can't decide who's cooler, her or-” They seem to remember that Papyrus is standing right there, and muffles themselves into an embarrassed mumble that sounds a little like “Paperrimfs”. Papyrus takes no notice, too busy introducing himself to the first human within reach.

“HELLO, STRANGE HUMAN! MY NAME IS PAPYRUS! WERE YOU WATCHING MY FRIEND UNDYNE? SHE IS VERY IMPRESSIVE, IS SHE NOT? I HAVE NEVER SEEN HER SWIM LIKE THAT BEFORE, PROBABLY BECAUSE SHE HAS NEVER HAD ROOM. ISN'T THE OCEAN WONDERFUL? WHAT'S YOUR NAME?”

The lucky human is a teenager who can't seem to decide whether or not she should be afraid. Her wide eyes shift from Papyrus to Steven. “Um... Steven?”

“It's okay, Sadie!” Steven assures her brightly. “That's Papyrus, he's totally friendly. Not scary at all!”

“Um... okay...” Sadie manages a nervous smile and gingerly accepts Papyrus's offered handshake. Her face scrunches up reflexively, like she's picking up a dead bird instead of shaking hands with one of your best friends.

“NO NEED TO BE SHY!” Papyrus pats her shoulder with his free hand.

“Um... okay...” Sadie repeats, and fidgets uneasily. Once the handshake is over, she surreptitiously wipes her palm on her pant leg.

You glare at her, fighting against the sudden anger rising inside of you on Papyrus's behalf. He won't get mad about it – it won't even occur to him that he should – but that doesn't mean you won't. She notices, and blinks at you with mild alarm. Very deliberately, you step closer to Papyrus and slip your hand into his.

“OH! HELLO, FRISK! DID YOU WANT TO HOLD MY HAND?”

You nod, and shoot another glare at Sadie. She looks a little ashamed now.

*Hey, give her a break, will you? Think how she feels – like she's shaking hands with a dead body while it yells at her.

You know, you know. It doesn't stop you from being annoyed about it. This is Papyrus you're talking about. The last thing you want to see is anyone being cruel to him, whether it's on purpose or not.

Further awkwardness is interrupted when Undyne comes lolloping out of the waves, slowly as if she's dragging something. You hope she didn't find some poor unsuspecting shark to wrestle. Is it possible to suplex things underwater? Probably, if you're Undyne.

“Hey, nerds, check this out! Look what I found!”

You stare. That's not a shark.

Undyne stomps cheerfully out of the ocean, dragging behind her a thoroughly waterlogged van. She starts huffing and puffing once it's halfway out of the water, but still manages to haul it onto dry sand in full view of the small scattered audience of shocked onlookers.

“Can you believe it?” she crows, placing her webbed hands on her hips. “Somebody left a perfectly good van just sitting there at the bottom of the ocean!”

“That's my dad's old van!” Steven yelps.

“Ha! Really?” Undyne has a chuckle over that, then pauses thoughtfully. “...Dibs.”

“OH MY GOD, UNDYNE, YOU CAN'T JUST CALL DIBS ON OTHER PEOPLE'S THINGS!”

“No, it's okay,” Steven pipes up. “My dad's fine with his current van, you can have it – whoaa!”

Undyne sweeps him off the ground and noogies him hello. “Hey, kid, you're all right!” Laughing uproariously, she holds him out at arm's length to get a better look at him. “Hey, I remember you. You're the little scrap of human that spooked Frisk way back when!” You roll your eyes, and Undyne gives Steven one of her big snaggle-toothed grins. “My name's Undyne, punk! And don't you forget it!”

Steven's eyes have gone shiny again. “I”m Steven! Wow, you're really strong. I saw you flip out of the water – that was really cool! Are you a mermaid?”

“Well I sure ain't a maid anymore-”

“Undyne!” Alphys bursts out, horrified.

“Oh, that reminds me!” Undyne drops Steven in the sand, then turns and scoops Alphys off the towel. Alphys squeaks in surprise as she's lifted into the air bridal-style. “Found some tide pools for you to geek out over, Alph!” Hefting her girlfriend with no apparent effort, Undyne plants what is probably a very wet, salty kiss right on Alphys's cheek.

“U-Undyne!” Alphys wraps her tail around Undyne's waist, blushing furiously as her girlfriend proceeds to carry her off like a very muscular, scaly fairy tale.

“Seriously, there's all kinds of shells and little wormy things and cool rocks and junk, you'll love it! Papyrus, keep an eye on our new toy, or I'll pound ya!”

Papyrus wipes away a tear as he watches them go. “THEY ARE SO ADORABLE TOGETHER.” You nod vigorously. You will never stop being extremely proud of yourself.

Steven's smile has gone wobbly. “Awww...” He presses at his cheeks with both palms. “They remind me of Ruby and Sapphire...”

You tap him. “Who?” you sign.

He turns to answer you, then looks past you. “Oh! Hi, Garnet!”

You look over your shoulder, then up. The big Gem towers over you, not as high as Asgore but definitely taller than Papyrus or Undyne.

“Hello.” Her face is like stone, and with those reflective shades you can't judge what she's thinking by looking at her eyes. Monsters are pretty easy to read, especially since they express their emotions through magic, but Garnet's just as much a stone as her name and species imply.

*She's looking at you.

Chara's whisper makes you twitch, though you try to shrug it off. So what if she's looking at you? She can look if she wants. It's a free country. What are you, the attention police? People look at you all the time.

*I don't like how she's looking at you.

Chara doesn't like anybody, so you're not sure what they're fussing about now.

While you're bickering with Chara, Papyrus has already finished introducing himself, and Sans has spilled out of his chair and into the sand, without waking up. MK is carefully arranging seashells around him. Garnet is still looking at you.

You shift uncomfortably from foot to foot, feeling scrutinized. For all your bluster, you can see what Chara means. Usually when people look at you, there's a clear reason for it. You're doing something interesting, or they're talking to you, or you're talking to them. But right now you're just standing there, and neither of you are talking. She's just... watching you like she's expecting you to do something.

You fidget. What does she want?

“So Garnet, what's up?” Steven asks, drawing Garnet's attention away from you for a moment. You try not to sigh with relief.

“Just checking in,” Garnet replies. “Has there been any trouble?”

“You mean with the monsters? Not really.” Steven glances around. Papyrus has wandered off and is now introducing himself to everyone who stands still long enough to listen. “Yeah, I think they're good. Did you, um-” He pauses, as if he's mentally correcting himself. “Did you think there was gonna be any trouble?”

Garnet hesitates before she answers, for longer than you like. “It was a possibility,” she says at last. “But I'm glad it stayed just that – a possibility.”

“Yup, everything looks okay to me,” Steven says. Behind him, Papyrus summons a few floating blue bones – well out of reach from the humans. They turn pretty patterns in the air, to the delight of his little audience. Even Sadie seems to have gotten over her initial discomfort, enough to stand close and say something to him (you can't hear what, but they both seem pleased).

“Glad to hear it,” Garnet says, and with that she's looking at you again. It doesn't even matter that you can't see her eyes; you can feel her watching you. You don't like how she's looking at you, not one bit. It reminds you of things you'd rather put behind you.

Things like the chilly darkness in Waterfall, the prickle up your spine as you imagine Undyne waiting in every shadow and around every corner. Or running through the Core with monster knights and magicians nipping at your heels. It makes you feel like you need to get ready for a fight. On instinct you check your inventory – no armor at all, a couple of cinnamon bunnies, and... dog residue? You thought you'd gotten rid of that. How long have you been carrying that? That is absolutely no help whatsoever.

At least you Saved a little while ago.

“Hey, Frisk, you feeling okay?” Steven nudges you gently. “You don't have to be shy around Garnet, you know.”

You blink at him, and suddenly you remember where you are. You're on the surface, for heaven's sake. The danger is over. You don't have to fight anyone, ever again.

Hesitantly you sign that you're fine, and you look him in the eye again. You feel better when you do.

Not just better, you realize with a jolt.

Determined.

Just talking to Steven, seeing him, realizing with a belated sort of awe that he has decided, of his own accord and for no particular reason, that you are his friend... it fills with you with determination.

You try creating a new Save file just to be sure. It works. You're not even sure what this means.

Garnet is still watching you. But for the moment you don't mind so much anymore.

---Garnet---

You weren't imagining it.

The child is before you once more, for the first time since the monsters first arrived. They stare about them, hardly different from any of the millions of human children you've witnessed walking the Earth. You stare back, seeing far more than any human could ever claim to.

Or at least, you try.

You try to look into this child's future, but what you see makes no sense. You aren't certain you're seeing anything at all. Instead of growing and branching into varying possibilities the way they normally do, your visions run together like wet ink. Possible futures mingle, thrown in with futures that, by rights, should be impossible. Some threads fray and simply cease, ending in scratchy white noise. Others stretch on and on, when logic and the simple continuous nature of time should have put an end to them. This goes beyond the way destiny shifts and moves forward in many independent parts. The future is a map that changes constantly, but there's still a sense to it, a complicated shifting pattern.

But behind this child's dark, innocent human eyes, their future is a tangled, disjointed mess.

The child seems nervous under your curious scrutiny. Steven reassures them, and the strange child gives him a look that you can't quite put your finger on.

Without any warning, your visions shift. You might not have noticed it if you hadn't been paying such close attention to the human child, but as it is you see every detail of it. All at once, dozens of impossible threads wither and die, images fading to blankness and static. You blink, and all is normal again.

The child is smiling, serene yet determined.

You've never seen anything like this before. Any being with free will can change their own fate, but this human?

If you didn't know better, you'd suspect that fate simply didn't apply.

Chapter Text

---Frisk---

Beach City has an amusement park. You weren't sure this day could get any neater, and yet here you are, squashed next to MK as you ram Papyrus's bumper car so hard your teeth rattle. A whooping Steven hits your car from behind, and you shriek with laughter.

Sans is sitting this out, content to stand at the sidelines and swig from a bottle of ketchup. Alphys and Undyne still haven't caught up, and you aren't entirely sure how they'll find you once they're done admiring tide pools. But that's for future you to worry about. For now, you're happy with bumper cars, carnival food, and happy friends. Well... mostly happy, anyway. You found out one of the differences between human food and monster food, when a chewed-up wad of French fries flopped out the bottom of Sans' ribcage. That had been... awkward. Definitely not helped when he winked at the bemused frycook and told him that some foods just went right through him.

Still, today has been a success so far, if you're any judge.

The excitement quiets down a bit when Papyrus drags you all onto the Ferris wheel. The cars are small, so you're forced to divide into groups. The skeletons take one, and MK takes another with the giant stuffed gecko they won in the Midway (it was a team effort, technically – you tossed the baseballs up, and MK tail-whipped them straight into the bottle pyramids). That leaves you and Steven in a third, watching the sky swing close with every turn of the wheel.

For maybe the fifth time that day, you Save. It's amazing – usually it takes so much more than that, some grand accomplishment or sweeping landscape, or the looming knowledge of danger to come. But with Steven it's as easy as flipping a light switch. He fills you with determination just by existing.

Not counting Chara, he may be the first real human friend you've ever made. Even if he's only half human. It still counts.

“Are you guys gonna visit a lot?” Steven asks.

You nod. You're going to visit this place as often as you can. Who knows? Maybe you'll bring Toriel next time, or Gerson. Maybe Snowy will like it. Maybe you'll bring the dogs.

“That's great! I'm glad you're having fun.” Steven swings his legs, pleased.

You nudge him. “This is the first time I've been to an amusement park,” you sign – you taught him “amusement park” back when he first brought you here.

His eyes widen. “Really? Oh wait, you mean since you got back from the Underground, right?”

Slowly, you shake your head.

“Ever? Wow...” His legs swing again. “Your, uh... your family never took you, before you went to the Underground?”

You shrug. You can't really answer that, because whatever you might call your life and the people you lived with before you fell, “family” isn't the word. The only family you have – as far as you're concerned, the only family you've ever had – is the monsters. You kind of wish you hadn't brought this up. Eager to change the subject, you sign again.

“Where did Garnet go?”

Steven repeats it, to make sure he's reading your hands right. “Oh, she said Pearl was gonna need her for something. And she told me to stay with you guys. You know, to show everyone around.”

You sign “Thank you.”

“No problem! You guys are really cool, and it's been so much fun getting to know you.” Steven fidgets, and the car shakes a little. “You've done so much, and I've only heard bits and pieces so far. I didn't start doing stuff with the Gems until I was almost thirteen.”

You blink owlishly at him, and ask him how old he is.

“Oh, I just turned fourteen. I, uh... look a little young, I guess. It's a Gem thing. Sort of.”

Your mouth drops open. You would have guessed he was ten at most, but Steven's almost six years older than you. Steven seems embarrassed, so you close your mouth and bury your surprise deep.

“Anyway,” Steven continues, in the same tone you would have used to change the subject if you'd done so out loud. “There are loads of cool people you guys can meet. If you want, I could introduce you around? Once we're done riding rides.”

You balk at first, but then you remember that Papyrus will definitely love the plan. He'd have the time of his life. You smile. Today's mission: help Papyrus make all the friends.

You're finally getting off the Ferris wheel when Chara gives you a mental poke, and you both share a realization: you are almost definitely being watched.

But hey – you're walking around with two skeletons and an armless reptile. Of course you're being watched. Might as well let them.

---Ronaldo---

There are monsters in Beach City.

MONSTERS. IN BEACH CITY.

It's official: this is the greatest day of your life.

---Frisk---

By the time you've all had your fill of rides, you're filled to bursting with contentment – and sweets. You made a marvelous discovery: Papyrus and Sans can eat cotton candy. Sort of. You're not sure if it's actually going anywhere for them, but the important thing is that it dissolves before they swallow it, so there's nothing left to awkwardly splat out on the ground at their feet if they try. It still counts as a win.

MK's gecko is stashed in your inventory, and you're holding Papyrus's hand as you all walk out of the park and head toward the pier. Papyrus won a few prizes of his own – a pink fluffy unicorn plush with a rainbow embroidered on its butt, and a goldfish. Sans' pet rock needed a friend, according to Papyrus. You'll have to let him know that goldfish don't eat sprinkles. In fact, that's going to be a shopping trip all on its own – you'll need a tank, and a filter, and food, and one of those sunken-castle sculptures that you always see in fish tanks. Maybe one of those treasure chests that pops open so bubbles come out.

“We could go visit the Pizzas first,” Steven is chattering away. “I mean, I … guess you guys can't eat the food, but they're super nice people. Jenny and Kiki are my friends, and you guys would love Nanefua – oh, there's another one of my friends over there! C'mon, I'll introduce you.” He trots off to a teenager loitering around the pier, leaning against a wall with his hands in his pockets while staring off into the middle distance. Steven interrupts his brooding by shouting cheerfully. “Lars! Hey, Lars!”

You let yourself be pulled along by Papyrus, who's eager to get started on friend-making. MK hurries after Steven, pulling in front of you only to stumble in their haste. You run slapbang into their back, shattering whatever is left of their fragile balance. The both of you trip and fall in a heap, and because you forget to let go of Papyrus, he comes tumbling down with you, bones clattering. It sounds a little like someone tipping over a xylophone.

You pop up first, shaking with held-back giggles. By some miracle you're still holding Papyrus's hand, and with a bit of effort you heave him off of MK. He doesn't weigh all that much, either because he's just bones or because monsters are made of dust and magic. MK doesn't need any help, so you look to see what the reaction is. Steven has his hand over his mouth, letting himself laugh when he sees that no one is hurt. You glance at Lars, expecting the same. You look to him just in time to see the end of his eyeroll before he turns his head away and pretends to ignore you.

Your throat tightens with dread, and your grip tightens on Papyrus's hand. You want to hide again, just like when you first met Steven (worse than Steven, because Lars isn't smiling and Lars is bigger than you). You, who faced down your worst nightmare alone and unarmed, want to hide.

“Lars, meet my new friends,” Steven says proudly, once the giggles have passed. “That's Monster Kid, that's Sans and Papyrus, and that's Frisk. They're monsters, except for Frisk.”

“Yo man, what's up?”

“heya.”

“GREETINGS!”

You wave. Lars looks at you again, and his face seems to waver.

*He looks nervous, but like he's trying to hide it.

For two seconds you feel sorry for him, and then he finishes burying that nervousness and gives you all a look like you're something he peeled off the bottom of his shoe. “Yeesh, Steven, you're always hanging out with weirdos.”

“Aw, don't worry, they're really cool!” Steven says. “Hey, I'm showing them around town right now. You could help me show them all the cool places. Wanna hang out with us?”

“Seriously? With a couple of little kids? Psh.” He turns his head away dismissively. “What're you gonna do, ride the merry-go-round?”

*Forget what I said, this guy's being a di-

“WE ALREADY DID THAT, ACTUALLY!” Papyrus announces. “BUT IF YOU'D LIKE TO JOIN US, WE COULD ALWAYS GO BACK.”

Lars scoffs. “As if. I don't do baby stuff.”

*Doesn't do baby stuff, huh? How much do you think it'll take to make him cry and wet himself?

You step back behind Papyrus, without letting go. Whenever Chara talks like that, you trust yourself a little bit less.

“whoa there, friend-o.” Sans steps in, not so much breaking the tension as grabbing it in a lazy headlock until it cries uncle. “think we're getting' off on the wrong foot here. howsabout we backpedal a little and try this again, huh?” He offers his hand to Lars. “heya. i'm sans. sans the skeleton.”

In that moment, Lars makes you appreciate Sadie a little more. Sadie was uncomfortable and shy and nervous and maybe a little afraid, but she still shook Papyrus's hand and she still tried. Lars jerks his hand back, wrinkling his nose.

“Dude, gross.”

*It probably won't take much. I'm just saying, I bet he won't talk so big with a knife up against his tongue.

Sans pulls his hand back too, shrugging with a nonchalant grin. “alrighty then, i get you. fine by me, pal. you do you.”

“I SUPPOSE WE HAVE BEEN OUTSIDE FOR A WHILE,” Papyrus says. “WORRY NOT, HUMAN, WE HAVE WASHED OUR HANDS QUITE DILIGENTLY. SKELETONS ARE ALL ABOUT CLEANLINESS! WELL.” He gives Sans a pointed look. “MOST OF US.”

“Rrrright.” Lars gives him a dubious look. “Welp, I'd love to stick around, but, y'know, I'm a busy guy. Loads of important junk to do.”

“Aww, that's too bad.” To your amazement, Steven sounds like he actually means that. “I think you'd have fun hanging out with us.”

“Nah.” Lars shrugs and tosses his head. You think he might be trying for a hair flip, but his curls just sort of bounce against his forehead. “I've got stuff to do. No time to hang around zombies and lizards and little girls, okay? Later.” With that, he slouches away.

*At least throw the dog residue at him.

No.

*Come on, you've been trying to get rid of that for months.

It's not going to happen.

*Do it or you're a pansy.

Nope.

“WHAT AN INTERESTING HUMAN,” Papyrus remarks.

“That's too bad,” Steven says, watching him go. “Lars usually loves trying to make new friends.”

“He's not all that great at it.” MK scuffs the ground with his foot claws, annoyed.

“Yeah...” Steven shuffles his feet awkwardly. “He cares a whole lot about what people think of him.”

“kid needs to loosen up,” Sans mutters, just loud enough for you to hear. “wound up so tight you could stick a bell on him and he'd chime on the hour.” You giggle into your free hand, and wonder if Sans managed to sneak a whoopee cushion into Lars' back pocket before he left. You wouldn't put it past him.

---Steven---

You're a little embarrassed about how introducing your new friends to Lars had gone, but at least your other prediction proves true – they all get along great with the Pizzas. Kofi Pizza takes a little convincing, but he comes around pretty easy when MK and Frisk dig out their wallets. The three of you split a small one, while the skeletons politely decline.

“I DO APOLOGIZE!” Papyrus looks embarrassed and a little crestfallen. “YOUR CULINARY WORK BOTH LOOKS AND SMELLS WONDERFUL, BUT...” His voice trails off, and he glances down dejectedly at his ribcage. His embarrassment only gets worse, to the point where there's a tinge of yellow-orange to his face – is that a blush? Skeletons can blush?

Nanefua gives him a comforting pat on the hand. “Such a polite young man,” she says warmly. “Do not worry, we understand. It must be very strange, being on the surface. So many new things, and we all must adjust to them. On both sides – oh dear. Are you having trouble?” Her attention turns away for a moment to MK and Frisk.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Ronaldo come in, and you're about to wave him over when you're distracted by the same thing as Nanefua. MK has been managing all right so far, using their tail tip to lift the end of the slice off the plate so they can nibble it. They've given up on that method, and now Frisk is picking it up for them, and carefully feeding it into their mouth. They aren't very coordinated, and Frisk is getting sauce all over MK's face (though you're pretty sure they're doing it sort of on purpose).

In spite of this, MK looks perfectly content as they chew and swallow. “Nah, we're cool. Love the pizza, Mr. and Mrs. P – yo, watch your fingers, I don't wanna bite you by accident.” They finish the slice and dab at the sauce on their face with a paper napkin impaled on their tail spikes. Grinning, they wriggle delightedly and giggle like they're being tickled. “Yo, human food is off the wall. I can feel it, like just sitting there in the bottom of my throat. Heheh, that's so weird, how long is it gonna stay there?”

Frisk pushes their soda toward them to wash it down, and you finally turn to call Ronaldo over.

He's not there anymore.

That's weird. The monsters totally seem like something Ronaldo would love. Oh, well. He must be super busy at the fry stand.

At that moment the door bursts open, swinging wildly on its hinges, and Undyne marches in with a blushing Alphys riding piggyback. They're absolutely draped in mini stuffed animal key chains of cartoon characters.

“Sup, nerds!” Undyne crows. “We emptied four claw machines and got kicked out of the arcade, so Alph tracked Frisk's phone to this place! I'm starving!”

“Ohh, more customers!” Nanefua cheers as Undyne sets her girlfriend down and slides into the booth, squashing up next to Papyrus. Alphys dithers for a moment over the rapidly dwindling space before getting pulled squawking into Undyne's lap. Undyne promptly orders an extra-large pizza, hold the fish.

“SO!” Papyrus drums his hands on the table. “HOW WERE THE TADPOLES?”

Sans nudges him lightly. “tide pools, bro.”

“RIGHT! THOSE! HOW WERE THEY?”

“Pretty sick!” Undyne answers. “Alphys got way more out of it than I did, though, didn'tcha, Alph?”

Alphys curls in on herself, blushing shyly. “O-oh! W-well, I, um...” She curls in on herself, squeezes her eyes shut as if she's trying to hide from the attention, and finally sits up and blurts out her thoughts. “I-I'm definitely coming back here sometime!” she says, turning a small crab plush over and over in her claws. “The beach and the s-surrounding area are absolutely f-f-filled with natural habitats and thriving wildlife, and it's s-such a diverse ecosystem and environment that it's an absolute joy to observe, and, and... I-I-I mean, of course...” She giggles nervously. “I'm – my specialty is m-mechanics and technology, but of c-course, as the Royal Scientist, my research c-covered a wide range of scientific disciplines, including biology and chemistry and a-a little ecology, j-just for fun, but there's so much up here, and this coastline is even more fascinating than the woodlands around Mt. Ebott because – because – because-” She squishes her cheeks, fidgeting with glee. “It's the OCEAN! I've only heard stories, but they were all so close to the truth, it's vast and unfathomable and complex and the samples I'm going to get to study.” She sees the rest of you watching her, and her tail curls self-consciously into her lap. “I-I mean... um... oh dear I got carried away...”

Undyne hugs her, squeezing a squeak out of her. “Hel – uh, heck yeah, I'm seein' loads of beach dates in our future!” She grins, perking up when Kiki carries over their order. “Oh, sweet, food's here.” Once the pizza is in front of her, she stacks three slices on top of each other and goes to town.

Alphys's excitement has given you a great idea. “You know, you should talk to the Gems sometime!” you pipe up. “I think you'd get along really great with Pearl. She likes science and she's really smart, too!”

“R-really? I-I mean, oh my gosh, um...” Alphys chews a slice of pizza to avoid having to talk. “That sounds neat!” she says finally. “I mean I might have some questions... if it's all right with them... n-nothing personal, just... I mean... Gem magic.” Her eyes shine with hope. “It sounds so fascinating, and I'd l-l-love to know how it works... or just... see it. In action.” She hides behind her food again.

Undyne gives you a broad wink over Alphys's shoulder. “Loads of beach dates,” she repeats. “Hope you don't get tired of us too fast, squirt.”

You beam back at her. How could you ever get tired of them? The thought is absolutely ridiculous. They're some of the nicest, most interesting people you've ever met, and you feel like you could learn so much from them. All of them.

Your outlook on the next few months was already bright, but now you might as well be staring into the sun.

Chapter Text

Monsterwatch Entry #1:  BREAKING NEWS – BRAND-NEW WEIRDNESS SIGHTED IN BEACH CITY

As many of my readers may be aware, the Earth was recently rocked by the arrival – or rather the return – of MONSTERS. Thought to be ancient history or perhaps even legends, these massive, terrifying beings have ascended to Earth's surface from a lost world beneath our own.

Now, so far these monsters seem to be friendly, but this impartial blogger remains unconvinced. There are too many questions – yes, yes, news outlets claim to answer them, but are they really? Why have these monsters chosen now, of all times, to resurface? Where did they find their mysterious tiny ambassador? What motive does this so-called ambassador have for bringing these creatures among us?

The possibilities are as follows:

1. Snake people (sneeple) have been members of the monster race this whole time, hiding among us, and their plans are coming to fruition now that they are reuniting with their fellows.

   1. Sub-possibility – small ambassador is a snerson.

2. Some connection between monsters and rock people? Do monsters have rock physiology? Monsters seem very diverse – maybe it's more of a Venn Diagram situation. Be on the lookout for rock monsters!

3. Perhaps, from a more optimistic point of view, the monsters are instead opponents of the Diamond Authority, disturbed from their peaceful lives by invading rock organisms beneath the Earth. If so, would an alliance be advantageous?

In short, the most pressing question that these creatures present is this. CAN WE TRUST OUR NEW OLD NEIGHBORS?

And I, your intrepid and humble seeker of truth, intend to find the answer.

Already these newcomers have visited Beach City, and preliminary reconnaissance indicates that it will not be their last incursion into our peaceful day-to-day lives. They seem content to ride rides, eat pizza, and empty out all the best prizes at the arcade, but who knows? This could be but the calm before the storm.

And I intend to find out the truth, no matter the cost!

----

FOLLOW-UP NOTES

• Apparently there's a monster band gaining popularity with unprecedented swiftness. An obvious attempt to win over the masses via the mainstream media. Luckily, I am immune to the siren call of mainstream pop culture. They'll have to try a little harder than that if they want to pull the monster-wool over my eyes!

• At least two of the monsters appear to be animate skeletons. Evidence of a genetic link between monsters and humans? Or the result of monster necromancy? Further observation needed.

• Monsters have a king. Watch out for subtle or heavy-handed attempts to re-establish monarchical governments in existing human nations. Democracy, however insidious a smokescreen, is our greatest defense against tyranny!

• Wait was that a mermaid

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Comments

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ALPHYS said: uhmm?? @coolskeleton95 why did you link me to this???

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coolskeleton95 said: WERE YOU AT THE PIZZA RESTAURANT, NAMELESS BLOG HUMAN? WHAT A COINCIDENCE! WE WERE ALSO AT THE PIZZA RESTAURANT! YOU SHOULD HAVE COME OVER TO SAY HELLO! BUT THAT IS ALL RIGHT – PERHAPS YOU ARE VERY SHY! THAT IS UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT QUITE UNNECESSARY, AS WE ARE VERY FRIENDLY! SO, ALLOW ME TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY TO YOU, HELLO!

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ALPHYS said: i mean where do i even start with this?? diamond authority? necromancy?? @friskybusiness PLEASE EXPLAIN???

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friskybusiness said: Snerson.

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Anonymous said: welp he's on to us.

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friskybusiness said: It's all true I'm the snerson.

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Anonymous said: i was the pizza.

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KeepBeachCityWeird said: Monster spies in my blog??? Gathering information?? Your presence in my journals has not gone unnoticed! I'm on to you! I'm on to all of you!!!

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YourNameHere said: This is a public online forum numbnuts.

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Monsterwatch Entry #2: A Lone Courageous Blogger in Dogged Pursuit of Answers!

Monsters have returned to Beach City!

They left after about four hours after patronizing several local businesses. Economical stimulation suggests an attempt at good will on their part, and is fairly encouraging even though their time in the area was relatively brief.

Luckily, surveillance preparations were made in advance. Thus far I remain unidentified and therefore safe from any possible harm. I present to you, unedited, my findings and notes as I observed these creatures in our very own city.

Unfortunately, I was prevented from going to the beach by forces outside of my control – forces, I may add, that start with 'D' and end with 'AD'. It seems SOMEBODY informed him of my whereabouts, and he called me back to the stand to help clean the fryers. Is nothing sacred anymore, not even the bond of trust between brothers?

Luckily, the day was not without its accomplishments! I have formed a number of likely theories about these monsters and their mysterious ambassador, who is now revealed as the snake person impostor they truly are. Their reptilian nature may be cause for concern, but for now, exposure is our greatest defense. Circulate my discoveries. Do not let this precious knowledge be deleted, suppressed, or censored! My knowledge shall be your power!

We as a species, armed with my findings, can face any challenge – be they snake ambassadors (snambassadors), giant goats, or life force-draining skeletons.

----

FOLLOW-UP NOTES

• Must discover the nature of the snambassador's realistic human disguise. Is it cybernetic? Magical? A sophisticated optical illusion?

• Someone poke the child.

• What does Steven know?

• Must learn sign language, decode conversations

• Do not poke the skeletons. THAT IS HOW THEY FEED.

• Can goats have paws?

• Alligator or Crocodile?

• CATGIRLS. REAL LIFE CATGIRLS.

That's all for now. Until next time! My work is never done.

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Comments

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ALPHYS said: uhmm?? you guys??? should we be worried about this????

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coolskeleton95 said: WELL, HE'S NOT WRONG! NOTHING FILLS ME WITH BOUNDLESS ENERGY LIKE LOTS OF HUGS AND KISSES! AND WHEN I HOLD HANDS WITH MY FRIENDS OR FAMILY, WHY, I FEEL AS THOUGH I CAN ACCOMPLISH ALL MY DREAMS!

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friskybusiness said: *holds you*

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Anonymous said: *holds you*

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coolskeleton95 said: *IS HOLD*

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ALPHYS said: guys i'm serious!!!!!

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Anonymous said: that makes one of us.

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friskybusiness said: Can I get 'snambassador' put on my official ID badge. Is that a thing I can do.

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ALPHYS said: guys i'm not kidding around is this guy going to be a problem????

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YourNameHere said: No. He's not.

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ALPHYS said: uhmm??? okay thanks???

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Chapter Text

---Steven---

You're excited. You're very very excited. It's all coming together. You have pulled all the strings you needed, made arrangements, and now your preparations are paying off very soon. All your meticulous, careful planning is coming together, and you know right down to your gem that the results will be absolutely glorious.

Okay, well, your meticulous planning mostly consisted of a couple of phone calls and a word with the Gems and your dad, but that's okay. The result is the same in the end.

Connie's coming to visit, and the monsters are coming to visit. Both. At the same time.

For the eleventh time since you woke up in the morning, you break into a little song and dance. Words aren't coming just yet, so you do-re-mi it for now. Halfway through the second verse, Garnet interrupts you.

“If you go outside in the next five minutes, you'll catch her as she arrives.”

You whoop loudly. “Cool! What about the others?”

She pauses. You watch her mirrored shades, wondering what kind of futures she's sorting through – bad traffic, flat tires, delays, shortcuts, good luck and bad luck, probably all kinds of possibilities. She's so smart to be able to keep track of it all in her head. How does she do it? Maybe it's an advantage of having a mind that's made of two minds. But no, that can't be it, because Sapphire manages just fine on her own.

“Tide pools,” she says finally. “That's where they'll start. Oh, and Steven-” You pause in your mad dash to the door and look back. She's giving you one of her little smiles – they're a lot less rare than they used to be. “Take Peridot with you. I think she'll enjoy herself.”

“Great idea!” You brighten up – this day just keeps getting better and better – and run to find her.

You aren't sure what you expected her answer to be when you swooped in with a cheerful “Hey Peridot, come hang out with my monster friends today!” but her screaming “NO!” from the rafters is... actually not that surprising, to be honest.

“Aww, c'mon!” you cajole her, craning your neck to look up at her. “You always say you wanna learn more about the species of Earth, right? Well, monsters haven't been around for a while, so everything about them is practically brand-new! We can learn about them together!”

To your dismay, Peridot only clings tighter to the beam she's perched on. “No! Th-that's not a good idea!”

“Why not?”

“Because-” Peridot hesitates. “Well, because!”

Usually when people say “because” instead of answering a question, it's because they're too embarrassed to give the actual answer. “It's okay if you're shy,” you assure her. “They're really nice, and I don't think they'll mind if you're a little quiet.”

“Th-that's not it!” Peridot splutters. “I just – don't know anything about them! And neither do you! Neither does anybody! I'll... I'll mess it up.”

“No you won't!” you insist. “Besides, that's not true. I know some people who know all about monsters.”

“Who?”

You spread your hands wide. “Monsters do, of course!” She glares daggers at you, and you smile again. “If there's anything you want to know, just ask them! And... maybe don't push anybody off of any high places.”

By the time you coax her down, Connie is already at the door. She greets Peridot politely, and you're pretty sure you hear Peridot mumble back. That's good. It's progress from last time.

“So Steven,” Connie's wearing the Spirit Morph Saga shirt you got her last month, with a Dogcopter baseball cap on her head and a tote bag over her shoulder. “What's this big surprise you were gonna show me?”

It's all you can do not to blurt it out right then and there, and luckily Peridot seems to be taking what you said about being quiet to heart, so she won't give it away either. “Tide pools!” you tell her.

For a moment he looks confused. “We've been to the tide pools loads of times before, haven't we? Is there something new?” Her eyes light up with interest. “Oh, have new species migrated to the area?”

“Well, um...” You pause. “Actually... kind of?” Wow, she got it in one. You shouldn't be surprised, though; Connie's one of the smartest people you know.

Connie grins and leads the way down to the beach. “Wow! It's a good thing I brought my camera! Let's see if we can identify them!” Side by side, with Peridot trailing you and muttering into her tape recorder, you take off down the shoreline. Connie keeps peppering you with questions. “So what are they? Birds? Fish? Crustaceans? Are they vertebrates or invertebrates?”

“Vertebrates.” Your voice shakes as you try not to laugh. “They, um... they have backbones. They have lots of – of bones.”

“That only narrows it down to Phylum!” Connie presses you. “Steven, c'mon, quit teasing.”

You giggle and run faster, forcing her to chase after you. Peridot grumbles, and you slow up for her sake. You're almost at the tide pools, and you can see, up ahead, the now familiar figures of your friends. Sans is unmistakeable, short and slouched and overdressed for warm weather (you hope skeletons don't sweat). Papyrus is beside him, tall and straight-backed with his scarf flapping in the wind. Toriel is even taller, standing on the beach with her purple robe swishing around her, like a majestic lady in a fairy tale. Alphys and Undyne stand together, hand in hand, close enough for you to see that Undyne is leaning toward the ocean. The ladies are closest, and the skeletons lag behind with Frisk right between them.

Grabbing Connie's hand, you run flat out the rest of the way.

“Steven wait, who're they – oh. Oh my gosh!” You can pinpoint the exact moment that Connie sees who she's about to meet. She tugs at your hand. “Wait a minute! Are they-?”

“It's okay,” you assure her. “They're friendly!”

“Okay, if you're sure about – Steven!”

Connie yells out to you for a reason. Undyne is the first to see you, and immediately dashes over to grab you in a headlock and give you a noogie. “Hey there, punk, you're late!” she says, which you know now is Undyne for “It's nice to see you today.”

“Undyne, for heaven's sake!” Toriel sweeps over to chide her, plucking you out of her arms and setting you gently back on the ground. “Must you be so rough with the human children?”

“Hey, they're tough, ain't they? This one's even half-rock.”

You see Toriel roll her eyes before turning to you. “Greetings, Steven,” she says warmly. “And... oh! Who is this?”

Sans, Papyrus, and Frisk have just about caught up. Dusting your hair, you step back to stand beside your friend. “This is Connie!” you tell them. “She's my best friend in the whole world. Connie, these are my new friends.” You see her bewildered look and try to reassure her. “Oh, um, don't worry about Undyne. That's just how she says hello.” You point to each of the monsters (and one human). “And um, that's Alphys, and Sans and Papyrus are coming up with Frisk – Frisk's a human, by the way – and this is-”

“I-I know you!” Connie blurts out, wide-eyed with shock as she stares up at Toriel. “I've seen you on the news! You're the queen of monsters!”

“Ex-queen, actually,” Toriel corrects her gently. “Please, call me Toriel.”

“Oh, um, ahem.” Connie clears her throat and holds out her hand, as elegant and formal as if she's meeting the president. “How do you do, ma'am. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Toriel laughs aloud with delight at Connie' genteel greeting, and shakes her hand with a massive furry paw. “Goodness, what excellent manners. I assure you, little one, the pleasure is all mine.”

“AND MINE!” Papyrus bursts in, popping right into the middle of things. “HELLO! IT IS GOOD TO MEET YOU, FRIEND CONNIE!” If Connie's shocked by how loud he is, she takes it pretty well. “I CAN ALREADY TELL THAT YOU AND I ARE KINDRED SPIRITS. YOU SEE, I AM ALSO EXCELLENT AT BEING A FRIEND! IN FACT, I BET THAT, IF WE WERE TO BECOME FRIENDS, OUR FRIENDSHIP WOULD BE OF THE VERY HIGHEST CALIBER! WOULD YOU NOT AGREE?”

Connie stares at him, then at the hand he's holding out to her, and finally, cautiously shakes it. “You're...?” Her head bobs a little as she looks him up and down, astonished.

“THE GREAT PAPYRUS.” Papyrus strikes a noble pose, one hand at his hip, the other on his chest, his head held high. “ARE YOU NOT IMPRESSED?”

“Um...” Connie glances at Sans, and she blinks slowly.

“whatsamatter, kid? never seen a skeleton before?”

“Only in books,” Connie says hesitantly. “And... there are some Roman myths where – sorry, could I just-?” She holds her hand out to Papyrus again, and he happily offers his own. But instead of shaking it again, she turns it over and studies it like there's an in-depth analysis of Dogcopter's plot written on his finger bones. Her eyes go from his hand, up his arm to where her view of it stops at his sleeve. “This is... this is the entire internal osteal structure...” she says faintly. Gently she tugs it closer, fascinated. “It's just like in my mom's medical books.”

“WHY YES, I TAKE EXCELLENT CARE OF MY HANDS, AS WELL AS THE REST OF ME. NO MISSING BONES WHATSOEVER.” Papyrus grins at Sans. “MY BROTHER, HOWEVER, WOULD PROBABLY FORGET HIS SKULL IF IT WASN'T SO FIRMLY ATTACHED. OR NOT. IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN, I WOULD MOST CERTAINLY REMIND HIM.”

Connie's eyes go wide again, and she shoots Papyrus a quick nervous look like she's afraid she's about to do something rude. “Um, lemme just...” With her other hand, she taps each bone. “Phalanges – distal, middle, proximal – metacarpals, carpals, they're all here. There's the hamate, the capitate, the trapezoid and trapezium, the scaphoid, the triquetral, um...” Her attention moves up to his arm again – he's wearing short sleeves, so she has a pretty good view of it. A slow smile spreads across her face. “Oh my gosh, and it's so perfect – there's the radius and the ulna, and I can even see the trochlear notch and the coronoid process where they meet the trochlea on the humerus!”

Papyrus blinks at her. “UM.”

But Connie's got her momentum now, and you can see her getting more and more excited. “I can see your clavicals and scapulae too-” She looks him straight in the eye. “Is it rude to ask how many vertebrae you have?”

“...THIRTY-THREE, I THINK?”

“Twenty-four presacral?”

“YES.”

“Lumbar, thoracic, and cervical?”

“W-WHY YES! WOWIE, YOU SURE KNOW A LOT ABOUT SKELETONS!”

“And they're not even connected or fused together or anything!” Connie takes one last look at Papyrus's hand before letting go and stepping back. “They're all individual bones, all the joints are there, but you don't even need tendons or muscles or connective tissue! You're a full living, breathing, sentient organism that only needs one organ system! That only is one organ system!” Her face is alight with excitement. “I've never seen anything like you before!”

Papyrus blinks, looking like he's at a loss for words. “DOES... DOES THAT MEAN YOU LIKE ME?”

“Like you?” Connie absolutely beams. “Are you kidding? You're amazing!”

Papyrus rocks back on his heels as if the force of Connie's words is enough to push him over, and his face lights up with a yellow-orange blush. “W-WOWIE! A GENUINE COMPLIMENT! I... I...” He dithers for a moment. “I MUST RECIPROCATE! ER. YOU ARE A VERY INTELLIGENT HUMAN! ONE WITH EXCELLENT TASTE IN FASHION! AND PRETTY HAIR!” He hesitates, his eye sockets wide. “PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR A MOMENT.”

He runs off in a cloud of flying sand to flail with joy at a safer distance.

“wow, kid. you really made his day.” Sans watches him go, then turns to Connie with an appreciative grin. “or his week. he's gonna be ridin' this high for a while.” He sticks out his hand to shake. “name's sans. and you, my friend, have earned yourself a bone companion.”

“Sans, really?” Undyne groans.

“c'mon, undyne, i was boned to make that joke eventually.”

“Ugghhh.”

“Really, Sans.” Toriel shakes her head, but you can see her smiling. “You mustn't.”

Undyne looks smug. “Exactly. Thank you-”

“You know it isn't nice to rib her like that.”

“Nnnnnnngah!” Undyne stomps away to escape the puns, hands clapped to her ear fins.

Connie looks embarrassed, but still pleased. “Well, um, my mom keeps medical textbooks lying around the house...” she says, scuffing her foot in the sand. “I sort of grew up looking at the pictures, and she taught me how to read with them, and...”

“cool mom,” Sans remarks.

“Yeah...” Connie grins. “She's pretty sternum, though.”

Sans and Toriel crack up, and you beam with pride before remembering your other friend. “Oh, and this is...” Your voice trails off as you look around and notice someone missing. “Uh. Where'd Peridot go?”

“U-um...” Alphys glances around, tail swishing in the sand. “Maybe the same place Frisk went?”

That's weird. You kind of understand Peridot disappearing, but why would Frisk be gone too?

---Peridot---

This was a terrible idea.

You can tell it's a terrible idea the moment Steven grabs Connie's touch-stumps and dashes off as if there's lava flow burning at his heels. He's excited, off to smile his way into the middle of things, make everyone laugh, and... just do his Steven thing. You still object sometimes to his insistence that you refrain from calling him "the" Steven. As if "Steven" is his cut and facet designation to distinguish him among many.

Preposterous. You've never seen anything like Steven before. As far as you're concerned, there is no other Steven like him, not among Gems or humans.

He's certainly nothing like you.

And for that reason, you slow your pace gradually, hang back when he greets the monsters, and finally slip away once you're sure the attention is off of you. It's not difficult at all - with Steven commanding attention, retreating undetected is the easiest thing in the world.

You halt around the curve of the sea cliffs, well out of hearing range, and take out your recording device. Rattling off the log date, you settle down in the sand to gather your thoughts.

"Steven is visiting his monster friends again. And today, he is introducing them to his human companion Connie. For some unfathomable reason, he insisted that I accompany them. This is an unacceptable, inefficient, and pointless course of action, but of course he refuses to listen to sense. Luckily, I have given them the slip without drawing attention to myself.

"...It is not that I fear the monsters. I don't fear them. They seem peaceable and harmless, and I have no reason to fear for my safety in their presence. However, they are... an unknown. Much of Earth is unknown to me, but these creatures are largely unknown even to those who are otherwise knowledgeable of this planet. The only reliable method of gathering information on them is to ask them and study them directly. And-

"...

"I am...

"I am new to the ways of Earth. I am coming to understand that – that the creatures that make their homes here, even – no, especially the residing Gems here, are capable of... of more than what they are. Their lives are filled with nothing but unknowns for this very reason, and I am unaccustomed to it.

"I am not an explorer, nor a colonizer, nor a – a diplomat. I am a technician. I like being a technician. I have never desired to be anything more, at least... not before spending time here.

"But... what I desire doesn't matter. Does it? Only what I am, and what I am capable of.

"...Perhaps what I am capable of is also an unknown."

That's enough for now.

Grumbling, you shove the device back into your pocket. Rambling about your situation has only pulled you deeper into your uncertainty. Curse it all, your logs are supposed to help you, not make things worse. They always did before! But now they only make you think about things that you'd rather not dwell on, if you can help it.

Stupid Earth.

Stupid Steven.

Stupid Crystal Gems.

Stupid irrational, illogical, petty Yellow Diamond.

You flinch at your own seditious thoughts. It still hurts to think about sometimes.

Just a little!

But it does.

"Hi."

You shriek, kicking up sand as you shove yourself back against the rock you're leaning on. There's a human standing in front of you. It's not a very large human - it might even be littler than Steven - but it's there, and you didn't even see it or hear it approach. When it doesn't go away, you bare your teeth and hiss. So what if that's rude. You're better off alone right now.

The small human (it's still taller, since it's standing and you're sitting) appears unfazed, to your annoyance. Instead of leaving, it sits down in front of you, a few feet away, and watches you.

"Hi," it says again.

You narrow your eyes. "Shoo."

"What's your name?"

"If I tell you, will you leave?"

The human blinks at you. "Dunno."

"How do you not know?" you demand. "It's your own decision! Fine then – what's your name?" There's no reason why you should give it anything without receiving something first.

Another blink. "Frisk."

"Well, I don't have a name," you retort. "So I have nothing to say to you. Now go away."

"Are you Steven's friend?"

You bristle. "We are allies by necessity and nothing more, and you would do well to remember that, human!" That's not quite true anymore, but it's not as if the truth is any of this human's business.

The human Frisk watches you, ignoring your feeble threat displays. "What do people call you?" it asks.

Ugh. You're not in the mood to argue or try to out-logic this puny little primitive clod. "Peridot," you spit, wishing the rock wasn't there so you could edge farther away.

It smiles. "Peridot, huh? That's a nice name."

Maybe scowling at it will work. Scowling silently. Will it go away if you don't say anything?

"I think you can, by the way."

"What?" You're caught off guard, and you immediately forget to implement your stay-quiet strategy.

"I think you can do it."

"Do what?"

"That depends," it says. It's picking up sand by the handful and letting it drizzle through its touch-stumps. "What do you want to do?"

You stare at it.

The human Frisk blinks at you again. "Do you want to learn about monsters?"

"Er... well..." You could lie. You could get up and storm away. You could do a lot of things, but the truth is, yes. You do want to know. You're hungry for knowledge, and if you're stuck on this stupid rock, then you may as well learn all you can about the planet you've doomed yourself to protect. "So what if I do?"

"You don't want to talk to them?"

"No!" The human Frisk barely bats an eye when you shout your answer in its face. If anything, it only smiles wider. Is it laughing at you? “I mean – I just – I have nothing to talk about with any of them!”

“What do you like to talk about?”

“You ask too many questions!” you splutter. “What kind of question is that, anyway?”

“How about...” The human Frisk looks contemplative. “What do you do?”

You sniff haughtily. “If you must know, I am a highly trained Gem technician, responsible for the creation, maintenance, and repair of technology far beyond your feeble comprehension.”

“So you build stuff?”

“That's what I just said!”

The human doesn't reply immediately. Instead, it gets up, takes your hand, and pulls you to your feet before you know what's happening. “Come with me for a second?”

“Don't touch me!” you snap, yanking your hand back. It doesn't try to stop you.

“I'm sorry.” It tucks its hands behind its back. “I have a friend. Alphys. She builds stuff, too. She's very good at it. And very smart.”

You look down your nose at the human. “And I suppose you consider yourself qualified to judge technical proficiency? What would you know about it?”

“I don't.” It's still smiling. Infuriating creature. “But I bet you do.”

“Well now, that's the the first sensible thing you've said.” You smirk, satisfied. “I do know all there is to know about the maintenance and use of Gem technology. A creature as primitive as yourself could only dream of understanding such things.”

“My friend's very smart,” it says. “If you explained it, she would understand better than me.”

“I will be the judge of that,” you retort.

“Okay.” It doesn't try to take your hand again, but beckons instead. “Let's go see.”

Grumbling, you follow the little creature back to the others. Steven's looking around, looking for you probably, and he brightens when he sees you. “Frisk! Peridot! There you are!”

He looks surprised when the Frisk human trots past him and goes to one of the other organic life forms. This one's covered in yellow scales – reptilian, most likely. It certainly doesn't look very intelligent. The human stretches up on its toes to whisper in its ear, then beckons you over.

“So. You are the... Alphys?” You frown at her with an air of appraisal. She's taller than you. A respectable-sounding name, at least. “The Frisk human informs me that you are considered knowledgeable in mechanics.”

“Er... oh!” The monster blinks. “Y-yes, I... I used to be the R-Royal Scientist... formerly. Um. I'm good with technology, haha.”

“Ha!” You point at her triumphantly. “Don't make me laugh! If I were to describe to you the complex inner workings of modern Gem technology, I bet you couldn't even follow along!”

The yellow monster blinks, and something like a smile pulls at her face.

“Oh-ho-hooo.” Another organic life form, one with gills and fins – aquatic, obviously – gives you a toothy one-eyed grin. “You're gonna eat those words, punk.”

A strange glint has entered the yellow one's eyes. “Try me.” It seems the foolish creature is accepting your challenge. “If you do, I'll tell you how the Core works. That was the mechanical complex that converted the natural geothermal power of the Earth's interior into magical electricity for the entire Underground.” She points right back at you. “A-and I'll tell you about how I created two robotic bodies capable of housing a full sentient soul!”

“Ha!” You puff out your chest. “Go right ahead! I could come up with four hundred different ways to improve on the design! Each!”

“You're on!”

This will surely be a productive – and fulfilling – way to spend the afternoon. You're so glad you decided to come along.

---Frisk---

You watch as Alphys and Peridot wander off deep in discussion, and the words they use get progressively longer and more complicated. A proud smile spreads across your face.

Steven interrupts your self-congratulatory trance with a hug that sends your breath whooshing out of your mouth. “Thank you so much, that was great! It's so hard to help her feel okay around strangers sometimes, but look at her now, she's gonna have so much fun!”

Steven lets go of you, and immediately Undyne's there to ruffle your hair into a hopeless mess. “Geez, Frisk, you can't even turn off the mediator thing for two minutes, can ya?”

Embarrassed, you duck your ruffled head and smile. You're not sure you can help it anymore, not since you fell into the Underground. It's as if people are like the puzzles Papyrus loves so much, and you solve them by befriending them. By finding out what makes them happy, or at least what makes them a little less sad. It helped you save an entire world, so why stop now? You've been doing it since you fell, after all.

Well.

Not since you first fell. At least since your second–

Your... your third try.

It was definitely your third try.

Your breath hitches without warning.

*Stop that. You aren't helping anyone by doing that.

You know.

You know.

Chapter Text

---Connie---

This is much better than migrating crustaceans.

Part of you can't even believe it. It's one thing to hear about it on the news, to read about it and see pictures and videos. It's another thing entirely to see them right in front of you, in the flesh.

Or just the bones, as the case may be.

You stifle a giggle behind your hand. Papyrus still seems to be reeling after you called him amazing, and you can tell you're going to like him. It's hard not to, with him grinning and bouncing in the sand in a bright red scarf and a t-shirt with the jolly roger on it. There's a bright, loud, blinding excitement about him that reminds you of Steven, and anyone who reminds you of Steven that way is as good as an instant friend, as far as you're concerned. Not to mention he and Sans are talking skeletons, which is. Well. It's fascinating. It's like... well, like magic. It would be even if being around these monsters didn't feel like being surrounded by friends. There's Toriel, who's huge and horned but talks like a fairy godmother, Alphys who's friendly, if a little jittery and shy, and Undyne, who seems nice, if a little intense.

And finally, there's Frisk. You know it's Frisk, because Steven is eager to tell you “Connie, this is Frisk! They're the ambassador for all the monsters!” You note the gender-neutral “they”, and try not to look too awed when Frisk meets your eyes.

“It's nice to meet you, Frisk.” They're the ambassador for an entire civilization, they've done so much, they live among magic and monsters, and they're so little. And they aren't like Steven, born into this life already special. They're just a little kid. A little human kid who fell into all this by accident.

Sort of like you.

Frisk blinks slowly at you, silent and thoughtful. You get the feeling that they're seeing more of you than you are of them. They tilt their head, looking you up and down, and smile a little. Then they wave, and make a few distinct gestures with their hands. That's sign language, isn't it?

“Frisk says it's nice to meet you too,” Steven translates, startling you. You whip around to stare at him.

“Steven, you didn't tell me you know sign language!”

He grins at you cheekily. “That's because I'm still learning,” he says. “Anyway... they've all been visiting for a while, and I really wanted you to meet them, sooo... I asked Pearl to move your next sword practice so we could all hang out!”

You love your best friend. You love him with all your heart, and you hug him with all your might. “This is so cool,” you say, your voice tense from squeezing him. “This is the coolest thing anyone's ever done for me.”

“I'm glad you think so, I've been really excited about this.”

“did i hear that right?” Sans is saying when you let go. “sword practice?”

“Pearl teaches Connie how to sword-fight,” Steven explains. “You should see her, she's really good!”

“Niiice.” Undyne smirks and gives you a thumbs-up. (Her fingers are webbed, that is so cool.)

“little young to be playing with knives, aren'tcha?” Sans remarks. You're about to reply when you see Frisk twitch.

It's not anything big. In fact, if you hadn't been looking in Frisk's direction at just the right moment, you might not have seen it at all. There's really nothing weird about what Sans says, or the way he says it – he sounds like a grown-up, even though he's short, and it makes sense that some grown-ups would be weird about a girl your size learning how to fight. But he's not even skeptical or mocking about it; he just says it, straight and polite.

And Frisk twitches.

It's not a flinch. You're not even sure what to call it. But you see Frisk shift ever so slightly, you see them almost-but-not-quite look at Sans, and then you see them shrink in on themselves.

Before you can really wonder what that means, Toriel breaks in with a humming little chuckle. “What is the matter, Sans?” she asks, while the corners of her mouth twitch. “Is the idea too sword-id for you?”

Sans snorts, loudly. “yeah, tori, that's pretty much the thrust of my argument,” he answers, sending them both into a gale of laughter that Steven quickly joins.

“H-hey, don't worry, guys!” he pipes up. “Pearl's a real parry-gon of safety!”

Oh, you definitely want in on this action. “Yeah! Pearl always teaches me how to use it properly without hurting myself. That's the whole point.”

Steven nudges you. “I thought the point was to learn how to pommel some bad guys?”

“Well it definitely gives me an edge, that's for sure!”

Sans laughs so hard that he actually falls over, which only makes Toriel laugh even harder. If the puns didn't already make Frisk feel better, then seeing the skeleton faceplant in the sand certainly seems to. Their hand is at their mouth, and they shake with silent laughter.

“This is torture,” Undyne says, but she's kind of smiling. Papyrus looks like he's trying to disapprove but is too busy looking fond.

On Frisk's suggestion, you all head over to get donuts. Apparently Alphys and Undyne missed out on visiting the Big Donut the last time they were here. On the way, you all detour to the pier to buy some cotton candy, which Frisk passes to the skeletons, much to Papyrus's delight.

“most human food goes right through us,” Sans explains, winking at you. “this stuff's nice, though. no chewing needed, gives my jaws a rest.”

“Where does the moisture come from?” you ask.

“how's that?”

“I mean, the reason why cotton candy melts in your mouth is because it's made of spun sugar, so saliva dissolves it,” you explain. “Do you have saliva glands? Do you even have a tongue? You do taste stuff, don't you?”

“full a' questions, aren'tcha?”

You feel your face heat with embarrassment. “I-I'm sorry. Am I being rude?”

“nah, forgeddaboudit. no worries, kid.” He nudges you lightly. “nobody ever questions this stuff, is all. 's kinda nice you're interested in us monsters.”

“I really am,” you admit.

“welp, in that case, i got an answer for you. and for any future questions you might have.”

“What's that?”

He holds up his hands, wiggling his fingers in a lazy half-effort at dramatic gesturing. “ta-dah! magic. the answer is magic.”

You can't help it. You giggle.

Alphys is still trailing behind with Peridot. You think they might be arguing about robots, but you're not sure. You can't even be certain that they're speaking English at this point, so you tune in to Toriel's conversation with Undyne and Steven instead.

“So all of your food is made of magic?” Steven is saying.

“You should try monster food sometime, kid!” Undyne replies. “You have not lived until you've tried my cooking! Muffet's spider pastries are pretty good too, though.”

Frisk sidles in close and reaches into... something. Their pocket? It happens too fast for you to catch it. One minute their hand is empty, and the next, they're holding a light brown pastry.

“Frisk, what's that?” you ask. They hold it up to you – it looks like a sweet roll of some kind, baked in the shape of a rabbit.

“Connie.” Steven grins at you from ear to ear. “It's a cinnamon bunny.” Frisk beams, then tears the pastry in half. They hand one piece to Steven, and the other to you.

“Oh, thanks so much!” It smells wonderful. You're not even sure where Frisk was keeping it, but something about it just screams “fresh” to you. You take a bite.

It's surprisingly... easy to eat? You're not sure how to describe it. Usually when you eat, even if it's just a quick snack, there's an effort to it. You bite, you chew, you keep chewing, and then you swallow. If you're not careful, a piece might get stuck in your throat. If you bite too much, it takes more time and jaw muscles to get it under control. But when you eat the cinnamon bunny, it's effortless. No chance of choking, no time wasted. You feel it filling your stomach the second you swallow – and Sans makes jokes about human food “going right through him.” It's delicious and filling and you're finished with it in seconds – and you feel like you could run around the block five times without getting winded.

“That was... wow.” You blink, shocked. You've just eaten food made entirely out of magic. That was amazing.

Steven's eyes are sparkling. “That was delicious.”

Beaming, Frisk signs something back, and Steven hugs them one-armed around the shoulders. Frisk's shy little smile widens, and that's when you see something sort of weird.

Frisk blinks, and their smile turns... odd. For a split second there's a faraway look in their eyes, like they're seeing something that no one else can. You blink, startled, when a little light flashes in your vision, sort of like the colored spots you see if you look at a bright light. It's gone in the next moment, and everything is normal again.

You shake your head. It's sunny and bright today; it must be messing with your eyes. In the next moment you're giggling when Undyne gives Frisk a playful shove that nearly sends them sprawling, and the moment slips out of your mind.

The bell jingles over the door to the Big Donut as you all enter. Papyrus holds it open for everyone before stepping in last.

“Hey, guys!” Sadie takes the monsters in stride. Lars, as usual, is paying more attention to his headphones than the customers. “And – oh hey, you were at the beach last week, right?” She's looking at Undyne.

“Better believe it!” Undyne cackles. “So.” She leans her elbow on the counter with enough force to make it creak alarmingly. Lars finally notices her with a start. “Kid tells me you make good donuts.” She waves her hand either at Frisk or Steven.

“Uh... that's right.” Sadie looks a little nervous. Lars stares openly, until he regains enough presence of mind to... turn around and take a selfie. “I mean, we don't make them, they're delivered from a supplier, but-”

“Whatever. Point is, people say they're good. At least, they say they're good. But I'll be the judge of that.” Undyne jerks her thumb at herself. “So hit me with your best shot.” She grins at them, shark-like. Sadie looks like she kind of wants to hide.

Toriel steps in, placing a gentle restraining paw on Undyne's shoulder. “What my friend means to say, is do you have anything you might recommend?”

“Um.” Sadie looks faintly panicked now, and you don't blame her. What does one recommend to a talking fish woman in a donut shop? “Um, do you like chocolate? The devil's food is very good.”

Frisk, in the meantime, has their hands pressed to the glass display case. Papyrus stands by them, helping them inspect the merchandise as he eats cotton candy. After a few minutes of thoughtful staring, he glances up at Lars. “EXCUSE ME, DONUT HUMAN?” Lars finally, reluctantly takes off his headphones. “WHAT KIND OF FILLING DOES THAT ONE HAVE?”

He's pointing to a regular donut. Before you can correct his mistake, Lars gives him a scornful look. “Uh, it doesn't. Only the solid ones have fillings, everybody knows that.”

Oh he did not just speak that way to Papyrus. You open your mouth to protest, but Lars apparently isn't finished being himself. “Hey you,” he snaps at Frisk. “Little girl. Quit smudging the glass, will ya? I gotta clean that off, geez.”

(He's not gonna clean that off. You've been in here enough times to know Sadie's going to do it for him.)

“Sheesh, I know you're monsters, but can you control your kids?” Lars mutters.

“I... do apologize,” Toriel says, though her tone sounds peeved. “My child-”

Frisk steps away from the display. A dark scowl crosses their face, and they lock their hands behind their back and step behind Papyrus.

“Darn,” Undyne mutters over her donut, breaking the tension.. “Should've asked 'em to warm it. I hate cold food. Uh. That's my fault, not yours,” she adds quickly. “'S not bad.”

“ER, EXCUSE ME, HUMAN,” Papyrus says. “BUT FRISK IS NOT A GIRL. OR A BOY. THEY'RE JUST FRISK.”

“Whatever,” Lars says flatly. “Are they gonna pick a donut or not?”

“Lars,” Sadie grits out through clenched teeth. “Can you not?”

Frisk doesn't look at Lars, or at Papyrus, or anywhere but the ground. Their hands move in short, jerky motions, and they turn on their heel and walk out.

“Frisk?” Steven calls after them. “Frisk, it's okay, you don't have to-”

They're already gone.

“Papyrus, dear, where did they say they were going?” Toriel asks.

“FRISK... DROPPED THEIR PHONE,” Papyrus says, looking uncertain. “THEY WENT TO LOOK FOR IT.”

You don't know if that's really what Frisk said. You glare at Lars anyway. He ignores you, and starts to put his headphones back on.

“THAT WAS VERY RUDE,” Papyrus says, catching him before he can shut off his ears. “YOU DIDN'T NEED TO SCOLD THEM. FRISK IS A VERY GOOD CHILD. YOU COULD HAVE ASKED NICELY.”

Lars rolls his eyes and snaps the headphones in place.

He is such a tool.

---Frisk---

*Why'd you walk away?

You have to find your phone.

*You could have hit him. There was a counter in the way but that doesn't really mean much.

And that is why you walked away.

*He's always like that. Every time you've seen him, he's been like that. People like him make humanity so easy to hate.

You don't do things that are easy. You would have thought Chara would know that by now.

*You should have made him pay.

No.

* I could have done it for you.

No.

You wipe your sweaty palms on your shorts and shake your head firmly. No, no, absolutely not. You don't want to fight. You don't want to hurt anyone. You don't want to let Chara fight or hurt anyone through you. You don't want to make Lars pay, or at least you don't want to want it.

You just want to find your stupid phone.

*... It'll be on the sidewalk. Where Undyne pushed you, remember?

Oh. Right.

Your hands shake, and you wipe them again as you scan the ground.

*I wouldn't have done it, you know.

…

*Not unless you said yes. I mean I wouldn't have made you.

…

*I couldn't even if I wanted to.

Okay.

*I don't want to.

...Really?

*Only because you're a big baby and you wouldn't talk to me anymore.

Your hands aren't shaking now.

A few blocks from the donut shop you find it lying in a gravel patch by the sidewalk. Alphys does good work; it's not even scratched.

You look back through old text messages, mess with the camera, and even check on the things you left back in the Boxes, just to make sure it's still working. And yes, you're stalling; you just need a couple moments. Just to make sure your head's still where it's supposed to be. You're not in any rush. The last thing you need right now is unnecessary stress.

Boom.

You drop your phone again.

*What the hell was that?

You keep your eyes up as you retrieve your phone again, searching for the source of the noise. It sounds like it might have come from the beach. Did somebody's car backfire? No, it was too loud for that. Backfires sound like gunshots – this was... deeper, somehow.

The sound comes again. You feel calm in a detached way as you scan the area, all around and up. Someone's voice cuts through the air, and a small purple shape goes flying high overhead. You squint, straining to see.

*Hey, isn't that-?

Amethyst hits the ground with enough force to plow a ten-yard furrow in the pavement before she finally stops, groaning. You blink.

A shadow falls over you.

*FRISK, WATCH OUT!

Light blinds you. Jolted by Chara's warning, you spring back, and find yourself staring at a pillar of sickly green light as it plunges into the ground where you were standing barely a moment ago. You can feel the heat off it, you can hear the high-pitched whine of energy. For a frozen moment in time you can only stare at the death that you just avoided, and wonder

why people never use their strongest attack first

*MOVE IT!

You blink, and the light pillar is gone, but the light is not gone. Sunlight flashes on something bright and shining, the gleaming point and edge of something sharp. You dodge, but it still hits you, raking you across the belly. You fall back to the ground, mouth open, too shocked to scream. And above you–

Wings. Four of them, at least forty feet across, beating gusts of wind down upon you that keep you pressed flat to the ground. Its jaws open like scissors, showing row upon row of razor-sharp teeth. You can't see any gums or tongue, just teeth and more teeth. Instead of a throat, a gemstone sits at the center of that mouth, the same poison green as the light that almost burned you. Its feet are gnarled spindly things like insect legs, six of them, and its tail is twice as long as its body and thicker than your waist. Its wings have serrated thumb claws, and one of them drips with blood.

That's your blood.

Your shirt is soaked with it, and every move is pain. You reach for the food you brought, but you don't have it anymore. You gave it to Steven and Connie.

The creature dives at you.

*Frisk, get out of here! Run!

It hurts. It hurts so much you're crying, but you drag yourself to your feet and run anyway. You've done it many times before.

---Steven---

Papyrus is upset, and Connie is fuming.

Other than that, it's not too bad. Could be better, but it could be a lot worse, too. Sans shows up (though you can't remember seeing him leave) with a book of word scramble puzzles, and Papyrus seems to forget his troubles. Between bites of a jelly donut, Alphys is still holding up her end of the conversation with Peridot. Undyne is content to sit back with her arm slung over Alphys's shoulders, and Toriel is nibbling a cruller, so... everybody seems happy, all things considered.

“Dumb Lars,” Connie mutters over her old-fashioned glazed.

“I don't get it,” you mutter back. “I thought he'd like the monsters.”

“Did you see him snap at Frisk? Who does that to a little kid?”

“Frisk isn't that little.”

“You know what I mean.”

Before you can reply, the bell over the door jingles. You look up, ready to greet Frisk and ask if they found their phone, but it's not Frisk.

“Hey, Garnet!” You wave, surprised. “What's up?”

She glances around as she comes up to you, as if she's looking for something. Or expecting something. “Something big.”

“What kind of something big?” you press.

“Hasn't happened yet.” She pauses, looking from you to Connie. “When you're done, we could use your help. Gem monster. Possibly two.”

The regular monsters look confused, but you and Connie are immediately at attention. “What kind?” Connie asks. She hasn't fought Gem monsters since starting her lessons – just holo-Pearls and a couple of fusion creatures.

“Big. Lots of legs.” Garnet thinks for a moment. “Spits out smaller ones. It might be good practice for you. Leave the flying one to us, though.”

No sooner has she said that than you hear the sound of something crashing. Or maybe blowing up. It's hard to tell the difference by sound alone, sometimes.

“Oh no, no this again,” you hear Lars say, before he flees to the back room. After a moment's hesitation, and a motion from Garnet, Sadie follows him. You look around. Undyne's looking grim, placing herself in front of Alphys. Toriel and Papyrus look confused and concerned but ready for trouble. Sans... doesn't really look much different.

Toriel's phone rings.

She answers it. “Hello? ...Frisk, oh thank goodness. My child, something's happening, come back immedi– what? Frisk? What's wrong, child? You're not...” She pauses, mouth half open. “Frisk? Frisk, answer me!” She takes a step toward the door.

“Wait, I see them!” Connie cries out. “Look, there they are!” She points out into the parking lot. Sure enough, Frisk is outside, and–

Something's wrong.

They're clutching their stomach, and their shirt – it's red. You can see them racing toward you in a clumsy, stumbling run, and you can hear them. Even through the glass and the closed door, you can hear them.

“MOM!”

Toriel cries out and makes a move to run out to them, but before she can do anything – before anyone can do anything – the second corrupted Gem drops out of the sky.

And Toriel hesitates for pure shock.

And Frisk looks back to see how close it is.

And you watch, frozen in horror, as the Gem's massive tail whips out.

It hits Frisk broadside, sending them flying back toward you, straight into the glass storefront. It shatters as Frisk smashes through, and your friend comes hurtling into the display case. There's a sickening thud, the case cracks, and Frisk slides to the floor like a broken doll.

You can't move. You can't speak. You can't think. You can only see, you see Frisk lying in broken glass, limp and small and red, so red, there's red on the glass and on the floor and on their face. You can only hear, you hear Toriel rushing to Frisk's side with a cry like a dying animal. You can still hear the sound it made when Frisk hit the glass hard enough to poof a gem five times over. You can't stop hearing it, even though it's already happened, because you know now. You know something you didn't know before, and you will never un-know it.

Humans aren't like Gems.

Humans don't go poof. Humans go squish.

---Garnet---

You did not foresee the child's death.

You did not see this child's fate because you didn't want to see, you wanted nothing to do with it. Their fate makes no sense, it unsettles you, and so you blocked it out. You ignored it. And now they are dead, and now–

And now–

And now.

'Now' is all there is.

There is nothing else. Nothing left.

No.

No, this can't be.

This is impossible

This doesn't–

This doesn't make any sense!

I can't – I can't see –

What's happening? What's going to happen?

I don't know! I don't know! There's just–

Nothing.

You know what we saw. Their fate was... erratic. It made no sense. Impossible futures, contradicting past and present, and then

Everything ends.

It stops.

There's no futures?!

No. There's nothing. I can't see.

What does this even mean?

I... I don't know...

But... we always know!

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know. There's nothing after this. Everything's gone.

You close your eyes, and open them twenty minutes in the past.

You can see again.

And you are afraid.

Chapter Text

---Steven---

Your arm is around Frisk's shoulders.

You're standing on the sidewalk, a few blocks from the Big Donut.

With a muffled yelp, you spring back.

The monsters are all around you. Alphys and Peridot are chatting, Connie has cinnamon bunny frosting on her face. And Frisk–

Frisk is smiling. Happy.

Alive.

The red is gone.

“Something wrong?” Connie asks. “Did the cinnamon bunny go down weird?”

You stare at her.

Yes. Yes, there is something wrong. You just saw–

You saw–

“Nope, I just thought I was gonna trip,” you lie.

Frisk is looking at you. They seem confused.

But that's okay.

That's okay, because they're okay.

As you walk, you put your hand to your pounding heart. What – what was that?

Future vision?

Must have been.

When did Garnet give you a kiss? Why did she do that?

Dumb question. She did it so you could stop that terrible, horrible thing from ever happening. You have a chance now.

Undyne shoves Frisk playfully, and you look over just in time to see their cell phone slip out of their pocket. Without thinking, you lunge and catch it.

“whoa, nice reflexes,” Sans remarks.

“Uh. Hahahaha.” You force a laugh, and try not to tremble as you hand it back to Frisk. “Don't want to lose that. R-right?”

Instead of answering, or taking their phone, Frisk just stares at you. Awkwardly you keep holding the phone out, wondering why they won't take it.

Please take it. If you take it, you won't have to go out and get it. You'll stay in the shop, where it's safe. But of course you can't say that. You've never explained Garnet's vision to them. You didn't take it well when she told you – it frightened you. You don't want to frighten Frisk.

You just want to save them.

Finally, hesitantly, Frisk takes the phone and signs a quick thank-you.

They're still staring at you.

Connie taps you lightly and ducks in close. "Steven, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

She gives you a Look.

"I, um.” Reluctantly you slow down, letting the monsters pass you and ignore you. “I think I saw the future." You drop your voice to the tiniest whisper you can manage, and sneak a glance at Frisk to see if they heard. They didn't; they're too busy scribbling something on a piece of paper. Did they do that before? You can't remember seeing them do that before. You must not have been paying attention.

"What kind of future?" Connie whispers back.

"A..." Humans go squish. "A bad one," you whisper. "A really, really bad one."

She gets it, a little. You don't want to tell her everything, not right now, not until you've had some time to process it yourself, but she still understands. Her eyes glint fiercely. "What can I do?"

"Watch out for Frisk."

The bell jingles over the door to the Big Donut. Papyrus holds it open for everyone again.

"Hey guys!" Sadie calls over. "And – oh hey, you were at the beach last week, right?"

For the second time, you watch Undyne and Sadie's exchange play out. It was recent enough that you can sort of follow along, moving your lips as they speak. Connie's watching you, wide-eyed. Your palms are clammy. It's all the same, it's all exactly the same, and you're no more used to it than the first time you experienced future vision. Garnet can handle it but you aren't Garnet, and you can't take waiting around and pretending everything is normal while you flounder in the knowledge of exactly what's going to happen next.

"The devil's food is good," Sadie is saying, a little nervously. You know what's next: Frisk and Papyrus standing by the display, Papyrus making the mistake with the donut, Lars getting annoyed-

Frisk steps up and taps the counter.

You blink. Did that happen before? You don't remember that happening.

"Yes?" Sadie smiles down at them. Silently they place the piece of paper on the counter and slide it across to her. She takes it and reads it. "Oh, sure! I can warm it up for her." She glances at Undyne. "Would you like that?"

"Awesome." Undyne's grin is wide and full of sharp teeth, but undeniably friendly. "Food tastes better when it's hot. Good thinking, kid."

Frisk nods and steps over to inspect the donut display. The sight of them so close to the glass makes you cringe, and you have to remind yourself that it's clean and whole, not cracked and smeared with red. You open your mouth to warn them not to touch the glass, but there's no need. They stand at a polite distance with their hands in their pockets. And when Papyrus joins them, they sign to him, and he chatters back. They talk about the donuts they see, past treats they've enjoyed, and how nice a day it is. Lars ignores them, and the argument you saw before doesn't happen.

Between that and the fact that Frisk still has their phone, there's no reason for them to leave and be attacked by rampaging Gem monsters. They'll be safe, close by, within reach of your bubbles and shields if it's necessary.

You should feel better, but you don't.

Things changed.

They changed without you changing them, and that frightens you.

---Frisk---

He changed it.

Even as you go on as almost-normal, correcting little things here and there to give Undyne what she likes and keep Lars from being mean to you or Papyrus, the thought sticks with you. Even if it didn't, Chara is eager to remind you.

*He caught your phone. He changed it. He knows.

Of course he does. There's no other explanation for it. And that raises questions that you're not sure how or when to ask. Why isn't he saying anything? If he knows that you reloaded your Save, then why isn't he trying to find out what's going on?

*He's magical, isn't he? Maybe he deals with this stuff all the time.

Maybe, but...

*But what?

You never knew about Determination and Saving until you were in the Underground. Most of the monsters never noticed your reloads and resets, but Determination is supposed to be something that all humans have. You don't know how they would react to it, or whether or not they would even be aware of it.

*But Steven isn't human.

Connie hasn't said anything either.

*That doesn't mean she doesn't know, too.

It's not like you can do anything about it right now. It's not something you can talk about in front of people. You're not even sure you could tell Steven in a way he'll understand, with his still-basic understanding of sign language.

Besides, you remember with your hand pressed to your stomach, you have bigger things to worry about.

*What do you think that thing was?

You wish you knew.

A little later, you all have donuts, except for the skeletons, but that's okay because Sans gives Papyrus a book of word scrambles to keep him busy. You're not sure where or when he got it, but that registers pretty low on the sliding scale of Sans weirdness.

The bell jingles again.

Curious, you turn to look. This is something that happened after you left the shop before, you think, so you're back in unfamiliar territory. When you see Garnet walk in, you're not all that surprised, really. You already know there are strange, dangerous, destructive creatures in the area, so of course the leader of the Crystal Gems will be nearby.

She walks stiffly. Behind her, the door slams shut with more force than it has any right to. Her hands curl and uncurl at her sides. You don't know Garnet very well, but something tells you that this isn't normal behavior for her.

"Hey, Garnet," Steven says. "Where's – um. What's going on?"

Garnet is quiet for a while, and the feeling comes back. It prickles up your spine on ice-cold spider legs. She's looking at you. Behind those lenses, her eyes are on you, and you don't like it any more than you did before.

"Corrupted Gems," she says finally. "Two of them. Both dangerous. We're trying to draw them away from the town."

Connie shoots a quick look at Steven, but Steven's attention is still on Garnet.

*Corrupted Gems? So that's what that thing was.

Toriel draws you close. "What's going on? What do you mean, corrupted Gems?"

"It's hard to explain," Steven says, and that's when you hear the booming again, like distant thunder. You remember the searing beam from the flying creature, and you shudder and curl your fingers tight in Mom's sleeve. "They're really big, and really dangerous, and they'll do a lot of damage if we don't stop them." He stands tall, shoulders squared. "Lead the way, Garnet."

"Me, too," Connie adds. "Just give me a sword, and I can help protect the town." She sounds like she means it.

Something moves oddly in the corner of your vision, and you look out the glass storefront. Dust is rising in the distance. You can't tell where it's coming from, but you know there's something big out there kicking it up. You step toward it, trying to get a better view.

Steven pushes you back, gently but firmly enough to get your attention. "Um." He's looking at you, wide-eyed. "It's not safe. You should probably just... stay here."

His hand shakes against your shoulder. He's afraid.

*He saw you die.

Chara's right. You know now what Sans was talking about, when he described the look in your eyes – the look of someone who's been here before and knows what's coming.

But before you can contemplate it further, a swarm hits the glass.

You jump back into Mom's waiting arms, and she holds you tight as you watch the creatures outside.

They look like silverfish or cockroaches, only big – you're only a little bigger than them yourself. Their shells are smooth and shiny as crystal, and they rake at the glass with sharp pincers and legs. Serrated mandibles gnash and drip, and smoke rises wherever the drool falls. To your horror the glass begins to dissolve, and the creatures come crawling through. Gauntlets appear around Garnet's fists, and the first few that come scrabbling into the shop are immediately flattened. But there are plenty more where they came from. Garnet's strong, but there's only one of her, and she'll be overwhelmed for sure.

And then, just outside the door, the ground lights up in patches of brilliant blue.

In spite of yourself, you clutch your mother's sleeve and smile.

Spears shoot upward from the blue, and dozens of impaled bugs wriggle helplessly before crumbling into crystal shards. Undyne's wild laugh draws attention back to her, and she summons another spear into her waiting hands. "Count me in! It's been too long since I got to wale on something that wasn't a dummy." She stoops a little to give Alphys a kiss on the cheek. "Stay away from the action, okay babe? I'm gonna go crack some heads."

"Be careful," Alphys murmurs. She grins a little cheekily. "And remember, the important thing is to have fun and be yourself."

Undyne straightens with a roar of laughter, twirls her spear, and sends four more flying into the crowd of bugs. "Give me a sec and I'll clear a path." Her grin widens. "Sorry, did I say path? I meant a five-lane highway with plenty of room on the shoulder, let's do this!"

Mom casts a glance at you, Sans, Alphys and Peridot, and Sadie and Lars looking shaky behind the counter. Finally she looks to Garnet. "If those creatures can melt anything in their path, then this building isn't safe. I will protect the non-combatants – just clear our escape."

Her tone leaves no room to argue, and Garnet nods at her. "Steven."

"Right!" Something glows beneath Steven's shirt, a single point of rose-colored light on his stomach. A large, translucent shield appears before him, perfectly round and glowing a soft pink, decorated with a spiral of thorny vines. "Everybody stay behind me, okay?"

The last thing you see before the shield blocks your view is Undyne rushing headlong into the swarm with a hoarse battle cry.

---Undyne---

God, you've missed this.

You're happy to be on the surface, of course. You're happy that there wasn't a war, that there hasn't been anything to protect your people from until now. But still, when you rush out into the open and send a storm of spears straight into the heart of the swarm, you feel something in your soul sing out. Your magic responds, and your laughter brings with it a rush of sparking green light.

Speaking of green...

You swing the spear in your hand in a wide, sweeping circle, casting your green as far as you can over the swarm. They'll be easy to fight if they keep still. You send out your will through your magic, clenching your teeth as you prepare to hold them in place.

But instead of locking on the creatures, your magic slips over them as harmlessly as water or thin silk. In spite of your best efforts to grasp them, the ugly little things shake off your green magic and keep the onslaught coming. It feels like clawing for purchase on smooth ice; there is nothing to grip, nothing to hold. Your teeth clench as you try again, with the same results.

These things don't have any souls, you realize. No souls, no handholds for your magic. Your green magic is useless.

On an impulse you spit contemptuously at the nearest one, seconds before stabbing it right in the mandibles. You shove hard against the spearhaft until the bug crumbles, and you smirk and shrug. You don't need the green. Spears still work just fine on them, and it's not like they're running away.

“Where are these things coming from?” You roar above the hiss and rattle of the swarm.

“There's a corrupted Gem here.” Garnet's voice is perfectly clear to you when she answers, even though she doesn't seem to be raising it. She looks... tense? Maybe tense is normal for her, but you're not sure. “Two of them. One of them is producing these creatures to maximize the reach of its destruction.”

“And the second one?” you bellow back.

She points up.

You follow the direction of her finger, and something large and winged wheels overhead, its tail trailing. You hear one of the kids cry out – it's not Frisk, but Steven, and he flinches back and raises his shield instinctively when the winged beast swoops toward them. One corner of the swarm surges forward, crawling at the chance to slip beneath his defense.

Before you can make a move to intervene, the former queen lunges more quickly than you have ever seen her move before. Fire bursts forth from her paws, spewing into the faces of the eager bugs. These ones don't crumble – they melt. In the next breath she's steadying Steven with both paws on his shoulders, gently guiding the shield down again.

“One thing at a time, child,” you hear her say.

“But that one-”

“Is out of our reach at the moment.” Inwardly you grin at Toriel's no-nonsense tone. There's no more throne for her to assume, but it doesn't stop her from laying down the law with all creatures great and small. “Eyes front, little one. Just until we escape this swarm.”

You take her advice. Your focus is the creepy-crawlies; Toriel can handle herself and the kiddos just fine.

On the subject of kiddos, Connie passes you at a dead run, leaping and dodging through the bugs with an agility that peaks your interest. Her only weapon is a length of rebar she must have picked up, and she's out of reach of Steven's shield and apparently determined to keep it that way.

You roll your eye and go after her. Might as well not let one barely armed human child show you up.

The entire group has almost reached the edge of the swarm, with you carving a path in the lead, Connie waling on the bugs that try to sneak up behind you, Toriel and Papyrus leading and covering the noncombatants not far behind, and Garnet protecting their backs. Another volley of spears blasts through the last edge of the attacking bugs, and beyond them you can see empty ground – you're almost in the clear.

“Watch out!”

You're not sure who calls the warning, but you also don't care. On instinct you lunge toward Connie as you take in your full surroundings, and that's when you see it.

It's a... um.

Spider? Scorpion? Centipede? Cockroach?

Maybe a jumble of all four. Its body is longer than any spider or roach you've ever seen, at least proportionally, because otherwise it's the size of a truck so it's a moot point anyway. It has no eyes that you can see, enough legs to send chills crawling up your spine, and a thick, shiny carapace that you discover – to your frustration – is resistant to your spears. A thick segmented tail curves up behind it, ending in not one nor two but three branching stingers. The face is the stuff of nightmares, with jagged mandibles over a mouth that is simply a round, dripping hole filled with teeth.

And, you note, no carapace. So that's where you aim your next four spears.

The creature staggers back with a rattling shriek, and that's when the group finally makes it into the (sort of) clear.

“Your Majesty, take them and run!” The title slips out automatically, and for once she doesn't stop to correct you.

As if sensing soft underbellies, the creature lunges toward the group. If the gauntlet of spears you summon in its way doesn't stop it, the ex-queen of monsters does. With a sweep of her arm she snatches Frisk up – with her free hand she sends fire arcing around the shield and into the closest approximation of its face. She shouts something to Steven – you don't hear her words, only the urgent tone of her voice – and herds the group away from danger. The last you see of her, she's leading them toward the cliff where the lighthouse stands. High ground and a defensible position. She's practically doing your job for you.

“Steven!” Connie makes as if to follow them, but it's too late. With its chosen quarry escaping, the corrupted Gem turns its attention to you. Garnet throws herself in its path and catches it with a direct punch to the head, and you send the nearest creepy-crawlies flying with one sweep of the spear in your hands. This is fine. Even if you can't green-magic them into submission, the little ones are easy to handle. There maybe a lot of them, but they're weak; blast enough of them and you'll have a clear path to get the girl back to the others while Garnet keeps the big one occupied.

That's when the round, dripping, teeth-filled hole widens like a camera iris and vomits another swarm right at you.

“Oh, ffffffudge ripple.” Tactical retreat is the only coherent thought in your mind as you grab the girl and dart back, out of their immediate reach. The new bugs join the remaining ones that haven't gone after Toriel's group, and all of them collectively come to the agreement that you and the human girl look absolutely delicious. “Keep your feet moving, human,” you tell her.

The frustration on her face is clear as the swarming bugs drive you farther and farther away from Garnet and, by extension, the group that escaped with Toriel. You can feel for her – with no magic and no weapon but a piece of rebar that can't last forever against an enemy that can melt things with its drool, she's pretty much relying on you to keep her alive. You're no stranger to feeling helpless, and even you have magic. Whatever she's feeling right now, it must really bite.

Hell, you're you and it still bites. You're holding them off with spears and magic and your bare fists if need be, but holding them off is all you can do.

You're surrounded, running for your life, you can't even see Garnet anymore, and the best you can do is keep your current situation from getting any more terrible. Finally you find yourself back to back with the human – she's holding her own with her scrap of metal, and your spears are doing their job, but you're stuck.

And that's when you hear the deafening roar.

You roll your eyes heavenward, wondering what you did to deserve this. Was it trying to kill Frisk? Must've been when you tried to kill Frisk. With a sigh, you spare a glance around to see what new horror is coming to chomp on your face.

At first you see nothing.

Then the roaring comes again, and you see bugs go flying.

“I know that voice!” Connie's hand – the one she's not using to smack bugs with rebar – closes around your wrist.

“What do you mean you-”

This time you don't just hear the roar – you see it. It wafts out in a shimmering blast of energy, sending bugs left and right as it clears a path through the swarm. And there, bounding through the newly-opened gap, is a lion.

A big, pink, snarling lion.

Okay, so it's attacking the bugs. At least for now, it's on your side. Awesome.

You help it along, spearing any bugs that it doesn't blast into oblivion or crush in its jaws, until finally it feels like you have space to breathe.

Connie leaves your side at a dead run, eyes locked on the deadly-looking beast. Before you can yell at her to get back, she comes to a halt right in front of it.

A few bugs lunge for you, and you swat them aside almost absent-mindedly. Your attention is fixed on the scene before you.

The bent, half-melted piece of rebar falls from Connie's hand and clatters to the pavement. The lion stands before her, head high, its rose-colored mane waving gently in the wind. Then, before your eyes, it bends its front legs, lowers its head, and sinks down into an unmistakeable bow.

Connie steps forward, and you gape openly as she reaches into the flowing mane and pulls forth a sword.

A shining pink sword that, even from this distance, thrums with unfamiliar magic and power.

Reverently, Connie unsheathes the sword and returns the scabbard to its hiding place.

And without missing a beat, she turns, pivots on one foot, and whirls the shining weapon into the remaining bugs trying to get at her. Three of them are bisected in one sweep, and she turns and flings herself onto the lion's back. With one hand she wields the sword, and the other curls into the lion's mane. In a single bound, the creature is at your side. You gaze into its regal eyes, knowing that a moment like this is the stuff epic poetry is made of.

“Abbuhh,” you say.

Connie offers you a hand and a smile as sharp as a razor blade. “C'mon, Undyne! Let's get back to Steven and the others!”

You take the child's hand and climb up onto the magical lion's back. You summon your spears.

None stand in your way.

It's true – it's all true.

Anime is real.

Chapter Text

 ---Frisk---

Fighting and destruction rages around you. Crystal bugs are still swarming after your group, though the numbers aren't as great as they were before. Garnet is still battling the creature that literally coughed them up. And you know in the back of your mind that somewhere around here, probably high above, is the creature that killed you on your first try. And yet, with Steven holding up his shield in front of you, Sans on one side, Papyrus on the other, and Toriel at your back with fire in her paws, you've hardly felt safer.

You reach the edge of town, and Steven urges you all on as he heads for the steep hill leading up to the top of the sea cliff.

“C'mon!” he yells. “Just a little farther, we're almost there!”

It's a nice thought, it really is, but there's just one problem: you've gone from flat ground to a very steep uphill path. It's impossible not to slow down. You try your best, your really do, and so do Lars and Sadie and Alphys, but no matter how hard you try, your pace slows.

The bugs, on the other hand, do not.

“Quickly, children!” Toriel urges, as the swarm around you thickens and begins to catch up and surround you again. The sound of distant roaring makes you toss a glance over your shoulder. Garnet's still battling the huge monster, driving it away from the town and toward the beach. She's not alone; you see a flash of pink and maybe a glimpse of Undyne's spears, before Toriel moves close again and blocks your view.

Another roar, and you see the arachnid Gem creature go sailing through the air in your direction; Garnet must have landed a direct punch. A volley of spears sails in its wake, striking it from nearly all sides. It hits the ground not ten yards away, scrabbles upright, and – rather than rushing back into its own battle – turns its sights upon your group.

You aren't watching where you're going, and you trip over something. Before you can even hit the ground, Toriel sweeps you up and carries you along without a word. Your clumsiness is a blessing in disguise; now level with her head, you have a new vantage point from which to observe the battle.

Undyne is still fighting alongside Garnet; the Gem creature must have vomited another swarm for them to deal with, because they're up to their eyeballs in bugs. Fighting with them is, to your astonishment, Connie. You're not surprised that she's fighting, but you are very surprised that she's wielding an enormous pink sword while sitting astride an enormous pink lion. That's not the sort of thing one sees every day.

*This is probably the greatest day of Undyne's life.

You quite agree. And you're very happy for her.

But that leads you to a more pressing issue: with the fighters occupied, the Gem creature is now free to come after you. A lesser swarm is doing its absolute best to surround you, and you're still less than halfway up the hill.

Blue flashes in the corner of your vision, and a familiar reedy laugh rings out.

Oh right. You forgot – you do have at least one fighter with you besides Mom.

Steven and the humans yelp in alarm as blue and white bones rise from the ground in rippling waves, scattering bugs away from your fleeing group. Papyrus keeps pace with Steven easily – with his long legs he could probably beat all of you to the top, but he never gets farther ahead than Steven. A wave of his skeletal hand sends bones flying back at the Gem creature like a hail of arrows. Most of them clack harmlessly off the creature's shell, but the attack still seems to give it pause.

You smile. Your group is past the halfway point to the top of the cliff. Once you're there, you wouldn't put it past Mom and Papyrus to be able to send that giant spider thing rolling back down again.

*The teensy crystal spi-der tried to kick our butts, Down came the bones and ripped out all its guts!

At least Chara's having fun, too.

A thunderous roar rings out, and the enormous pink lion bounds through the swarm with Connie and Undyne on its back. It's literally running through them – you can see crystal bugs go flying, knocked into the air either by its unstoppable charge or the energy blasts it sends out every time it roars. The lion carves a path through them, scatters any that get in its way, and finally zeroes in on the mother monster. Your group is nearly at the top of the hill.

Despite everything, it looks like you're all going to be okay. And then-

Whoosh.

A four-winged shadow blots out the sun for a moment, and you squint upward as the second corrupted gem dives low like a hunting eagle. Its scissor-jaws open wide, and the green gem in its throat blazes with a sudden blinding glow. The green light grows, and you realize with a jolt that this was the energy beam you saw before – only this time you're watching it head-on as it comes straight for you.

The world goes pink with a swirling vine-like pattern. Steven has turned his shield upward and somehow widened it so that it covers your entire group like an oversized umbrella. He cries out when the beam hits the shield, his entire body shaking and straining as he fights to keep the shield together in the face of that onslaught. Just when you're sure he'll give out, the beam finally stops.

Steven's legs shake and buckle beneath him, and the shield flickers and goes out. Your mother runs to him and scoops him up in the arm that isn't carrying you.

The familiar whine of energy fills the air. “It's gonna shoot again!” Lars screams, and moments later it does.

Your group scatters, and the beam hits the ground hard enough to create a miniature shockwave. Toriel falls, spilling you and Steven to the grass. You roll to your feet a moment later. Mom is up again, cradling a weary Steven and looking upward with dismay. Suddenly this high cliff doesn't seem so defensible anymore; none of you counted on the flying one being free to attack you to its heart's content. Where are the other Crystal Gems?

“Pearl!” Steven tries to shout. “Amethyst!” He's looking upward. You follow his gaze, and when the corrupted Gem swoops low enough, you catch sight of them. Both gems are clinging to its back, harrying it. At least, Pearl is. While she stabs at it with her spear, Amethyst has her whip wrapped around it like reins, focusing on holding both it and Pearl to keep them from falling off. Enraged, the creature flies back and forth, strafing the cliff with its beam.

Everyone's separated now. You and Steven are with Toriel. Alphys, Sadie, and Lars are at the foot of the lighthouse, where Undyne has left the lion's back to protect them. Garnet is still locked in battle with the huge bug, while Connie carves into the remnants of the swarm with her sword. Her lion steed roars away. You can't see either of the skeletons.

*It's burning the bugs, too.

You look. Chara's right; the flying one isn't careful with its attacks. The swarm is already depleted, but the winged creature's green energy blasts have fried most of the rest. Before long it's going to run out of tiny bugs to destroy, and take care of the rest. As long as it's focused on the hill, everyone is in danger.

You scowl.

*My, someone's a glutton for punishment today.

You break into a run before Toriel has the chance to stop you. This time, you have gravity on your side. Your speed picks up as you sprint downhill, dodging the few bugs that are left, and giving Garnet and her enemy a wide berth.

*Watch the stingers.

One of the arachnid Gem's stingers flashes toward you, and you swerve out of the way.

*The winged one is getting closer.

Good.

You reach into your inventory, just as the creature swoops within throwing distance behind you. Turning, you wind up and hurl the first item you grabbed. It lands with a faint splat.

The head turns to you look at you – possibly, since it has no eyes. The dog residue that you threw drips down the side of its scissor jaws. Its four wings pump powerfully, and it bucks and twists in midair. The thing's head twists around, seizes Amethyst's whip in its jaws, and jerks sharply around again. Amethyst is holding the whip and also holding Pearl, and both Gems yell as the enraged creature yanks them off and flings them away. You're already off and running again – to the right this time. Then you take another right turn to head back up the hill. You stop when your legs start to burn – no sense exhausting yourself.

Garnet is still wrestling the bug one, but farther away. Undyne, Connie, and the lion handle the rest of the swarm. Mom is screaming for you. So is Steven. You face downhill, and look up as the winged creature hovers above you.

You are filled with determination.

The wing-slash comes first, and you dodge – no more belly-wounds for you. Once, twice, thrice, it swings and it misses. You've seen its attacks, felt them first-hand. Wing-slash, tail whip, energy beam. It even shows you a new one, dive-bombing you to skewer you with its beak or grab you in its teeth. You dodge, you dodge, and you keep dodging.

It's like a dance, almost. The winged creature swoops and dives and slashes, and you leap and whirl around and throw yourself from side to side. It's not as pretty a dance as your fight with Mettaton; it's rough and desperate. There's nothing that you can do between turns, because this creature doesn't talk, it probably can't understand you, and you doubt you could touch it without dying. If this one is a puzzle, then you aren't sure you can solve it.

But that's okay, because you aren't alone. You don't have to beat this creature, or talk it down. You just have to stay alive until someone else can.

A wing slash nearly lays you open, but you dodge it, and the serrated claw only cuts your shoulder. You stumble, and its tail whips out and hits you again. You go tumbling back – it's not the direct hit that sent you through the glass storefront, but it's enough to knock you silly.

*That was a bad one. Your HP is low.

And you have nothing to heal with.

*Actually that's not true.

Wait, what?

*Yyyeah... you have one more dog residue. And a pretty empty inventory, too, so.

You use the dog residue.

It gives you two dog salads, and... a whole lot more dog residue. You eat one salad. The taste of fried tennis ball fills your mouth. You gag, but it does make you feel better.

So much better, in fact, that as you dodge another few swings of its tail, you hear someone calling to you. It's someone who isn't Toriel or Steven.

“Frisk!” Alphys shrieks at you from the distance. “Frisk, use your phone! Your phone, Frisk!”

During your next breather, while the flying beast gets ready to attack again, you fumble the device out of your pocket. With shaking hands you bring up the phone's apps. Of course. How could you have forgotten? Good old Alphys and her bizarrely specific modifications.

You find the ACT button on your phone, and you press it.

The tingle in your chest is familiar, and you look down. There it is, glowing faintly at your breast, pulsing with life. Maybe the battle brought it out, or Alphys's app, but it's your soul, shining red one moment before it turns bright yellow.

Justice.

Above you, the creature opens its jaws again. You aim for the gem and fire.

The creature reels as if in pain, but it redoubles its efforts against you. You dodge and shoot as best you can, but you're tired by now. A lot of blows land, whittling your energy down until you're forced to put the other dog salad in your mouth. The taste of old bones is a bitter disappointment; you barely even feel any change.

Are you even hurting it? It seems to be hurt whenever your shots land, but this is a corrupted Gem creature you're fighting, not a robot. Its limbs don't detach to let you know you're winning. If anything it only seems to make the creature angrier with you.

A blow from its tail sends you tumbling to the ground again, and your limbs feel almost too heavy to move.

*You may have messed this one up. Sorry, Frisk.

That's okay. Better luck next time.

The winged creature is swooping at you again when a glowing shaft strikes it in the side of the neck, It wheels in midair, buffeting you with wind from its wings, as several more shining missiles strike it.

Undyne. Undyne must have come to help you. Relieved, you push yourself up to your knees to look in the direction that the shots came from. Only... that's not where Undyne was, when you last checked.

And that is definitely not Undyne.

She's running along the beach, sending sand flying with each graceful, long-legged stride. Long white hair streams out behind her as she sets another arrow to her bowstring. She holds the bow with one pair of hands, draws the string back with the other, and lets it fly.

You scramble backward as the arrow strikes the creature. Familiar arms gather you up, and Toriel runs up the hill cradling you. Wearily, you strain to look over her shoulder. There's Garnet, and the lion, and all the others... but where's the other Gem monster? It's simply vanished.

*Who cares? If it's gone, then it's not our problem anymore.

The winged shadow falls over you again. The remaining creature is taking to the air once more, soaring upward to dodge the strange four-armed woman's arrows. The woman overtakes you and Mom, and you can't help but think that there's something familiar about her.

You sit up in Toriel's arms. The creature wheels above the beach, soaring in wild, swerving patterns to avoid the arrows. It's still fast, even after all the fighting it's already done. Not even Undyne, who sends many spears upward at once, can hit it hard enough to hurt.

“Stupid thing's moving too fast!” you hear Undyne snap.

“Can you do what you did to the big scorpion one?” Connie's still clutching her sword, even with no more swarm to fight. “Freeze it in place with the green stuff?”

“Nah,” Undyne snorts. “Too far away, too high up.”

“Green attacks work best on the ground, at mid to close range,” Alphys explains.

“What kind of attacks work best in the air, then?” Connie asks.

You can't help but notice that Garnet looks oddly relaxed. She stands loosely, as if the fight is already won. Her face is turned upward. Curious, you follow her gaze.

A smile spreads across your face.

At the very top of the lighthouse, a lone figure stands on the balcony, scarf flapping in the wind. As you watch, a volley of bright blue bones goes flying into the sky. The winged creature swoops and dodges, but the bones get faster and faster and bigger and bigger, until they're so fast and so big that the creature can't dodge them anymore. Plus it's moving, so you know those bones are going to hurt.

Its mouth opens. The green gem in its throat glows.

The green color flickers.

More bones strike it.

Finally, the gem flickers again and turns bright cerulean blue.

The corrupted gem's wings beat again, uselessly, and it plummets. Twisting in midair, it falls to the sandy beach below and struggles there, earthbound and helpless.

A familiar laugh rings out from the top of the lighthouse.

“NYEH-HEH-HEH! IT'S BLUE NOW! THAT'S MY ATTACK!”

---Steven---

A cheer goes up. Papyrus disappears back into the lighthouse, and less than a minute later he comes trotting out with Sans strolling behind him. Papyrus looks pleased with himself, for about two seconds before Undyne tackles him. Laughing uproariously, she locks her arms around him just under his ribcage, and suplexes him.

“Undyne, really!” Toriel fusses as she goes to untangle them, still cradling Frisk in one arm. Her shoulder is serving as a pillow for them, and they're smiling peacefully with drooping eyelids.

Your stomach turns. You still ache from head to toe after blocking that energy beam head-on. After your shield broke up, you were too tired to do anything, not even stop Frisk from running straight into a corrupted Gem's waiting jaws.

They could've been killed. You had plenty of warning and you still couldn't keep your friend out of danger.

Connie's hand on your shoulder brings you back to reality, and you grin at her gratefully. All's well that end's well, after all. Even with everything that happened, Frisk is okay. Everything's going to be okay.

“Is everyone all right?” Opal's voice rings deep and mellow, and her bow vanishes.

“Yes, I believe so.” Opal towers over her, but Toriel addresses her directly and calmly, like an equal. “Thank you. For rescuing my child. Only, forgive me...” She frowns in confusion. “I don't believe we've met, and I did not realize that there were other Gems...?”

Opal chuckles. “Of course. We'd be happy to explain.”

She glows white, shrinks, and splits. When the blinding light fades, Pearl is sweeping a deep bow while Amethyst tosses her mane and grins.

The monsters stare. Even Frisk's eyes are wide.

You grin at them. “Wasn't that cool?” you try to say, only to be drowned out by an earsplitting shriek. Alphys is rigid with shock, stuttering over incomprehensible words and staring at Pearl and Amethyst as if they're the scariest thing she's ever seen.

“Alphys!” Undyne scrambles over to sweep Alphys into a hug. “Alphys no, it's okay! That's, uh... that definitely wasn't an amalgamate! I... think? It's cool, babe, it's cool, everything's cool.”

“What's the matter?” you ask. “It's just fusion.”

“Maybe fusion means something different to them?” Connie whispers.

“It's nothing to be afraid of,” Garnet speaks up, addressing the monsters. “Fusion is an aspect of Gem magic.” No one else has the same reaction as Alphys, but the looks that Toriel and Undyne are exchanging...

They aren't afraid, exactly. But they do look thoughtful, and not the good kind of thoughtful.

“Of course,” Toriel says, smiling again. “I apologize, we don't mean to be, ah, insulting, but... well...” She casts a sympathetic glance toward Alphys, who is now talking quietly with Undyne. “It's a long story.”

On instinct you look to Garnet. You know how much fusion means to her, and if Alphys is afraid of it, what if it hurts her feelings? But to your relief, Garnet is nodding, and she doesn't seem too upset. “We know all about long stories,” she says. She pauses, considering, and tilts her head. “Perhaps it would benefit us all if we understood each other more.” Is she looking at Frisk when she says that?

“Perhaps,” Toriel agrees. “I doubt this will be our last visit, in spite of the trouble.”

“Thank you for your help,” Garnet says, inclining her head.

“Yeah!” Amethyst whoops. “You guys were awesome!”

“Ha! You Gems haven't seen nothin' yet!” Undyne cackles back at her. Alphys seems to have calmed down, and Undyne stands up straight. “In fact, you know what?” she points at Garnet. “Fight me.”

An awkward silence follows.

“What,” Pearl says.

“Fight me!” Undyne repeats, grinning like a happy shark. “I mean it! Sparring. You and me, one on one.”

“Okay,” Garnet replies.

“What?” Pearl says again, louder this time.

“Not today, though,” Garnet goes on. “Perhaps some other time. We have a few things to take care of today.”

“Name your time and place.” Undyne crosses her arms, still smiling from ear fin to ear fin.

Connie raises her hand. “How about my next sword lesson?”

“Connie, don't encourage them-” Pearl splutters.

“The sky arena's a great place for it, don't you think?” Connie goes on. “Lots of space. Literally made for sparring. Heck, we could all get in on it if we wanted to.” Her eyes shine with excitement. “It'd be really cool to see those bone attacks again, Papyrus. And Undyne's spears. Hey, what if we all trained together?”

“Aw, heck yeah!” Undyne fist-pumps. “I am always up for training! What do you Gems say? Wanna swap some of our fighting techniques? Papyrus, back me up!”

“WE WILL BE VERY CAREFUL!” Papyrus pipes up. “AND WE WILL MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A FUN AND VERY SAFE AFTERNOON! OR... WHENEVER WE DECIDE TO DO IT!”

“That's... not what I meant...” Undyne says, but it's too late because Pearl is now sold on the idea.

“this oughtta be good,” Sans remarks. You're not sure how long he's been standing there. You weren't really paying attention.

Frisk signs “Sounds fun,” in support of the idea.

“Yes, my child, I suppose it does – with supervision, of course,” Toriel adds, cradling them close. “But, until then, I believe we should be going. Quite enough excitement for one day, if you ask me.” She casts a severe look at Frisk. “And we will be having a talk about you leaping in front of dangerous creatures, do you understand?”

Shamefaced, Frisk nods. You feel bad seeing her scold them, but mostly you're just glad the corrupted Gem didn't kill them outside of a vision of the future. Visions can be awful and scary, but at least it never actually happened.

Besides, with something to look forward to, you feel better already.